Privilege at Ocean Coral & Turquesa, Riviera Maya

Nice resort

We had originally booked this hotel right before Covid hit and had the trip canceled. We had been to other resorts between then and now, one being Ocean Blue & Sand in Dominican. Overview of this trip/resort: Non-privledged section - we didn't feel the need after going privileged in Dominican sister resort. Check in- offered to have any drink we wanted while we waited. Lobby, open air and large. Many seating options in/out, lobby bar was really nice. A little wait but nothing major and employee checking us in was very friendly and checked us in quick. Was told about a 15 min wait for room(we think this was to have us "talk" with the lady that approached us in line to find her as she had a welcome gift -member sales pitch. We knew about this from previous resort and others we've been through so waited 5 and was brought to the room. Room: basic room on Daisy side, 2nd floor. There are elevators but not right on each floor so we just used stairs. We had a nice ocean view, breeze. Room was a good size, king bed, table/chairs and sofa bed. Towels/face cloths, shampoo/conditioner, body wash. Toothbrush kit, shave kit in case you forgot. Room did smell a bit musty upon entering (don't think it was used recently ) air conditioner worked and we had it down to 19 at times. Bed was comfortable and so were pillows. It was an original room (some are updated) but it was still nice. Fridge was stocked with two Pepsi, 1 7up, 1 orange, 2 beers and water plus a large bottle of water by the coffee maker. Tip/note in the fridge will get you more of whatever you ask more of. We put the large bottle in bathroom to use when brushing teeth and a new one would be put by coffee maker. Braclet is your key to your room..so key card to carry around or lose. Pools: quiet pool, large. We didn't use that. Kids pool/activity area- didn't access that bit looks fun for kids. Party/activity pool-good music, great bartenders, Antonio would be around the pool deck taking drink orders. The activity team did a great job offering zumba, volleyball, aquafit and other interacting activities. We didn't have issues getting pool loungers but resort wasn't at capacity. If coming after 12 they were usually taken. Meals: booking restaurants had to be done via their app @10am. We had no issues but again it wasn't at capacity. We enjoyed all the restaurants booked, Mexican we booked 2x. Peanut butter tequila yum. Ask for a sample, they also sell by the bottle to take. Waiters worked hard, non stop. We never left hungry. Route 66- didn't need reservations *did in Dominican. We didn't care for the food here and wouldn't eat there again. Employees were nice just the food wasn't that good, brisket wasn't tender at all. Buffet (closed Wed/Fri) when we were there. Never seen a resort close the buffet. Week after we left it was closed Monday to Thursday..weird. we liked the buffet, lots of choices, yes there were times some things were out but you need to give some time for them to replenish. I seen workers cleaning up after guest making a mess, things weren't cold and servers in the area we sat in over our time there offered drinks, asked how things were. Mikes coffee, loved this in Dominican and same here. Good drinks, snacks and place to sit inside or out :) Ice cream shop- went 2x, not bad and a toppings area in you wanted to add them. Room service- a regular menu, over all pretty good. Comes in take out containers and in a handled bag so it can be handed off at door. Came within time said on app when ordered. Ocean Burger by the pool: great Mexican burger. Tried the fish burger too and it was good. Offers burger, fries, hotdogs, fish/chicken burgers. Beer, water, pop. Spa: We were going to try the massage hut just off the resort but after hearing the spa deals from Adela (find her to book and hear specials) shes walking around the pool or at the spa cart beside the buffet hallway around 9:30. We booked at the spa as they are RMT and we can claim it on our benefits. Night shows: we enjoyed them. They do a day foam party but also a night one with neon glow in the dark entertainers pool side. Membership sales: yes they have them. We were approached 2x and both times took our no thank you and didn't get upset. We were just honest that it doesn't interest us, we know about it plus our time is precious and don't want to waste hours when our awnser will be no. Employees: for the majority, lovely. They work long hours, 6 days a week and work hard for little $. Remember to smile, say Hola, thank you. Tipping: To each their own on this, we tip and always will. They make little, work hard so they really appreciate it. We don't use US dollars anymore with the bad exchange but take Mexican peso. It's their country so we use their currency. We'd see large groups ordering trays of drinks delivered poolside and not even giving $1. Worker still delivered with a smile. Or larger dinner parties ( we saw groups up to 8) get up and leave without a thank you even to their server. He came back to find them gone. Grounds/beach:grounds kept clean, beach we didn't go in due to sargasum. Not the resorts fault, it's nature. They were out each morning trying to clean up. Raccoons, cats: these were out especially at night. Raccoons were bold..saw one steal a burger, ice cream cup. People feed then so they are now use to approaching and following for food. Not their fault but the people feeding them. They are also wild but saw people try to pet them, feed them out of their hand..so yes they could bite. Cats didn't really approach unless they were offered food. Overall, we enjoyed the resort, layout and people. Ment some great people.

A nice resort experience

Staff truly make or break a resort and the staff here definitely make it fantastic. We stayed 3 days and overall if the price is right, we would come back. Any minor complaints were more than made up for by the staff and beautiful views. This resort is very beautiful, right on the ocean and large. There are four pools here with one being privilege, bar pool, main pool and a kids pool. The privilege section has its own part of the resort for rooms, lounge and pool. It is not adults only but an exclusive section. You are assigned a butler if you select privilege who can book your restaurant reservations for you and check in with you throughout your trip. We spent the bulk of our trip at the swim up pool enjoying the fantastic staff Eduardo, Antonio, Gustavo and Alejandro. Other amazing staff are Jesus and Emmanuel in the privilege lounge. Mateo and Reynaldo in the lobby bar. Carmen in the buffet and Claudia was our privilege butler. The rooms are very nice and I like having a separate bathroom for privacy. Food was all tasty and we didnt have problems getting reservations being privilege but I can understand peoples frustration, especially if the buffet is closed. The WiFi coverage is great throughout the resort and the activities team has a ton of activities to keep you entertained. The highlights were the pool foam party at night and a silent party. There is an app you can download but also a website based version you can access to see the daily activities and book restaurant reservations. There is a gift shop in the lobby with a nice collection of souvenirs and also items you can buy in case you forgot to pack such as sunscreen, aloe, pepto, Tylenol, and more. The two minor inconveniences is H10 hotels is part of a vacation club so during check in, we were asked about joining which felt more like a time share pitch. After sternly saying no thank you, we were left alone for the rest of the trip. We arrived early around noon and our room wasnt ready until 3:30 so we enjoyed drinks in the privilege lounge until our room was ready. You can also pack swimsuits in your carry on and enjoy the pool as they will bring your luggage to your room once ready. The only other item I will mention is all places are sit down for food. There is a burger bar located next to the pool but you have to sit down and order vs being able to walk up and order. Not a problem, just some other resorts have walk up snack bars. Overall I am very happy with our stay and we enjoyed this resort.

Yes yes yes

Im back!! The good , the bad and the ugly reviews!! No bull just straight up info Trip- May 5-12 The Good: the food was awesome, absolutely zero complaints ( and I can be picky when it comes to food) . From the buffet to the Al a carte restaurants, they were fantastic!! Clean, friendly , delicious .and very well presented The room on the 2 nd floor just past the store. It was very clean and the maid did an excellent job on restocking and making it up every day. They said it was a renovated room , which it was , ( you could tell they brought in the B team for the finishing touches, but it was still great. The pools were awesome! Tons of chairs available ( however, keep in mind the hotel was not fully booked so I cant speak to how it might be in the middle of high season!) The Bad: I cant really say anythingbad honestly I would tell you!! We enjoyed it from start to finish. Some people will find every little thing to complain about ,but for Christ sake, just because the maid forgot to leave an extra roll of TP doesnt warrant a bad review or even a mention!! The Ugly: The Beach!! Not the hotels problem as it is Mother Nature! But the beach sucked because of the sargassum! The tractor would come once a day and that was it! The water was churned brown and it stank. So dont go to the Cancun riviera area for the beach until the sargassum issue is cleared! Other than that!! This place was great! Huge shout out to Hilda our great server in the bar area!! She was so nice !

Worthwhile upgrading to Privilege at this busy resort

Great holiday, upgraded to Privilege and loved the breakfast & lunches on the terrace in the Privilege lounge, worth the upgrade cost alone. Jose at the pool was fantastic, along with Javier, and Claudia was fab as our butler. Enrique and Vitalino were so lovely and looked after us so well. Not being able to swim in the sea due to seaweed was a bit disappointing but we booked a snorkelling trip with turtles which was great and made up for it. If you dont upgrade be prepared to get up early, around 6am to get a sunbed by the pool!