My husband and I just booked the Golden for March 20-24. I am soooo excited. March seems sooo far away! Looking forward to relaxing and some adult time! Love my kids but everyone deserves some time away! :O) We booked a club room. Any advice about the resort would be appreciated! Thanks in advance for all the info!
The bartenders at the tiki bar are the best. Fonzi (day), Jose (night) will rermember you after one visit. The restaurants are superior to most other all-inclusive and you do not need reservations. One of them requires long pants, collar etc. The water has nice waves and you will have a blast. Trip advisor has a lot of info on the resort. The renovations are about done, I think. I strongly encourage an oceanview room. (my preference) I would also suggest a private transfer through USA, round trip, on Steve's site. Otherwise you will be on a shared bus or van and it might take an extra hour. SKIP the sales pitch. After you buy the membership the all-inclusive fee is more than non-members pay. HAVE FUN!!..
Club rooms are nice. You have a jacuzzi tub in the room and a fridge. Now we have not been at the Golden since Dec. of 08, but had been there over 6 times in a 3 year period. I still believe you will receive a lagoon dinner cruise on a monday evening. Its nothing great, but it was a lot of fun. You get to meet other guests, drink, and have a nice meal. Its just for club room guests. They used to do a beach party meal once a week as well. It was also a blast. The stretch of beach right there is/was the best in Cancun. Very nice resorts on both sides of the Golden. The Golden is a great place to relax and go topless as it is adults only. You can also use the sister resort, The Great Parnassus. It has other restaurants, etc....they do have an adults only pool on the second floor of the west side of the resort. You can stay up there and get late day sun, and enjoy a more "adult" setting. We really liked it there, and who knows what can happen! The Golden is a little out dated, but its small and fun, with a great staff. A great place to kick back and relax without kids!!!!
Thanks for the info. We are really excited about our trip. We have been traveling with other couples in the past but this trip may just be the two of us. I know we will have fun together and look forward to meeting others! We did book a private transfer so we can get righ tto hte resort. We arrive in Cancun around 10:38 AM. I heard that the pool party is on the weekend and we will miss it since we arrive on Sunday. Sounded like a lot of fun.
Busymom, I just got back from the Golden last week (wish I was still there). There is plenty to do, and I spent my entire week in Cancun on the resort without ever leaving. They just got done a bunch of new changes to the resort to improve the overall resort and experiexnce. Through the day, my girlfriend and I spent a lot of time on the beach and around the pool and at night we bounced between the tiki bar and the 60's bar (used to be called the beer garden). There was more of a crowd at the tiki bar, and there was a little more activity there, but the 60's bar, has the pool tables, ping pong table, and games to keep us busy. We didn't do any excursions from the hotel or otherwise, but that's because we were just looking to relax and chill. My best advice is to go to all of the other resturants on the resort before you go to Shangri La (The more formal one). They are all great and the food was amazing, but the food at Shangri La was above and beyond!!! Once we went there, we went back every night afterwards to try more of the menu!!! Also, one other thing that I learned on here that was a great benefit, was to take our own beer mugs. The cups that are provided at the bars are a little small (not that you can't have 2 or 3 at a time), but it was a lot easier to carry a mug that I brought with me. I went on google and typed in plastic beer mug, and ordered one for like 5 or 6 dollars. Otherwise, the activity staff is great and will have things going on all day to keep you busy, if you choose to participate. I was enjoying the weather so much down there that I passed on the activities for the most part, until the last few days, but looking back, I wish I had joined in a little sooner... Hope you have a great trip!!!
Thanks for the info.... We went to RIU Caribe last year and took the advice from others.....I took my own cup!!! If I didn't have my favorite drink, it was always filled with water which was great while I was relaxing on the beach! We usually don't leave the resort either because we like to just relax and enjoy the beach, pools and bars! I have heard a lot about the tiki bar. I look forward to spending some time there. I just hope I can stay up that late..i will have to take a nap on the beach!
We love the Golden, always had a great time there. The alcohol there is not top quality, Fonzi will hold a bottle for you if you go and get it. The Tiki bar is (our opinion) the best place to be at night. They also got a new staff member Margariti, she came from the Cancun Palace she was awesome there and even better here. The entertainment staff is very nice and really tries to get people involved. Looking forward to going back soon
Always glad to help out our neighbors (we're in Missouri). Here's a trip report we posted on TripAdvisor after we vacationed at the Golden Parnassus in '07. I'm sure a few things have changed, but hopefully much has remained the same! _______________ My husband and I (Midwesterners, 51 and 49) have vacationed several times in Mexico, Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. In years past, all of our visits to Mexico have been to places like Cozumel, Playa del Carmen (and elsewhere along the Riviera Maya), Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta. All of our previous Mexican vacations have been laid back and relaxing. However, this year, just to be different, we decided we wanted a vacation that was a little more “lively,” so we opted for Cancun. Actually, our Cancun vacation was the second half of a trip that included several days in Cozumel (scuba diving and sight-seeing). Our travel agent tried to dissuade us from “splitting” our vacation between Cozumel and Cancun, saying it was impossible (or at least impractical) to fly one-way into Cozumel and one-way out of Cancun. In light of our travel agent’s pessimism, we decided to book everything ourselves, booking our flight from St. Louis to Cozumel on Continental Airlines via Travelocity, our stay in Cozumel directly with Villa Las Anclas (you’ll find our trip report on that hotel in the Cozumel section), our Cancun hotel through Liberty Travel, and our return flight from Cancun to St. Louis through USA3000. Before getting to the “meat” of our Cancun hotel trip report, let me just say that it IS possible to split a vacation between Cozumel and Cancun. In fact, it was very easy to do. We simply took the 9 am ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen (tickets were about $10 each), then we walked about a block and a half to the ADO bus station in Playa del Carmen where we spent about $14 for two tickets to Cancun on a 10 am bus (air conditioned, very comfortable), then from the Cancun bus station we spent $14 on a cab to our hotel in the Hotel Zone, arriving before noon. Okay, now on to our report on our stay in at the Golden Parnassus in Cancun May 31 – June 5…. When we researched hotels and resorts in Cancun, we had a “wish list” that included the following: We wanted an affordable all-inclusive resort, preferably adults-only, with a nice beach, good customer service, and a friendly atmosphere. The more on-line research we did, the more it seemed that the Golden Parnassus was what we were looking for. We liked the fact that it was adult-oriented and all-inclusive. We also liked its size – just over 200 rooms (we’ve stayed at “mega” resorts in the past where we found it difficult to meet people and for the staff to know us). We read scores of trip reports about the Golden Parnassus here on tripadvisor.com and I e-mailed several past guests to learn about what they liked (and perhaps didn’t like) about the place. Yes, we read a few “negative” reviews of the resort, but we decided the people who wrote those reviews were simply impossible to please. I mean, so what if there’s a crack in a bathroom tile?? We arrived at the Golden Parnassus on May 31st in the middle of a steady rain. Like a well-oiled machine, the bell staff greeted us, carted our luggage to the bell stand, gave us cool cloths and escorted us to a table inside a four-story atrium in the middle of the resort. Almost as soon as we sat down, a waitress was handing us some frosty drinks while a representative from the front desk brought us some paperwork and guest wristbands. He explained that the “official” check-in time was still three hours away, but that we were welcome to enjoy the lunch buffet and explore the grounds as best we could considering the ongoing rain. Lunch sounded like a good option, so we headed to the buffet restaurant only to see a sign saying the buffet didn’t open until noon. Darn….my watch said 11:55…gotta do something else for a few minutes… Just as we were about to walk away, the door swung open “Hola, Amigos! We are open for you!” Oscar, one of the waiters, greeted us at the buffet restaurant door and escorted us to a window table overlooking the pool and beach which, despite the rain, were beautiful sights. Oscar was the first of many food, beverage and entertainment staff members we met at the resort, all of whom seemed to learn our names much quicker than we learned theirs…and they had nametags! (I STILL don’t know how Luis from the entertainment staff was able to say “Hola, Jay and Kathy” the first time he met us.) Anyway, we had requested a Gold Oceanview Room, but I knew the resort was running between 75 and 80 percent occupancy, so I was bracing myself for disappointment, thinking they would have to “bump” us to a standard room or a lagoon view room. I was pleasantly surprised when we were given keys to room 308, a Gold Room with a magnificent view of the ocean and the rest of the resort. (By the way, all the “even” numbered rooms at the Golden Parnassus are oceanview and all the rooms with “odd” numbers are lagoon view.) Any skepticism my wife had about the Golden Parnassus vanished as soon as we opened the door to our room. No, it wasn’t the “Ritz,” but it was clean, air conditioned, very well furnished, and nicely decorated. There was a fresh arrangement of flowers on the dresser, a bottle of champagne and fresh fruit on the table, an ornate towel arrangement and flower pedals on the king-size bed, flower pedals carefully laid out on the marble countertop around the sink, and more flowers decorating the two-person Jacuzzi which was next to our private balcony. Inside the entertainment hutch was a television (cable), a CD stereo, and a fully-stocked (water, sodas, juices, beer) mini-fridge. There was ample drawer and closet space for all of our clothes. The room was also equipped with a mini-safe, hair dryer, and iron/ironing board. Before we arrived we looked at the pictures the resort had posted online on its website and decided the pictures had probably been touched up, but I can honestly say our room looked EXACTLY like the pictures online. The only issue we had with our room whatsoever was the extreme firmness of our bed. I think it’s safe to say we’ve slept on softer rocks. If you don’t care for extremely firm mattresses, be sure to request some extra padding. We did and it helped a lot. I mentioned before that we’ve stayed at some “mega” (over 1,000 rooms) resorts where it is extremely hard to meet people. I mean, at a resort that size, you’re lucky if you cross paths with another pair of guests more than once. For some people, that could be a good thing…maybe they don’t want to meet others while on vacation. But for us, a big part of the fun of a vacation is meeting new people and making new friends. Because it’s relatively small – only 214 rooms – meeting people at the Golden Parnassus is very easy, especially if you’ve “pre-met” them through the message forums here on tripadvisor.com. At the Golden Parnassus we were able to put faces with the screen names we had chatted with online. We met people from Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Georgia, Colorado, Kentucky, England, and Scotland…and that was just on the first day! There are several great “congregating” places at the Golden Parnassus including the pool, the hot tub and the Tiki Bar. We never had problems finding loungers around the pool and, if you prefer the beach, there are loads of loungers and palapas along the beach which is one of the best along the Hotel Zone. The entertainment staff (including Fabo, Luis, Amy, and “Pocahontas”) keep things moving around the pool without being “pushy.” On any given day you can participate in water aerobics, bingo, volleyball, tequila volleyball, etc., or you can just relax and soak up the sun. (Oh, and because it IS an “adults-only” resort, it was relatively common for women at the resort to soak up the sun sans top. I’m sure it varies from week to week, but while we were there roughly 25 to 30 percent of the bikini tops were off around the pool and along the beach.) The only thing that could have made the pool any better would have been a swim-up bar, but it really wasn't missed. Some people preferred the ambiance of the Tiki Bar where bartenders Jose, Carlos and Fonzie kept everyone entertained and “lubricated” until the wee hours or the morning. (Watch out for the “slammers”…they’re lethal!) We did not get a chance to eat at all the restaurants…only Pier 12 (seafood), the Old Barn (steaks), and Shangra-La (dress-up). The breakfast and lunch buffets are pretty standard with Mexican and American fare (omelets, waffles, pancakes, fruits, assorted breads, etc., etc.) We also had room service (the resort as a 24-hour room service menu) one night which was prompt and delicious. I heard from others that the Japanese restaurant at the resort is wonderful. It’s on our list to try the next time we vacation there. Also on our list of things to do during our next stay at the Golden Parnassus is to have a couples massage by the beach. Some friends of ours did it and said it was the best $130 they spent on the trip (I think they said it’s $130 if you pay cash, slightly more if you use credit). Tipping at the Golden Parnassus is not necessary, but it is greatly appreciated. We tipped our housekeeping staff ($5 every other day which kept our mini-fridge stocked), waiters, waitresses, and bar staff. The entertainment staff puts on a show every night. We thought the Elvis show was particularly entertaining. Every night after the show, one or more members of the entertainment staff escorts a group of guests to one or more of the local clubs/discos such as Coco Bongo, The City, Carlos’ & Charlie’s, Senor Frogs, and so on. Going with the resort group is probably a much better idea than going to the clubs alone. If you go with a group you’ll get preferred seating and an assigned waiter. We made the mistake of trying to go to Coco Bongo on our own (with another couple) one night. You can read more about that experience by looking up our Coco Bongo review. (We subsequently learned that after we returned to the states the other couple went to Coco Bongo again later in their vacation, this time with an organized group from their hotel, and had a very good time.) Club and Golden Room guests at the Golden Parnassus also receive a free lunch cruise hosted by members of the entertainment staff aboard the Caribbean Queen paddle wheeler. This cruise is definitely worth it and the games before lunch are a lot of fun. If you have the time and want to spend part of a day away from the resort, consider going to Isla Mujeres. Spend 65 cents apiece and take the bus marked “Puerto Juarez” to the ferry port. From there, spend $7 for a round-trip ticket ($14 for a couple) to IM. Once on the island, rent a golf cart and explore the island (if you go with another couple, you can split the cost of the golf cart). It has a much different “vibe” than Cancun. North Beach there is very relaxing and a little place called Jax Bar & Grill serves some of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever tasted. (They also serve buckets of Corona for $6.) Okay…I think that’s about it for this long-winded report. If you want to know anything else about the Golden Parnassus (and I can’t think of anything I could have possibly left out, lol), feel free to ask.
WOW, thanks for the post. I always enjoy reading "real" trip reports. I search on here and tripadvisor on a daily basis, my husband thinks I am nuts! LOL, but I really learn a lot and know what to expect and little insider tips! Only 58 more days until sun and sand!
