Following are random thoughts on my recent visit to the Aventura Spa Palace.

My wife and I have been to several resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, and the level of service at the ASP far surpasses all the other resorts. Want a drink, their will be someone around to bring you one. Problem in your room? They will be there quickly to fix the problem. Need something during a meal? They are there to wait on you. When a server brought us fresh coffee in the mornings and we told them "gracias", they responded "it is a pleasure to serve you". And they really meant it. Everyone from the guy cutting the grass to someone at the front office greeted you with a big smile and a "Hola!" every time they passed you. We had not experience this before at other major resort brands. In fact, as we entered the resort initially, the entry was lined with 6 or seven workers on both sides who applauded as we walked past them to enter the resort. That was pretty cool.

The rooms were good, and they were cool in the hot afternoon, although the buildings, in general, are beginning to show their age. Nothing big, mind you, just small things like cracked tiles in the hallways, railings that need to be painted or replaced. It's not like the resort needs a major facelift, just minor things fixed.

The drinks were plentiful and good. The same for the food. If you can't find things you like to eat at the ASP, then you can't find anything you like anywhere. The buffets were fine, with a large selection of all types of foods. I never had to look too hard to find lots of delicious things to eat. If you get something you don't like, put it aside and go find something you do like. We had dinners at:
El Greco, which is a buffet prior to 6PM. Although the food was marginal, the service was terrific!;
La Hacienda - Mexican; It is delicious, and be sure to try the flavored tequilas on the stand behind the hostess;
MoMoNoHana - Japanese; Good food, they begin bringing appetizers and soups almost as soon as you sit down;
Ventanas - buffet restaurant where, again, you can always find something to eat!

The main reason for this trip was my daughter's wedding. The ASP did a bang-up job of taking care of every wedding detail. I highly recommend a wedding at the ASP.

The only real negative I have for the resort is the lack of a beach. I love to sit on the beach, listen to the waves, and swim in the ocean. The lagoons are a distant second the the real thing, but at least I could still swim in salt water, and we had a blast snorkeling in the lagoons! Lots of fish to see, and if take some bread to the lagoon, they will circle you like a school of sharks who have smelled blood. Just throw the bread in the water, because they do have teeth, and they are big enough to draw blood!

Regardless, we did not want to leave, but all good things must come to an end. We will go back. I would highly recommend this resort. We will most certainly check out some of the other Palace resorts.

Let me start by saying I am not an experienced traveler. I have only been to Mexico twice. Both times have been to ASP. So I am slightly biased.

In may of 2005 for my honey moon I researched adult-only AI resorts in Mexico. There are not many. But after reading reviews and doing research we decided on ASP. We stayed for 10 days. I must say I was blown away. Every staff member was very nice, pleasant, and respectiful. The entertainment was great. The fact that it had a dance club in the resort was perfect since I love to dance. The 7 different restaurants did not disappoint. My wife and I have different tastes...so sometimes we would eat at three different places at dinner time. One for her, One for me, and one for desert. So many choices....it was worth it....and we had all the time in the world....we were on vacation. We did some excursions that were outside of the resort. They were great. We did bar leaping, X-caret (swimming with the dolphins), and zip line. It was perfect.

So we decided to go back. So for our 2nd anniversary we went again....another 10 days. This time...no excursions.....except for bar leaping tour. We love that. great way to meet fun people and party.....(by the way we are early 30's). There is so much to do at ASP you don't need excursions. Water volleyball, ping pong, water b-ball, water polo, obstacle course....yes obstacle course, rock climbing wall, dance clubs, martini bars, zen garden, shows, events....anything you can handle.

The staff again is so friendly, that we made friends with a few of them. I still contact them to this day. Great people. We also met another great couple from Indiana. We are meeting them again this year.

Now... there are negative reviews and you can't make everone happy....below is my responses to the negative comments.

Do you have to wait 2 hours for dinner....sure if you go at 7:30....when everyone else goes. If you go at 5:30-6:00 you get seated right away....but who cares....you have time...you are on vacation....DUH!!!!!

Is it the most up to date resort...no it's well over 5 years old....it's been around for a while....but it is still exquisite and in great shape.

Is there a party side and a quiet side? Yes. SOUTH SIDE RULES!!!. It's so much fun. Yes it's kind of noisy and there are drunk people....but they are all having fun...and the staff provides great games for those people that want to have fun. If you want more laid back...go to the North side.....you will have a great time relaxing and being with people who also just want to relax. So either way you have your choice.

The rooms...are great.....are they wondeful fantastic...no...the beds are kind of hard....but WHO CARES!!!....you are only there to either take a nap or sleep at night.....other wise the room is just a closet for your stuff...and a place to change. The jucuzzi tubs are awesome. Plus the hammock on the balcony is great. The rest of the time you are out and about the resort. Playing pool, drinking, chess, dancing, swimming in the indoor heated music pool, or just walking in the wonderful outside air listening to the water crash against the rocks.

The beach....there is no beach...if you did any research at all you already know this. Yes a beach would be awesome...but if you are having fun or just relaxing you can do it at the pool...and if you are dying for a beach...go into Playa and have a ball at the beach...and then come back.

The staff...goes out of there way to be polite. They are awesome. On our 2nd anniversary we went through Apple and requested a top level room on the southside, closest to the beach. Instead we got a first story, farthest from the beach, twin beds, North side room. I talked to the front desk and they said there was a huge convention and to check back in a couple of days. So we did.....and 3 days later we were on the south side on the second floor close to the beach. Again...if you want to be nit picky...you can....but it was just a room. We spent hardly any time in the room...so it didn't matter that we had to wait a few days. Was it a pain to switch rooms. not really. it just took about an hour to pack, switch, and unpack. It was worth it. The staff helps out anyway they can....and I am so pleased with them...that is why we went back.

Kids.....THERE AREN'T ANY!!!!!!

Spa's....Great.....expensive...but great.

Downsides.....convetions...sometimes huge conventions come in and there are lots of people...but it doesn't effect you too much. Again....you are on vacation....quit sweating the small stuff.

We are leaving in 4 days to go back......This time.....we will be there for 12 days. I will write a review after that as well.

If you are looking for a great place to get away....have some fun, relax, meet great people, have lots of choices of food, activities galore.....or just do nothing..this is the place to be. If you are looking for a beach....and the service and price of a 5 star resort...then go to the United States.....but you will spend an arm and a leg.

This place has it all. Every place has it's downsides....but the upsides here far outweigh the bad. I cannot say enough positive things about this place. I searched other resorts....I was not nearly as impressed with them as this one....but here is the huge kicker.....you can go visit other Palace resorts up and down the coast and eat and drink there too....for free.....but you won't need to...once you are here.....you are hooked:):):)

If you have any doubts or questions....let me know...I'll break it down for you...and I'll be honest about it.

I stayed at Aventura from May 1 - May 4. Upon arriving, I was told that I was in the wrong lobby, so I waited for about 20 minutes outside for the shuttle to take me to the other one. During the course of the stay, I found that grandness of the resort to be overwhelming and that it resulted in a lot of time spent walking from place to another. That being said, the hotel was beautiful...the pools were well attended and looked over the ocean, and the lobbies and rooms were pretty. The landscaping was truly awesome. I have to highlight how wonderful the service was from beginning to end. Every worker on that resort deserves praise for their friendly and attentive service. The negative part of the trip was the food. It just wasn't that high quality. Despite paying for an all-inclusive, I found myself traveling to Playa del Carmen at night to eat the wonderful Mexican food at the restaurants there. One nice thing about the hotel was the fact that they had a rental car company and a tour operator in the lobby, so making plans was a breeze. If this was not all-inclusive, I would stay here again.

We first visited Aventura Spa Palace 3 years ago when it was the romantic honeymooners/ couples destination. I've been to most of the palace resorts and found it to be nice then, however, now it is definately going down. The food quality and service is going down and the building is showing it's age - too bad the guests aren't! Being an adult's only resort is the main reason we chose this palace resort this time around, but it seemed it was full of 30 and 40 something "adults" who thought they were 20 again. Middle aged men were tossing a footbal in the Bar Pool area , annoying other guests who wanted to relax and swim, and then they were targeting the bar to get the ball in disrupting the poor workers ( who were fully upset but could not say anything) -come on - would you not scold your kid for doing that??? Then a 40 something guy drank so much that after puking his guts out at the pool side he had to be literally carted away in a wheel chair!

The Spa was once the envy of the Mayan Riviera, now it's not even prominently marketed or their services sold. There are much better and newer places to go to in the Mayan Riviera. Definately will not be going back! Severely disappointed