Amazing Resort by Donna

Kantenah

Created By: Donna on Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

I went to this hotel in April with my parents and my partner, and we all had the most amazing time. It was my 3rd time to Mexico but my 1st time to this hotel and it was by far my favourite. I think I would find it extremely hard, if not impossible to beat this hotel on my budget.

We stayed in Colonial, building 3, room 1333 and I have no complaints. Room was spacious with an enormous, comfortable bed.

The air conditioning was good and there was a ceiling fan above the bed. The mini bar worked well and kept drinks cool enough if you left the cupboard door open. A good variety of drinks were included, 2 different beers, diet pepsi and regular pepsi, Miranda, sprite and plenty of water. There was also an ice bucket in the room and at the bottom of each building there is an ice machine, so we used to fill our ice bucket with ice, pop our drinks outside and then sit out on our balcony. The balcony was a really good size too, with comfy chairs, a small table, and a clothese hanger. The view was nothing special but we only sat there in the evenings when It was dark anyway.

Our bathroom had a tub and overhead shower which worked really well. The hairdryer in there was also very good.

The whole resort is kept very well. Every where is lovely and clean. The staff are fantastic and all take the time to say hola!
The place is huge. Apparently whilst we were there it was at full capacity, but you would never have known. Its so big and spacious so it never feels crowded at all. Even meal times were not too busy, and there was always sun loungers around the pools and at the beach. We never had a long wait at any bars either.

We loved all the walkways through the mangroves where we often spotted large groups of coatis playing together. Its great to watch them in their natural habitat from the comfort of your hotel! There is plenty of wild life and bird life around the resort. We saw racoons too. They were quite playful around the adults only pool in the colonial section. One took my sarong of the lounger whilst I was having a night time swim and was playing with it for about 15 minutes! We also spotted some type of tree porcupine which we had never seen before so that was really cool. Lots of agoutis, and a few squirrels were spotted too. Lots of birds around and pelicans by the beach. We also saw some sting rays in the ocean which was cool. Loads of iguanas and a few other types of lizards.

We went snorkelling in the sea a few times and saw quite a few fish. Some were pretty big too. We spotted some lovely coloured fish in the salt water pool and some cool crabs. There are some massive, pretty butterflies around too.

We found something to do all the time there. We enjoyed just walking around exploring a lot of the time. Loved the pools. The 2 main pools are enormous with swim up bars in them, built in Jacuzzis and sun loungers. Plenty of sunbeds around pools too and plenty of shade if you like it. Pool and beach towels are free so you don’t need to pack yours and you can change them as often as you like. They are a good size too. The beach is lovely and sandy. Yes there was a lot of seaweed but this cant be helped. It certainly didn’t affect our holiday. We always wore our sea shoes and it was quite rocky in a few places and the rocks can be really sharp. On windy days when it was too rough for snorkelling we had great fun jumping into the waves.

We loved the mini golf course. It was never busy and its built into the jungle so its really beautiful and plenty of shade from the trees. We often went there around 11am and was amazed how quiet it was. Sometimes there was only us there and the odd iguana! They also have tennis courts, basketball, soccer, volleyball, archery. All included too. There is also a sports bar in the colonial section, next to the bar. It has pool tables, table tennis, card playing tables, big screen for sports and a nice bar. The air con in there is super cold too so a great place to cool down. In the evening you can also get snack in there like pop corn, nachos, quesadillas, wings, fried chilli peppers, fries, burgers etc. Again, whilst we were there it was never busy. A few times we were the only ones there. We used to sit outside the back of the sports bar a lot. There are 4 tables and a fountain and we used to sit there and play cards. There is a back entrance too which takes you straight to the sports bar and they do all the drinks you could think of. It was never busy there either and also right next to some toilets so whilst it was too hot for us to be walking around, that was our spot. 3 out of 4 of us are smokers too and we were able to smoke there. Beautiful setting too, overlooking the on site church/chapel which is just stunning.

Food is great. Never seen so much selection in my whole life. We used to have breakfast in the buffet at colonial/kantennah. There is everything you could think of. Sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, or freshly fried eggs, hash browns, beans, Mexican dishes, pancakes, French toast, freshly baked pastries, cakes, biscuits and breads, cereal, fresh fruits, tinned fruits, oats, rice pudding, waffles, toasties, the list goes one! Also soya milk, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, fresh juices, smoothies etc.

Service usually pretty good but at times we were kind of forgotten about but it was never a problem. Were pretty laid back so things like that don’t bother us especially on holiday.

Lunches were brilliant. We often had them in the buffet at colonial/kantenah too. Everything you could think of again. The burgers are amazing and the freshly cooked pizzas are great. The salad bar is delicious too with loads of fresh dressings. Always a pasta bar, grilled meats, fishes. Casseroles, stews, veg dishes, fries, rices. Everything really! Occasionally we would have lunch at the small buffet by the pool bar which went on later than the main buffet. You can also get scoops of ice cream at the pool bar and packaged ice lollies. Loads of flavours and they are yummy and of course included.

After the first week we discovered the other buffet over the white sands/Riviera and we much preferred it. The food seemed to be of slightly better quality and the actual restaurant was lighter and nicer in our opinion. From then on we had lunches and dinners there every time but still had breakfast at colonial buffet. Every night there is a different theme at the buffets too and they decorate the restaurant nicely and have a themed drink on arrival.
We only ate in 2 of the ala cartes. The steak restaurant and the brazillian. Both were good, but steak was my favourite out of the 2. There was a lovely salad bar for starters, then for main you chose your steak and a couple of sides and a sauce and then there was a dessert trolley to choose from. Service was good and food was good.

Brazilian was also good but we got there quite late and felt a bit rushed and I don’t think we got to try all of the meats. When I return to this hotel I will try it again and go earlier. The salad bar there for starters was brilliant.

Every night in the buffet restaurant there are freshly made crepes for dessert. They are so good! I used to have banana with caramel in mine, with chocolate drizzle! There are also ice cream machines at lunch and dinner in the buffets where you can help yourself to soft ice cream. They have sprinkles and chocolate sauce too.
The drinks were generally pretty good. Some barmen made better cocktails than others though.

The adult only pool at colonial is open till midnight and has a bar which is also open till midnight. We had a couple of late night swims and drinks and it was wonderful. Never been able to do that at other hotels. The adult pool was literally a 2 minute walk from building 3 too.

The land trains that take you from lobby to lobby are brilliant. They are quick and easy and save your legs if you don’t fancy walking. The white sand and Riviera lobbies are stunning with beautiful views over the onsite lake. There is even a boat that takes you around the lake and I believe you can take out canoes too.
There are a couple of onsite gift shops which are nice and not too badly priced but obviously playa del Carmen is cheaper.
There is a board at the lobbies with taxi prices and there are men there which will call one up for you. We took taxis to playa del Carmen, peurto aventuras to see the dolphins and yal ku to go snorkelling. All very easy and safe.
So much more I could go on about but I have already written far too much really!

This is a brilliant hotel. I cant understand how anyone could not like this hotel. It is truly amazing and I would recommend it to anyone.

Stayed April 2015, traveled with family