Rivera Maya/ Cancun help

[CaliDave]

I'll be going to the Grand Mayan in Rivera Maya..

I have a few questions

1) The RCi confirmation says they have free shuttle service from the airport, but then it says it $15/person.
However, I am coming in the night before and going to rent a room at another hotel in Cancun. How should we get to the resort? go back to the airport the next day?

2) What is the best way to go grocery shopping? Cab? Do they have a shuttle? how far is Super Walmart or are there other good options? We don;t want to spend a fortune on food at the resort.

3) We are interested in some tours.. Xcaret , Tulum .. etc.. should we book them at the resort or book before hand? If we book prior to arrival, how do we get to them?

4) Wanted to do a couple night trips to Cancun.. what is the best way to do this for 6 people or so?

Basically how do you get around .. without spending a fortune on a cab all the time?

Thanks

 

[JackieD]

Dave,
we just got back from the Mayan Palace. The Grand Mayan has a different lobby but I believe most of this information would be the same. Here's a little bit of info that might help.
1) The RCi confirmation says they have free shuttle service from the airport, but then it says it $15/person.
However, I am coming in the night before and going to rent a room at another hotel in Cancun. How should we get to the resort? go back to the airport the next day? We arrived a day early also but stayed in Playa del Carmen. We took the ADO bus from the airport and it was 80 pesos/40 for the kids and it was about 4 blocks from our condo

2) What is the best way to go grocery shopping? Cab? Do they have a shuttle? how far is Super Walmart or are there other good options? We don;t want to spend a fortune on food at the resort. We did not do it but the resort has a shuttle to Walmart for $3.00 pp

3) We are interested in some tours.. Xcaret , Tulum .. etc.. should we book them at the resort or book before hand? If we book prior to arrival, how do we get to them? The resort has a travel agent on sight. I have the tour list that the concierge emailed me. We did not do the presentation tour but if you do, they offer I think a 10% discount. I could email it to you but it won't show the presentation discount prices. We booked one excursion through them. It was really fun. Pretty expensive but we were gone from 7:30 am-6:00 pm and it covered a lot of things we wanted to do. They picked up right at the resort (a restaurant across from the Mayan Palace lobby). Some tour companies won't pick up near the lobby. The lobby is far back from the highway so you'd have to catch the resort shuttle to the entrance. The tour company for this one was Alltournative and the resort price was the same as if you booked directly with that tour company

4) Wanted to do a couple night trips to Cancun.. what is the best way to do this for 6 people or so? Cancun is pretty far away. Probably at least 40-45 minutes via a cab. Playa del Carmen is 20 min away. We only took cabs once we checked in. They were 200 pesos (less than $16 with the exchange rate). The resort had posted rates for a van taxi but I don't know how much that was. It was 300 pesos for a cab to the Cancun airport from the resort which for us was less than using the resort's shuttle.

Have a great time!

 

[Stressy]

Dave,

Check out Brants website for pre booking activities if you are not inclined to take the GM presentation for discounts http://www.entertainment-plus.net/

If I remember correctly, you are traveling in a larger group and might benefit from the private tours (prices go down with number of people and lesser charges for children)

Brant is everything he claims...all tours and transportation went off with out a hitch. I highly recommend.

We visited Cancun in June with a party of 9 and private was the way to go. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Kola]

I'll be going to the Grand Mayan in Rivera Maya..

I have a few questions

......Basically how do you get around .. without spending a fortune on a cab all the time?

Thanks

This is your basic question that could solve most of your other problems. If you had only a couple of pesons I would recommend taking a bus right in front of the Grand Mayan resort to go either to Playa del Carmen (15 min) or to Cancun (45 min) We have done it several times and felt safe and sound. The cost in US $ is nominal, depending where you go. These buses run at least every 30 min. or so. You pay the driver, the bus takes you to the terminal right downtown Playa where you can enjoy many restaurants, shoppping, a ferry to Cozumel, etc. From the Playa terminal you can also take buses to any points of interest you have mentioned at a fraction of the tour costs offered by the resort. If you want to get groceries walk from the terminal to the WallMart (any pedestrian will show you directions), you cannot beat their prices anywhere in town. Now, if you have a group of five or six people and you are loaded with Wallmart groceries, including cartons of the Mexican Negra Modello, you may decide to take a taxi back to the resort. The resort has a grocery shuttle, but I am not sure how often. There is also a WallMart in Cancun but its location is inconvenient unless you have a rented car. Have fun !

K

 

[CaliDave]

Thanks so much for all the info.. I thought about looking into a car rental.
We have a family of 5, but we'll be traveling with 5 or 6 other people.. maybe more.

This is good info and I'll do some more research

thanks again

 

[missmarie]

rent a car

We went to the same resort in 2007 & 2008 and rented a small car from National for about 80.00 for the entire week. Well worth it. We loved the freedom of driving to Tulum, Cenotes and the "MEGA" for groceries.

We found enough to do in Playa Del Carmen, Puerto Morales, Akumal Tulum, and Cozumel without ever seeing Cancun and its array of bars and nightclubs.

You will love this resort! The pool is amazing at night when the crowds have gone. My brother swore that the breakfast at the caribbean restaurant on the resort property was to die for, and the Cigar Lounge was really fun.

Have a great time!!!

Marie

 

[CaliDave]

Thanks for the advice.. Does anyone know if AMEX covers rental cars outside of the US? The insurance is ridiculous at the car rental places, but I think I would get it , if I'm not covered elsewhere.

 

[cirkus]

AMEX does cover you out of the country with a few exceptions.
https://www152.americanexpress.com/fsea/travel/car_rental/product.do
Bill

 

[pianodinosaur]

We had a wonderful time at the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya in May 2008. There is a tour that takes you to both ChichenItza and a Cenote. If you are interested in archeology and a fantastic swim in beautiful scenery, you might consider this option. Tulum, Xcaret, and Xel Ha are very nice options as well. I like the beach at Playa del Carmen even better than the beach in Cancun but both are lovely. The pool at the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya is the single best resort swimming pool I have seen to date. Have a great time.

 

[chemteach]

Great posts! We are at the Grand Mayan RM right now and having a wonderful time. We have had no trouble getting around via the shuttles.

 

[Pizza67]

I'm sooo jealous. You'll have to give us an update on the latest developments going on there. I understand that the new GM lobby and pool area are open, the pictures I've seen look outstanding.

I've read various things about the lazy river in between the MP buildings.

Enjoy!