Gran Caribe Resort & Spa Cancun- Vacation Review

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Vacation! Who doesn't love taking a nice vacation? When deciding on where to vacation, we have many choices. Our decision on where we chose to go is often times based upon how long we have to travel, how much we have to spend on travel, the make-up (age, personal interests, or number of travelers) of the group traveling, and when we want to travel.

A few months ago, my friend Shelle and I took a girl's trip to Cancun. Initially, I was a bit hesitant to go to Cancun because I envisioned it to be full of spring breaking college kids. Well, as I said previously, there are many factors that go into where vacationers choose to travel and for Shelle and I, price and travel time were at the top of our list! We had to do more work and research to find a destination and travel dates that would work for both of us since we were traveling from different locations (Dallas and Minnesota). We chose Cancun as our destination because there were direct flights at good times for both of us and flight prices were very economical in comparison to other destinations we considered for our chosen travel dates.

Since price was one of our considerations, it made sense to choose an All-Inclusive hotel stay so that we would not have to worry about things like food or beverage once we arrived. We looked at several resorts in the area but many we liked were sold out. [This is not uncommon when you are booking travel three weeks out from your travel date.] After looking at pictures and reviews online we were left with 2 options and we chose to go with the Gran Caribe Resort. We chose this location because the pictures online looked nice, the reviews were positive, the resort was next to several neighboring resorts that were in walking distance and accessible from the beach, it was near the shopping mall, and the price was agreeable. It was pretty simple to book online and we liked that we were able to pay with two cards which made it was easy and hassle free to split the bill. We received a confirmation email and all that was left was to wait until our travel date!

Arrival in Cancun

I arrived a few hours before Shelle and negotiated a fair price for a shared shuttle ride to the Resort. I opted to by a round trip fair with a private shuttle on my return so I could maximize my time at the resort without having to worry about being late to the airport while we picked up other shared ride travelers. I negotiated this fare for $47 USD which was cheaper than the offer for round trip shuttle on the website when booking the reservation. (It was about $55 online).

On the ride to the hotel I took the opportunity to snap pictures of the hotels and resorts on the way to Gran Caribe.

We arrived at my stop and from the street the resort wasn't as grand as some of the resorts which I had just taken snap shots of and there was a little construction going on. I wasn't able to get a good shot but I found this picture on U.S. Travel News website. They also have over one- hundred other nice photos that depict the true view of the resort and some of the rooms.

The bellman retrieved my luggage and gave me a receipt. A lady walked me over to the check-in desk where I waited in line and checked-in. The entry foyer was really nice. Pictures can be seen at the U.S Travel News link. When we made our reservation we requested early check-in and I was in luck that our room was ready when I arrived. We had an ocean view reserved. I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available and I was offered a higher tier room with a view of the lagoon. The lagoon view faces the street and is a view of a body of water and a city line.

LAGOON VIEW TAKEN FROM THE ROOFTOP RESTAURANT AT DINNER

It was nice but I chose to stick with our ocean view since that's what my travel buddy and I had agreed upon. The bellman grabbed my luggage and on the way to my room gave me a tour describing what time the bars and restaurants were open and where they were located. Once in the room, I took a moment to snap pictures.

After snapping pictures I was beat from the whole travel process, but I couldn't wait to give the nice shower a try. The water temperature was nice and hot and I felt real posh slipping on the white robe and comfy slippers provided. The shower gave me a second wind and since I was waiting on Shell to arrive, I got dressed and went to the bar for drinks and a snack. The drinks were made superbly and the the brands available were a nice range of mid-brand and premium liquors. A couple of drinks later Shell arrived we went to the excursion specialist to plan a chosen adventure.

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We chose a Saturday tour that began at 7AM and would go to, Cenote, shopping at Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. We decided to wear work out gear since we knew there would be a lot of walking. The tour bus arrived about 15 minutes late and had to make 2 more stops, then we were on our way to Tulum!

Mayan Ruins of Tulum

Our tour guide, Luiz gave us a nice history lesson on the Mayan people and the Ruins. I snapped a few pictures:

After the Ruins we went to a small ranch where we had a nice authentic lunch that was really good, and we were able to swim in their Cenote. A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. These sinkholes are usually rich in minerals and are said to be good for the skin. It was very hot and after being sun baked and enduring the long walk at the Tulum Ruins, this swim was right on time.

After our swim, we headed to Playa del Carmen. Playe del Carmen reminded me of Miami's South Beach. There was a lot of good shopping, restaurants, bars, and of course, the beach! We didn't get to snap many photos here because we wanted to make good use of our time shopping and touring the area. This was the last leg of our tour and we only had 2 hours remaining. My advice, take a look at the beach and keep moving, grab a piece of Italian ice on a stick and shop til you drop! You can relax on the beach when you get back to your resort! Here are a few pics taken from my Android phone. (I had to say that for all the "iPhone people out there.)

The bus ride back to the resort was nice and quiet. Everyone was tired and needed the rest after our long day. When we got back to the Gran Caribe, Shell and I had spa appointments booked for ocean front massages. The two pictures below are of the ocean from massage area. THIS WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED! In the pictures you will see that the pool is close to the area where the massages were so it wasn't as quiet as we would have preferred but it was relaxing and after a while I tuned the noise out.

As with all massages, they always seem to end too soon. Afterwards we went to the spa area where the jacuzzi, steam room, hym, and sauna were located. The sauna was on the fritz because 2 of 4 heat lamps were working and the temperature wouldn't rise above 75. This does not make for the optimum sauna experience so we moved on to the steam room. The steam room was pretty basic with regular tile from an 80s era. The steam worked well and has a mile hint of eucalyptus. We enjoyed it then took to the Jacuzzi to cap it off. The jacuzzi temperature was warm and not as hot like your would expect of a jacuzzi. This was disappointing but we could bear it. The whole spa area ( jacuzzi, steam and sauna rooms and maybe even the gym) closes at 10p which is way too early while on vacation. Needless to say we soon, left to prepare for dinner.

We had dinner at one of the onsite restaurants. We were too tired to hang out that night but we stayed out long enough to catch a karaoke show which was really fun! The next day we decided to rent a cabana and just hang out on the beach. This was a great idea and the resort offered a really great deal where we paid a fee and got full access to the cabana, a personal bulter who got our drink orders, food orders, more towels and anything else we needed. She was absolutley wonderful! The one draw back was that her shift ended at 6PM and no one ever took her place. We are not sure if that's the way it was supposed to work or if someone never picked it up. It would have been nice to know that the Royal Treatment would end so soon. While it lasted, the bottle of champagne and the back to back drinks and food service were impeccable!

As you know all vacations come to an end and this one was short but sweet. Its always nice to be able to catch up with your friends and what a better way to do then on a beach vacation! We enjoyed our stay very much and I would definitely stay at Grand Caribe again! I've rated it in four categories from 1 star to 5 stars. 5 stars is perfect. Anything less than 4 stars I've provided commentary.

I gave the food quality a 3 because I found the options to be lacking, There was a lot of Mexican food and Italian food but there weren't other many other options available daily. Perhaps it was that we went to the same restaurant a few times and the menu stayed the same there but I though the selections could have been better. It wasn't until the last day that I discovered the tasty food out at the grill by the ocean so make sure to catch that!

I gave the events a 3 because there wasn't a whole lot going on at the resort past 12 outside of lounging in the different locations available. I will say that the location of the resort makes up for that because you are in walking distance of many other resorts and places where I am sure you can go and hang out. If that is what you are looking for.

I'll address the kids friendliness rating, so as not to scare off non kid families. If you are traveling with children, there is a space with kid friendly things for kids to do outside more like 12 and under. However, this space is off to the side so it is not in the way of those who want a kid free day. There didn't seem to be much to do for teenage kids but I did not travel with children so it may have been available and I just missed it. Even if there are not dedicated areas for teens, the pool, daily games and parties outside, the ocean and the rental gear make the resort fun. There are also a few onsite activities for an additional charge that you can do like parasailing. In addition to that, there are the many excursions you can sign up for with the events group and XCaret is one of the ones families raved about!

If you have any questions or would like us to add anything to our reviews, let us know! Have you visited Cancun? Where did you stay? Comment below!