TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

With any vacation resort there is the good the bad and the ugly. Let's start with the good and I will just type as things come to me so bear with me. The resort is centrally located on the hotel strip and just a short taxi to the shops and bars. The spa is adequate with very friendly staff and will cater your massage experience to your liking. The buffet while not very big had just enough to satisfy with very friendly staff. They have entertainment ambassadors that will invite you to participate in a variety of activities at the pool. Speaking of the pool there is a small eatery serving a small but adequate menu off to the side. Room size is pretty good. Pool area is large for the space they have and clean but could use more seating. As an extra there is a small mini mart behind the hotel that has what you need and they do laundry for about $10 for a small basket. The bad. This hotel is tired and small (213) rooms. It used to be the La Meridien which was originally opened in 1998 and was bought and refurbished in 2010, but don't look too closely, because I don't feel much has been done since then. Being in the maintenance field things stand out like a sore thumb but you don't need to be an expert to see what needs work. I was going to include photos but quickly realized it would be way too many. They love to use the wall mat grasses to hide things. The restaurants are small (3) and the portion size smaller with really just average cuisine. I actually had the worst piece of salmon I have ever had here, but the hibachi is pretty good for sure. Room service late night is nonexistent practically only serving hamburgers or sandwiches. We didn't try it during the day. This is for my HVAC guys. I found it amusing that they are cooling the entire place with split and mini split units in every room and common area no chiller set up. Look on the balcony for the compressor. The ugly. Upon our arrival that we notified them would be late due to the Tren Maya being a bit overdue, we were informed that the rooms (3) we reserved had been given away and my party was now scattered about over 3 floors. we specifically looked for rooms close to each other for practical reasons and had requested king and two double beds to accommodate our party. None of that happened and it was an hour-long scramble to find rooms with correct bedding. We called two hours prior and we were told everything was as it should be which was a lie. The front desk staff was unapologetic and less helpful with no manager on duty. The bar is tiny with woefully inadequate seating. There were 3 outlets in our room with one being behind the bed and the other so worn out nothing would stay in it. So we had to use the one we could get to in shifts. Three lamps in the room with only one plugged in. There may have been another outlet behind the tv stand. I think they simply repainted the furniture from the old hotel also, just a guess. Do not buy anything in the gift shop it is unbelievably expensive us ethe mini mart out back. Also, you can find excursions that you want to do on Expedia for half of what the hotel charges that give you more, look around. I could go on, but the bottom line is this a small, tired hotel that lacks modern design and convenience and needs a refresh at least. There is no real identity going on with low energy. Pool area is ok food is ok, and the drinks are just ok. The beach is fine with plenty of seating here. This was my first Cancun experience, and I was definitely not wowed. There are a lot more hotels in the price range that I would consider first when we come back. Would not recommend.

THE WORST RESORT. TO CHECK IN WE HAD TO WAIT IN LINE FOR AN HOUR, NO WELCOME DRINK, STUFF WERE NOT FRIENDLY. TO RESERVE A POOL CHAIR WE HAD TO GET UP EVERY MORNING AT 4:30 , BY 6 EVERYTHING WAS GONE. NOT ENOUGH CHAIRS. THE ROOMS WERE OK. THE WORST THING WAS THE FOOD. WE TAKE VACATIONS TWICE A YEAR AND WE STAYED AT MANY RESORTS BUT THIS ONE HAS THE WORST FOOD. THEY WERE GIVING ME THE DIRTY LOOK WHEN I WAS ASKING FOR SOME EGGS BECAUSE I DO NOT EAT BEANS OR TORTIA CHIPS IN THE MORNING. FORGET ABOUT THE BAKON, NO WAFFELS, NO CHEESE. FOR LUNCH I WAS HAVING PIZZA EVERY DAY. THE RESTAURANTS WERE BAD, WE ORDERED LOBSTER FOR EXTRA PAY AND IT WAS BAD, THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO COOK. WHEN WE CHECKED OUT THEY CHARGED US TRIPLE FOR THE DINNER. ANOTHER THING ,DO NOT WAIST YOUR EXTRA MONEY ON THAT ELITE CLUB BECAUSE THE ONLY DIFFRENCE IS COLOR OF THE BRACELET. ONE THING I LIKED THAT THERE WERE LOTS OF BEACH TOWELS , THE ELEVATORS WERE FAST.

This resort was good for the value the staff were friendly and most were able to communicate in English as our Spanish is not so good. The room was comfortable and the app was very user friendly. We had issues with the third party company that books excursions as they do not explain things well and do not care if you have an issue at all. The resort is definitely do for a renovation the balcony doors were old and did not latch and got stuck a few times. Overall very plain white and beige everywhere.. The pool/beach seating was scarce as people reserve seats then disappear for the day. overall a good trip and not a long walk to the busy parts of the zone

I don't know where to begin... THIS IS NOT a 4-diamond, 5-star luxury resort. Don't waste your money. You're better off booking at Secrets, JW Marriott, or a Distinct Marival property. While I'm not an expert, I've visited Mexico's west and east sides nearly 60 times over the past 25 years, and I was highly disappointed. They say you get what you pay for, but I paid a lot and didn't receive nearly what I expected. I upgraded to a Sandos kitchenette suite, which was not functional. There was no kitchen table, no dishes, cups, or cutlery. It was essentially two tiny, uncomfortable love seats thrown into a space. The suite was at the back of the building, and for the price we paid, I was surprised. Our view was directly of Secrets next door, and all we could hear was the loud, continuous noise of their five massive industrial fans. Bring earplugs, or you'll get zero sleep. What I did like about this resort was the staff. They were wonderful, polite, helpful, and courteous—truly amazing. You also use your wrist band to get in and out of your room, which is handy. The beach was really nice, and you didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get a lounger. I read a review that said this beach areas as the best for swimming, so calm....that was not the case, the wave rolled in day after day. The red flag was up every single day. Some days you could still go in and brave the large waves where other days, it wasn't possible. Perhaps it was just the week we were there, I'm not sure. What I didn't like... The grounds and building are old, though they do a good job of keeping the grounds clean and the building somewhat maintained. I feel the property overmarkets itself as luxury. I've heard other Sandos properties are fantastic, but this one falls short. It's outdated and retro. They have an app for booking dinner reservations, but if you're not up at 6 am to book, your only options for that night are 9 pm or 10 pm. You'll have better luck booking through the concierge. It seems they are trying to combine all the great aspects of other resorts into this property (such as the music aspect from Marival and Secrets, pool parties, beach club amenities for additional charges, beach activities, dinner shows), but it's not working. Every other day, they have a performer playing keyboard, saxophone, or guitar, around the pool which was nice. On Fridays and Saturdays, they have exotic dancers perform by the pool, including a pole dancer. While I'm sure some guests enjoy this, it feels out of place for a 5-star resort. This would be more fitting for a 3-star Rui in Cabo. I'm not a fun sponge, but if I want to see strippers, I'll go to a club. The food was okay. The buffet was really small and not well-planned. The food selections didn't complement each other, and the variety was very limited. Greedy guests were getting up at midnight to reserve cabanas around the pool for the next day, only to show up at 2 pm. It was ridiculous. All pool loungers were taken by 6 am. People would wake up early to place towels or belongings on chairs, only to show up hours later or sometimes not at all. The hotel needs to do a better job of removing towels from chairs if people don't return within 30 minutes or an hour. Two people would hoard four spots, and four people would hoard six spots. I booked through Expedia and the package said private transportation was included. I contacted Expedia to inquire and Expedia told me to reach out to the property directly to make arrangements. I reached out to the property to make arrangements and they told me to contact Expedia to make arrangements so here we go back and forth. Finally the resort said I need to be staying a minimum of 7 nights before they provide the service, which I was and they still wouldn't arrange the shuttle for us. I finally gave up and booked my own shuttle through Cancun Shuttle which was FANTASTIC - I highly recommend. All in all, I would never stay here again. I was so disappointed. I could have saved myself thousands of dollars, stayed a few doors down and been happy. I recommend you do the same.

We recommend eating at Fratini’s restaurant. The food was AMAZING and our server Lorenzo was the best waiter we’ve ever had. He was extremely attentive. The chicken parm is to die for and the pear arugula pizza is absolutely divine. Highly recommend!!