If you're looking for good service, like you have your own hired staff, this is the place to go! The service here is tops and the biggest reason we would return.
Accommodations: Being a newer resort, the rooms are very nice with no signs of weathering or outdated features. The room itself is very large with an oversized king bed, couch, chairs & table, dresser, closet, and still room to walk around. The bathroom is also large with double vanity, bath, walk-in shower, and separate toilet area. Ocean view is the way to go here (you'll need 3rd floor or higher); I don't feel the swim-outs are really worth it, since there are plenty of outdoor pools to use. I like that there are different buildings instead of one big one. Each building has its own concierge that attends to your needs.
Food: There are several choices for food here, French, Asian, Mexican, Italian, American, & Seafood. The big downside to this resort is the strange and sexist dress code they have. Most of the restaurants require men to cover their shoulders and wear pants to eat indoors. However, women can pretty much wear whatever (outside of a swimsuit). This is the most ridiculous outdated policy they have and changed our experience from 5star to a 4star. Especially since I had to purchase a $70 pair of pants from their store in order to eat anywhere. It's also a pain because you have to keep changing throughout the day for every meal, I mean, com'on, it's a tropical resort, not a business luncheon; people should be allowed to wear nice shorts and a tank top or T to eat.
Here are our restaurant rankings..
#1 - Seaside Grill - This is the highest quality food in the entire place! If you can only go once, I would go during the Mayan show, it was AWESOME! The lunch menu offers a different selection, including Octopus, which was the best we've ever had!
#2 - Himitsu (Teppanyaki) - We only did the Teppanyaki side of this restaurant and really enjoyed it. The show was good, and the food was excellent! One of the only places that you get good portion sizes!
#3 - Oceana - The food here is surf & turf, and we enjoyed it, but the portions could be bigger. The service was average restaurant, nothing to complain about.
#4 - The Market - This is the breakfast/lunch buffet, but is not open for dinner for some reason...? The breakfast buffet has a very large selection of food and all is very good. The service here is exceptional!
#5 - Portofino - This is the Italian selection and is just okay. You would think the portions here would be larger, but I ordered the Carbonara and got literally 3 bites of noodles...smh. The atmosphere is really nice, but the service is not the best here.
#6 - Bordeaux - This is the French selection and in our opinion, they should just get rid of this place. The service was okay, but the food just wasn't good. The onion soup is the only thing that has a decent portion size, but it was so overpowering, we couldn't eat it. Everything else, you get a bite or two of mediocre food. We went to the all night cafe afterward because we were still hungry.
Facilities & Entertainment: If you want quiet and relaxing, go to one of the upper pools, the beach, or pay extra for the preferred club. Although in my opinion the extra amenities you get with the preferred club are not worth it unless you prefer to be segregated from everyone else there. If you want the party atmosphere, go to the bar pool at the edge of the beach. However, if you want some fun and entertainment, then spend your time at the social pool. The social activities are never to disappoint; from morning aqua yoga or spin class, to aqua volleyball, dancing lessons, and other crazy activities. The entertainment crew is also very welcoming and encourages participation from anyone wanting to join, but never too pushy about it. The one piece of entertainment that we were sadly disappointed with was the tennis/pickle ball courts. It was so sweltering hot that nobody could stand to stay very long. The courts are set up on the far jungle side of the resort in an area that looks very much like the recreation yard of a prison! The resort definitely needs to do something to spruce this up and provide some shade! I'll also add that the night entertainment at Rendezvous bar was excellent!
Security: Normally I wouldn't mention this, but being Mexico (if you've ever been), many people wonder how safe it is. Well this particular resort is perfectly safe! Although off the beaten path a ways, in order to get in or get out, there are checkpoints. The police have a checkpoint on the road, then the resort has its own double gate system to vet anyone going in or out. The resort is also surrounded by a high fence, hidden mostly by the jungle to keep any nefarious people away. It's security that you don't ever notice, unless you're looking for it.
Thank you Hyatt for this resort, you should make more like it. read more