Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort All-Inclusive
Terrifying Experience, Moon Palace Shame!
Went to the Moon Palace Cancun for a wedding, travelling with a large group of family members. From the arrival at the resort where they attempted to extort myself and my sister and her husband for an additional all-inclusive fee of nearly 2 grand each, (we had paid over the phone with one of the Palace representatives, which we had reciepts for, and which according to the resort 'didn't matter') To the horrible experience we had while on one of their tours, the zipline '2-hour' trip with their partner 'Holkan Advenutres', where my sister had her hand shattered, and rotator cuff completely damaged (while she was dangling over a river that resembled a cesspool, two of the Holkan zipline employees decided that it would be funny to slam into her going full speed), which resulted in a trip to a Cancun 'clinic' where they roughly patched up my sister's hand, then attempted to extort more cash from us, and when we failed to pay, they had my brother-in-law arrested, lying to the police officers, saying that my brother-in-law had punched one of their park employees (a woman) which was a total fabrication. We attempted numerous times to get Moon Palace to send a representative to help us out, way before the false arrest and imprisonment, and their response, even when we talked to the manager of the resort..."Sorry, you're off of resort property. This isn't the resort's problem." Even though we were on one of the resort's scheduled tours! They then attempted to keep us from leaving the resort, demanding $200 cash before they'd let us board the bus to the airport. This was a frightening and horrific experience. Because of this experience, I am doubtful that I will EVER visit Mexico again. Not to mention, a week before we arrived at the Moon Palace resort, a 77 year old UK woman went missing...from this very resort! And, it took them a week to even begin a search for her! They are horrible people, with no concern for you or your family's well being. I'd stay far far far away!
Our Trip Was Simply Okay
- July 3, 2009
- Rated 2 of 5 by
adamhaviland from Rosemount, Minnesota
A few things to note...
There is no hot tub outside. Yes, you get a two person tub in your room but none in the public areas, which is hard to believe considering the number of pools. The warm water is nice under the stars but not possible at this resort. Don't be fooled by the advertised six Jacuzzis - they exactly the same as the pools, with a few more jets. This was especially depressing because our first day was gloomy and, believe it or not, surprisingly cold.
Clean your room hot tub before use. Yes, they do a good job of scrubbing the main parts but the bacteria and dirt really fly when you crank up the jets for the first time. We were shocked to see the buildup.
There's plenty of pool space but not much variety. Other resorts might throw in a waterfall, fountain, cave, etc for variety. The pools at the Moon Palace are exactly the same - same look and even the same depth (around 3ft deep).
Claim a seat by the "volleyball" pool. It's where all the action takes place. They do a great job of keeping the party going by introducing new activities. This pool is great for entertainment but not so great for reading.
Always eat dinner at the a la carte restaurants where you order off a menu. The food is MUCH better. As you can tell from other reviews, the buffet food tends to sit out for extended periods of time. Not bad for a light breakfast (muffins, bagels, etc) but beware of anything that could potentially spoil. My wife and I were sick on separate days. If you do visit the buffet, go to the made-to-order stations.
Bring a DVD player, an AV cable, and DVDs. The resort shows usually end early so a movie in the room is a nice way to cap the evening. Their flat screen TVs make it an easy connection and they have free popcorn in the SNACKS room of the lobby.
Be prepared to deal with high pressure sales tactics. This is fairly common at most resorts. However, I did notice that they are especially clever at the Moon Palace. They may leave messages requesting call-backs, enticing you with something free (ours was a fruit basket). Don't feel obligated to call them back and certainly don't hesitate to say NO. They may try to intrude on your vacation by setting up a meeting to chat about the excursion/adventure options or their bulk vacation packages. You can always say NO. Don't provide an excuse – they’ll be ready with a counter – simply say NO.
Would I go back? No, but not because I was disappointed; only because I wasn’t that impressed. I’m certain there are other resorts in this price band that cater better to my needs.
Great Experience
- June 5, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We just returned 6/1 from a great trip at the Moon Palace. The hotel had 25% occupancy. The service was wonderful. The Nizuc side has many buildings with great ocean views. The room was decorated nicely and very clean. The jacuzzi was something I enjoyed. My kids loved the option of 24 hour room service (they said it was usually good) The nightly turn down service was a nice touch too. This resort has improved over the years. The beach is wide with white sand. I'm not an ocean swimmer so the seagrass didn't bother me. Also, the poolside service excellent. The free excursions were a great deal. We did the ziplining and it was fun. The food was good especially at the golf course Italian restaurant. The excellent service stood out at the Moon Palace.
Palace Resorts
- May 23, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
The Moon Palace Resort was absolutely awesome. More than one could imagine. The service, cleanliness and accomodations were excellent.
Disappointing
- May 6, 2009
- Rated 2 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
We just got back from a trip to Moon Palace, Cancun for a wedding. We left just as the Swine Flu was breaking the news and I am sure that didn't help the situation but we were very disappointed with the Moon Palace. The beds were small (2 full beds, not queens). Very crammed for a family of four. The food was the most disappointing - it was cold and much of it didn't taste fresh. Service people were nice for the most part but there were times we waited 20-30 minutes or more to get a waitress at the pool (and we usually had to go find one). Our excursions were cancelled because of the flu outbreak and they wouldn't give us anything in exchange. We have stayed at the Casa Magna, Fiesta Americana and Sunscape Tulum (which is all inclusive) and all 3 were MUCH better. On a high note, the kids camp was fabulous - our kids had a spectacular time. The resort was super clean also. For the money though, I would highly suggest other all inclusives that are half the cost.