I’ve decided my next solo trip will include a stay at Catalonia Royal Tulum which is located an hour drive south of the Cancun airport. It is a bit south of Barcelo Maya Grand resort, if readers know where that mega-resort is located in the Riviera Maya. CRT is a smaller adults-only all-inclusive with a great beach which was the deciding factor for me and my next Mexico vacation. I may do Planet Hollywood Cancun later on in the year, but am still on the fence about that resort since I think it would be a much better resort experience without COVID affecting amenity limits/closures.
Like other resorts during COVID, CRT has some closures which may cause vacationers to think twice about traveling here or elsewhere during this pandemic. Rauxa (the burlesque dinner show) is still closed along with several restaurants and the beachfront smoothie bar. But the beach is open along with the large beachfront Jacuzzi. For this next Mexico vacation, I primarily want some down time with lots of lazy pool and beach days. I was going to go to Coba, but a potential August vacation puts that on hold (never do excursions away from water during the blazing hot Cancun/Riviera Maya summers, it’s too easy to get heat stroke). I will probably hire the private driver I had during my last Cancun trip and do some cave cenotes nearer to Tulum. I would highly recommend doing cenote excursions whether they are guided or private…cenotes are one of the highlights of the Riviera Maya.
CRT offers a free antigen COVID test (applies to guests staying 3+ nights) for those returning to the US; guests who test positive can stay for free up to 10 days at the resort. This deal is now supposed to last as long as the travel requirement lasts–it was previously listed by the resort as being in effect only through March 31, 2021.
FYI: If you want to save some cash on your Catalonia booking, sign up for the Catalonia Rewards program. It is free to sign up; you can save 7% on your website booking, you get free cancellation, a free upgrade, and get “travel cash” to use for future bookings. You can sign up for this program by clicking on the three horizontal lines next to the language selector (see the top of the page to the right) on the Catalonia resort’s home page. I’ve found over time that booking directly with resorts, especially using any free loyalty programs, gets you a better room/room location, plus you get some perks that other guests may not be able to access.
Take a couple of moments to see the video about what’s available at CRT during COVID–would you stay here?
My first experience with Mexico and AI resorts was CRT. I always find myself returning back to this resort (distinctively for the beautiful winding path through the resort leading to the beach and the “beach”!!!). After staying there once a year for 6 years, it has now been 3 years since I’ve been back. I’m excited to get a review from you on CRT.
My daughter and her husband are looking into taking her 3 boys (one graduating college, one graduating high school and one still in high school) to riviera maya. Would you recommend a Barcelo maya resort for first timers (the boys)?
Hello Dana! Returning six years to the same resort is quite a testament to CRT! The beach does indeed look lovely and I am in desperate need of a tranquil vacation at this point in time. As for staying at the Barcelo, that would depend on when they intend to visit. I just posted an article in my blog with a link I came across which points out that there may be a HUGE problem with sargassum this season. If they intend to visit fairly soon the beaches there still look great, if their vacation is later this season the beaches in the Riviera Maya may be in bad shape due to sargassum issues. Even I am debating whether to go to CRT in April for a last minute trip in order to avoid the issue. I loved the Barcelo megaresort there and have stayed at the Caribe, Palace, and the newest adults-only sections. Great resort with lots to do.