This is the third and last resort review of my most recent Cancun/Riviera trip I took late April/early May 2026.  Prior resort reviews are already posted (Riu Ventura and Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres) so you can read about them under the category of “Resort Reviews” on my homepage.

I had just finished my stay at Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres and cabbed it to Ocean Allure since it was just north of the Mirage property.  It took less than 10 min. so I was relieved I could have the entire afternoon and evening to explore the property and have some fun while doing so.  I always put any clothes and items I may need for check-in day in my backpack so I don’t have to wait around in the lobby for my room to be ready if I’m going to be arriving “early”.  Many resorts these days do an automatic 3 p.m. check-in time whether your room is officially ready or not so it seems; I’m always looking for changing rooms or just regular bathrooms in which to change if I arrive early at a resort so I’m ready for the pool or the beach or whatever, basically.  (I think the last early check-in I had at a resort was at Haven Riviera Cancun where I was able to gain immediate access to my room at 1 p.m. after the check-in process and that was in April 2022).

Since I had upgraded to Privilege, staff led me to the Privilege Lounge which was located down a hallway off from the lobby area.  Staff did give me a glass of bubbly while I checked in; they did struggle to figure out my bill since I paid part of it in pesos (I hate slamming my credit card with lots of high figure charges all at once so it gives me some peace of mind to psychologically lessen that financial pressure by paying some cash at resorts).  They eventually did figure it out with the help of a manager (Majestic Mirage did not have that same trouble) and introduced me to part of the butler team for the next stage of the check-in experience.

I was asked whether or not I wanted to go to lunch or somewhere else on the property by the butler (sorry I can’t remember his name, I never encountered him again).  I was a bit peckish by that time and wanted a bite to eat so I was given a brief tour of the property on our way to the beachfront restaurant, Pez Dama.  Wonderful location right by the beach walkway and it had its own exterior bar facing the ocean; however, they were already out of ceviche before noon so I just ordered some shrimp tacos.  The wait to take my order was about 15 min. which did seem excessive since the restaurant wasn’t even full yet and it took another 20 min. to get my food.  I did return to this restaurant another time before my departure to give the experience another try and wound up sitting in another part of the restaurant.  The wait time then for ordering food was only 5 min. but the food still took some time to arrive at the table (same food selections only this time they had ceviche).  The tacos were delicious once I eventually got them on each occasion and so was the ceviche the second time around at this restaurant–was it the waiter, lack of waiters, or time of day that I ordered which resulted in the snafu?  Hard to tell…All I can say is if you go here for lunch expect it to take some time.  If you can wait until after 1:30 p.m. for a late lunch then do so for a potentially different experience.  I do have to admit that the shrimp tacos were some of the best I’ve ever had including those at Live Aqua Cancun, and that’s saying a lot.

Then I was off to spend some time at the rooftop pool and bar area which turned out to be in the guest room building adjacent to Pez Dama.  This pool area was only available to Privilege and membership guests (well, I don’t know for sure if it was open to membership guests, but I can’t imagine members not being admitted to upgraded resort amenities). There weren’t any official changing rooms up there, so I just changed clothes in the bathroom and entered the doors to the pool area.  The pool itself was on the small side but it had an awesome 180° ocean view with an infinity edge as a plus.  Instead of loungers there were “nest” daybeds (round daybeds with overhead shade) and a bar behind the daybeds.  The bartender came to the pool and took drink orders when he could so that was an extra plus as well.  FYI:  There are actually two rooftop pools at this resort, but neither butler explained that fact to me, I had to find out by observing what looked like another rooftop pool on the other side of the resort and read about it afterwards.  The other one is located above the Privilege Lounge; however, there was some question as to whether only one was open at the time and why only one would be open.  Be sure to ask if both are available when you check-in if you have the Privilege upgrade.

I was notified via text that my room was ready and got dressed and returned to the Privilege Lounge where I was introduced to my primary butler who escorted me to my room and gave an explanation of room amenities.  The room was very attractive and on the larger side with a canopy bed, balcony Jacuzzi, large shower, mini-bar with Pepsi products, some beers and large bottles of water, snacks, and several airplane-sized bottles of liquor; I also received a regular sized bottle of rum which was only an amenity for Privilege guests.  While the room I booked was supposed to be ocean view, it turned out to be partial ocean view with a great view of the FlowRider action, so just be aware that if you want a true ocean view here you must book an oceanfront room.

I spent what was left of the afternoon exploring the resort and discovered exactly how massive the pool area was along with what the lazy river looked like–it even had its own swim-up bar.  Privilege guests had their own private beachfront pool, but I never spent any time there since the main pool was so much more my vibe with great music, a large swim-up bar, and pool activities (I missed the pool foam party by one day, regretfully–it’s on Thursdays).  There also was a separate pool which was by the FlowRider, and that pool seemed to be reserved for more quiet activities.

I had dinner that evening at the Privilege Lounge since it was recommended by my butler–no reservations needed at this restaurant.  The Privilege Lounge was beachfront at the south end of the property and while it was a fairly small space it was “big” on food quality and taste.  I had an excellent dining experience with the help of a seasoned waiter who was attentive but not intrusive–I would highly recommend this restaurant for some of your meals if you are in the Privilege section.  FYI:  If you enter the restaurant from the beachfront section walk past the bar to the podium in order to let staff know you would like to dine.  If you enter from the space between the two building sections you will find yourself at the podium in a few steps.  I had a few awkward moments just standing trying to figure out the layout and how to get seated, so I just saved you the trouble, lol.

I’m not a big fan of evening resort entertainment, I would much rather take walks after dining instead of doing more sitting, so I never did see any evening shows in this resort’s theater so I cannot comment on the quality of the performances.  However, I was very impressed with the actual theater’s door!

More evening explorations revealed some very nice surprises–this resort had an awesome sports bar with a very large viewing screen and several smaller screens for sports viewing, multiple pool tables, a golf simulator, a bowling alley, and a separate section which becomes a disco for those who are young enough to have the energy to stay up for some more fun.

I also discovered the gym–it’s open 24 hrs.

Daytime explorations also revealed some nice surprises–not one but three pickleball courts, a tennis court, and a coffee shop.  The dessert place next to it only seemed to be open in the evenings during my stay.

Let’s talk more food-related topics at this resort (some of these pictures are making me hungry!).  The second evening of my stay I dined at another butler recommended restaurant–Bluemoon.  When my butler came across me poolside that afternoon he inquired if he could help me out in any way.  We discussed this restaurant and he immediately made reservations for me–another great recommendation!

If you read my resort review for Majestic Mirage, you may remember my discussion of being a solo female vacationer dining all alone on a dais…This restaurant experience was what I am used to when traveling solo–while the food was very good I was put at a table at the back of the restaurant right next to the kitchen door.  As a matter of fact, the table immediately adjacent to me was another female vacationing solo but she was talking on her phone the entire time so I didn’t get to trade vacation stories or make a new friend.  Despite that part of the dining experience, don’t miss this restaurant in addition to the Privilege Lounge!

The final evening of my vacation at Ocean Allure was spent dining at the Italian restaurant La Locanda.  No reservations required here.  Everything was very good but not outstanding like the other two restaurants.

Besides eating at Pez Dama for lunch on two separate occasions, lunch can also be had at the buffet.  This was another item I wondered about at this particular resort–where were the poolside food choices you will typically find at most other adults-only properties?  Even three and four star resorts will have something for guests who don’t want to leave the pool area to dry off and change clothes just to have lunch.  There was a sign advertising hamburgers available by the main pool, but no sign or sniff of them at lunchtime.  This is definitely something this particular resort will have to resolve in order to keep up with the competition.

What would a beach vacation be without a beach experience?  This resort was located very close to Majestic Mirage which had an outstanding beach and this resort’s beach was no exception.  The water color was exceptional, it was swimmable, there were plenty of loungers and shade palapas, there was a separate section for Privilege guests with “nest” loungers, there was a beach bar with swings, the sand was soft, off-white, and cool to the touch, and you could take lengthy beach walks in both directions.  However, don’t expect excellent WiFi connection on this beach, my phone kept losing the connection which was frustrating since I was attempting to use it on multiple occasions which required frequent resort signing-in attempts to regain connection.

Let me see if I can neatly summarize my resort stay for those who may be thinking of booking this property.  It is an unusual adults-only resort experience in that it is definitely not couples oriented, nor does it have any sort of romantic vibe.  It is definitely not a party resort for singles either–yes, there were couples and yes there were other single vacationers, but there were also families with adult children accompanying their parents.  It attempts to be a resort for all adults looking for a vacation where you can either find a place to relax and read a book or find lots of activities to keep you busy while on vacation.  That may turn out to be a negative as time goes on–this resort doesn’t neatly fit into any vacation category and therefore may be in the running as a vacation choice but not the winner as “the” choice for a great vacation.  I enjoyed my stay here but wouldn’t return.

The comments in this review are those of the author/reviewer.  This trip was paid for in its entirety by the author; at no time were any monies or services exchanged for this review.

Location:  50 min. north of the Cancun airport

Telephone:  52-998-677-9000

email:  res1.ocm@oceanhotels.com