Live Aqua Beach Resort Cancun

Just got back from celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we had a fabulous time. The resort itself is great, not too big, not too small. The food and drink are also great, if you come home hungry you did something wrong. The best part though is the service, everyone makes you feel special. Special shoutout to our amazing pool servers Louisa and Monica and our Butlers Romero and Ruddy. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

Pablo and Naomi hosted the archery activity very well, hopefully we can do more activities when we visit again! Very fun

Fourth time some changes but overall still good. Pros: Stephanie and Ernesto our Butler's were amazing they made sure that we had everything we needed daily and booked all our dinner reservations. Resort was very clean and the room was always taken care of. Food was amazing especially MB for the habanero soup. We select Aqua Club on every trip as we think it's worth it. The last time we were here was 5 years ago and there are a couple of Staff members still around, a shout out to Eli and Miguel at the bar for always getting our drinks right. Cons: The only real con was lack of regular vodka, in the past Gray Goose and other top shelf was overflowing this time it was hard to get just a normal medium shelf vodka. Of course I'm a vodka snob if you're okay with absolute or lower quality they seem to have that but one day they were out of vodka of any non-flavored type most of the day. Aqua Club had two top shelves Gray Goose and Tito's but it was not practical to go up to the 5th floor Club when you're down at the pool.

We stayed at Live Aqua for 10 nights in October. This hotel is beautifully maintained with a zen like feeling from the moment you enter which results in calming ambiance, complimented with aromatherapy throughout the hotel. The frequency use of water features within the hotel is sympathetic to the balance of chic hotel with a beach vibe. The duck water features within in the lobby is a quirky uniqueness to Live Aqua which brings a playful element to an otherwise high end hotel and the complimentary duck is a special touch. The inside flows outside to beautifully maintained gardens and water features. Restaurant are hidden away with secret gardens, maintaining the pleasing aesthetics of the property. The gardens open out to 4 large pools overlooking the turquoise Caribbean sea and the award winning beach, complete with a turtle conservation area neatly tucked away. Pool service starts at the beach hut where there is situated an experienced team of staff ready to help. Sun loungers are plentiful and well spaced around the pools and beach area. And for that special occasion cabanas are available for a small cost which includes a foot massage at a time to suit. Pool service from the dedicated beach team is phenomenal with the staff regularly checking in with guests, providing an endless supply of refreshments and snacks. The food in every restaurant plentiful, and all the restaurants provide meals of the highest quality with the finest ingredients locally sourced. The Chefs guided by Chef Palapa can prepare individualised meals to accommodate guest’s preferences or to celebrate special occasions. The concierge team are readily available to provide assistance and are easily accessible, to deal efficiently with any small problem. I simple text Rebeca from the comfort of my cabana and my wishes are granted. The drink at the bars and cocktail lounge are plentiful and of top quality with a vast choice. So much so that I often say to Jose, Speedy, Hector or Moe “surprise me” and I am rewarded with an amazing cocktail comprising of top notch liquor and fresh fruits. Gerry, Mo, Ariel, Santos, Jose, Tanki and Ricardo keep a chilled bottle of wine for my lunchtime tipple. The rooms are large, spacious and thoughtfully designed, including a fully stocked bar, coffee machine and snacks. The rooms have oversize bathrooms complete with robes, slippers and Molton Brown toiletries. Individualised pillows, crisp white sheets and aromatherapy result in a peaceful haven. However, the most endearing quality of this wonderful retreat is the people that work there. We have too many friends at Live Aqua to thank them individually. Every member of staff great guests with a smile, and they all go above and beyond to look after guests. In particular Monserrat, who on our last day came in to work early to gift my husband and I cakes for our long journey home! Any reviews that say contrary to the service provided from this team of dedicated hard working staff members is simply not true. See you in February. The Pipers.

Given that I read about this place being one of the top-rated resorts, even by Forbes, I feel beyond confused after having stayed here. This place is 5-star in NOTHING. For reference points, I’ve stayed at the JW Marriott, Hyatt Zilara Riveria Maya, and a few others. So think mid-to-nice range. To give you a taste of this place and the remaining review: during our stay, the literal ceiling caved in and was falling from 40 ft up, in one of the most busy common areas. The area now has scaffolding and they’re fixing the hole, but to emphasize, this is by the downstairs bar/ where the breakfast restaurant is, and is in front of one of the primary doors to and from the pool. It gets much worse, though. From the moment we got here, I was surprised at how old-looking and run-down things were. As the trip went on, though, to say I’ve been let down is the understatement of the century. When I say dated, I mean it looks like the hotel hasn’t been updated, or even maintained, in decades - not exaggerating. This starts even before you enter the hotel with the entryway. As you walk in, the lobby is an interior design nightmare. In its center sits a square pool full of rubber ducks to serve as the grand entry? And it’s not even a pretty water feature beyond the ducks; there are mineral stains and visible dirt all over it. But don’t worry, you’ll have four staff people try to swarm you and move you quickly through the lobby so you don’t spend any time looking around. However, that is the only time during your entire trip that they will even acknowledge you - literally. I’ve never stayed at a resort where the staff members won’t speak to you when you pass them in the halls. Not just that, but getting service by the pool? Forget it. Being greeted at dinner? Nope! I would give this place a 0 in service if I could. It is quite literally the worst I’ve ever experienced, and that alone was enough to make me never want to come back. Read on if you like, but I’ll just save you the trouble - DO NOT STAY HERE. If you’re still reading, buckle up. Starting at the top: it’s not just the lobby that’s ugly, the entire grounds look like they’ve been frozen at the point of open and haven’t been touched for 20 years. The pool area is unkept and dingy, ruining the ambiance immediately. First, though, you have to figure out how to get to the pools. While there are four, the flow of this place is awful, like, physically speaking. It’s unintuitive and hard to get around. You have to walk a mile everywhere, it feels like, and even more with the entrance closure thanks to the ceiling collapse. Also, it’s a pain trying to find open pool chairs that aren’t cabanas or beds, which come at an additional cost and are always plentiful, of course. I’d say at least half of the seating would cost you extra cash to use. Same with the beach. Oh, and when you do find a chair, they are all plastic, as is all the furniture, it would seem. So not only is the place old and dingy, it’s also incredibly cheap-feeling!! Ugh, and don’t even get me started on the nasty carpet in the bar area/room thing. I digress. My next complaint is regarding the rooms. I came back from the pool to the room for a nap before dinner, went to pull back my sheets, and they were a filthy mess. I’m talking visible staining and hairs ALL OVER THE SHEETS. It made me sick. The cleaning staff had to come change all of the bedding in front of us (they were very nice about it, but I mean...). And no one from the front even cared to follow up, even after we directly reached out to our designated “concierge.” He said he “reported the incident.” Sure, whatever that means. We then had to go to the front desk ourselves. Beyond the bedding incident, the rooms are (ironically) the only redeemable part of this place. They’re a touch more modern and pretty, especially compared to the rest of this nightmare property. Not to be dramatic, but, I literally cried that this ended up being the destination of our once-a-year vacation. Next, food has been just okay at most of the places we tried. Some were better than others, but overall, nothing special. The drinks are watery and are always served in cheap plastic. The service at the pool is the absolute worst; the entire staff looks miserable to be there, or are busy entertaining themselves amongst each other. I saw someone else write a review that team members goof around with each other too much, retracting from the service, and that’s true for sure. The nicest person we encountered during our whole stay was Marco at the smoothie bar. He was so kind and fun and always had a smile on his face, the kind of service you’d expect everywhere, with how much this place costs. I think this is a Fiesta Americana Group issue. This is the second of their properties I’ve stayed at where I felt tricked by the reviews. It seems as though the hotel group only cares about money flow and reviews, and not at all about updating their grounds or investing in their clients’ experiences. Did I mention we’re loyalty members?? Run, don’t walk, away from this place.