Not So Grand Cozumel by Occidental.
Aug 29th, 2004, 02:41 PM
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Not So Grand Cozumel by Occidental.
My wife, 18 month old son, and I booked our trip via Funjet from 8/13 -- 8/16. We chose the Grand based on the suggestions of our travel agent. We've been to many resorts before throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, but the highest star ratings of our resorts have always been 5 AND we didn't have a toddler in tow. At 5.5 for $45 more, the Grand seems like a no-brainer -- well, on paper anyways.
Upon arrival at 10:30AM, we were told the rooms were not ready for check in. (Why on earth did Funjet get us here so early?! I'm sure Funjet knew about the check in time.) However, the receptionist did notice our by-now-very-cranky toddler, so she assured us that she will try to expedite the check in. In the meantime, she suggests we go layout by the pool. Being that our swim cloths were in the suitcases that the hotel staff so vehemently insisted remain at the drop-off area, we didn't feel like fussing with our luggage in view of on-coming hotel traffic. But to the hotel's credit (one of the few times), they did manage to get our room ready around 11:30am. Room was on the 3rd floor, however (this proved to be a challenge for the entire trip as we have to lug the stroller up/down).
So ratings to this point --
Hotel staff: so-so
Hotel grounds: Excellent
Room: Exceptionally clean.
After unloading our luggage, we head to the beach. It was a little walk from our room as we were located toward the front of the property. However, we did have easier access to all the restaurants as they were in the front. Upon enjoying the beachfront pool, we headed toward the beach club for lunch. That was when we got our first taste of the food here. Well, the food was terrible. The buffet was very limited (10 items available at the most) and the grill produced hamburgers that were burnt. The quality of the items available was deplorable. We resorted to eating nachos (about the only edible things here) and our son had soup.
With 'lunch' behind us, we made our way back to the room. Again, we didn't care for the flights of stairs (what, no elevators at 5.5 star resort), but the quality of the room sure made up for it. AC was very cold, TV was okay, mini bar was luke cool at best stocked with canned sodas and beers. Since room service was not available, I had to make several trips to the bar to get fresh milk for my son. The one bartender who noticed me making the milk request many times decided to give me the whole 1liter milk container to keep in my room. It a good thing my son has a healthy appetite for milk as the mini fridge was not going to keep the milk cold for long. Housekeeping, which was extremely superb during our stay, left behind plenty of water bottles for us.
Dinner was upon us so we made our way to La Posada, the main buffet restaurant. Hoping to put the disappointment of lunch behind us, we proceeded to enter the restaurant. There we were greeted by the 'Captain' of the crew who graciously sat us at a corner table. The 'Captain' got us a high chair and then lighted the candle on our table. We thought that this help improve ambiance, but after taking a whiff of the candle, we realized that it was citronella candle used to fend off mosquitoes -- how very romantic. Service was okay at the restaurant, but once again, food quality was very disappointing. About 15 items were available -- and the restaurant was at full capacity. The presentation was extremely poor - I guess to complement the taste? The chef behind the grill was very slow in cooking up pork chops. We had to flag down the ?Captain? several times as his staff was not refilling our drinks. The ?Captain? favorite line was ?Give a break? as if we were harassing him all night for drinks. All in all, dinner was total burst. I vow to wake up early tomorrow to make reservation for the exclusive restaurants.
Ratings to this point:
Service: hit and miss
Food: terrible
Drinks: excellent if you can flag a waiter down to get it for you.
The next morning brought about new challenges. As mentioned before, we stayed at many AI resorts throughout Mexico, but this is the first time that show a policy like this:
3 Nights Stay = 1 Dinner Reservation
5 Nights Stay = 2 Dinner Reservations
7 Nights Stay = 3 Dinner Reservations
Usually resorts don't care how many reservation to dinners you make, just a long as you made them in the morning before the slots fill up. We thought this policy was asinine. And on top of that policy, the receptionist was quick to point out that 'Proper Attire' was required. At the other resorts we went to, this was an unspoken, but understood rule; however, the staff usually let you slide if you got good shorts on. Hey, you paid a good fortune to be on vacation at BEACH resort, no one should expect you wear slacks!!! Well, the one time I decided not to pack my slacks and shoes on a trip......Needless to say, we didn't take advantage of the ONE reservation allow for us. Just as well, if they were snooty at sign-in, I doubt the wait staff will take too kind to us bringing a toddler to their exclusive restaurant for dinner.
Alas, the poor feeding continued for the rest of the stay. Just to give an indication on how limited the selections were -- on one pan you have boiled hot dogs and on another pan you have cut-up hot dogs sautéed with onions. Regardless of the time of day, dried up chicken in what can loosely be called a stew is always available. And the chef behind the grill was either too slow to cook the specialty meat of the day or doesn't know how to cook at all -- meats were always burnt. Guests just gave up on waiting and tried their luck with the other buffet items. It has gotten so bad that on one night, we saw many people just meandering around the buffet table deciding to themselves which of the food items taste bad the least to consume -- it was a scene from Night of the Zombies. Dinner was horrible each and every night. Were it not for our toddler needing to eat and sleep, we would have definitely caught the cab to town for dinner. Many of you would claim that buffets are buffets no matter where you go in Mexico and that we should have known that was the quality to be expected at an IA, but I beg to differ. This is by far the worst food presentation I have ever experienced on a AI trip! They are not even trying to make the food palatable. Food pans that were untouched remained on the buffet until the heat lamp burn the top to a crisp. No, I had my fare share of bad food in the past, but the food here take the cake (or should I say stale bread)!
La Posada was located next to 2 of the specialty, reservation-only restaurants at the resort. We passed by them each times we went to La Posada, but it seems that on any given night, you only see about 4-5 couples eating in them. I wonder if people were turned away for improper attire. The third reservation-only restaurant was the beach clubs that served lunch and then convert over at night. Be careful not to eat lunch there too close to cutover time - as the staff gets very agitated when they have to clean around your table. They refused to refill our drinks or removed our dirty plates in effort to get us out the door. However, as the beach club has the only full-serviced bar near the beach and pool people were always coming in/out to get drinks. You should see the grimaces on the faces of the who were people trying to clean up.
On the last night, after wife and son went to sleep, I was able to sample the pizzas at La Piazza -- the all-night joint. There you can get personal sized pizza in about 10 different styles. The pizzeria was located on the roof of La Posada. The scenery was very nice from up top, but the place was usually deserted. After eating that night, I know why. It takes the one chef behind the counter about 20-25 minutes to make your pizza. And while you wait, the lush, tropical climate made this high up place a haven for hungry mosquitoes. No amount of citronella candles would keep these suckers away. So I basically stood and move around the joint as I waited for my pizza. The pizza was okay, but it was kinda small (to have to make me waited that long). Had to eat on the run.
We couldn?t wait to leave the next day. All in all, we enjoyed the meticulously-kept grounds and wonderful pools and clean beaches at the Grand. However, the lack of creativity on food and quality of food made the stay here at the Grand extremely unbearable. We would not recommend this resort to any one ? let alone any one thinking about taking young children with them. I would have recommended the Allegro next door (since we had a wonderful at the Allegro at Puerto Vallarta), but it now owned by Occidental Properties, the company that owned the Grand. So no telling what 5 star Occidental hotel might have installed for you. For 5.5 star resort, the Grand fell short in just about every measurable categories! Don?t waste your money there.
Upon arrival at 10:30AM, we were told the rooms were not ready for check in. (Why on earth did Funjet get us here so early?! I'm sure Funjet knew about the check in time.) However, the receptionist did notice our by-now-very-cranky toddler, so she assured us that she will try to expedite the check in. In the meantime, she suggests we go layout by the pool. Being that our swim cloths were in the suitcases that the hotel staff so vehemently insisted remain at the drop-off area, we didn't feel like fussing with our luggage in view of on-coming hotel traffic. But to the hotel's credit (one of the few times), they did manage to get our room ready around 11:30am. Room was on the 3rd floor, however (this proved to be a challenge for the entire trip as we have to lug the stroller up/down).
So ratings to this point --
Hotel staff: so-so
Hotel grounds: Excellent
Room: Exceptionally clean.
After unloading our luggage, we head to the beach. It was a little walk from our room as we were located toward the front of the property. However, we did have easier access to all the restaurants as they were in the front. Upon enjoying the beachfront pool, we headed toward the beach club for lunch. That was when we got our first taste of the food here. Well, the food was terrible. The buffet was very limited (10 items available at the most) and the grill produced hamburgers that were burnt. The quality of the items available was deplorable. We resorted to eating nachos (about the only edible things here) and our son had soup.
With 'lunch' behind us, we made our way back to the room. Again, we didn't care for the flights of stairs (what, no elevators at 5.5 star resort), but the quality of the room sure made up for it. AC was very cold, TV was okay, mini bar was luke cool at best stocked with canned sodas and beers. Since room service was not available, I had to make several trips to the bar to get fresh milk for my son. The one bartender who noticed me making the milk request many times decided to give me the whole 1liter milk container to keep in my room. It a good thing my son has a healthy appetite for milk as the mini fridge was not going to keep the milk cold for long. Housekeeping, which was extremely superb during our stay, left behind plenty of water bottles for us.
Dinner was upon us so we made our way to La Posada, the main buffet restaurant. Hoping to put the disappointment of lunch behind us, we proceeded to enter the restaurant. There we were greeted by the 'Captain' of the crew who graciously sat us at a corner table. The 'Captain' got us a high chair and then lighted the candle on our table. We thought that this help improve ambiance, but after taking a whiff of the candle, we realized that it was citronella candle used to fend off mosquitoes -- how very romantic. Service was okay at the restaurant, but once again, food quality was very disappointing. About 15 items were available -- and the restaurant was at full capacity. The presentation was extremely poor - I guess to complement the taste? The chef behind the grill was very slow in cooking up pork chops. We had to flag down the ?Captain? several times as his staff was not refilling our drinks. The ?Captain? favorite line was ?Give a break? as if we were harassing him all night for drinks. All in all, dinner was total burst. I vow to wake up early tomorrow to make reservation for the exclusive restaurants.
Ratings to this point:
Service: hit and miss
Food: terrible
Drinks: excellent if you can flag a waiter down to get it for you.
The next morning brought about new challenges. As mentioned before, we stayed at many AI resorts throughout Mexico, but this is the first time that show a policy like this:
3 Nights Stay = 1 Dinner Reservation
5 Nights Stay = 2 Dinner Reservations
7 Nights Stay = 3 Dinner Reservations
Usually resorts don't care how many reservation to dinners you make, just a long as you made them in the morning before the slots fill up. We thought this policy was asinine. And on top of that policy, the receptionist was quick to point out that 'Proper Attire' was required. At the other resorts we went to, this was an unspoken, but understood rule; however, the staff usually let you slide if you got good shorts on. Hey, you paid a good fortune to be on vacation at BEACH resort, no one should expect you wear slacks!!! Well, the one time I decided not to pack my slacks and shoes on a trip......Needless to say, we didn't take advantage of the ONE reservation allow for us. Just as well, if they were snooty at sign-in, I doubt the wait staff will take too kind to us bringing a toddler to their exclusive restaurant for dinner.
Alas, the poor feeding continued for the rest of the stay. Just to give an indication on how limited the selections were -- on one pan you have boiled hot dogs and on another pan you have cut-up hot dogs sautéed with onions. Regardless of the time of day, dried up chicken in what can loosely be called a stew is always available. And the chef behind the grill was either too slow to cook the specialty meat of the day or doesn't know how to cook at all -- meats were always burnt. Guests just gave up on waiting and tried their luck with the other buffet items. It has gotten so bad that on one night, we saw many people just meandering around the buffet table deciding to themselves which of the food items taste bad the least to consume -- it was a scene from Night of the Zombies. Dinner was horrible each and every night. Were it not for our toddler needing to eat and sleep, we would have definitely caught the cab to town for dinner. Many of you would claim that buffets are buffets no matter where you go in Mexico and that we should have known that was the quality to be expected at an IA, but I beg to differ. This is by far the worst food presentation I have ever experienced on a AI trip! They are not even trying to make the food palatable. Food pans that were untouched remained on the buffet until the heat lamp burn the top to a crisp. No, I had my fare share of bad food in the past, but the food here take the cake (or should I say stale bread)!
La Posada was located next to 2 of the specialty, reservation-only restaurants at the resort. We passed by them each times we went to La Posada, but it seems that on any given night, you only see about 4-5 couples eating in them. I wonder if people were turned away for improper attire. The third reservation-only restaurant was the beach clubs that served lunch and then convert over at night. Be careful not to eat lunch there too close to cutover time - as the staff gets very agitated when they have to clean around your table. They refused to refill our drinks or removed our dirty plates in effort to get us out the door. However, as the beach club has the only full-serviced bar near the beach and pool people were always coming in/out to get drinks. You should see the grimaces on the faces of the who were people trying to clean up.
On the last night, after wife and son went to sleep, I was able to sample the pizzas at La Piazza -- the all-night joint. There you can get personal sized pizza in about 10 different styles. The pizzeria was located on the roof of La Posada. The scenery was very nice from up top, but the place was usually deserted. After eating that night, I know why. It takes the one chef behind the counter about 20-25 minutes to make your pizza. And while you wait, the lush, tropical climate made this high up place a haven for hungry mosquitoes. No amount of citronella candles would keep these suckers away. So I basically stood and move around the joint as I waited for my pizza. The pizza was okay, but it was kinda small (to have to make me waited that long). Had to eat on the run.
We couldn?t wait to leave the next day. All in all, we enjoyed the meticulously-kept grounds and wonderful pools and clean beaches at the Grand. However, the lack of creativity on food and quality of food made the stay here at the Grand extremely unbearable. We would not recommend this resort to any one ? let alone any one thinking about taking young children with them. I would have recommended the Allegro next door (since we had a wonderful at the Allegro at Puerto Vallarta), but it now owned by Occidental Properties, the company that owned the Grand. So no telling what 5 star Occidental hotel might have installed for you. For 5.5 star resort, the Grand fell short in just about every measurable categories! Don?t waste your money there.
Aug 29th, 2004, 04:08 PM
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I am so sorry that your trip was marred by awful food. I don't know when you booked this trip but I checked into The Occidental Grand at the beginning of August because my travel agent sent me an email on it with a great rate. The first thing I did was go to tripadvisor.com and the reviews were worse than yours. For the sake of next time I do hope you'll try Tripadvisor.com, but in any event thank you for warning people here.
Aug 30th, 2004, 01:58 AM
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Right after 9/11 we went to PDC and never felt so ripped off, we hadn't been to Mexico for several years. The service was indifferentand the food except for breakfast seemed to be recycled. We agreed with other guests that for service and value...the Dominican Republic has Mexico beat.Next time check out the Sunscapes...very family oriented.
Aug 30th, 2004, 04:13 AM
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Sorry you were disappointed, but I think many large AI resorts are like this (in my experience). I end up at AI resorts on company trips and have about the same food experience you describe, pretty typically poor food. When I travel and I am paying my own way, I never go AI. Try a resort that is not AI next time, then at least the hotel is competing with local restaurants when preparing your food, they have to try harder to get you to eat at the resort.
The check in time is also typical, AI or not. We have finally adjusted to packing pool gear on top of the suitcases to easily be able to change for the pool while waiting for our room to be available. You did very well getting a room by 11:30! It would have been nice if your travel agent had let you know so you could have expected the wait for the room.
The check in time is also typical, AI or not. We have finally adjusted to packing pool gear on top of the suitcases to easily be able to change for the pool while waiting for our room to be available. You did very well getting a room by 11:30! It would have been nice if your travel agent had let you know so you could have expected the wait for the room.
Aug 30th, 2004, 05:10 AM
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While having a travel agent is a major help in planning any vacation, you still need to take some responsibilty for checking reviews and ensuring that the resort chosen is truly what you are looking for.
Lisa S
Lisa S
Aug 30th, 2004, 05:52 AM
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Several good posts here. I never go to an AI expecting top quality food. And, it is normal that rooms are not ready until afternoon--that is to be expected.
As for the Dominican Republic having Mexico beat, I disagree. Their are many fine hotels in Mexico just as their are anywhere--you just need to do your homework in finding one. (a travel agent may or may not help--some are good and others recommend the hotels which give them the most perks)
As for the Dominican Republic having Mexico beat, I disagree. Their are many fine hotels in Mexico just as their are anywhere--you just need to do your homework in finding one. (a travel agent may or may not help--some are good and others recommend the hotels which give them the most perks)
Aug 30th, 2004, 12:03 PM
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It wasn't just our travel agent's fault. I did a lot of research here and on tripadvisor.com. Knowing these things, I still booked, so I guess the majority blame is on me. However, seeing an upgrade to a 5.5 for just a couple of dollars peaked my interest.
That leads me to a question that some of you might be able to help with. I book through Funjet. They seem to have all the Carribean properties listed by their standards. For instance, the Grand was listed as 5.5 Starts, yet Expedia and Travelocity listed it as 3.5. We booked with Funjet before and saw the caliber of a 4.5 and 5.0 stars resorts. But when comparing these Funjet ratings to the big Internet sites, the Funjet ratings seems very liberal. I wonder how they (Funjet and Expedia) obtain the rating scales. I would appears that Funjet is being liberal on purpose to drive up the property values -- in hoping that you would book the higher-starred property for the premium. What do you think?
That leads me to a question that some of you might be able to help with. I book through Funjet. They seem to have all the Carribean properties listed by their standards. For instance, the Grand was listed as 5.5 Starts, yet Expedia and Travelocity listed it as 3.5. We booked with Funjet before and saw the caliber of a 4.5 and 5.0 stars resorts. But when comparing these Funjet ratings to the big Internet sites, the Funjet ratings seems very liberal. I wonder how they (Funjet and Expedia) obtain the rating scales. I would appears that Funjet is being liberal on purpose to drive up the property values -- in hoping that you would book the higher-starred property for the premium. What do you think?
Aug 31st, 2004, 06:15 AM
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I find the tour operators and online travel agents (Expedia, Orbitz) star ratings have little to do with the reality of the hotels quality--they are just ratings they apply to sell the properties they want to push. I really know no way to be sure--AAA's rating and Mobil's ratings have high standards but they do little to rate many Mexico properties. I would tend to agree more with companies like Fodors, Frommers and Conde Nast--all of which have websites. (I find the Fodors and Frommers guidebooks to usually be very much outdated!)
Aug 31st, 2004, 09:16 AM
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Oh dear Anthony! I'm so sorry you had such a truly awful experience. Cozumel has about a zillion really great restaurants that are (for the most part) quite reasonably priced.
Your post is classic for AI food though - it's almost never good, and the best one can hope for is adequate. Sounds like your experience was not unique at this property.
Vacations are so expensive. I spend literally hundreds of hours researching things to do and places to eat and the accommodations before I book.
We just got back from two weeks in Jamaica, and I would estimate that I spent 200 hours or more checking things out before I made a list of "approved" restaurants and selected the two places we stayed.
The other poster's suggestions of fodors.com and tripadvisor.com are very good. I also rely on where2stay.com.
I also disagree that the DR is better as far as service and value go. I've been to Caribbean Mexico many many times (including PDC) and always felt as though I was welcomed and got a good deal. For instance, we stayed at Playa Maya in PDC this year. REALLY nice place on the beach, steps from the water with great staff for $100 per night for a very nice room.
After a couple of underwhelming experiences with AI's in the early 90's, we never stay at them anymore.
Better luck next time!
Your post is classic for AI food though - it's almost never good, and the best one can hope for is adequate. Sounds like your experience was not unique at this property.
Vacations are so expensive. I spend literally hundreds of hours researching things to do and places to eat and the accommodations before I book.
We just got back from two weeks in Jamaica, and I would estimate that I spent 200 hours or more checking things out before I made a list of "approved" restaurants and selected the two places we stayed.
The other poster's suggestions of fodors.com and tripadvisor.com are very good. I also rely on where2stay.com.
I also disagree that the DR is better as far as service and value go. I've been to Caribbean Mexico many many times (including PDC) and always felt as though I was welcomed and got a good deal. For instance, we stayed at Playa Maya in PDC this year. REALLY nice place on the beach, steps from the water with great staff for $100 per night for a very nice room.
After a couple of underwhelming experiences with AI's in the early 90's, we never stay at them anymore.
Better luck next time!
Aug 31st, 2004, 03:18 PM
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All large tour operators negotiate prices with resorts that they use in their packages. It is to their advantage then to "promote" the resorts which will give them the best return on their investment. I used to work in the travel business. The incentives to sell properties is massive - regardless on the quality of the property. Good tour operators care enough about their customers to be fair and impartial in their promotions - hoping for return business and loyal clients. Others just go for the quick buck. Bottom line - you have to do your own research and lots of it. Consider the source of information, compare sources and make an informed decision. Its been my experience that truly exceptional properties rarely offer "great deals" - they don't have to.
Nov 29th, 2004, 05:32 AM
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We just returned from this property and we loved it. There were a few negatives, but what property doesn't have them?
It was an AI, so food was not 5-star quality. However, I thought that it was certainly better than expected. Everyone in our group of 7 always found something to eat.
I've posted an extensive report separately, but wanted to let readers know that our experience was quite different than Anthony's!
It was an AI, so food was not 5-star quality. However, I thought that it was certainly better than expected. Everyone in our group of 7 always found something to eat.
I've posted an extensive report separately, but wanted to let readers know that our experience was quite different than Anthony's!
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