I have traveled to many locations and have posted previous trip reports on this and other sites also staying at great hotels but Maroma is one of the best. Trip dates 10-11-08 thru 10-18-08

At the airport - after you leave customs skip the people hawking time shares; go directly outside to meet Maroma’s representative, who will have your name on a board. These time share hawkers will try everything to get you to stop but DON’T. The drive was in a nice black SUV. As previously stated in other reports, the drive into Maroma’s property, once you are off the main road and pass the Maroma Secrets, is interesting but well worth it. Also take a pen from home with you on the plane as you will have to fill in custom forms, one couple told us they waited almost 30 min, trying for a pen.

Why not come to Maroma, No TV’s in your room, No children running around, No loud Parties, no evening entertainment – shows, not an all inclusive – you pay for your food, drinks etc., just a great place to sit on the beach, read your favorite book (s), get some sun, and have a relaxing romantic stay with your favorite someone. Let’s not forget the great service, spa and food.

For the most part the other guests we met and spoke with were all enjoying the resort and didn’t have a bad thing to say, if they had an issue, Maroma’s staff were right on top of it clearing up the issue.

The in room internet was working ok, I had some problems but one call to Hospitality and it was taken care of. Their Hospitality folks are great, if you have a problem, issue or concern or need information they are right on it. We did have some bad storms, so the internet was knocked out occasionally – no fault of Maroma.

The overall service was Excellent. Both restaurants - El Restaurante and El Sol were open but you can pick and choose from the others menu, or like I did because I didn’t see anything on the menu I wanted, just tell them what you feel like eating – Fish, seafood, chicken, beef etc and they will come back with what the chef can make for you. I had a delicious grilled seafood dish. Their lobster tail $65.00, if its available order it as it is fantastic. I normally am not a big Lobster tail person but with their garlic butter it was great. The Ribeye steak around $35 was great and cooked as ordered, well worth the money lots of meat. For desert the chocolate cake with ice cream was great … Friday night is BBQ night but we had to have it inside. Menu items Lobster Tail larger @$90. to fresh grilled fish, steak or shrimp around $35.

Freddy's Tequila and Ceviche Bar was a nice place to hang out and have lunch or an afternoon drink/snack. But be aware that Ceviche Bar means raw or cooked in juice. The lunches were great, the steak sandwich was very good, Blackened Chicken Wrap was fantastic and their French fries are even better. You can also order and have lunch in El Restaurante. They make great Tequila drinks such as a Tequilla Sunrise or Paloma Blanco – White Bird. Try their Pina Coloda. Tell Freddy Mr. Andy says hola!

Breakfast is at El Restaurante or you can have room service, we tried almost everything and it was all good. Did room service a few times and the service was great.

AT THE RESTURANTS, YOU CAN DRINK THEIR HOUSE WATER; REPEAT YOU CAN DRINK THEIR HOUSE WATER. It is filtered and flavored with fresh apple or kiwi. No need to purchase bottled water in their restaurants. Also you do not need to ask for a check at the restaurants. They will just charge it to your room/suite. You should not drink the sink water in your room.

The staff has a lot of fun with you speaking Spanish. Mozes along with other staff members gave us some great Spanish lessons. Remember they are laughing with you not at you when you butcher the words, like I did. They practiced their English which for the most part everyone speaks very well and we were able to learn a little Spanish. They will address you by your first name Mr. or Mrs. They appreciate it when you call them by their first name. Alberto, Daniel, Mozes, Victor, Hyman, Louis, Sergey - are all great guys (overall all restaurant & beach staff were wonderful) Freddy is the best bar tender.

Kunther, Cynthia and another guy (could not remember his name) at the Dive/Beach shop are all great. My wife and I went on the Cenote dive and snorkeling trip. My wife, who isn’t a big snorkeler, loved it. Enjoy the snorkeling or a Freshwater Cave scuba dive which I did. The water is clear and you use flashlights, some tight places but shallow water. Ave. 20 ft. The Bat Cave is the best part of it. We couldn’t do the Ocean snorkeling trip because the water was to rough but we heard it was a nice trip or great scuba dive.

The beach is one of the best I have been on in the Caribbean; they have very relaxing large beds and the service guys are great. You can have breakfast, lunch etc. and some tasty drinks served while you just relax in the sun. The pools are plentiful and refreshing. Many guests that walked the beach from other hotels - Maroma Secrets and the one next door would ask you about the hotel because it was so nice and there are no Maroma signs.

We were in room #8, near the restaurants, Freddy’s Bar etc. Perfect spot, nice room. We looked at one of the Sian Nah suites #65, they are beautiful. Very large and very well appointed. Night & day from our room but so were the prices. People from room #57 near the dive/beach shop told us it was also a nice room.

The Spa – Very, very relaxing. I had the Exotic Body Polish (massage), I think I fell asleep twice during the session. My wife had a pedicure and they gave her a foot etc. massage and she had a facial she loved both treatments.

Playa del Carmen – we took an evening taxi ride in town ($20. each way), hospitality will call a cab for you and in town there are lots of cabs to get back to Maroma. Make sure you ask the amount before you get in. Tell them Maroma Resort near Maroma Secrets. The drivers speak very little to no English.

Town is safe for the most part, plenty of police watching out for you, we had no worries but use common sense!

In town 5th Avenue is closed off to vehicles. It is one long street of restaurants, shops, T-shirt – stores etc. We wanted to have Italian food so we planned to eat at Casa Mediterránea - Av. 5 (between calles 6 and 8; look for a sign for Hotel Marieta), but they were closed for vacation so we ate at Yaxche Maya Cuisine Restaurant. The food and service were good. Everything is priced in Pesos and if you are not going to use your credit card, you may want to exchange your $US for Pesos ahead of time. Figure $US 100. should hold you for dinner. It was around $70US with tip. Great brownies & ice cream at Ah Cacao chocolate cafe at 30th & 5th. Keep walking down 5th, you will see a large sign for Hotel Paradiso & Spa below is the store – around $3 to $4.US each but worth it.

Notes: Free Maroma Bottled water is brought to your room daily. They have umbrella and rain ponchos in the room. You may want to take a travel clock but Maroma wake up service, if you need it, is great. Hair dryer in the room is nice, you may want to leave yours home. Tipping is included but those that take care of you, should get a few dollars at the end or during your stay. If they see you on your last day, they will come over to say goodbye. Mixed crowd, mostly couples but some singles. Hiccups – yes, perfect no, but you are in Mexico and they do their best to accommodate you so you overlook the small stuff.

Holas to Ray & Lisa from Rhode Island – nice sharing almost
birthdays – Libras and evening drinks. Great meeting the
both of you
Tom & Rose from California – nice snorkeling with you
Greg & Jackie from Juniper FL nice meeting you both –
hope you enjoy Lake Placid & George!
Rachel & Alex from Brooklyn, NY…

Returning home, the Cancun airport terminal #3 – most of your flights should leave out of here -
has lots of stores, restaurants, etc. A Huge Duty Free store. Remember if you are connecting in the USA, your booze, etc. will have to go in your checked bagage not your carry on.

When you pull into the Terminal, Porters will greet you and try to take your bags in and No Thank you is all it takes for them to leave you alone unless you want help!

If I missed something and you have questions, feel free to e-mail me.adiós

We just returned from a six night stay at Maroma in celebration of our 10 year anniversary and we could not imagine a more perfect, peaceful way to escape from the real world.

Everything (repeat: Everything) is done first class from the moment they meet you at the airport to the moment you arrive and are greeted by what feels like your own personal concierge. There is no typical hotel lobby for check in. Instead you are taken on a tour of the property (margarita in hand) which concludes with your hotel room where the final check in takes less than a minute. From there you are on your own to enjoy the pleasures of Maroma - from the beautiful beach to the tasty drinks, the top-notch food, the spa, walking around perfectly cared for grounds....

This is one place where the pictures you have seen here and on the resort's website are the real deal. It looks just like you expect it to. And even though so many reviews speak about the friendliness of the service, you'll still be blown away. People like Moises, Sergio, Guillermo, Edgar, etc. (and Nancy and Jesus at the Tezmecal) are all wonderful, approachable and a delight to be around. Another thing that does not come through in the reviews is just how much space you'll have to yourself as it is a big property with limited rooms so you can pass the day without really noticing anyone else.

Yes, it's pricey but well worth it. We can't wait to go back.

The greeting you get when coming out of your private car from the airport. The are waiting for you with drink in hand and a warm smile. The reviews are mostly good but the few that are bad, I just don't understand. The staff does make an effort to know who you are and what you like. I stayed during the renovation of part of the resort, which was a concern of mine before going. However after e-mailing manager and travel agent contacting them i was assured that it would be ok. They were open and honest about the closure of one of the restaurants and we could hear some construction noise on one side of resort However this did not disrupt our trip. The resort staff was so attentive and concerned that we had a great time. The're modo was "handmade hospitality". This means handmade soaps in the bathroom, eco-friendly options on the whole resort, limited use of lights (candle light instead) so romantic. The food was mexican gourmet food. We also enjoyed a BBQ on the beach. This resort is immaculately clean. These people take pride in what they do. The spa is not to be missed. Ask what you wish and they try to get it for you.. This was not a inexpensive vacation but it is easy enough to see where your money was spent ! Breakfast on the balcony is the best, it arrives quick and always hot ! I will make this one of my top picks to return to. I was in a premium room on the second floor with a part ocean view and pool view. This room was on the lower end of price range. This room was large. If you are looking for quiet,romance,retreat, without television this is your place. There is a very relaxed atmosphere, and casual, however,they expect you to dress properly for dinner in dinningroom..This resort looks just like the photos on the website. I hope this will help...

My husband and I recently spent 10 days along the Mayan Riviera inspecting various hotels in the area. Maroma was by far our favorite. Located on a beautiful stretch of beach, this hotel offers a very romantic, and intimate setting for those looking to escape it all. Totally hidden away from the road, it's a 5-10 drive through the "jungle" down to the hotel which is located right on the beach (no high rise hotel here!). The rooms in the original section of the hotel are in several small buildings offering garden and ocean view rooms. The rooms are simply but elegantly decorated in a rustic mayan theme (think white stucco walls, mahogany furniture, creamy linens and mexican tiled floors). We had an ocean view room with a private patio complete with a breakfast table and hammock to retreat to when we'd had enough sun. The restaurant here offers the ultimate in gourmet cuisine and it really is an experience with the way they set up the dinner service. Lots of candles, soft music and a breeze coming in off the Caribbean sea. The Kinan Spa is large and offers a wide range of spa treatments. They also have yoga and other special classes for those looking to have a total wellness experience. While we found this resort to be very romantic, I could also see getting the girls together for a spa weekend here for total pampering. Especially in the newer section of the hotel that has more mainstream hotel accommodations.

Being a travel agent for 12+ years I've had the opportunity to experience hundreds of hotels around the the world. Maroma easily ranks in my top 10.

If you're considering a stay down in the Riviera Maya - this is an excellent choice. Feel free to contact me via email [-]. We are a luxury travel club and can offer exclusive discounted rates and amenities.