Viceroy Riviera Maya

Do not expect the Rosewood or the Datai. Certain aspects of this resort do approach 5*, but in general I class Viceroy as 4*. The approach to the landward entrance had us holding our breaths, as the taxi bumped along a road bordered by flooded mangroves with old wire fencing and sheets of boarding. However, once we were through the electric gates, we were greeted warmly in a pleasant circular tiled area. A five minute walk brought us to villa 16; very pretty, clean and one of the 5* features. I am in my eighties and don't have a smart phone, so had to rely on my daughter to put the TV on and order food etc. using a QR code on a piece of wood. I always enjoys browsing through a tastefully printed brochure. We were there two days before I realized there was a library. It was a nice gesture to find insect repellant for our use. The pool is lovely, but there is no rail to hold on to by the steps, so I lost my footing when trying to get into the pool and fell backwards. If any of the many Coral bar staff noticed, they didn't approach me and I was able to roll into the water. Luckily I only grazed my elbows and bumped my coccyx. However, that experience meant that my daughter had to be with me whenever I wanted to swim and I would have to call her for assistance in order to get out. I strongly recommend that Viceroy invest in a metal rail. We love to swim in the sea and were impressed, but surprised to see the Viceroy supplied rubber beach shoes. Then we saw the sharp and slippery rocks where the lovely sand met the water's edge. Holding hands, we tackled these once only. An absolute 'No no' for anyone elderly. You could however, walk eighty yards along the busy beach to find an area with fewer rocks. We were concerned about a tripping hazard at a shallow unmarked step outside our villa and mentioned it to Henri from Housekeeping; a smiling happy young man. He immediately phoned management and we were impressed with their prompt attention to this. A nearby generator kept us awake in our villa, so Ernesto kindly arranged for us to to number 18, which was perfect. The nightly thumping 'rave' music from a neighboring resort, tended to end around 10 or 11, so wasn't a problem. Straightforward verbal communication with restaurant staff was alright, but no one understood 'Can you swap... for...' and 'Can I have ...instead of...' though I had a lovely conversation with Jose Ensento? who was hoovering up leaves. His friendly nature and hand gestures together with my basic Spanish, had us laughing. He even managed to explain the he uses the staff bus to get home . My daughter used the small gym regularly and we both thoroughly enjoyed painting on canvas. A nice gesture and a new experience for us both. My final comment is negative I'm afraid. Your food is mostly awful. We splashed out on the Thanksgiving meal, thinking there would be a festive atmosphere at least. But that, it wasn't. The staff moved around in silence and not one of them engaged us in any conversation. The pumpkin soup was the best course. The green beans were virtually raw, so I couldn't eat them. In a 5* establishment there would have been a waiter with sufficient English to ask if everything was alright, when they noticed I had not touched that dish. Two more minutes in boiling water and I would have eaten them up. We had room service breakfasts every day after our first disappointing experience at the Cedar area. I ate porridge every day until I tried the pastries and found you do serve excellent croissants. Another holidaymaker agreed with us about the menu and recommended we eat at a beach bar 200 yards along the beach. We are pleased we took her advice. Prior to our stay at Viceroy we had three days in a small beach front resort in Tulum. We ate all of our meals there. Despite all the above criticisms, , we did enjoy our stay at Viceroy and I hope management see them as constructive. I will particularly remember our daily interaction with the agoutis and coatis.

I am a lover of luxury properties and have stayed at many in Mexico and around the world. I booked my stay through AMEX's Fine Hotels and Resorts and was sorely disappointed. I love AMEX's program and reply on it to make sure I stay at places that I will enjoy and this completely failed, especially when the program includes Four Seasons, Rosewood and Auberge properties, this hotel is not in THAT league. The Good. The hotel is very lush and was built within a small jungle. Lots of greenery and the pool area is nice. The staff was nice. Special shoutout to Pepe, Litsy, Rosa and Jesus. I had a wonderful massage even though the spa itself is in desperate need of an upgrade. The Bad. The check in process took 20 minutes and I was left sitting alone with no information. That is simply too long, especially if I'm not being offered a welcome drink, which is standard at luxury hotels in Mexico. I was offered a cold towel and a small bottle of water. I wanted to go straight to the beach, so opted out of the property tour. I was on the beach for 30 minutes until njust before sunset, my "butler" then came back and took me to my room. The room was huge and included a pool which was fairly warm. The room itself was dated. The bathroom needs to be updated, especially at this proce point. The bed was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. There were also a lot of bugs. One dead roach and small ants. There was rust on the water stoppers in the sink. My bags were finally delivered to my room more than an hour after I checked in. Which is ridiculous. The food left a lot to be desire. I sent my first dish back because I just couldn't eat it. The second dish I ordered was steak and fries which was good. The breakfast was not great. I ordered chilaquiles and it was clear that they weren't made fresh, specifically the chicken. The spa was dated. The steam room on the women's side wasn't working. The shower I used needed to have the shower head replaced. The steamroom on the men's side was great. The prices of some things were outrageous. $20 for a bottle of water is just egregious. This hotel is charging you as if it is top tier and it simply isn't. Overall, at best, I would say this is a 4 star hotel. There are so many other places to stay in Mexico for a superior experience, especially if you are seeking a truly five star experience. A few I love: Four Seasons Punta Mita, Four Seasons Los Cabos, Etereo which is close to this property, Nizuc, Conrad Tulum.

A real haven and oasis from the bustle of a vibrant coastal area. We had such a wonderful stay at Viceroy, where attention to detail is taken very seriously and the staff were so attentive and welcoming. I am also missing the best turn downs ever in particular, it was such a treat after dinner to get back to the villa with a ready for bed hug from housekeeping. The walk to breakfast was also an adventure, down the tropical pathways to the beach area, you get to appreciate the emphasis on guest privacy and the feel of being in a tropical forest, with waterfalls, monkeys in the trees and exotic birds flying all around. Whilst resting on a day bed after feasting at breakfast you get a most tropical secluded part of the beach and can watch the pelicans diving into the aquamarine sea looking for their breakfast. If we took an excursion or booked a dinner in Playa del Carmen, we just couldn’t wait to get back to our hotel and relax with a drink at the bar playing games. The Viceroy and its staff does not disappoint and we feel it gave us the best of this part of Mexico.