Great resort

This is a great hotel for both families and couples. Food is good, rooms are comfortable, grounds and common areas are kept clean and tidy. Staff are very friendly, and quick to serve your needs. Would recommend this resort to anyone!

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Spa and Hotel – The Bad, the Good, and the Ugly

I would never personally stay at Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Spa and Hotel again because, for the cost, it was a poor value. But, I have mixed feelings when it comes to whether it should be recommended or not. THE GOOD AND THE BAD It is an upscale resort with beautifully maintained gardens and lawns; well-paved roadways and walkways of stone, cement, and brick; three welcoming pools; a long beach, eight à la carte restaurants; a large main buffet and two restaurants that serve as buffets p [... read more]art of the day; lots of activities for the guest; a big outdoor covered amphitheatre, a spa, gym, and a disco. However, it is an unwieldy 20 resident buildings resort packed with people. Even at a moderate to fast pace, it takes 20+ minutes to walk to some venues, notably the spa, gym, and disco. It took me three days to find my way around. There is supposed to be a golf-cart shuttle service, but there is no schedule and no route map. Some shuttles are for “members” only. Other shuttles are full or just do not stop. Actually, in my seven-day stay, I was able only once to catch a shuttle. For the size of the resort and the numbers there, there are not enough bathrooms, and they are small. In fact, six of the à la carte restaurants and the main buffet do not have bathrooms. If a bathroom is closed for cleaning or maintenance, you have quite a trek to the next bathroom. Finally, you need a smart phone, GPS, or walkie talkie to locate or find your family and friends. In addition, just like the anonymity of a large city or cruise ship, there was no regular meeting place to make new friends by bumping into people more than once. The food is excellent and the à la carte restaurants each provide a different cuisine; French, Italian, Mediterranean, Japanese, Thai, and Brazilian. The large buffet offers a variety of cuisines except for Mexican Night, once a week. However, the main buffet is closed for 3 hours between meals and is only opened from 7 am to 10 am for breakfast. Our first morning at the resort, we nearly missed the buffet breakfast because the day before, our travel day, we had been up since 2 am and wanted to sleep in, but still have breakfast. Also, the reservation-required à la carte restaurants are small; thus, it is difficult to get a reservation, especially if you are staying for only a week. The three pools are well laid out. Two of them are activity pools and have swim-up bars. However the activity pools are noisy with either activities or music most of the day, not a great place to get an afternoon nap or just relax, nor is your room as I will explain later. There is a large crescent-shaped quiet pool, but the space for lounges is pathetically small, with lots of places along the pool too narrow for lounges. I was never able to find a vacant lounge at the quiet pool. To compound the problem at the quiet pool, almost all of the wider lounge area was reserved for “members only.” In addition, the lounges at the pools and beach, although comfortable, are difficult to adjust. You have to get out of the lounge and fool around with the support bar to move it to change the height of the back of the chair. There was no easy way to adjust the back support. Also, the lounges could not be adjusted to lie totally flat, nor could the back support be angled up to a reasonable height for reading. The rooms are spacious and beautifully appointed. The beds are comfortable. The roomy bathrooms include a bathtub with Jacuzzi water jets and the shower has a rainwater shower head available. The floors of the unit are an attractive marble or granite, and there is an ample balcony with a table, chair, and retractable clothesline. The maid did a superior job of keeping the room clean. We were in a VIP junior suite. However, our safe did not work; the Jacuzzi water jets were non-functional; the cracked toilet seat pinched our skin every time we sat on it; and the faucet dripped. After a few calls and discussions with our concierge, our safe was repaired, and the Jacuzzi was made to work. On the other hand, the facet continued to drip throughout our stay, and the toilet seat continued to pinch us. We set the air conditioning as warm as we could 25C (77F). Nevertheless, the room was freezing. Other guests were complaining about the same thing. We had to figure a way to turn the A/C off, but then the room tended to feel and smell humid. Finally, all resident buildings were close to one or the other loud activity pools. If you wanted some quiet time away from the hordes of guests, your room was not the answer either. Even the balcony door being closed, the sound of the ceiling fan and freezing A/C could not drown out the racket coming from the pool, especially the voice of the specific activity leader who, despite having a grand amplified speaker system, found it necessary to scream. So, there was no peace from noise at the activity pools or our room; plus, the quiet pool was always full. The resort had a coffee shop which served delicious specialty coffees, such as café latte, Irish coffee, Monte Cristo, cappuccino, etc. However, for this enormous resort, there was only one coffee shop. No other venues served specialty coffees. The resort also had an ice cream parlour which served premium ice cream of a variety of marvellous flavours. However, again, there was only one ice cream parlour. No other venue served ice cream during the day. The parlour closed at 6 pm. Ice cream was available from 6:30 to 10 pm at the main buffet as part of your meal. There was a large coastal area along the resort. Many spots had beautiful look-outs and one isolated point had two somewhat shaded hammocks, a miniscule oasis of quiet. However, 75% of the beach was too rocky to sun bath or even to access the water from. The sandy beach area, with large “members only” sections, was overrun with sunbathers and swimmers. Available lounge chairs were impossible to find. The scene is reminiscent of photos of the crowds along and in the Ganges River. THE UGLY Bar Service was a disappointment. At the quiet pool, there was no alcoholic bar. At the activity pools, one server came around about every 90 minutes or so during the day. It took him/her 30+ minutes to bring a drink. It was better to go to the bar. However, the pool bars ran out of pina colada mix almost everyday. The beach bar service was worse. At the beach bar, there was only one bartender to serve the mass of beach goers. He gave priority to the one waiter’s massive orders from the beach. If a guest went to the beach bar, there was a minimum 20 minute wait. However, if you ordered from the waiter on the beach, the wait would be minimally 30 minutes. At the main buffet, cocktails were never available even during dinner. The staff at the resort is absolutely excellent, superior in every way. They work hard and are extremely friendly and accommodating. However, they are overworked at every venue. The resort should either increase the number of staff or cut down on the number of guests in order to improve all service. Grand Sirenis’s Final Farewell Service to Us. There are people like us without smart phones or lap tops. Our last full day at the resort, I asked the concierge to help us book our next day flight on line. Despite explaining to him our situation, he said he could not help us. I have been to three other Mexican resorts in the past 14 months. Grand Sirenis has been the only resort which refused to help us. Thank God, Air Transit hostesses, using their own personal phones, helped us and other couples book on-line. Maybe Air Transit should co-ordinate customer service at the resort. Our shuttle left for the Cancun airport at 7:20 am. No food venue was open early enough for us to have breakfast or even pick up food, not does the resort make any attempt to have even coffee and continental breakfast in the main lobby for guests who depart before food venues are available. I have never been to any other resort, hotel or on any cruise ship that did not have food available for early departing guests. Finally, our departure on our shuttle was delayed because when we checked out, the resort forgot to give us proof of check out for the shuttle service. We had to go back to check out to get the proof. This was our final disappointment that we had experienced at the “upscale” resort. RECOMMENDATIONS I guess if you want a large expensive upscale resort with lots of duplicate amenities and venues; a big area to hike through and explore; a host of activities; many guests; somewhat impersonal and with a high degree of potential anonymity; then this resort is for you. However, if you want a small, cosier resort, where it is easier to make new friends and get to know staff, but with more limited venues and activities, then go to an upscale resort like Sun Palace in Cancun, or a more economical resort such as Allegro Playacar in Playa del Carmen, or Cameron Los Cocos in Rincon de Guyabitos near Puerto Valharta.

Great resort for families!

This hotel has beautiful grounds, it is very well maintained, rooms are very clean, staff is extremely helpful and friendly, the food is good. Lots to do to stay busy; pools, beach, lazy river, dolphins, shows, bars, entertainment, snorkeling, walking trails... Things to consider before booking: this is a very large resort = lots of walking, the beach is not picture postcard beautiful like some of the other resorts or destinations. It is rocky. The coral reef and rocks on the edge make it  [... read more]beautiful but in a different way than the usual white sand and turquoise water.

We will be back

id like to first thank alfie duva of trip central for finding and booking this hotel for us.my wife and i had an excellent time .the hotel itself is amazing and the staff was very friendly. it is a huge resort with many things to do some at a cost but acceptable pools were always clean as were the grounds.there were many bars so there was no lack of a cervesa when needed and when the bars were a little busy there was the frindly waitresses walking around and making sure you had what you wanted [... read more].our room was very nice everything in it worked kept clean everyday as well as the mini fridge being well stocked.the buffet in my opinion was very good and the a la cartes we did have were a1 the only thing i would like to see is possibly more trams on the property they did have many for the members and i feel there were more non member guests there as well as perhaps a bike rental place it is a big resort and would be nice for the ones that would like to see it without waiting for a tram thanks to juan ,jose and alajandro as well as our 2 very helpful air cananda reps thanks again

Beyond expectations!

The variety of areas to sit during the day was beyond expectations. Beach, near the beach, near or at the pool, and the lazy river -our family (wife, daughters 12 & 15, & me ) all found our favourite spots than ranged from quiet to lots of action. I wanted to snorkel and was not disappointed, probably spending 2-3 hours/day in the water right off of the shore. There were fish in the shallows and when going out a bit deeper there were tons of fish. The room was excellent. Beautiful bathroom a [... read more]rea and lots of space in the main part of the room. The balcony was a nice extra and also served well to dry clothes! The food was amazing. The buffet had a theme most evenings which gave some variety, but the food that was there each and every night (and morning) was of such variety that one always found excellent choices. A couple of hidden gems are the beach BBQ and the beach buffet that was set up each day. The food from each was a great mid day change of menu. We had read a lot about booking the ala carts, but I would not set my focus as these being a highlight. They were on OK change up from the buffet. If you have kids, they will prefer the buffet! I would give the Brazilian a 2/10, Mediterranean 6/10, & Japanese 9/10. The resort grounds are quite amazing. They look so spread out (on a map and from the balcony) but you can walk anywhere in about 5-10 minutes. The bike tour each morning is something to do early in the stay so you can take advantage of some of the sites that they show you. After spending 7 days there, we could not find something that we were felt short changed on - it was a fantastic family vacation spot that we will do again.

Beyond expectations!!

This was our family's first tropical trip (age 12 & 15). My wife has travelled throughout the world (Australia, Peru, Italy, France, etc). There are so many positive parts of the resort. It provided each of us with an area that gave us what we wanted whether it be activity pools with lots of entertainment and noise, other pools where it was much quieter, a lazy river, multiple areas on the beach. I went for the snorkelling off shore and was not disappointed. The food service was top notc [... read more]h - buffet basics were fantastic and the specialty nights were a nice mixture. The BBQ buffett on the beach is the hidden gem. Service in the food areas and drink areas was amazing. I could not find one single issue to rate as 'medium'. Our room was on the 3rd floor. It was clean and gave us all we needed.

Great vacation at the Grand Sirenus

The Grand Sirenus is a lovely resort. The staff members are hardworking, the food is fine (not amazing but good enough), and the pool is fun. Sometimes the music and the antics of the DJs were a little much, but overall they added a lot of entertainment. The jewel on the crown of this resort is the beach front. It was beautiful and didn't even feel very crowded. The rooms are large and well maintained, except that they are very musty smelling. Although we were in a very lush tropical environme [... read more]nt so probably couldn't be helped. The whole thing was a breeze, from booking online with trip central to getting to and from the resort.

2nd time and there will be a third time...soon

I stayed for 7 days at the Grand Sirenis this was my second time after 9yrs...and it hasn't changed. Hotel rooms are big, spacious, clean and nice. Grounds are nice and well mantained. Entertainment was great. Food and theme nights were great. Only issue was booking the 3 a la cartes...we were a group of 6 so getting an early 6pm dinner was impossible...dinners were 9pm and with shows at 9:30...very hard. Drinks were always flowing and had a great variety. Pool e entertainment kept my 9yr old [... read more] busy all day. I arrived on my birthday and was offered an upgraded room if I paid...this was my 40th birthday and nothing was done by hotel, even when told on many occassions, very disappointing :( Check in was SLOW...1 person at desk...after a 2hr ride to hotel with 3 kids this was hard. Beach party was cool and welcomed change. Beach was nice, free snorkelling was great. Massage on the beach was fabulous. I had pictures taken by Adventure Tours and they were worth every dollar, they came out beautiful. Love the charge to room service at gift store, since I never tend to walk with money.

Sirenis Regular

I love this resort, this was my 3rd time there. They have a lot of different choices for a la cartes as well as great buffet with theme nights to vary the selections. The staff there is amazing and always willing to help as best they can. Lazy river is great and the grounds crew work tirelessly to keep up with the pool cleaning and the gardens. Lots of wildlife, great snorkeling and swimming. Easy access to Tulum or Akumal by collective. Rooms are starting to need a bit of a refresh, but all  [... read more]in all they are super clean. Pillows are TERRIBLE! My only complaint was the Sirenis management staff. I travelled with 5 girls, 3 of us were on our 3rd visit there in less then 2 years. One of us is actually a Sirenis Member. We tried to book through her membership but website was down and no one was available by phone for 2 days and we didn't want to lose out on Air Canada deal. I booked and then requested a few very easy to accommodate upgrades. We were given the run around for the 1st three days there and then just gave up. I would never recommend the hotel again just for the principle alone. As for Air Canada vacations..I was disappointed to find out that they do not offer inflight movies (unless you rent an ipad for $10) and they don't give you any food at all, not even a mint! I have never been on a flight that didn't at least give you a snack.

Buitiful resort and hotel

Rooms are spectacular The beech is rocky and very small The food was not as good as we expected steak house the t-bone steak was too thin and lots of fat The Italian restaurant spigetty was a small serving and no taste to the meat balls. The pool and swim up bar was nice The resort overall is too big and too much walking

Superior Resort

There was nothing to complain about at this resort. It was kept incredibly clean and every staff member, the grounds crew to the head chef were smiling and helpful. Our concierge people 'Paola' and 'Alex' were especially accommodating. Food and drinks were the best we have ever had and service was second to none. I plan to return for another vacation.

Amazing snorkelling!

We snorkelled with turtles and many beautiful coloured fish right off the beach! Definitely the highlight of our trip! Clean resort, friendly helpful staff, great variety of buffet food and al la carte restaurants!

Amazing trip!

Fantastic resort! It's HUGE so it took more than a few days to get it all figured out lol. There's definately something for everyone here. We travelled with another family as a group of 9 (5kids and 4 adults). Rooms are large and beautiful. Food was fantastic everyday. It was very difficult to book us into the a la carts that we wanted (Mexican, Brazilian and Japanese) even tho we inquired within 2 hours of arriving at the resort, but our concierge managed to book us into all 3 for our last 3 ni [... read more]ghts of our vacation. The entertainment was fantastic, drinks were great & ALL of the staff are wonderful & helpful. Lots of hilarious wildlife to entertain the kids! I would recommend to everyone to bring pesos as they seem to charge everything in their currency (our other 3 trips to Mexico they preferred USD) so for us Canadians, pesos was a cheaper alternative. Pools were big, never an issue getting a poolside lounger (& we needed 9 everyday)...same as the beach...lots of chairs for everyone. Beach was beautiful and amazing that you can snorkel right from the beach and see lots of tropical fish, sea turtles and stingrays. Make sure to wear water shoes as it's a bit rocky at the shoreline. Really can't complain about anything at all & would recommend this resort to anyone!

Simply lovely

The property itself is massive, I believe 90 acres. The majority of it is a lush,natural, eco reserve, full of native animals like coati and capybaras,and many butterflies as well. The resorts buildings are all 3 stories, so the view of the jungle is unimpeded. Our building (Llek) faced the ocean and was immaculate,if a little dated. The food, especially the buffets was limitless, the coffee shop made the BEST lattes, the groundskeepers seemed to always be working at keeping everything beautifu [... read more]l. The beaches were a wee rocky, but the snorkelling was amazing. And I can't say enough good things about the staff. Fantastic!

Best Resort Ever!

Resort was super clean and all the staff were extremely friendly and go out of their way to help you. Very Nice Beach & Lazy River was great! recommended to anyone - activities for every type of person from the vacation athlete to the lazy vacationer. Great views and lush greens throughout the resort. Would give this 6 stars if i could.

Awesome resort!!!!'

Great service , clean rooms, awesome Food!! Beautiful Beach!! Would Definitely come back! Would Refer to friends !! Clean bathrooms, great excursions, great messages, great casino , awesome hospitality!!!

Second time here

Overall great resort Pros - great selection of food - friendly service staff - well maintained buildings rooms landscaping - lots of wild life - great price - great for families or older couples - staff are very helpful and want to make sure you are having a great time - best beach I have been on for snorkelling and very naturelle setting Cons - this day and age Wifi should be included / at least in certain areas - safe should also be included - quite a few missing [... read more] tiles in the pools and did not see anyone in 7 days try to fix it - entertainment could be better

Awesome Resort!

This resort is very clean. The food was very good. If you like snorkeling it can be done right from the beach. You can swim with the dolphins at the resort. If you don't want to swim with Dolphins you can watch the show for free. The rooms are nice, the bed comfortable. The staff are awesome! My Air Transat was always available and very caring. We enjoyed a couples massage on the beach it was well worth it. This resort is built on a jungle and has some wildlife on site. The animals are friendly, [... read more] the signs say don't feed the animals. I recommend you don't feed the animals. For people who enjoy walking or running there are many trails.

Upscale and great price

Beautiful resort, constant maintenance to keep the condition of the resort, and to keep it spotless, amazing food, tortilla / authentic tacos are the best, great variety of choices. Staff in dining room is hit or miss, most are helpful.

Hotel

Spread out, very we'll organized with golf carts drivers great, buffets were amazing, some restaurants were not ! Beach extraordinary , entertainment good, staff and concierge attentive, w/c on bus was problem