This is by far one of the best hotels I’ve stayed since I started traveling.. Service was outstanding.. The food was good and the Staff amazing. I didn’t want to leave. I love the way the staff made me feel at home. Especially Louis, he was funny and helpful with the night life. My suite was to die for and the spa!!!! I JUST LOVED EVERYTHING!!!!

The grounds of the hotel were excellent - they were kept clean and the general 'feel' was quite relaxing. Overall, a very good hotel with some room for improvement.

We travelled with 2 young children (ages 2 and 4) and one set of grandparents. The check-in did not go smoothly. It seemed the person did not speak English that well so that may have been a factor. They took $200 deposit off my credit card (which was fine) but then took $400 from my parent's room as deposit. The inconsistency was odd. They also were not aware thaat we qualified for an automatic upgrade to the next room (which we did not end up getting).

The hotel provided a lovely, quiet atmosphere (away from chaotic massive resorts). Unfortunately, only 1 swimming pool (near the Grill) was heated and when we addressed this to the Service Manager, we were told the other pools were not even equipped for heating which means they were likely built for aesthetic reasons only. So if we wanted to swim, we were limited to the one pool where restaurant-goers could view us or the hot-tubs. Service in general was slow and they require improvements to the operations management - particularly at breakfast time. For example, at breakfast buffets, we had to ask a few times for coffee with our cream, a high chair and they even didn't have spoons one morning - something you generally do not expect from a 5 star hotel. Notwithstanding, we ordered plenty of room service and they were excellent in providing this. A few staff members even went beyond our expectations in accommodating our dietary requests and ordering food from the restaurant rather than from the room service menu. We very much appreciated this. One service that The Beloved Spa stands above the crowd in is its Spa. We can easily see why it is rated #1 in Mexico - a truly spectacular experience if you take advantage of the HydoTherapy.

Generally speaking, we had a wonderful time. The hotel would have to make improvements on some details (some of which we've outlined already) to warrant its 5 star rating and compete in this industry.

Overall, the hotel was very good. Would have been a 5, except for a few things.
First, the location was very nice. The beach wasn't as soft and white as the hotels in the main Cancun strip and there were a lot of seaweed along the beach. Although they tried to clean this, it accumulated the next day. The nice thing about the location and the size of the hotel was that it was very quiet and there was always an open spot on the beach and the pool.
The rooms were very well done. We have two little girls (2 and 4), and the rooms were not very private at all. The shower was super nice with a rain shower head and the wall shower heads, but the shower was open to both the room and the bathroom - probably a nice feature if you didn't have curious kids running around. We got a poolside room, but this pool wasn't warmed up and we had to go to the main pool - so, I'm not sure if that was worth it. It was more of a luxury and nice to be able to sit out, but not to use.
The restaurants were nice, but not great. It's hard to tell since its all inclusive, but I'm not sure if these would be restaurants I'd go back to if they were back home - would depend on the price. The steaks weren't that great (sides were good) and their Asian buffet one night was not as good as your local Chinese buffet.
The main reason for the 4 was the service. We would have to ask for a high chair at each meal at least two-three times. Things like butter and beverages took 15-20 minutes. The room service person asked us if we wanted a liter of milk delivered everyday for the kids. She volunteered this, which was very nice, but this didn't happen once. Room service times were erratic (partly our issue because of the kids' nap times) but we had to call half the days we were there for room service.
Overall, our stay was very good. Due to the minor flaws, I'd try a different hotel next time in Cancun, but wouldn't mind staying here again.

The Beloved Hotel, Playa Mujeres, Mexico Jan. 28-Feb. 10, 2012

Amazing accommodations

A thirty five minute ride from the airport, an upgrade to swim up room upon check in, room ready before 3 pm. Very impressive start. They do ask for a credit card at check in and will put a hold of $700.00 as a line of credit for any extra charges you may have during your stay.

The room was just as it appears in the photos, very spacious and very clean, modern looking. Plenty of storage, nice size closet, and a very large patio with room for a lounging bed, a table and two chairs. Right off the patio were two loungers, then three steps away was the pool. We were in building three, closest to the beach.

Bathrobes and slippers are supplied as well as a nice quality beach bag. All are for your use while there, but you can purchase any of these items to bring home (they’ll give you new ones). I was thinking about purchasing the bag until I saw the price, $70.00. There was some sticker shock here, but I suppose that is because there is really no town close by and you are always at a resort’s mercy in a case like this. Unless you have forgotten something essential, like sunscreen, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Thankfully, for my husband, the dress code was not as strict as it appears in their description. Men needed to wear shirts with sleeves, decent shorts, and any type of footwear except flip flops (outside of breakfast and the Isla Grill for lunch where they were allowed).

Housekeeping was always done early except for one day and they sincerely apologized for that. Turn down service was done somewhere between 6 and 9 pm. One night we were already settled in when they knocked at 9:15. We didn’t answer as we really didn’t need anything and again there was a note with an apology and to call if we did need them. When you leave for the day you just put a card in your key slot to let them know you want the room cleaned. You could not find any fault with their housekeeping, inside or outside the room.

Ice machines are located in plenty of locations, or you could call room service for delivery.

The front desk will exchange your money (US, Canadian, and traveler checks), but we were not able to get the 20 peso bills on two occasions so we managed to get change from one of the bartenders (this is sort of frowned on by management so don‘t count on doing this, or do it very discretely). I thought I had brought enough small bills, but since we were there 14 days, it started to go quickly. They also have an ATM machine in the lobby.

The safe deposit box was in the closet, at eye level, and very simple to use. Their tap water is purified but they still advise you to drink bottled water. That was very plentiful, at least 4 bottles in the mini fridge, two next to the mini bar/ coffee maker and they always left two at night next to the bed when they did turn down service.

The glass bathroom door did not bother me as much as the huge picture window in the shower area. I suppose this wouldn’t be an issue on the top floors, but being on the ground floor, I kept forgetting to shut the patio curtains when I went in to shower and had to yell to my husband to do it.

The internet service is free, no code needed, and worked well, with better reception on the patio.

I was pleasantly surprised by the beach and water here. We spent every day at the beach and except for two days, the sea grass was only along the shore line and the water was very calm, and very clear. We had a crazy weekend with thunderstorms mid stay so that must have brought in a lot of the sea grass, but it didn’t show up until a few days later. Still not enough to stop us from going in the water, we just quickly stepped through the 6 feet or so of sea grass and were in clear water again. The bottom was smooth with an occasional seashell, but since it was so clear, you could see this and avoid stepping on them. It was also very easy to get in and out the water, no surprise drop offs or ruts to trip you up. They have beach cabanas for rent, $45.00 a day. Very nice touch for those who wish a little extra attention and a little privacy, but because the beach is not that large, it was a shame they set them up right across the front spoiling the view from the Isla Grill, large pool, and any loungers behind them. I know people pay extra for these, but perhaps they could have been angled differently. Not more than one or two were used per day the whole time we were there and they took up the better part of the beachfront. We were up and on the beach early, so we had no problem getting lounge chairs in front of these cabanas. I saw people ask the attendants to bring chairs down from behind the cabanas, so don’t be afraid to move the chairs.

The resort was just the right size for the amount of rooms it had, very easy to get around, and very quiet. Just what we wanted for our stay. When you exit the lobby to the right going down to the beach are buildings two and three with a separate pool in front of each. To the left coming out of the lobby, was the Aroma Restaurant and then the kids’ play area. Right in front of the kids’ area was what looked like an outdoor bar but that was empty and not in use. That would have been a wonderful gathering spot for the evening.

I won’t talk much about the food because we all have our likes and dislikes. I do have to say that this is where the service lets you down, though. Room service was quick, but during our entire stay, they never got the order right once. They read it back to you correctly, but I guess something gets lost between that and the chef. Make sure you ask for salt, pepper, ketchup, etc. as it is not always delivered with your meal. The breakfast buffet did not have any type of meats (bacon, ham, sausage). I read on TA that they do serve this, but they don’t tell you this and there are no breakfast menus. I asked an attendant if they had bacon and that’s when he told me we had to order it from our waiter. We had lunch every day right on the beach, loved the feeling of that. Their cheeseburgers and pizzas were excellent. Some days I just ordered nachos and salsa.
The food presentation was excellent, but there wasn’t much variety between the three restaurants at night. All three had basically the same entrees and the menus never changed. We were told we could request something off menu and if they had the ingredients they would make it. We didn’t bother doing that because that would have meant advance planning, and that is something I do not do on vacation, lol. As in most all inclusives, you certainly won’t go hungry. We also ordered room service a few nights for something different. They had a decent selection for all meals and snacks on the room service menu. We also thought we would get a pass for an evening meal next door at EPM. (We were told that was a promotion only for UK guests when I questioned this upon check in. The night before we were to leave, I just happened to check the TA forum and found out that TBH had stated on it’s Facebook page that it was for all guests. So armed with this information, when we were checking out, I asked about it again. We were told the policy changed “about 5 days” ago, so it is for all guests now. I asked why we weren’t notified and was told we had to go to them. It would have been nice if they told their guests already there about the change.)

The only real frustrating part of dining, whether in room or at one of the restaurants, was that you constantly had to ask for simple things that should have already been on the table or presented within a reasonable time. Salt and pepper shakers were lacking at most tables, sometimes silverware was missing ( a steak knife, coffee spoon, etc.), near the end of our stay there must have been a shortage of granulated sugar as they only had brown sugar on the tables so you’d have to ask for the white, and one day at breakfast they had no white bread. I prefer water with my meals and I had to keep requesting refills throughout our stay. (Now these may seem silly little issues, but as I said, when it occurred almost every day and at every meal, it gets a little frustrating.) I got the feeling they did not have enough staff (although I heard it was less than 50% occupancy), or maybe there were a lot of newer staff that were still learning. Whatever, we laughed and got over it.

We knew this was not a place with a lively nightlife and that suited us just fine. After a hard day at the beach we like to relax in the room before getting ready for our evening meal, then have a cocktail or two before and/or after the meal. I was surprised though that the bar at the Isla Grill had no separate area for those who just wanted a drink at night (there were only 4 stools at the bar) and although the Lupita Lounge was wonderful to look at and had a very calm, relaxing atmosphere, the seating (to us) was very awkward and uncomfortable. Their bar only had 6 stools but the sushi bar was also on top of half of that area, so it wasn’t set up well for “cocktail hour”. The open area of the lounge was useless the evenings it rained or after a heavy afternoon rain because they had to pull most of the chairs out and line them up along the side. A few times the nightly entertainment was set up right outside the spa in the hall. Most of the sofas, chairs and bed loungers were so close to the ground, unless you were going to curl up on one of them (which would be fine if that’s what you want to do), they were uncomfortable to sit on. We watched while one older gentleman using a cane went to sit down on one of the low sofas and actually let out a yell when he landed. I guess he didn’t realize how low they were. I felt bad for him. They had a beautiful bar in the lobby but it was not being used. I asked why and was told there weren’t enough guests to warrant another bar. If they just put in a few regular chairs and tables, and had some sort of more stable cover in case of rain, the Lupita Lounge would be perfect.

Although I hesitated to put negatives in this review, I felt I had to review honestly. All the reviews I read before and after our stay are so positive, but they don’t give much detail. I don’t want anyone thinking we are the type of people that nothing will please us. We have traveled enough places throughout Mexico and the Caribbean to realize every place is different and you just have to adjust, but I do think TBH wait staff in the restaurants need more guidance. On one of the manager’s rounds one night he stopped to speak with us and asked our thoughts. When I told him about the service at meal times he seemed genuinely interested in my comments, asked if it happened all the time, apologized, thanked me for my comments, and stated he would definitely look into things at the restaurants.

I have a lot more information from their welcome booklet and daily activity schedule so feel free to PM me or post on the forum if you have questions. Hopefully some of my tips will help you to enjoy your stay even more.