Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun By Karisma

“Love Margaritaville”

This resort is perfect for more mature travellers who want to enjoy a quiet trip with great food and exceptional staff. The property is small and easy to navigate with great food options. Esther in the main restaurant is exceptional. She connects with guests on a personal level and is a lovely hum… more

This resort is perfect for more mature travellers who want to enjoy a quiet trip with great food and exceptional staff. The property is small and easy to navigate with great food options. Esther in the main restaurant is exceptional. She connects with guests on a personal level and is a lovely human. We receive great service from Luis, Antonio, Mario in the al a carte and everywhere really. Olga who cleaned our room left it spotless and Greysi and Norma in the spa were fabulous therapists. The lounge bar is expertly served by Manuel who os a top notch bartender with a fabulous professional personality. We also lucked out with limited sargassum on the beach….the resort worked hard to keep it clear each day.

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“I just arrived and my first impression is awesomeness”

So I just arrived today at the Margaritaville resort and I have to tell you I am super impressed: for starter the hotel is gorgeous. The decor is outstanding and I want to give kudos to Cynthia at the reception and Johan as Ambassador: Cynthia accommodated my needs with an awesome professionalism, … more

So I just arrived today at the Margaritaville resort and I have to tell you I am super impressed: for starter the hotel is gorgeous. The decor is outstanding and I want to give kudos to Cynthia at the reception and Johan as Ambassador: Cynthia accommodated my needs with an awesome professionalism, and Johan give me a tour of the property very efficiently‼️ Then this evening I went to the boathouse. With had a Mexican buffet and a very nice show. Well, I give 150% to my first day

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“Annual Anniversary trip, Jimmy Buffet style”

We spent 7 nights at Margaritaville Island Reserve, this is our second time at this location. We had an Ocean View Paradise Room, and while the quarters are tight they are clean and efficient for two people. We loved having a ground level room as our patio had a walk way straight to the adult only … more

We spent 7 nights at Margaritaville Island Reserve, this is our second time at this location. We had an Ocean View Paradise Room, and while the quarters are tight they are clean and efficient for two people. We loved having a ground level room as our patio had a walk way straight to the adult only pool. The grounds are beautifully kept, and while their is some wear on the buildings everything is beautiful. The resort was undergoing some maintenance while we were there, painting and such, we are hoping that the pools may be updated as well as there are loose tiles that need replaced. There are only 3 restaurants for dinner, one is a buffet most nights that they theme to whatever activity they have going on. We did not care for the buffet at all, but the ala cart menus had enough on them that we did not get bored with the selections. Our only two complaints would be the inconsistency and quality of the liquor, Absolut is seems to be their top brand of vodka, and they have the flavored versions, but each bar has a different flavor as a free option then other flavors you must pay for. It was a bit confusing. And aside from Jack or Jim, the whiskey/bourbon selection was non existent. The evening nightlife is a bit lacking as well, on our first stay there was karaoke and live music nightly. They now rely on a DJ each night, which was not very good, and aside from that there was little going on. Overall we had a great stay though and would recommend this resort to anyone looking for a very laid back and relaxing vacation.

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“7/10. Long review if you like details!”

7/10. Check in was very quick and easy. Room: We stayed in 917 having requested a quiet room prior to our arrival. It was incredible. We had a suite with a bathtub which I used several times, and the hotel provided bubble bath and salts. The balcony was huge. We were provided with about 6 bottl… more

7/10. Check in was very quick and easy. Room: We stayed in 917 having requested a quiet room prior to our arrival. It was incredible. We had a suite with a bathtub which I used several times, and the hotel provided bubble bath and salts. The balcony was huge. We were provided with about 6 bottles of water every day, then any other bits we could choose from the shop. I liked this system. We had about 19,000 points for 2 people for 7 days and we had plenty. We mostly used them for cartons of chocolate/strawberry milks, cans of Coke (or Coke Zero) and sometimes a snack (but they weren’t great and the selection was quite limited). Food and Drink: Rita’s Taco House is undoubtedly the best. It’s open for lunch 12:00-17:00 everyday. This is the place to go to if you’re a foodie! Stunning tacos and refreshing Margaritas with beach views. Bliss. The Beach House (main restaurant) could be improved. Breakfast is a small buffet. The hot food didn’t stay warm, so that was usually disappointing. However, a few days in, we realised you can order off a menu, which meant the food was cooked fresh to order. This was significantly better. I requested pancakes with banana and maple syrup on a few days and they were perfect. The pancakes in the buffet were cold and dry. The buffet also had cinnamon French toast, which was very nice, but again, just never hot enough. There were branded boxes of cereal (you need to ask for milk at the table) and an egg station with freshly cooked eggs to order which was very good. The breads and pastry options were limited, more variety would be good! The Mexican options were also good. The coffee was pour over and better than the coffee shop, more consistent at least. We tried an evening meal here once and it was terrible. I ordered chicken quesadillas which were bland and had American burger cheese in. Not good. The main was a piece of fish with rice and greens. The greens were iceberg lettuce, and it was very bland and under seasoned. Frank & Lola’s and Latino: Fortunately these were much better than the main restaurant for evening meals. However, it got quite samey. A Mexican restaurant or Rita’s at night would have been ideal! The Italian was fresh made pastas which were pretty good. Portions were a bit polite, only 3 clams in a spaghetti vongale. Latino was our favourite. Pleasant sushi and nice grills. The portions were much bigger here. We tried the steak, octopus, shrimps, fish and chicken. All were cooked nicely and well presented. Desserts were of the same quality across all the restaurants. They were nothing special. Key Lime pie and churros at Rita’s were the favourites. Coffee Shop: Great concept, varying quality. If you just want coffee or like the syrupy specials you get at Starbucks, you’ll love it. If you’re in to speciality coffee, not as good. Generally, the best was double espresso with milk (hot or with ice). The cakes were much better than the restaurants though. The chocolate and nut brownies were a highlight. Entertainment/Activities: There’s not loads going on, so it’s nice for a quiet holiday. We watched a fire show which was quite entertaining, and we tried the circus night but that was poor. We joined in with some daytime activities run by Tonny, who was very enthusiastic and a hard worker. We did volleyball and aqua fit, as well as mixology and salsa making. All pretty fun. We used the 2 person kayak one morning which was fun, albeit a hassle to arrange. It was ‘$5-$7’ per person for the environment fee to be paid in cash to the concierge. Nothing is sign posted or very clear. We also had to use the US dollar cash machine at the hotel which was very expensive. Minimum withdrawal was $20 plus all the fees made it $33 for the $10 we needed for the kayak. Tip: Bring some US dollars in cash! However, extra confusion at the hotel… bring Pesos to pay your bill at the end! We booked a spa which was quoted $210 but they only accept Pesos at reception. Confusing and unclear. Gym and Spa: The gym was small and minimal. No leg machines or pull up bar. There’s a cable machine for upper accessories, a good selection of dumbbells and 2 treadmills. We used it 3 times, and went to CrossFit Zoah in Cancun another day. Spa services are being sold to you frequently on the beach and around the hotel. Norma sold us a 30 minute massage for $105 per person, with 10 minutes extra for free. (To pay in Pesos it turned out). Pretty nice massage, not the best we’ve had. The spa wasn’t as tranquil as others I’ve been to in resorts. Beach and Pools: The beach was lovely. One or two days had seaweed, but it’s a beach, what can you expect. The staff worked tirelessly to keep on top of it. When it was clear, we were able to snorkel. There were several pools, all of which were good. All clean. There’s loads of sun beds on the beach, which is where we spent our time, but much less around the pools. Towels were also sparse. They only put out about 10 towels at each pool, so sometimes difficult to find a towel. Bars: Margaritas at Rita’s were stunning. My favourite bar was Licence to Chill. It was very quiet there and my two drinks were made exceptionally well and with care. I had a Honey Orange Margarita and a ‘Toes in the Sand’, which was rum with ginger beer. Compass Bar was a rum bar, but pretty disappointing. It’s a bit dingy. I asked for a menu and they said they don’t have one. The smoothie shop had a good selection and we went there 3 times. The first and third were great, the second was incorrect, warm and not very pleasant. It’s a nice addition but only open until 12. It should be open later, or even be open for ice cream in the afternoon. I was very disappointed that the only place to get ice cream is ordering from a menu in a restaurant. It would have been nice to have this available all day.

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