We spent Xmas and New year at the Azul Beach and loved it! The first couple of nights we had a few issues with our room, some the fault of the hotel and another the fault of our tour operator Thomas Cook, The issues were highlighted to staff who were very embarrassed, they along with the hotel Manager went out of their way to put things right for us and insure we had a good holiday.

The Rooms - We started in the older style room, we found it comfortable but a little basic, perhaps lacking in a few facilites you may expect in a 5* hotel like a bath tub, however it had a lovely carribean feel to it with beautiful views of the ocean and we actually really liked it.
We were then upgraded to a family suit which was brand new and finished beautifully, it had all the facilities you would expect and more, including a jacuzzi bath! We did loose a beautiful ocean view though, the older rooms definitely have the better views! comparing the two, we liked both of them, the new ones slightly more upmarket and more 5* standard but very 'hotel like', the older rooms are quaint and comfortable and feel homely so really depends on what you like.

The Hotel facilities and entertainment - They had something going on all the time from early morning through to evening entertainment, there wasnt time to be bored! You can take part in any of the activities from yoga and water aerobics to spanish lessons to name a few. All the activities were fun and never overcrowded. I will also say that if you are not the type to get involved there are many quiet spots away from the main areas and the staff never pester you to join in. You can make the holiday as relaxing or energetic as you please. The Christmas and New Year entertainment was fantastic, The children had a visit from Santa Christmas day and each child received a gift. New Year was seen in the singers and dancers and a very good night was had by all!

The hotel has many pools, some very quiet some more for children, all are clean and well maintained with comfortable sunbeds and towels available. The beach is nice, the Hotel staff strive to keep it clean and seaweed free, it is worth reserving a cabanna however the reservation desk opens at 8am and by 8.30 they are all booked out and that is for the following day! where ever you are sat or sunbathing you will have a butler at hand to provide drinks and food as and when you want it, we found this a very nice touch and they are very friendly.

The Kids Club - We really cant say enough about the kids club! Our only criticism is that we didnt see much of our son all holiday! He loved it! the girls made him feel like part of a family. Usually I am very cautious who I leave my son with and where I leave him and i dont relax until he returns but I was very happy to leave him here. They do so much with the children and seem to have a real bond with them. They have a very good activites plan, the children have a mix of indoor and outdoor activites available all day and night.

The Resturants - All beautiful, providing a range of different dishes all of high standard. My favourite was the Asian my husbands favourites were the Italian and Latin but we both liked them all. Chil resturant needs to raise the standard a little to match the others, their service was slow and the food sometimes cold.

The Staff - Every day, every member of staff from the cleaners to the hotel manager, would smile and say hello, most would stop to talk. They go out of their way to learn your name and make sure you are enjoying your vacation. The staff make this hotel the special place that it is, in our opinion they strive to go the extra mile to make each holiday maker feel happy. They provide and exceptional service. The staff made our holiday and for this we would like to thank them.

The Location - The hotel is quite isolated and far out from anywhere so if you have plans to see places be prepared to pay for the tours or hire a car! The tours are expensive and not as good as they make out in the sales pitch but it gets you out! As for hiring a car, we tried to hire a car, the desk organised it for us and agreed the price, the day they came to pick us up to get the car they drove us miles to the office and then said they only had one car available, it was an old bangor and was smaller than a fiesta (which we ordered) and if we wanted it we had to pay 25$ a day more than the agreed price! So if you are hiring a car, agree the terms with the driver before you leave the hotel to pick it up!

Just a quick note about the renovations - we didnt even notice them!

Overall our holiday at the Azul beach was very relaxing and enjoyable and we would highly recommend the hotel to others. We will certainly return!

We just returned from our trip at the Azul Beach resort with 2 kids ages 2 & 4. There are a few things you need to know before your trip to this resort:

We had a fabulous time; the food is very good and we ARE foodies. The house wine is not that great, but the cabernet in the ROMA restaurant is pretty good. The best wine list is in ROMA. I am sure if you asked, you could get any wine they had available at any of the restaurants. I didn't see anyone ordering wine off the special lists and that could be because it was priced a little high. We ate at all the restaurants and enjoyed the ASIAN restaurant the best. The best drinks are in the private adult tequila bar - they had all the premium liquors. It is worth going in and getting a "to go" drink from there at night. The Margaritas and mojitos are really good.

1. Upgrade to the Family Suite. This is a much bigger room and the deluxe is no where near big enough for a family of 4. I did not have an option to upgrade when booking online, however I was able to upgrade there and it was worth it.

Please Note: There are no chain locks on the front door or sliding glass door and. The doors can be opened easily from the inside. Not very "child-proof" so watch your little wanderers. Also, the "ledge" to the balcolny on the second floor isn't very high and a chair/table can be pushed against it and your tots could climb over. This was just an observation. No big deal, I just didn't let mine go out there.

There are two little stools in the bathroom, round with 3 legs - they are very unsteady. You kids will try to use them for the sink and bath and will end up tipping over and cracking their heads. Basically just stick them out in the hall when you get there. The floors are beautiful marble and very clean - but slippery when wet. We had a few tumbles during the week.

2. There is a small shop with many ammenities including diapers and sunscreen. Most items were reasonably priced. There is no diaper cream, so make sure to take some with you.

3. There are blow dryers in the rooms. There is a safe in the room, but it isn't bolted down?? We used it with no problems but got a good laugh that pretty much anyone could pick it up and walk away with it. We never had problems with theft and did not feel uncomfortable at anytime.

4. The complementary toiletries are wonderful. They smell nice and and a better quality than most hotels and resorts.

5. The beds are VERY comfortable and you get to pick your favorite style of pillow. You also get to pick "aromatherapy" for your room, however no one ever gave our room a treatment that we know of. The Family suite has a large couch with a trundle style bed. There is a TV in both the living room and bedroom as well as a dining table.

6. The kids club is very nice with plenty of toys. They also have a toy lending program along with high chairs, strollers - basically most anything you need. They do not have "sippy" style cups or cups with lids for toddlers so make sure to bring your own if needed. There is plenty of kiddie type food and drink choices on all the menus.

There is not a lot of extra activities here so if you are looking for action and a disco, this is not your place. If you are looking for a restful week and a beautiful setting - this is your place. The beach beds are great. They are not as easy to "reserve" as some of the reviews imply so make sure you get up at 7:30 the day before you want to reserve one. There are plenty of beach chairs and pool chairs. There are plenty of towels for everyone and they even have a basket of beach toys for the kids.

I would not recommend this resort for families with tweens or teens looking for action and adventure. There is no teen club here. It really is best for families with small kids that are happy swimming or playing on the beach. I met a lot of "childless" couples and retirees that said they were having a fabulous time. They were worried ahead of time about the kids, but the resort is so quiet and peaceful it really wasn't a problem for them.

Overall we had a wonderful family vacation - but they are only getting 4 stars because we had a few issues. The jacuzzi in our bathroom was not working (a little dissappointing), but the most disappointing thing was that the concierge was useless. They were friendly, they were courteous, but they did not seem to know anything about the activities or shows. They were only interested in getting us to listen to their talk about some exotic program you can buy. We asked for assistance on several occasions and they would refer us to the front desk. The front desk also didn't seem to know alot about the activities (like what kind of food would they be serving at the Mayan night and what time the show was??)

My husband went to the concierge to purchase tickets ($3 each) for the Kayak and handed them a $20. She said "we do not have change." That's it. End of story. Not, I don't have it let me find it for you, not we'll have it soon, not "I am sorry sir, let me get you tickets another way" just sorry, no change.... (not my problem if you don't get to ride the Kayak). WHAT?? You are an international hotel. You have change. People need change to tip your staff and buy things from other people that "don't have change."

We also asked the Concierge about taking a tour of the Azul Sensatori as we are planning a trip with some friends that have older kids. They basically told us we could get a cab for $10. We had to ask several different people, they all seemed confused. They made several calls and came back with it would cost $10. They do however pay for a free cab for anyone that wants to use the gym at the Sensatori?? This is marketing 101 folks, let us see your other resort and we will give you more of our money. For as much as we spent on the trip and the upgrade, this should have been a no-brainer. Dissappointing.

Overall, we DID have a great time. We are not very needy and can shrug off anything we asked for and didn't get. We had a fabulous time enjoying our children on the beach and in the pool. I would recommend this resort - even with the few things above. AND - the food IS better than most resorts.

Please feel free to message me with your questions about this review or your upcoming trip to this resort with your children!

Inconsistent and truly disappointing food. Cold starters or soups generally good but they can't cook beef or fish without over doing it, and the house wine is awful. Rooms are spacious and comfortable and service is generally good however. Definitely wouldn't recommend if you're a foodie.

Vacationed at Azul Beach thru the christmas and new year's and had a wonderful time at this resort! Fabulous new room, great food at every restaurant and a well kept very clean resort! Decor in the Italian and Mexican restaurants were outstanding! Restaurant and bar staff were wonderful, housekeeping services were good, a little hit and miss on the turndown service and when they cleaned the room, but that is minor and didn't affect the overall satisfaction of staying here.
Had a jacuzzi room in the new section and although we didn't have a view of the ocean, the room and the quietness more than made up for that. Lots of younger families there but lots of places to go on the resort if you didn't want to be around them. All the pools were fabulous and never had a problem getting a chair. I would recommend this resort to couples and families! Wonderful!