Leslie's Grand Riviera Princess Review

[Llama]

As promised, here it is. I apologize in advance for the length as well as the format. I have a lot to say and I am not sure how to organize all my thoughts !

 

We stayed at the GRP from January 16-23. We booked with the weddings department at itravel2000 through Air Canada Vacations. Our specialist at itravel was great right from the start. She worked hard to get us competitive quotes quickly and was really good about keeping in touch and calling to explain the many things I didn’t understand. She even had us upgraded to first class on the way there and the way back, as a surprise! It was definitely a nice treat and a welcomed surprise, only now I wish I could always fly first class!

Check-in was smooth. There was no one waiting to greet us with champagne as I have read was done for other brides, but the following makes up for it: I had emailed the reservations desk two weeks before departure asking for upgrades for us and our guests (if they were available). Upon check-in, we and many of our 46 guests had been upgraded! We were upgraded from a Junior Suite to a Junior Deluxe Suite, allowing us access to two additional restaurants (Le Fleur and Miso). Some of our guests had already booked Deluxe Suites or Swim Up rooms. They were not further upgraded. But about 35 of us were! Wait to impress us right from the start!

Service at the resort is incredible! There is never a shortage of people happy to assist you with anything. We had a few guests move rooms as they wanted to be closer to the action. This was no problem. If you called the front desk for anything, it was seen to immediately, and it was followed up with a courtesy call to make sure it was taken care of. Service at the restaurants was great, and decent at the buffets. Yes sometimes it seemed like the main pool bar was understaffed. You might wait tops 5 minutes for a drink. But you are in Mexico. Take in the sun and the scenery around you and it will fly by!

Food....great selection. Did we enjoy everything, no. But we don't enjoy everything we eat at home either! We had guests in our party not to bother eating at LE Fleur (French restaurant) and than other guests tell us how magnificent the meal was there! Taste is so subjective. My three favouritees were Miso (japanese) Mama Mia (Italian) and La Hacienda (Mexican). I would not recommend La Vaqueria. Tapas was okay for the food, but the show (flamenco) makes it worth going to. We did not get a chance to eat at Le Fleur or Las Olas. Making dinner reservations the day of was never a problem for us.

Pools...awesome! They run the length of the resort and you an area of the pool system to match your mood Swim up rooms were also a lot of fun. Watch out at dusk though...out come the mosquitoes. The resort supplies you with repellent and it does the trick.

Beach...to the people who were complaining about it being rocky and needed water shoes, you must have ultra sensitive feet. Not one person in our party had an issue with the rock. It doesn't run the width of the resort and could be avoided easily enough. There is a little hut on the beach where you can take out boogie boards and catamarans...take advantages of this! Massages on the beach $50 per hour, well worth it if you have a few bucks to spare.

Rooms: immaculate!!! Beautiful, sleek, huge! Yes the showers can leak. Big deal, put a towel down. Floors are wet when slippery so be careful!

Security: Was worried, but we did not encounter any issues. On the second to last day, a few of our guests did have security come knock on their door "to make sure everything was okay". We found this a bit strange and made front dest aware of it, but nothing ever came out of it.

Size: it is as big as they say! This was a feature to us, but some of our guests found the walking too much.

This is my 4th all inclusive, second in the Mayan. I have also stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, which three years ago cost almost double to stay at for the week. My husband and I both agree that we would come back to the GRP before the Iberostar.

Sorry for the long review! Hope that for some of you who have booked here this review puts your worries at rest Some people are never pleased!

Wedding: Cannot stress how amazing it was. It exceeded my every hope for a wedding! I am not the girl who has been dreaming of her wedding since she was 10. I really didn’t have a lot of expectations for the wedding. I am laid-back and no fuss. The wedding coordinators were professional and great to work with, service at the beach reception was impeccable. Surprise champagne delivered to the room the morning of and the morning after were a nice added touch.

I had the pleasure of mostly working with Patricia. She was always prompt in answering my emails, no more than a few hours after I had written them. She also took it upon herself to see that we and all of our guests ended up in the brand new building after I enquired about it. We went with the renewal of vows package as we legally got married in Canada before heading down. A surprise bottle of champagne was delivered to my room, along with my beautiful bouquet 25 minutes before the golf cart picked my bridesmaids and me up. We were taken to the simple, elegantly decorated gazebo, where I could hear my cd playing as we drove up. We did not pay the extra for the flowers on the gazebo, but they were there (not matching my bouquet…but still!)The ceremony was short and sweet but still very romantic.

Originally we were not going to go with the private beach reception. I thought it was a huge rip-off at $85 per person. As our numbers climbed closer to 50, we realized a restaurant reception was not going to give us neither the privacy nor the time we needed to visit with each guest. $85 per head is an outrageous price to imagine paying when all of your guests your guests are already paying for food and drink themselves…if you look at it that way. However, the price also includes so much more, which I eventually came to realize. It also includes the set-up and take down of the tables and the buffet and the dj, who was phenomenal. The meal is the best meal you will have while at the resort! The selection was incredible, and the food was hot…the man grills the meat right there on the beach. The service was outstanding! There was a team of probably at least 15 or more servers and bartenders attending to us and the buffet. They wouldn’t allow you to carry your own plate to the table and the served you all your drinks. Patricia was there making sure everything went smooth and when her shift was over, she introduced me to Sabina, who took care of us for the rest of the night.

The wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful or a bigger success

[Cindy*]

Sounds like you had a fantastic wedding. Congratulations. The upgrades and the first class sound like fatastic surprises. Glad everything turned out so well.

[sasse75]

Fantastic review.....I'm so on the fence as to whether to go with a private reception. I noticed that you said there was a dj included....did you book before they took that option out of the packages or did they include it?

[Ana]

great review! can't wait to see pics

[uworich]

thanks for the review... awesome overview of everything.

 

I hope i get the room and flight upgrades.  somehow don't think it'll happen but when there's a will, there's a way. haha... congrats!

[Caprice35]

Great review. Would love to see pictures.

[Tamara2]

Thanks for the great review... Sorry its taken me so long to find it... 

I'm getting married on March 3rd, 11 and i have a couple questions about the ceremony.... So you got the Beach reception, and it was worth it? I was thinking the same thing, that it its a bit pricey for us, since we have 60 people coming.... You said the DJ was included? and how long did he play for? did he bring any props? how was the dance floor, or was there one? If that's all included it might be good to spend $85 a person.. You said something about you didn't need to carry your own plate of food to the table, there was someone there to do that for you.. Which meal did you pick?? I was sent a bunch of menus. they all look great, I'm just not sure which one to pick. was the champagne included or was there an extra cost.. How were your flowers? Were they what you had expected? what was the cost for your bridesmaids & Groomsmen? I'm wondering if your able to go into town and find a florist that would be cheaper? 

 

Well I'm sorry to ramble on but i don't want to get there and everything that I'm expecting doesn't happen.... I hate surprises... Thanks In advance for the response..

[CrystalJoy]

I am getting married at the Grand Riviera Princess this March. I have a hair appt. booked at the resort salon for my wedding hair, but I am nervous! I hope it doesn't go horribly wrong!

 

Has anyone used the Princess's salon? How was it?

 

[Babygirl]

You asked all the questions I want answered.  What was the end result of your wedding?  Eager to know and any advice.