Stayed from 11/10-17/12. I did a lot of research before choosing this All Inclusive resort for my wife and I. There are a plethora of AI resorts in this area and many of the large companies have more than one. Even the Iberostar Tucan is really two resorts in one as the Quertzal is adjoining and you access each during your stay. The resort exceeded our expectations and met our particular needs of: not overly large with to much walking, great beach that you can walk on (heading south from resort you can walk past the Sandos AI for over a mile with no other resorts - head north and you can walk all the way to Playa Del Carmen in about 30 minutes), close to PDC with easy access (cab $7/US, 90 pesos).

Jungle setting was very nice and relaxing to see animals and birds. We had monkeys eating outside our room (Building 12) every morning. Open architecture of buildings and resort was pleasant. Beach and water a strong point. Like most resorts the 'reserving' of prime spots is an issue here too but we were always able to find lounges to use. Pool area was fine except pool bar that as others noted could use an upgrade. Service in all areas was better than I get at most places at home. I took a bunch of $1 bills and tipped good service and people definately appreciated it and remembered you. Asked for better quality of tequilla in Lobby and Showroom bar and they provided.

Food overall was very good. Saw alot of attention to keeping things clean, refreshed, and a pretty good variety in buffets. We emailed ahead and got the ala carte resturant and dinner times we wanted. We ate at the Italian (excellent in every way), Japanese (sushi and habachi cooking very well done - steak, chicken, shrimp and/or octupus), Steakhouse (alot of people rated this very high but we were slightly disappointed - corn-on-the-cob was 1/2 a cob, Rib-eye steak same as served in smaller portions on buffets). We tried to get another ala carte reservation but were not successful.

Impressed by the # of people who were multiple repeat visitors (up to thirteen times) which to me is a measure of consistency and meeting people's expectations. Probably 40% English/European, 40% American/Canadians, 20% South American's during this stay. Not to many children during this time of year. Did not ever see the nightclub as it did not open until 10:30 pm and we were asleep. Some of the evening shows were so-so but the Mexican Folklore night was very well done.

We took a day trip to Cozumel on ferry (good idea to only buy one-way tickets - about $22 round trip/person) as this allows you to come back on the hour. Went to the Iberostar Cozumel ($20 taxi each way) and ate and drank free with guest priviledges. Nice way to see another property and extend your cost savings. This would also apply to 3 of the 4 Iberostar resorts north of Playa.

Definately got our money's worth with food and drink and ambience and would strongly consider returning if in this area in the future.

Hotel could not fault,food was good and varied,cleanliness,second to none,hotel staff from top to bottom were friendly and very polite,even the gardener s spent time to speak to you,our room was near the beach and swimming pool,but any room would be convenient in its own way,we loved walking through the jungle with our grand son,3yrs old spotting the animals,the agoutis,were his favorite.the monkeys were mine.also we walked around the quitsel next door,I wouldn't,t mind staying there either,playa car lovely place to be in November it rained for 2hrs,Tuesday,although it was dull it was nice and warm and people were still playing in the sea and swimming pool,entertainment,the team worked very hard to keep us happy and always had something to say the ladies were lovely ,the men were camp as a row of tents,with great sens of humer,Marrisio & Carlos/Charlie always talked to the kid and loved to nurse bobby,the baby,and hi five Toby,, thank to all who made our Holliday great chow chow Micky mouse.

Our family has stayed at this resort around thanksgiving for four years in a row now. We are a large and diverse group and while we all have had some complaints over the years, the resort has always worked well overall, especially for those of us with kids.

This year was an exception. Everyone in our party was disappointed with this visit. I will list the low points:

Front desk service was slow and blasé. We were always made to feel as if we were imposing on them.

In this day and age having wifi in only a small part of the lobby is unacceptable. In order to utilize wifi I would have to walk 5 minutes to the lobby, wait another ten minutes for front desk staff to help, then pay $5.00 for every 15 minutes of service. 5 stars?

The pool is cold. There is no hot tub other than a lukewarm one in the spa separated by sexes. There is a jacuzzi in the center of the pool. It's actually colder than the pool itself. 5 Stars?

In our previous stays we found that most of the staff was friendly, with some notable exceptions that were easily avoided. This year we found that several key staff members were downright surly. Example: On my first visit to the beachfront bar, the bartenders at the beach bar actually insulted me in Spanish assuming I didn't understand them. So my choice the rest of the trip was to go back to these jerks or to wait 30-45 minutes for a waitress on the beach. 5 stars?

On previous visits we were allowed to seat ourselves in the buffet. This allowed us to stick with friendly, helpful waiters. Some of these guys are really great. This time around they insisted on seating us every time which often resulted in getting slow, mildly rude waiters. Expecting timely delivery of coffee is not asking a lot, but some of these guys seemed really bothered by it.

The food is ok overall, pretty basic Pre-cooked buffet fare with some nice exceptions. What is really lacking is variety. It's all the same food all the time. The restaurants offer a small break from this with the entrees, but the side dishes and desserts are exactly what's in the buffet night after night.

What else? Like so many other reviewers, our room did not have the bed configuration promised. The beds are hard and getting a foam pad or extra blanket is a major hassle. Several areas reeked of sewage. We were driven in a luggage cart through a cloud of fumigation.

To top it all off, nearly everyone in our party got sick. We talked to many, many other people staying there who were also sick. We also overheard many people at the front desk and restaurants talking of sick family members. Clearly something was going on. What was the hotel response? Depended on who you asked. One guy claimed that he had heard nothing about people getting sick, a bald faced lie. The hotel doctor said there was a flu epidemic going around the hotel. Another person at the front desk said the epidemic was affecting the entire peninsula. My guess? It was the food. Some of our party became ill within 24 hours of arrival.

The beach is wonderful, some of the staff is great, the grounds are beautiful, the animals are cool, and some of the food is pretty good. There are enough positives about this place to have kept us coming back, but next year well find somewhere else to spend our money.

Stayed at the Tucan Quetzal Nov 2 to the 11th very good time excellentservice thank you Dennis at front desk check in and also Santos at the lobby bar in the evening great Margeritas and they are not watered down for those who say that the food is not good i will disagree great choice and variety beautiful lushness and greenery plus the tropical setting with the animals just a great gig thanks iberostar we shall return.