Viceroy Riviera Maya

Not a 5 Star Resort, After reading reviews from past guests, I noticed that several people mentioned being able to request a particular villa and having Viceroy accommodate those requests. Based on those reviews, I contacted Reservations immediately after making my reservation—approximately three months before our arrival. My request was very simple. I wanted a villa within the price range I had booked, but I specifically did NOT want one located along the main path. The main path runs directly through the property from reception to the pool, beach, and restaurants, meaning guests are walking past the villas. I asked about a couple of villas that appeared to be on quieter, more remote paths. The response I received the next day was that the villas I had requested would require an upgrade and an additional charge. I had no interest in paying extra for an upgraded villa, so I asked Reservations to recommend a villa within my existing price range that was not located on the main path. Despite making a very reasonable request, I never received a response. At that point, I decided to wait and reach out again closer to our arrival, assuming that management would have a better idea of which villas would be available two weeks before our stay. Two weeks before arriving, I contacted them again and asked whether three specific villas were available for our dates. By this point, I had done my homework and knew exactly which villas fell within my price range. Their response was incredibly frustrating. They told me that two of the villas were outside my price range and would require an additional charge. They completely ignored the third villa I had specifically asked about. I then asked about another villa. They told me that it was within my price range, but said they would have another unit available for us when we arrived. They also assured me that they would take all of my comments and preferences into consideration when assigning our villa. So, I trusted them. That trust turned out to be a mistake. When we arrived, we were taken to Villa #11. The villa itself was beautiful, but the location was absolutely unacceptable given everything I had communicated to them. There was a window from the neighboring villa looking directly into ours, completely destroying any sense of privacy or remoteness. And, unbelievably, our villa was located right on the main path—the exact thing I had repeatedly told them I wanted to avoid. What made this even more infuriating was that the resort was nowhere near full. It wasn't even half occupied, so it was obvious that there were plenty of vacant villas available. After three months of communicating with Reservations, explaining exactly what we wanted, following up again two weeks before arrival, and being assured that our preferences would be taken into consideration, this was the villa they chose for us. I was absolutely disgusted. The next day, I went to management to express how disappointed and upset I was. They apologized and said they would see what they could do. They eventually offered us another villa and took us to see it. And once again, they completely missed the point. The replacement villa was larger, but it was AGAIN located directly on the main path. At this point, it became painfully obvious that management simply wasn't listening to us. We had clearly and repeatedly explained that we wanted a villa away from the main path and in a more remote, private location. Instead, they kept offering us villas that were the exact opposite of what we had requested. For a property that presents itself as a five-star resort, this level of customer service is simply unacceptable. I again explained to them that our original villa was on the main path, lacked the privacy and remoteness we had specifically requested, and even had a window from the neighboring villa looking directly into ours. Yet once again, they seemed incapable—or unwilling—to actually listen to what the customer was telling them. It was beyond frustrating. Listening to your guests should be one of the most basic qualities of a five-star property. By this point, both of us were so disgusted with how management had handled the situation that we declined the replacement villa. And frankly, I didn't even want to ask them to show us another option because my confidence in management had dropped to zero. The most disappointing part of the entire experience wasn't the villa itself—it was the complete failure of management to listen, follow through, or deliver on the very reasonable request they had assured us they would take into consideration. After months of communication and repeated assurances, we were given essentially the exact opposite of what we had asked for. That is an incredibly poor way to treat guests, particularly at a property that considers itself a five-star resort.

Did I mention that the restaurant is the gem of this property. The chef deserves at least one michilen star, I'd give him two. Everything they served was great and just when I thought they could not top themselves it got better. I agree with all the other reviews praising the property. We have stayed at four seasons hotels a few times, and the staff here knocks them out for 1/2 the price or less. No the resort may not be quite as luxurious but you can only take so much luxury, meaning I don't want to be treated like royalty makes me uncomfortable. Here at the vice roy they are super attentive but they feel like family all the staff does. That's because they are during your stay your family. They really do deep down care for you like a visiting relative that they want to make feel at home.