Next trip: Do you head to Temp yet again or do you give GOV a try?

would love a brief comparison of TTR to GOV if you could, sounds like you are very Gung-ho to stay at GOV. For all of us fence sitters, would like to know your reasons. Thanks!

 

I am going to do a post on it/review of our tour and reasons later on. I just haven't had time to get to it today as it is our first day back from vacation.

I suppose this would be the best place for it? I am currently in the grocery store parking lot and want to be at a real computer to post it.

 

That is good to hear. When I previously read your posts regarding what you liked, where you have been, etc. and how you are trying TTR and visiting Gov I was hoping you would come back with a positive opinion of gov. Don't get me wrong. We love the TTR party but are hoping for that party in an atmosphere that is a little nicer...better beach, restaurants, room and a REAL hot tub lol

Looking forward to the review.

 

So, a group of us went to GOV for a tour on this past Monday while at TTR. JerandMel, TimBeck and the wife half of NEcouple01. We attempted to walk, because we thought (well, we being me and the friends I brainwashed to follow, but I think Jerry of JerandMel was with me in thinking it was closer - we got it mixed up with Oasis Palms b/c we thought it was at the same location as the pirate ship, which it is NOT). :redface: LOL Anyway. If you want to tour you need to take the bus for sure. It's a short bus ride for 1 dollar per person but def not walking distance unless you're wearing sneakers.

Upon entering - The first thing that you notices is the lovely smell. It's clean, and smells like a spa.
The lobby is nice, big, lots of seating and the first thing you see before you even walk through the front doors is the beach/blue blue waters. (Beach on other side of lobby glass). We later found, the entrance was moved on purpose to showcase their lovely beach.

We walked up to the front desk and said we were from Temptation and CancunCare and that we wanted a tour. We asked for water, and were directed to the lobby bar AKA Diva Bar. The bartender denied us water when we asked for it because we weren't wearing the proper wristbands. We said we were there for a tour but he didn't care. It wasn't until we told him we were told to come to him by the front desk that he poured the waters. So, that was a bit off putting, but other than that, there is not one bad thing we could say about GOV.

The tour was given by a young girl named Xiochitl. She was relatively new at GOV (1 month) but knew the resort's areas well and also spoke English very well. We were shown all the common areas as well as all room types.

The spa is small but lovely. I haven't seen the spa at TTR but am told it's comparable in size. This one has a wooded/organic feel to it vs. the dark/modern look of TTR's though. Also, after your couples massage, there is a private small hot tub for your use. They said they do not 'kick you out and you can use it as long as necessary'. Each indoor common area has it's own scent, aromatherapy. This is done on purpose, she said. Outside of the spa are 2 hot tubs, a cold plunge pool, and an outside shower as well as a Temazcal (sweat lodge -used in ancient ceremonies). These are located near the spa on purpose but ARE available without spa-services/totally accessible. There is a 'health bar' juice bar near that as well.

There are 2 pools, both large and not heated. The main pool has a nice swim up bar and snacks right at the pool. The quiet pool is not too far away, but is separated enough you could get away from the action. Both are located between the hotel and the beach. The pool appears to be in direct sun and won't be hidden by the building upon sunset but we can't say for sure b/c we were there at 2pm.

(Edited to add, saw some pics on Google Earth and this is not the case. Does appear to shade the pool in late afternoons but am unclear what time/time of year this is).


Hot Tubs: Scattered around the resort are hot tubs. Real ones, with hot water and jets! Semi-secluded, with the sheer drapes around them. Not sure how many. Maybe 4 or 5? Looks to seat about 8 which by TTR party rules means 15. :icon_smile:


The beach: GORGEOUS. No seaweed, rocky sand, and blue blue waters that look straight from a postcard. The beach is long and narrow but does have more white sand/deeper than TTR's beach. There are many white chairs sprawled out, not all stacked upon each other, offering a bit more privacy than you might find at TTR. The buffet and all the restaurants look great. Food at the buffet smelled lovely! I know Breezesfan said he wasn't a fan of the food, but I figure it can't be worse than TTR's lol.

Anyway, there are a number of restaurants, open different nights/posted schedules. We were told only one required a reservation - White Box. We were also told reservations are only taken the DAY OF for White Box because people often make reservations days in advance only to not show at other places (which we DID experience at TTR)...so we were pleased with that. The Black Box (blind tasting experience) is not yet open but will be shortly.
The Moroccan place is indoor/outdoor and very pretty. There is also a sushi bar which we glanced at but didn't look at up close.

The Coyote Bar is a legit bar/night club. Lots of seating, a stage for music/shows, sofas, dance floor and two stripper poles. We looked into the Italian place (all very pretty) and another dinner place I can't think of the name right now. Everything looks top notch.

The rooms: NICE! Keep in mind this has more of a Hotel feel and less of a resort feel. Outdoor areas feel like a resort but indoor, it's a tall building with elevators and corridors. The standard room is comparable in size to TTR's but the bathrooms are superior. And they all have ALARM CLOCKS!!

The 'middle' grade room is my favorite! As pictured in Steve's post, the bed is in the middle of the room and there is a seating area. The room is LARGE and has a good 4-6 ppl jacuzzi in it. Also, the room we saw had a door connecting the room next to it. I asked about it. This was once a family hotel so they have ajoining rooms which would be fun if traveling with with close friends.

She then took us through construction areas out to the rooms with the shared balcony/area. The rooms here are nice but the draw is the private/semi private (separated by bamboo) jacuzzis on the balcony/deck. They lead out to the common deck area with the covered beds that overlook the sexy pool/main pool and beach. These appear to be on floor 4 or 5? NOT on the roof roof. So one kinda sexy thing, depending on how you look at it...the entire hotel can look down into your private hot tub. :angel1: This would be fun to get if all your friends to go at the same time and get the rooms next to each other.

Oh, and did I mention ALL rooms are ocean view?

We ended the tour by taking a stroll to the COFFEE BAR where you can get real coffee/lattes/cappucinos/etc. With flavors, even, if that floats your boat. This is huge for me. I LOVE a good coffee and I found the coffee at TTR to be hard to enjoy. Right next to that is also a bar where we were offered a drink! We each tried some different drinks off the menu...I had a banana daiquiri, Melissa had an appletini, Tim had a Bahama Mama, and I can't remember what Jerry had, but they were made with import alcohol. We all agreed they were the best drinks of the week! Oh, and also, chilled wet washcloths were offered up to us, and they had some sort of aromatherapy thing on them, eucalyptus maybe? It was great.

For us, It was lovely. Walking through the resort made us realize how much work TTR needs. The prices are barely more than TTR and this is a 5 star resort. Nothing is rusty, musty, or old looking. This is by no means a knock on TTR as I know it's old...but it really does need work.

GOV really feels elegant and clean, and nicely appointed. Modern, but not cheesy silver and glass modern. The staff (minus the grumpy bartender) is all very smiley and clean, well put together. We are looking to book at GOV next Dec.

We plan on making the party... but we do want to make sure the place is in full concept before we get there. I think that about covers it.

 

Oh I forgot.
The Pirate Cruise: Every Thursday from 10pm to 2am I think? It's included. The ship is docked at Oasis Palm but comes to pick up Viva people too. Drinks and food and a show on the boat.
The ship is so pretty all lit up at night!

 

Awesome review, the place is amazing. We are not having a hard time saying good bye to TTR, we might do one last Feb 2014 and if we do I am sure that's it as a ton of our friends are Already booked for TTR this year, the new week 8 crew will be at GOV for sure once everyone gets to see the difference and what you get for that difference..... Strong drinks included lol

 

"Each indoor common area has it's own scent, aromatherapy. This is done on purpose, she said."

Is the scent strong? One of us has a scent allergy and this could be a reason not to book. Some scents can't be avoided but we limit exposure where we can.

 

Right. We had a fun time at TTR and liked some of the staff but found the indoor areas to be substandard if not gross at times. The people make the party so if the people can be at better accommodations for the money, we're in! Last week was our first time at TTR so we don't feel disloyal going elsewhere.

I would not consider it strong, it doesn't burn the nostrils but is quite pleasant and clean smelling like soap. My hubby hates strong smells and has a very sensitive sense of smell but it didn't bother him...

 

Thanks for the detailed report. You gave us all a very good feel for the place. Looking forward to the TTR part of the trip report. Sounds like if the party crowd develops at gov then gov is easily your choice. But if it doesn't are you back to TTR? We are booked for gov may 8th for a long weekend at $139 a night!!! Way cheaper then TTR that same time period. Hopeful that the concept has changed fully by then and it is a good party. If not it was worth the shot at that price and we will just hit the clubs nightly (walking distance right?).

 

You're welcome!
Yes, I would think/hope that by May they should be in full party mode over at GOV. You will have to let us know for sure!! I think we would consider going back to TTR for a shorter stay next time as long as the prices do not go up, and only if GOV ends up being a total bust, which I can't see happening, honestly.

Yes, we were told the Clubs were walking distance. I feel like at some point we saw Coco bongo from the hallway when we were on an upper level but I am not 100% sure so don't quote me. I know little about Cancun off resort.