The Grand Mayan Riviera Maya

I just sent a group of girlfriends here for a trip and they loved it! Gave it 5stars and said everything was perfect. Pretty much everything said in previous reviews so I won't repeat, but HIGHLY recommended.

We just returned from a wonderful week at The Grand Mayan Riviera Maya. We emailed in advance to pre-reserve the free shuttle service from Cancun International to the resort. IMPORTANT: Once you get your luggage, do not stop to talk to anyone until you are outside and past the signbearers. Then you look for the Khaki shirt and Blue pants of The Grand Mayan representative who will direct you to your shuttle.

Check in was quick and efficient. However, our room was not yet ready when we checked in, so we were offered a 25% discount certificate to use in the Bluefish restaurant, adjacent to the private Grand Mayan pool. The resort, which is a combination of The Grand Mayan and the Mayan Palace, is spacious with exquisite landscaping throughout. Resort shuttles were always available to take us wherever we needed to go. The walking paths were well manicured and meandered past flamingos, a fenced in crocodile or alligator habitat, and the multitude of iguanas. The tri-level pool is enormous. The top level seems to be the warmest. Each subsequent level is a few degrees cooler. We never experienced a problem getting lounge chairs. There were more than enough to go around. The wait service around the pool was very good. The two-for-one happy hour, from 11:00am to 1:00pm was great. Be sure to inquire about the "drink of the day." It is not well publicized but is a two-for-one, all day long, at the pool. For those that don't want to leave the pool for a drink, there are a couple of swim-up bars. The maintenance people kept the pool and grounds clean and free of debris throughout the day. As mentioned in other reviews, the beach is well maintained, but the water is not the sandy bottom that most people seem to expect. Take a short walk up or down the beach and you will find that soft sandy bottom.

The restaurant choices at the resort were numerous. Besides lunch at Bluefish, we enjoyed dining and dancing to great music at Havana Moon, lunch by the pool from Balche, and two exceptional dinners at Tramontos. For a night of good eating and drinking, along with great Mexican entertainment, don't miss the Mexican Fiesta at Del Lago.

A trip to Playa del Carmen is a must. While there you can stock up on necessities for your unit at Mega or Walmart. The first trip, we took the resort shuttle to Playa for $4.00 each. We enjoyed a romantic dinner at an authentic Mexican restaurant, complete with Mariachi band music, and took a taxi back for $20.00. The second time, we took the resort shuttle both ways. 5th Avenue in Playa is a happening street. If you want it or need it, you'll find it there. We spent the afternoon watching the USA defeat the Swiss in Ice Hockey at a sports bar in Playa.

The accommodations were fabulous. Our two bedroom unit consisted of a full one bedroom suite plus the additional studio lockoff. The balcony, complete with a small pool, was enormous and was perfectly suited for our morning coffee and late afternoon cocktails. The kitchen was just the right size for preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The fridge was rather small but we never overfilled it. Each one of our bedrooms had a whirlpool tub as well as a spacious bathroom. The king bed was firm but comfortable. The twice-a-day maid service, including night time turn down, was outstanding.

Overall, we were more than pleased with our Grand Mayan vacation. As a matter of fact, we can't wait to visit all of the other Grand Mayan / Mayan Palace properties. They all look beautiful.

Loved this resort. Had two units one studio and a one bedroom unit. Because of the one day difference in check in dates we ended up with 9 days. Great. The front desk let us have the rooms next to each other which was fabulous like a 2 bedroom lockout unit. Huge!!! Need a rental car but there is plenty to do so you are gonna need one. Use your credit card and call in advance some credit cards will let you waive CDW or whatever my husband took care of this. Like it better than Cancun. Lots to do not enough time. Go see Rio Secreto a must, the ruins, horseback riding, snorkling, don't forget their mexican fesital buffet all you can drink and eat. Don't drink too much easy to do lots of fun. Dining at Playa Del Carmen is about 20 minutes away and Cancun about 30-35 minutes away. Love having our rental car. We were located in the last building which at first I was concerned about but was more convenient for us because the parking lot was right next to our units and we were in and out going places and having fun so it worked out better for us. I would go back to this resort as we still did not get to do it all. You can easily do 2 weeks here or one week here one week in cancun but dont' think I could stay 7 days in cancun not enough to do and the crowds are not my thing. The pool is not deep however but open 24 hours which my daughter loves (19) with some cousins that joined us. The beach is rocky but beautiful. I don't go in the water anyway so it was fine with me. Lots of chairs and palm trees. Only had one day for this unfortunately as too many things to see and do. Have fun and choose this resort.

Top Ten List to Enjoy Your Stay at Grand Mayan, Riviera Maya.

1) Pre-arrange for the free Grand Mayan shuttle bus from the airport in Cancun. (By phone or via their web site). Then, look for the red-shirted Grand Mayan transportation folks outside. Don't get hooked by anyone else (like RCI), who will try to rope you into another resort's timeshare presentatiion.

2) Press hard for rooms in building 3 or 4 when you check in. This will give you a 3 minute walk to the Grand Mayan Pool, and a 6 minute walk to the enormous Mayan Palace Pool, beachand restaurants. Plus, you're right across the street from the golf course, and 19th hole restaurant. Building 1 or 2 are even closer to the pools and restaurants, but they were rebuilding the lobby right next door when we were there (in March of '08) , complete with construction noise.

3) It's not Kanapaali Beach - the shoreline IS rocky. But once you're out 30 yards into the ocean, it's refeshing and exhilirating! But a pair of Crocs for $20 bucks before you go, and walk right into the surf. Then, wear the same Crocs to dinner. They're the only shoes you need here!

4) Restaurants are very good, and reasonably priced. Havana Moon sits right on the ocean, with the ocean breeze wafting through the open doors at night. Good bands almost every night at 8:00 p.m. Delicious seafood at havana Moon - try the curry shrimp. Or, they have an evening buffet right on the beach! Dinner at upscale Tramonto was superb. Make a reservation for 8:00 p.m., and hit the Tramonto Bar at 7:00 p.m. for happy hour (2 for 1 drinks). One of the best kept secrets is the 19th hole restaurant - sitting right on the first tee: good breakfast buffet (try the huevos rancheros) and lunch (a tasty pannini), and its never crowded. If you choose to attend the timeshare presentation, you can stuff yourself at the awesome (and complimentary) breakfast buffet at Del Lago.

5) To stake out your cabana shade by the pool, rotate designated "towel placers" from your party to hit the pool every morning at 7:00 a.m. Find a cabana you like, and place your towels on lounge chairs to "hold your space". Then, go have breakfast. Splurge one day and rent a Palapa bed for $30 (reserve a day or two in advance, at 7:00 a.m. while you're on a morning towel placing run). Shade is very important - don't expect to find it at 10:30. Remember the sunscreen, and a good hat!

6) There is less traffic on the beach - you can usualy find a cabana or even palapa bed (no charge) on the beach even at 8:30 a.m. Spend a day people - watching at the beach! Rent a Wave Runner, parasail, or just chill.

7) If you want to take advantage of a $100 incentive and 10% off your entire bill (food, drinks), sign up for the timeshare presentation. If you keep saying "no" early and often, you can be in and out of the presentation in under 2 hours (including free breakfast). If you show them a glimmer of interest to the sales sharks, expect to be there 3.5 hours, or until you buy. If you don't want to attend the presentation, simply tell your Concierge very firmly at check-in. You are under no obligation to attend!

8) By all means, take a day trip into Playa del Carmen. If you have a party of 4 or more, it's more cost effective to take a taxi into PDC -- $20 each way, + tip. Our taxi driver dropped us off, then returned 4 hours later to pick us up, after we had dinner and hit the Mega grocery store to stock up on agua and cerveza. If you're a party of two, it's cheaper to take the shuttle, but you are at the mercy of scheduled departure and return times. Book the shuttle two days in advance.

9) If you like riding 2 hours in a crowded bus, and standing outside in the blazing sun - do the Chichen Itza tour. (For Chichen Itza, it's better to add a day onto the front end of your week, rent a car, drive there from the Cancun airport, spend the night in a local hotel, and be at Chichen Itza when they open at 8:00 a.m. Then, you can hike up to the top of the pyramid, take your photographs, be out of there before the heat and caravans of tour busses invade at 10:00.) If you want to see ruins, a shorter trip would be Tulum, which you can combine with a visit to Xel-Ha water park. If you like to snorkel, there's a day trip to Cozumel that's fantastic.

10) Check Out is slower than we're used to in the states, so allow some more time for that. Save some pesos to tip the maids who clean and tidy up your room TWICE a day. Book your return shuttle bus trip to the airport a few days early, for a small fee. Get to the cancun airport 2 hours early.

Enjoy!

Pete Graves March 2008

Incredible beaches and services, many amenities close by; Xel-Ha, Xcaret, Three Rivers, Cozumel Island, Isla Mujeres (do the pirate tour, unbelivable), Mayan ruins.