The Grand Oasis Cancun - All Inclusive

The Bahia steakhouse was the best part of the food for us. We needed a reservation, and our server Alexis made the experience amazing. Alexis, muchas gracias por tu servicio. One of the other all-inclusive restaurants wasn’t very good, and we couldn’t say much about the rest because they were closed when we tried to go. We’re still at the hotel, and it’s enormous, spread out, and easy to get lost in. In our room, there isn’t enough space to hang clothes for three people staying several days. The bathtub is too high to climb into, and setting the shower temperature is difficult because the glass door won’t move from its position beside the showerhead. The room doesn’t get as cool as I’d like, but a cold shower at night has been enough for comfortable sleep. About half the staff have been wonderful, while dealing with the other half has been complicated.

We planned this as a quiet week for my husband and me, but it was a miserable stay. Our shower never settled at a comfortable temperature, it was either hot or cold. Maintenance stopped the bathroom leak and fixed the door that wouldn’t shut, but the shower remained a problem. The food was gross, the service was terrible, and I was hungry every day. I’ll never go back. The beach day was awful too. We saw someone drown and die. In the hotel, we were also thrown out of a restaurant because my husband wore a tank top, even though women there were wearing bikinis with their breasts and bottoms exposed. There were extra-charge places at this all-inclusive. At the Gelato and Me ice cream shop, they asked us to leave because our wristband was the wrong color. When we checked in, we’d been told we could pay, and that was our intention, but the girl rudely refused to serve us. It was humiliating. We went to concierge and spoke with Diego, who gave us a different color wristband and told the shop employee to serve us, but the embarrassment had already happened. We also joined the pitch to buy into a vacation there, mainly so we could visit the Mayan temple at a lower price. It didn’t turn out cheaper, since we had to pay another $40 each when we boarded the bus. I felt the whole thing was a way to get as much money out of us as possible. I was willing to spend money, but being cheated and robbed wasn’t part of the deal.

The hotel looks beautiful, and some employees really do try to help, but the stay fell well short of what I expected for the price and the luxury image. There are much better organized, more modern hotels in Cancun with stronger service. I fell on the very slippery bathroom floor, hurt my ribs, and afterward had pain and trouble breathing. The staff’s first response felt disorganized and lacking in empathy. They seemed more focused on documenting the scene than helping me right away. The beach stayed covered in sargassum through most of our visit, despite the hotel mentioning environmental work and sargassum cleanup. Most loungers there were paid or restricted, which seems absurd at an all-inclusive. At Dos Lunas Restaurant, one waiter was very poor and unprofessional. We also had confusion and bad communication around charges and payments, including American Express and supposed environmental taxes. Housekeeping sometimes didn’t leave blankets or coffee. Internet service had lots of problems and didn’t work properly in several parts of the resort. The facilities are attractive to look at, but the service and attention to guests leave a lot to be desired.

The hotel takes some walking to get around. Our standard double room, as non-members, had no dresser and just one nightstand drawer between the beds, with a double outlet behind it. There’s another outlet if you lift the TV a little, unless you have a large wall plug. The phone was never answered, just busy or ringing forever, so walking down to the lobby is the way to get help. The TV shows streaming services but gives a network error when you try them. The key cards seemed to deactivate someone’s bracelet every day: my middle daughter on the second morning, then me and my older daughter on the third. My younger daughter was the only one who didn’t get a key card. Room service did refill the fridge water each day, make the beds, and take out the trash. There are signs inside public restroom stalls asking guests not to flush toilet paper, but nothing like that in the room, so I wasn’t sure what we should do. The rooms are a long way from places, so there’s lots of walking. I also got what looked like insect bites on the first day, before we spent time in our rooms. None of my kids had them, just me. Outside is lovely, with resident peacocks, a koi pond, and courtyard plants, trees, and flowers. I took probably 50 photos. There are two hammock areas and cozy outdoor beds near some pools. If you’re particular, you might want to bring a queen sheet for those beds. There’s a tennis court, but you pay if you didn’t bring rackets and balls. Havana Sports bar is big, welcoming red and black, with lots of tables, but only serves drinks. I only saw a pool table there, not the ping pong table Google AI said there might be. The winding pools stretch around much of the courtyard and under bridges, but they’re basically just pools, except perhaps for one spot where water spurts out. There are no slides, diving boards, mushroom fountains, or jets from the ground. The Oasis Palm probably would’ve suited my girls better. The food was better than lots of reviews suggested. We liked most dishes, though a few were missing something. The large elbow macaroni and cheese has an unusual, maybe acquired taste, so I wouldn’t necessarily call it kid-friendly. The bow tie pasta was excellent in all the sauces, including alfredo, rose/pink, and marinara. My family didn’t like the fish fillet, a big white lump that my child said tasted the way you imagine an old person smells.