We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View all
Amy F
Ballwin, Missouri

Lovely resort, but no “WOW” Factor

3.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 7 Sept 2024via mobile
This was our first visit to Margaritaville. We normally stay at the Fives or other Karisma Resorts. We thought we’d try something new this time, and although the resort is lovely, we were “underwhelmed.” We were surprised to find that there is no beach - NOTHING. The steps from the pool deck just drop off into the sea, so it’s blocked off. The 5 o’clock Somewhere pool is the party pool, so lots of activity and swim up bar. It’s also quite warm - you can figure out why. The SOS pool and bar was much more sedate and COOL! Warning that there is very little shade, so take your time finding a good spot. The pool bartenders and waitresses were lovely and attentive.

Food was disappointing. Truly, there are just 2 restaurants and a Pub. Steakhouse was fine but a disappointment - get the tenderloin and avoid the gristly sirloin. Italian was fine, but nothing special. My husband did enjoy the Osso Bucco. The rest of the nights we just ate the buffet, which was average. Wait service in the buffet was poor - I started taking my own drinks. The resort was only about 30% full, which maybe affected the staffing.

Room was lovely and comfy. However, they don’t stock the fridge with snacks or drinks - you have to go to the shop and buy those. They give you points to use, but anything over is billed at checkout. I think that’s pretty tacky for as much as you pay to stay.
Date of stay: September 2024
Room Tip: Don’t expect a beach
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Problem with this review?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Nearby Hotels
Get rewarded with One Key
  • Booking.com
  • Expedia.com
    $463
  • travelup.com
7.9 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Enroll free for lower prices
  • Hotels.com
  • Expedia.com
    $500
  • Booking.com
10.9 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
$549
Fully refundable
Get rewarded with One Key
  • Booking.com
  • Hotels.com
  • Trip.com
11.6 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Enroll free for lower prices
  • Hotels.com
  • Expedia.com
    $642
  • Algotels
3.6 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Get rewarded with One Key
  • Booking.com
  • Official website
    $281
  • Priceline
4.6 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Enroll free for lower prices
  • Hyatt.com
  • Expedia.com
    $474
  • Hotels.com
6.0 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Enroll free for lower prices
  • Hotels.com
  • ZenHotels.com
    $510
  • Algotels
2.9 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
Enroll free for lower prices
  • Hotels.com
  • ZenHotels.com
    $528
  • Booking.com
4.2 km from Margaritaville Riviera Maya Resort- Adults Only
Free Wifi
Free parking
View more hotels in Puerto Morelos
Reviews (12)
Filter reviews
12 results
Traveller rating
6
2
3
0
1
Traveller type
Time of year
LanguageAll languages
Traveller rating
6
2
3
0
1
See what travellers are saying:
Selected filters
Filter
Updating list...
2 - 7 of 12 reviews
Reviewed 2 June 2024 via mobile

We’re sad to be leaving tomorrow but enjoyed our time here. We had wonderful meals and meet people from all over. Our Butler was Karen and Ervin and they went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed our vacation. Make sure you try the Chocolate Martini at the Salted Rim!

Date of stay: May 2024
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank Midmotravel
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 14 March 2024

Bear with this review - it improves. However the start was terrible. When we arrived at the resort we were not greeted with a welcome but asked for passports and a credit card. A welcome drink did arrive just at the time we were informed that the room we had a confirmed booking for was not available. This did not come with an apology, just a statement that we were being downgraded as our room had been overbooked and we would be in a twin room! Not our King size swim up suite. After a 10 hour flight this statement without apology was not appreciated and we asked to speak to a supervisor , who did at least find us a king size room (after the gentleman - I use the term loosely - had already told us the hotel was fully booked and no king rooms were available!). This was shockingly bad customer service for our first contact at the resort - it was one star service, not 5 star service. My wife and I are well traveled and we have never experienced such bad customer service at check-in anywhere in the world.
We were not provided with any orientation to the resort and we were not informed there was a points system to use in the coffee shop to get provisions for the minibar in your room.
The next day Dafne (an ambassador for the resort) found us and sorted out our move to room we had booked and she helped with orientation, getting the app (again not informed at check-in about this) and how to book the A La carte restaurants.
Once we got to our swim out suite - it was a rally nice room with a great outdoor terrace for sitting out and sunbathing.
Breakfast at the Boathouse was very good with lots of choice and Rosa the lady at the egg station was great and never flustered even if a queue built up.
Landhshark and Licence to Chill were good for outdoor lunch and the buffet at Boathouse was also open for lunch.
Evening meals in the Al La Carte Frank &Lolas or The Steakhouse were hit and miss.
Our first trip to Frank&Lolas was good with fresh well prepared food. Our second visit was terrible ( we walked out before the service had finished). The service the second time was painfully slow and the food when it did arrive was burnt and should not have actually been served - we went to the buffet instead!
The Steakhouse was better with good service each time we went - The food itself was again sometimes better than others. There was also an extra charge for some of the steaks and other offerings. WE are used to Excellence or Secrets hotels where all of the menu is included such as lobster and tenderloin / fillet steak.
You could always find something to eat in the buffet if all else failed.
Landshark was great with a good atmosphere and very good pub food such as burgers, onion rings and fries. In the evening they did sometimes have live bands that we entertaining with a good atmosphere.
There was an overall lack of evening entertainment with no shows for the guests in the evening, just a guitarist/violinist/saxophonist at salted Rim occasionally.
The hotel did do the Superbowl well, rigging up a big screen outside as well as being able to watch at Landshark.
The final A La Carte restaurant was not yet open and it showed. The hotel was busy and there were not enough options for everyone.
The Bars in the day were great and able to cope with the numbers of guests. A few times in the evenings Salted Rim (the main hotel bar) was overwhelmed and the staff could not keep up with numbers of guests. There were long waits to get a drink.
There were no outside bars open in the evenings.
Dafne was great and helped out with information throughout our stay and she kept checking on us. Unfortunately after the way we were treated when we arrived the rest of the holiday was a little tainted.
The lack of entertainment in the evenings and inconsistent service - particularly in Frank & Lolas mean we would not return here. There are much better resorts in Mexico at the same price range, including other Karisma Resorts.

Room tip: Book the A la Carte's early as they get busy.
Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank RussG
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 March 2024

My wife and I just spent two weeks at this beautiful new, all inclusive resort by Karisma. We enjoyed our stay as the service, facilities, and food was excellent. We felt most welcomed by the outstanding staff who gave us great service wherever we went and made us aware that we were appreciated. Our butler, Armando, checked in with us daily to help us with dinner reservations and any other needs. We rate Armando as one of the best butlers that we ever had as six year members of Prestige Travelers. We made use of the well equipped fitness center and the great Spa which gave us the most relaxing massages. We will return.

Room tip: The resort has several large pools with plenty of lounge chairs, umbrellas, and towels for all guests.
Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank Jim S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 February 2024

If you are a person that wants to lay out in the sun and hang out in a pool all day drinking then this resort is for you. If you want to walk the beach or go exploring, then this is not the resort for you.
We stayed 6 nights, recommend asking for a room that overlooks the pools, all of those have an ocean view. We were in room 325 which had a great view. The rooms are clean, beds are very comfortable, with fridge, iron and board, hairdryer, bar area with variety of cocktail glasses, in all rooms. You cannot drink the water from the bedroom sinks, but they do give you plenty of bottled water.

Food was good, recommend the JWB Steakhouse and Frank and Lola’s. You need to make reservations as soon as you arrive as they book quickly. The breakfast buffet was excellent, with a wide variety of food.
There was not much day time entertainment, you make your own fun. There is NO BEACH, the resort literally sits right on the water. We love to walk beaches, and did so 4 days, but it is a little treacherous with the rocks and you definitely need water shoes.

The Landshark Bar had some good nightly entertainment and we enjoyed sitting on their deck oceanside for drinks and dinner. It is an adults only resort, so nice not to have kids running around.

Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
2  Thank MargaretShanghai
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 14 February 2024

My sister and I just returned from our stay for 10 nights in a Oceanfront Paradise Swim Up Studio at Margaritaville Beach Resort by Karisma, Riviera Maya, Adults Only. I have given the review a 3 rating due to the fact that most travel sites has this listed as a 5 star resort rating and this is not near any of the other 5 star resorts I have visited in the Riviera Maya (i.e. TRS (both), Haven, Valentin Imperial, Excellence, Xcaret Arte, Iberostar Grand Paraíso & Paradisus La Perla) just to name a few. Don’t get me wrong this is a lovely & clean resort, the room was very nice (with the exception of the FREEZING Swimout pool) and all the staff were very welcoming, however given the various annoyances listed below that have been experience at every other 5 star Riviera Maya Resort, this should be rated as a 4 star and priced accordingly as well.

Annoyances (Again considering a 5 star Rating & Current Pricing)
None of the pools are heated & are FREEZING!!!!
No resort & room overview by assigned resort ambassador, nor any followup/check in after resort check-in
No slippers or flip flops to use in the tiled rooms or swimout patio especially when wet & slippery
Very limited Room Service Menu
Lunch restaurants continuously running out of food options (some option weren’t available for 7 plus days)
Limited restaurant options, especially for dinner
When the resort with the rooms that are currently open was fully occupied, there weren’t enough servers whether at the pool, pool bars or restaurants. On 2 evenings it took us over 2 ½ hrs to obtain our complete order and finish our dinner
No bags or baskets available in Joe’s Merchant when selecting room provisions
Need to carry room provisions from Joe’s Merchant back to own room
Pretty much only 1 evening entertainment option (band & Dj in the LandShark bar/restaurant)

I would like to call out employees that were always pleasant and made you feel special when encountered: Mari P. our assigned house keeper & Angel at the Salted Rim bar.

Would we return to Margaritaville Beach Resort by Karisma, Riviera Maya, Adults Only in the future, No unless the pools become heated and the pricing reflect more of a solid 4 star resort.

Room tip: Don't waste the money on a Swimout as the pools are freezing & basically unbearable to swim in.
Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank AuntieRobin
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
View more reviews