New Year's at Viva Azteca
We are a group of 10 (6 adults, 4 kids) who travel together every New Year's to a different all-inclusive resort. We have all been to a great many of these around Mexico and the Caribbean. This year, our travels took us to Viva Azteca in the gated Playa Car Community of Playa del Carmen. Please see my categorized review of the Wyndham Viva Azteca Playa Del Carmen.
Hotel Aesthetics: The hotel has a traditional Mexican feel to it. It has been recently updated but retains an open-air Mexican Charm and has a beautiful courtyard. If you are looking for an extremely modern, chic vibe, this place is not for you. If you are looking for a more traditional Mexican resort vibe, then this might be the place.
Rooms: We stayed in a basic garden-view room. The rooms are basic but clean, and I found the bed to be very comfortable.
Crowd and Vibe: The Viva brand of resorts (Especially the Azteca) is known for catering to European tourists. The vast majority of people here were European, with most being Italian. This is reflected in the quality of food and activities at this resort. So if you are looking for a quiet European atmosphere, this place would be a good choice.
Buffet Food: The food at this resort really was excellent. Likely the best food of any all-inclusive I've ever experienced. The quality of the buffet food was really good, especially when it came to traditional Italian and Mexican dishes. The pizza and pasta were so well done that it's easy to understand why so many Italians keep coming back here. The taco and other Mexican selections were also very well done with high-quality corn tortillas, salsas and authentic taco meats. On Mexican nights, they set up a taco station in the courtyard and make Tacos el Pastor, and on Italian nights, they use the same space to set up additional pasta stations. The buffet was always stocked with quality fruits, vegetables, desserts and a great selection of meat and fish options. There is also a 24/7 snack bar in the pool area with burgers, dogs, tacos, nachos, pizza and a few other dishes.
A La Cart Restaurants: The Asian restaurant was actually quite good. The sushi and appetizer options were very good. The best part of this place was the fried ice cream dessert. I'm not usually a sweet tooth person, but this was amazing. We also got to try the Mexican restaurant, which had really good Mexican food by all-inclusive standards and is set in a beautiful outdoor garden setting. We did not get to try the Italian à la carte as we simply ran out of nights.
Drinks: The resort has a multitude of drink options, but really nothing fancy (except NYE). The bar service was great, and they will make you anything you want, but it won't be made with top-shelf stuff. (They do have some top-shelf stuff, but it's only free for their timeshare club guests and is an upcharge for regular guests) There is a very nice bar in the main lobby and another by the pool
New Year's Eve: This resort did an amazing job with NYE. They had an option for a la carte dining, but as a party of 10 were given a reservation at the buffet for dinner. They really did well to make it a proper NYE feast with Lobster, sushi, shrimp, scallops, rib eye, and a wide assortment of artisanal pastas and other dishes.
They also set up a special bar in the courtyard with very top-shelf drinks for NYE, including high-end tequilas, scotch, vodka, etc.
The courtyard hosted an excellent NYE party with decorations, music and dancing well into the night.
Pool and Beach: The beach in this section of Playacar is absolutely gorgeous. White sand and blue water with a beautiful view of Cozumel and the cruiseports off in the distance. Shade and chairs are abundant, and finding chairs for our large group, even on New Year's week,k was never an issue. It should be noted that there is no beach bar or bar service at this resort or anywhere in Playacar.
We had no seaweed for our first 6 days, but we did encounter a fair bit on our last day. Usually, this time of year is pretty good for sargassum in this part of Mexico, but beach lovers may want to think differently for bookings from April to October because the Sargassum in recent years during those months can be quite extensive.
Activities and entertainment: The resort activity staff did really well to keep a full schedule of fun activities like games, contests, arts and crafts and themed parties by the pool and beach. The Viva app is very good at giving schedules for the many events and also for showing menus and options for the bars, restaurants and spa. There is also a small outdoor theatre with live shows nightly, and a sports bar at the sister resort down the street.
Playacar: This resort is located within a high-end resort residential and golf course community. No one gets in or out without going through a security checkpoint and showing credentials. It feels super safe to walk around Playacar. There is a small strip of shops, bars, restaurants and Starbucks just down the road. For golfers, the Hard Rock Riviera Maya golf course is right across the street. There is another much bigger Viva resort a few hundred yards down the street, which you are free to eat and drink at as an Azteca guest. (Guests of the Viva Maya may not enter the Azteca, though.)
Playa Del Carmen: The best part of staying in a place like Playa Del Carmen is that you really aren't stuck to just the resort. A 15-minute walk or short (but expensive) cab ride will get you right in the heart of Playa Del Carmen and 5th Avenue. Here you will find busy nightlife, local shops, high-end stores and a great many restaurants. Eating and drinking on 5th Ave in the heart of Playa can be quite expensive and “Americanized,” but if you walk a few blocks away from the Fat Tuesday’s and Senor Frogs of 5th Ave. You will find some amazing local street food and small restaurants. I highly recommend trying Tacos El Fogon, which has Michelin guide status and absolutely amazing and affordable food. I would highly recommend leaving the resort at least once to try the local food.
Overall, we really enjoyed this resort. It’s not the most fancy, chic place in Playa, but if you are looking for great food and a relaxed European vibe, this is a great place. In fact, we have already booked a different VIVA resort in the DR for next New Year’s because we enjoyed it so much.
