My boyfriend and I were looking to go somewhere warm to escape the cold winter weather we are accustomed to. After looking around we decided that Cancun had the most options and the best deals too. We wanted something that was all-inclusive, had several dining options and didn't have too many young kids. While there were cheaper options we ultimately decided on the GR Solaris based on all that they had to offer and the overall good reviews it received.
We arrived in Cancun in the afternoon and had arranged transportation when we booked the package. We expected this to mean some kind of bus so we were very surprised when our Lincoln Navigator arrived and it was stocked with a cooler full of beer. One other couple shared the car with us but it was no big deal.
We heard that there would be a sales pitch for time shares, but we didn't get one. Instead we were approached by Ivan, who was some kind of concierge for the hotel. My boyfriend was apprehensive at first and was sure Ivan was trying to sell us something. He did nothing of that sort and just explained the different dining options and locations to know within the hotel.
Dining
The hotel offered several different dining options, but it is important to note that all of the options are not always available. For example, there is only one place to get breakfast, and then another for lunch. Breakfast each day was a buffet and they had omelets and some other stuff every day and the rest of the stuff rotated daily. Lunch was at the restaurant out by the pool and each day was a different theme (Mexican, Asian, American). If you don't want to take the time to eat a full meal they do have a Snack Bar area by the pool as well and this has some quick foods that are available from around 12-5pm every day.
Dinner each day had 3 options. Marco Polo was the nicest restaurant and the only one (for the most part) that you needed reservations for. Each day it rotated the cuisine (Spanish, Italian, Mediterranean, American). The service was very good, but the food options seemed to be on the eclectic side and we found that if you associate a certain food with a type of cuisine, they probably didn't include it. Each night they offered a few salads, a few appetizers, and then 4 entrees and 4 desserts. The reservation policy was also a bit annoying; they can only be made in person starting at 8am and it seems to take longer than it should. Also, people do start lining up considerably before 8am so make sure to get there early.
The other 2 dinner options were buffets and they were generally good and had lots of different food choices. Just like the other places, the themes would rotate for these places too. You don't need reservations, except for some reason the restaurant by the pool requires them 2 nights per week.
For late night options there is 24 hour room service and also a deli. Both of these were good, but not the greatest.
Room
Our room had a king size bed and was very nice and clean. We paid a bit extra for a balcony and this had 2 chairs and a small table. The description of the room described it as Lagoon View, but since it was on the side of the hotel it looked directly into the next hotel, which was pretty close. If we looked to the sides we could see both the lagoon and the ocean so that was really nice.
The bathroom was clean and roomy and the shower was really nice. At one point our toilet stopped working however and it took several complaints before someone fixed it. We called maintenance a few times and considered asking to change rooms, but a complaint to the front desk got it taken care of.
We did have a mini-bar in the room and it was nice but small. There were several cans of pop and several bottles of beer and it was restocked as needed.
Pool
Just like many other properties the GR Solaris touted the number of pools that it has. I think the number was listed as 5, but don't think that this means there are 5 different pool areas. There is one big pool area with all of the different pools. 1 pool is a kids pool, 1 is an adult pool, 1 is a hot tub and then there is the main pool that is technically 2 separate pools. The adult pool was really quiet and we didn't really go there. The hot tub was nice, but not very hot or very bubbly. The main pools were nice but the lower pool was much colder than the upper one.
If you want to get pool chairs you really need to put your towels down really early in the morning. We tried to get down there by 6:30am and even then many of the prime seats were taken. By 7am or so there were very few groups of chairs together. Some people put towels on the chairs and don't reappear for hours, while others are out there for the entire day. One day we had a problem with one of our chairs being “stolen” by a family who needed an extra chair and then claimed that our towel disappeared, yet our magazines and shoes somehow remained. This was very annoying because getting another towel card required a trip up to the front desk and and explanation.
The pool area leads right down to the beach, which was very nice. The beach was clean and the water was nice. There are chairs down by the beach and these can be reserved just like the ones up by the pool. There are many people walking around selling stuff on the beach and they politely understood if we weren't interested.
Bars
The hotel is all-inclusive, so of course alcohol is an important part of this review. There is one main lobby bar, and then 2 bars out by the pool. The lobby bar is nice and there is plenty of seating, but it can get crowded as it is the only night time option. We really wished there was another night time bar option at the hotel. The pool bar has both swim up and walk up options. The swim up part was really nice but during busy times service could be slow. The other pool area bar is actually part of the restaurant and they have a good selection of drinks.
The hours of the bars were a bit perplexing. The pools were listed as being open until 8pm, yet the bars closed at 5pm. I don't know if this changes when the weather gets warmer or the sun sets later, but it definitely created a last minute rush to get drinks. I should note that the bar that is attached to the restaurant is open later if that restaurant happens to be open at night, but this isn't every night. Another peculiar thing about the bars is the fact that different bars have different drinks. For example, Marco Polo (the nice restaurant) was the only place with Bailey's, and not all of the bars had raspberry vodka. Also, the bar in the restaurant part of the pool has more drink options than the other pool bar.
Other Stuff
We are in our early 30's and do not have any children and were really concerned about being in a hotel with lots of children. It might be different at other times of the year but for the most part there were very few young children there. We also didn't want to be surrounded by 18 year olds there for spring break and excited to legally drink for the first time. There were some younger college kids but not too many, again, this might be different at other times of the year. Finally, we do like to have fun and didn't want to be the youngest ones there either (wow, we sound really picky). There were some older people but they seemed to be up for a good time and were tossing back drinks like people ½ their age.
As many other reviews mention, you can catch the bus right outside the hotel. Compared to US prices the bus was cheap at 75 pesos per person each way. It was clean and the bus drivers were helpful. It is important to note that if you are going towards town that getting back can be confusing. The reason for this is that in the US we are used to a stop going one way being right across the street from a stop going the opposite way, but this was not the case at all in Mexico. For example the stop going to town is right outside the hotel, but coming back from town there are stops either a few blocks before the hotel, or a few blocks after. Also, some of the routes were confusing and you should probably ask the bus driver if you have any questions about where the bus actually goes. One time we were on a bus back from town only to discover that this particular bus only went about ½ way down the strip of hotels towards our hotel and we had to walk several blocks to find another stop.
We went down to the more commercial areas of the town a few times, There are several malls (some nicer than others) as well as a variety of restaurants. There is also a flea market area where there are good deals to be had if you are willing to bargain. Please note that the shops in the flea market sell most of the same stuff (sunglasses, t-shirts, shot glasses, etc) so it makes sense to look around before buying. Also, the shop keepers work very hard to try to get you to come in to their shops and once you are in they don't hesitate to use hard sell tactics.
Everywhere we went people seemed to speak English, which was really nice for us. I can't think of a single hotel employee we encountered who didn't speak English. My boyfriend has been to other cities in Mexico and definitely noticed how Cancun is more Americanized than other cities.
It is impossible to go very far in Cancun without someone trying to sell you an excursion. They have people in the airport, in the hotel, out on the street, in the mall and just about everywhere. We noticed that many of these different places were selling excursions through the same provider. We didn't want to spend an entire day off somewhere so we went on a dinner cruise on the lagoon. It was a short bus ride from the hotel and it was really nice. It wasn't too crowded and everyone was really fun. They gave us the option of chicken and fish, or steak and lobster for a little bit more. We went with steak and lobster and it was pretty good. The lobster was a bit overdone and for reasons that escape my boyfriend, the steak was covered in a mushroom sauce, which he would have appreciated them making this known beforehand.
Just about everywhere except the bus accepted US dollars or Mexican pesos. Some places listed their prices in both currencies, while others dealt exclusively in one or the other. Each day we were there the exchange rate changed and normally this wouldn't be an issue except that the rate varied between the 11-12 range and this impacted how the hotel exchanged our money. When the rate was 12.05 per dollar we got 120 pesos for $10 but when the rate dropped below 12 to 11.95 the hotel now gave us 100 pesos for $9 so they are definitely working the spread. It wasn't a big deal as we really only exchanged money for the bus, but it definitely should be noted. If you plan on exchanging more substantial amounts I am sure there are better options available than at the hotel. I also doubt this hotel was the only place that did this.
This was the best vacation that we have ever had. And we wouldn't change a thing. We would definitely go back to Cancun, but would probably stay somewhere else. And that is only for a different experience.
PS: You must try the coconut ice cream! It is amazing!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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