GM - Riviera Maya

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

Hi, I just read the sticky review of this resort and looked at the pictures which include a map of the resort (it was great!)..

I have a few questions for anyone who has been there recently...

- I know with most trades the answer is "not usually", but I'll ask anyway.. do they accommodate requests for buildings / views? (We would be going in late Oct / early Nov.. I am not sure if this is a busy time for traveling to Mexico??)

- I looked at the map and it appears that buildings 1-7 would be the most desirable because they are closest to the beach (views) and the pools/fitness/restaurants (convenience). It looks to me like 7 might be the best? Are there rooms in buildings 3 and 4 that face only the parking lot? What do you think is the best building to be in?

- Do they have wi-fi in the rooms or in some common area so that you can use your laptop? (trust me, its not me, its my husband )

- Generally, we like to spend a lot of time relaxing at the pool/beach, walking around and hanging out at the resort, etc. - if we go here, what would you recommend doing on the 1-2 days we spend off the resort (ie, things not to be missed)?

Thanks for your advice !!!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Getting up graded at the resort can be done if they are not over booked and if you get the right person at check in and you tip them. You can go into the Cancun area or Playa Del Carmen or the old fishing village for a cheap meal in Pôrto Morales, Xcaret is not far away.

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

No wi-fi in the rooms. I do not know if they are offering the same $60 wi-fi that they have in NV.

At that time of year, you might be able to get in buildings 1-7 - those are generally saved for owners. Actually, the way the rooms are situated, there really are not ocean view rooms. The buildings are only 3 stories high and other stuff will block your view. We were barely able to see the ocean from the 3rd floor of a unit in building 2. The restaurant with the big palapa blocked most of it. The buildings are perpendicular to the ocean. Yes some units face the parking lot and some the jungle or resort next door. Mayan Palace resort: photo tour, aerial images this link is old, but shows how the units are situated.

I understand that they are building new Luxxe units in front of building 7, so that would block a view and you would hear the construction.

Playa del Carmen is fun. You can take the ferry to Cozumel and spend a day. Tulum, Xcaret, Xhel-ha, and Akmul are some of our favorites.

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

Thank you, both of these posts were very helpful!
Thanks for letting me know about the construction as well, because I was thinking that 7 would be the best to request..

What type of tip would be appropriate for a better room? Are we talking $20 or $200??

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

I have no idea about the tip. I own at Grand Mayan with the Profile A status and automatically get one of the "most desired" rooms. That is why they are often not available to exchangers. There are quite a few Profile A owners who are guaranteed those rooms. But, late October/early November are not the prime times for owners, so you might be able to get into building 2 or 6. Building 2 is not bad - I would prefer it over 6. We stayed in it once when they were working on the new GM pool. It was better than 1 because of the construction. They were going to put us in building 7, but we wanted to be closer to the pool than to the beach as we had friends staying in the MP side.

Everyone is different. When we take the family, we have been known to ask for one unit on the oceanside and one on the other side. After a day in the sun, I really like the shade on the porch when I get back to the room. The oceanside ones in Acapulco and Nuevo get hot in the afternoon! I love the sunsets over the ocean, but can go outside to look at those when in a unit that does not face the west.

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

When we were there the November before last (early November) it was very uncrowded but we were still put in units next to golf course in back. For us this worked out fine as we liked the location. We had no trouble getting around the resort as the trams, golf carts and buses were not crowded because there were not a lot of people there. Many times the golf card transportation guys would pick us up if we were walking and take us wherever we wanted to go even if not their route. We were closer to the front gate and since we spent quite a bit of time off the resort that was great for us.
We liked our location, but we like to walk. We were in a 1BR.
The only complaint we had was that the pools were very cold, hardly anyone except a few kids and my wife and I would go in them. The ocean was beautiful temp. Don't know if this is norm for that time of year or if we just hit it that way.
You can view my photos of the resort at:
Mexio07-GrandMyan pictures from travel photos on webshots

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

We were there again in Jan 2009, and the information in this thread is still pretty accurate. It is now $35/day to rent the palapas, you can take take the shuttle to Playa and pay for each direction ($3.50). We paid $10 last year at check in and got building 7, but this year we got in 9. No problems because the shuttle ran fairly often, and our balcony overlooked the jungle (more private)
http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...a-changes.html
Get Pesos early! If you are paying in USD, they still are using the convenient 10/1 instead of more current 13/1, so a 200 peso taxi is $20, or only $15.50 if you use pesos.
See Tulum, Chitzenitza (sp), and Xcaret.

[mscott3232 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mscott3232]

Is Grand Maya Riviera Maya pay as you go?

Hi! My friends and I reserve 2 two-bedroom units for end of November and we can't wait to go!! Can anyone tell me if the resort is pay as you go, or if everything is charged to the room. I ask because there's a bunch of us going and we're not sure how we would be able to separate out the charges if we have to charge everything to the room.

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

Hi! My friends and I reserve 2 two-bedroom units for end of November and we can't wait to go!! Can anyone tell me if the resort is pay as you go, or if everything is charged to the room. I ask because there's a bunch of us going and we're not sure how we would be able to separate out the charges if we have to charge everything to the room.

Everything is charged to the room - they call it "cashless". You can use 2 credit cards for a 2-bedroom unit. We do it with friends all the time. They used to just assign one of the rooms to one couple and one to the other and it was simple. Now they often use the Suite room number and then use A or B to designate which cc, sometimes they do -1 and -2. I do not know if you can put more than 2 cards on file. It just depends on the resort. It sure was easier when they used the actual room numbers, but it works out. Just keep all of your reciepts for when you get ready to check out. We ususally go ask for a printout the day before we leave so we can make sure they did not get any mixed up.

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

Go to the GM website;contacts, and ask the concierge about transfer from the airport. When we arrived in Jan 2009, the shuttle from the airport was complimentary for RCI & SFX exchangers. The return trip was $15 PP or a cab was $30 (300 Pesos=$23).

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

Partial Kitchen?

We too are planning an exchange this fall to the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya to a 2 BD unit. I see that they list a “Partial Kitchen”. How big is the refrigerator? Does it have a freezer? Is there a separate sink in the Kitchenette?

Thanks

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

Grand Mayan Riviera Maya to a 2 BD unit...... “Partial Kitchen”. How big is the refrigerator? Does it have a freezer? Is there a separate sink in the Kitchenette?

The refrigerator is small. I would call it a small apartment size - it may be 4-1/2 feet tall. The freezer is quite small - mabybe 6-8" high and 20" wide. The microwave is over the refrigerator. There is a 4 burner cooktop, no oven, or dishwasher. There is a small one-bowl sink in the kitchenette. You will have a toaster, blender and coffeemaker. I think I remember are 3 or 4 pots/pans/skillets and 1 small griddle. The largerst pot is about 3 quarts. We have cooked breakfast and made spaghetti or chili, but that is about it.

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

Phyllis,

Thank-you for your responce.

How dod you enjoy your stay at The Grand Mayan?

Other than the rocky beach, any other concerns?

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

We have been twice - both times for 3 weeks. We absolutely loved it. Recently, I rented my extra weeks to friends so that they could take their "kids" and grandkids. They loved the resort and the pool. One group was in building 8 of the GM and really liked it. They said the unit was newer and nicer than the one the four of us stayed in two years ago. They did not mind the location at all. The other group had a unit in building 2 and 11 of the Mayan Palace side. They enjoyed it too. They rented palapa beds several days.

We do not golf, but our friends do and said the course was more challenging than you would think. They enjoyed it.

We have gone to Cozumel, Tulum, X-Caret and Xhe-Ha. All are nice outings. You can get a tour that combines Tulum and Xhel-ha. It makes for a fun day. We like to go into Playa del Carmen. I found great 50 minute massages for $45 there. (near 100% natural restaurant).

You will need to take the resort shuttle, a taxi, or ride the bus to Playa. There is a Mega and Walmart near one another - both are good for groceries.

I am looking forward to going again. We try to rotate resorts so that we can keep up on changes.

You should have a great vacation.

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

Phyllis,

Thanks for the update. It sounds great.
We are going in October. I will report back then.

Thanks again