Gran Caribe Resort & Spa - All Inclusive Soon To Be Panama Jack , Cancun

 Very nice family resort
This resort has a little bit of everything. First off the service from the front desk attendant Hezuz was excellent. Extremely polite guy who provided great customer service . The Kids play area was a great look! Plenty of slides and pool area that kept kids busy. I found all the bartenders to be friendly and knowledgeable on different drinks. Rooms were nice and ocean view is fantastic. Clean beach and clear water. Only hicup came from a tour by Axel, whom seemed to be really upset that we didnt buy a vacation package. Future advice, you cant score them all. Sauna was nice and the hot tub was refreshing. Maria from the Spa gave an excellent deep tissue massage. Didnt have a problem with the food here at all. For those who like to work out, the gym was nice. Overall Grand Caribe was a nice vacation!

 Building site
The level of work going on at the moment is totally unacceptable. Here on holiday to relax and large areas are boarded up. Concrete lorries at the front and one restaurant closed. In our third room and hopefully getting moved today.More

 Amazing
We LOVED our time at Gran Caribe. We travelled all the way from Australia and after 29 hours of travelling arrived at the hotel at 11pm. Staff were wonderful, pointing us in the direction of the 24 hr snack bar where we were served Mexican food and drinks. The rooms were lovely and clean, balconies over looking the beach and staff who were very accommodating and always willing to help us out. Great family friendly hotel with lots of facilities! I fell in love with Cancun and it's people and can't wait to go back!

 Great stay at Gran Caribe
Had a great time at the hotel room was clean,food was good, staff were great would definatly go back again, a special Thanks to Gabriel who arranged a few things for us on our trip and the Special Animation team Sara, Roger, Daniel, Ithel,Chris, Fabio and DJ Edwin, Dani who kept us entertained throughout the day.

 Great
The hotel is under renovations until December so we really didn't get to see the complete hotel!!! Other than that everything was great. The beach was nice and the food also. The people was really nice and helpfulMore

 Anniversary Celebration
Having booked this trip in February and numerous emails going back and forth to the reservations department I cannot understand how or why we were not informed of the MAJOR construction going on at the hotel . It would have been a fabulous holiday if it wasn't for the noise from 9am -9/11pm every day ,we arrived on the 19th/9at 8pm ..couldn't believe what we saw or heard , booked in got our room , we were offered an upgrade at a special price no sorry I'm not paying again ! Day 1 we went to the pool area to relax and we had to move..drilling ,hammering, power tools all going , went to the left side of the beach , still as bad, saw cabanas over on the left ..met Ever .. who was extremely helpful .paid 800 pesos (40E) for the use of the cabana , we got great service that day and it was quieter that side but still aware of the noise .Day 3 .. went back to the beach , noise was horrendous , went to voice my complaint at reception , I thought about it and I was furious, why should i have to pay 40e a day to get some peace after paying already .Guy on reception couldn't answer my question as to why we were not informed of the construction , I asked for the cabana service that we paid the 40e to be given free as a gesture , he called beach supervisor who brought me down ,gave us one at the back , not the ones that we paid 40e for ,one attached to a room ,I was then told id have to look for the supervisor everyday to arrange this as the room may be in use , now i'd understand if these cabanas at the front were full and in use but at most there were 2 being used , I didn't want to spend my mornings looking for someone and to explain myself all over again so we decided to try make the most of a bad situation and just get on with our holiday .putting up with having a holiday on a construction site!I sent a couple of videos of the sounds in our room to they FB messenger and was by the accommodation supervisor , asked what she could do to help ...but what was done was done , so we just requested a late checkout at 3 , not a problem at all , I was told to go to reception and get the key altered on the computer , I did , went out on our last day , came back ..locked out , back to reception ,explained my situation yet again , key sorted , went for lunch went back to room ..locked out again !! back to reception told it can be only used once.. thankfully it was our last day!! On a plus side I cannot fault the staff , they couldn't do enough for you , Ever , Macilavio at the beach , Laura at the snackbar, Linda our housekeeper ,and the numerous waiters in the Albatros all excellent Anyone reading this if you are looking for a nice relaxing holiday , don't stay at this holiday until the construction is finished ,I have no doubt it will be fabulous when its complete

 Never again....
Ok. I waited a little while to conduct this review. I wanted to make sure I was not over reacting or being too harsh in criticism, but after some time...I'm still disgusted. I travelled to Gran Caribe in July with my family. There were 11 of us in total. We chose this resort because it had good reviews and the photos on Trip advisor seemed to match the photos provided by the resort. The problem is...those photos aren't in HD. We had a terrible stay at this resort and I will break down my review to tell you why.RESORT/GROUNDS:Upon arriving at the Gran Caribe I was IMMEDIATELY underwhelmed. There were scaffolds up in the lobby as if some sort of major construction was going on. Sitting areas was minimal and the front desk area was overcrowded and luggage from incoming and outgoing travelers was blocking the entrance. The fact that there were more than 30 bags present immediately let me know that service was VERY slow in either checking in or out. Check in was rather slow and over complicated. We were assigned our rooms and given a map of the property and sent off the find our rooms. Upon walking around the resort it was immediately noted that he main pool was just WAY too small for the number of guests housed in the resort. We never got a chance to get in it because it was always overcrowded. We went to the pool near the children's play area. There was more space to maneuver there as most people avoided it because of it's proximity to the kids play area. My kids played in the splash area, but didn't really want to slide as much. My daughter asked me to go with her onto the slide and I then understood why. The inside of the stairway to the larger slides is COVERED in black mold. DO NOT allow your kids to go into this area. Evening entertainment is also lacking at this resort.ROOMS:I had two rooms in the same category for my subfamily, but they were somehow very different. In one room had a small sliver of a balcony and the other had a large but deep cornered balcony. My parent's room was beyond outdated and should be taken from rotation of available rooms. They had them sleeping on a concrete slab in the middle of the floor with a mattress on top of it. COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. My brother complained about his rooms as well, attempted to upgrade only to find that there was NO real different in the "upgraded room" and went back his original room category. Housekeeping came through and cleaned the rooms daily and did everything that they should...it was just that the hotel was that bad. In additional to the terrible condition to the old room, water was streaming down the wall of our balcony. Apparently, a Jacuzzi from a higher floor was malfunctioning.SERVICE:Service around the resort is actually good. They ask you every so often if you are OK and what they could do for you. The "presentation crew" hassles you to no end on trying to give you a resort orientation. They will try this several times a day EVERY DAY. It doesn't matter how many times you decline. Most staff members greeted us with smiles. It's not the staff...it's the resort and clearly management for allowing conditions to get this bad without making changes.FOOD:The food here is awful. There is just no way around it. With the exception of the Italian restaurant, everything here is Mexican food. I take issue with having to figure out what things are at every meal. My entire family complained about being hungry and not having anything that they could stomach here. I actually LOST a couple of lbs. the week that I was there. The food in the Italian restaurant was good. I had the shrimp alfredo. The ONLY decent meal the entire week. After the 4th day, we opted to catch the bus down the strip and eat outside of the resort. On top of having terrible food choices, the main dining facility was just plain DIRTY. Table covers were full of stains that appeared OLD. Table cloths and seat covers had holes in them and stains all over them. I was completely disgusted sitting at the table before we even got our food. We were ushered to a table that didn't have enough seats at it one morning for breakfast. The table was FILTHY. They brought over another chair and it looked like it came from a salvage yard. Ground in dirt and the completely rusted. They just slapped YET ANOTHER dirty chair cover over it (full of holes) and smiled as if this was normal standards for them. We all agreed that we would NEVER come back to this place.OVERALL:This was by far the worst resort I have ever had the displeasure of staying at in my entire life. The only thing I can suggest if you are staying here is upgrade your room to an acceptable level and eat at the Italian every night. I DO NOT recommend this place to anyone. As a travel agent, I was disgusted at this place. As soon as I returned home from my stay here, I cancelled 2 of my clients October reservations for this place and rebooked them in other resorts in Cancun. If you are reading this, and you have time...I suggest you do the same. The resorts main dining area is filthy, the rooms are sketchy, there isn't much by the way of entertainment and the resort overall seems to appeal to Mexican guests. It pains me to give a review this bad, but...it's the truth. *shrugs*

 Girls Weekend!
Let me begin by stating that the hotel is under construction and we were completely unaware of this. When we arrived at the hotel lobby around 10:30 am we didn't know which way to go due to the massive overhaul that is taking place. While checking in we expressed this concern and were upgraded to one of their already remodeled rooms. Since it was quite early in the day, and our rooms weren't ready yet, we were give our bracelets and off we were! My girlfriends and I (5 women in their 30's) went off to eat at one of their buffets, Albatross. There was a great selection of breakfast/ lunch items including their delicious chilaquiles and after stuffing our stomach we went off to the beach. We were able to easily find 5 chairs right by the water and it seemed that we were getting off to a great start until we were ignored several times by a female waitress. (our assumption is that she didn't want to walk out close to the shore with it being as sunny as it was) Then my friend found DANIEL who was our life saver for the remainder of the trip. we were only there for a four day weekend so we needed to maximize our time. Daniel took care of us that afternoon (of course we tipped him accordingly) and from there on with cabana service, great drinks and even food! I would definitely return just for his service. That evening we went to Maria's for dinner , which served Mexican food ala carte and it was also very good. The hotel was not at all anywhere near capacity since school is already in session across the US and other countries, so there was plenty of seating every where we went. Overall we had a wonderful experience and I would definitely return with my son since it is a family friendly resort. Being a group of females we experienced no safety concerns and were able to enjoy our time without hesitations. The upgraded rooms are very nice, however, they do lack storage. There was only a closet in our room with no dresser for smaller items. The great service at all bars and restaurants, and good food will keep me coming back. When you get there please look for Daniel by the beach and I'm sure his hospitality and great sense of humor will make your stay memorable like he did ours.

 My dream wedding
So I just got married there on sept 18, 2017! My wedding coordinator was Edith, I must say my wedding was beyond my expectations, she did everything she could to make this day extra special! I have been to this particular resort other times and I must say there is a reason I keep going back!! I totally recommend a beach wedding with this resort they are amazing!! Can't wait to go back when it's Panama jack!!!

 A great stay in the low season
We stayed here in the last two weeks of August and got away with some decent weather. The hotel is lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Staff are extremely helpful and every member of the hotel greets you when walking around. There are a few restaurants around the complex so plenty of choice. The hot dog counter comes out at lunch everyday which is good for a small snack. Room is cleaned everyday and there was a good English film channel for when the rain came. Walk to town centre takes 15-20mins so definitely worth a walk in the cooler eveningThe entertainment team were very good at rallying support for the various activities during the day including various kids activities but also your daily activities of water aerobics (ET!), water polo, water volleyball, beach football and BINGO! Big shoutout to the activity team: Sara, Daniel, Roger, Estefi, Fabio (aaa---ooooo!!), Mr Chrisa and Ithiel (ET) and the nicest resident waiter...Ever....(that;s his name..no pun intended)

 Amazing trip to Cancun
My girlfriend and I made our first visit to Cancun this year. We booked this hotel as part of a package holiday and can not fault it. Our Check In was nice and easy and we were offered the chance to upgrade to a sea view room. What a great decision this was. The views of the beach from sunrise to sunset were beautiful and really gave us the paradise kind of feeling. Every member of staff we met were very kind and welcoming with constant smiles on their faces. Anything we needed they got for us and helped us with everything. Nothing was too much trouble. We would like to extend our thanks to all of the Entertainment team; Sara, Roger, Chris, Ithiel and Fabio for making our stay that extra bit special and fun by getting us involved with all the great activities and for being just genuinely nice people! We would also Like to thank Omar from the IL Pescatore restaurant. We dined here on a few occasions and his service was amazing, very pleasant and professional and really looked after us. The Hotel itself is a lovely setting, right on the beach front and only a 5 minute taxi journey to the nightlife of Coco Bongo. The food quality is very high and the drink options from the bar is very varied. The Pool is very nice with a great view of the beach with waiter service at poolside. The rooms are very well presented and looked after by the housekeeping staff. We can not fault this hotel at all as it really was one of the highlights of the holiday! Thank you Gran Caribe we will see you again!

 Do you like the smell of acetone and bug spray? Then definitely check this place out.
I’m an avid Trip Advisor review reader, so I have to admit I was disappointed. I had made sure to request a higher floor due to the mildew smells on lower floors. From the previous reviews though, the place seemed to still be a little slice of paradise with great food, rooms, and ambiance. Definitely didn’t get that experience.I see they are renaming this hotel Panama Jack—but the pictures on the website all seem the same (for all the construction it was under, that’s unfortunate). For an all-inclusive resort at $280ish per night, this place was not good, borderline abysmal at times. I was there for a wedding. Three night minimum stay… I felt the hotel required this so you would be trapped and couldn’t leave. Just kidding, kinda... Unfortunately I have not so great things to say about this hotel. The good:Someone is always sweeping and mopping the floor. The floors are well kept. I was a little nervous after walking through the lobby after getting out of the ocean. But they mop right after you walk in. That was nice.The turtles—turtles were laying eggs and the baby turtles were hatching. The hotel works to keep the turtles undisturbed and will let the guests help getting the babies to the oceans so the birds won’t eat them first. It was really great, kind of a bucket list type thing.Beds were fine, our mini bar was restocked daily, bathroom was clean.They did respond to any issue I had, it just took more than one call to prompt them. Staff members were pleasant, but I wouldn’t say friendly (which is fine with me). I just read some reviews where they knew staff by name and said how great they were. No one in the restaurants were that friendly to me. No one bothered me with an upgrade speech or tried to sell me anything in the lobby unlike what some of the reviewers had mentioned. The bad: Construction:This was the most unfortunate part of the stay and of the wedding. If you are staying there during the construction, prepare yourself. The rooms smelled like the worst nail salon you’ve ever been to and add some bug spray to that. The smell felt like it could melt my nose hairs. It gave me a headache and the day of the wedding when I was in the room a lot getting ready, I got light headed. The hotel offered to move us rooms, however, the bride had already moved twice. She said the smell did not improve with room changes, so they gave her an ozone machine. Also she said each room change took the hotel hours to arrange. We were on a tight schedule for the wedding, so I just didn’t have hours to waste. So we opted for the ozone machine, which did help. Getting the ozone machine also took hours. I had to call three times to get it. There are two ways to get to the chapel. One way was through the kids pool where you had to walk on the pool carpet within a few feet of the water’s edge. The other way was through the beachfront side of the hotel down a small set of steps. Guess which way they closed off the day of the wedding. The small steps… no abierto. So in formal attire and dress shoes, we had to walk through the entire kiddie pool area, next to the pool edge, down camp jack putt-putt area with plastic barrels to get to the chapel.This is the biggest issue though-- they told the bride they were going to open the 2nd entrance for the wedding, assured her of it the day before the ceremony. Then the bride checks on it the day of her wedding and it’s closed. The days leading up, it had a ton of construction, but was not closed. They closed it on the day of the ceremony. Kiddie pool entrance and exit was all that we had then. My friend, the bride, ended up also getting a different wedding planner the day of the wedding than the one she had been working with for 10 or so months. I would say that as someone who has done my fair share of events, changing the facility event planner the day of the event can cause major issues. However, the bride got along with Donovan (the day of planner) better than the other person. So it actually worked out better.Walking to the rooftop reception, construction workers had to stop working for us to walk by. We get up to the roof for the 6pm reception, and we get this gorgeous view. It really was beautiful. Not soon though after we get hors d'oeuvres, a construction worker in an orange vest and hard hat comes up to where we are all eating and celebrating and walks through the party, then begins sweeping and shoveling a small amount of construction dirt in a corner. Now the area they are sweeping isn't where the tables were at but was not far from it and in full view of all the wedding guests. It wasn't a corner we were using, so why during the reception they would send a construction worker up there to shovel... I will never know. Why wasn't it cleaned up before we got there, no clue. The bride and groom were still in pictures, so we were able to mention it to the wedding coordinator and he had the worker leave before the couple got there. Food:The open air restaurant that was located to the right of the beach side pool had birds flying around in it. They were eating straight out of the salad bar, walking around on tables with set silverware. None of the wait staff changed the silverware after this. My advice, eat hot food that is cooked to order and doesn’t require utensils to eat it. I was thoroughly grossed out. Food was ok, we ate out for one dinner in Puerto Morelos, and that food was a million times better than anything I had at the resort. I however did not eat at the seafood or Mexican restaurants in the hotel, which I did hear were the better options (hard hours though). Some of the people I was there with said that the food was on par for all inclusive resorts they had been to. I’ve never been to an all-inclusive with bad food, so I was disappointed.Chapel:The chapel in pictures looks gorgeous. It photographs very well. But it’s a hot house, fans do a little bit of work, but you are just encased in glass with ocean sun beating down on you. Be prepared to melt. Also, the back drop when you watch the bride walk is the Captain Jack putt-putt with giant plastic barrels and a plastic palm tree. Kids literally stopped playing to watch my friend walk down in her wedding dress to get married. The hotel’s photographer, also will block your guest’s entire view to make sure they get up-close pictures of your ring exchange. I’m not sure if that’s a pro or a con for certain people. Pool on the Oceanside of the resort:They weren’t good about cleaning up after people, when they left the pool area. So when you sat down you had cups and cigarettes left to deal with. As a resort pool, it was pretty lack luster.Cabanas on the beach:Cabanas look beautiful from a distance—as the beach is gorgeous. There is no taking that away from Cancun—beaches are beautiful. And this hotels has a beautiful stretch of beach. However, the cabanas up close are dirty and rusting. Looking up the beach at Hyatt Zilara, you will be envious.Lobby:Not sure if the Lobby was due to construction, but it was hotter in there than outside. No air movement at all. The fans they have are ornamental, purely for looks, because they don’t do their jobs. Within a minute of standing inside I would just start dripping sweat. Step outside, and I was comfortable. They need some better fans.Rooms:Furniture in the rooms looks like it needs replacing, so does the wood trim on the door frames. In our ocean view suite—about a foot of the trim on the inside of the bathroom had splintered off. I saw the Panama Jack website room photos, and most the rooms look like they have the same furniture as our room. The white washed furniture is new. So new hotel, same worn out furniture? Hopefully they change all the rooms.

 Overall Good
My boyfriend and I stayed September 12-21st, first time visiting Cancun. Overall, we had a really good experience but I'll go into more detail. First off I I would like to give a HUGE shout out to Gabrielle. I communicated with her via email for months before our actual stay and she was beyond helpful, helping us upgrade our room (we upgraded to the JR suite ocean front room, room 2316) and booking the beach cabana's. She's was awesome and always responded to my emails promptly.I had read a lot of reviews about the long wait times for check in and we were braced for this, however, we arrived and breezed right in, with a welcome drink in hand, and the whole process was very fast and efficient.So, good things- (sorry, I am soooo bad with names even though I tried to remember them) The bartenders, waiters, housecleaning staff, and pretty much all the staff we came into contact with was so kind and friendly. We ate mostly at Albatross, which is buffett style, which was good and one waiter we got multiple times (can't remember his name!) was the best. We tried Maria's and hands down had the best filet mignon I have ever eaten. It was delicious. We also ordered burgers from room service a couple of times, food and service was great (tip people!).We booked the ocean cabana with butler service for 4 days but only ended up using it for 3. The first 2 days out waiter was Max(?) and an amazing young women and they both were fantastic. Max even went out of his way to get us a fruit platter on a morning that we hadn't eaten breakfast first. The last day, however, was a little disappointing. There were different people and not very attentive. I ended up leaving around 12.Yared in the spa did my pedicure and she was awesome. Now the not so good things- first, I want to say that we were aware that there was construction going on. Doing updates on the property is a good thing, which I understand has to be done at times. There was one day, however, that I wasn't feeling well and spent most of my day in the room. The loud construction was going on all day (and it sounded like it was going on right above our room) but like I said, we were warned, so I dealt with it. The problem I had with it though is that particular night the pounding went on well past 8 PM and that got to me after a while. But still, I could deal with it. The one major complaint I had came about halfway through our stay. We decided that we would love to upgrade to the VIP and get access to the lounge and receive the other perks that it came with. So my boyfriend went downstairs to see if that would be possible. Now bear in mind, we wanted to upgrade to VIP status but not relocate to a different room just to stay in the one that we were already in. So we were willing to pay the money without the benefit of a "better" room. The problem wasn't that they denied the request the problem came with how they dealt with the request. My boyfriend is a fairly laid back person and we were just asking if it was a possibility and he really felt as they just blew him off with a bit of attitude. Really, the answer no wasn't the problem, it was just the attitude and dismissal that came with it. Beyond that, though, we had a great time. I would absolutely recommend this hotel (when construction was finished).

 My Gan Caribe Restort Cancun experience
Chef Anibal was the highlight of my experience along with masseuse Sayma.Chef Anibal was very attentive and made my Fiance and her sister birthday very special by making arrangement for them to have special dinner made for them on their special day. Sayma was very knowledge about my Sciatica condition and gave relief after her massage

 Our Yearly trip Sept 13th thru 20th
My husband and I come every year to the Gran Caribe Real resort the same time every year for the last 5 years. This year we brought our daughter and our grandson who was 2 years old. Yes, there was construction this year...but you need to realize with any business you need to keep up with the times. You do not want to stay in a run down resort do you! I didn't think so... but if it was your first time there do not let it be your last all the hammering and renovations will be worth it next year. And remember this is there off season... so of course they are going to make upgrades at that time. The Gran Caribe Real Resort will be called Panama Jack in the year 2018.This resort has the best staff, shows, activities and beach.Our room was always clean, sheets were turned down at night, and drinks, towels and accessories fully stocked at all times.We would like to give a shout out to the following hard working staff; who are like our family: Luis Arceo (waiter) and Maclovio (waiter), Carlos Sanguire and Cesar Ribas (cooks), Ruby (waitress) and Yudicuel (waitress)Do not forget to tip the staff.... they work hard to make sure your having a good time.See you all next year :)Joan & Tony

 We bought the membership...
...but it feels like they don't care anymore. I'm beginning to regret buying a membership. They started out making us feel like royalty, and it has slowly been going downhill. No champagne when we show up, making reservations is very painful with very slow response and confusion in requests. I wish i had just stuck with Groupon vacations. I hope they will improve and hope they contact me about this.

 Honeymoon Trip
My husband and I stayed at this resort for 7 nights (Sep. 12-19). If there was a 3.5 option, I probably would've given it that. It was our first all-inclusive resort trip for the both of us, so we didn't have much to compare it to. But here are some pros and cons in our opinions:Pros: The staff was overall excellent. Everyone was very kind and helpful when you needed assistance. When we called to have something brought up to our room, it was brought up fairly quickly. We recommend leaving tips for the bartenders and waiters... they deserve it for their hard work. Our room was excellent (room number 2412, highly recommend that you ask for this one.. I sent an email asking for this room based on reviews I read/others who recommended it) - Oceanfront junior suite on the corner, with a wrap around balcony; 3 huge windows with curtains: 1 for oceanfront view, and the 2 side windows to see the pool. It was neat to be in our room and sit out on the balcony (with a hammock) to view the ocean, or stand on the side balcony part to see what was happening by the pool. The entertainment staff was great. So upbeat and trying to keep everyone happy and entertained. For example, there was beach volleyball, dance classes, pool volleyball and other pool games, bingo, beer drinking contests. We also enjoyed the night shows in the theatre room. Nothing fancy, but something different to do. We also got to release baby sea turtles one night! Awesome experience. Good location - about a mile from the heart of the hotel zone. You can take the bus for $1 per person. That's an experience. We didn't go out at night just due to safety, but I'm sure it would've been fine in some places. Beach was beautiful.. it had some seaweed build up some days, but we noticed staff cleaning it up, which was nice. Other than that, the water was clear blue... so beautiful. We also got a couples massage. We wanted to do it beachfront, but decided to do it indoors because it was air conditioned. We are glad we did - much easier to enjoy and relax :) We didn't do any excursions off the resort, but talked to several other couples who did some neat things.Cons: Our room fridge was hardly ever re-filled. We had to call almost every day to ask for someone to bring up beer and water. Not sure if the maid was supposed to do that, but we left her notes in English and in Spanish asking for some, but she never left any. We tipped her a couple dollars every day... maybe we should've left more. One day, she even forgot to leave towels. We would hang our towels up like the sign asked in order to conserve energy and detergent, but they were replaced everyday anyways. Food was average. We found a few good plates that we enjoyed. Next time, we will probably pick someplace larger with more food options. 5 restaurants, but one was closed for construction. They also had a 24 hour snack bar, but it was way different than we expected. I thought it would be a place to go to get hamburgers, wraps, fries, nachos and cheese, hot dogs, bags of chips/pretzels to grab and go, etc. (AKA quick snack/finger foods). But it was a mini buffet that changed every day with not many options. For example, there were pancakes and sausage one morning. I don't consider those snacks. My husband never wanted to eat at the outdoor restaurants because it was so hot. Il Pescatore was our favorite - we enjoyed Alberto and Humberto as our waiters :) We also found it inconvenient at times when we were hungry and all restaurants (except the 24 hour snack bar) would close for about an hour to switch from breakfast to lunch and then to dinner. The alcoholic drinks were also watered down. It usually doesn't take much for me, but I had to have several drinks before I felt anything. The construction was loud at times in our room when we were there resting during the day, but that's nothing we could be mad about. We think it's great they are trying to improve and we enjoyed seeing the progress the week we were there. Overall: We had a great time on our honeymoon. We just wanted a place to relax and enjoy each other, and that's exactly what we did. And we got a great price here for 7 nights. We don't regret choosing this resort, but we will probably choose another resort the next time... Although we would like to see how the resort changes with the construction and name change (Panama Jack). We are the type of people to try different places each time anyways. But we wanted to thank Gran Caribe for hosting us. We truly believe you tried to make our stay the best!

 Beautiful
After the disaster at the Catalonia Playa Maroma, we found out Spirit Airlines cancelled our flight home for 3 Days, yet still were flying into Cancun from our hometown. So we went to the Gran Caribe for three days to wait. We love this resort, even though they also had construction up to 11:00 p.m. one night. But the food was wonderful...mango and papaya every day, buffet was great, and the Mexican restaurant Maria's was awesome. The name will change close to the end of the year, we were told, but the manager Angel was very understanding of our predicament. He did a lot for us the last day we were there, and we would very much recommend this place. Beaches were beyond belief. So beautiful.

 I almost loved this place
When our flight home was cancelled, we scrambled to find a hotel to stay at and chose the Gran Caribe Resort. The hotel we were at was not very good, so we were excited to move to another hotel. Upon arrival at this one, we noticed that they are doing a major renovation. Their lobby was under construction and it was really noisy. Not ideal, but no big deal. We asked about moving from an ocean view room to an ocean front room. The guy at registration said he had 2 rooms on the 4th floor, that were ocean front and very nice. The uncharge wasn't bad, so we got them. When we went to our rooms, they were nice. However, they are doing construction on something just below us. We were later told that it is going to be the new lobby. Whatever it was, the hammering, sawing, and jackhammering were LOUD!. Ok, I can still deal with it. But, the construction is not limited to these 2 areas, or is it limited to daytime hours. They are also doing construction in a building by the pool, and near the beach palapas. So nowhere I would turn could I get away from the constant racket and banging. I am assuming that because they are working so close to the building, that they chose to cordon off some of the beach beds and places to enjoy the beach. Because of this there is so little shade provided by the few palapas on the beach. If you are not up by 6am, you will be without any protection from the hot sun. The game of saving chairs is horrible because there are so few good places with shade. The few beds on the other side of the beach they want you to "rent". So we only sat at the beach a few precious minutes. The rest of the time, we sat at the pool and listened to the games being played along with the very loud, very unrelaxing music of jackhammers and other construction noise. So I thought I would go upstairs and relax. Wrong. The construction went on until after 11 pm. We even called down to find out when they would be stopping for the night. I was told "20 minutes" and soon. At least the bed was comfy, so about midnight, I could sleep. But I would be getting an early wake up call curious of the men downstairs. This place is really beautiful. The beach is wonderful. The staff is amazing. The food here is really good. I was really impressed with their lunch buffet. It is one of the best lunch buffets I have ever had. The Mexican Restaurant was pretty good as well. We did not eat at the Italian Restaurant or the Sunset Grill so I cannot say one way or the other how good the food was. The other restaurant was closed for construction. So, we either ate at the Mexican or buffet each day and were happy with those choices. The bar was ok. They also are contending with the construction noise. When this place gets done with all the construction, it will surely be amazing. We just went at the wrong time.I will say, I was a little upset when the man checking us in did not tell us that the rooms we were paying extra for were going to be over construction. He should have mentioned that little fact. However, when we mentioned the problem to the manager, Angel, he was great. He immediately moved us to a room across the property and away from the noise. I wish we would have let him know sooner to salvage a little more of our stay, but I was grateful for his help. Without the noise, the place was great. The beds were comfortable and we finally relaxed. Because Angel was so accommodating, and showed us a nice, quite side of this resort, I will probably come back, whereas I was about to write this resort off the list. We look forward to seeing how the place looks as soon as the make over is done.

 Lovely Hotel though construction an irritant
Spent a week here and would highly recommend the hotel to anyone other than for the construction going on. The hotel is apologetic for this and does try to keep this to a minimum though a shame being so close to the pool as you can hear from there. We liked all the restaurants and staff for always helpful. Room was large and comfortable and restocked every day. From a very personal view the entertainment staff was a little over the top with something going on around the pool all the time. I was more keen to relax rather than getting involved in Water Polo, Water Aerobics or whatever else was going on, though going to be beach solved this quite easily and still within reach of the bar/restaurant.Other than this small matter would happily go back again, one the construction is complete!

 Wonderful hotel.
The service and food at the resort were exceptional.The resort is kept very clean and the staff are very friendly and eager to help. The room was spacious and had all the necessary amenities. Had a wonderful time on the beach , also enjoyed playing bingo. The evening entertainment was wonderful. We saw three weddings taking place at the resort during our stay. Will definitely return!!

 Nice hotel
This hotel is under renovation...heavy noise at the second floor...If you room is there ,it is better to ask for a room change ;on the other hand service is good ..buffet is good aswell ...i recomend this hotel for families with children ..overall it was a good stay

 Wonderful hotel except......
We had a great time at the Gran Caribe. The food was excellent (especially at Maria's, the filet steak was amazing), and Fabiola, our server was wonderful! She anticipated all our needs and provided excellent service. The breakfast buffet at the Albatross, was the best we have had. Also, the New York hamburger at the Sunset Grill was outstanding. The resort is kept very clean and the staff are very friendly and eager to help. The beach was very nice and we actually got to swim in the Caribbean without worrying about excessive seaweed. The pool was very relaxing, and not crowded because it is low season. The only negative comments were there was extensive construction going on (which we overlooked) and the Wi-Fi did not work in the first room (2201) or the room we moved to (2202). I made the complaint every day we were there, and they sent an IT Tech to our room on the second day we were there. He said they had to reset the server and the problem would be cleared up in an hour. That didn't help. We had to go out in the hallway every time we wanted access to our phone or iPad to get the proper Wi-Fi connection. In this age of needed technology, this is unacceptable. I really hope they will get this fixed as we intend on booking another trip to the Gran Caribe next year. The only suggestion I have is that we would have liked to had lunch start at the restaurants at 11am instead of noon. Just an American thing I guess.

 My Wedding was Amazing!
My husband and I had our wedding here and it was absolutely amazing . Our wedding was perfect to say the least. I can honestly say my expectations were exceeded! Our wedding planner Edith Frederick was great and really went above and beyond to make our special day perfect! Although there was construction, my husband and I, as well as our guests had a wonderful time and didn't even notice the construction. The service and food at the resort were exceptional as well. If your looking into a destination wedding I highly recommend this resort! We will definitely be back next year to celebrate our one year anniversary!

 Excellent. Truly recommend staying herr
Brilliant hotel and genuinely recommend it. Excellent and friendly staff, especially the activities guys (Sara, Roger, Daniel, Fabio and Ithiel) who never failed to go to extra lengths to get people involved and offer something for everyone. Also Araceli (the waitress by the main pool) worked tirelessly to ensure we always had a drink in our hands despite the scorching heat. Our only slight criticism was the building work, but that won't last forever!

 It's really the staff that make this place great
This was our second stay at the Gran Caribe and the main reason that we decided to make this our second stay was not because of the price, the location, or the food, it was because of one particular staff member, Ana Rosa Tec from Sunset restaurant. She made our first stay more than pleasant and we kept in touch with her between our first and second stay. We were excited to come back to Cancun and were planning to stay at another property but decided that we wanted to see Ana again so we booked the Grab Caribe. Ana is truly an asset to Gran Caribe and if you stay there, please ask for her when you eat at Sunset. The property was undergoing renovations upon our arrival, so there was hammering, pounding, etc. during the day. While this was not a deal breaker, it would have been nice to know that the property was under construction prior to our arrival. Overall, our experience was the same as last time and we would return in the future. The staff was friendly and accommodating, the beach was fun and relaxing and our room was quiet and clean. We had an ocean view room that had a hammock on the balcony(which was great after a hard day at the beach). One of our favorite things to do was grab a drink after dinner and walk along the beach. We never felt unsafe and it was a great way to end each day. There are a handful of restaurants that you can eat at, of course, Sunset was our favorite because of Ana, but the others are good well offering a wide range of food sure to please anyone. My biggest issue is that they still use animals for entertainment which i find completely unnecessary. A donkey that they allow grown adults to sit on and take pictures, a monkey that is trained to jump on your shoulders/head, and a bird that sits in your hands on its back. The animals look miserable. (There’s my rant again)There are a few bars around the property so you can grab a drink pretty much anywhere. Waterslides and small little kids play area make this a great place for families. We don’t have kids, but we sure took advantage of the water slides. We will definitely return to Cancun in the future!

 Visiting for a wedding
Staff was excellent, they attended to my family and infant son well. Food was delicious. We got to know many of the servers by their names, they were very friendly. Their was construction but it was tolerable and they allowed us to use their other resort free of charge to help our stay feel more pleasant.

 Honeymoon Celebration and this was an amazing experience!
After switching from another hotel after we had already arrived in Cancun, everyone here tried to make our stay so special and the customer service was awesome! From Ever who runs the Beach Cabana's, to the staff at Maria's, to the front desk staff, to the guys taking your bags, everyone at the Albatros...we truly had exceptional customer service! We played by the pool for 2 days, had unlimited amazing fruity drinks, ate dinners that were prepared and presented with such service and style, had a romantic dinner on the beach which was beyond our expectations. We also played by the beach for 2 days and rented a beach cabana which was the most fun and Ever and Daniel took amazing care of us! This hotel is very clean, very well kept even with construction going on and we got one of their newly remodeled rooms which was spectacular! Lots of space, bed was awesome, shower was awesome and just very good customer service when she cleaned our room every day! Our breakfast every morning in the Albatros was so good, fresh, hot, lots of variety and the drinks from any bar were so yummy! This hotel goes above and beyond to make sure you are enjoying yourself, your experience and above all relaxing and they take care of things. I did have a massage by Maria at the spa...she was wonderful! I cannot say enough good things about Gran Caribe but all I know is my husband and I will definitely be back!

 45th Birthday - Exceeding all expectations
We stayed at the Gran Caribe for 3 nights, 4 days on Labor Day week. I read many reviews before picking this location and was ready for an average stay on the strip. This stay was beyond all expectations. We did have an upgraded room on the sixth floor 2648 - it was completely worth it. No noise, the check in was quick and pleasant, we got into our room immediately and were given champagne as we checked in. The rooms were clean, and smelled fresh, the views were phenomenal - even better than the pictures. We had a private cabana on the beach with consistent service. I'd like to name my favorite employees but they were all so helpful that I couldn't even begin to list them all. We did a couples message by the pool area and Reyna and Maria were by far one of the highlights. If you come to relax, get the massages, book them with these women, they are so worth it. We also did the lobster meal on the beach which was an up charge but was also worth it. The food was okay at the restaurants but the private dinner on the beach was first class with great service and ambience. We could not have asked for a better service or accommodations. It was a great get away for my husbands birthday. We will definitely recommend to all of our friends and family. I can't say it enough - It was perfect!

 Points to Note
Yes hotel is under construction but won't be the end all be all. Kids club states open 9am - 8pm. However it's really 11-5 that you're able to leave kids to play. They say there's scheduled activities however my daughter spent most of her time watching TV. Room 2454 does not have a balcony! When eating at restaurants with my daughter we were not given the same service as table with multiple people. I tip and tip well but when not given the same Service..sorry. Lots of pool chairs and beach chairs to choose from. Pool isn't overly huge so not sure if you'd have the same luck if hotel was at full capacity. Maria's restaurant is delicious. The filet and mango shrimp are a must try. Location is great. In walking distance to la Isla shopping and the market.The spa.. what a joke.. they're worse than time share people. The set prices they have are rediculously high and yes they'll negotiate. I tried to change services and was quoted only $40 less for half the time. All and all food and hotel was great, if you're looking for excitement this is not the place. My main things when at a hotel are spa and kids club and they both failed in my books.

 DETAILED- the most beautiful place
hello everyone, so my family came and visited this resort in august. this hotel is one of the most beautiful of hotel that I have seen. we spoke to many people and there was one family who had come to the resort for nine years in a row! another for 7! since this is the only hotel with a church, it provides a wedding survice which are very well taken care of and catered. STAFFthe staff in this hotel are beyond amazing. they are very respectful and care about your well being. they are constantly on patrol 24/7. they make sure the hotel is immaculate by sweeping every second. they do soo much more then what they are paid for.POOL/ENTERTAINMENTthe hotel has a total of 4 pools and a Jacuzzi in the spa. the main pool is located right by the beach and the smaller pool is located on the other side of the hotel. I am going to be honest and say that the pools are not as clean as they could be as we had visited other hotels and seen the condition of their pools, however they do seem to care a lot as they are up bright and early to come and clean the pool. the entertainment staff are amazing and we couldn't of asked for anyone better, Sara, Fabio, Stephanie, Chris, Daniel will never fail to make you laugh. the day starts off with a simple water exercise which is hosted by one of the amazing team members and then during the day they do pool volley ball and water polo and other crazy games. You will never be bored even in the rain as they provide indoor activities for everyone by doing karaoke and bracelet making, ping pong tournaments etc. They have also got two waterslides on the resort, they are very fun and fast and will keep the big kids happy. However, I did cut my foot on the water slide as you are zooming down and the Separate pool floor is very rough. the resort also provides kids slides and game rooms. Night time entertainment is excellent as there is different shows every night.KIDS CLUBthe kids club, in my defence, was astonishing. it is well catered as you can drop your younger children and they will be looked after in the air conditioned kids club. the kids club has a mini separate pool and a mini golf course for people of any ages to enjoy. They make sure you kid doesn't stay hungry by serving them snakes and taking them down to the restaurants. I have not got time to finish the review but the place is astonishing. it is only 30 mins from the airport and the food is mouth watering. All activities in the resort are all inclusive however you only need to pay for massages.thank you and I hope you visit gran Caribe as I know I will be coming quite often. it is a lovely resort and I wish you all have a lovely stay.

 Disappointing construction site
The hotel had all its amenities operational but a renovation construction site all over the hotel reception areas put me off that picture of a paradise holiday that Cancun conjures in one's imagination. Don't try Mahias- queues are not worth the food. All other restaurants are good.

 Best holiday!!
Myself, my mum, my dad and my sister stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks and we definitely made the right choice to stay at this hotel! It was our first time in Cancun and the journey for us was over 10 hours as we came from England. When we got to the hotel, the luggage guy took our luggage and dealt with it. We were given wine at the reception and there was a very welcoming atmosphere. The hotel was definitely a five star hotel. The rooms were very spacious and cleaned often. The beds at the hotel were so comfy, i could fall asleep instantly!! The hotel seemed to be very safe. I went clubbing for the first time (i booked the tickets from the hotel) and i came back at 3am but i felt so safe walking into the hotel at this time, there is a huge entrance with staff and security around. The entertainment at the hotel was awesome, i didn't even want to leave the hotel because everything was there! I would like to thank all of the entertainers Sara, Chris, Roger, Steph, Daniel and Fabio who made my time there memorable and worth it, they never failed to leave a massive smile on my face! The water zumba and dance classes taken place by Steph and Sara were very entertaining! The daily activities taken place by Chris were very imaginative and interesting, he is very nice and helped me make some more friends at the hotel! All the staff were very friendly, and motivating at making me take part in all of the activities. Entertainment is very traditional some nights with Mexican dancing and singing. There was also some animals such as monkeys and parrots where we could take pictures from the professional photographer, the pictures came out really clear and detailed. There were also water slides, table tennis table, mini golf and an entertainment room which kept us entertained when the entertainers left. it rained the last few days during our time in Cancun but the entertainers did not fail to entertain us! They did indoors karaoke, table tennis competition, bracelet making, dance classes and many more other fun activities!! I loved the beach area at this hotel because i walked across the whole beach one day, the other hotels did not look as good as this one. The beach felt so safe and it was the first time we all felt like we could stay on the beach all night!! We made a group of friends from America with about 10 18 year olds, we had a party in their room on the sixth floor, then carried the party outside by the pool. We then stayed on the beach till 3am!! There was a big turtle on the beach who was finding her way out of the sand into the sea, we watched and the staff made me feel so comfortable with the turtle. I have a phobia of animals and it was my first time at this hotel to touch animals!! Anyway, the turtle laid eggs which were they buried into the sand. Some eggs started to hatch and we watched the baby turtles come out of the sand. I held one for the first time and placed the baby turtle into the sea!! it was such a great experience. The outside restaurant by the pool was the best one because the food was delicious! They had very very friendly and helpful staff who fulfilled my wants and i could easily communicate with them if there were any problems with my food, they also made me feel very welcoming and comfortable. One night i really wanted to have chicken fajitas for dinner but it was not served at the buffet so i asked the staff and the chef made a special meal just for me!! However, the restaurant above this one did not have many friendly staff and it was very hard to ask them for any drinks because they came to our table after 10 minutes. Other than this, the captain at Albatros, Cruz Unel, was very friendly and approachable. Also, they made us a special meal for us on our last night which i shared with some friends i made at the hotel. The restaurant outside near the small pool had the best chicken and bacon noodle meal which i had multiple nights!! The staff at this restaurant made sure that i always had enough water to drink and kept refilling my glass without me asking. Also, the Italian restaurant had friendly staff who gave me extra bread and cheese every time i visited because they knew how much i loved it!! In my opinion, they should have more food options for breakfast and all day food at the small cafes.The only issues i had was that many of my clothes went missing. I left my favorite shorts in my room and after the cleaners came, they disappeared!! We also left a bag with a hat, goggles, sun-cream, summer jacket and a towel on a sunbed by the pool, after an hour or two we went back to the sunbed and it was gone!! I am very disappointed about this. We did go to lost property at the hotel to find the bag and shorts. The staff were very helpful and showed me a list of all the rooms where shorts were left behind. The staff also brought some of these shorts for me to see but unfortunately they did not find my shorts. Another issue was that the Best Day Travel company at the hotel were giving their best deals for clubs, dolphin experiences, underground caves etc, but they gave us a total price much higher than the actual price of the tickets. We spent 110 pounds more for the dolphin experience from the BD Travel which i am not pleased about. Except for that, their travel and experience was very good. In addition, the pool water did seem a bit dirty with some food and drinks dropped in there. Also, when we arrived (around 4pm) we did not get our room till about 6/7pm which meant we had to just wander around the hotel. On a whole, i think this hotel was the best one in Cancun because i was talking to some people staying at other hotels, this one seemed a lot better. This was the first hotel that i have stayed at where i feel so comfortable that it felt like home to me. Nitisha

 Family Vacation
Me and my family stayed at this resort in August. The service was awesome and the weather was beautiful. I want to say thank you to Ever he works as a bartender in the pool, he was always with a big smile and also all of The employees were nice. The room was big and beautiful I felt like I was home. I love the resort, thank you for the great hospitality me and my family got from you.

 DETAILED REVIEW - Last Week of August with Two Young Kids
My wife and I have been to many different Countries for resorts in the past, but never Mexico, and never with our two children (6 and 4 years old). We chose Gran Caribe based on good reviews, good looking options for the kids, super close to the airport, and an almost Kids-stay-free pricing. We chose end of August (Aug 25 - Sep 1) for two reasons: lower cost, and to give the kids an end of summer vacation trip before school starts again here in Canada. I couldn't be more thrilled by the choice we made to stay here. We booked through Air Canada Vacations, and it was a very smooth and easy process.Our flight landed in Cancun, Mexico around 9am, and I was quite impressed by the airport there. The customs process was fast and easy, and our luggage came relatively quickly as well. Getting out the exit of the airport to find our resort shuttle, we passed by a lot of people who offer to carry out your luggage and help you find your shuttle, but they do it for the tips, and once you exit, there are plenty of people you can flag down to help you find where your shuttle is located.We arrived at the resort close to 11am I think, and were immediately greeted by the most cheerful and welcoming doorman/baggage assistant. I wish I was better with names, because he deserves mentioning, but I'm not so all I can say is his welcoming nature made an immediate impression that set the tone for the week. He took our luggage, gave us a ticket for them, and kept them safe for us all morning/early afternoon until our room was ready. As we left our bags and entered the lobby, we were then immediately greeted by a super friendly girl who sort of works for the resort - there are employees there who work for the Diamond Club, and yes, their goal is to sell you on time-share type deals, but they almost make that seem secondary until you're fully settled in. She guided us to the front desk to help us check in, and got welcome drinks for us and the kids. After a quick check-in at the front desk, no line ups at all when we arrived, she guided us up to the sixth floor where we had a private check-in as part of staying in one of the master suites. It's quite a bit extra above paying for their regular type suites, but SO WORTH IT! The private check-in is located in the private lounge on the sixth floor, which has comfy chairs, snacks, and premium booze available for the sixth floor and other VIP guests. Our room wasn't ready yet, but the girl gave us our bracelets, some towel cards, and informed us to come back around 2pm to get our room. We met up with our baggage guy, and he let us get some swim clothes out of our bags, and we went over to the spa area to get changed in their bigger bathroom/change rooms. From there we jumped right into our resort vacation! We went to the kids pool first to check it out, and ended up really loving it over there. I had expected to not spend that much time at the kids pool, thinking it would be small and crowded, but it was actually quite calm. It's right beside the kid's water slides as well, so it's easy to go between those attractions with the kids and still be close to your chairs, and the bar and restaurant there. We ended up making a trip to the kids pool once every day since the kids enjoyed it so much. I should say something about the chairs around the resort... I've never been to a resort, except maybe eleven years ago in Panama, where it's been SO easy to find free chairs! Everywhere I go now, people wake up at insane hours to get the best seats in the house, usually leaving limited to no loungers unless you play the claim your seats game as well. Here was completely different. We never claimed chairs early except for the very last day, and that was only because we wanted a specific spot that day. Instead, we simply went where we wanted, and every time there would be so many free spots available, and many times some great shaded spots. The main pool not so much, but the kids pool and the beach especially, always offered some pretty prime spots.We spent almost every day at all three swimming spots, with the beach being my absolute favorite. We arrived right after Tropical Storm Harvey has passed through (before it turned into Hurricane Harvey and battered Houston and surrounding areas), and as a result the waves for the first three days were AMAZING!!! They red flag the beach, but always had one spot that was yellow flagged with a life guard on hand. The waves were so strong and big those three days, and it was the most fun at any resort I've had. I wish I'd brought a boogie board! They had some on the resort, but everything in the store there was insanely expensive. Don't buy anything there, go off resort to La Isla Shopping Village instead, I'll mention that later. If good old Matias K, the tripadvisor reply guy actually wanted to put some advice into action, instead of glossing over people's criticisms, I'd highly recommend them enforcing a massive price drop there - you'd see sales go through the roof! Anyways, not important, but probably the only irksome thing I'll have in this review, lol. The main pool is bigger in person than it looks in the pictures, and contrary to all the negative reviews about the pool water, we found it to be incredibly clean each and every day late into the evening. We went on a few post-sunset swims with the kids (which I highly recommend!) and the water was still clear even then. From our sixth floor balcony over the pool, we could see every morning a small army of staff out cleaning the pool and the pool area, doing a heck of a job. They deserve so much credit for keeping the resort in such top condition! There's no swim up bar, but honestly, I think those are way over-rated, and here they have poolside waiter service, with the bar just a few feet away from the pool in case you need a drink and can't wait for the waiter.The drinks! Oh man, the drinks. The best of any resort I've been to, by far. All these people who complain about them being watered down must be raging alcoholics. Watch the bartenders, they pour tons of booze into the drinks. Just because you don't taste it, doesn't mean it isn't there. And also, why would you want to get stone cold drunk after two or three drinks? If you really need that sting of booze in your drink, then get a drink and order a shot of your favorite spirit to go with it. Problem solved. Stop complaining about watered down drinks when the solution is so in your face simple. Rant over. Their mojitos are legendary, the banana sexy was one of my favorites, the superior cerveza and the dos equis were my go-to beers, and the tequilas available in the sixth floor lounge were great. I would really like to see them step up the premium liquor game though in that sixth floor lounge, so Matias here's another thing to add to your to-do list, more important than the whole lower store prices thing. Please, get some truly premium liquors up there. I would classify the ones there as simply mid-range. Get some of the higher end Don Julios, some triple distilled Corralejo, some of the great Guatemalan sipping rums, and some of the classic single malt scotches. Heck even some XO cognac. You charge enough for the VIP rooms, so this shouldn't be asking too much. I also would like to see better food in the lounge more consistently. Small things, not deal breakers, but it would definitely be appreciated big time.The room was to-die for, in great shape, and easily accommodated the two kids and my wife and I. The sofa turned into one bed, and they wheeled in a nice extra bed so that my kids were taken care of, turning the living room portion essentially into the kids bedroom. They slept so great there, having been tuckered out from the sun and fun each day, and my wife and I were able to spend some nights on the balcony with drinks, and some nights in the room, with more drinks. We were even so tired from our days with the kids that we ended up turning in early most nights anyways. The beauty of this resort is that everything gets rather quiet and peaceful in the evenings, which I WAY prefer. Even without kids, I like peaceful evenings at resorts with less fuss and entertainment. Last note about the room: when we arrived, we were supposed to have four bottles of booze in our room, but there was only one. So that was a small disappointment, but was easily fixed the next day after I put in a request with our VIP lounge check-in person.The food? Wow. Oh man. Just, so good. People who complain are either Vegans, or super picky. First time in Mexico, and I've always heard people compare resort food in other countries to that of Mexican resorts, and now we totally understand why. The food is varied, and so tasty! We ate in the buffet most nights simply because our kids are tornadoes of activity and couldn't sit still for long in the a la carte restaurants. The Albatross for dinner was always enjoyable though, but do watch out for the waiters trying to upsell you special beers and bottled wines. They're crazy expensive, and just not worth it. If you're VIP, you can get some of the nice wines in the VIP lounge later anyways. We also ate at Maria's for dinner - get the steak... omg get the steak - and at the sunset grill, where all their food is fantastic, and you get a great view of the sunset over the lagoon. We went for dinner most nights around 6pm and NEVER had a line or a problem getting a seat. We would see people lined up around 8pm, so clearly it's all about timing I suppose. Breakfasts were best at Gaviotas restaurant by far, and it's open-air with some fans, so in the mornings it's simply beautiful. We would typically eat around 8am, and again, no lines at the different food stations. The omelette with chorizo sausage was one of my breakfast staples. The fruit was generally quite ripe and tasty each morning, and the mimosas are decent. An upgrade in the bubbly department would be nice though, give the mimosas more flavor. Lunches were best at the Sunset Grill, with a killer shrimp ceviche, amazing pizzas, and great burgers. Scored some paella by the main poolside one day, they made it in a massive pot and it was oh sooooo good! The kids club located there is pretty lame, to be honest. They do provide programming, and you can leave your kids there after 11am, but the program is pretty loose, and my kids are wanderers - the staff didn't inspire me with confidence that they would be able to keep a proper care of my kids either. Honestly, unless I knew that there was one dedicated staff person to care for my two kids only, (and not having to pay extra for it as babysitting services) then I'm not sure I'd ever feel totally safe leaving my kiddos. It's a family vacation for us anyways, so we didn't plan to use the services there from the outset, but we checked it out regardless and yeah, we weren't inspired.Hmmmm, what else... oh, hot. Quite hot this time of year. The first three days were amazing, because it was crazy windy from Harvey having passed through (I assume), which made the heat seem non-existent. The last half of the week was quite tough to bear at times, even in the shade, and we ended up having little siestas in our perfectly air conditioned room those days during the early to mid afternoon. The pools heat up a lot too without that wind, so you don't get much relief unless you dip in the still pretty warm Caribbean Sea. The last day was the first that got cloudy and a bit rainy (the rest of the week was pure sunshine practically), so we went off the resort for the first time to visit La Isla Shopping Village, and the Interactive Aquarium there. The shopping was fantastic there! Good restaurants to choose from as well. The aquarium was amazing! We got basic entrance, nothing fancy, and could watch all the people swimming with the dolphins and the dolphins doing tricks and jumps. Was really special. We got souvenirs there, and spent about five hours in total before hopping on the city bus to get back to our resort. Don't get booze there though, wait for the duty free at the Cancun airport, which is on par with any great airport duty free zones you've ever seen.Check-out was early our last day, around 7am, but was super quick and painless. Our trusty and cheerful doorman was there again to see us off, and provided a nice bookend to our Gran Caribe experience. A long review, I know, but I appreciate detailed reviews, so this one goes out to those like me!OH! P.S. Construction around the resort. Yes. It's happening, and yes it's noisy, but no, it will ruin your vacation unless you let it. Construction is mainly in the lobby, in the first floor suites, and by the main pool restaurant Gaviotas. The smell of paint and varathane gets pungent throughout the day, but clears up overnight. It honestly rarely bothered us, and I mean, they're trying to improve the resort and there's never a good time for that to happen unfortunately. I think the resort had a drop in attendance as a result of the room closures, which may skew how easy and relaxing our trip was, I'm not sure.

 Vacation
Myself , husband and son stayed at this hotel for 7 nights, the service was awesome, The employees at the hotel are really hard working and serves with a smile always. The beach was awesome to walk on, I loved how clean it was at all times. My son celebrated his 10th Birthday while we were on vacation. The hotel Staff surprised him with a cake and decorated the room which we really appreciated. Also the staff at the restaurant made him a cake and sang Happy Birthday for him. He had the best birthday ever.The entertainers were great, my son absolutely loved the daily activities, I want to say special thank you to the entertainers Rogelio, Estefania, Daniel, Fabio, Chris, Ithiel and Sara. You guys are awesome. Thank you for keeping us entertained and making our vacation memorable.This is a great hotel for anyone, we totally enjoyed our vacation. Thank you Sarah

 Beautiful beach. Hotel so so...
My son and I stayed at this resort in August. The weather was magnificent. The beach was clean and gorgeous. The entertainment crew were friendly and engaging - especially Chris. However, the hotel is undergoing major construction and we were not informed. The interior of the hotel is definitely more a 3 star than a 5. The quality of the food was very poor as well. Overall we had a wonderful time but it was more due to the sunshine and friendly faces than the hotel.

 Amazing resort with stunning beach and great service
We were a family of 4 with 2 teenage kids. We stayed at Gran Caribe Resort Real in August 2017. We had an amazing time at the resort. We had a family room facing the beach – it was very spacious and comfortable. The staff and the service was some of the best we have experienced –the resort may be four stars but the service was truly seven stars. They will cater for your every whim – well almost! All staff in every department were very well trained and very friendly, welcoming and respectful. One day my wife felt unwell in the restaurant and one of the restaurant managers, Uriel Cruz came over immediately and insisted on getting checked up by the hotel medical staff – all this happened within few minutes – we are hugely thankful to all of them! I would like to take this opportunity to name a few of the staff who we came across personally and were exceptional - Sophia at the reception who upgraded our room and Sabina in concierge who took time in showing us the rooms – both very friendly and very knowledgeable. Chefs Eduardo and Misael cooked and Capitan David the manager at Maria’s restaurant, who on our last night gave us a special unforgettable treatment and waiter Raul who made us the most amazing Mayan coffee (it took almost 5 minutes of intricate process by the table side to make the coffee). Not to mention the manager in Albattros, Cruz Uriel who was exceptional and Clarissa who would seat the guest always with a smile. We also enjoyed yoga with Ivan and enjoyed the spa and Jacuzzi. We are all vegetarians and there was plenty of choice, both in the buffet and a la carte restaurants and there is no limit to the number of times you can eat at any one of the 5 restaurants. Eduardo and Misael, the two chefs, really made an effort to accommodate us – they prepared a five-course vegetarian meal especially for us on a few occasions which was amazing. The quality of food they use in preparation of the meals was of very high standard especially the huge range of tropical fruits and salads at all meal times. Food and drinks was available non-stop throughout the day. The table managers at all the restaurants worked effortlessly and extremely efficiently to accommodate the huge rush of guests during peak times – they must be congratulated on a super job they did!All the facilities were first class – the pools, spa, the gardens, restrooms, VIP lounge, etc etc. During the day there were plenty of different activities going on – the Entertainment Team did a great job. The whole resort flows really well – everything is easily reachable.The beach was fantastic – fine white sand and almost clear of weeds. The water was so clear and warm – beautiful to swim in. We felt Gran Caribe had probably the best spot along the long stretch of beach. There were more than enough beach beds and beach cabanas – no scramble for them in the morning!We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gran Caribe and would definitely stay there again!