The Grand Princess Resort...Riviera and Sunset.

[konaman]

WOW!!! Great trip report. It's reports like this that makes us feel glad we did book this resort. 22 days to go and then fun in the sun.

[sonofdob]

hmmm...which resort...that's tough as they both have different things to offer. To me the Sandos "feels" very Mexican as it is painted in a very colourful and vibrant scheme, wicker furniture and more rounded architecture etc,...the Princess "feels" European as it is big and is painted totally white, lots and lots of marble, white leather furniture, very square, sharp architecture...I thought the food was better at the Sandos and it is well established so no start up issues but the Princess is brand new and looks like it...very nice. If I had to decide right now and pricing being comparable I would choose the Princess just on the beach alone...the Princess has a great beach and Sandos does not...sonofdob.

[playaluva]

Great report! We go in May and can't wait. If I read your description correctly, the Jr. suites are not near the pool. If we upgrade to deluxe jr. suite, would we be near the pool? Is that right?

[sonofdob]

playaluva...actually some of the junior suites are right at the start of the pools...are you on the Sunset or Riveria side ? The first six buildings on each side are junior suites and the last two are pretty much pool side...let me know your side and I'll tell you the room numbers to go for...but if you want to be certain, all junior deluxe suites are pool side (not all swim up, but within steps of the pool) and they are all in the center of the resort which is convenient...sonofdob.

[playaluva]

Not sure which side but will call TA today and let you know. Thanks so much.

[sknywch]

Hey Mister Dan!!!
Great report
Man, do we miss you guys.
Your pictures are awesome and your review of the resort , right on the money.
Hoping we can meet up with Mickey and you again,
luv
Cheryl and John

[sonofdob]

hey...sknywch ! glad to see you made it back home O.K., we really hoped that our flight would never show up and we could stay down there...but, back to reality...was great to meet you guys ! mouse should be poking around in here soon...sonofdob

[sunshinejk]

Cheryl, I love your new avatar. I wonder where that was taken... lol

[KC Arrowhead]

Awesome report!! WOW! Between you and sunshine I feel real good about my choice. Staying for 10 days in June and in a juniordeluxe.. Question about whether that faces the pool area or the outside?Was not to sure on your report?? Not a big deal since we never spend time in the room anyway? But wanted to clarify that since I was in charge of finding a resort to fit the requests of other family members who are going to stay at the resort with us from another state. ( IE a swim up bar, classy 5*, within thier price range was the rules ) Think I did it Thanks again Great job!! KC

[sonofdob]

KC Arrowhead...the junior deluxe suites have both garden view and pool view...I stayed garden view and sunshinejk stayed pool view (actually swim up suite)...you need to pay a minimal upgrade I believe for the swim up...other than that is it is just request the view you want...we wanted garden view...asked for it and got it...sonofdob.

[smrtypnts]

Originally Posted by sonofdob

KC Arrowhead...the junior deluxe suites have both garden view and pool view...I stayed garden view and sunshinejk stayed pool view (actually swim up suite)...you need to pay a minimal upgrade I believe for the swim up...other than that is it is just request the view you want...we wanted garden view...asked for it and got it...sonofdob.

Interesting info. thanks. might be very useful!

[ivkaplan]

Thank you very much for a great review,
We are going there Monday 03/17. I was a little bit scared, but after your review.
I felt very positive. We went 6 times before to All Inclusives, last two times were amazing at Iberostar Paraiso Maya and Iberostar Paraiso Lindo. At GSP we booked 2 rooms (kids and us) at junior suites, since we are never inside.
I have question: In terms of mosquitoes is pool side better then a garden side?

Originally Posted by sonofdob

O.K., we just got back so this info is from our stay Feb 23 through Mar 08.
First thing you need to understand is that this is one resort not two. There is the Riviera side and the Sunset side and they mirror each other in every aspect, but it is still all the Princess Resort and all the facilities are common to each other.
On the layout, think of it as giant "U" shape...the front of the resort is at the bottom of the U and the beach is at the open end of the U. The main buildings are at the of bottom of the U and then the rooms are located single file in smaller buildings toward the beach.(Riviera rooms on the left and Sunset on the right as you face the beach). The first six buildings (both sides) are the junior suites and in the center between them is a lagoon and the villa suites (with a private pool and bar). The next six buildings are the junior deluxe suites and this is where the many pools start. The suites facing inside are the swim up and the ones facing the outside are not. Next are two more restaurants and then at the very back of the resort are the Platinum suites (two buildings again one on each side), which also have there own separate lobby buildings.
below is a junior suite building, deluxe suite building, villas, back buffet / a la carte and the platinum suites...





The Main Building(s). This houses the two lobbies, the two lobby bars, 5 of the 7 a la cartes, the show theater and some areas for car rentals, tours and the travel company reps (Apple, Sunwing, Etc) on the upper level. On the lower level is the two main buffets, the sports bar, internet café, the disco, the gym, the spa and a couple of shops. It’s basically a large rectangle with the center left open and there is a huge area with lounge seating and an outdoor bar area. This is where there is a lot of activity at night...regular live music, a fire show, a souvenir / craft market, etc.
below is one of the lobby staircases, lobby bar, central square and central square bar area...





The pools. Or should I say pool network is very nice...every pool basically connects to the others, either directly of just a few steps away. At the very center of the resort are the two main activity pools and the towel exchanges (which also house washrooms and the scuba and snorkeling tour operator). The activity staff can be found at these pools usually by about 09:00 each morning and then there is a lull from 13:00 until 15:00 and then start up again until about 17:00 or so. There is the usual AI stuff, lots to keep you busy or not as you choose as the many other pools are for the most part very quiet.
below is the central walkway that runs the entire length of the resort from the lobbies to the beach as it meanders past the pools...some times adajacent to them or like here a little removed...

The rooms. They are very nice. We stayed in a junior deluxe facing out and never entered the others. We actually liked the outside view as it was very quiet and to be honest just out our door and 10 steps to the left and we were in the pool.
below is the garden view, the bedroom aera, the living area, the bathroom, the central area of each building (open air with a fountain and garden), the few short steps to the pool from our room and the corrider that connects all the buildings...







The restaurants. They were fine...pretty standard AI fare. We were not surprised nor disappointed with the quality of food...it was what we expected and the variety and quality were enough to satisfy anyone. There are two main buffets up front and two more back by the premium suites but these two are breakfast and lunch only as they are turned into a la cartes for dinner and exclusive to the premium guests unless you pay a $25 / person fee. One thing that we found is that the a la carte servings were far too large...I know, kind of a weird thing to say but they really do pile it on.
The bars. Pool bars can be very busy. The bar in the lower square at night can be extremely busy. The sports bar is always open and has foosball and pool tables although the only sport seems to be soccer...sorry hockey fans your not going to see a game here. Both lobby bars were very nice and service exceptional...if your in the Sunset lobby bar in the evening make sure to say hi to Saul, Nazario (the joker) and Milton...tell them Mr. Dan and Miss Mickey said hi...they will treat you very well.
below are the three amigos...Nazario (the joker), Saul and Milton...

The beach is very nice...it is very wide and runs along the resort property for a good half a kilometer or so. There are plenty of chairs and palapas, however, only one bar that can get quite busy and no washrooms actually on the beach but just a few minutes walk to find one.
below is the beach as you approach it from the pathway...volleyball to the right and the bar to the left...

No kids so we cannot really comment on the kid’s club but the facility looked nice and we always saw the miniclub staff with the kids and they were always having fun whether at the beach, the pool, the buffet or the actual miniclub area.
The shuttle that runs into town seemed very popular...there was one at 10:00 and one at 12:00 and a return at 18:00...they very quickly changed that to two at 10:00 and 12:00 but the return remained one at 18:00. We never took the return so I have no idea if it was overcrowded or not.
Now, to address some of the issues that I saw being expressed....
- things going missing ? No issue and I find it difficult to see how the staff may be involved in anything like that. They are checked when leaving the resort, in fact I had taken many gifts for the service staff and always had to verify with security for them that I had in fact given them the stuff.
- mosquitos ? Yes, there are mosquitos but nothing to be concerned about. If you’re a person that they feast on a little repellent and you will be fine.
- leaky showers ? Yes, the design is a little flawed in that the shower floor is only about a centimeter lower than the rest of the bathroom but it’s only the door to the shower that’s at issue and we’re not talking about a flood here and a towel across the threshold solves the issue.
- rocky beach ? Nope. The entire beach is sandy. The approach into the water is for the most part sandy as well. The water is that beautiful Carribean green colour.
A couple of areas that we noticed as slight issues...
- there seems to a shortage of staff and we noticed that throughout the Playa del Carmen area. It can mean you’ll get a drink at the swim up bar in 3 minutes rather than instantly or you may have to wait 5 minutes to be seated at a restaurant, even though it appears that the restaurant is only half full. Although we did notice an improvement here as time went by. We did notice some of the staff from our visit last year at the Sandos Caracol working here and they said they switched for the better wages and working conditions offered by the Princess Resort so they are making a genuine effort to attract the staff.
- in an attempt to manage the process they are continuing to make changes and it can be frustrating as the changes are not well communicated to staff or guests. For example;
originally for the a la cartes you lined up n the a.m. at the concierge to book (3 per week) in advance...this then changed to no advance reservations just first come first served and then went back to advance reservations but you can make them at any of the a la cartes for all the other locations.
Overall we enjoyed our stay...I am not really sure that they are quite at the 5 star rating indicated based on the slight service issues, but the property and facilities are very nice and the service issues are being addressed and appeared to be steadily improving each day. The staff are great and will do anything to help you but please treat people with the respect they deserve and don’t forget to tip. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I’d be glad to help...sonofdob.

[sunshinejk]

Originally Posted by ivkaplan

Thank you very much for a great review,
We are going there Monday 03/17. I was a little bit scared, but after your review.
I felt very positive. We went 6 times before to All Inclusives, last two times were amazing at Iberostar Paraiso Maya and Iberostar Paraiso Lindo. At GSP we booked 2 rooms (kids and us) at junior suites, since we are never inside.
I have question: In terms of mosquitoes is pool side better then a garden side?

Not sure if sonofdob had skeeters in his garden room, but we did in our poolside room. My hubby was smart enough to put a light dusting of skeeter spray on before bed, but I was not so smart, so I did get a few bites ON MY FACE of all places!!. They were not swarming, though, like I have read in some people's post. I would bring bug spray with, just to be on the safe side, no matter WHERE you stay. We even brought it with us last year, because we knew we were going to be in the jungle of Belize, zip lining.

[KC Arrowhead]

Originally Posted by sonofdob

KC Arrowhead...the junior deluxe suites have both garden view and pool view...I stayed garden view and sunshinejk stayed pool view (actually swim up suite)...you need to pay a minimal upgrade I believe for the swim up...other than that is it is just request the view you want...we wanted garden view...asked for it and got it...sonofdob.

Thank's sonofdob. I just did'nt want to have a view overlooking a parking lot or a construction site. Have had that in the past at other AI resorts . Garden view is good. Wife now wants the pool view after reviewing your report just because late at night & we all get together outside at 1 room it would be nicer.. Thanks
KC

[kre8tiv1]

I'm satisfied that the resort is going to be lovely. But now, it's time to get down to the serious business of cocktails....

Do they do martinis and mojitos?