My family spent 7 wonderful days at this resort. This was our first family "sun and sand" trip and it definitely won't be our last. We were also able to meet up with relatives from Manitoba at the resort as well which was an added pleasure.
The trip began with us flying out of Saskatoon Airport on Air Transat to Cancun international. The Air Transat Crew were very nice and the 5 hour flight went pretty well. Our kids (ages 6 and 3)were very excited about the flight as it was their first flight and they were very amazed at the view out of the window during the flight.
Once we arrived in Cancun, the line up to go through security was amazingly long but it seemed to moved very smoothly. In the end, from the time we de-planed, to the time we boarded out shuttle was approximaately 1.5 hours which is long but with the number of people in the airport I felt this time period could have easil been double that.
To anyone who hasn't travelled to Cancun international airport (probably not many of you left), a little advice: after you get your baggage and are heading out to the area where the shuttle buses are located, you will be approached by many (and I mean many) locals who are more than willing to take your luggage and get you to your destination. Do not let them take your bags, no matter how convincing they are. I was informed that the agents who are to take you to your destination are not allowed in side the termial so these other agents trying to vie for your money are not to be used. Once we were outside the terminal (and the heat hit us) we found our travel agent rep and we were directed to the appropriate bus.
None of the comments made up to this point are in no way related to the Grand Sirenis Resort but just little comments on our experience prior to arriving to the resort.
The following are my comments on the resort itself;
The resort is an amazing design and beautifully groomed and clean. It is a very large resort which means a lot of walking but the paths are very lush and amazing to look at. It can be easy to get a little lost but you get your bearing very quickly. One thing my kids really enjoyed were the assortment of iguana's and other lizards that are all over the resort in plain site. The pools are very nice and a perfect depth for our kids (especially the pool near our room) and the swim up bar staff were very accommodating even when I ordered non-alcoholic beverages for our kids (they loved the Kids Cabana).
*Food*
The food is very good and there was many items to choose from. There were some items that looked fantastic but the taste was leaving us wanting more but the majority of the items were very good. Besides the main buffet on the second floor of the resort, there were many other "snack bar's" around the resort especially near all the pools. All of these snack shop have many meal items that do very well for us. We spent every morning outside the "El Rancho" by the pool which was very close to our room so everything was very convenient for us and the service by Juan was fantastic (our server every morning and did everything he could for us to make sure us and our relatives could be accommodated every morning - a total of 8 of us).
There are 3 a-la-carte dinners included in the all-inclusive price and we had many restaurants to choose from. We chose:
El Rancho - The steakhouse, The Bayou - the Cajun restaurant and The Ikebana - Japanese restaurnat - very good experiences with all three and would recommend them (especially the Japanese restaurant. All of these are located on the resort.
*Entertainment*
- the main beach is nice but be wary of the underwater rocky area about 15 feet from the shore line as it can make you lose your footing very easily
- side bay - there is a small by to the north of the main beach which is calmer and has more sand under the water for the kids (great for learning how to snorkel)
- Kids Club - there is one there but our kids did not use it as they were focused on the pools and beach
- Lazy River - this was a very cool attraction - they have a pool-like river that slowly lets you glide on a inflatable tube arond part of the resort. Very relaxing and the kids loved it
- Parasailing - i was able to do this on my day before our departure date and it was an amazing experience
- Evening shows - a different show every night which weren't bad but the pre-show seemed make-shift. A couple of nights there were flea-market vendors around the theatre site to which you can barter for Mexican merchandise which was fun.
*Staff*
None of the above items are possible with out the amazing staff who work at the resort. From the grounds keepers who maintian the beauty of the facilty to the Concierge's who are responsible for the comfort of the people who reside in their assigned buildings (Juan-Carlos and Castillo (cannot remember his full name)were fantastic for us). These people go out of their way to ensure you are not disappointed.
*Areas for Improvement*
- food in the buffets could be a little more flavorful
- pre-shows at the ampitheatre need to be a little less "make-shift". Always seemed to be kids kareoke.
- Costs of doing the tours were very expensive. I know that the resort doesnt control this but it seemed like all the tours were very pricey.
- I had problems sleeping on the bed in the room as it seemed a little hard but my family had no issues.
All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves and would definitely come back in the near future. Well done to the Grand Sirenis staff.
- Also Known As:
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel Akumal
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel And Spa
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Akumal
- Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach
- Grand Sirenis Mayan
- Grand Sirenis Mexico
- Gran Sirenis
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel
- Sirenis Riviera Maya
- Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel & Spa Akumal, Mexico
Region:
Mexico >
Yucatan Peninsula >
Quintana Roo >
Riviera Maya >
Akumal
Amenities:
Business Center
Fitness Center
Restaurant
Room Service
Suites
Swimming Pool
Wheelchair access
#6 Top resorts Hotels in Akumal
#8 Romantic Hotels in Akumal
#10 Family Hotels in Akumal
Price Range:
$$
Hotel Class:3.5 star (3.5*)
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