Grand Oasis Sens - December 2016 Trip Review

We just finished up a 9 day visit with a large group of friends who normally hit TTR at this time of year. It was good time, perhaps not all that comparable to Temptation in some ways but at the same time, we weren't willing to wait. Here's a breakdown of our experience.

Room - Very nice with lagoon facing balcony, AC worked well. Shower was good too. The cleaning service was nice and water restocked daily (two 500ml bottles). I could have done with a couple extra water bottles but I also didn't bother asking. I did find water was easy to access each morning in the Grand Plus area. Elevators were quick and the stairs weren't near as bad as made out to be (we learned that going to floor 2 to get to pool helps avoiding some).

Beach - Gorgeous, loved it. Lots of chairs and a decent bar too.

Pools - Strange layout with awkward access to swim up bar. Drinks were good and there was some drink service around the pool too. Took part in volleyball and watched a few games which were fun. Music seemed a bit inconsistent (quiet or off at times), which was solved by bringing a Bluetooth speaker.

We did some bodyshots at the pool, no complaints or unwelcome reactions from those around us. Toplessness seemed to range from 10-50% depending on the day (higher percentage in foam party). The crowd in general seemed fine with it.

Hot tubs (by Shillabar pool) were nice and warm (adjustable temparature) and open late at night. Security asked us to quiet down a few times but largely left us alone (didn't even react much when a few people climbed out of tub naked).

Restaurants - Really enjoyed the Italian restaurant and Sakura. Liked the buffet, Mexican and poolside sushi. We were a bit disappointed by Shillabar, found it a bit bland. The best experience of all was the black light restaurant, the Black Hole. Loved it, a great couple's spot with lots of time in between the little servings to chat and connect. The servings were interesting, some good, some not so good, some really good. The staff really did well there to cater and entertain us. There were lots of people complaining about the reservation process but it didn't bother us too much as we typically only do the restaurants a few times each stay. We hit three restaurants this time and were happy with the amount, I'm sure we could have done more if we had tried.

Party - After all, that's what we came for. I would have liked to have seen more people involved but it was still fun. In saying that, my wife and I can have fun with just the two of us in a nightclub, party or pool. If you're similar, you should be fine.

The foam party was really fun with great music and lots of topless girls. We were happy to see Sarah69 there, making us feel welcome as always. We brought a fireball bottle for some shots and it seemed to help warm things up.

I enjoyed the shows at Kinky bar and the dancing after was OK (although I was surprised by how few guests hit the dancefloor). If you travel with a big enough group (20+) and enjoy dancing, this place can be fun. Drinks were a bit tough to get, could've used another bartender.

Because we expected the GOS nightlife to be a bit quiet we booked a pubcrawl thought Cuncrawl, stopping in at Congo Bar, Mandala Disco and Mandala Beach. Really liked the first two clubs and the pubcrawl VIP thing really seemed to make getting into clubs quick and hassle-free. I'd definitely do another one.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

Sounds great and thanks for the review. The wife and I are going in Feb and are looking forward to having some fun in the sun. We too can have fun alone if need and can also make friends easily. Where would we be able to sign up for that pubcrawl? Sounds like fun and thanks in advance for any advise.


Merry Christmas,
Henry and Joni

 

The pub crawl was fun but it does go to different places depending on the day of the week. The last bar was Mandala Beach and if I was to book another one, I would avoid that bar. It seemed a bit too young and silly (most of us were in our thirties).

Here's the website: Cuncrawl

Good luck, hope your trip goes well.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the information FandS.

 

Thanks for the TR.
The wife and I are headed there mid January with some friends for her birthday.
Glad to know that the resort has a bit of a party feel. We know it's not TTR but couldn't wait to be back in Cancun.
How's the water temperature in the pools?
We've never been in January, so not sure what to expect with water temperatures.
We're a lot like Seinfeld, we can amuse ourselves just about anywhere just people watching.

 

Pool temp was fine but we had really nice weather throughout. When the sun went down, we did get out quickly, good excuse to move to the tubs.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

Great to hear you had a fun time. We loved the seating around the pool in the back that overlooks the lagoon, I believe that's where they have the foam party. I wonder if they have upgraded any of the gym equipment.

 

The gym equipment was in really rough shape. Much of it rusted and seized up. We went several times but did have to get creative with our exercises. Some of the outdoor equipment (which looked really bad due to rust) worked well and was fun for a change.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk