A friend and I recently stayed at the GCB for 2 weeks.
It's a nice ,small hotel right on the beach .
The staff are friendly and work hard at their jobs.There was continuous cleaning,upgrading ,gardening and painting going on and our room was always clean.
I am awaiting knee replacement surgery and the step down to the beach was too steep for me to step down onto.My friend spoke with the Asst Manager and within 48 hours they had built 2 sets of stairs to make it easier for all people to get to the beach.It made a big difference.
The large pool was wonderful and there were always lots of chairs on the beach or at the pool to use.
The only disadvantage the place had is that the walls were very thin and you could hear people talking in other rooms.

Hi we were at Grand Coco bay from april 4 to april 18. The hotel is very nice and clean we liked our room its not luxurious but we were there to shower or sleep. They should put alarm clocks and coffee maker in the rooms this would be great. Most of the staff is very nice and friendly with nice smiles for the exception of one guy at the towel counter and the guys at the a la carte restaurant, both mexican and italien they haven't learn how to smile and be nice. There is still this stupid rule at the a la carte restaurant that the men cannot go in if they have shorts or 3/4 pants loosen up were on vacation.

Ruth at the grill in the buffet in the morning for great omelettes, and the best bar in this hotel is the guy in the lobby starting at around 17h00 he can make any drink you want or at lease will try, very nice guy.

We went on 5 avenue at a couple of restaurant the yaxche is great and also senor frog near the ferry but with more action. Shopping on 5 avenue and at the super wal mart is great check to buy souvenir and alchool at Wal Mart they have the best price in Playa.

We did a couple of excursion and book one of them on 5 ave the chitchen itza one was like $100.00 each at the hotel for a group of about 8 with private guide and on 5 ave it was $45.00 each we also did the Xcaret this is great and the price is the same everywhere plan to spend the day and don't miss the 2 hours show at the end of the day really good. We also took the ferry and went to Cozmuel it is very nice and plan to go at the Hard Rock Cafe there the food and drink are super.

My husband and I really liked the beach and the hotel and would go back if we went to Playa again except for a couple of little things, Sundays on the beach you have all the locals at the public beach on your left side and some come to the resort beach and even take the boats or surf boards of the hotel the staff and security personnel are good with that . The kids walk between the beach chairs and pick things up a couple of person go their sandals stolen that day, so watch out. The weekends there is a lot of children on this resort I don't know if they can book like 4 days stay but it's very noisy and you have to watch out because they run around everywhere. Last year we had an adults only resort and really appreciated it.

We had book the trip with go travel direct and zoom airlines and that was good. For the price we paid we were satisfied with the service we got. The night animation at this hotel is lacking the only show that was good was The Michael Jackson show the dancers and the guy was really good, did a good imitation. Don't be afraid to book a vacation there we can't complain about missing hot water or the water pressure or anything else like the food at the buffet you will always find something you like and face it you don't eat steaks and lobsters every night at home so you won't there either.

We stayed at Grand Coco Bay from April 4 - April 11 and loved every minute. The service was friendly and accomodating. We enjoyed a good breeze from the ocean and kept us all nice and cool. The food was good and the specialty rest. were OK. Only 1 person had a problem from the food but was a good sport about it. To keep 12 crabby adults happy is a challenge at home but Grand Coco Bay did it in Mexico. We have all agreed that we will return again after we visit our other favorites in Mexico !!!

We have just returned from a week at Grand Coco Bay and loved it. This was our first trip to Mexico and our first trip with our daughters (7&5).

First about Grand Coco Bay:

The hotel & the grounds are great - nothing spectacular, but nothing at all to complain about. We stayed in 2123 - it was on the ground floor, non construction side, pool view. Our room met our expectations. It was clean & the housekeeping staff did a fair job.
The entertainment staff are AMAZING. I thought the shows at night were great - I heard others complaining about them being cheesy - and some parts were, but I looked forward to going everynight & so did my family. During the day there were lots of activities that you could do or easily ignore. The staff is very attentive & made a HUGE effort to make us feel like family. There was water polo, dance lessons, step classes, water areobics, beach volleyball & soccer, spanish lessons etc. During the times where there weren't any activities the entertainment staff made a point of keeping the kids entertained with things like tic tac toe & just general playing around - my daughters loved them & I appreciated their effort.

The bars weren't the highlight of the vacation. After a few days of horrible service with out so much as a smile - we gave the bartender at the swim up bar a generous tip & received mediocre service for the rest of the holiday. We found the restaurant, snack bar & bar staff lacked in their service skills - with the exception of the lobby bartender who always had a smile. The service improved with everyone with generous tips - but they made it very obvious with out a tip, you'd be waiting! The bars offered a small selection of premium liquor & the drinks were not watered down at all.

We didn't eat at the a la carte's because none of us remembered closed toe shoes - and it is the rule (not sure how strictly it is enforced - we didn't bother trying) We ate breakfast and supper every day at the buffet. No complaints about the food at all. I found the selection to be average - there was always something - even for the pickiest of eaters. The snack bar served great nachos, pizza's, ice cream, sandwiches, french fries & burgers for those times you crave a little taste of 'home-style' food. We ate lunch there everyday & it was open from after breakfast until just before supper - which was great for the kids incase they didn't like the themed dinners.

The pools are great - a small section for the little ones, lots of room for kids & another area that seemed to attract most of the singles & older couples. To get an umbrella we had to be out early - 7am for the pool, 6am for the beach - there aren't many & once people get them for the day, they don't move!

The beach was beautiful, cool white sand, clear turquoise water that was as warm or even warmer than the pool. Walking to the beach from the resort you can head right to go into a busy section area & into town for shopping. Going to the left will take you on a very quiet walk and to very calm water.

Grand Coco Bay is an intimate resort, I would not recommend it for young people looking for a party - you likely won't find it unless you bring all of the guests :) This is a great place for families with young to adolecent children, or 50 somethings looking for a quiet holiday.

As for the area, with it being our first trip to Mexico a few things suprised me:
1) It is very safe - I had no problem walking on my own into town, taking a taxi or walking along the beach.
2) The area is very americanized - mcdonalds, dominos, starbucks, wal-mart, DQ. Wal-mart was great for the convienence of needed supplies - but if you are going just to see what Wal-Mart in mexico is like - don't - it is the same - but more expensive.
3) Very few people speak english. At Grand Coco Bay it was only the entertainment staff - the others really didn't know any English.
It would have been very helpful to learn some basic spanish to communicate with taxi drivers & service staff.

CANADIANS - we converted our money to american ( & paid .23) before leaving only to find out that Mexico is taking Canadian & American at the same value.

Would I go back? absolutely - when we were leaving it felt like we were leaving home.