My husband and I just came back from this resort – it was a short stay, December 27 - January 1. It was our first time in Mexico and the only other all-inclusives we’ve been to have been in Jamaica, so we were constantly doing a comparison to Sandals and Couples. We choice this resort b/c it was the only package we could book with our restrictive flying days.

Rooms – were fine. Clean and comfortable beds. We didn’t have much of a view but who cares since we were outside all the time. There was a huge pointless hot tub in the main room – who actually uses this?! We were in the Piano building, room 3857 – great spot, < 2min walk to the main building.

Food – breakfasts were wonderful (definitely better than Jamaica!). If you like lattes/cappuccinos, definitely get them from the bar (real espresso machine with steam for the milk etc.), the stuff you got at breakfast was the instant stuff from a machine. Dinner – the Italian was the best dinner of the trip. We had the Asian restaurant one night – was ok. We did the New Years Eve gala in the convention centre – worst dinner of the trip. We had the Mexican buffet at the Mexican evening show (it was good but it was so windy that the food was never really hot). Lunch (if we ate it) was at the pool bar - there was a grill (great greasy hamburgers!) and guacamole/salsa/tortilla chips.

Drinks – we ended up asking for pina coladas with extra rum – if you didn’t ask for this, you’d hardly taste the rum.

Beach/pool – beach was nothing to write home about. We spent all our time at the pool. But getting a pool chair?! Good luck – people were up before 6 am to ‘reserve’ a chair. And then you would see the chair empty all day. The resort has to do something about this issue. We never had this problem in Jamaica. This is my vacation, I want to sleep in, not get up at 6am to get a chair.

Tips – we didn’t expect how much tipping went on. The omelette lady, the smoothie guy, the waiters – every little thing people were tipping. We felt guilty that we weren’t doing this.

Entertainment – was ok (Jamaica was much better). The odd thing was that all the entertainment was on the family side of the resort (The Cove) – the disco, the shows etc.

Oh and this brings up another issue – we had no idea that there were two resorts in one (adults only – Spa and family – The Cove). We could go back and forth for the restaurants etc. But now I wonder, if we paid more to be adults only? B/c if the family side is cheaper, I would definitely book that side and then spend the day at the adult side pool.

$1500 credit – you’d have a hard time using this up. We were able to squeeze in a massage each, that was all we could get into the spa for. It was booked solid. We wanted to do the Tequila tasting - totally booked. We took the hotel’s Tulum tour. Beware: bring money and bathing suit/towel to Tulum. We were told specifically not to bring money. And she never told us about swimming at the beach. I had heard about the beach from friends so we wore our bathing suits and brought a towel (and money). Most people on the bus didn’t have bathing suits (and they were not happy, it was a cloud-less, extremely hot day with barely any shade, the beach was the best part of the tour)!

If you booked your Mexico vacation through a package (we did, Sunwing), the rep will warn you against taking the hotel tours. Their reason: you’ll be on a bus with a huge group, there will be multiple languages, etc. Our tour – yes a big bus, however, you pull into the parking lot at Tulum, and there are at a minimum 10 of these huge buses. Tulum is over run with tourists – seriously booking an intimate group is a waste of money. Our Tulum trip cost $16 US (2 x 11% tax) – it was totally worth it.

Also the package reps warn you against the hotel’s time share talk – we were never approached about this (and seriously what is the difference between sitting through the Sunwing’s reps talk to take THEIR tours than sitting through the hotel’s talk – they are all trying to take your money!).

All in all it was an ok vacation – not sure we will choose Mexico again (I still got sick on the last day of the trip – the Dukoral vaccine wasn’t completely effective).

My husband and I came to the for a New Years getaway for the first time. We came as a guest of a VIP member. Other than having to wear the uncomfortable wristband and the 3 hour sell job there was no VIP treatment after the check in. So this is a message to current members about our experience because you should know what your money is getting you. We were placed in a third floor king room which is small but nice. I guess we could see a wedge of the ocean and pool. But in talking to other guests about their rooms, we were the lucky ones.

In the VIP private beach we waited 45 minutes for towels which never came. My husband canvassed all the pools to finally get us a towel. I know this is busy season but that's ridiculous. There were long lines at guest services to book spa treatments and activities. Yes the resort credits are nice but everything is so overpriced in anticipation of using the credits. We also waited 1.5 hours to get seated for dinner unless you want an early bird seating. We had a couples massage which was amazing but we waited an hour past our reservation and so did the other couple we waited with.

Whether you are a member or not, being herded around like cattle in line after line to wait is no way to spend a vacation. I will cut to the chase.

Pros:
No children
Full amenities in the room- stocked bar and fridge
Grounds are clean and pretty
Most of the staff was very hard working and genuinely nice and courteous. We tipped very well to our faves
Most everyone was English speaking and could accommodate my high school level Spanish
Food was good with the exception of beef. Don't have high hopes for that
Room service was prompt and actually very good
Pool is nice with a swim up bar. The food at the pool was better than some of the restaurants
20 min to Playa Del Carmen
Nearby golfing which we paid for with credits at Playacar and Riviera were awesome

Cons:
Sand is rocky
No night life!! There is an outdoor bar overlooking the water and another bar in the lobby. There was nothing to do at night so needless to say at least we were getting some much needed rest
Service was inconsistent - it was either really good or really bad
Towels at the beach and pool should be a no brainer

I'll get off my soap box. My whole point is that you should see value in what you pay for. I would not pay top dollar to stay here. I would only stay here if it was a great deal. Members here pay for their memberships and still pay additional when they stay here. For this VIP membership I would not pay for. We had to wear the stupid bracelet the whole week and had no perks. I have stayed at more exclusive places than they claim to be.

I might come back once it's Hard Rock to check out the changes if I got a good deal.

We were here with our grown children over the Christmas holidays. The check-in was slow and tedious and one room did not have 2 double beds as requested by us well in advance, so this took awhile to sort out, going back and forth with the front desk. When you leave your hometown early in the morning (wee hours) and arrive in the airport in Cancun at 10:40 am it is disappointing to spend 2 hours in the airport before the shuttle is finally loaded with passengers and then stop at other resorts to drop people off, have a mix-up at check-in and not get the rooms sorted out until 5pm. This burns an entire afternoon that we could have been in the sun by the pool. This was very frustrating. We've travelled to Los Cabos previously, staying at the Riu and arrived at the airport at 10:30 am and by 12:30 we were checked in and at the pool enjoying our lunch!

We found the workers to be very friendly and gave all around good service but many were new and that showed somewhat. The restaurants were very nice and we got in everywhere with no wait except for one evening. Our favourite restaurant was Mo Mo No Hana, (my husband loves Sushi) and the waiters, food and ambiance in this restaurant are all wonderful! If you don't love sushi, not to worry, as this restaurant has other excellent options like the chicken almond, or beef tepanaki. Don't miss the tempura battered ice cream and mayan coffee made at your table! We went 2 mornings to Mo Mo No Hana for breakfast as well. Delicious omelets made to order! La Huerta was a nice restaurant as well and we enjoyed both the service and the food one evening here. The Trattoria was okay, nice atmosphere but the food we ordered was not that good. The pizza is a pre-made crust (like you'd pick up at the grocery store) and it was COLD when it arrived at our table. The service was nice and the meal started out with bread with the oil and vinegar and lovely red wine, but the main course was totally a flop.

The Spa and all the treatments I had there were excellent. I have been to Spas in Canada and the US and I have to say, that the Spa at Aventura was top notch. A big thank you to Dianely Polonco Gamboa who booked all my Spa appointments ahead of time, thus saving me calls or trips to the spa reception while on holidays. (You can call or e-mail to pre-book your appointments and get a confirmation before you travel. I really advise on doing this.) Some people I talked to said they just couldn't get in at the Spa. I had a hot stone massage by Erikka and a facial from Felippe and both were most excellent!! I highly recommend taking the time to indulge in these. You will not be disappointed, especially since you can use your resort credit and only pay the tax. Additionally, you can use the Spa hydrotherapy if you come 1 hour ahead of your appointment for no extra charge. I didn't try this out because I love to be by the pool outside, but just to let you know it's an option. Ask for the robe and slippers when you check in at the Spa. The first time I came 20 mins. early and was just taken to a room, but the second time I asked and was given a locker with all these items to enjoy. Once changed, you can sit in the inner room and enjoy water, tea, juice or fruit.

Lastly, I learned that a sand beach IS a big deal for me, but I knew that Aventura only had the lagoon and pools before we went. It was fine, and we made our own fun and enjoyed the activities doing pool aerobics, beach volleyball and our sons took out kayaks in the lagoon. I would make sure to have the sand beach on our next trip!

We took a taxi to Akumel Beach and had the driver drop us at Yal-Ku to snorkel for the morning. You can rent all the equipment there for a reasonable price ($5 for snorkel and another $5 for flippers) Our family had great fun doing this together. All in all, we had a fun trip and it's often what you make of it, and having patience and a sense of humour is a must. (Don't leave home without your smile!) Also, you don't have to tip, but we tipped every day giving our servers a few US dollars when they brought a tray of drinks for our family, and at the end of the week leaving a much better tip for our "favourite" waiters and our maid. This was very much appreciated by the staff. They work long hours, especially over Christmas and work very hard as well.

Another disappointment was that they trek you back to the airport in Cancun hours and hours before your flight which is not necessary. Our bus picked us up at 7:30 am and our flight was not until 1:40 pm. While it was delayed an hour, we really didn't need to spend hours in the airport, since it takes under 1 hour to get there.

Our family enjoyed the trip but with the hassles with the front desk, room mix-ups, and slow transportation, I feel that we could have done better with another choice in resorts.

Just back from a wonderful week at the Aventura Spa and Cove Resort and have to say that apart from one or two minor issues could not find fault with the hotel, staff or food.
Our biggest irritation was being overbooked on arrival and having to be moved around after one night - this was aggravated by the fact that my son is less than 18yrs and could not stay in the Spa section although that is where we got placed - long story but worked out fine after a little tantrum and negotiation.
We were really impressed with the food - great variety, fresh and huge amounts. Poolside food included steak that was tender and tasty, fantastic grilled chicken and fish, big juicy burgers. The restaurants in the Spa section were particularly good (no kids <18yrs) - we had great meals in the Italian, Oriental and Mexican restaurants. Breakfasts were generous and fresh - lots of fruit etc.
Staff were unfailingly gracious, friendly and helpful. I was impressed that we got follow-up calls from supervisors to check if our requests (eg more towels) were met appropriately. Room service was prompt and excellent.
Rooms are comfortable and well appointed - mattresses may be a bit firm for some but I was happy. Showers are large. The rooms all have giant jacuzzis which we did not try.
The biggest downside to this venue is the lack of a beach. It is situated on a solid rocky shoreline and apart from a very small sandy bay at the far south of the resort (Cove section) there is no access to the sea. There are however great sheltered coves for swimming and snorkelling and these have very nice beaches with frequent bar/food service. The pools throughout are huge and clean - we generally did not have problems finding a place to hang out but shade is a premium if you don't claim a spot early.
I was impressed at how well maintained the hotel and grounds were - everything seemed to work fine although we had a few burned out light bulbs in our rooms.
All in all a great place to stay if you can manage without a beach - would go back in a heartbeat.