BookIt.com Verified Traveler Tana from Oconomowoc, Wi

"Just got back last night from our trip to the Grand Sunset Princess-Rivera Maya. We are pretty experienced travelers and this resort was beautiful and one of the best values we've ever taken advantage of. The rooms were large and very luxurious with lots of marble tile and the beds comfortable. The only thing that was not great there were the pillows in the rooms they are hard as a rock so you might want to bring your own, especially if you're used to down pillows! . Pools were clean and plentiful. The beach was great for walking and swimming and there were plenty of chairs to be found in the sun and the shade even though we were there when they were filled to near capacity. Bring comfortable shoes for walking it's a big place.
I want to say this now in case you don't read any further...Men remember to bring long pants for the a la carte restaurants, it is required and you won't want to miss the delicious dinners there. Tip: make your reservations for the a la carte dinners as soon as you arrive. These were our favorites in order...Le Fleur (French-Gourmet), Vaqueria (steakhouse), Mamma Mia (Italian), Las Olas ( fish and seafood). The buffets were great too.
The service is incomparable..It is not required, but we felt that tipping at least $2 when we ate at the buffet and to our maid each day and $5 at the a la carte dinners which were served to us was the right thing to do. These wonderful people make $4 a day and work VERY hard always with a smile on their face!
We did a one day side trip to Tulum and Xel Ha which we enjoyed a lot.
.
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kim from Rye, Nh

"This was a winter break family trip for my husband and me our daughter and a friend. We had a great time! The resort was clean, safe and allowed our girls (both 16 years old) to have freedom within the resort without us worrying about their safety. The resort is clean, the food abundant and quite good for an all-inclusive buffet resort. We staed in the Platinum suites and I would highly recommend the upgrade. The resort is large so room service items rarely arrived hot and always took at least 30 minutes. The pools were great, the special area for the Platinum folks on the beach and at the pools was also a nice feature. The concierge and excursion services from the hotel were great. Our favorite, by far, a Selvatica zipling tour with rally car rides through the jungle. A la carte restaurants were nice. Entertainment each night a fun activity...the spa services were very good although quite pricey. All in all a great experience and value in our opinion."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kathleen Borrello from Port Ewen, New York.USA

"Had a great time would stay at this hotel again"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Heidi from Honeoye, Ny

"Nicest resort I have ever stayed at. Always something to do. Great service and great atmosphere!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Henry Knee from Springhill, Fl

"We had a wonderful time and experience at this resort, it was all-inclusive and was better than we anticipated. We plan to go back there next year and would certainly recommend to family and friends.
Thanks to all the staff !!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Fred Dickinson from Spring Hill, Fl., Fl.

"only negitive comment. the pillows were too hard."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Meredith from Nj

"The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful! The grounds are perfectly kept and the rooms were very comfortable and clean as well. I only have very minor complaints. First, while checking in our desk clerk was not very nice at all! We asked him about paying for an upgraded room and he immediately shot us down telling us everything was sold out. After check in we were speaking with our friends who we traveled with and there clerk upgraded there room for FREE!
As in most all inclusive resorts you must book your dinner reservations days in advance. While doing so they do not provide you with any menus and you can only go by the 'type' of restaurant it is (ex. Italian, Mexican, French, etc). We booked the French restaurant but ended up not enjoying the menu selection at all. If we were able to view the menu we would not have eaten there! In order to view menus you would have to walk the whole property to each restaurant to view the menu.
The rooms are very clean and they did come clean the room everyday but would only leave random amounts of towels. Never the same type of towel or amount of towels. There were also no tissues in our room. It is really a hassle to blow your nose with toilet paper!
The pool is very large and very beautiful but there is no hot tub! We did have one in our room but its just not the same! They need a hot tub by the pool!
Other than those minor complaints, the resort was great! Service was great (minus checkin), and food was acceptable for an all inclusive!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Rita Foster from London, On

"Our stay at the hotel was very positive. however we paid $100.00 to get private transportation to our hotel. When we complained about this to the Best Day representative, we were told that traffic to the hotel that day was very busy. Since they are booking the rooms, I thought they would be aware of this, and provide more transportation if needed. We then went to book an excursion that we had planned at home on-line, and the Best Day representive convinced us that there was not enough time to do the Dolphin adventure while at Xlha and we needed to book another excursion in order to spend time with the dolphins. This was very misleading, as the first excursion prooved to have plenty of time to do the dolphin/stingray adventure. We paid an additonal $300.00 to see the dolphins on the following day. When we were picked up for the dolphin adventure by the Best Day van, it was in sorry shape and I considered it to be a safety hazard. The outside mirrors were taped to the van with electrical tape, the rubbers on the windshield wipers were falling off and there was an 18' crack in the front windshield. The van smelled of oil. As I said the hotel was great."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lola Burton from Tonasket, Wa

"My only complaint would be that they needed someone to take you to your room . My daughter feel with in the first 15 minute and hurt her leg very bad. If we would have had a guide this would not have happened."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Efstathia from Westlake

"Great hotel inside and out wiould recommend to all!!! My family and I will for sure go back....."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler George from Denver, Co

"We stood for 5 nights in a platinum room with a 2 year old. Here is a list of the hotel features we encountered and our experience with each:

- Check-in: Easy but we arrived later than everyone else since we wasted an hour at the airport due to a lost bag. Watch your bags! Customs took a carry on for inspection and we didn't grab it and forgot about it. 15 minutes later we tried to go back and get it and nobody had any idea where it went.

- Room: Great room but maintenance is poor. Everyone seems to have something wrong with their room. In our case it was a toilet that didn't flush well. A/C that didn't cool well and a safety box that didn't work. Bed was very firm and pillows too but it didn't keep us up at night. Platinum room had a jetted tub in the balcony with we used, also used the one inside. WiFi was good in the whole room but choppy on the balcony.

- Buffets: Mediocre, even for a buffet. It seems like they don't know how to be efficiently manage it so that there is minimal waste and instead let guests eat what should be thrown away! I got a clue from a lady serving drinks at the beach who told me she was forced to drink anything guests left behind and it was my fault. We left before our drinks got to us because it took very long and our child was fussy. Very tacky. If they fixed that the buffet would more up to average.

- Restaurants (a la carte): The fondue was our first and it was terrible. Service and food quality. We also did the french, grill and asian (hibachi) restaurants and they were all good service and decent food. Being able to do one every night is one more argument for going platinum.

- Beach: Loved it! The platinum was worth it here too. Private area with no vendors. Well groomed sand, close to food and drinks and there were always chairs available. Water was wonderful. Rocks are far and few.

- Platinum Club House and Pool Area: Amazing. Great service. snack bar was convenient although it could have have a bit more selection. Quiet and serene. Comfortable beds and lounge chairs and beautiful decor.

-Grounds/Pools: Stunning. We enjoyed the walks and only used the hotel transportation a few times. Bathrooms were immaculate. Statues along walk were a pleasure to the eyes. It was a perfect amount of walking after a heavy meal! Pool was cleaned early and was good. Nothing for kids except two shallow pools (about 1 ft deep). Would be nice if they put in a fountain or something."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Katherine Betcher from Ann Arbor, Michigan

"My husband and I enjoyed this resort. We have been to Cancun before, and thought this had a nicer room and pool areas than our prior resort. The restaurants were excellent and gave us good variety, since we made reservations for a different restaurant every night. The only downsides for us were: 1- waiting in line to make reservations, though it was much better than our last hotel since you can make them any time of the day after 2p and lines are usually short; 2 - the beach is rocky, and there are vendors with huts set up right along the shoreline (blocking the view =() - but there are other areas of the beach where you can sit next to the shore, and if you walk just one hotel over to the right, the sand under the water isn't rocky and you can swim and walk around easily. We didn't go in the ocean water that often, we used the pools more for swimming.
Almost every outdoor pool has a bar, one pool has music and games (the funniest was the dancing contest, drinking contest, etc.) all day. The rest of the pools are more quiet. There are no hot tubs for non-platinum members, unless you get a massage or any spa service - you gain 24 hrs of access to the spa hot tubs.
Initially our bedding had a funny smell to it, but we requested that it was changed and then it was nice and clean smelling. We didn't do this until the 4th day, I thought the problem would go away when sheets were changed but it was the comforter and pillows themselves - I should have asked sooner!
Overall, the resort is HUGE, and you get a great deal for your money. I agree that buffet food isn't great, but you figure out what you like there &by the end of the trip I enjoyed it. The a la carte restaurants were great. If you don't like something just let them know (politely) - the staff is eager to help and very efficient. I've never seen drinks made faster, or waiters going from table to table so quickly. We had an excellent vacation!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Matthew from Columbia Falls, Mt

"This was the best resort I have ever been to! The staff was exceptional. Extremely clean and they were very responsive to any questions or issues. The Platinum is definitely worth it. Loved the less people and more comfortable chairs at Chill Out on the beach. Excellent service from the waiter / butler. The beach massages were the best! You could stay at this resort and never leave and have a great time and experience. If you do anything else definitely check out the zip-lines at Xplore and the underground rivers - Really Cool! Would highly recommend."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jessica from Saginaw, Michigan

"My husband and I went to Grand Sunset Princess for our honeymoon from January 9th to January 12th 2013. I had read some bad reviews about this place after I had booked our trip and was really nervous about how our trip would go. The Staff was exceptional. Everyone was extremely nice! Although when we got room service and we gave the guy a small tip ( Which we were under the impression that all gratuities were included because that is what it says but we felt bad not tipping ) The guy laughed at us and was angry mumbling another language as he walked out of our room. The entire Resort was exceptionally clean! I swear that is all they did was clean! For how much you pay, I thought the rooms were fantastic! They were huge and beautiful. We stayed in the Yucatan area which is supposed to be an exclusive adults only area. I don't think hardly anyone was staying over there because we had our own private pool area with a bar and there was only 2 other couples laying out! In that area they have butler service so we had our drinks brought out to us. But that was only if people weren't at the bar because the same guy had to do both. The nice thing about where we stayed was that it was close to the lobby and all of the restaurants. The resort is huge and it was kind of a long walk to everything but that didn't bother us. From the lobby it was about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the beach. We would just get our drink and take a stroll to the beach. The beach was full of vendors which I have never seen at a resort before but they were not pushy. They asked you a question and if you said no or kept walking they didn't bother you. There was plenty of chairs to go to that weren't near the vendors. But you have to pass the vendors to get to them. The beach was beautiful and it had a bar right on the beach. The resort was so big that we never made it to all the areas because we were only there for 3 nights. The food was okay. It wasn't awful but it wasn't great. We went to one of the restaurants ( which you had to make a reservation for or else you were stuck with buffet food ) It was called La Fleur and it tasted awful!! HAha! It seemed like they took the buffet food and just made it look all fancy on a plate. We got the beef filet entree and it literally was a piece of steak about the 2 inches wide and a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes and ONE piece of broccoli. I think we ended up going BACK to the buffet after we got done eating there! By the end of our trip we couldn't wait to get home and have American food! The water was also bottled too and it still tasted very much like it came out of a sink. So of course we just had the yummy alcoholic drinks or pop the whole trip. If none of these things would bother you I would definitely recommend coming here. It was beautiful and clean, good service, and the food was okay."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Daniela Smith from Vancouver, BC

"We were happy with the size of our room in the platinum area on the sunset side
the room was fairly clean I did not like the fact that you had to tell them to change your sheets instead of them doing it automatically when room service does turn down service! There was a big cockroach that came into the room and I reported it they came and got it but after they did not seem to care and said your in a jungle it's normal!Which it is not! They did however ask to spray the room but we didnt want any chemicals in the room! This happened twice! I also wasnt happy with the frequency of the golf cart service which transported you from the rooms to the lobby!Mind yu the guys driving the golf carts were super nice and friendly asnd respectful that of course has nothing to do with the staff but managment! Very poor managment when it comes to running the hotel. The second buffet when coming from the sunset area to the riviera was excellent the staff and lady manager were great they tended to all our needs were always there to offer us any beverages for breakfast and always gave us anything we asked for even if it was off the lunch menu! The first buffet was ok the staff was not on point that much. The security woman that does graveyard in the sunset area was rude and was totally oblivious to speaking english and she was making a big deal about us having a guest in our area that had a different colored bracelet and walking him back to his room since it was his first night there and he did not know the resort at all and its huge and easy to get lost in! I really loved all the concierge gentlemen and staff working in the Platinum lounge on the grand sunset side! They are great guys they need to be paid more for all they do!! if it wasn't for the crap we dealt with we'd definetly come see you guys again anytime!! The biffet beside Las Olas was good staff was friendly! The food was all the same all the time in the buffets! We ate at aa few of the high end restaurants like Miso and Le Fleur and Teppaniaky. Our group had about 20 people in it and pretty much half got really sick frojm eating from Miso and Teppaniaky my fiance got sic while we were there and I got sick on the last day and I heard the rest of the people came home sooooo sick as well on the last day from the last dinner we had at The Teppaniaky restaurant! Miso also made alot of people sick! The archery was alot of fun, great people very patient and we had a blast even though it was only once we did it! My fiance enjoyed the Catameran that was free very much and snorkeling was great! I did not like how there was lots of shells on the beach compared to a much smaller ploace I stayed at in Cancun where the beach was completely clean and you had nothing but crystal clear water here you had to walk very far into the water before it cleared up! The staff at the front desk lobby at the sunset were very nice and polite the staff in the outside lounge, great the entertainment staff was really nice as well! I did not like the girl bartender in the sports bar she was rude to all women and she didn't serve me for like 20 min I waited for a drink. The Spa was great we had awesome massages and hair services done the did a great job the only downfall of the spa it was freezing cold from the air conditioning and being wet it sucks you freeze your butt off lol! The beach staff was ok it took them a long time to bring you a drink and they would froget sometimes to bring it! and on one occasion I asked for something and the girl didnt even aknowledge that I said anything so I sternly asked again then she repeated the order but that is un professional you have to aknowledge that the person is heard not walk away! we always tipped regardless and its just unfortunate on how expensive everything is! the photo's on the beach cost an arm and a leg! and everything in playa is more expensive then Cancun! I would definetly go back to Cancun but not Playa and not this resort only would love to see the staff agin much love from Van city!! xoxo
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jannyne Black from Toronto, Ontario

"I went to my brothers wedding. The venue was lovely, and the wedding was equally so. The resort dressed up the gazebo beautifully. The beach was very nice, weather outstanding, resort large and very well groomed. Good value, but don't expect amazing, it's just good."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Gary from Vacaville, Ca

"This was our second time at Grand Sunset Princess we had a wonderful time and would recommend to all. We will probably go back next year but up grade our unit."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Krista from Toledo, Oh

"This place was beautiful!! We did stay in the platinum suites which is the way to go, our room smelled like a basement kind of, so I asked to get a different room, we were switched that day to a better room. Everyone there spoke pretty good english, they deserve tips so bring plenty of ones!!! The pools were cold and there were not hot tubs outside so we stayed mostly on the beach which if you walk a little ways down you can get away from the families and crowds.

The food, was just food, nothing to brag about..I was beyond paranoid about getting sick from the fruit and salsa and pretty much anything i put in my mouth.. but I never got sick..and after the first day I was less cautious..My opinion the best food was at the miso and la fondue..the servers are just awesome.. nothing like America.
I thought the food would be like a cruise.. but it was not.. lol the desserts are not good at all. and I am a big sweets person, so that was a bummer, but i could of skipped a few days of dessert considering how many calories in drinks i was consuming ! lol. It was a great place, it was just me and my boyfriend and we would come back for sure."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dawn Williams from New Carlisle, Ohio

"Our stay at this resort was very relaxing. We stayed on the Yucatan/Platinum side and had a swim out patio. The water was chilly in our pool because we only had sunshine in that area until about noon. The landscaping is well maintained and worked on daily. The beach was quiet on the adults only side. The staff were nice and informative about the city. Some staff (lawn care, janitors) could not speak English well but they still would say 'Hola'.
Our rooms were clean and cleaned daily. The resort and rooms are all tile floors and they can be slippery so be careful. The food was good, not great, better in the Platinum buffets and the restaurants were good. We tipped our bartenders daily and they took great care of us and we never had to wait on a drink.
We walked all over the resort and to the beach every day so everything was within a decent distance. If you cannot walk they do have a tram but you have to wait on it.
Overall, it was a great vacation and I will return next year."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Laurie Swieton from Rochester, Ny

"This hotel was so much more than what I expected. The staff were outstanding, the food was fresh at every buffet, so many choices too, even the pickiest eater would be happy. We only tried one of the restaurants, it was also very good. There was no lack of poolside or beachfront. Our room was an upgrade to a Jacuzzi, , well worth it.The beach was great , some areas were a little rocky near the shore, but not a problem. The place is huge, do plan on much walking, It was also very, very clean and well manicured. Exceptional value,we would definitely return."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler James Frigiola from VA

"Our junior suite was on the ground floor at this very large resort and there was a problem with humidity and dampness from poor rain water run off. Our suite was otherwise comfortable with a hard bed and pillows. Food selection and quality at two buffet restaurants was sumptuous and excellent. We tried dinner at two of the other restaurants requiring reservations and were disappointed and always preferred dining at the buffets. Hotels bars were everywhere and served very good mixed drinks. Wine selection was poor and limited to red and white only. Wine served at the bars was just fair but still much better than wine served in the buffet restaurants. The hotel staff was friendly and courteous everywhere. We would stay again but suggest upgrading to a deluxe suite."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lili

"Beautiful resort, long palms alley, well maintained green grass - and that's all positive we can say about this resort.
Food - disappointing.
A la carte restaurants - terrible, understaffed. Waiting in line for reservations at least 2 hours, only to find out that no bookings left.
Buffet restaurants - below average. Good hardworking staff. Poor management.
Overall staff - fairly good.
Beach:
Very important: if you are looking for a beach holiday - this is not your place.
Princess has a beautiful sandy beach and swimming is great, BUT... you can't get near the water without getting bumped by annoying resort staff trying to convince you to have a 'beach-front' massage, or buy a hat, a picture, a souvenier, get a tatoo or hairbeads.
Especially if you have small kids and you want to keep an eye on them while they're playing near the water, you can't see them from numerous stands blocking the view.

Conclusion: DISAPPOINTED."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"The only thing woorth of mentioning is the very well kept grounds, green grass and beautiful gazebos. Food was below average, although waiters tried their best to make us feel good ( we were a group of 37 people, 10 families ). The person who convinced us to book princess for our 'annual' Thanksgiving Holiday week kept apologizing for such a disappointment We stopped booking ala carte restaurants after second night, we lived on guacamole and salad for 5 days. The beach was crowded with massage tents and resort's salespeople trying to convince everyone who walked towards the beach to have a massage ( which we all tried and ended up having back-pain for the rest of the week.
This was e real disappointment"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Henry from Algonquin, Il

"Not enough choices in the buffet, we had the same kind of food every meal, every day, compared to other buffets we had from several all inclusive hotel we have been in the past. We go to Mexico every year since 1994."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dawn from Wilbraham, Ma

"This was our 3rd time to the sunset princess. As always we had a wonderful time. My complaint would be that the food is on the downslide and seems to be getting worse each year. If you are looking for fine dining this is not your place. I would say that the meals are more kid friendly. The bartenders at the main pool are fantastic. Tip them well and you will see the difference in service!!! There was a mix up when we first checked in late at night and my daughter, husband and i all had to cram in one bed due to the fact that they only had one person working and he needed a supervisors permission to change our rooms. A suggestion would be to bring your own mug for your drinks and bring your own blow up floats with you otherwise you will be paying a small fortune for them at the resort $40 for a mug and $20 to $45 for floats. They are nice to have because the water in the pool in nov-dec is freezing!!! A good place for families."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Carrie from St. Louis, MO

"We had an AMAZING 7 night stay! The resort was beautiful, spotless, spacious rooms, had great entertainment, an excellent food and beverage selection, and a gorgeous beach. We take an all-inclusive vacation every year, and it'll definitely be hard to top this resort!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Felicia Ford from Boston, MA

"I went here with my fiance and we had the time of our lives! The property is gorgeous and well maintained. The staff was super polite, helpful and friendly. Even the wildlife was on good behavior! There are many activities so we were never bored. The food was good and plentiful but definitely make reservations for the restaurants upon arrival. Also the mini fridge wasn't cold due to the energy saver setup. We found that if you leave the key card in the slot all the time then that keeps the fridge cold. That advice will make sense when you get there. We definitely plan to go again next year and we're bringing our friends and family."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler from Pitt Meadows, BC

"Overall great hotel. Rooms are huge, clean and comfortable. I wasn't crazy about dinner at the buffets but got over it, there wasn't as much selection as others resorts I have been too. However, the a la carte restaurants make up for that, I suggest going to as many of those as possible. I was there for a wedding which was wonderfully done (this coming from a girl who has worked at a high end banquet facility for 5 years and done many weddings). Only other complaint was that internet access was not free, that's probably the only thing I would change. Great resort and I can not wait to go back.
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ashley D Scott from Snellville, Georgia

"I read EVERY review of the Grand Sunset Princess before I decided to go with my fiance. I am going to cover several things that i didn't know to ask and wasn't included in the reviews I read. All in all I would go back to GSP. There were many highlights of the trip and the lows are not enough within themselves to keep me from coming back.


Ground Transportation
1) The included package $50 per person. We took the ADO bus from the airport to Playa del Carmen for about $210 pesos ($9USD) per person. We then took a cab to the hotel for $197 pesos ($17USD). We spent about a total of $36USD instead of $100. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL TRANSPORTATION!!

2) The only way from the hotel is by taxi and the hotel shuttle!!

Shuttle Service
1) The hotel advertises free shuttle services to Playa del Carmen. Will that's partly true. Luckily, we were told you have to book the shuttle the day before you want to go. You can only book the shuttle from 8am-11am on the day before you want to go. It fills up fast! It filled up before 10am for us. The shuttle is limited to 42 people per day. It runs at 10am and 12pm. It returns at 5pm. You can come back at 1:30pm and 3:00pm for $4USD per passenger or return at 5pm for free (first 42 passengers). The taxi price is $197 pesos or about $17USD for 1-4 people (one way).


FOOD
1) When you first arrive you have to book your reservations for dinner at the a la carte restaurants. You will want to do this as soon as possible. You can only book three days in advance. The problem with this is that people who have been there for 3-4 days and are staying for 3-4 more days have already booked early time slots. So we could only book for 9:45 on a couple of days and 8:45 on another day. We were able to get early times for other days, but I had to get up early to do that.

2) The buffet was subpar at best. It was edible but not fantastic. It was ok. The food at the buffet isn't kept hot enough and there is an after taste after most of the buffet food. The best food is at the restaurants. It's frustrating to go to EVERY restaurant to see if anyone didn't make their reservation only to see a space 1/4 full and the staff saying no one has missed their reservation.

BEACH
1) People have complained about he beach and the rocks. We experienced the same. The hotel can't control nature. If you walk a little down the beach you can get an area with few rocks. Once you walk about 5-10 feet into the beach you past most of the rocks and its smooth swimming from there!! Better yet, you could go into Playa del Carmen.

OVERALL
The hotel is amazing!! The service if EXCELLENT. Whenever we needed service, i.e more towels, iron, etc. the staff was quick to respond. They also followed up to make sure we received our items and were satisfied. The grounds were immaculately kept! The place is beautiful. The landscaping is 5 Star alone! People have complained about the property being extremely large. It is HUGE! We walked everywhere and didn't feel it was too large. However, there is a shuttle that transports you around the property. The downfall of this property is the distance from Akumal, Tulum, Coba and Chitzen Itza. Next time, I would personally stay in PlayaCar which is closer to Akumal, Tulum and Coba."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"Wonderful resort. Staff was friendly and spoke good English. Accidentally left the safe open 1 day with a lot of valuables in it. Everything was there untouched!! Food was great and staff very nice! I would definitely recommend a jr suite with walk out to the pool, no better way to relax when you only have to go 10 feet"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dixie CHerkowski from Drayton VAlley, Alberta

"It was awesome all the way around. ...amazing"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler TONY HEITMANN from SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Michigan

"I was most impressed by the amazing value of this hotel (extremely nice resort for low cost).

Pros:
Multiple, large pools with plenty of lounge chairs
Long strip of beach with chairs & shaded cabanas
Bars ALL over the resort and on the beach (good drinks)
Staff will take beverages orders & deliver them poolside
Mini-fridge always stocked with water, pop & beer
Several unique %u2018A La Carte' restaurants with nice selection of great food
Many activities to do during the day, but entertainment staff was not %u2018pushy'
Entire resort is VERY well maintained & extremely clean
Rooms are up to date with modern furniture and décor


Cons:
Buffet at lunch time was inconsistent & often had a poor selection of random food (left over from dinner)
Wi-Fi is NOT free in rooms or lobby unless you upgrade to a Platinum Suite or Villa
Some of the older lounge chairs are not comfortable
Can be difficult to get reservations at a decent time to the restaurant of your choice
Since it is a huge resort, be prepared to walk a lot to get from rooms to restaurants, beach, etc.."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Veronica from Shelby Twp., MI

"The resort is beautiful and it is my second time at this all inclusive. We loved the beaches and in fact if you look at many other hotels in this area they are not nearly as nice for swimming. The food and drinks were both very good and the staff is amazing. The only problem I had as well as another member of my party is that we got terrible stomach problems. It was to the point where we could no longer eat or drink much of anything the last couple of days. Never figured out what the problem was but the resort seemed to have problems with electricity so thought it maybe food not kept cold enough. I would still recommend the resort though."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mark Mathieson from Victoria, BRITISH COLUMBIA

"My wife and I spent 7 incredibly fun days at the Princess. We were very impressed with the staff and how efficiently they performed their jobs while always being polite and friendly. The only negative I would have is the same as every resort. The small percentage of guests who don't respect the fact they are in a foreign land that has different customs and language than their own. You learn some basic Spanish, greet everyone with a smile and give a little tip. I saw guests order 10 drinks from a server and not even give her a dollar. We treated the staff with respect, tried to use a little Spanish and gave small tips frequently. Because of this the whole staff treated us more favorably than a lot of other guests who weren't quite on board with these travel techniques. We can't say enough about how wonderful this resort is, ultra clean, great food, good tequila and fabulous entertainment in the middle bar at night, the theater and the crazy games at the pool. Best vacation ever for us."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Suzanne K. from Spring Grove, Il

"We just returned from a 1 week stay at the Grand Sunset Princess. We are in our early 40s and traveled without children. I found the resort to be much too large for my liking. I felt like all I was doing was walking, walking, walking all week. We are active people who played beach volleyball, went zipling and also ATV riding but it was just too much. I also didn't like that you had to make reservations for dinner in the ala carte restaurants. When we are on vacation we like to be more spontaneous and having to make reservations just forced us to plan our days in advance which made us feel like we were on a 'schedule'. Also I am a wine drinker. The only wine available at this resort was their 'house' wine unless you purchased a bottle. The house wine was clearly cut down or mixed with juice or water. There was no potency at all, tasted like drinking fruit juice. Usually after 1.5 to 2 glasses of regular wine I am affected but after drinking 5 glasses of the house wine one evening, I was straight as an arrow. There was clearly little to no alcohol in their house wine. They also promote that their vodka is Smirnoff, not so. Multilple bars poured me some other off brand. The only beer available was Corona altough some of the tapper handles were labeled Modelo. Housekeeping was slow to say the least. One day we left our room at 7am to go into Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel for the day. We returned at 230pm to find our room not cleaned or made up yet. I also requested a king bed for our room and although they could not guarantee, alas, twin beds were assigned upon our arrival. I asked to be placed on a list to switch rooms when a king was available. One was avaiable the next day and we switched rooms. The hotel computer didn't catch up to our switch for 3 days. This was an issue when trying to make dinner or excursion reservations because everything is tracked by your room number. When the resort finally realized someone was stying in room 3008, then knocked on our door at 930pm to do a 'room check'. Then they called our room at 11pm asking when we checked in and what name the room was booked under. I explained to them that we has switched rooms with the assistance of the front desk staff who obviously gave us keys to the new room. They then corrected the information in their computer system. I also prefer a resort that is truly ocean front. This resort runs parallel to the ocean. You cannot see the ocean from any rooms nor can you see the ocean from any of the pools. I prefer to be lounging at the pool while looking out at the ocean. This resort also seemed to be filled with a much younger, party crowd. Lots of people in their early 20s drinking excessively and carrying on at all hours of the day and night. Lots of loud cursing around the pool bars during the day. Also, there is only music at 1 pool although there are many, many pools throughout the property. It would have been nice to have some music at the pool we chose to hang out at. Overall, this resort was my least favorite out of the 8 times I have been to Mexico. I won't return here nor would I recommend it to anyone else."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Anatoly Fabrikant from Fremont

"You get what you paid. This is an inexpensive and rather low-level resort, at least compared to Barcelo. The area is rather small, not much space to walk. We were here in November, before Thanksgiving. There was much maintenance work going on, rather noisy and painting smell. There was much noise late at night from moving cars, rolling carts, and noisy customers. Also areas where repairs are being done do not have any warning signs or any other safety measures. This was high risk to relaxed people with kids - I experienced this myself quite painfully.
Many things triggered our complaints: missing TV remote, toilet flashing was inefficient, fridge did not work, etc. Every complaint was met politely with the staff and NONE WAS DONE to fix them.
The beach is nice and clean, but the rocks on the sea bottom made a lot of troubles. In fact I injured my foot on the last day.
Food was fine, although sometimes not fresh. Especially seafood was far from excellent. Fried fish was sometimes just plain bad.
And remember, it is not ALL included - some drinks are not.

On a positive note: lots of swimming pools clean and well maintained, rooms were clean and rather convenient. Jacuzzi in the room was great. There was an opportunity to take a short snorkeling trip right from the beach (probably not officially provided)."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Valerie from Milwaukee, WI

"The Grand Sunset Princess is a gorgeous resort. It is very huge, but we loved dining at a different restaurant each night. The staff is extremely friendly and the place is impeccably clean. We can't wait to go back."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kevin from Fredericksburg, VA

"The resort is very beautiful. The all inclusive is really worth it. We elected for the platinum upgrade and it was worth every penny. You get a local concierge who will assist in anything that you may need. The platinum upgrade also includes free in-room wifi, which is not available to the other rooms (except maybe the villas but I cannot confirm)."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Julie McKay Wilkinson from Charlotte, NC - North Carolina

"My Mother is 94 and loved this resort. It was a bit of a challenge at times walking around because the resort is so expansive, but she was able to navigate through it.

We loved the dining experiences, the Villas, the pool and the pampering!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Rachel Lipchik from Sacramento, Ca

"I had a great time at the resort. Very clean, relaxing, and beautiful. We didnt have a expensive suite but the room was still really really nice and updated. If I had one complaint it would only be with the food. Both at the restaurants and the buffet. The food was plain and lack of variety. The best restaurant was the Asian restaurants. The Mexican food was not authentic Mexican and was horrible. I live in California over 50% Hispanic, we know Mexican food, what they served and how this hotel represents Mexican food is appalling. You travel thousands of miles and kind of isolate your self in a resort you should expect better food. Food is how travelers experience culture. There were two restaurants you can pay 100 dollars a plate, but the way the chief represents himself else where I would pass.
But if you just want sun and free drinks (water down drinks) this is a good place to do that. Seems like they catered well to families."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Rita from Sacramento, CA

"We had a great time at this resort! It's beautiful and very clean, Unlike some other reviewers, we actually enjoyed the fact that resort is huge, I would not want it any other way, especially considering how much food we ate, so the little walk was perfect!
I enjoyed the shows, would recommend Mexican show, Fire show, also liked a Rock'n'roll concert, basically all the shows we went to we liked. They also had good singers in the main area, so it was nice to sit there with some wine and enjoy Mexican music)
Staff was very friendly. It amazes me how hard they work while having a great smile and providing wonderful hospitality.
We didn't have any problems with finding chairs on the main beach, but if you want some privacy for a day, there is a spot called Chill Out, you pay extra 11$ and get a private spot on the beach, with nice seats and personal server. We only did it once, since we really liked the main beach.
I enjoyed Seafood and Mexican restaurants. Also go to Japanese Steakhouse for the show.
We also went to Tulum and Coba to see the ruins, and really loved it! My favorite part- swimming in the caves, such an unforgettable experience!
We used Cancun Shuttle for transportation to and from airport, they pick you up on the private car, meet you with the sign at the airport, and make it a nice comfy ride) We ordered their services via their website.
To sum it up, we had a great time, enjoyed a well kept resort, activities, people we met were wonderful and we would be coming back!!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Bryan McDuffie from Sanger, Texas

"Me and my wife went with 4 other couples, the cost was good. We got to the resort and it was very beautiful and the staff at that time was very help full and very nice. The first night we were tried and we were looking forward in have dinner and one of the buffets. The first night at the buffet was disappointing the food was not good at all, but I will say each night did get a lot better. The room was very nice and we really in joyed the room. The only problem we had was we had put the do not disturb sign on the door. On the second day we was going to the beach and before we left the house keeping knot on the door and I told them that we did not need anything at this time. About a minute latter the phone ring I thought it my be are friends so I answered it but it was house keeping asking if we needed the room cleaned and I told them that I had the do not desrurbed sign up and the only way we would need anything was if the sign was off the door. The next day we went to Cozumel all day and had the time of are life's, it was great and I would recommend everyone go do the explore. We did the zip line and drove a ATV thought caves and took a raft though the caves and I was wonderful. Then we got back and went to the room. I seen that the do not disturb sign was not on the door. I open the door and the sign was on the counter. We then started to get ready for bed when I seen there was money missing so I called the deck and security came and took a report. That was on 10-9-12 and as of 10-31-12 I have not heard anything from the resort. Other then that we did have a great time, I did put the I would go back or recommend the resort. But I am not sure if I will go back I now think happen and it may never had again there so I may go back. I just wanted to let everyone know what happen and that we did have a great time."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Steve from Chicago, Il

"Nice clean resort. Not recommended if you are looking for a resort with a beach view room. Like everyone else said long walk to beach. Not a huge deal but not a fan of that. Staff was great, good bar tenders who work very hard with a smile. Restaurants were good. Only complaint was long waits once seated to be seen by a server. Make sure you make reservations first day you arrive. Food was great. All in all good place for the price."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler William Meadows from Greenwood, IN

"My wife and I were celebrating our 35th anniversary this year and wanted to go somewhere we had never been........When researching the All-Inclusive resorts on line,The Grand Sunset Princess seemed to stand out. I could not have been more happier with the room, food, drinks, service, manicured grounds, entertainment and the tremendous amount of fun we had meeting other people from around the world. Thank you for a memorable trip!!!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Susan from San Antonio, Tx

"We had a great time. Staff was wonderful. Guests were friendly. Place was exceptionally clean and well maintained. Beautiful property. Food was only thing not 5 star but it was fine."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Pat Tuckness from Apple Valley, Ca

"The resort is huge. Lots of walking. The room was large and beautiful with large bathroom separate shower, and jacuzzi tub big enough for two. The grounds were very well maintained and lush. I had a garden view and would have much preferred an ocean view, that I have had at other resorts, that would have made the balcony much more appreciated. I didn't really see from my vantage point that the most expensive platinum suites had a very good view either. If I were to offer my recommendation it would be for a swim up room, they really seemed to be the best choice if not too far from restaurants. The restaurants and buffets were ok , not great but I only had a few things I did not like and service was very good. I did not like that you could not get room service without extra charges , which were too high. The beach was nice, clean. I only waded up to my knees because I forgot water shoes and I did see some rocks, not a lot. Would have been nice to have some music on beach. I did not find the few vendors walking on the beach to bother at all. I did not think the vendors with stalls should have been located between the water and sitting area. I was paying for my view of the ocean, not a row of vendors. I am sure the resort charges them for the spots or actually puts them there to make more money for the resort. The shuttle service to beach and back was very convenient . The towel shack not so much. Closed early, only one location, need one by beach an maybe two more at different points near pools. Entertainment , shows a little hokey. No big deal I expected that. Live music for dancing or listening quite good. Sports bar, lots of pool tables and tv's but NFL games in Spanish. The transfers we're very good, prompt, courteous and very clean vans. The resort is in a safe beautiful location. I would not return to this resort because of its layout, with so much walking, we read it was large, but went anyway. So that is on me. We were two couples and were given upgrade to the jacuzzi suite no charge. Just for asking for an upgrade."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Karen from Detroit, MI

"I truly enjoyed my stay! I stayed Oct 19-24. The grounds are well kept, the rooms were thoroughly cleaned, and the food and drinks were wonderful! I will definitely return and recommend the resort. I ate at the grill, oriental, restaurant, and the Mexican restaurant! No complaints here! All of the staff was very amazing "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Stephanie from Parker, CO

"I must say that the grounds of the Grand Sunset Princess resort were impeccably manicured and the rooms were a good size. We also enjoyed the private swim out room, eventually. The check in process takes way too long. They did not have the room we paid for upon arrival. After moving once each day while we were there, in order to get the room we paid for, on the third day we opted to stay in the room we were currently in. The concierge was of no help at all in getting our room resolved. He offered us champagne and other amenities for our room. None of which ever arrived for us. The food was awful. The worst of any resort I have visited. The good news, lost 5 pounds, first time ever on vacation! The resort is large and it does take some time to get anywhere. It is either a 15 minute walk or you wait for the resort cart, which holds about 6 people, to come around and take you some where. It was pretty and we enjoyed the people we met there, but we will not return to this particular resort."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler MONA KWAN from ELMHURST, NY

"I love travelling to Carribean at least once a year. This will be my 2nd vacay to Riviera Maya within the last several years. I will have to say that The Grand Sunset Princess resort has one of the nicest amenities in Mexico. The decor gives off a Zen-like welcoming nostalgia. The jacuzzi-equipped deluxe junior suite w/ a balcony, I stayed at was nice, clean, well-kept. Food-wise, it's just okay. I'm a big fan for USDA steaks, but cannot stand the steaks served in Mexico. Drinks are not great either. Cocktails are always served syrup-y sweet, which I don't like. Overall, experience was a bit short -3-nts- but a great one.
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ben from Portage, MI

"for the money this cant be beat. Staff is very friendly, drinks are good. Food could be better but its all you can eat. the reservation dinners are great, loved the Fondue and Japanese steakhouse the best. Pools are nice, staff is cool, loved the archery and activities. the staff kept the resort very clean too. I would def go back and tell my friends about this place. What a great time, no complaints."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Terri from Florida

"Its my first review and I like to 'Pay it Forward' for all those reviews that helped me in my selection on the Hotel and booking company. Do remember to print all vouchers including transfer vouchers before you travel.

Hotel is beautiful and kept impeccable in all areas. It is huge, so if you do not enjoy walking this is not for you. I enjoy the walks as it help to do some exercise after all that food. Staff all around was gracious, courteous and efficient. Check-in is at 3 so its best to arrive at 1pm at the hotel so you can have lunch and then check in. Unless they you give the room early which it could happen depending on how full they are.

Please know this hotel has two sections the Sunset Princess (where I stayed) and Riviera Princess with about 672 rooms each. Both look identical. I prefer the Sunset since its closest to Chill Out. They had 1890 people when I went but it never looked full at all. At full capacity is 4000 people which can happen in the winter months. The hotel is so expansive with several different pools areas.

tips:
If you enjoy wine much more than liquor then book the first two categories as you will have to purchase wine no matter the category. If you drink liquors all the time then go for the platinum which offers the premium brands, but you can book the regular and pay for the upgrade at time of order.

if you are a beach person, the beach is best in the Zen Chill Out Ibiza area. You can go right next to it and enjoy as well without the beach drink service and special area. However in the main area you can walk out close to the edge of the marker buoys water about 4ft and its gin clear. You have some nice snorkeling areas all around. I preferred the Chill Out as it has beach bar service to your lounge chair or Bali beach bed and daily one kind of small snack sandwich, along with Zen music for a cost of $11pp per day which is very well worth it if you like to enjoy a quieter area with attentive liquor service in your beachfront Balinese bed :))

If you love the pool, you will have plenty of pool areas to select and they do have occasional bar service to your chair as well as a main swim up bar.

On the beach, Kayaks, Catamarans, snorkel & masks are included. Diving, Wave runners, Snorkeling trips are extra.

Food: Not all were open all the time as October is low season. Vaquerias & Fondue were very enjoyable. Miso (tapenake) left a lot to be desired in food taste. The A La Carte Chill Out beach dinning was fantastic and very romantic (beachfront, open air). Did not try Italian and was told seafood was nothing to write about. Mexican was closed and so was La Fleour. La Fleour and Las Olas have extra charge or free for Platinum. Regular dinning room for breakfast had many options for all tastes and very enjoyable. Did not have lunch as had my snack at Chill Out. If you can make your reservations upon arrival once you have your room number (they wont do before).

There is a 24 hr sports bar with 3 pool tables, internet access computers and bar. You will have people come and go so its nice as no one can stay playing on the tables indefinitely since you sign your name and time on a sheet so everyone has a chance.

Never went to a daily show since I enjoyed the pre-show, but there is a different band playing for an hour every day before shows in the main open air plaza area that has small tables to sit an enjoy a cocktail.

Would I recommend the hotel? Absolutely!! You cannot beat the value on the air inclusive packages on this property when you think of what is included in an elegant well kept setting, unlimited drinks, unlimited food, amenities, entertainment and great attentive service. I live 1.5 hours from the Florida Keys, which I go often. When I go there for two nights, it will set me back half of my whole 5 night trip cost with air at bookit on the Grand Sunset Princess I just did.

I have been at another all inclusive property which charges more in the Mayan Riviera, but find this one much more elegant in its presentation, trained staff, and much better food quality and presentation. Please remember this is an all inclusive and while they seem to strive for 5 Diamond, they are a five star therefore you cannot expect having dinners like in L' Bernadain in NY.

So you don't miss out upon check-in ask at the concierge for all activities information including bars, restaurants and theme nights.

If you get to go, have lots of fun!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Nancy from Cortez, Colo

"Way to large! Had a long walk to eat to guest services aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan most of all to Beach. Food was good for breakfast, {who can mess up eggs} omellet bar was great. All other meals Lacked flavor no matter where you ate. Getting reservations to eat at the different restrants was a another long walk every day. Clerk at th restrant res. desk was very rude. No we will not book here again."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Robairta from Mount Airy, Md

"Hi - I read a lot of things and did a lot of research on different all inclusive resorts. It was a spectacular deal and the resort was beautiful. The food was amazing all the time, and you have to book your dinners as soon as you arrive. You can only book 3 days in advance and only certain restaurants are open certain days, so you have to kind of think it though when you set up your future bookings because any last minute bookings you will take what you can get. The shows were great, the bars and bartenders are fabulous, and the place is stunning. There is a wide variety of ethinicities who visit the resort including people from the area. Most the employees speak english and all the employees are kind, enjoy you, and are happy to please you.

The spa is great, do not miss out on the deep tissue message. I did not venture to the Coco bongo, but I heard good things, it and all other excursions are a bit pricey, so be prepared. Although there are some good deals, there is plenty to keep you busy on the resort as well. Have a great trip!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Tom Taylor from Holbrook, NY

"Our stay was very nice. Food quality and selection left alot to be desirered. Out of all the hotels we stayed at in the last three years including the Princess in Acapulco this was the worst. With the exception of the attitude problem of a couple of the front desk people and there inefficiencies with the booking of our friends the staff efficiency was fine."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jackie B from Omaha, NE

"We stayed at the Sunset twice before with Deluxe rooms, so this time we decided to upgrade for the price of $500. NOT WORTH IT! No special service. Only one kind of beer in room. Coffee only one time in room, then you have to purchase it. Didn't get the 3 bottles of liquor in room, like my friends did.
Regular room price would be worth the price, but not the up-grades, unless they are free."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Alissa Flota from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

"We had a wonderful 4 night family vacation staying in two Platinum suites. My husband and I traveled with our babysitter and 3 kids (ages 3, 7 and 9). We also traveled with another family with 2 children. We enjoyed every moment. The property is well maintained with a lovely beach. The many pools have options for every one - party pool, big pool, small pool, adult versus kids, etc. The rooms are spacious and lovely - offering everything you need/want. We really enjoyed the nightly entertainment - the mini disco and the shows (which surprised me as I thought they would be cheesy). The food and drinks were both plentiful and very good. There are more options then one could hope for. I honestly don't know how one could ask for more. I found it to be a tremendous value and a lot of fun. I would return and recommend it to friends."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lauren from Saint Louis

"We enjoyed our stay. The resort was very clean and the staff are extremely nice. Our room was clean and had no issues at all. I am very annoyed with the bad reviews. The food is not excellent, but it wasn't bad, that goes with many all inclusives. The Italian Restaurant was digusting,The Japanese steak house was very good, they cooked the meal in front of us and it tasted great! The pools were clean. The kids enjoyed the kids show. The adult show was ok. The resort is beautiful."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kristen from Kings Park, New York

"We stayed 10/3-10/10/12 in the Laguna Villa 9108. We arrived about 1:30PM and was checked in right away and taken to our room.
Room: was a short walk from the lobby. Room was just was we expected.
Very clean, no smell, plenty of towels.
Fruit basket, 3 bottles: Whiskey, Tequila, and Rum.
Refrigerator filled everyday. Refrigerator was not working when we arrived. One call. 10 minutes later, a new refrigerator was delivered.
Room service: no complaints always hot and not long of a wait.
View from the balcony was nice, by the villa pool.
The grounds were well kept and the workers always busy. My husband went around to them and gave then money and said thank you.
Villa pool was where we spent most of our time. We were taken cared of well with the drinks. Small sandwiches, cheeses, fruits and nachos always available by the pool.
Thank you to the pool concierge who was very nice and let me charge my tablet by the pool!!!! He was wonderful!!!
Beach: we went to the beach every morning for the sunrise. What a beautiful way to start the day!!!
Went back during the day in the villa area. Very relaxing.
The beach was clean, water was beautiful. There was coral areas, but we did not have any issues.
Restaurants: hit or miss. Miso: first time was excellent, second time, not as good.
Grill: My husband's steak was very good. I had the skirt steak, not so good. We did not make it to our other reservations.
The buffets were good. Not as much of a selection as many other resorts.
The Buffets closer to the beach: with Villa and platinum have a section, so you also have a menu. Great service!!
Went to one night show: was the normal for resorts. The Market night is the same as most resorts.
Platinum has a private bar where there is Internet off the lobby. Did not need the Internet, as Wireless worked great in our room and at the villa pool.
We met so many nice people, wish we exchange email addresses though.
The walk from the lobby to the beach was fine. We love to walk and to burn off all the alcohol and food. The carts start at the lobby on each side and take down to the platinum concierge near the beach. Took that once.
We have no complaints with this resorts. Stayed at much higher end resorts, and this was a nice place.
I would recommend this resort.
You need to relax and enjoy your vacation. Always make the most of everything"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Loren from Atlanta, GA

"Because of all of our friends we traveled with, we had an overall really good time. But, if it was just my husband and I, we would have been extremely dissapointed.

Customer Service - If you are used to and/or looking for 'Top Notch' service, go to another resort. The resort is overall BEAUTIFUL, I will say that. Very well landscaped and maintained daily. If they put half the amount of work that the landscapers do into their customer service, it would be SO MUCH better. The check-in/check-out (reception) people are the worst!!! They could literally care less about your needs or feelings... Had to call 6 times in 2 days for them to pick up laundry too.

Food - Ok at best. Buffet...pretty much yuck. Even the specialty restaurants are not that great, they make it look fancy, but the quality of food still was low. Edible at best. The reservation deal was just stupid! They would tell you that they were completely booked and there were no reservations, but the restaurants were a THIRD full at all times. The wait staff was ok at best as well. No one ever went above and beyond to impress you at any time while we were there.

The size - Its to BIG, the amount of walking is crazy, espeically if you are in the platnium suites. It was at least a 15 minute walk one way to anywhere at the front end of the resort. There is a trolly/golf cart that runs every 15 minutes, but if you miss it, start walking. And when you are dressed in heels for dinner and have to walk 15-20 mins in 100% humidity, its not a good thing.

Overall, just never felt the staff tried to make you feel important or treated like they knew you were on vacation, its just a job to them. (Not like other resorts we've been to) If you dont have a good group of people/friends to help make the experience awesome, go to another resort."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler David from Norwalk, Ca

"My wife and I made book for 6 days to stay at the Grand Sunset Princess. We chose this resort base on the reviews and pictures but instead when we got there, we were told it was closed and we checked in at Riviera Princes. We were told it was the same hotel, but that is not true completely, we were staying in room located on the third floor of Building 6, with a view of a muddy vacant lot and next to the linen closet where apparently some machine was activated often at 2 or 3 am. We found one COCKROACH in the room. There is a superb disguised with kindness from the supervisor of the concierge, we had a very bad experience to get a ticket to go to Playa del Carmen. The Hotel staff did not give much information about the activities of the hotel because there is not such activities and when we were asking the different responses we had,
' that it was low season'. Regarless of the season the quality should have not change. 5 of 6 days the food at the buffet was very cold all the time. Not until our last day the food was warm. Great garden every where. At the beach, too many rocks and seaweed in the ocean. Very clean resort, you can see them cleaning all the time BUT for the opulence of this all-inclusive I would expect better food and much much more"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Adi from Atlanta, GA

"Very clean resort, you can see them cleaning all the time. Food, drinks, entertainment, our room and staff were great as well. I cant even think of anything bad about our stay. Would go back in a heartbeat. :)"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler David from Chicago

"My girlfriend and I went for 6 days and stayed in the Deluxe Junior Suite Pool room. It was an amazing experience. Very clean, awesome staff, met other great people from around the world, great food, amazing views, plenty of options for entertainment and drinks. I already want to go back!! The one and only problem we encountered was the weather, but i guess that's the risk of going during the rainy season. Either way, we made sure to make the most of it. I highly recommend this resort."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Hillary from Forest Hills, NY

"Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time at the Sunset Princess, but if you are looking forward to stuffing yourself, look elsewhere. The food was plentiful, however, it was average at best an horrible at worst. The staff is probably some of the nicest people you'll ever come across and everyone speaks at least a little English (although I tried to speak Spanish as much as I could). Everything about this place is wonderful, the rooms, the grounds, everything- except the food. Luckily we're not food snobs so we got by, but for the opulence of this all-inclusive I would expect better food. Bring lots of singles to tip as it is greatly appreciated by the staff and they deserve every penny they get. Everyone I saw was working hard. They keep the place immaculate. The only other drawback is that it's a little far from downtown Playa and there is only one shuttle per day and once that's filled it's a $20 USD cab ride into town. But overall we had a wonderful vacation. Spring for the Platinum Suites, it's worth it."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Eric from Austin, Tx

"I upgraded to the platinum Yucatan with pool adult only. I thought the room and pool were nice. Overall a nice place. I was disappointed with a few things though. We were supposed to have champagne at check in but that didn't happen. Most of our amen tutors were not explained to us so we had to trial and error our way through them. Although the pool looked great, the sun failed to stay on it around the pool past 3pm. Would've enjoyed the cold water a little more with some sun, so we ended up at the beach instead. Several times I found people from upstairs outside on our steps out of our room that go into the pool using our pool bed area. They did move when asked but just moved to the adjacent one. But... why did I pay extra for the private stairs into the pool when i could ve just paid what every one else did above us and use the same amnenities. The restaurants reservations were to hard to get in and they only offer a few main course choices. Overall it was nice and the beach was great."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Esther from Atlanta, GA

"Absolutely beautiful
-Clean
-Great food (except toast, pancakes, common American food) & service at buffet
-Restaurants require reservations; the food is better at the buffet in my opinion, but it is a change in scenery & atmosphere from the buffets
-Friendly & knowledgeable staff

Platinum upgrade is worth it.
-Free room service
-Private concierge on resort
-Easy towel access
-Platinum only beach area
-Free water circuit spa
If you want platinum but want a more quiet experience without the music & the party-scene, Grand Yucatan (Adult-only) is available.

The beach by the Chill Out bar is beautiful. Free photo session by the beach offered at Chill Out (photos must be purchased).

Spa is a bit over-priced, but you get 50% discount if you go the within 24 hours after you check-in.

Great honeymoon package. You can choose to have either an active or a low-key stay. Resort is huge. Plenty to do (shows, classes, activities, live music, etc.) & plenty to explore.



"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Robert from Austin, Tx

"Good:
Upgraded to PLAT level whihc included rooms close to beach; private pools; concierge lounge; adults only butler service beach area.
Rooms were spacious with jacuzzi inside and out.
Great beach grill for lunch time snacks
Great food in the reservation type restaurants
Lot's of pool space..except they were working on the main one halfway thru our stay (not a problem becuase we had a private pool for PLAT)
Beach was very nice..compared to many other beaches, it had a very sandy area and you could get through the seaweed rather quickly (all the beaches in Playa have taken a hit with the recent hurricanes within the last several years, we've stayed at Princess four years ago and beach was better..But still is better now compared to several locations we've stayed at the last few times)

Bad: The dinner reservation system..not great when your traveling with a bigger group, you don't get to have dinner together..But we didn't know we needed reservations and didn't have a ticket but were able to squeeze in..
The shuttle system: free shuttle to Playa at noon, but you can only make reservations 24 hrs in advance and you need to get there at 730am to get in line becuase they run out of reservations!! And it's $20 each way in cab! BOO"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Tiffany from Little Rock, Arkansas

"The Grand Princess is absolutely beautiful! It was definitely an amazing place to stay. The resort is very large and does require a moderate amount of walking. There are different levels when staying at this resort, and we were upgraded to the platinum suites and it is definitely worth it! Highly recommended resort!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler John from Boston, MA

"I stayed here for a total of 7 days with my girlfriend and think that was 6.5 to many.

To begin, after landing 'Best Day Travel' was our transportation to the hotel from the airport. They took both transfer vouchers and told us to report to the lobby the following morning to book a return (understandable with flights at various times). When I checked in the following morning I was told my pick up would be at 10:30am - My flight out was at 4:30. I asked why so early and the individual at the desk said that he had no control and that he would gladly cancel my reservation and told me to take a cab, obviously with no refund from them. I bit my tongue and said ill keep my reservation and walked away being told if I'm 10 minutes late- they leave without me and hearing him utter '---hole' under his breath ..... My pickup was 40 minutes late.

To the hotel. 'Free upgrade on arrival' - Desk person spoke no English and when I asked about this upgrade she said that she mumbled something like she would do it but if I said anything she'd get fired. I've heard that spiel before but said thanks and took basically the same room, except this room wasn't overlooking a pool that was being serviced and was out of commission. She then told me that she took tips in cash ...

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT ARRIVAL
Bracelet - $100 fee if lost
Room Key - $100 fee if lost
Towel Card - $20 fee if lost

Room- Standard, but the linens were pretty outdated and uncomfortable. Overall the upkeep of the room was a positive.

Food- Breakfast and Lunch were the exact same every day. Buffet only and not a very good one at that

For dinner- you needed to make a reservation to go to any restaurant. Reservations could be made out 3 days in advance after 2 pm unless you spoke Spanish. An example of this was me going to the desk at 1:50 being told to wait 10 minutes. A couple sat down right after I was told this and I watched the desk person print out 5 reservation slips (you need these to be let into dinner). When I returned at 2:05 I was told the time I wanted to go to a restaurant ... 3 nights from now... was booked and I would have to go an hour later. I asked how that was possible considering this was the earliest one could make a reservation and wasn't given any response, just asked if I wanted a different restaurant. In the 7 days I was there 4 restaurants were open daily and 1 changed each day between 2 others. 2 others were reserved only for platinum and villa guests. Unless you upgrade to either of those rooms consider your options very limited.

Food itself was blah with nothing standing out as even mediocre. Each night after dinner I returned to the buffet for bread. On my last night I paid 6 dollars for pringles and felt like I got a great deal.

Drinks were descent - but pretty limited with what they could actually make

The pools were nice, 3 out of 5 were open when I was there and they weren't very busy. NO FLOATS ARE PROVIDED so bring your own unless you want to spend $40 for something you can buy anywhere else for $4.

The beach was also descent, slightly rocky in the water so I would recommend water shoes.

The night life was blah ... only the fire show really kept my attention.

All in all I would say it's well worth spending a little more money to go to a nicer resort. I've stayed at Excellence and Valentin and both were far superior.

I would never return to this resort.
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Gabriel Chaves from Weston, FLORIDA

"I was sold a wonderful hotel stay where everything was to be excellent.nI was with a party of 5 more people with a total of 3 rooms.nroom # 4013, 4015, 4016 from sep 13 - sep 17nwe all have the same issues and when we complained to the hotel staff they did noting about it.nThe 3 rooms had BAD !!! odor, FUNGUS on the ceiling due to a water leak, They should repair these rooms before accommodating guests in there!nThe Internet did not work in the rooms!!!!!! and We all were in the PLATINUM SUITE!!!! that came with it!!!!! . THe answer was ... Sorry we are having issues with this!nwe all had to go to the main lobby and pay for it!!!!!! . Not to mention that normally took more than 30 minutes to get from our rooms to the main lobby because the transportation cars were broke ! and they were short of staff!!! nBook it .com should not promote this hotels as the best, this is totally not acceptable. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jean from SAN DIEGO, CA

"This year we booked our Cancun vacation at Princess Palace with a group of friends of a total of 10 guest. The resort was clean yet understaffed the beach was dirty there was some sort of sewage coming out of the underground / underwater at the beach. I asked a staff member where that water was coming from and he explained that it was the rain water sewage from the street. One thing I did not like was that you have to wear a colored bracelet to identify you on the level of room you booked. If you lost your bracelet it would cost you $100 for a replacement. There was too many restrictions regarding where you could lounge in the pool based on your bracelet, where you can lounge the beach based on your bracelet, you had to make reservations for dinner every single night. Only certain level of rooms have free wifi internet, there was a reserved concierge lounge that you were not allowed if you want wearing the right color bracelet, that was the same for some pools on the property also based on the bracelet you wouldn't have access to free room service. The only positive thing I have from this resort was the lovely waitress at the lobby bar named Guadalupe. She was the one that created us with a drink the moment we stepped in the lobby. we came back to the bar every night and she would keep the drinks coming. she was fast fun and friendly. She always had a smile on her face, she gave us tips on things to do and what to do in Cancun. Other then that, I would not come back to this resort at all. We stayed at the Valentin Imperial Maya All Inclusive last year and was so worth every penny. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler JAMES from SAN DIEGO, CA

"This year we booked our Cancun vacation at the Grand Sunset Princess with a group of friends of a total of 10 guest. The resort was clean yet understaffed, the beach was dirty, there was some sort of sewage coming out of the underground / underwater at the beach. I asked a staff member where that water was coming from and he explained that it was the rain water sewage from the street. One thing I did not like was that you have to wear a colored bracelet you entire stay (if lost it would cost u $100 for a replacement) to identify you on the level of room you booked. There was too many restrictions regarding where you could lounge in the pool based on your bracelet, where you can lounge the beach based on your bracelet, you had to make reservations for dinner every single night. there is a dress code for dinner but if you had the right color bracelet you cold be dressed any way you want. Only certain level of rooms have free wifi internet, there was a reserved concierge lounge that you were not allowed if you weren't wearing the right color bracelet, that was the same for some pools on the property also based on the bracelet you wouldn't have access to free room service. The only positive thing I have from this resort was the lovely waitress at the lobby bar named Guadalupe. She was the one that created us with a drink the moment we stepped in the lobby. we came back to the bar every night just to be served by her. she was fast fun and friendly, and she always had a smile on her face. She gave us tips on things to do and what to do in Cancun. Guadalupe was outstanding and great. other then that, i would never come back to this resort. not worth it with all the restrictions. n"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dan Jalbert from New Braunfels, TX

"Overall experiance was good. I stayed for 10 days and quickly grew tired of the food. Very bland and recycled from dinner to breakfast. Even their specialty resturants were just OK. The staff was friendly at times. Room service was good but the menu very basic. The service at the adult beach was slow if at all some days. Information about activities was not published very well. Had several miss information about the happenings depending on who you talked with. When I spoke with the concierge about some issues all he could say was he was sorry. Never heard from a manager after making my complaint. Thought I should have received some type of call or compensation. My point was I paid extra to get to the Grand Yucatan and didn t really feel I received anything extra as far as service. Could have save 500 dollars and just stayed in a regular room. The room was great and cleaned every day. Heard so much about the area and other hotels and there programs....next time will try one of the others out."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler MK from St Paul, MN

"This year we booked our vacation in September. This was a mistake because it was clear when we first arrived that this was their 'slow' season. The resort was definitely under staffed and not as friendly from last year. When we went the previous year in May (which was their busy season), there were more friendlier staff and they were quick to help satisfy our requests, which included our upgrade to the Deluxe Suite. For some odd reason, it took the manager 40 minutes just to upgrade our room. When we upgraded the year before, it only took the employee 10 minutes. I don't understand how why there was so much of a time difference this year from the year before. When we arrived to our upgraded room, the refrigerator wasn't even stocked. We called at least five times that first night and called an addition three times the next day to the concierge to get it stocked. It took them a day and a half just to fulfill our request that should have been done before we arrived. Also the hairblow dryer, jacuzzi, and bathroom outlets didn't even work. Oh and I can't forget that we couldn't even shower long before the water leaked outside of the of the enclosed shower area where we had to use multiple towels to soak up. And most importantly since our room was located all the way at the end of the beach shoreline, we called to have our bags picked up at 10:30am and they didn't even show up. We waited until 10:40am, and since the lobby staff was unreliable, and it took us 20 minutes just to haul our own luggage to the lobby area to be picked up at 11:10am. This was the worst customer service I have ever encounted. Don't even get me started on our flight departing Cancun too. It was cancelled and we were rerouted, making three different stops. the worst airline to travel with."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Leticia R.V. from San Luis, Az

"Es un lugar exelente, ...todas sus instalaciones estan bellas y muy limpias, la comida en todos sus restaurantes es muy buena y con mucha variedad de comidas (En especial la comida Japonesa estilo teppanyaki muy deliciosa), las atenciones de sus empleados es buenisima, las noches estan llenas de sorpresas desde espectaculos al aire libre hasta en el teatro..... Buen lugar para vacacionar//// It is an excellent place ... all the facilities are beautiful and very clean, the food in all the restaurants is very good with plenty of variety of food (especially the food very delicious teppanyaki style Japanese), the care of their employees is great, the nights are full of surprises from outdoor shows up in the theater ..... Good place to vacation"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dale McGee from Bedford, Texas

"Just returned from a week at this resort - it was a beautiful place, the buffet was great, beautiful pools and beach but it has many problems, the pool and beach bars close by 6pm so don't plan a romantic night around the water. Because its so big they have a shuttle from one end of the resort to the other but it does not run often enough... I would not recommend this resort if you have stayed in other places. Good for first time visitors but be prepared to walk and wait."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Steve & Cyndi from Centereach, NY

"We Celebrated our anniversary in September at Grand Sunset Princess , Had a Great time ! Good food in the Italian, Miso & Steak house. We did`nt get to the rest . Loved the lunch at the beach , The best piaia , Taco`s etc. The Beach is beautiful & crystal clear. Same for the pools, very clean. The grounds are beautiful. I loved the cort yard at night, always a band or show . The rooms are kept clean and nicely done . The staff are Great , friendly. Alot for your money !"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kathy G from New York

"It was a beautiful resort and there was a lot of access to everything. The shuttle to Playa is definitely worth it. There are cheaper items in town and if you turn the corner there is a beach there too. The parasailing, jetskiing, etc is much cheaper there than on the beach at the resort. The staff was really friendly. We only stayed 5 days and we didn't get to do much. It rained everyday that we were there but the rain only lasted around 20 mins or so and afterwards it was hot and a bit humid but it wasn't anything unbearable. The beach was really shallow once you get over the rocks. There is absolutely no need for water shoes. I would definitely recommend the hotel to others. There is a good amount of walking to do but there is also a shuttle available. Some people might claim that the beach is really far from the lobby walking wise but its not true. Its great for the price and you can order as much as you want at any time. We stayed in the Yucatan Princess Room, it's definitely better because of the convenience of the 24 hr concierge and 24 room service that's included."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"the best, will come back"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Clenio from Westland, Mi

"Don't forget anything. Things at the convenience store (not included in the AIP) are very expensive. There is marble every where in the hotel. It can be very slippery. Caution. Plan and book the restaurants that require reservation. Relax and enjoy."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dina from Woodmere, NY

"Overall great trip. The staff was extremely polite and accommodating. My only criticism was the buffet. The food at the buffet was not the best quality. Food at the restaurants was of much better quality but seating was limited and advanced reservations were required. Also although tips are included, the staff is much more attentive when you tip them"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Nicholas Lentini from Northvale, NJ

"Very happy with our decision to stay at Grand Sunset Princess. Let me start with saying that we understand you get what you pay for, and we got an exceptional deal. We stayed in one of the deluxe junior suites. The resort itself was gorgeous. Definitely above and beyond what we were paying for. The rooms were large and modern and kept clean and in very good shape. The pools were what you would expect to this type of resort. I would recommend staying in the platinum rooms which give you access to the adults only pool if you can shell out the extra cash. They are a lot more quiet and cleaner.

My only negatives would probably be the food. Like I said before you get what you pay for so I was not expecting much. That being said, the food could have been a little been better to at least match the quallity of the hotel itself. Also the staff at the restaurants didn't speak great english, which made it difficult while trying to explain my shell fish allergy. While inquiring what a specific ingredient at the sushi restaurant was, I was told it was a Mexican fruit. Fortuantely I checked my roll before I ate it because it was definitely crab meat and not a fruit that was the ingredient in question.

All in all a great deal and pleasant experience. I would recommend to any looking for any easy trip.

"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Adrienne from Manassas, VA

"The Sunset Princess exceeded all our expectations! The resort was recommended to us by neighbors so we booked it and then I read the reviews and of course, I started to dread what I was hearing on-line: bad food, bad service, dirty rooms, you name it. I can truly say that we experienced nothing negative about Sunset Princess. This was our first trip to Mexico and an all-inclusive resort and I wanted it to be great and it was!
The Sunset Princess is HUGE! It was very overwhelming when we got there and they hand you room keys, towel cards, bracelets and a map and you have to figure it out. But we did. Everything was easy to find and all needs met. We stayed in a Junior Suite. The bathroom was very spacious and everything was clean. Drinks included in the price were stocked in the refrigerator and the AC was very cold.
The grounds are kept immaculate. The gardeners work tirelessly all day with machetes, not weed eaters, so it stays quiet. The wildlife was everywhere. With drinks available all day, guests leave cups and trash all over and it is always picked up.
The pools were large and lovely. The swim-up bars were great and the bartenders in them had one of the hardest jobs there and kept a smile on their face through the bees and heat. Our bartender was amazing.
The buffets were beautiful. The staff clearly had pride in their work. The food was very very good. There was fresh fruit and salads, lots of healthy options. They had made to order stations and many unique options. Make sure you leave room for dessert. The tables had cloths and folded napkins. I was amazed at their ability to clean up and put 3 meals on the table everyday. It was an impressive operation.
The best advice I have is that you do have to book the restaurants and shuttles way in advance. I was glad to have taken that advice from other reviews. If you want to eat at a restaurant you will need to go to the reservation desk 2-3 days before you want to eat and be open to whatever is available. We tried the Miso, La Fondue and Momma Mia. They were very good. I was less impressed by the Miso, but it was far from bad.
I can't finish without saying another word about the staff and service at the Princess. They were so hard working, friendly and helpful. Even if they didn't know much English they would try to answer your questions. If we saw something broken, it was either fixed or being fixed within a day.
When I got to the Sunset Princess I was surprised at the number of repeat guests there, because of all the options for resorts why not try others. But I kept hearing from others, 'we tried other resorts and the Princess is our favorite, so we came back.' After 6 nights there, I understand the sentiment. We were overwhelmed when we arrived, but by the time we had to leave I was sipping a cosmopolitan feeling completely at ease there."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Charity from Nixa, MO

"My husband and I had the most amazing time!! Accommodations/grounds, food, drinks, entertainment, staff, beach, pools were awesome! No complaints here! We will definitely be back!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Traci from Columbia, MD

"When we checked into our room it looked like someone just left and checked out. The room was a mess, there were no clean towles, the bed wasn't made and it smelled. When they moved us to a new room 40 minutes later, there were no towels, toiletries, no drinks in the mini fridge or toilet paper. The food was 'ok' at best. Not bad, but nothing that I would say good. The drinks were great and the pools and beach were clean. The gym was pretty decent and clean as well. The staff was always very friendly and it was very quiet. Which can be good at times, but other times it would've been nice to have some music, like at the swim up pool bars. The BBQ's on the beach were a nice touch.Will we return? I don't know. I expected the food to be better, but for all inclusive I guess you get what you pay for."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Alex from Staten Island, Ny

"Just wanted to say, IT WAS AMAZING, we had a great time at the hotel. Everything was very nice. We were worried that we are going without knowing what this hotel all about, just read reviews. Personal is great, very helpful, smiling, saying hello every time at the pool or the beach, we loved the entertainment (at the pool at day time and beautiful shows at night). Rooms are clean; it's the through, nice surroundings, atmosphere. Everyday different restaurant at night, just don't forget to make reservation at 2:00 pm, two days in advance, The Grill and Spanish' were amazing; Swiss and Italian also great, Mexican not bad, Take the massages, two way: or at the beach by the water, but those are not from the hotel(also very good), at the entrance to the beach a small booth, take there if you like spa, this is from the hotel, they give you free coupons to the spa, witch is a great deal if it's rainy. And the last and very important thing: you can drink water, cocktails and use ice, water is clean, no worries, LOL. We recommend this hotel, you will love it."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mizraim from Belize, Belize

"It was great.I would recommend it to anyone.Food was super great.Its clean and safe.The staff are very friendly..My wife children and myself had a blast....Would surely go back on our next vacation."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Brian Buckingham from Boise, Idaho

"This was our first trip to Cancun and it couldn't have been any better. Yes the beach could have been better but everything else had made up for it. Everyone is friendly and the service was fantastic. The resort was being cleaned around the clock and what they do best is quietly cleaning. One minute you see something that could be cleaned and without even seeing anyone go do it...it's clean. I would recommend that everyone upgrade their stay to the villas or to at least to platinum because you gain access to the whole resort......private pool, concierge service, and a spa credit. Lastly I recommend booking with Best Day Travel at the resort. They just make it too easy, they set the appointment to book things, you pay, and then they tell you when and where to show up....and you're off. I would refer anyone to this resort and if you go snorkeling and book it through Best Day try and see if you can get a tour guide by the name of "Barracuda... or Juan because he is number one and you won't be disappointed."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Hani Choucrallah from Laval, Quebec

"It is a big hotel, great to for family, very clean and spacious.
The food was good, at the buffet and some of the reservations restaurant. There is 7 or 8 of them, but they require long pants, witch I was not crazy about in the hot summer.
I had 2 teens, and we where a total of 12 people together.
6 teens, and 6 adults. We had a great time, we mainly stayed at the beach on the pool, as the beach was clean, and great. some rocks at the start, but you can walk a great distance, and you can still touch ground. Some Kayaks and some catamaran that you can use 1hr/day for free. Nice dive shop, for snorkeling and scuba diving if you wish. I would recommend for every one."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Nid from Chicago, IL

"I loved this resort! It is very beautiful and it had the best buffet food I ever tasted! Obtaining reservations to the resturants was not har at all! Do not listen to the complaints the staff and the resort makes up for everything!!!!!!! Will visit again!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Cindy Monfredi from Oakmont, PA

"The resort is nice overall and the pools are great. The beach is crowded with vendors and chairs, so is not really relaxing. The food is plentiful but not very good. THe buffets are typical cruise ship mass-produced junk and most items were greasy or overcooked. Some of the dinners in 'Nice' restaurants were terrible and caused us to go the buffet afterwards just to get something to eat. The most puzzling feature of this resort is its use of marble floors all over the place. The floors become very slippery when wet, which is often the case when people are swimming or when it rains. One night it downpoured and the floors were trecherous. The staff tried to squeegie the water, but it was still very slippery. An odd choice of flooring."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Shipman from Coraopolis, Pa

"The Grand Sunset Princess cannot or does not want to accommodate large parties that travel together, especially for meal planning. Two years in a row, we ran into the same hassles booking dinner resevations. Our party was also seperated by our rooms being in entirely different buildings. Simply don't understand - we book together to be together, not to be seperated.

Also, over the last two years we noticed that even the simpliest request are always first answered with a 'NO', then after a while they realize they can accomodate. Very frustrating.

The resort is very beautiful, clean and fun - the staff needs some training in customer service. The breakfast and lunch crew at the Platinum buffet were outstanding. A great big thank you to those guys.

The beach could use some attention - may be removal of some of the rocks from the ocean like the resort up the beach."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Allison from Everett, MA

"This was our first trip to Cancun. we stayed 5 nights at the Grand Sunset Princess Resort. It's a beautiful resort. We enjoyed everything within the resort, except the beach. It was a little disappointed. The water wasn't that clean, very rooky and lots of weeds, but if you walk by past the rocks further out it would be fine. ,

check in experience was a little unorganized. They split our rooms; our kids' was on a different floor.

Another disappointment for us was the Japanese restaurants (MISO), Oriental foods. We booked this restaurant for two nights because we like sushi and the review we read online was excellent, anyway, we were a little disappointed. If you are Asian, especially Chinese, I do not recommend you this restaurant, because our expectation is different because they food is not authentic. for Chinese food, what they served was spring rolls, crab rangoon, wonton soup (with one wonton per servicing) main course was stir fried.

We liked the Olas Seafood Restaurant and Le Fleur International Gourmet Restaurant. It was great. We enjoyed the foods and environment. Just make sure you make the reservation immediately. You need to book it one day ahead.

In general, we enjoyed the stay. I would recommend this resort to anyone, who doesn't mind the issue with the beach.

One more thing service was excellent. The waiters at the buffet restaurants are so nice and friendly. They deserve the tip. Please tip them extra if you think they do a good job!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Rosario from Monclova, Coahuila

"staff unfriendly to mexican people, even we are of the same country"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Cindy from Union City, CA

"This hotel/resort was amazing. The food, service and rooms were beyond spectacular. I suggest anyone to getting a Junior Deluxe Suite; not only for the swim up pool; but you get to eat at the premiere restaurants for free too!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mic from Monterrey

"Excellent hotel!! Service was extremely good, good food, great beach, very clean, nice rooms....I would definately recommend this hotel"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Darla from Kersey, Colorado

"Extremely nice resort, very friendly staff. Enjoyed our stay."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler GA. from Chicago, IL

"Food was not so exelent,not a big choise.You have to preorder visit to the restorant two days before at 2 pm,so every day you have to wait in line for it.Bartenders too busy to take care of all visitors,poor language,thay don`t even undesrtstand what you asking for.Beach too far away from Loby,you have to walk more than 1/2 mile to the beach.A lot of rocks in the ocean,so it`s too dangerous to swim.Cleanless and staff is ok,but not allways can pay attention to you,because is too many costumers around and you have to wait in lines."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Liz from Long Beach, CA

"The resort was great. It's big and clean like everyone said it woudl be. The food was fabulous. IN my opinion, some staff members paid more attention to English speaking guest than Spanish speaking ones. I received better service when I spoke to staff members in English."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mariana from Basking Ridge, NJ

"We were at this hotel last year, our experience was great so we decided to return for this summer vacation.
This is a beautiful, big and clean hotel, excellet for family vacation, there are so many things to do. The food is so delicious, the staff are friendly, the shows are very good. Definetely i highly recommend this hotel."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Monica Jones from Tulsa, Oklahoma

"We thoroughly enjoyed our entire vacation! The resort was fabulous! We plan to go again next year, but will upgrade to the privileged section."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jared M. from Lubbock, TX

"Let me start by saying that my wife and I couldnt have been more pleased with our decision to spend our honeymoon at the Grand Sunset Princess in Playa Del Carmen. Prior to booking our stay we read MANY reviews - some good, some bad. We came to the conclusion after just a day or two at the resort that the negative opinions of some previous guests must have been due to unrealistic expectations or just bad luck. We found the staff to be just as friendly and eager to help as they could have possibly been! The resort itself was immaculate! Everywhere we looked it was like staring at a postcard. The food was for the most part awesome, especially the ala carte restaurants. We highly recommend La Fondue! We stayed in the adults only Yucatan Platinum wing with a swim-up room. We loved it. This is where our only real complaint comes from though. We requested a king bed and didnt get it but in their defense it was never promised. We ended up with two double beds that we just pushed together. Not a huge issue. However, the ROCK HARD mattresses and pillows were!! Some may enjoy a stiff mattress but we are not that sort. Moving on....we took serious advantage of the Platinum included room service and our Platinum dedicated concierge. While in town we did four excursions - one to ride wave runners and parasail at Maroma Beach, zip-line and explore caves at Explor, took in some OFF-THE-HOOK dancing/partying at Coco Bongo and a steamy hot, near miserable day shopping in downtown. If you choose to go please do yourselves a favor and use Best Day for your shuttle services. They were totally professional and put you at ease. We hated to leave but the real world was calling us back home. We plan to spend atleast one more vacation at this resort. We couldnt have asked for a better honeymoon."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Goofeylover from WI

"This is a beautiful hotel! Very big and very clean, but it did not rate high on my experience level. I have traveled many times to all inclusive resorts and have certain expectations that were not met by this resort. This resort is very big and requires a lot of walking to the pool and to the beach, especially if you book the less expensive rooms. It is all inclusive but does not include room service, which is a big deal if you are traveling with kids or if you decide to have a late night with drinks. We heard more 'No's' from the staff then we did 'Yes's' and the food was sub par. The specialty restaurants are very good, however getting reservations was almost impossible. We arrived on Monday, I tried to book dinner for Tues-Thurs and all of the restaurants were completely booked for all three days...after a bit of complaining we were able to go to one of them, it was good and almost empty yet getting reservations was hard. If you are traveling with kids, the simple things like ketchup are very different and do have a bit of a spice to them, so if you have adverous kids you are in luck if not, then you might run into a bit of an issue. The waiters were cordial, but we had to ask for water 5 or 6 times before we got it.., again it could have been a coincidence, but I wasn't impressed."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Betsy from Granville, Ohio

"What an incredible vacation! I rarely write reviews but had to share that we had such a fabulous time at this resort. It was just breathtaking! We are planning on returning in 2 years and taking our kids.
It really was huge and we did walk a lot, but we didn't mind because the grounds were beautiful and we figured we could use the exercise with so much eating and drinking. There were shuttles available which we occasionally used. I think they ran every 15 minutes.
The grounds were absolutely immaculate and the staff was constantly cleaning and trimming foliage. And I'm happy to report that despite the jungle, our room had no issues with bugs (aside from the nearly microscopic ones that showed up when I left food in the room, which I realized later is not allowed for just that reason I'm sure).
The food is served buffet style and was great for us. Yes, it is a buffet so not perfect, but lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood and cheeses so we were very pleased. There was also freshly made tortilla chips, guacamole and pico de gallo which was wonderful! We stayed 6 nights and ate at the restaurants 4 nights. We booked reservations as soon as we checked in and even secured a spot at the Japanese restaurant for the night we arrived. If you are flexible about restaurants and times, and if you plan ahead, you'll be able to get reservations. We enjoyed all of the restaurants we visited. The seafood (Las Olas) was our favorite.
We felt like there were plenty of entertainment options in the evening. We mostly listened to the live music that was outdoors every night. They had a wide variety of bands/singers and we thought it was great. We weren't that interested in the shows and just went to one, and we also went to the night club once. The staff was very friendly, especially the bartenders and we also really liked the person who cleaned our room.
It was very difficult to get shuttle service to Playa del Carmen and we never did get to do it. We were told you had to sign up the day before you wanted to go at 8am and that there would be a line. We did take an excursion that we purchased to Chitzen Itza and the cenotes and it was very nice. I think swimming in the cenote was my favorite part of the entire vacation. Just magical.
I highly recommend this resort!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kim Griffin from Winter Park, Fl

"Service and facilities outstanding. Food better than average except Miso ( avoid - absolutely wretched!!) Platinum suite worth extra - concierge, lounge private pool etc. Need better quality linens in rooms.
All in all - good value for $$. would return."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ron Abbott from Brampton

"no one there to meet us at the airport. i had to pay a 100 dollars to get to my hotel ??? that i paid for when i booked my trip. Had to fight to get thr king size bed i was promised when i booked. No stocked bar untill the third day only after we got upset and complained. Had to spend 3hrs to get a ride back to the airport again something i paid for but no one there new we existed (no greeting ,hello, nothing

ps"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Pam Eshler from York, Pa

"Just got back and to some extent I agree with all the reviews. The resort is huge so I can understand why some people would complain, to me it was walking off all the food we ate. Is the beach rocky, yes in some places, bring water shoes or go in further down to the right, if you look on google earth its not all rocky like some people will lead you to believe. As for the sewer smell it seemed to be located on the Riveria side to the left, the beach is also more rocky there, not a problem though if you walk twenty feet to your right. My dislikes of the resort were, no free wifi for everyone- you had to pay for it if you weren't platinum, it wasn't a big deal, the conceige helped look up something online and also printed out boarding passes for free, you gotta give them credit we heard a women yelling because they could only get premium liquor in the platinum lounge and it was too far to walk, give me a break! The regular jr suites were very nice, had a nice view of the pool, the drinks were a little too sweet for my taste, insulated cups are a must, bring your own straws they don't always supply them especially at the beach. The al a carts were good we did Hacienda, Miso and Mama Mias, excellent carpacchio. All in all your vacation is what you make it focus on the great things about it and don't sweat the little things!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Toni Buffone from Montreal, Quebec

"This is my second stay at this beautiful hotel. Staff and food excellent.
As for the entertainment, I would like to see a change. As mentioned, this is my second visit and the shows have not changed.

Suggestion:

Move the shacks (vendors) from the central of the beach... not very appealing when trying to relax and not enjoying the view of the ocean. Maybe they can move them ton the side of the beach or the back.

Overall, its a very beautiful and clean hotel and I have recommended it to all my friends and family.







"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Delaine McLafferty from Boise, Idaho

"We had a great time the entire 6 days that we stayed, the room was great and very clean the staff was friendly and helpful if we had any extra needs. We spent most of our time in the pools or at the beach and didn't leave the resort this time. We would highly recommend this resort for anyone but it is great for families, the pool we used was near the restrooms and also has a shallow end the kids used for diving for pool toys. The swim up bars are great. The only thing we wished we could have done was to go to some of the specialty restaurants but they were booked before we got to the resort unless you wanted to go really late but with little kids that wouldn't work but the buffets were good.

We had a great time and would definately go back."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Sarah Z from Joliet, IL

"Everything was very nice we had an uopgraded room in adults only which was great. Food was good for most of the time lots to choose from. The a la cart restuants were never full . Call down before you even leave to go to make your reservations. Some time I was not impressed at how long certains areas walking back to room the same mess had been there for a day or two and not cleaned up yet. Very nice people there and yes if you tip here and there they will take care of you. If you go to downtown Playa just hit the big stores for your gifts they are much cheaper then the little stores they try to pull you into for the same stuf just 10x more. Snorkeling was great down there. We would go back!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Corey Brennan from WILLINGTON, Ct

"This was the best choice i have ever made, everything about this resort was beautiful. from the beautiful flowers to the super clean room to the wonderful pools and drinks, it was wonderful. the restaurants and there food was amazing. the spa experience was great and so relaxing. the theater experience was very entertaining, the waiters/waitresses were so attentive and always ready to please. the drinks were amazing. the turn down services for the rooms was so great and our room was always clean. the pools were always in pristine condition and always refreshing. it was wonderful to see the maintenance on the lawn and flowers, they were always making it look beautiful. me and my wife stayed at the Grand Yucatan and we are already planning on going back. and the price was amazing it was perfect."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Tu from Plano, TX

"ROOM: humid, moldy smell; the toilet flush was flimsy and broke on our first day stay..

Inclusive Activities: One day advance reservation is not enough, had to get 2-3 days in advance reservation to get free transportation to Playa Del Carmen. We didn't make any advance reservation to use non-motorized sail boats (we didn't know), so we couldn't use it even when the available sailboats were just sitting there for an hour waiting for the next reserved user.

FOOD: plenty but not any good. Either too bland, too sour, or just way to bland. Miso (oriental restaurant) didn't have any oriental flavor to the food ...Chicken Pad Thai was just Nasty!

Amenities: We didn't have an iron in our room. We asked for one, and they brought us a cheap broken one (didn't even get warm). On our last day, the mini bar wasn't refilled (as it should be daily), and we had to wait for more than 2 hours just to get 3 bottles of water."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Carol Weber from Brooklyn, Ny

"The resort n rooms are beautiful. Super big resort... Super nice staff."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Geri from Franklin Lakes, NJ

"Very enjoyable family vacation. Definately upgrade to platinum, well worth the money. Better, friendlier service and much closer to the beach. Food was average but make reservations at restaurants when booking your room. 2nd day there my husband left a very expensive pair of sun glasses at the platinum pool lounge and when we went back an hour later the staff had left them on the chair and no one had taken them. A nice, safe, clean place to stay. Make sure to bring the bug spray and if given a room on 1st floor ask for one on a higher floor as the bugs like the 1st floor."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Veronica from Sylmar, California

"I want to start by saying that all the negative reviews are not true. My husband and I had a wonderful time. First of all the staff is great. Everyone there is friendly and nice. We stayed at the Sunset for seven days and i think that we needed more time to enjoy all the wonderful things this resort has to offer. The food is great although we only eat at the buffets, which were more than enough for us. The bars service are fantastic and we did get all types of drinks with all different flavors. We did use some of the pools including swim-up bar pools which are great and convenient. We met a lot of people from different parts of the world, and I think that was one of the best things that happened to us, because we are very friendly people. We enjoyed the different shows some of the nights and participated in the events at the main bar. We went to Playa del Carmen on the third day and the next day we went back to take the bus to Xcaret which is not amazing like people say, but it was still nice. The taxi fair to Playa is only $20 which was fine with us because the bus was only $7 to Xcaret both ways. I will definitely recommend this resort and we will for sure come back very soon."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Michael Kemper from Swansea, Illinois

"We reserved 2 rooms. One smelled like raw sewage. The front desk said they were all booked, couldn't transfer us, and would put us on a waiting list, but said they would fix the problem. Their fix was room freshener. It took us 5 hours the next afternoon/night to get everything resolved...very frustrating conversations with numerous staff and it ruined the day. Food was average at best. Reservations to the non-ala carte restaurants had to be made 3 days in advance and seemed to be filled up immediately, although the restaurants weren't half full. Liquor choices were limited. Only choice of beer was Corona. The administrative staff was terrible. The field staff was friendly, helpful, and competent in their job. The facility was beautiful and the beach was nice."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler DAVID from MERIDA, YUCATAN

"REALMENTE UN HOTEL EN DONDE DISFRUTAMOS DE NUESTRA ESTANCIA, MUY BONITO MUY LIMPIO. DEFINITIVAMENTE RECOMENDABLE."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Danielle from Coral Springs

"Great resort. Second time around, this time without the kids.
We went last year with all our 3 kids and had a blast.
We just got back and had a wonderfull 4 days.
We stayed at the deluxe with pool access and it was amazing and worth the extra charge. We used the stair to the pool and that became our room access during the day. We were right at the pool that has all the entertainment and had a blast. The room was cleaned daily and was everything we expected.

The pool was alot of fun and the entertainers were nice. The beach is beautfull and we got a couples massage for an hour full body right at the beach and paid 70 bucks for it. At the spa it was over 100 and not as nice as listening to the waves while you relax. We also paid 65 bucks for 30 min jet-ski and that was so worth it.
We went to Playa del Carmen (the taxi costs 20 dollars each way - fixed price) and when we got there we paid for snorkeling at Cozumel (DO NOT buy anything in Playa del Carmen - We would've paid almost half of what we paid if we had done it directly with the snorkeling people at Cozumel). Also, we rented a motorcycle in Cozumel (DO NOT rent it from the people that are close to the marina... look for prices... one guy gave us 450 pesos and we found one for 300 pesos). We ate there and drove around the Island. Great pictures. Beautiful place and nice people. They recomended we buy at Cozumel instead of Playa because after 4pm the ships with tourists leave and the prices go down. At Playa del Carmen we ended the day at 5th Avenue. That's were the bars and the stores are. Really nice at night.

We got our kids handmade bracelets at the resort's beach: 4 for 200 pesos. If you negotiate every price goes down. Sometimes halfway. Specially if it's close to the end of the day. Don't accept any first offer. This is the land of negotiation and we felt that some of the prices were given by first looks.

Overall: Great getaway, friendly staff, good food and amazing natural beauty. We plan on coming back again with the kids."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mike H from Nasha, Nh

"The food was just OK, The drinks were so watered down, drink wine or beer so you know it is not watered down The beach is almost completely blocked by vendor tents instead of having them build tents to the side and open up the view to the beach..At check out we called the front desk to have the bell boy come down and get our luggage( one piece weighs 42 pounds),
The guy shows up 1/2 hr later and could not lift the suitcase, so he dragged it from the third floor to the first dropping it at every step. Needless to say the plastic wheels were broken. So when I showed it the managaer, and the bell boy admitted to him it is because he could not lift it, the manager looks at me and says Sorry amigo but the suitcase was too heavy( 42 lbs is too heavy!!!!). So I emailed the head quarters 3 times"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Stuart Rohrbaugh from Asheville, NC

"Went first week of August 2011 and enjoyed so much we stayed again back to the same resort three weeks later. Recommend the upgrade to platnium."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ray from Melbourne, Australia

"Fantastic experience, fantastic time all round!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Carol Pfeffer from New Baden, IL

"The mosquitoes were outrageously awful. We would spend an hour killing them before we went to bed and still would get bit up really bad while we slept. The mosquitoes were not that noticeable outside of our room but in the room awful.
The place is beautiful. The activity staff was outstanding. It was really hard to communicate with the cleaning staff i.e., leaving enough towels, wash clothes, coffee was not consistent. Sometimes we would get no wash clothes, one towel etc., Tell your staff if there are four people have four of each for them. The reservable dinners were excellent. But we noticed many people tried to reserve different dinners and were told that it was filled. Not once did we go to a dinner that was full. Why tell these people that they could not reserve a meal when there obviously was plenty of room? The service at the buffet varied but for the most part better than satisfactory. Large complex, but very easy to be alone if you wanted to. Grounds were very well kept. Large number of huts on the beach and around the pool to sit under. The room with the walk out pool access, was great. The bars were really busy and the bartenders did not always wait on the proper next person. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Stacy from Phoenix, Az

"Just got back from 8 days at the Grand princess. Here is a list of the good and bad.
BAD:
poor plumbing, food was awful and if items were empty took forever for them to replenish them, marble floors are dangerous, since we were staying 8 days, on the 7 day after a long day could not get into my room since they turned the card off. Had to walk all the way back to the front desk to have reprogram, NOT enough chairs at beach or pool. Most of the staff did not know english. shuttle service into town is a JOKE!! you have to make reservations the day before and HOPE you get there by 8 AM. If not they are filled up. And then n the way back from Playa de Carmen if you are NOT the 1st 42 at the pickup place, you have to take a taxi back. If you don't make dinner reservations when you 1st get there, you will have to eat at the awful buffet everynight! And I don't know why you need reservations because when we at the resurtants there was plenty of seating.
GOOD:
Entertainment at night in the main bar was pretty good. Always saw groundkeepers taking care of the grounds. Grounds are pretty. Beach is nice.parts are rocky & have seaweed. Rooms are very nice side. Check in & check out was easy.
All in all I would not book here again and would not recommend it to anyone I know."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Luis

"It was our honey moon and we will never forget. We had great service, great food and an amazing time. The entertainment was wonderful and the people doing the events were awesome!. The bartenders and waiters were great and never had a problem waiting. Room service wasalso great they cleaned our room every day and never had issues with them. If you want a place were you can walk out of your room into a pool and beach this is the place to be! On suggestion is just bring bug spray for night time. Even that was not too bad. Miss you princess resorts!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Lissa from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

"I just returned from my stay at the Grand Sunset Princess in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on July 17th. I loved it so much me and my partner can't wait to go again. I will review: the rooms, the resort, the pool and beach, the food, drinks, and excursions.

THE RESORT & ROOM: The resort is GORGEOUS!! We had the Junior Suite and it was spacious, comfortable, and clean. Our rooms were cleaned every afternoon. We had a problem with the AC leaking once but I called it in and it was cleaned up and fixed within 10 minutes. The only minor problem with the rooms is that the pillows are not very comfortable. Other than that, we loved our room!!

THE POOLS & BEACH: The pools are great, the swim up bar is fun, there's always music playing and drinks being served. The beach is GORGEOUS, the water is turquoise and clear. We could see fish swimming around our feet. The minor problem here is that there are rocks in the sad that make it a bit hard to walk around, but the water is so clear you can see exactly where they are, and you can walk around, which was no problem for us. The water was the perfect temperature, cold enough to cool us off from the heat, and warm enough so that it wasn't hard to just jump all the way in. We could also walk pretty far out and the water was still about chest high. We got a wonderful couples massage by the beach (the massages at the beach are cheaper than the ones in the resort spa) and it was fantastic, we got an hour long couples massage for $70 total.

THE FOOD: The food at the buffet was delicious and the a la cart restaurants were good too. We enjoyed the Chinese side of the Miso restaurant the most, and the Italian (Mama Mia) and the Swiss (Fondu) were our second favorites. It's important to make reservations as far in advance as you can because the popular restaurants get filled up pretty fast. It was my birthday while we stayed there and on my birthday I received a small piece of cake with a candle at each of the restaurants we went to, and a song!

THE DRINKS: The drinks were great! My favorites were the pina coladas, mojitos, and the electric lemonade (definitely try their version of this, it's fantastic). If you want the great tequila though, you have to buy it outside the resort. But the tequila they had was not bad. The bartenders were super nice, they made sure to be attentive and serve us whatever we wanted. The sports bar is open 24hrs and we made lots of use of that bar.

THE EXCURSIONS: We went to Chichen Itza for one of our excursions and we really enjoyed it. It was about $115 per person, which seems expensive but it's one of the 7 wonders of the world!! Plus it's a whole day event. We got breakfast and an amazing lunch! Unlimited drinks on the bus, and lots of great information about the ruins. We also visited a Cenote, which is a collapsed cave that fills with water. It's absolutely gorgeous!! We got to jump in and swim in there!! ~ We also went on the full day Snorkeling Adventure. It was worth the money (approx $75) We went to three different snorkel spots, we had time to relax at the beach, and some breakfast and a delicious lunch!! Plus one of the tour guides follows you underwater taking pictures, that was one of the coolest souvenirs we bought! Underwater cameras lack flash so they don't take good pictures, but the tour guides have a better camera that captures great pictures!!

In sum, we thought this resort was worth every penny! We recommend it to couples looking for a fun and relaxing get away. We really enjoyed our stay.

ONE LAST THING, buy the Best Day transportation to the resort. We tried using public transportation and it ended up taking about 45min longer on the bus, and more expensive on the taxi. So, just pay for the Best Day transport service."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"beautiful resort, great food,sorry when it was time to go home...we hope to go back again and again"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Bob from Palm Bay, Fl

"This was my families second trip to the resort. We had a great time and enjoyed the activities they offered daily. The kids enjoyed everyhing and were never bored."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Anthony

"we get there and the room is not ready. no a/c in the place all wide open when you first check in. food is ugly , no taste buffet was gross .the pools were ok but falling apart, small animals running around , bugs everywhere, in your room too. yuck!! please people when you read reviews look at them very closely ,there very important
. i said maybe these people are to picky or something ,AND THE BEST THEY FORGOT TO PICK ME UP TO GET HOME TO THE AIRPORT. DONT GO TO THIS PLACE EVER!!!!! FOR THE MONEY NOT WORTH IT, NEXT YEAR I WILL STAY AT THE MOON PALACE , IT WAS AWESOME THERE ,FOOD,PEOPLE ROOMS THE WHOLE NINE ."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kathy Rowe from Tulsa, OK

"I had a great time at the Sunset Princess Resort. I liked how big the place was and you never felt crowded! Most of the food & service was very good! Loved the beach and pools. We will be back next year! Thank you for a great time!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Linda from St. Peters, Mo

"The accomodations were excellent. We were treated like royalty from arrival to departure. The staff was so friendly and accomdating. The beach was beautiful. Pools were gorgeous and well maintained. We only had two dinners on the resort. The Steakhouse was excellent and Tapas was average. Getting help with excursions was very easy. The personal concierge was there to assist at any time we needed him. Great trip, I would definately go back and stay longer!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Danielle from West Chester, OH

"We picked this resort from many online choices and were unsure what to expect. The entrance off the main road is not very inviting, but the actual entrance to the hotel is beautiful. The grounds are kept in very nice condition and everything looks very clean. Our room was very nice and we had upgraded to the Platinum rooms in the adult only building which was always nice and quiet. The private pool and bar there is great because you don't have to walk all the way to the other pools if you don't want to.

There is a lot of walking, but it is not bad. There are pools everywhere and beautiful grounds to look at. We spent most of our time at the more 'lively' pool area, which had a DJ, some events during the day, and a nice pool bar. The drinks were easy to get and were pretty good. Just like most all-inclusive resorts in other countries we've experienced, there weren't many beer selections. Also, like most all-inclusives, the buffets are not that great. In this case, we were pretty disappointed in the food (it was exactly the same breakfast and lunch every day). But, we like variety. The dinners were pretty good, we ate at the Tapas restaurant, Miso (Japanese), and the Mexican restaurant. I would highly recommend Miso for entertainment value and food quality.

We were kind of expecting more night life as well. You really only have a choice of one thing in the evening at any given time - whether it be the theater (no thanks) or live music outside, or the discotheque. All of which are not operating concurrently. The discotheque didn't even open until 10:30pm and no one was there until later on in the night. It would have been nice to have several different options every night. But, again, we like variety. The sports bar was usually inundated with children and was very loud so we didn't spend any time there.

The beach was beautiful and because we upgraded we sat in the area with drink service. The vendors blocked your view somewhat (they were in front of all the chairs), so that was kind of lame, but the beach was beautiful. The walk into the water sucked, because of the rocks, but once you got past that it was nice and soft and you could walk out far, it never got very deep.

All in all we had a good stay and would suggest it for people who like to relax by the pool and beach . It can be very quiet there but also has some fun lively areas. Not recommended for people who like something different every day with exceptional night life options."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Susan from Afton, Ok

"This place is amazing!! The grounds are beautiful and always perfectly manicured. The food was fantastic and plentiful. The drinks are wonderful and there is no skimping on the alcohol! Everyone should try the Irish coffee they prepare in the evening, absolutely amazing!! The only negative I have, is that you have to make reservations for all the restaurants that are not buffet style, and they 'fill up' fast and yet everyone we ate at was nearly empty. We couldn't understand why they told us they couldn't take any more reservations at some places and they were never full. Otherwise, AMAZING RESORT!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Michelle Abdool

"My family spent 6 awesome nights at the Grand Sunset Princess. The overall experience certainly deserves a thumbs up.....a truly picturesque sight with exceptional hospitality from the staff. I certainly admired the work ethic. The food was quite appetizing with an array of dishes to choose from. The pools and the beach are hard to resist. For those thinking of staying at this property.....it's a fantastic choice."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Brittney from Rumsey, KY

"Great resort!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler William from Hudson, Ohio

"I read several reviews that gave us pause but overall were pleasantly surprised by virtually everything during our stay. Please note we did upgrade to Platinum which may have made a significant difference giving us a private pool, unlimited n/c room service and access to a Platinum concierge. Our rooms were very nice with two jacuzzis, marble floors and very comfortable beds. The setting was spectacular with an open atrium in the building's center and easy access to the Platinum lounge which had a open bar, morning expresso and better internet. Our experience was positive from the onset when Ullisyes checked us in and went through the trouble of moving us from the ground floor to a second floor room. Earlier reviews indicated the bottom floor could smell 'musty' because of the high humidity and shade. Our room had a slight musty smell but I think it is unavoidable. One tip, be sure to specifiy a 'non-smoking' room is the smell of smoke bothers you. My Son's room did have a faint smell of smoke. We had great meals at the Mexican restaraunt and LeFleur. The meal at Olas, the Seafood restaraunt was mediocre at best. My Daughters Salmon was still frozen in the middle. The room service was great and the drinks were great as well. Wish the beer selection was better. We were supposed to have premium liquor and though the alchohol brands were good, the beer choices were limited to Corona and Modelo and the Modelo Negro tap was broken the entire trip. The staff in the Platinum lounge were incredible. The concierge was friendly, patient and very insightful. Everyone at the facility were great! All in all, other than a few disappointing meals, our stay was perfect!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Tammy Meyer from Dittmer, Mo

"this was an awesome trip. Staff was so friendly. Grounds are kept up to almost flawless. I would recommend this resort. I love how they are waiting right out front for you to show and welcome you in. Just breathe taking."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler JEANETTE CINTRON from GASTONIA, N.C.

"IT WAS THE BEST TIME MY HUSBAND WANT'S TO GO BACK FOR CHRISMAS I WOULD LOVE TO TRY AND STAY AT THE SUNSET PRINESS RESORT IN D.R"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Karen from Sussex, Wisconsin

"I wanted a great family vacation and since my daughter was 18 i figured i go to mexico. Place is huge two hotel connected together you share the same food and pools but i still didn't think it was overly crowded. Last minute my oldest daughter's wedding was cancelled and i wanted to bring her with us. I was told that the hotel was booked and the one way she could come was if i added her to my brother's room (only three per room) with the no discount at 158 dollars a day didn't included transportation from the airport (she found a site to purchase for 40) and my including airfare (another 700.00). I told my brother to print out the email so when they got to hotel they didn't tell us a different price and they did they wanted 200.00 a night for her when she was SHARING A ROOM WITH MY BROTHER AND HIS WIFE. thanking showing the email she was able to get the 158 a night which is what we paid each for the WHOLE TRIP including airfare and transportation. I feel like that knew they had you and they didn't care. Besides that the three restraustants that we had to reserve were Ok nothing special waiting almost two hours at one for the whole dinner to finially be done. The entertaining staff was wonderful with having to keep people enjoying their trip (alot of drunk people) all the bars had good service and the pools and grounds were fastistic. All in all i give it a 8, just don't try to book anything last minute.."

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