Background:

Background:
I visited this resort with my husband in April 2017.

Summary:
Would I return to this resort? No, definitely not.
Would I recommend this resort? No, I do not recommend this resort. Try a different resort in this region, or try the U.S. Virgin Islands instead to avoid the hassle of international travel.

The positive:
-This resort is beautiful! It was recently renovated when we visited. The exterior colors of the buildings are bright and vibrant, and the Mayan art and other touches are nice and not overdone.
-We really enjoyed the jungle part of the resort. Walking through this and seeing all the animals was a highlight of staying here, and made walking from one end of the resort to the other fun, instead of drudgery.
-The beach area is immaculate and the staff obviously works hard to keep it that way.

The negative:
-The staff speaks Spanish almost exclusively. Some speak English, but we only found a few who spoke it well and understandably.
-Another very negative aspect of our trip was the food. The only options for breakfast and lunch are buffets, and the only dinner options are the same sub-par buffets, or if you make reservations at the fancier restaurants. The point of vacation is unscheduled life, so making reservations is the exact opposite of that, and we did not like it. Also, the food options at this resort make it almost impossible to accommodate people with food allergies.
-A very weird aspect of our trip was how the staff spoke exclusively to my husband, instead of addressing us as a couple. They would speak to me if I spoke to them, but it was obvious that they prefer addressing the man. This was very uncomfortable for both of us, and has been repellent to any of my female friends I have told.
-Another negative was how hard the resort pushes the Star Prestige membership. It is very confusing, especially when relayed in broken English, but essentially you pay them a membership fee in exchange for discounts on future stays at the resort and resort services. We tried to book a tour, and the resort staff instead tried to sell us the Star Prestige membership. To complicate matters, we purchased our resort stay online, and bought the Star Prestige upgrade package, so we thought we already had that when they tried to sell it to us. However, we didn t have the membership, just the upgrade package, so it was all very confusing until we figured that out.
-The gratuity policy is confusing at this resort. Tips are supposedly included in the resort price, but guests are encouraged to tip extra if they find the service especially top-notch. This leads to some guests getting better treatment than others. This is unfair for guests who do not come prepared to tip extra, and the staff should not be allowed to accept tips.
-Finally, the shuttle service from the resort to the airport, for which we paid extra, dropped us at the wrong terminal, despite arranging for the service in advance and confirming flight information. The driver did not have good enough English language skills to ask us for that information, or for us to confirm it with him. That cost us an extra $20 to get a cab to go to the correct terminal. The resort did refund this when we got home and complained, but it was very frightening and stressful to be in the wrong place at a large, unfamiliar international airport where the primary language is not your own.