| Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta | Jeff ~ 100 Mile House B.C. Canada |
March 2009
Arrival
Arrived Saturday March 14th. 2:00pm Check in, fast, polite, got a great room overlooking Pool & Ocean. Gave us our room early. Absolutely no complaints. Treated 1st class.
Rooms
Great Room. Clean, everything worked, no problems whatsoever. Housekeeping curteous and very proficiant
Restaurants and Bars
Here is where I have a couple of complaints. Restaurants were alright, however 3 off us went to Tromontos (Italian Restaurant) asked for water to start off before we ordered food. When the bill came they had charged $8.00 for the water. They gaves us water out of a bootle hence the $8.00. We mostly ate off the grounds at La Laguana, Quoixite and Guido’s. All were great and alot cheaper than the Restaurants on site. Guido’s is a must to eat at. It was fantastic. When we got there there was 2 Happy hours a day, Noon & 4:00pm It was great and we even ordered when it wasn’t happy hour, however 3 days into our stay they cut out happy hour, then 2 days later they had a 1 hour happy hour fromm 11:00am to Noon. so we quit drinking as much.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
SPECTACULAR, IMMACULATE Can’t say enough.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Big Complaint! I originally bought my timeshare because of the Golf and that I pay 1/2 price Green Fees. Our plan was to to play golf 7 days of our 14 day stay. The 1st full day we are there my son and I go golfing. 1st we find they only have 9 holes in operation as they are renovating the other 9. I can understand that, however they are charging us, $55.00 u.s. (1/2 price)to go around 9 holes twice. On top of that "you have to take a caddie" which is mandatory at $15.00 U.S. per cart. I have never had Caddie, I have never wanted a caddie and I shouldn’t have to be forced to have a Caddie. So that was a huge argument but I still had to pay it. They said it was to speed up the game because it was only 9 holes. Silly me, I thought that was what a Course Marshall was for. We golfed 5 times on our vacation but only once there, so they lost 6 rounds of golf x 2 we would have played there. We went on the timeshare update for owners and I complained that I wasn’t doing a thing until someone in senior mangement listen to my golf complaints. Well they were very co-operative, compassionate and concerned about what I had to say and said they would do something about it. However when we didn’t upgrade at the timeshare presentation they completely ignored us. We went on the "El Eden Canopy Tour". It was great alot of fun and very safe. My one complaint there is they humiliate you into tipping them. I think they all took the "Las Vegas Tipping" seminar.
Other Comments Some good advice for you. When you arrive at the Airport do the exact opposite that the Grand Mayan Hotel people tell not to do. Go to the Mayan timeshare sharks in the Airport and get the best deal you can wrangle even give them some money on deposit (usually $20 U.S.)and get it in writng. They will offer you WAY more than then the Mayan hotel will offer you. The great thing is the timeshare people at the hotel will honor what you have written down and give you your deposit back. Trust me you will get way more from the Airport sharks than Hotl staff. What ever you have in writing the Hotel sharks will honor.
jkendy@bcintenet.net
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| Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta | Barb ~ Vancouver Island, B.C Canada |
March 2009
Arrival
Quick and easy, we stayed for a week at the Sea Garden and transfered over to the Grand Mayan for the second week. Check in was very smooth, no pressure to do the time share presentation, no thanks and that was it.
Rooms Our suite was really nice, loved the huge deck and dipping pool. We had an ocean view on the 3rd floor, watched the sun set most nights from the deck.
Kingsize bed was really comfy! Maid service was great.
Restaurants and Bars
We ate at Havana Moon one night, it was very good, other than that we headed across to the little Marina across from Sea Garden, really good restaurants there and very reasonable.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Pools were great, always found lounge chairs, so big though that you do a lot of walking, especially to the beach, but it was well worth it.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We went zip lining with Los Veranos, was really fun. Went to Rhythms of the Night, really enjoyed seeing downtown at night from the boat, the show was good, very romantic setting for dinner, the fish was awful though! Also went to Bucerias for a day trip, this is the place to buy your t-shirts etc, did the City Jungle tour which was actually really good, learned a lot about the city and surrounding areas.
Other Comments Wonderful time, favorite restaurants across in the marina were A La Carte for breakfast, Quiote’s for the wonderful tapas and great service, Mariscos 8 Tostadas has the best seafood, try the coconut shrimp! and Guido’s for pizza!
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| Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta | Bob ~ California |
February 2009
Arrival
My wife and I travel to Mexico several times per year and our favorite place to stay at is either at a Grand Mayan or Mayan Palace. Check-in was quick and easy. As always, there is a person waiting, after you are done at the counter, to approach you and highlight the goings on at the resort and to ask you if you would like to attend a free breakfast and 90 minute timeshare presentation. We just politely said "no thank you," and went our way. Our bags were brought to our room for us.
Rooms
All of the Grand Mayan Suites are basically the same from resort to resort, so we knew what to expect…a clean, well maintained, large luxury suite complete with a jacuzzi tub (my wife loves that), and a cooling pool on the balcony. The suite bedroom had a flat screen TV.
Restaurants and Bars
By far our favorite thing to do was to hang out at the pool all day and enjoy the food and drinks being brought to us. We tried to get the same spot each day so that Hernando would be our waiter. He is top notch, quick, funny and friendly. The variety of food is outstanding. I especially liked the seafood wrap. The prices are reasonable and if you order drinks during happy hour, they are two for one. We especially liked the "Mudslides" which is like a chocolate shake with vodka in it. Yes, we diet hard for four weeks before going on these trips. Our other favorite dining spot was the Mondo Fusion and Tapas lounge…Outstanding food. The buffets are also nice at the Samba Restaurant, but a little bit too pricey.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
If its pools that you like, then you cannot beat the Grand Mayan at Nuevo. This has to be the largest pool in Mexico. It is huge! We love the lazy river pool where you can just get on a raft and float around to the other areas of the resort property. We do not have kids, but we still enjoyed to water slides and water park. The wave pool is fun, but is more choppy, than "wave."
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
There are always plenty of activities at the resort, karioke, drink mixing classes (which is more like a drinking party than anything), bingo, etc., but our favorite thing was that we took a boat ride over to what used to be John Huston’s house at Las Caletas. We did this through Vallarta Adventures. As we arrived the beautiful beach-front was alive with fire torches, drums and hosts who greeted us and showed us to our table which was right on the beach itself. It was very romantic. The buffet dinner was very good too. Later on they escorted us up to an amphitheater where a live Mayan show was performed. It was so, so.
Other Comments All in all we enjoyed our stay at the Grand Mayan. It is not too far from Puerto Vallarta which is only a cheap bus ride away. We went there twice to do some shopping.
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| Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta | Wendy & Steve ~ Mississauga |
March 2005
Have just returned from one of our best trips ever. The Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta is spectacular. There were four adults in our party. I have pictures of the resort, if you want to view them go to http://community.webshots.com/user/holakitty .
GENERAL
This is a new resort, only opened a few months. They have a few teething problems. Their check in and check out is slow, but they are working on it. We had a couple of minor housekeeping/maintenance issues when we first got our room, the toilet was leaking. We phoned maintenance and someone was at our door in 20 minutes and fixed the leak. No problem. You may be asked to attend a seminar. If you don’t want to, just say no thank you….it really is that easy.
This resort is luxury and clean. Never saw a piece of garbage anywhere. People are there to tend to your need, whether it is to get you a mango margarita or Jose who wheels the ice cream cart around, you won’t go without. Just a note, you can charge everything to your room, including groceries from the Seamarket, but Jose the ice cream guy needs cash.
Take insulated mugs and floating rings and another good thing to invest in is water shoes. The concrete gets rough on your feet when you are walking around, especially when going up to the water slide. For the few bucks at Wal-Mart they really are great, also great if you go on a boat tour. Just make sure you throw them on the balcony every night to dry out and when you get home stick them in some bleach and water for 10 minutes and dry well before putting away.
Remember when buying from beach vendors (the vendors at the beach at the hotel are expensive because they have a captive audience, some people will go to the hotel and not leave it for a week) that you can barter, but they also have to make a living. You also have to factor in that you are sitting on the beach enjoying a drink or maybe two and the "store is coming to you" and they have been walking up and down the beach all day with this stuff on their arm.
POOL/BEACH/LAZY RIVER
The hotel is situation on a long beach, so it is great to walk along. The surf there, as with a lot of places in Puerto Vallarta is strong, so unless a very calm day, better to enjoy the beach, but use the pools. The pool are is one of the largest in Mexico. The pools are great, clean and go on for ever, with lots of trees and plants to create a paradise (which in a couple of years will look amazing). There is a lazy river which takes about 12 minutes to go around in a rubber inner tube. Great way to laze the afternoon away. A good hint is to take your own tube. Take your tube to the activity centre at the pool area and Carlos will be happy to use his electric generator to blow it up for you, two minutes later you are on your way!! They have a waterslide and large wave pool area set up, complete with lounges and beach area. Also a nice waterslide and water play area for the smaller kids.
They give you great pool towels. In fact this is the only resort that I know of that gives you as many as you need. You get a card when you check in and every morning when you go and get towels you can ask for 8 if you want. They mark it down on the card and then when you return them at the end of the day they give you back your card. The next day if you want 4 or 12, no problem. This is great because you can then get an extra towel for a pillow on the lounges.
SPA/GYM
If you are going to the spa at the hotel it is wonderful. Try the Mandarin/Mamy/Vanilla cream they have in the sink area of the spa, it is to die for. If you are going for any of the services make sure you book early so you can get the better times. Also if you book a 50 minute massage it is $700 pesos, for an extra 10 bucks, ($100 pesos) you get an extra 30 minutes!! I didn’t use the gym, but it was busy and looked very clean.
FOOD
The buffet restaurant, the Bakal, is top notch. Amazing food. Also the Samba, the seafood restaurant and the Greenbreak are excellent. They are just about to open another restaurant which I am sure will also be great. When you check in you can buy meal packages, which are a great value. We bought 6 breakfasts and 6 dinners. Perfect amount as some mornings you may have breakfast in your suite, or if you are out on the town you don’t have to worry about having paid for a dinner already. You can use the coupons any day you want, so you are not restricted. Go to the Mexican Fiesta on the Monday night. They transform the beach and it is magical, the entertainment is great and you even get a little tequila to start you off.
Greenbreak restaurant is excellent. Not included in your meal tickets, but very reasonable and good. Take a walk over there in the morning. Ask to see the lunch or dinner menu. Quite often you will be given a voucher for a free drink when you purchase a meal. So for a nice walk you get a bonus of a free drink with dinner.
SEAMARKET
There is a convenience store about 5 minute walk away. This is handy to pick up odds and ends, juice, beer, pop, munchies, bread, sandwich stuff, etc. Prices are not over inflated and selection is not bad. But if you are going into town get your booze/wine at Wal-Mart.
PUERTO VALLARTA
If you are going into Puerto Vallarta – make sure you go to the romantica zone. There are great shops and restaurants. Some of the restaurants you may want to check out. Asaderos on street Basilio Badillo. Asedaros is an all you can eat Mexican grill. So for 95 pesos each you get chips, salsa, grilled onions, frijoles, ribs, chicken, sausage and steak. They bring it on a large platter and as you need more they give you more. Tastes great and is cooked over a charcoal grill. My suggestion is to split a salad as it is large and also split the baked potato. Excellent tastes and service.
Another wonderful Mexican Restaurant that if you are going into town you have to go to is Cafe de Olla, also on Basilio Badillo. Often there is a line up on the side walk – no worries you can get a margarita to drink while waiting, the food is great. If you like seafood they do a great seafood platter for two with lobster, shrimps, mahi mahi, vegetables, rice, twice baked potatoes…..need I say more. They are closed on Tuesdays.
If you want to go parasailing…and it is great….go in PV. There is a bar BESIDE Daiquiri Dick’s in the Zona Romantica. Alfredo is a great waiter and you can sit on the beach and enjoy the sites. Right beside the bar there are a couple of guys doing the parasailing. A Great deal for $250 pesos, at the hotel they will charge you $400-$500 pesos. Plus you get a birds eye view of Vallarta. It is great, I wish I had taken my camera up with me. Next time.
SIDE TRIPS AND TOURS
We went Whale Watching with a tour company. It was everything they said it would be. Great day, wonderful food and entertainment. www.vallarta-adventures.com
Town of Bucarias. It is a small town about 20 minutes north of Hotel. It has a dirty beach and not much else. It has a market, but you can get everything cheaper in PV on the beach. This town is really talked up, and I am not sure why. I have travelled to a lot of little towns througout Mexico and this was nothing special. If you do go there don’t eat at restaurant from the right of the Plaza, on the beach that is painted bright orange. Great view, decor and friendly staff – but was the worse meal that I have eaten or rather didn’t eat in years.
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