Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2708 reviews

• 

  Underwhelming for adults, fun for kids.

  I reserved this hotel fully aware of its most well-known shortcoming, which is a poorly reviewed beach. My three kids are big fans of water parks, and one of them, whose birthday we were celebrating, is a big fan of SpongeBob. That's why we booked three nights here. Despite knowing the poor reputation of the resort's beach, it still fell below my already low expectations. The beach itself is very small, and there are concrete blocks all over the coast. And while I understand the resort has little control over it, the amount of sargassum is simply unbearable. Its so bad that its hard to enjoy the balcony, because the smell from the sargassum is so bad, especially in the evening and night. The swim-up pools in every room are a cool concept, especially for kids. We had a fifth floor room, so we shared ours with 3 other rooms. We were lucky in that we went during low season and our neighboring rooms were either unoccupied or whomever occupied them never used the pool (except briefly on our last day there), so it felt very private. But if there are other people using it, forget about privacy. People will be able to swim right in front of your suite's window and balcony. While it wasn't an issue for us, I can see how it could be uncomfortable, so just know that in advance. If your room is on the 2nd floor, where the main pool is, you can swim up to the main pool, which is large and beautiful. But obviously you get even less privacy, especially if your room happens to be in front of one of the two swim-up bars. One of the things I liked least about the resort is how disconnected it feels. You need a shuttle to move between the main building, where the rooms are, and the water park, main lobby and breakfast restaurant. The shuttles run often, and its not a long ride (though long enough most people won't want to walk), but even during low season lines did form during peak times (when the water park opens and closes and right around check out). The water park itself is great, my kids loved it and there is something for kids of every age. I also like that there are no deep pools and that the life guards are on point, so I felt confident letting them run around on their own. Being able to access the water park before people with day passes was also great, because the first couple hours it often felt like we had the entire park for ourselves. Once the public is able to access it does eventually get quite crowded, but the morning hours between 9:00 and 11:00 are amazing. But as with any theme park, after a couple days, things get old and repetitive. The restaurants were good and the rooms were great. They are spacious (two bathrooms), modern and the entire resort is kept meticulously clean. There are many chances for kids to meet and greet characters too. Absolutely no complaints here. And finally, the thing I liked least about the hotel: ridiculous prices for anything that isn't included. There are multiple stores around the resort and the prices are unconscionable, far worse than Disney World. Some examples using current conversion rates: $70 USD dollars for a small plush, $180 USD for an aloha-type shirt, etc. In some of the restaurants, they try to upsell certain tables. For example, in the TMNT pizzeria, they have a few tables with statues of the turtles so they look like they are sitting with you, which kids love. But you need to pay $50 USD extra for those. You can get access to them too by purchasing five themed water bottles ($14 USD each) or a $56 USD drink. In the end, I think while the resort has some cool things for kids, especially if they are fans of Nickelodeon, flying to a different country to stay here isn't worth it. Given the low quality of the beach, which is probably the main reason people travel to this part of Mexico, I feel like a resort like this belongs more in a place like Pennsylvania. Even if I have to deal with larger crowds, I'd rather stay somewhere else and visit the water park on a day pass.

  Aug 24, 2026
• 

  Not meant for US tourists

  I have never written a TripAdvisor review while still on vacation, but this experience has been bad enough that I felt compelled to. For context, we are paying more than $1,000 per night, so my expectations are not unreasonable. Unfortunately, this resort has fallen dramatically short of what I would expect at this price point. First, our assigned “concierge,” Arturo/Arthur, seemed primarily interested in selling us things. From the beginning, nearly every interaction was about upgrades, additional purchases, or getting us to attend a timeshare breakfast. At $1,000+ a night, the constant upselling was particularly frustrating. Once we made it clear that we weren’t interested in buying anything else, he essentially stopped communicating with us for the remaining three and a half days of our stay. I even messaged him with important questions about the resort and received no response. As for the rest of the experience: The food is genuinely terrible. I am not a particularly picky eater, and I don’t use the word “inedible” lightly, but the food has been so consistently bad that members of our family are barely eating at the resort. Getting around is miserable. The property requires vans to travel between many areas. We have repeatedly waited outside in roughly 90-degree heat for hot, crowded vans that often smell unpleasant. At a luxury resort, transportation should not feel like an ordeal every time you leave your room. This resort is extremely difficult for guests who do not speak Spanish. Shows and character meet-and-greets during our stay have been conducted almost exclusively in Spanish, and we have encountered many staff members who speak little or no English. We are visiting Mexico and absolutely do not expect everyone to speak English. However, this resort heavily markets itself to international and American tourists, and at this price point I expected major guest programming and services to be accessible to non-Spanish-speaking guests as well. The air conditioning in our room was broken. In this climate, that is a significant issue. The pool bar is frequently left completely unstaffed, sometimes for extended periods in the middle of the day. Several restaurants are not air-conditioned, which makes meals extremely uncomfortable in the August heat. There have been two bright spots, and they are the reason I’m giving two stars instead of one: the spa was fantastic, and we really enjoyed having a swim-up room. The spa experience in particular was excellent. But those positives cannot make up for the overall experience. For what this resort charges, I expected good food, reliable service, comfortable transportation, functioning air conditioning, and a concierge who actually assists guests rather than treating them as sales opportunities. I understand that we are traveling in Mexico, and I would never expect or demand that everything cater to American visitors. But this property actively markets itself as a high-end international family resort, and the actual experience does not match that positioning. Based on our stay, I would not recommend this resort to American or other English-speaking travelers, particularly at this price point. Two stars for the wonderful spa and swim-up room. Everything else has been an enormous disappointment.

  Aug 14, 2026
• 

  A great experience for the kids

  As an adult, not impressed with the experience at all. There is no ‘premium’ feel anywhere. For the money, you can buy a much more luxury experience somewhere else. It’s a different story for my kids, they had a blast there and somehow thinks it’s better than the 5-star hotels we stayed elsewhere in the region. The loved everything from the water park, to the semi private pools and the food too. So I guess it’s doing a great job targeting younger audiences. The gift shop are a bloody rip off. Expect paying 3-5x mark-ups for everything. We paid $50 for a sunscreen spray. The booking experience was stressful. We booked via the official Mexican website. The confirmation email was sketchy, and Karisma helpline can’t verify if the booking was successful. Their agent even suspected that I got scammed at one time. I think it’s good for a short excursion. But if you are looking to stay for a week plus, look elsewhere.

  Aug 12, 2026
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  Great for Young Kids, But Manage Your Expectations

  We stayed at Nickelodeon Riviera Maya as a family of four with two young girls. Check-in took about 90 minutes, which felt long after a day of travel, but the staff was consistently friendly and helpful. During check-in, we were able to arrange our return transportation, and our concierge provided a helpful overview of the resort. One thing Nickelodeon does exceptionally well is the theming. The attention to detail throughout the property is impressive, and the character interactions were plentiful, especially in the Seaside area and at the water park. Our daughters loved seeing their favorite characters throughout the day, and these experiences were some of the most memorable parts of the trip. The water park is nice but smaller than we expected and is geared more toward younger children. The slime experience and lazy rivers were the highlights for our family. We stayed in the Seaside building, and while the kids loved having a swim-up pool, the water was quite chilly. The room itself was comfortable but smaller than we anticipated. Unfortunately, our TVs rarely worked for more than an hour at a time during our stay. Food was hit or miss. The best meals were the regional Mexican dishes and seafood options. Most of the restaurants we visited were good, although the Italian restaurant in the main lobby was disappointing. We never made it to the burger restaurant. Overall, when the food was good, it was really good; when it missed, it was pretty forgettable. Our biggest frustration was transportation around the resort. Because of the layout, you often need to use shuttle vans to travel between the lobby, guest rooms, and water park. The shuttle from the Seaside building was usually quick, but some of the other routes involved waits of 10–15 minutes. The resort is not particularly walkable, which made getting around less convenient than we expected. Overall, our kids had a great time and loved the Nickelodeon theme. I would absolutely recommend this resort to families with younger children. However, if your kids are older or young teenagers, I would probably look elsewhere unless they are really big Nickelodeon fans. The resort does many things well, but given the price point, we expected a bit more in terms of room size, transportation, and overall value.

  Jun 24, 2026
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  Sandra, the Butler Service!

  Our stay at the Nickelodeon Resort was wonderful, but the biggest reason it stood out was because of Sandra, our butler. She went above and beyond every single day to make sure our family had the best experience possible. What impressed me most was that Sandra always followed through on everything she promised. No request was too big or too small, and she consistently made things happen with professionalism, kindness, and a positive attitude. She anticipated our needs, solved problems quickly, and truly made us feel valued and cared for throughout our stay. If I were to return to the Nickelodeon Resort, Sandra would be one of the main reasons why. Her service was exceptional, and I would specifically request to work with her again. Employees like Sandra are rare, and she made a lasting impression on our family. Thank you, Sandra, for making our vacation so memorable. You are an incredible asset to the resort. Once again, Sandra from the Santiago family thank you so much!

  Jun 12, 2026