Grand Residences Riviera Cancún All Inclusive

Rooms, food and pool are great. But if you’re not a previous Royals owner (identified by a green wristband) expect to get second class service from the staff.

This is a great resort. Quiet and relaxing. Rooms as very spacious and loaded with amenities. Has daily maid service and a night time turn down service. 2 large pools and 2 great restaurants. Had an all inclusive plan for all the food as well as room service.

Resort is Boring, it needs more entertainment !! Beach water was yellow and stunk !! Has a lot of seaweed. If you was to Relax great atmosphere. If you want to have fun and entertainment This is NOT the place to stay !!!

He’ll tell us beautiful. The architecture was immaculate. The sparkly space was great. My kids enjoyed the pool. The beach area was pristine, but we could not use it due to the seaweed. We used the tour company on site and we had two great tours 12 the Maya ruins and the other two explore part, which is one of the best parts we’ve been to. You will not be disappointed coming here

This is a bit of a long review but hopefully it helps answer questions about the resort.
ROOM
* Smaller sized TV but we really didn’t watch it
* Hot water is HOT. You can’t take a cool or even warm shower. At least in our room. Those with little kids might want to get in tough with maintenance to ensure safety.
* In room replenished snacks- cookies, mango fruit leather, banana chips, potato chips and chocolate bars as well as usual assortment of water, beer and pop
* Good hair dryer
* Easy workable climate control complete with a multi speed ceiling fan.
* Loved having a good quality mini fridge that worked well.
* My husband was really fond of the Nespresso- we have one at home so he was excited that his morning coffee routine wasn’t interrupted.

ACTIVITIES
* Afternoon tea (small surcharge). Cute with three different options of tea, smoked salmon sandwiches (alas no cucumber), scones and desserts
* Cooking class. Your only job is to sit and have a class of wine while the chef prepares a meal in front of you complete with step by step instructions you. I personally love to cook do this was a fun activity for me. Ours was salmon with sweet potatoes and zucchini.

RESTAURANT
* Heaven beach bar - was amazing but the portions are huge. We didn’t realize the first few times ordering that they don’t want you to go hungry and we overate. The ceviche is out of this world. And I loved the salmon sashimi too. My husband really got into the pepita salad. And, while we weren’t expecting much the hamburger was excellent. As Canadians, we had totally forgotten that you could order a medium hamburger. Dont miss the chicken wings either. The beach waiters will even bring the food to your beach chair. The waiters will also bring you a bucket of ice to keep your water bottles and beer chilled.
* International night -the clam chowder was amazing. I asked for a second bowl. I wasn’t hungry that evening but the soup was second bowl worthy
* Italian night - the calamari was good with a homemade tartar sauce. I loved the fish option. Simple but beautifully prepared. The focaccia with olive oil was good too as was the panna cotta and red berries in basalmic. Our next visit we ordered the lobster pizza and calamari for appetizers. Our entrees were lobster ravioli and the lamb ragu. The lamb ragu stole the show! I also ordered a gin martini and it was very nice as it was served with three large olives.
* French night - the escargots were different than what I was used to - more of a tomato sauce than a garlic butter. But good. The vichyssoise was done nicely as were the mussels. Both of us had the grouper which was excellent. My husband ordered dessert the orange crème brûlée and mentioned it was over cooked
* Taco night - it’s actually a buffet in flor de canela. I’d would go back for the Vera Cruz fish, tacos Al pastor. The very nice waiter Louis? Kindly answered my questions about the pozole soup.
* Flor de Canela - they bring you a salsa/guacamole to start. I had the ceviche as my starter. It was huge. My husband tried the Mexico City mushroom soup which he highly recommended. I followed my starter with the delicious Mayan fish. My husband had two mains the marrowbone and the pork medallions. For dessert it was a churro snd a bowl of ice cream.
* Wine: the Pinot was very nice. My husband enjoyed the Chardonnay and the reds.
* Seafood night - is a buffet as well. There are multiple types of shrimp, mussels, crab claws and oysters, as well as accompanying sauces. You place your grill order with the waiter. I had the tuna and my husband had grouper. Absolutely no complaints. They were really nice that night about bringing me lemonade iced teas. I had a bit too much sun and really needed to hydrate. They even made a to-go for me to take back to the room.
* Mexican party/bbq - this is held by the lap pool. We were hesitant about this as we aren’t a fan of table sharing. But, we scored a table to ourselves and quite enjoyed the meal (salad bar. Wood bbq with steak, chorizo, chicken, fish.. ) they even had elotes! Be careful there are a handful a dishes that are spicy - I mistook a Serrano for a jalapeño pepper. I had a few moments of mouth fire.
* Breakfast is buffet or a La carte. The buffet has a decent variety for the small size of the resort. The fresh juice station is wonderful and they have a freshly squeezed orange juice machine. We ordered a couple of international breakfasts more to say we tried them. Very filling.
* Room Service - we ordered a couple of times for breakfast and supper and loved it. Expansive menu, large portions. It takes about 45 minutes to be delivered. They ask you when they should come back for the dishes -1 hour, 2?

RESORT
* No towel game. Go to the activities desk by the kids club to reserve your chair for the next day. Definitely a more civilized way to do things. The beach butlers will escort you to your beach beds and get you settled.
* The pools and whirlpools are open until 10 pm. We usually had the pools to ourselves after supper.
* They bring you popsicles and fresh fruit skewers by the pool and beach.
* Allergies. They take them seriously here.
* Beach - lovely sand. There are some rocks in the water in many spots when you first go in. We found that if you line yourself up with the heaven sign you can pretty much avoid them.
This is definitely not a party resort. We loved seeing the multigenerational families enjoying their vacation. We were honestly exhausted when we arrived and just wanted to sleep, rest, eat, repeat. And thankfully this resort excelled at letting us do just that.

One of the best resorts Holiday Inn Resorts offers. Luxurious and pampering. The staff are 100 percent on top of everything at your beck and call...Cannot say enough good things about this resort.. dont miss it.

We recently stayed at Grand Residences Riviera Cancun and unfortunately our experience did not meet our expectations.

The housekeeping team was excellent and kept the resort spotless throughout our stay. However, the food and service were very inconsistent. Some meals were enjoyable, while others were disappointing, especially breakfast, which lacked consistency and clear guidance on ordering. Menus were not always provided, and items available one morning would be missing the next. It was also noticeable that some guests, particularly owners and Spanish-speaking guests, appeared to receive much more attentive service than others.

The biggest disappointment was the customer service. Service often depended on who you were. Owners seemed to receive preferential treatment, while regular paying guests were frequently overlooked. We expected a much higher standard from a resort that promotes itself as a luxury five-star property.

We were assigned a concierge on arrival and expected an introduction to the resort and its facilities. Instead, the focus seemed to be almost entirely on selling Vacation Club memberships, which made for an uncomfortable and disappointing experience.

Another frustrating issue arose before our departure. Knowing we had a late flight, we asked several days in advance about extending our room or arranging somewhere to freshen up before leaving. We were repeatedly told that nothing could be confirmed until the morning of departure. Even after speaking with our concierge, who suggested reception could help, we continued to receive conflicting information. This left us unnecessarily stressed and uncertain about our final day, despite the resort appearing to be far from full occupancy. Better communication and customer care would have made a significant difference.

Overall, while the resort itself is attractive and exceptionally clean, the inconsistent food, poor customer service, lack of communication, and constant sales pressure left us disappointed. For the price charged, we expected a genuine five-star experience, but in reality the service felt much closer to a three or four-star resort. Sadly, we would not return.

Perfect getaway vacation for our family! Very clean resort. Friendly staff and amazing service all around. Great food!

Medium size property with beautifully manicured grounds, impeccably clean, amazingly friendly staff, excellent food. Very family oriented with an excellent kids club. Extremely safe. Very nice beach unfortunately lots of seaweed at this point. Villas are beautiful with beautiful views. Highly recommended.

A must stay for a relaxing time. The suites are very nice and clean. The staff is friendly and helpful. The bartenders are great (shout out to Sebastian). We went the last week in May and had a wonderful time. The resort is off the beaten path and there was construction next door but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Truly cannot say enough great things about Grand Residences. If you want the rowdy party crowd experience this is not the place for you. The only downside about the resort is the only bars open after 5pm are the lobby and restaurant bar.

All the food was delicious.

I expected much more from Grand Residences Puerto Morelos and Royal Resorts, especially as a club member. Unfortunately, this trip became one of the most frustrating travel experiences I have had in Mexico because of poor communication, misleading concierge arrangements, and a complete lack of follow-up after serious concerns were raised.

Before arrival, our concierge Gustavo never contacted us, which meant no airport transportation had been arranged. We had to scramble upon arrival. Ironically, another concierge later handled our airport return transportation efficiently, proving the issue was not the resort itself, but the lack of professionalism and follow-through from Gustavo.

Things became worse after we mentioned during the membership presentation that we were disappointed with the repetitive restaurant menus and wanted a day to shop in Cancun, specifically at the Nike store. Gustavo suddenly became very attentive and convinced us to cancel the Viator transportation we had already booked because he claimed he could arrange something “better.”

That was a mistake.

Instead of a straightforward shopping trip, we were turned over to a tour operator named Erik and taken through what felt like a series of sales traps disguised as tourism.

We were told there would be a quick one-hour jewelry store stop before being dropped near Royal Sands Cancun so we could enjoy the mall area at our own pace. That never happened.

The jewelry presentation lasted approximately 2.5 hours. Then we were taken to a souvenir store and restaurant for another 1.5 hours where we were told only three limited menu items were available to us. Even with the restricted menu, we still spent $44 USD.

At one point, a staff member had to track me down because Erik called her personal phone to suddenly announce that our “shopping time” would now only be one hour. Anyone familiar with Cancun shopping areas knows that is unrealistic after wasting most of the day on forced commercial stops.

The situation became even more uncomfortable when our original vehicle broke down due to failed air conditioning and we were transferred into another van with a different driver. Later, the van pulled over at an unexpected roadside location where Erik suddenly appeared and attempted to hand me off to a stranger who supposedly would take me separately to the mall and pick me up later that evening.

At that point, I no longer felt safe. This was completely different from what Gustavo originally promised, and I was not comfortable being separated from the group and placed with someone I did not know in a foreign area. I declined immediately.

When we returned to the resort, I explained everything directly to Gustavo. He acknowledged the situation and said he would speak with management about compensating us for the wasted vacation day, possibly with spa services. After that conversation, we never heard from him again.

What concerns me most is not just the wasted day, but the disconnect between the luxury branding of Royal Resorts and the actual guest experience we received. Guests should not feel pressured into tourism sales pipelines, misled about transportation and schedules, or placed into situations where they feel unsafe.

I hope management responds because this experience seriously changed my perception of Royal Resorts and whether membership loyalty is truly valued.

this is definitely a 5 star resort. The villas are big and luxurious and the staf are there to take care of anything you need. Would go back again and again

The room was beautiful and very clean. All of the staff from check-in to check-out were friendly and very attentive. This is our second visit and we will return. I prefer a more quiet atmosphere and this resort provides just that.

My very first experience in an all-inclusive resort and this resort checks all the list. I was spending my birthday here and they made me feel special. They were even generous enough to upgrade me to a beachfront room which was amazing! Attentive, courteous, respectful, pleasant staff-always there to help, a 100%! My personal concierge was the best! She handled our needs perfectly and effortlessly. The place is well maintained, clean, and has a relaxing vibe to it. Food was great and tasteful! Drinks were superb-can be customised too! Only thing I have to comment but not really a bother was the early breakfast or box lunch they serve, I had ordered an early breakfast as we have to leave the place before 7am and they don't serve eggs or continental breakfast. I know, very minor! But that was it, everything else was perfect! 100%!

The resort is amazing. Very luxurious!

This is my second trip to this resort and I still absolutely love it.

Transportation from the airport to the resort is so convenient and the resort will set it up for you (I always call a week before and arrange times, which are confirmed through email). The drivers greet you with a smile, chilled water, refreshing towels and call in your drink order that is ready when you reach the resort. I love chatting with them on the drive! The luggage attendants explain everything thoroughly and you never touch your bags until you get to your room and they are waiting there.

Though this resort only has three restaurants, don't worry about not having a good variety of food choices. El Faro changes every night and while we were there we attended the French, Italian and Seafood nights. Each night had a menu directed towards flavorful and appealing starters, main courses and desserts. I have never had any bad food experiences at this resort. Anything I request grilled comes done to perfection ( I HATE ordering medium and getting well done) - many thanks to the kitchen!! The servers and all workers in the restaurant areas are always happy, friendly and seem to anticipate what is needed before you even have to ask.

Mauricio at check-in/check-out was the BEST! He really sets off the tone for your stay (after the friendly driver and luggage attendants). Everything is thoroughly explained and all questions answered. I did have a few in some changes between our 2025 stay and this one and Mauricio took his time and never rushed me. You really develop relationships with the staff at this resort. Strike up a conversation and they will for sure remember you the next time you visit!

We have stayed in both the Junior Suite and the Master Suite and although we prefer the Master Suite (who wouldn't???), the Junior Suite has enough comfortable space for two people. We love the ocean view and the spacious balcony in the evenings. Dual sinks in the bathroom is appreciated and so are all the "extras" you may have forgotten (full-sized toothpaste, toothbrush, sewing kit, shoe polisher, beauty kit, bug spray, shower cap, etc.)

This resort was pristine last year and I have to say, is the exact same this year. You will not find stray glasses or trash anywhere. It is impeccably clean and inviting. The daily maid service (in my opinion) does an excellent job everyday and the turn-down service with the cute animals is always looked forward to.

I honestly have never met anyone working at the resort that does not seem happy or seems to not enjoy their job. Everyone goes out of their way to be helpful. We have made so many relationships with resort staff in only the two times we have been there. We have also meet a wide array of guests age-wise at the resort while staying and have enjoyed that very much. There is no loud partying, no sloppy drunks or inappropriate behavior. It is truly a wonderful resort to go to in order to rest, relax and recharge. I don't ever want to come home!!

If you're looking for a relaxing, upscale, calm vacation with all your needs attended to, this is the place. My husband and I have been coming for years, and the staff is exceptional from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. Maurico at the front desk; Alex pool entertainment; Jesus & Efren towel service; Margarito pool waiter; and all the waitstaff at dinner. If you need something, just ask.
Unfortunately, I had to visit Dr. Paulina. She was kind, thorough, and patient. If you need medical care, do not hesitate to make an appointment.