Princess Family Club Riviera - All-Inclusive

“Kids Club Did Not Match Online Photos”

My family and I booked this stay at the Family Club to celebrate several special occasions, including my niece’s 10th birthday, birthdays, and anniversaries, so we arrived excited and looking forward to a memorable experience together. This trip was especially meaningful because it was my niece’s 10th birthday. Before our trip, I showed her and our 3-year-old the photos of the resort and kids club several times so they could look forward to everything that was advertised. Because of that, the disappointment was even greater when what we found did not match what had been presented online. Unfortunately, our stay so far has been disappointing in a few important areas. Check-in was not as smooth as expected, and when we arrived, our room had only been prepared for 3 guests instead of 3 adults and 2 children. While this was eventually corrected, it was not fully resolved until day 3. Another major reason we chose this resort was the kids club and activities advertised online. We specifically wanted the children to enjoy those experiences. Upon arrival, we spent a good amount of time trying to locate the kids club shown in the online photos, but we could not find it. The following day, we explored again and found an area that was more like a large hut with toys, a very small indoor-style playground, and a small pool. This was a real disappointment for both the children and the adults, as it did not reflect what had been presented online. We asked staff about the photos and the amenities shown online, but no one was able to provide a clear explanation. For parents considering this property, I think it is important to be aware that, based on our experience, the kids club area did not match the expectations created by the online advertising. In addition, the beach has been filled with seaweed during our stay. I understand this may be a broader issue, and I also heard from other guests that it has been a problem in multiple areas. Still, it has affected the beach experience and is something future guests should be aware of. We are still trying to make the best of our trip and enjoy our family celebrations, but these issues have definitely affected our overall experience.

“Avoid this resort”

Avoid this resort. What should have been a relaxing vacation turned into one of the most stressful travel experiences our group has ever had. The issues started immediately at check-in. We spent nearly four hours at the front desk trying to gain access to rooms that had already been reserved and paid for. Front desk staff members Kitzia and Erik were courteous and professional, but management repeatedly intervened and prevented a resolution. A manager named Eduardo instructed staff not to release our room despite a valid reservation. We were later informed that we would need to pay an additional 6,100 pesos to access accommodations we had already paid for. Even more concerning, we witnessed similar issues involving other guests. One family reported being charged a second time for children who had already been included on their reservation and then billed again as adults. During our stay, multiple members of our group became severely ill after eating at the resort. We spent nearly two full days confined to our rooms and bathrooms recovering. The resort also shut off water service to our room without notice and provided little communication regarding the outage. The beach situation was extremely misleading. The property advertises itself as a beachfront resort, but the beach was effectively unusable due to massive amounts of sargassum. Unlike neighboring resorts that actively removed and managed the seaweed, Grand Princess Riviera appeared to do little or nothing to address it. Guests are not warned before arrival or at check-in that the beach may be inaccessible. The odor from the decaying seaweed extends beyond the shoreline and into pool areas, significantly impacting the overall experience. Most disappointing was the lack of accountability from management. General Manager Pablo assured us that reservation issues would be resolved and that refunds would be processed. After making those commitments, he disappeared and never followed up. The next day, the reservations department refused to discuss the promised refund. Between the reservation issues, food poisoning, water outage, unusable beach, lack of communication, and poor management response, this was one of the most disappointing resort experiences we have encountered. There are many resorts in Riviera Maya. Based on our experience, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

“The best resort in terms of family activities and customized services for kids.”

I will start with the food and dining for kids. The pirate buffet for kids has the nicest and most helpful leader we have met in all our trips with our kids. Olga was incredibly helpful. As you can imagine, kids can walk around, request different dishes and drinks, while parents could be in desperate need of a strong cappuccino or even a cocktail. Olga is one of the nicest emplees who we have met in our dozens of resorts that we have visited with our kids. She has been accommodating and understanding of the needs of parents and kids. Her team was incredibly helpful in answering questions and it came from the leader of the pirate buffet restaurant. I really do not like it when in other resorts, my kids are walking between lines of adults desperate for all the good stuff. Kids deserve to be independent and get all types of options without crashing with adults or rushed employees carrying ten cocktails in other resorts. Breakfast, lunch and dinner deserve to be calm for parents, and Olga has been amazing at creating this kind professional welcome every time we go. Other than that, I have been 10 times in this resort, a couple of times in their large upscale competitors but keep coming back to Princess family club because my kids keep asking to go again. Moreover, the employees seem they love their job. I do not know how they created this culture in a resort, but no sad faces. I gave around 800 dollars in tips because we loved the service and calm environment that the employees create. Finally, the entertainment is the best by far in Playa del Carmen. It is a mix of cultural and historic elements mixed with modern nightlife. I have been travelling for 15 years constantly to all types of resorts, so I have seen the night entertainment everywhere. However, the princess is so much superior in terms of shows that kids can enjoy and be curious about the culture, the music, the traditions in Mexico. It is completely different to a band singing classic English songs, which I have seen many times in other places. There is real shows with actors for kids in a large auditorium. Finally, they do special events for kids such as the pirate and princess night full of games and outside bbq for kids.

“Vacaciones princess☺️👫💑”

Amabilidad de parte del personal recepción, y restaurantes en este caso específico buffet family Gracias por su atención ( Isaac, Arely, María, Gina, dora, Victor) y El personal de vaqueria muy atentos y amables. En cuanto el buffet General 🙂‍↔️ no fue de mi agrado es que está frente donde se hace shows nocturno. Personal no atento! Snack bar! Exelente atención igual a todos. Fue poco lo que frecuente y solo en caso de urgencias pues era el lugar más disponible 24 hrs disponible algo exelente para tener un antojo por la madrugada😅. Limpieza 10/10. En instalaciones en general. Fascinada con las actividades en especial para los niños. Es cuestión agarrar el rol para poder disfrutar cada entretenimiento de parte del hotel. En You decide( dónde se llevaban acabo las discos) exelente!!! Personal de limpieza pendiente a cada gota de agua derramada en el suelo para no resbalarnos durante la bailada. 😅

Que al segundo día de estancia no me proporcionaron higiénico. No shampoo y jabón. Y el personal del buffet frente donde se hacen los show no son tan atentos como los otros restaurantes.