Name: Grand Riviera Princess
Price range: from £962.96pp (7 nights includes flights and transfers)

Select Room & Board Basis | Mercury Holidays

Product Details

Pool

Week of hell….
I recently stayed at the Princess Hotel in Mexico, and it was one of the most disappointing vacation experiences I’ve ever had. I had beautiful memories of this place from 12 years ago, but unfortunately, it has been completely neglected and no longer resembles the hotel I once knew.

The room conditions were awful. One day we woke up with no power in the entire room. Another day, there was no water at all—we couldn’t flush the toilet or even brush our teeth. The air conditioning barely worked, and the humidity was so bad the sheets felt wet and smelled. At night, the plumbing gave off a terrible odor. The sink and shower were often clogged, and the toilet backed up easily.

Our balcony was covered in animal droppings for the entire week. I repeatedly asked for it to be cleaned, but no one ever took care of it.

The spa is old and falling apart. My sister had over 10 massages during the week, but the staff were still rude and would not let us stay even a few extra minutes in the Jacuzzi or spa area, which was poorly maintained anyway.

Breakfast was served in a dining area that smelled like sewage, likely due to a major plumbing issue affecting the whole property. The food was cheap and very basic. We ended up tipping the chef daily just so he could make us decent ceviche—honestly, that was the only good meal we had all week.

The hotel is outdated—old beds, worn furniture, and no entertainment or welcoming atmosphere. Staff were mostly unhelpful and at times disrespectful. What was once a wonderful resort now feels abandoned and mismanaged.

I truly don’t recommend this hotel in its current condition. It needs serious renovations, better staff training, and proper attention to guest comfort and cleanliness.

Very Disappointing – Hotel Has Gone Downhill

We were at the resort with our adult son’s and some friends.We had a great time the food was great the staff great I can’t complain about anything. The rooms are nice and clean they stock the fridge everyday. I enjoyed my trip so
Much care looking to go back in October but getting a swim up room.

Loved the resort and the people!

Extremely disappointed with our overall experience at the Grand Riviera Princess all-inclusive resort. 

Overall resort is very outdated and is in desperate need of a remodel. The first day we had a sink leak in our room and they had to call an engineer to fix it. Please be aware that half the resort is under construction. We were told that it started 2 weeks ago (April 2025) and will be remodeled sometime in 2026. Half the pools were off limits and the restaurants on that side of the resort were Relocated to buffet restaurant locations for dinner time.

Both my husband and I were highly disappointed in the food….mediocre at best. We ate at every single Ale-cart restaurant at the resort and nothing was impressive. The snack riviera buffet area/repurposed for mamma Mia and the steak house smelled really bad….couldn’t get over it.

Buffets were okay! Lots of options but the quality of the food was not great. For example, guacamole tasted more like store bought then fresh. 

ROYAL HOLIDAY - This experience ruined our vacation! We were taken to a table after check-in to talk about our vacation plans, and they asked if we were interested in learning more about Royal Holidays (hotel company) membership program. For our time, we would receive 2 massages, a beach bag and a bottle of tequila. We would meet with a sales rep the next morning at a welcome breakfast. We thought, why not! Next morning, we were escorted to a private area. We thought that this is where the special welcome breakfast would be but no…we simply were escorted to the main buffet breakfast area and ate there with the sales rep. 
Very awkward experience but ‘Brandon’ was nice to talk to. He told us that he was there to not sell us anything but to tell us all about the Royal Holiday membership program and all the benefits. 
He almost immediately started talking numbers and asked how much we paid for our current trip to Mexico. He then started talked about all the benefits to the program, gave pictures, maps of other resorts….

We then met Ari….to be honest, the worst part of the experience. She was the numbers gal, but also started showing us how to use the membership portal. She then transitioned to $$. Both my husband and I were not prepared mentally to make these sort of huge $$ decisions in the span of 90 minutes. We sat there for close to 60-90 minutes, where we were constantly finding different ways to say NO. They always wanted a #, so they could close some sort of deal…..My husband and I were firm on  not making these types of $$ decisions without thinking it over for a few days. We made it clear that we did not want to make this type of commitment. They finally said that they understood our no and their manager was coming over to check us out. Rodolfo (the manager) made one last ditch effort to close a deal with us….we were exhausted….i had a headache and wanted to start our vacation. And he BROKE us, after what felt like extreme pressure…

Over the next few hours, my husband and I were regretting our decision….we were pressured to commit to a company that we’ve had NO experience with….we were pressured relentlessly in a restricted time frame to spend thousands of dollars….it all just felt wrong and weighed over our heads….we went back a few days later, complaining and they did grant us our money back but from what I can tell that is not the norm. PLEASE be WARY of these sales reps! They are all over the check-in area at the resort….

The Spa - The main spa is in the jungle? Sort of and definitely wasn’t a luxurious space. Makes me think that this was a spa relocation while they are remodeling. 
The massage area was completely open to other guests and other workers. My husband and I both enjoyed our massage but I felt extremely uncomfortable getting undressed and dressed. My husband had to create a barrier, as other waiting guests could easily see me with my top off. 

Also please note that the beach and front check-in area are VERY far away from each other. The shuttles were a nice touch.

Main Plaza Entertainment - I’m not sure if that stage was relocated because of the construction but the space was very small. Not an ideal area for nightly entertainment. 

Overall, as stated before, not impressed with this resort. Royal Holiday ruined our experience. The construction was not a nice touch and ruined some nightly entertainment experiences. Food was okay, borderline bad, hotel definitely needs the remodel. Truth be told we will not be going back.

Extremely Disappointed - Royal Holiday Ruined Our Vacation

Another incredible trip at this wonderful resort. 
My husband and I got married at this resort back in 2013, so for our first family holiday, we wanted to return. So glad we decided to stay here. 
The food was great, the staff was wonderful and the room was perfect. 
We chose a family swim up suite and in my opinion, the swim ups are worth the extra money. I actually can’t believe how spacious these rooms are.  The bunk beds are big, comfortable and the kids slept so well.  The kingsized bed is actually king size (we’ve stayed at hotels where it’s advertised as king but definitely is not) 
The room was nice and cool too.  
The Sunset side was closed for construction but the way that it is sectioned off, it didn’t bother us at all. We didn’t hear ANY construction noise at all. 

We stayed in the family club and the family buffet and Icecream shop were a hit with the kids.   It’s farther from the beach but only about a 6-7 min walk or 2 minutes by shuttle and the shuttles run constantly. 

The only thing to be aware of is the people who will invite you to a meeting about Royal Holiday. Read reviews on the BBB before you agree to take a meeting with them. We did the meeting, sat through 3 hours and were almost convinced. Thank goodness we said no and read reviews after.  They did give us platinum bracelets which were very much worth it but just be cautious. 

Thank you to the entire staff for making it the absolute best first family trip we could have ever imagined. 

Can’t wait to come back next year after Reno’s.

Incredible Family Vacation

Parents and relaxers, listen up! 
Half of the hotel is shut down for major renovations that were advertised to start in May. For that reason  we got tickets to avoid the ruckus. We arrived on April 22 and Reno’s are fully under way weeks earlier. It’s such a vacation killer with noise and all sorts of dividers. Plus it’s less walking spaces and closure of some restaurants. Also, at the moment it seems like there’s a huge Cancun party vibe with a bunch of 20 year olds partying til dawn and being quite disrespectful, including constantly banging and shouting. We reported to front desk and all they did was call the room. The night before, someone hit it pushed out good so hard that it felt like a break in. My son woke up and got scared. Nobody wanted to do anything. So this mother of 2 babies had to go up and unleash the unpleasant side of herself at 3 am.   

We were here in 2019 and everything was “what you see is what you get” -gorgeous grounds all around. Just visual eye candy as you walk the paths. Food and beach were amazing. Still are but This time because of the shut down of HALF of the hotel, there are green mesh barricades along the length of the resort.  You’re constantly crammed with into buffet restaurant. We actually couldn’t find a spot for 4 of us with a stroller for breakfast. With small kids we don’t do a la cart because of lack of selection for little ones. Plus, buffet is always top notch for food quality and selection. We  loved the Mexican night but by 8:30 pm there were no churros! It’s Mexican night! We’ve waited a year to enjoy them regularly. I mean How? Why are you not replenishing something traditional and high in demand. 

Ice Cream shop used to be open to all clients. This time we came and the lady said sorry for Kids Club members only. Seriously?  My two little ones were excited because mama said we will be going there every day. The staff at the shop said they will  make an exception but only for your kids and only for today. After that you have to pay. We were shocked. So we entertained the idea of inquiring about the cost. They said there’s no spaces or spots available. Again, WHAT??? 

Rooms. We got the basic room and it’s fine. But we had almost no light because all lamps were removed. After asking 3 times we finally got 1. There are no clothing lines and nowhere to hangs wet stuff. There is also no drawers to put your belongings, and we are here for 10 days. My friends have a bigger room and they also don’t have any dressers. A lot of little things are damaged or jammed or squeaky. Our shower door doesn’t close so it’s always a pool outside of it. 

Staff! Some are still lovely and pleasant. But perhaps due to lack of tipping some staff seem unhappy. My husband was going to take a table in the buffet closer to food by the window so we can leave a double stroller out of the way, the server said no, someone is here. 3 seconds later a woman behind him said can we sit here and he said yes of course. What???  We got stuck looking for a seat for at least 10 min because everything was packed and we didn’t want to sit 1km away from food because of little ones. It’s in and out type of deal for parents. And with a double stroller, with Huntley 1,5 and 3 yr old is challenging as is. 

I told myself I’d try an turn a blind eye but the amount of money we pay to get a break from everyday life and just be a family, is concrete grounds for high expectations from a 5 star resort. 

So  if you wish to relax and just be free of everyday stress, at the moment Princess is not worth the money. Save it and go to another 5 star like DREAS. They know exactly how to run their hotels.

Unpleasant Renovations and party central at the moment.

Surrounded by tropical gardens and an extensive pool landscape, the Grand Riviera Princess has Mayan inspired architecture with thatched roofs and enjoys a wonderful setting directly on the white sandy beach and the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. Various thematic restaurants leave no culinary wish unfulfilled, 10 bars and a wide range of services and amenities are at guests disposition.

Europe

Norway

Escorted Tours

Cruises

South East Asia

Laos

Private Tours

Antarctica

Poland

East Asia

Japan

Escorted Rail Journeys

Hong Kong

Singapore

North America

Canada

Vietnam

Holidays

Solo Tours

Thailand

Multi-Centres

China

Indian Subcontinent

India

Kerala

Nepal

Escorted Walking Tours

Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka

Turkey

Seychelles

Latin America

Guatemala

Lithuania

France

River Cruises

Spain

Croatia

Bali

Malta

Chile

Argentina

Algarve

Africa

Morocco

Cyprus

Middle East

Abu Dhabi

Albania

Indonesia

Taiwan

Madeira

Mongolia

Colombia

Egypt

South Africa

Philippines

Madagascar

Namibia

Bhutan

Botswana

Central Asia

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Tibet

Caribbean

Jamaica

Portugal

All trip types

Cambodia

Costa Rica

Dubai

Maldives

Mauritius

Kenya

Australasia

Australia

Cuba

South Korea

Czech Republic

Tanzania

Peru

Brazil

Romania

Jordan

Kyrgyzstan

Borneo

Malaysia

Uzbekistan

Tenerife

Lanzarote

Benidorm

New Zealand

Fly Drives

Mexico

Israel

Ecuador

Netherlands

Italy

Austria

Iceland

Oman

Gozo

United Arab Emirates

Costa del Sol

Greece

Gran Canaria

Antigua

Grenada

Majorca

Saint Lucia

Barbados

Fuerteventura

Opening Times

Mercury Holidays opening times

About Us

Contact us

Online Brochures

Order a FREE Brochure

Terms and Conditions

ABTA & ATOL

How to Book

Holiday Insurance

Airport Extras

Charities we support

Early Holiday Booking

Privacy Policy

More Info

All inclusive holidays are all about keeping things simple and stress-free. Leaving you with the sense of relaxation, knowing everything is covered and there are no extra expenses!

All-Inclusive

Pay no extra for being a solo traveller with our no single supplement special offers!

No Single Supplement & Solo Offers

Stay longer for less, with our stay 14 nights pay for 7 nights holiday deal! This offer is available with a great selection of our hotels

2nd Week Free & 14 Night Offers

Stay 21 nights pay for 14 nights! Choose one of our excellent value long stay holiday offers. Stay longer for less!

3rd Week Free & Long Stay Offers

Discover our very best holiday, tours and cruise offers, hot off the press!

Newspaper Offers

Special Offers

Save £400 on selected Autumn Tours

View Tours →

Exclusive Discount Unlocked

Exclusive Discount Unlocked - Save £100pp on all 2026 Tours with discount code DEAL100

Special Offers (view all)

Trip Type

Sort by

More Info (view all)

Grand Riviera Princess