Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya - An Adults Only All Inclusive

Beach
Is non-existent - no easy access though we saw 2 people from the resort in the ocean. It is ostensibly impossible to even walk the shore. We did hear they plan some kind of reclamation in the next months but this will be a formidable task due to unrelenting climate change/rising seas levels and random hurricanes. Any photos you see of sand, loungers or palapas are seriously out of date. They do have a number of labourers daily raking and sieving sea grass or whatever the plant material is and wheelbarrowing it off site to keep it from piling up and rotting against the sea wall. Think Sisyphus rolling a boulder uphill.

Grounds and facilities are exceptionally clean and well maintained. Kudos to all the hard working people behind the scene that keep the resort so pristine. Garbage and leftover foods must be disposed of continuously as we only saw a couple of flies, bugs and very few birds looking for opportunities to snag food. However, there were 2 days we were treated to pervasive sewage smells around the 5 o'clock Somewhere bar/west side of the resort.

Restaurants - there are no a la carte breakfast locations. Room service is available 24 hours. The one time we used room service for a very simple order of two items, their scheduled delivery time of 20 minutes was off by almost 1/2 hour and the order we received was incorrect.

There are 6 places to eat.
The Boathouse - Buffet
Great ambiance. Generally, there is good service. Our only issues were with the toasters which for the most part wouldn't toast - the conveyor belt wouldn't brown your bread no matter where you twist the dial (or brown only one side) which leaves a single 2 slice toaster for the entire buffet crowd. The second issue for us was that you have to stand in line to get to the omelet preparers in order to ask for bacon which they then distribute. We only ate breakfast there and can't attest to lunch or dinner offerings or service.

JWB Steakhouse Reservations are recommended but we found they can usually accommodate walk-ins within an hour.
The standard meat menu (no additional cost) is limited. The sirloin, while on the thin side, is usually done to perfection. The shrimp cocktail is excellent. Jimmy is a friendly and helpful server. 8 out of 10. There are some major disconnects between the Karisma Hotel website menu and the on-site scanned menu - for example the Karisma Hotel website shows 4 cuts of beef including a tenderloin but the QR code scanned menu only shows one - the sirloin and all other cuts are additional payments.

Frank and Lola's Italian Restaurant. Reservations are recommended but we found they can usually accommodate walk-ins within an hour.
Edwin is an excellent server. Eddy is in charge of the pizza oven and baking. He is a performing artist and a pleasure to watch his preparation of the pizza dough and the baking of the wood fired pizzas. These are some of the best pizzas we have ever eaten. 10 out 0f 10 rating. We recommend the leek soup, the chicken parmesan, the salmon, the cannoli and tiramisu. Edwin puts on a photo worthy show of preparing the sauces for the cannoli and tiramisu. A special thanks also to Oscar, the head chef, for preparing excellent meals.

License to Chill Grill and Bar- lunch only - pub food such as hamburgers and hot dogs - outdoor dining only - the food arrives warm - think the temperature of a Costco hot dog.

Landshark (sports bar and pub)- lunch and dinner - same menu - some live entertainment in the evenings - essentially pub food - usually very busy and service can be slow at peak times. The Landshark brewery serves up a couple of good micro brews. Roberto went the extra mile - I asked for a glass of milk which they don't stock but he ordered a glass from room service delivered to the restaurant. Thank you Roberto.

Joe Merchant and Provisions - coffee shop and consumables - you get water only in your room mini-fridge and you "purchase" beer, pop, chips and chocolate bars with a generous allocation of points you receive at check-in and are deducted via your wrist room key. The coffee shop is mostly understaffed from morning to closing, definite English language deficiencies and the hot liquid cup lids are not always well secured by the staff - check your cup lids! The staff have not been especially friendly nor accommodating and are definitely not good ambassadors for the Karisma/Margaritaville brand. The coffee shop has a very negative vibe with no welcoming greeting nor wishes for a good day or evening or even a thank you. They have no bags if you wish to take a number of items and will pile your items onto a very small plate/saucer - Jenga style. We were flatly refused when we asked if we could have a cup in which to take a number of cookies back to the room. We did experience much rudeness from the coffee shop staff and did report our complaints to the front desk while still at the hotel. These issues as mentioned were elevated to the front desk and we did let front desk know that the coffee shop was a topic of conversation around the pool and not in a good way. This is about the only resort we have been to in which ice cream isn't being offered at the coffee shop (you get it at the buffet). None of the bars or restaurants offer coffee or tea with or after meals so if you are a non alcoholic drinker only water is available with your meals also with the coffee shop shutting down coffee/tea service at 9:30pm, your coffee/tea fix is limited to room service. It is a tad misleading that posted shop hours are to 10:00 pm but only point products and paid products are offered from 9:30pm to 10:00 pm. Coffee shop hours are not indicated on the front doors of the shop. I must say we have done a lot of travelling to Mexico, Jamaica, St Martin and the Dominican Republic and the coffee shop at this resort has been by far the worst we have even encountered.

Pools
4 pools all of which are under used and quiet with the exception of the 5 o'clock main pool which plays mellow music until noon and then things liven up with water aerobics, games and much louder more contemporary music. Great enthusiastic and energetic staff. We found no shortage of towels. There are a number of spots on the pool floor where the top coat of concrete product - about 1/2 thick - has broken up and delaminated. The pieces are somewhat like stepping on a Leggo brick. Our understanding is that repair work is scheduled in the coming weeks. Rooms with swim outs link to two of the quieter pools. The pools are not heated which was fine with us however a number of older clients were not happy with the cooler water and also were concerned about getting cuts on the feet from the broken tiles/concrete that were not covered by the mats.

Smoking
2 official spots - one out front of the main lobby and one in the rear right hand corner behind the Landshark. Unofficially on your balcony but be respectful if you neighbours are using their balconies.

Bars
No Cointreau, Drambuie or Grand Marnier so no Rusty Nails. They have bourbon in the main lobby bar - the Salted Rim - if Old Fashioned are requested. Rafael and Orlando make a dynamite Brandy Alexander and Old Fashioned and Luis is such a friendly server always giving an infectious smile. The 5 O'clock Somewhere swim up and land side bars have friendly and very hardworking staff. The SOS pool bar, Landshark and Licence to Chill Bar round out the bars.

Despite our Joe Merchant experience, all other issues are fairly minor and we are considering another visit at Easter.

Joe merchants- we used to be able to get all sorts of chocolates, coffee with our points. Now you can only get drinks and chips. I don’t need 1750 points to get that. I won’t use the points at all. There are no sweets to be had. We heard there is new management, it is terrible. I will not be coming back nor will I recommend it to anyone else!

This place is a complete disappointment and absolutely does not deserve a 5-star rating. The food was terrible—low quality, poorly prepared, and overpriced. The staff were rude, dismissive, and acted like guests were an inconvenience rather than customers. Service was consistently bad, and basic hospitality was nonexistent. For what they charge, this hotel is a joke. I regret staying here and will never come back. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else.

Terrible experience. The food was cold and took over an hour to arrive. Staff were rude and unhelpful, and the service was awful. Definitely not a 5-star hotel—won’t be coming back.

Luis, Gibran, Angel,Rafael, Victor! Margaritaville Riviara Maya Cancun! Great laid back location! You make your own experience!

It was amazing!!! Angel(Orlando), Gibran,Luis,Victor and Rafael The best bartenders i have ever seen!! Thanks you guys for those Nights i will remember!!

Very great experience, super friendly staff. We had so much fun at the lobby bar with Gibran, Orlando, Luis, Victor and Rafael, they made us new cocktails every night and gave us a perfect service.

The resort is perfet. Everyone is kind here and the animators are exceptionnel. Especially, Angel and I think Yoni they were so kind. The food is pretty good too and for your money, it's really worth it. I had the best days there in Margaritaville.

Yoni from entertainment was amazing! He brought the energy and made every event memorable. Volleyball, Zumba, and other activities were a blast thanks to yoni!

Amazing entertainment schedule even for an adult only resort, loved Yoni and Angel out there everyday giving their 100%, and also loved the butlers service shoutout to Joaquin and Karen always doing their best to comply to our requests.

We spent 8 days in December, and it was our first time there. I really like the design and decor of the hotel. Rooms were very nice with a walk in shower, and we had a gorgeous patio with a parrot mural on the wall, chairs, and hammock with colorful pillows. The vibe is very Key West with the turquoise and white colors. The room mini fridge is only stocked with bottles of water. You get points to use at the store for beer, soda, and snacks. I have seen several complaints about this, but it was fine for us. We don’t drink sodas, but my husband did get a couple cans of beer and tiny bags of snacks. Next time I would bring my own snacks.

Food was hit or miss. We didn’t go to the buffet for breakfast, since we love ordering breakfast from room service, which was great. The presentation was lovely. We loved the salads (excellent passion fruit vinaigrette), burgers, and fish with risotto at Landshark. The Italian restaurant was good. I liked the carbonara and the Saltimbocca was fine. We only went to the buffet on Asian night, which was typical buffet food. They did serve lunch a few days outside the buffet. We went to the beachside grill once and had decent tacos. Our least favorite restaurant was the steakhouse. Next time I will just skip it. Menu offers beef tenderloin which they did not have both nights we went. They substituted flank steak, which was not good. You can pay to get a better grade of steak. Reservations are required for the steakhouse and Italian restaurants.

The entertainment team did a good job at the pool with games, volleyball, blackjack, and poker. We enjoyed playing blackjack. Not as much evening entertainment as other places we have stayed. I wish they had live music in the lobby bar.

Service was excellent throughout the hotel, and tips were truly appreciated. I would definitely return, since we got a very reasonable price. Just note, if you are a beach person there is no beach. We knew this when we booked, because I always read reviews on this site prior to booking.

The facilities were very clean and well kept. The staff and service were phenomenal. The Spa was the highlight of our trip. The Santa Ritual was the best! The staff got our reservation wrong so they added a facial at no charge. I highly recommend the hydrotherapy.
The reason for the 3 is the food. It was terrible with the exception of the Poolside grill.

Absolutely love this resort
So clean, so fun and all the restaurants have amazing food!
Cannot lie - we spend most of our time at the Salted Rim because the team there takes such great care of us and makes the environment so welcoming and creates a vibe that is just non stop fun!
Special shout out to the guys
Gibran, Angel, Luis, Rafael and Victor!
Never an empty glass or a night without laughs!
We love Margaritaville!
I think you will
too

WARNING.

We booked a 10 day trip to the resort. Our flight was cancelled and we were unable to get another flight for 3 days. We made the mistake of accepting the repeated requests from Margaritaville To check in on line. Little did we know that by doing so we forfieted our $4225.00 we paid for the hotel. We checked in, on line, a day before our original flight. I reached out to the hotel the day our flight was cancelled to see what our next steps would be. NO RESPONSE FROM THE HOTEL AT ALL. Left messages with no response We were finally able to get a response from the hotel,5 DAYS LATER. And were told we were a no show and that because we checked in on line we do not get any of our money refunded!!!
Thanking Margaritaville for such Christmas Spirit and actually caring about their customers. NOT!!!
We are a senior couple on a budget and save for our trips yearly this is a significant wrong doing by the hotel and hotel staff no compassion at all.
Worst hotel experience in outer 65 years of travel. STAY AWAY

The whole experience was amazing, from check in with Alejandro to excursion recommendations from Nacho to dance lesson from Dennis and Mariel. We would come back over and over!

Have had the opportunity to go to this resort twice in the last two years. It has only been open a few years and everything was excellent. From our private butler, in room dinner, spa treatments, restaurants and bar service. We have been members for over ten years highly recommended this resort. The only down side is this is not the resort to go to if you our a beach person as recent hurricanes have damaged beach property, but don’t worry the pool and pool bar service make up for this. All ready booked for this coming April. Can’t wait to get back.

Richard and Elisabet

The bartenders were amazing and very creative. So personal. We look forward to seeing them every night. We enjoyed them all! Gibran, Luis, Victor, Orlando, Angel, Rafael.

A beautiful resort, with great staff! Griselda and Laura were amazing! It makes it a lot more fun when the staff is having fun with us! I was surprised by how good the food was also.

Been at this resort for a few days. It's wonderful, as expected. But what really stands out is the staff. They are constantly going above and beyond to make my stay superb. BIG SHOUT OUT to Grisel. I've seen her in multiple restaurants/bars. She is amazing, friendly hard working, always will to help in any way. Thanks Grisel, ur make my holiday perfect!

I have visited this resort before and it is still one of my favs! I love this resort for a few reasons.
-Small enough to walk around
-Activities at night and during the day by the pool are great
-People have mixed views about the food, but I would definitely give it a 4 out of 10
-Plenty of pool areas and lots of lounge chairs
-Great decorated, clean rooms
-The carrot cake and wings at Landshark

This resort is great for those who want a little relaxation and decent number of options for activities but do not want a large resort. You will have to be okay with a quaint resort with 5 restaurants, with 2 of them you have to make reservations for dinner and 3 that are not open for lunch, and only one restaurant for breakfast. There is 24-hour room service, a lobby bar, and 2 pool bars with a made to order grill with good food.

If you travel with someone that doesn't or can't ambulate far, this adults-only all-inclusive resort is perfect.

And the greatest staff! Isaac, Izri, Ruth, Eugenio, Erick, Gambino, Roberto, Fidel, Baldo; Javier at Frank and Lola's; Abel in Concierge; Reyes by the pool; Carlos, Eleazar, Jessica, and Leonarda at the spa (book with Leonarda for a massage!!!!); and Quetzal who had the most amazing personality and just talked to the guests (and endured and professionally handled the overly nice conversations from the male guests).

I will return, next time with a group!

We booked our honeymoon with TUI in good faith, choosing a Karisma-managed 5-star resort for what we hoped would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What we received was a bait-and-switch, not once, but twice — culminating in a last-minute reassignment to a completely different hotel with no comparable amenities and zero consultation.

Upon arrival, we discovered multiple promised features were unavailable. The new hotel was undergoing renovations, the service was subpar, and no senior management was available over the entire Christmas period to address any concerns. Apparently, five-star status doesn’t come with five-day-a-week management.

We raised the alarm early and repeatedly. TUI stalled for weeks. We requested clarification. We were ignored. We requested transparency. We were deflected. The only response? A £800 “gesture of goodwill” — on a holiday that cost over £6,000 and was meant to be our honeymoon.

We documented every step: the sudden management change notification, the downgrade, the lack of accountability, and the follow-up silence. Our formal complaint was met with vague platitudes and no meaningful resolution.

We will now be escalating this through legal channels and public forums, and have included this experience in a forthcoming nonfiction book on corporate accountability.

Let this serve as a warning: when you book with TUI, your holiday may not be what you paid for — and if something goes wrong, they may simply hope you go away.