All Inclusive Resort, Mexico

[noclue]

Hmm have you considered a Cruise instead of an All-Inclusive?

Similar pricing with flight and you get to travel to a different location. Royal Caribbean's newest boats are great to explore and chill.Plus they are so big there's barely any sea sickness.

Unfortunately no all-inclusive booze, just food.

[G]

Anyone ever been to Akmul?

[RRxtar]

Originally Posted by XplicitLuder

im actually heading up to Maya Riviera this year in december and we are staying at the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum, its like 3 hotels in one resort and you can go to any of them for bfast/lunch/dinner! and the water has that tropical look.

just got home 2 days ago from 10 days here. Awesome resort and would recommend.

It is 3 resorts connected together (Akumel, Tulum, Coba), but a year or 2 ago they made Akumel exclusive so you can't use that hotel's facilities. You can use all of the other 2 tho. Coba is set back a ways, Tulum is the only one on the Ocean and with a beach. big golf cart shuttles running constantly around the resorts so getting around is easy

[XplicitLuder]

lol i just got home last night from my 2 weeks from the Tulum overalll i was dissapointed tbh, what our agency told us from booking the "diamond club" experience, was jsut so different than when i went to PV. the hotel and the staff was great, but i feel i got jipped on what i paid for. Personally, i wont be going back but im sure others have had great experience as RRxtar ^ did you stay in Tulum? woulda been cool to meet another RSer somewhere completely out of vancouver LOL

[RRxtar]

ya I stayed in Tulum.

what were you expecting that wasn't delivered?

[XplicitLuder]

Honestly , there were a few things that just bugged us.

first, we were told we would get wifi in our room, for 15mins a day , apart from that 1hr you got at the lobby. That didnt happen.

second, we were told you get free safety deposit box, which upon arrival we were told was gonna cost us 65$ for the 2 weeks. Only half way through when we were upset with this and other things by then, did we decide to look more into it and we found out we werent going to have to pay once we talked with management.

third, i feel that i could have had the same experience without having to pay for the "diamond club" experience which im sure was a couple hundred $ more. We were talking to people from the coba, who were the same as us, and they were for example getting free snacks/cookies/chocolate bars put in their rooms when they would get it cleaned. Where as for us, we only got our fridge refilled. Now im not here complaining about a few choco bars, but its more of a "if i paid for this, why am i not getting it" you know ?

fourth, we had things done to our bathroom, maintenance wise im assuming, and they left it completely dirty at the end which my gf ended up having to clean up at the end.

fifth, our door and the keys we were given were really bad. it would take couple of tries before it would finally open. we talked to someone when we emailed about it and they said they would have someone first thing in the morning talking to us about it and that never happened.

sixth, our bedsheets were either really old or had a bunch of stains which when our bed was made , they were showing all over the end of our bed. Like really bad type of showing lol not something a maid would miss when she did the bed.

In the end, i guess i just compared my experience here to the one at the Sheraton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta last year where we went for a wedding. We were in the "diamond" level, and that experience really made you feel like you were in a diamond level. Room service, wifi all day, beach view, etc. And maybe i should take into account that this resort is MASSIVE and thus why they dont offer some things i got in PV. But they really needed to update their website so our agent doesnt tell us something , but we get smthn completely different you know ? Like okay if what we got, is how it really is at this hotel, then have that be known so at least thats what im going to expect when i find out some info about it.

I just feel that i could have paid for a regular package, instead of the "diamond club" and saved $$ and had the same experience, which at that point woulda been okay i guess lmao

Other than that and maybe a few things i missed, honestly the food was awesome and the staff at the meals and such were great. But it was ruined by everything else and ya thats why we wont be going back.

I wonder if i saw you, i wore my Vancouver Millionaire shirt a lot hoping someone would see it and be like VANCOUVER!? lool and im like 6'6 so prob hard to miss :P tanned skinned (im hispanic) and was with my white gf ;p who is a lot shorter

[RRxtar]

I absolutely saw you in your Millionaires shirt! I pointed you out to my gf! lol

It sounds like the things that brought down your holiday were lack of perks that should have been there with your 'diamond club' deal.


We had some negatives but nothing that changed our stay:
The 'prestige club' presentation was a low point. We expected it, or something of a time share, but this wasnt presented that way. On our 2nd day, a very friendly guy who identified himself as some form of guest services asked if there was anything he could do to make our stay better and offered a 60 minute orientation of the property. That turned into the 2-3 hour long sales pitch from one hell of a salesman. Funny part tho, was the salesman kept showing us pictures on his phone and always talking about the 'details', but his phones wallpaper was "keep calm and close". Guess he missed that detail.

Aside from that, we never had hot water in our room after 11pm, and had our hot water not work for 1 full day (problem with the tank/heater they said), and our room phone didnt work, and never got fixed.

Oh, and of the 3 per week a la carte dinners we were promised at booking (and on the website), they were apparently over booked and could only offer us one. At least the buffet food was good.


Those things didn't really bring our trip down at all. The one thing that was a disappointment was the lack of good activities. Many resorts this size have evening beach parties with DJs and large group activities and sports going on. At Tulum, it seemed pretty half assed and unengaging, and only Friday night had a patio party, which got rained out. At least the Hacienda/Disco was alright

[punkwax]

Originally Posted by RRxtar

Oh, and of the 3 per week a la carte dinners we were promised at booking (and on the website), they were apparently over booked and could only offer us one.

I've been to a fair amount of AI resorts around Mexico and this is the first time I've heard of this.. I don't think this is acceptable.. they can figure it out.

After reading both your reviews, there is no way I would choose this resort. Thanks for the heads up!

For me, it is ALL about service at AI resorts. I've been to a few where right away, things you're promised aren't delivered... what kinda shit is that? You read and understand what you're getting, pay for it, arrive and are disappointed upon check in. Hate that shit.

[HondaGuy]

Love mexico and their all inclusive resorts...

Been to los cabos, stayed at Barcelo resort (now its name changed.); Dreams Villamagma in Nuevo Vallarta; and just this Sept 2014 stayed at Now Amber in Puerto Vallarta and in one week (Jan7) heading to Royalton in Cancun.

All inclusive food, drinks, pool and sun tanning...
If you have time, take a local bus to their local town/downtown and sample authentic local food so yummy...

[Special K]

Going to Iberostar Grand in Riveria Maya next weekend. Can't wait!

[nabs]

I am planning on going to Mexico in August 2016.

I am looking for all inclusive vacation, preferably mostly adult crowd if possible.

1) Where is a good location for August in Mexico (I have always wanted to go to Riviera Maya) ?

2) What are good resorts to look at in above location?

3) Where is a good place to book from? Online? Flightcentre?

4) Recommendations?? Budget is probably around 1500 per person, I am assuming that should get me close to a 5 star for 6 days?

Educate me please.

[punkwax]

1 - August is going to be damn hot. Riviera Maya is quite muggy compared to Cabo. Being on the peninsula, Cabo's climate is more manageable for most.

2 - Plenty of suggestions have been made in this thread. Mine was Grande Palladium Kantenah.

3 - I've had good success on travelbestbets.com for Mexican vacations

4 - $1500 should do it, yes.

[gilly]

Went to Cancun in September. We stayed at Golden Parnassus. The resort is smaller than other resorts but it is an adult only resort. There are no little kids or boring parents running around. There were many activities during the day such as Tequila volleyball in the pool, and tequila table tennis. There is a MC at noon and they faciliate the drinking games... calling up girls to dance around the pole, beer drinking contests etc. near the pool. There were also shows almost every night and karoke on some nights. The outdoor bar is open super late too.. past 1am. We walked on the beach to other resorts and it seemed so dead at that hour. If you are not into that stuff and want a calmer resort, this resort is not for you lol.

You also should check out the excursions. I highly recommend Xplor. 14 ziplines, atv etc. So fun. And also check out the Chichen Itza. I recommend joining a small group tour. Quite a lot of interesting stuff you can learn from the tour guide.

For nightlife, we went to Coco Bongo. One of the most craziest experiences I've had. Everyone should go if they go to Cancun. Two of my friends got called up onto stage and danced to Gangnam style LOL.

Booked our trip in February. Around $1200 for 6 nights for flight and all inclusive resort.

[gilly]

Originally Posted by chinook79

Anyone had any experience booking through AMEX website for car rental? I found some crazy deals for car rental in Cancun for a week for as little as $5 for not so known rental company or $45 for Nationals or Thrift. It looks too good to be true, and I know they will try to force me to buy CDW which should already be covered by my credit card company, but other than that, would there be anything else I need to watch out for?
I did rent car in Cancun before.. and I guess I was lucky enough to not have any bad experiences in the past.. I am just worried that $5 to $45 per week deal is too good to be true..

Why do you need a car in Cancun? If you want to visit other resorts, I would just take a bus. Bus is $1 lol. All the resorts are on one strip anyways. And if you booked excursions, almost all of them includes transportation.

[XplicitLuder]

highly recommend gong to Xel Ha for a day, so much fun! i went to Grand Principe Tulum, which i wasnt pleased with so i dont really have any other recommendations. There are a few good resorts here, i say look at them online and see what sort of suits you!

[Ball.J.Inder]

Cancun/Mayan Riviera - Best place for history, food, activities, clubs. white sand beaches and beautiful water as well
Cabo - Best for off-roading, outdoor activities, seafood, really good club scene
PV - Basically not much to see, does have outdoor/aquatic activities but mostly a party area. Beaches are meh. Definitely some hot european looking girls though.

[racerman88]

Cancun is nice and we enjoyed touring the ruins.

[nabs]

My trouble now is choosing a resort. Looking for adult only, 4.5 to 5 star, All Inclusive. I want to stay on the Cancun side if possible. however i did find some nice resorts in Puerto Vallarta.

[nabs]

Originally Posted by racerman88

Cancun is nice and we enjoyed touring the ruins.

Which resort did you stay at?

[Mr.S63]

Here's Cancun for you...I stayed at Now Jade Riviera Cancun - All Inclusive. I had a suite with a pretty incredible view.

2015-02-12 13.00.36.jpg

2015-02-12 10.59.43.jpg

2015-02-11 10.44.37.jpg

2015-02-11 05.55.32.jpg

2015-02-11 05.55.45.jpg

[Mr.S63]

Here's more...

2015-02-11 05.41.12.jpg

2015-02-10 19.58.51.jpg

2015-02-10 10.37.21.jpg

2015-02-09 14.14.27.jpg

2015-02-09 14.14.23.jpg

[gilly]

Originally Posted by nabs

My trouble now is choosing a resort. Looking for adult only, 4.5 to 5 star, All Inclusive. I want to stay on the Cancun side if possible. however i did find some nice resorts in Puerto Vallarta.

Golden Parnassus

[DavidNguyen]

Gonna go to riveria Maya on Nov 28 flYing sunwing . Staying at the hideaway Royalton. I check prices often. this morning was $1800 and just few minutes ag0 $2300
Whyyyyy? Should I book with a week left of departure date or?

[DavidNguyen]

What are some slushy drinks you guys order while in Mexico. The ones I know are margaritas, Mojitos and Miami Vice

[racerman88]

Originally Posted by nabs

Which resort did you stay at?

I can't remember the name of our resort. I just remember that it was bought by Barcelo the week before we went down.