Toured GOV Sunday, Dec. 8 2013 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).:sofa: 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. 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, 7 in total. They are 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! Per Steve, the clubs are a 10 min walk from GOV...but suggests taking a bus for $1 at that time of night.
Thanks for the repost and the great review! Just to clarify: I think you'd be fine walking to the clubs on the way there and also the buses are a bit tricky on the way in as the road in that direction is on the other side of the shopping mall. It would only be one stop on the bus and then you'd have to get off again. You'd walk as far to the bus and then to the clubs from the bus stop you get off at as you'd walk directly there But at 2 or 3 or 4 am I'd recommend taking the bus back, it would take just a few minutes and you'd avoid walking by some alleys, unoccupied premises etc. At that time the bars and restaurants that are on the way will be closed.
Thanks for the great review...reading reviews like this make us happy that we decided to give GOV a try this year (not that we didn't like TTR when we went) Looking forward to getting the party started at GOV in Feb!
Thanks for taking the time to tour GOV and write about it. We're even more excited about our May trip now!
Thanks everyone! I would say - I think lots of the reviews on Trip Advisor are exaggerating or just plain crazy. Then again I only had a tour so take it for what it's worth. We went into three rooms and never felt the air conditioner was an issue, but perhaps it is in some of them, IDK. I've had the luxury of staying at top end resorts like Secrets, Excellence, etc...and I found this to be slightly - ever so slightly less luxurious but definitely a step above TTR - at least sight & cleanliness wise. I cannot speak to the food. Valentina, thanks for sharing the review!
