I lived in Barra De Navidad for 3 years...we have a house in the canal. I was 14 when I moved there, Im an american. The Grand Bay Hotel is by far the nicest hotel you can stay at... there are several 3 star hotels as well bthat are nice and under $100 like Cabo Blanco, I used to work there. The biggest thing to pay attention to is the time of year your going....some months are colder and so youll want to stay at a hotel with good blankets in the rooms, hotter months find a room with ac or a fan. The biggest pitfall to rooms down there are lumpy beds and pillow so take a pillow and youll be good to go. If you are going to have it nice and quiet go Oct-Dec, if you want to party go during Semana Santa.....it will be packed so book in advance but there loootttssss to do and that the first few weeks of April. Also like 30-40 min away is Manzanillo which is a much bigger town so if your board go visit there for a day. Theres also so many beautiful beaches less then a 30 min drive from barra so dont be afraid to explore. Barra has surfing and you take a fishing boat out too.The disco music is from across the bay. Theres a restaurant that turns into a nightclub at night...the place is open to the water and sound travels. If people arent hearing it they didnt go when the club was open or it may be closed down now. The grand bay has a few different pools and it reminds me of the shining becuase its this huge hotel thats always deserted....theres a really beautiful house right next to it where the owner lives...he owns half of barra too. Anyways....they stamp their logo on the cigarette sand...its a nice hotel...they pay attention to detail. Theres a huge gorgeous golf course....i dont golf but its one of the prettiest ive ever seen and the landscaping at the hotel is phenomenal...mexico is pretty dry and the hotel makes it look like Hawaii with the lushness of the landscaping. Im planning on getting married at the Grand Bay. If you have questions you can email me asheebee30@hotmail.com.....i love my little barra and id be happy to help with questions.

Very spacious. We had a beautiful suite, which was an apartment with living room, bedroom, two bathrooms, and a tiny kitchen (no stove), balcony, and two TV's. Beautiful decor and amenities. Antonio's Restaurant was truly gourmet. Only negatives -- not enough variety for breakfast, and poor beach - slimy bottom and muddy water.

Stayed for a week in Nov booked through Transat . Paid for a luxury suite but it just seemed like an average suite. The food was so so and two tiered. One menu for Trans At guests one for everyone else. Hotel was empty which suited me and it is a very nice property with great views decor and pool. The beach is not appealing for swimming. The $10./day for internet seemed a rip off. In this day and age I don't know why hotels try and whizz you on this. Lots of free wifi in Barra. Ate out a lot as food was just so so. Don Ramon and Los Arcos in Barra were good as well as Marys in Colimilla. We took a complimentary shuttle to the beach and hiked some stairs to a really nice secluded beach. In fairness to Grand Bay the irritants regarding the second class food and room that was not as advertised was more do to Trans At. The staff was good although they had to sort out this wierd billing system for the all inclusive. It made for more work for them and a hassle for guests. Nice secluded hotel but will not likely be back.

My family and I had a wonderful time here for Christmas. The hotel is beautiful and the service was great, the food was also very good. The best part about this hotel is all the activities, a great pool, a private beach (by reservation), a beach for hotel guest, a small town across the lake, golf, etc. The best best best activity we did was take a small boat tour to see whales, something we all talk about with great laughs.