Cancun Reviews

Gran Bahia Principe Sian Kaan Review

2012-12-17T23:50:00.002-08:00

We booked a 4 night stay at Gran Bahia Principe Sian Kaan (view picture gallery) via a coupon offer and got a free Tulum tour for 2 in June of 2012. We arrived Monday afternoon at around 2:30 PM, and was allowed to check in early. The lobby made an impression on us right away as very open- literally an open space with a roof, in fact. It looked very clean and modern in white and stone.

When we arrived into our room we were pleasantly surprised to find the crib we had requested ahead of time via email was setup and ready next to the bed. For this Cancun trip, we also visited GR Solaris and Ocean Coral & Turquesa by H10, and Sian Kaan was the only one with a large modern crib. The other two locations had wooden cribs, and in the case of the Ocean Coral & Turquesa, it was especially small.

The room itself had huge nearly floor-to-ceiling sliding window doors. It was quite a bit larger than our ocean-view room in GR Solaris, but smaller than the huge Privilege-room we were upgraded to at Ocean by H10. The furniture were modern style with a brown theme but all seem high quality. There was also an outdoor area with a jacuzzi, but we never went into it because it was not very private (anyone walking on the path in front of your condo-like room can easily see you), plus there were quite a few leaves in it from all the border plants.

Back to the room- there is a sliding wall/door that enables you to physically divide the bedroom from the living room area. There is also a large 32" flat screen TV mounted on a table between the bedroom area and the living room area. You can swivel the TV to view from the default bedroom section or the living room. Though if you close the sliding door that divides the two sections, the TV cannot be viewed from the living room. Too bad that a nice big screen like that is wasted via a coax connection. The picture on some channels were quite grainy. But this is an issue with pretty much every hotel we have been to, so it's not really a complaint.

The fridge in the "kitchen" area is the largest we have seen- at least 50% larger than ones we've had in other all-inclusive resorts. Too bad that it makes a loud thumping sound every once in a while. Another plus is the sink in the kitchen. The large wooden dining table seemed to be very high quality and cool looking as well.

The bathroom has a nice shower with a glass swinging door. The sink is the modern bowl-style type. The toilet is nice and quiet when you flush, but too bad you have to hold it for about 5 seconds for it to truly flush.

There are two small AC units in our condo-like room- one in the living room/kitchen and one in the bedroom. You can control them with a handy remote. We usually kept the room at around 22 C or 23 C (72 to 73 degrees F), which felt quite comfortable.

A nice feature of our Bahia Principe Siaan Ka'an room was the free in-room wireless. The Wi-fi signal was a little weak, but we appreciate that it was available and free.

The grounds of the Sian Kaan Hotel was lined with lush tropical plants with plenty of purple and white flowers and various shades & shapes of leaves everywhere. The resort definitely seemed well-integrated into its tropical jungle surroundings.

The Sian Kaan pools were clean and modern, though nothing extraordinary. The pools at the Ocean by H10 were certainly more fancy. There was no swim-up bar either, but since we don't drink
alcohol, it wasn't a big deal for us at all.

The Yal-Ku buffet is the best one we have had of the different Cancun resorts we have been to. First of all- the restaurant itself is just amazing in terms of having huge windows that take in natural light, and gives you a sense that you are in the middle of the jungle with all the trees and tropical plants that surround it. The selection is very nice and high quality in the buffet and we eat there every breakfast and lunch. The service is also the best we have seen for a buffet at an all-inclusive hotel. The staff was very attentive and quickly brought what we had asked for.

We also tried the MAIKO a la carte Japanese restaurant at Siaan Kaan as well. The service was terrific. Our dishes were pretty good- the sushi wasn't super or anything but the presentation and taste were solid. The decor of the restaurant was pretty cool with large square area lined by black river stones in the middle of the room.

But the best restaurant by far was Alux. It was way better than Le Gourmet in every possible way. The shrimp was crunchy delicious, and the cold soup was the best cold soup I've ever had. The sea bass was perfectly cooked, and the appetizers and salads were tasty as well.

Even though Sian Kaan does not border the ocean, guests at the resort have their own "private" beach section on the Bahia Principe beach area (sandwiched by the beaches of Bahia Principe Tulum and Bahia Principe Akumal- Bahia Principe Coba doesn't have its own beach). It's a 10 minute tram ride across the highway over the bridge to the beach. Despite being exclusive to Sian Kaan, we noticed other resort guests using the beach chairs there, especially those from Bahia Principe Akumal. The beach itself was nice, though there was some seaweed that made the waters look less clear and the sand look a little dirty.

Entertainment-wise there really wasn't much available at Sian Kaan other than the two live singers and a DJ after the sun goes down. But we didn't find it much of an issue to take a 10 minute tram ride to Bahia Principe Akumal and Coba for shows at 9 and 10 Pm nightly, respectively. The quality of the shows were well, not all that great. The music at the shows were too loud and while the dancing had its moments, it just wasn't very impressive overall. We found the shows at GR Solaris to be slightly better, and the shows we're used to on cruises (we're avid cruisers) seemed world-class compared to the ones we have seen in these Cancun resorts.

Overall we had a great time at Grand Bahia Principe Sian Kaan. The resort offer rates are very competitive using promotion, and quality of the grounds, the room and service were excellent. One annoyance/complaint is that we did have to ask for more water every day as they did not fill our fridge with water as we requested daily. Food was good in general except for a few disappointments. Gran Bahia Principe Sian Kaan gets a 4 out of 5 rating from me, and I would certainly recommend this resort to others.

Ocean Turquesa & Coral by H10 Review

2012-08-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Check in Process: 3.5/5
We arrived via taxi at Ocean Turquesa & Coral by H10 (photo gallery) on a Saturday afternoon, at around 2:30 PM. We didn't have to wait long to check in, and were happy to found out that we were upgraded to a privileged room at building 21. We were only staying for 2 nights, so perhaps that's how they were able to upgrade us. Oddly, after checking with a 2-way radio, they said that our room wasn't ready and to come back at 3 PM (the official check-in time) to get the keys. That was a little disappointing.

Facilities/Accommodations: 4/5
The lobby was very modern and huge, with large windows and cool light fixtures and furniture throughout. It was definitely one of the most impressive lobbies we have encountered of all the resorts we have been to.

The upgraded privilege room was HUGE. 2 living areas and 2 flat screen TVs and 2 bathrooms. The room accomodations were certainly matching our experiences with 4 stars and higher. The shower was very large and there was a separate tub. The dual bathroom sinks and fixtures were modern and attractive. We did find a issues with the room, however. The phone smelled of strong bacterial stench, and the shower had what seemed like blood stains around the drain. Also the water from the faucets/showers smelled like gray water with the hint of sulfurous stench, like that from the sewers or something. It was gross because one night after we showered, the sewer smell lingered on our bodies as we layed on the bed. Also the AC was very loud as well when it activates. In addition, the crib they provided for our 21 month old toddler was very old and small.

Also unfortunately, internet access is only available for a per-hour charge in the rooms (free via wifi in the lobby, which was pretty fast). And it is not wireless either- you would need to plug in an Ethernet cable to your laptop if you want to purchase and utilize internet in your room.

The pools were cool- huge and well-designed, with water features that made them even more interesting. We did wish there were more umbrella-covered chairs available, however.

Entertainment/Shows: 2.5/5
There was a dancing/singing variety show Saturday night, advertised for 9 PM at the smallish theater. We were there at 9 PM, but unbelivably, they kept delaying the start of the show until 9:40 PM when apparently "enough" people had showed up. This is a terrible and unheard-of practice experienced by us. The show itself started very amateurish with poor lip-syncing but improved by the end with better dancing.

Food: 4/5
On our first night we tried the outdoor Italian restaurant with the servers cooking live in front of you. The Ceasar salad was pretty good with the dressing not too salty and the chicken nice and tender. We then had the shrimp pasta which was quite delicious. Large jumbo shrimps in pasta cooked with cherry tomatos, cream, and brandy cooked live in front of you. Our only complaint was that it took a while for the food to come, but I would certainly recommend this eating experience to others visiting Ocean Turquesa.

We also tried the Sensai restaurant. Unfortunately we could not sign up in time for the Teppanaki as only 6PM and 9PM available, and you have better be in line by around 5:10 PM and wait until about 5:45 PM when a hostess will put you on the the list for the available show times. The soups we tried were pretty good, though the entrees (shrimp fried rice, pad thai noodles, "scalloped" beef) were mediocre. The sushi sampler was nothing to write home about as it didn't exactly tasted like the fish described such as tuna and eel.

Mike's Coffee & Tea shop was very enjoyable. We went there a couple times during our short stay for frappacino and other coffee drinks.

Breakfast buffet had large selection of fresh fruits. There were pastries, a smoothie station, and also a pair of omelet stations. But because of the sheer mass of people, expect to wait about 15 minutes in line for your off-the-grill eggs. Service was pretty good there and we didn't have to wait long to get a table, despite the large crowd at 9:30 AM.

On our last night we also went to La Petite Creperie. It was located at one far end of the resort and takes about 10 minutes to walk from the lobby area to get there. It was a small place next to a pool, and wasn't super busy. We ordered two sweet crepes and both were quite tasty, especially the Garu Crepe with Mascarpone cheese.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Overall I thought it was a beautiful resort with tasty food options and our privilege room was nice. I read about how horrible the seaweed was at the beach, but didn't think it was that bad at all. Would we return to Ocean Turquesa & Coral by H10? Probably yes. Unfortunately because of the smell of the water and the hiccup in entertainment, I have to knock 0.5 out of the rating coming up with 3 1/2 out of 5.

GR Solaris Cancun Review

2012-07-09T18:17:00.003-07:00

Check in Process/General Non-Food Service Rating: 4/5
We arrived at GR Solaris Cancun on a Monday and only waited about a couple minutes before our turn to check in. Check in was pretty smooth. We were offered to upgrade to an ocean-view room for $30 a night with one "free" night during our 5 night stay, which we accepted. Later in the day we were asked to meet with the concierge. Our guy, Gonzalo, hastily went through various highlight spots of the resort, and then wanted to get us to go to a time-share presentation for $50 resort credit. We refused, he insisted, we refused, he insisted, but eventually we won out. He tried again the next day, but we refused and were not bothered again.

As far as the general service went- it was solid. Just about anything we asked for we got. We asked for a crib, and got a old, small wooden portable crib. It did the job though. We asked for water instead of beer in our room, and they were accommodating (a guy would come knocking on the door after 11 AM asking what you'd want in your fridge). We wanted to break a $20 bill into single dollar bills for tips- the guy at the front desk refused to do it for us, but we were able to have a bartender do the exchange for us no problem. Our maid did a good job cleaning the room, and we were happy to leave a tip for her every morning.

Food Rating 3/5
After we checked in, we ate buffet lunch at the Bar Restaurant Rosmarinus and found it to be a very disappointing experience. The food tasted old and of low quality. We were sat at a 2 person table and asked for and got a high chair for our toddler. Quickly after we were rather annoyingly told by a waiter to move to another table because the high chair is in his way.

But food at the Rosmarinus seemed to improve later during our stay. The pasta station was decent, and good dishes could be found here and there. And the ice cream (especially the pineapple & strawberry flavors) was tasty. Service was also pretty solid as a waiter will usually quickly come and ask to bring you a drink and cleared up empty plates fast.

A highlight, however, was the Mexican Theme buffet night at the Salon Tehuacan. The variety of tasty Mexican dishes was impressive ranging from appetizers, main courses and desserts. The taco station with the flavorful beef, pork, chicken, and chorizo options was very enjoyable.

Breakfast buffet at the Cafe Solaris was a much more positive experience. On the day after the Mexican themed night at the Salon Tehuacan, Cafe Solaris offered probably the best tasting Mexican soup we have ever had. The Pozole Blanco soup contained a broth that was intense in flavor, and delicious when fresh avocado, raw diced onion, and habanero condiments were added. Another morning they had beef tripe soup which was gamy but good as well. The lady who does the omelet/egg station is a machine- she just cranked through orders fast and perfectly per your instructions. You can also count on sweet fresh papayas daily here as well.

Marco Polo, GR Solaris' specialty restaurant, was a mixed bag. Each night they would have a specialty-theme night consistent of a particular cultural cuisine. You also have to be up at 8 AM and make reservations. The appetizers offered were generally well-presented and tasty (yummiest was the fried taco on the Mexican night), but the main entrees were a little disappointing no matter it seemed which theme night it was. The service there was superb, however. Our waiter remembered our favorite drinks after the first night we dined there, for instance. Do expect to wait for your main entree to take a while to come out, however.

Facilities/Grounds Rating: 3/5

GR Solaris is a fairly compact resort- an L-shaped 5 or 6 story building that is not very impressive to look at. Inside the hallways there is not much natural light coming in, and the doors and fixtures all are dated. Also you see sloppy informational poster notes inside elevators and on doors/walls. We upgraded to the ocean view room ($30 extra a night) and it was well worth it to view the beautiful beach and ocean from our room and balcony. The room itself was clean but definitely dated as well- no flat screen TV and the headboard is old.

Outside, the pools are pretty nice but nothing was impressive. We were curious about the tennis court. It's located at the front next to the parking lot of the hotel. The nets were set up for a volleyball game and had a carpet-type surface. Despite being avid tennis players, one look at the court was such a turn off that we didn't even bother to ask for the nets to be tennis-leveled as we didn't want to play there any longer.

The beach though was sort of the saving grace. Clean but albeit strong ocean waves and wonderful ocean breeze allowed us to wade the waters with a sense of adventure, or relax under a straw umbrella on a beach chair. Unfortunately those darn smokers on the beach shortened our relaxation times twice during our five day stay as we didn't want our toddler to inhale the disgusting fumes.

Another positive was the in-room WiFi wireless internet. We got it for free as part of our package. The signal was strong. Too bad the way they set it up, you could only have one device connected at a time, however.

Entertainment: 4/5

We were pleasantly surprised by the entertainment provided by GR Solaris. The nightly shows were very entertaining despite not being of the highest quality. The one exception was the some sort of battle of the sexes audience participation show- DO NOT waste our time in that "show". Otherwise we found the Mexican dance show, the Generations Dance show, & the Magic shows to be quite fun. Punctuality, however, is a let-down. Twice during our stay a show was supposed to start a 8:30, but one didn't start until 9:05 and another 9:15. Also during the day, the entertainment staff does a good job with activities and even fun ones for kids as well.

Overall Rating: 3/5
We enjoyed our stay at GR Solaris, but this certainly did not feel like a 4 star hotel. Would we go back? Maybe for 2 or 3 nights, but certainly not for a 5 night stay. And the price would have to be more discounted than what we paid this time.