Just returned from an incredible 10-day stay at Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya (Adults Only), and once again this resort exceeded expectations.
One of the very highlights of our trip was dining at Frank & Lola’s italian restaurant several nights throughout our vacation. A huge thank you to Gabriel, our server, and Juan Carlos, the manager, who went above and beyond every evening to ensure our meals were perfect. Their attention to detail and genuine care made us feel so special. Eddy also deserves recognition as his pizza, ravioli, and focaccia bread are absolutely delicious.
Breakfasts and dinners at The Boathouse were another standout. Noel and Eddie consistently went the extra mile to make our mornings special, including bringing a beautiful fruit plate to our table each day. Sergio, the chef during Boathouse dinners, is both a wonderful person and a fantastic cook. He always took the time to explain the buffet options and made incredible stir-fry dishes customized exactly how you want with your choice of meat, vegetables, sauce, pasta, sides, etc. His teriyaki chicken is some of the best that I’ve ever had and this is coming from someone who loves teriyaki chicken lol.
One small piece of feedback for The Boathouse would be to add more fresh fruit options, especially berries like raspberries and blueberries, which have been available during our past stays. We also missed having fruit available on the dinner buffet and feel that would be a great addition. Having fresh fruit available throughout an all inclusive stay is important to me and a lot of travelers.
Lunch at License to Chill: the cheeseburgers were delicious and made for a perfect meal between pool time. Loved sitting with Noel and Gabino. We also dined at JWB’s Steakhouse. While the sides and desserts were good, the steak was unfortunately very chewy and gristly, and the service was not on par with the rest of the resort.
Our evenings were often spent at the Landshark Brewery, which we absolutely love. We’d stop by each night for a small dessert and to enjoy the entertainment. The DJ sessions and karaoke nights were so much fun. A big shout-out to our servers Laura, who is incredibly sweet, and Ricky, who is always fun and engaging to talk with. I hope the resort brings back s’mores nights at the fire pit next to Landshark, as that was always a highlight of previous trips.
We also enjoyed drinks at The Salted Rim with the purple Free Soul martini being hands-down my favorite. The frappes at Joe Merchant’s were exactly how I like them - icy and cold and so flavorful, which was such a refreshing treat in the heat and humidity. Carmen deserves a very special shout-out for always being so kind and welcoming. I’d love to see Joe Merchant’s bring back Dr. Pepper and more snack options.
Housekeeping was absolutely flawless. I am very picky about cleanliness, and the room was kept totally spotless. Huge thanks to Juliana, our housekeeper, for her excellent work.
My very sincere appreciation goes to Johan, one of the Island Ambassadors on staff. From the moment we arrived, he made our stay feel truly special. He would often walk with us to dinner and we loved chatting with him during that time. He is kind, friendly, and clearly dedicated to making every guest feel welcome and cared for.
The entertainment crew was outstanding and brought so much energy and life to the resort. Mariel, Angel, Dennis, and Juan were all fantastic. Mariel and Angel greeted us daily and were incredibly sweet. Dennis led amazing water workout classes, and it was Juan’s very first week on the job! Juan was so sweet and will fit in perfectly. Music trivia by the pool was a blast, and we absolutely loved the newly added bracelet-making classes. I met so many great people at these classes and came home with cute handmade souvenirs. I hope they continue in the future (and I would really love to see more bead and string options!).
Finally, Sergio also deserves recognition for always checking in on us at the pool to see if we needed drinks. He was so easy to talk to and made our pool days even better. Loved the music out by the pool, except for the one afternoon they played 100% country music.
Overall, this resort is a 5/5 experience, and we cannot wait to return. Thank you to everyone who made our stay so wonderful and for giving the Margaritaville spirit from beginning to end. 🌴🍹
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