Catalonia Riviera Maya Resort & Spa- All Inclusive

Having been lucky enough to have visited a few Caribbean countries and resorts, this one failed to meet so many expectations. It’s not all-inclusive, it’s full-board with drinks from 1130 to 2230. Food options were basic, very basic, ticked most boxes most times, but the options never changed apart from 1-2 dishes. This isn’t even a 3-star never mind 5-star as advertised by TUI. With the exception of one solitary fry cook, every other dish is either hot plate or chilled. Service is painfully slow and you need to check-in for every meal and snack which is logged and recorded- all inclusive?? You are then walked to a table of their choosing (normally all bunched together in a massive space!). Needlessly forced formality simply to control costs. It has the history and potential to be a great place but current management are targeting the local family market and running the place on a shoestring. Raise any sort of complaint and you are advised to ‘upgrade to privilege’ for the standard I’m looking for. This appears to be a lottery depending on who you are and how much they think they can get out of you. Upgrades range from free to £50 per person per night. The only key difference was access to another pool, bar and an a la carte (again, no ‘live’ chef) restaurant which had the same dishes each day, every day. The place basically shuts down between 2230-0600 which is not fun when you’re jet lagged after arriving and wide awake at 3am! No sports bar, no coffee machine, nothing. The pools are filthy, the grounds are beautiful and I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of having been ripped off comparing previous Caribbean holidays, what’s on offer here and how much it cost. We booked through TUI whose Rep is actually not allowed to even enter the hotel! She has a desk at the main entrance of the hotel next door and is restricted to there. That speaks volumes in itself! I’ve seen many on the FB groups defend the place and I’ll probably take some flak but seriously, if you think that’s an acceptable standard of service then, travel more! Entertainment is patchy at best in the evenings (excluding the theatre) and the facilities are simply too small. I counted 17 tables with 4 seats in the main lobby bar - for a hotel with over 400 rooms. Do yourself a favour and avoid this place. Really.