Azul Fives By Karisma, Playa del Carmen

I made a reservation with 3 other people in a two bedroom suite to attend a friend's wedding with the understanding that my $75 deposit was nonrefundable should I choose not to go. 2 months prior to the trip, 1 of the other 3 and I discovered that we were both unable to go. The other 2 were still planning to take the trip. We made multiple attempts to switch our other 2 friends to a smaller suite but the resort was not willing to help us make these changes, leaving us with the option of paying the remaining portion of our "all-inclusive" booking or leaving the expense to our friends, which we were not willing to do. The resort claimed that they were holding rooms for another wedding and that they would not allow us to switch to a smaller room. Ultimately, with the final payment due, the resort bullied us into paying our full "all-inclusive" rate or else canceling our friends room. They were unwilling to even lower our rate to just cover the room. If they are unwilling to let you out of your booking with the loss of just a $75 dollar deposit 2 months in advance, what is the purpose of a deposit? I have traveled to many places around the world and never experienced such horrible treatment. Though I have wasted a significant amount of money, I am glad I am not wasting time at a place with such little integrity and concern for travelers. In life, things come up and we are not always able to follow-through on all plans; I recommend booking at a place that understands this. We stayed at Maroma resort and spa in close vicinity and experienced the highest quality vacation... I recommend looking into this resort instead of Azul fives or any of their sister hotels.