Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel

3 readers found this review helpful

We can’t fault this hotel. It is suitable for all ages and families. The suites were out of this world with retro design and a whirlpool bath big enough for two. We went to celebrate 30 years of marriage and there was champagne waiting for us in our suite. Our room overlooked the jungle it was so peaceful. The beach is fantastic. The food was incredible. We are both vegetarians and this is the BEST hotel we have ever stayed at for the variety available. For the meat eaters, looked great too.
The service and staff were second to none. There is a huge theatre with a large stage and we saw a great show every night, Grease, Mama Mia, Broadway, Las Vegas, Rock show, etc. All very professional and enjoyable. They do want you to upgrade your room and services and they will invite you to a breakfast and a tour. We declined as we had been warned not to waste 2 hours (but all the hotels do this so understandable). We went with Thomas Cook and found the tours a bit expensive for what you get. Don’t pay $90 for a night at Coco Bongo. Go with the hotel who do it for $55 if you want to see this night life. Peso is the accepted currency but the shops in Playa Del Carman and the traders all were willing to take the $. We can’t wait to go back!

2 readers found this review helpful

When we first arrived hotel seemed beautiful however on our first night water started POURING into our room and bathroom,patio door was also unlockable,rang maintence who said they would come up and fix both issues.
They did fix door however cure for the flood was for them to put towels down every where this caused my partner to fall in our room!! This carried on for the next THREE nights. Went to spa to try and relax which was rubbish and half of it broken!! On the third night they agreed to move us to another room but in a different buliding to the rest of our party so we agreed,this room was damp! On this night the customer service manager rang our room and asked to meet with us. We went along and he offered new room with sea view and said he would personally take us there the next day and make sure our THIRD room was ok. Went to reception the next morning to be told it was his day off and he wasnt there!! Moved to sea view room by this point we were so fed up we didnt care anymore. Managing director of hotel sent us a gift but it had little inpact. All staff at the hotel were friendly but unhelpful as there hands seemed to be tied. However food at the hotel was good.
All in all we arrived at the sirenis on a tuesday afternoon and didnt get to go to the pool or beach until the following monday as we had been packing and unpacking,chaning rooms and meeting with hotel managers
Currently going through complaints with our holiday company and with the hotel directly.
Having stayed in five star hotels and spas i would say this is not one of them. 3 star maybe 4 at a push!!

Went for 14 nights was not long enough in this superb hotel.Rooms firts rate,friendly and well traine staff,variety of options on where to eat and well managed bars.Plenty of wild life to see around the resort no dangerous species.
Will definetaly be going back in the future.

2 readers found this review helpful

went on our honeymoon 8th august 2010..arrived at hotel welcomed by friendly staff offerin us refreshments...that was the start of our holiday of a life time...i.ve described it to all our frinds back home here in northern ireland as paradise...we made so many friends in the hotel especially the the bar staff in the lobby bars..Clemente, louis, angel joaquin..all great guys will miss them..the guys in the entertainment team were fab deago and angelo his brother and hector the protector we had the best time ever with u's guys..keep up the good work..will definately come back ..food was delicious..weather hot evem though we'd one thunder storm..the flight is long but comfortable and worth every penny...will cherish our memories forever..coco bongos is the best nite club ever recommend everyone to go there..

13 readers found this review helpful

Myself (17), my cousin (17), my dad and mum and my auntie and uncle stayed at the Grand Sirenis during late July and early August. As a quite bubbly and chatty 17 year old both me and my cousin seemed to make friends easily and on the first day as there are plenty of young adults around. Room service is a great advantage and something to be grateful to have for FREE (especially when you miss breakfast!). The main pool is probably aimed at the people who want to socialise, however, if this isn't your scene then using the other four pools is in your interest. Night time entertainment is some what grim to say the least in the theatre but the disco at 11pm - 2am is the highlight and well worth going to (you need a white band though)! The activities during the day are well worth getting involved with and it helps you to make friends easily, most of the younger adults aged between 14 - 21 were very friendly bar a few unsavoury characters that created an unpleasant atmosphere. This hotel really doesn't feel like a hotel as it is so large in size. The staff are friendly and the animation team make you feel more than welcome. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a relaxing holiday during the day and a fun night time!

8 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from 2 weeks at Grand Sirenis. Lovely hotel, very clean and well maintained. Staff friendly and welcoming. Good weather (barring torrential rain that flooded our suite!!!) and enjoyed the break for the most part. The flooding of our room 3 times was an irritation and clearly there is a design fault with the open plan room blocks with the rain driving into the suites in the middle of the night which is a shock when paddling to the bathroom in the dark!!
Major drawback was the food unfortunately - not very inspiring and must say I have never had brussel sprouts for breakfast before. Cannot say that the meals were the highspot unless you went to the a la carte restaurants which were significantly better.
The hotel was more than half empty with the Maya Beach closed completely. Very clear that the guests were not visiting Mexico this year for a variety of reasons no doubt. The trips out to Coba and Chichen Itza were great but be warned the exchange rate at the reception for currency is less than favourable.
As a traveller from the UK 2 weeks here is more than enough but the 10 hour flight makes a shorter break unrealistic.

15 readers found this review helpful

Right so our holiday started off on the 10th…
Check in all good with TC already had Premium Seats booked so no worries there. We also booked into the No1 Lounge at Gatwick which was nice but I would say not as good as the Servisair Lounge (IMHO). The flight was on time and were glad to have the extra leg room plus free drinks during the flight. Has a choice of movies & TV from Marley & Me to Fawlty Towers. We landed on time and the coach took about 1 hour 30 mins to transfer to the Sirenis we were the 3rd drop off after Dreams & Catalonia.
Check In: Not too great, had emailed asking for a third floor room and got replies back from both the Front Office Manager & Guest Services Manager confirming this but we were allocated a ground floor room with 2 double beds, waited for 10 minutes and this was all sorted. So we ended up in Building 11 (room 1138) Bacabs, 3rd floor king bed + partition. Got to the room, and the keys did not work, went back to reception to get them re-cut but again they did not work. Luckily there was a cleaner down the corridor who let us in - went back to reception again and this time got the keys properly cut. But then there was no electricity in the room, despite putting the keys in the slot provided behind the door. Called reception who called maintenance but had to wait nearly 2 hours for anyone to help us. This was now 9pm at night and we were shattered to say the least as well as hot and bothered because of the lack of air con. Finally the maintenance guy arrived and fixed the problem. Got a phone call from Concierge about 20 mins later apologising. Sadly did not get time to do any exploring just ordered room service, unpacked and went to sleep. The next day we found out another couple had this problem and received a personal apology plus champagne? One rule for one………..
The room when we finally got light to see it, was great, we looked over the Botanical Gardens and woke up to the sound of birds twittering every morning. Our fridge was stocked every other day with water & fizzy drinks. The maids work hard and we got some great animal towel art - comparing who got what was a hot topic of conversation of an evening! J
The hotel is huge and we were well placed in block 11, all restaurants, reception & a la cartes very close. Beach was only a 5 minute walk as well, once the short cuts were all sorted! J One day we walked from our block to the nightclub and it took nearly an hour for a round trip - its that big!!
The pools were lovely, pool 1 by the Riveria Maya side was the busy pool with games etc, pool 2 is the quiet pool with no music or games - nice but had trouble finding sunbeds or 6 of us together, on the last 2 days we actually used pool 3 - which is in the Mayan Beach side (the side that is currently closed) and it was bliss. Yes you had to walk a little further for food & drink (we used the beach bar) it was great as it was just us 6.
The beach is glorious yes rocky in places but so clear you just need to avoid the rocks! It was also empty as the hotel was only on average 38% full. We brought rolls and bananas with us, on beach days to feed the fish. This is great, the fish swim round you in great Shawls eating out of your hands - excellent photos!
A la cartes: We tried the Steakhouse, Italian, Japanese, Mexican & Cajun.
Steakhouse was good, it was also our friends birthday that night so a big fuss was made by the waiters - lots of fun-crashing & banging! Hit and miss with the cuts of meat & cooking.
Italian was ok, not our favourite as it was a little bland.
Japanese was excellent, show was great but it took 2 hours - be prepared.
Mexican food was great again, but this a la carte was so hot it made eating or enjoying the meal rather hard.
Cajun was yummy - the prawns were to die for as the starter! Again steak was a little hit and miss and didn’t quite understand medium well.
The buffet we found good, we only had one disappointing night where there was not much, but vegetables. With 3 hungry men to feed, it was a little hard going. The themed nights in the main buffet are Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Try them they are great and the themed Italian buffet was 100% better than the a la carte. When it is Japanese night they make sushi in the lobby for you to try - sublime!
Lobby drink service was great, the girls keep you hydrated. Got all the way through the Cocktail menu and even had a few dozen Tequila Boom Booms! These are a must we found before hitting the nightclub lol!!
We booked 2 trips, while there on was a fishing trip, at Purto Aventuras for the 6 of us with Captain Ricks - would have been great if we had caught anything. The men were slightly disappointed as when they were able to use rods for themselves (as apposed to trawling) the weren’t given any weights so fishing of the bottom was not an option - only the crew go to do that, and caught a couple of snapper. For this ½ day trip is was $65.00 per person and drinks were included. We booked through our rep Alfie. This price was actually about $30.00 per person cheaper than when I emailed Capatin Ricks direct.
The other trip was to Xel-Ha (Shel Ha) it was great, worth the money $109.00 per person inc transport. Got to snorkel all day and seem some amazing fish. The only disappointment for me was the Manatees - they were in a tiny little enclosure tucked out the way - after being fascinated by these creatures for years it was a major come down - it know its not Seaworld but 3 Manatees in about 20 Sq Ft of dirty water - not good. Ate in the Mexican buffet - the food was amazing, we found the main buffet too busy. Would highly recommend this trip. Oh we found our Biodegradable sun lotion - in Purto Aventuras for 145.00 pesos for an SPF 50 - did us a treat not once did we burn and it was 95 degrees!
Went to Playa Del Carmen one Sunday for some girly retail therapy - reminded us of Spain with the beach on one side and the shops down the middle. Had a great day, plenty of food and drink choices. 6 of us in a mini bus cost $50.00 each way - a little expensive, but we didn’t mind as we had a great day - especially when we made a detour on the way back to the hotel! We called into the Lapis Jewellery Factory - Oh lord, it was little Willie Wonkas for women! Diamonds, Rubies…you name it-it was sparkling there! We spent a small fortune (our contribution to help the world recession - so we told ourselves. The men called it torture!!!!!) Little did I know that 2 days later on the terrace roof of the A La Cartes would I be proposed to with a 1 carat diamond ring - sneakily brought for me from that little piece of heaven!!!!!!!! Our friends notified the Restaurant of this and had a lovely table or dinner and 1 bottle of Champagne plus a bottle in our room - I was still in shock!!
As you can imagine none of us wanted to leave despite a few hiccups to begin with it was a holiday of a lifetime.
When we returned back to Cancun airport for our return journey the queue for economy was huge it took 2 friends nearly 2 hours to check in - not good in any way for anyone. Where as us Premiums practically walked straight up and checked in!
The airport has some nice shops - so more retail therapy was called for!
Would we retune to the Sirenis again? If the occupancy was below 50% yes, otherwise I think it would be a little too busy for us.
Hope this helps! J

More Photos...

6 readers found this review helpful

We went to this lovely resort for two weeks and it really is special, nothing to complain about, rooms superb, food amazing, the pools are great and the beach beautiful. The staff can`t do enough to please and accomodate everyone, and the resort is spotlessly clean. Easy to book trips and local buses pass every 10 mins so getting around is very easy. We found it hard to leave the resort as everything was quite perfect.Lots to do for all ages, we`re both early 60`s, but all ages would enjoy, lots of water activities, especially snorkelling. There are two cenotes on site.The Lazy River is great, and loads of sun beds everywhere. Evening shows are fun.

3 readers found this review helpful

this was a really nice hotel,the food was ok ,the room were without a doubt the best part ,they are quite big with a lovely power shower in it.I would not recommend this hotel due to the fact there is a thief in this resort, we had a $100 travellers cheque stolen ,so beaware if you do book here.

13 readers found this review helpful

Monday, September 01, 2008
HOLA!!!
We have just returned from the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya and found it a wonderful experience for my wife, four children (three girls, 17 to 22 and one boy, 24 years of age) and me.
It was the trip of a lifetime for us as we were extremely impressed by the high quality and magnificent standards engendered by the staff and management of the resort. The food, its preparation, presentation and sumptuous variety was of the highest quality and it was changed up daily. All manner of sea-food, beef, chicken, pork, eggs, vegetables, salads, breads, cheeses, fruits, wines, coffees, sauces, soups, marinades and desserts were presented elegantly buffet style or formally at the 7 a la carte restaurants.
The coastline consisted of natural inlets forged into the coral shoreline, interspersed with beaches. Just yards off the shore were magnificent views of fan, brain and stag horn coral; multitudinous fish and in nearby Akumal, the opportunity to swim with giant sea turtles and sting rays. At a secluded area, just south of the main resort, alongside a rugged shoreline of bleached coral, beside a jungle of wild coconut and palm trees, amidst chameleon-like lizards could be found the tracks of giant sea turtles and their enormous nesting excavations. Apparently, late at night, these great reptiles can be heard and seen (flashlight required) performing their primordial, nesting instincts.
A trip to Coba, under the noon-day sun provided an opportunity to explore the ruins and pyramids of an ancient Mayan civilization. Nohoch Mul, a 138’ tall, steep, pyramidal structure loomed pale through the forest as we approached and beckoned to climb its step-like slope. It was challenging and exhausting to scale in the heat of the day’s 100º + temperature; a misstep or loss of balance would send a climber tumbling down the jagged slope. It was a long walk, perhaps a mile, from the parking lot to Nohoch Mul; guides, bicycles and rickshaws were available to the less robust tourist at minimal cost. By the time we returned to the rented, air-conditioned Voyageur, we were bathed in sweat and craving litres of water to staunch the threat of dehydration and loss of electrolytes. Apparently, the symptoms of dehydration somewhat mimic the onset of food and water-borne pathogenic diseases. All four of our kids suffered the consequences of dehydration during our vacation, aided and abetted by their propensity to over-indulge in the fancy, fruity, minty and readily available libations for which all-inclusive resorts are most famous.
Hot, hungry and exhausted, we headed back to the resort for our evening meal (the Grand Sirenis was on the way to Playa Del Carmen). Twenty-five minutes from Coba, ten minutes from Akumal was the Grand Cenote consisting of caverns with deep, cool, clear, fresh water in which you could SCUBA, snorkel or swim. What a respite from the scorching, relentless sun it was to dive into the clean, crisp water! What a treat! What a magnificent way to restore a hot, exhausted body. The caverns were beauty as well.
The cost of renting a van, buying fuel and paying the admission to various sites was about USD 300; that’s about USD 50 per each of us. The excursion, starting at about 0900 HR - swimming with the turtles at Akumal, visiting the archeological sites at Coba, swimming at the Grand Cenote and visiting Walmart in Playa Del Carmen for cheap booze (about the same price as duty-free) - ended at about 2200 HR, when we retired to our suites and ordered room service (a complementary perk) for a snack.
The Staff at the Grand Sirenis were extraordinarily attentive, professional and polite. At the main buffet dining hall (when we were not eating a la carte) it became our routine to dine on the terrace, with a view of the Caribbean and a rooftop display of eerily sculpted orange cubes and spheres. The six of us were served by at least three waiters attending to all manner of want. As we approached the terrace carrying laden plates of the finest delicacies, sumptuous salads, delightful casseroles or local favourites, an attendant would open the door, carry our plates to the table, pull out our chairs and spread our napkins on our laps. Offering red or white wine, glasses of lime-garnished Corona, cocktails or cappuccino, our dear, friendly waiters stood at our elbows replenishing every quaff drunk.
Two hundred USD one-dollar-bills were dispersed discreetly throughout the resort to all the staff who served us, including chamber-maids, waiters, chefs, hostesses, busboys, bartenders, cart and bus drivers, car rental attendants and on-site concierges. It was a pittance compared to the costs of services of a similar nature encountered in Toronto. Consider that the minimum wage in Mexico is 45 pesos (USD 4.50) per day. A guest in any nation with an economy dependant on tourism should be as generous as financially feasible with regard to the sprawling underclass.
Recommendations:
1. Bring lots of USD small bills; including plenty of ones, fives and tens. Any USD spent returns change in Pesos. The ‘Shopping Mall’ at the Grand Sirenis is half the price of the Cancun airport when buying trinkets and gifts for home (except for duty free).
2. If renting a vehicle, be careful when filling up at a gas station. Attendants will direct you to ‘their’ pump and open your filler cap to start pumping fuel without resetting the display to zero. It’s easy to end up paying double or triple the actual cost for fuel. BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS WHEN NAVIGATING HIGHWAY 307. SPEED BUMPS CROP UP VERY UNEXPECTEDLY!
3. Bring water shoes!!! There are navigable beaches but it’s really comfortable to wander the coast unencumbered by sharp coral, spine-clad sea urchins and blazing hot sand and pathways. Wear an old shirt (and head covering if possible) when snorkeling, the sun is relentless. Protecting the backs of legs from ultraviolet rays is very difficult.
4. Bring personal snorkeling gear (including flippers). An underwater, airtight case may be purchased at home for some digital cameras; otherwise, bring disposable underwater equipment.
5. Electrolytes (Gatorade) can be purchased at the resort. Drinking 3 or 4 litres of bottled water a day will prevent the inevitable dehydration caused by over-indulgence.
6. Try not to eat or drink off the resort. At least one guest enjoyed an ‘all-you-can-eat’ at Xel-ha, an off-site attraction, resulting in pain and diarrhea for the remainder of his vacation including the flight home.
7. Bring a flashlight. As mentioned above, sea turtles burying their eggs late at night may be seen at a desolate beach on the south end of the resort. Also, hermit crabs scurry about the surf and coral all night.
8. Bring a Spanish / English / French / Japanese phrase book. Knowing a little Spanish helps in forging friendly, personal and egalitarian bonds with the Mexicans
9. For USD 2 (each way), a ‘collectivo’ may be hailed on the main highway from Playa Del Carmen to Tulum. These local transports are the means by which the off-site resort staff travels to and from work.
10. Share your (relative) wealth with those on whom we depend to provide us with a remarkable, comfortable, friendly, unforgettable and sumptuous experience. Remember, the circumstances of our measly existences have more to do with luck (or lack thereof) than of merit (or lack thereof). We are, all of us, born randomly to our own time and space.
HASTA LA VISTA, BEBÈ … !