We went to the Mayaland for one night as part of the Gray line overnight tour. We had been to Chichen Itza once before and wanted a bit more time this trip. We booked online in November so I had concerns about whether it would all come together but all was good. We met the bus at the entrance of our resort (Mayan Palace)and they were on time. We were the first pick ups so we then filled the bus at other resorts as we travelled south to Tulum. This was a different route than our last tour 3 years ago so went through some small towns and by Coba. We stopped at a shop and bathroom 1/2 hour away from Chichen Itza and then went to the Mayaland for our included lunch. We asked William our guide about check in and he said we could do that when we finished lunch. All was smooth-we went to the desk, checked in and were brought up to our room right away. We dropped our stuff and then went to rejoin our tour to go into the ruins. William took us around for 1 1/2 hours and then we said our goodbyes to him and asked who the tour guide would be for our pick up the following day. He told us and went off on our own to tour the rest of the grounds. It was cloudy and we had a couple of showers during the day and evening so it was cooler and easier to walk around than our previous VERY hot visit. It started to rain quite hard after another hour so we headed back to the hotel. We settled into out room and wandered around to get our bearings and shopped a bit in the little store. We also went back into the ruins for the night show but did not get the interpreters so were not sure what was being said. It was interesting to see the ruins lit up and to be among them in the dark but it started to rain a little while into the show and because we did not have the interpreters we decided to cut it short and walk back to the hotel. We had supper that night and breakfast and lunch the next day in the main dining room and the food was very good, the service attentive and timely and the atmosphere was lovely. The stained glass windows and the moorish influence in the main hotel were charming. There are peacocks wandering around and lots of other kinds of birds in th trees. The room was comfortable for one night but may not have been for an extended visit. There was a mini bar with a few beer, soft drinks and snacks but we didn't use it except to keep our water cold.
The next morning we had arranged to have a horse back ride at 9 am so after breakfast we went to the front desk and they had a bellman take us by shuttle to the horses. Two Mexican men took the two of us for our ride into the jungle. We rode for about 1 1/2 hours including a climb into a dry cenote(without the horses) half way along the trip. Very cool!! One of the men did not speak any English but the leader did his best and so did we with our bits of Spanish to communicate! The horses were well cared for and it was a lovely way to spend the morning! After that we decided that we really did not need to go back into the ruins instead we toured the beautiful grounds of the hotel, had a late lunch and spent the afternoon at the small pool. After 3 pm we went to the lobby to meet up with Tomas, the tour guide who would be on the bus we were to take back. After a few tries we hooked up with him and the only glitch to the trip is that he did not have our names on his list but there was room on the bus so we just waited until the other day trippers boarded the bus and then we found our seats. On the way back to the Mayan Riviera we stopped at another cenote. This one had water in the bottom and stairs down into it. It was very interesting but I would not want to swim in it. On our tour 3 years ago we had gone to another cenote, Ik Bil and it was very pretty and commercial - this one was not commercial and just interesting! We then got to Tulum and dropped off at resorts until we were dropped off about 8:30 pm. Everything worked out well as long as we asked questions and made sure we were aware of times. This option is only offered by Gray line I think and we enjoyed every minute of the two days. I would go this way again on our next trip to the area.

Hotel is closest to the ruins. Other than that the hotel offers lousy service, tired food, musty rooms, etc. Rooms are overpriced and hotel is often overrun with tour buses and large groups. Check-in and check-out can be a hassle. Hacienda and the Club Med Villas may be better alternatives. We left Mayaland and stayed at the Villas (a suite was same price as Mayaland's standard room) and had a lot better experience.

We stayed at the Mayaland for only one night so we could easily see the light show then get to Chichen Itza early in the morning. The hotel is comfortable, clean, good sized rooms, nice pool, and you certainly can't beat the location.
On the down side the buffet is poor, prices seem to be some guarded secret, the staff for the most part speaks only Spanish, very few any English whatsoever so don't count on having any questions answered; and what we found irritating was on more than a few occasions if the staff member didn't know the answer to your question they just made something up which later you'd find to be inaccurate.
If we had to do it again we'd either just drive out to Chichen on our own early, and eat at one of the other hotels; and not stay overnight at all.

We did an overnight stay here via Grayline Tours. The hotel is older but is well tended and very unique in its lush, jungle setting. Rooms in the main hotel building were very clean, had air cond and small balconies.The bathroom was ample with a giant, deep tub-shower combo. No phones in the room but our cells did work via roam.
All the food we had at the hotel restaurant was quite good. The drinks from the bar, however, were inferior. Stick to the beer! The only wine on site is Mexican.
The staff at the hotel speak English & Spanish but it was not always easy to communicate with them since most use the Mayan dialect as their primary language. They were polite but did not volunteer any information so be prepared to ask and seek what you need to know. We got multiple answers about how to access the evening light show.
If you go to the light show be advised that the program is in Spanish. If you need English you can rent a translation headset for 2.50 USD BUT they will demand to hold either your passport or driver's license until you return the headset. This caused a lot of apprehension among those of us renting. The light show was OK but we did not feel it lived up to its rep. Everyone was taking pictures so the view is partially obscured by all the cameras raised above the shooters' heads. Many of the headset translators did not work and it was a BIG battle to get your money refunded. All the passports and drivers' licenses were returned to the holders but security did not seem a big concern. They were in an unsecured drawer.
The ruins are easily accessed from the back of the Mayaland. They are spectacular. You can obtain great pictures if you get up and go over early before the bus tours start arriving. After that, be prepared for all your pictures to include many strangers! There a lot of local vendors displaying ceramics, carvings, linens, etc. Some are very persistent so practice a polite No Gracias or else you will buy everything!
The weather is very, very hot and steamy. Wear sensible walking shoes, cool clothes, a hat and sunglasses. Use your sunscreen liberally. We live in SW FL and are used to the heat BUT this was extreme. And in January. Summers must be unbelievable.
We also used the spa services. Their massages were wonderful but they are very unorganized. One person in our party never got her massage despite having a reservation. When they have customers receiving services they lock the door and do not answer it!!! Also, they speak NO English. It is difficult unless you know some Spanish.
Despite the little bumps in the road and some communication troubles, we would definitely return to the Mayaland. Grayline Tours was unorganized mess so we would try another company.