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About
4.0
#1 of 1 hotels in El Hijo Prodigo
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
With pools that range from hidden and intimate to sprawling and fun-filled, and accommodations designed to host your family in complete comfort, The Grand Mayan is a picture-perfect vacation. Located on the Yucatán Peninsula at Vidanta Riviera Maya, this extraordinary resort hotel gives guests access to unlimited activities, a variety of gourmet dining experiences, the dazzling spectacle of Cirque du Soleil JOYÀ, and the non-stop thrills of Jungala Aqua Experience. Don't miss out on this distinctive vacation experience.
Carretera Federal Km. 48 Cancún-Playa del Carmen, El Hijo Prodigo 77710 Mexico
Name/address in local language
The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya
7,039 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya elicits mixed reviews, with guests lauding its tropical atmosphere and luxurious pools but expressing discontent over the high costs associated with its amenities. While the location earns praise for its convenience, some visitors report frustrations with noise levels and service inconsistencies.
The spaciousness and luxury of the rooms are acknowledged, yet issues with maintenance and cleanliness are noted. Despite these concerns, the resort's cleanliness and family-friendly environment are often highlighted as redeeming qualities.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Tropical
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Pristine
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Lavish
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The old adage is don't believe everything you read. I checked out a lot of reviews on this Resort before we went down and went down there with a great bit of trepidation. First off it's going to be a little Annoying getting to the resort. You have to pick up the shuttle outside the airport for which you need to be prepared to tip the guy who loads your luggage into the van then tip the guy who load your luggage from the van into the luggage carry cart at the resort and then tip your bell man. You won't see your luggage until you check into the room so have what you need to sit by the pool. At check-in they will push you to go to the presentation. We had no intention of doing so but we're able to finagle a much closer room,along with some Financial discounts by doing so. Ironically we were renovating a house we just bought and the timeshare model has the perfect kitchen so that kind of worked out for us. You'll see a lot of complaints about the price of the food. Considering that you don't pay tax and that 15% tip is already included it's not that bad. I always left a few dollars extra for the waiter since evidently the entire staff pulls the bulk of the included gratuity. If you really want to complain about the price of the food wait until you get something to eat leaving Cancun at the airport. Speaking of which, either come down with about 700 pesos or get it from the ATM early during your stay since all three ATMs ran out of money as we tried to get pesos to catch a cab to the airport it's less expensive to take the resort shuttle. We also left a housekeeping tip every day in dollars because we didn't have Pesos. Only one of the pools heated and that's for the Lux Resort and there are no hot tub so be prepared. There is a nice Beach within 10 minutes walk north of the resort. We spent all our days at the Grand Mayan infinity pool the wait staff, Raul and Jose were attentive and the activities staff Alejandro and Jesus were great. There is music almost every night in most of the restaurants and over in the salun area. The benefit of eating there was you could choose from multiple menus, which my wife and I frequently did. Craft beer selection was outstanding, which I never would have expected for Mexico. The resort is beautiful and all the fine touches are fantastic including the lighting in the decorations. The staff is super friendly and very helpful.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We recently enjoyed a week at the Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya and I cannot say enough good things about it! The resort has just reopened (with only 30% occupancy allowed) and they are taking the pandemic very seriously. From the second we entered the grounds, our minds were at ease with the safety and cleaning routines that have been put in place. All employees wear masks or masks AND shields, hand sanitizer is everywhere, no menus anywhere (except at the pool where they are sanitized and wrapped in plastic nightly)....they have all menus, including room service, available on QR scans so you can view them on your smart phone.
Outdoor dining is available at most of the restaurants that have reopened so social distancing isn’t a problem. Our room was immaculate and our luggage was wiped down with sanitizer when it was removed from our taxi and then put in its own enclosed luggage cart until it was delivered to our room. The pools at this place are enormous so there was no problem with crowding there either.
And speaking of the pools, as with almost everywhere we went at the resort, the pool staff was excellent. In particular, Erick and Eidar went above and beyond and really exemplified fantastic customer service every single day. And the food from Balché and at Havana Moon was amazing! There is a small market on the property where you can get a wide variety of prepared items and foods for cooking in the kitchenette in your room, too.
The jungle on the property is literally alive with wildlife, particularly iguanas and coatis. They roam the property all day long and are quite enjoyable. The par 3 golf course is fantastic. There is also a water park and Cirque du Soleil on the property but we didn’t visit these.
The ocean was rough while we were there (and the seaweed was abundant) so we spent most of our time at the pool but we did walk the beach every morning and search for shells.
Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya exceeded all of our expectations. The resort is fabulous. Every employee we encountered during our stay was gracious and kind and helpful. We can’t wait to go back!!!
**-Please remember that most of the employees here were without jobs while the resort was closed. Now they are doing twice as much work (sanitizing, etc.) in extreme conditions (full masks/shields in 90+ degrees) with only 1/3 of the guests. Please be generous when you can, no matter where you choose to stay. They are so deserving.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This was my second time at this resort, and I would keep coming back for the experience I have gotten both on this trip and my previous trip. Since a friend and I decided to take a chance and travel during the covid pandemic, this review in comparison to my last will tell how this resort has adapted to new sanitation processes to keep their guests safe. Check in was harmless, except for a brief period where they will try and rope you into a “complimentary breakfast and seminar”, it is easy to dodge this, but they will definitely try and get you to attend. All employees in every aspect of this resort whether it be shuttle drivers, bartenders, housekeepers, etc, all wore masks and/or face shields at all times during our stay. I woke early in the morning and went for walks, and found them spraying and wiping down tables, pool chairs and surfaces with sanitation solutions to keep guests and employees safe. They also wiped down menus before handing them to you, as well as offered hand sanitizer to guests frequently. The only unfortunate occurrence was that many of their beautiful restaurants, bars and pools were closed. Whether this was due to not enough guests or efforts to decrease transmission of germs, I suppose I’ll never know, but the grounds are absolutely beautiful and well maintained, and it was a shame to not get to experience some of their grounds. They have however expanded recently and have a new area of bars and restaurants that are almost entirely outdoors, so you have plenty of options that remain. They don’t offer an all inclusive option, but they do a program where you charge everything to your room and never have to bring cards/payment until you check out at the end, which we found to be convenient. The hotel and grounds are beautiful and even their most basic accommodations are stunning. Highly recommend!
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
During our vacation in November we had an emergency and needed to get to our family stuck in the lobby area which took 1 hour to get to! They do not allow you to drive your vehicle into the resort area. They have a valet service where you pickup/drop off your vehicle. After doing so you walk to the tram service they provide which takes you to your room and everywhere else on the resort property The problem is they do not tell you the tram does not run at night after 1030. They have no tram to take you to the parking lot. For the ENTIRE resort at night they have 1 golf cart picking up and dropping off passengers! Multiple golf carts with workers kept driving by but refused to take us to the lobby area even after explaining the situation. They kept calling it in on the radio that we needed to be picked up. It took 10 calls for us to be picked up! Meanwhile i realized it was the same golf court dropping people off all over the resort. I talked with other passengers on this golf court and many said they had been waiting over an hour or 45 min to get picked up When we arrived to our family in the lobby area they were not ok and they refused to provide some water or assistance with chairs or a golf cart after our family had asked for it. They had 2 empty trams and 3 golf carts not in use at the lobby area. The entire time we were attempting to reach my family they could have easily used one of the carts to drop my family off knowing they were not in good condition. They were all just staring at my family. Yes they were intoxicated and sitting in the car but they were coherent They could answer the 5 w's and have a conversation with you. Upon my arrival I requested for a tram right away & non the less they provided me with a golf court that was not in use at the lobby right away. They did not hesitate to help when other family members arrived and demanding they take us to our rooms we would not wait another hour. If my family needed medical attention they would not have helped. They were severely dehydrated and the resort workers could care less. The fact that we spend so much money to stay at this resort but they do not offer transportation overnight and refused to help for an hour is very alarming! I will not be recommending anyone to ever stay here.
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grupo V, Manager at The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya
Responded Feb 24, 2020
Dear Mart5467, Thanks for sharing your mixed family experience in our resort. We are sorry to hear about your experience and sincerely apologize for the disruptions during your stay. Please know that we take your feedback very seriously and are currently working to assess and revise some of our resort operations in order to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all of our guests during their visit. Your vacation is our top priority and we are constantly striving to improve all of our offerings in order to provide you and your family with a wonderful getaway. Nevertheless, your comments will be shared with the appropriate areas. Your comments are always important. Sincerely, The Grand Mayan Riviera Maya Management.
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The place was beautiful and they were on top of the Covid-19. It was only at 30-40% capacity. We stayed at the Grand Mayan, Building 6, room 2504 which was centrally located to everything. It is a hugh resort in which you either walk to everything or take the shuttle. We did not have long to wait for the shuttles but not sure what it would be like at full capacity. Walking took us 6 to 10 mins wherever we wanted to go unless it was clear across the resort in which we took the tram.
In saying that, the rooms are outdated and they should spend the money updating their current resorts instead of building these new amusement parks. The room was clean, utensils were rusty and knives broke due to rust. Hood over stove did not work. The dipping pool was dirty and hadn't been cleaned so we did not use the dipping pool at all. The room was damp and musty smelling. When we got home our clothes reeked of the musty smell. It could have been because the resort was closed for a while. The beds were comfortable and showers great.
The day and night housekeeping girls were great. They were on top of everything. Change the linens and towels every day and at night there were there to make sure we did not need anything. The concierge downstairs was excellent too. I would recommend staying there as it is in the jungle and really nice place but a big place. They will try and sell you into their resort. They will keep you there 5 -6 hours.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Bldgs 1 - 6 are the closest to all. We were in Bldg 6, 2504. Get a room on the third floor.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grupo Vidanta, General Manager at The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya
Responded Nov 18, 2020
Dear michellebK7347GO : Thank you for providing your comments about your vacation at The Grand Mayan. We are pleased to learn our housekeeping and concierge staff’s service was efficient. They work tirelessly - day and night, to make our guests’ visits the most enjoyable experience ever. We are also happy that you consider our resort to be beautiful. However, we are sorry to hear that your stay was not as you were expecting. rest assured that your feedback will be taken into consideration as it helps us improve our facilities and services. We are certain all the staff mentioned will gladly receive your positive feedback as they always look to meet our guests’ expectations to the fullest. We hope to have an opportunity to welcome you back in the future to truly impress you with what we have to offer. Sincerely, The Grand Mayan Riviera Maya Management.
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Very big hotel, very big pools, very clean and the staff really friendly and helpful. There is a small jungle between the buildings and a lot of fauna even in the restaurant areas. The major problem is that it is so big that you got to take 2 golf cars (trams) just to get from the parking lot to your apartment. And that made us give up on trying to eat outside the hotel. In the hotel, the restaurants are more expensive that the ones in Manhattan or London. And the quality of the food are not even closer. Doing the check out they charge for things that I have never been charged before: tax for sanitation (for each day), tax to clean the room (daily)(even if you don’t ask), a donation for their foundation (mxn 300) (and they don’t even ask). They charge every food or drink consumption with a 10% tip (mandatory). Even doing that, the staff still make a lot of pressure to receive the “propina” (tip). Even the room keeper (on the last day) delievered an envelope with her name asking tip. The morning one and than the night shift too. I found it really weird. In chichen itza and all other attractions there are a thousand vendors trying to push cheap things in to you for a very high price. They are really pushy and annoying. In the airport be careful to get a taxi. There is no Uber and you can’t take a normal taxi, just the ones that are prearranged. I have a really bad experience trying to get out of the airport by taxi: they tryied to charge 50 dollars for a nine minute trip. And then I tried to talk with a taxi driver which was delivering some people there to take me back downtown and he didn’t even talk to me, very afraid of the taxi airport people.
Apparently in Mexico they like to take advantage of the tourist and not take advantage of the tourism itself. I don’t recommend anyone to visit Mexico, unless you are extremely patient and don’t mind being charged two or three times the value of your purchased item. If you like beautiful beaches and natura go to Thailand instead. It would be cheaper and more pleasant.
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grupo Vidanta, General Manager at The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya
Responded Nov 23, 2020
Dear Bruno B : Thank you for providing your comments about your vacation at The Grand Mayan. We are pleased to learn our staff’s service was friendly and helpful. They work tirelessly - day and night, to make our guests’ visits the most enjoyable experience ever. We are also happy that you perceived the cleanliness of our facilities. On the other hand, We regret that we're unable to meet all your expectations. Rest assured that your feedback will be taken into consideration as it helps us improve our facilities and services. We are constantly striving to achieve the highest level of guest satisfaction and this is very useful to us. Lastly, we would like to point out as well that our prices are competitive compared to other resorts of the same quality. Your feedback is always welcomed. Sincerely, The Grand Mayan Riviera Maya Management.
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In NA we rarely slow down to say thank you to the "little people " who toil quietly behind the scenes. Front line staff like waiters and concierge get a lot of kudos. Today I would like to praise housekeeping. Our housekeeper Luz does an excellent job cleaning up and freshening our rooms and always takes time to leave towel decorations (animals and flowers). Well done Luz! Muchas gracias.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all I would like to say that this is the second time I have visited Cancun, Mexico and every experience gets better! This was my first time staying at this resort, and when I say that I literally cannot think of one bad thing to say about the amenities, location, room, or staff, I am not kidding! Everyone is so respectful, welcoming, helpful, and genuine. The resort itself is absolutely breathtaking with the jungle like look and exotic/ friendly animals to the various and many swimming pools, and overall unique architecture all throughout. The hotel itself was very modern, clean and beautiful. My sister and I stayed in a huge studio that had a breathtaking bathroom equipped with shampoos, body soap, lotion, towels, and hair dryer. The room also had a fully functioning jacuzzi! There was an alarm clock speaker that connects to your device via Bluetooth which we loved since we are lovers of music! There are various restaurants on sight but we frequented Balche. We enjoyed every single meal at Balche and we encountered the most wonderful waiter who was patient with us, taught us new words in Spanish and provided excellent service. The waitor's name is David. Your service was muy chido David, and we thank you! The resort also provides a shuttle service which works well but can be improved by providing a schedule so that you know when to wait for it and plan accordingly, otherwise you just have to sit at the bus stop and wait for it to come which isn't horrible because they run pretty frequently. Thank you for everything to the staff! My stay was exceptional because of your hard work and my sister and I are looking forward to coming back in the future!
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Date of stay: January 2021
Value
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After spending a whole day traveling it took 2 ½ hours to check in, immediately after that we were accosted by their timeshare specialists bombarding us with all sorts of deals in exchange for a 90 minute timeshare presentation. We constantly said no and wanted to get to our room where they then got rude and aggressive.
The resort is nice but dated, our coffee maker did not work and we called every day, sometime they answer sometimes not, they are rude and would say “we are busy”. The beach is pleasant but not suitable for swimming due to rocks. The resort is so spread out that it takes 20 to 30 minutes to walk anywhere but the free shuttle takes just as long to arrive. You waste a couple hours a day just getting around on the resort.
The restaurants are OK but the prices are very high, you are much better off paying for a $10 taxi ride down to Playa del Carmen, they got you trapped at the resort and definitely take advantage of it.
Upon check out it take two hours, and there were charges on our bill we did not own. Luckily, we were not heading off on an airplane and stuck it out fighting them. On top of that they converted our final bill into peso using an increase conversion rate in their favor, we ended up paying about $300 extra.
There are so many other resorts in the area that there is really no reason to go to any of the Vida Resorts.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grupo V, Manager at The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya
Responded Feb 11, 2020
Dear travelingshine33, Thanks for submitting the review of your mixed experience in our resort. However, we are very sorry to learn about the inconveniences you had during your stay. We can safely confirm the legitimacy of our operations as we proudly have more than one hundred thousand very satisfied members and we continue to host a large number of guests on a weekly basis. Please, we kindly request that you reach out to our Customer Care Center at customerservice@grandmayan.com.mx or at 1-800-292-9446 and reference this message. Lastly, we would like to point out that our prices are very competitive compared to other resorts with the same quality. Feedback from our members and guests are always welcome and encouraged, as it helps our team continue to provide the very best care and support. Sincerely, The Customer Support Team.
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Overall good. My husband and I 1st traded two weeks in April 2018 to stay at the Grand Mayan. Rooms are not very updated and in walking distance to the infinity pool. We traveled January 2020 and the first week stayed in the Grand Bliss which was lovely. You have to take a golf club style cart from one area of the resort to the next; only a few minutes to the pool. Bed/sheets/towels were great. Definitely recommend the Grand Bliss. The 2nd week we stayed in the Grand Mayan which is not very updated, ie., furniture, shower fixtures. Unfortunately, we were in the front of building 11 and you could hear the golf club carts going by very late into the evening and very early in the morning. Housekeeping was very inconsistent; some days we had washcloths/hand towels; other days we didn't. The Italian restaurant, Tramonto is very good but the best restaurant on property was Havana Moon. Awesome service, great variety, portion size large enough to share and pricing extremely reasonable. The last 5 nights my husband and I were there, we ate at Havana Moon every night! The resort is VERY spread out. There really is nothing to do at night.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Stayed in the Grand Bliss the first week. Large room, modern shower head, very quiet.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Los Angeles, California46 contributions65 helpful votes
I did not hear the trams that much. But the rooms are very noisy. The hallways are marble so you can hear everything that goes on, from the housekeeping carts to people walking, to kids playing and adults shouting late at night.
There are more places to choose from in the El Hijo Prodigo area.
PRICE RANGE
C$4,511 - C$4,749 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the grand mayan riviera maya hotel playa del carmen, grand mayan riviera maya, wyndham playa del carmen, playa del carmen wyndham, grand mayan cancun, grand mayan playa del carmen
LOCATION
MexicoYucatan PeninsulaQuintana RooRiviera MayaEl Hijo Prodigo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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