The purpose of this vacation was to celebrate our 25th Anniversary and simply to relax and we couldn't have been happier with our choice of this absolutely gorgeous resort. This place is immaculate and every attention is given to detail. The customer service is top-notch in every way. Our concierge couldn't do enough for us and greeted us by name each time we saw him.

The restaurants were all great but HIbachi was our favorite. Every Grand employee seemed happy doing their job and always told us to let them know if we needed anything.

I won't reiterate every detail that has already been mentioned in previous reviews but if you want a perfect vacation, to feel pampered all while in paradise, do yourself a favor and go to the Grand. It is worth every peso, and we would go back in a heartbeat!

My wife and I just returned from staying at the Grand. While our stay was not absolutely perfect, the bits of rough patches were NOTHING compared to the truly wonderful experiences we had.

We arrived at 10am on Wednesday, July 9th. The room that they had assigned for us wasn’t quite ready yet, and the friendly front desk agent informed my wife and I that it wouldn’t be ready until noon. Not a big deal for us, as both of us were hungry and wanted to get some breakfast and do a little exploring. The agent then provided us with our wristbands and escorted us all the way to Bella Vista, one of the two breakfast buffet restaurants. During the walk she gave us a little background on the Hotel, explained where the different buildings were in relation to the map which she provided. When we arrived at the restaurant, she introduced us to the hostess and wished us a “lovely” meal.

Now, reading some of the reviews of this hotel beforehand, I was anxious to see how the food actually was…how fresh and how hot the warm items were and so forth. I have to say that our experience with the food at breakfast (and for all of the meals for the duration of our trip) was wonderful. The selection alone can be quite intimidating, but if you can’t find something that you like, they will make it for you. Fresh doughnuts fried right in front of you, an omelet station, fresh French toast and waffles made right in front of you, a huge selection of fresh fruits and juices, cold cereals, muffins, yogurts…everything that you can imagine (and many that I have never seen) is there.

After a wonderful breakfast, we had another hour or so before our room was said to be ready, so we wandered to the spa. The receptionist at the desk welcomed us and gave us a tour of the facilities: the treatment rooms, the workout area, the locker rooms (equipped with sauna and steam rooms), and then went over the different treatments and ‘rituals’ that they offered.

We then walked to the main pool with its view of the oceanfront buildings and the ocean. A few early drinkers could be found at the pool bar while others could be seen taking advantage of some pre-afternoon rays.

After the main pool, we went over to the tranquility pool. You could hear nothing but the breeze flowing through the palm branches and the occasional bird…absolutely quiet and relaxing.

By this time, it was 12 noon, and we made our way to the lobby, and just as they had promised, our room was now ready. The bellman took us on a golf cart across the Grand complex to our ocean front building. There, he introduced us to our butler and was shown up to our room. And what a room! We followed our butler to the end of the hallway to our room – 7041. Our butler gave us a brief tour of the room, and then showed us to our balcony…what a view! There was even a Jacuzzi tub on our balcony overlooking the ocean! “Very private,” our butler assured us. “You are on the top floor, no one can see in.” My wife was simply blown away…whatever disappointments we had about not being able to get into our room as soon as we arrived quickly dissipated upon entering our room. The butler asked us how we wanted our minibar stocked (take out the beer and replace it with Coke and Diet Coke), and what was our preferred liquor (Havana Club rum and Crown Royal). Not 10 minutes after our butler had left with our preferences, someone came up to customize our minibar and brought full-size bottles of liquor that we had requested. I expected the miniature, shot-size bottles, but these were the full-size 750ml bottles.

The rest of the day and evening was just one wonderful surprise after the other. Dinner that night at the Japanese restaurant was great (although it seemed to take a long time – we sat down at 8:30 and didn’t get served our main course until 9:45).

A couple of hiccups that happened during our stay:

The drinks in the theater during the shows were not as strong as those at the other bars. My wife is a lightweight when it comes to cocktails and after 3 mojitos in an hour, she was not feeling buzzed at all when normally she’d be quite loopy.

At breakfast our 3rd and 4th mornings, the staff simply forgot my orange juice. Both mornings! Granted, all that I needed to do was go to the buffet and get it myself, but if they ask you what you want to drink, you think that they would deliver it.

And the entire complex lost electrical power on Friday night. After 30 minutes, they got the power back up for the public areas, but the guest rooms were without power for another hour or so. It happened around 9:30 pm, and when the power didn’t return for a while, and we had no indication from the staff when it would be back, we decided to see the show in the theater, joking on the way that perhaps they wanted a full house for that evening’s performance. When we returned from the show, the power was restored in our room, and had been for some time judging by the temperature – it was quite chilly.

All in all - a WONDERFUL vacation. The best one that we have taken for sure.

What a wonderfully relaxing vacation! My husband and I just returned from a 7-night stay 7/3-7/10/08. Since I use this site to plan our vacations and always find the reviews helpful, I feel obligated to share our experience.

Could the staff be any nicer? I kept saying this throughout the week. We have stayed at some beautiful places (Four Seasons in Maui as an example) and I can honestly say this resort has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. Some important staff to note: Our butler Gaspar...he was so accomodating and checked with us throughout the week. He handled our every request. The beach waiter Arturo...could he be any nicer? He works so hard...a smile every day as he served us drinks. After a day or two, he remembered that I liked a Bombay and tonic around 3 pm. He even brought my husband a bottle of wine to the beach! He was definitely a bright spot in our day. Olivia, one of the chef's....She must be cloned because we saw her every evening, regardless of where we ate. She loves to check in and make sure you are happy with the food and service. You can tell she takes great pride in her work. Mirna, an adorable poolside server...Everyday she would come by our cabana...about every 15 minutes and say.. "Hello Lady I'm OK?" She needs some help with English pronouns but she was so cute!

The highlights:

*The resort is gorgeous and immaculate. Even though it was nearly 90% full, it NEVER felt crowded. At times, my husband and I wondered where everyone was
*The food was surprisingly good. (My husband and I regard dining out as a sport at which we excel so we can tell good food from bad.) We really enjoyed the Bella Vista buffet for breakfast and dinner. Toni's is our favorite speciality restaurant.
*The staff...could they be nicer!!!
*Volleyball on the beach every day at 3. My husband played and made many great friends. After a day, the same people came back to play but new faces were always welcome!

Opportunities:

It's difficult to find anything negative to say as we were so happy with everything but some minor opportunities...

*The wine list was ok but could be upgraded. They offer slightly better wines for a price but we think they should just be included.
*The menus in the speciality restaurants are a bit cheap looking and a bit limited in their selection, particulary in the Italian restaurant. More pasta dishes would have been nice.
*The beach is rocky but it is easy enough to walk 100 feet to the Lindo.
*I did see some kittens (less than 3) and, as a cat lover, it made me sad. However, it is not an uncommon problem in Mexico and you will find this at other resorts as well. There were very few so I'm hoping they have figured out a humane way of dealing with the problem previously mentioned in another post.

Some Mythbusters:

*We had NO problems getting reservations for dinner. The first night we were not able to get 7 and had to settle for 8:30. After that, any place, any time. Just make your reservations the day you arrive. You can always change them later.

*Our butler was always available....if I didn't see him, I left a message with the concierge and there he was....

*Every room is gorgeous and has a pleasant view. Two of our sisters came for 4 of the 7 nights and stayed in the main building. Their rooms were exactly the same as our Ocean Front (Bldg 71) room and had great views of the tranquility pool.

*We saw just two weddings during our stay as our room overlooked the beach...not the factory as described. Both were absolutely beautiful in their simplicity. The second couple had no family or friends so the staff and guests stood by to share in their happiness. Many guests watched from the balconies and cheered for them. They were so happy!

*The food is good, very good. Based upon some of the negative reviews, I was a bit nervous but was very pleasantly surprised. Look for the cake guy around 5 pm by the salt water pool. I thought he was mirage but he was real. The chocolate bombe was delicious!

*Our room was clean every day when we returned in the afternoon. Our refrigerator and snacks were restocked daily without request.

*English was easier for some staff but we managed fine. Our position...it is easy enough to learn enough Spanish to get by so make the effort.

*Cabanas were available in the morning around the pools. They will fill up around 9-10 but you don't have to wake up at 6 am to reserve one. There is always room on the beach!!

I tend to read all the reviews and find themes. I'm sad for those who had bad experiences because this is a truly lovely hotel. We met many wonderful people from around the world (Ullie, Beate, Basti and Max from Germany were wonderful!) and had an truly relaxing trip. I highly recommend this resort and hope you find our experience helpful. Enjoy!!!

My husband and I booked this vacation as our first "alone" getaway in 7 years. We had birthed 4 children in that time, had aged about 15 years, and desperately needed a vacation. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed but did arrive back home refreshed and renewed, at least for the next 7 years! lol

The Good: The surroundings alone nearly make up for negatives...nearly. The grounds are truly luxurious and I have no complaints on that front. We reserved an Ocean Front Room and that's exactly what we got. They aren't kidding...you are right on the ocean and it's totally worth it. The butlers were always there for a ride or a reservation. The massage I got was literally the best I've ever had (and I'm no stranger to massages.) She made American massage therapists look downright lazy. The beach was very exclusive and in no way crowded.

The Bad: Room Service (which we ordered on 4 nights) never once took less than an hour and one night actually didn't come. We ordered at 10:30pm and by 12:30am we had fallen asleep with empty bellies. That was a shame because the best thing to eat in the joint is the Club Sandwhich on the Room Service Menu. We were asked for drink preferences when we arrived but our mini-bar didn't get stocked with Coke until the day before we left. The "turf" at the Surf-N-Turf restaurant was dry and tough and the pasta at the Italian place was inexcusably dry. The buffet was hit or miss and we mainly subsisted on average tasting omlettes for breakfast, chewy burgers for lunch, and the aforementioned Club Sandwhich which we ordered after all of our dinners at the restaurants. The ice cream (rrom service) was good but it was always half melted by the time it got to us. Let's see, what else....We waited on shore for over an hour to go parasailing when we were told it would take only 10 minutes. It took our drinks nearly an hour to come on the beach. Here was a big one for us...The pools close at 7pm!!!! That was just unacceptable to us. They claimed it was to put chemicals in the pools but a.) one is a salt-water pool with the point being limited chemicals and b.) the other resorts treat their pools too but they don't close at 7pm. (In all fairness, the indoor heated pool didn't close until 8pm...still too early.) I was very very disappointed in this because there's nothing I like more before bed than a good night swim. Oh, and at the Surf-and-Turf restaurant, the waiter actually tried to argue with me about when I wanted my salad. I wanted it before the meal and he went on and on about bringing it with the meal. Dude...bring me my freakin' salad when I want it. I was miffed. I also wasn't pleased when I was sitting on the beach, right at water's edge, watching the surf with my husband and, "Eeeeeeeeekkk!!!", splash, splash, splash...Two small children go racing past us and got us all wet. Um, adults only anyone? We were substantially inside the "grand" section so I don't know what that was all about but it actually happened twice while we were there. I was under the impression that the riff raff (kidding...well, sort of) from the Playa and Lindo, etc..couldn't come over to our side. Now I sound like a snob but I'm really not...We just paid a lot of money to be child-free for the first time in 7 years and I wasn't thrilled about being splashed by kids. I could get that at home. What else....Two nights in a row our "turn down service" didn't come and, when we complained to our butler the second night, we waited downstairs for them to correct it and we were down there for, once again, over an hour! Oy vey. (We were in building 71, FYI)

But....almost everyone we encountered was very hospitable and courteous. The swimming was great, the grounds were beautiful and overall it was a very restfu land relaxing trip.

Would I go back? Im not too sure. We had stayed at the Aventura Palace previously and, although it's not reviewed as being quite as luxurious, we couldn't find fault over there. For the money, I guess I expected a little more consistancy and a little less effort to get it right. Hope this helps!!!