Viceroy Riviera Maya

Not a 5 Star Resort, After reading reviews from past guests, I noticed that several people mentioned being able to request a particular villa and having Viceroy accommodate those requests. Based on those reviews, I contacted Reservations immediately after making my reservation—approximately three months before our arrival. My request was very simple. I wanted a villa within the price range I had booked, but I specifically did NOT want one located along the main path. The main path runs directly through the property from reception to the pool, beach, and restaurants, meaning guests are walking past the villas. I asked about a couple of villas that appeared to be on quieter, more remote paths. The response I received the next day was that the villas I had requested would require an upgrade and an additional charge. I had no interest in paying extra for an upgraded villa, so I asked Reservations to recommend a villa within my existing price range that was not located on the main path. Despite making a very reasonable request, I never received a response. At that point, I decided to wait and reach out again closer to our arrival, assuming that management would have a better idea of which villas would be available two weeks before our stay. Two weeks before arriving, I contacted them again and asked whether three specific villas were available for our dates. By this point, I had done my homework and knew exactly which villas fell within my price range. Their response was incredibly frustrating. They told me that two of the villas were outside my price range and would require an additional charge. They completely ignored the third villa I had specifically asked about. I then asked about another villa. They told me that it was within my price range, but said they would have another unit available for us when we arrived. They also assured me that they would take all of my comments and preferences into consideration when assigning our villa. So, I trusted them. That trust turned out to be a mistake. When we arrived, we were taken to Villa #11. The villa itself was beautiful, but the location was absolutely unacceptable given everything I had communicated to them. There was a window from the neighboring villa looking directly into ours, completely destroying any sense of privacy or remoteness. And, unbelievably, our villa was located right on the main path—the exact thing I had repeatedly told them I wanted to avoid. What made this even more infuriating was that the resort was nowhere near full. It wasn't even half occupied, so it was obvious that there were plenty of vacant villas available. After three months of communicating with Reservations, explaining exactly what we wanted, following up again two weeks before arrival, and being assured that our preferences would be taken into consideration, this was the villa they chose for us. I was absolutely disgusted. The next day, I went to management to express how disappointed and upset I was. They apologized and said they would see what they could do. They eventually offered us another villa and took us to see it. And once again, they completely missed the point. The replacement villa was larger, but it was AGAIN located directly on the main path. At this point, it became painfully obvious that management simply wasn't listening to us. We had clearly and repeatedly explained that we wanted a villa away from the main path and in a more remote, private location. Instead, they kept offering us villas that were the exact opposite of what we had requested. For a property that presents itself as a five-star resort, this level of customer service is simply unacceptable. I again explained to them that our original villa was on the main path, lacked the privacy and remoteness we had specifically requested, and even had a window from the neighboring villa looking directly into ours. Yet once again, they seemed incapable—or unwilling—to actually listen to what the customer was telling them. It was beyond frustrating. Listening to your guests should be one of the most basic qualities of a five-star property. By this point, both of us were so disgusted with how management had handled the situation that we declined the replacement villa. And frankly, I didn't even want to ask them to show us another option because my confidence in management had dropped to zero. The most disappointing part of the entire experience wasn't the villa itself—it was the complete failure of management to listen, follow through, or deliver on the very reasonable request they had assured us they would take into consideration. After months of communication and repeated assurances, we were given essentially the exact opposite of what we had asked for. That is an incredibly poor way to treat guests, particularly at a property that considers itself a five-star resort.

We had the pleasure of staying at Viceroy Riviera Maya for 10 nights at the beginning of this month, and overall, it was a very enjoyable and memorable experience.

Our private driver was already waiting for us when we arrived at the airport, which made our arrival very smooth and stress-free. The welcome at the hotel was excellent. Our luggage was immediately taken care of, so we did not have to worry about carrying anything ourselves, and we were offered a lovely welcome drink. Alberto then accompanied us to our room and showed us everything we needed to know. We were also immediately introduced to a taste of Mexican culture with a shot of mezcal, a traditional Mexican spirit, which was a very nice touch.

The room itself was beautiful and equipped with everything you could need. The breakfast was also of very high quality and extremely enjoyable, especially because of the à la carte menu. The staff are initially somewhat reserved and extremely polite, so they do not tend to start conversations themselves. Personally, we would have enjoyed a little more interaction from the staff, although of course this is a matter of personal preference.

The service throughout our stay was excellent whenever we needed something. My partner unfortunately suffered from a large number of mosquito bites. Alberto immediately knew what was needed and arranged for medication to be ordered from a pharmacy. When it was not delivered in time, he personally went to the pharmacy to collect it for us. This was exceptional service and something you certainly do not find everywhere. The hotel also treated the garden and surrounding area against insects.

Later, I also started suffering from mosquito bites despite constantly using DEET. At that point, the hotel proactively arranged for a mosquito net to be installed, which was greatly appreciated. We only wish we had been informed earlier that this was an option.

The drinks at the bar were excellent, and we would especially like to give a shout-out to Oscar and Francisco. They were both incredibly friendly, enjoyable to talk to, and very hardworking. They really contributed to our experience at the hotel. Another nice touch was that the pool could be heated immediately upon request, which made it very comfortable to use whenever we wanted.

Areas for improvement

There are, however, several points that we feel the hotel could improve:

Housekeeping: Although the room was cleaned well overall, we expected a higher standard for a hotel of this level. Some areas were barely touched, including significant amounts of dust around and underneath lampshades and under the sofa. The outdoor area around our room was not always cleaned thoroughly, and the bathroom sink was also occasionally overlooked. On the positive side, housekeeping came twice a day, and we received an impressive amount of towels — six towels per service, which is something we had never experienced at another hotel.

Wooden platform: The wooden platform around our room, where the sun loungers were located, had several holes in the wood and some loose boards. These could potentially cause a serious injury if someone stepped into one of the holes or on an unstable board with their feet or toes. Because of these safety concerns, we decided not to use the area.

Renovation: The hotel is starting to show its age in certain areas, and we feel that some parts of the property are due for renovation.

Prices: The prices for drinks, food and minibar items were extremely high. We expected higher prices at a resort of this standard, but some prices felt excessive even considering the level of the hotel. We barely used the minibar because of this. For example, a bottle of Evian water costs $13.

Staff consistency: There were moments at the bar when Oscar and Francisco were working extremely hard while some of the other staff appeared to be doing very little. Personally, I found this disappointing, especially when seeing how hard the other employees were working.

Despite these points, we had a wonderful stay at Viceroy Riviera Maya. The location, atmosphere, food, service and especially the friendliness and dedication of certain members of staff made our stay very special. Alberto, Oscar and Francisco in particular made a very positive impression on us. With some investment in renovation, better attention to maintenance and housekeeping, and more consistency among the staff, we believe the hotel could offer an even better experience.