Stayed at Carisa with family in February 2004. We booked 2 rooms for me, my husband and 4 children (11, 10, 7, 4) and my mother (7 in total).

On arrival we were slightly dismayed at the appearance compared to the other luxury 5 star resorts we passed on the way from the airport. However we were not expecting that standard as rates for this hotel for two weeks were brilliant. We wanted self catering (rather than AI) so that we could make use of all the superb restaurants in the resort. We were on the 1st floor and had one whole corner of the block to ourselves overlooking the beach. It was like having a massive beachside apartment and the kids could run between rooms all the time as we left the doors open when we were in.

The amenities of the complex are basic, swimming pool, quiet restaurant, reception and small supermarket. I think this accommodation is about the closest you are going to get to literally being 'on the beach', it was superb. The lift brought you straight down virtually on to the sand. The hotel waiter was really friendly and brought us drinks and cocktails and snacks on the sand all day every day and the drinks were very cheap, but we did not use the restaurant.

The Carisa has an amazing location if you want to be close to all the highlights of Cancun. Next store is a shopping mall (quite expensive designer labels)where the Hard Rock, Rainforest Cafe, Coco Bongo's Daddy O's are located, Senor Frogs across the road, and too many others to mention, including fast food restaurants, supermarkets and markets. It was like living above Piccadilly Circus.

As regards the standard of accommodation, I would emphasise that this is not 5 star, probably 2 or 3 star, but room amenities are perfectly adequate. The hotel staff are actually very hard to find but they do take your requests on board even if you have to remind them a 2nd time. For us it was actually better than being in a hotel as we appreciated having lots of space, privacy, views and close proximity to everything. We could actually watch the children and chat to them playing on the beach from our balcony.

One tip is to ensure that you get a beachside room and NOT a roadside room as they are 'very very very noisy' at night time when music is playing till 6 am. The noise cannot be heard at all if you are beachside.

I would recommend this accommodation to anyone who is not seeking all the amenities of a hotel and just wants apartment style accommodation. In fact I would advise against going 'all inclusive' in Cancun, as we watched people queueing for dinner & breakfast everyday in the hotels. These people missed out on some of the best restaurants and dinner shows I have ever been to and the prices even at the finest of places were fantastic. The children were welcomed everywhere and they absolutely loved every minute. Look forward to going back to Carisa.

I left a credit card in my room. I didn't realize it was missing until I returned home. Someone charged a night at a very nice hotel on my credit card. Fortunately that was the only thing they charged. We didn't experience any other problems. It has a good location, but it needs MAJOR interior and exterior work.

We stayed for 2 weeks in July this year. This is the perfect place to stay if you are on a budget. Brilliant location, fantastic sea views and spacious accommodation fot the money. It's right next door to Coco Bongo's and all of the hotel strip nightlife. The beds are not the most comfortable and it is quite basic, but who who cares when are somewhere as lovely as Cancun!The staff were also very helpful. We didn't like our first room and they were happy to find us a different one. I would recommend staying in Palma, as it's further from the clubs, and in a sea facing room. We were due to leave the day Hurricane Emily hit and after spending 24 hours in a shelter, Carisa y Palma put us up until we could fly home, free of charge!
If you want luxury, don't stay here. But if you want basic, clean accommodation, in a fantastic location this the place to go.

The location is perfect. The price: good value for money. The views from our room was great (Sea View). The room was not very clean when we arrived. It did not feel very secure. That got better as room was cleaned on our second day.
2 big disapponting things: When our Air conditioning failed, I had to cause a drama to get it replaced. The guy at reception was very unhelpful to say the least!!!!! That really annoyed me!
Also, my mobile phone "disappeared" in their storage room where we left our bags the last day. I know I should not have left it there but...
After my experience: If I had to go back to Cancun, I would try somewhere else (I may sound a bit harsh but according to me, the 2 incidents I have experienced should not have happened- I was on holiday after all).