This was my first time at an All-inclusive resort in Mexico. Overall I enjoyed my stay and had a great time. I'm a college kid. I got my free alcohol and was able to eat whenever I wanted to. I also didn't have to clean my room. The third day we found out that the housekeeping staff had stolen about $100 from our wallets. I had to fill out an investigation report then they looked through our suitcases and back packs and everything inside of them. I don't know why they thought they would find the stolen money there. I at least got a security lock free of charge for the rest of the week. The location is great. It is right in the middle of the hotel zone. There is a huge mall right across the street where you can buy ALL of your souvenirs. The food was pretty good. Two of the restaurants were buffet, but had delicious food. There are a couple of restaurants that you just had to make reservations to eat at. The bars were just okay. They gave us crappy tequila from the tap. The beer wasn't great, but it was beer and it got you drunk. Overall, the price was right and I definitely got my money's worth. I would recommend staying here if you get a good deal. Don't pay full price for this resort. GET A SECURITY BOX!!!

we stayed at the hotel with two other couples. we all had ocean view rooms at no extra charge. the rooms were clean and spacious with a little balcony overlooking the property and out to the ocean. the food was good and the people working at the bars and resturants were great. the kukulkan mall is right in front of the hotel so it gives you easy access to shopping and a bowling alley for something different to do. when we booked this hotel i was expecting it to be ok (5th time to cancun) but it was great for the price we paid. would stay there again. the service was excellent and my wife couldn't get enough of the guacamole. The beach is small, due to the hurricane, but there is still plenty of room to lay out and enjoy the sun depending on the tide.

We have been to Mexico before so we knew what to expect, but this hotel was nasty! We were only there for one night because we ended up going there as part of a hotel exchange. We were in the Mayan Rivera for the first 6 nights of our trip. We were told the hotel is comparable to the resort we were staying in when it came to cleanliness and service etc. But they were all lies. The hotel is old and dingy.
Our room was not cleaned properly, the sheets had stains on them, the washroom was in the process of being re-tiled (half the tiles were new with grout all over them) and even our tv remote was dirty with stuff spilled on it.
The pool area was not very clean, but bearable. There is hardly any beach and the two days we were there the red flag was out because it was too rough.
The staff was not very friendly when we told them to clean our room and the sheets. It didn't get done while we were there. I had my daughter sleep on our clothes.
If you are thinking of going to this place, reconsider. We had an awful time and would never go there again.

Not sure why others would rag on this place. It was clean, fun, great location and all at a great price.

Rooms - I have heard of people getting bumped up at no charge to ocean view rooms from the standard "lagoon" aka mall view rooms...well done. We bit the bullet and paid to upgrade to a North Tower room on the second floor which gave us a private terrace overlooking the activities pool which was worth every penny. Like everybody says, the rooms are very clean.

Food - The buffet food was good. Nothing to blow your mind, but what do you expect for a buffet? The seafood restaurant was nothing exciting. Stick to the Mexican restaurant. We went there 3 times and always had great service and food.

Beach - Once again, I've read of people griping about no beach. To me a big beach is just another obstacle to get into the water. The ocean is so close that you can take a break from the pools and jump into the ocean within 30 seconds. The ocean water is extremely warm, very clean (free of seaweed and debris) and bright turquoise.

Pools - We stuck to the activities pool, as that's where the fun was. The activities team did a fantastic job of keeping everybody entertained. The best bartender on the property (Antonio) is also stationed at the swim up bar, so that was added incentive to spend every day there.

Front Reception Staff - Meh...didn't seem very interested.

Tipping - Please tip wherever you can. Not huge bucks, but 20 pesos here and there. The people working here are wonderful hardworking people and truly appreciate it. They usually work 6 days a week and range from 9 - 15 hour days. We tipped Antonio 50 pesos ($5 CDN) a day and hey took great care of us, in some cases tracking us down for refills around the pool if he wasn't busy at the bar. If you like Margaritas, ask him to make it on the rocks with the bottled tequila as opposed to the tequila from the gun, it kinda tastes like ham (weird...I know, but you'll understand once you taste it).

Day Trips - We booked a day trip to Isla Mujeres through the Aqua World desk on the property...what a riot. The guys on the boat were very entertaining. We spent some time at the private beach and then rented golf carts and cruised around the island. Make sure to hit the Lighthouse for a beverage on the patio overlooking the ocean and say hi to Paco, one of the resident iguanas who wanders around the patio. The boat ride back was a mad dance party to every 80's song you could ever think of. Good times...