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Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya Hotel & Resort Reviews

Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya
Address: Carretera Cancun - Chetumal KM. 264.5 XPU-HA Beach on the Mayan Coast, Mexico Tel: +(52) (987) 5-18-00 Fax: +(52) (987) 5-18-18 Email: riviera_maya@hotelcopacabana.com URL: Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya	Type of Property: All Inclusive Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) Island: Mexico No. of Rooms/Units: 260

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Summary of All Property Reviews for: Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya Ratings based on answers from a total of 14 reviews 10 is best 1 is worst
Feature	Ranking	Feature	Ranking
Cleanliness of Property	9.07	Quality of Property	8.36
Privacy & Quietness	8.29	Quality of Service	8.43
Courtesy & Hospitality of Staff	8.57	Accuracy of Website (marketing hype) VS. Actual Experience	8.29
Food and Dining Experience	6.93	Price/Value of Property	7.93
Safety Factor (Did you feel safe at property)	8.29	Quality of Beach (ranked closest beach if property is located off the beach)	9.00
Total Property Score: 8.32 out of 10 | Average Star Rating: 3.57 out of 5

• 79% (11 visitors of 14) said they would go back to Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya again.
• 79% (11 visitors of 14) said they would recommend Copacabana Beach Resort Riviera Maya to friends.

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Copa was deffenatly the most fun ive ever had. i was with a few familys as well as my own and a few friends. the host ricky and the whole cast were amazing,funny, and friendly. i did not want to leave. the food was great, breakfast lunch and dinner. The night disco was the best time, gives us a fun time to dance, it was the best part! the rooms were very nice and the showers were beautiful. the shows at night were also a good laugh, no matter what they had me laughing. dont even get me started on the beach, by far the best beach ive ever been too. the trip was all around amazing.

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On December 27th, 2006 through January 1, 2007 my family and 2 other families stayed at the Copacabana. I would like to start by saying the property is lovely. The setting, the cleanliness, and the pool area all are beautiful. Unfortunately the service and food are deplorable.

Our trip started by not being able to get our transfer to our hotel. They had our name but no invitation for a bus. Therefore, 2 of the 3 families had to pay for their transportation which cost $120.00.

When we got to the hotel the buffet was the only restaurant open. As we would come to find out it would be the only restaurant that we would ever get into.

The Buffet was fine in the morning for the most part, except if you didn’t get there early enough you were out of luck. Example being at 9am one morning they ran out of bread for toast. That was the first time I received the response that I would get many times throughout my stay “Ten minutes”. If you didn’t want to eat at the buffet you could go to the restaurant named paradise for a light continental. Light is right! One day they opened at 10:30AM and had 8 croissants watermelon and ham. Strange combination. And we were told when it’s gone it’s gone they don’t replenish.

Lunch was horrible! The burgers were boiled. Pizza with hotdogs on it or anything they had left over. Fish that smelled and looked spoiled. The only thing that looked edible was French fries and ice cream. Unfortunately for us, they were always empty and the response was “Ten minutes”. I’m still waiting for fries and ice cream.

On the first morning I was there I went right to the concierge that is only open from 8-11AM (real convenient). I tried to make reservation for Paradise and The Mexican restaurant. Nothing was available. I asked Jayme the concierge if she accepts tips she said yes. I gave her $20US and she gave me nothing in the way of reservations. We were however able to get in the Terrace the restaurant that is extra and not included in the price. I was a little taken back when we had to give our order in the morning of our reservation and sign for the check. Now I know why. 11 of us (5 children and 6 adults) went to the terrace. There was one waiter working. No one ever asked us if we wanted drinks. We sat there for almost 3 hours. 2 people out of 11 never got there meals. The nine that did ate about one bite each. The lobster was tuff with no butter. The NY Strips were pork and the filets tasted spoiled. This property should be embarrassed to even take claim to the managers that I had discussions with Roberto and Alberto. No one would take ownership of the problem it was just excuses. They never offered to take it off of our bill. Luckily when we checked out Amanda at the front desk was accommodating and removed the charges. Amanda needs to be promoted!!

After the night at the Terrace I demanded a reservation for our families at the Mexican restaurant. They said they could only accommodate us at 9pm. This was just too late for our children. I was most shocked when I walked into the Mexican restaurant each night on one hour intervals and there were 5-10 open tables each time. Your property is hardly all inclusive or maybe service and adequate staff is not included.

Your property skimps everywhere chipped plastic cafeteria glasses not only in pool area but even in the buffet and lobby bar. Towels for the pool are supposed to be ready at 8am, they were never available until 10am and the response of course was “10 minutes” Not enough towels in the room. The Wood family on one occasion had to wait and hour for bath towels and was told they might not have any for the evening.


Theses things are UNEXCEPTABLE. Our Family paid $3800.00 for this short vacation. We would have been better served at a Red Roof Inn. When I talked to Jayme the concierge about dinner reservations she actually laughed at me and said there was nothing open in Playa Del Carmen. This most likely is not the service she would like on vacation.

I am appalled that you rate the Copacabana as a five golden apple. I suggest you do some major investigation. I am hoping that you also make this right with our families. If Apple does not make this right I will assume Service, Food, Courtesy, Attentiveness and bare essentials like bath towels are not included in an all inclusive property!

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When you read the other reviews of the negative reviews the people must be crazy. My wife and I took a last minute trip and boy was it a great one. The food was great apple vacations made sure no problems arose. The people that said apple did not help they do not know what they are talking about. This place was a oasis. We came as 2 and left as three WOW what else could you ask for I am a DAD now. Thanks..

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We stayed at the Copa from July 27 through August 3. Absolutely NO complaints. The food was great, some people just have to experiment a little. But they do serve chicken, pork, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza as well. Vegetables and fresh fruit are abundent as well as the fantastic assortment of breads. The wait staff cannot do enough for you. Now for the Entertainment. Ricky, Stephano, Moses, Luis, LaLo, Lucy,Valarie, Valentino - The entertainment Crew- They are Funny, Energetic and Talanted. They started at 10 am, broke for lunch 1 till 3 (when they ate and practiced the program for the nite)and were back at the pool till 7 pm. where they kept everyone busy and laughing. They even have a kiddy section for the little ones and they have a kids show from 8 till 9 and the entertainment from 9 till about 10;45. Once over, you can go to the hotel bar, which we did a couple of times, or to the disco, which was fun! or take a stroll down to the beach and look at the stars and the shooting stars. Overall I would recommend it to everyone and I hope to return again next year with my family (4)

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This letter is in reference to our Apple Vacation Trip to the Copacabana Resort in Riviera Maya from 2/11/06 to 2/15/06.

Our trip started terrible thanks to the airline Apple provided, USA 3000. We arrived at 4:45 for our 7:15 flight. It took as 2 hours to check our bags. It was ridiculous. Then the Flight took off an hour late because they were still checking bags. That was the worst experience I have ever had flying. When we got to Mexico we had to wait on our bus for another hour before we left. The bus trip to our resort took another 2 hrs. Thanks to a smelly bathroom, it only felt like 3 hrs.

So we finally made it to our hotel, expecting everything to get better. We were finally having a little fun out by the pool when we had to attend the required orientation, which turned out to be a drawn out sales pitch. It felt like we signed up for a time share trip. They offered no information other than the extra, expensive packages for sale (I signed up for an “all inclusive” trip for a reason).

How in the world can they call that a 5 golden apple hotel? The first thing we noticed when we entered our room was the floor was all wet. We found out later that when it rains nothing keeps water from coming into the room. We had MOLD in our shower. Instead of getting a king or 2 queen beds, we received 2 twin beds (My feet hung over the edge and I’m only 5’9”). The Alarm Clock was glued to the table pointing away from the beds, and needed to be reset every night. I didn’t know alarm clock theft was a major problem in 5 star resorts. In another room the Alarm Clock didn’t even work. Our phone said we had a message, but we couldn’t get it. One positive was the cleaning people did a good job (minus the mold). We tipped them pretty well.

We also found there was not much to do on this resort and we were not very close to anything. On the first 2 days, they had a few dart and ping pong tournaments, and some dancing, but that was it. On the 3rd (the only nice day we had), there weren’t any activities. They didn’t even have music playing until late afternoon. The water in the pool and hot tubs was way too cold to use. We had to go get all of our own drinks, which wasn’t a big deal, but at times there was a line 10+ people long. The bartenders left something to be desired as well. You could ask for the same drink you just had, but the ingredients were never the same. The only recognizable liquor offered was Bacardi, but that was sparsely available. The bar out by the pool was nice to sit at, but it closed at 6:00 PM. So, from 6:00 to 9:30 (when the shows started), there was nothing to do except sit inside at the lobby bar. The shows were OK. After 10:00 PM there wasn’t any food available other than the very expensive room service. We paid for an all inclusive to have fun ON the resort, but we were bored for the most part.

Since there wasn’t anything to do at our resort, 5 of the 8 people in our party went in to Playa Del Carmen to do some shopping. Either we were dropped off in the wrong part of town or Playa Del Carmen is not for foreign vacationers to say the least. So after shopping for about 30 minutes, it was time to head back to the resort. That’s when the cab driver, who was driving way too fast, stopped abruptly because of backed up traffic. Unfortunately, the dump truck full of cement behind him did not, slamming into the back of the van, throwing everyone into the seat ahead of them. The collision also knocked out the driver (we had to grab the wheel to avoid heading down the ditch). All the seats and windows in the van were busted. The very back seat, which was unoccupied, was completely crushed. Had there been someone in that seat, they would have been dead, or at the very least severely injured. We were shook up, but didn’t have any major injuries. The dump truck driver fled the scene. Another van quickly showed up and took us back to the resort. We were scheduled to go on the bar crawl that night, but Apple did refund our money under the circumstances. The Apple Rep had seen the accident and the story was a popular one around the hotel. Had the orientation provided a little advice on things to do, or what sort of transportation to take, we could have avoided this whole ordeal. Instead we sat through a sales pitch.

Fortunately the food made one person in our party extremely sick the night before, or he would have been in the back seat of the van. We didn’t expect much as far as food, but we were hoping to avoid vomiting (which happened twice). We also found a bug in our cup of juice or hair in the eggs on another occasion.

Then to make the whole trip complete, when it came time for check out, we were informed that we were being charged $30 for each of our beach towels we didn’t have!!!!!! The resort obviously had the towels (because they pick them up every night), so why would we be charged for towels that we know they have? Nobody said anything about this until that point. Keep in mind, these were not very nice towels. They had been used numerous times before we ever touched them. I also didn’t realize that 5 star hotels needed to rip off their customers to make an extra couple of dollars off of beach towels that aren’t turned in. What a joke.

And although we wrote Apple Vacations a letter explaining what happened, they did nothing.

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On September 13 to 20th inclusive 2005, Todd & Laura Mercer vacationed at the COPACABANA Beach Resort Rivera Maya for their honeymoon from.

They are not seasoned travelers and this was to be a huge highlight of their new life together. Like many newly married couples they had many other uses for their valued dollars. It was a great disappointment to them and myself as a parent to hear on their return that they were very displeased with this facility. First and foremost a lot of the facilities were still closed due to the hurricane and they did not receive an orientation upon arrival informing them of what facilities were available to them.

Upon arrival they were greeted with a cocktail and told their luggage would be in their room. This is not exactly five star treatment to have to guess what facilities were available to them and try and find their room, in this all inclusive resort. It wasn't until they met with another Canadian couple on the last day of their vacation they realized what they had missed.

Because of all the construction and repairs going on the only restaurant they assumed were available to them was the pool restaurant and did not realize they could have had a buffet lunch, and breakfast, but instead thought what was included was hot dogs and hamburgers served at the pool bar. They missed out on any of the tours that were included because once again were unaware of what was included. When they tried to enquire at the vacation desk were met with a huge line up and huge communication gap. There weren't any instructions re check out which took them numerous hours to discover the procedure. They choose an all inclusive resort with a five star rating so that everything would be looked after for them and paid a huge amount of extra dollars to guarantee this service. They did not receive five star service nor were they able to reap the benefits of the all inclusive due to the closer of most facilities.

I believe they should be compensated in some manner for their stay at this facility, in the manner of a vacation voucher or vacation dollars.

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We visited the Copa with 2 other couples and had a fabulous time! The one couple has been to the Copa 5 times now! We're booked to visit again February 2006. We have visited Mexico at least once a year every year for the past 8 years.

The Copa is very clean and the food (especially the buffets) are phenomenal. The fresh fruits, yogurts, fish and vegetables are amazing. The breakfast buffet alone is to die for. The staff are very friendly and service oriented. We got to know the wait staff and bartenders well and they treated us royally. The entertainment staff really go out of their way to get you involved, help you meet others and have a great time. They are very talented!

The pool is large and the beach is spacious and clean. Rooms are very large and comfortable. Maid service is excellent. The Copa is a great buy for the money, and we can't wait to return.

Our heart-felt wishes that the staff of the Copa and their families have come through Wilma with very little damage or discomfort.

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Fantastic place. We were there with our family, 13 in all, celebrating my wife and my 50th wedding anniversary. We were there for ten days, exactly one month before the Hurricane Emily. It broke my heart to learn there was damage there.

EVERYONE in our family, ages 6-70 had a WONDERFUL time, and are anxious to return.

Only negative, not their fault, was humidity in June. We never suffered, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

FANTASTIC BEACH AND POOL.

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Everything was excellent the food, entertainment & all service staff. Met some nice people and my partner and i had a wonderful time. The beach was beautiful, white sand and clear blue sea our room was spacious and clean.

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This Resort was a lovely place. It suits every age group. There are activities for young adults families children, everyone. The staff is absolutely amazing. Work all day and then have time to have fun. It is a place i would go back to.

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My husband and I just returned from a 4 day trip to the Copa. The hotel was fantastic! It is beautiful and maintained well. We had a wonderful time for the first few days. Unfortunatly on our last full day, my husband was ill. I only metion this to let you know that the hotel had a doctor to our room within 30 minutes of calling the front desk. Everything was top rate, friendly staff and guests. They really want everyone to join in the fun. The beach and water is beautiful and the hotel maintains the beach and cleans it several times during a day. I have to say, there is nothing like lying on the beach and having your favorite beverage delivered to you by one of the wonderful staff members. These people work very hard to make your stay a pleasant one. The food is OK but if you want breakfast, you have to go to the buffet before 10:00 to get all of the choices. This is not meant to be a negative, just a word of advice!!

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Copacabana Riviera Maya is a wonderful family-oriented resort. The amenities are first class, as is the service. The rooms are large and comfortable. No complains there, everything worked fine. Our room was cleaned and ready at arrival in the morning, although being in the 1st building, it was a roughly 5 minute walk to the pool-area. That's not bad though since the grounds are beautiful and it is a pleasure to walk through the jungle-like walkways.

The beach is amazing, with pure white sand and baby-blue water. It is also very large and beach chairs are plentiful. There is a volleyball court on the beach, and you can use boogie boards, 2-person paddle boats, etc. The waves are usually small, but the wind is strong enough for some nice wind surfing, if you have your own equipment. You can also rent wave runners and do para-sailing. The pool is also nice, always kept very clean. We enjoyed perfect weather throughout our stay. Does it ever rain in Mexico?

The food was fine. We just couldn't miss the breakfast omelette which was delicious. The dinner buffet was decent but lacked a bit in variety. Supper food was somewhat bland, with a different theme every night. Deserts were always delicious. Personally, we didn't care that much about the food, but the people who go on vacation especially for it, might be dissapointed.

There are a few bars around. There is a wide variety of cocktails, but not of beer. The nightly shows were fun thanks mostly to Ricky, the head-animator who is really amazing at getting the crowd hyped-up. There is virtually no night-life however, the disco is small and people don't seem to want to go there. This is the main reason why I find this to be a perfect spot for family relaxation. If you want to party all night long, you might want to check out other spots, because it won't happen here.

There is a nice choice of day-trips that you can make to see ruins, snorkel, etc. Go visit Playa del Carmen for souvenirs, and don't be shy to slash all the prices the merchants list by at least 60%-75%. They'll bargain and will take basically any money you give them, after a few minutes. Best way to get there are the mini-van busses they have. Only 2USD round-trip (compared to 28USD round-trip for a taxi) and it's just as safe. We went all the way to Cancun and back without any problems.

The staff at the hotel is welcoming. They do their job well, and they welcome tips although they do not run after them. Keep those dollar bills for the room cleaning ladies and at the restaurant, that's where they'll be most appreciated.

Children will love the Copacabana. If the night life would have been better (evening pool parties would have been absolutely incredible) and more variety in food, this would have been the perfect resort. Those were the only things that lacked. Everything else was beyond the quality that we were expecting and we had a great time.

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My husband and I spent 7 days at the Copa. We thought the place was great overall. The setting is beautiful, rooms are comfortable and pleasant, food is plentiful, staff is friendly and very hardworking, and the whole place was very clean and well maintained. The front-desk staff could be more knowledgeable about local tours and the schedule and locations of the hotel's activites. They gave short, inadequate answers to some of our questions and didn't offer to find answers to questions they couldn't answer. The activities staffers were all sweet, smart, and energetic. They inspired us and made us feel welcome to join in any activity. The dining room staff were attentive and indulgent. The housekeeping staff was top-notch.

We agree that it would be nice if the disco opened earlier than 11 pm; we were tired after a day of beaches, ruins, and buffets.

If I could do it over, I'd get certain orders of business out of the way early in the week: meet and coordinate departure with the travel rep; plan archaeological tours and snorkeling. We put these off and wasted time waiting for the rep and deciding what to do on a couple afternoons.

My advice to American visitors: learn some basic Spanish and make an effort to communicate with the locals in their native language. We bought a Spanish phrase book before we left and took Spanish lessons at the resort. Our por favors and graciases were much appreciated. Politeness, courtesy, and respect for others is valued highly in this culture. Don't be loud and obnoxious. Use proper table manners; don't be a pig at the buffets; don't waste the food. Be open-minded about food and customs that are different from yours; don't just eat hamburgers and pizza. Realize that authentic Mexican food is not all about enchiladas and huevos rancheros.

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I've just gotten back from this beautiful place.There is no words to describe it,its a must see. Its the greatest hotel full of very friendly staff and GREAT animators. They put on the BEST shows every night and activities throughout the day. But dont forget to check out the disco (its where it all begins...). You'll get a variety of very good food and drinks. The hotel is new and is sparkling clean. You can't go wrong with Copacabana!!! Have fun. Ciao

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My girlfriend and I stayed a week at this wonderfull resort. The food, staff and the hotel itself were beyond expectation. I will definitely return. The only thing that I would like to see change is that the disco open a bit earlier as by 11pm I was a bit drained from the day on the great great beach. I have recommended this place to many and those who have gone have not been disappointed.

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Just got back from five days at this very fine resort. The rooms, staff and common areas, pool and beach were first rate. It may be the best value I've seen in a resort. In the US a hotel of this quality would be $250 a night without the food, drinks and activities. Great for families with preteen kids and couples. Not many singles. The crowd is nice. Mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and Italians. Friendly, but not big partiers. Complaints: The desserts were not very good. Pretty to look at but bland and tasted the same. Unfortunately, the pastry chef has never discovered chocolate. Not one chocolate dessert in five days! The gymn is almost a joke. Have seen better in homes. The specialty Mexican restaurant should be avoided. Very long wait for mediocre meal. The disco is nice but doesn't start until 11:00. The staff tries to get it going, but pretty sparsley attended. It would be a lot better if the nightly show and disco were all moved up an hour.
These complaints should not distract from my overall general comments at the beginning. We had a great time and highly recommend it.

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The hotel is beautiful. But, they have a security problem. Our room was broken into, the safe broken into and all our money taken. The hotel management reacted like we were liars and made the whole thing up. The Assistant Manager even threatened to throw us out of the hotel when we complained. Subsequently I've seen messages about 6 other robberies and a statement from a tour guide that the hotel management has 'lost control.' The food is mediocre - e.g. the ice tea is filled up by adding more water.

I can go on and provide details. E-mail me if you want to know.

The weather was great, but there are many other places to go that have great weather.

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The Copacabana is an excellent place to stay in the Riviera Maya. The staff was extremely friendly. The whole resort was just beautiful. I was there during extreme weather conditions {hurricane Isadore} I still had the best time of my life. I plan on going back!!! I would recomend it to anyone! The only thing I would rate average about this resort was the food. The rest was superior!

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