Azul Beach Hotel Review // Cancun, Mexico
ABOVE: Azul Beach Resort by Karisma Hotels
As most of you probably already know, I was in Cancun, Mexico last week working with Karisma Hotels. I visited Azul Beach, which is one of many of their resorts in the Riviera Maya area.
While there, I visited a few of the different properties but spent most of my time at their Azul Beach hotel so that’s the one I’ll be reviewing in today’s blog post. I’ve been working on this all week and I’m excited to finally be sharing ALL the details of my stay and experience at the resort.
I know a few of you asked questions on instagram regarding different aspects of the resort, but I wanted to encourage you to ask anything else you might want to know via the comments on this blog post.
I hope you enjoy the post – this baby took me ages but I wanted to make sure I talked about everything I possibly could. If I missed anything, you know what to do :)
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Short answer: my overall experience was fantastical and I would highly recommend this place.
I think it would have been VERY difficult to have a bad time on this trip. First and foremost, I was in Mexico in February (#winter); moreover, the trip came shortly after experiencing negative 20 degree wind chills at NYFW. Secondly, I was spending most of my time at the beach and pool and eating amazing food. So with sunshine in winter and days spent on the beach, how could anyone NOT have a good time – right?
But obviousness aside, my experience at the Azul Beach resort was nothing short of spectacular. Let me tell you all about it :) Please don’t hesitate to ask me ANY questions you may have and I’ll do my best to answer!
ABOVE: view of the lobby. Note the swinging beds…
For those of you who live in Dallas (or any major city that flies to Mexico), I can’t praise how easy the logistics of this trip were enough. From Dallas, you literally have a 2 hour flight, get in a car for 20 minutes, and then BAM, you’re there – hello vacation! Upon arrival, I had the warmest of welcomes from the Azul Beach team. Not only was I greeted with smiling faces and champagne, but I was then offered an assortment of pillows and aroma therapy options to choose from for my room.
ABOVE: Azul Beach lobby swing beds to use while checking into resort
Oh and also, at the front of the hotel where the lobby is (aka where check-in occurs), there are the most welcoming of swing beds waiting for you on which to kick back and enjoy your champagne….as you choose your pillow and oil scent :)
CUISINE
Short answer: don’t let the “all inclusive” detail scare you away, this is a different kind of all inclusive you guys ;)
If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should visit Azul Beach (assuming you’ve been following along on Instagram and/or have at least seen a few of my photos from my recent trip), then my guess is that you’re wondering about the food situation given that this resort is ALL INCLUSIVE. Am I right?
Typically, when you think of an “all inclusive” resort, your concern or maybe even assumption is that the food and drinks are rather ‘meh’ and/or fall on the not-so-great side of the culinary spectrum. And to be honest, I would have to agree with you on this one as most of my experience with all inclusive resorts have been spotty at best (but I guess I shouldn’t expect much from cruises and college spring breaks though). But anyway, the good news is that I was absolutely blown away at the quality and tastiness of the food at Azul Beach.
Not only was the food yummy, but there was also careful consideration and care taken in the overall presentation and service of the food. Although there was indeed a buffet-type style of eating available at the resort, it was nothing like your ordinary buffer. In fact, the staff at the resort actually didn’t call it a “buffet”, but instead called it “full display” (which is a phrase I think I’ll be adopting for fancy buffets!). I ate the “full display” option for breakfast each morning and enjoyed fresh omelets cooked right in front of me, straight-from-the-hive honey (literally, there was a dripping device thing) and locally supplied jams and juices. Needless to say, this was NOT your average buffet :)
ABOVE: one of the 5 restaurants on the property. This one is specifically open from 11-5 to enjoy lunch on the beach.
ABOVE: The main restaurant which is also where the “full display” is typically set up (over on the left).
A snap I took of my breakfast one morning after hitting up the “full display” – obviously I got an omlette :)
P.S. all of their fruits and vegetables are fresh grown at a greenhouse they have near the resort!
ABOVE: same restaurant that’s in the previous image but this is just one I took before the sunset :)
ABOVE: one of the swim up bars for enjoying poolside drinks and snacks
Azul beach has 5 full service restaurants on the property and I was able to visit 3 of them during my stay. And just take my word for it when I saw it was nothing short of amazing. Each restaurant specialized in their own cuisine which made it fun to pick where to eat each night! The restaurants were world cuisine, latin, italian (my favorite!) and asian inspired food options. Unlike most all inclusive, you really got to choose and eat whatever type of food.
ABOVE: ordered myself a little room service snaky snack with the caprese salad and salsa
Oh and there’s room service! Which is of course, it’s part of the all inclusive package too!
My ONLY complaint (which is hardly a complaint but I’m trying to be as transparent as possible) is that the portions were a little smaller than what I was used to. But of course, as with any all-inclusive resort, you can order as much as you want! hehe :) So I usually just ended up ordered 2 or 3 different entrees to try different things :)
ROOM DETAILS
Short Answer: I stayed in the swim up honeymoon suite and it was fabulous!
Like any resort, Azul Beach offers a wide variety of options when it comes to finding the perfect type of room just for you and your significant other and/or your family.
ABOVE: Azul Beach “Honeymoon” Suite
For my stay, I was in the ‘Swim Up Honeymoon Suite’ and I absolutely loved it. But if you prefer 2 queen beds or room for the kids, then you might opt for one of their junior suites or family suites.
ABOVE: an instagram photo I posted of the jacuzzi bath tub in our room
How awesome is this jacuzzi though? I’ll admit, I didn’t even use the shower while there (which was also super nice) because I was so obsessed with the huge cozy tub!
ABOVE: and as you can tell, the jacuzzi sure does get the job done and make some pretty amaze bubbles! hehe
ABOVE: when we got to our room, there was fresh fruit and champagne! I saved this from my shanpchat (obviously)
ABOVE: wearing the cozy bath robe in the rooms :)
Another thing I want to mention is that there is plenty of storage in the rooms to unpack everything comfortably and get all settled in. Actually, I’ve never had that much storage space in a hotel before – it was really nice.
Also, another thing that was nice (and unexpected to me) was that the mini bar is also free and comes fully stocked with lots of goodies.
ABOVE: view of the swim up suites’ pool
ABOVE: swim up pool lit up at Night
BEACH & POOL DETAILS
This particular resort only has 148 rooms (which is SO Nice) it’s very well spread out and there are SEVERAL options for different ways and places to enjoy the beach/pool depending on what you are in the mood for. There are several pools and pool bars to hang out at, and on the beach, there’s a variety of beach chairs, cabanas, and other options to relax in too. Included in your stay are also fun (free!) activities like kayaking and snorkeling you can do while you spend the day at the beach.
ABOVE: This is the ‘Aquanox Bar’ which is the main pool and pool bar at the resort fully-stocked with swing beds too!
ABOVE: Bed cabanas on the beach available to reserve each day. I don’t think it costs anything – you just have to reserve it at 3PM the day before
ABOVE: another option is to reserve a suspended swinging bed over the ocean. These are on the edge of the resort and have a more exclusive and private feel to them. But the good news is that you still get full service on these too (aka drinks and food!)
ABOVE: I ordered a mojito at the pool (right from chairs that are in the shallow pool!)
ABOVE: bites on the beach….everyday :)
Other photos and Outfits from the trip:
SWEATER: Topshop (also seen in this blog post) // NECKLACE: Baublebar tassel necklace // DENIM: Articles of Society ‘Sarah’ Jeans // CLUTCH: Shopbop Bop Basics (old – similar here) // SHOES: Joie T Strap Sandals
DRESS: White Cotton Eyelet Dress (under $80!, wearing XS) // SHOES: Steve Madden ‘Stacy’ Sandal // BAG: Loeffler Randall Pink Crossbody // EARRINGS: BaubleBar Drop Earrings // BRACELETS: Spiked Stretch Bracelet // WATCH: Michael Kors ‘Large Runway’ Watch
TOP: Shoshanna High neck halter bikini top (wearing size A) // BOTTOMS: Shoshanna swim bottoms (wearing size P, but they’re super tight…I would size up) // EARRINGS: Baublebar tassel ‘Cannes Drops” earrings // HAT: Madewell (old – similar) // SHORTS: One Teaspoon also this style too (wearing size 25, runs big-ish but I like my denim shorts to fit really low on my waist so they’re longer) // SUNGLASSES: Karen Walker Super Duper // WATCH: Michael Kors // BRACELETS: old (couldn’t find similar)
SHORTS: Topshop (wearing size US 2, fit high-waisted and awesome) // TOP: Lush (40% OFF, wearing size XS, a little see-through if I’m honest) // SHOES: BP Cork Summer Wedges // NECKLACE: Monogram (size: 2x) // WATCH: Michael Kors // Bracelet: Baublebar // BAG: Rebecca Minkoff round sofia bag // LIPS: Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Coral // Ring: Kendra Scott Naomi Double Ring
COVER UP: Tommy Bahama // SWIMSUIT: Shoshanna cut out one piece // EARRINGS: Baublebar blue drop earrings
ROMPER: Lovers Friends Reese Romper // BAG: Rebecca Minkoff round sofia bag // BRACELET: Baublebar Gold Link // WATCH: Michael Kors // EARRINGS: Nala Hoops by Accessorie Concierge
SHOES: Vince Camuto ‘Kaja’ wedge sandals (wearing size 7; despite reviews saying to size down) // TOP: 1. State Peplum Crop Top // DENIM: AG Legging Jeans // WATCH: Timex // BRACELET: Stella Dot via Accessorie Concierge // NECKLACE: Kendra Scott ‘Kaplan’ Necklace // LIPS: Too Faced ‘melted’ lipstick // CLUTCH: Shopbop Bop Basics (old – similar here)
(View the Full Blog Post Here)
Dress: Eliza J Lace Dress // BAG: Rebecca Minkoff round sofia bag // Shoes: Steve Madden ‘Carson’ Sandal
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