Grand Luxxe at Vidanta Riviera Maya - 77710 Playa del Carmen

We were offered a free vacation package at a luxury resort, so we knew that we would be asked to attend a sales pitch although we were told when we booked it that would not happen and we knew we would receive the very basic room so agreed to upgrade for a price. We expected to be nickeled and dimed a bit, but this place is beyond the pale. I do not know if they are making up for losses due to Covid or if they just normally charge an excessive premium if you are not a member. They do not communicate expectations adequtely and again we assume due to Covid many of the restaurants are not open, the air condition we belive is turned off at night and set at unreasonable temperatures considering you are in the middle of the jungle. The answers they gave us about the air condition were just not beleiveable and they provided nothing in the way of an accomodations or discount despite my husband and I almost sweated to death two of the nights. We had to insists that they come and do something and finally the maintenance guy said he had released the temperature control . Keep in mind it is a huge property and you must take shuttles which are slow and waits can be as long as 20 minutes especially after 9 pm. The staff is nice and friendly but they are not trained to the level I have experieced at other 5 start resorts. We have not seen the bill, but based on our charges we expect it will be what we would normally pay for a 5 start with none of the benefits. As for the sales pitch, we decided to not do it for a couple of reason, one they were late picking us up, rude when they called to remind us and finally there is no way we would buy into this place. We just agreed to forgoe the 10% discount. We also took an early flight out, when we came in they said we could check out late for a small fee, but when we tried the evening manager said we could only get stay at property and have access to luggage storage and a shower for a exorbitant fee. We are the type of people that are going to have a good time with each other no matter what, so we did. Update: The Waterpark is great and suggest getting a private Cabana. After looking at Final Bill it was not as bad as we expected. I still say communication must be better

A paradise indeed. We'll thought out. Staff are there to provide the extra touches that make the stay a classy, memorable experience. Figure out your mobile data plan.... WiFi was inconsistent moving around the resort. In the room it was fine. Joya (Cirque de Soleil show) and dinner is a must see. We are coming back again, and again, and again...

We stayed in building 5. The staff is always friendly and as helpful as possible. The pools are amazing, not much of a beach, it is very rocky. The Luxxe is too far from most things and transportation can take over 25 minutes. The food was great in all the restaurants. Loved room service

We love this resort and have visited several times. The whole team is excellent. Best vacation ever.

Summary: We will not be coming back to this resort. I stayed at the Mayan Palace building 12 for a week with my family. The layout is not what I expected, you have to walk atleast 15 minutes until you can even see any water! I hated being so far from everything, and my father had trouble walking this distance daily multiple times a day. (We had to beg 4x) Maurice worked with us to change to a significantly downgraded room partially closer but with no discount for worse room. There are boardwalks everywhere and are very pretty but also very confusing for a few days. Being Mayan Palace guests we realized we were not allowed in all of the restaurants or pools of the resort which I found discouraging. The amenities were par/sub. I've traveled alot and comparatively there really isn't anything to "do" here. The water park is very small, couldn't spend more than a few hours. The Beach is incredibly rocky and un-swimmable. Also, Zero hottubs! My parents golfed for a few hours, but I don't golf. So we basically ended up sitting by the pool and paying for drinks every day. We felt very nickled and dimed along the way so activities and excursions were difficult. Felt like we were being juggled and tossed around with different promises of this price... oh wait it's not available anymore.. or you want to use your coupon our printer is broken, walk back to the other building buy a ticket there and then go on your way with the discount. Again felt like our time was wasted and not valued, and I couldn't figure out why. The restaurants are average, really expensive and not great for real Mexican food. Lots of to-go boxes and reheated meals. The resort tacos are terrible. The place we enjoyed most was Limon Y Sal, but this was very expensive for Mexican standards. All of the bars and restaurants also closed SO EARLY. Couldn't find a schedule or places to meet people! We a very anti-social resort. This was hard for us being very social people so we tried to get out! The location is in-between Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, so it feels very stuck- nothing around in the surrounding areas, you must shuttle out of the gigantic white wall and it feels very controlled. They don't make it easy for you to leave and spend your money elsewhere... food outside it generally better tasting, larger portions, and more affordable-duh. In general, I didn't not feel that our money was valued here for the lack of experiences and treatment. I did not love the vibe of the place or the hours constantly spent lost wandering for more. I really despised the beach. Many of the staff members were very kind, but management felt manipulative. And they probably have learned tactics because of many disappointed customers. If you are not well versed in travel or context of actually visiting Mexico, maybe you'll love it here. We did not. And I will not be returning here.

Pros: Beautiful resort. Grand Luxxe Residence Suites are spacious and clean. Awesome service staff (concierge, housekeeping, wait staff, drivers). Cirque de Soleil JOYA a MUST. Grand Luxxe Pool is quiet with direct beach access and less crowded. - So-So: Very large property requires shuttle transport everywhere. A lot of waiting. Adjust your expectations and slow down. Food prices were inconsistent, and not related to quality. We paid $100 US for two burgers and two drinks at Grand Luxxe Pool. In comparison, at Salum, we had an appetizer, dinner, 4 drinks, and dessert for $70. - Really Bad: Paid $215 US non-fundable for Le Petit (dining experience) for our last night, expecting an enjoyable, unique time before leaving. I chose not to upgrade to the wine pairing for an additional cost. I was pressured to explain my decision (which is none of their business), then pose for the cheesy photos ($). To add insult to injury, they said they would charge us an additional $30 for two glasses of wine with dinner. I felt like I was being fleeced and made to feel stupid. I'm sure the wait staff were following a REALLY BAD management policy. We left and will never return because of this experience - it was really that bad. - Chose to take a take a taxi to Puerto Moreles and have dinner at Pelicanos on the beach instead.

Our daughter has a timeshare here and we are staying here for a couple of weeks with platinum service. Among other things, that gives you dedicated transportation around the resort, which is quite spread out. Very nice location and surroundings. Great amenities.

Watch your valuables! We just finished a stay in the Grand Luxxe Residence. Accommodations were wonderful….but…. On day 2, my wife’s Bose Sleep Buds disappeared. Gave the resort the benefit of the doubt and chocked it up to getting caught up in linens… kept checking daily with concierge to see if they turned up in lost and found or laundry… to no avail. Finally, the night before we left security showed to fill out a report. They asked to inspect the room (we should have followed them around) because after they left, my wife’s ring was missing. Her grandmother’s wedding ring! But don’t worry… when we reported this, the same security guards arrived to reinspect. We informed management, filled out another report and were told we’d be contacted…. Still waiting… No matter how nice it appears, be careful and guard your valuables. Update 1: They said that they would investigate. No resolution. Be careful and don’t bring ANYTHING of value to this resort. By looking through the other reviews, it appears it’s a regular problem. This was the LAST time we will visit. Update 2: Nothing they can do. They said it’s our fault for not putting valuables away as we prepared for bed and security came to the room… and took my wife’s ring. Crazy! Never going back and ensuring the news gets out!