Catalonia Riviera Maya

No matter the time of year, Catalonia Riviera Maya is crowded, and filled with the type of guests willing to fight you for a coveted spot around the pool. Guests are typically young couples and families, and there are perhaps few places on earth where so many nationalities can be found together at once. Each morning, the multilingual staff begins the day with song and dance -- an upbeat number performed poolside to “Good Morning” a la "Singin’ in the Rain." Afterwards, the day’s activities are announced via blaring microphone -- in about seven different languages. As the day progresses there seems to be a new activity to fill each hour -- scuba lessons in the pool, water aerobics, Spanish lessons, tequila volleyball (yes, it’s what you’re thinking), snorkeling in the lagoon, beachfront yoga, ceramic painting -- the list goes on. And while most activities get plenty of participants, many guests are also content just sit back and relax.    The lobby has an enormous pitched palapa-style roof and is painted in mustard-yellow and soft orange. Patterned cushions top wicker couches and chairs and a wooden coffee table has seen better days. Lines are long at the reception desk and it's not uncommon to see piles of luggage from guests coming and going. The scene is a touch calmer outdoors. Grounds are planted with tropical plants, palm trees, and dotted with black wicker furniture for lounging. 

Catalonia Riviera Maya is located in a gated resort community known as Puerto Aventuras. Within Puerto Aventuras, there are multiple resorts, private homes, a marina, and a small area with shops and restaurants. There isn’t much to do or see immediately outside of Puerto Aventuras, so renting a car is necessary for exploring the surrounding tourist towns. Tulum is about a 40-minute drive south, while downtown Playa del Carmen is about 25 minutes north. Cancun International Airport is one hour north. 

Rooms at Catalonia Riviera Maya were probably quite nice at one point in time, but now they look dated. Cheap wooden furniture sits atop white tile floors, and a bright orange accent wall brings a shock of color to the space. All the usual suspects are present -- two (rock-hard) double beds or one king-size bed, a towel swan with scattered petals, a desk/dresser combo with a flat-screen TV, and a small table for two in the corner. There’s a mirrored closet with an ironing board, a safe (access is free), and a mini-fridge containing water, juice, and soda. All rooms have balconies, but most don’t really have any views. Even if the hotel bills the room as “ocean view” it’s probably more likely that it overlooks the pool and perhaps the tiniest slice of ocean. Bathrooms are decently sized with a few eco-friendly bath products, but the standard shower/tub combo, toilet, and single sink are pretty generic. Bathrooms seem to have regular drainage problems, as well as temperature control issues in the shower. Wi-Fi is free in the rooms (and throughout the resort).Privileged Rooms are Catalonia’s version of an upgrade, but guests should be careful when booking, as it’s hard to know exactly what the upgrade provides. Some guests find that Privileged Rooms and amenities are not worth the extra cost per night. Privileged Superior Rooms are exactly like standard rooms, with the same dated decor and uncomfortable beds, but with access to Privileged areas of the resort, such as the Privileged Beach and the Pure Chill Out bar. Only Privileged Suites and Privileged Honeymoon Rooms have updated decor and furniture and nicer bathrooms, as well as access to the Privileged areas of the resort. Honeymooners (a marriage certificate is needed as proof of nuptials) get a free bottle of sparkling wine and fruit basket.

At check-in (our reporter likened the experience to waiting in line at the DMV), guests are given a wristband and a towel card. The wristband is a form of guest ID that allows for entrance into restaurants and bars, the spa, the gym, and other guest-only locations throughout the hotel. If lost, the hotel can easily replace the wristband, free of charge. The towel card, on the other hand, is a prized possession to never be lost of left behind. The card grants each holder one towel, and if said towel or card is lost, the hotel charges a steep replacement fee. Nobody likes to be not so subtly accused of stealing towels. With one towel in hand, guests can enjoy the three main pools at Catalonia Riviera Maya, and also have access to Catalonia Yucatan Beach’s pools as well. The pools are lively spots during the day, and most lounge chairs are snatched up before 7 a.m., even though the hotel discourages the practice of chair saving. There’s not much of a beach on the Riviera Maya side of the resort, but there is a large lagoon with calm waters and ideal kayaking and snorkeling conditions. A kids' club has activities to keep little ones happy during the day. Alegria Spa is by far one of the resort’s best features. The two-story stunner is a true oasis, and offers an array of treatment options including couples massages, hydrotherapy circuits, and facials. The spa is bright and airy, and has an incredible two-story waterfall and hydrotherapy pool. The fitness center is located on the bottom floor of the spa, and features multiple rooms with Life-Fitness equipment and spin bikes.    

We found the all-inclusive food at Catalonia Riviera Maya too bad to even be given a stamp of mediocrity. There are two all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants at the hotel, La Brisa and El Mercado. Though El Mercado is technically on the Yucatan Beach side of the property, these restaurants are right next to each other and serve the exact same buffet for every single meal. The only difference is that La Brisa is an open-air restaurant, while El Mercado is indoors and air-conditioned. The buffets are exactly what one might expect -- different stations with massive amounts of food. Each night, dinner has a theme like Italian or steaks, and there are plenty of unrelated dishes. Not only is the food bad, the restaurant system has major flaws. At check-in, guests are told that each of the hotel’s a la carte restaurants doesn’t require reservations. However the phrase “doesn’t require reservations” should be amended to “doesn’t accept reservations, so be prepared to wait three hours for dinner along with every other hotel guest.” The a la carte restaurants -- serving Mexican, Italian, Japanese, and American cuisines -- are only open for dinner, making them popular nighttime spots. During dinner hours, hordes of hotels guests can be seen walking to and from each restaurant enquiring about wait times (generally two or three hours). Frustrated and hungry, most just end up at one of the buffets. And even if the long waits might lead you to believe otherwise, we found the food at the a la carte restaurants barely better than what’s served at the buffet. Some guests had more favorable impressions, however. Note that guests are limited to how many times they can visit the a la carte restaurants, based on number of nights booked at the hotel. Seven bars include a swim-up pool and a sports bar with a golf simulator. Local alcohol, beer, and tips are included with the all-inclusive package.