Our family, which consists of myself, my husband and our 3 children (ages 15,13, & 9) stayed at the Catalonia Playa Maroma from April 9-16, 2008. I read many reviews on Tripadviser which helped us make our decision to stay here and we were not disappointed. We arrived around 7pm and were met with a refreshing drink and a quick and curteous check-in. Our rooms were not adjoining but side by side and we felt very safe at this resort.The kids room had 2 double beds and ours had a king bed and we found the rooms to be clean and comfortable. We were located in the block closest to the lobby and restaurant and furthest from the beach but it was no more than the 3 minute walk to the water and we enjoyed the walk down the beautiful walkway. The beach was incredible -- soft, powdery white sand that never got too hot, beautiful water and swimming area with no rocks or corral (didn't need water shoes) and lots of beach chairs (never had to rush to save seats). My kids and husband went kayaking a couple of times and we all did 2 trips with Divy Dive right there at the beach to go snorkeling at the nearby Maroma reef. The guides were awesome and spoke good English and we really enjoyed this experience. We found all the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Some spoke better English than others, but all tried and were very curteous and pleasant and helped us pick up a little Spanish. The majority of the guests there were Italian and French and although we couldn't communicate we found them to be friendly. (I'd smile and say hello to most people and I'd receive and smile and nod back.)Everything was announced in Spanish, Italian, French and then English so you'd have to listen carefully for instructions but it was no big deal. We really didn't mind being in the minority for once. The food was great and mostly we ate at the main buffet. We did try the Mediterranean al a carte one evening, but my kids didn't like it so we didn't eat there again.(My meal was good though.) The main buffet was great for kids because there was always fresh fruit, yummy bread, and pizza. The snack bar down near the pool was also good for kids as they served hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, fish fillets, and the best fries I've ever had. As well as fresh fruit. We found the entertainment staff to be fun and funny and we enjoyed the nightly entertainment as well as the piano man in the lobby every evening. The entertainment staff may cater to Europeans but we were invited to participate in different activites and could choose to or decline as we wanted. The resort offered a free shuttle to Playa del Carmen and we took it twice. It was comfortable and air-conditioned and they dropped you off right at 5th Avenue where all the shops are. We never took the shuttle home because it left at 10am and returned at 5pm and that was longer than we cared to stay in town so we took a taxi back to the resort for $15, but it was nice to have that option.The negatives of this place were there were always a few topless sunbathers at the beach or pool and also that a lot of people smoke and we are used to the "no smoking in public" policies in Canada. But overall we had a wonderful time here and would highly recommend it for an excellent family vacation. It was a peaceful, relaxing vacation in a clean, well-maintained resort with a gorgeous beach and great food and entertainment. We would definately go there again!

Three Sisters on a girls trip. We are in our mid to late thirties.
WE had a great time. The beach was amazingly beautiful as promised and the food was actually very very good. Even just the regular buffet. Lots of choices for even the pickiest of eaters. All the fresh fish was wonderful. We only ate at the a la carte Mexican Restuarant and it was wonderful. We ate at the main buffet the rest of the time and I must say it was my best all inclusive food experience in Mexico.
Even the coffee was wonderful. They had cappuccino/expresso machines at the main beverage bars. AWESOME!!
They really do cater to Europeans, hardly any Americans were there, which was fine by us. I even got to practice my spanish. Topless women abound as is the custom in Europe. Dont go here if this offends you. Crowd was mixed. Familes and groups, all ages. Not too many young partiers. No groups under 21, at least that I could tell.
Important for you to know. The new rooms are now considered an upgrade. They even have a sign when you check in. You pay $30 extra per day for the upgraded rooms. Which actaully seems fair because they really are very much an upgrade from the regular rooms. We decided not to upgrade because none of the new rooms had 2 double beds. Luckily our room was fine and it all worked out. Room Clean and everything worked. They really are just in need of renovation. The room was nice enough just old. If you are picky and want luxury, book the NEW room. It is worht the price. My husband would not have stayed in the old room. We girls were fine. But by European standards, the old rooms are like new. Important to note: The West side of the property is under construction. Guests staying on that side should request an interior courtyard room, or an interior room to the midway of the resort. I would assume the resort next door will take about another 6 months to complete.
Service. Wow!! for a 3-4 star resort they were on it. Everyone was very friendly. And eager to please. Every request was met with a smile. There is no beach service for drinks. However, they are constantly picking up and keeping the beach free of cups, plates etc. There is a main drink bar close to the pool and beach. Premium liquor is happily served upon request. Drinks are made per order and we never had a long wait at the bar and or anywhere else for that matter. Full spa on site actually has fair market prices. They do not jack up the price like most other resorts, so indulging in a spa treatment is totally doable.
Beach chairs always available no need to rush the beach or save spots. NICE!!!

We did do a $25 short snorkeling trip right from the resort. The boat picked us up on the beach. The reef was right off shore. It was awesome to swim in the sea with the fish and see the coral. We were back on the beach within an hour and a half. I have paid more for similar trips.

Ofcourse they do night parties, shows and they have a disco. We were in bed by nine every night so I could not rate this area of the resort. Sorry we did our cocktailing in the afternoon on the beach. However, several folks were coming in as we were getting up for coffee. They all seemed to have had a great time. Ofcourse they have a full activity staff on site that is there to make sure everyone has a good time. They were not too in your face. We really came to relax on the beach and stayed away from the fanfare.
If traveling with kids there really did seem to have lots of fun things for them to do as well. I would go here with my son in a heart beat. One day they did a mini olympics in the pool area. They had a series of survivor like events set up. The kids and young adults looked like they were having fun.
I would go next door to MAROMA with my husband for a romantic trip.
Catalonia was perfect for our girls trip and groups traveling together.
Best thing about the resort: The beach, then food and friendly staff.

As two teachers who decided to check out an all-inclusive for the first time, we spent a lot of time on TripAdvisor reviewing all-inclusive resorts for our vacation. We were not looking for a party resort, but wanted a good deal and a place that would be nice and relaxing. We read many reviews of the Catalonia Playa Maroma (CPM) and decided that the good reviews out-weighed the bad ones and stayed at the CPM from March 29th-April 5th.

Our hotel room was simple, but nice. It was cleaned every day and the bathroom, although also simple, had everything that we needed. The rooms are right in the middle of the jungle and we woke up every morning listening to the birds! There are numerous geckos and small iguanas all over the hotel complex and for us, being from the cold, wind-swept prairies, this was quite exciting.

Depending on which hotel 'block' you stay in, you can be a little far from the beach. However, the walk is no more than a 3 minutes. The other thing to consider is that if you are in the block furthest from the beach, as we were, you are closest to the dining hall and entertainment. So, in the end, it all balances out.

The food at CPM was great! The buffet had many options. If you weren't interested in being adventurous with your food choices, there were always 'american' options, such as pizza, available. The resort also has theme nights at the buffet such as seafood night and Mexican night. We enjoyed the food at the buffet so much that we only took advantage of one of the a la carte restaurants. The food and atmosphere at the Mexican a la carte restaurant was great. Make sure you ask a waiter for some Mayan coffee. The display they put on making the coffee is well worth it! Dinner at the buffet started around 7:15pm and, once finished, many people headed to the the piano bar in the lobby before attending the evening entertainment that occured nightly at 10pm. If you still were looking to have more fun, the discotheque opened its doors shortly after the conclusion of the evening entertainment show.

The beach itself was unbelievable.The water is incredible and there are lots of chairs on the soft sand, cool to the touch, and there are plenty of activities such as volleyball, kayaking, and soccer.

Other activities offered by the resort included: yoga, aerobics, spanish lessons, numerous dance lessons and bar-tending lessons! Most of these activities were located around the pool which we sat around later in the afternoon.

A lot has been said about the language barrier at the CPM, however, if you have any bit of patience this is not an issue. We had no trouble communicating in English but there are many French and Italians there. Basically, every activity is announced in four languages: Spanish, English, French and Italian.

There are many tour options that your tour director will go over the first or second day there. We chose the Mayan Adventure Tour. This included a tour of the Coba ruins (the tallest in the Mayan and also one that you are still allowed to climb up, unlike Chichen Itza) and a trip to a Mayan village where we hiked, canoed, rappelled into a cenote, and ziplined across a crocodile pond. We also took a free shuttle bus into Playa del Carmen for the evening. An evening was really all we needed, as Playa del Carmen was way too touristy for our liking.

We were incredibly impressed by the Catalonia Playa Maroma and would certainly return there in the future. Please feel free to contact us with any questions!

P.S. The road from the highway to the resort is terrible but do not be discouraged as the destination is worth the trip!
P.P.S. Yes there are topless women, mostly on the beach.

We just got back from Catalonia Playa Maroma. We were there from April 6-13. We had an amazing experience. We started out a little concerned about the language barrier but really should have never worried about it. The resort was kept impeccably clean and the staff were so helpful and friendly. The food was wonderful and plentiful. We would definitely recommend the Meditterranean Restaurant. The beaches were relaxing and we never had to search for a place to relax. White sand never gets hot and there were plenty of activities to be a part of if you want. We enjoyed the walk along the pathways, it was a nice time to relax. Our room was right next to the construction but we never really heard it until we walked out of the room and even then it was minimal. I think this was a great place to go for a reasonable price and we would definitely go back!!!!