My wife and I just returned from GR Solaris last night. We went with two other couples. We had previously went to the Solaris in Los Cabos in December and had an awsome time. We expected the same from this resort in Cancun. Check in was OK. We had to meet with our "personal representative" to get an overview of the resort and activities. It was more about getting set up for the timeshare presentation later in the week. I expected that so it didn't bother me. We all then went to the bar to get a drink and relax. The Bar was CLOSED until 6:30PM (Two more hours). We were horrified that we couldn't get a drink or something to eat after flying all morning.
On the second evening we were all invited to a welcome party at El Perrico restaurant in downtown Cancun. It was included in the package and they provided the transportation and buffet dinner at the restaurant. It was fun but the food was gross.
The food at the resort was OK (just OK). It was alot of the same stuff every day. The Marco Polo restaurant was very good and I would recommend it highly. The drink service on the resort was HORRIBLE!!!. We waited forever to get a drink and the waiter would come around maybe every 20-30 minutes and pick up empties and he would walk away unless you would call him over. Then it was another 20 minutes to get your drink after you ordered it. One of the highlihts of our trip was that we went on a tour to Chichen Itza (the Mayan ruins) that was very interesting and it was included in the package. After touring the ruins, we went swimming in a sink hole (very refreshing) and then had lunch. It was an all day event (8am to 5pm). After that, the resort had a gala dinner that was very nice. They served Lobster tail and steak. Now a little about the entertainment on the resort. Every night they have this HORRIBLE two person band play in the lobby bar. They were so bad that we even complained to the manager about them. I would rather listen to piped in music that these people. Every night around 9PM the bar would fill up and there would be alot of kids in the bar. These kids were 5 and 6 years old up to teenagers. While the parents were getting drunk the kids would run and scream through the bar. It was aweful. I understand that the kids are on vacation too, but they do not belong in a bar. The resort management should set up something were anyone under 18 needs to be out of the bar by 10 pm. The pool entertainment was loud and obnoxious every day but that was OK. We were going to get into the pool and partake in the swim up bar one afternoon, but when we arrived there were a few parents on the stools and the rest were taken up by kids and there was an unidentifiable white foam floating around the edges of the pool and people in there with babies in diapers so of course we decided to stay far away from that pool.
Finally, I would like to add that my wife and I are timeshare owners in Puerto Vallarta and we are used to a lot of customer service and having a nice relaxing memorable vacation. I don't know what the problem is at this resort, it may be that they are understaffed but most of the wait staff and bartenders just don't seem to care. I was to the point were I was glad to be going home and I don't think that has ever happened to me on any vacation I have ever been on (and we have been on many around the world). But, I am sure glad to be back home. I will start planning my next vacation soon and put this mediocre experience behind me. If I had to reccommend this resort to anyone, I would tell them to look elsewhere. I will not be travelling back to this resort again.

Just returned from a 8 day 7 night stay at the GR Solaris (June 19th – June 26th) – this is our 2nd visit to the GR .. 4th visit to a Solaris Resort and 5th visit to Cancun!

We were 15 travelers … 3 families! The other two families were traveling to Cancun for the first time ~ and after this visit they will be permanent fixtures in Cancun and at the GR Solaris!

Check-in at the GR was pleasant and quick .. all 5 of our rooms were ready ! Thank you Maggie! Cold drinks greeted us as soon as we reached the lobby – nice touch!

The rooms were clean, cool and had a beautiful view of the ocean!!!

The food was very good … dinners at the Marco Polo were incredible! Dinner at Rosemarinus was awesome and the deli was a delightful treat! Breakfast consisted of anything you could of thought of at the Café Solaris!! Made to order omelets … eggs anyway that you like them – perfect!

Room Service was delivered quickly and pleasantly. The entertainment staff and the shows were very good - the whole family enjoyed them!

The pools were very nice … each offered something different .. activities included water polo, water volleyball, bingo, a fashion show and a calm and relaxing adult pool. The pool bar and the servers didn’t miss a beat!!! Thank you Enrique and Luis!

The activities crew was excellent … there was always something going on somewhere … bingo, water polo, volleyball and more ! Alian, Christian and Jonathan got everybody involved!!

Another plus was the spa – this trip we decided to treat ourselves to a full body massage – it was very relaxing and the spa itself is beautiful – includes a hot tub and steam room. If given the opportunity you should stop by and take a look

The only minus was the beach … very narrow, rocky, the water was rough – but from what I understand the beach is government property so the GR and the Solaris doesn’t have too much say in its replenishment … I could be wrong ….

The GR is a smaller scale hotel in Cancun … not as many rooms as the huge places on the strip which is just what we like. The GR is smaller, the guests are recognizable and it has an excellent staff.

We’re already looking forward to our return trip!!!

We just returned from an 8 night stay at the GR Solaris and would highly recommend it and already have to several friends. I don't know if this resort is the right choice for everyonee, but it was for my wife and I who are in are early thirties and don't have any kids. We were looking for a resort that would allow us to refresh and relax and still have some fun and the resort delivered on all of the things that we wanted.

Some days we wanted things a little more quiet without being bothered and so we stayed in the adult pool, other days we participated in the many poolside activities from water volleyball and water polo to more unorthodox games. We saw the same people day in and day out and when we asked if people had booked any excursions everybody had the same answer, "thought about it, but why would I want to leave this place for a day, when it has everything?" As a result we got to know guests from all over the country because we would see them at the pool, at meals and at the shows and at the bar after the show and have made several friendships because the resort makes it easy to be approachable to everyone else.

As far as the beach is concerned, you can't top the waves of Cancun, but the erosion of the beach is a drawback. We have been to Cancun 4 times, the last time was a week before the hurricane two years ago and it is sad to see how much the beaches have eroded up and down the peninsula as a result of that storm. It used to be normal for all resorts to have beach volleyball, now it is so narrow a volleyball net stretches from the walls of resorts into the sea and unfortunately the Grand Solaris also has a diminshed beach. There are several large rocks close to the shore and you have to walk out several feet to get passed the rocks. Most adults are tall enough to walk out passed the rocks and get to a level area and still are high enough that your head is above water, but for children, they may not be tall enough to touch the bottom once they get clear of the rocks. With that said, the GR Solaris has faired much better than most other resorts in the area. The beachfront is large enough to allow for sunbathing (you need to ask the lifeguard for an umbrella) and you can access the water without climbing over huge boulders. We walked down to the Royal Resorts (which we had stayed at in the past and considered to be a high end luxury resort) and their beaches left no water access because of huge rocks and these are a series of three huge resorts connected to one another!

I loved breakfast, they had assorted fresh squeezed juices everyday (including unusual juices like Cantaloupe, Honeydew, kiwi, papaya and watermelon) and a great assortment of fresh fruit. They had a great assortment of food for all of their buffets and give you opportunities to try new things if you are adventurous and enough good ol' American food if you are less inclined. The nightly shows were surprisingly good, my guess is they contract with other venues such as Coco Bongo to bring some of their entertainers over to put on a first rate show that you get to enjoy for free.

My wife and I are not big drinkers so can't say whether or not drinks were watered down too much (if they were, it suited us fine) and don't know much about whether or not they use top shelf stuff, all I know is when we wanted drinks they were there, easy to get with limited wait and always tasted great.

While I can only describe the experience based on the things that were important to us, it appears they try to cater to a wide demographic. There were honeymooners, famillies with young kids, families with teenagers and college kids, family reunions, grandparents and great grandparents, hispanic and english guests, so the resort seems to have enough amenities to appeal to several different groups. They have a kid's area and kid's activities (but I can't really speak to how good they are).

The downsides have been documented elsewhere, but I concur:

Paper-thin walls (but we were in our room so seldom it wasn't much of a concern and it helped us wake up early to reserve a towel on a beach chair)

Not enough umbrellas (there should be one for every two chairs, not every four)

Beach is not what it used to be

Pool liner is like a gravel composite that is hard on feet and hands (get aqua shoes)

We were never even solicited to take the time share tour, so that was not an issue for us.

Travel Tip:

While you don't have to tip the service staff, it does help make the staff more attentive to you. We befriended a timeshare owner who said he brings 100 $1 bills and tips $1 at each meal and to his cleaning staff. It is enough to last him through the week and that $1 is enough to get the staff's attention and give him fast, courteous treatment. You will see several waiters multiple times and in multiple restaurants, so a little tipping goes a long way (pack some other denominations for the sit down dinner or for massage tips as well.)

Finally, the GR Solaris is a little smaller than other luxury resorts, which I prefer because it makes the experiences with other guests more intimate and you get to know the staff and guests in a more personal manner than larger resorts. The trade off is fewer restaurants (however, you do not give up privacy as there were many couples who chose not to participate in group activities and went through fairly anonymously).

If you are going to Cancun to spend most of your time at the beach you do not want to stay at the GR Solaris. The beach (sand area) was small and the rocks were big. The water kind of dropped off as soon as you entered. The water was rough and there were some days that you couldn’t go in at all. On the days that you could you were limited to the area you were in with all the other people that are at your hotel. If you did happen to fall you have a really good chance of getting cut/scraped up. There were no shaded areas and a handful of lounge chairs (probably because not many people hung out there).

Our room was clean but the air conditioning went off when sliding doors opened (lock was broken) so we were constantly closing the doors. Not to mention the noise it made when it went on. Smoking was allowed everywhere at the hotel. There should be a nonsmoking area/rooms. You could hear people in the rooms next door and at night it was loud. The food was good but it's always a buffet, which really gets old, its nice to be waited on when you are on vacation. The 2 restaurants that you could go to for dinner both required reservations not only a reservation but it needed to be made by 3:00. (This is difficult when traveling with children.) Also, there is an adults only section with a pool and which also has the Jacuzzi and this is not identified on the website. The pool did not have a traditional lining and left scratches on your hands/feet etc. Not to mention the tight quarters and not enough shaded areas. Each morning it was a race to the pool to stake out your spot (most people went down early and put there beach bags/towels on chairs and then went to eat breakfast to save their spot! As much as I would have liked to have the perfect spot at the pool for the day I think it is an absolute disgrace that grown adults would do this. The soft sell of the time share or vacation upgrade as they now call it was always present. You had to wear the ID bracelets at all times and the pick up drop off of the towels (if they didn't run out) and if you lost the bracelet there is a $75.00 charge and a $30.00 charge for each towel. I have been to Cancun about 10 times. The beach was the biggest disappointment of all. I will never stay at this hotel again.