Grand Riviera Princess Resort and Spa in Mexico

Fresh off my trip to Aruba for Aruba In Style 2011, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I would be jumping right back on a plane to another, tropical location. (I know, life is rough!) The Grand Riviera Princess Resort & Spa is located just about 30 minutes from Cancun, Mexico, and while the resort might not be part of the ‘Hotel Zone’, there is certainly plenty to do here! From shopping, to dining, to massages on the beach, the Grand Riviera has enough activities for a week-long get-away without ever having to step foot off the property. With beach access, plenty of beach activities (jet-skiing, beach volleyball, even archery!), a plethora of pools, and nightly entertainment, one can easily come here to relax (or party) and have the perfect vacation, designed to fit whatever it is that caters to your lifestyle.

While this is a family friendly resort, (there are several children zones with playgrounds and activities), there are also adult-only zones, where you can party-rock, so to speak, without having to worry about censoring for little ears and eyes. Also, since this resort is all-inclusive, you can get your ‘drink on’ at any of the many bars located throughout the property, including several swim up bars in the pools; and for the Platinum Members, all drinks and room service is included. (There are a few different package options; the Platinum Package pretty much includes everything the resort has to offer, while some of the other package options are slightly limited to the non-top shelf liquors and do not include access to all of the resort’s restaurants). More after the jump…

Should you decide to do an excursion, the staff here are more than willing to help get you on your way. From horseback riding to para-sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving, to zip-lining and other adventurous day trips, the staff at the Grand Riviera Princess Resort & Spa are more than willing to guide you through the different options available. So far, I have opted for a massage on the beach, where Cindy, one of the hotel’s masseuses treated me to a very relaxing massage to the gorgeous backdrop of the palm tree lined ocean; and this morning, I participated in an off-property excursion to do a cave dive. The cave dive was absolutely one of the coolest things I’ve done, adventure-wise, and certainly warrants it’s own post. I took plenty of pics and video, so stay tuned!

As for the rooms, there are several options. Since my room is a Platinum Suite, I have the luxury of having not one, but two jacuzzis, one of which is on the marble balcony. While I absolutely love my room, some of the other rooms offer balconies that descend directly into a pool and have some of their own, unique perks. Upon arriving to the resort, the staff greeted us with Champagne and once we checked in, I found that our room was stocked with some fun surprises, including incense for burning at night, while soaking in the outdoor jacuzzi, a fruit basket, several bottles of liquor, and plenty of toiletries that go above and beyond the normal shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion.

Grand Riviera Princess Resort Mexico

The property is enormous and so there are large go-carts, or shuttles, that drive around to help make getting around the property a little easier. But, if you should decide to walk then there is plenty to see. The main walkway is lined with Mayan statues that are beautifully lit up at night and there is plenty of wildlife roaming the protected property. So far, on this trip, I have seen plenty of lizards (big and small), a large spider monkey, and while I haven’t seen one yet, I am hoping to see a Coati Mundi (a type of raccoon-like animal that I remember from my stint as a zoo-keeper – we had one as part of our docent program that was super friendly!) There are also some signs warning about ‘not feeding the crocodiles! Although I haven’t seen any of these yet, I will certainly be OK if I don’t!

Here are some more photos: