I travelled to Cancun with my sister and after delayed flights etc. we arrived at the Casa Maya. Our check-in was very smooth, but we did arrive at midnight. Although our room was not fancy it had everything we needed, except a balcony. We were in a studio room. It had two double beds (very hard), a nice bathroom, a large walkthru closet and a small area with a fridge, coffee maker, toaster and a microwave.
The grounds and common area of the resort were very clean. The staff was constantly working. Every morning the seaweed was picked up and chairs were all clean and placed nicely.
The food was just okay, but edible and the staff was great.
We used the bus system which was easy and very handy to the hotel.
Everyone at the front door was helpful, whenever we had any questions.
No time share people bothered us, but that was likely because we were not travelling with our husbands.
All in all the resort, though not fancy was very nice. The only downside was that the floors had carpet on them. I always like tile for humid areas like Cancun.

Four of us (adults) spent a week at the resort. We had two 1 bedroom units both facing the beach. The rooms were in very good shape and were cleaned thoroughly every day. As mentioned in other reviews there staff constantly cleaning the entire resort. The breakfast buffet was worth the $150 pesos. They have the usual fruits, cereals, yogurt, waffles, and eggs any way you want them and they also have a good selection of Mexican items, like chilequiles, refried beans, and tacos made with hand made tortillas with a number of fillings to choose from. The beach was swept each morning to remove whatever seaweed washed up during the night. Beach and pool chairs were a hot item and were usually "reserved" by 8:30. Although we were there during a peak Spring Break week the college kids staying at the resort took a bus deeper into the hotel zone and thus kept the noise levels down at the resort. It wasn't an issue at all. We had a great time and will be going back again.

I've fell in love with cancun, and with the hotel. i've the best service there ever. My mother and i were treated like Queens. great beach, great sand, great food, great servers, great everything. you can guarantee that i will be back to this hotel every year.
loved everything about cancun, loved everthing about this hotel

Just like everybody else, I read the reviews of the Casa Maya, Cancun and decided to take a chance because the beach looked great. There are a lot of negatives in most of the reviews, but I found nearly all of them to so minor as to be irrelevent to my stay. The complaints about seaweed on the beach...WAY too picky. Hard beds...simply very firm. By no means are they soft, but we slept better there than at home. The hotel was clean, and every where you look, somebody is cleaning something else. We only ate one meal at the resort, a breakfast buffet (cheap and average for taste) since we prefer to sample the city we are in and do not eat often at hotels. Room(s)...We had two rooms because we had to move due to a noisy neighbor (more on that later). First room, 2208, was a remodled studio. All done in tile floors, new bath. I would rate it as on par with a Best Western in the US. No view. Due to the noise, we were offere a choice of two other rooms, and chose 2719. Nice view w/ balcony, old commercial carpet, new bathroom. On par with Hotel 6 or Days Inn. If you spend all day in your room, don't get a studio. If, like us, you only sleep there, these rooms were unspectacular but serviceable.
Beach was as advertised. It is necessary to get out and reserve your chairs if you are particular as to where you sit, what type of chair you want, and if you need shade (and you do ned shade). I was up at 6:00 anyway, so I would get my choice, but it is not necessary to get there before 7:00 for a pretty choice location.
I mentioned a noise problem earlier. We found the front desk personnel at night to be unresponsive and dishonest when on the phone. I was ignored, laughed at, lied to, and put on hold/diconnected. It took four calls to the desk, two in-person trips to the desk, and a personal visit to the noisy neighbor before a resolution was reached at 3:00 AM. At that time, I believe a new shift had taken over at the desk, and three security personnel were on the scene and woke up the passed out neighbor and achieved silence. Too late to make me a happy camper, however. They had no choice but to move us, because I had made it clear I was unhappy with the treatment and the whole situation. The rest of the staff were great.
Despite being pleasantly surprised with the facilities after reading earlier reviews, and loving the beach, I would have trouble recommending this hotel to anybody who likes to walk and experience the city. There were two restaraunts within walking distance, and until the last night, we thought the closest one was closed, as there was a large Realty sign on the beach side of the building. The location of this hotel is basically in the middle of nowhere, although it is surrounded by other resorts. You must travel to get to shops and restaraunts. Busses are the cheapest, most interesting way to get around, but unless you like to ride in crowded vehicles any time you go out, it is a pain. Taxis are too expensive for frequent trips. So the biggest negatives for us were the front desk and the location in relation to the places we wanted to be. You may feel this is a small complaint, as it is just a personal preference.
If you get a unit with no kitchen facilities, be prepared to wash your two plates, forks, and knives in the bathroom sink. Very limited kitchen tools supplied in studios. Please wash your dishes well before you check out so the next guest does not have to wonder about cleanliness. That bothered us.
Buy a map from MapChick to find the good restaraunts (Fish Fratanga is small, hidden, and excellent) spend a day on Isla, and you can have a good trip.