We stayed in Grand Sirenis for a week in October. After we booked we were initially nervous about the lack of reviews and pictures, but now that the vacation is over I could add my own thoughts about the place. It’s not the first AI we stayed in the area so I have something to compare to.

The modern architecture is very unique: StarWar like at the entrance but over all very impressive with grandeur and the amount of natural stone used. Rooms are nice and have about every basic necessity. Bathroom (being open to the rest of the room) we found romantic but if you are traveling with kids might create some uncomfortable moments. (A small minus here – absence of strong fan in the toilet.)

Hotel property is huge! Whatever is built is very spread out. Contraction is visible and you could hear it in the background but it didn’t bother us at all. The atmosphere was always quite and peacefully. Being off-season and the hotel just opened it was almost empty. But even with full occupancy I believe, it would still be a very quite resort.

Service at GS is just great! Cleaning all over the hotel is constant starting at 7am to the late night. (Sometimes seems excessive.) Everyone is super helpful. Get friendly with the bartenders they could be a good source of information on local attractions. Please tips the service – it’s very much appreciated. They would remember what drink you like or where you like to sit at the restaurant.

I agree with the previous reviewers about that quality of food: it could be hotter and beef dishes could be a bit softer. At the ala-carte restaurants, besides more exclusive attention we didn’t find the food any more special than in the cafeteria. Overall everything was delicious and very diverse; even if you are a picky eater you could always find something you would like.

Drinks were good (our favorite - mojito). Overall we were impressed with the high quality of liquor.

Night shows were just okay: dances are not professional and they could use better costumes. I believe with a flow of visitors shows would also improve. During the day there were constant activities of you like those: beach volleyball, water aerobics, etc. On the beach you could do snorkel, kayaking (jet sky, diving, fishing trips are at extra cost). Beach is very clean and privet. You could use water sues for sensitive feet as getting into the water could be a little rocky. Being an experienced diver I would rate snorkel as below average. There is little to nothing fish and corals close to the beach are dead.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: We booked through Apple Tours (because they had the best deal for the hotel) but rented a car for a week of our stay there. It was not only $100 (plus insurance) for a small Dodge and it was definitely worth every penny. Not only we got to the hotel quicker (about an hour drive) but also on leaving the hotel we took our time and didn’t have to get to the airport at the crazy hour or four hours before the flight. You do have to be careful driving in Mexico: beware of the potholes and drunken villagers, otherwise there are lots of signs and driving even with a small map was very intuitive. On our own we visited archeological sites Chichén Itzá, Coba, Ek Balam and cenotes. It cost us close to nothing if compare what we would have spent on each trips with bus tours guides, plus we avoided being dragged to very souvenir shop on the road and the whole hustle of being with a group. Just to add, we do not speak Spanish and we had no problem getting around. (If you plan to drive don’t forget to bring your favorite music disks; we were very happy with iPod+ radio transmitter).

INTERNET: We connected our laptop to the internet in our room; there was no charge for that.

With all that in mind the hotel is new and it will take them some time to improve their food and entertainment, and I am sure they will! I recommend to take a chance on Sirenis, you won’t regret!

Thanks for reading this and Bon Voyage!

Let me start by saying that this is a very nice property. I expect that the price will jump after all of the construction is completed and some of the rough spots are ironed out. For reference, we have also stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar and the Grand Palladium.

Transfers: We booked through Apple Vacations and upgraded to non-stop transfers. This worked really well going. It only took up about 70min to get to the resort. Coming back all of us in the van were baffled as to why we had to leave the resort at 5:25am when our flight was not until 10:40am. All of us were on the 10:40am flight. We arrived at the airport 4hrs early??? It took all of 15min to register for our flight AND get through security. Why have non-stop transfers but leave at the same time as people making 5-6 pickups along the way to the airport? Oh well.

Service: All of the staff persons were encountered were very pleasant. Occupancy is down right now in the entire region, so I think there is more staff than guests at the moment. People are eager to please and very nice. I know the resort is all-inclusive, but bring some singles to tip with. On the beach, the waitresses would generally ask to replenish drinks before my glass was even empty.

Rooms: Very, very nice. Spacious, clean and pleasant. For us the open bathroom was no big deal. The air conditioner works very, very well. We had to turn it off at times because we were cold.

General comments on the property: The property is very nice. There is still a lot of construction at the front, but it was unnoticeable to us when we were at the pools or the beach. BEWARE – many of the surfaces are very slick. The concrete-looking surface around the main pool does not look slippery, but when your feet are wet, it is! Also, wherever you see marble, expect it to be slippery when wet.

Bars: Overall the drinks were very good with lots of options. Consistency can be an issue among different bartenders, but that’s the case anywhere. The lobby bar has the highest quality liquor. If you want a good dessert-like drink, try to Coco-Loco. Yummy! The Lemonada Electrico is good too. It tastes like a lime popsicle (made with vodka). The beer on tap is Corona.

Pools: We didn’t use the activity pool at all. It’s really big though. It wraps around in a huge horseshoe shape. Generally we are beach people, but we did come to the swim-up bar in the main pool several afternoons. The GIANT cold water Jacuzzi is also a nice place to have a beverage.

Beach: The beach is nice. Tons of palapas, and waitresses serving drinks. As others have said the pieces of shell can be rather large. Rough on tender feet. I’m generally not a water shoe person, but on this beach I think most people would use them getting in and out. It’s quite rocky everywhere along the shore. I wore my snorkel fins getting in and out. BTW…the snorkeling is awesome. You have to go out past the swim ropes for better viewing. I would not rate it as great snorkeling for beginners. When we were there the current was strong at times so you really needed to be aware of your surroundings so that you didn’t wind up in a bad spot against the rocks or corral.

Food: The ale carte restaurants were better than those at any other AI that I’ve been to. Hands down. We ate at: Mexican (twice), Japanese, Italian, and Brazilian. Also the desserts and baked goods at this resort were leaps and bounds better than those from other AI’s I’ve been to. The buffets were the worst of any AI I've been to. The biggest problem is luke-warm to cold food. Correcting this will greatly improve the quality. When occupancy is low, the resort would be better off doing more cook-to-order food so that it doesn't sit in a warmer for 3hrs. Buffets work much better when the food turns over quickly.

Final comments:
• Mosquitoes. There are definitely around. Bring some bug spray. The resort sprays for mosquitoes (sometimes at very odd times, like when people are in the pool bar – um, mosquito fog smells nasty), but it’s the jungle
• For those wondering, I don’t think you will ever need big thermal mugs at this resort. Even when occupancy increases, waitresses will bring drinks to people at the beach or pool.
• I can’t offer much for those with children. There were a few kids there, but not many at all.
• Would I go back? I would. The property is very nice and should only get better over time. This property is best for people looking to relax. It will never be a big party resort.