I stayed with my family, wife and 3 boys aged 14,12 and 11 at the Sunset Lagoon for a week in a one bedroom condo that we had traded using a week from RCI. We arrived the Saturday after Christmas and stayed until the next Saturday. We did not take their timeshare tour but we took a time share tour at a different location and when the staff found out about that they got angry at us. When we arrived we spent the first night in a room that was located next to the road and was very noisy at night due to the traffic going by. We requested a different room the next day and they switched us to a quiter part of the resort. The things we liked about the resort were the peacful sunsets on the dock overlooking the lagoon. We liked the boat shuttle to its sister resort by the beach. We liked Gloria for helping us arrainge tours and dinner reservations. We liked the other guests staying at the resort which were mostly families. The things we did not like about the resort were; they dirty pool, the food in general but especially, the ants on the bread in the dinning room, no ice cream, no bacon. The entertainment was inappropriate for a mostly family occupied resort. The entertainment were scantily clad singers and dancers. The worst was the guy in his "tighty whiteys" swinging on the stage curtains.
We had transportsation provided from the airport to the hotel but you had to provide your transportation back to the airport. The person at the transportation desk that arrainges the transfers back to the airport is only there from 9:30am to 5pm. We were told to make the arraingments one before we leave for the airport but we left the hotel for an excursion the day before at 8am and did not return to 6:30 pm so we could not make arraingements. The person at the front desk said we would have to wait until 9:30 the next day to make the arraingements and told me not to worry that there was plenty of time and that the price is the same for the shuttle as a private service to the airport. The next day I told this to the person who arrainges the transportation and she said no the price is much higher and we should have done this yesterday. I negotiated with her and got the price done to lower than she orginally quoted but higher than the gentleman at the front desk said. I do not think you should have to negotiate the price of transportation. We had a fun week in Cancun and we will come back to Cancun but we would never stay at this resort again.

When looking for a warm spot to go to for vacation with the family we came across the Sunset Lagoon. Having just returned from a long stay in Iraq we wanted to go somewhere to just hang out as a family again and relax. Being that this is more of a sales office for the timeshare with RCI it was not to be.

Immediately upon entering into the airport the harrassment begins. People yelling at you and trying to flag you down for a "voucher" for the taxi to take you to the hotel. This voucher is how they get your information so they can then spend an entire day giving you a "tour" of the two hotels that your timeshare would come with. We had good advice from a friend who had been to Cancun before to just keep walking outside to the taxi area and do not give your information to anyone inside, unless you want the timeshare tour. We did that however if you do not get the voucher you do not get a taxi ride to the hotel for free as advertised on their website. Your first day there will then be spent with a salesman walking all of the properties so they can sell you the timeshare. If you are not doing the tour you will spend everyday watching these tours. The hotel is literally a nonstop timeshare tour that you have to navigate through to eat, swim and try to enjoy.

The restaurant at the sunset lagoon with the buffet is actually not bad however it is pretty much the same food everyday. You tend to get tired of it after a couple of days. The advertised ice cream bar that the kids really looked forward to was not there. One night of ice cream was all they got, too bad.

The lobster dinner was by far the worst lobster dinner we had ever had. Overcooked and rubbery, served without butter and very fishy tasting. One note is that if your kids do not want to eat the lobster dinner then do not arrange for the entire family to eat. At the restaurant they will not let you substitute any meals for the lobster so they will be stuck with the lobster. This restaurant would never survive more than a month anywhere else except at this hotel where they have people who have to eat there. The food all around is terrible and the service is somewhat stuck up. They expect a tip however with an all inclusive it is supposedly covered. Overall the restaurant should be skipped and get the vouchers to eat at a restaurant in the town.

The non motorized water sports consist of a few two person kayaks and a really dillapidated four person paddle boat. Both sides of the peddles have one missing and the metal crank is so rusted that you will definitely need a tetinus shot if you cut yourself on it. PLEASE WEAR SHOES IF USING THIS JUNK. When taking the kayaks out they will tell you to not go out too far but supposedly you get to have unlimited use of them so why not go all through the lagoon with them.

Through the front desk you can arrange for some tours of the areas historic stuff. Xcaret and Xel-Ha were the two that we chose. Unfortunately what they don't tell you when you pay the Extraordinary amount of money for a family of 5 to go to these is that they will stop three times along the way to pick up and drop off other tours. By the time you get to the Xel Ha you have no more than 5 hours. If you do the swim with the dolphins there then you cut your time down to 3 1/2 hours. For the dolphins and Xel-Ha and Tulum runis it was over $1400.00 for the five of us. We ended up having to pass on Tulum due to the number of stops since we would have had just enough time left to swim with the dolphins and then get back on the bus. When I asked for a refund of the Tulum portion I got $20.00 back. What a deal.

Xcaret was a little better but again the amount of time you get there is misrepresented and you feel rushed the entire time.

It was my feeling there the entire time that the staff and management all felt that we were there for them and at any time we were an inconvenience to them. We spent over $8000.00 on that vacation and I honestly felt like I should have gone somewhere else. Unfortunately for us we will not be going back to Mexico anytime in the next couple of decades. South America may be better.

As a side note, if you are looking for a timeshare check out the Disney Vacation Club. We did and it is the one that we are going with. No pushy salespeople to fight through and way better resorts.

Overall the hotel room was nice but everything else was lacking. Save your money and look at other countries to go to. I can personally recommend anywhere in Europe. My wife and I travelled alot through Europe and loved everywhere we went, from Paris, to Prague, to Moldova. Europe treats you like you are important because you really are to them. Mexico just seems to want your money.

I had the most wonderful week and everything was near perfect: the room, the lagoon, the staff, the weather, the food. I attended the sale presentation and it was a full day of enjoyment even though I did not buy. I had a great time!

My wife and I have been going to the Royal Sunset on the ocean, or the Sunset Lagoon on the lagoon since 1999. Over the years we have upgraded to the presidential suite. We have gone with multiple friends and family members with everyone coming away completly impressed. I don't know how so many people have such a bad time. Yes, the sales people push to make sales. Duh.

The first 6 trips were to the ocean resort, but we would take the boat shuttle across the lagoon almost every day to get a meal, use the pool, or the swim up bar. In 2007 we stayed at the lagoon for the first time and brought my parents down for their 30th anniversary. They loved every minute of it. Check out my youtube clip for a short video of the fun. The last 2 clips are of the pool, and the lagoon right by the tiki bar on the beach. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmpSTNR8UGM Or just enter 'mwagne16' in the youtube search window and it will be near the top of the video list.

In Feb of 2008 we will be going back to the lagoon with my parents for a week, and will then move over to the Royal Sunset on the ocean for a week. They will go home, and a friend of ours will fly in for the second week.

It's really a bonus being able to have full use of both resorts at any time. We talked the timeshare price way down, and paid a fraction of the cost for the upgrade. We probably still paid a bit too much, but it is only what you make of it. The whole world thinks bad of Americans. If you come down with a bad attitude or short temper, it will just slide down hill. This will be the 9th trip in 11 years for a total of 10 weeks. There is still more to discover. Don't get hung up on trying to get every cent out of the all inclusive package. Eat out on the town a couple of nights and enjoy all of it.