GR Solaris - Cancun, Mexico
Okay everyone, the time has finally come! We've done our first ever all-inclusive resort! After years of debate and being nervous about traveling to another country (other than a cruise), we put all of that behind us and picked an all-inclusive.
Booking an all-inclusive was very difficult, mainly because we had no idea what to look for, where to go or what is considered good. With cruising it is generally easy to get information from groups and pages. All-inclusive's are a bit different, information is hit-or-miss and there is no real groups or sites dedicated to it overall. That is what we try doing with this blog and our Facebook group, try to make it easy for everyone looking for information.
On to our final decision on our resort. We came across the resort on a deal we found while looking on Cheap Caribbean's website. It wasn't too large and not too small, the flight from Orlando wasn't bad and everything seemed to be a right fit for us. Some resorts we saw were very large and some even had shuttles to get from one part to another, that was something we didn't want on our first time. We did a lot of research for a very long time and making a choice wasn't easy. We were excited once we did, also nervous.
Now onto the day of leaving from home. We live in Orlando and we're just minutes from Orlando International Airport. It was a smooth ride in and even easier parking and getting to the terminal. This was our first time going to this airport. Once in the security for international wasn't too crazy, but the TSA agent's did allow several of us to get out of the line and straight through to security, which was really nice. Before security you can also check out the SeaWorld, Universal and Disney Stores that located before the security entrance.The Jetblue terminal where we were (also had other airlines) was a good size and had a few shops and places to eat. We decided since it was early morning we picked up some Burger King in the terminal. The part that sucked was that they don't take coupons. My suggestion is if you're a soft drink person, get a drink here, they have the fountain that you can refill if you want for free. From sitting at the terminal at our gate for a bit we took a 2 hour flight down to Cancun. Flight wasn't bad, very smooth and quick. Jetblue has always been my favorite line to fly. Getting into Mexico was also smooth, we went through customs, which took about 20 minutes or so. Now here's the thing, once you're done with customs and you're free to enter the country you will walk through a door and make a right. On both sides of you, you will see people trying to call you over. Don't do it, they are just trying to sell timeshares. So keep walking and you will come outside. For us, we arranged a transfer service to and from the resort, which was about 20 minutes away. We found who we needed to and go on the bus to the resort. There was a slight hiccup since the rep didn't know which resort was ours, not a big deal he stopped at our sister resort then ours. So overall I was shocked at how smooth the travel was from home to the resort, probably the smoothest travel I've personally ever had.
Time to tell you about our resort. Upon checking in, the people who work there will try to talk you into getting something for free, don't waste your time, tell them "no thank you" and go drop your things off in your room. The resort isn't too big, which we say is good for a first timer. Everyone we encountered was all very friendly and the language was not an issue anywhere at all.
The grounds were very nice and the hotel overall was up-kept pretty good. The pool area was very nice, plenty of swimming room, not many people in the pool most of the days. The beach when we went was a bit rocky so we couldn't enjoy it much at all. But it was only steps away from the pool. Food was good as well, everything from the breakfast to the specialty restaurants. Didn't find much we didn't care for.
One major complaint we had on this trip was our room, we were just in a bad spot. Which could have happened anywhere. One issue is the floors are all tile and it helps with the noise. Every night between 12am and 3am we were woken up to people screaming and yelling. Another day we had an issue because they were painting the rooms across from us, so we had the smell all in our room for a while. Glad it went away after a while.
Entertainment and activities were a bit lack-luster for us. Not much going on during the day, they had a lot of pool activities but not really much else. The nightly shows were okay, nothing great at all. At times very comical. But for us after seeing so many amazing shows, these were near the bottom of our list.
Overall we enjoyed our stay here, we had good and we had not so good at times. It is a great resort for anyone looking to get away for a few days and just want a place to relax and have some cocktails. This isn't much of a party resort, which was great for us. Moving forward from this we will come back to Cancun, but maybe to a slightly bigger resort with more to do. We knew this time around wouldn't be the best, which was fine and what we wanted. We wanted a feel for the experience and we really did get a good experience here.
Pros
- Food we really enjoyed, plenty of variety and flavors were great.
- Room service was also good, flavors were great.
- Drinks were good at the lobby bar, pool drinks were generic and nothing great.
- Being minutes from the airport was great, perfect location.
- Every afternoon they make coffee in the lobby, which is spiked. One of the things I missed the most about our stay.
- Our room was very clean.
- GR Solaris had one of the nicest kid areas we've ever seen. They put a lot of thought into the kids who stay here. Even small lounge chairs.
- Easy check-in and check-out at the resort made things very easy.
- Printing boarding passes and checking flights can be done at the two computer terminals next to the front lobby desk. No need to pay for internet.
- The staff was very friendly.
- Our travel was very smooth, both going there and coming home.
- Amstar transfer service was very easy, just make sure to get confirmation number from the airport rep who drops you off.
- Before one of the shows we watched they had a full buffet right outside of the theater, thought this was a great concept. Also the theater had tables inside so you could sit and enjoy your meal.
Cons
- The hallways became very noisy, especially at night.
- Paper-thin walls made it so you constantly heard neighbors. Even all night when their tv was on.
- The drinks were very iced down from the outside bar and pool bar. If you get it from the lobby bar and restaurants you will be fine, better quality. Or just get shots!
- Every morning we saw people putting towels and their items on chairs, not to return again for hours. Staff didn't do anything with this.
- Nothing to do, other than the pool activities.
- Didn't see location of the cooking demos or anything else not at the pool.
- Movie theater had movies but never saw times or what was showing.
- Only one pool table at the lobby bar, wish they had another one or something else to do.
How Does an All-Inclusive Compare to a Cruise?
Now here is the question that you may have if you've never done an All-Inclusive before. I'm going to talk about how it is similar and how it is different from each other. Now we only have this one resort that we have to go off of and we know other resorts may be better in certain areas, but at least want to put our thoughts as of now.
Entertainment: Cruising is the clear winner here. Cruises have some of the best shows you will ever see anywhere. Shows straight from Broadway, on ships.
Food: The food can be a bit of a tossup, cruising has better options depending on the ship and line. However we were impressed with the quality and variety of the food we had here. Cruise line food at this point overall is lackluster for the most part, and if we've done 27 all-inclusive resorts I'm sure we'd say the same here. But food in Mexico was very enjoyable and might have the upper edge comparing it to ships with limited options.
Drinks: We've never got the drink package on any cruise, we feel it's not worth it for what we would drink in that timeframe. At an all-inclusive we enjoyed being able to have them included and able to get them anytime without questioning anything. On a cruise sometimes it's different tiers depending on your package. Yes I understand that we are paying for it in the price of the resort, but overall the pricing wasn't horrible. For a 3-night cruise it would run about $300 to $400 on a package, not including anything else.
Pool: All-Inclusive wins, the pools on ships are small and not enough room to enjoy it. The resort had three pools and all were a great size and never too crowded.
Chair Hogs: Well.....I say a tie on this one. Might be worse on a cruise because sometimes your chair is much further away then an all-inclusive.
Specialty Dining: We really enjoyed the overall variety and flavors of the resort, some of the best dishes I've ever had. On a cruise they have great food at times, but nothing I will say was the best I've ever had. The option would vary from ship to ship and resort to resort. Hard to say who'd win here.
Location: At the resort we're in the same spot day-after-day, unless you do an excursion. We choose not to, which is what we planned. A cruise you wake up in a new part of the world everyday. You can start in Florida and by the time you get home the next week you could go to several of the best places you've ever been to.
First Day: I choose an all-inclusive for the win here. The first day on a cruise I hate with a passion. From having to get to the ship, then wait in the terminal to getting on and not being able to head to your room until a certain time. Followed by the safety drill and it's an early night because you're so exhausted. Now keep in mind, to date we've never flew to a cruise, most we did was a 3hr drive. By the end of the first day of a cruise we're in bed early. At an all-inclusive once we arrived we were in our room in no-time and the vacation begun.
Room: Rooms vary based on what you book, so let's base this off the best room we've ever had, which was on MSC Divina when we had a balcony. As great as that was the space was limited. At the resort it was more open and nothing beat the view we had on the turquoise waters.
Activities: Cruise wins this section, they just have an overall better variety. At the resort it was very limited and could easily get bored if it were to rain or didn't feel like doing the pool.
Overall: Overall at the end of the day we prefer cruising. Feel we get more for our dollar on a cruise, the experience on a cruise is what we want it to be based off where we go. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean we won't do another all-inclusive. I've already looked for another option. The both have good and bad but for us we still love our cruises.
Now onto our photos to check out our trip. You can also see our YouTube video on our channel, that link we be posted at the bottom of this page.
Orlando International Airport
We start our adventure at Orlando International Airport, this is our main airport and the airport you will travel to if flying in to come to Disney World. Everything was very smooth, both leaving and returning. Once you get into the terminal before you go through security they have a Disney, Universal and Seaworld store. Once through you have a few more stores as well as some food options. Felt Cancun had much better options but they offered the basics. The airport overall was very nice and very easy to get around. From entering the airport area to parking to getting to the terminal and through security, everything was a breeze. I'm sure this won't be the case every time but we will take it this time around.
GR Solaris - Cancun
Overall we had a good time. The resort isn't too large, so getting from place to place was quick and easy. Wish they had a few more locations, such as bars or lounges. For a first time going to an all-inclusive it was really nice. Staff was very nice and the grounds were all kept really well.
Lobby & Bar Area
Once you walk into the resort you will head to the front desk to check in. Now after checking in you may get bombarded with people asking you if you want to do this or that for something for free. Don't waste the time, it's for timeshares. You may get a person just looking to take 2 minutes to tell you how to book and how to get around the resort. Very helpful information. After you check in and drop your luggage off, come back down and get a drink in the bar area here. They have the best drinks since they are not like the ones at the pool, much better presentation and flavors. You can also sit back and listen to music or play pool. Or if you're looking for an afternoon pick-me-up, make sure to get one of the coffees that are made everyday to-order. Did I mention that they are spiked!
Main Theater
The shows were something that weren't the best we've seen, but nonetheless it is entertainment and nice to have something at night to check out. On some nights they offer a buffet that you can grab food before the show. We really enjoyed this, inside the theater they have banquet-style seating, so plenty of seating and everywhere had a great view of the stage. Also bar service was available. Food was really good!
Gym
The gym was nice, and not meant for kids.
Room
Our room had an amazing view of the pool and beach. It was very clean and a great size. Outside the room in the halls and the neighbors were horrible, very loud. It could be a random thing, but was the only main downfall of the trip. We loved coming out onto the balcony everyday and just listening to the waves crashing against the shore. The waves were rough our entire trip and beach time was very limited, but the view was stunning. The room service options were good and tasted great!
Outside Bar
They have a really great selection of drinks. We tried several of them. The drinks weren't too strong, but just get an extra shot and you will be fine.
Pool Area
The pool was really great. Plenty of great spots around the pool, also a swim up bar, which was nice. The pool is broken up into two sections. The main section hosted all of the pool entertainment, while the lower pool had some games hosted there. At times we had the pool to ourselves. Beware of the chair hogs, they get up and get to the pool area, so try to go early. We spend hours upon hours here everyday. Loved every moment of it!
Beach Area
The beach was very nice, waters were turquoise all of the time. It was very rocky and hard to enjoy it, but the view was stunning everyday. One of the highlights was just sitting on the beach and watching the ocean. Not a care in the world.
Adults Only Pool
We did not hang out here at all. It felt more of a cruise ship pool than anything else. Smaller and full of people around it all of the time. Did also see kids here a lot.
Kid's Area
GR Solaris took very well care of the kids area at their resort. They thought of the most unique area for them. This is a great place for them to hang out.
Buffet Area
The buffet was pretty good. It switched locations depending on the time of day. Had a good variety of food. Staff was great and worked hard to make sure we were so happy. My highlight was during breakfast, the food was so good and such a unique variety. They won me over with quesadillas for breakfast, love at first shell!
Deli
We really can't comment on this, we only came in once to check it out. Didn't see much coming out for food.
Marco Polo Restaurant
Every night this restaurant had a different theme. Some of the best food I've had on any vacation. The staff was great and loved making us drink.
Zai
This was their Asian restaurant, it was small and intimate. Food was very good here.
Cancun International Airport
The airport was very nice, both coming in and leaving. Once you get in and go through to customs you enter into the terminal and you will see a bunch of people. Stay clear and walk straight out the door, they are there to sell timeshares. Leaving we were stunned at how great the terminal we were at was. So many options. Now here's the thing, they will take American money but you're buying in Peso's, which is their local currency. So beware of the difference and make sure you know what you're paying for. I walked up to a pizza place and got a stromboli and drink, it came out to about $30. I was stunned and left. Got a whole medium pie and drink a few places down for far less, it was even better looking and tasted amazing!
Thank you for checking out our review of the GR Solaris. We had a great time at our first ever all inclusive resort. Below is a link over to our YouTube video of this resort, make sure to check it out and while you're there LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to our channel for even more content!
GR Solaris Review and Tour (YouTube Video)
Thank you for this and the video on YouTube.
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