Great getaway, nice place!

My husband and I traveled with our 2 boys (age 10 & 7) for 10 days in February 2019. Panama Jack's is approx. a 30 minute drive from the airport. Upon arrival the check in was fairly quick and our room was an ocean view which definitely met our expectations. We were pleasantly surprised that we had 1 king and 1 double bed. The beach is that of gorgeous white sand, a bit of seaweed (not a big deal) - but there is always wind and fairly turbulent waters (undertow). In fact our entire 10 days  [... read more]there it was red flags on the beach, although we still waded out a bit to enjoy the waves. There are 2 pools - the main pool is not huge and this is where most of the action is, so be prepared for loud music and constant activity. The second pool is quite small, it's quieter due to being away from the entertainment crew, but had more younger children around - probably due to the fact that the kids club is right in proximity. There are a couple bigger water slides my boys enjoyed - although my husband was concerned with the speed in which he exited the slides - lol! Lounge chairs can be hard to come by both around the pools and on the beach - but we always seemed to be able to find something eventually - it's just most people seem to place a towel on them to 'reserve' them (boo!). They do offer some classes, such as yoga and Zumba, first thing in the morning (8am) if you like participating in that sort of thing. One of my favourite things was the Panama Jacks Coffee Company in the lobby where we could pop in to grab our specialty coffees all day long, including treats which the kids enjoyed - such as cookies and pastries. There seemed to be lots of eating options. We dined at both the a la carte restaurants - the Italian one was our favourite. They had excellent service and even when having a hard time deciding on our order, they brought us out a sample of the item we didn't order so we could try it! The buffets have different theme nights and there was always decent selection - although some things like guacamole seemed hard to find, and desserts weren't overly impressive. There is a 24 hour snack bar - but nothing special so we didn't use it during our time there except to grab a few tortilla chips one day. The drinks were good, although I found them quite sweet with syrupy mixes - such as daiquiri's or pina colada's. Mojito's were one of my fav's and you can't go wrong with the cerveza's! The evening entertainment didn't blow us away so we didn't make a huge effort to watch it. Seems our boys enjoyed the foosball table so we tended to sway toward that most nights. The only issue we had was a couple times we went back to our room and our door was not completely latched - meaning we just had to push it open without our key card. We soon realized it was the maid service that was not properly closing our door after cleaning. Nothing went missing, it was just a little alarming! All in all, we had a great getaway, enjoyed every minute of escaping winter - but will likely look for another destination/resort for our next trip.

Great resort!

The hotel was very clean. Staff were amazing! Food was terrific. Nightly entertainment was great. Location is great for shopping. I would highly reccomend this resort for anyone looking to have a fantastic vacation and meet a lot of wonderful people!

Great time

My fourth time at this resort always have a relaxing time. Whether it’s morning on the beach or afternoon poolside always a relaxing atmosphere...lots of activities to take part in but no pressure from staff to participate... they always asked me if I wanted to participate which is awesome customer service! My room with a view was outstanding gran suite 6 floor... rooms attended to on a daily basis and a courtesy phone call in the evening to make sure everything was ok, . Definitely will con [... read more]tinue to travel to Panama Jack

Vey good resort

excellent service. Clean rooms. good food. many activities. perfect location. very good for family and kids. many family night activities. 24 hours service. a wide variety of food. fresh cook even at open buffet restaurants.

Loud and busy

Beach and rooms were great, but the pool being in the Center of everything was loud. This felt like a party resort mixed with families. Food was decent, staff was awesome, just not what I was looking for.

Very Nice Resort

The resort is clean and fairly easy to get around. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We had a really nice room down by the beach with a slight view of the ocean. It was a good size, clean and the location was very central to all amenities. The Mexican Restaurant has excellent food and for the buffet Ventanna is very good. The Italian Restaurant wasn't such a good experience. Very slow and not the best food. There wasn't much for night life. There were only a couple of performances during  [... read more]our 9 night stay and they were pretty good, but for the most part everything ended by 10:30. A disco, or a place to dance would be nice. The wind was very strong there and swimming in the ocean wasn't really possible. The waves were very strong and high, so for the most part you could fight to go in the water and deal with the waves for a short time, but you wouldn't want to stay in too long. There were activities at the pool regularly, like water polo, water volleyball and aqua aerobics...

Amazing Family Resort

This was our very first time at an all-inclusive resort. I spent 3 months on Tripcentral, daily looking at hotels and prices in Cancun and this hotel ended up being the one of choice. I went with my wife and 2 year old daughter and was with Sunwing. Right from the very start, Tripcentral emailed me to outline the details, provide information and our booking confirmation. When getting to the Cancun airport, I met with the Sunwing rep and was taken to the hotel, no problems or confusion as t [... read more]o what I was supposed to do. Everyone at the hotel was incredibly friendly and treated all of us like royalty. They make a genuine effort to talk to you and ask you if there is anything they can do to assist. You are always greeted with a smile as well. I found their capacity to work very hard while being really happy not only comforting, but also inspiring. The resort was recently updated and I believe ownership changed hands, as it was called Rio Gran Caribe, but now Panama Jack Gran Caribe. The rooms were big and very clean (my wife is Japanese and is very picky about this and she was blown away). We had a partial view of the ocean. The pools were very clean, the beach was beautiful, the food was excellent. They have 2 different buffets, with the food being excellent, but if that doesn't float your boat, you can go in the A la carte restaurants instead. They do not require much in the way of a dress code, just don't wear swimsuits and make sure to wear shirts with sleeves and you are okay. ***If you go to their Mexican restaurant, Casa De Rosa, make sure to order the Mayan coffee!!! It is the most amazing "show" I have ever seen. The server heats up the cups, transfers the alcohol, pours it through a peeled grapefruit, adds coffee. It is hard to explain but was very neat*** No tip is required but the amount of work that he does, I had no problem giving 50 pesos, well worth it. There are different shows every night, Mariachi bands, opera singers, dancers, etc. I was there during the Superbowl and they had huge screens outside near the pool and had surround sound speakers going, it was great. I have to give a special appreciation to Max at Deck 74 for remembering my daughters name and asking how she was doing each time we went there. He was great, as were all the staff. This hotel is in the perfect area of the hotel zone, but along the entire zone, if the beach faces East, it will be a little wavy. 95% of hotels have beaches facing east. We just hopped on a local bus for 12 pesos per person and spent 5 minutes riding up the the top part of the hotel zone and went to a calm, more local, kid friendly beach with no waves so this was never an issue. My first time in Cancun was amazing and we will definitely be back at some point. When we do, we will come back to this place. It was amazing.

Fun family vacation!!

Our family had a great time celebrating my nephews wedding at the resort and enjoy the warm sunshine on the beach. There were a few hiccup with the wedding venue that I believe got worked out. In the end we all had fun . My suggestion would be to have more entertainment at night ( dance club) and also food served at the beach. Not everyone wants to be at the pool area. With all the new Reno I'm am sure in time it will be a great resort to visit again.

Well worth the money

Very clean, great food and we felt very safe. Renovation are very nice and the beach is spectacular. Guest rooms are spacious and clean. Hotel staff were very polite and helpful. Order the special coffee in the Italian restaurant

Has everything you need

It's not a fancy resort - doesn't look like a 4.5/5 star when comparing to a resort on the maya riviera side but has everything you need and the service was very friendly. Any issue, they always tried to solve it right away and with a smile! Food was great and great waterpark/area for kids - best I've seen so far. We enjoyed our time!

Very good family resort

Resort was very clean, pools well looked after, a la carte restaurants good. Entertainment somewhat lacking, as it mostly takes place in the lobby bar. Staff overall very accommodating. Beach is great, water has huge waves, consequently red flag days, but always a section with yellow flags.

Great vacation destination

The hotel is centrally located to shopping and restaurants/nightclubs and has a fantastic beach The hotel staff are all friendly and courteous We were at the resort two weeks and have nothing but positive things to say

Wonderful Stay

I stayed at the Gran Caribe the last week of January 2017, what a wonderful resort. The food is absolutely fantastic, the resort is clean and the staff friendly. This was my second time at this resort and loved it even more the second time around. We upgraded once we got there and stayed on the 6th floor with a view of the lagoon, the room was clean and spacious. The beach was also beautiful.

Beautiful Hotel, Excellent Service!

Always long chairs available at the beach. No complications with reservations/line-ups to eat at the a la carte restaurants. No wait to get served at the bars. Rooms are big, clean and beautiful! Service is great. Checking-in was easy and fast.

Wonderful place

everything was very good .clean beach, food was good, service was very good, entertainment was ok, hotel in general was very clean, arrangements for tours was good, a little more English would have been better.

Gran Caribe Resort, excellent food!

Not too big, but has everything you need in a nutshell. Food was excellent, beaches were perfect, staff was very accommodating. Has fine Italian and Mexican dining, to well stocked buffets, to beachside hamburg and hot dog stands with all the trimmings. You can find souvenir trinkets, beachwear in a little boutique, a good variety of sterling silver jewelry and/or high end gold with precious stones. The staff is just too eager to help you ( in a good way)! It was a real pleasure to be there!

Great Spot on the Beach

Had a really nice time at the Gran Caribe. Facilities were clean and well maintained, beach was beautiful and there was lots to do nearby. Service and food on site was also top notch. Very satisfied overall!

Wonderful Resort!

Very much enjoyed our 10 day stay at Gran Caribe. Stayed in an ocean front room which was fantastic with beautiful full view of the sun rising. Food and drinks were excellent as was the service! Could improve on the check in speed...seems a bit tedious. The central location makes it easy either walk or hop on the bus to do some shopping.

Absolutely fantastic!

The food was excellent, the staff were super nice and our room was great. We never had to wait to eat and if we asked for something not visible at the buffet, they went and got it for us. The pool-side and beach service was fast and frequent. The check in was a slow process but the checkout went much faster. The buses were frequent and cheap to go shopping. I would not hesitate to go back. Had a great time in the ocean jumping the waves.

Decent Vacation

This resort was more of a 3/4*. Hotel was ~ 30 minute drive from the airport. Clean resort, excellent pool & beach service but not enough chairs at either. Lounge was very noisy but decent entertainment & good service (Norma). Found that buffet food was better than a la carte restaurants (service very slow but we had 11 people in our group). Mongolian grill is delicious (highly recommend). Rooms are habitable, anything facing the main road is noisy, need to sound proof the balcony doors. 24 hour [... read more] snack bar was great for the late night munchies! Wifi is great throughout the resort, sometimes even on to the beach. Beach was very clean and soft, waves were quite rough most days, no snorkeling but you could body surf. Overall we enjoyed our stay, not sure if we'd go back, especially for the price we paid.