Haven Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa

A few final thoughts. I love this resort. It’s our second trip and we’ve already discussed returning.

A lot of people are concerned about the sargassum problem. Yes, there’s a lot of it. Most every resort is dealing with it. They do their best to clean everyday but there’s so much of it this year. That said this isn’t what we really consider a “beach” resort. Part of that may be because it’s part of a coral reef sanctuary. There were reports of sea turtle sightings.

The selection of pools is great. We used each one at some point. Loved the atmosphere and vibe of the Serenity Pool. The main pool was great for people watching and the music. The round pool was very relaxing and perfect for floating. Service was very good and attentive at all pools. Every afternoon was spent in our swim out with the wait staff coming by every 15 minutes or so.

There are a lot of people commenting about whether Serenity is worth the upgrade. For us, it totally was worth it. Can you come to Haven and not upgrade, of course, and your trip would be amazing. Our Butler, Charley, has been very attentive. He helped with reservations and made sure we were well taken care of. Our room was sprayed with the aromatherapy and we enjoyed our tequila shots each evening with the provided bottles of tequila.

Food wise we ate at all the restaurants and used room service a couple of times. We like some better than others but all were very good. We went to the Mexican buffet the second evening. I probably would have enjoyed it more but it’s outside by the pool and it was very hot and humid. Olios was our anniversary dinner and the seared tuna dish was probably the best thing I ate. The snack bar has a pretty good hamburger.

From all the sunset photos I’ve posted you can tell we enjoyed the mojitos at Limes. The lobby bar has had some very good entertainment. I didn’t catch their names but the singing sisters were fun to watch while having a cocktail.

Overall it was an amazing trip. Just what we needed. We will be back! Besides we have no ocean in Kansas City! — with Kelli Baker at Haven Riviera Cancun.

This was my first experience at a resort and I couldn’t have had a more enjoyable time! All the staff, but especially Jose and Yale, made this an experience I will NEVER FORGET! We will definitely be coming back!! Gracias!!

Main point of this review - This hotel is 'just fine'

Coming from the UK is a long flight, and we came for 17 nights in the hope of a true, high-quality 5-star experience. It's my second time visiting Quintana Roo/Cancún, so my expectations were high that the quality of this hotel would at least match, if not exceed, my previous experience.

Spoiler: this hotel did not.

So, why only 3/5? The short answer is that there were simply too many areas where the reality didn't match what I'd expect from a premium 5-star resort.

Note: We visited at the end of August, so it is understood that this is a quieter, hotter and more humid time of year.

Arrival & First impressions: 4/5

• The long drive is to be expected when you're in this region. From the main road, it's around 8–10 minutes to the hotel, but on arrival it's pleasant and somewhat impressive as you finally emerge into the open lobby.

Check-in was fast, but the process was not particularly comprehensive. Without prior research, we would have had very little idea what the hotel actually offered, as the information provided at check-in was sparse at best. The most comprehensive element of the check-in was the barrage of costs and fines they would implement for doing anything outside of regular service — losing a bracelet, taking towels out of the hotel, late check-out, etc. They were very happy to tell you what you could be charged for, but failed to mention much about the actual facilities and services available to guests.

• No mention of the Serenity-upgrade at all (Were considering it before leaving, but would have discussed if it came up)

Rooms: 3/5

• On arrival, and throughout the entire stay, the room smelt of damp. To some extent, this is understandable in such a humid climate, with the AC running frequently, etc., but this was pungently overpowering. We requested that the bedding be changed more frequently as it was damp to the touch, and there were areas of dampness developing on the walls. (Not condensation)
• This wasn't an occasional musty smell that you'd expect in a humid climate; it was noticeable every time we entered the room, multiple times a day and night.
• We also requested that the AC filters be cleaned in the hope that this would help with the smell. Unfortunately, it was evident that they wiped approximately one-third of the grille and called it a day.
• The actual room itself was fine. The bed was comfortable, and the TV had a good range of options, which was a bit of a silver lining as we did like to spend some time in the room.
• Daily housekeeping was great at keeping the room tidy, both morning and evening. Nothing more to be said about that.

Facilities & Resort Condition: 3/5

• I'm sure when this place opened in 2018 it must have looked amazing. From 50 feet away it still looks good; however, the closer you get to most of it, the more tired it looks.
• They are simply not maintaining this place to the standard you'd expect. Tiles and walls are broken or stained, flooring is cracked and left unrepaired, painting is of a really low quality, exposed steelwork and structure are rusting, doors are missing, lifts are broken or literally falling apart — the list could go on and on.
• They really need to invest in maintaining this place. It's supposed to be a luxury 5-star resort, and the general condition of the resort does not reflect that.

Pool & Pool service: 2/5

• Probably my biggest gripe with this place was the pool bar and, particularly, the standard of service from the pool bar staff. They were, without question, the worst service we experienced during the entire stay.
• Typically, the pool bar is one of the highlights of an all-inclusive resort — you expect friendly, engaging bartenders who enjoy what they do and make the experience part of the holiday. Unfortunately, that simply wasn't our experience here. There were 4–5 bartenders working across our stay, and the service was consistently poor.
• On several occasions, drinks were made incorrectly or we were simply not given what we'd asked for. On one occasion, I actually left the pool and went to another bar because it was easier than trying to get the drink I wanted from the pool bar. That's pretty poor when you're staying at a 5-star all-inclusive resort.
• We also tipped well at the start of the day, only for the money to be thrown into a sink behind the bar, with no acknowledgement and, unfortunately, no noticeable improvement in service afterwards. I appreciate that tipping doesn't entitle you to anything, but the complete lack of acknowledgement was particularly disappointing.
• The actual pool itself was okay, but it really needed better cleaning and maintenance. A constant green/copper-coloured staining from the pool chemicals surrounded the pools throughout our stay, with the only area that appeared to receive regular attention being directly below the pool bar. It was pretty grim to look at.
• Sunbed availability was never an issue during this time of year. José, the manager of the pool area / guest services manager for this area, was good at ensuring you had whatever you needed, including parasols and having the beds set up. This was one of the positives of the pool experience.

Beach: 2/5

• Important to note that there is nothing the hotel can do to stop this, it's purely a management of the issue in heavy times
• June–October means you expect Sargassum on these beaches. However, on the stretch of beach outside this hotel appear to have given up on management of this area of the hotel.
• You would typically expect a hotel of this standard to have people out in the early hours managing the levels of Sargassum so that the beach can actually be used. There wasn't a single day during our stay where the beach appeared to be properly managed, and it was grim.
• Not one person was using any of the beds. Their management strategy for this part of the resort is really poor.
• I came to Cancún around the same time in July/August 2023, and Sargassum was something that was actively managed at the resort I stayed at, so I know active management of this can make a significant difference to usability and, in my opinion, is a reasonable expectation of a 5-star resort.

Spa: 5/5

• We got a package deal for a series of treatments, the services provided were great, a real highlight for the holiday. Unfortunately I can't remember the ladies name but it was a duel series of treatments with David and (Not her name) Poula? Good facilities and good service.

Staff & Services: 4/5

• Internal bartenders, restaurant staff, concierge and room service were overall really good.
• Limes Bar has some really good bartenders who actually appear to care about their jobs. They should be put in the pool bar!
• The coffee house is a pretty nice addition, I dont drink coffee personally but my partner really enjoyed going so this is certainly a positive for the hotel
• The range of Alcoholic drinks available is good, with the bartenders (internal only) being open to making what you want
• I would have given this a 5/5, but you would think that after over two weeks of using the same facilities, the staff you see every day, tip every day and converse with every day would eventually recognise you.
• We were still being asked if we had just arrived on Day 16. Come on, guys.

Food / Restaurants: 4/5

• The booking system was good, easy to get a reservation and if we missed the 4pm deadline, the concierge helped secure one last minute.

Mediterranean was the best, followed by the Asian Fusion in terms of quality.

• The steakhouse was fine, and the Italian was poor.
• The lack of a buffet for evening meals meant that you had to get fully dressed up for a formal sit-down meal every night, which can become a bit exhausting over a 17-night stay.
• This basically meant the only other option was room service if we weren't up to going out for dinner.
• The actual food quality was generally good, tasted great, and the restaurant staff were attentive.

Activities & Entertainment: 3/5

• Middle of the road. It was alright.
• Our friends we travelled with enjoyed it more than we did, so this is obviously quite subjective.
• I thought the entertainment team, other than Prince Joey, were pretty poor for an adults-only resort.
• We attempted a couple of the foam parties, but there were constant issues with the equipment and they were eventually cancelled. Not great.

Location: 4/5

• Wanted to be a bit more out the way, other than the management of the hotels section of beach, this was ideal.

Operator / Tui Representation: 2/5

• The TUI rep was never on site. We arranged for them to come and never heard from or saw them again.
• We were told we could WhatsApp them to discuss trips or any issues during the stay. When we did, we never received a response and were essentially left to deal with everything ourselves.
• Given this was a package holiday, the lack of any meaningful TUI representation was disappointing.

At this price point, the overall package: 3/5 - Would not return here. The photos of this place do it justice, but the reality is, it's just not as good as I'd have expected it to be.

Ultimately, this hotel is just fine.

There is nothing catastrophically wrong with it (other than my real annoyance of pool bartenders!), and there are definitely some genuinely good elements — the spa, some of the staff, several of the restaurants and the location all worked well for us.

The problem is that “just fine” isn't what I expected from a premium-priced, 5-star luxury resort, particularly after travelling from the UK for 17 nights.

The hotel feels like it was once a genuinely impressive resort that has not been maintained to the standard required to keep it there. There are too many small things, from the condition of the facilities to the rooms, pool, beach management and inconsistent service, that collectively drag down the experience.

For a cheaper 4-star resort, I'd probably have far fewer complaints. But when you're paying a premium for a 5-star luxury experience, the expectation is that the details matter, however, Here too many of them didn't.

I didn't have a bad holiday. I had a perfectly enjoyable holiday at a hotel that I don't believe delivered the 5-star experience I expected at this price point.