Catalonia Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3014 reviews

• 

  A great holiday

  Returned home last week from this wonderful holiday. We are a couple in our early sixties and the age range was across the board from tiny babies to a couple in their eighties. We travelled with TUI and we upgraded to the privilege package and this was brilliant for us. We have been to this hotel before - 18 years ago and not has changed structurally apart from the addition of the spa which we visited once to have the free hydrotherapy session which was part of our package. We were happy with our room which was in block 2, it looked modern and was immaculate. We stayed mostly within the resort, walked to the nearby Marina twice to see the dolphins and do a bit of shopping We mostly sat by the lagoon during the day, no problem getting a sunbed, near to the beach bar and the quieter pool We loved to see the animals that roam around freely, they are completely harmless . We has been there for about a week when the sargassum (seaweed) arrived and the hotel worked very hard to move it, truck loads every day but the beach directly in front of the Yucatan side of the hotel which is the main beach, is unusable! And it started to smell ! But apparently , although it’s normal for this time of year, it’s a lot worse this year. The food was very good , we ate in all the specialty restaurants, the Japenese was our favourite, Mariella was our server and she was very good. we had no problem booking everything on the app that you set up from the QR code at reception. We also liked the Beloved restaurant but the menu stays the same so we felt we had exhausted the choice! The staff are amazing and the hotel management should be proud of every one of them , everyone was friendly and you felt you could ask them for anything! We really enjoyed the buffet the choice was very good, especially the fresh fruit. The staff in La Brisa , the buffet on the Riviera Maya were especially helpful and friendly to us and they deserve a mention, Arturo, Wilbert and Gabriela , who always called my husband superman! We had the most relaxing, much needed holiday and we will certainly be back

  Jun 26, 2025
• 

  Shocking, please save your money and dignity

  Beautiful hotel with so much potential but failed through very poor management and service. Paid for the Privelidge room, it was clean but fridge broke and was fixed. The best part of the hotel. Shower fitment broke but again the room was well presented. Where the hotel fails is the state of the pools, badly cleaned and contaminated with human waste daily, it strips any plated jewellery in hours with the PH imbalance. They was pouring straight ammonia in the pool when people was in it which is illegal. Sick floating for hours. Each morning hoping it will be clean but disappointment especially when the bays are riddled with seaweed beyond comprehension with hydrogen sulfide gas exhuming giving you bad taste and headache. I don't drink, getting access to hot drinks outside is a no unless you get dressed and go to the restaurant. I even brought my own teabags to make it easier but they didn't always cups to allow me to take them. No fresh water unless you wanted a contaminated cup so you have to use the water from your room. Food was shocking but did improve the last two days. Everything was flavourless. The worst food tasted in any of the 80 hotels I stopped in. Birds eating it when they had chance and hot beds not used properly with food being cold. Some was hot but not the meats wanted. With the sea out of action, the pool only for the brave with an advanced immune system, food tolerance of someone who thinks a pot noodle is flavoursome this may be for you... Pool bars open at 10am but don't like serving until 11 if you want a diet coke. Tiles missing from pool area. Served with stained and ruined plastic cups so if you have water it tastes of lager. We spoke to TUI and they ignored all complaints and wanted a grand to move hotels. Never, have I opted to leave a hotel several days earlier to go for an Airbnb over an all inclusive resort. Some staff are nice but others oblivious and get upset when you challenge them on their questionable practices. If you have children please save yourself a headache and not give yourself the pain of the kids being upset with the food. This hotel needs new management. It takes years to build a reputation and days to kill it. TUI and the hotel should be ashamed. Gym was excellent. No kettle just coffee filter machine in room. Bar area near reception excellent but not enough seating area. If you want to book into a restaurant this is very hard due to demand. Hotel looks 4* but is actually 2* food with 3* service and 5* cock up!

  Jun 20, 2025
• 

  Great, good and ugly

  I will try to keep it consise No good, bad, and ugly but rather great, good and bad. Great: Luis at the pool bar. Best service and good drinks. Room service hamburger was the best room service burger I ever had. Food and service at BLoved. Housekeeping did a great job. Good: Steak at the steakhouse eas thin but will seasoned. Breakfast buffet. Bad: No pool bar service. Food at the Japanese restaurant was bland but show was great. Italian restaurant totally misses the point. The wait for room service was terribly slow. Some people at the front desk were clueless and couldn't answer basic questions. Lastly, the beach situation which is under no one's control.

  Jun 18, 2025
• 

  Great hotel and staff but attention needed on aspects of food hygeine

  We stayed at the Catalonia Riviera Maya for 10 days from 21/5 as a family of 3 with our 12 year old daughter in a Privledge Room Firstly, the good stuff - there is plenty! It's worth upgrading to a Privledge Room if its an option as you have the full range of access to the A La Cartes, room service (we didnt use it!), private pool area and beach bar. It is well worth booking the A La Cartes as soon as you can via the Web page when you check in as they do fill up quickly. We tried all the restaurants except the Italian. The A La Cartes were brilliant and the food well cooked and tasty. The Steakhouse and Tepenakki are the stars of the hotel our opinion. We were a bit disappointed with the food in the Mexican restaurant. The service throughout in the A La Cartes was superb with attentive staff and quick service. The Buffet restaurant had plenty of food choices from salads to freshly cooked Meats and Mexican specialities. Plenty for everyone. The animation team led by 'Arturito' were brilliant throughout the day with plenty of poolside antics getting people from all nationalities involved. The evening shows were amongst the most professional and polished we had seen. The pools were clean and well maintained with plenty of loungers. We came back from a half day trip around 1pm and still found plenty spare. The boys at the Pool Bar including Oscar and Luis at the were fantastic and despite being busy, remembered peoples drink choices and managed to keep an eye on who was next..even when people tried to jump the queue. The drink choices are plentiful! The hotel is spotlessly clean with the cleaning staff working tirelessly to keep it that way. Special thanks to Miriam who kept our room clean and tidy throughout our stay. The not so good - The lobby bar does gets hot during the evening despite being open air. It may benefit from some fans to move some air around. This was the only bar open in the evening - although guests can use the Sports bar at the next door Catalonia Yucutan We unfortunately developed mild stomach issues and couple of days towards the end of our holiday. We're seasoned travellers so expect some 'changes' caused by different foods, water diet etc and were able to manage them whilst in resort. Whilst travelling back and since returning to the UK, we have have been flattened by a parasitic infection caused by Cytospora. (This has been confirmed by microbology samples via our GP) This is a parasite the originates in Central and South America in particular and is caught from contaminated food; typically salad items and fresh fruit. These were items we ate daily and our daughter didn't. She didn't get ill at all. We only ate at the hotel meaning this can only be the source of this infection. Neither of us have ever suffered such a debilitating stomach/intestinal infection which has needed antibiotics, hospitisation and significant time off work to recover. Our GP has referred this to Public Health UK. We did contact TUI to make them aware of this issue from a Health and Safety point of view to protect other customers. We met with nothing but stonewalling by the customer (lack of) help team who were more concerned with a legal claim (that we weren't making!) than their obligations to customers. Thankfully, this didn't impact our holiday in resort but has tarnished our image of the hotel despite its overwhelming positive aspects.

  Jun 14, 2025
• 

  A Week in Paradise

  Currently here leaving tomorrow morning! Wish I had another few days. Upon arrival after a long travel day. Check in was quick but had a slight issue with obtaining an email that would allow us to book our dinners online for the specialty restaurants. We were greeted by Antonio from the Exclusive Travelers club. He sensed our frustration and was eager to help. He took us aside and while we still encountered issues was kind enough to walk us to guest services and even checked in on us the next day. Everyday he asked if we needed anything and was so polite and friendly. Look for him if you need anything. Once you receive the email book all your restaurants on the app. We upgraded to the privileged room before arrival which gained us access to a private pool which was very busy and was difficult to find a lounger if you did not get up early you were out of luck. We did manage to find a spot on the beach with no issues. The privilege gave you access to one of the restaurant Beloved. It was quite good for dinner. My favourite was the Japanese restaurant followed by Beloved. We enjoyed having lunch at the snack bar by the pool. And breakfast at the buffet which opened at 7am. You did not have access to a bar until 11AM but I was fine with that. The lobby bar was open early for anyone that needs their coffee fix. Water was readily available as well. The only disappointment to the vacation was the seaweed in the ocean . It is the time of year I was told and the workers work endlessly to remove the seaweed so appreciate their effort. The sand is rocky so bring water shoes as well. The resort is in a gated community which has residential homes, a golf course, a monkey sanctuary, Marina and even had a place where you can see the dolphins, has small shops and places to eat if you are looking for something a little different. It was a short walk but it's hot so be prepared. You can also rent golf carts or bikes to ride around the area. The people work hard, the food is great and the entertainment staff did not disappoint. Book the vacation and enjoy.

  Jun 12, 2025