Catalonia Riviera Maya

Overall, quite a positive and relaxing stay. Our only negative was the check-in process. Be patient and you will not be disappointed. Although the stated chewck-in is 3pm, our arrival due to the flight was midday. At 3pm, we waited in line and were told the room was not ready, return at 3:15pm. At 3:15pm, we were told to return at 3:45pm. We managed to convince the desk staff to check us in and give us the key if we promised not to go to the room until 4pm. The hotel could improve i its hotel map. It was all in Spanish, no English whatsoever. There is a buffet restaurant and four reservation restaurants. With a four-night stay, we could make reservations for two nights at 2 restaurants. All the food was bountiful and delicious. The Japenese restaurant was just like the Bennijanas in the USA. Very good!!!The drinks were not watered down. We tipped the bartender and received a fresh bottle of premium tequila which we saw him open. TIP: Go out to the rocks and you can feed the fish, some 12" long, directly from your hands. We id this daily. The snorkeling was Ok, not as good as Cozumel, but nevertheless, many fish to see. The free rental is only good for one-hour per day. TIP: You can walk to the dolphin attraction. We watched them jump and get fed fom only a few feeta away. Gon in the morning. The free rental bikes are good. You can bike or ride all over the village/town. It is extremely safe because the entire town is gated. The room was very clear and cozy. It is kind of plain, but being clean makes the mark. The fitness center is better than most other hotels. All the equipment was in working order. The swimming pools were ample..there were 5 of them!

Went to this resort with my husband for a anniversary vacation. We had an excellent time. The resort really caught us by surprise as we were not sure what to expect. The room we stayed in was a standard room with double beds, it was just ok....I feel like the rooms could use some updating. The beds seemed kinda dirty and not that comfortable. The pillows need to be replaced as they seemed very old. All the food was excellent. I highly recommend the Japanese and the steakhouse. We did not have a bad meal during our stay. We went to the creperie 3 times....it was so delicious. It is not open everyday though, which I think it should be. The beach was nice and the pools were also very nice. We went to the SPA for a couples massage. I highly recommend getting a massage and being able to check out the spa...we had a great day. The pool in the spa is awesome. We went on the CATAMAYA excursion and had a wonderful time. If you are looking for a fun snorkeling trip, I recommend the CATAMAYA catamaran. We had a nice lunch of lobster tail (included) and they kept the drinks coming. The staff is wonderful and worked very hard to keep the grounds nice. I feel really bad for the staff who work 12 hours a day and only make $350 or less a month. We tipped a lot of the staff and they were always appreciative. These people work very hard and you will see what I am talking about.

Excellent service. Great cooks, great kids club (4yo). Our boy really wanted to be with the other kids all the time.

Not the best beach but doesn't matter since it's good has some snorkeling, a rough area and a calm area as well. Lot's of fish to see. Plenty of chairs to lounge on. Excellent steak at dinner. Great night shows and very entertaining kids part at the beginning.

Entertainment staff not pushy at all! I'm the typical nonparticipant party popper and never got pushed into anything I didn't want. Actually I never participated.

Drinks are watered down. Thank god! People are drinking at these places like it's the end of the world. But I didn't see any obnoxious drunks.

Overall good value.

These reviews are a reflection of people's expectations of value on their vacation purchases. You'll read a review glorifying a hotel while on the same page someone else tells a horror story. How can this be? Well their expectations of weren't met. Ours were met with this hotel, so this is a very positive review. Don't pay the outrageous transfer fees to the airport! We rented a car for a week and traveled to Chichen Itza, Tulum, etc, etc for the same $ as a round trip transfer.

enjoyed our stay,.

trips to chitzen itza and tulum we couldnt do because of the swine flu, but hey its a good reason to return to riviera maya.

a trip to akumal beach is well worth the taxi ride, you can rent snorkel gear, we had our own but rented a life jacket 6$ for all day----not bad.(saw a family of turtles)

we did the coba trip-- good day out but beware it took us 1 hour & 45 mins to get to Tulum doing pick ups !!!!!!!

we do regret that we had not taken our driving licence and hiring a car

as driving did not look like a problem.

hayes & jarvis were very good & the rep christian was ecellent.

I would definetly recommend this hotel for the following reasons:-

HOTEL clean, well laid out, nice gardens & rustic charm

STAFF friendly & attentive.

FOOD mostly good & varied, omelettes at breakfast - great.

DRINKS very good, appletons rum, bacardi, baileys, mohitos !!!!!! the larger wasnt that bad either.! it was nice to be able to go to different bars in the evening ie:- terrace bar &chill out bar for a relaxing drink.

BEACH ok for snorkeling, bit of swimming,or wading out and jumping the waves( it is better to take water shoes)

LLOCATION it was nice to be able to walk out to the marina and pretty central.

we found this hotel better than some "posher" hotels we have stayed in.

We just returned from our third trip to the Cat, and find that it just keeps getting better! Our last visit was in June of 2007, and there have been a few additions & improvements to the resort since that time.

FOOD: The food at the Catalonia is all very good. They offer two buffet restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a grill/snack bar throughout the afternoon and a crepe/ice cream/dessert restaurant open most evenings. There are also four dinner a-la-carte restaurants available (you do need to make reservations upon arrival for these). The food on the buffets was outstanding and contained a large selection (La Brisa, the open air buffet, is bigger, however, and had a larger selection). The grill/snack bar is open from mid-morning through late afternoon and has food like burgers, dogs, fries, pizza, salad, chips, guacamole, desserts, etc. Le Creparie, the ice-cream/dessert parlor, is currently only open 4 nights a week (normally it is open 6 nights a week), but is definitely worth a visit. Although they do have dinner crepes, most people go for that yummy ice cream. Out of the four a-la-cartes, the Japanese was my favorite. The Mexican restaurant was also excellent, and I barely made it to the entrée (I was so full!). The steakhouse was good as well (I liked it much better this visit than our last visit). The only a-la-carte that I was disappointed with was the Italian. They changed the menu and I thought the former menu was much better.

BARS: The Catalonia has two swim-up bars, a beach bar, a bar at the grill, a lobby bar, a sports bar, a disco, a bar in the theatre, and a bar located between the Italian & Mexican a-la-carte restaurants. Basically, if you are thirsty, getting a cold drink is never more than a few steps away. The bars serve top-shelf liquor and they will gladly make your drinks as strong or as weak as you want them.

ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES: The entertainment staff (A-Team) at the Catalonia is amazing. The activities at the pool keep all people entertained throughout the day. The evening shows are top-notch and are very entertaining as well.

ROOMS: The standard rooms are, basically, standard. They meet our needs just fine, but if you need a fridge and a coffee maker you can always upgrade. On our last two visits the beds were almost impossible to sleep on because they were so hard. But I think they must have replaced all of the mattresses with pillow-top mattresses, because this visit I thought the beds were perfect. I like a fairly firm bed, and slept like a baby every night we were there. The rooms are clean and well-maintained. If you find that something is not working property, the response from the staff to fix it is almost immediate. When we first arrived we were given two rooms on the 4th floor, both with double beds (we wanted one with a king-size bed), and the elevator was out of service. The next morning we were reassigned to two rooms on the first floor that met our needs perfectly.

POOLS & GROUNDS: The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained. The Catalonia has five separate pools. There are two ‘sides’ to the Catalonia—the Riviera Maya side and the Yucatan side. I’ve found that the ‘quiet’ side is going to be opposite the A-team activity side (it seems to vary). Because it has two different sides, you will easily find the vacation you are looking for—whether it is a quiet, relaxing vacation or a vacation that is filled with fun activities.

BEACH: The beach at the Catalonia is small and rocky, and I love it just the way it is! The rock and coral make for some decent snorkeling, and the small bay keeps the waves on the small side and fairly calm. There is also a small, very calm lagoon that is perfect for young children to splash and play in the water. If you are looking for a resort with a large, pristine, white, sandy beach, you may disappointed in the beach at the Catalonia. However, if you enjoy snorkeling and seeing some fish, you will have a good time in the shallow waters of the small bay.

OVERALL: The Catalonia is a wonderful resort and is, in my opinion, a fantastic bargain. If you appreciate great service, good food, and fun times in a beautiful setting at a great price, you won’t find anything better than the Catalonia Riviera Maya. This was our third visit to this resort and we are already planning our fourth!

This is our second trip to the Cat- 5th visit to PDC area. First and foremost, the staff at the Cat are a class above! They are very friendly and accomodating. They are always smiling and willing to help!

The rooms are very very clean! We stayed in a suite, the kids had a pool view room. The maids do such an amazing job, everything was always spotless and they even straightened up our messes. The suite is by far the best hotel room I have stayed in while in Mexico!

The Al a Cartes were fabulous! I had the shrimp brochette at the steakhouse, and the steak was perfect and the shrimp was amazing! Japanese was outstanding, try the shrimp! The wait staff is very meticulous and well trained!

Pools- many and beautiful!

Can't really explain how clean the place was.... Someone was always cleaning, trimming or painting.

Gregorio- Wish he was here in Texas- enough said!

I really wish we had service like that at home!

I would absolutely recommend this place FIRST to anyone wanting a relaxing fabulous friendly vacation! I can't wait to go back!

The Cat will be whatever you want- find a quiet corner or a fun pool- whichever suits you!

OH- and made some new family while we were there!

LesnDave, OHIOOO, Labs, Zeeka, and RudynCorina!

THE CAT IS A CLASS ACT VACATION!!!

we arrived on tues 2nd june, the flight and transfers were good, the hotel was lovely, the room we booked was a satandard room, we were asked if we wanted to pay to be upgraded,to either a room a little bigger than a standard and have a bigger balcony and have a mini-bar, which i think is a disgrace,why should you pay for a mini-bar when you are in a 4 star hotel all inclusive????, or a suite, which had a mini-bar,jacuzzi,and an overall bigger room,(if you can afford to do this $50 per night, do it) they are gorgeous, but if youre not in your room enough to use it dont bother.

The beach is gorgeous and the sea is so warm, the lagoon is hot aswell, the pool is like a bath.The weather was fantastic,The staff were really friendly and their entertaintment is really good, considering we never usually bother with hotel entertainment, especially on the night, but all of it was good, The food in the hotel was very varied and really nice,The a-la-carte reataurants were ok, but id definitely recommend the Mikado, a japanese restaurant, it was thoroughly entertaining and the food was much better than the rest, the bamboela, steak house was nice,go for the new york steak, its their version of a sirloin!.

Overall id give my holiday a 8/10, and had the swine flu not kept the sister hotel next door closed for most of the holiday, it wouldve been a 10.

Just one other thing, go to Tulun or Coba to see the mayan ruins, and dont bother with chichen xitcha, its a 2-3hr road journey, the others are about 20mins.

From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with friendly,helpful faces. Our rooms were not ready yet,or organized together for that matter, but that was the only "bump" on day one. From a trip that started out in the planning with a non-stop flight, to one that 2 weeks prior was changed to a lay-over ,with 14 people AND luggage involved, I was a bit worried. Once all of us and our luggage arrived at the resort, my mind was set at ease. We listened to our guide explain ALL of the excursions we could go on(PRICEY and not needed,nor any chosen to go on), we then were taken to our rooms. We were scattered out enough to have privacy but close enough to help one another as "montazuma's revenge occurred). The food was FABULOUS.....the staff was INCREDIBLE...the activities were ENDLESS...and we could not ask for better weather!!!

Quite anxious to go back....soon!!!

My wife and I returned from the Cat at the end of April and we had an awesome time! I just recently found time to write a review. We liked the CAT so much that we are going back out in July and bringing our brother and sister in law. The food is awesome and the Japanese restaurant is amazing. This is our 5th visit to the CAT and even though we have stayed at the Grand Siranis Mia, we found the CAT to be a better pick. The other larger resorts offer from 10 up to 15 restaurants but the walk is not measure in feet but in kilometers. When my wife and I stayed at the Grand Siranis Mia, we would dress very nicely for dinner and had to walk about a kilometer to get to diner.

The CAT is the perfect size and has many amenities that we want in a vacation. We had a problem with a excursion that we booked with the Worry Free representative and the bell hop at the motel went up and yelled at him. I laughed at that! Watch the excursions, no matter which agency you use, they almost always lie to you. We have been to the Mayan Riviera many times over the past five years and no matter where we stay, you have to watch the tour guides.

Some advice for first time travelers, first bring water socks. The beach in awesome but a bit rocky and these will make your life much easier. You will also want to walk down to the little village and check that out. It is awesome. Before you spend $100 or more to swim with the dolphins, watch a few shows. It is very pricey for what you get. Next, there are two sides to the village of Puerto Adventourus (this is the village where the CAT is located). There is the side that is gated that you stay in and then there is another side across the highway that is the village where the locals live. It is really cool! I jog through there almost every day that I am staying at the CAT. It is interesting to see how the locals live. I would not go off the mail road too far. I did this past year and almost got bit by a dog. You just take the main street until you hit a new housing development and follow that main road. You will pop out down the highway a bit. It is about a four mile run or walk and it is excellent.

Do not be fooled by the reef tax. There is a reef tax but it is only about three or four dollars. I had only Mexican gentleman try to charge me $50. He also kept saying that he could not speak English. Let me tell you this much, there is a language between two men that does not need any words. Needless to say that I only paid six dollars for two of us… They do understand anger and they also know when you pick up on their scams…

Do yourself a favor and take a collectivo into Playa Del Carmen or down to Tulum. All that you have to do is walk out to the main road and wait to see a little white bus. Do not worry, when they see you, they will stop. First, ask them how much. If it is $2, take a ride. This is the way that most of the locals get around and it is really cool. It is a cheap and easy way to get around. My wife and I have done this on many occasions and will certainly do it again.

I would have to say that the best rule of thumb is do not trust anyone. You will have a many people come up to you and offer you things. Just like anything in life, if it seems too good to be true, it is! Do not get scammed. Have fun, live, love and enjoy. If you remember this Mexico and the CAT are totally awesome. I would most certainly go back and plan to every time I travel to the Mayan Riveria.

We arrived on June 9th and departed June 14th - for a destination wedding. With only a few very minor problems, we had the best time ever!! The rooms (we upgraded) were spotless. I used the fitness center and it was one of the best I've ever used at any resort, so too the spa (manicure). At every turn you are warmly greeted by the staff. The beach is a little rocky but if you have a pair of $5 water shoes from Walmart - no problem. The water at the lagoon is crystal clear and the fish swim all around you. The Japanese restaurant was so much fun and dinner at the steak house was more than I could eat. All of the wedding attendees were treated to an afternoon on the "Fat Cat" courtesy of the bride & groom. Following a beautiful ride along the coast, we went to a beautiful reef and snorkled. Then there was the wedding - the most lovely setting you can imagine.

The resort was quiet at the beginning of the week but by Saturday night it was more crowded with "day passers". The mix of children & the "swim up pool bar" could have been better served by an "adult's only" policy because there are more than enough "non bar pools" available for children, but other than that - no problem. I would go to this resort again.

Wow, what a difference 2 weeks makes. We were there in May, 15-23, and had a good time despite a few problems. We were fortunate enough to be able to return on June 6th for another 8 days. Well let me tell you, it felt like we were king and queen of the resort. The staff, from management to maids, was great. I can't imagine a better vacation. There are more expensive hotels out there but I doubt even they could match the service and value of this hotel. From arrival to check-out, everything was perfect. We have traveled to this area 8 times (5 in Cozumel & 3 at the CAT) and this was by far the best one ever. The buffets, ala cartes, Creperie, bars, pools, and activities were above our expectations. The new menu in the Italian restaurant is fabulous. Some of the best lasagna we've ever had. Take the evening shuttle to Playa, its cooler and you don't have to stay as long. Two trips to Tiramisu at the marina and they were both great. Now that occupancy is going back up, everything is once again opened. Yes, everything! If you have any questions regarding this hotel, please ask. We can't wait to go back. We had "NO" complaints about anything all week. Once again, thanks to the staff, and namely Giancarlo, Marco, Cora, Gregorio, Carlos (Pure Chill/Sports Bar), and Victor (waiter). And thanks to all of our new friends from this forum and others that we loved meeting and sharing these 2 most recent trips as well as last years with.

First just to put peoples minds at rest there was no problem with swine flu. You had your temperature taken at the airport upon arrival and departure and completed a short suryvey about any illness or symptoms present. We took plenty of sanitising products and got on with enjoying ourselves.

We upgraded to the superior deluxe rooms and loved the rainforest shower plus additional ordinary shower and supersized bath on the balcony. Lovely to come back to after a hard day tanning yourself in the sun with a fully stocked mini bar of beer and fizzy drinks/ tea and coffee facilities we felt there was nothing more we could ask for. Worth the $25 per night for sure.

The buffet restaraunt offered plenty of choice for breakfast, lunch and evening meals and we didn't have a bad meal. We tried all 4 al la carte restaraunts and would definately put the Japenese at the top of the list followed by the steak house, italian and mexican.

The Cat has a great location on a small bay with a sheltered lagoon along side the open sea. The sea is rocky but we managed to find a route into it avoiding all the coral and rocks. You can sit on your lounger and walk 10 steps into the pool in one direction or 20 steps into the sea in the opposite direction. There was a fantastic breeze coming off the sea which was greatly appreciated. The lagoon is perfect for little ones to observe all the fish.

We did experience a a problem with the water and soft drinks dispenser at the snack bar. On 3 separate occasions 3 members of our party had electric shocks from the machines. It was brought to the attention of the bar staff whom just shrugged their shoulders and said you should be wearing shoes. The 3rd person to get a shock did have shoes on and again alerted the bar staff whom did not take it seriously. We stopped our 6 year old from going to the machines and helping himself and complained to reception whose answer was a shrug of the shoulders and to place a mat on the floor below the dispensers. This was the only complaint we have about our stay.

I feel I must mention the "A" team. We generally don't join in any activities/watch shows or send kids to kids club. This group encouraged you gently to join in the various activities and we found ourselves enjoying taking part. Our 6 year old dipped in and out of kids club the 2nd week we were there and the hi-light for him and us was him taking part in their "Lion King Show".

This was our first all inclusive holiday and will definately do it again. We would also be more inclined to join in the activities from now on.

We will be back in Mexico sometime soon as the people were lovely and standards are high. We will probably go for a 5* next time but would recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of visiting.

The weather was fantastic; much better than we expected going in the "rainy season". The temp was hittiing 38 to 40 degrees in the shade and was way over 50 on your lounger. Use at least factor 25 when you arrive. I have olive skin and tan easily but was caught out on the first day as it did not feel as hot as it was.

We went to Xcaret for the day and swam with the dolphins. A beautiful experience and worth every penny. We left early in the morning and took a change of clothes and stayed until the last show had finished. Would recommend this to everyone, we had the plus pass and the buffet was exceptional.

Would definately also recommend taking the free bus into Paya del Carmen. Plenty of good quality stores selling duty free goods, clothing, shoes and oh the fabulous jewellery. You need to barter for the jewellery and goods from the touristy type shops. There is a carnival type atmosphere with plenty of mexican bands palying in the many bars and restaraunts together with mayan warriors dancing and playing their drums etc.. Also wonderful art work for sale all along 5th avenue.

Staff are absolutely briliant; they can't do enough for you. Beach is superb. Very clean and tidy. Good choice of food and restaurants. Our room was pretty basic but it had air-con and all that you needed.

Bit of a treck from the airport; it was something like 90 minutes by coach. Within a few minutes walking distance of Puerto Adventuras where you can watch the dolphins at play or hire a fishing boat etc.

We got home from our trip a few days ago, and I miss it so much! I already can't wait to go back. This resort was amazing. Not a touristy area such as playa del carmen or cozumel. Beautiful beaches, awesome snorkeling/scuba diving, fantastic food and restaurant choices, fun and friendly staff, tons of stuff to do all day long. There wasn't one thing I didn't like about Catalonia Riviera Maya. 15 minutes from Tulum's mayan ruins, 40 minutes to selvatica zipline tour, and Puerto Aventuras, the gated community where the hotel is, has it's own cute little marina with shops, restaurants, dolphins, fishing, parasailing, you name it. We made a lot of friends here and I will definately stay here next time I visit Mexico.

We originally booked our trip at the Catalonia Maroma hotel. That hotel closed down (due to the cancelled bookings) and we were given a room at the Riveria Maya. We received a suite- this was well worth it if you have a family. The kids can sit in one room and watch TV- and there is a seperate bedroom and large balcony. I thought the beach was beautiful- very calm ocean and terrific snorkeling off the beach. Yes there are some rocky parts but that makes for the good snorkeling. This is also located within a secure community that houses nice apartments, hotels, and single family homes. I felt completely safe walking by myself at 6am every morning around the community of Puerto Aventures. This is a nice bonus that you would not get at other resorts. The pools were clean and I also saw people cleaning or landscaping the grounds. The buffett food was great- lots of home cooked chicken / fish and guacomole. There is also a marina with sea lions, manettees and dolphins a short walk down the road. My husband went deep sea fishing- apperently it well priced and they have great fishing- just walk down the the marina and book your trip. All in all we had a fantastic vacation at this hotel.

Lovely hotel, brilliant staff, friendly, a real relax!

The staff at this hotel couldnt do enough for you. Waiters and waitresses were fantastic. A really nicely laid out **** all inclusive. I really enjoyed it. Beach was nice to and it had such a good location. The weather was good to although we went in august so some afternoons there were some thunder storms, but they went as quickly as they came, usually between 2 and 3 like clockwork, and it didnt always rain just went black and lot of lightening.

The all inclusive was very good, didnt take a wallet out with me most days, good range of included water sports, food was good, drinks plentful, the a la carte resturants were really nice, well worth booking in as included in all inclusice.

Only thing that wasnt so good was that the food was aimed at the USA market so few favourites missing but that just nit picking.

I wouold definatly go again when ive gone everywhere else i want to go. Much better than going to cancun i think.

We've just returned from our sixth trip to the CAT, and we had another great time. We've traveled the Caribbean for over 30 years and we swore we would never go to the same place twice. That was before our first visit to the Cat. We realized that while we've certainly been to more luxurious resorts we have never enjoyed ourselves more. And the 'bang-for-the-buck' with the Cat allows us to visit twice a year.

The swine flu frenzy has caused a few changes for our most recent visit. First, the top staff members were on a 'forced vacation'. That's not to say that those who remained were not excellent (they were), it's just that we could see that they were straining to handle everything that must still be done at the resort. I applaud them - they did a very good job.

The weather over the last few months has also contributed to change. The wind has been blowing steadily for months causing an increase in the rocks in the water. Yes, there are usually a few rocks to be avoided, but it was easy and there was plenty of sand to enjoy. This year we noticed the increase in the rocks on the usually sandy bottom. Please don't judge the beach based on a recent visit - come back again when the rocks have been cleared.

Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your trip a little more (with tongue in cheek)...

First, if you're over 300 lbs. please do not go topless (no one wants to see that), and don't even consider a thong. (This goes for men as well as women.)

Second, just because the drinks are free doesn't mean you should try to drain the bar. Pace yourself. You'll appreciate it in the morning.

Next, it appears that if you are European you are apparently required by law to smoke cigarettes (and wear Speedos, but that's a different story). If you HAVE to smoke please be considerate and move away from those who want to enjoy the fresh Caribbean air. And please do not use the beach as your personal ashtray.

Get up early and have the beach to yourself. You can sleep when you get back to work.

Keep your voice(s) down. And don't sing (learn from my mistake). You might think you can sing, but everyone on the beach will know that you can't (it's just the tequila).

Stay out of your room, except to sleep or get ready for dinner. If you like sitting in hotel rooms it is cheaper to get a room at the Holiday Inn back home. Go out, enjoy the beach, have a drink, and relax. Rather than paying the resort for a room upgrade take that money and put it to good use by giving tips to the underpaid staff. Bring $40-$60, or more, in ones and fives. It is a small amount for many of us, but it it HUGE to them.

Please tip everyone who makes your stay a little better. Don't forget the person who is constantly sweeping the buffet area to keep it clean, or the person making the omelettes. They don't traditionally get tips so you will really make their day.

Stay away from the pools. What are you thinking! Why bake in a chair on cement that is over 100 degrees when you have the Caribbean, a beautiful breeze, and sand under your feet just a few steps away? And they will deliver your drinks right to you on the beach.

But most of all, don't sweat the small stuff. You're on vacation and getting upset over something that really doesn't matter can ruin it for you. You get what you give. Be nice.

Speaking of 'ruins'. If you go to Tulum (and you should) be sure to bring your bathing suit. It has a wonderful beach. Also, take the ride to and from the ruins. It's cheap and you'll be glad you did when you see others sweating on their walk back.

And finally, the treasure hunt. There is a small container of trinkets buried under about 8 inches of sand directly below the Southeast corner of the Pure Chill bar. If you find it take any single item, replace it with an item of your own (to keep it full), and sign and date the log inside. Obviously you'll need a pencil or pen. Try to avoid being seen.

We stayed at the Catalonia Riviera Maya May 9th – 16th. We were a little disappointed with the check in process, as we didn’t get the room that we had reserved because two thirds of the resort’s rooms were closed due to the Swine Flu scare. NO ONE WAS THERE. We did get a very nice room, just not much of a view, but we didn’t stay in it very much anyway.

We had read many reviews on this place and didn’t quite know what to expect. But the resort was beautiful. All the workers we encountered were very friendly, helpful and courteous. The buffet restaurant was way better than we had expected with a large selection of items. And the two specialty restaurants we made it to were very good. (Japanese and Steakhouse) Just don’t get in a big hurry and you’ll have a great time. We had reservations at the Mexican restaurant but had to cancel them because we were having too much fun at the pool bar. I would encourage you to make your reservations as soon as you arrive to get the times you want, because they seem to fill up fast.

All in all, we had a very quiet, relaxing vacation… until Friday. That’s when the locals descended on the place. They had a teacher’s conference show up with a lot of their students and parents. (Kindergarten and first grade) And keep in mind the resort had a limited staff because of the flu situation. The snack bar and buffet was stripped like a herd of locus had gone through it, and the workers just could not keep up. People were eating faster that they could cook it. The main pool looked like you were at Disneyland with all the kids and the main pool bar…forget it, 4 people deep and nobody moving. Our only salvation was they didn’t discover the other pools until late Friday, and we left Saturday morning.

We are going to the resort right next door in November, and I’m sure we will go see how things look with a normal crowd and regular staff. But we will most likely go back to this resort. We did have a great time.

My husband, myself, my brother and his wife stayed at the Catolina from May 2-9. This was our 9th trip to the Yucatan. Since we had stayed at the Cat before and the reviews on the resort were still very good we decided to go for a second time and we were not disappointed. This is listed as a 3 star resort, but definately exceeded out expectations. The resort is a smaller one but for us this is a plus. It is easy to maneuver around, with everything being very close and it gave you a chance to meet and see the same people every day.

We were there during the H1N1 flu stuff going on. Well we had no problems at all with this and have been home for 10 days & "No Problemo". We did as out doctor recommended and washed our hands and used sanitizers often. While we were there I did not even see one person with the sniffels. One thing we did notice this trip was that the resort and public restrooms now have sanitizer dispensers which is nice and should help for any future issues. And sadly for Mexican people down so many had cancelled trips that they were closing resorts and they were being laid off. Stupid Media!!

We stayed in a Standard room which worked ok for us. It was very clean. The only issue we had the entire trip was the first room they gave us had two double beds, which no can do. So we told one of the guys by the rooms, they called the front desk to get them changed. By time my husband and brother got down to the reception desk they had us new rooms assigned. These had King beds and were great. The beds were definitely firm, but they had put a pad on top of tham, so it was not really a problem for sleeping. Our rooms were cleaned daily and we always tipped the maid as they do a great job.

The grounds were beautiful and very clean. The pools were awesome and always very clean. The Margarita swim-up bar and the Bamboleo Grill bar were great thanks to Gregerio and Lorenzo who made us lots of great drinks and shots. If you want premium liquor just ask and they will get it for you.

We met a lot of nice people at the pool and around the resort from all over the world. “Pete” the flamingo said to say “HI” to all of his new friends. Thedzoo and your cute families, all the gang from across the pond, hope the wedding went well when you got back, Barb and Rachid, Dave and his wife, the newly weds from Iowa, Craid and Donna and anyone else I have missed. This was one of the things that made our trip great.

The staff there is awesome, from the maids to the grounds crew. The A-team was great and worked really hard to get guests to participate. Yes, I did do water aerobics, great fun. We only went to one show and an auction which were fun. I think some of them were cancelled due to the low occupancy. I was very impressed by the management of this resort and how great they treated the staff. And we heard nice things from the staff about the management as well.

The food was good, found plenty of variety at the buffets. My brother was happy he had lots of good bread to eat and me lots of fresh fruit. We loved the Bamboleo Grill for lunch and the guacamole was to die for (and I have the added weight to show for it). They did close the indoor buffet the first few days then opened it and closed the open air one due to low occupancy for the next couple of weeks. We did make our reservations for the restaurant the morning after we arrived. We were able to eat at all four restaurants and enjoyed them all. All had good food, the service was excellent at both the Mexican and the Steakhouse (which was my favorite), and the Japanese was very fun and was the favorite of my husband and brother. We noticed that a lot of guests were not tipping the waiters at either the restraints or buffets. Hey, this place is very inexpensive and even though the tips are suppose to be included, don’t be so cheap and give them a few bucks if you get good service.

We really didn’t get a chance to go snorkeling in the bay because the water was very windy and water was rough. But we did see quite a few fish just off the rock walk way.

We went to Cozemel one day and snorkeled there, it was great. Went shopping in Playa, it was not the busy city as usual (again due to Flu rumors) but had a great day of shopping. We went fishing out of Puerto Aventuras and had a great time, even though it was pretty rough at sea. I caught a 35-40 lb Doreodo, which was quite a fighter, it was a blast. My sister-in-law also caught one, but it zipped under the boat when they we getting ready to gaf it and cut the line, bummer! We will definitely do this again next year.

Since we were there the last time they have added a shuttle to Playa which was nice. They also have added the upgraded rooms with refrigerators and coffee makers, but we did not feel like this was worth it to us for the additional cost. I would just like to see them add these to all their rooms like most resorts there have, not as an upgrade, but no big deal. They have also had coffee available very early in the morning (around 6:00 a.m.) now which was not the case the last time we were here. So they have made a lot of changes for the better. One addition I would like to see is a bar in the main lobby area that opens early in the day for socializing and to have a drink when you are coming from or going to town or tours. The current one does not open till in the evenings and it is kind of out of the way.

We really enjoyed the resort and will defiantly go back.

My husband and I have just returned from the Catolonia. We would most definately recommend this hotel. After a very long flight arriving early evening on the 22nd April, we were greeted with a cocktail and after checking in were shown our room, our first impressions were, average, clean but a bit tired , so don't be put off if you can't afford the upgrade as it wouldn't spoil your holiday.

After unpacking all our things, we eventually decided to go back to reception to enquire re an upgrade, we had read on this website that the upgrades were well worth it..and it was, we had a beautiful superior room for 2 weeks and without doubt was worth every penny. ( $350 )

We couldn't fault, the food, service and general cleanliness of the hotel. we loved every minute, even though we were in Mexico during the Swine flu scare ! The staff are very attentive and the odd tip now and again ensures even better service.

You won't be bored of the food in the main restaurant, throughout the holday there was every cuisine imaginable, all excellent qaulity ! We would recommend the Japanese restaurant, we managed to go 3 times !..it was very entertaining and super food.

You will love this hotel, don't be daunted by the fact that it may seem a big hotel and busy too, it really is big enough for all the guests to spread out !.

Lovely place to stay !!

We really enjoyed our stay at the resort. The swine flu was such a scare for everyone, so the place was empty. Some of the places were closed because of the attendance, however will still had a great time. There was alot of things not explained to us about the resources avaliable, therefore ask alot of questions. The dinners have to be sceduled in advance, so don't think you can just walk in and eat. The theater was exellent so don't pass it up. Japanese steak house was absolutely wonderfull. Enjoy

I came back from my two week stay here last week. And even though Swine Flu broke out whilst i was there I had the most fantastic time and definately recomend going.

I booked to go with my partner after a friend recomended it to me, and i'm so glad i did. The hotel is lovely and very clean, everyday room service would clean the room always leave plenty of fresh towels and as a nice touch would do what I call towel oragami, making different animals out of towels every day left on the bed for when you come back to the room. When we arrived it was in the shape of a heart with rose petals around it, I was quite impressed and sadly took pictures of them daily. Enough about the towels the hotel also offered a wide range of restaurants - this is what i was worried about, i'm quite fussy when it comes to food but there was always soething for me to enjoy, the buffet restaurants open for breakfast lunch and dinner and i really enjoyed with a huge selection of food from English, American, Mexican all sorts. There was also the Japanese, Steak House, Mexican and Italian you had to book into these, there just for an evening meal. The Japanese was lovely and also entertaining. I wasn't so keen on the other restaurants but thats just because i'm fussy, my partner loved everything. They had a snack bar that was opened everyday from 12 noon til really late also serving a wide variety of food. But my favorite was the Creperie opened from 5pm til 10pm they had the most amzing sweet of savory crepes and milkshakes!!!

There was plenty to do in the day either sunbathing around one of the many swimming pools, or hanging out in the pool bar all day drinking the most fantastic coctails, or snorkling at your own private beach, or kanoeing in the lake next to the beach. They had lots of day time entertainment like pool areobics or vollyball or football but I have to admit that was all abit energetic to me. Evening entertaiment was ok they have a sports bar, but the Lobby bar would have a couple there that sang every night, they were ok but it was EVERY NIGHT, but at 9pm when they left there was a show put on by the entertainers in the Theatre room, they were quite good, and if still not satisfied they had a disco from 11pm til 2am. The Evening entertainment wasn't amazing but thn we didn't stay up late every night as we did a lot of early morning excursions.

There is also a harbour just down the road with a few shops and restaurant, this is where you can also go swimming with the Dolphines (WHICH I LOVED). We managed to get to the Mayan ruins to which was one of the reasons i wanted to visit Mexico. The day we got back from the Mayan village our rep told us they were cancelling those trips due to the Swinw flu outbreak, and offering us flights home luckily my partner persuaded me to stay and i'm so glad i did, we'd only been there 5 days. And to be honested at the hotel we were pretty safe!

Anyway if anyone is thinking of going id give it a 4/5 but if your looking for wild loud nights out then Cancun is the place to go, this was a beautiful relaxing holiday much different from many of mine, but plenty to do especially if you like doing excursions, we did 7 and they were all well worth the money. Captain Hooks moonlit dinner was ace! snorkling with the sea turtle swimming in the underwater cenotes. And also well worth visiting Xcaret which is great if you like snorkling, shows, animals and also a huge evening show. I loved it here and would have gone back for a second day if id had the chance.

So we visited during the “swine in 09” time of April 30 to May 11th.

This was the perfect time to visit. Only one person for every 30-50 beach chairs and always a palapa. I will break my review down into catagories for you. We were two families of 4 traveling. 2 kids that were 2 years old a six year old and an 8year old. This is our 4th time to the area and 12th time to mexico. We used cd cancun limo for our transfers. A little beat up limo but nice staff and nice ride. About an hour and a half transfer fro mthe airport. It was an escalade stretch.

Grounds- Immaculate and someone was always cleaning. And very friendly. Even the local iguanas seemed happy. Only thing I would recommend is they clean up the lot between the beach and building 9 on the Riviera side. No biggie at all though… During this down time they actually were in the process of closing down the yucatan side. The also were closing some of the restaurants for fresh paint and other things. Since we were there 11 days we still got to experience everything as no restaurant was closed for more than 3 days.

Restaurants- Loved them all and tried them all. Because of the low occupancy were were able to get an ala carte every night if we wanted. We did 5 nights of alacartes. We did Mikado twice by far our favorite but don’t go expecting a benihana or Kobe steak house. It was however very good food and great service. Note we had two chefs who were polar opposites. One just did the basics and the other really put on a show. Our next favorite was the Italian. Probably the best quality food we had and really good service. We also went to the steak house where we were surprised how good the steaks were based on some reviews. Just no there are no thick cuts of beef . Its all thin but cooked well. Our only complaint was that the food took really long. Were were there 2 hours with little ones. The Mexican food was about the same as the steak house. Service was slow but food was good and the attitude was good of the servers. Note that when I say service was slow the wait staff was very friendly and very attentive just the kitchen was slow. We loved the snack bar for lunch and I probably at 2 gallons of the guacamole. The buffets were also very good but after 11 days we were done with them. Very good food. Breakfast were the best and the omelets bar was a don’t miss.

Beach and snorkeling.- Mainly red flag days but we did make use of the snorkeling quite a bit. We loved it. Just know the snorkeling area is relatively small and shallow. We did see a lot of different types of fish and many octopi. Even saw a 5 ft long huge barracuda just 20 feet from shore. Also know some of the red flag days were actually clearer water than the calm days. We loved having the beach and the lagoon. Know that the lagoon is pretty worthless for snorkeling, except by the rock bridge, but was great for kids swimming and the kayaks. Not a beack for walink however you can walk the big beach in puerto adventuras if you want to.

Puerto adventuras- We shopped a little there and went to the beach. It was fun top see the manatees and dolphins. Our favorite though was getting bikes from the Cat and taking then to finds the hidden caleta and hidden ruins and beaches on the south side of PA. Look on google earth. Its like a free excursion. You have to go around some rock piles or gates but it’s a true find. Really good snorkeling at the caleta by the little mayan ruins. A 15 minute ride from the Cat.

Staff and the swine flu. The staff was amazing. They were very attentive to our needs. The restaurant staff knew all our kids by name and what they liked to drink. I was disappointed to hear some of them would be layed off for 7 days a month for 2 months and some would be layed off for up to a month with this stupid swine flu media frenzy. They closed the yucatan side. Go there support them. Swine flu is not there. Even if it was its treatable. Our doctor gave us his blessing and a prescription for a worst case scenario. Its treatable. Jeez this is dumb and affecting the world economy in a dumb way. We took two 2 year olds and had no fear. Ask your doctor. Even some Canadians..(I spelled it right) were ticked that they were being sent home early because of this.

Our room service was amazing and honored all our requests. More on that later. These people worked hard for us. We did have a health screening at cancun airport. No big deal theu took our temperature and we had to fill out a form. No differences in the states.

Our travel company. Apple vacations was great and we booked through suzie sturm at Vacation kids.com. Use them. We were disappointed that we had to pay an extra 400 bucks through Mexicana to re route our flight away from mexico city. But that’s what our contract was about anyway. Read the fine print. Your not covered for anything with the swine flu stuff. Was not a big deal to us. We did fly into mexico city on the way there and we did wear masks. We decided to reroute for the flight home. We did have travel insurance and we not worried. We just didn’t want to cancel our trip and didn’t think this swine flu was a reason to cancel. It wasn’t. For those who got screwed because they didn’t have it. ALWAYS GET THE INSURANCE!!!

Our room. We had room 8101 and 8102 in building 9 downstairs. This rooms in the suites are better downstairs. The suites are amazing and our kids slept in the living room and us in the bedroom. The couch mattress was a little hard for a hide a bed but our 8 year old slept fine. Don’t know if an adult would like it. We got extra water bottlers and sodas whenever we wanted. We used the humidifier. We used the bid tubs outside for the kids and rinsing off swimsuits and snorkel stuff. We did bring our own. Do bring your own. The suites are worth the upgrade. We used the hospitality room and the suites are much better. But that’s all how much you use the room. We had kids so we were in it more.

Entertainment and bars. Made the divas show and it was great. The a team works hard but are not annoying. The singers in the lobby bar were great. Bar service was good every where gregorio worked hard. Note we are not big drinkers. We brought bubba kegs and they never left the room.

For kids- The resort was great for kids. We did not use the mini club but saw them out and about and caught one of the kids shows at night. Our kids played with our friends kids this trip. And we hung out with them a lot. We normally use kids clubs a lot but didn’t seem to get around to it this go round as we relaxed a lot in the pool or beach. (we loved the kids club at the great Parnassus in cancun last year.) We would have hesitated to use it at the cat though. Our kids were just too busy snorkeling or playing in the pool. We only left the resort 2 times. Once was for Playa del Carmen and the other was a day at Xcaret. Highly recommend both. The climbing wall has been closed for repairs so we didn’t get to use it.

Spa and gym. We did two couples massages (80) min and loved it. We also used the pool there .Very cool. We used the gym on a regular basis as well. Very clean and profession. State of the art equipment and rooms every where. The other pools were very clean and always a good temperature.

This was our 4th trip to the area and loved the Cat. We would not hesitate to go back for any reason. We felt this resort had a little bit of everything. It was not too big so you weren’t walking everywhere but it also didn’t have some of the perks of the bigger resorts. Over all we like the smaller resort feel anyway. The staff get to know you and you them. We did tip every where we went even at the buffets and tipped our room staff every day as well. Please do this. Please know not all staff will under stand English although there is someone always to find who does. Don’t be rude. Saw a few big groups of people who were berating the omelets bar guy for not fully understanding them. Jerks I tell ya. You would do well to learn a little Spanish when you go to a Spanish speaking country although its really not necessary there.

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have. And Pablo I did say hi to Xisco and gregorio for you. And it was great to see utah sunlover there with her flamingos. They went fishing ask them about that.

I will also attempt to put up some picts of areas that haven’t previously been put up.

The drive from Cancun Airport was long, but well worth the wait! My fiance and I went with a group of 12 (colleagues + significant others) from May 4th - May 9th. We all stayed in the Jr. Suites on the Riviera Maya side (Building 9), which were very nice! (I believe the Yucatan side was closed, because of the lack of visitors due to the H1N1 scare.) We could access the internet in our room with a password that was given to us, upon request. The women spent a day at the spa, and the massage was great! The Fitness Center was nice, with a good amount of new equipment. On most days, our group spent time at the pool. Gregorio, the bartender at the Margarita swim-up Bar, was amazing. Upon leaving the resort, I overheard other visitors talking about him also..he was a hit with everyone! We ate at the Mexican Restaurant one night, which our group had mixed opinions about. I recommend the fajitas! We all, however, gave two thumbs-up to the Japanese, where we had our formal dinner at. You will always find something you like at the main buffett and Bamboleo Grill. The A-Team did a nice job involving people in activites, such as beach volleyball and water aerobics. If you didn't join in, it was fun to watch. Yes, the beach is small in comparison to other resorts. But, the amount of fun you have on this resort overshadows this fact. The on-site photographers take excellent pictures. They are located next to the Theater. Just stop by and you can set up an appointment if you like, and they will take your picture wherever you choose. Our group enjoyed the music at the Disco on many nights. Instead of opening the disco in its original spot, they moved it to the Pure Chill Out Bar on the beach. You can't beat good music, a nice breeze, and a full moon at night! At first, we were all alittle apprehensive about going to Mexico because of H1N1, but by the end of our trip, no one wanted to leave! I would definitely recommend this place.

lets me first began by saying !! don't beleave the what your hearing about mexico and the swine flu it"s all polatics.don't beleave the everything you hear as for playa del carmen and porta adventura just go you want be dissopointed .

the !!CAT!! is amazing it"s everything you want in a resort.we arrived at the !!cat !! may 3 and was just amazed by the beauty of the resort .this place has the most beautyful grounds that we have ever seen .and beleave me we have been to many resorts but none like this one .it"s just the right size and everything is easy to get to.

THE STAFF. is some friendy you will never see anyone with a frown and they always speak .and if you need anything just ask .

the room or the suite or just breath takeing. you want beleave how well they take care of this place.and while we were there because of the flu scar there were not that many people at the resort.so they closed down the yucatan side and move everyone over to the maya side .most resorts would just sit back and do nothing .but not this one they were painting doing repairs.and realy keeping up the resort .

THE FOOD.well lets just say that you will never go to a resort and find the some of the best food like this one at an all encl.this place has some of the best meals we have ever had .and when you do go be sure to do the alcarte japaneese,stake house creaps .

DRAW BACKS .THE MEXCIAN ALCARTE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.it"s just was not good.pass on it

THE BEACH.snorkleing ,swimming and just fantastic. don;t beleave what people say about the beach being small it"s a flat out lie this is the perfect size beachfor this resort.

!!

PLAYA DEL CARMEN .GREAT SHOPPING !!

if you like deals this is the place to go on a shopping spree.you can talk anyone down to your price.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEASE.be sure to look up goegio,carla,patrica,great staff and bartenders

DRINKS.LETS JUST SAY IF YOUR LOOKING FOR WATERED DOWN DRINKS YOU NEED TO GO SOME WHERE ELSE IT"S PARTY TIME AT THE !!!CAT!!.

we can"t wait to go back wish i was still there.we will be going back as soon as we can .and thats a fact.

THE MALONES,HOUSTON,TX

We liked our first holiday here so much we came back 6 mths later. It is a fantastic hotel, very clean, excellent friendly staff. We upgraded to a suite this time, and it was worth every dollar ($35 night). There is a lot of choice for food in the buffet restuarants, and the only speciality restuarant I didn't enjoy was the Mexican!

The hotel compared to other hotels in the area is quite small, which is great as you can get anywhere within a couple of minutes.

The hotel is really popular with Americans and canadians.

We had massages in the cobana (hut on the beach) which was amazing, as was using th spa facilities afterwards - quite expensive though.

I've read other reports about not having a long beach walk due to the neighbouring hotel being private - this is not true. In Mexico there is no such thing as a 'private beach'. The chairs etc may be private property but you are allowed to walk along the shore.

Also I've read a few reports about things being expensive, wine is expensive as it is imported, however I didn't think the trips were too bad. One of our best days was spent on the beach at Tulum, which cost us about £1 on the local bus (collectivo) - we got on a few local buses, to Cancun and Play, and always felt safe. It would have helped if I had known a bit of basic spanish though!

The Thomson rep, Christian, was really good, he's been there a while so he knows whats what, but you probably have to ask him, if that makes sense?! He's really honest about the trips, so trust what he says.

My advice for trips would be to do any boat trips early in your stay. It was quite windy while we were there so we missed out as the boats were cancelled. We went on the Thomson bar crawl which was rubbish!! Another night we went to the new Coco Bongo's in PLay Del Carman - it was excellent, just as good as the one in Cancun - word of warning though - do not get ice in your drink there....

We went to Xcaret last time which is a must - well worth the price.

Finally, don't go to Cancun expecting good shopping. We spent all day geting on and off the little buses looking for the good shops only to realise there aren't any!!

We received an upgrade after staying 5 nights at the Catalonia Playa Maroma. That hotel compared to this is like comparing rotten apples to wonderful oranges!

We enjoyed our stay SO much that I even signed on for two more nights, that is how good the stay was!

I have to say I feel so badly for the Mexican people. We saw no evidence of swine flu AT ALL during our stay - I think it's all alot of hype. People are losing their jobs, so please, come to Mexico and enjoy your stay!

The staff was wonderful. Everywhere you look, from groundskeepers, to hotel staff and security, everyone is busy busy busy keeping everything as nice as possible. the food was wonderful. We enjoyed the Mikado Restaurant twice, the Italian once, and on the last night the Grille. Oh my, the food was fantastic.

Some people complain about the beach being rocky, but I enjoyed it because of the free snorkeling! The reef there is a natural spot for thousands of fish. You don't even have to swim.... just sit your butt down in the shallow waters and they will swim all around you. If you want calm waters, just walk a few feet over and there is a quiet cove that you can swim in.

Our room was quite comfortable, especially after that nightmare that we stayed in in Maroma. The bed was wonderful, room immaculate, and the fan and air conditioning was even cold at times! No worries, we just opened the screen door. We had a small tub on our porch and had a hot sauna bath one night. So relaxing.

The people were friendly (hi Luis! (waiter) ) and the customer service girls were excellent.

Please people, show some class and tip your service people. Just because the vacation is all inclusive, it doesn't mean you can't lay a dollar down here and there, ESPECIALLY with this flu scare effecting their economy!

This vacation was wonderful for us!!!!! We would definately come back here in the future! HOLA! Barb and Rachid from Pennsylvania

well what a surprise !

My wife and i spent 15 nights here in the last week of April and first week of May 2009.

What a great place ! where do i start .

Got to be the Staff, fantastic people really do make this place what it is.

to name a few Luis in the buffet what a credit to the place. Fernando in the pool bars what a laugh he is (watch him he get you in trouble with wife ! LOL tries to get you drunk and he is very good at it ) Jonathan ...speek no english but just as funny.

the whole team from this place are great !

ROOMS : ok standard rooms have no fridge or coffee or tea in, but besides that are VERY clean and large as has been said before fo the amount of time you spend in them they are great.

FOOD : Best food we have ever tasted in an all inclusive resort. Food during the week just in the buffet.......Topside of beef....fresh salmon.....NewYork Steaks.....Pork Chops....Pasta...Fresh Fish......Prawns....Salads.......cold meats.......chicken....it just kept coming it was great food please the fussiest eater.

BARS: no guinness ! LOL Lager was ok but any top shelf drink you could think of was there....all Branded .Bells,JB, all free !!! not seen that in a all inclusive before.

BEACH: Not the best you will see but ok.....NOT FOR KIDS ! bit rocky and rough.Lagoon was the best place for kids.I would recommend not to take kids to this resort but thats just me.

PRICES: Bit expensive i thought.(buying trips and goods i mean not the holiday) Please take Pesos with you ! you will get ripped off when buying in dollars.Also note that A Dollar sign with one stripe down it is mexican pesos and if it got 2 stripes in the dollar sign it is US dollars !

My wife and i went for a meal in Playa De Carma and it cost us about $110 USD for a 2 course meal. No wine ! as very exspensive average $40-$100 USD for a bottle.

GENERAL :were ever you look they are cleaning ! the gardens are fantastic this place is a great place to go for the money.again i have to mention the staff ! Well done to all of them.THANKYOU !

Craig and Donna

This was our first trip to Mexico, and one i will never forget for many reasons. Unfortunately one was the swine flu! but everything else more than compensated for this little problem. Firstly the rooms, we stayed in a standard, and to be honest for the amount of time we were in it, it was more than adequate. The house keeper changed the towels daily, leaving us to guess the animal that she had made from them and thoughrly cleaned the rooms.

The pool was clean and there were more than enough sunbeads to go around on both the pool and the beach. The pool bar gets a little roudy, but has a great atmosphere.

The beach was good, althougth slightly rocky towards the shore, but well worth it for the snorkelling alone

The food in the buffett restaurant was outstanding and night on night we had fantastic meals. The snack bar/grill bar was also great for lunch and outstanding as the al a carte in the evening definately worth a visit.

We also ate in the japenease restaurant which is great entertainment as well as a great place to eat. The Mexican wasn't for me though. I feel that the buffett restaurant does similar food and is slightly more enjoyable.

I had a great experience in the Italian restaurant, we booked for 7.30 and the service was impecable, but my tip is to ask the waiter how to order from the menu as all isnt as it seems. The creperie was great and ideal for dessert and coffee after you have eaten your starter and main in the buffett restaurant.

What made this holiday outstanding was the attitude of the staff, every one of them saying ''hola'' even if you are just passing them in the corridor and they well deserve all the tips they earn. (luis is an aset to the hotel)

The spa was good with a lot of extra facilities, we had massages and they are very relaxing, as we almost fell asleep on the table!!!

If you are somebody that likes a hotel with a great atmosphere and likes snorkelling, and really loves a swimming pool, then this hotel is for you. We would definately go back, and highly recommend.

Thank you for a great holiday

We spent 5 wonderful days in Catalonia Riviera Maya. As usual, traveler's reviews and information from the forum on trip advisor were main reasons why he had chosen this hotel. That's why I feel obligated to share my experience.

We went with my husband to celebrate his B-day (which was week before). One week prior to our departure I send e-mail to guest service manager and mentioned that we're arriving late (after midnight) to make sure somebody will wait for us. Also I asked about room in quite location and mentioned my husband's B-day.

We got response back next day with assurance that somebody will be there for us when we arrive.

We arrived about midnight and were greeted by bellboys and night manager and were given our room keys. I knew that hotel has different types of rooms and wanted to upgrade from standard to deluxe. I asked if we can upgrade now or come back in the morning. "We already upgraded your room"- manager said. So we were upgraded for FREE!

We got new sparkling clean deluxe room in tower C. It was close to entertainment area but when we close sliding door from the balcony, we could not hear a thing! There was king size comfortable bed, beautiful stone walk-in shower with rain head, mini-fridge (cans of soda, 2 cans of beer "SOL" and 4 bottles of water), coffee maker, very quite controllable AC and fan, nice size balcony and flat screen TV .

Starting from free upgrade everything was going just better every day (except of flu scare which kind of spoiled otherwise one of the best vacations).

It was a smallest of all inclusive we ever been so far (and we went to many, but it was perfect size! Everything is in very close distance - buffet, restaurants, beach, pools, and lobby.

We went to 3 restaurants in 5 days – Bamboleo Grill, Mexican and Italian. We loved all of them, but Mexican with live music was the best. Mexican and Italian are both on second floor above main buffet and have great sea views. One night we made it to Cripiery for banana split ice cream. We sat outside with nice breeze and view of the sea.

Service everywhere was OUTSTANDING. Bars, buffet, restaurant, activities center, towels, cleaning – just great. Stuff is very friendly and wants you to be happy there. Leonardo from the beach bar was starting our day with a smile and jokes… He was making perfect drinks. Other guys were good too.

Beach as everybody says is not too long but, believe me, long enough for all kind of activities. We took kayaks to lagoon to look on new condos, hobby cat with captain to the sea (We had real fun on a waves). We went snorkeling all the time and even there were waves water clarity was the best we ever seen! A lot of fish to see off the beach, some nice brain corals, and my husband saw small squids and even barracuda. It’s better to have water shoes.

Every morning we were feeding fishes around broken bridge between beach and lagoon and saw a big variety of colors!

We went to the marina which was really nice place (to live and visit). Dolphins were great. Public beach was really close there too – you can walk a long walks there if hotel’s beach is not enough). We took taxi to Akumal Bay and swam with huge beautiful sea turtle and I personally met great barracuda (about 4 feet long) close to the shore. She was scare to see but I red that they are not dangerous unless you wear some sparkling stuff (it attracts to sparkles as it looks like a fish scales). But I was really swimming fast from it. Unforgettable experience!

And the last drop was when somebody knocks the door to our room and stuff brought a B-day cake to my husband! We felt a personal attention all the way!

Bottom of line – great place, go!

Well what can i say, travelled with Thomsons hotel is excellent, However upgrade your room thats the only disapointment, as you cannot do it with Thomsons and the room we got wasnt what i expected for £1200pp, upgrade for 2 weeks cost £245, got mini fridge inside room which was filled everyday, a safe, beautiful room large bathroom sea view and lovely balcony. Staff would do everything for you, very friendly even though some / most people dont know how to say please or thankyou when ordering drinks or food!!!!

Japanese restaurnat brilliant entertainment and food, Italian was nice, Steak house loveley mexican not so keen on. the main buffet retaurant is excellent great wide choice, what does the last review want how can you stop wildlife flying in and out?? should we shoot them??!! Beautiful beach and lagoon to the left of the hotel loads of fish swim around you. Entertainment staff unbelieveable all day activities then go and produce very good shows in the evening. Lobby bar every night have 2 singers who are very good and entertaining. Fresh towels for sunbathing everyday just collect them from the hut, room cleanliness unreal always clean, cleaned fresh towels everyday loveley little animals made from towels placed on the bed aswell. Overall would return, the day we left was the 26th April just as Swine Flu hit. had 2 great weeks, Xcaret is worth a visit but a little pricey, deep sea fishing also worth a go for £60 for shared fishing. we couple in late 20s and loved it.

After a few months of reviewing hotels in Mexico we decidd on the CAT for a number of reasons. This would need to be a resort that had everything for the 25 guests that would be attending our wedding and of course would need to be the perfect place for the "I do's".

From start to finish, the CAT did not disappoint. Check in was easy and we were greated with smile and drink. We arrived at 3pm on Sunday so despite it being a busy day we had no problems and the front desk staff were wondeful. As you will read on most of these posts, the grounds are immaculate. Constantly taken care of and well maintained. The pools are great although I don't think children should be allowed at or near the pool bar but I guess that's something that would happen at any all inclusive resort with kids and it was a minor annoyance at best. The beach was beautiful and the water amazing. Great for snorkeling and as most posted, a bit rocky in some places. But we managed to find non rocky areas and wore water shoes as necessary.

The Wedding- Cora was our wedding coordinator and she was amazing. Always helpful and went out of her way to make sure the day was perfect. I can't say enough about the staff! They are all very hard working and despite the crowds and heat always have a smile when then say "hola". The set up for the wedding was on the little lagoon and it was absolutely beautiful and pefect. They set up the night before and block off the lagoon so it reallly is nice for the day. We had our reception the Pure Chill bar on the beach and once again, everything looked pefect. I can't tell you how many times I heard that the whole resort, wedding and reception was pefect.

We had 25 guests ( plus myself and the groom) that attended. They were from all over the US with different ideas on a vacation and everyone had a great time. Some went on excursions which were close by ( Tulum and shopping in Playa Del Carmen) and some snorkeled or ventured a bit further to Chitzen Itza. All in all, the location was pefect!

The Food- It was a buffet so it was your basic stuff. But it was always good and had no complaints. The speciality restaurants are nice and the Creperie was awesome. It was the pefect way to unwind and watch the sun set after dinner.

The Spa- fantastic. We had most of guests use the spa or receive services there and everyone loved it.

We didn't see many shows as most evenings we went straight to the Pure Bar after dinner ( or the creperie).

The only complaint was a few of our guests constantly had AC issues. But they did their best to try and fix the issue as soon as possible.

All in all it was a great vacation and a very good value for the price. Our families loved it so much they talked about going back again next year!

To start with the hotel itself its really nice and clean staff are very friendly.

They have loads of activities some times the entertainment reps can be a bit annoying as they try to get you involved. The pools are nice not too crouded except on weekends when the hotel fills up with locals. Same goes for the main buffet restaurant, the only time we had to wait was at breakfast on a saturday. The food was one of the best parts!!Dougnuts at breakfast!! amongst a huge range of other things. the japanese restaurant was fun and loved the deep fried ice cream! Italian was ok nothing special but a nice change from buffet, the steak at the grill was lovely but no so much the undercooked veg and the wierd tequila ritual! the beach is nice but the rocks did put me off going in. i didnt take water shoes but i would really recomend that you do. we used the snorkel stuff and the kayaks which you can use for an hour a day.

the rooms are basic but comfortable.

the drinks are great and most premium brands are there. we didnt use the spa as its an extra charge but the gym is free and good on rainy day. (we had 2 out of 10)

the excursions are great but much more expensive than we aniticipated. the cultural trip to coba was fantastic. we went swimming with dolphins in wet n wild in cancun, it was a fantastic experience but you were not allowed cameras and they charge you $30 per photo.

overall i really enjoyed this holiday you can relax or take part in all the games and activities. would definately recommend hotel.

We traveled June 2-7 with a group of 12 adults. I am giving the Catalonia RM a good review based on our Tuesday through Thursday there, which was amazingly great! I won't repeat all of what everyone has said because it's pretty much covered in all the other reviews. Yes, the upgrade is worth it. Yes, the beach is a little rocky, but still beautiful. Yes, the Japanese restaurant is the best! We paid $250 more for the suite and are glad we did, as it was nice to have a spacious, beautiful room to come "home" to each night. The staff is absolutely some of the friendliest and best we've ever found and we've stayed in 8 other AI's in the Playa area. Now, Tuesday through Thursday of our vacation was an absolute dream. Service was great and since the Yucatan side was closed down, it made it appear as if there were plenty of people on the RM side, but still not too crowded. Service was AWESOME on these weekdays and we were so excited that we had found the CAT! The only thing we were disappointed about was that the disco was not open the entire time we were there.

Before we left home for our trip we had read reviews that on weekends the place was very crowded with locals, so we were a little worried about the resort becoming too crowded come the weekend. Unfortunately, our worries came true.....Friday afternoon people were coming in by the busload and the resort turned into a totally different place. After spending Friday in shock by the amount of people who had come in, we decided to book a day trip to get away from the resort on Saturday. (We did Edventure Tours, which I'll review also, but it was the best day trip we've EVER taken!) We were very glad that we had waited until later in the week for our excursion because we were definitely ready to get away from the CAT by that point. Our semi-bad experience in no way takes away from the resort itself! As we watched people elbow-to-elbow in the Margarita bar pool and saw some truly disgusting behaviors and situations take place, we got the feeling that the staff was not thrilled by the large numbers of people who had come in for the weekend either. We felt truly sorry for them.....they worked REALLY hard to try to keep up with some people who we felt were being very rude and very insensitive to the fact that others would have to pick up the messes they were making. It was a sad thing. Fortunately, I don't think this is common at the Catalonia RM. We were told that this was just a result of the Swine Flu scare and that a special was offered to locals to increase the resorts revenue. Don't know if this is true or not, but in another year, when things return to normal, we would probably return to the Catalonia RM because we saw on the weekdays what a great place it really is!!

This is a really wonderful hotel. Like the other last few reviews we were there during the "swine flu" scare so things were a little different. If you are traveling in the next month or so let me make a suggestion that you schedule activities that get you out of the hotel on Saturday and Sunday, the resort is truly invaded by locals and it will dissapoint you. One couple that was with us complained and they delivered a bottle of champaign and chocolate covered strawberries to their room to make up for it. They are super helpful and the grounds are beautiful. If you go for the upgraded rooms the resort goes from a 3 star to a 4 star easily. The beach is nice and it is very nice to have the cove there for when the wind is blowing or if you have little kids. The marina is nice, we rode the free bikes there and it was a super quick trip to see the dolphins and sealions. We ate at the Japanese restaurant and I would say that is a must do.

(Arrived May 23)First off let me state that there were a lot of Mexican families on the weekends, Well behaved children for sure but a different trip to the CAT than the last 3 times, Special shout out to Jacinto in the upstairs bar, Benito and Alphonso at the swim up (Gregerio was on vacation). Dining managers Ramon and Louis were great.A very special shout to Coralina at guest services for going way above and beyond regular duties to make our stay pleasant and glitch free. As always the rest of the staff were wonderfull.

islandtime

We booked the resort 2 months before our vacation. Prior to arrival we had decided to take the ADO bus to Playa Del Carmen which was $90 pesos per person. Then in Playa we took a cab to our resort, $160 pesos. Total was less than $36 USD each way. We decided to go this route as we were trying to save some money for activities outside of our resort. My wife and I enjoyed 4 memorable nights at the Catalonia Riviera Maya. We were originally booked at the Yucatan side. But thanks to the "Media Flu" the resort closed the Yucatan side and we were upgraded to a suite on the Riviera side for free. It included a king size bed, mini fridge stocked with chilled beverages, electronic safe, flat screen tv and free wifi. The oversized shower and shower head was awesome for couples. Bed was very comfy. The cleaning staff took care of our room very well. My wife loved the towel animals. Airconditioning was very cold in the HI setting but the thermostat is adjustable so no worries there. Overall our room was a perfect 10. Once we got into our swim attire, we rushed to the beach for a look and we notice how attentive the entire staff is with keeping the grounds clean and organized. The beach is great. We took the advice of others to pack water shoes. Beach is rocky for the most part but the shoes helped make it accessable. The beach has a nice lagoon in which you can snorkel and see some colorful sea life. If not for a rocky beach I would have given it a 10. The food was pretty good at the snack bar, the buffet, the mexican and the italian. Drinks were plentiful and good. The staff at the restaurants were always waiting to tend to your needs. Outside of the resort we decided to visit the nearby marina which is only 10 minutes away. There you can see dolphins, seals and manatees. Shopping and eating are in close proximity. If you would like to book deep sea fishing you can do that also. A different day we visited Tulum Ruins early in the day to beat the huge crowds. They open at 8am. We decided to go on our own. We took a cab from the resort to the entrance of Puerto Aventuras for $50 pesos and walked to the other side of the 307 highway to catch a colectivo van ($50 pesos) for both to the Tulum archaeological area. Colectivos run frequently, if they see you standing on the side of the road they will stop. We walked (15 minutes) from highway 307 into Tulum ruins. We recommend sharing a tour guide with others, just ask, it's cheaper. Don't forget to bring your swim suit. Tulum beach is a MUST after your tour is over. You won't regret it! After Tulum we had time to visit Dos Ojos Cenotes. For this we took a cab from Tulum to the cenote and back to our resort. Our cab driver waited for us till we were done swiming in the cenote. He charged us $360 pesos concidering we had him for almost 3 hours. Do your best to haggle prices when you can. We arrived back at the Cat in time to shower and get ready for our dinner at the Italian restaurant. We finished off the night with some very good dessert at La Creperia (spelling?). A couple of nights we took in some of the entertainment at the theater. The entertainment team works hard. The next day we visited Playa Del Carmen for some shopping and a lot of walking. Bring your most comfy sneakers for Playa. We are looking forward to our next visit to the Catalonia and Riviera Maya as we barely scratched the surface on this visit. Thank you to all the staff of the Catalonia Riviera Maya.

We just returned last night from our week long stay at the CAT. My husband and I ( mid 30's) traveled with two 18 year old girls and we all had a blast! We cannot say enough good things about the staff at this resort. I am going to try to keep this short...

Flight and transfer~ We booked through WFV and had no problems. Flew on AeroMexico. We were a little nervous but it turned out to be great...open bar always on AeroMexio! We had a direct transfer, both directions, from the airpot; a must!

Check-in~ We booked standard rooms and standard they are. Nothing fancy but very clean. We did have a little bump upon check-in but it was handeld quickly and professionally. We wanted a king bed and got two doubles.

Food~ Always hot and a great variety. If you cannot get satified at the CAT, you will not be pleased anywhere!

Drinks~ Ask for top shelf and you will get it. All of the bar tenders are awesome! Tip them; they work for $6.00 day:( they appreciate it. Banana Mama's are the best!

Beach~ A little rocky in areas; just bring water shoes. Plenty of lounge chairs and shade. Good snorkeling.

I would like to add that if you are looking for a 5 star hotel this is not it; but, if you are looking for a great time for a good value and don't mind the less lavish room, this is the place for you!

***Hi there to our friends from Toledo and L.A, Jamie and Amy, Ben and Betsy, Adam and Tori, Nate and Lisa, Nick and Amanda, Roger and Sharron, Greg, Vince and David; you all helped make our vacation a time to remember and one we will never forget!

I went with a bunch of friends for a beach wedding which was beautiful. We came on separate flights and had a hard time checking in. 4 of us arrived at once with 3 in one room while the other girl would stay in a room with friends arriving in a few hours. They wouldn't let her beyond the lobby since it was an all-inclusive and they couldn't find the reservation under anyone's names. The bride had to spend quite some time convincing them she was a guest and we had to put a deposit down for her to be able to come into the hotel. It's $65 for a day pass but we had to pay $100 for her to come in, though we did get it back later. When the second set of friends came in they lost their reservation, luckily, they printed out their confirmation and the hotel had to give them a room. The Suite I stayed in was quite plush with a fabulous shower. It was said to sleep 3 with 1 King and the pull-out in the living room. When we went to pull out the bed though it was just wooden slats, no mattress. I called the front desk and they were like..."well would you like a mattress?" Of course. Shortly some maids arrived carrying two pieces of foam that together barely equaled the size of a twin bed. The foam would've just slipped between the wood slats, it was like the mattress toppers you put on real mattresses. I told them it wasn't fair to advertise room for 3 and not have 3 acceptable sleeping spots. They looked at me blankly for a while. Then they offered me a cot which I took. All my interactions with the staff were a little odd. For such a nice looking place their service was just odd. Also our friends didn't get the upgrade suite and their room was a pit. And I don't quite get the private pool they advertised. It wasn't a jacuzzi. It was just a bathtub outside, that was dirty. Oh well.

Spent 14 nights at the Cat and did have a really good time. The hotel is really laid back, not pretentious at all and is just a great informal place.

Rooms: We had a standard room but on the Yucatan side – was really large and had a great view of the ocean which I wasn’t expecting. The room was spotless and we had different towel art every day! Make sure you tip the maid daily, she appreciated it and did a fantastic job for us. It was also really quiet at night, while I did hear quite a few others complaining about noise at night – not for us.

Pools: Both pools were good – they were really crowded though, and you would not get a sun bed if you were up after 8am. I guess it was because we were there at Easter, it was just a pain having to get up early every day!

Restaurants: The buffets were fine, some nights better than others. The Japanese was amazing – we ate there twice and were really impressed. The Italian was also really good. The steak house was ok, nothing special. The Mexican was awful – we couldn’t believe it! The food was bland, and we left during the main course as it was inedible. I am not a fussy eater so I could not believe it – I have never left during a meal before, so be warned.

Beach: Yes, it is rocky but take water shoes! I read about this before I went and they were a great investment (you can also use them at Xel-Ha, Xcaret etc). There were loads of fish and free snorkel equipment was a real bonus.

Puerto Aventuras: The marina is about a 5 min walk away – has some nice bars and restaurant, and is worth going out to explore.

Playa Del Carmen: The hotel runs a free bus once in the morning and once at 5pm (or maybe 6pm). A really nice town with great bars and restaurants –you must go here! We took a taxi a few times and it was really good value – every route has a fixed price so no worrying about being over charged!

Overall, had a great time and really enjoyed it – would probably return as it was fantastic value for money!

First trip to Mexico and did not want to come home (even with the 'swine flu' outbreak which did not affect us thankfully).

The staff are friendly, a credit to the hotel and Mexico and we did not tip nor felt under pressure to do so.

Food superb, the Mikado restaurant is not to be missed - Lucio the chef is very entertaining. Beach & lagoon lovely. Drinks are free flowing - the Pure bar on the beach is pure relaxation. Pools - can get very rowdy mainly due to our 'friends from over the pond who take advantage of the pool bar ALL DAY....' however the beach and lagoon is more peaceful.

The only downside was the standard room which was more 3 star (I am being generous) - however upgrade to suite was 35USD per day - out of our price bracket. Mexico is expensive - pressies, internet, trips, food/drinks if not all inclusive etc.

Would go to Mexico again in a heartbeat.

My husband and I were at the Catalonia Yucatan/Riviera Maya from April 13th-23rd. We had a very relaxing vacation. Spent most of our time kicking back and enjoying the food and drinks. Missing the guacamole and salsa!! We booked through Apple Vacations, which we've used all three times we've been to Mexico. Our itinerary said our room was in the Riviera Maya side, however we requested an Oceanview room and the only ones are on the Yucatan side. We were in Building 7, Superior room 3131 right on the corner overlooking both the ocean and the entertainment pool area. We had a deck overlooking the ocean and Pure Chill Out bar, a balcony on the side facing La Cremerie, and a patio overlooking the entertainment pool. It was exceptionally nice having a choice of views when we were relaxing at our room. The room did not have an iron or an alarm clock. They told us we could borrow an iron for an hour, but they didn't have enough of them for us to keep one in our room. Give them plenty of time as it took over an hour to get one delivered. We tipped our housekeeper $1 and put a $1 in the fridge everyday and never had to ask for a single thing. Fresh towels, water, beer and soda in our room daily.

The only negative I have about our room was that you pretty much heard the blender going non stop in the Chill out bar and the occasional rowdy laughter, a bit annoying sometimes, but you can't blame a person for enjoying themselves.

I was able to get wifi on my iphone in the room most of the time, so that was a bonus. A couple of the days the first floor rooms in bldg 7 were flooded and the occupants had to relocate. Not sure why the flooding ocurred but we were glad we were on the third. We used the safe for our valuables and never had any problems. Our room key opened the door onto the patio and there wasn't a key for the actual room door, which made us a little nervous at first. Felt like someone could just climb over from next door and help themselves, but as far as we know, no one bothered anything. We decided to just live on the edge and not worry about it.

The Japanese restaurant and the Steak house were the best. Japanese food was good and it was fun socializing with the other people... (Hey Sharon, Jeanine, Dottie and Carol from N.Y.)! Also "Hola" to Wilma from Holland! The Rib steak at the steakhouse was honestly the best steak I have ever tasted. The Mexican and Italian restaurants left us disappointed... food wasn't very good (I would have rather had the buffet) and the service was terrible. Both restaurants failed to bring the drinks we ordered. Both of the buffets had great food, lots of different choices. I am really missing the guacamole and the salsa!

Entertainment staff was great. They really worked hard at getting people involved in their games. My husband participated in "Tequila darts" and paid for it for three days, but he had a good time! We also did Archery. It was a good little refresher. LOL. We borrowed bikes and rode up to the Marina one day and walked around and looked at the dolphins. We also walked up another day and walked through the shops. We went out on the Hobie Cat twice. That was alot of fun and its FREE!!! Definitely a must.

We went out on a catamaran, The Catamaya. If the weather hadn't been so windy and gusty I would rate this trip excellent! The ride out was great, but when we got to the reef where we were to snorkel, the waves were just enormous. I swallowed a ton of water and gave up. My husband was out about 20 minutes before he came back exhausted from fighting the waves. Just a very bad few days for snorkeling.

The lagoon was "ok". The water was pretty murky there, I assume from people wading in the water. There were some pretty fish in there though. I didn't take water socks as suggested because I thought being from Oregon and doing all the river rafting, that we were "hard core" and could handle it. I would have really liked having them.

We went to the theater one night and watched the play of the "Lion King", which was very good. They had a beach party one night and had lots of guest involvement. Lots of food and music. We watched a good part of it from our deck. We took the free shuttle to Playa del Carmen one day. They take you at 9:00 and pick you back up at 5:00. About two hours too long for us, but we kicked back at a restaurant and had a couple of cervezas while we waited.

The staff was excellent and was on top of things. They liked to chat with you and learn about you. There were several meals where we spent just chatting with our waiters. Also Raul was a lot of fun to chat with. He made a point of stopping my husband and chatting with him when he saw us and always remembered our names. And thanks to Antonio for the Especial shots for us!

All in all, I would recommend this resort to anyone. We had a great time, it is a perfect size with lots of things to do and its not far from town. You will enjoy yourself.

P.S. We got home on Friday and heard about the swine flu on Saturday. Its been almost two weeks since we've been back and no sign of the flu yet.

Never saw any signs of it there or on the flight home at all.

My wife and I enjoyed 5 nights at Catalonia from April 24 through April 28, 2009. This was our second vacation in the Mayan Riviera and chose this resort due its value and amenities.

We wisely chose to stay in the suites as opposed to the regular rooms. The regular rooms are more typical of a hotel rather than a resort. The suites themselves were exquisite. They were spacious and our first floor unit had a large back porch with garden and outdoors bath tub.

The beaches here are typical of the other resorts, but the Catalonia has a nice “lagoon” for snorkeling and kayaking. Obtaining chairs was rather easy and the beach was seldom over crowded.

Being set in Puerto Aventuras, the resort is surrounded by other hotels and the tourist town itself. This steals away any feeling of isolation, but offers a community feel.

I would give the food here 4 out of 5 stars. The buffet restaurants were great, but the reservation only restaurants were only average.

I would have to give the bars 2 out of 5 stars as the drink quality was sub par. They were however, adequate and they did not distract us from the overall quality of the resort.

Catalonia had more of a “spring break” atmosphere which is no doubt attributed to the less expensive regular rooms and the fact that children are allowed. Couples seeking peace and quiet will certainly find that here, but honeymooners seeking a purely romantic get away might look elsewhere.

We didn’t participate in many activities, but the resort definitely offers much to do, more so than other resorts we have stayed at.

Overall, the resort was clean, safe, picturesque, and a joy to be around. The only true negative comment that I have is the fact that the rooms were not ready when they were supposed to be. I feel the majority of the other guests will comment on this as well, but it is only a minor setback.

During our stay, we participated in the Coba expedition with All-tour-native. This was a highly enjoyable “adventure” that included rappelling, zip lining, cave swimming, and of course, a trek to the Mayan Ruins at Coba. I would only recommend this trip for the more fit and younger crowd as some activities could be physically challenging.

We just came back {amid the swine flu scare} from Catalonia. The resort was clean, beautiful, with many fine options for food, drink and activities. The staff was friendly, helpful and enjoyable. We would go back anytime.

We just returned from the Catalonia on the 25th of April. We booked via jet blue vacations and everything was taking care of. I haven't seen this hotel rated as a 5 star as the previous review, but was a little concerned because it was only rated a 3. The check in was excellent, greeted with a non-alcoholic beverage and we did upgrade to a premium room. It might have been a newer section of the hotel and the room was spotless, spacious and the amenities were modern and updated. We ate at two of the restaurants, Japanese and Steak House and they were terrific! The service and people were extremely accommodating and friendly. The nightly entertainment was well choreographed and was truly appreciated. The young adults did a fantastic job! Our boys 14-16 y.o. enjoyed the sports bar with ping pong and pool tables. Unfortunately there were not any kids their ages but they still enjoyed 5 days away. Pools and beach were never overcrowded and YES some of the prime/shaded areas were reserved early with towels, but you could always find an available chair. We have been to many Caribbean places and I've been told that I am kind of picky. The hotel was reasonable priced, and I can't complain about anything. It would have been nice to have a full length mirror in the room and that would be my only suggestion. I WOULD DEFINITELY RETURN.

We just returned from 5 nights at the Catalonia Riviera Maya and it was both great and terribly disappointing at the same time. We paid next to nothing (thanks, Swine flu!), so we definitely got a good value. First the bad - the Catalonia chain had apparently decided to consolidate their three local hotels (all with poor occupancy thanks to the flu) into the Riviera Maya and adjacent Yucatan Beach. The problem was that they didn't think to add the staff to deal with the crowds. We arrived on a Friday afternoon to find at least 100 people (this is no exaggeration) sweltering in the un-air conditioned lobby. The front desk staff was completely overwhelmed. Each check in required 5 trips to the back office. There was no line, no crowd control, no suggestion of even minimal competence. Computers were present, as if they were stage props - everything was done by hand on paper.

After almost 2 hours, I fought my way to the front and "checked in" - but they didn't have rooms ready! Thankfully they gave me and the sweating pregnant wife wristbands to at least go to the bar. A few drinks later I was much better and returned to the lobby to get a room key. The mob scene was unchanged and I flagged down an employee who did get me a key.

The crowds continued to overwhelm - lines at the main breakfast and lunch buffets; the pool-side snack bar was a disaster. The activity pool looked like the D-Day invasion. Then, Sunday, everyone left, and it became an entirely new experience. No crowds. No lines. Fabulous.

The good things - the food is pretty good, and we were surprised by the quality of the sit-down restaurants (the steakhouse and Japanese were particularly good). The pools are beautiful and the beach around the lagoon was great - very calm even for our 2 year old to splash in the surf. We discussed whether the suite we had was the nicest hotel room we'd ever stayed in (probably not, but it was in the top five). Other guests told us that the regular rooms were not great. And do not expect to have an adult sleep in the "sofabed" in the suites. A thin piece of foam rubber on top of wooden slats was all there was. OK for a toddler, not for an adult.

So, if you're in a suite, and it's not crowded, this is a great place. But they cannot handle even slight deviations from the norm, so be warned.

I have to wonder if the reviews I read are for the hotel itself or how much fun people had.

I have no complaints with this hotel, but to say it is a five star hotel is just not accurate. I have stayed in a few five star resorts, a four star and this is my first three star. I paid for three star and that is what I received. I was happy with that. We had a lot of fun, if I am ranking it based on fun than it's a five - if I'm basing it on the hotel itself then it is a three. This is not a critisism - just an observation. You won't be disappointed in the CAT if you know what to expect.

Beach Area - if you read this site then you know what to expect. Why people complain about the rocks and no long walks is beyond me. If you can get on here to write a bad review, then you should be on here to read the reviews that tell about the hotel before you book. The water was warm and I enjoyed swimming. Many open chairs, great sunning was available. The fish were being fed by many off the rocks so that is where the fish were. I snorkeled very near the rocks to see them - which I could have just stood there as the water is below knee level near the rocks. I still enjoyed. Families with children were mostly in the pool area or in the lagoon area. We were able to enjoy peace and quiet on the beach to do some reading. We moved around each day. It was fun to watch the kids play down by the lagoon and we enjoyed swimming in the pools (which were warm). Every time we moved we found seats. Red flag every day we were there, so no water activities were going on.

Room - We had a suite. It was good - not great - not terrible. (again a three star is accurate). Our time in the room was limited. I didn't complain once. We did need a maintenance person to pull out the couch/bed, which needed to stay out all week as it was clearly broken. We also needed to flip the breaker to the bathroom back on each time we attemped to use the hairdryer. We learned to use the dryer on a lower setting. We laughed at that... it became a game to see how long it took to trip it. The bed in the bedroom was large and comfortable. The bathroom spacious. Lots of storage room. TV's were good for watching a bit before turning in. Short walk to any where on the resort, which I liked.

Food - average, maybe a little less than average for a few meals. We didn't go hungry, but we didn't ever walk away impressed by what we ate. Breakfast was our favorite. Still we didn't complain. I didn't want to gain any weight, so it wasn't a problem at all.

Staff - all were very polite and helpful as needed.

Bars - I'm not much of a drinker. We tried a few of the drink choices each day and were happy with drinks and service. Sports bar was fun especially for my 16 year old daughter. They will not give a 16 year old an adult bracelet and will not serve alcohol to minors. First place we have been to that was that strict.

Area - The walk to the marina was nice. We went to Tulum one day and to Playa Del Carmen one evening. Gated commununity was nice.

We were looking for sunning, swimming, reading, snorkeling - basically a quiet relaxing vacation. The CAT offered us that. We enjoyed ourselves and had a nice vacation away from the snow and cold.

I've stayed at the cat 4 times and I usually give it 4 stars, but this time only 2. Monday through Thursday were great. Clean and friendly, but I guess that the economy is so bad that they open it up to the locals from Friday to Monday. Hundreds of locals take over the place they bring all their children. They really trash the place and the staff lets them do what they want. The Yucatan pools are like urinals, the children even tell their parents that they urinate in the pool. They for some reason only go to the buffets, I think for 500 pesos a night ($47) it's the only place they're allowed to eat. The mothers stuff their bags with fruit and cereal boxes. It's really funny to watch.

Restaurant's are good. Mexican and Japanese 4 star, but stay away from the Italian. Not great.

We have stayed at this hotel 5times. This experience was awful. Tried to talk to manager who was in his office, we spoke to his assiant Marco, Manage refused to come out of his office.Never expect any help with problem. Confirmed room to say in befour we left home. did not get room. Second time this has happened.

The staff was rude and refused to speak English even though they seemed to know it. The rooms (we tried two) were uncomfortable, especially the mattress. No place to sit and relax. Housekeeping was slow. The food was terrible and rarely hot. The roach that crawled under the bread basket was very unappealing. Dining rooms had lots of birds waiting to grab your food and chairs were dirty from them. Schedules to try to go sightseeing were very unaccommodating. Small beach area. Good tips didn't seem to matter except at the Margarita Bar. On line pictures were 100 times better than the reality and some we didn't even recognize. We will never go back. First vacation that we lost weight.