We have never been out of the country. I had read all reviews on this hotel prior to going. Most of the reviews were not good. We went anyways, since most people know how much money you spend on a wedding we were stuck with this place. I informed my husband of some of the review just so that he was prepared.
So our stay was great. Much better then the reviews on this site had let on too. The taxi rides where scary and the calls to the room for timeshares was a little annoying too. needless to say we got suckered into the timeshare meeting. But glad that we went to Isla Mujeres. We did not stay for the meeting but explored the island. Ate tacos out of a ladies house. Best Tacos ever. you can buy a drink and that rents an umbrella and chairs for the whole day. Ok so back to the hotel. The room was Awesome! so was the shower. I also Loved the balcony. We ate mostly at the Avalon next door, except for breakfast that was down in the boulevard cafe. The staff were very pleasant and easy to get along with. The drinks at the bar were not very strong ( I am a lite weight so I would know) but the still tasted great. The beach newly constructed after the hurricane was great. I loved the hotel and if I ever go back to Cancun (not sure I will) this is where I will stay again and a again.

Just got back from 6 nights there. It's a beautiful little hotel with interesting art (paintings, vases, etc.) everywhere. It was our first time in the Yucatan and we were torn between wanting to go see Tulum, Chichen-Itza, etc. and just hanging out at the hotel. Even just hanging out in our room.

Now this hotel is not "utopia", realize. No elevator and we were in the top floor (6 or 7 flights from street level depending on how you count it) -- but hey, you gotta work off those refried beans and tortillas somehow, no? And our "room" (actually a multi-room suite) had amazing views of the sea, the Laguna (east/west), an somewhat under-equipped kitchen, vaulted ceilings, beautiful artwork, an outdoor and an indoor hot tub. And cold showers. Couldn't get a hot shower to save our life. But the space, both room and common (pool area, lobby, front) more than made up for the deficiencies. (Note: we had ordered a ***room*** with an ocean view and were told that there is no guarantee of a view. But when we got there they upgraded us to this amazing suite at no extra charge. Apparently this is not uncommon, and I did note that there were a number of other very nice suites besides ours, but unless you're willing to pay big bucks to secure these suites it's a bit of a dice roll I guess.)

Staff: fine, no problems.
Sales Pitches: it's the only sales-pitch-free zone in the Yucatan!
Food: pretty decent restaurant, OK bar/grill right by the pool (not enough kick in the margaritas in my opinion), cute little street-level "bistro" for breakfast-- out door tables, yummy huevos mutelenos (sp?). Unless you want to never venture out (understandable-- it's such a pretty place) don't go all inclusive though-- you'd get tired of the food and there are lots of cool places to eat all over the area.
Beach: Hurricane Wilma took away the beach. There's enough to walk on, sit on a chair, and the water is delicious to swim in but if you're a beach freak don't even bother with Cancun-- go to Playa de Carmen or somewhere.

My husband and I stayed at the Avalon Baccara for six nights recently and loved it. It is beautiful, charming, small, relaxing and has a secluded feel despite being located in the middle of the hotel zone. The staff, without exception, is friendly, helpful, and hospitable. We stayed in room 401, a studio with a large terrace and lagoon view (which at least afforded sunset views). The room was modestly appointed, very clean, spacious and comfortable. The bed was quite firm, but we still slept very well every night. The pool area is gorgeous, with a hand-tiled pool and a pool deck that is right on the pounding surf with amazing views. The Baccara's pool area is perfect for those who want to avoid the annoying resort activities or "party" atmosphere and sit peacefully at the pool with nothing but the sound of the surf. The poolside bartender, Juan, took excellent care of us. There is a small strip of beach with chairs, though the surf was quite high and not very swimmable on most days. We stayed all inclusive and ate most breakfasts at the nearby sister property, Avalon Grand, which had a sizeable buffet with some good choices, most lunches poolside (decent ceviche and nachos), and dinners at Baccara's Avanti (not bad) or the Grand's Mi Casa Es Su Casa (pretty good). All things considered, the Avalon Baccara offers great value for the price.

My husband and I received a "FREE TRIP" voucher from Mexico Paradise Getaway's. (AVOID at all costs). MPG booked our stay at the Solymar hotel in Cancun (again, stay as far away from this hotel as possible). When we arrived in Cancun at the Solymar we were taken aback at how awful the facilities were, long story... but we ended up paying to move ourselves to the Avalon Baccara. WORTH EVERY DIME!!! We decided to stay all inclusive, and were also able to use the facilities at the Avalon Grand (next door) or the Avalon Reef which was on La Isla.

We called the Baccara on short notice as we were stranded in the lobby of the Solymar. Baccara had a room for us, so we hopped in a taxi and were on our way. When we arrived we were greated in the lobby with a glass of champagne by the friendly staff with smiling face, (a big difference from the Solymar).
Everything about this hotel just brings the word quaint to mind. It is small (27 rooms) so you get to know other guests and the staff very well during your stay, (a nice personal touch).

Our room was just off the lobby 204C. The room was lovely, cool and very clean. It rained really hard during our first nights stay and we woke up to water in our room. (it had leaked in around our patio door and bay window). We called the front desk and within 5 minutes someone was there to clean it up.
On our way down to the Boulevard Bistro for breakfast we were escorted out the door with an umbrella to keep us dry from the rain. (a thoughtful touch) As soon as we arrived back in the lobby after breakfast we were told that they would like to switch us to a different room b/c of the water. We told them we really didn't mind and as soon as it stopped raining it would be fine, but they insisted. They moved us across the hall to room 204B. This room was a nice upgrade with a huge walk in closet and a private balcony with jacuzzi tub, a great place to relax in the evenings.

The staff went out of their way to add all the little niceties. We made mention when we arrived that my birthday was the next day and that we were there to celebrate. On my birthday we were sitting at the lobby bar and Ismael (one of the awesome staff members) ducked under the bar, and did a showy popping of the cork on a bottle of champagne. He sat two champagne flutes with cherries in the bottom in front of us, poured us a glass and said "Happy Birthday, this bottle of champagne is for you." (He had remembered from the day before). :-)

Juan Carlos is a top notch server in the Bistro, can't sing his praises enough. He was on the ball everyday and had our drinks at our table almost as soon as we sat in our chairs. Mamosas were a nice touch too!

Rafael is a fantastic bartender and was very fun to talk with. He was very patient with our million questions about the facilities and very helpful if we needed anything.

Gabriela went out of her way to help us rearrange our shuttle pickup as we had initially scheduled the shuttle to pick us up at the Solymar.

Everyone on staff was very courteous and friendly, no complaints in this dept. Although tips are not expected when you are in the all inclusive plan, they are greatly appreciated. We got impeccable service throughout our entire stay whether we were tipping or not.

The grounds were very clean, there was always someone about touching up paint, trimming vegetation, cleaning the windows... They even raked the beach and stamped their logo into the sand in the ashtrays around the grounds

The food was very good. We ate at the Boulevard Bistro for breakfast every day, the Italian restaurant for dinner and also at the buffet at the Avalon Grand. Room service and the snack bar by the pool also served good food (more casual) as well.

The tide was very high while we were there but we were able to enjoy the beach (all to ourselves). The beach is nice, not real big but plenty of beach to relax on during low tide.

Our Spanish tiled pool was nice with a waterfall and swim up pool bar. The Avalon Grand has two pools, one being a beautiful infinity pool that appears to fade right into the ocean. There is music and activities by the pool at the Grand, and their three tiered hot tub is superb!

Kelly's Sports bar is fun and Alexander the activities director is full of contagious energy and gets the party started. Woot woot!!

All in all, if you are looking for a romantic little diamond in the rough this is your place! We were planning our next trip before this stay was even over! We are so thankful that our vacation was saved by the Avalon Baccara.