Make no mistake, I really like the Iberostar Tucan and what it has to offer–“stay at one play at two” (access to the adjoining sister resort, Iberostar Quetzal), a massive pool area, the jungle atmosphere which is an intrinsic part of the resort experience, the opportunity to see lots of wildlife everywhere on resort grounds, beautiful Playacar beach at one’s doorstep, and the opportunity to claim a poolside Bali bed FOR FREE (for those early risers).  During my recent August 2019 visit, however, there was one major factor which impeded my full enjoyment of the resort and the surrounding area, and that was a lack of A/C in most public spaces.

I am no novice to visiting Cancun during summer months (I have repeatedly visited right after the 4th of July holiday), nor am I a novice to hot, humid summers growing up in the midwest without the benefits of A/C.  Given the level of humidity in Cancun’s tropical climate, it literally feels 10-15 degrees warmer than the actual temperature, and without prevalent A/C one is literally walking around or sitting in a growing accumulation of sweat (the debate about women getting “dewy” instead of “sweaty” doesn’t apply here–it’s equal opportunity dripping in this case).  Here is where the resort offers A/C:

• guest rooms
• the Sports Bar next door at the Quetzal
• several a la carte restaurants (El Bonsai and Mare Nostrum at the Tucan)
• I went to the gym and if it had A/C it was non-existent.  I imagine the spa was A/C’d, but that would be a guess on my part.

That’s it. I’m sure there are also several a la carte restaurants next door at the Quetzal that have A/C but that would require me to walk to them in the heat and no, I’m not about to do that because of the lack of A/C in getting there.  A Catch 22.  Nor am I about to sit around and watch evening entertainment in an open-air theater in the middle of the jungle with that kind of heat.  The only reason I discovered that the Sports Bar was A/C’d was because I was on a mission to find it for a blog/Instagram photo opportunity.  Since extreme heat and I do not get along well together, I chose the wrong month to visit a resort which has limited A/C.  Early spring or fall seasons would be a much better time to walk around and truly appreciate what this Iberostar resort has to offer.  And now on a more positive note….

Try and get Brenda to check you in at the main desk.  She was very friendly as well as informative about resort amenities, and gave me a complimentary room upgrade when I told her I wanted to see monkeys during my stay.  Evidently, booking a Superior Standard guest room category is the way to go here if that is your goal–make sure you request third floor jungle facing (sometimes monkeys jump from the trees onto balcony railings, so you have to be on the top floor for that opportunity); I had a room in building 13 facing Sandos Playacar.  As far as monkey sightings, I did see them scampering throughout the trees during late afternoon/right before dusk and heard the howler monkeys until around 7-7:30 p.m.  On one occasion a monkey did leap onto my neighbors balcony but unfortunately I had already put my cameras and my rapidly decaying banana away in the room after sitting in the heat for over two hours and missed the shot….it’s rather a long story to tell involving neighbor nudity, shouting children, and personal frustration.

While guest rooms are pretty basic here, they are comfortable and COOL in temperature.  The only things missing were a clock and enough electrical outlets for charging devices.  I only found one obvious outlet behind the desk lamp, so my advice would be to bring a surge protector power strip if you have multiple items which need to be charged.  The couch can easily be turned into a bed for smaller children, and there is a bottle opener in the bathroom for any bottles of beer to be found in the mini-bar.

Let’s talk about food and drink choices.  As you can already surmise, there is no A/C in the buffets, so that prompted me to fill an empty stomach and move on as quickly as possible.  Which is a shame because the main buffet was actually quite large and well laid out with surrounding Mayan-themed statues, koi ponds and fountains, while the beachfront buffet serving breakfast and lunch had a wonderful ocean view.  The main buffet offered live cooking stations, loads of guacamole (I’ve actually been to Mexican all-inclusive resorts without finding any guacamole in the buffets), delicious chicken dishes, plenty of bacon/chilaquiles/omelet stations for breakfast, chocolate fountains, buckets of ice cream, etc., but I don’t like to sweat into my food so that was the deciding factor.  I also liked the fact that you didn’t have to wait for a server to bring basic drinks–there is a separate area in the back of the main buffet where you can grab a plastic glass and fill it with soda, juices, or water, which can be a real help when traveling with younger children.  A la carte restaurants require reservations–don’t bother using the Iberostar app to make dinner reservations because it’s useless to do so, you will just get a message telling you to go see the Concierge (the app gives all times in half hour increments instead of just the times available at each restaurant).  Since the Concierge was already busy when I checked in, I didn’t want to waste my time standing in line then or using precious vacation time later, so I opted to skip the a la cartes altogether since I couldn’t make an online reservation on the app.  If you are just looking for a snack in the afternoon or later in the evening, the lobby bar has a limited selection of items to tide you over.  I found the Tucan lobby bar to be a very nice place to enjoy one of my favorite evening drinks while on vacation, a chocolate martini.  Live guitar music in this bar is one of the entertainment options available at this time of day.  If you want A/C while you eat, room service is available from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is complimentary.  I ordered from it once to try it out and it was actually very good.

If you can wait a bit for lunch, there are beach BBQ’s including paella offered several times a week.  Since I only spent four days at this resort, paella was offered on the weekend while other dishes were offered on other week days (there was no beach BBQ on Monday).  Kids will especially like the beachfront ice cream and smoothie station, while adults who like mojitos will enjoy the mojito mobile cart where you choose your flavor while it is muddled and stirred right in front of you. I chose the mango mojito and it was delicious!

On to the pools.  There is only one massive pool for both the Tucan and Quetzal to share–it is located beachfront and is quite deep.  The main pool has two gradual entries with stability bars and multiple step entries and exits.  There is a separate Jacuzzi (not heated) built into the middle of the pool with step access, but it is primarily used by children because of the pool depth.  I am 5′ 3″, and I had to stand on my toes to walk in the pool to keep water out of my face–it is even deeper on the west side.  This is definitely a pool made for flotation devices; either bring one or buy one at the store which is adjacent to the pool, they have plenty for sale.  (Most resorts, if they offer flotation devices for sale, will inflate any ones you bring for a small tip).  For those who enjoy pool foam parties, the resort offers one on Tuesday afternoon; get there around 3:30 because it starts around 4 p.m.  If you don’t claim an in-pool space by the beachfront gradual entry, you will be too far back to get any foam.  (It was advertised as a DJ pool party, but they brought out the foam machine and everyone had a good time).  A note about poolside wait service–yes, it does occur, but infrequently for the most part.  If you want to increase the probability of wait staff taking a drink request, try and get a lounger directly next to the pool on the beachfront side. Staff seemed to walk by more frequently in this area.  There is only one beach bar and there is typically a long line of guests waiting to order drinks.

The only thing missing from the main pool is a swim-up bar….don’t fret, the resort has one in a separate, mostly shaded pool area at the very west end of the main pool.  You must be able to walk up and down stairs since that is the only way to access this pool area.  At the very bottom of the stairs on the left side there is a storage “cubby” where you can leave your towel, shoes, etc. because there is no room for any loungers.  This adults-only pool doesn’t hold many people–there are three seating areas by the actual bar and three large circular seating areas at the back of the pool; the small waterfall is a nice touch.  This pool area plays more lively music than the main pool which matches the late afternoon mood of most guests who frequent this bar.

Now onto the beach.  I love Playacar beach.  It is one of my favorites in the Riviera Maya, and this resort sits on the southern end.  During my vacation the sargassum situation was minimal, so ocean entry was not a problem.  Wave action is light to moderate, so it is certainly swimmable with few red flag days.  The beach area in front of the resort is wide and long; beach walks are possible for long distances in either direction (one can actually walk along the beach and reach the Cozumel ferry pier and Playa del Carmen to the north), while palapa-shaded loungers are quickly claimed in the morning.  There is a separate, more opulent lounger area with day beds and a separate bar, but that is for timeshare guests.

If you choose to explore next door at the Quetzal, there is a beautiful series of waterfalls by the main buffet, a cigar lounge with specialty liquors and a built-in humidor, and a sports bar with multiple screens for viewing sporting events (remember, it’s also A/C’d–you can find the sports bar in a separate building marked as Preview Gallery, it’s by the resort’s general entrance).

Would I return?  Definitely.  What would I do differently if I returned?  Visit during the cooler months of the year, and take the time to book some a la carte restaurants.  If you haven’t visited this resort since 2015, you will definitely see some changes due to the renovations which occurred after the fire which destroyed the lobby areas, theater, gym/spa, and several restaurants.  Even some pool changes were made during this time while the resort was closed.  Maybe it’s time for a return visit for those who want to re-experience the Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal.

Take a moment or two and enjoy the photo gallery below–just click on any of the thumbnails to get a larger view of the picture.

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:  45 min. south of the Cancun airport just south of Playa del Carmen

Telephone:  1-855-378-9011 (USA)

Email:  rrpptucque@iberostar.com.mx