We just returned from this resort and it is a wonderful place to vacation!! The customer service we received was absolutely the best ever of any place we have been! Raul @ Marie's was super and Moo & Taco at the Italian resturant - Max our fun pool server were all just such great servers. We were offered an upgrade which we took but was by no means pressured. If you are not interested in time share just tell them and that was not an issue either. The resort is VERY clean and just a delight! would go back in a heartbeat!

Our family visited this all-inclusive resort over our Thanksgiving break. This was our 2nd time to the resort. Our first visit was over Christmas 2011. Needless to say, our kids who are 9 and 5.5 had such a wonderful time last Christmas we booked again for Thanksgiving.

The resort is very clean and the staff is very attentive and courteous. We had booked the family suite which has a king bed along with 2 bunks and a trundle. We were in room 2130 which is directly at the end of the hallway from the elevators. At first we were concerned about the location, with the elevator noise, hallway noise etc...but it was not a problem. Our room was right outside the kids club area which was great because our kids enjoyed the crafts and other activities that were offerred through-out the day and the evening. This year they also added a trampoline and a 5 hole mini-golf course there as well. The kids magic show was great - don't miss it.

The beach was wonderful, it seems this time of year a big "sand-shelf" develops between the soft sand and the actual water, but the lifeguards create sand stairs to get up and down. The water is a pleasant temperature and as long as you are careful, you can avoid the rocks in the swim area.

The entertainment was great! Every hour they offered an activity that both kids and adults could enjoy. Dana in entertainment was wonderful as was Antonio in the kids club. They have dart contests, pool games, water aerobics, blackjack and bingo every day. The kids club has crafts, cookie making and movies and also has a Wii and Xbox to keep the kids entertained. The large pirate ship water play area by the smaller second pool (which is kept warmer than the pool on the ocean side of the hotel) it is more for kids. As well as 2 large water slides which kids and adults can both enjoy.

The food was very good. We ate at Maria's 3 times and the new Italian restaurant 3 times. Cheers to Fily at the Italian restaurant - he was a wonderful waiter again this year!! My son couldn't wait to go back to the resort to see him again this year. You are allowed to get room service once a day. The tortilla soup and the homemade guac are out of this world. Many afternoons we would order that since our dinners were usually 7:30 or later. They had live lobby bands most nights which was also a lot of fun.

The outdoor restaurant next to the main pool was taken down while we were there and they are building a new restaurant area on the end of the pool area closest to the ocean. The sushi that was available there is still available at Gavatos down where you get breakfast, just ask to order off the menu during lunch instead of the buffet. The "pancake lady" who makes Mickey Mouse pancakes was still there and we had great omletes every morning.

The work-out room is adequate and my husband and I also took turns running on the beach and outside on the sidewalk. We both felt extremely safe in doing this, it is a very populated, touristy area. There is a mall with a cinema about 1/2 mile down the road that several people we met had gone to and said was nice, but we never ventured off the resort.

They also allowed us to shower at the Spa the day we left because we checked out at noon and our flight wasn't until 4:30. The only thing they could do better would be to install the non-slamming doors on the guest rooms. Starting at 6am, the door slamming and echoing in the hallways starts. It is hard to sleep when this is happening...even with 2 white noise machines and towels shoved under the doors :)

My husband and I also watched movies on his computer on the balcony in the hammock in the evenings after the kids went to bed.

Kids loved all sorts of non-alcoholic drinks:
Chocolate pina-colada
Mint Mojito
Winnie the Pooh
Strawberry daquiri
Miami vice

All in all a great trip - can't wait to go again next year!!

Upon check-in which was very slow; I was pressured to upgrade and when I said No for the second time the attitude of the check-in person changed drastically. Have never been treated this way for just not upgrading my room. Maria's restaurant was especially bad. When I didnt want the wine they offered they treated me differently then too. One reason ( I didnt want wine with mexican food) and ( the wine was extra because we didnt "Upgrade"). The front desk was not friendly and not very professional.
I can say the staff at the pool and the cleaning service was excellent. Food was average but nothing I would brag about to someone; and I wouldnt recommend and I wont be going back there. After this trip I will stay with the RIU properties.

We've spent 2 weeks in this hotel and it was absolutely fantastic.I will try to describe it with as many details as its possible:
Location
Really convenient,walking distance to La Isla,big mall and a minute on the bus to all the clubs like Coco Bongo for example.
Rooms
We were in Junior Suite room with lagoon view.It was good enough for us really.It has king size bed,tv with around 20 tv channels,mostly Mexican or American.There is a fridge which they stock up daily with soda and beer and its included in your all inclusive option.Bathroom is ok,has a big shower.Theres a balcony in each room too.
Food
Theres a few restaurants there so theres plenty of choice.Theres Italian,Mexican,Grill which were ala carte plus 2 buffet ones and a snack bar with burgers etc.Our favourite was Gaviotas which was a buffet for breakfast and lunch and ala carte for dinner.Buffet food in this hotel is ok but to be honest gets a bit monotonic after a while but thats normal i guess.Ala carte was really good,food always tasted and looked like in a good restaurant somewhere in town.They served me the best steak ive ever had.
Alcohols
Not bad selection of brands like Jim Beam,Smirnoff,Skyy,Malibu,Bacardi.You need to ask about specific brand when ordering though,otherwise youll get a cheaper local substitute.
Staff
Very friendly and helpful.Our favourite was Elias Perez,waiter from Gaviotas who always served us with a huge smile and very positive attitude.Thanks Elias for everything,if ure reading this!Animation guys were also great with Lizet and Dana keeping guests entertained at the pool or beach.I would also like to thank Julio and Sophie who work in Aquaworld point by the beach.Ive done my scuba diving course with them which was fantastic.
Beach
The best beach ive ever seen.Sand is nice and water as blue as u can possibly imagine.You need to be careful though because there is a few rocks in the water which can be dangerous if u hit them.I recommend using the very left side of beach where buoys are.There was no rocks there.