Hacienda Tres Rios Resort Spa & Nature Park All-Inclusive, Playa del Carmen

Husband and I bought a Groupon package for a 4-night, all-inclusive stay. We wanted to be somewhere warm in the winter for a few days with no worries—this was great for that. Turned out, though, that the people organizing the Groupon deals were not on the property and there was a lot of confusion about what our package included. The concierge helping us spoke to the office people in Spanish, did not let us speak to them directly, and were not especially friendly. We also ended up having to find our own transportation from the airport upon arrival (which should've been included) and spent $95 doing so, which was never reimbursed. The restaurants on the property were acceptable but not spectacular. I really enjoyed the fresh juices but expected more fresh fruit & Mexican food to be available. The beach was small and not really fit for swimming. The water had so much seaweed that a team of men spent all day every day shoveling it off the shore. We did walk along the shore in front of the nearby resorts and that was nice; be aware, those with children, that those beaches are top optional. We took the complimentary tours available—bike, kayak, nursery, and "sense adventure"—and the hosts were friendly and knowledgeable. The bikes used on the tour were in poor condition and uncomfortable. The cenotes were beautiful and we saw many people enjoying them on their own. There were many coati around and a few cats, including in the pool and food areas. This didn't bother us at all. As a matter of fact, each morning as we sat at the adult pool after breakfast, we smiled at the coati that drank the pool's salt water (and once investigated my juice glass). FYI, this place has time shares—which they refer to as "shared ownership"—and will try to get you to sit through a talk if you aren't an owner. I just told the concierge I'd get back to her with which one we'd attend and then never did. We heard that the talks are pretty high-pressure. We did not have children with us, although many guests did. We were not looking for nightlife. We did not leave the property. We were there to escape for a few days and that mission was accomplished. We paid a set amount of money to relax, eat, sleep, and socialize at our discretion. If that's what you're looking for then a package like ours is great...although I don't think I'd pick this particular place again.

Where can I start with how bad this hotel was. We were supposed to stay there for 5 nights but packed our bags and got the heck out of there after 2 nights. Here is a list of complaints we have. 1- From the beginning the reception staff was not very friendly nor did they smile at their guests. 2- Rooms were given late to us. We arrived tired from our flight around 1pm at the hotel and they said the rooms would be available by 3pm. We did not get our room until 3:45 after we yelling at the reception staff to give us a room 3- We were promised an ocean view but this hotel is not on the ocean. The ocean is a five minute walk away from the hotel itself. We enjoy looking at the ocean from our rooms but all we could see was a bunch of trees. 4- We were told that there would be snorkeling provided for at this hotel but they have not finished that section of the hotel grounds and even told us that they have quit make a snorkeling section because of the expenses. 5- The food was below par. We have stayed at other all-inclusive hotels in cancun and the buffets at these other hotels were amazing. When we got to this hotel we were shocked to see the limited variety of food at this buffet even though they claim that it is a five star hotel. 6- The raccoons and coatimundi were everywhere. The most shocking thing we witnessed at this hotel was at night while we walked around the empty hotel grounds, we witnessed around 10 of these animals eating leftover bits on the countertops where chefs and bartendars prepare food and drinks. These animals may have diseases like rabies and this is a great health violation. When we asked the receptionist about this, she said 'What do you expect? We are in the middle of a jungle'. I did not know that I can stay at a five star hotel in the middle of the jungle. 7- We decided to take part in the bicycle tour around the hotel grounds. The 'mountain' bikes that they provided us with were in the worst condition possible. The bikes looked like they were from the year 1900. They were dirty, rusty, not taken care of, very uncomfortable to sit on, and extremely unsafe to ride. One of our friends fell off the bike twice because of how horrible the bikes were. She got a huge bruise on her thigh which pained her for the rest of our vacation. 8- The hairdryers are worst hairdryers I have ever seen in my life. They are very weird shaped, turn on in a very weird fashion, and do not dry hair properly. 9- This hotel felt like a prison. The security guards at the entrance make you feel like you are entering a jail when they inspect the vehicle and none of them speak English. 10- This hotel is for really old people. The hotel does not feel alive. There is no one to be seen at many times in the day and was not a fun atmosphere for kids. 11- The hotel is far from the city where all the shops are located. Each way to and from the hotel costs $20. 12- When checking out, they made a big deal because my bracelet got ripped off while canoeing. Apparently we have to return the bracelet to them at check out and were going to charge us $20 since I didn't have it but I got into an argument with the receptionist and they waived the bogus fee. We really could not take it at this hotel more than two nights. We called the booking company, complained about the hotel and they switched us to an amazing hotel in Cancun named Riu Palace. With the money you pay at this hotel, you can have a much better stay at a different hotel. The manager really seems like he has no idea what's going on in the hotel and it is a very badly managed hotel. Would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

From the accommodation, to quality of food and service to Hacienda Tres Rios´ nature conservation mission, this resort deserves as many stars as possible. So, Kudos Hacienda Tres Rios. Job well done.

I must say that this hotel is absolutely wonderful. The staff is at your service 24/7, the food is great, the resort is beautiful, but more importantly, it is actually caring of the environment. We were taken into a private tour and explained how the resort what built and all the environmental measures that were taken to make sure nature was not damaged! Two thumbs up! i recommend it for everyone!!

I only have compliments about this resort! When we were approaching the place, we felt the nature all around us! Along the entrance way you'll be surrounded by jungle and mangroves that help you understand that you have now arrived to paradise! The Hacienda Tres Rios is, as it was described over the web, totally luxurious! The lobby, the pool area and the suites were really nice! All the services and the food were first class (specially some cricket tacos! they call them "chapulines"). A very kind concierge explained me about the concept of sustainability and ecology and all the awards the resort has received. We had our private nature park inside the resort! Snorkeling,kayaking and swimming in the cenotes was great! But my favorite thing was something about the senses. They cover your eyes so you can feel, listen and experience things you haven't for sure!! Really nice. Although is not cheap, the experience was totally worth it.