Catalonia Playa Maroma

jorlan-nestlehner wrote a review October 2025
Lisbon, Lisbon District, Central Portugal

A big mistake!

Perhaps our expectations were too high, and that’s why the experience fell so far short.
We went to almost all of the restaurants, and there wasn’t a single one where we didn’t have a negative experience to point out. In fact, we didn’t go to all of them because, in one of our reservations (for the Mexican restaurant), scheduled for 7:50 p.m., we arrived at 8:02 p.m. and were told that our table had already been given to other guests — even though half of the restaurant was empty. We tried the other restaurants, and in none of them was there any “availability,” despite the fact that there were numerous empty tables (which remained empty, as we took the time to check later).

The only restaurant that gave us a chance was the Italian one, where something even more absurd happened. Picture this: the restaurant was nearly empty. After hearing that we had lost our previous reservation, the staff member, in the most audacious and unreasonable way, replied: “I can give you a table if you agree to buy a bottle of wine.”
I can tell you that we only sat at that restaurant that night for two reasons: it was the only and last option available, and because the staff member received a response she clearly wasn’t expecting. Obviously, after that, the last thing we got was good service. But since it was our last night and we had already grown “used to” the treatment, it no longer surprised us.

There’s a clear lack of motivation, experience, and willingness among the staff — especially those working at dinner service in the restaurants. There’s no basic etiquette: they take your plate away while you’re still eating or before you’ve even aligned your cutlery. While dining, if one person finished before the other, they would immediately remove the plate and bring the dessert menu, even though the other person was still eating (at the Japanese restaurant, they took my plate the moment I picked up my last piece of sushi — I still had the chopsticks in my hand!).

On the night we arrived 12 minutes late and lost our reservation, there had been a heavy downpour, yet there was not the slightest consideration about that — they simply canceled our table. Speaking of the rain… that day, around 4:30 p.m., it started raining heavily, and we were forbidden from going to the beach or the pool. Dozens of guests were left “stuck” in the poolside restaurant lobby (where they make crepes and sandwiches). At exactly 5:00 p.m., they stopped making crepes, and at exactly 6:00 p.m., they closed the counter shutters. There were no more juices available either, since the juice bar had already closed at 4:30 p.m. One would expect a bit more care and attention on a day like that, especially at a resort of this size.

In every restaurant, as soon as we finished eating, the staff would already be standing nearby waiting for us to leave so they could clear the table (even on some nights when, by that time, there were no more reservations after ours).

The last day was the final straw! While at Catalonia Bávaro Beach there were proper changing facilities for guests who had already checked out to take a shower before going to the airport, here they had what they called a “courtesy room.” And what was the courtesy room? We found out on the last day: it was a single room, used every half hour by different guests — without being cleaned in between. Can you imagine what the state of that room was like when we entered?
How can a resort of such magnitude and infrastructure not have proper changing rooms?

There’s a major management failure there — especially in terms of people management. If it had only happened with a few isolated employees, we might question their individual professionalism. But it’s clearly something systemic, part of how things are run there. It seems to be a “normal regime” from the staff’s point of view.

We spent a whole week there sharing these bizarre experiences with other guests, and everyone felt the same way — equally dissatisfied.
We will certainly not make the mistake of choosing this place for our holidays again.

Date of Stay: October 2025

veronicacW3225ZE wrote a review October 2025

TAXI MAFIA AT CATALONIA

Be aware of the taxi mafia — they’re not just at the airport anymore. They’ve now taken over the Catalonia Hotel in the Riviera Maya. We’ve been visiting this hotel for the past five years and have never had an issue with our Uber driver friend picking us up for rides. However, during our last visit, the hotel denied our friend access, claiming that Uber drivers are no longer allowed on the premises. They told us that if we needed transportation, we had to use the hotel’s taxi service. Can you believe that? We were on our way to the airport, and the hotel administration said that if we wanted to use Uber, we’d have to walk all the way to the main entrance — a 20-minute walk with kids and luggage! Now, tourists are being forced to use the hotel taxis and pay their outrageous prices just to get anywhere. We will never return to this hotel. Guests should have the freedom to choose their own transportation — not be coerced into using an overpriced taxi monopoly.

Date of Stay: October 2025

249deidrew wrote a review October 2025

My favorite at the resort!

The service that we received from our waiters, Abiesar and Alejandro was fantastic. The Serrano Tuna (spicy), Skillet Steak and Corn dessert were amazing and this has been my favorite restaurant in the resort so far. I recommend 100%!

Date of Stay: October 2025

biancatT9436BH wrote a review October 2025

Disappointing Experience with Room Assignments

Disappointing Experience with Room Assignments

I’m extremely disappointed with our recent 8 night stay at Catalonia Maroma. We booked 2 family deluxe rooms in April 1 for October 25 ( almost 7 months in advance), specifically requesting 2 rooms on the same floor and 2 queen beds instead of kind beds. However, upon arrival, we were placed on different floors due to unavailability and assigned king bed rooms. We travelled with 4 kids under 6 yo and 4 adults ( parents and grandparents) so it was very important to be close and have enough bed space.

We asked the staff if it was possible to switch to rooms on the same floor AT LEAST, but they claimed it wasn't possible despite our advance booking. We were told that room assignments are subject to change, but we found it unacceptable that they weren't willing to work with us to accommodate our request, especially given the length of our stay.

The lack of effort to accommodate our needs and the inconvenience caused were disappointing. Unfortunately, it impacted our overall experience at the hotel. We hope that the hotel will take our feedback seriously and improve their customer service.

Recommendation: If you're looking for a hassle-free stay with specific room requirements, consider other options. We will never book here again especially for the amount of money we spent for 8 people, 8 nights.

Date of Stay: October 2025