Dos Playas Faranda

Everything was just great! Best regards to Apolinar ! Thank you for your kidness ❤️

We had a wonderful stay with our two little ones (ages 3 and 6), and everything exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to Yeing at the front desk. She helped us so much throughout our stay and was always warm, patient and quick to solve anything we needed. It really made a difference travelling with small children. The animation team at the pool deserves a mention too. The activities were fun and full of energy, and our girls were happy every single day. The evening show was the highlight for our daughter, she is still talking about it. And the peacocks walking freely around the grounds! That was such a magical touch for the kids and something we will always remember. We will definitely be back. Thank you for making our family holiday so special.

Location was on the beach bus routes easy accessible. The staff were amazing entertainment from Antonio (chocolatey) was great and inclusive for all the family. He always entertained everyone and got everyone to join in with activities. Enjoyed the aerobic classes each morning. Isobel and Brian were also very enthusiastic when delivering sessions of entertainment Amazing friendly bar man called Apolinar who made some brilliant cocktails and made drinks for the children’s requirements, always served us with a smile. Hose at the front office who went above and beyond to arranging pack lunches and taxi when needed.

It seems a bit of a shame to only give this resort a 3/5 rating as the staff and service has been excellent however it’s fully justified in my mind. Firstly, let’s go with the many positives - Food - excellent options all day, all made to a good standard, plenty of choices even for non-meat eaters. The main restaurant has many choices for the 3 times it’s open each day. You won’t go hungry. Aside from this restaurant, you also have a burger bar, pizza restaurant, Japanese, nachos, hot dogs, ice cream and other sweet treats during the day. You won’t go hungry. Staff - again, excellent. I don’t speak a huge amount of Spanish and mostly they don’t speak a huge amount of English but we got by. The service was efficient, friendly and always positive from reception to restaurant staff, to bar staff to cleaners. A real positive. Too many good examples to name them all however the likes of Johan in the restaurant was always friendly, made tables available, drinks were waiting when he saw us approach and Apolinar on the pool bar who encouraged plenty of tequila to be drunk! Service never dipped. Entertainment - pretty constant through the day at the pool bar. Had signs up for what was going on and runs through to 10pm most/all nights at a smaller outdoor area. A lot of the entertainment was geared up for Spanish speakers which was okay as it’s to be expected in that part of the world. Weirdly used a lot of AI songs when they did play English music and you will hear the same songs a lot! Beach and pools - plenty of options, beach is beautiful and the loungers are for the exclusive use of hotel residents though the beach is public. Sadly a lot of people leave a lot of litter around and the seaweed was a never ending battle for the resort staff to clear. The sea was clear and warm. Multiple pools around the venue for adults and children alike. Nothing huge and no flumes or jacuzzis or anything like that. There’s an array of wildlife around the resort which really was nice to see each day! The reason I gave this resort a 3/5 is simple, it’s had years of a lack of care by the look of it. Everything needs upgrading or fixing, and I don’t mean everything lightly, everywhere you look is in need of improving, painting or fixing which is a real shame. They do seem to have a team of maintenance and gardeners constantly doing things to fix the little issues but none of the big things, for example one of the pools had a lick of paint whilst we were there but it wasn’t done to a good standard. I suspect it would be too expensive and time consuming to deal with everything but it would very much benefit from improvement work and modernisation. It does appear from previous reviews that they take this feedback on board and try to improve things, for example the unsightly wall in the pool has now been covered by plastic plants, I doubt the actual problem has been fixed, just covered over to hide it. Other things like the Iguanas toilet tap in the men’s loo didn’t work for the whole two weeks I was there neither did the running machine in the gym. Things that could be easily fixed don’t appear to be dealt with. This could be a really decent resort if given the care it deserves. I’d also like to see more behaviour like smoking on a wooden deck by a pool stopped but it wasn’t challenged by anyone. Another improvement I’d like to see which would be quick to implement is communication around which restaurant is in use and the etiquette to be seated. On a few occasions Iguanas wasn’t open for the evening meal but there wasn’t any signage on the door telling you where to go instead. When we found they were using the beachside restaurant instead it wasn’t clear how to be seated as the person in charge was doing too many jobs at once. It needs clear signage and order to improve the process as people were expecting it to be the same style e.g. seat yourself for a buffet meal when it was a more formal approach with a menu and they had a book in place to seat people properly. I’d come back but I’d certainly like to see it in a better state if I returned!

Overall, we had a good stay. The beach is absolutely beautiful with clear water, plenty of beach chairs, and the staff did a great job cleaning up the seaweed each day. If you’re considering this resort, it’s important to know that it is more of a budget resort than a luxury resort, so setting the right expectations will help. A special thank you to Cesar, Jose, Johan, and Karen for their exceptional service. Johan always had our breakfast drinks ready as soon as we walked in, and Karen greeted us with a smile every day. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful, and the woman working in the resort shop gave us fantastic recommendations for places to visit. Unfortunately, there were several areas that could be improved. Our room was extremely outdated and had more of a hostel feel than a resort room. It overlooked the parking lot, there was a stained chair in the room, the shower drained very slowly (I felt the need to wear shoes while showering in the room), and the air conditioner leaked water onto the floor. We requested extra towels to manage the leak, and to the resort’s credit, the A/C was repaired the following day. It was also difficult to find staff who spoke English (hard to communicate basic needs), and we often found people outside the resort easier to communicate with. The guacamole class instructor was rude and extremely unwelcoming to guests who didn’t speak Spanish, the entire class was communicated in Spanish with zero translations. The drinks were weak and inconsistent depending on the bartender, and service at the beach bar was often slow even when no one else was waiting. The buffet lacked authentic Mexican food except on Thursday, and the schedule we received for the à la carte restaurants was inaccurate, as the Japanese restaurant never opened during our stay. We were also disappointed that taking a photo at the Cancún sign on the beach required paying $5 or booking an overpriced excursion. In addition, the staff member serving pizza was consistently extremely rude and very unfriendly. One thing future guests should know is that locals are permitted on the resort, and we also noticed people accessing the beach through the neighboring resort, which is currently under construction. Unfortunately, this sometimes resulted in garbage, including dirty diapers, being left near the rocks on the beach. Our biggest concern, however, was witnessing staff kick the resort’s peacocks (to get them away from certain locations) on multiple occasions. We hope management addresses this, as animals should always be treated with care and respect. Overall, the beautiful beach and several outstanding staff members made our vacation enjoyable, but there are definitely areas where the resort could improve. With better room maintenance, more consistent service, and attention to these concerns, this resort has the potential to provide a much better experience.