Viva Azteca by Wyndham

Just returned from trip to Viva Azteca by Wyndham. We booked using Wyndham points for 4 nights. We were disappointed with our stay and would not return. First the good points. The points and/or cash price for this hotel is pretty low. It is 15,000 points per night or less than $200 per night if paying by cash in September which is low for an all-inclusive resort. The food was also pretty good. The buffet always had something decent to eat and the specialty restaurants, when you eventually get seated and are served your food, was good. The bad. The beach is terrible with the sargassum / seaweed. It makes swimming or even staying near the beach with the terrible smell difficult. Also, there are not enough shaded beach chairs. There is a "VIP" section with parasols for timeshare owners but the hotel guests get palm trees with almost no shade. The fight for the beach chairs is also the worst I've seen -- and this was during the shoulder season. The pool is terrible. The water was hot and dirty. It felt like trying to swim in warm urine. The pool area chairs were impossible to secure and very few even had shade. The rooms were ok but the balcony really doesn't exist. What I mean is that the balcony is about 15 inches wide and is primarily for decoration. You really can't use the balcony even to dry your swimsuit because there are no chairs or hangers (they won't fit). In my opinion the worst part of about this hotel is some of the staff. I've been to Mexico quite a bit. Some resorts are better than others but this is the only resort I can remember where I had negative encounters with several staff members. First, there was one front desk lady (I will keep her name confidential) who was just obnoxious and would not do her job. I was trying to get two reservations connected for a seamless stay and after she spent 10 minutes blaming me, I literally had to slide over to her colleague so that she can help me (which she did). Also, I had multiple catamaran boat rides cancelled. You have to book them early in the morning and show up at a specific time. Both time, I was told that "bad weather" wouldn't allow me to ride the boat. Nevermind that there were other catamaran boats riding perfectly fine. I think it is the staff who are lazy or they are understaffed. Even if the weather was the reason, the whole process of signing up, getting ready, and coming back to again be denied took hours of my vacation time. This can be solved with using an app or text. I felt that the resort stole my vacation time. Anyway, I don't often write bad reviews but this resort left me with a bad feeling. I would not return.

I don’t usually write reviews but I had a disappointing stay at this resort. The resort itself could have been okay, good location, and the housekeeping, restaurants, bar, and buffet service were fine. Unfortunately, a couple of staff interactions ruined the experience. The kids’ club sign by the door says it is open from 8am–6pm, but every time I go they seem to be closed. We were also told to leave about three times because staff were taking kids either to meals or walk around the resort - sometimes just one kid. Also on one visit, we came and my 1-year-old played with toys that were already scattered on the floor, after about five minutes, we were asked to leave (to close again) and told to put away toys that were already there before we walked in. We had to explain we just got here and the toys were already all over the floor nor do we know where they go. I felt unwelcome and uncomfortable with how kids’ club staff spoke about us behind our backs after the second visit. I understand that the club mostly caters to children 4 years and over, so if your child is under that age and you want to bring them there to play with you, the staff may not be too welcoming, so don’t rely on having this club available. At the pool towel hut, the male attendant with the big hair was rude too. (The female attendant was fine.) He was already staring at me angrily as I approached the window, I exchanged a towel, gave my room number, and said thanks. After I walked away, he yelled “YOU’RE WELCOME!!!” sarcastically. I’ve never experienced such targeted rudeness. We’ve stayed at other Viva resorts before and had been thinking of becoming members. After this, obviously not. We won’t be joining and would never stay at another Viva. It’s unfortunate how a couple of staff ruined a family vacation. The pool was also very warm, and you can’t cool down and swim at the beach because of the sargassum. I do not recommend this resort.

Super food, amazing service and beautiful place!! 10/10 thanks Luis for the service

The location was great in the quiet but not small neighborhood Playacar. It is very close to Playa Del Carmen town and activities. The hotel was pretty, clean and the room was nice. The staff were friendly and the food was great too.

Pros : Lovely holiday. Staff friendly and hard working. Rooms and communal areas spotless. Drinks good quality, make the cocktails with actual fruit. Plenty of choice in restaurants and served hot. Great position on the beach. Loads of sun loungers always available on the beach. Pool towels included. Can use the sister hotel at the Maya. Pool party is brilliant fun. Short walk to a parade of shops. Cons : no aircon in the main restaurant. Black iron chairs in the restaurant and courtyard can leave black marks on your clothes. Pool turns lighter swimwear lime green. Loads of clothes ruined. Bring dark swimwear if you want to wear it again