10/10 Excellent
Verified traveller
5 March 2020
Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful Resort
My overall review is based on my interactions with Maria (and Dean) since they are the members/owners of the resort; the management of the property is by the Vidanta Group.
We were not sure what to expect since my wife and kids had never been to Puerto Vallarta. We had stumbled upon the Grand Mayan and thought it had everything we wanted for a vacation; lots of pools, restaurants and large suites. Since Maria and Dean are members/owners with multiple listings they know their stuff about this very large resort - inside and out, especially Maria. They have made up their own welcome packet which details the many things to do, and the steps to take to do them - beyond what the resort offers. Maria was very responsive by email which was assuring since so much time goes into planning a vacation.
Everything was as they had told us, save one issue with our initial room assignment (which was not under the control of Dean and Maria), but with Maria’s help and her contacts at the resort, she helped us come to a resolution which I’m not sure would have happened had she not been there.
I’ll be fairly brief about the resort since there are so many reviews on Trip Advisor and other places. This resort is really beautiful; the grounds and buildings are well maintained and they are still constructing to expand to make it even bigger. You will not be at a loss for things to do or see. The staff is generally very friendly and will try to help as much as they can.
The one fault I have is with the overall resort business model which (as they’ve branded themselves) is a private club membership; everyone else would call it a timeshare. The thing is, at this resort, you need to rent/buy someone’s week or become a member (which is part of a hours long presentation). One big caveat that is tied to the membership is that actual members or people they are trying to court as members (via the sales presentations) will receive the best room assignments. Which from a business model perspective makes sense since they are trying to keep the members happy for them to buy more weeks. You can request a better room but there are a lot of factors at play which will not guarantee it. All the room types at the Grand Mayan are very similar, just some rooms are newer, more frequented, and some have nicer views.
Overall, Dean and Maria are good people and will try make your vacation as best as possible.
Verified traveller
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2020