Description: Best Things Nearby:
There is very little near the resort, but everything you could want to do is right there, along with three different shuttle buses to move guests from one area to the next because it is so large. The complex is enormous, and if you had a car, you had to park it a fair distance from your unit, a bit of a nuisance if you were carrying packages or were traveling with no-so-fit people.
Best Things About the Resort:
The older Mayan palace buildings and the newer units of the Grand Mayan are all within the walls of a huge Mayan Palace resort complex.
All buildings surround a large lagoon inhabited by a crocodile. He is fed daily by the staff. There are lots of paths connecting one area to another, but there is a lot of walking and my mother’s friend found it challenging.
The pool is the largest I have ever seen; it was never crowded and there were always chairs available. Harder to find were spots under the palapas and even more elusive were the "beds" under the palapas. Although there were signs forbidding the "saving" of chairs, it was quite obvious that these rules were not enforced.
There were two pool bars and happy hour came along at least twice daily, where you could order one drink and get two of the same kind.
In the Del Lago restaurant, there was nightly entertainment beginning at 9pm. Thursday was Mexican Fiesta night, when dinner was included (for the price of $44).
Otherwise, entertainment was free and you could order drinks but were not pushed to do so. The shows lasted just over 1 hour each night and then audience participation was encouraged and enjoyed by those who had been ordering the drinks--a great opportunity to dance with some of the nimble dancers and/or make a fool of oneself.
Resort Experience:
My husband and I were traveling with my mother and her friend, and we had a two-bedroom lockout unit. There was a central living area with plenty of seating, a television, a dining table, and a kitchen area with bar stools. On either side of that were the bedrooms with a king-size bed and sleep sofa, as well as a two-person tub, shower, toilet, and television. From each room, one could access the fenced balcony or patio, which had long and short garden furniture and a small soaker pool.
If you only booked the studio part, there was absolutely nothing to enable you to eat anything in the unit—no coffeemaker, no fridge, no microwave, and no dishes. The kitchen of the one-bedroom side had a full-size fridge and a small freezer, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a toaster, and a four-burner stove, but no oven. There were plenty of plates and cups and bowls, but no wineglasses. Also missing was a kettle—it was a real nuisance to boil water in a saucepan for tea. There was no dishwasher, nor were there a washer and dryer. (You could arrange to have your clothes cleaned for a fee, or you could buy tokens for a hefty price and then use the appliances located somewhere in your building.)
The beach was lovely, with lounge chairs set up, but one could not really swim because of the rocks in the water. There was a hut that advertised water sports, and one could take out kayaks and other watercrafts for a fee, but we never saw anyone doing that. If you walked about 10 to 15 minutes to the south, you could swim in the sea at the next resort along that stretch of the coast. As you walk along the shore, there is garbage and rocks and seaweed and you pass some abandoned buildings and resorts in the process of construction or destruction.
There were daily activities organized by the staff: volleyball, kayak racing, Mexican bingo, arts and crafts for the kids, bicycle tours of the complex, and dance lessons to name but a few. The staff spoke good English and was a lot of fun.
There was a general store where you could buy anything, from milk to suntan lotion to bathing suits, at a much greater price than you would pay in town. If you were unfortunate enough to not have cooking facilities, or just wanted to eat out, there was a choice of five or six very nice eating establishments to choose from.
- Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
- Activities: Very Good
- Amenities: Excellent
- Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
- Family Friendliness: Excellent
- Service: Excellent
Close