Gran Costa Real ***** AI/EP

[Steve]

Gran Costa Real

Post comments, reviews, trip reports and links to your pictures for Gran Costa Real here.

Originally Posted by Travel Center

Gran Costa Real Resort & Spa has just completed a multi-million dollar renovation, transforming this always popular and fun beachfront hotel into a beautiful world-class resort. Built in a Mediterranean style, it has now added a striking modernistic look. Located on the sheltered bayside of the Caribbean, it offers all the comforts and amenities of a deluxe resort and the convenience and proximity to Cancun’s exciting restaurants, shopping, Cancun theater, golf course and nightlife.

All accommodations have received a total makeover, now offering 354 spacious deluxe rooms and junior suites plus a brand new Club Royal with Royal Deluxe rooms and Oceanfront Master Suites (opening late May 2004).

All units include modern decoration and amenities, marble floors, king size or two double beds, air conditioned with digital individual climate control, hairdryer and vanity mirror, safety deposit box, 29-inch flat screen TV with DVD, CD player and direct internet access, digital telephones with direct line and voicemail, bathroom with shower, mini-bar, AM/FM alarm clock, electronic key cards and nightly turn-down service.

Gran Costa Real distinguished itself for offering excellent service, superior quality and an outstanding all inclusive program. With its ideal location right in the heart of the hotel zone, five minutes from downtown, from golf and all the many other attractions that make Cancun such a popular destination, it combines elegance with a warm, friendly and fun atmosphere.

The hotel offers both the European Plan, which includes the room only, and an All-Inclusive option which includes all meals and drinks, non-motorized water sports, our children’s club plus a comprehensive daily social and recreational activities program. In addition, Gran Costa as part of the Real Resorts in Cancun and Playa del Carmen offers exchange privileges with the other Gran Real resorts.

Located at Km4 it is close to downtown Cancun but still only a short bus ride away to the main party centre. This hotel is bay side.

Check the links below for more information, availability and pricing with the following operators:

Best Day Cancun

Expedia

Cancuntravel (All Inclusive)

Cancuntravel (European Plan)

Travel Center (All Inclusive)

Travel Center (European Plan)

[shoreladie]

This was right across the street from La boom .. It was an awesome Hotel. Especially that they updated it .. The food was awesome . They had Friendly people , clean rooms, prompt maid service , activities all the time, . Beach was small and clean... Always had a drink in my hand at the pool... When I went was in July had the best rates ... Love it.. Lisa

[Ben Gaz]

Here is a link to my trip report at this hotel. Again, I am very picky when it comes to hotels and this one I was worried about. I went anyways, and loved it.


http://srv01.simplicityweb.com/cancu...ghlight=#12945

[Logan]

It's one of my favorites..... I've stayed there four times, and the last three, I got a free upgrade to a ocean view suite. lol and this cool black vip bracelet..... :lol:

[shoreladie]

They have different hotel activites ,

drinking games , volleyball , soccer, bingo ,etc . They are the few that I remember ... And they are the club things at nite

[falord]

Originally Posted by Logan

It's one of my favorites..... I've stayed there four times, and the last three, I got a free upgrade to a ocean view suite. lol and this cool black vip bracelet..... :lol:

I will be visiting Costa Real in October for my honeymoon. How were you able to get the upgrade for an ocean view suite? Do you just ask for it when you check in?

[shoreladie]

Just ask for an Ocean view room and see what they say ...It doesnt hurt to ask

[cancuncouple]

Laura and I stayed here a couple years ago. What a good time. :beergone: :beergone: I played vollyball out the AAA. A few
nites have no idea how we got back to the room, and that was just partying at the
beach bar. One drawback is the beach, but other than that it is a good
time place.

[Logan]

I will be visiting Costa Real in October for my honeymoon. How were you able to get the upgrade for an ocean view suite? Do you just ask for it when you check in?

I really couldn't tell you since I didn't ask for the upgrades. I know they give upgrades to people that have stayed there before. All of the suites are nice, the ocean view is a little nicer than the ones overlooking the pool. However the ones overlooking the pool allow you to watch the shows from your balcony. I'll check some of my old papers form there and see if I can find the room numbers that have good views of the shows for you. I know other people I've met there have asked for the ocean view rooms and got them. They shouldn't be very busy in October so you (may) have a good chance of getting one.

[donna in wv]

I love the Costa Real! This May will be our sixth stay here, so I guess you can figure how much we love it!
Because it is a smaller hotel, the staff become like family. We have become good friends with a lot of the staff...in fact when we were there last May for my husband's birthday, the manager of one of the restaurants at the hotel had a birthday party for him at his wife's restaurant downtown! At least 15 of the staff were there and we had a blast!
The recent renovation is awesome! The lobby is beautiful with a huge marble bar, plenty of tables & chairs. The rooms are wonderful, with marble bathroom/shower, huge bed, 27" tv/dvd player, small table& chair and everything is super clean!
The food is great! You have a lot of choices, although we like to eat in centro to get authentic stuff.
If you like a smaller hotel with a small beach(it's immaculate but small) and real down to earth guests (not too many snooty ones!) then you'll like the Gran Costa Real!

[AngelaSweden]

Costa Real was great. This was my first time to Cancun and our hotel was of course Costa Real. The room was great. They have big showers and I like that. lol and no I dont mean like that, its just nice with a big shower rather than a small. The maids were great, they cleaned everything perfect and me and Jennie gave them at least 3 dollar tip every day ( ok its not much) but its at least something. they were really nice and did agood job. We did not have all inclusive, we shouldve cause everyone I talked to that had AI said it was great. And that the drinks were good and not soft. I know alot of people mentioned that the beach at Costa real is small, and it is. However I thought it was a very nice beach, it was always people there and they have a bar right there so if anyone wantto have drnk just walk some steps and there you go!

Regarding the food I didnt eat that much from Costa real, however I had some breakfast a couple of times at the restaurant across the pool ( cant remember the name) but it was all you can eat buffet and it was very good! The waiters are really nice there sdo dont worry about bad service!

Hmm whatelse can I mention? Well I dunno but the whole impression of Costa Real was great! And it should be great too since Paris Hilton stayed there.


So I really recomend this hotel to everyone.


( and as I always write , be nice my grammar isnt that good )

[cant wait to get there]

Hi everyone. I hate that this is my first post, b/c I think I might be a little negative about the Gran Coasta Real.
I went for the 2nd time last Oct w/ a group of 4 women 2 men. 2 couples and 2 of the women single (being a friend and myself).
The hotel was VERY nice, the staff was great, we stayed drunk for most of the trip, and the recreation staff was hilarious. But, as they say, the staff makes the hotel a success. I might stay there again for that reason.
The downside of the trip was that we were bothered at LEAST 5 times a day by the timeshare salespeople. Calling the room, leaving messages saying come to the VIP tour, etc etc, it was important for us to call them so that they could explain things to us so that we don't have extra charges. Just annoying, and a waste of our time, just for a couple in our group to get caught up for about 45 minutes before they just got up and walked away. (I TRIED to warn them!) But, it seemed like when I complained to Salvador (our guide through the tour company), it stopped.
The 2nd negative about the hotel was that the water on the beach was GREEN. NOT the perfect blue water I remembered from just 3 months before at the Riu Caribe. Now, I assume it could be algae or something of that nature, but, it was very cloudy and very oddly green. I didn't go in it AT ALL. The beach was nice, yes, it was small, but, the staff would run to get chairs for your whole group if he saw you wondering around in your aimless drunken stupor. And there were always enough chairs.
Anyways...the best waiter we had in the buffet restaurant was Ivan, and it didn't hurt that he was very nice on the eyes. The food in the ala carte restaurant (can't remember any of the names, but, it wasn't the one you had to have the reservations for) was pretty good. We had steaks and baked potatoes. The other restaurant was Ok, but, I know that since it's a hotel restaurant, they aren't going to spice their foods as much as they usually would. I don't expect any food at the resort to be especially tasty b/c of that reason.
The bartenders were cute at the bar inside of the hotel. They would blush when you flirted with them and fill your drinks before you were even half done. And you can learn a little spanish while you're there.
We had the AI plan, but, we still tipped almost everyone we came across. That makes your trip even better, b/c people will do anything to help you if you are willing to give them a little money. Hey, I get it, I've waited tables...you remember those folks!
Anyways, it's a nice hotel, clean room, mini fridge, decent food, great service. Everyone has their own opinions.
To close...it's CANCUN! Who really cares WHAT the room looks like???

[Madd Dougg]

As Angela said already she didn't have AI but me and a friend did which made our stay here AWESOME!
Room service for breakfast and drinks etc or anything else we wanted in that case!!

[blueblue]

I am 25yrs old and I just bought a vacation package for my boyfriend and I. This was his b-day present. We are staying at the Gran Costa Real. I payed a total of 1,230 for our two flt tickets and hotel stay for 3 nights October 14th-17th. Is this a really nice hotel? Will I get my money worth? Can you recommend any cheap romantic activities while we are there? How much are the clubs? What is the best club and why? Is this hotle walking distance to clubs? Is this hotle in a good location? **I was going to stay in the Sheraton Cancun Resort but the travle agent talked me into staying in the Gran Costa Real and this cost me $200.00 extra.
I just want to make sure I give my boyfriend the best b-day ever.

Thanks for your time. [/b]

[blueblue]

How far of a walk is this hotle from beaches, bars and clubs? Is it in a good location?

[shoreladie]

The Laboom is right acroos the street .. The other bars u have to take a bus ..........

Grand Costa real just update there hotel when i was there last year ..

I think it was awesome Hotel for the money i spent .. I spent 8 days there ..

[marful]

HI ALL DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE GRAN COSTA REAL ??? BEEN GOING THERE FOR 6 YEARS AND WAS WONDERING HOW IT FAIRED. LOVE THIS PLACE :

still haven't heard from friends down there hopefully once internet gets up and running

thanks

[aztec_guera]

I am so anxious to hear from or see pictures from the Costa. It was helpful to see the pics of the BlueBay and the Argentina Steak house as they are close in proximity. My husband and I have been staying there every-other month for the last 11 years. We have made so many friends there over the years and consider them family. It is so frustrating to not be able to get in contact with any of them. If anyone has pics of the Costa, please post them.
Very sad.

[marful]

the costa real is awesome
food is ok but who really eats anyway.
every year we go me and the girls (NO MEN)
great times are friends with the staff and when we get there its omg crazy canadian girls again thats us!!!!! :canada: the upgrades are great if you ask for them we are just given because we've been so many times second home. Alberto.Alfredo , nery and ramone are some of the great staff. always something to do there.
so people go have fun

[aztec_guera]

For all of you wondering about the Costa :P :P :P Real, I spoke this morning with one of our friends there that is a Capitain. He said the hotel is in good condition with some damage to windows. No structual damage at all but a big mess. All employees are working to clean up. No phones yet but power had been restored late Tuesday. He estimated that the resort would be back up and running in a month. I told him I had resevations for the 3rd of December and he thought that would be no problem.
I did see that there is a picture of the Gran Costa Real on "Greys pics". It looks normal with the exception of the lack of palm trees and beautifully manicured courtyard. I was told that all employees and their families escaped harm and most of their homes are in-tact. Just a HUGE clean up task ahead of them.
Hope this helps for anyone wondering about the Costa. I will let you know if I hear of an exact re-open date.

[Lauraelle6]

Hello,
My boyfriend and I are going to stay at the Gran Costa Real May 2006.
I found these photos of the damage caused by Wilma. Copy this link into browser http://www.tacodip.net/Wilma/wilma6.html its from someone who got evacuated from the Gran Caribe.

[aztec_guera]

We have good news......
The Costa will reopen on the 1st!! We talked with Alex last night and made reservations for the 3rd-8th. I can't wait!!!
My husband and I have our annual employee (Costa Real) employee party scheduled for the evening of the 6th. I am cooking and my husband and kids are serving. This is an annual event where we can give back to the employees that have made us feel so special for years and years. I am so glad that Wilma didn't ruin our annual get-together.
If anyone would like to join us, let me know. We would love to have you.

[Wanda00555]

I’m so glad to have found this message board! I am traveling to Cancun January 4-8th and staying at the Costa Real. I will be celebrating my 21st Birthday :happy birthday: with 5 other women. I have some burning questions that I hope some of you regulars to the hotel and Cancun can answer for me:

1. What is the current state of the hotel after Wilma? I’ve heard it was open 100% on December 1st, but other sites don’t say the same thing. Wondering especially how the beach, pool, restaurants, service, etc compare since then. The pictures I saw off a link from this board looked like the damage was pretty bad.
2. What are some of the biggest downsides to the hotel? Any words of advise: how to get an awesome upgrade to celebrate my birthday in style, where to eat, or where NOT to eat at the hotel. :beerdrink:
3. With the All-Inclusive plan, what alcoholic drinks are NOT included? :dave: I am one who enjoys the malted beverages or fruity drinks. I’m wondering if there are included in the all-inclusive package. Also, I’ve heard there are mini-bars in the rooms…but are these typical mini-bars where you pay big bucks to drink from? Or is this also included with All-Inclusive plans?
4. How are the rooms at the Costa? Particularly since Wilma.
5. How easy is the transportation to local nightclubs to use? Is it reasonably priced? How late does the transportation run? How far of walk are most of the clubs from the hotel?:cdncat:
6. Do you recommend any shopping centers in Cancun while we are there?
7. Has anyone used the services at the Caribe Real hotel? I’ve heard you can use your All-Inclusive plan there. Can you eat, drink, beach, and do anything there just as you can at the Costa or can you only use certain services at the Caribe?
8. Is January typically a busy time for Cancun, especially given the recent Hurricane damage?
9. Any of words of advice, ways to celebrate , etc would be much appreciated!!! :lotsofmichaelf:


We originally were booked a Melia Turquesa, but the hotel was apparently heavily damaged and won’t be open for our trip, so we had to switch hotels. After much research, we decided on this one. My concern is that Cancun is really back up and running and the trip is as great as is sounded like it would be when we first booked in April 2005. I would greatly appreciate any and all comments on the hotel, conditions, and answers to the above questions!

Thanks a lot…..

Stephanie

[davissummer24]

I am wondering if anyone has any pics of the Gran costa andor its beach post wilma. Their website acts like nothing ever happend in Cancun Thanks

[Wanda00555]

I found some post-Wilma photos at this site: http://www.tacodip.net/Wilma/wilma2.html.

This is the days immediately following the Hurricane, so obviously it has changed much since. I don't know of others, but someone may have some out there. Things seem to be sounding better....heading there in less than 7 days!!!!

[Wanda00555]

Stayed at the Gran Coasta January 4-8th, 2006. The service was wonderful. We had a beautiful room, first floor- one pool side and the other ocean / beach side. Both were within steps of a bar!

The hotel itself seemed very put together considering the devistation evident throughout Cancun. The pool was a bit smaller than expected and a bit crowded and noisey at times, but there were tons of little ones there while we were- possibly due to the time we were there (end of winter break).

I think the biggest complaint is that you can't really sit in the lobby at the tables or bar at night and try to carry on a conversation with the people you are with. Entertainment was VERY loud and almost too much.

Maria's restaurant at the hotel was fabulous! I was celebrating my 21st Birthday with some friends and we made reservations there for 830pm...they throw a WONDERFUL party and we didn't leave there until after 1030pm, though it didn't seem like we were there more than an hour or so. Staff was excellent. Try the Mayan Coffee after dinner-- I am not a coffee drinker, but that was some darn good coffee! Too bad we can't drink it every morning!!!

Let me know if there's other questions I didn't answer...

Stephanie

[shoreladie]

Stephanie I stayed there two years ago ... I found it awesome ..
Remember u are on vacation ... The noise level what i excepted!! ITs canun!!

But all and all Im glad u had a great time .. Lisa

[Wanda00555]

true it is Cancun, but we weren't at a nightclub so I guess we expected a more relaxed atmosphere at the hotel in the evening to sit in the lobby and chat with.

Nonetheless it was a good trip!

stephanie

[mugway05]

Gran Costa Real Pics:

Views of hotel:





and Views from room over looking ocean:



Gran Costa Real Beach Bar:







Inside the Room....and Yes I know its Messy ok:



Some of the Food in the Restaurant:

[mugway05]

LOCATION: I thought the location of the hotel was great. It was handy if you did go to La boom as it is just across the road. Easy distance home. But hey it was only a 10 minute bus ride if that to main clubbing area. The buses stop out the front all the time and from memory I think it was like 85c. There is also a big tower next door to the hotel which over looks all the Cancun district. It is unreal views and a must for all.

THE HOTEL ITS SELF: From the moment we arrived we had that wow factor. It really is a quality hotel. It has a decent sized lagoon style swimming pool as you can see in the photos. There is a nice indoor bar and the ever popular beach bar. This is where I spent most of my time.
The rooms were a decent size and were cleaned daily for us. If you can ask for an Ocean view room at check in. The views from my room compared to some of the others were out of this world. I think I was very fortunate with room I got.

FOOD: As mentioned earlier there are 2 main restaurants at the hotel. 1 consists of sitting down all al a carte style food and the other was buffet. The be honest I only ate at the buffet restaurant as I could never be bothered making a reservation at the other restaurant. The food from the buffet restarant was amazing anyway. They had all your typical buffet style foods but also a guy working a BBQ. That was also. He would cook up scotch fillet steak and chops and other things. I just lived off the BBQ.
Also you are allowed Room service once a day. I did not use this facility. I had a few mates staying at the hotel as well that were not on All Inclusive. Therefor there food was hell expensive. I gave them my key and they would go and sit in my room and order room service. I think they had things like burgers & fries, Pizza...all your usual take out food. I think 1 of the guys also ordered a lobster on 1 day.

DRINKS: The most Important part of this hotel. Well that what I thought personally. If you are staying here make sure you are ALL INCLUSIVE. The drinks are quite expensive at this hotel also. If you have ALL INCLUSIVE you do not have to worry about anything. You can also order just about anything you want. Hence why I drank cocktails for a majority of the time I was there. They have all your hosue spirits there as well (Jim Beam,Bicardi,Vodka,Obviously Tequilla....etc.)

Service: The staff at the hotel will bend over backwards for you. If your sitting on the beach and you are feeling hungry you can just call a staff member over and they will arrange for some food for you. I would normally get a burger or pizza to snack on. They are friendly and will always have a yarn to you. If you need anything they will help you out straight away.

Activities: Each morning I woke up I would look out on my balcony and there were people in the pool doing water aerobics. It looked like a hell of fun......but I could never be bothered. They would set up Beach Volleyball Tournaments and Beach Soccer tournaments which was always a heap of fun....especially after a few drinks.
Being springbreak they also had a few other activities on as well. Such as the Beer drinking contest, the Belly Flop Beach Body Contest and the Tequilla Volleyball. These were hillarious to watch and participate in. The other thing I noticed is when they do have some kind of activity running....alot of people at the hotel get involved which I think is important.

Downside: To be honest there was not much I could fault about the hotel. The only thing I didnt appreciate was having to pay $40USD to bring a lady friend into the hotel late at night. But I think you will find these are common fees for most hotels around Cancun for guests after hours.