I just returned from an 8 day trip to Cancun with my 18 year old daughter and stayed at Gran Caribe Real Resort & Spa. Have been to Cancun 5 times and these were by far the best accommodations- previously stayed in all 5-Star Hotels. The property was spotless, the service was remarkable- everyone extremely friendly and helpful, and thankfully (my daughter is a very picky eater) the food was fabulous throughout the resort with a great variety at all of the buffets. The waitstaff could not be more attentive, you never had to wait for anything, they would always be there to assist you in carrying your food back to your seats from the buffets and you never had to wait for someone to offer to serve you a drink anywhere on the property. Loved that we only had to make a reservation at one restaurant at the resort- even that was easy to do.We both thoroughly enjoyed the night shows- by far the most professional we have come across. We spent a day at Xcaret and my daughter commented that she though the hotel performances were quite comparable to the Night Show we saw at Xcaret. We spent our days on the beach under the supervision of a lifeguard at all times. During every other stay in Cancun, we spent our days at the pools- the beaches were not that inviting or well groomed. We stayed in a Junior Oceanfront Suite,perfect size for two travelers, which had a beautiful view of the beach every time of the day and night, no noise to disturb our sleep at all. The mini bar was restocked each day and the housekeeping staff was friendly and thorough- did not have one complaint. Anything you needed or wanted was available right there or a quick walk away. It is conveniently located between the Mall and the Marketplace-important when traveling with a teenage girl. We both felt very comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation- very sad to go home. If I had to say one negative thing about the resort, it would be that the 24 hour food bar could use improvement- was not very appetizing but the restaurants were open late enough for the two of us, would have no influence on our decision to return. Can't wait to go back!

Since I used Trip Advisor so extensively to research where to stay and what to do- I owe it to them to write a review of this property. This property is a true gem in the myriad of hotel options that this destination offers.

First off- If you want a "REAL" beach- this hotel really has made an effort to offer that. So much of Cancun beaches has been swallowed up by erosion and this hotel has created an artificial rock seawall that has extended thier beach creating a wonderful beach area to enjoy the ocean.

Second- Book the beachfront walk out suite if you want the best vacation ever. Not only do you have wonderful access to the beach but you get a suite desiganted beach bed right off your patio. Also with this upgrade catagory you get access to there VIP all inclusive 6th floor salon where you can use there computers for free and get a dynamic view of the lagoon on the opposite side of the hotel. They have a geat self-serve bar with premium liquers up there and snack buffet. But the BEST reason to book this room catgory is the options to eat at the sister hotel "The Royal". The two best restaurants are Maria Maries (French/Mexican fusion with a 5 star rating) and Asiana that offers a fantastic menu of Chineese, Japaneese and Thai dishes as well as a teppanyaki (Beni Hana Style) option. Living in Las Vegas and eating well I have to say that these two restaurants made me feel SO SPLOILED and the cuisine was 5 star sit down that would of cost me and my friend easily over $100 per dinner. But- with our room catagory they were ALL INCLUSIVE- Wow...how could they afford it. We barely ate at the Gran Caribe (Only Breakfast and light lunches from room service which were good/decent) when we realized the gourmet dinner options next door at the Royal.

Hotel Staff was fantastic, very Clean property with staff always cleaning wherever you went and they really went above and beyond to do their best for you. One night, about 4 am (When I was sleeping) security called the room to complain about noise which was coming from somewhere near our room- I explained t them that they had the wrong room and to send security into the area to figure it out before bothering us (waking us up) again. I complained to the front desk the next day and I advised them of the situation. Wthin a few hours we had a tray of chocolate covered strawberries and a note from the management appologizing for the mistake. They really were concerned about our happiness and made me feel like my complaint was taken seriously. I was impressed.

If you want to go snorkeling and want a full day of it- choose the full day snorkling adventure in Puerto Morelos. Totally worth it with 3 snorkeling trips (2 shallow reefs and one deeper reef dive) with an all inclusive buffet and bar. What beautiful reefs this area offers.

Overall- I would deffinately stay at this property again but only in the room catagory Beach Front Walk out suite. After asking many locals- it is the only of its kind in Cancun since the beach areas of many hotels are gone to the erosion.

Hava a great Vaca-

Just got Back. I traveled with my 2 kids and my sons friend. If you are beach people ( spend the majority of the day at the beach, not the pool) then I highly suggest staying at this resort only if you book the beachfront walkout. That room is the best located room of any resort we have ever stayed at...or even heard of. Its small but the convienence of being able to walk out of your room and onto a beautiful beach (one of the best since the erosion). Its also equiped with a flat Lg screen TV and awsome glassed in shower (nice hot pressure). The room also has a 10x10 back porch so you have your own shade; and a canopy bed reserved for your room.
Service is top notch as everyone greets you with a smile and quickly tries to help any need you want.
Now the parts that are not so good.
I absolutley believe the staff is ordered to minimize alcohol in the drinks. Dont get me wrong, they taste excellent, but not much alcohol in them and they are consistent about doing this. I tipped 20 pesos every time and even asked for more alcohol but normally get the same (most drinks are blended, which is a nice touch in the hot sun) I actually didnt mind this because they are prompt to make them and even bring them to you beachside but some people wouldnt like the less alcohol. So if your coming to get drunk, sorry.
Food. -----Ive had this theory already and this resort has confirmed that the only foods good in Mexico is eggs, chicken, and potatos. everything else has a certain "twang" about it that is undesirable. It still puzzles me how resorts (ive stayed at several in Cancun) can honestly call that a hamburger. It is the nastiest tasting thing( cant call it beef)
Overall, this is the best resort we have been to and I would absolutely stay here again. Again, if your not beach people, you may not like this resort. If you are beach people I highly recommend staying in their beachfront walkout.,...Its to die for!!

On a special side note: The highlight of our trip was going to the, "Jungle Place". Its a family owned Monkey sanctuary outside of Akumal. For $30, you get to interact with about 6 spyder monkeys for over an hour in their cage(supervised). Thats a once in a lifetime thing and something my kids will never forget. This place is beautiful and well kept. The owners are aswome welcoming people. They sat and talked to us for as long as we wanted before and after (friendly). IMO they are the only people not out to make money as they will take pictures of your family interacting-----with YOUR camera! They actually took over 50 with us. This is by far the best excusion you could take...its just not well known yet. They only allow two appointments per day to visit the monkeys (about 5 people in each group). They are genuine and never once tried to sell us anything.
The Jungle place is simply amazing.

First of all our travel agent Mark F. was horrible. He was rude and didn't communicate with us well. We do not recommend TravelMark in Houston, Tx. unless you're a millionaire. When we arrived at the hotel there was a problem with our room which took about 45 min to 1 hour to straighten out. When we went upstairs to our room, there was urine on the bathroom floor around the toilet and there were dirty towels on the floor, but the bed was made. We knew someone had been in there but it wasn't cleaned properly. Also they were renovating other rooms below and above ours. The noise level was extreme. We couldn't hear ourselves speaking to each other. We dealt with it the first night because the front desk told us they wouldn't be working on the rooms on Saturday. LIE. The next day we went out and came back to not being able to get into our room with our keys. We went downstairs, they fixed them,( So we thought.) went back upstairs and still couldn't get in. So in all we made three trips to the front desk to get our keys fixed. On top of that, they were still renovating. We asked to speak to the manager (Alex). I asked him to walk upstairs with me to see what was going on with the keys and noise. After it was all said and done, he moved us to another floor and room with an ocean front view. The room was great. Now as far as the food and entertainment goes, the food wasn't all that. We stayed in the restroom half of the time. The shows were good for those who don't like to dance and just like to sit around. They didn't have a disco on the property like the Sandos Carocal in Riviera Maya. Overall to have spent our anniversary there, it was nice. Although we wouldn't stay there again.