GPCM – Family Section Stay Report

[tmstewar2]

FULL REVIEW:

Just a little back story of us and our prior experiences. �We typically travel to Cancun/Riviera Maya at least two times a year and have stayed at 20+ all-inclusive’s. We do a mixture of family and couple only trips. This trip was family oriented; we are in our low 40s and had our 10 year old daughter with us.
�We had no issues quickly getting through customs and immigration in Terminal 4 within minutes of deplaning. It was a solid 50 minute drive to the resort from the airport (we arrived on a Saturday afternoon). ��Upon arrival we did not receive a cool towel or drink but were immediately greeted at check in. The main lobby was not busy at all. We checked in at 1:45pm and were told we couldn’t get in our room until 3pm but could start to use all amenities. We headed over to Isla Blanca the Main Buffet for a bite to eat. A little after 3pm we were in our Family Section Junior Suite King Bed #12015.
As a point of reference in the Family Section the even number rooms have a much better view. We were told during our stay the resort was at 18% occupancy and only 40% of all rooms even available. ��Room – 4 out of 5 �Overall the room is gorgeous and even with minor construction incompletions (painters tape left, shims holding up mirror in bathroom, no batteries in make up mirror, paint mistakes not removed) the room met our needs except where the AC is concerned. We could never get the room comfortable for our liking. They have installed some sort of motion activated AC system so when no one is in the room the AC doesn’t kick on. The issue is at night when you are sleeping it also tends to not run causing you to wake up hot and sweaty. I think the lowest we could manage to get the room temperature down to was maybe mid-70s. Now the good: The bed was comfortable not your typical rock hard you find. �The room had all the typical amenities one would expect but some things missing also. Nice flat screen, safe, both a coffee machine and nespresso, stocked fridge, ample drawer and closet space. In the bathroom you had basics like shampoo, lotion, body wash, and conditioner but no sunscreen or bug spray like other 5* resorts we have stayed in. The mini fridge was stocked but requests for specific items like Club Soda were left unanswered. We received our one bottle of liquor from a choice: Absolute Vodka, Rum, Don Julio Tequila or Johnny Walker Scotch. The view from #12015 was that of the entrance to Poseidon. Everything in the room is electronic touch enabled- all light switches. They use a color code system to let staff know you are in or out of your room. We did receive daily maid service except for the day we forgot to change our color from red to green. We didn’t have any evening turndown service or evening room clean up which was a disappointment (again a differentiator from a true 5* resort). The room does have a completely private toilet area plus a separate shower and jetted tub. The bathroom is glass enclosed with a remote controlled privacy blind that can come down. As a tip make sure you have the blind down when going to bed at night so if someone gets up to use the restroom it blocks out the motion sensor bathroom light from waking everyone else up. Overall the room is very nice and modern with sleek details. It is enough room for 2 adults and up to two younger kids. They did have a pack and play set up for use but not needed. This room is conveniently located to The Nest, Poseidon and FS Pool Area and beach but an 8 minute walk to the front of the complex. Being in the FS we did receive some fun items for our daughter: backpack, sunglasses, baseball hat, and beach toys. ��Pools – 4.5 out of 5. What can I say the pools make this place. The design layout and different ones all offer every guest a place to relax or have fun. The major issue we had was they were not heated and man were they cold. There is the Main Pool with 350 loungers plus Bali Beds, the TRS Pool with 300 loungers, Family Section Pool with 50 loungers, Kids Pool with 50 loungers, The Beach Pool and Club Pool each pool has its own Bar set up as well. We primarily spent time at the Main pool due to the proximity to the Kids Pool and Kids Club. We had no issues securing a prime spot either in the sun or shade each morning between 9-10am. No towel games at all. Unlimited towels and no towel card. Waitress service around the pool was great our last two days (Shout out to Ada and Oliver). First round of service starts around 10am. The pool hours state 8-8 but the pool bar closes at 6pm and they are starting to cleanup and put away around 5:15pm. There are a large number of POP entertainment staff around the main pool all day attempting to get guests involved in games and activities. A point of reference there are no hot tubs in the complex. ��Food – 4.5 out of 5 overall we were happy with the food at both the buffet and restaurants. We never had a wait to be seated (had reservations for dinners) and service was prompt in the restaurants. The Buffet had all you would need or expect for breakfast and lunch and never a long wait at the omelet station. We did miss fresh hot cooked vegetables at the buffet and only twice did they have guacamole out of eight visits to the Buffet. Very few signs of what was being served around the buffet and those that were there were not placed with the corresponding food. We visited Sumptori, El Dorado and Adilita during our stay. We did find the restaurants were extremely fast with service compared to the typical very casual dinner experiences we have in MX. We were easily in and out of meals in an hour or under. Also each restaurant has its on bar in the lobby area which is a plus. We did order room service breakfast one morning and it took 40 minutes to arrive and the inedible pancakes were rock hard and luke warm.
They offered a midday grill around the main pool but it was very lacking in what we typical see from similar set ups at other resorts. Example they offered burgers one day but that was it no sides such as fries or salad to go with it. Also one day they had a pasta bar not a very easy dish to eat pool side. As a note the main Buffet doesn’t open for lunch until 1pm which I think is extremely late in the day especially for families with young kids. Also none of the restaurants we visited had a separate kids menu this is a huge disappointment for a family friendly resort. Most other 5* resorts we have stayed have kid friendly options for each restaurant and an entire buffet area that is kid friendly (and typically even lower set so kids can serve themselves).
We also didn’t see hand sanitizer out and about around restaurants to help cut down on the spreading of germs.
The Nest served a very limited breakfast and Dinner with a built out space for all day snacks but wasn’t in use during our stay. Poseidon serves a midday Buffet but very limited offerings and even though it had additional space for more options it wasn’t used. We also found food was not served hot at the buffet unless it was cooked to order. The Sports Bar has 24 hour bar food with all the staples like: pizza, nachos, wings, burgers, and salads. From the looks of it they will also offer a constant snack buffet but it wasn’t set up during our stay. The Coffee Bar had a few small fingers sandwiches and desserts available along with coffee, tea, Expresso and Iced coffee drinks.
Any

�Drinks – 5 out of 5. What can I say they did this right. They have many choices of drinks and liquors to pick from. They would make you what ever you wanted.
Thank You Luiz at the main pool swim up bar for the best “special” margarita ever!
The Family Section did have higher end selections at both the Nest and FS pool bars such as Grand Mariner, Cointreau, Crown Royal, Flavored Vodkas, Jack Daniels, numerous Tequilas, Malibu Rum. Beer options: Heineken and Coors Light (in cans at the Family Section), Dos Eques and Amber (on tap at the main pool). Another point of comparison no bottled water to be had outside the few bottles in your mini fridge; if you wanted water it was poured in a glass only. Also no full bar available at the Main Buffet both of these are items that would take GPCM to a true 5* resort. There are no straws on property so if you need/want them please bring your own.��Beach- 4 out of 5 we aren’t huge beach people but it was nice. They have different areas for FS, General and TRS. We were told there is a waiter at the beach but the two times we went we never were offered anything. Also there is no towel hut on the beach and the nearest shower is back at the FS pool area. They have chosen to leave the beach very natural so sand shoes are a must as there is sand burrs and roots that can hurt your feet on the walk to the ocean. There are loungers and umbrellas at the beach. The beach is soft powdered sand and the water was fairly clear (considering the current sargassum situation).
�Service – 4.5 out of 5 overall the service was good for service we received. People like Anni in the FS was constantly asking if she could provide anything. The Staff around the FS pool were very attentive. Where service was lacking was on requests that seemed to go no where. Example: having someone come look at our AC, confirmation of our luggage pick up time on last day and yet no one arrived, asking for turn down service but didn’t happen.
��Kids Club – 4 out of 5 all the ladies were nice and I think doing the best they could with a major unfinished space. We have experience with many other kids clubs and they will need to up their game to be on par. While they had activities they were somewhat low key: Spanish lessons, playing cards, and pool time. This was the first time recently our daughter stayed more with us then at the kids club. It would be interesting to see the space and activities once the area is complete. ��Few other thoughts/comments:�The resort was only at 18% occupancy and didn’t feel crowded at all but when it is at capacity I can’t even imagine the wait for restaurants and buffet and getting around the massive complex. �Overall I would recommend this Resort if you plan to stay Family Section or TRS that way you are experiencing close to a true 5* resort.
The resort does have a complete convention center and that could change up the experience or feel for the resort when they have large groups on property. �Again the distance is very long from lobby to Beach around a half mile in length with areas you have to go up and down small inclines. �They do have golf carts you can request but could be up to a 10 minute wait at times. �There are mosquitos so pack bug spray.
They do have a boat system set up for transport also but it wasn’t active during our stay.
They did have trolleys/large golf carts to get you across the property but the walk ways aren’t wide enough for both trolleys and people walking so be careful.

A quick note about resort provided transportation through Destination Services (this only applies to those that book directly with the resort) please plan way ahead of time; double and triple check your confirmation information. We never received our confirmation on transportation to the resort until after we arrived at the resort. Due to not knowing the company to contact we had to book our own one way transportation to ensure we had something planned upon arrival to the airport. They also couldn’t get our departure date set. Our Family Host attempted to reach them via phone numerous times and stated no one would ever answer. We finally got it squared away via email and the return ride was uneventful. �
Things that will have to change to be considered a true 5*:

*Bottled water available anytime any where
*24 hr room service for all
*Better consistent service at the pools and beach
*Nightly turn down service and room cleaning
*Have full drink service at the buffet
*Having a coffee station at the buffet with to go cups
*Need to have kid friendly menus at each restaurant (or at least be able to do kid friendly options: ex. At Mexican be able to cook a quesadillas – was told they couldn’t as they don’t have tortillas.)

Overall I would recommend this resort as long as the overall capacity is on the lower side as I do believe it could be an issue with service, meal wait times and lounger availability when at or near full capacity (time will tell).
We would try it again only if we booked FS or if it was a couple only trip and stayed at TRS.

[Anne]

Awesome report with great detail! Thanks for sharing.

[Author]

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