Generations Riviera Maya & Aqua Nick review

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From ChatGPT: Generations Riviera Maya is a luxurious, all-inclusive resort in Mexico, perfect for couples, families, and wedding celebrations. Nestled along the stunning Caribbean coastline, this beachfront paradise offers spacious oceanfront suites, private infinity pools, and world-class gourmet dining. Known for its family-friendly yet upscale atmosphere, the resort provides a mix of relaxation and adventure with personalized butler service, a kids’ club, and exciting water activities. Its breathtaking beachfront and elegant venues make it an ideal destination for weddings and special events. Whether you’re looking for a romantic escape or a fun-filled getaway, Generations Riviera Maya delivers an unforgettable experience with top-tier service and stunning ocean views.

Let’s see how true it is!

The Generations Riviera Maya is owned by Lomas Hospitality and it’s been on my radar for couple of years now. However, the price was never right until this trip. I planned this trip about a week before departure. Since my schedule is very flexible and Ida is only in Pre-K age school, we booked the trip, packed the bags and we were on the way to Mexico on a mother-daughter 5 day trip. This is our second Mexico trip this year. We went to Mexico together in January and stayed at Sensira Riviera Maya.

Oceanfront POOL swim up one bedroom suite

Ida fell asleep in the Happy Shuttle on the way to the resort. It’s fast, safe and reliable shuttle service. We had a 4am wake up call so Ida finally fell asleep 5min away from the resort.

I booked a swim up room that opens up to the main pool, not balcony pool (reviews said balcony pools are colder). We had 2 queen size beds, living room and a large bathroom with a shower and oversized bath. A bath is a must for us.

We took a quick dip in the pool, ordered room service, ran on the beach and checked out the gym and kids club “EcoKids”. Quick bedtime routine, because next day we were going to Aqua Nick!

A Perfect Day – AQUA NICK

Our stay at Generations included 2 daily passes at Aqua Nick water park. We secured our shuttle spots for 10:15am. While I packed up for the park, Ida stayed at the kids club. She had so much fun, she asked to go back that night.

We went to Aqua Nick every day of the stay, here are some things we liked and didn’t:

(Almost) Everything is included – drinks, food, towels.
Clean and safe, friendly staff.
Variety of pools – we spent most of the time at Paw Patrol Adventure Bay.
You have to pay for chairs or cabanas (unless you are staying at Nickelodeon Hotel) so we got a locker ($12) and I only kept my phone in a waterproof case with me.
We had a hard time getting a shuttle back to the hotel around 1:30pm, although the hotel said we need to tell the guard and they will radio in a shuttle. Next day I was prepared to walk back to the hotel which is only 0.7 miles away, but we lucked out and got a random staff member takes us in a golf cart (as Ida called it: Moon Buggy).
I have nothing bad to say about the park!

Nickelodeon Resort visit

I was sucked in for a sales presentation to visit the Nickelodeon Resort next door. The sales guy over the phone promised some type of wrist bands for us and asked for only 90min of my time. I’ve done these time-share or travel club presentations before and I thought I will never do one again. But I wanted to see the resort, because every search I’ve done for Riviera Maya hotels, Nickelodeon showed a very high nightly rate ($900+). I wanted to see why and I thought Ida would be entertained too. We started with a breakfast buffet and then we were escorted to a sales office with a kids play room. At this point we were 2h in the presentation. A variety of sales people crunched numbers for me for a travel club called “More Inclusive” showing me benefits why I should buy in, finally gave me HALF off! I wasn’t buying.

The sun was shining through the sales room windows and we were right above the Paw Patrol Aqua Nick pool. We were losing precious time in the pool. I asked the staff to show me the small print of the contract and they were quick to refuse. So within 10min, Ida and I were in the lazy river at Aqua Nick to have some fun! (We didn’t get any promised wristbands and staff was very quick to walk us out).

Overall, I am not sure if we will ever stay at Nickelodeon Resort. The hotel was nice, bright and had lot’s of Nickelodeon characters all over the place. It looked busy. The rooms were colorful and would be fun for kids. I think Generations had more to offer and was almost 1/3 of the cost.

We will be back to Generations!

We had such a great time and I am not sure any other Cancun/Riviera Maya resort can beat this trip. We enjoyed the Mexican night with a courtyard Mexican food stations, piñata and traditional games.

What we liked:

It’s a small 3 building hotel (I am comparing it to Royalton Riviera Maya).
It was not busy.
Rooms were spacious and clean.
Good options for kids foods and restaurants.
Great kids club “Eco kids”.
Beach seaweed was cleaned every morning.
Pool was cleaned and warm.

Neri, the owner and photographer of NeriPhoto, is an accomplished artist and traveler based in Holland, Michigan, offering photography services worldwide.