Catalonia Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

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!

The hotel and staff were great. We upgraded to a suite and it was well worth it. My wife and I loved our room. The staff was friendly and helpful. The only negative was the buffet; the food was so so at best. Other than that we really enjoyed our stay and would return and recommend it to friends. The Japanese restaurant was awesome….

I'll start with the CONS: We booked a privileged superior room and the description stated it was a King bed and 2 twin beds, however upon arrival the hotel stated that type of room was only a King bed! So my friend and I had to sleep in the same bed all week :( Also, the first two days the housekeeping left wash cloths, but then on the third day they started not leaving any. We called the front desk twice, walked to the front desk and asked for them and they kept telling us they didn't provide them and that we would have to buy them at the gift shop! I mean really? Finally, after we hunted down a housekeeper they finally gave us some. The beach area at this hotel is very rocky and could be dangerous for people that don't have good balance. I definitely wouldn't advise getting in without water shoes. I was let down by the fact that there was a very small area to walk on (your typical walk on the beach would not be possible here). Also, the dining arrangements are a JOKE! We booked 6nights and received 3 vouchers for the specialty restaurants. Considering I didn't want to dress up every night for dinner this was plenty for us, however when we called the front desk on Wednesday the staff member listed off four that were open that night. We took extra time getting ready because this was our last night there and we wanted to eat at the Italian restaurant. As we made our way there, to our surprise NONE of the specialty restaurants were open/ only the buffett!!! So we didn't get to even use our voucher after a couple hours before that the front desk told us they were open! We received $20 in spa bucks each to use, however they would only allow you to use them towards a $100 massage or higher! total rip-off so we didn't even use the spa bucks (it was shown as being able to use them towards any spa service of $50 or more) finally, the last thing I will gripe about is the fact that the hotel is a 20 minute walk from the nearest shuttle stop, so if you plan on going anywhere outside the resort be prepared to either walk or fork out the cash for a taxi (taxi one way to Tulum was $32 USD and one way to Playa Del Carmen was $22 USD whereas the shuttle was $2 per person one way to Playa Del Carmen and $4 per person one way to Tulum).... This was even more frustrating because in the room there was a binder that listed all there ammenities and it showed them as providing a shuttle to Playa Del Carmen and when we called the concierge to reserve our spot they stated they quit doing that about a year ago?!?... now to the PROS: the drinks are good and the grounds are kept immaculate, the room was kept clean other than us having to beg for wash cloths for four days. We also walked to the marina from the hotel (about a 10min walk) where you can swim with the dolphins. We got to see the dolphins which was nice, but avoid the shopping there because it is way overpriced compared to what you can get in Playa Del Carmen along 5th Ave. I guess all in all you get what you pay for, but in my case I DID NOT receive the room that I paid for and that left a very bad impression on my vacation. That being said I have only one other experience in this area which was in Akumal, Mexico (about 20 miles south of Puerto Adventuras) and the beach there was MUCH nicer. Also, I would recommend Olympus Tours for your airport transfers (it cost $97 for two people round trip)

Very nice settings,clean grounds,pools,rooms!Cooling system in room in perfect condition.This is our 2nd visit to Mexico.This hotel is one star up in comparably with hotel Viva Azteca.Only bad thing is beach,but 5 pools are easy replacement!CAT see ya again!

We really enjoyed our stay. The location is perfect for accessibilty for day trips to major tourist attractions. We read negative comments regarding the food and were apprehensive so our expectations were low and we were pleasantly surprised by the all inclusive choices and good food. Eating at the buffets is sometimes better than the restaurants. Eat the local dishes they are the best. Snorkeling is better at nearby Akumal Bay Beach instead of the hotel.....lots of turtles and rays. Overall a good location...nice marina with restaurant and shops nearby.