My husband and I just returned from the Golden Parnassus last night for my birthday and I am going to do my best to give you an accurate and fair account of our experience:

Arrival to Cancun: Our shuttle experience was fine, they were prompt and very friendly. The ride to the hotel is not long at all.

Resort Arrival: We were greeted promptly, given cool clothes (they smelled sooooo good) and were seated by the bar for check in. We were given our keys (and told that if we did not return the keys, the pool towel cards, or the remote control we would have to pay a lot). We were then told to see the "guest service" rep so that she can give us the layout of the hotel - BIG MISTAKE. They lied, she actually tried to give us a sale pitch to see a timeshare and got an attitude when we declined - not a good start.

Room: The room was very nice - no disappointments there. It was clean, had bath robes and slippers, a cute towel arrangement, and they had a birthday cake waiting for me! I loved the shower and jacuzzi.

Food: My husband and I agree that there was more of a selection than any other AI we have been to. The food was good - not the best but good. I enjoyed the guacamole the best. The restaurant service was a little slow but not too bad. We enjoyed The Barn and we had a in room dinner by Shang-ri-la that was very good.

Drinks: Very good! My husband was disappointed they did not have any cognac but he enjoyed other drinks. I found the drinks fine - not weak like some say, but we were regular tippers. The bartenders are friendly and prompt. The whole staff is big on Tequila and they can be quite aggressive with getting you to take shots.

The Pool/Beach - the pool is very fun to hang out at - beware if you dont like to see nudity - a lot of women sunbath topless. We did not mind but just be forewarned. There is also a lot of PDA going on in the pool - more on the risque side but again it did not bother us but could offend some. The beach was okay, unfortunatley you cant fight mother nature and the hurricanes have taken a toll on that beach. We enjoyed hanging out on the beach reading or playing in the waves, but be careful it is very rocky and you could easily get hurt. Also you will be hounded by the beach by vendors but not at the pool.

The entertainment staff - Boy what can I say! They were a HOOT! Again, they are very, very, very risque - they talk about your body parts often and often ask you to "shake your [--]" , they talk about eachothers bodies and are afraid of grabbing eachother. They are very aggressive and dont take no for an answer. Again, we are playful people so we were fine but I did see guest get very annoyed by some of their advances. Tequila volleyball is fun! Vanessa works really hard to make sure you have fun - we loved her and Ramul!!! They are just fun people but you have to be a little open-minded to enjoy them.

Overall we had a good time, we have been to better and been to worse - this fits somewhere in the middle. If you are looking for a place to "party" this is for you. If you are looking for somewhere to relax or if you are conservative, not really the place for you.

My wife and I booked a vacation at G.P. for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We were there June 8th through the 14th. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the place. I have been on a few all inclusive vacations and this one ranks as the best. The room, food and overall experience was great and just what we were looking for.
Our room was on the 6th floor (the top) and had a breathtaking view of the ocean as promised. We booked a Club Room which had a jacuzzi in it. We only used the jacuzzi once, so perhaps we could have gone with a regular room. The hotel is small enough that even though we were on the 6th floor we never had to wait for the elevator. The floors of the room were extremely slippery when wet, so be careful. The bathroom had a nice big shower. The only thing the room was missing which I have seen at other all inclusives was some in room liquor.
The wife and I don't typically go on vacation for gourmet food. We like to booze and relax by the beach or pool. With that being said, I thought the food at the G.P. was actually pretty good! We ate at each place except for Sumo. They were all good and the service was great. I found that even the lunch buffets were tasty and had a wide variety to choose from. In terms of the boozing, we stayed out by the pool bar most every day and night and had a blast! Jose, Fonzie and Gerardo were all excellent bartenders. The bar is open until 2AM and is damn near right on the ocean. The drinks were not watered down and for the most part the liquor was good quality. Some domestic beer would have been nice, but I have yet to see that at any all inclusive.
Overall I would rate our experience as well above average and one of the best vacations we have taken. The absence of children was very nice and made everything a bit more relaxed. We met some cool people. There were many Europeans and "Hillbillys" there when we were, but all were congenial and everyone mixed well together and had a good time. We are from Ohio and also met some nice folks from Ohio too. The place was clean and the staff was friendly. I would suggest bringing some $1 dollar bills for tips and your service will improve greatly. I brought about $100 for maid service, bartenders and waiters and pretty much gave it all out by the end of the trip. This isn't necessary, but I could tell it was appreciated. Tipping is especially helpful for even faster service at the bar.
A few final notes: our vacation was during the rainy season in Cancun and it did rain almost daily. However, the rain was usually around dinner time and not for long. It was frequently cloudy, but I liked this as it was not so hot. Make sure you change your pesos to dollars BEFORE you go through security at the airport. They could not exchange my money at the hotel and that was a bummer. We went to the Isla Mujeres and rented a golf cart. This was just okay, but I suppose an interesting cultural experience. Once we got there, there were no more ferries going back to Cancun until after 3PM. We wanted to leave about 1PM so that kind of sucked. The G.P. is not within walking distance of Senor Frogs, Coco Bongo, Planet Hollywood, etc. I didn't go, but apparently there is a mall within walking distance. I would tell my freinds and family to stay here and I hope to again one day soon!! Thanks for a great time!

This was our first time at the GP. We fell in love with it! This was our 6th trip to Cancun and it was our best yet! We will be going back. I only wish it was next week.

We loved the size of the hotel. We had a deluxe ocean view room that was just perfect for us. We had coffee each morning on our balcony. Then we'd have a delicious breakfast at the buffet. They made the best french toast ever! And we really enjoyed our buffet waiter, Gamaliel. He was so handsome & funny.

Each night we ate at 1 of the ala carte restaurants. Not only was it wonderful not to have to make reservations but the food was amazing! We've NEVER had food as good as this at an AI. I took the advice of people from here who suggest having the chocolate cake at The Old Barn. Unbelievably yummy! We save d the French restaurant for our last night and were delighted with it too. We also reccomend the coconut shrimp at Pier 12.

Our favorite bar was the lobby bar each night before & after dinner, while waiting for the 10 o'clock show in the Theatre. We thought the shows....Mexican, International, & the Circus were all very good and done by professionals.

The entertainment staff were so fun and did a very nice job of keeping activities going by the pool almost all day....especially Rubin, Elenka, and Vanessa. We even got hugs from Vanessa right before we left.

I could go on & on. Yes, this hotel is not a brand new fancy hotel. But we loved the way it looked and the people that worked there. We've never been taken care of as well as we were here. Yes, we gave tips but not for everything & not every time but we were never treated any different when we didn't tip.

I have to agree with the people here who have said it is a 3 star hotel with 5 star service. The only thing I didn't like was.....HAVING TO LEAVE.

And we did try the Mexican Viagra....teh heh....thanks Jose....were you trying to kill us? Teh heh. It's a drink., people....at the Tiki bar.

First let me say this is our 4th trip back to this hotel. It is not the largest, newest or fanciest. If this is what you a looking for don't stay here. If you are looking for service, smiles and making a lot of new friends that will stay with you for a while then go here. Our first stay was during WILMA 4 days in the hotel 6 days in the SHELTER. The staff could not take care of us anybetter. So we have continued to return every year since. This year we met 8 people that we hungsout with the entire time. I am a firm believer you make your own good time. If youcan't make friends youmight not even in a FIVE Star hotel. So my friends the it as in all lifes tales it is ALL you make of it. If you do go say hello toMiguel, Fonzi,Gilberto,Lily Pascal as they will be there to greet youwith serviceand smiles.