Iberostar Quetzal

The hotel and grounds are beautiful. Food was amazing. Beach is stunning and perfect location if you like to taxi into Playa. However, the room was outdated and air conditioning was terrible the first night. Maintenance came and worked some magic which kept the temp somewhat cool the rest of the week. Same complaints from all the guests we spoke to. We all said we definitely would be back if it wasn't for the rooms and AC. We would have upgraded to building 20 which is beachfront, it is the only building that has been renovated but the cost was too high. (Additional $300 usd per night) [Details]

We loved this hotel. Had a room by the pool so a short walk to a beautiful beach. Lots of beach lounge chairs under palapa huts for shade Buffets at Tucan & Quetzal had a huge variety of food items for all meals Favorite a la carte Japanese, Mediterranean & Italian Pools warm & large. Loved the various paths from buffet to beach & all the animals we got to see Especially the peacocks & flamingos [Details]

Resort is old, but is well maintained. For Canadians is listed as 4 stars, which in my opinion reflects reality. Food is tasty, not a big variety but you can find something on your taste. Bar has not a big selection of international drinks, the ones offered to purchase have a ridiculous price.
Vine and bear are ok, at a la cart restaurants have some more fancy vines.
We dinned at Mexican restaurant, located close to beach and is open space, windy, and doesn't have any Mexican touch, not even a sombrero to take a picture. At Italian restaurant have good food, but is closed space and air conditioner did not work that night, was like a sauna.
Evening entertainment is kind of poor, 3 nights out of 7 were interesting in my opinion.
All personnel is attentive, even if you don't tip them they are willing to help; that includes buffet, bars, lobby, reception. [Details]

Quetzal is an amazing resort. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Every little need or want is taken care of. Very clean!! Beach is amazing soft sand and ocean is beautiful turquoise blue. We got married there 2 years ago and we returned again this year. The grounds are full of animals we would have our morning coffee with 7 monkeys on our balcony what an incredible experience. The food is great and lots of choices. I would definitely recomend this resort to everyone. [Details]

The hotel grounds are beautiful and the hotel staff were excellent. The hotel was very clean and the food was standard buffet which was fine. Everything was wonderful until our last day, when I participated in a poolside activity the star friend made a really inappropriate and rude comment about me personally (as I am overweight)moo'd me to the crowd as if I was a cow. This was very embarrassing and ruined the entire trip. I would not even leave my room in the evening as I was so embarrassed. The hotel manager did speak with the employee right away who came to apologize to my children and sister as I did not want to even see him again. I expect he will not publically embarrass another guest and he was big enough to apologize. However the damage was done and my entire vacation ended on this very sour note. The rest of staff were awesome [Details]

This was a great resort, it is on one of the nicest sections of beach. Playa Del Carmen was a $10 cab ride. Even though the hotel was almost at full capacity we still found chairs around the pool or at the beach. There were so many interesting animals and the nature paths were really cool. [Details]

This is the first time we have stayed at Iberostar Quetzal, but we are familiar with Iberostar and our expectations were met. All areas were kept clean and decorated nicely, with many floral displays. The staff were friendly and efficient. We were pleased that we did not have to fight for a lounger either at the poolside, or on the beach. Excellent food. Though the same each day, there is so much to choose from, it wouldn't be difficult to have a different plate every day.The specialty restaurants are also a welcome destination.
We enjoyed the presence of unusual animals and birds, and were impressed with the care they are given by the staff. [Details]

We just returned from the Iberostar Quetzal and I have to share for those who like to research where they decide to stay on vacation(as I did!)This is a LONG review but hopefully will help fellow travellers with their research.

Location: PERFECT! This hotel has the best stretch of beach, at the south end of Playacar, about a 20 minute walk to Playa del Carmen. If you want to be close to Playa, central between Cancun and the ruins, this is the location for you.

Rooms: TIP #1 Request blocks 22-25 to be midpoint from the lobby/restaurant area and the beach. We were in block 24 and it was quiet, close to the jungle, not far to the beach. We were originally in block 29 next to the disco and it was far too noisy! I immediately requested we be moved to a less noisy area. Tip #2 if you tip your cleaning staff you will always have fresh towels and water/pop in your fridge. We never had any issue with the cleaning staff. I would however suggest a good updating of the furniture, and also be warned the beds are hard!

Guest Services/Check In: We loved the refreshing drink at check in. Our flight was delayed and we did not check in until close to 8:30 pm which made for a tiring process. The room we were assigned was terrible. I don't know if it was because of our late check in and our original room was given away, but the room was musty, the bedsheets had a horrible smell to them, and it was a stone's throw from the disco and noisy! I had requested jungle view, higher floor, king bed. We received only the king bed. We were told there was no other room available (Which I did not believe) so we stayed the night. The next morning I was informed another room was available in block 24. We received the king bed and higher floor but was facing the adjacent hotel. The only hiccup with this process was that we were told our luggage would be moved by 3pm and I had to sign a waiver allowing the staff to move our luggage. When we arrived at 6pm that night after a day at Playa del Carmen, our luggage was not moved, and the front desk staff had no record of any room change. We summed it up to miscommunication between the morning staff and afternoon staff. A manager quickly took care of the problem and we were moved within 15 minutes.

Restaurant/Bar/Cleaning Staff: Wonderful job everyone! We were always met with a smile, and would like to specifically thank the lobby bartender Abelardo who always greeted us with a smile and even recommended some places for us when we asked about Playa.

Food: I have read many reviews of people complaining of the food. I don't understand why. Yes if you eat a buffet restaurant every day you may get tired of it at the end of the week. However every meal had choices of authentic Mexican food, fresh fruits, cheeses, many salads, fish, beef, chicken, and so on. We enjoyed every meal and never walked away hungry. There was limited "American" food and I wonder if that is why others have stated the variety was lax. I disagree, as we were there to enjoy authentic fresh Mexican food and were happy with the selection. I would like to thank the staff at the Bonsai Japanese restaurant for the special surprise we got when we ate there on January 21, our anniversary. They obviously made a note it was a special day for us, acknowledged it, and were presented with a special dessert plate with "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate and candles to celebrate. It was unexpected and very much appreciated so THANK YOU again to them! One reviewer stated the mixology to be hit or miss and I would agree with that. Generally the drinks were good but we noticed the beach bar drinks were not consistent.

Overall we enjoyed our stay and would happily go back again [Details]

This eco green hotel has a diverse wild life as well as trees and plants. Animals and grounds are well taken care of. GREAT!
The beach is beautiful, white sand, turquoise waters and plenty of shade.

The food was very good. Only 1 issue when we had breakfast on the newly renovated Quetzal buffet. We were ill about 5 hrs later, not sure what had spoiled but it kept the both of us in the bed/washroom for the remainder of the day/night. We were much better by morning,thankfully.

Staff was always smiling, courteous and friendly.
I would recommend this hotel for it's a unique experience. [Details]