If you like all-inclusive Mexican vacations in an upscale environment, Grand Park Royal Luxury Cancun is a resort to add to your radar. The Mexican family-owned and operated luxury resort is only 30 minutes from Cancun International Airport in the hotel zone of Quintana Roo, but its beach front location on the Caribbean Sea will having you feeling relaxed in no time. From the welcome cocktail on arrival to 24 hour room service, the employees go above and beyond to make sure you are well cared for during your stay.
Looking for VIP treatment on your holiday, all 346 hotel rooms and 37 suites offer garden or ocean views. If you are looking for five star service, opt for the adult-only Royal Tower rooms. My husband and I stayed in room 2014 in the Royal Tower and we were delighted. We even had our own butler during our three night stay. Rooms look right out to the beach and you can hear the waves crashing if you opt to sleep with your window open at night.
Our room was spacious and welcoming with gleaming marble floors, a gloriously large bathroom area with separate waterfall shower and Jacuzzi whirlpool tub and high-end bath amenities. Turn down service meant a fruit plate or chocolate treats and an adorable folded animal towel left in the bathroom at night. Of course, our mini bar was restocked daily, as was the tea and coffee.
But we didn’t need tea or coffee service in the morning because we simply had to walk next door to our private lounge for guests of the resort to enjoy a lovely continental breakfast. I actually looked forward to a light breakfast of orange juice, cheeses and fruit with yogurt and granola, as we don’t normally eat a full breakfast, lunch and multi-course dinner every night. Of course, we were on vacation, so that didn’t stop me from visiting Cafe Sole every evening for homemade ice cream!
Specialty dining
Speaking of ice cream, we did enjoy all the restaurants at the resort. The key to a successful Mexican vacation at an all-inclusive resort is scoping out the restaurants (or at least the menus) and then deciding your plan of attack. I like to make reservations for each restaurant on my day of arrival and then I don’t have to stress about where we’re eating.
My husband, on the other hand, is more casual in his approach. For us, that meant not being able to experience the Teppanyaki table at El Oriental restaurant as this required advance planning. Instead, we pushed back our reservation at the Asian restaurant when we realized our Mayan Tour excursion would have us back at the resort a little later than expected. Instead, we had a lovely, relaxing dinner with a private table for two and enjoyed a sampling of quite a few appetizers, in addition to Teriyaki beef and chicken with a peanut sauce.
Our first night we dined at El Mirador after experiencing a lovely sunset over Nichupte Lagoon from the rooftop bar Ekinox. Make sure to enjoy happy hour at Ekinox bar at least once during your stay, as it’s a hidden oasis on the property.
- Get a Car Rental
- Buy Travel Insurance
- Search for Great Tours HERE
I loved that I didn’t even have to get out of bed to watch the sunrise over the sea. I didn’t like that some hotel guests placed their towels on the lounge chairs under the palapas the night prior to “stake their claim” but that wasn’t the fault of the hotel.
Another thing that I noticed was the international flavor of the guests. We saw people from Canada, Portugal, Scotland (the kilts gave them away) Mexico and the United States. I really enjoyed the global vibe. Perhaps the fact that Grand Park Royal is Mexican-owned played a part in the broader cross-section of guests? Whatever the reason, I found the diversity refreshing from some American owned all-inclusive resorts.
Pool time and Kids’ Club
If you enjoy pool time and swim up bars, Grand Park Royal will meet your needs. There’s constant activity at the pool and lots of entertainment for the little ninos at the Kids’ Club. I didn’t personally visit the kids’ club, but I spoke with several children who enjoyed their time at the club making cookies and pizza.
For those of us who don’t imbibe in alcoholic beverages, check out the Juicy Health Bar by the infinity pool for delicious smoothies. This shake shack isn’t open all hours, so be sure to take note when it’s open so you won’t be disappointed.
There’s also beach volleyball or swimming in the ocean if you dare. On our visit the red flags were flying due to the high winds, but many were still wading into the gorgeous blue water to body surf in the Caribbean Sea. The resort offers non-motorized water sports activities, as well.
Additionally the resort offers a large gym and four treatment room spa.
Rates at Grand Park Royal Cancun start at $481 to $619 single to $900 – $1,159 for a triple. As always, check the hotel website for all-inclusive details and current pricing. You can also compare rates at Expedia or other booking sites.
Hotel review and all photography by San Francisco Bay Area travel blogger Nancy D. Brown. Her stay was hosted by Grand Park Royal Luxury Cancun. As always, her thoughts and opinions are her own.
