Views from our Serenity Club room at Haven Riviera Cancun.
I found it…my Haven has ocean views in the Riviera Maya area of Cancun, Mexico!
The Haven Riviera Cancun is a tranquil adults-only all inclusive in Mexico that lives up to its name! I had high expectations for it, and it lived up to the hype.
We were in a Serenity Club room which was the perfect mix of comfort and style. The room was huge. We did have two queens, and while I would’ve preferred a king bed, it was fine. The balcony was ginormous and had a jetted tub. It overlooks the Serenity Club pool and the ocean. Bathroom was large although a bit dim but with beautifully scented bath products including a bug spray (which we didn’t need but I appreciated). We got turn-down service the first night with chocolates and waters placed by our bedside.
Serenity Club rooms come with a butler. Our butler, Carlos, toured us around the property upon arrival. We didn’t really need him during our stay, but he was available for questions and checked in on us once per day. (Somehow he magically found us by the pool or at dinner each day.) This is a different experience than the butlers at Sandals, for example, who do more personal service and dedicated concierge type services, but it was fine for us.
We loved the food here! They were quick getting our meals out each evening. The staff was by and large very friendly. The restaurants felt upscale and menus were expansive with lots of options.
We learned quickly that chair saving is alive and well at the Serenity Club pools. Since we only had two full days here, after the first day we learned to claim or spot early for the final day but I do hate the chair saving thing. If you don’t mind leaving the Serenity Club pool areas, there was plenty of seating at the quiet pool and the activity pool. There’s also quite a bit of seating on the beach, too, which is mostly unused. Sadly the beach, while fluffy, isn’t great and the water is often murky, so I wouldn’t say it’s ideal for a beach or ocean lover. We were also pleased to see there were lots of Bali beds and other bed-type options—all first come, first served—and tons of umbrellas. Each pool had a swim up bar and chair service was quick.
Warning: The quiet pool isn’t heated, so it’s a little chilly in the winter but the other pools are as are the swim outs.
One nice perk of the Serenity Club at Haven is a private breakfast and lunch location accessible only to those saying in this category. The Serenity Club lunch location is very small—maybe 10 tables? We tried to get in the first day, but the wait was terrible. After the first day, we didn’t bother. Serenity Club breakfast option initially seemed nice, but it was our only negative dining experience the entire time. For some reason, we were just ignored. It took forever for someone to take our order; mimosas, bellinis, and specialty coffee drinks were offered to other tables but not to us. There was a small buffet to accompany the menu, but they kept running out of plates and bowls even though they seemed well staffed and not busy. I’m guessing it was a fluke, but we never went back for breakfast there preferring the large yummy buffet they had available to the remainder of the resort. There’s also a Serenity Club lounge which we didn’t really use, but I liked having the option. We did hang out in there for about an hour our last day before our transfer arrived. The club lounge did have some nicer wine options in there (wish we had known that sooner!), a fancy coffee maker, and snacks (including some delicious chocolates and truffles). Additionally, there’s one restaurant open exclusively Serenity Club guests at dinner; it was delicious, as well, and super convenient to our room.
The shows seemed good. We only did one plus a movie trivia which was fun. There were a variety of evening entertainment options—live bands by the pool, sports bar with some outdoor roof seating, casino night one night by the pool, an indoor activity, and a live show each evening.
We’re not really room service people, but I loved the “secret box” where they could drop off/pick up your dishes! In the room, they supplied a decent offering of snacks and better stocked mini fridge as well.
Haven wristbands which are also your key cards.
Wristbands are worn here for everyone. The certain bracelet cord color indicates Serenity Club guests versus “everyone else.” I 100% think Serenity Club was worth it, but if it’s not in the budget, I do think the regular rooms would be fine.
We did not do the spa here. Serenity Club receives a complimentary 30-minute hydrotherapy session, but we didn’t have the opportunity to use it preferring to spend our time outside. The gym was fairly small for the size of the property, but it was acceptable.
As I mentioned above, the beach is fine. Our experience was soft white sand with a little bit of seaweed. It is a fairly wide and long stretch of sand. Water here isn’t great; again, this resort wouldn’t be my top recommendation if beach is the most important thing to your vacation!
One huge perk here? No timeshare so there’s no pressure to buy! Their app is good and quite useful. Dinner reservations are easy to make via the app once you have a room number. WhatsApp is used to contact your butler.
In regards to the demographic here, it’s adults only and we saw primarily couples. We saw one young man (maybe barely 18?) with his mom who looked bored to death. The rest of the guests seemed to be heterosexual couples. There was a bridal group (bride plus bridesmaids) who arrived on the second day. I don’t know if there was a wedding or just a bridesmaids thing. I didn’t see any other friend groups, but I don’t think they would’ve been out of place either. I think same sex couples would’ve been perfectly comfortable at this location.
My husband and I loved this property and would return. For comparison, prior to this stay, my all inclusive resort experiences have been three Sandals properties (two in Jamaica and one in the Bahamas) and a Royalton Chic in the Hotel Zone of Cancun.
Ideal Guests for the Haven Riviera Cancun: Couples or adult friends wanting a getaway who don’t really want a party vibe but do want plenty of evening and daytime entertainment, good pools, and dining.
Bonus: A quick15-20 minute drive from the Cancun airport makes the transfer so easy!
Think the Haven Riviera Cancun is your little slice of heaven, too? Reach out to your favorite Upon a Star Travel Agent or contact us here! We’re also happy to help with resorts throughout the Caribbean and Mexico.