Kenny C.
Yelp
Back when my friends and I used to throw parties, I would tell people that "all-you-can-drink isn't a challenge". I probably should have remembered those words before going all out at this all-inclusive resort.
I haven't been to too many resorts in Cancun (n=2), but I can say with some certainty that The Beloved has got to be one of the best. It has all the amenities you'd expect, as well as some surprises.
The rooms are great. I stayed in one with a king size bed overlooking two of the pools. The room was huge, with a couch, a jacuzzi, two sinks, full bar, and one of the greatest showers ever. No, really. The shower was like the size of a steamroom. The fully stocked bar is great for when you're depressed and just want to drink alone. There's also a refrigerator full of stuff like bottled water, Fanta, chocolate milk, and candy. Makes sense since the resort is kid-friendly. The cleaning staff came by every day and undid the messes I created every day, replacing towels, making the bed, and even folding my clothes. On the last night, they left rose petals and chocolates. I may or may not have had a rose petal bath in the jacuzzi while eating fajitas (spoiler: I did).
By far, our favorite part of the resort was the swim up bar. It's right underneath Isla Grill and is the main pool where everyone hangs out. The water is about 3 and a half feet high, so great for lazing around. There's also a hot tub off to the side which can fit around 10 people. Good for when the pool's a little too cold. The bartender Enrique is hilarious and kept us on a regular cycle for shots. Some of them were of questionable color, but hey, when in Mexico...
There's also poolside food service. One time, we were musing that it would be great if we could stay in the pool and have food come to us. Then 5 minutes later, there were 3 guys with trays of h'orderves passing food out while we didn't have to exit the pool. Couldn't have been more perfect.
In terms of restaurant options, there are quite a few. The entire resort is pretty condensed, so you can just walk everywhere within a few minutes. I think this covers all of them:
1) Aroma is great for breakfast. They have outdoor and indoor seating. It's pretty much a breakfast buffet with a made-to-order omelette station. They also have DIY Bloody Mary's and Mimosas to take care of your hair-of-the-dog needs. The food changes up every morning so you're not constantly eating the same food, and they have a ton of hot stations as well as other things like yogurt and cereal. We also had the rehearsal dinner here.
2) As mentioned above, there's Isla Grill which overlooks the main pool. The food is decent if you're hungry, but nothing special. There's a salad bar in the back, and their flank steak burger is okay. Their fish tacos were adequate, and their fried shrimp was just plain weird.
3) The best restaurant is probably Lupita, which I only went to once. It's their fancier restaurant with a pretty big wine list (that you have to pay for), and they have rotating specials based on different regions (they were featuring dishes inspired by Oaxaca when I went). We had a bunch of appetizers to share and everything was pretty good.
4) There's also a sushi bar outside by the lounge (where there's also live music early in the night). As to be expected, the sushi isn't the greatest, but it'll do when you just need a quick snack to fill you up before drinking more. They also do habanero tequila shots at the sushi bar, which are quite dangerous. Not only because they're tasty, but also because they are SPICY. Heartburn sufferers need not apply.
5) My personal favorite place was the smoothie/fresh juice bar called Natura, which also did crepes and ice cream. It was essential for getting in some nutrients and vitamins while drinking, before drinking, and after drinking. It's by the kid's area, where there's a big slide as well as their babysitting center. There's also adult games like pool, foosball, ping pong, and giant chess. For some reason, Mexican resorts always have giant chess (n=2).
6) On the beach, there's also a rotating grill serving up different things every day - one day it was burgers, another day quesadillas/burritos, and another day fajitas. Good times.
The Beloved is right on the beach, so you can catch some rays or walk down to the other resorts to mingle. Didn't see too many people down there though. In terms of wedding stuff, the beach was a lovely venue, followed by the reception at El Mar, which is their restaurant overlooking the water. Food and service was generally great.
Of course, there are also other amenities like a spa (which you have to pay for) and the gym (which is attached to the spa but free and clean).
All in all, if you need a kid-friendly option, I can't say enough great things about The Beloved. It's on the pricier side, but you definitely pay for quality. The staff was amazing, and we made some friends here. Everyone was just so happy and for good reason.
