Catalonia Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

We had a pleasant stay. All the staff was very attentive and friendly. We enjoyed all the amenities, such as pools, spa, water sports; and the restaurants were amazing, this resort was a total value for your money.

Great Experience and Great Value for the money!. The upgrade to the Privileged suite made the vacation for us! Only 20 dollars per day extra and the suite had two rooms, huge bathroom and a great balcony with plunge pool! Food was good, to go to restaurants early as they do not take reservations. Already planning second trip back!

We had stayed at another hotel in Puerto Aventuras which is a "boutique hotel" and LOVED it. Wanted to bring our kids back and have more amenities in the same area. Wasn't super impressed. The rooms were actually kind of gross. Food was just ok. Great beach and pools though.

I'll preface this by saying this is my first time to the Cancun/Riviera Maya area of Mexico and I'm not a big resort/all inclusive traveler. The facilities were pretty good. We had a "priveledged room," which offered some very nice upgrades. Still, the TV service barely worked, very limited outlets, horrible lighting in the room, and the AC made loud BANG noises (I assume this was a damper dropping). The food was very very average and I never really craved anything they were offering and I'm not even that picky when it comes to food, so that says something. Service for drinks was kind of so so and it was difficult to get ice in any drink. It's a good place for kids and older people as even during spring break, it was fairly tame. Overall I think it was a decent value, but I'm sure there are a lot nicer resorts in that region.

The price that we payed was really good so I expected less than what the Hotel provides. Some furniture of the room looks a little bit old but everything else was ok. Amenities, food and everything else were very good.

Rooms and grounds were first-rate. However, pools were only open from 0800 to 1800 and most of the bars closed at 2100. The restaurants were open on staggered schedules, not allowing guests to dine when they wished. The beach was excellent and well maintained. Overall, a great vacation with helpful staff.

This is the fourth trip to Riviera Maya and this is the best resort. A bonus is that it is a terrific value. The rooms are dated and very simple - but, hey, we didn't live in the room - just used it to sleep in and to change clothes. The room was spotless. No complaints there. The food was very good and there was a big variety. The staff was exceptional and the entertainment and activities were the best, by far, of the four resorts we have experienced. BEST feature was the reefs and the fish. We snorkeled every day for hours. Wonderful!!

I've been around the block when it comes to Mexican all-inclusives, lost count but I think its over twelve trips. We booked from high-end to "value". Hotel Catalonia is firmly in the value category. The hotel is clean and well-kept but dated and worn. The standard room category is simple and clean but very motel-like, nothing anyone would consider attractive. Unfortunately, the beds were over the top too firm and I couldn't see spending a week of agony. We then upgraded to the "priveleged" category (at additional expense) after assurance by the front desk staff that the beds and rooms were far better and more comfortable.. and they were! That shouldl be everyone's first red flag. Honestly, it felt like a bait and switch that has been mentioned in other reviews about this hotel. If you do book at this hotel, please don't think you will be able to tolerate the discomfort. The food was pretty good at the buffet both quality and quantity, might mention here that my favorites were the salads and fresh fish from the grill. Oh, by the way, the wait staff here was over the top great. The voucher restaurants were average to below average and you could almost forget going in favor of the buffet. Since you got 'em you better use 'em, after all you did pay for it. Tip here: avoid the Italian venue, it was horrible. The Terrace tapas restaurant was very good but exclusive unless you paid extra if you didn't book the privelged class. If you do go ti the The Terrace, plan on eating at the buffet afterwards because the portion size was elf-like (it's even a joke by the staff how small the serving sizes are). The other voucher restraunts aren't worth talking about, so I won't waste your time. The bars are comfortable, although I didn't go to the sports bar but did walk in, it looked pretty cool and it was the air conditioned!!! Too bad I discovered it too late. If you go, check it out, it may turn out to be your favorite hang out place. The alcohol brands are low end and pretty watered down, but I guess if you drank enough, you can meet your buzz-on objective. Which by the way, didn't seem to be a problem to the 20 somethings that seem to favor this resort (price point?). We spent are bar-time at the Pure bar, nice view of the Caribe and the evening bar tender "Jerry" was the best. We did take in one of the nightly shows and it was pretty entertaining, I recommend it and wish we attended more but prior experience at other resorts left me a little jaded about what to expect with the talent. Final thoughs; The Catalonia is fairly priced for what they offer at the standard level. The extra cost for the Privileged status is not worth it because all you can expect is a better bed and view. There are no other benefits for the additional charge. I've seen other reviews that strongly recommend the higher cost, but I think I would spend the additional cost for another higher-end resort...it just wasn't worth it. Will I return? No.

We traveled to Riviera Maya and stayed at Catalonia Riviera Maya from August 13-22, 2012. We had a fantastic time and would definitely stay at the Cat again. The staff were fabulous, including housekeepers, waiters, bartenders, and the fabulous entertainment staff ("animation team"). They go the extra mile to make sure you are well fed, comfortable, and have enough tequila. The animation team is friendly, personable, and hilarious. The food was great as well. We were nervous about getting sick in Mexico and didn't have much of a problem. All of their water is out of the bottle, their ice is safe, and we didn't get sick from raw fruits and vegetables. Our favorites were the buffet and the Creperie. We also tried the alacarte Teppenyaki (which was good), the Italian restaurant (good as well), and the steak house (only ok). Drinks were plentiful and not watered down. The housekeeping was great, and our room was beautiful, and we did not upgrade to privileged. The bed was on it's last legs however. They have a lot of activities and fun stuff to do for no cost. We took advantage of a bike tour, archery, and snorkeling for free. I did pay extra and got a caribe massage at the spa (it was great). Room for improvement in the following areas: 1. Check in/front desk staff are not polite and seem annoyed at you all the time. 2. WiFi connection, while it exists, is very finicky and some days does not work altogether. 3. If you are looking for Vegas style entertainment, this is not the place to go. While they claim it gives Vegas a "run for its money", and they give it their best effort, it is second rate at best. All in all, I am very sad we are back at home and not at Catalonia. I can't wait to go back!

This hotel deserves more than 3 stars (at least a four). The staff was polite and made you feel welcomed. Beds were comfortable. Everything is clean and well kept. The food and drinks are plentiful plus they include 3 al acarte meals, so bring some dressy clothes! The hotel has fun theme nights, lots of daily activities for adults and kids and the nightly shows were entertaining. Bring your snorkeling gear because you can snorkel right off the beach and only 10 minutes away from awsome shopping!