The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya Reviews & Ratings

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.

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

My 2 friends and I vacationed at the Grand Mayan Palace 12/15/07- 12/22/07. The resort is still under construction. They are building another pool area (a little noisy). Since last year when we vacationed there they have finished the pool exclusively for the Grand mayan guest, it is very nice. The food was good especially the buffet breakfast.

The daily activities at the pool was fun. If you are a workout person the activities are great to help you maintian some kind of daily workout. They offer shuttle service to Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Check with the resort for times, during our stay the last one to the resort was at 8:30pm. We took a taxi back from Playa del Carmen for about $20. The restaurants, street vendors and entertainment in Playa is a must see. Also you can catch the ferry to Cozumel there too. The resort offers excursions to different places. We went to Chichen Itza for a day.

The biggest complaint we have is the beach and the timeshare presentation. We tried to run along the beach and swim but the rocks were all over the place. The timeshare presentation was to long and like the other person said, they were incredibly rude.

We actually stayed on the Mayan Palace side 12/21/07 - 12/28/07. First time in Mexico and found the weather and experience to be fabulous! Highs in low 80's and the evenings didn't require a sweater. It only rained one day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the pool, which was awesome. The Grand Mayan pool was great too, with a sand beach area for the kids to dig in and a zero-depth entry. It's rather shallow though (Mayan Palace pool was slightly deeper) making it great for the kids.

The resort is big and it got tiresome carrying a toddler to the pool. Construction has begun on a waterpark that will be closer to the buildings farther away from the current Mayan Palace pool and that will make a big difference.

The food was very good, but fairly expensive. The buffets at Del Lago were $29/adult for a seafood theme (kids 6-12 half price, under 6 free), but great choices and well prepared. It did get tiring to eat on the resort for an entire week, so the next time I'd get to the WalMart (really!) in Playa Del Carmen sooner. Renting a car was expensive (we had a party of 8) and taxis were $40 each way for us. There's no negotiating taxis from the resort. The rooms were spacious and we found the beds and sleeper sofa to be quite comfortable (we like it on the firm side).

The beach was disappointing there, as it is rocky and you have to walk over the rocks in order to get to water deep enough to swim. Water shoes would be very helpful. But the resort offers great tours (for additional costs of course) that include transportation and many times buffet lunches. All in all, we felt it was medium-high price vacation, no great deal, but worth it because it was so easy to get to from the midwest, there was no time change, the area is beautiful, it's safe and the people are very friendly, especially if you try to speak spanish. Several of us did have some tummy issues, but it didn't affect our activities. The Mayan Palace says its water is potable, but we were always offered bottled water, although they always gave us ice!

This was our second trip to the Grand Mayan. We found that the restaurants have better prices and selection than in 2006. This resort gets high marks from us on everything except the following which we find important enough to consider when planning future trips.

The shuttle between buildings, beach, pool, and lobbies only runs every half hour and you cannot walk to and from many of the distant buildings. Considering the fact that the shuttle makes numerous stops along the way, it can take up to one hour to reach your destination.

WiFi is available in the Internet Cafe, which was relocated from the quiet first floor boutique to the very noisy second floor arcade. If you plan to use Skype, "forget about it". Also, the first floor of building 7 has WiFi, but you have to be lucky enough to get a room there with a working system.

They now have a bus service that takes you into Playa del Carmen; however, you must buy a round-trip ticket for $4pp and the last one has a very early return to the resort at 8:00 p.m..

Great pool, beach is not great. The timeshare presentation is terrible- 3 1/2 hours, very rude- not worth anything they might offer. The rooms are spacious and very nice.

Location is between Playa and Cancun- a bit of a drive either way. I would prefer a nicer beach and a location closer to the action.

We just returned from our second trip to Grand Mayan,Riveria Maya. Having read the posts below, I believe that they are all accurate, from the comments about crossing the street to those about the night life- which is over by 9:30 pm. Good or bad, this is a married couples (with or without families) resort. Don't go hoping to meet your future special other, as there is no venue for that to happen at the resort. The comment abouts about walking alot are a bit exagerated, but could be true if you have a Mayan Palace room. The walk from the Grand Mayan to the pool is no more than 5 minutes, and within 6 months, it will have its own pool area.

The rooms are great, clean, spacious and well maintained. Housekeeping hits the room twice a day. The dinners are a bit expensive, but not unreasonable. Buffet food is very well prepared. Happy hour every day from 11-1pm helps with the cost of drinks. They do taste good even if they are a bit weak.

A couple of suggestions for visitors. Go to Playa 3-4 nights. You can cab it there for $10- outside the main gate, and bus it back from the terminal for $1 PP.

In buying jewelry there, walk away at least once, the price gets better each time. Make sure you eat at La Parilla and Caprichoza restaurants. They are both fun, with great food and drinks. We went to Cancun for an evening and would not do that again. Nothing there that Playa didn't have for us- we are not club people.

There are no DVD players in the rooms, so if you have a mini unit, you can plug it into the TV.

We'll go back again.

I took my daughter and two of her friends here in September for her birthday. I found the level of service to be excellent. All of the staff - from the maids to the activities people to the valet service staff - were efficient, polite, and cheerful. Our attempts to learn Spanish seemed to be appreciated and we amazingly learned quite a bit with the help of the staff, the people in the town of Playa del Carmen (an awesome place) and even the passengers (mostly truck drivers) and crew of the car ferry to Cozumel.

The rooms are all lovely, decorated in a contemporary style, and very roomy. Each two bedroom unit has a plunge pool. The food and service in the restaurants was very good. You have to get up early for one of the "beds" under a thatched roof at the pool, but well worth it - it is HOT in September. I felt that prices were, while not cheap, certainly were reasonable considering that you are, to an extent, a captured audience. There are two happy hour periods at the swim up pool bars each day - mid-afternoon at one, early evening at the other. We rented a car - which I would recommend - so we could leave the resort but even if you didn't, taxis were readily available and not too expensive. My daughter and her friends stayed out late at the dance clubs a couple of nights and a cab home was only $18.

Both the resort and the city of Playa del Carmen seemed to be very safe. Security is evident but we really never saw any reason for it. Everyone we met was pleasant and respectful. The beach is beautiful and the pool was huge. All in all, it was a great week.

We just got back form vacationing at this resort April 7-14 and had a great time speacially the kids, the accomodations were very nice and spacious,service and food were excellent but the resort is still under construction and a lot of the ammenities are not available yet; there is no ground transportation to/from airport. At the pool we encounter a big problem trying to get a palapa or any type of covered sitting (people have to get there before 6 in the morning! to get one) a little to early considering you are on vacation. food,transportation and boutique items are expensive.overall it was a delight and can't wait to visit again!

We have stayed at the Mayan Palace and other fine resorts in the world and these properties are certainly on par. They have been built from the ground up as vacation club properties, not like some that you find in the U.S. which are converted hotel rooms. Finally two years ago we purchased 10 weeks at the Grand Mayan. Our experience has been impeccable and the children, family, and friends love the place.

Yes, they are experiencing some challenges. Speaking with one of the big wigs they are behind schedule completing some of the amenities of the resort. When we were there a lot of construction going on. In addtion, he said they underestimated the number of english speaking customers they would have signing up and exchanging through RCI, ICI, ICE, SFX, HSI and so on. That said they have not instructed their staff to do things as we do in the U.S. or Canada. But that is "OK"! That is why we travel abroad to experience different cultures. For instance, we like not being hounded by a waiter or waitress as we complete my meal, cuz they are trying to turn over a table to get more tips, as they do in the states. Ask for the bill and you shall receive...otherwise keep reading your book and sipping your cappacino and they leave you be.

Now to be fair, more of their restaurants could be properly air conditioned or incorporate better air flow to cool the places down, but We could say that about resorts we've visited in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Korea.

We do not however, enjoy being hounded by the sales people at any of the resorts, even the folks at the Grand Mayan Palace. Your respected up to a certain point and when we remind them to look up our profile; they treat me like leper cause we were stupid enough :-)to purchase so many weeks upfront (10 weeks during construction $89,000 including fees). We were actually left at the breakfast table by one of the Mexican sales associates welcoming us once his American/Canadian sales manager looked up our file and informed him that we were probably not going to be buying more weeks. When we enquired we were informed that the "Welcome Back," hospitality greeting was for those who had less than 4 weeks. Guys, it is all about sales numbers and commissions, just like in the states, if that is what you want...you'll get it.

Otherwise, the facility is virtually new and depending on availability each bedroom will have either one king and two queens or each will have a king bed. Allowing for 6-8 sleeping with two pull-out sofa beds. The decorations are bright, colorful and funky and the appliances are all stainless steel. Countertops granite, floors marble, jacuzzi type tub in one unit, marble showers, and a dipping pool on the deck for those days you wish to sun bath without going to the pool. Quality soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions are provided to all guests. Overall, the 2 BR units range from 1600-1650 sq.ft., which is on par with many of the finest properties in the world. The decks on the Grand Mayan are spacious and chairs are provided for sitting or lounging. For the children (and those kids at heart) you name it...one of the biggest pools in the world. Golf, tennis, and great health club. What more can you ask? Better food in the restaurants...YES...room service is 10 times better. Hopefully, by the next time I visit the restaurants will have improved. Better yet, take a bus ride/rent a car and eat in the city (Playa Del Carmen or Cancun)...that is the real reason for a vacation...relax and experience the culture of the place your visiting. If I see another McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Domino's or Pizza Hut, while traveling abroad, I am going to scream. Hope you enjoy the Grand Mayan Experience...we have!!!

We rented a time share from a listing here on red week. It was a Excellent investment ! We noticed on the mayan palace reviews, there was a lot of walking to be expected. I didn't think it was that bad... It was definitely a Big Resort !! There was some damage from the huricane being repaired and they were upgrading some of the buildings look, but overall Beautiful! Kind of freaky to see 3 crocodiles in the lagoon or lake by the lago restaurant. The lago restaurant was beatiful and food fabulous but the wild (house) cats running through and around the restaurant was a bit disconcerting.... The pool side restaurant was also open and exceptional. We did however begin to miss typical american fast food... go figure... The suite was beautiful!!! Small sitting pool on the deck, huge bedroom with sofa and large tub. Big bathroom, nice kitchen, and our girls thought the sofa sleepers were quite comfy!! However..... Our King size bed was harder than my living room carpeted floor!!!!!!! They spray poison every night which seems to kill the bugs nearly instantly.... It has a strong smell similiar to Chloridane which was banned in the U.S. We tipped the staff almost constantly, 5 to 10 pesos for picking us up and 20 to 40 peso for our fabulous room service.. I was a bit caught off gaurd by the envelopes left at the end of our stay to provide and additional tip to day and night staff... Security was kind of a joke.... They required an i.d. bracelet which our girls took off nearly instantly (tan lines...), the only people who noticed them were the street merchants in Playa who really thought you must be wealthy.... And man did they play that card hard...("my wife or mother works there and makes little to no money, can't you spare some change to buy a few things ???") We did catch the bus to playa, which can be quite nerv racking... Trying running across a interstate highway with big curbs and 70 to 90 mph cars buzzing along.... ha.. You'ld think they could build a bridge...? Prices varied from type of transportation and driver...Always in pesos and usually between 10 to 65 per person. You want to have close to correct amount as change seems to be a problem for big notes.. Standard vans called collectivos would cram you in tight !!! You better enjoy adventure and your comfort zone with people better be extremely flexible!!! Busses (grey hound style) would also stop for everyone they could squeeze in... And a small type charter bus was also available but again cram everyone they could in.. And EVERY driver would ride the bumper of the car in front of them or drive the lanes inappropriately... Taxis??? Some would negotiate if heading back to Playa after dropping someone off but you need to speak decent spanish we could never get one below $10 U.S.... We usually took a taxi back to the resort as they drove you all the way in and were readily available just about anywhere in Playa, they prefered U.S.at $18 usually a max of 4 people. Playa was our place of enjoyment.. Can't say I enjoyed the salesman (for lack of a better word!!!) everyone is trying to sell the same stuff..... (litterally!) You'll also be presented with cards to get free drinks to this or that restaurant, if you'll look the card over closely, they note their name to get a kick back from the restaurant operator.... We did use the advice of mapchick.com and found her restaurant recommendations to be excellent. Also, highly recommend checking the bathrooms!!!! if they're nasty, which we did see, you can imagine the kitchen and or staff.... We did head to cancun and I got pick pocketed..!! not happy about that.

We vacationed at the Mayan Palace Riviera Maya Resort from December 2-9, 2005. The resort was fully operational and the service was fantastic. The staff were friendly and attentive.

The beach was in operaton and people were swimming and snorkeling in the beach. There were 2 restaurants on-site that were opened and the food was good.

The swimming pools were awesome-8,000 square meters water surface-one of the biggest in Latin America. The resort is located on the Caribbean Sea.

The Resort has a no-cash policy -that is , everything is charged to your room and upon check-out , you can pay with cash or credit card.

The Resort is famous for the 18-hole championship court and practice area designed by Jack Nicklaus, which was in operation.

We enjoyed the services of the world class Spa & Fitness Center.

The Resort is a shuttle ride of 35 minutes from Playa del Carmen-Riviera and 45 minutes from Cancun.

This was our first stay at Cancun and a very enjoyable one. Ownership has its advantages!

Had a excellent time Feb 25th - April. No swimmable beach at the resort. The pool was incredible. Food and drinks very reasonable.

This resort is spectacular; it has awesome food, a world class full service spa; a great pool with swim up bars; and, of course, the turquoise ocean.

THis resort is wonderful and the people that work there are so respectful and courteous. It is just beautiful and it is a healthy walk not unbearable to some spots on the resort yet there is a shuttle that will always take you around and it runs every ten minutes. I found it so clean and the pool is amazing. It has a nice beach to lay out on yet you need to walk five minutes to snorkle from the beach. Americans need to stop being so rude to these wonderful staff members. This is truly a 5 star spot and we want to go back soon.

This is a very nice resort with a wonderful pool. There are however somethings we did not like. We travel with our five children and found that the resort is not designed for you to make your own meals in the condo even though they have mini kitchens in the two bedroom unit. They also have no washer or dryer in the units. They do have self serve laundry but it cost us $7 us a load if you can believe that. The walk to the pool is very long which is ok if you don't have small children with you. You must have a car if you want to see or do anything. You have to walk about a mile and stand on the very busy highway if you want to take a bus. We had our own car so that wasn't a problem but we did see many people waisting their vacation time walking and waiting for a bus. The food is very expensive but good. You would be better off going to Playa Del Carmen to eat out. I would stay here again without the kids. Thanks Bill