Viva Wyndham Maya vs. Club Maeva Tulum

Hello,

I am new to this forum and I am planning a trip in Mid-June with my wife and 2 daughters (ages 8 & 10). I've searched in the major travel sites and these two resorts are the ones that are within my budget. I want a recommendation on which one is best for my family given that I want the following (in order of importance):

1. Beatiful beach (clean, no rocks or boats)
2. Nice Pools (warm water, big and atractive to the kids i.e. slides, wading pool)
3. If possible, I want to avoid having to get up before 7:00 AM to get a shady spot and chairs in the beach
4. Natural surroundings
5. Proximity to points of interest

These are things I still care about, but not as important:

5. Clean room (not too small)
6. Food
7. Activities provided by the resort

I will really appreciate any feedback. I would also like to know about other AI resorts that are similar to these two in value.

Thanks - Mario V.

[gmacd]

We were at the Viva Maya in the first part of december 04 and the shaded beach chairs are reserved very early in the morning. Somtimes 3 for two people or a towel on a chair and you never see anybody using the chair. There are signs up discouraging this practice but no one pays any attention to them. There are some umbrellas around the pool but not enough. I have had 2 bouts of skin cancer on my face so staying out of the direct sunlight is important and this was an issue for me.

I can only give you my experiences at Viva Maya.... and we love it. Beach is clean and well maintained. Pools are warm, without slides, but the kids love it. We bring some of our own inflatable pool toys, and leave them behind when we come home. The kid's club is available and have lots of activities - and if your girls are together, they'll enjoy it more. Seems as though there aren't as many english speaking kids there when we are there and sometimes it is a little lonely for a single child. As for the surroundings - there's lots of foilage between the beach and the dining areas/front desk-reception. Beautiful, well-maintained areas that my kids like to see the wildlife in. The property is about a 3mile walk into town with some ruins along the way and the cab fare is about $4-5 US. Food is ok - nothing spectacular, but not unpalatable either. I bring my own salad dressing. Always something for everyone at the buffet. Specialty restaurants are excellent. Service is excellent and staff remember you and your likes/dislikes throughout the property.

Beach chairs seem to be a premium no matter what resort you go to. Another resort to consider in this same chain is Viva Azteca, which is smaller, more intimate, and a few hotels down from Viva Maya. No matter which resort you stay at, you can use the facilities at the other. Just a thought. We give both properties a B+ grade. For the value - it's a definite A.

We'll be down there the latter two weeks of June.... 43 days and counting

Good luck - let me know if there's anything more specific you need to know.

[mgman]

Stayed at the Viva Maya and enjoyed it. Kids also had a good time. Staff keeps it lively, water polo, kids games, etc. Pool bar and beach are good and good food and drinks. Will be going back in the fall.

Just got back from the Viva Maya. Our kids are 10 and 12. We loved it alot! The weather was HOT, thus the pool water was very warm - sometimes not really refreshing! We swam in the Sea alot, as it was a tad bit cooler. My kids loved the waves in the Sea, and seemed to be there more than the pool.

The resort was very nice and very clean. The food was pretty good. Had I known they didn't have peanut butter there, I would have packed a jar of Jif. My youngest went through major withdrawals not being able to have her PB&J sandwich everday!!!!! Our kids did not partake in the Kids Club, preferring to hang with mom and dad and just swim all day. The kids club looked fun though. There was enough other stuff for our kids to do. Horseshoes, water polo, salsa dancing, etc. etc. I had planned on some "lay out in the sun and read my book" time. Didn't happen. For one, it was too hot to just lay out in the sun, unless you were soaking wet from the pool. and Two, there was too much going on all the time.

The trips we did were Coba, which was really cool. We also swam with the dolphins in Peurto Adver. That was really cool too! My kids liked both alot.

The shows at night at the resort were really really good. Especially check out the Michael Jackson show on Saturday nights.

The entertainment staff were great - especially Victor, and Rikko.....

Have fun! We are going through major-withdrawal being "back to reality"....

[capecodann]

You might want to consider the location of thse two resorts. Viva Maya is in the Playacar complex, along a beach that is shared by a number of hotels. Many of the hotels have suffered erosion so the beach in some areas is much reduced. Viva undertakes measures to prevent erosion but there is a sense of having a lot more people around. We have not been there recently but found the reserving of chairs early a big issue, more so than some resorts. I don't think Viva has enough shade to counteract this problem.Club Maeva is further south, off by itself so you will have more of a feeling of being "away from it all". It is closer to things like Xel Ha and Tulum while Viva is closer to town. Club Maeva gets very good food reviews while Viva food is
average.
Many of the southern resorts offer a combination beach, i.e. soft white sand along with some areas for snorkeling. Good luck.

We are staying at Club Maeva in July with our children 5 and 12. check out TexasPepper.com. It helped us.