El Gran Escape'-the Luxurious Escape to Paradise-Perfect Casa for Entertaining

• FABULOUS TRIP AND HOME!!!!

  FABULOUS TRIP AND HOME!!!!

  • Guest Danyal E.
  • Date of stay 05/04/13
  • Review Submitted 05/15/13
  There were 6 of us that stayed at El Gran Escape for a week over my hubby's 40th bday and we couldn't be happier! The house is amazing! Beautiful, well equipped with appliances, utensils, pans, towels, etc. The pool was our favorite spot, as well as the land between the pool and ocean (we had Iguana friends we would feed daily). Julie met us upon arrival and was very helpful with places to go, things to do, etc. Any time we needed anything,, we text her and she replied within 5 minutes. We didn't need Pedro (groundskeeper) for much, but he checked daily to see if we used the grill and cleaned it when we did. We are all planning our next trip - not sure I would ever stay anywhere else after this!!!! The grocery store is only minutes away via golf cart, but we did have Julie stock food and drinks for us. A couple pieces of info for you though - they do not have much for domestic beer AT ALL!!! And the couple that likes a firm bed should take the upstairs bedroom with the wonderful patio). We would all highly recommend this home to anyone!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Best Vacay Ever!!!!!

  Best Vacay Ever!!!!!

  • Guest Jodi D.
  • Date of stay 05/04/13
  • Review Submitted 05/13/13
  This was our first time renting a house out of the country. I must say I was a little worried. The pictures looked too good to be true but the house was even better than the pictures gave it justice! Julie was wonderful! She had the house stocked, cleaned & was there to welcome us, give us recomendations of where to go & gave us her cel in case of questions or problems. Pablo (her "handyman") stopped by daily to take out our trash, clean our grill & make sure all was well. We took a look at other homes while there & definately think this one was the best!!! We will definately be coming back!! I truly can't say enough great things about this place or Julie! Thanks again for a vacation of a lifetime!!!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Amazing wedding week and honeymoon

  Amazing wedding week and honeymoon

  • Guest Rhonda K.
  • Date of stay 03/16/13
  • Review Submitted 04/02/13
  We called El Gran Escape home for a week in March 2013 for our wedding and honeymoon. We brought 3 other couples with us, and all of us had a better stay than we could have ever imagined. Julie and Tara were wonderful and provided us with everything we could possibly need. Pedro tended to the house wonderfully. The house is even more gorgeous than the pictures. There were fresh linens and towels, an abundance of clean dishes and utensils, and every convenience necessary for a fantastic week. We have stayed at other rental properties on Isla Mujeres, and this has been the best by far. The pool was the perfect temperature to cool off in, we used the grill several times with no issues. We utilized the pool volleyball net that was provided. The water pressure was strong, with plenty of hot water. The beds were very comfortable, and the furnishings were beautiful. We would recommend this property to anyone visiting Isla Mujeres, and won't hesitate to stay at this lovely home again on our next visit.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Consistently beautiful and perfect vacation house!

  Consistently beautiful and perfect vacation house!

  • Guest Tara O.
  • Date of stay 01/22/13
  • Review Submitted 03/22/13
  This review is long overdue. The first time I visited El Gran Escape was in September of 2010. It was my husband and I with two other couples. The online photos do not do justice to what you see and experience when you walk in the door. It is absolutely beautiful and you truly feel like you are in paradise. The golf carts we ordered were waiting, the refrigerator was full of the food we provisioned before the trip and of course cocktails were waiting. We stayed for nine days and had the time of our lives. Julie was extremely helpful with recommending places to go and restaurants to visit. My husband and I loved it so much we returned with our families in April of 2012 and had the same amazing experience from the minute we arrived till the minute we left. It is the best feeling to wake up every morning while at El Gran Escape. My most recent visit, was this past January. I came down with five of my girlfriends for my best friend's bachelorette party and my birthday. It was fantastic. All of my friends were so amazed with the house. None of us even fought over who had which room because they are all amazing. We stayed for an entire week and didn't want to leave. The house was amazing and so was Julie, as always. Everyone loved it so much that one of my girlfriends is bringing her entire family down to stay at the house for her father's 60th birthday party this May. I would highly recommend staying here to anyone that asked and can not wait till my next trip back. It is truly paradise.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• It needs some work!

  It needs some work!

  • Guest Karla D.
  • Date of stay 03/10/13
  • Review Submitted 03/18/13
  This 4 yo house on this beautiful Island needs repair. Mother Nature is brutal on coastal properties.They need to replace every appliance- the dishwasher is clogged& the door springs are shot, the washer and dryer sound like a 747 about to land & the washer fill sensor is broken but you can fill it with the garden house, the dryer finished in 2+ hours, the beautiful pool & Jacuzzi were once heated but the heater lies in ruin beside the house, the expensive outdoor grill only got hot enough to cook fish, one of the a/c s completely died our last day there. I called the owner to tell her of the problems-1/3 of all the light bulbs in the entire house were burned out. She said she would send the caretaker immediately. That was Monday, Pedro arrived Thursday and was surprised about the light bulbs. To his credit, he ran to the hardware store & spent hours replacing every burned out bulb. We were moved the last day so our paths overlapped with an incoming party who came in early. They were very surprised to find us in the home and stated that the owner knew when they would arrive but said she couldn’t pick them up at the ferry because she would be at the house getting it ready for the new tenants- clearly that was not the case. We called the owner to tell her that the new tenants were there and she arrived an hour or more later. When we moved next door, the caretaker for the next door property had not been paid nor had arrangements been made ahead of time for only one night. There was a very negative review previously posted on this property and I called the owner to see about it- whether we needed to bring towels, etc. She assured me that all the negative issues had been dealt with & that there was no truth to the bad review- that the review would be removed by Homeaway. Well, after a week in the property, I will tell you that most of the bad review was correct- except that there were plenty of towels. The owner is very skillful at telling you what you want to hear to make you happy at the moment. Don’t count on the golf carts being at the house, or the tour guide connection to come by (he never did). You are much better off making your own arrangements. All in all we had a wonderful week. The house was great for the extended family to gather in the main living area, etc. It would have been better if things worked. We are not seeking a refund and so have no ax to grind- it is what it is!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/5

• It needs some work!

  It needs some work!

  • Guest Karla D.
  • Date of stay 03/10/13
  • Review Submitted 03/18/13
  This 4 yo house on this beautiful Island needs some repairs. Mother Nature is brutal on coastal properties. This owner needs to replace every appliance- the dishwasher is clogged & the door springs are shot, the washer & dryer sound like a 747 about to land & the washer fill sensor is broken but you can fill it with the garden house, the dryer finished in 2+ hours, the beautiful pool & Jacuzzi were once heated but the heater lies in ruin beside the house, the expensive outdoor grill only got hot enough to cook fish, one of the a/c's completely died our last day there. I called the owner to tell her of the problems along with the fact that 1/3 of all the light bulbs in the entire house were burned out. She said she would send the caretaker immediately. That was Monday, Pedro arrived Thursday and was surprised about light bulbs. To his credit, he ran to the hardware store & spent hours replacing every burned out bulb. We were moved the last day of our stay next door so our paths overlapped with an incoming party who came early. They were very surprised to find us in the home and stated that the owner knew when they would arrive but said she couldn’t pick them up at the ferry because she would be at the house getting it ready for the new tenants- clearly that was not the case. We called the owner to tell her that the new tenants were there and she arrived an hour or more later. When we moved next door, the caretaker for the next door property had not been paid nor had arrangements been made ahead of time for only one day. There was a very negative review previously posted on this property & I called the owner to see about it and whether we needed to bring towels, etc. She assured me that all the negative issues had been dealt with & there was no truth to the bad review- that the review would be removed by Homeaway. Well, after a week in the property, I will tell you that most of the bad review was correct- but there were plenty of towels. The owner is very skillful at telling you what you want to hear to make you happy at the moment. Don’t count on the golf carts being at the house, or the tour guide connection to come by (he never did). You are much better off making your own arrangements. All in all we had a wonderful week. The house was great for the extended family to gather in the main living area, etc. It would have been better if things actually worked. We are not seeking a refund and so have no ax to grind. It is what it is!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/2

• vacation ruined

  vacation ruined

  • Guest Stacey
  • Date of stay 12/27/12
  • Review Submitted 03/05/13
  We arrived for Christmas vacation to El Gran Escape. I was with my family of 5 and another family of 5. The dishes were filthy - we had to wash every dish in the house. The dish washer didn't work. The clothes washer and dryer didn't work. There were no available towels for the beach or for showers. The master bath toilet was broken and in the main room the toilet was also broken. The electricity went out - so we spent the evening in the pitch dark. The promised 3 golf carts weren't there, the groceries we ordered weren't there. Some windows were broken and the pool wasn't swimmable and the jacuzzi wasn't usable. The owner recognized all the problems and offered us a refund and emailed us as such but is now not giving it to us after many attempts to contact her about it. So we aer out the vacation and out the money.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/8

• No electricity, dirty dishes, no promised refund

  No electricity, dirty dishes, no promised refund

  • Guest mary c.
  • Date of stay 12/27/12
  • Review Submitted 02/27/13
  We arrived with 10 people. No towels, no working dishwasher, no working clothes washer or dryer, filthy dishes, pool was too cold to even wade in, no warm jacuzzi, and no electricity - we sat in the dark in the evening. We also had to deal with a broken window in the bedroom, which meant major wind n the room at night - and UNSAFE conditions against burglars. Also, the sliding doors that did not work. We were promised golf carts that were not there and our promised grocery list did not arrive. The front and the master toilet were broken. We had to hand wash every dish in the house. The owner said she was sorry and admitted all the problems were real and she promised us a refund. But we have not been able to communicate successfully with her since and the refund that she promised has not materialized. So we are out and our family vacation was ruined. The problem happened in December, it is now the end of February with no solution.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/8

• El Gran Escape

  El Gran Escape

  • Guest Kim R.
  • Date of stay 01/26/11
  • Review Submitted 02/08/11
  January 2011 we stayed at El Gran Escape. It was as beautiful as pictures had shown! We traveled with four couples and the house was more than spacious enough for eight! We absolutely loved the house and Isla. Julie and Dean were great and a wonderful resource. Each restaurant selection and everywhere they recommended was excellent. We rented golf carts to get around on the Island. It was perfect! We would absolutely stay at El Gran Escape again!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• We Absolutely Loved It!

  We Absolutely Loved It!

  • Guest Ben H.
  • Date of stay 03/07/10
  • Review Submitted 03/17/10
  Nine of us (all adults) stayed here for a week to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday, and it could not have been a better experience. The house and property are even more beautiful than pictured on this site and everything was clean and well-maintained. Inside the house is quite comfortable- both common areas and bedrooms- and the pool area is unbelievely nice. It's a bit of a tricky climb down to the beach, but well worth it if you decide to do it. Owners Julie and Dean did a fantasic job preparing everything for us and taking care of whatever we needed while we were there. I'd highly recommend using the provisioning service they provide- it's so nice to get there and have food and drink waiting for you. They also hooked us up with a great golf cart company- Indio's- which made life a lot easier. Golf carts really are a must if you're staying on the island- especially this part of it- and you should get two of them if you have more than five people. I would also highly recommend having El Gran Escape's catering service cook a few meals for you right at the house. Everything Ryan, Sonya and team made was incredibly tasty, and they're willing to mix menus if there are certain request that don't fit the general choice of meal. They even made a special birthday cake for my wife one evening. They are also a lot of fun to hang around with and really made our time special. Over the course of our 6 days at El Gran Escape, we had them do three dinners and two breakfasts, which also allowed us to eat at some of the island's many great restaurants for our other meals. It was definitely a nice balance. We can't wait to come back again next year!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 9/9

Payment is usually accepted in the quoted currency ($) unless the currency and the amount is specifically agreed in advance with the owner / advertiser.

Additional information about rental rates: