Mayan Riviera ??/ Brant Boston ????

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Will be leaving 5/6 for Mayan Riviera. I know they have transportation from airport there but was thinking of giving Brant some business as I was almost his first customer . He also now has added tours from the area also. I have read that if I do Mayans ts tour I get big discounts on the tours plus $100 . I see no reason if this is true to deal with Brant .

I have been reading how expensive this place is and I'm going to try to cut costs. How much nicer is the Grand Mayan? Is it acturally closer to the pool? Is is possible to upgrade or will I be fine with what I've got. Are the kitchens any better? I have a 2br plain Mayan and was going to try to save some money by cooking a few meals. I do not plan to spend $16 for breakfast. I guess I'll have to go into town every night to eat? Any tips?

I would like to snorkel at a cenote. I have a bad foot/leg. I can jump into the pool but how hard will it be to get out?

Anyone else going to be there at the same time? Hugs, Shaggy

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I am anxious to hear what others say - I am going to the GM next year.
Does the Mayan Palace offer transportation from the airport?

[rfk318 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rfk318]

Mayan Resorts

Hi,
We own at the GM Nuevo Vallarta. We were there in Jan. It was great. The resort is out of town some so you have to take a taxi or local but to get down town. We went down one day for lunch. Most of the time we spent at the resort and ate at their restaurants. The prices were more than down town but when you add the taxi the prices were ok and the food was good. GM offers free transportation to the resorts. I had to call them but I am not sure we actually had to. We are planning on going again in Dec 07.
The Mayan Palace is on the same resort area as GM. It is nice but not quite as nice an GM. GM persons can use Mayan Palace facilities but not visa versa.

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

If I had a really bad leg or foot I'd probably want to stay somewhere that's not so sprawled out. You walk and walk to get anywhere at GM Riviera Mayan. They do have shuttle buses but it seems to take forever for one to show up, meanwhile their workers are all zooming past you, one to a vehicle. Watch out for them speeding by at night, so you won't get run over like I almost was.

[zdxlc9p6 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zdxlc9p6]

Shaggy,
We stayed one week at Mayan Palace & one week at the Grand Mayan Riviera in January. Distance to the pool depends on the building you get. Some of the MP are closer than the GM, but some are nearly a mile from the pool. I tried for free upgrade, but no luck. With a SFX exchange, you can upgrade for $200, which I think is worth the price. This includes the spa & gym, which is $30 a week for MP guests.

The kitchen in the MP is very limited. The refrigerator is one of those small ones like the kids take to college, so limited on how much one can keep for an extended period. Also, no oven; just a two or four burner cook top, plus a microwave. The rooms are very nice, but only a tiny balcony with no chairs.

The GM has a larger refrigerator. Not full size, but holds three times as much as the MP. Again, no oven. Much nicer room, with a large balcony with lounges, table, & a dipping pool.

The TS presentation for the $100, plus 10% off any other charges, is the most stressful I have endured, and I have been to over 20 over the years. Be prepared to spend 3-4 hours, and be sure you can say NO. Also, when we were done with that, they introduce you to a company rep who wants to know how you were treated. He is actually selling Great Vacations Club, which I fell for. It ain't what it's presented to be, so don't buy it either.

Standard taxi to town is $17, but you can take a bus, or negotiate a price with a taxi at the bus stop. If you have a car, the refrigerator limitations & time/cost to go into Play Del Carmen won't be much of an issue for you.

It WILL be enjoyable whichever resort you end up staying in.

[Pat H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat H]

The MP does have a very small refrig but I think you can manage. The MP units are closer to the pool than the GM. You are also closer to the restaurants. The only restaurant that I thought was overpriced and not worth it was the buffet one. I think that's Del Lago. The one by the pool (can't remember the name), Havana Moon and Tramonto were priced about the same as here. Tramonto is excellent but you need reservations. We went there twice. I had a great time. I liked the GM so much I'm thinking of buying one even though I already own a MP.

There was a very good restaurant in PDC called Ajua. I don't have the card with me but I'll see if I can find it when I get home and give you the address.

[Pat H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat H]

Transportation

The MP does have transportation from the resort. It's $15/person and you need to arrange it a day or 2 ahead of time. I'm not sure about going to the resort. If you are an owner using your week, you get free transportation to the resort.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

The MP does have transportation from the resort. It's $15/person and you need to arrange it a day or 2 ahead of time. I'm not sure about going to the resort. If you are an owner using your week, you get free transportation to the resort.

Thanks Pat - we are actually thinking of renting a car for the week as we will be 5 people and DH is on this trip - so I have a driver!

[daveh Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close daveh]

just there in March

We were just there in March. They opened a new pool for Grand Mayan guests. This pool is directly outside the doors of building 1.

We rented a car thru Yahoo Travel for $11/day. Insurance and an extra driver brought the total to $275 for eight days. There is also a grocery delivery service (Cancun Valet, I believe). We were planning to use them but decided on the car instead. I think the charge would have been $35 to the Mayans.

In terms of breakfast, the small store on the way to the pool had great pasteries for about 80 cents each. We also ordered rolls from the restaurant by the beach and it costs much more to do it that way.

Conni H

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

The MP does have transportation from the resort. It's $15/person and you need to arrange it a day or 2 ahead of time. I'm not sure about going to the resort. If you are an owner using your week, you get free transportation to the resort.

The MP also has transportation from the airport to the resort. We used it in 2005. We arranged it ahead of time via e-mail with the MP concierge. I contacted Brant Boston regarding transportation but he was considerably more expensive. He sent me a personal e-mail.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Thanks everyone for the advise. I'll have a great time , even if it kills me! Better not say that, I think back to Aruba. shaggy