Live Aqua Cancun was a really nice all-inclusive overall. Not perfect, but definitely a relaxing…read moreresort and a place I'd still give four stars.
We checked in on a Sunday around 4:30, and the room was already cleaned up and ready. We stayed in one of the terrace rooms on the fourth floor, and the room was well maintained the whole trip. Housekeeping was really good, and the lady who seemed to consistently clean our room was super friendly. They also do evening turndown service between about 6 and 9, which I liked more than I thought I would.
The food was hit or miss. Sea Corner was easily the biggest disappointment. You really have to like ceviche to enjoy that spot. I tried the battered fish taco, which was a really small rolled fried fish taco and honestly tasted kind of stale. The red snapper tostada was okay, but still pretty subpar. Overall, Sea Corner is one I would skip.
Ciete's breakfast buffet was decent, but still very buffet. Some of the food had that stale, been-sitting-out-too-long taste, but the omelet bar and fresh juice/smoothie bar helped a lot. They have two omelet bars, which spreads people out, and Marco at the smoothie bar was awesome. He remembered me after my first smoothie and was friendly the rest of the trip.
Azure was pretty good. We split hummus and pita, and I got the chicken in red wine. The chicken was cooked perfectly and came on a bed of mashed potatoes that were really good. Dessert was just okay. The baklava was very cinnamon-heavy and almost tasted like a churro.
MB was good and definitely felt like their "dress up" restaurant. I had the stuffed chicken, my girlfriend had the veal cheek, and we also tried the filet mignon. The filet was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the meal overall was good. Not amazing, but one of the better dinners there.
Hidden Garden was probably our favorite restaurant. We went there twice because it was that good compared to the other options. The samosas, gyoza, chicken satay, shrimp fried rice, and desserts were all really good. The Thao, basically their version of orange chicken, was also really good. The pad Thai was okay, but sweeter than I prefer. Their signature cocktails were also really good.
The Thursday night show was a nice part of the trip. They had a buffet by the pool, with a mariachi band from 7 to 8 and traditional Mexican dancing from 8 to 9. The dancing was almost like a theater-style show, and that part was great. The buffet was on par or slightly below par. They had a crepe bar, a grill with pretty good steak and chicken, and a couple decent soups, but a lot of it still had that left-out-too-long, slightly stale buffet taste.
The entertainment and activities were a big highlight. Trivia every night was great, and karaoke was a blast once people started getting into it. Pablo hosted trivia and karaoke with Jorge as the DJ, and Pablo brought a lot of energy. Jorge also DJs at Egos later at night, and they played a good mix of American dance music and Latin dance music.
During the day, we tried archery, water aerobics, bingo, the guacamole class, casino night, and a self-facial class. Archery was a blast, and aqua aerobics in the infinity pool was really fun. Ricky was a ball of energy, and Jocelyn was really cool too. The activities did not feel like boring resort filler, which was a nice surprise.
A few things could be better. Pool towel service closes at 6, even though people are still in the pool later. There is also basically no shade in most of the pools, so you get crispy pretty fast. They also need to be clearer about which pool beds are first-come, first-serve and which ones are paid or for Club Aqua. I saw multiple people get moved because it was not explained well.
Communication could be better too. Some restaurants are closed on certain days, probably because the resort was around 50% capacity, but they should give you a schedule at check-in. We planned to try Verana, their Italian restaurant, and then found out it was closed that day.
The humidity is something to think about. Obviously it is Cancun, but the indoor areas and hallways do not have much air circulation. Our fourth-floor hallway also had a broken water feature with sitting water, and I think that made the hallway smell more humid and musky than the rest of the resort.
The drinks were decent, but I would not go in expecting strong resort cocktails. I drank margaritas and pina coladas most of the trip and never really felt much from them. For stronger drinks, shots are probably the better route.
Overall, Live Aqua Cancun was a really nice, relaxing trip. The staff was friendly, the room was clean, the activities were way more fun than expected, and Hidden Garden was a nice surprise. The food is not amazing across the board, the pool setup could be better, and communication could use work, but I still had a really good time. Good resort, not perfect, but definitely worth checking out.