Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort - All Inclusive

Clean and amazing customer service

Nice room, clean food was great. Daytime entertainment staff where great

Evening Entertainment wasnt great.

Pool, restaurants

Room bathroom sink smelled like sewer. Anything that was not included in the all inclusive cost an arm and a leg. It was $500 for 4 of us to swim with dolphins for 30 minutes, and when we went to buy a VERY small bottle of cough syrup for my son, they were trying to charge $25. Ridiculous.

The atmosphere was lovely and the guests and staff were all very friendly. I loved that everyone smiles and says good morning. I also thought the pool was really fun. I am not a dance in public kind of person, and I felt comfortable getting into the family friendly pool dance/exercise activity they have every day.

I felt like they systematically take advantage of people while they are in vacation mode to get them to buy into their programs. I think people should be on their guard for manipulation tactics. For example, they tell you that you can get $100 of gift certificates you can use for excursions if you sit through their 90 minute presentation. What they don’t tell you is that if you say no to joining their club you will talk to multiple people using crafty persuasion tactics (manipulation) to try and get you to say yes. They never let you see the terms and conditions of the program and they use tactics to prevent you from thinking too hard about what they are saying. They will ask you a lot of questions that seem highly relevant that actually misdirect you from the truly important questions (like can I actually afford this). Just remember there is always a catch. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Be a broken record… “I don’t make long term financial decisions on vacation.” They were actually trying to convince me that getting a personal loan to make an approximately $7,000 down payment on a 20 year vacation plan was normal and rational. They tried to convince me that I need luxury vacations the same way I need health insurance. They intentionally ask questions where the answer is obviously yes to get you in the “yes” mindset. For example, “wouldn’t you rather pay $2,500 for a vacation instead of $5,000?” Or, “Could you see yourself enjoying something like this?” Obviously, the answer is yes, but there is always a catch. This is fair warning about the sales pitch. The Marina El Cid resort was wonderful to visit, but be cautious as you explore the El Cid Club. Also, if you want to get a reservation at any of the nice restaurants at the resort you need to make reservations well before you get there. We only ate at the buffet and the food was mostly mediocre.