The Grand Mayan is the height of luxury. You have use of entire Mayan Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, which is actually three resorts. It’s a short taxi ride into Puerto Vallarta and all the wonderful sights there. Tours can be arranged right in the resort.

We felt truly pampered here at this resort. We had towels made into elephants and puppies. The rooms were extremely roomy. It was a paradise looking from our front patio. The suite had a sitting pool right outside, although I didn't use it. The children's activities at the Mayan Resorts were extensive, as were the adult activities. I took a Spanish class, flower-making classes, and water aerobics, and there were many others. There was water volleyball and water and beach soccer. The beach is very private and vendors don't bother you. They have a shop on the beach you go to. I got both jewelry and six pareos that were beautiful and very inexpensive. The restaurants were excellent. The lazy river, huge waterslide, and wave pool made this like a water amusement park. One doesn't need money, just the room number, whether it is in the restaurant, the grocery, the spa, or ordering via the waiters at the pool or beach.

The pool area is unbelievable. I enjoyed the lazy river. I wasn't adventurous enough for the waterslide or the wave pool, but my grandkids would have loved it and I hope to go again and take them. I did make big Mexican flowers to equal any in a craft shop. There were so many interesting activities, but doing nothing was also such a joy. We lounged by the pool and I did my water exercises. I took some classes but also visited the spa for three massages in 2 weeks there. I also got a pedicure. Everything except purchases from natives at the shop on the beach could be charged to the room. For my husband and I, all our meals, activities, and spa visits, the total cost was about $500 for one week and about $400 for the second week. Had we wanted to make our own meals, we had the kitchen and could do that, but we ate in restaurants and had room service. Even our groceries we charged to the room. Computers were available for a very nominal charge, which was great for me. The concierge was extremely helpful, as were the bus boys who drove us about in golf-cart shuttles upon our request. I had shiatzu, Swedish, and drainage massages, and each was different and fantastic. Shiatzu was energizing and removed the pain in my back and knee. The other two were very relaxing. I used a wheelchair in going to gate to gate on my flight down, but I walked between gates on my way home. It was a wonderful and healthy experience.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Our room was a two-bedroom both with king-size beds and their own baths with big tubs. There were trundle beds in both the living area and in one bedroom, perfect for the kids. We had all the amenities you would want, including an infinity pool on our deck. The kids loved to splash around in that every day after swimming in the pools downstairs. The resort was top-notch, and we can’t wait to go back!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

When you first walk in the entry, you are in a dimly light room surrounded by eight Mayan statues that are 20 feet high. It is very impressive. The Grand Mayan is very exclusive. As a guest at the Grand Mayan, you have access to the facilities at the Mayan Palace and the Mayan Sea Garden, but the other guests do not have access to the pool complex at the Grand Mayan.

The pool complex is fantastic. There are several interconnected pools with two swim-up bars. They also have wait staff that will come to your lounge chair. They have several happy hours throughout the day and daily drink specials. There is a lazy river that runs around the pools (that was our favorite). Towards the beach, there is a set of two wave pools with a large slide that comes down from a Mayan pyramid. They require you to have one of there tubes for the slide. Tubes are rented for $3 per day. The tubes are also great for the lazy river. On the far side of the wave pools is a water play area for young children.

The resort is kept immaculately clean. I frequently would encounter the cleaning staff cleaning the elevators. There is daily maid service with fresh towels every day. They did different designs with the bed coverings and would make animal figures out of the kitchen towels.

The rooms are large. I estimate about 900 square feet for a one-bedroom condo. There is a splash pool on the balcony of every room. We saw a spectacular thunderstorm one evening. Lightning hit our building and knocked out power for a few seconds.

The restaurants on-site are very good. We had excellent meals at Samba (poolside) and pool snack bar. We went to the Mayan Palace for the fajita night buffet. The fajitas were excellent. The buffet food was average.

We cooked in our room for several meals. We stopped at Wal-Mart our second day and did some grocery shopping. We also made our own daiquiris and pina coladas. The water at the hotel is drinkable. We drank it all week, and not one of the six of us had a problem.

We would have enjoyed the Mayan Palace, but the Grand Mayan is a definite upgrade. The rooms are bigger and the pool complex is more entertaining. The only downside to the resort is that it is so far out of town. We did the Canopy Tour and scuba diving. Both were on the other side of Puerto Vallarta, a 45- to 60-minute bus ride.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent