Tucked along the Costa Mujeres coastline is a beachfront all-inclusive resort with a few downsides but overall has the right stuff.
Food is hit or miss not just from place to place but also from night to night; for example the steak house one night was fantastic but the second night it was just so-so ordering pretty much the same foods.
The beach is absolutely beautiful and waters vibrant with color, but were covered in seaweed and some floating globs in the waters.
The room we had was a swim up. Was really convenient to walk out onto the patio and right into a dip pool. It came with privileged access which can be argued was worth it or not, but we took advantage when we could. A main bedroom with two queens (very small queens to be honest) and a pull out sofa bed in the living space. There was also an additional gathering place just inside from the patio so that we didn't have to pull the sofa bed out and back. Nice shower with a rain head and also a hand-held. Toilet separated so that someone could be in the bathroom; which had two entry doors so that either bed area could enter without disturbing the other.
Temperature varied through the day but overall kept it cool and a power fan in the bedroom kept it almost too cold deeper into the nights. Separate closet area included mini-fridge which was stocked daily as well as ample storage space for suitcases as well as clothes. Lots of hanger space as well.
Daily maid service and turn down available. We gave them 100-200 pesos each day (about $5-10 USD) and pretty much got everything we asked for regarding snacks and fresh water bottles (used to drink and brush teeth!). Just a note on check-in that you have to put down a resort fee which requires either a credit card or 1000 pesos. I chose the latter so they did not require me to put down my credit card for security reasons.
The resort has two major pool areas. A party pool with a fun/dance squad that kept activities up such as bingo, dance-off, and music pounding all day. This one is located between buildings 2 and 3 and it's pretty much loud all day until about 6-7 PM. There are no reservations so get up about 6:30-7 am and you can snag one of the covered sun beds. Here is a kicker: if you set your stuff out and then leave, be aware they do have security guards that comes around to take photos and if you are gone too long they will requisition your stuff to free the spot for others to use.....and then you have to go to the front desk to pick it up. The second pool area was more families with ample seating and the same security monitoring. We never felt unsafe at either pool but one day at the family pool we experienced a man assaulting his child and wife with no security to be seen until several minutes after the interaction. Nothing close to that happened during the rest of our stay so perhaps a one-off, but at another destination we went to unrelated to this resort we experienced something similar.
The beach does have several trees and cover available set off about 50 yards from the water. Right on the water are several chairs just in the blazing sun. Be careful as the sun will seriously burn you! They do have two bars, one in a more common area and the other nestled amongst the privileged and Exclusive travelers club. They swear the club is not a time-share plot but everything seems to point that direction as they try to sell you on a tour for a free one hour massage (spa requires guests to be 18 years of age for us). There is a fitness center also which is quite nice with a beautiful view.
There is a pharmacy-type store (no drugs) with liquor and toiletries for sale as well as any common needs you might have in case you forgot to pack it. Also a higher end store with off the chart clothing prices contrasted with a more affordable store with marketplace stuff that will allow you to buy some less expensive souvenirs and t-shirts. Everything is charged to your room.
Restaurants are plentiful but the real star TBH is the buffet which has high end food every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It included at different times a simplified sushi bar, poke bar, chocolate fountain, omelette station, salad bar, dessert station. Also had special seating for privileged level guests away from a lot of the action.
I will be putting up reviews for each of the restaurants, but for this review I will say they have teppanyaki, Mexican, sushi, Peruvian, Italian, Hamburger, food truck, sandwich shop, sports bar, and of course the aforementioned buffet. There is also a vegetarian option so they really do cover all the bases. Also every place keeps track of allergies and they have procedures in place to accommodate. read more