Iberostar Waves Tucan - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11216 reviews

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  Perhaps the best all-inclusive experience in decades!

  We've escaped the Canadian winter since the mid 1990s, almost every year, and this is one of the most beautiful, well-managed and well-staffed locations we've been to in Latin America. I will note some negatives later, but make no mistake- this is one of the best values for money you can find out there. We arrived very late (around 2 am) and upgraded our room to an oceanfront location. Worth every penny! Other reviews mention it's buggy , not surprising given it's mostly built in and around a mangrove. Perhaps because of the open space and breeziness, didn't get one bite! And it was like having your own cabana on the beach, steps from the silky white sand. Beach life (swimming and walking) is important to us. This is easily one of the most stunning beaches we've had the pleasure of visiting. As other reviewers have said, stunning turquoise palette, changing every day. Flawlessly beautiful sand, not rocky anywhere. Shallow water, good for children, and just plain frolicking. Lots of water sports available. Mostly protected because of sand banks so you don't get overwhelmed by surf, but fun waves! The location is also ideally situated, just minutes from the fun towns of Playa Del Carmen, and - on the other side - Tulum; close to a mind -blowing range of historical sites, beautiful natural cenotes and adventurous theme parks, and just across from Cozumel, meaning wonderful snorkeling/diving opportunities. On resort, you've got a spa and a well appointed gym, and several restaurants. Only two need reservations (The Italian one and the Japanese one, which is partly a show). The food is really good, everywhere. Not always gourmet quality but very tasty, well prepared and plentiful. The Mexican cuisine is always available and always great, varied and delicious. Sushi is often available at dinner and on Wednesdays they offer an insanely generous seafood spread. On Fridays they have a Mexican extravaganza at the buffet. Don't miss either. If you don't get to one of the reserved restaurants, you're not really worse off. Recommended at the Italian restaurant- the filet mignon and the mushroom risotto. I don't recall any resort ever having a head baker who clearly loved baking so much. The range of breads on offer is astounding and perfectly textured, and the pastries/sweets are similarly perfectly executed, with a truly surprising range of expertise. Resistance is futile. Your taste buds will be delighted, and if you stay active enough, your waistband won't complain. The house wines (red, white, rose, and sparkling) are all very drinkable. The coffee is often weak, but there are coffee machines everywhere that can add a shot (or two) of espresso if you need your day to start with jet fuel. The grounds are lovely. Super clean, and constantly being groomed. Around the breakfast and lunch buffet there is a beautiful koi pond, and given the morning light, it's a meditative and beautiful start to any day. The dinner buffet setting is on a part natural, part man-made waterfall, which is magical. Peacocks wander the property (including an albino pair), as do capybara and coati. There are monkeys and a couple of charming stray cats. Other resorts have more flowering species, but these grounds are meticulously trimmed and cultivated. It's a lot of work! And there are a lot of staff to do all the work, not one of whom did we notice to be less than fully doing their job, proudly and happily. It was actually very striking, how happy the staff were. Maybe partly because they are not as understaffed as at other resorts. But also, they are all very well trained. The wait staff at the buffets are the most efficient we have ever seen. Our entire experience involved very limited or no waits for service, always; and consistently sunny dispositions. It's actually a little startling, in comparison to other places. Very pleasantly so, given we noticed less tipping here than in other resorts. Potentially that's because there were more European guests, potentially because they have better human resource management than elsewhere pay and/or workload/staffing). In fact, despite the clatter that is part of an all/inclusive setting, the amount of laughter was notable, both from guests and staff. This is a great place to come for genuine R&R, people! That doesn't mean bad things can't happen. In building 10, there was a water leakage that caused an electrical shortage throughout the building. For half our stay we had electricians in the room several times a day to fix it. We were offered a move but chose to stay, and the disruption was ultimately quite minimal. The workers were super efficient, courteous, and dogged in trying to fix the problem over the course of four days, coming back over and over to check and double check new system failures, ultimately requiring the entire rewiring of the building. We don't spend most of our time in the room so, it wasn't a problem for us; and we were grateful to Yvonne, Maricruz and Daniel who continually made sure we enjoyed our stay as much as possible. The company must have bought a new sound system, which was a banger, appropriate for a rave (which was actually a reason for a slowdown on the way from the airport) and thankfully they didn't use it *every * afternoon at 3 pm , or more than one night for a beach party. Fun, but not deafening, is a good motto to live by! The entertainment crew worked hard every afternoon and sometimes that seemed a bit too intense for mid afternoon; but we have to say the evening entertainment was the lamest on record. Musical chairs, name that movie, karaoke...and if you want actually want to see a show, pay $40 more? Seriously? But let's get real. That was the only jarring note at our stay in this remarkable resort, and the only thing that was significantly out of step with the caliber of the magical space this remarkable group of people offer us, as guests. It was our first experience of an Iberostar report, and we both know that a tourism company has good and bad locations, good and bad management, not only across locations, but within locations over time. This location has been around and winning awards for many of the last 30 years. Bravo! But this year was an absolute delight, and testament to what happens when a group of people work together, to make something beautiful happen, thanks to the culmination of all their skills and efforts. We would love to thank all the staff individually who made our stay so beautiful and happy; but it quickly became impossible to keep that ever-growing list of all the great staff! Just know that, whether you are at a resort, or at work, or with your friends and family, doing whatever you need to do with pride, skill and joy makes the world a better place. Thank you, Iberostar Tucan, for that beautiful respite from the troubles of the world, and reminder of how each one of us can make the world more beautiful.

  Jan 19, 2025
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  Resort with a jungle

  My absolute favorite thing about this resort is the wildlife that is roaming freely throughout the resort itself. It is lovely to see such beautiful animals up close and see how well they are taken care of. This is my second time staying here, my first being back in December 2018. The amenities are great too. There is always something to do, or somewhere to eat at the resort.

  Jan 18, 2025
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  So much better than August visit !!!

  3rd time in 2024 . Our last visit to Tucan wasn’t our best . This time WAS GREAT ! Thank you SO MUCH : Maricruz Sanchez Quintero you ARE THE BEST RRPP EVER ! Grecia you booked us back in no time with open arms! Raul & Joaquin are BEST bartenders (Sport Bar) DJ’s were good. Shows AMAZING! Food EXCELLENT. This is one of the BEST ALL INCLUSIVE you can find. We HIGHLY recommend this Hotel !

  Jan 18, 2025
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  Absolutely amazing!!

  From check in to check out, one of the best travel experiences we’ve had in Q. Roo! The property is so beautiful and well maintained… the jungle, monkeys, and multiple wildlife species heightened our sensory awareness so much. The resort’s food was super tasty; every evening was a different culinary theme with many options for each palate. Our room was clean and well appointed with no issues. Beach was clean with many activities taking place all day! Chairs are limited so stake your turf early. The entire staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. Thank you Iberostar for making our 13th visit to MX outstanding!!

  Jan 18, 2025
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  Great value for excellent experience. Cleanliness is also super the gardens are stunning. Although there were many kids

  Excellent value. Food is very good - service is great!! Cleanliness is very good and the pools are beautiful and well maintained. The gardens are wonderful and a great place to relax. The beach and sea sand is as good as anywhere we have visited

  Jan 13, 2025