We stayed at this resort for 2 weeks and it was one of the best all inclusive trips we've had. We were debating whether to stay at the Maya or Azteca, but happy that we paid a few extra $$ to stay at the Azteca. They both have their pros and cons, but because the Azteca guests can use the facilities at the Maya, we were able to take advantage of both hotels. Maya - Great entertainment! Daily night shows were held by highly skilled circus performers and dancers - Trapez lessons were offered every day by the amazing circus team, Martina, Dani, Franklin, Emanuel, Mauricio, which we will never forget <3. It was an once-in-your-life experience that we enjoyed very much. Trust them and just listening to their instructions, we were flying in the air within just one lesson. - Dance lessons, pool party, archery (Anthony was a great instructor)... so much to do. - Buffet food was much better here than Azteca. Azteca - line-up to get drinks / food is much shorter since they were fewer guest. - Easy to reserve restaurants, and all 3 restaurants were really good. - quiet at night - free rentals, such as bikes, SUP, kayaks, catamaran. You need to reserve 30 min slot for water sports. - Free windsurfing lessons and sailing in catamaran (Jesus and Paulo at the aquatic sports were very nice and helpful) - very clean, most of the staff were friendly and helpful…
I want you to start by saying the staff that work at this resort are amazing. Everyone was friendly. The 3 stars is for the overall experience. The resort is very small. There is only 1 person at guest services so the line can get long. Try going at off peak hours. As an all inclusive resort, I was disappointed with the quality of their food and selections offered at their buffet . I stayed there for 4 days and 3 nights, unable to get a reservation at their restaurants for dinner. If you plan to eat at one of their restaurants, make your reservations the day you check in and hopefully there will be availability. I was looking forward to trying all their restaurants. I ate dinner at their buffet 1 night and ventured off site for the others. Breakfast was typical. If you go early enough, try the made to Order omelets. That was very good. Otherwise they have an assortment of pastries, fruit , pancakes, French toast. The snack bar by the pool bar offers hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries and pizza during the day. The bartender was great but the line can get pretty long as they had 1 person on most occasions and sometimes 2 at peak hours in the afternoon. The drinks were well made and they weee knowledgeable on how to make a variety of drinks. I’ve read reviews where they mentioned there was 24 snacks available but unfortunately I did not have that experience. I was able to get drinks at all hours but food stopped at 10pm when the buffet closed. The snack bar was empty and closed after 10 on multiple nights. They have plenty of lounge chairs on the beach. I didn’t have any issues founding an empty chair. I did notice people either put their towels to claim the very few palapas available to non members late the night before or very early in the morning. All of them including some lounge chairs with shade by the pool were claimed by 6:30am. This resort would be good for anyone looking for the basics or plan to take excursions. They do have a currency exchange window opened from 9am - 5pm Monday through Saturday that has better exchange rates than at the airport.…
My boyfriend and I traveled to Mexico for a quick weekend-long getaway. We stayed 4 days/3 nights. This is the 3rd viva Wyndham property that I've stayed at and this one falls in the middle in terms of quality (the other was the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic). I've stayed at 3 other resorts in Mexico and this was my 6th time in the area. In short, if you are on a budget and want a simple place to call home base, explore the area and spend lots of time on the beach this is great. If you are looking for lots of on resort activities and quality food options this might not be the place for you. We needed a mellow beach and relaxation trip so this was perfect for us. The Good! - The staff is FANTASTIC, super helpful and always pleasant - The resort is small, we liked this because we were only there for a couple of days, but those for longer stays might want more activities, guests can also go over to Maya for free, to experience their activities and restaurants. We didn't have time to do this. - They have free catamaran trips, boogie boards and other water activities - There were always plenty of loungers by the Ocean and the Pool - The beds are super comfortable - The room was exceptionally clean - Nice little fridge - LOTS of closet space and big bathroom counters. I am an over-packer and felt like there was room for all my stuff and to be comfortable. - The beach and pool area is nice, clean and just the right size - They have free bikes -we rode the 3-mile loop around the complex which was really nice -the 24 hour snack bar by the pool was a nice place to get snacks and food in between restaurant times. - The coffee is REALLY good. Get it at the lounge bar The Meh/Things to Know - Like I said above, the resort is small, so if you are someone who wants a lot to do onsite you might get bored, But they did have daily classes and activities. - The Buffet is OK, not terrible, not great, but OK. They only do the buffet for Breakfast and Lunch, so not a lot of options. If you are familiar or do a lot of all inclusive resorts you'll probably be disappointed with the limited food options. - We stayed for 3 nights and were only allowed 1 reservation for the speciality restaurants and then we weren't able to get a reservation until 9PM on Sunday at the other resort. This was annoying and we ended up cancelling and eating in Playa. We did end up getting into the Azteca's mexican/hispanic restaurant on Friday and it was VERY good. We didnt' get to eat at any of the other restaurants. - There are only two bars on property, so the line can get a little long at the pool bar. Not the end of the world, you're on vacation, but often there was only one bartender so they got backed up. The drinks aren't the strongest, sometimes tastes a little watered down, but a frothy pina colada on the beach is never really a problem :) Tips: - Ask for a late checkout, at first they were going to charge me $50 for an extra hour, but then after nicely speaking with the front desk person, they waived the fee. - Make your reservation for dinner your first day! They book up fast! You can check in day around 5:30/6PM for cancellations. - You can dine at both resorts- Azteca and Maya. - Downtown Playa is completely walkable or a taxi ride for $11 USD. - Bring or get lots of singles or small bills for tips for on resort and off. - The on-resort shop is insanely expensive. You can get things like sunscreen, toiletries, souvenirs, etc MUCH cheaper in Playa. There is a Walmart and a local megastore plus grocery stores where you can shop and get things at lower prices. - COVID testing- You can get this on resort but make a reservation your first day AND be sure to check all of the details when you get them back. My birthday and time of test were wrong and we had to have new results printed up. Again make your appointment on your first day especially if you need the test over the weekend. - There are numerous ways to get from the airport to the resort. You can get a private taxi, shared shuttle or take the local bus into town and get a cab from the bus station to the resort. We paid $125 USD for a roundtrip private cab to and from resort and airport for two people. You can haggle at the airport. Shuttles are anywhere from $30-40 per person each way. - There is a main Viva excursion desk in the front lobby, but we discovered later on that there are multiple excurion desks in a back office with glass doors. It might be cheaper to go with a non resort excursion, We didn't have time to check. - The toiletries they provide are very basis- Shampoo, Handsoap and Body Wash. No Conditioner or Lotion. Not a big deal for us because we brought, but some folks might be surprised about no hair conditioner. - If you like to walk or bike, within the gated community of Playacar there is a bird sanctuary nearby that you can go to. Its $15 USD and open 10-5 Everyday…
We had really good and relaxing vacation at this resort.. the best part our kids love being in the KIDS CLUB, Daniela is an amazing she keeps kids busy and make sure each and every kid enjoys. We would love to go back. Thank you everyone at Viva Wyndham Aztec — playa del Carmen.
It was one of the best holidays I ever had. I really enjoyed the free catamaran trips with Paulo and Santiago!! The shows in the afternoon were really excellent and all the options for sports and activities are perfect. All in all the sports team as well as the animation team was really nice and entertaining. Thank you for everything! :) Saskia
This is our first time in Cancun and we had a real good time in Azteca. Hotel and rooms are very clean. Have 3 a la carte restaurants. Buffet restaurant is very good for dinner since they have different themes nightly. Entertainment team is working VERY hard to keep you entertained and they have a real good show at 9.30 PM every night. Have a very good choice of acholic and none alcoholic drinks. Beach is hit and miss due to seaweed. It is nothing to do with Hotel, but t hey do a very good job removing them every morning/ You can walk to sister hotel Maya and try their buffet and bars. Hotel only provide 2 bottles of water when you arrive, make sure you bring your own refillable water bottle or you need to keep the 2 bottles they provide. Refill stations are conveniently located every corner.…
This was our 2nd time in Mexico after staying elsewhere in 2019. We love Mexico but the hotel we stayed at last time was really expensive so we opted for the Azteca. It’s a small resort and has an upmarket feel. You can use the facilities of the Maya which is about a 5 minute walk down the road or about 3 minutes via walking along the beach. Overall we enjoyed our two weeks here. We flew from Manchester at the start of April for the UK Easter holidays. The weather was fab everyday and we enjoyed every minute. We came as two families together with 4 adults and 4 teenagers. It’s a bit quiet for kids, but they managed ok. We found the staff (particularly the bar staff) to be friendly and helpful. It’s quite clear that the pool bar is understaffed which led to some time queuing. But the Maya hotel was way worse for that. Eder at the pool bar was amazing, so polite and attentive and no drink or cocktail was too much for his skill set. The hotel should give that guy a pay rise. He works the equivalent of two other people. We found the staff in the buffet restaurant to be slightly less attentive and a couple of them will try and ignore you asking for cutlery or for a table to be cleared when you’re waiting at breakfast. But in general, it wasn’t an issue for us. The food was pretty standard AI and no real complaints. You could have fresh omelettes cooked whilst you waited at breakfast and there was never an issue getting somewhere to sit or something to eat, no matter how fussy you are over food. The entertainment team do an average job. They could do with making it a bit more lively during the day (with the exception of the weekly pool party, as that was ace and so much fun). Alex on the entertainment team was the friendliest and would try and involve guests. They all work hard, but the entertainment is not on par with what I have seen in other resorts. The Azteca is a good base to do and see other things and the Playa Del Carmen shops aren’t too far to walk, although it feels far in the heat! My only major criticism was with the room cleaning staff. The rooms were cleaned daily, but on one day I noticed that all our clothes had been tidied away in and around our suitcases (not enough storage in the room for 4 people so we lived out of our cases). Whilst later looking for my new Ralph Lauren polo top, I noticed it was missing. It could only have been taken by the one of the cleaning staff. I was a bit disappointed, especially as we were leaving tips for them. Overall, we had a lovely holiday. We are going back to Mexico next year but going back to the Bahia Principe. We probably wouldn’t stay at the Azteca again.…
We are a family of three, travelled via TUI UK and stayed between 02.04.22-13.04.22 Getting there - 10 hrs flight from Gatwick, good service on board didn't feel like 10 hrs. Clean aircraft and pleasant flight. Easy transfer from Cancun airport to the hotel. The journey took about 1 hour. Hotel - nice hotel with superb grounds. Clean rooms and very good beds.Pool is nice but we spent most of the time on the beach. A main reason why I chose the hotel was the beach and it didn't disappoint. After a couple of days we noticed an increased amount of sargassum which they tried to tackle daily but proved to be challenging. Nevertheless fantastic beach. Restaurants and Food - we found the buffet restaurant more than ok, food was good and there's something for everyone. Also booked the Asian one (Bamboo), the Mexican one (Xul ha) and the Italian one. Xul Ha and Bamboo were good but the Italian one was pretty disappointing unfortunately. Activities - for me mostly was beach volleyball but they also do darts on the beach, yoga and many others by the pool. We also did catamaran sail which was so nice. Staff - they are working hard and try their best, a few times people from the Sports team would come and ask permission to sit down for lunch or dinner. We became close to one of them (Alejandro) very nice guy. Overall everyone is doing their best to ensure guests are well looked after. The hotel had their 35th celebration while we were there and they organized quite a show/party for it. We had a great stay, I would recommend this hotel to everyone. Yes, it's not perfect but after all you're on holiday so just enjoy it!…
Im writing this review on my last night here at the resort to provide the freshest perspective. Let’s start with the good: - Hotel staff are very, very friendly and accommodating. I have not had any bad experiences with staff. They all make you feel welcomed. - The hotel grounds are well kept and very clean. Everywhere you walk outside on the premises looked nice and maintained. - I really liked that the hotel was more on the quieter side, which was great because that’s what we wanted. The demographics was of a much older crowd and mostly from Europe from what I can tell. - The air conditioning in the room worked perfectly and was refreshing to step into coming in from the hot sun/humidity. - The drinks made by staff by the pool were always good. I’m not much of a drinker so I was fine with what I received when I asked for it. - I liked that we could visit Viva Maya by just walking. I liked their fresh juice bar very much. Okay, now the not so great: Welcome package: When you first arrive someone from concierge will welcome you with information about the property, activities and a weird tasting “fruit punch” drink that you won’t finish because it’s so nasty. They will tell you about their Viva Club at the end to try to get you to buy into it. I know this is uncomfortable for most, however, I kindly told the concierge that I was not interested and to not ask me about it again. She respected my request. Pro Tip: Just tell them before they start explaining anything that you DO NOT want the club and DO NOT ASK. Food: You know, there might be individuals who come from places that genuinely don’t know what good food taste like, and for them the food might’ve been good and that’s okay! For those of us that do know what good food taste like, everything that you’ve read, or about to read, about how bad the food was is TRUE. In my experience, most of the food was either tasteless, extremely salty or really oily. Even the grill station food left much to be desired. Some of the options available just looked plain questionable, and I was not going to chance getting sick on vacation consuming whatever that questionable item was. The buffet left such a bad impression, we only ate there twice before deciding just to eat in downtown instead for the duration of our stay. I read all about the on site restaurants here prior to arriving and based on the reviews, I opted for the Italian restaurant since it was so highly rated. I can tell you, for those who know good food, that it was just okay. They literally pull items from the same kitchen that’s shared with the buffet and dress it up a little differently to give it somewhat of a better taste. Still was very salty! Not worth it in my opinion and we didn’t bother booking any others reservations after that. This was my first all inclusive experience and this problem alone would be the deciding factor on whether to do an all inclusive like this in the future. If the food isn’t good, then what’s the point? You’d be better off spending your money on a really nice hotel and just pay for food separately. Room (Ground floor perspective): We were placed in a “Superior Garden Room” in the 3000’s building on the bottom floor which was away from the pool area. This was good because it was quiet for the most part. The issue with being on the bottom floor is that there were some ants but not too much to be bothersome, thankfully. THE DOORS ARE HOLLOW - The doors that the hotel placed on all the rooms are cheap. You can hear EVERYTHING going on outside of your room. Even worse, if you have an adjoining room, you can hear everything happening in your neighbors room also. The doors are so hollow that if anyone gave it a good kick, your foot would go right through and break it down. This is not an exaggeration, and if you come here you’ll learn for yourself. The water has a funny smell and you could smell it in the basin and shower/toilet area. I urge anyone staying here not to get the water in your mouth. It’s not fresh, and reminds me of brackish water. Water pressure from the shower is WEAK so if your looking to have a nice hot shower with good water pressure after a long day, you will not find that here. La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha!: Yup, you read that right! Cockroaches! And after staying here I can see why there is a song dedicated to this creature. I’ve spotted several cockroaches throughout the premises, primarily at night, OUTSIDE. And they were HUGE! Note, I did not spot a cockroach in our room, only outside. However, they need some serious pest control to get that rectified. I can only imagine what their kitchens look like with those crawling around! Overall: Our experience wasn’t horrible, but it also wasn’t the best and we’ll most likely not stay here again or recommend to others. Hopefully they’ll improve.…
My husband and I stayed at this resort for two weeks. We had an amazing time. The restaurants were good and the buffet had lots of selection. The serving staff were very friendly and very attentive. All staff were masked. Resort was very well maintained. Rooms were cleaned daily. The activities were fun.Really enjoyed aqua gym, aqua zumba and dance lessons by the pool. Pool games, pool parties were fun. On the beach, volleyball, bocci, darts, etc. Of course, lots of time to sunbathe by the pool or under shelters at the beautiful sandy beach. The best part of our vacation was the fabulous entertainment team. They were all warm, friendly, energetic and so much fun. During the day, they were involved with the activities at the pool and beach. During the evening, the team put on incredibly professional performances at the theatre. So much talent with dancing, trapeze, and of course singing. Be sure to get to know the team: David, Dani, Juli, Ernesto, Alex, Mar, Hugo, Carolina. They are all amazing young people. Our very special friend David, has an incredibly beautiful singing voice. Be sure to hear him sing. A short walk away is a mini mall with lots of souvenirs , fun place to visit. Playa del Carmen is a short cab ride away. Quite a long walk, doable, but with the heat, recommend a cab. Recommend you bring a water bottle. The resort only gives you one bottle of water on arrival and you are required to refill at one of the many purified water stations around the resort, more eco friendly. We brought out contigo water bottles which was handy. I highly recommend this resort.…
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