We stayed at the Golden Parnassus from January 31 to February 7, 2009 and loved it.

Yes the Hotel is "tired" but very clean and the staff put it over the top for service. The past reveiws for Jose at the Tiki bar are all correct, he is absolutely the BEST! I cant say enough about the man he is truly a treasure.

Check in was a breeze, we were guided to the lobby bar and given a drink, front desk staff brought us our keys, towel cards, safe key and remote for the TV then Jozeph gave the overview for the hotel and offered us a time share presentation for the Royal Cancun. We declined and he left it alone, nothing pushy whatsoever.

We had lagoon facing rooms but upgraded the following day for ocean view, a $10.00 US tip got us 6 nights for the price of 5 so just goes to show a little tipping doesnt hurt. Ocean view is stunning and the only complaint I would have about the rooms is the lighting, a little dark in the shower but no big deal. Tipped the maid every second day and we always had new towel art to enjoy.

Loved the fact that the hotel is small, everything is a short walk and you get know your fellow travellers in short order, met a lot of really nice people from all over Canada, the US and the UK . The fact that it is an adults only hotel was definitely a plus, no screaming brats or pee in the pool!

I wouldnt say the food was excellent all of the time but it was certainly very good, I liked the Sumono (Japanese) the best and the Old Barn the least, we never did make it to the Shangra La because we couldnt be bothered to dress up. The Shabu Shabu soup, tempura and sushi were all excellent at Sumono. The pasta, crab cakes and prawns were all good at Pier 12. The breakfast and lunch buffets were very good, lots to choose from and fairly good variety from day to day. There was a pancake/waffle station and egg station where you can make specific requests with little to no wait. The snack bar had cheeseburgers, tacos, chicken wings fries etc, all day and night. The night time cook made the best Taco by far, had one almost every night before we turned in.

The bar service was top notch, rarely waited for a drink and after the first night Jose (tiki bar) and Miguel (lobby bar) remembered all of our names and what we were drinking, usually had the drink made before we sat down.

Pool was excellent a little cold but always very clean, yes you have to get down and reserve a cot early but the entertainment staff were wonderful and Lily did a great job of drink service. The beach has been eroded by past hurricanes but beautiful all the same, the color of that water is stunning. Ivan the tatoo artist was fantastic, loved talking to him about his Mayan heritage. All four of us got tatoos and loved them!

The one and only complaint we had was not being able to order decent wine, they have a menu that you can order from and pay a nominal cost but they never had what we wanted....apparently it was always sold out. No big deal we had a good laugh about it after the third try.

All in all it was a fantastic vacation, the size of the hotel, not having to make reservations for ala carte dinner, no kids and the number one service provided by the staff made this hotel number one. I would recommend this hotel to anyone but then again Im tempted to keep it our little secret....

The good-
servers were great and accomodating, nice pool area, wonderful view from the balcony, rooms were clean. A very relaxed atmosphere.
The not so good-
The desk staff wasn't the greatest. It rained at night and filled the floors throughout the room and jacuzzi tub edge (since the sliding windows are located at the balcony). Called for assistance several times, finally someone comes with several towels, which did not help. Changed rooms and the same thing occurred. Noticed that other rooms with open doors had the same problem (oceanfront view). Food was ok. Drinks weren't good.

The building itself is old but in good condition, very well maintained and clean. The restaurants and the food are very good, except the "Old Barn". The food was low class in comparison with the other restaurants, the steaks are okay after you send them back. The bars are okay and the staff is very attentive.
The beach... What beach?? It's just a leftover after the last storm. You walk either in very soft sand or you have 2 different legs (1 short, 1 long). There are never enough loungers or even comfortable chairs available unless you go lounge-hunting shortly after 6 am. People who came later had to sit on green plastic garden chairs.
The entertainment was okay, a little bit too loud around the pool, especially because the music came from two different sources.
If you want a good night's sleep, you have to sleep on the lagoon side and on the floor and side furthest away from the bar in the lobby.
A heartfelt "Thank you" to the very accommodating staff.
Going again? I don't know! Recommend it to young people? - any time. To older people, no!

Was a guest at the hotel from Jan 20 to 29, 2009. Food was good and staff was good. The only problems were the lounge chairs not enough, pool water should be warmer and hot tub was chilly. Beach needs improvements as the drop off to the water was at least 2 feet and was dangerous when exiting the water. Rooms were clean. The menu should be changed every few days. I believe if we go again we will be going to Riviera Maya as the hotels are newer and beaches are more friendlier.