Lindsay O'Brien
The people truly make this resort!
Antonio from Algeria spa is so friendly and helpful. We always looked forward to seeing him!
Ivan and the welcome staff/bell boys always have such big smiles and are willing to help in any way.
Lindy in the grill restaurant was incredible. She went out of her way to track down soy milk on the resort when I hadn’t been able to find it anywhere.
Bartenders (especially Abner) are kind and make delicious drinks.
Rosa was a wonderful maid. We truly enjoyed our stay!
Cynthia R
The reason for the 3 star review is a result of the food, service and location. The resort itself was beautiful, well-maintained, and very clean! The rooms on the Catalonia side were updated and spacious, however, having met friends on the Yucatan side we were advised how outdated they were and in some areas falling apart. The washrooms throughout the resort always had cleaners in them and the buffets were kept in good order.
The entertainment and snorkeling were the highlights of our trip! The evening shows were phenomenal and the entertainers were among the best I have ever seen at a all-inclusive resort. My boyfriend snorkelled every day and was able to see hundreds of tropical fish, eels, barracudas, squid, lobster, etc. I would highly recommend renting the equipment (free of charge) if you are staying here. We were told the snorkeling off the beach was better than some of the excursions.
In terms of service, I have never received such poor service in my life. The staff, particularly at the buffet and in the pools bars, were awful. They were rude and would blatantly ignore you (despite tipping), had no personality, and appeared to hate their jobs. Far from the resorts I am used to where they are friendly and engaged. No matter how many different bars we tried, or how much we tipped, the service did not change. The service staffs attitude was very disappointing!
The two pool bars were incredibly small and had no music playing unless someone brought their own personal speaker and connected their phone for music.
I would not advise anyone to book here for the cost based on our experience.
Misty Reise
We came for our 10 year wedding anniversary and overall we really enjoyed our experience. We had the privileged romance package and were very happy with everything included. The whole staff was super sweet and accommodating. Claudia and Carlos were always there to help and make our stay better. Our spa day especially was wonderful. Our masseuses, Saul and Aurora, were excellent and very professional. Guadalupe and Zury also amplified our spa experience and even helped us advance our Spanish speaking skills, which we loved and appreciated. While there are some things that could be better with the resort as a whole, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to family and friends for a great stay in the Yucatan.
Scott Martin
Thanks so much for a great vacation at Catalonia Riviera Maya! We arrived home yesterday and really enjoyed our time there with our 2 young kids. The many pools were awesome and clean, and the beach was fun to explore with the kids finding fish and other sea creatures. Before booking we read negative reviews about the rocky beach and older hotel rooms. The beach was sandy and only rocky when entering the water but had some sand pathways cleared for walking out in. Certainly bring water shoes along, but with rocks come fish and free snorkeling to enjoy whenever you want which was really cool to explore! Sure the hotel rooms were older but well kept and air conditioned. The beds and pillows were comfortable, so what more could you want for a room you only spend time in to cool off or sleep? Get outside and enjoy the grounds!
The dining/bar experience was incredible with so many choices and tasty food/fruit and dessert options in the buffet, and more drink options than you could ask for. It was way above what we expected, and our kids enjoyed the freedom of going up and picking what they wanted to eat.
All of the staff were exceptional and eager to help with anything, from the guest services to bartenders to waiters/waitresses to cleaners and grounds maintenance. We were so surprised at how many staff there were around which is why everything is so well kept and very organized. Even when the windy days brought big waves and lots of seaweed to shore, there were a whole team of workers for a few days removing it and taking it away so the beach was clean.
The theater shows were really great and we especially enjoyed the Moana show. Special thanks to the entertainment team (Pepe, Kevin, Pablo, Montserrat, Delhi, Carla) for making our days by the pool entertaining with games etc, and getting volleyball games started!
Thanks to all the management and staff behind the scenes we didn't even see working hard to make the experience memorable and enjoyable. I can only imagine how much work and organization it takes to pull this off week after week.
Scott and Amber
Kelly Lee
We have had a wonderful vacation This was our 3rd time here and we rarely repeat a vacation. So many of the staff was friendly and assertive. Carlos was everywhere making sure guests were happy and things were tidy. He was very personable and it is obvious he loves his job. There were so many great people to mention. Our room has always been large, exceptionally clean and comfortable. The hotel is one of the cleaner resorts we have been to. The food is fantastic also. We love this place! My kids have made the best memories here!