Riviera Maya resort recommendations?

[buck3647]

My girlfriend and are still looking at options on where to stay in the Riviera Maya but slowly I’m getting burned out by reading all the bad TripAdvisor reports.

For the first part of the trip we’ve got our rooms booked but we’re still looking for somewhere to spend 6 day in the Riviera Maya at the end of June.

I’m a diver but my girlfriend isn’t so we’re looking for a nice resort...

We’re looking for:
-All inclusive
-Good food & drinks (I know that’s difficult to get with AI)
-Quiet (no need for DJs to entertain me all day & night ) - adults only preferred
-Nice beach & sea
-ability to “escape” the resort for day trips
-A good dive shop either in the resort or willing to pick up from there, good dive spots in a reasonable distance

What are your recommendations?

WHY all inclusive?????? If touring or diving you miss out on much of the all inclusive stuff waste of money take a look at this resort with golf and dive center Vidanta Resort Mayan Riviera rental NON all inclusive 18 hole golf waterpark dive shop - YouTube

 

[hilljo88]

I'm a fan of Dive Aventuras Mike or Nils can advise you on hotel or condo. Its in a gated community, not AI, but several restaurants and bodega around a lagoon. Everything, restaurants, rooms, dive shop, boat... is within a very short walk.

 

[ibj40]

I'm a fan of Dive Aventuras Mike or Nils can advise you on hotel or condo. Its in a gated community, not AI, but several restaurants and bodega around a lagoon. Everything, restaurants, rooms, dive shop, boat... is within a very short walk.

There are actually a couple of AI's within the compound, and Mike and Nils can set you up, anyway you want to go. We were just down there in May.

 

[JamesBon92007]

My girlfriend and are still looking at options on where to stay in the Riviera Maya but slowly I’m getting burned out by reading all the bad TripAdvisor reports.

For the first part of the trip we’ve got our rooms booked but we’re still looking for somewhere to spend 6 day in the Riviera Maya at the end of June.

I’m a diver but my girlfriend isn’t so we’re looking for a nice resort...

We’re looking for:
-All inclusive
-Good food & drinks (I know that’s difficult to get with AI)
-Quiet (no need for DJs to entertain me all day & night ) - adults only preferred
-Nice beach & sea
-ability to “escape” the resort for day trips
-A good dive shop either in the resort or willing to pick up from there, good dive spots in a reasonable distance

What are your recommendations?

From what you said, definitely don't stay at the Mayan Palace or any other Vidanta resort. They blast you day and night and try to prevent you from leaving the grounds.

 

[jonhall]

take a look at this resort with golf and dive center Vidanta Resort Mayan Riviera rental NON all inclusive 18 hole golf waterpark dive shop - YouTube

It is not AI, but upon checking in, they give you ~$800 credit against your credit card - so it's a cashless resort. Restaurants are pretty good. The golf course is okay (3 in my family used rental clubs - I'm 6'4" so what I used wasn't great for me) and the diving consists of the boat going straight out from shore for a dive (at least that's what they used to do.) I have used Dressel Divers at the next resort over (used their free pickup and have walked along the shore to get there) and taken a taxi to Puerto Morelos to dive, which is what I would recommend.

From what you said, definitely don't stay at the Mayan Palace or any other Vidanta resort. They blast you day and night and try to prevent you from leaving the grounds.

I have stayed there a few times through my timeshare - and think it's a great place - and other than the check-in hassle of them wanting to get you to go to a sales presentation (just say no unless your the type that likes to wheel and deal for something extra) I've never felt prevented from anything. One of the biggest complaints there is the size of the place and having to wait for their shuttles that move you around the grounds - if you like to walk, there's no problem.

There are really only a few things I don't like there: one is that they don't run the shuttle to their front gate where you can catch taxis, buses, and pickups for excursions. Second, they don't provide enough vans or runs to PDC throughout the day.

As much as I like the place, I'm currently boycotting going there again as they have added a $420 activity fee (at least for timeshare people trading for weeks there) for the same stuff they use to provide free, such as transportation from the airport. I think it's just another way to make $$$$$ since it's not AI.

 

[JamesBon92007]

It is not AI, but upon checking in, they give you ~$800 credit against your credit card - so it's a cashless resort. Restaurants are pretty good. The golf course is okay (3 in my family used rental clubs - I'm 6'4" so what I used wasn't great for me) and the diving consists of the boat going straight out from shore for a dive (at least that's what they used to do.) I have used Dressel Divers at the next resort over (used their free pickup and have walked along the shore to get there) and taken a taxi to Puerto Morelos to dive, which is what I would recommend.

I have stayed there a few times through my timeshare - and think it's a great place - and other than the check-in hassle of them wanting to get you to go to a sales presentation (just say no unless your the type that likes to wheel and deal for something extra) I've never felt prevented from anything. .

Every time we tried to leave they would attempt to stop us and find out where we were going, who we were going to meet, what time we were coming back etc and made it sound like if we went off by ourselves we were going to die. We had a nice suite with two bathroom sinks but some of the furniture was rather worn and we felt fortunate that the plumbing didn't back up during our stay. I had written down the electric stove directions from a previous resort (elsewhere) so I was able to use the one in our room that had worn-off numbers without having to experiment first. We liked the Cuban restaurant plus the store there had groceries that were not too horribly over-priced considering the cost of two people to take the shuttle to Playa to get groceries. They had loud rock and roll playing at the pool all day long and you could even hear it out past the floating breakwater. They had more music playing at the bar in the pool and we got the impression that most of the bar patrons never left their seat to use the restroom.

I can see how some people would think this place is great, but I'm just not one of them.

 

[spc751]

My non-diver and I just got back from two weeks at ai Iberostar Platacar. We were both very happy there. Lots for my wife to do while I was diving every day and good diving for me. The shop was excellent and I did a one day trip to Cozumel to dive there. We are both counting to days until we go back.

 

[buck3647]

From what you said, definitely don't stay at the Mayan Palace or any other Vidanta resort. They blast you day and night and try to prevent you from leaving the grounds.

NOT TRUE


From this resort that has its own dive center you can rent a car and travel up and down the coast you will find that this resort is one of the few left that is not ALLinclusive the biggest rip off ever.