Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan

My wife and I came here for our anniversary for 5 days and the resort is beautiful and quaint. The staff makes each interaction personable and we felt at home and beyond comfortable here. Christian(our dinner server at blend bar) was very accommodating and friendly, he provided top tier service each and every time! Santiago(server at the snack bar) was also very friendly and provided great drink suggestions. The front desk staff was also very professional and made sure we had everything we needed during our stay! Housekeeping staff was great and we never had to worry about fresh towels or asking for extra water. We also liked that the dinner menu changed each night. We will definitely be returning in the near future! 10/10 stay!

The best part of Senses Riviera Maya is without a doubt the staff—the owner is fortunate to have such an incredible team! With strong competition from surrounding luxury resorts, the level of service here really stands out. Huge thanks to Christian, Santiago, Sr. Pedro, Thomas, Sofia, Victoria, Isabel, Guadalupe, and others—you all make this hotel worth visiting. Honestly, you’re the reason this place stays open! The hotel itself has everything it needs to be great, but it does need some improvements. The infinity pool is stunning, but the surrounding common areas are showing weak—tiles that are coming loose, some wood is falling apart, and the pool restaurant could definitely use a makeover. Breakfast at The Blend is good, and I like that the menu changes daily, but the flavor can be hit-or-miss. More Americanized than Mexican in terms of flavor! But in there, you have the BEST waitress, Christian, who does everything in his power to please the guests, and this meant a lot to us! I recommend you go for breakfast and dinner! On the other hand, the pool restaurant might not look appealing, but the food there is consistently fantastic. I recommend you go for lunch! The beachfront is not really usable since it’s full of rocks, so you’ll need to walk to a neighboring property to enjoy the ocean. Also, the location is quite isolated—nothing is nearby, and you’ll spend a lot on taxis. Even a small shop with basic water, snacks, and some souvenirs would make a big difference, but for now, there’s only a very limited vending machine. If you’re looking for peace and isolation, this is the right place. Otherwise, expect to travel at least 20- 30 minutes for attractions. On the positive side, the front desk service is excellent—they go above and beyond to make sure you have all the information you need. The rooms are modern, stylish, and all oceanfront, with stunning balconies that make the stay memorable. Overall, this hotel has huge potential. With investment in updates to the common areas, it could truly shine. But until then, the staff are the ones keeping the magic alive. Please, owners—take care of your employees, because they’re the reason people leave good reviews. Thank you, Senses team!

This is going to be a long one, but it’s pretty accurate for those who want anything but the sugar-coated truth. First, I want to shout out Candelaria at the front desk, Elizabeth at the bar, and the man serving breakfast upstairs. They are truly amazing people and were the highlight of our experience at this hotel. You should know that the hotel is old and currently undergoing renovations. Be prepared for loud noise while you’re trying to relax by the pool. A section of the pool is closed for repairs, and some tiles are coming off. There’s no beach service or beach chairs like other nearby hotels — though the view is amazing. The pictures of the rooms are not accurate. My husband and I requested a refund after being there for only 30 minutes, but unfortunately, we decided to stay to avoid the stress of finding another place last minute. Our room had dirty nightstands, cheap plastic furniture and the coffee table with drink marks from the previous guests. The rugs next to the bed are nasty and ripped off. Also, the pool on the balcony has to be manually filled upon request via WhatsApp — with cold water only. Elevator doesn’t work. Our first impression was pretty bad: there was toilet paper floating in the pool, and the place gave off total motel vibes. It did not feel like the nice resort they promote on their website. Also, make sure you know what you’re paying for. We thought we had an all-inclusive package, but apparently, breakfast was the only thing included. In hindsight, that was a blessing because we definitely wouldn’t have wanted to pay $94 per person, per day for the poor portions and bad food served upstairs. Do not pay for the all-inclusive wristband — the food is not worth it. My husband and I ended up having a wonderful time outside the hotel — great food, great drinks — but that’s because we rented a car. The hotel’s location is not ideal: you have to drive through a sketchy road that’s currently under construction. If you need a taxi, expect to pay around 500 pesos just to get to downtown Playa del Carmen. If you plan to explore the area, I highly recommend renting a car because taxis are extremely expensive for short distances. Anyway, we learned our lesson, and I hope this review helps others who are doing their research — don’t be fooled by the photos. Lastly, thank you again to Candelaria, Elizabeth, and the man who serves breakfast upstairs. They truly made our experience better.

So the good- staff was amazing! Christian really took care of us. Everyone was wonderful. Drinks were delicious, and the food was also pretty good. I didn’t have anything that I didn’t like. The view is unmatched, it was the highlight of the trip. This is definitely a couples resort, for those that intend to relax.|The not so good- the facilities are old and in need of renovations. The water in our room never got hot, even after being moved because the first room didn’t even get warm. It also seemed like it didn’t get warm at all after 8pm or 9pm. The pool bar/restaurant closes at 5.|Overall, we had a great time! I can’t say enough about the staff. I think this place has the potential to be amazing with some renovations, keeping the pool bar/restaurant open as long as the pool is open, and possibly adding one additional restaurant for more choices.

This is a secluded, small & intimate resort, perfect for a couples quiet getaway! The room was spacious & clean. The food and drinks were amazing. Several breakfast choices available. The lunch/snack menu had the classic nachos, burgers, tacos, etc. Four course themed dinner options. We loved every meal. I cannot express how the staff was so amazing & accommodating. Anything we needed they made it happen. It is located in-between Puerto Morelos & Playa Del Carmen, so a taxi trip is necessary. If you want to use the balcony pool or the hot tubs on the roof they will fill them. We enjoyed our stay & would stay again.

I will comeback here again..this is one of the best places I've stayed the customer service alone is perfection and professional. The food was so delicious. Im so glad my husband booked this trip. The reviews weren't so good for the place but I promise this is a beautiful place. I love the staff the rooms the staff and the food.

We stayed here at this resort for one night and booked the honeymoon suite. One night was enough for us since there was really not much to do there. They only have one pool, one restaurant , and one bar/snack area. No activities that we saw. We opted for the All inclusive option. ||Pros:|No timeshare wolves 🐺💸: The relief of staying somewhere in the cancun/riviera maya area without no timeshare people or upselling is a true relief. No need to avoid them here. Iykyk.||Very peaceful 🧘‍♂️🪷: This is an adults only property, coupled with the fact that they have less than 40 rooms on property, it makes this place ideal for honeymooners on a budget. It is also great for those that want a quiet and peaceful vacation away from noise and big groups of people. While we were here there were several solo travelers and probably an equal amount of couples. Not many people check in at any one time. The day we left there was only one other person checking in. Maybe a total of 20 people staying in the hotel at the time and that is a stretch. ||The view 🌅: Stunning. We woke up early to see the sunrise and it was spectacular. You can see it right from your room and you really cant beat the price for the view. ||The Room🚪🛏: Spacious and clean. Not sure what was that the other reviews encountered, but our room was clean. The shower tiles were very clean and there was no mold. What I noticed is that every room has a plunge pool/ jacuzzi on the balcony. However you need to let them know if you are going to use it so they can fill it up for you. The hotel is dated so there will be loose tiles in your plunge pool. I did not use it for this reason. I did use the bathroom jacuzzi.|If you are staying for a long period of time and opted out of the all inclusive option, you can use the kitchen that is included in the room. Not sure what the other categories of rooms have but ours had a kitchen that was triple the size of an nyc apartment kitchen equipped with an electric stove, mini fridge, 4 chair dining table and a full size sink. ||Customer Service👨‍🍳👨‍🌾: Everyone here deserves a raise. Not sure what is going on there, but since this is a small hotel everyone here wears different hats sort of speak. An example would be; I needed a wine bottle opened in our room and they sent the bartender from the rooftop restaurant to do it. He came down while the restaurant was open too. He not only is the bartender but he is also the waiter. Same with the pool bar/snack area. Our waiter was also the bartender there, which is significant considering that the bar he tends is the only bar that services the pool area. ||Neither good or bad:|Privacy in Room 😶‍🌫️ 🚿: The rooms here are not the best when it comes to bathtoom privacy. You have to be very comfortable with who you are sharing the room with because the only place in the bathroom that is truly private is the watercloset/toilet area. The shower is very open and you can see it all. ||The pool 👙🩳: Great location and view, not too big of an infinity pool that is parallel to the sea. It had alot of the tiles loose. They were all at the bottom of the pool. People were using the tiles to write out cute messages on the side of the pool. ||Beach 🏖: Non existent. It is located steps away and it would actually be considered the Iberostar beach that happens to be public. Iberostar cleans the Beach everyday and they have a water sports center that you can rent from that is located there. You can use it if you pay. The entrance to the beach from the hotel is use at your own risk, and if you have mobility issues I suggest you do not use this entrance. I will upload pictures. Playa paraiso has a general public entrance that everyone can use but you have to get out of the hotel area to use it. The hotel does not provide beach chairs, and you cant use the Iberostar ones, so you need to bring your own beach towels. ||If beach accessibility is a deal breaker, maybe you should consider a different hotel. If you are more of a pool person that just likes to be by a beach then this place could be for you. ||Hotel location📍🗺: it is located almost at a halfway point between Playa del Carmen and Cancun which is actually ideal if you want to do a quick day or night trip to either locations. It took us about 30 min to get there from the airport with private transport. I noticed that they have a rent a car right next to the hotel which was actually pretty cool. Not sure who manages it though, but I did see a sign and a parking lot with the cars.||Cons: |Food 🍽: When going to an all inclusive it is typical that the food is going to be below average or of lower quality. However since this is an all inclusive OPTIONAL hotel, the food should not be held to that standard, especially since they only have 2 food options, and one of them closes before 5pm. You have to consider that there are people staying there that have to pay out of pocket for the food, and they are eating the same food with what I am assuming is from the same menu. The prices I saw on the menu were between 50 - 300 mexican pesos. The food at the snack bar was slightly better than the one at their rooftop restaurant. Though both locations have great views and the vibes theqre were great, the food was lackluster at best and lacked seasoning. The tostada I had at the snack bar was decent though and the burger was pretty good. ||All things considered this hotel is great for those that book it with the expectation that they are booking a hotel, and NOT a resort. There is no entertainment here, just peace and quiet. This is just an above average place to sleep that caters to those that want that extra care and service from those that work there. ||Would we return, probably. But not in the near future. Currently we are on a mission to go to most of the all inclusive hotels in the area and this was just one of the many places we will go to. We are currently in the middle of a stay in the Iberostar complex right next door to this property.

Excellent customer service, Christian bar/ waiter was amazing. You just tell him to surprise you with a drink and he makes it no questions asked. He is funny and and most of all honest. The front view of the rooms it amazing. I would of definitely come back