My husband and I were at this resort with another couple from Calgary, and we brought along my 12 year old son, his first time anywhere hot! We went Jan 27 - Feb 3 2007.

AIRPORT
Customs was quick and painless, there are desks along the right with people telling you where your shuttle is, handing out maps, etc. Very nice and helpful people. The Air Canada reps were super efficient and we waited no longer than 5 minutes for an a/c van that took us to our hotel after 2 other stops. It took about an hour.

RESORT
The resort was nice. I thought the rooms were nice, damp, of course, but I expect that given the climate. We had no problems, but our friends had their safe not work twice during the week. Safe was free, it was electronic and you create your own combination. Marina view is just fine, construction that is across the way did not disturb us at all. Yes, the walls are paper thin, but I'd rather be woken up at 8 am by noisy neighbours and get my butt on the beach than sleep in anyways.

Food was good, oddly lunches and dinners were better than the breakfasts (I usually like the breakfasts better). My very picky son found good food at every meal. The Italian was our favourite, we didn't get to try the Mexican place, since the buffet had a Mexican themed night the night before. (Note that although you don't need reservations for the a la carte restaurants, and no restrictions on how many times you can visit, there are certain nights that some restaurants are open, so pick up an info sheet at the Conceirge desk daily!) They are also posted in the elevators, outside on the way to the main pool, etc. Also, I love dark chocolate, and it is everywhere in abundance! Heaven!

The kids/activity pool was easily the most happening place. The adult side is beautiful but b/c of the hotel the sun doesn't get to that side until about 3pm, and by then people are winding down and thinking about dinner I guess.

Also important and we wished we knew: there are washrooms by the Seaside Grill (by the dive shop close to the beach) We were going inside to the lobby until day 5 we figured this out! Grrrrr. Also, bring your own snorkel equipment, they only allow an hour a day, and my son brought his own, so he spent lots of time in the water.

No need to bring towels or insulated cups. Cups are nice and big, and no one seemed concerned to not leave their towels on loungers for half a day. Yes, people did that here.

Lots of children running around, but none really my son's age. He was fine though, he enjoyed going off to do his own thing snorkeling, getting his own "mocktails" at the bar, he had a blast. I'm very much a paranoid mom, but this place felt so incredibly family oriented and safe, I had no concerns. The staff were amazing!! Can't stress that enough. One guy gave me my tip back b/c he wasn't able to get me a cab in the time that I specified. Talk about honest. Wasn't his fault the driver was late.

Activity directors were fun without being annoying. But the theme song got on our nerves by week's end. Nightly entertainment was great! Fireshows, water shows, Mayan dancers! Movies every night on the beach with damp popcorn! Yum. Hey, you'll crave salty snacks so badly you'll eat it anyways.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN - 5th ave
Talk about stressful. So many merchants yelling at you to come into their store. I normally like to barter but this was not fun at all. I decided to go back to the big "outlet" mega store where everything was priced out. My friend bought a silver bracelet that was originally $350 US, and she got it for $100 US. So I stayed away from buying good stuff, who knows what the price should really be? Besides, I'm a mom, I tend to buy for my kids, not myself. Pay no more than 1/2 of what they are asking I guess. My husband was disappointed cigars were so expensive compared to the Dominican. Cab is $14 US each way, the driver picked us at promptly at the time we asked him to. He even offered to wait longer when we showed up 5 min. late. So nice!!

TULUM
So very hot! We hired a van & driver for the day who took us to Tulum (about 45 min) and then to Akumel Beach (on the way back) for $120 US. $30 per person vs. $99 per person doing the excersion by bus. We brought along a small collapsible cooler from home and packed it with drinks from the mini bar, fruit, and breads. Bring a bottle opener from home! We left at 9am as we wanted to beat the bus tours. A seedy little hut with seedy little men offer tours of Tulum for $35 for the 5 of us (no charge for the 12 year old) We said yeah, ok, then thought we'd regret it b/c his demeanor was a little weird. We watched him like a hawk as he went ahead to get admission tickets (very cheap, only $4.50 US per person) But it turned out well. We learned way more than if we were on our own looking at piles of rocks. (oh, look, another pile of rocks, just like the last one) We were almost on our way out when the tour buses came. Then it was so crowded we just wanted out of there! Go EARLY!

AKUMEL BEACH
Wished it wasn't so windy, snorkeling sucked. Lots of naked boobies for my 12 year old to gawk at. All beaches are government owned, but resorts along the beach make sure you don't use their loungers and kick you off.

EXCARET
So worth the $60US to get in. But go super early, there's SO MUCH to see and do. Loved the Dolphin swim, (2 packages, we took the $89 US one) Photos are $12. The show at night was great. Might want to bring a change of clothes, my son complained of wet mesh up his butt all night. Food is pricey here, of course. Don't bring your own tan lotion, they confiscate it at the door (but return it at the end of your visit of course) and they give you a free "eco-friendly" lotion pack.

I had a lot of fun and enjoyed my 10 days there. I did appreciate= the jakuzi (big and warm); the room with excellent shower/bath, the snorkling (rays, stone fishes, barracuda, parrots fishes..), the lunch, the crew, the volleyball, the bicycle, the dolphinarium (dolphins, seals, lamentins) at 5 minutes walking, nice people (guests and crew). I did not appreciate : the breakfast, the dinner (too much salt), the catamaran(no possibility to use it by yourself: a member of the hotel crew has to be at the gear), no ice cream, internet expensive. .

Flight on USA3000 from BWI to Cancun was wonderful, knew some of the crew from previous travel and they made it even more fun than usual! Anthony and Phyllis ROCK!

Going through Customs was easy and breezy and finding my transportation was easy too! All very organized ….AppleVacations and Amstar make traveling fun and easy!

Arrival was great! I was met with the traditional SUNscape cookie and punch! What a nice touch that SUNscape Resorts provide making your feel welcome right away…and their “welcome home” phrase that they greet you with goes a long way in making you feel just that ….that you have arrived at your home a way from home!

The lobby at Sunscape Puerto Aventuras is large and airy and opened on 3 ends…as you walk up the steps you can see the check in desk to your left and beyond the Apple Tour desks and gift shop in front of them and just past them you will notice the doors leading to the Adult Pool down a lovely set of stairs…

To the right of the lobby you will notice the Guest Services Desk where the Concierge is seated, either Maru or Natalia will be there and they can help you with everything you might need….across from them is the Amstar desk where Andros or Enieda are seated they have lots of great information on tours and things to do while at Puerto Aventuras!

From their desks you can look look past and see the most spectacular view of the Ocean, beach and pool area…it truly is breathtaking the way the lobby has been laid out to capture such gorgeous views! They really do put you in the vacation mode!

Check in was both fast and painless! And before I knew it I was in my room! I had room 518 which is a corner room, and it had a sensational view of the ocean on both sides . The room was appointed with a king bed, table and chairs, mini fridge, tv, clock radio all in working order…the bathroom had all the travel amenities shampoo, lotion, body wash and all set out in a lovely order. I was quite happy with my room, its location and condition, there was no sign of mold.

One of the things I liked bet about the room was every night before going to bed I would turn the air conditioner off and open the door and let the oceans roar put me to sleep…it was truly magnificent and in the morning wake up with the most gorgeous sunrise! Oh how I miss it!

The Beach is an intimate beach on the right side the resort has private homes and on the left side up the beach is another hotel…to the right before you get to the private homes is a lovely cenote type swimming area with steps leading down…and I snorkeled there one day it was warm and lovely…saw some sergeant major fish and a few others who I didn’t recognize…

Over in this area is where you will find the Barracuda Bar..a fun little hut type bar always with great bartenders who make great drinks…try a “leapin’ lizard” a green concoction that was really good! And I had my first Caesar there …very good!

The main beach is lovely with scattered bits of coral so those with tender feet might want to bring swim shoes. I will be packing mine for the next trip as I am a big “tender foot” hehehe! Since the 2nd largest coral reef is right there in front of all of the hotels it is difficult not to have some pieced of broken coral to contend with especially since last years hurricane..

The water was warm and calm as there are some reef areas that protect it from the larger and rougher waves…right out front are the signature Sunscape Trampoline in the shape of a Turtle…the Sunscape Logo! And the sunscape iceberg…these are a Sunscape staple at each sunscape resort and much loved by all!

There are snorkel tours that leave every day at 11am from the dive shop that are free and part of the all inclusive package at Sunscape Puerto Aveneturas and I am sorry to say I never did that! Ah, a reason to go back!

On the left side of the beach there is a lovely out jutting of coral covered with sand that is set up for sunbathing and very quiet and private.

The main pool sits in front of the hotel with a great beach view and in front of it is the Jacuzzi which is about half the size of the pool. The pool bar is named Sugar Reef and is a lot of fun! One side is in pool service and the other side steps up and is regular service with seats too. A nice place to get out of the sun and sip on something cool! Don’t forget to try the drink of the day! They are listed every day in the Sundial Newsletter that you can pick up every day at the concierge desk. They also have the Sundial posted in each of the elevators too!

There is another pool to on the Marina side of the resort from the lobby you go down the steps on the side where check in is located and there it is! A lovely pool with swim up bar called the Manatee bar, and view of the marina…very nice location and good drink too. The day I visited Francisco and Liz were serving up some great coco locos! And the water was fine!

On to the food…while I was there I never once had a bad meal…I dined at each of the Ala Carte restaurants and the World Café. I loved breakfasts at the World Café and discover chiquilles…for the first time and fell in love with them…a great dish made with tortilla chips and other stuff…don’t ask me but my taste buds were very happy indeed!!! Burgers and hot dogs in front of the World Café at the grill everyday…what fun! Had dinner at El Patio the Mexican Restaurant , Da Marios, and Oceana and each meal was very good indeed! That and the Mexican Dinner on the Beach was such fun…I tried a ton of great food that night!…I missed the Caribbean Dinner on my last night …my bad! But from my room it all looked great!

The Animation teams is around from morning til night providing fun and activities for everyone…from stretching on the beach, to ping pong set up by the pool area, to Spanish lessons and so much more! And at night they can be found helping with the shows or parties that are on the beach! A group of lively and helpful young folks who want to make sure your vacation is FUN!

The Spa at Sunscape Puerto Aventuras is a lovely oasis of calm and serenity a lovely area in itself with state of the art equipment and treatment rooms and massage and facial therapists that are available to take your stress away! The beautiful outside garden Jacuzzi area transports you to that Zen place in your mind and you are taken away….

The most SUNsational thing about this resort is the people from the GM, Roberto Garrido, his staff, the Amstar and Apple Reps, the Concierge Desk and everyone from bartenders to waiters to maids all with a smile on their face and a friendly hola and Buenos Dias! The people are what shines as SUNscape and keep me coming back….

Upon landing at the airport in Mexico we were hounded by sales agents trying to sell us vacation tours. I learned the hard way on how to ignore and keep walking past them.

The drive from the airport, in the air conditioned coach bus, to the hotel was very comfortable. I was amazed how they had a cooler stashed of cold ones and offered same for a small price.

Our greeting at the hotel was very warm. Upon our arrival into our room we suddenly realized we were lacking complete power. The TV wasn’t working, the air conditioning was a little on the warm side, not exceptionally cold (which lasted our entire stay). We enquired about the TV not working and some of the lights not working in our room. We were informed that they had suffered a power outage and were running on backup generators. We had a few days of power outages which lasted for approximately 3 hours each time. This was due to heavy rains and high winds. Our room for the most part was comfortable. But for a 4 ½ star I expected something more outstanding.

The food was okay. In the buffet area basically the food tasted the same, just different dishes and the breakfast buffet a little too greasy for my liking. The a la carte restaurants were good. The outdoor barbequed hamburgers were very good.

What I really liked was being able to sit under the shade and paint a piece of ceramic. It was nice to bring that home as a souvenir (something you personally make).

The pools and the beach area were very nice. The outdoor (beach/pool area) drink servers were absolutely wonderful, always on top of getting you a fresh drink. The nightly entertainment was okay, casino night was awesome.

For the most part our trip to the Mayan Riviera was okay, although I WOULD NOT go back to this hotel (Sunscape Puerto Aventuras) because I had a few personal items stolen from my room. I had gone down to the front desk to complain. My response was “what would you like us to do?” I simply asked to have the person cleaning our room questioned and/or searched. I was told that wasn’t possible. So I asked for the hotel manager. I spoke with him and he pretended to be sympathetic telling me I could file a claim and the hotel insurance would cover my loss. It wasn’t about the money, it was principal that their staff took something that didn’t belong to them. It was an item that was on the dresser, a souvenir I purchased, left out amongst other items. The other stolen item was in the bathroom, along with other items of mine in the bathroom. They were not of high value and I thought it wasn’t necessary to lock up EVERYTHING in the room safe.

We just returned from the Riviera Maya. Unfortunately, we stayed at the Sunscape Puerto Aventuras. Upon our arrival a man with a clipboard was in our room taking notes. When we appeared, he said nothing and left. Our air conditioner wasn't working, but we thought it maybe had just been turned on. We put the overhead fan on and went to eat something after our long journey.

Returning, the air wasn't working and we thought maybe it just had to have some additional time. Well, our safe wouldn't work; our TV remote wouldn't work, the refrig. was HOT, and we discovered mold on the walls. My husband called the desk to request another room. He was told that there really wasn't any, and they would send maintenance to our room. They never showed up and in the meantime, we shut off the lights and tried to rest. It was hot and humid, so my husband turned on the lights only to discover very tiny bugs, mites crawling all over the nightstand and getting onto the bed! He to the hotel desk and they moved us!!

Our new room was better, but even more mold than the first was on the walls. It was a huge room, but we didn't have any table or chairs. For everyday for four days we asked if we could have some and we were promised, daily. We never did have a place to sit!! Our first morning there, we asked our Apple Rep. if we could be moved. After waiting for a reply for approximately two hours she informed us that we could be moved. We were thrilled, but she informed us that we would need an additional $1,500.00 per person for only the last three days of our vacation!! We stayed! Never receiving a table or chairs, we also never consistently had towels, wash cloths, soap, coffee, or the room cleaned at a consistent time. Additionally, we weren't pleased with some of the staff. It wasn't an atmosphere of pleasing the guest, focusing on presenting a nice vacation for guests.

As we stayed and got to know other guests we discovered even worse, horrible experiences. One woman from Texas told me that she had seven people booked for ajoining room to accommodate all seven and they were given one room with one bed. Then there weren't enough cots for everyone the first night and one of their groups had to sleep on the hard, tile floor!! Another couple from NY shared something with us ever time they saw us!! They had been moved three times because the air conditioner wasn't working, the mold was horrible and affecting his allergies and one room actually had water coming down the wall. We met people from our hometown and they also had someone sleep on the floor of their room the first night. They expressed mold in their room and problems with the service.

This was the Apple Vacations' All Inclusive Square Deal for us. We discovered that other people paid only $50.00 more than us so what kind of deal was it? This Sunscape is rated a 5 Apple in the Apple Vacation Book, but my husband and I agree that it is only a 3-4 Apple at best. The book stated that it was completely refurbished! It was not with the air and mold problems, an elevator that was being worked on and another that was so shaky when we rode on it we wondered if we would make it! A little boy expressed that it was the "Tower of Terror".

When we were waiting for the Apple Bus to take us to the airport at the end of our trip we talked to a group of women from Somerset, PA and a couple from Altoona, PA. They told that after two days of being at the hotel, they were approached by a hotel representative and asked if they would like to move to another hotel becuase they had overbooked. When we were waiting for an answer from the Apple Rep. she had told us nothing was available. The Altoona couple told us they weren't very happy with the service and their room!

Last year, we stayed in a 5 Apple in Punta Cana (The Palladium). It was Wonderful! So, we do have something to compare it to and this is one example. One of the five restaurants advertised with Sunscape was burn down and being rebuilt. We ate at three different areas and couldn't figure out what they were counting as five. We have loved Apple and have both used them when we weren't married and now that we are together.

I don't know what went wrong. Hopefully, they will make their refurbishments and it will improve! In the meantime, I wouldn't recommend this hotel and especially the Square Deal. Our rep. tried, but her hands were pretty much tied when it came to the rules she had to follow and the management of the Sunscape.

Good Points? Well, we liked the pool, the activities staff and activities. They have a bubble pool that was relaxing and faced the ocean, the food was ok, and the beach was good We had great tours through Apple as always! Our experiences to Mexico: My husband has been to Cancun and the Riviera twice. I've been to Cancun twice and the Riviera three times! The Grand Palladium was Excellent!! Do I need to stick to a 5 Golden Apple like the Palladium? It was so much more money this year! But, we felt we should have paid the money!

We just returned from our vacation week at this resort, and all I can say is they have a long way to go. We had an absolute nightmare with our room, and it seems that getting something acceptable is a real crap shoot. Our first room (#336) had a mildew problem that could knock you out, and had water running down one of the walls, causing a puddle on the floor. The air conditioner was not working properly either. They actually wanted us to stay there overnight, and said they would "try" to move us the next day. I made it clear that it was unacceptable (especially due to my allergies), and we were finally moved to a different room at 11 PM. This second room only had a mild mildew odor, but the safe didn't work, the TV cable was broken, the balcony door lock was broken, and the air conditioner only sort-of worked. I personally repaired the toilet flushing mechanism, and the showerhead. The air conditioner died a couple of days later, and we had to move once again. They were not happy, or accommodating, about moving us either time. The front desk staff seems to think that their guests are stupid, because they dish out a never-ending stream of lies. I became ill while we were there, and my wife came down with the same symptoms when we arrived home. Our doctor feels that it wasn't a reaction to the food, but rather the mold in the rooms that caused us to get sick. We spoke to many other people, some who had similar horror stories, and some who said their rooms were fine. I came to find out that the hotel was terribly run down when they bought it in July 2004, and they rushed to declare it ready in December. They painted over the mildewed walls, which does nothing to eliminate the problem. They have some big plumbing problems that also varied, depending on which room you are given. Other guests discussed their plumbing challenges with us, so we didn’t feel alone in our grief. They try to mask the mildew problems by putting incense in the rooms.

The food was fair to average, but the hot food on the buffet was NEVER hot. The best food was in the Italian restaurant. Service was spotty, but typical of the tropics; and most of the staff was pleasant.

The pool and beach area are well maintained, and were always clean. The water in the pools was crystal clear at all times.

The highlight of our stay was the dive center on the grounds of the hotel. The dive staff, from the manager to the boat captain, is one of the best I have ever encountered. I recommend them for all levels of divers. There are also very interesting dives available, including cenotes and a two-tank dive to see turtles. We met a large group of divers who were staying at the hotel next door, so they could take advantage of the dive center [Pro Dive]. They knew about the problems at this resort (one of them is a travel agent), so they simply stayed at the Catalonia Resort, and walked over each day to go diving.

We spent two weeks at the Sunscape resort in Puerto Adventuras in early April 2005, and were very disappointed with the facility and our overall experience. This resort was advertised as a 4 ½ star property in most of the brochures that we saw prior to booking there, and as a 5 star resort in some newspaper adds. Although its prices are compatible with this rating, the rooms, food and services provided certainly are not.

On arrival, we were given a room overlooking a dominant roofline, with a glimpse of the pool on the landward side of the resort from the balcony. The room itself was partially renovated, and had “torn out” drywall and partial plumbing in what had been the room’s galley kitchen. Since this was not the deluxe ocean-view room that we thought we had paid for, we immediately asked for a change of room within either this Sunscape hotel, or to another one of their properties on the Mayan Riviera. The management staff simply said no, because they were overbooked, but said they would try to find us an ocean-view room when one became available, for an additional $55 US per day (or about $1000 more Canadian for 2 weeks).

We then contacted our Sunquest tour representative at the resort to see what could be done. She suggested that we keep trying for a room change and then largely disappeared for the 2 weeks we were there. Three days later, we were actually moved to a better room after continual “harassing of the front desk”, but not on the ocean-side. We could see the marina from the balcony, which was a much nicer view. However, the double bed with a plywood board rather than a box spring was a compromise.

Other points of note were:

- no hot water unless we wanted to shower between 2 AM and 5 AM
- shoddy rooms that are not properly cleaned
- good food at only one of their five restaurants
- elevators that do not work properly
- a confined beach area
- interestingly, the management effectively restricting paying guests to their rooms and a couple of restaurants one night, when they had an “opening gala for the resort” for non-paying friends and travel agents
- as part of this gala, trying to get paying guests to move out of their rooms to one of their other properties for a night or two, so that Sunscape could house their “invitees”. (I would have been pleased with this offer on my first day there as I requested, but not on my last night, solely to accommodate Sunscape’s promotional foibles)

We were at Sunscape Puerto Aventuras (Riviera Maya, Mexico) from February 26 to March 5. My girlfriend and I are not party animals but we do like good food and spirits. We were very pleased to find a small, but comfortable resort with a quiet, adult pool, a nice, compact beach area and the best food I have experienced in 5 different all-inclusives around Riviera Maya, Cancun and Cozumel. Try the poblano sauce in the Mexican restaurant and the lamb in the Italian restaurant. You won't be disappointed. Our room was excellent, well appointed with a firm - but not hard - bed, a great view and it was certainly quiet enough. No smell, bugs or mosquitos, a nice, spacious shower and PLENTY of hot water.

If you are worried about these things - ask for room # 527. I can be real picky and a huge pain inthe butt when things go wrong, but I am very happy to report that this vacation went amazingly well. I didn't have to complain to anyone but US Air, but this another - very long - story.

The bartenders were very accomodating, and the bar was stocked with some very high quality liquor - although the Absolut Vodka did run out as the night wore on - there was plenty of regular vodka to go around.

And then there was the dive shop. Pro-Dive Mexico is run by a trio of PADI Instructors from Germany who take their diving and their divers very, VERY seriousley - safety first, and a providing quality dive experience is crucial. Ralph, Tina and Markus all take a very personal interest in their customers and they do not cut any corners. Their dives and snorkel trips are safe and fun.

With Pro-Dive, I saw some of the best and healthiest reefs on the Riviera Maya, four sea turtles, green morays, a big spotted moray, lobsters and tons of soft corals and colorful reef fish. The cavern (Cenote) diving and snorkeling trips are among the most original and breathtaking experiences of my life. And I have travelled and dived a lot! These guys and their excellent staff make it safe and comfortable for beginners like my girlfriend and still exciting for experienced scuba instructors like myself.

Keep in mind that this is a small resort - the beach area is not expansive, (you can walk the adjacent beaches, too) but it is enclosed and this makes it possible to swim and snorkel when the waves are up. Sometimes you have to get on a waiting list for a couple of the restaurants, but they use pagers to tell you when your table is ready.

There is a new Spa going in that should be open in April. Rod Gahr, the GM says that it is going to be huge. From the scope of the construction, this is going to be a very high end spa. Rod, by the way, was very accomodating and helpful. He also detailed to us how they are going through the entire resort and improving it, room by room.

The surrounding town had a ton of great attractions, stores and restaurants within walking distance, plus dolphins, manatees, stingrays and sea lions in pens along the walkway.