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Hotel overview
The Caribbean Sea's turquoise waters can be seen from this hotel-paradise. Come and get ready to spend some unforgettable days in the heart of the Mayan Riviera, surrounded by marvellous landscapes and seductive, white sand beaches. The hotel is located in the wonderful Puerto Aventuras development. This is a tourist development which boasts a marina for yachts, a golf course, restaurants and dolphin tanks, all within easy reach of the main Mayan Riviera attractions.
The Catalonia Riviera Maya is situated in the peaceful ambience of Puerto Aventuras, located directly on the beach of the beautiful Mexican Caribbean and in the heart of the Mayan Riviera. Puerto Aventuras is of easy access at only 20 km from Playa del Carmen and 80 km (50 miles) south of Cancun International Airport, in the state of Quintana Roo, México.
Location
Riviera Maya - BeachProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fee are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
14751 reviews-
Great first time trip to Mexico!
We actually visited this resort in November 2023. It was a super value and we had a great time. It was the first time for both of us in Mexico and this resort did not disappoint. It was about 1 hour from the airport and is in a gated community which feels really safe. There is a lot within the gates to see and do. We travelled outside the gates to the local mall that was about a 20 minute walk and that was great too. The locals were very friendly. The resort staff were amazing and the cleaning staff was great. Our room was beautiful and newly renovated.
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Cata-youreonyourown-ia
Checking in was easy. But be aware there is an environmental service charge per person per day, and they only accept pesos or cc. We were told by others that the no staff wanted to work the holidays and the ones that were made to do so were all in a bad mood and rude. It was few and far between to find someone who wanted to help or wasn’t rude. New Years Eve dinner was in the around the pool but we weren’t made aware that you have to buy a bottle of champagne ($75-$300) to attend that dinner. We couldn’t find anywhere that had an entertainment schedule so who knows what was going on and when. Also not aware of the perks we could take advantage of at the spa being a privileged guest. We tipped often and generously but that declined as we stayed longer and realized no staff really cared to help or about service. The resort in itself is nice. The groundskeepers are constantly out maintaining the gardens. The ‘beach’ isn’t great but it wasn’t a huge issue for us and we usually enjoy walking miles along the sand. Our room was redone and was clean. Not much closet space at all. No shelving in the bathroom or shower. However my son was in a double bedroom that was a little less updated (broken sinks. One wouldn’t drain the other wouldn’t spray, lights didn’t work) but he had a shelf in the bathroom and shower. No hot tubs. Beloved was okay and we never had a problem getting in, but the menu is small. Buffet food was okay. However it was the exact same food every single day. No change up whatsoever. They also have a hard time keeping it stocked. You cannot get a drink before 11am. Or after 11pm unless you go to the disco. No pool staff bringing drinks. From talking with others it seems nobody had an easy time booking a reservation for any a la carte restaurant, if they could even get one. Getting a reservation is next to impossible. Someone at the pool said it was easier to get Taylor Swift tickets. Everyone we spoke with had issue and a majority couldn’t get in at all. We couldn’t get in. On our ninth day we were told to go to customer service. They couldn’t do anything for us that night but would put in a request for the following day (our last night). We were told that we’d get a confirmation letter under our door. 10:30 the next morning and no letter, so I went to customer service again and was told we had a reservation and 7:30 at the teppanyaki. We show up at 7:20pm and were rudely told our reservation was at 6:30pm, we missed it and they had no other availability. So back to customer service. She confirms that they had our reservation for 7:30. Not sure what happened but it got mixed up and we were SOL. We could go to the Mexican restaurant instead. I was so mad we just went back into town. No apologies. They just don’t care. We ate a majority of our dinners in town. Kinda defeats the purpose of an all inclusive. All in all every single person we talked to was upset with the resort and wouldn’t come back. Feeding the agoutis was the highlight of the hotel but not worth coming back for. I’m actually not sure if they pay for their reviews or if we just had a terrible 2 week experience along with the rest of the vacationers there at that time.
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Not a 4-star experience...
Beautifully situated in the gated community of Puerto Aventuras, the Catalonia is a medium sized resort geared to families. The beach is nice, the grounds are beautiful and for the most part the common areas are well kept. That covers the good... Now time for the bad part... This resort is so poorly run that it astonishes me that they call themselves a premier property. The reservation system is their biggest flaw, by far. You can't get into any of the a la carte restaurants... At all. We tried every day but we're unsuccessful at getting into any of the ALC restaurants in our entire 10 night stay. There is no drink service before 11am, and they force you outside the hotel grounds if you smoke or vape. (I know who drinks at 11AM and smokes anymore, well I don't either unless I am on vacation in Mexico... But not this time... This place has taken the typical US/European approach to creating a family friendly environment. A place to party and let loose, this is not.). Great if you have kids and want a wholesome family friendly ecosystem I guess. The rooms were 1 stars at best unless you luck out and get one of the few rooms that have been renovated. I would say this resort is ok for families, but not worth the cost for what you get... For the spend you could do a LOT better. The customer service gets a -1000/5 stars though.They're flat out rude and mean. They lie to your face when you make a complaint and tell you "that's your problem" or they offer you an alternative that's no better and say, "take it or leave it, what do you want me to do" and it just gets worse every time you escalate it. Dear lord don't ask to speak to a manager, it's like hitting a "boss level" on a video game. They're way worse to deal with than the front line staff in most cases... Last time I stay with a Catalonia property.
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Bad A La Carte Reservations
Staff is great! The way to reserve a la carte restaurants is ridiculous. We were not able to get into one of the restaurants because of reservations app. Therefore, we had to eat at the buffet every day which never changed their dishes. Very, Very disappointing
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Recommend
My gf and I stayed at the Catalonia Mayan over new years. I wasn’t sure what to expect as YouTube videos and some reviews were mixed. Here is my take on it: 1) food - one of the best hotels I have stayed at for food options, quality and restaurant variety. Hot stations, fruit/veggie options along with a very good selection of foods. You can eat at both the main buffets at the Catalonia Yucatan and Mayan riviera. If you upgraded to “privilege” when you book you get to eat at BLoved restaurant which allows u a quieter a la carte dining experience for breakfast lunch and dinner - we ate there every morning for breakfast and for a couple dinners. Other a la cartes required you to go online at 8am each morning to book and included: Italian, Mexican, steakhouse and Japanese teppanyaki. We ate at all of them and they were all good. 2) rooms: we had an ocean view room - was clean and updated with nice balcony and clean updated bathroom and comfy bed. All we needed! 3) facilities: pools were very good at both hotels on property but privilege pool was great because it was small and less busy and right by beach and beach bar. We knew this prior to coming but beach is small and rocky - ocean was good for snorkeling - I’d recommend water shoes as lots of coral / rock. If you’re looking for huge beach or to play in big waves it’s not your place. We sat by pool mainly and walked up the beach and around puerto aventuras. Lots of bars around the property and snack bar was open all day in between lunch and dinner. 4) entertainment- great music by the main pools and lots of shows and entertainment at night to enjoy at lobby bar and in the theatre. New Year’s party was really fun. Overall impression: well maintained, clean hotel in great location of puerto aventuras with amazing food. Tip: upgrade to privilege as private pool and restaurant is worth it. Also rent a golf cart to explore the yacht club area and the surrounding areas.