This will be our most memorable stay EVER ! The service is impeccable, Carolina our concierge was available 24/7 for any of our needs . Leland got a sunburn and she went into the jungle for a special aloe vera and made a concoction that soothe his burns immediately. And Rebecca the housekeeper was magnificence . We plan on coming back in September 2024 with whole family of 14 people . We eat the at finest cuisine from French, Asian , Italian everything was excellent . My favorite was the French Restaurant Piaf . Tnanks you Carolina & Rebecca’s for making our stay the most MEMORABLE ever .

Everyone was so kind, generous, and helpful! We had the most lovely stay and enjoyed our trip with the most hospitable employees!

Beautiful resort with excellent service. We were greeted with a spotless room and friendly staff. Jorge was our concierge and did an excellent job with taking care of us the entire trip. Jorge at the Bistro was amazing. His friendliness and warm demeanor made breakfast experience a pleasure every day. Araceli and Jorge, Eduardo and Fernando at the Beach Service/Beach Bar took amazing care of our group and had one of the best espresso martinis at the Karaoke Bar. We enjoyed the drinks and the hammock on the beach. Everything was amazing. We even were greeted with Chocolate covered strawberries!

I have been to six all-inclusive Mexican resorts prior to Grand Cales Riviera Maya. this was hands-down. The best resort we have ever stayed at. The two main defining factors or the phenomenal food and the service was unparalleled. It was on par with a Ritz Carlton in America. Our room concierge Gabrielle in Ambassador was exceptional. he promptly responded to all of my text messages. our favorite bartenders were Jose and Pedro in the snack bar at Ambassador. Their drinks were phenomenal – especially the basil drinks. The pool constricted were outstanding - Enrique (he was so fun and tried to practice his English with us), Daniel (he went above and beyond – even opening our water bottles before we drank them), also Humberto and Jesus. These were all poolside at Ambassador.

- Incredibly family friendly- kids welcomed enthusiastically everywhere and plenty of kids to play with across the resort. The staff is awesome with kids and really engaged with them, practicing Spanish, talking about their interests- kids felt very welcome and comfortable. - Our concierge Francisco was incredible! He went above and beyond in every way- from helping rearrange dinner reservations, answering random questions, chasing down information for us- he really made the stay flawless. I didn’t expect to really “need” a concierge but he was just so helpful, from little things to big, he made our vacation really special. - They think of virtually everything- they even have a beach bag in the closet that you can borrow for your trip, a very small but helpful amenity - Kids club and teen club are amazing - we had to drag our kids out of them every day - All restaurants were kid friendly- even with fancy menus, there was always something for our very picky eater. Our adventurous eater had an amazing time eating sushi every day and trying local foods and fresh fish but the picky eater was always well taken care of with butter pasta, chicken fingers and other “kid-friendly” and judgment free options. The food at the buffets was also very high quality and we had great experiences with ordering at the pool as well. - Not only was the food kid friendly but the atmosphere at the restaurants was as well. Some of the restaurants are pretty upscale so it provided a nice opportunity to practice how to eat at nicer places (multiple courses, lots of silverwear, long menus, etc) - Service was great- even when it was super crowded. At the pool someone would be by frequently to take drink or food orders, bring dry towels, move an umbrella. You will always have an ice bucket of water- perfectly refreshed to always be cold! - My older son got hurt at the pool (entirely his fault) but I cannot speak more highly of how it was handled. They got us medical attention at the pool very quickly and called our personal concierge to be there and help/translate if needed. Luckily he didn’t need stitches but they have doctors on call and offered to have him seen for further help. They also sent “get well” balloons to the room which was very very kind and made him feel a lot better about the accident. Tips: - Bring inflatable pool toys/balls- they sell some at the resort but plan ahead and bring some inflatables and balls for the pool, everyone is welcome to have their own. Ditto beach toys- some rooms come with a set but helpful to have some basics packed if your kids are at the beach toys age - Bring lots of small bills, 5s, 10s, 20s. At bars/restaurants/pool the servers will bring you a “check” to sign as an opportunity to add a tip but there are other times like kids club, concierge, pool help that it is helpful to have cash. Not expected- service is great regardless, but a small tip goes a long way and is truly well deserved- everywhere we went people were exceptional. - Don’t overlook Zen- we are so glad we stayed at Zen, it was much calmer and totally beautiful. I had read some reviews that claimed Zen was “second class” but we didn’t experience that at all- it frankly felt VIP because the atmosphere was so much calmer. The pool was amazing- beautiful pools, lots of places to lounge & while they didn’t have organized pool activities (which is a plus in my book) it was still very kid friendly and plenty of kids around playing. They have a great hammock area in the shade that was a great place to get out of the sun. The shuttle to get to Ambassador was literally always there when we wanted to go and was a super easy 2 min air conditioned drive. We went back and forth multiple times a day and never waited. The landscape was so lush and we saw tons of birds and wildlife around the property- even spider monkeys! They have a petting zoo for the kids, mini golf and a man-made cenote. It overall felt more relaxed, less crowded and very beautiful. We never once regretted not being at the beach front property. - Reach out to the hotel concierge a month in advance to arrange nightly dinner reservations at peak times. There are lots of restaurant options but they fill up quickly and getting preferred times was a challenge. Be specific about what times work for your family. - Only criticism would be that during busy times, it’s difficult to get pool chairs. People start claiming them well before 7:30am and while there is a 60 min rule, we didn’t see it enforced. Best advice is to tip the pool attendant if you need help finding seats together and they did their absolute best to make it work, even when it was packed. It got better as the crowds decreased but was still a battle in the morning to find seats. It works out that my husband would go down early and grab some chairs, get cofre from the coffee shop and do some work while the kids and I got ready and eventually met him for breakfast. Going between 8:30-10 means you’re unlikely to get prime seats- early or late is easier. Zen was much easier to find good seats but there are less chairs.