We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at the Iberostar Grand, and grand it was. We have traveled to this area many times and have stayed at the Lindo several years ago. After reading all the reviews we were excited to go. I have never had a place meet the expectation like this place. Everything was just perfect. I called ahead for a request for a third floor room as we had booked an oceanfront room. We arrived around noon and our room was ready. We also requested dinner reservations in advanced and they were confirmed upon arrival. There was a fruit basket in our room when we arrived. As has been mentioned many times before the room are very nice probably the nicest we have been at. The pool chair game was in full swing. It was not hard to get a chair in the sun, but if you wanted a covered area then you had to get to the pool before 8:00 a.m. Only at the saltwater pool, not at the fresh water pool. Our butler took very good care of us. We had several during our 5 night stay. Anything we asked for was taken care of. We got a ride on the golf cart several times per day and they were fast and friendly.. There have been several complaints about the food here and people need to realize they are not in New York or anywhere else in the USA. They try very hard to have authentic American food. It was very different from what we are use to, but not bad. The quality was not bad at all. There is always something to eat there. The shrimp was my favorite. Tony's was our favorite restaurant. We are from Texas and we are steak lovers and the fillet was very good. On our actual anniversary night they filled the tub with bubbles and rose petals and put the swans made of towels with a rose on the bed. It made for a very special anniversary. This was such a great trip and the only thing I would have changed is I would have gotten private transportation. We went through apple and we waited over an hour to get a ride to the resort and it took 2 hours on the bus to get to the airport.. It would have been worth the extra money to only make a 20 minute ride there and back.. We use edventure tours one day and they were great also. We went to Akumal and there really isn't much of a reef there, but we saw several different species of fish and several turtles. The cenotes were our favorite. This resort was worth every penny and we would not hesitate to return to the Grand.

We simply love this hotel - we have been to Mexico 5 times before and have always stayed at the Iberostar - usually The Beach or Del Mar and they were nice but we decided that this year, we would book 3 nights at The Grand as a treat and WOW.

We often read the reviews on trip advisor and whilst we have never posted before we are very grateful that others take the time and go to the trouble to share their experiences.

We cannot fault this hotel (and we are pretty choosy). The restaurants and the facilities are first class. We have an Ocean Front Suite in building 71 and feel so pampered - everything from the Butler service ( they explain everything on arrival and stock your minibar with alcohol of your choice) to the restaurants - so far we have eaten at The Steak House and The Japanese Tepanyaki. The pool area has lots of spare beds despite being 90% full at the moment and the beach view from our balcony is to die for. There is a jaccuzi whirlpool bath in our bathroom and there are separate "his" and "hers" sinks in addition to the shower and WC areas. The Hotel is spotless and all the staff very friendly without going over the top.

We appreciate efficient service without it being too intrusive and The Grand has exceeded our every expectation.

In short, I think this stay will have spoilt us for life - I didnt know this kind of luxury was available at this price.

We would stay here again without hesitation and cant wait to come back.

Kate & Peter

My fianc'e and I stayed at the Grand from May3rd to the 10th 2008. It was the best vacation we ever had, and our first trip to Mexico. From the time we arrived, till the time we left was a magnificent experience. We left twice, once to visit Playa del Carmen and the other to Tulum to view the ruins. We couldn't leave without experiencing some of the region's culture and lifestyle. We found the entire staff and butler's at the Grand to be kind, courteous, helpful and very pleasant all round. We had no bad experience there whatsoever. One time, we ran out of ice, for our drinks at our Hotel room, and I went to get some, when I knew the location. As I was doing this, I was stopped by our butler Rodolpho, who kindly urged me not to do his job for him, and got the ice for us. I've never seen service like this before in my life, and it was eye opening. The beauty of the architecture inside and outside the property, along with the grounds was breath taking, and impeccably clean. The food was great, no matter where you ate, through all the restaurants on the property. You could pretty much find whatever food or pastry your apetite desired throughout the Grand's numerous restaurants. We did not eat at the gourmet restaurant, as the menu did not suit our tastes. The beach was awesome, and the view was beautiful. I have heard complaints about some rocks in the water, and we simply moved a few feet away, where there were no rocks, simple as that, if that's the only complaint some travelers have. We have traveled to St Marteen, Bermuda, Aruba, and Ireland in the last five years, and nothing surpasses the Grand, not even close. I didn't think anything could top Bermuda, but the Iberostar Grand did, in service, friendliness, views, architecture, and cuisine. Since returning, we have told everybody we know, and others we don't know to check out the Iberostar Grand, as we give a 10 on a scale of 1-10. We are already looking forward to returning again in a year or so.

This hotel and staff was incredible. There were some room issues like ceiling fans that did not work because of a short in a lamp (same circuit) that gave me a nasty shock, a most impressive electrical arc when it finally blew and the electrical outlet that came out of the wall when I tried to unplug it. I only mention it because other, more persnickety, clients might loose focus on the overall experience which was phenomenal.

The facilities and grounds were absolutely first-class. Staff from check in to, butlers, concierge, housekeeping and wait staff could not be more pleasant or attentive. To wit: Naomi on hearing our plight at check-in immediately upgraded us to water front at no cost then apologized that we would have to wait until 3pm while the room was made ready. We ran into her a couple of times during the stay. Her genuine pleasure at seeing Julie's joy for the room was heartfelt. Alfredo and Alberto (butlers) immediately saw to any room issues or any other request, listened to our desires, made excellent recommendations and shared personal experiences. Cynthia, the concierge is just about Julie's new best friend. On our second day, Julie had to go to the hospital. Cynthia made travel arrangements for us and seemed genuinely concerned for Julie. We returned after Cynthia left for the day and before she returned the next morning. When we got back to the hotel, afternoon of the third day, Cynthia ran up to Julie with a big hug and asked what happened. She thought Julie might have been admitted or sent home as she had not seen us all day and checked the room several times with no success (we were out and about). Each time after that, Same thing, big hug and asking about our day, how Julie was feeling, etc. Those are just a few examples of the fine staff there.

This is the place for someone wanting a high-touch if hands-off experience. Other guests tend to keep to themselves unless in more social areas like the bars or Star Friends events. Even at near capacity, the beach felt almost deserted, palapas were easily available, pools not crowded (except pool bar co-opted by a tour corporate group for a few days), and the buffets/restaurants with ample seating.

The hotel sent Julie a very nice note the day after her hospital adventure, wishing her well and offering further assistance. After the lamp escapade they also sent letter and a bottle of champagne to the room. Just a few small examples to give you an idea about how “grand” the place really is, I could rave on for quite some time.

Food was good, we liked the buffet the best. We did eat at Tony's which was outstanding.

Beach, is rocked in front of building 71 (that is where we were) all you have to do is walk 2 minutes to the nice beach.

All I can say is, we loved it and can't wait to go back

Julie & Jim