Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan: Must-See Resorts along Riviera Maya and the Yucatán Peninsula
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4 Perfect Days in Mexico’s Riviera Maya and the Yucatán Peninsula (Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan)
You are viewing part of Day 1 from our 4-Day Itinerary for the Riviera Maya, “Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan: Must-See Resorts.” Click on any of the days in the list below to view the post for other days. You can also click here to view our full, printable 4-Day itinerary with highlights from each day to help you plan your own adventure along the Riviera Maya.
Things to do in Puerto Morelos Mexico
Mayan Palace & Grand Mayan – THIS POST
- Settle in to the resort and check out the enormous complex of swimming pools
- Access sandy beaches and water sports along the Caribbean
- Choose from a great selection of restaurants at the resort
Tulum Ruins
The Best Beach in Tulum
Cobá & Pool Day
Ek’ Balam and Chichén Itzá
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Mayan Palace & the Grand Mayan
The Best Swimming Pools in Yucatán: Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan for the Win
There was a time when I slept in a hammock on a beach near Tulum. This trip, however, is a little different. It’s not that the girls aren’t used to camping or sleeping in tents and hammocks; this time, we’ve planned a trip with our best friends and their kids, so we wanted to stay at a resort as “home base” and explore the coast and inland sites from there. This trip, unlike backpacking the peninsula in crowded buses and staying at questionable hotels, is proving to be much more luxurious and relaxing, and we are still managing to get out and explore. (It also helps to have pools and snacks and activities on-site, because we are officially outnumbered. Kids: 9. Adults: 6.)
For our Riviera Maya stay, we picked the Mayan Palace / Grand Mayan, a massive complex that uses its own internal shuttle carts to move people around the property. We’ve been here before, when the resort was just being built. Aside from the main pool and central building facilities, the resort is almost unrecognizable after nearly two decades of development.
Jungle Walking Paths, Iguanas, and Flamingos: Just Another Day at the Mayan Palace and Grand Mayan!
The property also has long wooden walking paths that wind through tropical foliage and the resort’s flamingo sanctuary, a large, natural enclosure with dozens of the beautiful pink birds. Local iguanas and chattering birds add to the experience.
The resort features various swimming pools throughout the property, including a narrow “river” that connects the upper pools to the lower pools. The water flows past enormous statues stylized with Maya iconography and hieroglyphics. The enormous series of swimming pools at the center of the property facing the beach includes swim-up bars, pool-side thatched-roof shelters available to rent, and everything from water volleyball to shallow wading pools for the littlest swimmers. (I still don’t trust the whole swimming diaper thing, but I’ll save that for another time).
It’s especially fun for me to come back here after so many years, now with my own two little swimmers in tow. It’s one of the best things about growing up and growing older, watching the girls grow and learn and experience the world around them.
Sandy Beaches at the Mayan Palace and Grand Mayan
The beach sits just a few steps from the main pools, rocky in places and sandy in others. After a few hours of pool time (and a short nap for Renn and me), we wandered back down to the beach, where the girls searched for sea creatures and shells and other treasures. Piers extend from the beach out into the Caribbean Sea, and further down, Sea-Doos and other equipment can be rented for the day or by the hour.
Restaurants at the Mayan Palace and Grand Mayan
Another big change since I was here last is the number and quality of restaurants scattered around the resort. After a long first day of travel, pool time, and combing the beach, we decided to check out one of the many restaurants on site, Havana Moon, a Cuban-inspired restaurant facing the Sea. Outside, cigar rolling stations smell of leather and dried tobacco leaves, adding an air of authenticity to the experience. Inside, the open-air seating and colorful decor feel Caribbean, like you really could be somewhere in Havana.
I’ve been to Havana once and saw Fidel Castro and an entourage race by, into the tunnel under the harbor. Smelling the sea air and the scent of freshly rolled Cubanos makes me want to go back. That trip will have to wait, though, because we have a full itinerary for our time in Yucatán. The girls fell asleep quickly, despite the unfamiliar beds. Day one was officially a success.
Back to the Mayan Palace and Grand Mayan: Must-See Luxury Pools
We are huge fans of the Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace. Two more new reasons to love the resort are the luxury clubs at either end of the property facing the beach. These newly-designed areas feature cozy pools that wrap around and between semi-private seating areas with privacy screens, umbrellas, and various levels of planters and other visual dividers. There are larger, open swimming areas and smaller, more private enclaves if you’re wanting to relax away from the crowds at the much larger (and much busier) main pools.
By now, you’re probably starting to see a pattern in how we like to explore: start early with an historical tour, visit the ruins, or otherwise do something active, and then follow that up with a relaxing afternoon and evening. With younger (young-ish?) kids, this feels like a good pace, and we can spend time doing what we all enjoy without overdoing it or going so fast and furious that we’re all worn out after our vacation!
And just for the record, Renn loved flying up in the air over the pool. No toddlers were hurt (physically or emotionally) in the making of this photo. In fact, she keeps asking if we can just stay here forever. If only we could!
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