Iberostar Waves Quetzal

Good location in Playacar. Excellent beach: very long and large. Hotel is generally quite nice and just as we expected for a 3.5-style hotel in the area. Mostly we ate at the buffet and were satisfied although most nights it was pretty average food. Breakfasts were the best for hot and fresh as well as a wide variety. Really appreciated having Mexican food available at all the buffet meals. We were not very impressed with the amount of flies that sometimes came to the food set out on the buffet. Luckily this was only sometimes and we avoided those food choices. Dark walkways through interior of hotel grounds during day with very uneven limestone and cobblestones. These walkways are extremely dark at night time despite some sporadic lighting. Can be quite a hazard for tripping. The walkway on the outside of the hotel is actually the service road, facing the neighbouring hotel. This is the best place to walk to and from the lobby-beach. This is also where the carts come and pick you up and drive your around the hotel. This is an excellent service. Just call 0 and ask for pick up or ask a staff member near pool. Loved the size of the pool. Pretty darn deep in the centre. We cannot figure out why this was done this way. Same as the stairs to enter the big pool. Rarely had railings for safety and WOW did they ever have a huge, 2 foot+ drop off on the last step as you entered. WOW! Not safe. Not smart. Hopefully the renovations will attend to these two things. Staff were always friendly and always very helpful, right from check in to check out. We always tip and left tips for housekeeping and all wait staff; cart drivers. This was clearly appreciated. Had a room in building 21 facing service road. We felt very lucky we got a room that was bright and got some sunshine! Our room was comfortable, had been updated but not fully renovated we're told. Clean. Quiet. Convenient to pool and beach. Second building inland from the beach, actually. Most of this hotel, especially on the ground floor has dark and then very dark rooms. We are including some photos of the room blocks for you. Like us, many people ask which rooms are where. Hope this helps. Coffee availability. This was a problem for us. We love our morning coffee. Although there was a coffee machine in our room (which we used), there was no cream or even a coffee mate-type product available. I asked and was told 'no, not available at all'. Ugh. Honestly there should be somewhere right nearby at the ice cream stand, or the beach bar that could put the coffee on for at least 7 am! Please!!!!! This is bad! It was a very long way back up the hill to the buffet and we were not inclined to go there just for a coffee. Many of us like a coffee while we are getting ready for the day .... prior to going to breakfast. Please. Really loved the animals we saw. This was one of the reasons we went to this hotel. We appreciate this hotel cares about and that they are considerate and thoughtful about the animals on their property. Lots of opportunities for pictures of flora and fauna. Also pleased that the guests all seemed to respect the animals, too. We did need to see the House Doctor (but this had nothing to do with the hotel whatsoever: it was personal). The Dr. was available in the office by the lobby. He was professional, helpful, reassuring and gave excellent advice & recommended a treatment.

I agree the rooms are a bit dated, but it did not impact the experience in any way.they were still clean and comfortable. All staff was nice and supportive. Jungle surroundings, beach, facilities, all helped to create really good memories.

The hotel is good when it comes to the rooms – they were always very clean and well maintained. The area around the hotel is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. A big plus for cleaning the seaweed on the beach every day. Unfortunately, the service is very inconsistent. Some staff members are friendly and helpful, but others are quite unpleasant – even tipping doesn’t always make a difference. I also noticed that the quality of drinks depends on tips – when you tip, better alcohol is used, but without tips they use the cheapest options, making the drinks almost undrinkable. The lady at the beach snack bar was particularly unfriendly and didn’t follow proper hygiene standards (handling food with bare hands), which completely put us off eating there. Another downside is the pushy reception staff, who try very hard to sell the loyalty program. Even though we clearly indicated during online check-in that we were not interested, the topic kept coming back. What’s worse, staff entered our room under the pretense of “program benefits,” leaving things like champagne, bathrobes, slippers, and hats – despite us not agreeing to join. On the positive side, the food was excellent – the Italian cuisine was delicious, and the Japanese restaurant was a very enjoyable experience.

Info about us: we were traveling as a family of 3 on our honeymoon. We have a 6 month old baby and are in our early 30s. My husband also has a severe peanut allergy. We were there from April 9 - 16th. Check in process: the bus ride to the hotel took approximately 1h. The check in process was a little odd because we booked at the Iberostar waves Quetzal and the bus driver dropped us off at the Toucan. Once we arrived we notified the employee at the reception that it was our HoneyMoon, he proceeded to upgrade (he told us to just give him a good tip) us to a near pool room (2149), he only had 2 double beds room and told us to call zero to request a crib. Check in took approx 20min which was nice. We then took a transport to the Quetzal site. Room: the room location was fantastic, we were steps away from the pool, and although we were disappointed to not have a queen bed on our honeymoon it turned out good because the crib we got was broken and not really something I was comfortable putting down my son in (my baby rolls and moves ALOT in his sleep and he would have hurt himself on the wooden bars). So he ended up sleeping with me in one bed and my husband in another. The rooms had a bad rep on trip advisor but I found them lovely, very clean, well maintained and although the mattresses could use an upgrade, it was fine for a week. The shower water heat was a little odd, it would go in waves from the temp you set it at to hot and then cold, but it wasn’t a big deal for us. The AC worked well and we liked that there was a fan in the room. Room cleanings were done between 12-2 which was also fine for us. The HUGE downside for us was that our room was facing the resort next door where their night performance was, so from 9-11pm it was LOUD. And I mean LOUD LOUD. Luckily our baby didn’t wake but I did haha because of that I’d rate the room a 7/10. I also don’t think they cleaned the shower every day which was a little disappointing. Staff: everyone was lovely, kind and attentive. The staff took pride in their work and it showed. The resort was very well maintained, I didn’t see a single piece of trash all week. Aside from the odd comment to tip to get an upgrade id rate the staff 9/10. They wanted us to go to an info session about the hotel, I had read reports of them trying to upsell us a time share so we didn’t go. A couple we meet told us they were given the tour and it lasted over 2:30h!!! I’m glad we didn’t do it. Food: my husband has a peanut allergy and upon checking in they gave us an allergy card to show the chef before each meal. Some chefs were better than others at grasping the seriousness of a SEVERE peanut allergy. If your allergy is airborne would advise in finding another resort - there were ALOT of peanuts and I’m talking about open platters of peanut butter and bowls of peanuts at every meal. They also used peanut oil for some sauces. Aside from the allergy food was good, I had a lot of the traditional Mexican food which was amazing. We aren’t picky eaters so we always found something. We noticed later that around 12:30 there was a specialty meal around the beach area - it looked incredible. When I noticed it it was tacos! We rate the food 8/10. Resort: I’m actually quite impressed with the resort. The grounds are impressive to say the least, the wildlife was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The gardeners worked so hard to keep everything perfect and their hard work pays off because again, ive never seen anything like this resort. So I’d give a 10/10. Drinks: drinks were good, but im breastfeeding so I didn’t try any with alcohol. Beach: ok so the beach is long, the sand is amazing. But it’s lacking sun shade. Unless you get up at 6:00 to reserve a sun shade, you aren’t getting a spot. Not that it mattered for us, but 7 days the red flag was up and the waves were massive. There were also mountains of seaweed, it might have just been the time of the year. But the staff couldn’t keep up with the removal because they were just too much. Either way, we went to the pool because it’s easier with the baby. So I’d rate 2/10 but it’s no one’s fault really. Pool: I LOVED that the bar pool was separate from the main pool, there was also a quiet pool and then the main pool. We had to get up around 6:00 to reserve a chair otherwise we wouldn’t have a spot. The pools were clean and well maintained. I’d give the pools a 9/10. I wish they had more shaded areas again. We loved our stay, we were a little sad they are renovating the grounds next month, I hope they keep the hotels charm, it’s unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. This hotel really has something special and I hope it doesn’t loose it with the modernization.

Living among the wildlife was an experience... they just went around as it is their home as well. I totally enjoyed walking through the jungle each day to wherever we were going. The beach was warm and inviting. The staff worked hard to remove the sargassum every day. We did get up early to place our towels and get a palapas. One day someone in an authority position removed towels around us after a few hours of people not showing up-I really felt it should have been done ALOT more. A real treat of this resort is that there are designated smoking areas so no butts about-just saw two on the beach. Personally felt that the food was some of the best I have experienced in an all inclusive- and I have been to a few. The downside of the resort was the room-third floor and we had to have lights on ALL the time. Outlets are limited but doable. Would I go back-YES but request a second floor room

Love it so much here! Been coming here for 7 years and keep coming back. Great to see the ocean and the absolutely amazing staff. I am currently on vacation from April 8th to 20. I just found out there is no longer a white party! So sad that after these years they cut it. Definitely my favorite night and always a big hit with other guests too. Hope they will bring it back!

We stayed in the connecting family rooms, the resort grounds are lush and full of animals. The Wildlife Issue: We had a peahen nesting on one deck, she never left, and a peacock living on the other. Because of the "mess" left behind and the incredibly loud screaming throughout the night, our patios were completely unusable. Google there, noise. Unfortunately, I cannot upload a video here. Beautiful to look at, but did not sign up to having them permanently on our patio. Room Quality: The rooms are very dated. The sheets felt low-quality, there were no power outlets by the beds, and our bathroom had a permanent septic odor. We ended up using the bathroom in the kids' room just to avoid the smell. Also, the smoke detector blinks constantly right over the pillow—not great for sleeping. Service & Food: There is no room service. If you want coffee before 7:00 AM, you can only use room one. After 7, you can only get it at the buffet and have to transport it in a plastic cup if you want to take it with you. After 8 you can get coffee at the bar, but are not allowed to take your cup to your room. We even tried to order a Pina Colada at the pool, but they "didn't have the ingredients." The "Voucher": We thought the hotel was compensating us for the trouble of not being able to use our deck with a $600 voucher, but it turned out to be a bait-and-switch for a timeshare presentation. Will never go back, mostly because they tried to make it better with a voucher that required us to go to a timeshare meeting.