We booked this vacation for January 13-21 back in August, based on the sparkling online reviews, gorgeous photos, and value compared to other nearby resorts ($1,500 each for 8 days, including air, taxes and shuttle van). I have to say; the handful of extremely negative reviews posted early in January got us a little worried. But I was relieved to find out that they were just a bunch of hot air.

I'd like to respond to a few things that others like to complain about first. There have been complaints that "no one speaks English." First of all, you're in MEXICO. Last time I checked, it was not annexed by the United States and Spanish is still the official language. Secondly, they DO speak English. Everyone whose job is to interact directly with guests speak good to excellent English. I had no problem whatsoever communicating with servers, front desk staff, and bartenders. And if you need to say something to a maid, or the woman cooking crepes, it wouldn't kill you to learn a few words. Keep it simple and they get the gist. It's embarrassing that some people still perpetuate the "ugly American" stereotype by rudely expecting everyone to speak their language.

Secondly, people complain about walking. This is a gorgeous, sprawling eco-resort. Why wouldn't you want to walk? We only rode the train once, for about two minutes when we were lost on our second day. People, it only takes 15 minutes to walk from one end of the resort to the other. It's no wonder there is an obesity epidemic in the U.S. I'm willing to guess that the majority of complainers are overweight and would prefer to be carted about in a wheelbarrow between the dining rooms and the bars. Walking is good for you. Even if you're elderly, it's not too late to benefit from exercise, strengthen your bones and live longer. For those who are handicapped, and do not have the patience to wait for the trains, then perhaps this resort is not a good match. However, if you book far enough in advance you might be able to request a first floor room in Cabins 1 or 2, which are very close to the reception area, bars, dining rooms and pools.

I suppose some people expect for there to be an entire party waiting to greet them when they check in. The staff was always friendly and polite. I think the key is to remind yourself that you're on vacation. If not everything goes perfect, lighten up and smile, you're not at work! And the people who are working for your comfort will respond to your good vibes. There was one snafu in that we failed to book a king size bed, and so we got a room with two doubles. It was our fault and they were booked up, so we just shared a double bed. No big deal.

Food
The food was good to very good. Keep in mind that they're feeding over 2,000 people. It's not going to be gourmet. However, we had no complaints about the wide variety of juices, fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, yogurts and much more. If one thing doesn't meet your standard, like some pineapple that's not quite ripe, there are twenty other options. They made omelettes to order, and there were even bottles of champaign open to mix with the juices. Nice touch. Lunch was served near the pool, with outdoor seating. There were always different kinds of pasta with different options of sauces made to order, and fish (usually salmon, grouper and mahi mahi, grilled with olive oil, seasonings and lime juice). Plenty of good healthy options. And there was always pizza, fries, burgers and hot dogs for the rest, ha ha. Dinner featured a different theme every night, and again, no complaints. If I didn't like something, I go get something else. One thing I would suggest they add is to make hot sauces and chili sauces more available, since they're a little tame on the spices so as to not frighten the Americans, heh. We booked three nights for a la carte restaurants no problem at all, no wait. The Japanese was no match for our favorite sushi places in Chicago, but it was still great, with a showoffy chef who had an elaborate routine of flipping and juggling utensils and food. The Brazilian place was no Fogo de Chao, but it was still very good. Meat lovers will love it. Try the Caiphirinha, made with cachaca, Brazilian liquor made from sugar cane. The Mediterranean was my least favorite, but I still left full. Overall the food was better than that of Riu in Negril, Jamaica, a five star resort. It wasn't quite as good as the food we had on two Norwegian cruises.

Beach
The beach is gorgeous. Staff was great about raking up seaweed every morning. Those who complained about rocks obviously didn't bother to explore the whole beach. The whole southern end, stretching nearly 300 meters, was completely, perfectly sandy. From that end I could see El Dorado Seaside Suites, point and laugh at them because they're paying 50% more for a supposed 5 star resort. The water is much clearer than it was in Negril, but not as nice as Grand Cayman. I snorkeled only one day. The rest of the days, the water was just too rough, with red flags indicating the water is "dangerous." I don't know if it's a seasonal thing, and if the wind and waves calm down later in the year or not, but obviously the resort can't do anything about that! I imagine the large waves push the rocks in, and they aren't able to clear them near the shore of the entire half mile long beach. But if you wear water shoes, you can get to the sand again about 20 feet in. Additionally, there were empty beach chairs all along the whole beach. The resort was booked to capacity yet we had no problem finding places to sit, both in the shade and in the sun. I don't understand how people can complain otherwise.

Pools
I've never seen a resort with so many pools, winding around everywhere. They were nice and deep (over 5' I believe), slightly cooler than the ocean, but fresh water. Colonial and Kantenah share the same pools, and for a change of pace you can go over to the White Sands/Riviera side, which also features more winding lagoons with many bridges. Pretty amazing. There's also an adult pool and a salt water pool right next to the ocean on the northern end.

Renova Health Club & Spa
Renova hasn't gotten enough acclaim. This place is awesome. From the gorgeous architecture, with its columns and open air lobby, to the curved, all-glass walls of the fitness center facing the jungle, to the brand new, state of the art workout machines, to the plentiful water coolers and fresh pitchers of tea and green drink full of healthy stuff (which didn't taste too bad), to the outdoor pool with whirlpools and the snaking waterway that connects to the spa. It was so amazing to cool off after a workout in the pool, float on my back, winding my way to the spa, and finding myself in this amazing room with hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and a large, circular whirlpool with about twenty mini waterfalls set up so you can sit under them to massage your neck, shoulders and back. Look up and there's a circular opening in the ceiling where you can see the stars (we'd work out usually at dusk, around 5:30). It's truly magical. Thrown in a Swedish or Shiatsu massage ($77 to $99), and it's almost paradise.

Critters
It seems not many people appreciate the amazing ecosystem. The resort is teeming with wildlife, making it unique from all the others I researched in the Riviera. There are signs everywhere, identifying the various species and plants. We had many iguana and lizard spottings, fish, cranes, and of course the lovely pink flamingoes. We watched them feed the crocodiles (every Tuesday at 1 PM), but failed to spot any monkeys, wild boars or turtles. There is also a family of feral jungle kitties. Well, maybe not so wild. They hang out in the grass by one of the wooden bridges near the dining rooms mainly every evening, waiting for scraps. We saw five total, and heard a black one was spotted in the woods. A big orange tabby seems to be the patriarch (Big Daddy O), and we named the others Mama Kitty, Bologna, Salami and Scrappy (seem to be around 7 months old), since they love cold cuts. Scrappy had some nasty injuries around its neck. I'm not sure what it got in a scrap with, but we were worried. The cats are friendly and can be petted. If you don't like cats, don't bother them and they won't bother you. They stick to one area, and if it's apparent you don't have food, they'll walk away after a bit. We saw people putting out stuff like bananas and potatoes. Cats don’t eat that! They like the cold cuts (but no ham, it's bad for them), salmon and other leftover fish, and yogurt. It would be nice to hear reports from future reviewers on how they're doing. The cats are part of the eco system, and capable of hunting. However, it's dangerous out there, and the young ones' survival rate would increase if they didn't have to compete with the other critters like the weasels.

Overall, this was our best vacation yet. One last thought, I was surprised how I didn't get a single bug bite. How is that possible? It's truly a charmed place.

Well here goes..hope some info here helps etc.

( by the way we have over 60 pics at our msn site http://groups.msn.com/olafromtsa just click where it says pictures... )

The trip was booked last minute , 10 days prior..as we needed a getaway after death in family etc. We were booked to Colonial in a jr suite. until we discovered that we could put in a special request by email to their guest services ( Lulu). We took the suggestion to email Lulu ,mention the anniversary and the 50th bday etc and when we arrived we had been upgraded to a mayan suite ( thank you again Lulu if you read this !!! )

Flight out from Calgary was good,we prebooked seats for extra legroom (I am 6ft 5 in) well worth the extra dollars..the first class was already fully booked.

Arrival at airport fine except we were "red lighted' and went thru search , no biggie.We decided to NOT take the shuttle bus to the resort..instead we prebooked with AGI to pick us up at the airport.
Javier's (AGI manager/owner) man was waiting for us and in a little over an hour we were at the resort,even after stopping at the 7/11 for cervessa ..driver wanted to pay but we insisted. Great outfit Javier runs !!

Checkin was about 5 mins , and w good news of mayan suite. Unpacked , swam,drank, ate ,etc. Resort is very big , similiar to the Punta Cana one so we similarly used the "train" for some discovery.

from here , I think i will report by category, probably more helpful this way .....

Rooms: initially in 3104 .loved the location (close to beach,pool,trainstop,paths etc) Disliked the close proximity to path as less private, had to close drapes etc.
we ran into 2 problems. 1- a constant odor in the room ( I am sure there is mold in the wall near a/c due to condensation leak) tried everything but it was still a bother.
2- inconsiderate upstair’s guest who walked in high heels ( on marble floors past midnight etc, banged things around etc) I don't get why people cannot think of the lower level guest!!!
we were changed to 3008...FANTASTIC.. upper mayan suite , no odor , nice location, private, vaulted ceilings so room felt bigger , more private shower.

I am glad i followed comments from other reports to bring things such as an extension cord ( our mp3 player, speaker,laptop etc..) as the outlets are all single ,and being used by lamps etc.
..make sure your extension has multiple head on it.
Bar is kept well stocked ,(with the room-switch , minibar in 3008 was empty but they refilled same day for us..nice).
Sue wished they had "body lotion" like other resorts but will bring her own next time.
Beds are great!! I am difficult sleeper ,have history of major back surgery etc ,slept terrible in Dominican...but like a baby here !
The decks are nice for a short sit/read after a day at beach/pool while you are changing for dinner etc but WOWEE does it go dark fast when sun goes down .
.not like Alberta where we have very light skies until 11 pm in the summer.

Restaurants : we booked into the Japanese (show table is suggested ) , the Mediteranean and the Mexican. We enjoyed all 3, found they were a change from the buffets , not that we needed the change as the buffets were great. I get soooooo tired of folks complaining about things like resort food..would love to see what they eat the rest of the year . On a similiar topic , whoever complains about the booze is also being picky..we had an ok champagne most of the time, drambuie ,gran marinier, bicardi rums (4 types) , J&B or Ballentine Scotch , Jimmy Bean bourbon.......give me a break , the booze does suffice , we did not book a cruise on the Queen Mary at $150,000 . (sorry for my rant here but i find the resorts take a bum rapp on the food and booze issue many times)

We arrived on a friday and were leaving following friday so this posed a problem for the Friday evening BBQ on the Beach ( Colonial). We went anyways. Head waiter said to see him 15 minutes after start of BBQ.
I returned then and also slipped him some cash to "find a spot for us" ..he said most likely but just sent us to wait again to the side ??? a server saw this , motioned to follow him ..he found us a spot so i gave him some cash too as he got the job done . as it turned out..there were LOTS of empty tables due to the very cool weather. (lesson learned: tip for job DONE..not until)


Entertainment: FANTASTIC! we loved the Palladium Dominican crew but they pale in comparison to these folks ! We loved nearly every show we went to see.The choreography was intense..I suggest any heckler just try to do ONE of their routines.. these dancers are constantly in costume changes and routines...then if that is not enough, they get carted to the Riviera for the aletr show (10:30) but not to do the same show again...but to do a different show on same night !!!! Hello..that is a loty of work on their part..hats off to them ! Sound system and lighting was good too ,compared to some resorts.
I must say i enjoyed the nightly "bingo" in Punta Cana..wish they would add it here at GP at least for the early show.

An ABSOLUTE must see for any "rockers" is the band " Quarzo" check them out at (---)
I have played music for 35 years , 10 years pro on clubs....I was blown away by these local guys from PDC....setlist from Stones to Eagles to AC/DC to Wallflowers to Steppenwolf..they even played "Vehicle" by the Ides of March for you old foggies! They were a highlight of our stay ...best resort band I have ever seen. they play Thurs,Sat.Sun alternating at Whitesands and Colonial (the huge open bar areas near main pools).

Animation: possibly they are good but we did not interact. Last year in Dominican Palladium we were amazed at how good their staff were , we had our 17 yr old and they litterally adopted her into their group for 2 weeks . I really did not see the same enthusiasm at GP , but again we were just two old farts chillin' out.

Pools : all beautiful ,really liked the Colonial adult pool except why the "walk thru traffic" kinda defeats the purpose of privacy..people w kids walked thru many times ??? Should rethink those pathways..
compared to Dominican or Palladium Vallarta , I found the GP pools dead as far as music. i am sure many like that ,that's fine ,as for me i have my mp3 anyways but I mention this as i have read reports of the 'constant music" ..we heard none or very little and never more than 1/3 the volume at other resorts we have been to. Some nice "ambient chill lounge" music would be nice at the adult pools but again maybe not for everyone so that's why I bring my own and headphones..everyone wins.

Excursions: did not ( grrrrr !) as we found one week too short ,we usually do 2 weeks and so have time for excursions ,will do next year.
we went to Playa del Carmen...by the way ..after waiting 20 minutes with 30 others for the collectivos that flew by full each time ,we approached another cpl to split a taxi ,
hailed one at the lobby and were on our way in 10 minutes.Took collectivo back however as that was no problem to find in PDC.
Nice town ,neat bars ,great Daquaris ,good shopping...will go again.

Staff very nice , friendly but many were 'shy"..carribean island people are more outgoing and smile,laugh,engage in converstion. we found at GP many staff (not bartenders but servers etc) were just soooo shy.
Still better than having rude loud-mouths. Desk staff and client service all very very nice , lots of english speaking staff.


that about covers it... the trip rated high for us..we will be back and bring kids and grandkids and inlaws ( maybe our mailman or paperboy too ..kidding)

DOWNERS we have 3 downers I can think of :
1- we thought we had planned enough but did NOT as far as connecting w other guests so we only met a few, and based on them we sure wished we had engaged into conversation with more...(thanks K&T colorado)
Another solution would be if GP management put up a message board in a lobby area to leave "post-its" etc of ongoing/last minute events planned. Just a thought.

2- lack of sufficent internet access. That silly cafe in Colonial closes at the weirdest times (8pm to 8:45 for example) and then opens late/closes early. Not all comps working etc. you have to "pay as you go' and must be "pesos" ??? why ? in other resorts you pay US $ and can buy a code for say 30 minutes or 2 hrs..whatever. in this day and age with internet sovital (we still need to check emails personal and business if even only 15 minutes a day) I don't see why they don't offer "wireless " resorts ..not just at the Riviera but whole complex...oh well

3- Disco- I fully understand and expect latin/caribbean/spanish music etc but EVERY SONG?? the evening starts with spanish line dances catering to the europeans and a few gringos who giggle it up and enjoy but it becomes soon tiresome... even the HUGE discos in Europe and Canary Islands and Ibiza etc all know to play some of that other dance/rave/american music.we love to dance and would do so every night there but we found it lame and after sitting for 40 minutes we left on 2 occasions..by contrast when that rock band QUARZO played..the bar dance floor was humming and we were having a blast... just a comment...

Our group of 6 fr Ohio stayed at the Colonial fr Jan 14-21st. Our checkin was NO problem, felt very welcomed, we rec'd our bands, told it would be about 10 min (our rooms were ready & it was only noonish) before the porter would take our bags & us by cart to our rooms.
Stayed in Blds 9 & 20. Rooms were exactly as on resr-Jr suite-King bed. Rooms spacious & VERY clean & fully equipped/extra pillows, refrig filled w/pop/H20/beer. This is a PERFECT location! Our room was made up every morning while we had the buffett breakfast-usually between 8-9:30. No problems there.
Re the Buffets, we all found them to be QUITE extensive-- selections for ALL tastes (we had 1 meat eater who found lots to ENJOY besides all the great made to order seafoods, veal & pork dishes,veg/salads/fruits/desserts, etc (if you like smoked salmon it's on the salad bar Everyday!!!) The Hostesses/Waiters in the buffets work very long shifts, we never waited for service-coffee refills/ H20/or pop. They always greeted us w.smiles & laughed w/us when we used our fractured Spanish. Did leave a few dollars or more, they really appreciate it! Re booking the ala carts-the timeframe for booking is 9:30-1:30 & a block of time late afternoon. We never waited in line, did the El Dorado-ribeye/strip were our choice, Ok steaks(we're midwesterners-used to Great beef), the Brazilian Rodezio-skewered meats of all kinds, nice experience, they kid you about some of the serving being monkey/iguana/anaconda! Play along or don't tell everyone in your party, which is what we did! Our favorite was Portofino-Italian. Terrific pasta/veal etc. The waiters in all were the Best!
Took the time on Mon during a brief shower to walk to get perspective of the entire resort complex(LOTS of shortcuts, many of walks are covered (sun/rain protection)this helped us really understand where everything is!
Make sure you take advantage of the Spa, all the hydrotherapy/sauna/steam is Free/part of the AI. We spent time each day & it was OUTSTANDING!
Everday we hit the beach, some in our group did the pools Lots to choose from. There are TONS of lounges, so don't worry that you need to get up at the crack of dawn "to save". We never had a problem getting sun or shade area! You can walk for quite awhile along beach. To the south end it's reef, rockier bring your swim shoes, many snorkeled right off the beach! Deep beach along the Kantenah area with lots of shade too.
There are dance/Spanish lessons/games/sports you can enjoy as much or as little. The evening entertainment is astonishing when you realize that the entertainment team has been at work since early in the morning & they still have sooo much energy/enthusiasm to keep it up until after 11 for 2 shows!
This is our 4th visit to the Riviera Maya area, our 1st at this fabulous resort & We DEFINITELY plan a return visit next year in Jan. Everyone in our group of 6 had an outstanding time!!!
We did see/hear many RUDE people, who cut into the buffet lines, who yelled at waiters, or who were just obnoxious. (Guess when you have such a large mix of people, there are bound to be those who are never happy.) Life is too short for that.
If anyone has other questions, feel free to contact me.

My family, touring with a seniors group, just returned from this pitiful excuse for a "resort "and NONE of us will be returning. This was the absolute WORST hotel/resort experience I have personally EVER had, and I travel extensively for business and pleasure.

While the grounds of this resort are beautiful and meticulously manicured, this property has little else to offer someone looking for a relaxing vacation. It is certainly not a property that caters to seniors (age 60+) or anyone with ANY physical limitation.

First , 17 of the 31 people traveling with our group did not get the accommodations (bedding arrangements) they'd booked, which resulted in 4 + hours wasted trying to get suitable, if not our desired, accommodations. My family had booked two adjoining rooms on the first floor with two queen beds in each. After 2 hours and 20 minutes of fighting with the front desk we ended up with one room as requested and the second room 3 buildings away on the second floor. Mind you there are no elevators and NO HAND RAILS on the stairways. Then, to add to our frustration, the telephone in our room didn't work, resulting in a 1/2 - 3/4 mile hike to the front desk to report the malfunction. An inoperable telephone turned out to be a DAILY occurence, not only for the two rooms my family occupied, but for 5 other people in our group. And not once did anyone apologize for the inconvenience.

Then came the hassle of making dinner reservations for our two nights in the "upscale" dining rooms. LOL Since there was only one person making these reservations we waited over 85 minutes (in two attempts) before we were successful in booking our reservations. Had we known the food and service at these dining rooms (Eldorado and Portofino) would be poor, at best, we would not have wasted time standing in line. Both meals were AWFUL.....I mean SO bad my father and brother (who will eat anything!) refused to eat. The steaks were tough, full of gristle and not cooked to order. The shrimp was so salty is tasted like it had been soaked in brine. The tomatoes were not ripe, the sauces and vegetables were cold and and the food was luke warm, at best. Thank God we had brought cheese crakcers with us!

The dining buffets were little better. The food was often luke warm and greasy, or dry and tough. The buffet dining rooms were often half full and still they made you wait for 20-30 minutes to be seated. On three occasions the buffet dining room was closed one hour prior to the end of the dining schedule posted, with no explanation or apology for the inconvenience.

There is shuttle service that runs along the parimeter of the property, but good luck finding one that will stop to pick you up. The shuttles are supposed to run every 10 minutes, but often ran at 20 minutes intervals and literally refused to stop for you even with multiple seats available. It got so bad that on numerous occasions members of our group, andf other guests, would commandeer shuttle carts with no driver and refuse to get off until one arrived and was given no choice but to take us to our rooms. And boy, did the drivers let you know they were ticked!

The nightly entertainment was no better than a high school performance, with high school students literally doing the performing! Given an average guest age of 50 years old, everyone I spoke with was miffed that the shows were geared to children under 12........ Jungle Book (2 times), Little Mermaid, etc.

And don't bother tipping, as it truly made no difference in the level of service you received. In fact, it seemed to make it worse! We tipped our maid to get the sofa bed closed and fresh washclothes (we were only left clean washclothes 2 of the 5 days we were there) and she took the tip and did neither. Tipping drink waiters did make a marginal difference.

Also, we were blessed to find a nasty cleaning sponge left in our bathtub, had waste cans that were not emptied three of the five days, a ceiling fan that did not work and a TV what had to be repaired twice! And, unfortunately we were not the only guests that had these problems, as we often overheard other guests complaining.

For the price of $1,400 per person for 5 days/4 nights (including airfare form Lousville, KY booked 3 months in advance) our money could have been much better spent somewhere were we truly could have relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Being pissed off and treated like a inconvenience is not my family's idea of a vacation!

I PITY ANYONE WHO WASTED THEIR MONEY ON THIS RESORT!!!