Catalonia Yucatan Beach

Sorry is the man who shows up to the pool after nine, thinking he can easily score a few lounge chairs. No matter the time of year, Catalonia Yucatan Beach is crowded, and filled with the type of guests willing to fight 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. The hotel is filled with Italian friend groups, British honeymooners, French models (okay maybe they’re not models), and American families. As the day progresses there seems to be a new activity to fill each hour -- scuba lessons in the pool, water aerobics, Spanish lessons, beach volleyball tournaments, snorkeling, 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 intricate stone work on the otherwise tiled floor. Low-lying wooden couches are topped with black and white cushions, and there are tour and concierge desks next to the reception desk, cordoned off with a velvet rope to control the masses. 

Catalonia Yucatan Beach 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 guests looking to explore 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 just over one hour north via car. 

Rooms at Catalonia Yucatan Beach were probably quite nice at one point in time, but now they are looking a bit long in the tooth. 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 and 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, 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 nothing to write home about. Bathrooms also seem to have regular drainage problems, as well as temperature control issues in the shower. 

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 and 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. 

At check-in, 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.  

With one towel in hand, guests can enjoy the two main pools at Catalonia Yucatan Beach, and also have access to Catalonia Riviera Maya’s pools as well. The pools are lively spots during the day, and most lounge chairs are snatched up super early, even though the hotel discourages the practice of chair saving. The beach is nicer and larger than Catalonia Riviera Maya’s, but its overcrowded with lounge chairs. The roped-off Privileged section of the beach has nicer, newer lounge chairs with cushions, but it's still crowded. The Privileged bar, Pure Chill Out, is one of the nicest on the entire property. It’s modern, and trendy, with a sort of South Beach vibe and awesome ocean views.  

Alegria Spa, located on the Riviera Maya side of the property, 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 massage, 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 LifeFitness equipment and spin bikes. The all-inclusive rate includes snorkel gear, kayaks, catamaran, beach and pool volleyball, and archery and tennis. There's a kids' club with supervised activities and nightly entertainment in the theater. 

The food at Catalonia Yucatan Beach is too bad to even be given a stamp of mediocrity. There are two all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants at the hotel, El Mercado and La Brisa. Though La Brisa is technically on the Riviera Maya 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, but there are also 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 to be barely better than what’s served at the buffet. Some guests had more favorable impressions, however, and kids are usually happy with the choices on offer. 

On the plus side, national alcohol (until two in the morning) and tips are included with the room price. Guests are limited to three dinners per week in the a la carte restaurant.