My partner and I (aged 23 and 22) stayed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun from June 14th-28th 2009. We decided to take a trip to Coco Bongos as we'd heard it was not to be missed; we were VERY disappointed.

First, there was great confusion over whether or not we were VIP; we wanted VIP and were prepared to pay extra, but it turned out we already had VIP. Why staff manning the queues found this so hard to work out god only knows. Re queues: queues were long, even if tickets had already been purchased. Start queuing at 10.10 if you want to get in reasonably quickly.

Once in, my heart started sinking immediately; the place was full of very young very loud kids unbelievably drunk already (things in Europe don't kick off until gone midnight so it was a bit of a surprise). The club was tiny, and I was so glad we had VIP. It's pretty much a show nearly all night, with little time for dancing in between. So, if you don't have VIP, be prepared for a lot of standing around. Also be prepared for long waits to get drinks.

If you do have VIP, try to get seats on the raised area. These are next to the stage and away from the main area, so much better IMO. All VIP seats have waiter service; tip well at the beginning to ensure a steady flow of drinks.

Beware the ladies coming round with shots. Drinks at Coco Bongos are included, so, we assumed that as she was trying to FORCE us to have one (and I mean force; we weren't even drunk and I detest tequila) and didn't state a price, they were included. Wrong. After forcing them down our throats she started demanding 110 pesos (over £5) for the two 15 ml 15% shots. I refused on principle and she wouldn't leave us alone for literally 10 minutes when we basically told her 'Get lost or get a manager' and refused to speak another word to her.

Also beware the drips from the ceiling: my partners top was ruined and we had a HUGE battle with management to get recompense. We didn't want much, we just didn't want the Coco Bongo's souvenir T-shirt they tried to give us (I'm not a drunk, easily pleased 18-year old thanks very much). Management were appalling, they had no idea of how to handle situations appropriately and assumed everyone was a pushover and would just be happy to be in their club.

DJing (when they had music to dance to) was OK; people from big cities like London will be disappointed. Not the world-class Djing they advertise.

The show itself was average. The choreography wasn't the best, and singing was mimed. Dancing was extremely lack-lustre and didn't come anywhere near dance shows I've seen in Europe. It also got very repetitive, following the same formula (dance act, singing act, trapeze/acrobatic act; and again). Costumes were good and it was entertaining, but far from the best I've seen.

In summary, if you're under 20, like to get so drunk you can't really appreciate what's going on, or are fairly inexperienced when it comes to night clubs, you'll probably have a good time. If like us you're slightly more discerning and can tell good dancing, choreography, DJing, customer service etc from bad, don't believe the hype: you will be disappointed IMPO.

It is a 'different' experience, I'll give you that, and is probably worth trying if you've never been to a similar place before. Otherwise, save your cash and don't bother.