Reviewing this resort from the perspective of a late 40s / early 50s Canadian couple on vacation (child free this week!). Other personality notes: generally inclusive minded, introverted to mildly extraverted couple (her intro/ him mildly extra), love good design, not looking to do lots of excursions or meet lots of ppl, enjoy water / swimming / diving / surfing / pools / good food and drink. Here to just chill this week and not "parent", reconnect with our couple life / not much else. This review is to be read with the forewarning that some humour will be attempted at times - which may not strike everyone as funny whatsoever. Have read previous reviews prior to coming. Will try to break it up into sections, generally but simply put? Amazing, no complaints, will be back. Fully restored. Romantic and calming. Worth the extra splurges here and there. Get the beachfront rooms. Weather was great (sunny mostly all day, every day, Nov 6-12) - one nighttime storm. Hot and humid. We are both whitey-white ppl from british / scottish / welsh descendants and the female one of us is a Monica level frizz magnet and has given up on trying to tame that beast in tropical climates. Didn't use ANY of the hair tools she brought (too hot / too humid to bother - were constantly swimming anyway). LOTS of sunscreen required for burn prone skin. You will burn in 10 minutes here and it doesn't look very attractive when you do. Airport shuttle - didn't bother. We walked directly out of the airport thanks to tripadvisor's prior reviews, past all the ppl waiting in the hot sun for whatever shuttle or timeshare sales pitch, over to Diego's tacos (2 min walk - on google maps), and a man asked if we needed a cab. We paid almost $20 US which is too much but we didn't care because "hey thanks for noticing how hot and desperate for a taxi we were!", and got to skip the wait for shuttles etc. At our hotel 15 minutes after clearing the airport. Took 20 min to get out of airport btw. Drug sniffing dogs. They sniff everyone. Just so you know. Check in - easy. Hot towel, green juice (very sweet). Early check in (2 something - to beachfront room south of the main area). Reception asked since it was our anniversary if we like champagne and strawberries. Well of course we do. They never came... not a shock (see previous reviews) - zero concern; I guess this is what they do? Weird though. Will try this out in my personal life maybe; see if it helps me get ahead? Probably not. Resort itself: GORGEOUS. Super easy to access, seems user friendly for ppl with disabilities (ramps everywhere, but would trust their reviews not mine as we are currently both able-bodied). Lots of washrooms peppered around but I recall stairs for one washroom nearest the pool. Well manicured grounds. There is a huge chess set! Bean bag throwy-game. Firepits that seat like 15 ppl! Spraying for bugs takes place. A man with a captive hawk to scare birds etc away (he lets it fly, but it's a bit sad). Almost DESERTED nearly at times (like Mon-Wed due to downseason and people diving / excursions etc. This was more than wonderful since we were happy to have maximum alone time. Beautiful to just walk the resort at night. It's truly so calming and peaceful. ***there is construction on the north end underway right now - it looks to be 1/4 done. There was indeed jack hammering and drilling and hammering all day long on and off, just by the "quiet pool". Ppl were still on the beach nearby and seemed to care less. We opted to hang near the south end of the pool or south end of the property by the beachfront rooms. Beachfront King Rooms: Amazing - couches get wet and won't dry unless you prop them on their side (cushions only), which is not aesthetically pleasing but we did it, and they dried. Ppl drying scuba stuff in rooms overhead drip down onto couches, too. Rooms have 2 showers (one is outside and yet covered / very private / interior to room and hotel), we used the outside one because it is HUGE and awesome and just so easy. You're having 2-3 showers a day if you swim or work out, so this was great. Nespresso and 2 reg / 2 decafs per day, fridge with 2 tiny beers and 2 pops per day + 2 smaller waters per day, 2 large waters per day (i think - it may be one, but they added up), ice machine down the hall (used all week, no problems), coffee mate, tea, stevia, sugar and sweetener, wine glasses, espresso and coffee mugs, highball glasses, ice bucket. Lots of outlets and uplighting options, black out blinds or more porous blinds (2 choices), TV (we had to program it to auto-select channels as it was not set up), charging ports, phone, table and chairs, all the towels you could possibly ever want (all over the property - don't bring your own unless they are quick dry ones as most don't dry overnight due to humidity), shampoo / body wash / conditioner (do not bring your own, these are high quality and smell amazing and large bottles), shave kit, razor, shaving cream, sewing kit, little cotton wipes, little baggies, no sanitary options / those are at the little shop on site, lotion, lip balm, bug spray was good enough and worked well - mosquitos were moderate / I got 5-6 bites when I didn't wear bug spray after 6pm). Saw exactly one bug (small spider) and 2 small geckos in the room. Some ant hills on grass areas outside here and there but no problems. One towel rack to dry stuff. Laundry service if you want. Ironing board, hair dryer, iron. Magnifying mirror. Small toilet area that is private / interior to main bathroom. Large closets and a working safe. Hangers. Shoe rack. Luggage rack. Lots of storage options. Main door has 2 additional locks to main key lock for safer sleeping. Beds are super comfy. Firm-ish/medium soft. Pillows are big and firm but sometimes dampy-smell; put a towel on it for sleeping. Sheets are clean, and they change them daily / wrap duvet with fresh sheet. Housekeeping - PERFECT. No complaints these people work incredibly hard and did everything possible every day to clean the room and restock. Suggest to tip generously as they are predominantly women and are also more exposed to covid / wearing masks while no other staff seem to (the odd one here and there but almost all housekeeping do). Pools: Clean, easy entry, infinity style, great night lighting, hot tub was clean, actually hot (not too hot for some kiddos though), and peaceful. Hot tub is right in front of 4 or 5 cabanas that ppl can rent but weren't our style (these had some darker wood tones, a TV and fridge, and lounge chairs right by the hot tub - not so private). Main pool by the ocean is not busy in November - lots of choices for where to lounge (umbrellas or not), perfect to swim and float etc. No fighting for chairs in the off season. Ppl leave towels but this doesn't seem to mean they are saving the chair - usually they leave and don't come back / the towels are just used and they just kind of leave them there. There is some music around the main pool, but it is not all techno and not so loud that you cannot enjoy yourself. We hung out with a book for quite a while here and there and had no complaints - maybe don't set up right in front of the speakers. We also had headphones for our own music which helped with the odd noises. Queen size lounge beds with cylinder bolsters by the pool rent for like $200 a day ($100 or which goes to food/drink but don't quote me on this). Not a lot of "floaties" but ppl had them. Quiet pool (interior, northeast section) was like a Palm Springs Sinatra fantasy. My favourite place, but construction is going on in the building just beside it. Headphones block that out, but no bar, no service there. Very sunny area, no umbrellas, but good shade in the AM. Washrooms open. Some poolside rooms were cute and quiet. The rooms by this pool were cool - these are the rooms that have the concrete padded "couches" (not the wood couches with blue cusions that you can move around like by beachside units). Low profile and shaded. Would definitely stay in these, too. Restaurants: Beachside Le Cap, the white and blue one by the wood cabanas - sushi rolls, ceviche, gazpacho, fries, salads, calamari (really good), various flatbreads, poke bowls. Negronis were amazing. Alejandro was an amazing waiter. We loved this spot for a snack or dinner. Main open air restaurant with thatched huge roof (breakfast / lunch / dinner) - buffet can be included with room rate but we went a la carte daily. So many choices, more local cuisine options which were stellar and recommend these instead of western options. Coffee with milk (you have to ask for "crema" specifically for cream) was great. Incredible views. Little bar and chill guitarist at night from like 7-9 was quite talented and not loud. Enjoyed this immensely. Little padded seating lounge couches and cool lounge chairs set out just beyond the dining area oceanfront with little lights overhead (on all night / ppl hanging out, chatting with a cigar and drink sometimes). Cushions for these were brought out at 10:30am. So modern and beautiful. They like to seat couples at the tiniest tables with the least comfy seats but we would ask for one of the empty larger ones and they were always generous with this request. The larger tables are also closer to the ocean. The Italian One (Alfredo Trattoria): Did not go. It is directly beside Faro Blanco (on the corner). More of a leather banquet vibe but lighting wasn't as nice, bit of a fishbowl vibe, glass windows cube-like on 2 sides for everyone to see inside. Faro Blanco: Did go, amazing starters (the green curry soup was stunningly good; ceviche also amazing) - mains were just ok. Beautiful space, light and airy, perfect lighting and fun staff. There are only 2 tables outside however. Would recommend the tables outside. Room Service: 24 h; late menu also. 18% service charge. Didn't use it but would next time as a treat. Diversity: Some LGTBQ2S+ folks, not a lot, but they looked happy to be there, however proportionately there were not so many ppl as a whole. No overt signs of this being a progressive or particularly forward thinking / inclusive property, but maybe in the future this will improve. Ethnic diversity was lacking in general. Definitely a lot of caucasian ppl exactly like us with various degrees of burns, however they were (unlike us) dressed in their absolute finest beachwear. One guest had an American t- shirt about guns or ammo or something. Fun for him! Several guests had a physical disability but seeing multiple walkers and wheelchairs on the beach or by the pool over the course of the week indicated that getting around was do-able. There are motorized snorkelling assist machines for those with limited leg power. Snorkel / Dive shop: ScubaDu is the dive outfit. One of us was padi certified but years ago and needs a recert, & one gets seasick, so we didn't dive. The dive shop rents jet skis, snorkels and fins, go-pros, kayaks, clear bottom kayaks, and probably other stuff. We bought snorkel sets at the on site gift shop since rentals were $15 a day and we planned to snorkel 2-3 times a day for a week. Suggest bring your own if you have room in your carry on or luggage. Scuba Du does padi dive training and basic training courses. Some earlier review questioned their safety adherence and seemed legit, so do your research. Lifeguard wanders around a bit. Flags indicate how safe it is to swim / snorkel. Actual Snorkeling Report: There is a very good reef right off the property was the best reef we found all week (avoided tours and did our own reef, money bar reef, which is a 10 min walk on a mildly busy road - you can rent bikes that lock as money bar has bike racks and lockers). We also did another one near palancar beach, plus checked out chen rio on the south end - no snorkeling there really). Note, we are lazy right now. We didn't research snorkelling locations and options too strenously like others might. Most of our snorkeling was here and it was easy / convenient, and basically after 30-40 min you're ready for a break anyway. I personally would not want to waste half a day doing a tour for $80 and be chained to the tour agenda. We also saw boats dropping ppl (scads of ppl) off a money bar reef and they lasted 30 min, but that reef is DEAD. Super dead. There isn't much on the island about conservation so ppl seem to not know to not touch or stand on the reef. We saw ONE sign all week, and it was at money bar. Money bar also had good breakfasts and a starbucks. Go early or it gets busier. They have dancing and live music Thurs nights. Surfing - Nacho surf school advertises great surfing a 20 min drive away, but we went to see it and it is a LOT of rocks just in front of where he was teaching. One of us surfs and one is super beginner surfer but decent body boarder, and no way would we learn at that site. Ppl love it though, his reviews are great. We are used to El Salvador and Nosara, Costa Rica. This was tiny waves and ALL ROCKS on the beach exit. Hell no. Also really hot, no shade. Mopeds or scooters vs cars: We rented a jeep (you can rent a car on site via ALAMO at this resort - about $180-200 for a jeep for one day). One of us scootered 15 yrs ago and it was awesome but now, risk averse as we are, a jeep is much better. Younger 20-30s for sure, fun times. But it is insanely hot, your arms do get tired, and traffic is not so simple downtown (some streets have right of way depending on direction). There seem to be a lot of accidents. I mean, George Clooney got into an accident on a scooter in Italy and he must be not that stupid because he married Amal who is a brilliant human rights lawyer, so if he can screw it up, we all can. We opted not to risk it and ensure that our child free week lasted as long as possible. Parties / Weddings: We saw one larger wedding in the big main restaurant (not Le Cap, the one where they do the breakfast buffet / lunch and dinner by the ocean). The wedding guests seemed to have a lot of fun. It didn't keep us up at all. There was one business thing that looked a bit much - they hired a mariachi band on arrival, and it was slightly out of place for the hotel and a little bit cringey in a "white lotus" kind of way, but the ppl there seemed happy with it. They might also be the ppl who did the white party one night. They looked happy at the white party also - by Le Cap, with white chairs and a little bonfire. Amazing lighting at the white party. The lighting at this resort is next level. Well done. 10 out of 10. Smaller private ceremonies: there were 2 on Friday night. One was an anniversary thing with a couple and their little toddler. One was maybe a wedding for 2 - not sure - maybe an elopement? Both were doing photos by the sunset at the same time - they may be in one another's pics. All seemed happy and looked great. Sunsets: HOLY SH*T good. I feel bad for Cancun ppl. That is all. Children: There are small people here. Several of them. Some were staying right next to our room. We heard NOTHING! Well done, parents on vacation! One kid made a noise once on the property - maybe at dinner - the emotions of this child were mildly dysregulated. We judged their parents, felt self-righteous, enjoyed this immensely, and in total, it lasted 3 seconds before we realized what hypocritical jerks we were being. Gift shop: gifts, jewelry, kid stuff, sunglasses, goggles, beachwear and bathing suits, chocolate, cigars (yes we did and googled how to smoke one - learned a lot!), hats, local artisan creations, chips and snacks, things for that inevitable period you will get on vacation, first aid stuff, cigarettes, sunscreen, textiles, and more! It's open til 8. On-site ATM: it ran out of money and TD bank still charged me. It is now in dispute and will take 50 days. Save your receipts for everything. TD will not win this one because of this fact, and the translated receipt says the ATM was empty; no money was dispensed. Take that, TD. Try and not refund me. Just try. Palancar Beach Club- yuck. But go to one of the local beach clubs if you want to appreciate this resort THAT MUCH MORE. They are all gross, except maybe cabana beach, which might be a good deal, but not much different than the resort, so why. Seems like cruise people go to these clubs for the day. It is evidently so. The humanity. We were googling "why do people go on cruises" by day 4. Just so you know. Crime: Didn't see any. Didn't leave anything of value out in public view at any time (no phones, ipads, etc). Used the safe any time we left the room / everything of value went into the safe. Downtown / port: Cool one night. El Palomar for dinner was very good. Churros in the square were very good. Go after 6pm, it is too hot during the day. The square comes alive at night but it's very touristy. Still fun to walk around for 20 min. There is a dive shop, pharmacies, cafes, bars, restaurants both genuine and americanized (avoid hooters, wet wendy's and ex-pat place "dicks" or whatever it is), little artisan shops, kiosks, live music, jewelry shops, ferry port to cancun, car rental places, grocery stores (store called Mega is HUGE or we went to Chedraui which is smaller and more navigable). Buy some wine and beer at Chedraui on Rafeal E Melgar, a few necessities and take 'em back to the room. Thanks tripadvisor for this tip. This is shortly after day of the dead. It is a busy time that week / first week of Nov. Also there is a big parade in Jan or Feb I believe. Like mardi gras or similar. Check calendar for important dates, athlete events like iron man, and holidays. Also check your hotel for CONSTRUCTION before going. We forgot, but might have cancelled knowing there was construction, and yet now, having gone, this would actually have been a huge mistake based on where our rooms were and where we hung out pool-wise and beach-wise. GYM: we do not work out much. But this gym made us work out 4 of 7 days at 7 or 8am. It is STUNNING. Love love love it. Felt great, good way to get moving. Then some swimming and snorkeling or walking for a total of 2-3 hours activity per day. The rest, reading, lying still or eating. It has a punching bag and gloves, stability balls, kettle bells, an upright mirror, tech bikes x2 and elliptical x2, the thing that Arsenio hall uses with Eddie Murphy to spar in "Coming to America 1" - that long stick thing, you know? Also a stairmaster x1, recumbent bikes x3?, treadmills x4 (one not working), a weight bench, a leg press, leg extension (what is that thing just for quads), ab thing (i'm trying), the thing that goes in the middle of the gym with pulleys for lat-pulldowns etc, and a free weight for deadlifts, etc. There are also several free weights, yoga mats, a fridge full of water, and at least 4 other machines we did not acknowledge due to our lack of general fitness. The machines are tech-compatible with TVs and USB inputs. Wipe down your equipment ppl. Spa - didn't use it, looks amazing. Tennis: didn't use it, looks amazing - like AMAZING, Serena & Venus. Kids Club: No comment because we were child free this week, yay! Ok ok. It has paint your own pottery, a climber, a little indoor space. It looked fine. Didn 't see kids there. Kids were at the pool and beach area (that little semi circle grotto between the 2 restaurants) mostly. It was fun watching their parents try to read. Schadenfreude! To be fair, parents seemed happy and content. The water was not knocking kids over on the beach, and kids seemed very pleased. Parents didn't have to have super vigilance near the water like some beaches, so perhaps why kids club was not used so much? Fashion: Next level at times. Truly lots of sheer, easy breezy fabrics that are simple to get on and off…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.