Grand Mayan, Riviera Maya- Studio, one and two bedroom suites!

Vidanta Riviera Maya is a very large, beautiful resort in a jungle setting. We had a master suite for our family which worked perfectly. There are very few rooms with double beds so our 2 teenaged children had to sleep together in a king sized bed which wasn't ideal but they didn't complain. The resort had several pools which were never overcrowded and we always had pool chaises and waiters to bring food and beverages. The staff was very gracious and accommodated any requests we had. Housekeeping staff visited the room twice daily so we never lacked supplies. We went to Cirque du Soleil Joya across the street and it was spectacular albeit a little pricy. We visited a couple other resorts while there and we didn't like any of them as much as Vidanta. There is a lot of walking at this resort so if walking is an issue, then this resort will be challenging. Shuttles are available to get you places but there is usually a short wait. We typically just walked rather than wait. There is a lot of wildlife at the resort including lemurs, tones of iguanas, birds, flamingos, crocodiles, etc. and very few bugs. We never used bug spray. We stayed the first week of April and weather was sunny and high 80's with little or no rain. I would choose this resort again if we decide to return to this region of Mexico.

Not your typical owner-occupied condo, but a great price for the space we had. Positives: This massive resort knows how to move people from the car valet system when you arrive to the golf-cart style shuttling around the resort. The king-bed room with the kitchen is linked to the room next door (without a kitchen), giving our family plenty of space yet privacy (they shared the king bed and then there are four couch/day-beds to sleep more. The elevated/designated boardwalk was great to get around (lots of great walking) and to run on. The pools were the perfect temperature, somehow. The two smaller side pools offered different experiences than the massive pool - which was needed to make the many guest feel like they all had pool-side seats (chairs fill quickly). Drinks ran $10 with many 2-for-1 specials, sodas $2. Breakfast buffet was $20. Dinner was about $25-$30 without drinks. Harvest moon was a picturesque open-air restaurant offering pizza. The resort's Salum area was charming late afternoon to evening with gathering space, a great taco bar (al pastor = yum), artisan shops, and amazing lighting. The on-site grocery store is essential to restock milk, eggs, butter. We rented a car with Puerto Morelos being a quaint place for shopping, other restaurants, and grocery store better than Cancun's near the beach (Super Selecto). The beach was great - the ample palm trees allowed for sun or shade BUT the rocks make the ocean nearly unusable. Go north about 1/2 mile to boogie board. The fitness center is nice. Yoga costs $15/session. The resort's catamaran/snorkeling was nice (not a booze cruise) with about 30-35 people . A nice size BUT, having gone 2x now snorkeling in the ocean, it is ROUGH. 1/2 the boat got sea-sick and we had to cruise vs. spinnaker or fish after snorkeling. The Cirque du Soleil show was amazing and small enough to be intimate - our teenagers loved it but the gourmet appetizers went uneaten by them and champagne was exchanged for two sodas (not the same $$). Negatives: The 2-bedrooms are the farthest away. 1/2 mile from the beach. We walked it and took the golf-cart style system. Rooms along the road/golf course are LOUD from all the shuttling. There is no carry-over of items from prior guest (ex. food storage containers, salt & pepper, sun toys, etc.) If you like to see the ocean outside your room, this is not the place for you. They maximize the pool and ocean for day-time tanning and night-time activities.