Ava Resort Cancun

“AVA may be our new favorite resort!”

This was our first trip to AVA & we were extremely pleased! Our butler team, Abraham & Estefania were fabulous, so attentive & took great care of all of us! We thought the food was fabulous, we loved the pools, the kids had so much fun at the water park, our drinks were great.... the list goes on … more

This was our first trip to AVA & we were extremely pleased! Our butler team, Abraham & Estefania were fabulous, so attentive & took great care of all of us! We thought the food was fabulous, we loved the pools, the kids had so much fun at the water park, our drinks were great.... the list goes on & on. The facility is beautiful! The only downside of AVA was the sargassum is bad right now, but that's nature. While at the pools it was completely unnoticeable. Next time I hope to visit the beach, but for this time the salt water bay was just fine!

less

“95% Excellent -- just some small things that the most discerning traveler should know before they go”

I just arrived home two hours ago from a quick stay at Ava. Before I write this review, you should know that I have very high standards. We travel well and believe that you get what you pay for. We are also solid cooks at home and appreciate a delicious, hard-to-replicate meal. The Best Parts of … more

I just arrived home two hours ago from a quick stay at Ava. Before I write this review, you should know that I have very high standards. We travel well and believe that you get what you pay for. We are also solid cooks at home and appreciate a delicious, hard-to-replicate meal. The Best Parts of This Resort: 1. It is clean, modern, and well-maintained. The rooms are small and pretty simple, but the beds and linens were excellent. The rooms have two amazing robes, a clothes steamer, and a magnifying make-up mirror, which I need. 2. Pool chairs/umbrellas are PLENTIFUL. I have truly never seen anything like this. There are so many to choose from even if you go later in the day. Also, the pools are incredible, and it definitely helps to make the non-usable ocean situation much more tolerable. 3. The hallways are fully enclosed, so no rooms that face an outside hallway, no slippery marble, etc. The hallways are carpeted and it makes for a very quiet resort. I barely heard anyone from our room. 3. The service was OUTSTANDING -- and this is at every counter, in every bar, every restaurant, and every interaction. Do not believe anyone who says anything otherwise. At the restaurant Bao, we had Fernando, who had great energy and was enthusiastic about the food he served, which was absolute perfection. At Chez Moi, Rafael and Xavier took so much time to talk with us about the Chef and the food -- the most impressive meal I've ever eaten on vacation, hands-down. I have been to France several times, but this French meal in Cancun blew us away. We also thoroughly enjoyed Jorge and Ricardo at Black Iron -- another perfect culinary experience. By the pool, it was Paulo and Mauricio who took such great care of us. We never had to search for them or go get a drink ourselves -- they were always right there. The entertainment was also very good, but we were only there for a few days, so we didn't get to fully delve into this part. 4. The resort is huge but it does not feel that way. We tried the monstrosity that is Moon Palace years ago and tried desperately to leave every single day. That place was a zoo -- the worst of the worst. This place manages to not feel huge even though it is. Important Things You Should Know Before You Go (or areas that might be disappointing): 1. Make dinner reservations before you go or the day you arrive. We were able to secure them upon arrival but couldn't get into the Italian restaurant even though we were told they take walk-ins. When we got to Veranda ten minutes before they opened, we were sent away. 2. The sargassum smell is not pleasant at first -- but that's almost everywhere in the Cancun area these days during summer months. They do have a lovely scent that is piped into the lobby and that does help. 3. Our room just never really got cold. They came and looked at it and we were told everything was working fine, but we were on the 3rd floor and sweating every night with our thermostat at the lowest setting. Other guests told us they had to turn theirs up because it was so cold in their room. Maybe this is related, but our room was so humid that it made everything feel damp -- our clothes, our sheets, our hair, etc. We've been to 10+ all-inclusives, and this has never happened to us before Ava. So maybe just make sure you aren't in room 306 south? 4. There are a lot of saved/reserved areas for their Legendary Vacation Club, so just beware that there are plenty of places you can't sit or swim because it is reserved for the timeshare people. However, there are always plenty of other places to swim and chairs are plentiful. Would I go again? Absolutely. I rarely say that about any resort. We think a sweet spot for resorts is 400-600 rooms, but they manage to make this feel pretty intimate. I never felt like I was among throngs of people -- and I don't do well in crowds, so that is saying something. Keep up the fantastic work, Ava. And keep those servers and cooks happy -- they are the reason we would return. Thanks for reading.

less

“What if the beach was better”

Had a great family stone the food was really good and the staff was great. Best message in my life was there so that was a bonus. The only negative is the beach don’t go there for the beach you will be be disappointed

“Pretty but stinks!”

Ava resort was beautiful and the food was amazing, however the staff and cleanliness was not what we were expecting at all. We were celebrating my husband’s birthday. We were so excited to get away. They greeted us with drinks and a birthday song/decor. Then it went downhill from there. The air co… more

Ava resort was beautiful and the food was amazing, however the staff and cleanliness was not what we were expecting at all. We were celebrating my husband’s birthday. We were so excited to get away. They greeted us with drinks and a birthday song/decor. Then it went downhill from there. The air conditioning was not working properly the first night. They came and fixed it by taking down a tile and removing some liquid from the ceiling. They did not clean up after themselves. It was late so we didn’t notice until morning. They came to clean upon request, but it was still dusty. They did not offer to switch our room. The towels were dirty. I found dried flowers from a previous stay, which made me wonder if they cleaned at all. There was a big cockroach in the spa changing room. The staff was rude when asked questions, as if we shouldn’t ask or we didn’t understand English. I thought initially it was a language barrier, but then I realized they were just being rude. Talking over me, repeating themselves, but not listening . I have never experienced this behavior at a resort or hotel and I have traveled to Mexico 6-7 times. We were unable to make any dinner reservations on our first night, but most of the restaurants were half empty. So we had to do walk ins for our meals. It was very odd. We were a few minutes late for our excursion and were asking for the address and contact information and were not helped, sent from person to person, then when we found someone to help they blamed us for being late and called security when my husband got frustrated. We ended up getting an Uber. The spa staff was rude too. We basically were told to leave after our massages even though we paid extra for hydrotherapy experience (which is typically included at most resorts). I had to ask the lady multiple times how to use the locker. She said “what are you doing?”. I literally had to go back to the front to get someone to approve the hydrotherapy. It was the worst experience of customer service. I was so shocked!! The ocean was brown due to the seaweed. Not a pretty view at all. The beach was not an option due to the seaweed. Hopefully that is a seasonal issue. Thankfully they have nice pools. Unfortunately, I would not visit this resort again due to the way the staff treated us. Oh and the horrible SMELL!! It smelled like we were near a sewer plant or something every time we went outside . The hallways on the hotel floors smelled moldy too. We were on the 7th floor and it still smelled moldy. Gorgeous resort, but the place and the attitudes stunk! It’s so pretty and the food is delicious, but the staff really ruined our experience. I could deal with the small stuff, even the smell, but being treated like trash is not acceptable. Usually we would be offered to switch rooms or comp a night or something, but we just kept hearing sorry. It’s like pretty lipstick on a pig. No, thank you.

less