It's big. Huge. You will hardly run into the same folk and can always find a beach chair, pool to swim in and lounge to sip at.
The buffet rocks. Akin to many, I am an avid reader of Trip Advisor reviews and glad I ignored the fussy buffet comments. There was never a dull dinner and not one upset stomach. From fresh omelette stations at breakfast to amazing seafood (biggest mussels I have ever seen!) in the evenings, the buffet was a hit for all four of us and made my SIBO diet easy to maintain.
No Wi-fi. Strange for a five star, and a cash grab but I loved it as I didn't want to be connected to the online world. This ensured relaxation.
It is a snorkel haven. Don't pay for an excursion to snorkel, borrow the free gear (or bring your own as they can get taken quickly) and head out a few metres off the beach. We saw tropical fish, stingrays, and sea turtles all within walking distance of the bar!
Concierge. Ours was terrible, our friend's was awesome, luck of the draw. He lost interest in us (and got a little rude and pushy) after our disinterest in a timeshare meeting. We were warned of timeshare approaches, please don't fall for them unless you want to waste your entire day for minimal return though a spa voucher, excursion, credit etc
Dirty Monkeys! I can't believe it took 7 days to overhear a lady order one and I had to inquire. I aim to make one soon but it consisted of Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Pineapple Juice, Coconut Cream and half a banana. Enough said.
Safes. Pay for one and PLEASE remember to change your code as soon as you get there. Safe theft is unfortunately common at resorts and we came across a guy who hadn't reset his default code as instructed. A maintenance man ended up taking a bunch of his cash and he had no proof. Also try 0000 to make sure that default doesn't work. Ours wasn't laptop-sized and I had made Wade keep his laptop at home, along with this I took his expensive jewelery/watch out of his case before we left. It is worth your peace of mind!
A la Carte restaurants... Hit and miss. Make sure to book as soon as you arrive as they fill quickly - we went to four, our two favourites were the Mediterranean and Japanese (comes with a Benihana style show). After each restaurant, one of our group won hours of fun on the toilet - it was like 'Mexican Roulette.'
Towel art. Christmas every day for me. I have a photo of me and my towel art excitement for every day that the cleaner had been! The rooms were spotless and the suite was great. A little tired in decor and worn out but who spends all day in their room?
Activities. We love volleyball and there was an awesome beach court available, every Thursday there was a tournament and we played in two finally beating the skilled entertainment team before we left - hurrah! The 'loud' pool always had fun games too, so you could watch, participate or go to a quiet one if it wasn't for you. We never got to cycling or kayaking but I can't complain, we were always busy!
Entertainment Yikes. All the tribute bands and shows such as the Lion King were lipsynced except for one night where a real band played, they could do better on this aspect. It was sub par - but whatever, it was free and we could do other things.
Sky Bar. A rooftop treat with blue lighting, cool ambience, music (sometimes live) and just the perfect place to sip a cocktail every night. Note on cocktails: most are sweet and come with syrupy sour mix. I learned to ask for a Margarita with no mix, the Manhattan was the only other thing I could enjoy without a sickly sweet taste.
Overall I give it an 8/10. Would I go again? No, only because I would want to try somewhere new.
Bottom line is don't set expectations high, it isn't the Ritz. Expect a few imperfections and you will love this resort as much as we did.
Mexico Tip (pun intended): Please don't forget to tip, the staff work so hard and are treated so poorly by some guests as well as have minimal wage jobs and travel far to daily to work. A tip goes a long way in Mexico, common is $100-$200 pesos for the bartender and $500 pesos for the cleaner.
Adios!
