The Gran Melia Cancun: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Thanksgiving break is short. My desire to be home for Thanksgiving is small. Get me to a beach ASAP. Cancun is a quick flight from my home and it is not incredibly crowded at Thanksgiving. I've even been able to score a lucrative bump voucher or two on the route. (No luck this year on the bump voucher. They were looking for volunteers but it would have been another 36 hours before they could get me home--I'm flexible but not that flexible.)

Cancun is not the best place to go if one wants a cultural experience, but its a great place to lounge on the beach (at least not in the height of hurricane season). So off to Cancun I go. When I think of Cancun, I  think of my favorite hotel there... the ME... but that can be pretty pricey. I saw a great deal for the Gran Melia, its sister hotel, so I book an all-inclusive package there.The Gran Melia advertises itself as a 4 Diamond hotel....and parts of it are worthy and other parts not so worthy.

After a too pricey shuttle drive to the hotel, check-in went smoothly, more or less. The check-in agent was not very friendly and was focused on selling me a room upgrade. I was also given some essentially worthless coupons that were advertised as 'resort credit'.

I was then told that one of the bellhops would show me to my room. I  thought 'oh how nice'. Then I found out why....the key system was not working. Oh....not off to a great start. I arrived in the room and was immediately greated by a old clunky 90s stlye TV and a room that looked like it have come out of the 80s. There were two beds even though I was the only occupant. This was not what I was expecting from a 4 Diamond hotel. I told myself that I'd been 'pricelined'......given the worst room in the house probably because I had purchased the package from a wholesaler and because I had not purchased the upgrade. This was the type of room where one says 'well I won't be in the room much anyways'. People staying in 4 Diamond hotels shouldn't have to say that!

I continued to settle in and decided to check my email. I learned at this point that the wireless wasn't working. I called and asked and they told me that the building I was in had no wireless and to use the wired internet. I hooked up my laptop and that didn't work either. I called again and they said that they'd send someone down. I waited and they called again. This time they said that the building I was in had no internet service at all. I asked if this was a temporary issue---like the keys not working. I received no answer. I took this as it was not temporary. I asked to be moved to a room with internet access and they did so. Luckily my issues ended quickly after this rocky start.The new room was significantly nicer than the new room and it had the desired internet.

The common areas of the hotel are very nice. A very pleasant atmosphere to this very large resort.

A main atttraction at any beachside resort is of course the beach, the ocean, and the pools. Here the Gran Melia fit the bill well.

First Room (back to the 80s):

Balcony with Chaise Lounges...would be nice if they weren't dirty.

The New Room. Now this is a lot better! You'll notice the much more modern feel to this room. It looks like it has been refreshed in the last few years.

The bathroom was nice, but standard. The rain shower was very nice and adds a bit of a classy feel.

The Red Level

My friends were staying in what is called the Red Level. In theory, the Red Level is like a 'hotel within a hotel' as is located at the far end of the resort. The Red Level has its own pool area. In fact most of the pictures above are of the Red Level pool area. There is also a seperate pool concierge with whom one can make bali bed reservations as well as a Red Level bar and snack area. Guests at the Red Level pool area served from time to time chunked fruite skewers.

Below can be found pictures of the Red Level Lounge where those staying in this portion of the resort can have a continental breakfast as well as evening hors d'oeuvres and drinks. There are also special concierges in the lounge to help with whatever the guest may desire.

The Red Level represents the best part of this resort. If you can find a reasonable rate for a Red Level room, I would highly encourage it.

Restaurants at the Resort

There are two types of restaurants: the buffet and full-service restaurants. There are three full service have Mexican, Mediterranean and a sort of the grill theme. The Mexican and Mediterranean were both very good but require advanced reservations as many of the resort guests are on all-inclusive plans and desire non-buffet dining options. The Grill restaurant was inconsistent; once we had extremely slow service and mediocre food. The main buffet was good but not exceptional; the La Perla buffet left something to be desired.

Overall

Overall, I would recommend this resort, especially the Red Level, if the price is right. I would return in a minute at the rate I was able to secure for this trip! I would be less interested if it were at the 'going rate' given the large number of very good Cancun options.