After having spent 2 weeks at Catalonia Playa Maroma, this is our review.
Except for the a la carte restaurants, resort is in dire need of renovations.
Lobby is dingy with very worn out furniture/couches and chipped cement everywhere. No fans above the tables of the lobby bar making it very uncomfortably hot, whether day or night. Buffet leaves a lot to be desired. Something was off & tasted weird with most of the food, including desserts. A huge disappointment. Service & friendliness on the left side of the Buffet (near smoothie/orange juice bar-(mornings) was so so. They enjoyed chatting amongst themselves more than paying attention to their guests needs. Whole resort is kind of rundown looking & needs to be revamped. Not enough bartenders at the beach bar. Most times of the day there is a line-up , while the other bartenders are busy preparing drinks for servers who mostly go around the Privilege side beach and sometimes poolside too. Air conditioning is a major problem in most blocks & rooms. Don't be fooled into changing to another room. Check out the other rooms they offer you, chances are is the air conditioner is still a problem & probably even worse than your original room. Lobby bar closes at 11pm and then disco bar takes over till 1am. Lobby & Buffet too far for people from the pool or beach, it is quite a trek for those who want a bit of air conditioning at lunch time.
No bellboy between 11pm-7am. Was stuck trying to ask for favors at guest services & night manager on how to get my luggage down 3 floors and the trek all the way to the lobby in scorching hot temperatures because no bellboy was available on my 6:30am departure. Thank goodness they came thru for us.
Rooms were small. I really don't know how families with kids were able to have a comfortable stay. The biggest disappointment for us was the beach. Do not be fooled by reviews on Tripadvisor or Facebook groups saying that Maroma beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Yucatan Peninsula, this is simply not true. We have been to Riviera Maya many times, as well as other beaches in the Caribbean & we both agreed that the beach was not our favorite. After spending 2 weeks there and on the calmest of waters & sunniest days, we never saw our feet in 2 to 3 feet of water. One would have to go in the deep end to maybe have a bit of clearer water. No snorkeling at this beach, that was for sure. We tried several times but no success. In speaking with the locals, they all confirmed that Maroma beach is not the best around in the area. Also, the way the beach is positioned with the palm trees, you kind of lose the sun around 4: 30pm. Do watch out for the jellyfish. My husband and other guests got stung quite a bit. This would happen on a regular basis, so be careful. This kind of forced us to use the pool more often than i would of liked, as we are more beach people. Being a Catalonia rewards member is a joke with this chain. I will say no more on that topic. Please, please avoid making the same mistake that we did of being promised gifts in order to attend a sales meeting of about 3 hours in order to join the Exclusive Travellers Club. Natalia lied to us by calling our room and saying she was the hotel supervisor and wanted to meet up with us to make our stay more enjoyable. In the end, it was just a person having to fill up a quota to attend a meeting with some people. We were promised a beach bag (not true), plus a $1000 travel voucher which could be used in the future at all Catalonia hotels within the next 12 months. When we finally got our email voucher, it was only good till Dec. 31, 2024. Therefore, all kinds of lies. At the beginning they seemed to want to be your best friends but when we confronted them about all of this, they didn't seem to want to help you with anything & would avoid you. Shame on you!
On days when seaweed was present, we did notice that when the hotel would pick up & drag the sargassum, they would drop it right in front of the Exclusive Traveller Section of the beach. So the guests who are paying for a special service are the ones who have the smell of decaying seaweed right in front of their beach. The neighboring hotels would pick up the seaweed completely with a special type of truck and there would be no trace of seaweed anywhere. Catalonia should take notes from this. Honestly, Catalonia's beach was almost always full of seaweed while the 2 hotels on each side cleaned up their beaches quite nicely.
The seating at the theatre were basically benches with no back support & nowhere to put your drinks. The entertainment program was the same on week 2 as week 1. Same singers and dancers each night. We were not very impressed.

Good points about the hotel:
-So many dining options, with great food, beautiful décor, fast service & easy reservation system. This kind of saved our vacation. Thank goodness.
-Guest services came through for us quite a few times & took the time to follow up. Thank you very much to Arely & Consuelo!! Great job!
-Other than the beach bar, no real line ups anywhere, which was great.
-You have to try the Nutella crepes...omg!
-Privilege side of the beach is the way to go. Would go around 11am almost every morning & no problems finding a lounger. Although they are bunched up against one another.
-Nice hammocks on the privilege side. We spent lots of time there. Such beautiful scenery! It was a nice touch.
-Rooms were extremely clean. Some of the cleanest i have ever seen. Bedsheets always looked & smelled fresh with plenty of pillows. Mattresses looked new and was quite comfy.
-Pool was clean and nice, although a few tiles were missing.
In conclusion, an okay place but not one of our favorites due to the reasons mentioned above. Going Privilege was the right decision for us, giving us the option of using Beloved on a regular basis.
Happy & safe travels everyone, no matter your decision!

Issue #1: Air Conditioning Malfunction
During my recent stay, I encountered significant issues with the air conditioning in my room. Despite the high temperatures outside, the room temperature remained uncomfortably above 28 degrees Celsius. Although the staff offered to change my room, the new accommodation experienced the same issue. I was informed that Building #6's proximity to the beach contributed to the air conditioning inefficiency. However, I believe this explanation does not justify the discomfort experienced. The excessive heat severely impacted my ability to sleep, detracting from what was meant to be an enjoyable vacation.
Issue #2: Safety Hazard in Hallway
Additionally, while walking in the hallway, I sustained a serious injury when I stepped on a nail that had been left on the floor. The nail penetrated my sandals and sock, causing significant bleeding and pain. I promptly contacted the front desk, and a manager, security personnel, and medical assistance arrived to address the situation. The following day, I noticed that maintenance was addressing the area; however, it was concerning that a nail was left on the floor, leading to my injury. This lack of attention to safety is unacceptable and further disrupted my vacation experience. The pain from this injury prevented me from fully enjoying my time at the resort, including access to the swimming pool.

We had dinner at the Italian restaurant The food was very good and the staff was very attentive Claudia and Theodoro were very nice and gave us great service The Tiramisu Martini is highly recommended we will dry come back again during our vacation this week