The Mayan Palace is nothing but a gigantic tourist-trap. The pool is the only redeeming quality; however, you have to get up early to save a good spot and it is not heated. Bring bug spray and tennis shoes. You’ll need to walk 20 minutes to get to the pool, unless you’re one of the lucky-few who manage to stay in a building near the pool. You become a human-feast for the bugs and mosquitoes along the path. Bugs are also at the pool along with sand fleas on the sand (you can’t swim in the ocean because of the rocks). Buildings sprawl away from the ocean, not along the ocean. I don’t think there is one ocean view room there, bad for a resort promoting a quarter-of-a-mile of beachfront property. Our view was of a watershed or laundry facility (see photo). Some lucky visitors can catch two shuttles to get to the pool, when we tried they were usually full and always had a wait.
The resorts boasts exclusivity, wrong, they have over 20 buildings full of tourists and are building even more (think construction mess).
The accommodations upset us because our friends traded a new, beautiful 2 bedroom 3 bathroom timeshare for a one bedroom. RCI wrote this unit sleeps 6, 4 privately. Look at the photo, the sleeper sofa they reference is the sofa and the extra two people are supposed to sleep on a wooden board with a thin pad on it. Yes, it pulls out of the sofa, but on the floor (see photo). Great, my idea of a romantic week is sleeping on a SINGLE board on the floor, closer to the bugs with a pad that my feet hang over. Additionally there is NO way you can pull both of them out at the same time because they would hit each other, deh (look at the photo).
We checked into an awesome resort we found after we asked the front desk if they had a two bedroom unit and they confirmed that they had plenty. We went to the timeshare desk and they told us that they didn’t have any two bedroom units available (uh, lie). I explained that they didn’t offer a fair trade, and they couldn’t care less. I explained the paperwork said it sleeps 4 privately and they said it did (in the living room). The paperwork stated that the unit had a sleeper-sofa and I guess they consider sleeping ON TOP of the sofa a "sleeper-sofa." We called RCI, spoke to a supervisor and they didn’t care either, they stated we were wrong. Hello, I’m here looking at the facility and they weren’t. The hotel could care less about your comfort, they’re just happy they scammed you into it. So check out my article on the really cool places we did find. DO NOT stay here, it’s a big scam! Crummy service and a crummy beach, oh and you better have a car because it far from anything.

The resort is not even close to being completed. The main pool is done. It is huge and is one of the largest in Mexico, but the service by the pool was the worst. We waited at times an hour for a drink. They are under-staffed and do not speak English well.

We were at the Grand Mayan and the rooms were great but far from everything else. We had a 2 bedroom that slept 8, IMO it can sleep 14. There are no Ocean views because of the way they are built. This is to prevent hurricane damage.

Some things about the Italian Restaurant were amazing. The Italian Restaurant has an unbelieveable atmosphere. The view of the pool from above, all lit up at night, was amazing. There is also a cigar bar in the rear. But because of a forgetful waiter, our night here was ruined. He forgot one entree and never brought the vegetables that came with the meals.

Right now they have 700 rooms. When finished they will have 4000 rooms. The Spa is almost up and should be done shortly. Where ever you walk you see and hear the construction. In a few months all of the Grand Mayan units will be done as well as the mini rivers on the resort, but I do not think the other half of the resort will be completed too soon. Whatever is done already has made it a huge resort. But poor transportaion to get around. Parking is very far away. You may need a cab after parking if you're lucky enough to get a spot. The resort sprays for bugs nightly and does not notify you, so you may get a mist of insect spray at any time.

For the kids they did have a a lot of pretty good activites by the pool.

If you want location then there are 2 sides to how you look at this resort. If you want a party place with lots of restaurants and great beachs, then stick to the Cancun Area. But if you want to relax The Mayan Palace is the place.

One further note.

Even if it seems the Mayan Palace is in the middle of nowhere it is close to Tulum, Xcaret, X-Ha and it is by Playa del Carmin, which has a ferry that will bring you into Cozamel. It is also close to Puerto Moralas which is a small fishermans village. It would be cheaper to rent a car and use it from the MP and go to these areas from the MP, rather than using a tour from Cancun.

As far as a tip goes, get UP REALY EARLY LIKE 6AM. Go to the pool area and get one of the large king beds that are under the palapas. It was so comfortable that you will feel like a king.

Best Things Nearby:
Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Tulum.

Best Things About the Resort:
Our two-bedroom suite was located in a brand new section called the Grand Mayan. It was brightly decorated with a modern art feel. There was plenty of space in the suite for four adults and three children to relax comfortably. Granite flooring and countertops were throughout. The balcony was huge and it included a small soaking pool. The two sofas in the common area converted to twin-sized beds with trundles. The kitchen was equipped with a four-burner cook top, sink, toaster, apartment-sized refrigerator, coffee maker, blender, microwave oven, stoneware dishes, cups & glasses, silverware, cooking utensils, pots and pans. Each of the bedrooms had king-sized beds (on the firm side, but comfortable), sofas, cocktail tables, two-person bathtubs (one of the two bedrooms had a whirlpool tub), armchairs, end tables, and dressers. There was enough room for us to add a baby crib without sacrificing any space whatsoever. The resort provided bathrobes that matched the bedding. The bathrooms were spacious and included dual sinks and large showers separate from the bathtubs. We think we may have been the first guests in our suite because resort staff were still bringing in lamps, artwork, and the microwave oven during our stay. Housekeeping serviced the suite daily.

Resort Experience:
We prefer a relaxed atmosphere. This resort was perfect for our family with small children. There was not much traffic and no crowds of people crammed along the sidewalks. People were jogging and walking along the trails in the mornings.

The water is purified and drinkable. The resort is kept extremely clean. Bottled water is available, but none of us became ill from using the tap water on the property. We felt no more at risk for illness at the Mayan Palace than we would at a US hotel or resort of comparable quality.

The resort is gorgeous. The drive from the entry to the check-in building passes through the nicely manicured eighteen-hole Par 3 golf course (Challenging. Green fees $90. US). The main lobby is neatly decorated. Marble and granite are used throughout. The check-in process was efficient. We were offered a 15% discount off of our bill if we toured the property. We respectfully declined and we were never asked again. We speak some Spanish, but we had no trouble communicating with resort staff in English at any time during the week.

We like the outdoors, fresh air, and exercise. We easily walked to and from most places on the resort grounds. The three-year-old and seven-year-old children in our party walked the ten-minute stretch from our room to the pool numerous times without ever complaining. For the few times we were not up for walking, the resort offered shuttle service that ran about every five minutes.

The pool is unbelievably big! There are lots of sections, coves, fountains, etc. The sunset overlooking the pool toward the ocean was beautiful! There were quite a few shady spots around the pool, but they were hard to find at times. We used the pool mostly in the late afternoons and we were always able to find seating in the shade. There were beds covered with palapas, but they were always occupied. Apparently, you have to rush to the pool area very early in the morning to get access to them. In hindsight, we think it is a ridiculous idea to get out of bed early in the morning just to go find another bed, mark it is as "our" territory, dare anyone to come near it, and spend all day checking on it and laying in it. There was so much more to see and do.

The beach was a short walk from the pool. It is somewhat rocky, but it was fine for children playing in the sand and for wading. We did not attempt to snorkel there. There is a water sports center on the beach where we could have arranged activities, but we did not use it. We saw boats with people parasailing in the area. There was a scuba flag hanging outside of the center, but we used a PADI-approved dive shop called Dive Puerto Morelos about ten minutes north of the resort instead (English-speaking, reasonably priced, knowledgeable, extremely friendly and highly recommended).

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Excellent