you must know some things before you book here.

I, along with my mother, my sister-in-law, my two daughters (17 & 18) and their friend, recently returned from a stay at The Grand Mayan 8/3 - 8/10. The weather was perfect....no rain and just a bit on the warm side. We rented a two-bedroom suite from an owner through EBay. Transaction was great and the resort treated us like owners.

Just as everyone has already posted, this resort is huge. Because we travelled with a senior citizen who recently underwent heart surgery, we thankfully were put in Building 3. I honestly cannot imagine staying in any building greater than 7. Bldg 1 was the closest to the pools. The higher the building number, the further away it was. I walked from the temporary lobby one afternoon and it took me 25 minutes to get to the main pool. A tip: if you have to walk from a far away building, walk THROUGH the buildings on your way to the pool. The bottom floors are all open (no doors), and with the maids cleaning the rooms, the airconditioning spilled out into the walkways and kept it pretty cool. Even the 5-10 minute walk we had from 3, we still cut through building 1 & 2 to get relief from the sun.

The decor and up keep of this property is amazing. Everything seems new even though it is the oldest of the Grupo properties (what we were told anyway). The beds are very firm and by the end of the week, my back was killing me. My neck also hurt from the hard pillows. I would seriously consider packing your own pillow if you are used to something soft!!! By the last few nights, I slept on the sofa bed which was a bit softer!

We did not rent a car although we had planned to a couple of the days. After seeing how the locals drove, we decided against it. Since we didn't have a car, I felt very isolated in the Riviera Maya area. We took the shuttle to Playa, took a Collectivo to Cancun, and even caught a ride to Cancun from a guy in a van who stopped to pick us up on the highway. Even so, it is not the same as having your own wheels and going where you want and when you want. Taking the Collectivo to Cancun was a breeze, just take a shuttle to the main gate, walk a few feet to the highway and wait for it to come by. Be prepared to have the locals honk and flash their headlights at you! Be aware though that the Collectivo takes you DOWNTOWN and then you have to catch a bus to the Hotel Zone. This was an experience in itself trying to communicate with the non-english speaking bus driver. He eventually dropped us off at an information booth who told us to take bus R-1 to the Hotel Zone. I think the Collectivo ride to downtown was $2.50 and the bus to HZ was .60 USD. I would recommend this and save your money for the more expensive taxi ride home. One time a taxi charged us $100 to take 6 back and another time they charged us $45. THe more expensive one was at 1 am whereas the $45 ride was at about 4:30 pm.

We enjoyed Play del Carmen and it cost $3.50 to take the hotel shuttle there. The shuttle drops you off at the Walmart or at 5th Avenue and then returns to get you. The only thing is, the latest shuttle leaving Play was 8 pm, so we ended up taking a taxi back. We loaded up on groceries and supplies at the Mega since some of the posts said the Walmart was awful. We didn't think so and preferred the Walmart since the shuttle takes you there and picks you up. The Mega is 3-4 blocks further, you have to walk from Walmart there and then we took a taxi home so we didn't have to lug everything back to our shuttle at Walmart.

We had planned to go to Cozumel, but decided against it....again because we didn't know what we'd do once we got there....we'd have to taxi around...and with 6, it gets to be a pain. We did do the snorkeling tour offered at the GM which was the best value of our trip! $46 pp got you 2 hours of snorkeling and over an hour at a beautiful beach. A boat takes about 25 people out to a reef where you snorkel. You then move to another reef, snorkel, then head to the beach. It was well worth the money.

My two teenagers and I parasailed, again with the GM people. I believe the price was $65 pp....not so sure it was worth it....maybe I'm just not a big parasailing person.

The beach is awful because of the rocks and we never did anything there...other than parasailing and leaving on our snorkeling tour. I was very disappointed in this beacause 7 days at the pool was a little much. The pools are great, don't get me wrong. They are some of the nicest I've seen. They just get old after 7 days. Having a nice beach would have been a welcome option. Even walking on the rocks to get into the boat to go snorkeling was a huge challenge. I'm usually not a beach person, but seeing that beautiful, blue water and not being able to go into it was very disappointing.

Another disappointment was not having Wi-Fi in the rooms. In order to access email or the web, you had to go to the Cyber Cafe and pay $7/hr to use one of their PCs or your own laptop. With even the lowliest of hotels offering free Wi-Fi these days, it was a huge disappointment to not be able to have access as I pleased. It was a pain to go to the cafe, and then I was always in a hurry as the minutes went by fast!

I would recommend eating at least once at Tramonto. It was awesome! Stay away from the Havana Moon....the food was mediocre and the service was lousy....very slow considering we were in the place by ourselves. I guess that should have been a red flag right there. We didn't do any of the buffets. The pizza poolside was great as were the nachos, burgers and sandwiches. The drinks were good too...be sure to try a Picasso if you like sweet drinks. I preferred it without alcohol and it is a great option for kids!

If you asked me if I enjoyed my stay at the GM, the answer is yes. Would I go there again, most definitely not. Having stayed here, I now know that I prefer staying at smaller resorts where the lobby is close by and I can get to the restaurants, pools and beaches quickly. If I went back to the Cancun area, I would definitely stay in the Cancun Hotel Zone or in Playa del Carmen where we could quickly hop on a bus to access shopping, eating, nightlife and have a variety of other things to do. I didn't like the isolated feeling I had staying in the Riviera Mayan area.

My husband and I and our family consisting of teenage to young adults absolutely loved the Grand Mayan..The check-in procedure was a little annoying but that was partly our fault. They offered to take our luggage while we waited for our suite to be ready but we held onto several pieces and then had to carry them around. So definitely upon arrival let them take all your stuff. While waiting we had little maps and headed to the open air restaurant by the beach and all had lunch and Pina Colladas to celebrate our arrival. Even my youngest who was 18 could order drinks which made it more fun for her. The resort is very big but after 2 days you get to know it well and the walking is good for you because of all the fattening drinks you will probably be having. We occasionally took the shuttles and never had to wait more than a minute or two. There are many restaurants to choose from but our favorite was The Belche snack bar which was by the main pool and The Havana Moon which was right behind it facing the beach We found the wraps delicious and the food not that expensive. The pool bar was a definite high point for my kids and us as well. The staff was friendly and tried to help in any way. Rent a palapa one day if you will be hanging by the pool and feel like a million dollars. The units were immaculate and one of the nicest I have ever stayed in. We had a 2 bedroom which was spacious enough for all 6 of us. We could even have a little privacy if we wanted. I was so impressed with the quality of the Grand Mayan I am going to go to another Mayan resort next year. We did one excursion while we were there it was called The Coba Mayan experience. Even though I had researched it before going I decided not to book it until I got there. We went into town one day via the taxi provided by the resort(30 bucks round trip) The town was fun , pretty, but quite touristy. It is there that I booked the tour from one of the street concessions. It was a little cheaper than the big guys on the internet and more personalized. I definitely would recommend the tour we took. Since we booked this tour not from the resort they told us they were not allowed to come in there to pick us up and we would have to wait by the road. They were there right on time.with an air conditioned bus. Besides my party of 6 there was one other couple from Spain. We went to the Coba ruins and rented bikes there It was so much fun . The couple didnt want to ride bikes so they walked with the tour guide and we met up at stages along the way so he could explain things. At the end we reached the highest pyramid and were allowed to climb it to the top. This was why I chose coba over Chicenetza. After Coba we drove to a mayan village not open to the public. It was there we zip-lined over a lagoon. VERY FUN! Then kayaked a little , got to swim in a cenote and eat lunch provided by the mayan community. We didnt want to offend them so ate everything Only my daughter got sick at the end of the trip and we thought it was probably from there. Drink only the beer provided or the soda not the homemade juice. All in all we had a great trip .

Just got back from an awesome week at the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya. We were 4 adults in a one bedroom deluxe and had such a great time. It doesnt matter if you stay in a building with a higher number, as the shuttles run very frequently. Trip Advisor reviews were so very helpful to us. Definitely frequent the Havana Moon restaurant right on the ocean by the beach and spa. Breakfast was delicious, egg white/vegetable omelette, tropical fresh fruit platter and rolls/croissants and awesome mexican coffee. Two can enjoy breakfast for $20. They have amazing lunches, including pizza that 2 can share. The wait staff is so friendly and pleasant whereever you go. The italian restaurant was beautiful, but the food was just ok. Sit outside the italian restaurant for drinks to overlook the pool all lit up at night. The health club/spa is awesome and you can shower there and go right to the beach or pool. Must bring water shoes and then the ocean is a pleasure once you carefully walk over the rocks. Thanks to past reviewers for recommending the Grand Mayan shuttle to walmart or Mega supermarket in Playa del Carmen. Its worth a stop on your first day to stock up on bottled water, liquor, beer, snacks, breakfast/lunch foods etc. If you go to walmart, the shuttle will return and take you back an hour or two later. Cost for the shuttle was $3.50 per person. Cabs to Playa del Carmen for dinner are $18 for 4 people and the consierges can recommend restaurants. If you are an owner, you can email the hotel prior to your arrival and they will offer complimentary one way shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. When you arrive, make sure to ask for your towel cards. You will quickly learn how to take a shuttle directly to the pool so you can pick up towels before your day at the pool or beach. For families with small children, there is a kids club with plenty of activities located at the pool for ages 5-12. At night, there are several restaurants if you stay at the hotel, or you can even order food and eat at the pool or beach. The pool is open 24 hours, and the poolside restaurants stay open till 10 or 10 30. Use the pool on your terrace after a day at the beach or pool, it will be the coolest water you feel as the pool and ocean are on the warm side in the summertime. The grounds are immaculate and the staff go out of their way to assist and please the guests. Overall, an awesome experience, we look forward to returning with our kids!

My wife had never been to Mexico (Cancun, etc) so we decided to go this year. We used a RCI exchange and found availability for a studio at The Grand Mayan, Apr. 19-26, 2008. I had never been to the Riviera Maya and wanted my wife's first visit to Mexico NOT be Cancun :)

Using the fantastic Rivier Maya forum here on TripAdvisor, we were able to find a great shuttle service from the airport in Cancun to te Grand Mayan.

On arrival we went into the tent. As mentioned in previous reviews, they had a fire in their previous Grand Mayan lobby (there is a seperate lobby for checkin to the Palace area of the resort). Side note: we did get to see where the new Grand Mayan lobby will be and it will be phenomenol!! They're also building a lazy river that is going to be spectacular.

Since we had arrived early we had a long wait in the lobby for our room (2 hours) to be ready. The time went by fairly quickly (we went to have lunch at one of the restaurants on property). They also had bottled water and ice-cold wet towels to keep cool.

Unfortunately, my charms didn't work on the room assignor and we ended up with a room in building 9. The higher the number, the further away you are from the pool and restaurant area. There are shuttles (golf carts) that run frequently and the walk in pleasant (check out the flamingos along the lake area).

The room are incredible! Very nice marble floors, seperate shower and a jacuzzi. Their is also a separate water closet (toilet in small room). Great soaps, shampoos and also bath salts for the jacuzzi. The king size bed is comfortable and the room also has a flat-screen tv. Although we were on the second floor, we were rear-facing and we only had a view off our balcony of endless shrub and mangrove trees.

The pool areas are beautful as well as the manicured gardens, walkways and landscapes. The Palace pool (open to all guests) is enormous with palapas/bed areas around the pool (these must be reserved) and plenty of chairs. The Grand Mayan pool (only for Grand Mayan guests) was a much quieter area off the main area and was next to the lake that sits in the middle of the property. This pool area is where my wife and I spent lots of time soaking in the sun (very strong rays..make sure to bring good sunblock) and swimming. This pool is also very large (not as big as the main one) but no worries about bumping into others. Nice bar area here with swings as seats :) There is also a neat gazebo with a few tables, plenty of chairs and lounge chairs.

The food in all of the restaurants was excellent. We really enjoyed the breakfast buffets (my wife and I are big breakfast kind of folks). Lots of choices; omelets, eggs to order, pancakes, waffles, typical mexican comida (food), variety of juices, lots of fruit choices... a breakfast eaters paradise.

We also attended one of the specialty nights (Mexican celebration) and the food was out of this world!! I got my picture taken with two of the cute chiquitas ;) much to the chagrin of my wife. Very much worth the money, great show with traditional songs, dance and evening show. A very good time!!

The Grand Mayan has a nice deli with pastries and a small convenience store section. Of course, the prices for this "convenience" was high. Worth it if you want to grab a panini, croissant, etc. Not a "daily dining" kind of place (you'll go broke). They have a decent internet center as well as a nice on site spa and exercise facility. They also have a decent golf course on property (par 3 course).

I could go on and on about this place... my wife really loved it. I think what was most impressive was the friendliness of all of the staff and the absolute customer-service centric attitude they all have. From the lobby to the roomservice, housekeeping, service staff. Even the guys keeping the grounds well manicured were friendly and always smiling. Really makes a difference when you are at a resort that it feels like the employees are happy and show it.

The only thing that was kind of a downer, and completely our own fault, was the timeshare tour. Holy smokes. I'm in sales and this was the toughest, longest, most intense selling experience I have ever had at a resort. We were handed off to three seperate people every time we said no to the previous rep someone else would show up. Even when we were thanked for listening and turned over to the "person who will survey you and your experience" he tried to close us on a half week, return visit, every other year, trial stay, etc., etc. Unless you are a glutton for a punishing marathon session (heck whatever turns your screw) then give a polite "no thank you" to the invite to the timeshare tour. Otherwise, plan on losing 3+ hours of that day (although you do get a great free breakfast ;) and a $100 discount).

The Grand Mayan has been our most favorite timeshare exchange and we fell in love with the place. Heck, during the grueling timeshare session for a split-second we even contemplated buying a week there (they have lockouts ;) ). The staff make this resort truly special. We're depressed they have a 1 in 5 policy :( Oh well... keeps us guessing until our return in 2013.