El Dorado Seaside Suites

My partner and i didn't have the best experience in this hotel but that was nothing to do with the staff or hotel itself more TUI who we had booked through. Thankfully the hotel, staff, food, facilities made it a lovely holiday. Where do we start. This resort really does have something for everyone. The hotel has a number of pools and restaurants which really does mean it has something for everyone. The food in the hotel is 5 star, can't fault it one bit. During the lunch time hours on the beach the hotel run a bbq, the lunch they offer is not overly extensive at the bbq bar but it really is soo good. The prawns, and meat they cook is lovely. Our favourite restaurant was the mexican, when in mexico you really should embrace the food and when it's cooked well it's delicious. During our time at the resort we figured out a 5k running route which is marked out across the resort. The gym at the resort is very good, well equipped and very clean. The beach is kept very clean, the staff work so hard to clear any sea weed or debris off the beach. The sea doesn't get deep so it is ideal for lounging about and gives you a bit of confidence in the water. You can hire a kayak for free on the beach. would definitely return just wouldnt book through TUI

Just returned home from 2 weeks atThe El Dorado Seaside Palms . After a very long day travelling we were glad to be taken to our rooms on a golf cart where the rooms are very spacious and has everything you need . We had a swim up junior suite which is perfect for chilling out all day long if you wish. The swim up bar was well stocked with named brands until I introduced the Americans into baby Guinness...The rooms were very clean but could do with a little upgrade in the future. But as for the setting and grounds you can't go wrong. The food and drinks on offer was to a very good standard for an all-inclusive resort.....But the best thing about the resort is the Staff,from the men clearing the beach every morning,the gardeners ,the cleaners,the entertainment staff ,the receptionists,the bell boys,the waiters/waitresses and the bar staff so polite and friendly..You make this place 5 star many thanks 😎😎

**PROS, CONS & FAQ** PROS: - All the staff were incredible, attentive, and friendly, especially Mildred, when we changed rooms. - If you had a request, it was always followed up on to make sure you were ok. - Lots of restaurants to choose from. - Free room service. - Swim up pool bars. - Always clean. - Tui blue app helped you know what restaurants were open and what entertainment was happening each day. - Great WiFi all over the hotel. - Every meal you’re asked if you have an allergy, so it's very accommodating for people if you do live with a food allergy. - Tiu blu lobby, there was a Tui staff member available every day from 9.30am - 3pm. So there was always help if needed. Also, people would leave behind mosquito repellent and sunscreen for others to use if they didn’t need to take it home. - A lot of excursions. CONS: - Seaweed season smell, we only smelt it on first arrival. The hotel staff did an AMAZING job of clearing it up every morning! - If you don’t have a downstairs room, you won’t have a lot of seating options for a couple of the pools. - Loungers on the beach weren’t comfy. - Not a lot of spaces to lie down in daytime if it rains. - Expensive massages!!! Once I moved to premium, almost all of these Cons didn’t matter, and I was extremely happy! FAQ - When did we travel? 10 days between the end of July and early August. - weather? The weather was great, and the first day was our only rainy day. The rest of the days were really sunny. - How many pools? What were they like? Quiet Pool Loud Pool - swim up bar Infinity pool - swim up bar Pool that connects to downstairs hotel rooms - swim up bar Premium pool - swim up bar - The food? varied? hot/cold? A la carte? We came when it was 30% capacity. 2 al a carte restaurants were always open, but these needed pre-booking and were first-come, first-served reservations (Italian and oriental). There was always a buffet option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We absolutely loved the lunch which was more food truck style. Food was hot and mostly had options where they made it in front of you if you wished. - Entertainment day? Entertainment team, we didn’t see much of them, but what we did was friendly. Lots of organised activities throughout the day on Tui Blue App. - Entertainment night? Once again, only went to a little (bad jet lag), but we enjoyed what we did see. - Bars and restaurants within walking distance We didn’t make it outside the hotel, but there was enough entertainment and restaurants here that we didn’t need to. - How long was transfer from airport? 1 hour 10mins - Are the rooms air-conditioned Yes! Great air conditioning throughout the hotel. - How was the room service, and was it free? We had breakfast and lunch. Enjoyed both, preferred the buffet, but it was easy and quick for the times we used room service. When we had an issue, they quickly sent the order again. - What’s the beach like? Nice Sand, pretty, but not nice sunbeds, but you could pay extra for nicer ones. (We didn’t want to). - How much were trips away/ extras? A romantic dinner in the gazebo was £200 each for two. A Romantic tepee was £160 for two. Trip to Tulum, including lunch, ruins, cenote, and swimming with turtles was £159 - Anything else? Bring mosquito spray, it’s not awful, just definitely needed.

TUI Blue: The positives. The resort itself is wonderful, everywhere is beautifully green and clean. We didn't have a problem with the room either, apart from a missing bottle opener on arrival, it is spacious and clean. Everything else is just disappointing. There isn't much of a beach, don't believe the pictures. Most of the resort has a seawall and no access into the water. Where you can enjoy the sea, it is lined with sandbags and has horrible rotting netting along a good stretch of water. The seaweed is hit and miss, some days there is loads of it, other days not so much. The hotel does try to deal with it, if you want a JCB driving up and down the beach every 15 minutes. The smell from the seaweed that the hotel hasn't cleared away is absolutely awful, and this can be around for days. Apparently we holidayed in low season (July/August) so a lot of the restaurants and bars were not available. We knew we needed to book some of the restaurants, but that is very hit and miss, if you don't get in early enough in the week then you struggle to get a table at a reasonable time. The food is bang average, whichever restaurant you used, the buffet or a la carte. We were hugely disappointed by the food. The drinks were for the most part pretty poor too. Many of the cocktails were premixed or just weren't very good. A few times we actually questioned if alcohol came out of the spirit bottles, or just water. None of the bars had Menus. There are no lines for the Coke/Sprite/sodas etc it all came out of bottles, so most of the time the drinks were flat too. Drinks during the day we served in plastic cups. Fair enough. Drinks served at night time were still served in plastic cups. Plastic cups like you get at festivals. Flimsy and horrible. Certainly not a luxurious 5 star hotel feel. The staff are mostly friendly. Hola from almost everyone is guaranteed. But other than that, the majority of the bar staff aren't particularly friendly or engaging. When they aren't rushing around getting drinks, they are on their phones. The weather is wonderful, sunny and hot. The resort is beautiful. The rooms adequate. Everything else is just a let down. This isn't 5 star, not even close. I'm sure there are far better resorts here in Mexico, it's such a shame we picked this one.

Luis Manuel Balam was an amazing server and made our experience so special, recognizing our bachelorette in the sweetest way!