Iberostar Waves Quetzal - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9283 reviews

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  Save your money and go to another resort

  The whole experience was mid. For the cost, I was expecting more. We went over Christmas, so the room price was increased. Cons: The food was like a casino buffet. Beautiful presentation but lacked flavor. I was thinking in Mexico, the fruit would be amazing and even the fruit wasn't ripe. We went to their Japanese restaurant. It was a cute presentation but the food wasn't good at all. The drinks are all inclusive but are overly sweet and lacking alcohol, even when I was tipping $1 a drink or $5 a round. Most people do not tip. The rooms were outdated at least room 2328 was. Even after housekeeping came, the floor still had sand and so did the bed. The rooms are not soundproof, so bring earplugs for loud people and peacocks. The water for the shower was only hot 2 times out of the 6 nights we were there. Most of the time it was luke warm at best. The power outlet for cell phones didn't work, so we couldn't charge our devices, until we borrowed a power square adapter from a friend. Our friends also didn't have air conditioning for four nights in their room. There is a ceramics painting by the pool. Be careful as they over charged my credit card $8.00. Before you get to the beach, there is a good chance of being cat called by people trying to sell you excursions. I'd think that since it is clearly on Iberostar's property, they'd protect their patrons. Someone came up on the beach and offered illegal substances, so again, be careful. As with any gift shop, the one on property is overpriced. If you need any type of medication, please take the 10 minute or so walk to Playa Del Carmen. Montezuma's Revenge, everyone in the group had it at one point in the trip. Not sure if it was from the food or ice on the resort. We bought 8 Imodium at the resort and spent $34.00 USD. Pros: The grounds were beautiful. They had coatis, peacocks, two giant tortoises enclosures, iguanas, koi fish, flamingos and aguotis. We bought $25 tickets per person to their Christmas show. It was a big waste of time and money. For the first 20 or so minutes it was musical chairs with members of the audience and then dancers jumping around. The over head fan went off and the humidity hit the whole group. We left before the actual show even started. If the show has a start time, please honor that. All in all, there are plenty of resorts in Playa Del Carmen that will gladly take your money. Find a better one to spend it at.

  Jan 10, 2026
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  Great Spot

  We had a great experience at Iberostar Waves Quetzal. This is a family friendly place. It is set-up and operates in a way that is friendly to all age groups. We had people in every decade of life from 3 years old to 70. The pool caters to younger people and has access to swimming, kids activities, food, drinks and is close to most of the rooms. The teenagers gravitated towards the beach which is immediately adjacent to the pool. The buffets had a good mix of food for different tastes and pallets. We would stay here again especially if we had a big group or we were travelling with a group of people from young to seniors. If we were looking to be around other adults or a place that had more night life we probably would look to stay some place else. The Playacar area is good. I would stay there again as well.

  Jan 04, 2026
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  Christmas Vacation. Beautiful lush resort and beautiful sandy beach. Smaller footprint, no pool or beach drink service.

  Stayed at Quetzal Dec 18-26. Check-in was easy and quick and they took us to our room. Minibar is small and not overly generous, although ours was always stocked and we never went without. We had family suite (two adjoining rooms). Rooms are basic but solid and clean. Bathroom fan doesnt really work well, but bathrooms are totally separate and not open areas as in some newer styled resorts. This is a plus when you have two teens. AC worked well. The room was always cleaned quickly and very efficiently. We had some minor room issues with water leaking, but was fixed quick enough. Main pool was refreshing and clean. It has a shallow section, a mid deeper section and a deep section. I liked this a lot as it kept younger kids in one spot in the pool. The adults only pool needs some TLC and was very disappointing. Was dirty, tiles need repair, and only a handful of adults in there, one who looked like he may be a permanent fixture. We grabbed our drinks and got out pretty quickly. Food was consistent and we ate at ala cartes and enjoyed them enough. I found lunch to be good at the main buffet but lacking closer to the beach/pool. Drinks were good. Resort is very clean and lush. The beach is amazing here and you can walk forever. All soft sand. No rocks. If you don't know, there is no poolside or beach drink service here. It seemed to cut down on the number of visibility drunk ppl and kept things tidier. We never had issues finding pool chairs. The beach did get busier. The wildlife and jungle vibe here is our of this world. However, the howler monkeys trapped in cages needs to be addressed and corrected. My understanding as it has been a year now. It seems inhumane and cruel, and we would not stay here again unless this was addressed.

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Nice resort but food has gone downhill

  Our family experience was that the food was relatively cold much of the time and in particular the Mexican restaurant was below standard. Also massages are an eye wateringly expensive at $180 for a deep tissue massage for 50 minutes with a 35% discount. I'd be hard pressed to pay this much in the US. Now the positive: Staff are friendly as always, the grounds are beautiful and the beach is wonderfully kept and is very large and possible to walk long distances down the beach unharassed. Also, the fitness center is quite nice.

  Dec 27, 2025
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  Excellent service and superb staff

  We would like to thank Antonella for her help and kindness. We asked her a question directly at reception, and she took the time to provide us with clear and very useful information. Many thanks to her.

  Dec 23, 2025