All You Need to Know About the Private Balconies
at Ocean Coral & Turquesa
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Private Balcony review highlights
... Our room is perfect with a view of the ocean and huge balcony. It would be nice if the bathroom had a door but it's not...
... was amazing. We had an almost direct view of the ocean, balcony with a jacuzzi, very comfortable king bed and a mini...
... have flatscreen TV's. Each room has a patio or a large balcony, and is only a 1 minute walk to the ocean. We didn't want...
Most popular question about the private balcony
... to come next may how would I guarantee getting a ground floor room as I am disabled and use a wheelchair and can you smoke on the balcony of all rooms Kindest regards
Answer from Janelle59
Jan 2023 |
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Reviews that mention private balcony
Write a reviewWe are in the middle of our one week stay at the resort and so far things have been great. The beach is beautiful - sand cleared every morning so no seaweed. Buffet has lots of choices - could be a little hotter but it's always difficult to keep food hot on the buffet.
Our room is perfect with a view of the ocean and huge balcony. It would be nice if the bathroom had a door but it's not a deal breaker. Staff have been professional and pleasant and we haven't felt like tipping was a necessity although of course it is always appreciated.
Bartenders are friendly and efficient.
The resort is clean and very well kept.
I would come back to the ocean coral as everything has been wonderful!
Our room is perfect with a view of the ocean and huge balcony. It would be nice if the bathroom had a door but it's not a deal breaker. Staff have been professional and pleasant and we haven't felt like tipping was a necessity although of course it is always appreciated.
Bartenders are friendly and efficient.
The resort is clean and very well kept.
I would come back to the ocean coral as everything has been wonderful!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from OceanCustomerService, Manager at Ocean Coral & Turquesa
Responded Jan 6, 2016
Dear 96degreesintheshade, We would like to express our gratitude for taking a little time during your vacations to let the community of this site know about your experience at our resort while you are still in-house. We are pleased to know that our resort meets your expectations and that you are receiving the Ocean service that we are used to give to our valued guests. We hope everything goes well for the remainder of your stay. We wish you a safe return home and we hope to host you again on your next trip to our beautiful destination. Best regards, The Ocean Coral & Turquesa Management.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
My husband and I spent 5 nights here June 27-July 2. This was our first time at this resort, and we were both fully impressed from the minute we arrived. Since we booked as Privilege guests, we were directed to the Privilege/Premium check-in counter, didn't have to wait to be checked in and we were given a cool towel and a couple of drinks.
Our room, however, wasn't ready for a few hours, but we're laid-back and didn't mind hanging around and grabbing some drinks from the lobby bar. We also used this time to get lunch from the buffet. The food is pretty standard for an all-inclusive buffet, but it tastes good and there's a wide selection. After we were done eating, we walked around a bit to check out the property. It's really beautiful! As others have mentioned, yes, some parts could use a refresh, but honestly, this didn't bother my husband or me.
Our room, being in the Privilege section, was amazing. We had an almost direct view of the ocean, balcony with a jacuzzi, very comfortable king bed and a mini fridge stocked every day with plenty of water, like 6 bottles a day, (which is HUGE!) as well as sodas, a couple of snacks and some mini bottles of liquor. Nice! There was also a complimentary bottle of wine, plus our beach towels, bathrobes and slippers were laid out on the bed. The room was musty... YES, you're in a Caribbean climate! It's just the way it is. We didn't mind, and the A/C worked well and kept us cool.
A couple of things: the pool on the far side by the Privilege area is quiet and it's easier to find lounge chairs there, and you don't have to be a Privilege guest to use it. Also, the crepe restaurant that's there is amazing!
Also, the Privilege lounge is fantastic. We had breakfast there almost every day... better than the buffet in our opinion. The service in the lounge was fantastic, and they really took care of us there. We also had a fantastic lobster dinner (compliments of the resort) on our last night in the lounge, as the lounge serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a gorgeous view overlooking the ocean. Highly recommended!
We had a problem on the first day accessing Wi-Fi, but they quickly took care of it for us, personally putting in the correct passwords and everything. (By the way, the Wi-Fi was great! No problems at all. It even reached out by the pool so we were able to listen to Spotify while lounging.) Literally every staff member we encountered was helpful, friendly and kind.
Our room, however, wasn't ready for a few hours, but we're laid-back and didn't mind hanging around and grabbing some drinks from the lobby bar. We also used this time to get lunch from the buffet. The food is pretty standard for an all-inclusive buffet, but it tastes good and there's a wide selection. After we were done eating, we walked around a bit to check out the property. It's really beautiful! As others have mentioned, yes, some parts could use a refresh, but honestly, this didn't bother my husband or me.
Our room, being in the Privilege section, was amazing. We had an almost direct view of the ocean, balcony with a jacuzzi, very comfortable king bed and a mini fridge stocked every day with plenty of water, like 6 bottles a day, (which is HUGE!) as well as sodas, a couple of snacks and some mini bottles of liquor. Nice! There was also a complimentary bottle of wine, plus our beach towels, bathrobes and slippers were laid out on the bed. The room was musty... YES, you're in a Caribbean climate! It's just the way it is. We didn't mind, and the A/C worked well and kept us cool.
A couple of things: the pool on the far side by the Privilege area is quiet and it's easier to find lounge chairs there, and you don't have to be a Privilege guest to use it. Also, the crepe restaurant that's there is amazing!
Also, the Privilege lounge is fantastic. We had breakfast there almost every day... better than the buffet in our opinion. The service in the lounge was fantastic, and they really took care of us there. We also had a fantastic lobster dinner (compliments of the resort) on our last night in the lounge, as the lounge serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a gorgeous view overlooking the ocean. Highly recommended!
We had a problem on the first day accessing Wi-Fi, but they quickly took care of it for us, personally putting in the correct passwords and everything. (By the way, the Wi-Fi was great! No problems at all. It even reached out by the pool so we were able to listen to Spotify while lounging.) Literally every staff member we encountered was helpful, friendly and kind.
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Room Tip: Upgrade to Privilege! The rooms are in a quiet location and have great ocean views.
Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
DON'T LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS. I have never wrote a review but wanted to this time as I know some people have written negative comments on this resort. I wanted to tell you how perfect and wonderful this resort is. I will try and keep it short, and not going to add any pictures at this time.
My wife and I are in our mid thirties and decided to choose the Ocean Turquesa for our trip to Mexico. We went from 21-28 April 2010. I am the type who has to read many reviews and do lots of research before making a final choice. After booking, I began to read further negative comments about this resort. I became very nervous about my choice, but decided to wait until I got there and see what happens.
All I can saw is WOW. We had the best time at this resort. We DID NOT have the Privilege package or any other special perks. Just the basics. As soon as we arrived we were given our room. They met with us, gave us a drink of our choice and made us feel right at home. They were so nice. Just say no to the time share people and they will leave you alone for the whole trip.. Shortly after arriving, we were in our rooms. The rooms were so gorgeous. We had an ocean and garden view on the 3rd floor. It was so nice. The rooms were very big, and very well decorated. We had a very comfy king size bed and all rooms have flatscreen TV's. Each room has a patio or a large balcony, and is only a 1 minute walk to the ocean. We didn't want to leave the room it was so nice, but wanted to go explore so left. The grounds to this resort are amazing and well maintained. Everything is clean, the people are friendly and we loved every minute of our stay. The pictures on the net don't do them justice at all. The beach was gorgeous and there was several pools and places to get drinks and eat. The staff were awesome. They were always so nice and helpful. I couldn't have asked for more.
The Ocean Turquesa/Coral is 20 minutes from the airport and central to many activities off the resort. There is too much to do off the resort as well. You would need 3 weeks more to do everything. The food was really good. They had a wide selection and it was always different. I think we gained 10 pounds when we were there, but we ate 5 times a day. It as so good. I can work out once I get home.
If you are a huge "party animal" this may not be the place for you. That was part of the reason why we picked this place. Having said that, every night there is a DJ at the one pool side bar. There is modern music, dancing, drinking and stuff like that. It's just not the "spring break" theme where teens are getting drunk passing out everywhere, which we are not into at this stage in our lives. Everyone there was having a great time. They also have nightly shows which were very neat. Old Myan warrior show, Mexican dancing show, ect,ect.
Night time here is so gorgeous. The way they have it lit up, and the modern, yet old spanish look, make us say "wow" every time we went for a walk and after each corner we turned.
This resort has something for everyone, whether it it sailing (boats provided), laying in the sun on the beach or pool area , going off resort for tours or adventures, or just sitting around with friends having a few drinks, the Ocean Turquesa/Coral has it all.
We cannot wait to go back. I was always the type of person who would never stay twice at the same resort. After spending time here, I can't imagine finding a better resort, with this type of quality service and such a wide variety of options. That and the beauty make it a tough act to follow. Have a great trip.
My wife and I are in our mid thirties and decided to choose the Ocean Turquesa for our trip to Mexico. We went from 21-28 April 2010. I am the type who has to read many reviews and do lots of research before making a final choice. After booking, I began to read further negative comments about this resort. I became very nervous about my choice, but decided to wait until I got there and see what happens.
All I can saw is WOW. We had the best time at this resort. We DID NOT have the Privilege package or any other special perks. Just the basics. As soon as we arrived we were given our room. They met with us, gave us a drink of our choice and made us feel right at home. They were so nice. Just say no to the time share people and they will leave you alone for the whole trip.. Shortly after arriving, we were in our rooms. The rooms were so gorgeous. We had an ocean and garden view on the 3rd floor. It was so nice. The rooms were very big, and very well decorated. We had a very comfy king size bed and all rooms have flatscreen TV's. Each room has a patio or a large balcony, and is only a 1 minute walk to the ocean. We didn't want to leave the room it was so nice, but wanted to go explore so left. The grounds to this resort are amazing and well maintained. Everything is clean, the people are friendly and we loved every minute of our stay. The pictures on the net don't do them justice at all. The beach was gorgeous and there was several pools and places to get drinks and eat. The staff were awesome. They were always so nice and helpful. I couldn't have asked for more.
The Ocean Turquesa/Coral is 20 minutes from the airport and central to many activities off the resort. There is too much to do off the resort as well. You would need 3 weeks more to do everything. The food was really good. They had a wide selection and it was always different. I think we gained 10 pounds when we were there, but we ate 5 times a day. It as so good. I can work out once I get home.
If you are a huge "party animal" this may not be the place for you. That was part of the reason why we picked this place. Having said that, every night there is a DJ at the one pool side bar. There is modern music, dancing, drinking and stuff like that. It's just not the "spring break" theme where teens are getting drunk passing out everywhere, which we are not into at this stage in our lives. Everyone there was having a great time. They also have nightly shows which were very neat. Old Myan warrior show, Mexican dancing show, ect,ect.
Night time here is so gorgeous. The way they have it lit up, and the modern, yet old spanish look, make us say "wow" every time we went for a walk and after each corner we turned.
This resort has something for everyone, whether it it sailing (boats provided), laying in the sun on the beach or pool area , going off resort for tours or adventures, or just sitting around with friends having a few drinks, the Ocean Turquesa/Coral has it all.
We cannot wait to go back. I was always the type of person who would never stay twice at the same resort. After spending time here, I can't imagine finding a better resort, with this type of quality service and such a wide variety of options. That and the beauty make it a tough act to follow. Have a great trip.
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Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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+1
This was not my first time to the Riviera Maya area, but my first time at a resort in the area.
I was worried for a bit, not doing the privillage upgrade, but totally didn't need it.
1. We had welcome drinks, when we arrived.
2. Beach drink service at our disposal. Never had an empty glass.
3. Poolside drink service and the daisy pool constantly
4. Bar service was phenomenal.(By the end of the trip I was tried of drinking). I also tried several drink options and shots.
5. Room was fantastic. I didn't really notice a musty smell all that often, however, we were hardly in the room, but to sleep and change.
6. The staff 😍 everyone was fantastic. Always felt like I was treated 10 star.
7. Bar tenders looked after me and my husband.
8. The hotel went above and beyond for our anniversary celebrations. Thank you LauNash Goncal for making sure we were so well taken care of. Truly can't Thank you enough.
9. The wedding we attended was amazing. Everyone treated us all well.
10. Hubby got suckered into the time share presentation, but it was all good. Only lasted 45mins and at the end we got our $100 voucher for an excursion.
*I chose a day excursion to Isla Mujeres / Contoy, which I highly recomend. Isla Contoy is a tropical dream.*
11. The beach massages to the left were amazing. 😍 I had Lyz Fuentez she was the best.
12. The workers worked so hard to clean the beach of the seaweed. Unfortunate mother cooperated, when she wanted to.
13. The beach walk to Puerto Morelos and back. We planned to take a water taxi back, but it was so nice out, we just walked back.
14. Room service. Oh boy what a treat. We enjoyed it and they were super quick with our food.
15. Tried a few of the restaurants, but my all time favourite by far was the Indoor Italian.
Wasn't keen on the Mexican, however, the drinks there are amazing.
Blue Moon was yummy for what little I could have there. The desert macaroon was to die for and the arugala salad 😍
The blueberry tea at Mike's Coffee Shop 😍
The food at the buffet was ok. Had hoped for a few more options that would suit my specific needs, but I managed to always find something to eat.
My room view was perfect, and maybe next time not be so close to the party pool at night.
The bed was comfortable. Shower, scolding hot. Loved all the toiletries that were given. It was mentioned to us by other travelers about cented toilet paper, but luckily we didn't.
The other downside the room was we had the brick wall, so we couldn't look out off thr balcony.
Rooms were super quite. Only a tiny bit of hall noise. We had building 11, in front of the party pool, so it was noisy at night, but nothing melatonin couldn't fix.
Always got chairs on the beach, Daisy pool and quite pool. I lucked out both times at the party pool and got chairs right away, didn't have to play the towel game.
Felt 10000% safe at all times. Even without my husband there. And by day 2 the staff knew I was there with him, so when he wasn't around they asked for him and when I told them he was gone, they just looked out and looked after me.
I will totally be back again. And maybe next time I will try privillage, just to say I experienced that to have a fair comparison.
I was worried for a bit, not doing the privillage upgrade, but totally didn't need it.
1. We had welcome drinks, when we arrived.
2. Beach drink service at our disposal. Never had an empty glass.
3. Poolside drink service and the daisy pool constantly
4. Bar service was phenomenal.(By the end of the trip I was tried of drinking). I also tried several drink options and shots.
5. Room was fantastic. I didn't really notice a musty smell all that often, however, we were hardly in the room, but to sleep and change.
6. The staff 😍 everyone was fantastic. Always felt like I was treated 10 star.
7. Bar tenders looked after me and my husband.
8. The hotel went above and beyond for our anniversary celebrations. Thank you LauNash Goncal for making sure we were so well taken care of. Truly can't Thank you enough.
9. The wedding we attended was amazing. Everyone treated us all well.
10. Hubby got suckered into the time share presentation, but it was all good. Only lasted 45mins and at the end we got our $100 voucher for an excursion.
*I chose a day excursion to Isla Mujeres / Contoy, which I highly recomend. Isla Contoy is a tropical dream.*
11. The beach massages to the left were amazing. 😍 I had Lyz Fuentez she was the best.
12. The workers worked so hard to clean the beach of the seaweed. Unfortunate mother cooperated, when she wanted to.
13. The beach walk to Puerto Morelos and back. We planned to take a water taxi back, but it was so nice out, we just walked back.
14. Room service. Oh boy what a treat. We enjoyed it and they were super quick with our food.
15. Tried a few of the restaurants, but my all time favourite by far was the Indoor Italian.
Wasn't keen on the Mexican, however, the drinks there are amazing.
Blue Moon was yummy for what little I could have there. The desert macaroon was to die for and the arugala salad 😍
The blueberry tea at Mike's Coffee Shop 😍
The food at the buffet was ok. Had hoped for a few more options that would suit my specific needs, but I managed to always find something to eat.
My room view was perfect, and maybe next time not be so close to the party pool at night.
The bed was comfortable. Shower, scolding hot. Loved all the toiletries that were given. It was mentioned to us by other travelers about cented toilet paper, but luckily we didn't.
The other downside the room was we had the brick wall, so we couldn't look out off thr balcony.
Rooms were super quite. Only a tiny bit of hall noise. We had building 11, in front of the party pool, so it was noisy at night, but nothing melatonin couldn't fix.
Always got chairs on the beach, Daisy pool and quite pool. I lucked out both times at the party pool and got chairs right away, didn't have to play the towel game.
Felt 10000% safe at all times. Even without my husband there. And by day 2 the staff knew I was there with him, so when he wasn't around they asked for him and when I told them he was gone, they just looked out and looked after me.
I will totally be back again. And maybe next time I will try privillage, just to say I experienced that to have a fair comparison.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from OceanCustomerService, Gerente at Ocean Coral & Turquesa
Responded May 1, 2018
Thank you for choosing our resort to spend your last vacations. We are glad to know that you enjoyed our facilities, gastronomic offer and the service provided by our staff. We are happy to read that you might want to chose our Privilege package and be pampered with the special benefits and facilities it has to offer during your next stay. Thank you for taking the time to share this review and for giving us the opportunity to evaluate our performance and improve the level of service delivered to our valued guests. We hope to have the opportunity to host you again in the future. Best regards, The Ocean Coral & Turquesa Management.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My lady and I travelled to the Ocean Coral & Turquesa for five nights to join my cousin and his wife at their wedding ceremony. Located around twenty minutes south of CUN and a brief jaunt north of the small town of Puerto Morelos, this all-inclusive, mostly-family-oriented resort is probably the most beautiful one I've been to so far, but had a few small flaws that robbed it of perfection.
We booked our trip via Expedia, flying WestJet direct both ways, and then booked a there-and-back shuttle from Cancun Shuttle, CUN's service. The flight was great, with WestJet's updated 737s offering in-flight internet (for a small price, of course) and power outlets for charging our devices. This really helped make the four hour and a bit trip feel much shorter! As is usually the case, the flight was otherwise fine, with a free beverage and snack shortly after take off and a short time before landing. It was quite windy when we arrived, so our touchdown was a bit rougher than we'd like, but hey, we survived! So everything worked out.
Arrival at CUN was straightforward, though keep in mind that there are several lines available at customs and immigration. Save yourself some time and look for the one with the least number of people in it, as most travellers simply file into the first entry that they see. Make sure you've got your form properly filled out, or they'll send you back to do so. Once you've collected your bags, avoid the mass of salespeople and flee for the outdoors. Pretty much everyone in there wants to sell you something and it can get pretty chaotic if you don't just put your head down and go.
Outside, we quickly found our Cancun Shuttle rep and he got our ride ready despite being over forty minutes early. Highly recommend them! It wasn't particularly expensive, and the vehicle was clean, comfortable, and we had it to ourselves. No waiting for other people to get on or off, and a short time after disembarking from our plane we were at the resort.
Quick tip for fellow Canadians: do everything in Mexican pesos if you can! The exchange rate with the US dollar is stupid right now, and most transactions down there seem to default to it.
Once at Ocean Coral & Turquesa, we were quickly greeted with friendly smiles and a refreshing drink. Check-in was fast and fairly simple. The fellow at the counter did suggest that usually they charge extra for more than one room key, but we got two keys and two towel cards for free. We were in room 15308, which was wonderful despite having two small beds instead of a king as we had booked. It wasn't a dealbreaker, as the rest of the room was pretty great, but they weren't super comfortable.
The rest of the room was well-appointed. There was a comfortable couch and a few chairs around a small table that worked great when we were hanging out with some other guests in the room. We never turned on the TV, so can't say much about it. The tiny fridge had a decent number of bottles of water and a handful of beers and sodas. It didn't do a particularly great job of keeping anything all that cold, but we appreciated having the drinks available. Housekeeping will do an admirable job of trying to fill any specific requests you want. We asked for more water and pop and less beer and when we returned later that was exactly what we found.
The washroom was nice but some people might be weirded out by the lack of privacy. It didn't bother us, but there isn't exactly much separation between the toilet and the rest of the room. The shower had a nice setup but water temperature was all over the map. Even in off-hours, you had to keep a close grip on the faucet as it would quickly move from luke-warm to near-scalding. Much like most Mexican resorts, the water from the taps isn't safe for consumption so keep that in mind when showering or brushing your teeth. Plenty of bottled water around, though! While there was a bit of a musky smell to the water, it wasn't bad, and keeping your air conditioning set to 22 degrees and the balcony door shut kept the scent to a minimum.
While we were pretty far from the beach, the room did have a decent view of the ocean! Try and book on the third floor or higher if you don't mind some stairs, as the lower of the two levels usually didn't have much of a view or were a little too close to the pools or other active spaces. We spent a fair bit of time relaxing on our balcony in the warm weather. That was also the only spot we could reliably get wi-fi in the suite, as coverage inside was pretty severely hit-or-miss, though to be fair, it was also pretty spotty throughout the resort. Adding some more access points to each of the buildings would be great! Yeah, not everyone spends a ton of time on their devices on vacation, but having good wi-fi is handy for posting pictures and keeping in touch with other guests.
Other than that, there was plenty of closet and drawer space for getting settled, and a convenient safe was located in the closet for keeping your valuables and gadgets safe. No one we know had any trouble with theft from their rooms, but you can never be too careful when it comes to things like your passport and such. We only had housekeeping come through twice, once at the midpoint of our vacation and after we'd checked out, so I can't say much about their service other than that the room was immaculate once they were finished.
The resort itself was beautiful, with four pools and a variety of other services. We spent most of our time at the southern-most pool, as it was by far the quietest. As it was located near the Privilege suites, lounge, and beach, we think lots of guests believed the pool was also exclusive. If you're more of a social animal, the middle two pools were busy all day with loud music and other activities. One usually attracted the college-age partiers while the other was filled with families. The final pool at the north end of the resort was full of kids, though we heard it was relatively quiet usually.
The beach was nice but busy, for the most part. Much like the pools, guests were playing the towel game pretty hardcore, so sometimes finding a chair was difficult. To their credit, the resort staff did remove towels and other items if the seat had been vacant for a couple hours, which helped some. But be prepared to get up early if your plan is to bask in the sun and you have a specific spot in mind.
As for the complaints about seaweed, well, I think they're mostly overblown. It's the ocean, them's the breaks. They did routinely clean most of it up with a tractor over the course of the day, but it was hardly a giant mess. The sand, chairs, and tables were mostly clean and well kept, and usually in the late afternoon the beach was much quieter as most guests migrated to the pools or out to eat.
A quick note on the Privilege thing. We didn't get it, as we wanted to spend as little as possible, but we were certainly interested in hearing about it. The exclusive beach and lounge were rarely busy, so it might have been worth the extra money purely for the peace and quiet! Which leads me to my only major source of disappointment with the resort: the sales pitch.
We were cornered early into our stay by a fellow in the lobby who we feel mislead us somewhat about his intentions. I mentioned that we were interested in hearing about the Privilege package, and he offered to give us a 60-minute tour of the facilities and all the info we needed. He said he wasn't selling anything, which was good because that's not what we were looking for. Over two hours later, however, we'd been shuffled around to six different 'non-sales-people' who were most definitely selling their H10 Premium packages, and gotten essentially no information about Privilege at all. To be fair, the Premium packages sound like a great deal, but they aren't cheap and they want a lot of money up front. But since we had straight-up said we weren't interested, it was frustrating to be lead around by the nose like that, wasting a good chunk of our morning and souring our moods for a good portion of the day. And we never did get any solid information about cost or benefit of upgrading to Privilege! So, long story short, if they're wearing an H10 Premium shirt, they're going to try and sell you something.
Anyway, back to the resort. There were several options for eats available. Casa del Mar, the buffet, was open most of the day and offered a variety of foods and drinks. We had breakfast there every day and lunch and dinner there a couple of times. The food was decent but nothing special, and it could get pretty busy, with long lines for the omelette/hot foods/juice counters, and lots of ambient noise. Get in, eat, and get out.
The other restaurants were much nicer. We ate at Route 66 our first night, which offered a lot of your typical North American barbeque fare. It's also open late, so if you had a hankering for fries or pizza or such after everything else was closed, you could find salvation there. La Hacienda los Girasoles offered traditional Mexican food. It was very tasty, but could be busy during peak periods. La Petite Creperie had crepes and a selection of pizza and salads, and was located conveniently by the southern pool. Much like the pool, it isn't exclusive to Privilege guests, so definitely check it out. Finally, we had the Sensai experience twice, and it was great both times. It requires a reservation, though, which can only be made from 11-11:30AM. Highly recommend it, though, if you enjoy Japanese food.
We didn't check out the other restaurants, the Blue Moon, Villa Marina, and Ritratto d'Italia, or the various snack bars. We heard good things about Villa Marina, though! There's also Mike's Coffee, which was a great little spot where you could get hot or cold drinks and relax with a book. We were there at least a couple of times a day, and though the sizes were pretty small, nothing stops you from going back to get another.
There were regular activities every day, but we spent most of our time at the quiet pool, on the beach, or relaxing on one of the many benches and couches scattered across the resort. There's something for everyone, I think, whether it be dance lessons, live theater, yoga, or foam parties, which are apparently pretty neat. The resort also has some excursions available, but we didn't take advantage of those either.
Puerto Morelos, the small town to the south, is an hour walk down the beach. There is a clothing-optional resort near the mid-way point, which might shock more conservative people but didn't phase us as at all. Just don't dawdle along that resort's section of beach. Its guests aren't there for your viewing pleasure! Once you've made it to town, you'll find plenty of local shops and a market to check out, though we were somewhat exhausted by the time we arrived and didn't spend much time looking around before heading back the way we came. The Ocean Coral does offer a guided bike tour to the town, if that's your kind of thing.
As for the wedding, the beach ceremony was simple and fairly quick. Note that if you're considering using them for your own wedding, they will fill it up with religious stuff, even if you specify not to. A little frustrating, but I guess it's a cultural thing. The reception afterwards was wonderful, with excellent service and very tasty food. We didn't stay for the music and dancing after the meal, but we hear fun was had by all!
Some final points: everything on the resort was crazy expensive, and lots of the services were listed in US dollars. Again, go with pesos if you can. There are staff photographers wandering around taking pictures of all the guests. We didn't find them particularly intrusive, but their finished photos are, like everything else, pretty expensive. We found most staff members to be friendly and their service great. Make an effort to use 'hola' and 'gracias' and 'buenas dias' and you'll definitely get a smile. Tipping is always awkward at an all-inclusive, but definitely keep some bills handy, they're much appreciated.
Would we return to the Ocean Coral? Probably not, but only because we don't usually go to the same place twice! We highly recommend the resort to anyone looking to stay in the Cancun region but not in the city itself, you'll be well rewarded.
We booked our trip via Expedia, flying WestJet direct both ways, and then booked a there-and-back shuttle from Cancun Shuttle, CUN's service. The flight was great, with WestJet's updated 737s offering in-flight internet (for a small price, of course) and power outlets for charging our devices. This really helped make the four hour and a bit trip feel much shorter! As is usually the case, the flight was otherwise fine, with a free beverage and snack shortly after take off and a short time before landing. It was quite windy when we arrived, so our touchdown was a bit rougher than we'd like, but hey, we survived! So everything worked out.
Arrival at CUN was straightforward, though keep in mind that there are several lines available at customs and immigration. Save yourself some time and look for the one with the least number of people in it, as most travellers simply file into the first entry that they see. Make sure you've got your form properly filled out, or they'll send you back to do so. Once you've collected your bags, avoid the mass of salespeople and flee for the outdoors. Pretty much everyone in there wants to sell you something and it can get pretty chaotic if you don't just put your head down and go.
Outside, we quickly found our Cancun Shuttle rep and he got our ride ready despite being over forty minutes early. Highly recommend them! It wasn't particularly expensive, and the vehicle was clean, comfortable, and we had it to ourselves. No waiting for other people to get on or off, and a short time after disembarking from our plane we were at the resort.
Quick tip for fellow Canadians: do everything in Mexican pesos if you can! The exchange rate with the US dollar is stupid right now, and most transactions down there seem to default to it.
Once at Ocean Coral & Turquesa, we were quickly greeted with friendly smiles and a refreshing drink. Check-in was fast and fairly simple. The fellow at the counter did suggest that usually they charge extra for more than one room key, but we got two keys and two towel cards for free. We were in room 15308, which was wonderful despite having two small beds instead of a king as we had booked. It wasn't a dealbreaker, as the rest of the room was pretty great, but they weren't super comfortable.
The rest of the room was well-appointed. There was a comfortable couch and a few chairs around a small table that worked great when we were hanging out with some other guests in the room. We never turned on the TV, so can't say much about it. The tiny fridge had a decent number of bottles of water and a handful of beers and sodas. It didn't do a particularly great job of keeping anything all that cold, but we appreciated having the drinks available. Housekeeping will do an admirable job of trying to fill any specific requests you want. We asked for more water and pop and less beer and when we returned later that was exactly what we found.
The washroom was nice but some people might be weirded out by the lack of privacy. It didn't bother us, but there isn't exactly much separation between the toilet and the rest of the room. The shower had a nice setup but water temperature was all over the map. Even in off-hours, you had to keep a close grip on the faucet as it would quickly move from luke-warm to near-scalding. Much like most Mexican resorts, the water from the taps isn't safe for consumption so keep that in mind when showering or brushing your teeth. Plenty of bottled water around, though! While there was a bit of a musky smell to the water, it wasn't bad, and keeping your air conditioning set to 22 degrees and the balcony door shut kept the scent to a minimum.
While we were pretty far from the beach, the room did have a decent view of the ocean! Try and book on the third floor or higher if you don't mind some stairs, as the lower of the two levels usually didn't have much of a view or were a little too close to the pools or other active spaces. We spent a fair bit of time relaxing on our balcony in the warm weather. That was also the only spot we could reliably get wi-fi in the suite, as coverage inside was pretty severely hit-or-miss, though to be fair, it was also pretty spotty throughout the resort. Adding some more access points to each of the buildings would be great! Yeah, not everyone spends a ton of time on their devices on vacation, but having good wi-fi is handy for posting pictures and keeping in touch with other guests.
Other than that, there was plenty of closet and drawer space for getting settled, and a convenient safe was located in the closet for keeping your valuables and gadgets safe. No one we know had any trouble with theft from their rooms, but you can never be too careful when it comes to things like your passport and such. We only had housekeeping come through twice, once at the midpoint of our vacation and after we'd checked out, so I can't say much about their service other than that the room was immaculate once they were finished.
The resort itself was beautiful, with four pools and a variety of other services. We spent most of our time at the southern-most pool, as it was by far the quietest. As it was located near the Privilege suites, lounge, and beach, we think lots of guests believed the pool was also exclusive. If you're more of a social animal, the middle two pools were busy all day with loud music and other activities. One usually attracted the college-age partiers while the other was filled with families. The final pool at the north end of the resort was full of kids, though we heard it was relatively quiet usually.
The beach was nice but busy, for the most part. Much like the pools, guests were playing the towel game pretty hardcore, so sometimes finding a chair was difficult. To their credit, the resort staff did remove towels and other items if the seat had been vacant for a couple hours, which helped some. But be prepared to get up early if your plan is to bask in the sun and you have a specific spot in mind.
As for the complaints about seaweed, well, I think they're mostly overblown. It's the ocean, them's the breaks. They did routinely clean most of it up with a tractor over the course of the day, but it was hardly a giant mess. The sand, chairs, and tables were mostly clean and well kept, and usually in the late afternoon the beach was much quieter as most guests migrated to the pools or out to eat.
A quick note on the Privilege thing. We didn't get it, as we wanted to spend as little as possible, but we were certainly interested in hearing about it. The exclusive beach and lounge were rarely busy, so it might have been worth the extra money purely for the peace and quiet! Which leads me to my only major source of disappointment with the resort: the sales pitch.
We were cornered early into our stay by a fellow in the lobby who we feel mislead us somewhat about his intentions. I mentioned that we were interested in hearing about the Privilege package, and he offered to give us a 60-minute tour of the facilities and all the info we needed. He said he wasn't selling anything, which was good because that's not what we were looking for. Over two hours later, however, we'd been shuffled around to six different 'non-sales-people' who were most definitely selling their H10 Premium packages, and gotten essentially no information about Privilege at all. To be fair, the Premium packages sound like a great deal, but they aren't cheap and they want a lot of money up front. But since we had straight-up said we weren't interested, it was frustrating to be lead around by the nose like that, wasting a good chunk of our morning and souring our moods for a good portion of the day. And we never did get any solid information about cost or benefit of upgrading to Privilege! So, long story short, if they're wearing an H10 Premium shirt, they're going to try and sell you something.
Anyway, back to the resort. There were several options for eats available. Casa del Mar, the buffet, was open most of the day and offered a variety of foods and drinks. We had breakfast there every day and lunch and dinner there a couple of times. The food was decent but nothing special, and it could get pretty busy, with long lines for the omelette/hot foods/juice counters, and lots of ambient noise. Get in, eat, and get out.
The other restaurants were much nicer. We ate at Route 66 our first night, which offered a lot of your typical North American barbeque fare. It's also open late, so if you had a hankering for fries or pizza or such after everything else was closed, you could find salvation there. La Hacienda los Girasoles offered traditional Mexican food. It was very tasty, but could be busy during peak periods. La Petite Creperie had crepes and a selection of pizza and salads, and was located conveniently by the southern pool. Much like the pool, it isn't exclusive to Privilege guests, so definitely check it out. Finally, we had the Sensai experience twice, and it was great both times. It requires a reservation, though, which can only be made from 11-11:30AM. Highly recommend it, though, if you enjoy Japanese food.
We didn't check out the other restaurants, the Blue Moon, Villa Marina, and Ritratto d'Italia, or the various snack bars. We heard good things about Villa Marina, though! There's also Mike's Coffee, which was a great little spot where you could get hot or cold drinks and relax with a book. We were there at least a couple of times a day, and though the sizes were pretty small, nothing stops you from going back to get another.
There were regular activities every day, but we spent most of our time at the quiet pool, on the beach, or relaxing on one of the many benches and couches scattered across the resort. There's something for everyone, I think, whether it be dance lessons, live theater, yoga, or foam parties, which are apparently pretty neat. The resort also has some excursions available, but we didn't take advantage of those either.
Puerto Morelos, the small town to the south, is an hour walk down the beach. There is a clothing-optional resort near the mid-way point, which might shock more conservative people but didn't phase us as at all. Just don't dawdle along that resort's section of beach. Its guests aren't there for your viewing pleasure! Once you've made it to town, you'll find plenty of local shops and a market to check out, though we were somewhat exhausted by the time we arrived and didn't spend much time looking around before heading back the way we came. The Ocean Coral does offer a guided bike tour to the town, if that's your kind of thing.
As for the wedding, the beach ceremony was simple and fairly quick. Note that if you're considering using them for your own wedding, they will fill it up with religious stuff, even if you specify not to. A little frustrating, but I guess it's a cultural thing. The reception afterwards was wonderful, with excellent service and very tasty food. We didn't stay for the music and dancing after the meal, but we hear fun was had by all!
Some final points: everything on the resort was crazy expensive, and lots of the services were listed in US dollars. Again, go with pesos if you can. There are staff photographers wandering around taking pictures of all the guests. We didn't find them particularly intrusive, but their finished photos are, like everything else, pretty expensive. We found most staff members to be friendly and their service great. Make an effort to use 'hola' and 'gracias' and 'buenas dias' and you'll definitely get a smile. Tipping is always awkward at an all-inclusive, but definitely keep some bills handy, they're much appreciated.
Would we return to the Ocean Coral? Probably not, but only because we don't usually go to the same place twice! We highly recommend the resort to anyone looking to stay in the Cancun region but not in the city itself, you'll be well rewarded.
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Room Tip: Get a room on the third or fourth floor for a view.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Questions & answers about the private balcony
Answer from Janelle59
Jan 2023 |
Yes you can smoke on your balcony
There were a few people in wheel chairs and mobility scooters so I’m sure if you spoke to guest services a ground floor room could be available.
There is no kettle in the room . There was a coffee machine with 2 bags of coffee but didn’t use it as there is a coffee shop on the site which is amazing . Cappuccino with my breakfast or filter coffee available .
Jody asked a question Jun 2020
Answer from Joylee
Jul 2020 |
There are a few in each building. Privilege Only.
Check askmon the FORUM ,for more replies.
Answer from Joylee
Feb 2020 |
#17 or #21 are close to the kids area., alway from party swim up pool,more quiet, and better chance of getting a part Ocean View.all rooms have good balcony
Answer from Mom in MN
Feb 2020 |
We had two Privilege Junior Suites during our stay last month. Both had tubs on the balcony. Both had only showers in the bathrooms. It seems there are conflicting answers to your question. If your wife needs to have a tub in the bathroom, I would suggest calling the hotel directly and asking.
Answer from gate7montreal
Jan 2020 |
Hi. I don’t think it would be a problem. I smoked cigarettes on the balcony and so did a lot of smokers. I actually saw guests smoking shisha by the pool. Enjoy
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