This resort has a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons, my first anniversary was spent here and also my first review on Trip Advisor was on this resort 7 years ago. I decided to write it 7 years ago, because I ended up at Maroma by mistake on my 1st anniversary and I was angry, until they smacked me with over the top family hospitality and forced me to recognize how amazing Maroma was, so I had to give credit where credit is due. Big thanks to my wife for handling the nightly duties, while I get to reminisce about our fabulous vacation and write this review. Also, I follow a lot of the resort fan pages and went on this trip to see if I needed to spend any money to have a good time and prove that a resort can be all inclusive and still offer up sells and premium options. I did pay to go to Fuentes Culinary theatre at El Dorado Royale, as my friends had never been and I wanted them to enjoy that experience, for my birthday dinner. I would have been happy at any of the dinner concepts on Maroma though, very easily. I will break this down by sections as to allow readers to jump ahead to certain aspects that pertain to them and be able to gloss over those that do not, hopefully this will be interesting enough to captivate readers of this though. We left from SeaTac Airport on Monday the 18th of July and arrived in Cancun at Approx. 1630. We were in the front of the plane and made it through customs and security within 45 min. It was busier than I have seen over the past 2 years, signaling to me the pandemic travel restrictions were over. You still are required to wear a mask in the Cancun Airport though, which is fine with me, I'm going on vacation, do not try and get me sick with anything please. Pickup: Lomas Travel Rep Zauka was waiting outside the terminal and immediately found our name on the pick up list and we told him we arrived with another couple and wanted to share a ride to the resort. We could have just left in our own transport, but we waited another 30 minutes for our travel friends made it through customs and security. Enrique was our driver and stopped for a baño and beers on our way in and we were at the resort within 50 minutes. Check-in and Room: We arrived at the new Exotic lobby (We are Members of Karisma resorts), which wasn't they are on my last visit and Carlos was the welcoming smile that greeted us. Gabriel was on us and had bags under control within seconds and we were sipping sparkling wine as we got the check-in done. I was in a Sapphire (lowest level) member swim up room, I requested buildings 3 or 4, but they were full on my visit, we ended up in a building that wasn't there my first visit in 2014/15. It was on the backside of the member lobby in building 12. It was a huge suite with a nice sized pool on the backside. Room 1205 had an obstructed view to ocean, but we ended up loving it, because it was so quiet. Especially after long day on the beach and the main pool and also we had Carlos there as support instantly, he radioed whoever we needed support from, so I didn't have to worry about using the GA Maroma APP. On Carlos days off I utilized Roberto in the Exotic lobby, never got to tell Carlos goodbye, so I hope he reads this. We also had coffee service and pastries available in the lobby as well, just outside our door. Every Vacationer is different, this room was great for what I needed this trip, which was a nice quiet pool, big room to host wine before dinner and a quiet bed to recover from closing down Rick's Bar. I will address Rick's bar later. Room Service: We had a standing delivery of coffee service, fruit and pastries with a side of cottage cheese. I did utilize the App to cancel our morning order on a couple of occasions when we wanted to sleep in. We had an order of Eggs Benedict that really missed the mark, but over all they were on it. I'd like to give a shout out and thank you to Gerardo and Antonio who magically got me going in the morning or put me bed after Rick's closed. Thanks Bazael for the late night delivery of a Steak sandwich and Burger, really yummy at 2 AM. Housekeeping: We had Briselda as our main house keeper; she did an amazing job all week. Alex brought us different pillow selections and Eduardo kept our mini fridge stocked with snacks all week. Those chocolates and Potato chips are really nice right before dinner. Beach Butler’s/Lifeguard’s: Angel, Eli and Manuel thank you for making the beach easily accessible and available to all the guests. It was an easy check in and assignment process, I never had trouble getting a Bali bed or lounge chairs set up. Fidel the Life guard thank you for bandaging me up on a few separate occasions from getting torn up playing beach volleyball. There was a squall that came in hard and fast and the beach staff was flipping chairs, clearing towels and bail bed covers in order to prepare for the sudden sunlight after the 20 minute downpour of hot rain. I believe I was eating in Papito’s when the Matriarch of Karisma resorts was eating lunch as well, during this storm. It’s always nice to see that interaction between ownership and staff. Massage/Spa Services: I got two great chair massages free. They set up massage chairs randomly throughout resort at random times to showcase their services. I took them up on that, no hard sell on massages. So if you do not want to spend extra use this as a little tool to get you through this trip, because next trip you will want to give the Naay spa a try. This is actually my first visit in 12, which we did not get a full massage, in order to keep to my word about having fun at an AI without spending any extra. Lilliana and Patricia both gave me a much needed upper back massage. On previous stays I thoroughly utilize the hydrotherapy system in the spa, I booked an appointment and this spa at Maroma is beautiful. It is relatively new all around and the water journey was great. Hot pool, into jet pool, back into hot pool, then finish with ice pool. It really is a great treatment and Highly recommend. I got to go once and then the next visit they said it wasn’t included in my room and was $75 per visit. I believe I got in for a birthday benefit the first time, but regardless I’m glad I got in. Jesus and Esmerelda ran a great spa, it was so relaxing and inviting. Gracias! Activities/Activities Staff: What a great team here to keep the party rolling. I woke up to go stretch on the Beach Palapa overlooking the water. Leirbag (Gabriel Backwards) was handling this the majority of the week, but Adrian and Kevin also supported. I loved this, it was effective, scenic and really got my day started right. Until, he had paddle board stretching in the main pool, that was really hard, but incredible, thanks Lierbag for destroying my core, it sure needed that. After that I ate a nice breakfast and started Beach Volleyball at 11 am and 4 pm everyday. Adrian, Isabela, Leirbag , Kevin and Alex were really fun to play volleyball with. The beach was perfect and the wind always made the games unpredictable. Thanks for the amazing games. I tie-dyed shirts, I learned how to make Aguachili, learned how to make an actual Paloma.... It doesn't use Grapefruit, I learned. They had a lot of activities and you had to get there early, because they filled up with participants quickly. They had a wine and paint session that I came late to, but looked amazing. This activities staff was so engaging and entertaining, they really were a fun group. Bars: Beach Bar- On the beach. Swings, great view and great drinks. Diego and Daniel were the main guys on my trip but Misael and Clemente filled in as well. Great group and the kept the masses watered and with libations. Bar 24 – Nice midsized bar and pool with cover, I didn’t hang out until the last couple of days here though, due to a wedding party taking it over. It’s a great little spot for socializing, but definitely mellower then main pool. Betsy and Josue were here bartending and Josue actually remembered me from a trip to a different resort in the Karisma family from 5 years ago. It’s always nice to be remembered. Pool Bar – We hung out here for a day and I met Felipe Ponce behind the Bar. That guy is fun and he really helped me out, because I missed the one bartender I knew from my last visit and he was a Seahawks fan like myself, so Felipe made sure my delivery would make to Rene. Thanks Felipe for the awesome Hospitality! Rick’s Bar – This is the late night concept. The completely remodeled and moved it from the death trap the old location was, I had many a rough night stumbling out of the old Rick’s. The new Rick’s got a major upgrade on the 3rd floor building shared with the spa and gym. The bar has an outdoor patio, a conventional bar with sports and a separate event room. The event room has a theatre screen and fully lit dance floor up front with the DJ Booth. In the back is pool a pool table. Couches and comfy seating lined the walls. Edwar and Rigoberto bartended during my stay and did it effectively. Depending on the crowd in the resort that week, will determine how lively it is. Luckily we had a couple of wedding parties an engagement party and our party to keep the night rolling. I like to sing Karaoke, so I did all night, so did the rest of the crowd. If no one sings it's a dance club. DJ Carlos took care of us! He played whatever we wanted whenever he wanted. He even gifted us with a photo of my wife and I singing a duet…. My daughter laughed at how intense she was singing in the picture. Such a small, gesture, which turned into such a great memory for us at home after the fact, that's what keeps us coming back. Gracias Charley. Restaurants: Papito’s - Great Mexican Breakfasts and Beach grill lunches. The Skirt tacos, the whole fish, and the burgers are all great to start your day and during the middle of the day. The view is on the beach and the food is equally tasty. I was mainly served by Mario, Julian, Jorge and my last meal by Victor, thank you for taking care of us this trip. Julian and Mario were my two main guys, gracias! Augustine great job running that restaurant and do yourself a favor and do a tequila tasting. It is free na d will change your mind on tequila. Vanessa the host literally knows who you are and room by 2nd day. Crazy good recall. On Saturday night I ate at the Mexican Al a Carte Menu. It is a gourmet Mexican menu if you want to try something off the beaten path. The suckling pig in this delicious black sauce was an amazing dish. Thanks to Alberto for the great service this meal as well. Lima Limon - The other Breakfast Lunch concept during my stay. This is a Peruvian style restaurant. The breakfast consists of Mexican breakfast specialties and traditional breakfasts. Lunch and dinner is the Peruvian menus. The Lunch was great. I was served by Rafael, for Breakfast and I was also served by Roger for dinner, who was probably the best server I had overall my whole trip. That's saying a lot because I had great service. I loved this restaurant so much we ate here our last night. Alberto closed us out with a great meal. Try the Shrimp Shot, Tiger’s Milk Ceviche and the Pisco Sours. Luis and Felipe Ponce once again delivered some great drinks and atmosphere. Gracias Amigo’s. Mio: I usually do not crave Italian food in the sweltering heat, but the air conditioning was nice and this Italian food was excellent. Thanks Miguel for the great group service for our party. Caribbean Grill: Our first night dinner. Marlene served our party of 6 effortlessly and it was a welcome event coming off a cross country flight. Great food, flavorful with a Caribbean tough that lent itself well to being very easy to eat and relax. Fuentes Culinary Theatre (El Dorado Royale) – We took a cab from Maroma to El Dorado Royale. $34 Round trip for us. The dinner and show was Fantastic and I had them call over to Casitas to see if our Casitas Butler friend Melissa was working and she graciously took time out of her busy schedule to come say hi! It is such an easy staff to connect with. Great time, I wish there was a way to pay for the Fuentes dinner at Maroma. We ended up having to come back to the Royale Lobby to pay after arriving at restaurant. If you like wine and food pairing, I definitely recommend this dinner. Member’s Dinner: They set up a great night on the beach for our member’s gala. The Lobster was great, the entertainment and the sunset made it amazing. Perfect night for this surf and turf dinner, it’s great meeting up with the other members. Thanks Alex at Exotic for remembering me. Karisma Front Desk: I didn’t have too much interaction here, but when I did it was great service. Dennys, thank you for tracking down my hat and shirt I left out on a bali bed the previous day. Carlos, great memory meeting me at the Royale in 2018, not much has changed, I still always play volleyball and Samuel thanks for the quick Check out. David at the Lomas travel desk arranged our transport back and Ana Laura did a great job navigating bad traffic to get us on our departure flight. Thank you both. Security: “Mike” Thanks for finding my belongings. Daniel and Alfredo thanks for stopping and taking some pix of our group. Thanks for the great Trip. The only issues I had were after the quick rains the downward sloping paths get slick, yes they have traction tape, but the need to be not so wide apart. Also our friends stayed in the bungalows over the water and that bottom step is super slick with no traction. We spent minimal money on this trip and really experienced a lot and more importantly had the best week recharging and relaxing. Thanks to the whole staff of EDM, we will be back!…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.