Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun

We attended Palmar for a Destination Wedding for friends. From the minute we arrived until the minute we left we were made to feel like royalty! Upon arrival we were given a cool rag to freshen up along with a glass of champaign. Our room wasn't ready, which was a little strange since they were only about 20-40% capacity, but it was fine as they directed us to the buffet to get something to eat while they kept our luggage safe. Our first experience in the buffet was spectacular with a great variety of really good food in addition to fantastic service. Once we were escorted to our room we entered into a very spacious, clean space with a nice balcony with plenty of cushioned seating. On our first full day, after an excellent breakfast at the buffet we grabbed towels to head to the beach. We were met by Mauricio who took our towels and escorted us to a cabana on the beach. He proceeded to set up the cabana with extra towels and pulled chairs up on the beach for our use as well. Mauricio went above and beyond all week for us! Once he figured out we would be on the beach everyday, he had our cabana already set up for us all equipped with towels and pillows before we even got breakfast. He kept us well provided with drinks and food or anything else we might need. He is an excellent server that really cares about his job and ensuring that the guests happy. We had such amazing service in all of the restaurants and bars. We were never without anything, and every morning in the buffet they remembered what we wanted to drink, including green tea and honey for my husband and automatically filling my water bottle with ice water to take with me to the beach. FANTASTIC! We do want to give a shout out to Alma in the Latino Bar as well. That little lady made sure drinks were never empty! She was the sweetest! The weather wasn't the greatest all week with lots of rain but the service never faltered anywhere. Keep in mind they were at a very low capacity so if you go during a time when more people are there service may not be as expedient but I can confidently say it will still be amazing! We have stayed at many resorts in Mexico and Palmar is at the top of our list in respect to amenities, cleanliness, food and service! Thank you!

Please be warned to anyone looking to book... they've recently changed ownership & it's nothing like it was a couple of years back (when I last visited) nearly every restaraunt is closed, there's no hot water, & it's a complete ghost town... please please avoid take my word for it... they didn't even inform me about it changing its name? so disappointing, i've come here on my own as well... don't suppose something could be arranged for me to be moved to another resort?

Stayed at this resort during the week of Jan. 13, 2025. Went there to attend a family wedding and originally booked when it was Azul Beach Resort (Karisma property). We stayed in a premium swim-up suite. The resort ownership changed approximately 3-4 months ago to the current name and owned by Tafer. Our original booking was through a Delta Vacations plan, but once the ownership changed, Delta no longer honored the vacation package so we had to book through the group wedding planner. We are experienced travelers and have stayed in at least 8 all-inclusive resorts in the Cancun/Playa Riviera area. Unfortunately, this has been our worst experience so far. We're not sure if the unpleasant experience is due to the new ownership, or whether this was how it was before and the transformation process is ongoing, and they're making the necessary improvements. Regardless, I think it will take a little time before it comes back to being close to a quality, good-valued resort. On the plus side, the service and the people were outstanding. They were some of the most friendly and attentive workers we've encountered at Cancun resorts. Special shout out to Angelica (pool side server), Javier, Enrique and Angellus (restaurant servers), Marcelo (doorman), and the swim up bartenders. Everyone worked their tails off and provided exceptional service. Please make sure you tip them well. Another positive was not having to fight for poolside seating or cabanas because of the low occupancy. The rooms were fairly spacious and the beds comfortable. On the side of "needs improvement," the resort can use a complete update. Work has already started in certain parts of the resorts with crews fixing up one of the guest buildings. Hot water was inconsistent at best ,both in the showers and the hot tub in our swim up area. The water in the hot tub was tepid. There seemed to be bug/mosquito issues our room. One night, water seeped all over the floor after a thunderstorm. It appeared the water was leaking from the walls. We called the front desk and was quickly told it would be addressed and then they hung up. A crew did come the next morning to look at the flooding and addressed it by placing towels in the area where the water was leaking from. Not sure if that really addressed the issue, but fortunately the rain stopped and no leaking. The resort was virtually empty. Occupancy seemed to be less than 125 guests, even with 3 wedding parties during our stay. Im sure this is due to the recent ownership change and subsequent cancellations. We talked to several employees and they all said it's been "dead" there since the ownership change. They are, however, starting to see the numbers slightly tick up with each passing month. The beach area is very small, and not really swimmable. There is constant stream of seaweed that washes up onto shore. If you like to swim in the ocean, consider the resorts in hotel zone in Cancun rather than here. The water is definitely not crystal clear nor is the beach very walkable. As for the food, it was mediocre. There are 7 restaurants at the resort, but only 2 are used on a daily basis because of the lack of occupancy. The restaurant venues rotated each night, but the menu is very limited. The breakfast buffet at Caprichos was solid and offered enough of a variety of items. If you want to order food poolside, the menu is limited to 3 items. The resort has a Michelin-rated restaurant, Le Chique, but it is not open to the public. We inquired about eating here and was told it requires a special reservation and we're still unsure what this means. On a few of the nights, we saw a couple of small groups dining in it. The workout room had a bad odor which prevented us from using it despite multiple attempts to check it out on separate days. The resort did not have much of a vibe. There are not many activities unless you want just want to chill poolside all day. It's definitely quiet and not for the partying crowd. The nighttime entertainment option was minimal and not entertaining. Hopefully this resort will improve with more time and as it gets busier. However, it's going to be sometime until it reaches that level. Right now, it's not a good-value all-inclusive resort.

Arrived a few days before Christmas and it was very quiet on the resort. This did make it enjoyable for us there were no races to get a seat at the pool. The staff were very, very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. As mentioned, whether it was a drink or for food, we did not have a long wait for anything we wanted while at the resort. The resort was much busier towards New Years which had the stuff running around a lot more making the restaurants busy in the evenings and having to wait in line to eat if not at the restaurant early. The rooms are spacious and clean. We had an Oceanview room on the 3rd floor and really enjoyed being able to look out from our room onto the pool and ocean. There are still some room renovations ongoing to parts of the resort, however this did not affect our stay at all. In fact if we didn't know some of the renos were going on, we would not have known about them. This is a time share style property, however there is no pressure to meet for a sales pitch and it is all voluntary. There are people selling excursions and spa treatments on site, but we did not feel inundated or pressured. Everyone was very pleasant and respectful. For most of the week, our pool server was Blanca. She was very pleasant. She helped us out all week for all of our drink and snack needs. It helped us enjoy our relaxing trip even more. A few things that we can be critical of... the swimming pools were VERY cold. Once you got in and once acclimatized to the temperature, it wasn't bad, but it was not easy getting in after being out of it for awhile. As well, there weren't many extra options for young teenagers to keep them busy for a week. The beach was limited as it is smaller and the ocean was "red flagged" all week, so keeping entertained in a cold pool got the teens a bit restless. The beach is okay. The sand is amazing, but it is a smaller beach. As mentioned, the water was rough during our stay so we didn't have a real opportunity to swim in the ocean at all. This isn't a resort I would jump at if wanting to spend a vacation on the beach or playing in the ocean. The nightly entertainment was nothing to write home about. There is no actual theatre, so they used what they have to make it work. There was a rock band one night and some singers another night that were good... but it was more like a lounge or bar feel then nightly entertainment. They had a Michael Jackson impersonator who was excellent (along with the dancers) but this show was done in the lobby area. One night, the entertainment did not show up so there was no show at all. It would have been nice to have a coupel of Mexican themed entertainment while were there. The restaurant food was really good, but we were not fond of the buffet. Again, buffet staff were great, but the food was a bit limited. It was only open for breakfast and lunch during our time there so we did not spend to much time at it. We really enjoyed the Italian Restaurant. Overall, it was a very relaxing trip to Palmar. We were not happy with the cost of the trip as it was a lot more then we should have paid for a resort like this, but we have to take into account it was the Christmas week so it is what it is. It did the trick this time, though.

Before I write what will be a mostly negative review, I'd like to note that the employees (other than the front desk) are so nice and helpful, especially Eduardo at the pool bar, who was friendly and offered great service at the beach. Eduardo was the high point of the limited vacation! This resort has a lot of potential such as nice pools, large rooms with decks right on the pool (first floor) but seems to be going through some ownership and management issues. I booked what I thought was the Azul Beach Resort in early January for travel January 7-12 through Jetblue Vacations, however, it turned out to be new ownership and a new resort name of Palmar Beach Resort (which Jetblue didn't even realize). Jetblue wouldn't switch me to a different resort in the area so I ended up leaving early on January 9. Cons: - No hot water projected for my entire stay - the whole resort. They didn't disclose this at check in. This may not be important to some but was a deal breaker for me. - Many of the bars and restaurants weren't open and it was difficult to tell which restaurants were open for each meal. The list of restaurants and hours given at check in was inaccurate and printed so small that it was difficult to read. - Upon check in I was told my room wasn't ready, which was clearly a ploy for a sales representative to discuss a time share meeting. There was no one else in the entire lobby, so not an issue of the 2 front desk employees being busy. My room was ready. - Very few people at the resort, which could be viewed as a pro to some (easy to find pool and beach chairs) but seemed to lead to other issues like less was open, not fully staffed, and long wait times for food at dinner. - The beach is small with 25-30 beach chairs, hard packed sand, seaweed. A staff member cleaned the seawood each morning so not a big issue. The water here is definitely not the clear kind. Not a problem to get a chair at this capacity but I wonder what it would be like at even 40-50% capacity. - No snack restaurants at pool open so had to go inside for any food. - Limited food options. The breakfast buffet was definitely the best. No buffet option for dinner so picky eaters may have trouble finding food they like. At the Italian restaurant it took so long to get food that I gave up and ordered room service instead. Pros: - Easy to find a chair, no putting towels out every morning. - All the bartenders were so nice and easy to get a drink. - The staff was helpful and nice. - The 1st floor room I had in building 3 was nice, clean and large. It had a swim out deck. - The bedroom was clean the grounds seemed well-kept. - The room service pizza I order took awhile but was very good. I recommend waiting until some of the issues are worked out.