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My wife and I just got back last night from Cancun. We were in the area for 2 weeks. Our first week was in a 2 BR unit at the Grand Mayan in Riviera Maya and our second week was in a 2 BR Villa at the Royal Mayan in Cancun.
This gave us a good opportunity to compare Cancun with the Riviera Maya as well as the Royals vs Mayan Palace.
We liked the Riviera Maya much better than Cancun. Of course this depends on what one's preferences are. We don't drink and have no interest in night clubs or bars. We are interested in cultural and historical things as well as relaxing at the resort. If one likes to hit the night clubs than Cancun would probably be more suitable. We also far preferred the Grand Mayan/Mayan Palace to the Royals. The Royals were very nice but the Grand Mayan is awesome. Our unit at the Grand Mayan had one of the best locations there. We were in building 7 which is closest to the swimming pools, restaurants etc. We were on the 2nd floor with a good view of the lake and an ocean view from the balcony. You don't have a real good ocean view from any of the units because of the orientation of the buildings but we could see it. The unit was very luxurious, large, and very clean. The service was absolutely outstanding in all departments from the check-in to restaurants to check-out etc. The employees are very friendly and we got to know some of them pretty well before we left. You do have to walk a fair amount as the resort is very spread out. They do have free shuttle service throughout the resort but you still have to do some walking which isn't all bad. The Royals are more compact. Almost everything is more expensive at the Mayan Palace but well worth it in our opinion.
Our unit at the Royal Mayan had a good view of the ocean and the pool area.
We got hit by Tropical storm Stan the day we went to the Royal Mayan. It rained steadily for 5 days and was extremely windy the first 3 days. This knocked out any tours we had planned while in Cancun.
Grand Mayan vs Royal Mayan
Unit: The Grand Mayan was far nicer and much more luxurious. We loved the personal pool on the balcony at the Grand Mayan. It was really nice after coming back late from the tours. Kitchen facilities were better at the Royal Mayan but we never cook any meals so it didn't matter to us.
Service: The Mayan Palace's service was much better all around.
Activities and Entertainment: The Mayan Palace was better in our opinion. Their Fiesta Mexicana was great. We also did the Mexican night at the Royals but it was nothing compared to the Mayan Palace.
Restaurants: This is one area where they are close but I would probably give the nod to the Royals. The breakfast buffet at the Mayan Palace is much better but also more expensive. The food was very good at the Royals with more variety and considerably cheaper. One thing that we didn't like at the Mayan Palace is the lack of Mexican food. Other than the breakfast buffet, there is really no Mexican food available except for the Fiesta Mexicana on Thursday night. On the other hand the Mayan Palace has room service which the Royals do not. We used room service several times at the Mayan Palace. Our waiter Julio at the Mayan Palace El Lago restaurant treated us both to a free breakfast buffet on our last morning for la despedida.
Swimming Pools: Again the Mayan Palace is much better though I did like that the pools were a little deeper at the Royal Mayan.
Beaches: This was one thing that was a big disappointment at both the Mayan Palace and the Royals. The beach in front of the Royals has a barrier of solid rock in the water that you have to get by to get in the ocean. It can be very dangerous, especially if there are any waves. They told us that lot of the sand has been eroded. The beach right in front of the Mayan Palace is not nearly as rocky but you have to watch it. The beach is much nicer about a 1/4 of a mile down from the Mayan Palace. My wife and I did go swimming in the ocean at both the Royal Mayan and the Mayan Palace. If beaches are your highest priority than I would go to Florida where the beaches are much nicer.
Don't get me wrong. The Royals are very nice. It is just that the Mayan Palace was truly outstanding. We were bothered a lot more at the Royal Mayan by timeshare sales folks. We absolutely do NOT do timeshare presentations ever. When we checked in at the Mayan Palace we told the receptionist that we don't attend presentations. She told us to just avoid them by going straight to the shuttle that took us to our unit. That was all there was to it. They never bothered us when we were in the lobby or anywhere else. At the Royal Mayan we had a personal concierge that kept bothering us for the first 5 days we were there until he finally gave up as we just ignored him.
We never rent cars in Mexico as we can always find somebody to take us where we want to go. Riviera Maya and Cancun were no exception. We either went by bus, tours or taxi.
Tours:
1. Xcaret - This was the greatest tour period. The bus picked us up at the Mayan Palace about 9:30 am and we got back at 10:00 PM. The tour included the entrance to the park, buffet lunch, and the evening show. All I can say is Xcaret is totally awesome. If you only do one thing while there, this should be it. The park, buffet lunch and show were absolutely outstanding. We loved swimming in the underground river. Xcaret is quite close to the Mayan Palace.
2. Chichen Itza - This was also a good tour of the Mayan pyramids and buildings. The bus picked us up at 7:30 am ad we got back about 8:00 pm. The tour included drinks on the bus, buffet lunch, and a guided tour of the ruins as well as a stop at a Mayan village and swimming in a cenote ( sink hole ). The lunch was great and you got quite a history lesson. Chichen Itza is a long drive.
We just did the 2 formal tours from the Riviera Maya. We will do some others the next time we go. We had planned on taking the overnight tour to Merida but the Tropical storm eliminated that.
Playa del Carmen: Playa del Carmen is a small city just a few minutes south of the Mayan Palace. We took the minibus there which you catch on the main road in front of the resort. The Mayan palace has a free shuttle that takes you to/from the front gate at the main road. The bus costs 10 pesos and takes you right to downtown Playa del Carmen. We took the boat from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel where we took a tour around on a horse drawn carriage. Playa del Carmen is a nice little city with lot of stores from the usual Mexican souvenir places to some upscale stores.
Cancun: We rode the bus from the Royal Mayan to Mercado 28. We also had a personal tour of the city in a taxi. One of the gals that works at the business center had an uncle that has a taxi. We made special arrangements for him to show us around which worked out real well as we learned a lot and we got a great price. That is one of the big advantages of speaking Spanish fluently and understanding the system.
We far preferred Playa del Carmen. Though much smaller, it has about everything we would want and it is much easier to get to from the Mayan Palace than Cancun is from the Royals.
Snorkeling: We went on a snorkeling excursion at the reef off the beach from the Mayan Palace. They take you out in a boat to the reef and supply all the equipment and free drinks. It was OK and we did see some schools of colored fish but it was nothing compared to the live reef at John Pennekamp State Park at Key Largo, Florida. They gave us a 15% discount because we speak Spanish and my wife is Mexican. This happens quite often. They also took me for a free ride on the wave runners which was great.
Both resorts are cashless. Everything is charged to your room.
Airport Transportation: I strongly recommend arranging your transportation to/from the Mayan Palace with the resort's concierge. You need to do this a couple of days before you arrive. It can all be done by e-mail. Just go to the Royal Mayan web site. It costs $15.00 pp one way which is the cheapest available. They took us in our own private Grand Marquis. We took a taxi from the Mayan Palace to the Royal Mayan. We also took a taxi from the Royal Mayan to the airport on our return. The taxi only costs $1.00 more than the shuttle which is well worth it. We did everything through the resort after checking it out.
I contacted Brant personally by e-mail before going. He sent me a long e-mail that I can forward to anybody that is interested. He would have charged $45.00 for the 2 of us from the airport to the Mayan Palace. He doesn't do anything in the Riviera Maya area with regards to tours etc.
NOTE: Make sure you have your transportation arranged ahead of time. You will be bombarded by hordes of people the second you clear the Mexican customs all offering transportation. Ignore them completely though it is pretty difficult. Make sure you know exactly where you are going as they will lie to you and tell you that they are the resort's shuttle. They are all trying to get you to a timeshare presentation or whatever.
The Mayan Palace will e-mail you a confirmation with explicit instructions including how they will be dressed etc. The kiosk was right outside the door to the terminal and says Mayan Palace on it. They will have a list with your name printed on it. Make sure you see your name as they will also lie about that. Do NOT pay anybody. The shuttle will be charged directly to your room.
This gave us a good opportunity to compare Cancun with the Riviera Maya as well as the Royals vs Mayan Palace.
We liked the Riviera Maya much better than Cancun. Of course this depends on what one's preferences are. We don't drink and have no interest in night clubs or bars. We are interested in cultural and historical things as well as relaxing at the resort. If one likes to hit the night clubs than Cancun would probably be more suitable. We also far preferred the Grand Mayan/Mayan Palace to the Royals. The Royals were very nice but the Grand Mayan is awesome. Our unit at the Grand Mayan had one of the best locations there. We were in building 7 which is closest to the swimming pools, restaurants etc. We were on the 2nd floor with a good view of the lake and an ocean view from the balcony. You don't have a real good ocean view from any of the units because of the orientation of the buildings but we could see it. The unit was very luxurious, large, and very clean. The service was absolutely outstanding in all departments from the check-in to restaurants to check-out etc. The employees are very friendly and we got to know some of them pretty well before we left. You do have to walk a fair amount as the resort is very spread out. They do have free shuttle service throughout the resort but you still have to do some walking which isn't all bad. The Royals are more compact. Almost everything is more expensive at the Mayan Palace but well worth it in our opinion.
Our unit at the Royal Mayan had a good view of the ocean and the pool area.
We got hit by Tropical storm Stan the day we went to the Royal Mayan. It rained steadily for 5 days and was extremely windy the first 3 days. This knocked out any tours we had planned while in Cancun.
Grand Mayan vs Royal Mayan
Unit: The Grand Mayan was far nicer and much more luxurious. We loved the personal pool on the balcony at the Grand Mayan. It was really nice after coming back late from the tours. Kitchen facilities were better at the Royal Mayan but we never cook any meals so it didn't matter to us.
Service: The Mayan Palace's service was much better all around.
Activities and Entertainment: The Mayan Palace was better in our opinion. Their Fiesta Mexicana was great. We also did the Mexican night at the Royals but it was nothing compared to the Mayan Palace.
Restaurants: This is one area where they are close but I would probably give the nod to the Royals. The breakfast buffet at the Mayan Palace is much better but also more expensive. The food was very good at the Royals with more variety and considerably cheaper. One thing that we didn't like at the Mayan Palace is the lack of Mexican food. Other than the breakfast buffet, there is really no Mexican food available except for the Fiesta Mexicana on Thursday night. On the other hand the Mayan Palace has room service which the Royals do not. We used room service several times at the Mayan Palace. Our waiter Julio at the Mayan Palace El Lago restaurant treated us both to a free breakfast buffet on our last morning for la despedida.
Swimming Pools: Again the Mayan Palace is much better though I did like that the pools were a little deeper at the Royal Mayan.
Beaches: This was one thing that was a big disappointment at both the Mayan Palace and the Royals. The beach in front of the Royals has a barrier of solid rock in the water that you have to get by to get in the ocean. It can be very dangerous, especially if there are any waves. They told us that lot of the sand has been eroded. The beach right in front of the Mayan Palace is not nearly as rocky but you have to watch it. The beach is much nicer about a 1/4 of a mile down from the Mayan Palace. My wife and I did go swimming in the ocean at both the Royal Mayan and the Mayan Palace. If beaches are your highest priority than I would go to Florida where the beaches are much nicer.
Don't get me wrong. The Royals are very nice. It is just that the Mayan Palace was truly outstanding. We were bothered a lot more at the Royal Mayan by timeshare sales folks. We absolutely do NOT do timeshare presentations ever. When we checked in at the Mayan Palace we told the receptionist that we don't attend presentations. She told us to just avoid them by going straight to the shuttle that took us to our unit. That was all there was to it. They never bothered us when we were in the lobby or anywhere else. At the Royal Mayan we had a personal concierge that kept bothering us for the first 5 days we were there until he finally gave up as we just ignored him.
We never rent cars in Mexico as we can always find somebody to take us where we want to go. Riviera Maya and Cancun were no exception. We either went by bus, tours or taxi.
Tours:
1. Xcaret - This was the greatest tour period. The bus picked us up at the Mayan Palace about 9:30 am and we got back at 10:00 PM. The tour included the entrance to the park, buffet lunch, and the evening show. All I can say is Xcaret is totally awesome. If you only do one thing while there, this should be it. The park, buffet lunch and show were absolutely outstanding. We loved swimming in the underground river. Xcaret is quite close to the Mayan Palace.
2. Chichen Itza - This was also a good tour of the Mayan pyramids and buildings. The bus picked us up at 7:30 am ad we got back about 8:00 pm. The tour included drinks on the bus, buffet lunch, and a guided tour of the ruins as well as a stop at a Mayan village and swimming in a cenote ( sink hole ). The lunch was great and you got quite a history lesson. Chichen Itza is a long drive.
We just did the 2 formal tours from the Riviera Maya. We will do some others the next time we go. We had planned on taking the overnight tour to Merida but the Tropical storm eliminated that.
Playa del Carmen: Playa del Carmen is a small city just a few minutes south of the Mayan Palace. We took the minibus there which you catch on the main road in front of the resort. The Mayan palace has a free shuttle that takes you to/from the front gate at the main road. The bus costs 10 pesos and takes you right to downtown Playa del Carmen. We took the boat from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel where we took a tour around on a horse drawn carriage. Playa del Carmen is a nice little city with lot of stores from the usual Mexican souvenir places to some upscale stores.
Cancun: We rode the bus from the Royal Mayan to Mercado 28. We also had a personal tour of the city in a taxi. One of the gals that works at the business center had an uncle that has a taxi. We made special arrangements for him to show us around which worked out real well as we learned a lot and we got a great price. That is one of the big advantages of speaking Spanish fluently and understanding the system.
We far preferred Playa del Carmen. Though much smaller, it has about everything we would want and it is much easier to get to from the Mayan Palace than Cancun is from the Royals.
Snorkeling: We went on a snorkeling excursion at the reef off the beach from the Mayan Palace. They take you out in a boat to the reef and supply all the equipment and free drinks. It was OK and we did see some schools of colored fish but it was nothing compared to the live reef at John Pennekamp State Park at Key Largo, Florida. They gave us a 15% discount because we speak Spanish and my wife is Mexican. This happens quite often. They also took me for a free ride on the wave runners which was great.
Both resorts are cashless. Everything is charged to your room.
Airport Transportation: I strongly recommend arranging your transportation to/from the Mayan Palace with the resort's concierge. You need to do this a couple of days before you arrive. It can all be done by e-mail. Just go to the Royal Mayan web site. It costs $15.00 pp one way which is the cheapest available. They took us in our own private Grand Marquis. We took a taxi from the Mayan Palace to the Royal Mayan. We also took a taxi from the Royal Mayan to the airport on our return. The taxi only costs $1.00 more than the shuttle which is well worth it. We did everything through the resort after checking it out.
I contacted Brant personally by e-mail before going. He sent me a long e-mail that I can forward to anybody that is interested. He would have charged $45.00 for the 2 of us from the airport to the Mayan Palace. He doesn't do anything in the Riviera Maya area with regards to tours etc.
NOTE: Make sure you have your transportation arranged ahead of time. You will be bombarded by hordes of people the second you clear the Mexican customs all offering transportation. Ignore them completely though it is pretty difficult. Make sure you know exactly where you are going as they will lie to you and tell you that they are the resort's shuttle. They are all trying to get you to a timeshare presentation or whatever.
The Mayan Palace will e-mail you a confirmation with explicit instructions including how they will be dressed etc. The kiosk was right outside the door to the terminal and says Mayan Palace on it. They will have a list with your name printed on it. Make sure you see your name as they will also lie about that. Do NOT pay anybody. The shuttle will be charged directly to your room.
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