Iberostar Waves Tucan

Maud Fa

Check-in: The process was underwhelming and took far too long—40 minutes for two rooms. There was no map or welcome drink, which would have been a nice touch. Bedroom: The rooms had several issues. A constant sewage smell in the bathroom was unpleasant and inconvenient. The promised room umbrella was missing, and everyone in our group got locked out of their rooms a day before check-out—an infuriating experience, especially after returning from swimming. Additionally, the lack of power outlets near the bed or bedside tables was a notable inconvenience. Food: Breakfast offerings were lovely with great variety, but closing at 10 AM felt too early for a vacation setting—10:30 would be more reasonable. Gluten-free signage needs improvement as we had to ask for clarification daily. Activities: The resort offered a fantastic variety of activities, but more paid options would be a welcome addition. The jungle area with animals and decorations was a highlight. However, the poolside music was excessively loud, making it hard to relax, even when sitting far away. Overall: We had a wonderful time, thanks to the amenities, clean spaces, the pool area, beach access, and warm weather. We appreciated the resort’s commitment to sustainability and the outstanding Christmas spread and dinner. The staff were consistently friendly and helpful, but addressing the outlined issues would make the experience even better.

Matt Homulos

The location offered a strong assortment of food and services in the form of excursions. Given the cost to attend, it is very fair. The services, in the form of housekeeping and general hospitality, is quite good. The only major complaint to mention is the beach — not the poor state of it, but rather, the lack of any sort of wave management. The waves come in heavy sometimes. This resort is absolutely a great destination for families as well. Rooms are a good sizes with a good choice of views. For myself, getting greeted by monkeys (Howler Monkeys)every morning was a nice touch. Jan from reception was excellent, he was very polite and genuine.

Jennifer Regina

We had an amazing time at this resort. The location is perfect, right on the beach and a short ride to the center of Playa del Carmen. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the food is plentiful and high quality, and the landscaping is lovely. The resort maintains the feel of a jungle, and the wildlife is respected and well cared for. If you are here for a longer stay, I would recommend taking at least one tour to the local historic and natural sites and grabbing a cab to Quinta Avenida for some shopping and a flavor of the local culture. I also tried to give the servers and housekeepers tips (40 or 50 pesos) at every opportunity, as they work very hard to make sure the guests are well taken care of.

Anton

This review is written with the understanding that Iberostar rates this hotel as a 5-star property. If it were classified as a 3- or 4-star hotel, my judgment would likely be more lenient. However, at this price point, one expects a certain level of quality. The food, whether in the restaurants or at the buffet, is genuinely very good. The drinks at the bars are also great – definitely a plus. The hotel grounds are beautiful, with many animals roaming freely and a small "rainforest" in the center. Unfortunately, there are some significant shortcomings. The rooms seem as if not much has changed since the hotel was built in the late '90s. What frustrated me the most was the upgrade policy. After a long flight and a noisy night with partying teenagers in the hallway, I decided to upgrade my room. Unfortunately, the so-called "Junior Suite" was underwhelming: it’s essentially a standard room with minor improvements slightly more modern bathroom fixtures and different wall paint. For round about 90$ per night, this was disappointing. At least the room is located directly by the beach, but the term "suite" is very misleading. To make matters worse, after the upgrade, we discovered that the air conditioning in the "suite" wasn’t working properly. We reported this issue on the same evening, then again at the reception the following day around noon. It wasn’t until the third day that the issue was finally resolved, and we had a functioning air conditioner. For a 5-star hotel, this is simply unacceptable. The beach is beautiful, but getting a lounger is nearly impossible. According to posted signs, reserving loungers is prohibited, but here it’s the norm. By 8:30 AM, every lounger is covered with towels, even though there are barely any people around. For my wife and me, it’s the second day in a row we haven’t been able to find a spot at the beach. The pool area is slightly better, as there’s always a place available there. Still, it’s frustrating to travel halfway around the world only to struggle to enjoy the beach. The evening entertainment is a matter of taste. There are plenty of activities for kids, but the adult programs didn’t appeal to us. The guitarist was by far the highlight. This is not a bad hotel by any means. However, for a beach holiday, the room quality and the ability to enjoy the beach are essential factors and these simply don’t align with the expectations of a 5-star hotel.

Mitch Cromwell

We really enjoyed are stay , service was excellent resort was beautiful a lot of fun activities were planned so there was always something fun and entertaining to do. Beach was also beautiful spot we walked the whole beach and we definitely had the best spot lots of shelters from the sun witch was nice when walking the beach noticed a lot of the other resorts didn’t have any. If I had any constructive criticism the food gets a bit repetitive but the Japanese restaurant was 10/10 experience amazing service and good overall very good experience thank you Jan and the rest of the staff for talking such good care of us !