We went to the resort thru Apple Vacations. This is our 4th time to Cancun/Riviera Maya. They made our 10th Wedding Anniversary Extra Special! The Service we received is the best of any resort we have every been. Our Concierge Neto was fantastic! Our Housekeeper "Manual Avalos" Was the best Housekeeper/Maid we have ever received. I wish I could have taken him home with Us!! The Food was Average in some restaurants. Excellent in others. The Buffets were very Good. I could always finds something I liked.
The Snorkeling was GREAT!! Take your own gear. If the Red Flags are up, you can't use the hotels gear. We felt very Safe at this resort. We would return to the Grand Sirenis.

If you're confused by Trip Advisor having listings for both the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Hotel & Spa and the Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach Resort, don't be. They're the same place but with two different reception areas.

The place is HUGE. It's by far the biggest resort I've ever attended. There are two groups of hotel buildings that are separated by probably about 1km with pools, restaurants, and the beach in between.

Our room was very nice. We had two double beds and one pull-out couch which worked out well for a couple with two kids. The rooms were big and had a fridge that was stocked daily with pop and beer. The bathroom was large and had both a shower and a whirlpool tub. The weird part was the opening between the room and the bathroom. There was a hole that had been somewhat blocked with frosted glass but not as well as it should be (and some rooms don't even have the glass). This is Mexico. Sometimes you're going to eat something and maybe make sounds in the bathroom afterwards that you don't want your wife to hear.

There were three pools on the grounds one very close to each set of hotel buildings where there were activities daily. The one in the centre was the quiet pool which was so large and had a sweeping curve to it that at first I thought there were several pools there. The Lazy River was a big hit with our kids. It's a long narrow curvy loop of a pool with jets in it that propel tubes around. It was really quite relaxing.

The two buffets were in the main building between the receptions; they were separate but connected. The food was good and varied. When we first arrived, the Beach Resort half was closed so everyone was in the Riviera Maya half. It wasn't a problem given the number of people there. The best part was when the resort(s) started filling up and they opened the other half, no one seemed to realize it and we went over there and had no line ups whatsoever.

There were several other restaurants on site and we typically ate breakfast and lunch at El Rancho as it was very close to our room and the pools where my kids made me hang out. The Bayou was also available for breakfast and lunch along with the main buffets.

There were several a la cartes on site, too. El Rancho and Bayou each turned into one in the evening. El Rancho was a steak house that served great food. We ate at the Bayou once, too, and the food there was amazing. We also tried out the Brazilian food at La Gira Rodizio and it was fantastic, too. We wanted to try the Japanese food at Ikebana but they charged an extra fee and I thought that was ridiculous at at all-inclusive. There were four other al la cartes availalbe, too.

One discovery that I'd wished we'd made earlier was the coffee shop; they served great drinks here and the atmosphere was wonderful.

The beach was a bit rough. The sand was nice and the view breathtaking but the beach is in a cove with several large rocks or I guess islands in it. The huge waves were broken well out from the shore but the place seemed pretty dangerous. I wouldn't let our kids (aged 8 & 10) in without their lifejackets and me right beside them. The flag was almost always red with occasional yellow ones. I doubt the resort owns a green flag.

There was snorkeling right in the bay and it was okay. There were plenty of fish to see and they even came right up into the shallow water to be fed throughout the day by guest who'd snatched bananas and bread from the restaurants. At times, it was a feeding frenzy with fish thick at your feet literally jumping out of the water to get food.

The snorkelling at Akumal Beach is way better and only a 10 minute cab ride away (or you could grab the collectivo). There are sea turtles there and tons of fish. If you go, don't bother with the guide. Keep your ears open and you'll know where to go to find the turtles.

Playa del Carmen is only a 20 minute cab ride the other way and it's a pretty cool place to visit, too. You'd be crazy not to go. There are no beach vendors at the Sirenis (although they have a bit of a market twice a week in the theatre) so Playa is likely your best bet for some deals.

The entertainment was always awful. I don't know why resorts always try do put on shows. They never turn out well.

The resort uses alcohol out of the dispensers where pop usually flows. The liquor in these is watered down horrendously. If they've got a bottle of what you're looking for, ask for the bartender to use that instead.

Overall, this resort was very nice. There were lots of places on site to hang out that were slightly different that where you were the day before. The kids loved the Lazy River and the ice cream shop. The food was good and plentiful and the coffee that the Coffee Shop was fantastic.

Our first time in Mexico... there were 6 of us (my husband and I, my 19 and 16 year old daughters with a friend and my brother in law) Very friendly staff... Very good animation at the pool (can play waterpolo and more), the beach is ok too but not to take long walks on and bring water shoes caus there are rocks in the water (dont go running into the water you'll hurt your feet) there is lots of shade if wanted and you can play beach volleyball. Rooms (ask for pool side the view of garden is not that good its more of a jungle look in many of them) are pretty big and nice with full bathroom (make sure the bathtub works caus ours didnt) with seperate sitting area. Try to reserve at the Japonese restaurant at your arrival caus it hard to get one there and its very good... The Bresilian restaurant is a must too... The food at the buffet is good unless your homemade meal freak.. lots of variety. Very good service everywhere you go (unless your unpleasant your self) Excursions are very nice ''go see something'' we went to see a CÉNOTÉ (its an underground cave that you can swim in) and went snorkeling ... got to see turtle, baracuda, octopus and more, and coral reefs. We were there for new year and it was simply beautifull and lots a fun.. a huge party. And the shows are simply unbeleivable... they did The lion king, Alice in wonderland and more and the costumes are so nice... all of it with a live band. Overall it was a very nice vacation and i would go back.

Jan 10th to 24th 2012. 2 adults plus 2 children (7 and 3 year old).

This is was our 2nd trip Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya (and the Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach – same hotel complex). Our first trip was approx 5 years ago when it had newly opened.

While we have been coming to Mexico for the last 10 years we wanted to return to this Hotel a second time as we thought the beach was beautiful and the snorkeling was good and very convenient. In addition we felt that the food (both buffet and specialty restaurants) had been excellent.
Unfortunately we were disappointing with our experience this time. It was not what we expected from a 5 star resort and a 5 star price.
Reasons as follows:
Food: the food served at the buffets was very bland, not hot and in all fairness quite basic. I would peg this at a 3 star level. Buffet food 5 years ago for example included international cheeses, one lobster night a week and a night or two of fresh cooked prawns. This trip you have to pay for a lobster dinner, there are no fresh cooked prawns and the cheese tray consisted of only basic Mexican cheese. Again you can find something to eat but it is at a 3 star level.
The specialty restaurants that we went to; Japanese, steak house, were good with the Cajun and Mediterranean being mediocre.

On this trip all 4 of my family at different times became sick with food poisoning.

Kids club. Very Basic. - Very nice staff that work there but absolutely no variety for the kids. For example it is the same program in the afternoon: lunch, feed ducks, go for ice cream, walk lazy river, watch movie, over at 4:00pm. The same thing every afternoon. The movie was even the same for three days straight!

Kids disco in main theater. Starts at 8:00pm. All the kids dance with a couple entertainers. Same 5 songs every night for 2 weeks. While the main show can be interesting for the kids it does not start until 9:30 pm. Even for the kid’s production Lion King. This is too late for the kids.

I would not recommend this resort if you are planning on using the kids club or want entertainment for your Children.

Other quick comments/reviews as follows:
• Food: - 3 Star level
• Grounds: Great - lush jungle.
• Buildings: large resort, beautiful architecture, long distances, slippery marble when wet.
• Rooms: showing some wear and tear but comfortable.
• Ocean view rooms: Be prepared to pay more if you want an ocean view room, even if you call ahead to request one.
• Pools and pool chairs: great pools- sufficient chairs if you are up by 8:00 am.
• Safety: We felt very safe at this resort.
• Beach: Outstanding.
• Snorkeling: Right off the beach, corral reef and lots of tropical fish - Great.
• Serving staff: Excellent.
• Pool side entertainment: Good
• Adult Nightly entertainment: Acceptable
• Kids club and entertainment: Poor.

Overall with all of the resort choices that exist in Mexico and the Mexican Riviera, at this price point and sold as a 4.5 to 5 star level of quality, we would not come back here again or recommend this resort.

One very important thing to consider: this is a Spanish run Hotel; Managed by Spaniards so don’t blame the Mexican staff. We found the Mexican staff to be very friendly, courteous and attentive, excellent in our opinion.

A final note: in discussion with other travelers we found that a number of people we talked to at the resort had similar feelings about their stay as I have expressed in this review.

Good Luck.