Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun

This was a somewhat last-minute vacation for my teen daughter and I. We stayed in a junior suite pool view room and loved it. I love the resorts where your room key is your bracelet. We had that. The balcony was cozy. There is only a shower in the bathroom. The doors to the shower and toilet aren't ideal for privacy (depending on who you are traveling with), but that's typical at most resorts. Their is a nice big jacuzzi tub in the room itself. Hair dryers work really well. We didn't require much housekeeping, but it always seemed to be pretty late in the afternoon before our room was touched. Drink selection in the room is underwhelming. I loved that we could take our water bottles provided in the room and get cold water in the hallway. Air conditioning in the room worked great. We had it off or set not as cold because of how well it did work.

The buffet wasn't one of my favorites. I didn't love the options or desserts compared to other buffets I've been at. One thing that I did like, though, was that there is a section just for kids (if traveling with any). We only ate at the Italian Restaurant and were pleased with our meals. There were 2 nights we realized last minute that the buffet wasn't open for dinner. It is more inconvenient, but we took advantage of the room service. The selection isn't the best and we didn't love it. All of the staff were pleasant and provided excellent service. There is an app where you can check daily activities, order room service, and check restaurant hours.

This is my least favorite beach out of several resorts I have stayed at. The flag was red most days, where there's no swimming. We went in one day when the flag was yellow. The water is brown, and you're stepping on rocks, seaweed, etc. We never went in again. The beach itself is very small... the water isn't far away, leaving less beach area for chairs or kids to play. I am more of a pool person, but I somehow missed that it wasn't the Caribbean Ocean and was as disappointing as it was. It's not an ideal location for a nice resort.

We loved the pool. We never had a problem getting clean towels (no card or return towel needed & located at a few spots), or getting a spot by the pool. We had a blast with water aerobics, a couple of foam parties, and just watching activities at the pool. We pretty well stuck to La Brisa all week. "Ever" was the name of my most frequent bartender at the swim-up. I loved the selection of daiquiris! Strawberry, mango, passionfruit, and raspberry, I believe. Passionfruit is amazing! Lemon drop shots are also perfect! It was never too busy, but keep in mind, it was a June vacation & peaceful!!

I did enjoy the size of the resort. I have been at larger ones, where you have to shuttle or walk way longer to get anywhere. This was nice and easy to find your way around. My daughter could easily just run to our room from the pool. It was really close.

Star Prestige isn't really something I would want. I don't stick with the same chain of hotels usually. I did find it feels very pushy, like you feel you need to join for breakfast and a 1.5hr info session... with perks for coupons and $ off excursions. We didn't go. We also chose no excursions this trip anyway, as we went to just relax. They have access to other pools and options, but nothing I felt I was missing out on.

There are 2 shops at the resort. As expected, they're very expensive. 2 bags of chips for $20usd or $15usd/each, for example. There are lots of cute souvenirs, though. We just spent too much money, lol.

There is a tattoo artist on the spa level. I found it pricy, but I got a meaningful tattoo I love and am pleased with. The experience was fun to do on a vacation.

Around the resort, I saw my first coati! Occasionally, you'll randomly see one running by. We saw a couple of small raccoons. I am used to seeing little tiny geckos running around, but here, there were always large iguanas nearby throughout the day. We had no issue with bugs, etc.

If you're not much of a beach person, I would likely recommend. Sadly, that's the downside to it. We had a great stay, though, and loved every minute! Meeting people was the best part! Thanks for an amazing vacation, Iberostar!

We visited the Iberostar Selection Riviera Cancún recently. The rooms are very nice , the different pool areas are also very nice with a lot lounge bed around the pools. The food selection is limited and is not at the level of other Iberostar Selection Resort , the food quality in my opinion is actually lower than the quality at the Iberostar Mar y Beach Resort , which is Waves level. Also the bar at the lobby are has a very disturbing and offensive image glorifying a documented homophobic and racist individual that was also directly involved in executions and violence at the beginning of the communist dictatorship in Cuba. Political propaganda has no place in a hospitality environment meant for leisure and family entertainment. As a global brand that promotes a premium, family-friendly, and politically neutral vacation experience, the inclusion of such highly polarizing political propaganda is entirely unacceptable.