I had read the other reviews and expected paradise. Maybe I'm jaded but for over 12,000 US dollars for 2 villa for 5 nights I really expected a lot. I will say you will not meet a nicer group of people. Everyone was very helpful.
I was a little disappointed. We had request rooms near our children and were placed a oppositeends of the hotels. Though they were pleasant no attempt was made to honor our request. The hotel is built in a jungle setting so be ready to commune with the insects. The water from the taps is not clean so you have to purchase bottled water to drink. They do provide pitchers of water they have purified themselves at the bedside but I expected more for over 1000 dollars a night.. The beach is small but white sand. You can not swim from the beach as the reef extends all the way to the shore. You need to walk about 100 feet down the beach to find a swimming area from the beach. They do provide a dock from the beach you can walk down and enter the water.
Right next to the hotel is a rather lower budget hotel with a loud disco that plays until late in the evening.
There are two restaurants. I am a bit of a food snob being from NYC and was pretty unimpressed with the food and again it was pretty expensive ie over 350 for a dinner for 4, 150 for breakfast for 4.
I would recommend this hotel in the lower price season but I don't think it is worth it in peak season.

In a word - excellent. We spent the first few days of our honeymoon at the Viceroy and loved it.

Its fairly boutique and the beach setting is perfect. There are 2 restaurants, both excellent. Staff are extremely friendly and very attentive.

Whilst the price is not low the experience is top shelf and exudes a certain effortless luxury.

You'll need to take a cab/car to town. But seriously you won't want to leave this little sanctuary.

My fiancé and I stayed in one of the beautiful villas with a partial ocean view and every morning it was like waking up in a dream. The staff were wonderful, the food was excellent, the jungle setting is unique, and the location is perfect! Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are both so close allowing for a number of great local activities. With a private pier that juts into the ocean, perfect for a late night swim or a romantic time watching sunset, Viceroy Riviera Maya clearly stands out among the rest. The pool is beautiful as well, with a phenomenal ocean view that makes you feel like you're sitting on the horizon. The staff is truly what sets this place apart. Hector was phenomenal and took care of us every step of the way, Fausto was a great bartender to share stories and laughter with at night, but EVERY single person there was a pleasure! And you must try one of the outdoor spa treatments! What a delight!

We stayed three nights in December after spending 3 nights at the Jashita in Tulum. Our trip started a bit rocky but ended well. The place is a bit hard to find--but you just keep following the signs and you'll eventually get there. When we arrived we got a cold face towel to freshen up and a cold fruit drink while we were showed the property. We started the tour with some sort of Mayan ritual by the spa--where someone passed incense around my wife and I for a minute or two. It was suppose to cleanse our spirit or something like that--it was OK, but not exactly my cup of tea.

The place is really unusual, but all the casitas are in the middle of this incredibly dense rain forest. I don't see how they could do that naturally so I assume it was all recreated from scratch--but it's really dense and realistic, including some big waterfalls, etc. There is a family of spider monkeys living in the trees. Our casita was really big and beautiful. The workmanship was terrific--five inch thick sliding wood doors, etc. We had an outdoor plunge pool, hammock, indoor and separate outdoor shower, and even a walk in closet. The bed was beautiful--a super high ceiling--just beautiful.

The downside started when the incense smell from the Mayan ritual experience wore off and we started smelling mold/mildew in the room. I think the forest is so thick--there is no air movement and the rooms can get stale. We ultimately called management and they showed us a second room (same problem, so we stayed with the first room). We decided to tackle the problem the next day. But they called about bedtime and said they found a better room that we could sleep in for just that night--it was nearer the ocean, so out of the forest and the room was fresher. We went there and it was fine. They also put a dehumidifier in the room to make sure the excess moisture was taken care of. The manager found us the next day and asked about the "new" room--we said it was fine, and he said we could stay there for the rest of our stay. (I'm sure it was more money as it was ocean front). They even volunteered to move all our clothes for us--they moved our stuff, folded and put our things in the closest, etc. (Great service).

We spent each day on the beach--they were great at setting up towels on the lounge chairs--they have nicely shaded (or not) chairs and lounges on the beach. The staff remembered our names each day and services was extremely attentive. We ate our meals at the beach restaurant--it was a little more casual and met our needs. Service was good there too--again, the staff always remember your name. The food was quite good. The pool is beautiful as are the grounds. We also used the steam room at the spa--it was perfect on the womans side but super hot on the mens side. The gym was good too.

One small thing that kind of bothered us--when you walk down the main sidewalk thru the forest area, if you meet a staff member they stop, step aside for you and kind of turn toward you. There really isn't any need for them to do this, b/c the sidewalks are plenty wide--I think it's just to be respectful to the guests. It reminded us of a One and Only Pamilla--where the staff stop, turn to you and deeply bow as you walk by. The whole thing is a bit wierd to me--a little dark ages. Other than that the staff is great.

Overall the place has a great feel, service is great, the rooms are great--but I'm not sure the super dense rain forest is such a great thing. I kept thinking the place might be awful if their is a buggy season. We had problems with our first two rooms, but they recovered very well and make sure we were happy.