Sarah H.
Yelp
Just as an FYI, this review is ONLY for an adult, neurotypical experience of the resort. We also have a son who has ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). I did a specific review for the resort as a parent of an ASD child, which you may be interested in because I *highly caution* taking an ASD young person to this resort. You can read it on my blog at https://momoftheseasons.com/.
We booked a seven-day all-inclusive stay with Club Med, from Sunday to Sunday. We also splurged on the more expensive room (the Superior) with a beach view. When we left the airport, we had trouble locating the driver which was chartered by Club Med to drive us to the resort, about 20 minutes away. We finally located the Club Med rep behind the Margaritaville Bar, outside the airport where transportation arrives/departs. He was wearing a Club Med polo shirt and holding a clipboard. After we asked if he was the driver to the resort, he searched the list and we were confirmed. No person was holding a name sign, like you always wanted, secretly. ;)
We were welcomed upon arrival with water with cucumber and lime, a tour of the resort, and finally to our room on the 3rd floor.
When we arrived at the room, I was disappointed by the condition. We discovered quickly that the toilet was broken. We had to call for help before our bags were delivered. Plus, despite this being a "superior" room, the provided toiletries were abysmal. For example, the shampoo was a "shampoo and conditioner". Make sure to bring all of your own, including the hair dryer. Also, the daybed, which was a long crushed velvet sofa, was extremely hot to sleep on and didn't come with any sheets (for our son). When we asked for some sheets, we received towels instead (we don't speak Spanish which made asking for specific things a bit challenging). We got so little sleep due to the inadequate cooling of the room I started to feel insane.
The all-inclusive included access to a breakfast-to-dinner buffet was an unhappy experience. I was disappointed at how spotty and inconsistent the food, drink, and the staff was. Sometimes we would get served water, but only at dinner for some reason. We either had to find it ourselves or specifically request it (in a disposable coffee cup, no less), while sometimes it was provided in a goblet with ice and provided refills by the staff. This was the same with the house red and white wine and coffee. Sometimes you got a refill, other times you had to hunt it down or just give up altogether. One breakfast I requested coffee with cream and the creamer was actually curdled *in* the container. I didn't notice it until I poured it and it fell into curds. I didn't get a new coffee. The food ranged from decent to low-end and lousy. Considering that the buffet was our kitchen for each day outside of reservations, the quality was a very big deal and this did not deliver at all.
The provided bar drinks were incredibly frustrating. They were so weak I felt like I was having sparkling flavored water or a tangy smoothie. I only ever felt a pleasant buzz on the house red wine, when I actually got it.
Finally, and extremely important, the Club Mini Med "childcare" for kids was an absolute joke. It was a small, fenced-in, claustrophobic area with a tiki hut and two splash pad places with water slides and other forgettable things. It actually looked like an add-on. It resembled a low-end daycare that you're regretful to leave your kids at when you were flat broke. We -never- used it even though we thought it would be a great option for our son. In addition, the kids in Mini-Med were frequently being led around by the supervising adults (who looked pretty unenthused) shouting things. We couldn't figure it out but they were just walking around yelling and/or singing things for some reason, like a parade, but lacking all joy. Everything was either in French or Spanish, which was the majority of the resort demographic overall.
We found out later that the room had ants and fruit flies/gnats in the toilet room. My husband had something mysterious land in his lap while in there that went skittering off, unapologetically.
At the end of it all, due to additional circumstances that I have outlined in detail in my blog, we had to leave the resort and return home on the third day. Just for added frustration, the Cancun airport suddenly demanded that everyone inside wear a mask to go through security and charged everyone for it. We paid $20 for 3 paper masks. Right- it was required, but none were free or provided. A nice added bonus to a great holiday.
I do not recommend this resort unless you're after the excursions and care little about anything else. I'm sure those are once-in-a-lifetime!
