My Haven Riviera Cancun Review #HavenIsHere

Over the Easter break, my husband, Randy, and I spent an amazing four nights at Haven Riviera Cancun, a new all-inclusive resort in Mexico. We took the trip to celebrate our one-year anniversary, which was in February. It was also our first kid-free trip since the birth of our youngest daughter, Rylan, who was born in November. I had several of you reach out about details on our stay, so I am excited to share a full review of Haven Riviera Cancun!

First off, we love visiting Riviera Maya because of the warm weather, amazing beaches, and the quick flight from Houston. We have been to this area before and always look forward to returning. As we have experienced with our prior visits to the area, most resorts with spacious properties surrounded by lush Mexican vegetation require you to travel a long distance from the airport. This was not the case with Haven.

For this trip, upon arriving at the Cancun airport, we were greeted by our driver from Amstar. Haven recommended Amstar, so I booked private airport transfers through them. Amstar is the transportation partner of the resort and they have a desk in the lobby of the resort where you can also book excursions once you arrive. Our experience with Amstar was great! They were on time, friendly, and professional and we understand why Haven has them as a partner.

Black Top // White Distressed Jeans // Shoes (similar here) // Sunglasses // Hat // Earrings (similar here) // Luggage

After only a 15 minute ride from the airport, we arrived at the very grand main entrance to the property. Upon entering the property, we drove about a mile through mangroves on a newly paved road that leads up to the resort. We were in awe as we pulled up, and not to mention very giddy! As we exited the van, we were greeted by a bellman who took our luggage, and staff member who gave a cold towel. When we walked into the open air main lobby we were greeted with a gust of salt air and could see the main pool and ocean after only taking a few steps inside. We were then escorted to the Serenity Club to check-in. The Serenity Club check-in is in a private lobby area, that is across the way from the main check-in desk. We immediately sat down to begin the check-in process and were offered beverages of our choice. I went with a glass of champagne to start.
Once we were given the details of the resort’s facilities and its many restaurants we went ahead and made a few dining reservations. While we waited for our room to be ready we were given a brief tour of the resort by one of the staff members and escorted to Vora Mor, one of the dining options, for lunch. Vora Mor is close to the main pools and overlooks the ocean. There is a picturesque patio right outside of the restaurant that is perfect for an Insta-worthy picture. We ate lunch there more than once. The food is buffet style, and really good. If you like boiled shrimp get some while you are there! They had very large ones and they tasted fantastic, and they also served stone crab which was also quite tasty! While we were there we ordered Cadillac Margaritas, which happens to be our favorite cocktail to drink while in Mexico. If you make it to Haven, please have one for me.

Once we finished lunch, our room was ready. We were in room 2015, it is a junior suite swim out partial ocean view room on the first floor overlooking the circle pool. Since the property is surrounded by mangroves we felt like we were in the jungle when walking to and from our room. All rooms on the first floor have swim-out pools, and many of the guests staying on the first floors took advantage of them. Don’t fret if you are on an upper-level floor, there is a hot tub on your balcony. In any event, the room was equipped with several luxurious features. First off, it was very spacious, having a separate sofa area, and dining area. The bathroom was just as nice, and it had a lovely rain shower. My husband loved the built-in Bluetooth speakers, and used them a lot! Needless to say, I heard a lot of Kenny Chesney, Beach Boys, and Jimmy Buffet while in our room! Because we had time (it was only 3 PM by this time) we headed to the large circle pool to enjoy some more margaritas and the warm weather before we got ready for the evening. This pool is amazing and gives you the feeling that you are actually stepping into the ocean with its sloped edges – no steps necessary for entry!

Swimsuit // Lipstick

After three hours of pool time, it was time to kick off our first night at Haven. We first went to Limes Bar for a mixology class and were happy to encounter mixologies who were very friendly and talented. They each made us something with our favorite liquor, and we both enjoyed the thought and novelty of the drinks! My cocktail was served in a cute Tiki glass. We sat outside on the patio to enjoy our drinks and watch the sunset over the lush mangroves. Since there are no hotels right next door to you like in the Hotel Zone, we really did feel like we were in the middle of nowhere! I love thinking about that experience. 🙂 We then headed next door for dinner at Agua Bendita. It is a Mexican restaurant. We started off with traditional chips and dip and then did a chef’s tasting. The food was very flavorful, and if you like spicy, this restaurant is for you!

Polka Dot Co-ord  // Shoes // Purse // Earrings

Once we wrapped up dinner, we went to the Havens Lounge to have some more cocktails and play some games. We attempted to play Scrabble first but realized everything was in Spanish, which neither one of us speak, so we settled on Jenga. I am happy to say I beat my hubby in Jenga! After we wrapped up our games, we went to see the nightly entertainment at Moons Cabaret. The guest talent for the night was a group of dancers and singers who put an amazing show featuring popular songs from various decades including songs by Elvis and Lady Gaga. After that, we, called it a night because we were exhausted from a long day of travel, pool time, and entertainment!

Swimsuit

The next day we start our morning off right with breakfast in bed. As much as I missed my baby girls, I loved being able to sleep in! The breakfast arrived on time and was delicious. I had eggs and bacon, and my husband had pancakes. It was so nice to have no set plans for the day. After breakfast, we headed to the main pools. I say main pools because even though it looks like one pool, the main pool area is actually two separate pools. We got a spot by the lower pool and hung out all day. While you are relaxing at the pool there is staff to bring you drinks, or you can head to one of the three bars nearby, including the swim-up pool bar known as Docks Pool Bar to get a cocktail. This pool even has a DJ on some days and its very own DJ booth. The one thing I will note is the hotel does not have straws, so if you are accustomed to drinking out of one I recommend you bring a reusable, like this, with you. I did also see several people with stainless steel tumblers, so feel free to bring one if you have it. Also, the hotel was at 90% occupancy while we were there, and we never had an issue finding chairs to lounge on by the pool. There is wait staff that handles the towels, and if they do see towels on chairs that have not been used for a few hours they area good about removing them so other guests can enjoy.

Swimsuit  // Sunglasses // Earrings

For lunch that day we ate at Vora Mor again. Once we wrapped up the day we got ready for dinner at Satsu. Satsu is the Asian Fusion restaurant. There you can do the hibachi table, or you can be seated at a regular table, and order various items including sushi. They have a ton of sushi options, including various rolls and sashimi. The sashimi was so good that I ordered seconds. After dinner, we stopped by the coffee shop, Mocaccino, for an espresso martini before walking back to our room for the night.

The next day we walked over to Flavours for breakfast. Flavours is a buffet style restaurant with various cooking stations, including an omelet station that I took advantage of every time we dined there. After breakfast, we met the head of Marketing to experience a tour of the vast property. We learned some fun facts about the property, including the fact that the resort is actually built on the second floor, just like in Disney World! There is a tunnel network under the complex that allows workers to better serve guests. We also were able to tour several of the Serenity Club suites, which all have fantastic oceanfront views. The rooms were quite impressive. Even more, if you stay in the Serenity Club you are given some extra VIP privileges at the resort. You can head here to find out more about Serenity Club here.

Black Top  // Floral Maxi Skirt // Purse // Earrings // Shoes (similar) // Sunglasses

Floral Romper  // Hat // Purse // Earrings // Shoes (similar)

After our tour, we headed to the circular pool. This pool is much quieter than the main pool and boasts a different vibe than the main pool. Guests were still lively at its swim-up bar but for the most part, the vibe was more laid back. We ended up hanging out at Vistas Pool Bar most of the day. For lunch that day we ate at Vistas Snack Bar. They serve fresh guacamole and salsa to start. I felt like I ate my weight in guacamole, it was so good I wish I could have brought a tub of it home with me! After staying at the pool until the sun was starting to set, we headed back to the room to freshen up before heading to dinner at Vora Mor. Just like at lunch, Vora Mor is buffet style as well. The food options are quite diverse, from a salad bar and pizza to fresh fish and baked chicken there were options for the pickiest eaters. I am a huge fan of tacos, so I headed to the taco station where one the chefs cooked up some fajita beef and chicken tacos for me. With my tacos, I was able to get a lettuce wrap instead of a tortilla. All restaurants are very accommodating if you eat low-carb, like I do, or have dietary restrictions.

Swimsuit // Cover-Up // Hat // Earrings // Sunglasses

The next day was our fourth and final full day at Haven Riviera Cancun. We woke up to rain, but luckily, we had treatments at the  MyScenses Spa scheduled. But before our spa treatment, we ate at Flavours again. The food was consistently good. We then went to the spa to enjoy hydrotherapy treatments before our couples’ massage. The spa is so grande and has such a luxurious feel. We were really impressed with everyone’s professionalism. This was my husband’s first time getting a massage, so he was slightly nervous because he didn’t know what to expect. He really enjoyed the hydrotherapy, and so did I, but the couples’ massage was over the top amazing. I am so glad we did it together! I highly recommend taking advantage of the spa if you visit Haven.

Once the sun came out we got in a little beach time. There are several Bali beds on the beach, and they also have wait staff so you can order beverages. The beach is nice, however, there is some seaweed. To combat the seaweed there is a net which catches most of it, and what does make its way to shore is cleaned up daily by the staff.

Co-ord Cover-Up // Purse // Earrings // Hat // Shoes (similar) // Sunglasses

Swimsuit // Earrings // Hat // Sunglasses

For our final night we headed to Olios, it’s a Meditteranean restaurant. It is very elegant, and the food is very delicious. Just like all of our other restaurant experiences, we were very satisfied with the food and the service.

Dress (similar) // Purse // Earrings // Shoes (similar)

On our last day, we woke up early so we could eat breakfast early, and take a walk on the beach.  We then took advantage of our swim out pool one more time before it was time to depart, the whole time wishing we could stay longer! Our stay at Haven Riviera Cancun truly was magical and it sure did feel like a little slice of Heaven. We made sure to take a picture in front of the Haven sign before we departed. We can’t wait to go back!

Pom-Pom Cover-Up // Purse // Earrings // Hat // Shoes (similar) // Sunglasses

Swimsuit // Earrings // Hat // Sunglasses

Swimsuit // Earrings // Sunglasses

White Top // Jean Shorts // Earrings // Hat // Shoes // Sunglasses

Are you thinking about planning a trip to Haven Riviera Cancun and have questions about the resort? Comment below with your questions, and I will be glad to answer them!

*This post is sponsored by Haven Riveria Cancun. All opinions are mine alone.*