First I would like to voice one complaint on the guest services & front desk staff...

I was told I would receive $100 golf credit & $100 spa credit upon my stay. I decided to book a round of golf at the Riviera Cancun. The twilight round cost $49, equipment rental $30, & an extra rider fee for my wife of $20. Totaling $99. When I booked with guest services in the Sun Palace lobby, they lead me to believe the $100 credit would cover this. However, when it was time to check out, I was told they would only cover the $49 green fee. This was BS & I argued about it. No one would hear me out. I asked to speak to a manager & never was able to.

I also would not advise people to give much value to the free Palace Passport promotion they have this year. These tours provided by the hotel are useless, you are better off paying for the tours through a secondary travel group when you get there, such as Best Day Travel. Even then you have to watch how much these people try to charge you. It seems like they are all trying to stick it to you whatever way they can. This is the feeling I got throughout Cancun, with some exceptions of course.

The room was very cool. They kept it nice & clean & it has great AC to keep it cool. Big jacuzzi in the middle of the room. Nice view of the ocean. The bed was not very comfortable, could be upgraded.

The food was good for all inclusive food, but I feel like for the money I could have had better quality food somewhere else & paid for each meal individually. If you are a heavy eater, you can really enjoy this place though.

The pools were nice & had some activities throughout the day.

The Sun Palace, overall, was WONDERFUL. I would stay here again ten times over--the best vacation I've ever had. Here are some positive things and some "needs some work" things, in order to offer both sides. I hope everyone finds this helpful:

POSITIVES:
**Food: The food at the Italian and Sushi eateries was great!! Men do have to wear pants, though, at the Italian place--other than that, dress was casual. We had the lasagna and chicken dishes, as well as the sushi rolls and fried rice, respectively.
**Service: The service was beyond exceptional--they work to meet every need, no question.
**Rooms: The rooms were immaculate, and the housekeeping staff was great at making sure everything was taken care of.
**Entertainment: The fire show and Karaoke night was great--lots of fun.
**Excursions: They do not offer all of the excursions that they post on their website--I believe it was only Chichaniza (sp?); Wet and Wild; Xe-Ha/Tulum; and the Zip Line (at a local Eco Park). The Zip Line was a lot of fun!! There is also a Jungle Tour/Snorkeling Tour that is right across the street, and is also great fun; and very flexible w/ times--it is not included, however, and runs about $66 USD per person. The other tours, save Wet and Wild and the Zip Line, are very early in the morning--which is a downer if you want to sleep in. They, also, do take up a full day, I believe.
**Transportation: The city bus is great, and very cheap ($.60 cents per person). I think it runs late into the night, and it does stop by the hotel. Taxis are expensive, so the bus is a good, economical option. Also, Best Day Travel is a good option to take to and from the airport--I paid $36, round trip. It is a "communal" van with other passengers, but I think a taxi may run up to $50, round trip, it not more. The only thing about Best Day is that they make you retrieve a return trip voucher from them in order to schedule your return to the airport--it only takes a few minutes, as they are in the Sun Palace lobby every other day--but they also take this time to try to sell you tours. Just something to be mindful of when you deal with them.
**Value: You literally do not have to spend another dime, unless you want souveniers. Everything is taken care of, and you really do get your money's worth--in food, drinks, atmosphere, and entertainment.
**Atmosphere: This may be a positive or negative, depending upon what you are looking for--this is not a party hotel--we saw mostly honeymooners; those celebrating an anniversary; and retirees. The atmosphere is very serene and peaceful--truly a great place to go to relax. I was told the Cancun Palace was more "lively" for nightlife, although, I never made it down that way. The pool, during the day, is more happening--they have a lot of games and good, contemporary music. Again, it's just not some place I would say is a good place for groups of girlfriends or guyfriends; unless traveling w/ a group of "significant others". Also, this hotel is not in the center of all of the action--it is in the hotel zone--but at the quiet end. If you want to check out the nighlife in Cancun, it is about a 10-15 minute bus ride away to the opposite end of the strip--which is not too bad.
**Beach: The beach was phenonomial--the water was clear and warm--perfect.
**Promotions: When you arrive, ask if there are any promotions on your room--they won't advertise this to you (at least it was not made clear to us)--but it may mean a golf trip or a spa visit!

NEEDS A LITTLE WORK:
**Food: The pool bar and the evening buffet by the pool are okay, but not great.
**Drinks: Drinks flow freely, but they are hit or miss, at times. Some tasted weak and watery, but when you are making that many at a time, it will not be perfect, I guess. Asking for "extra" liquor sometimes helps, and they will ablige (especially for the Pina Coladas!).
**Excursions: Skip Wet and Wild--the whole place smelled like sewage, so we spent all of about 15 minutes there, and left.
**Hidden Fees: Be careful to turn in your beach towels and retrieve the "towel" card they give you--if not, it is $25 per loss. Also, they will give you a bracelet when you enter the resort--this is to identify you as a guest. Do not throw this away, even if you are checking out. You have to turn it back in. Otherwise, they will charge you a fee.
**Membership: When you come into the resort, you have to meet w/ the welcome desk (not sure of the exact term) in order to book your excursions; learn about the resort; etc. The person assigned to you will try to set you up for a meeting to discuss a membership, which I believe is similar to a time share. If you decline, they do pressure you--the lady we spoke to even told us that this is how she makes her living, and asked us repeatedly to sign up.

This hotel was great. It had all the amenities with constant service. Very peaceful place on one side of the hotel and if you want to party they have the party pool with games etc on the other side. Be sure to eat at the oriental lounge, it was great. Also JC Capitans across the street had excellent food (not part of the hotel).

the beach was nice and so was the pool area. the room was also good standard. the restaurants are not that nice. we ate mexican most of the evenings. we visited the italian and the japanese restaurant one time each - not a success. their steakes and their guacamole were fine. all food and drink were included - nice concept to order free drinks from the beach and have them brought to you. we also ordered some chips with guacamole. we went on a snorkelling trip, which was also included, but the site we saw was not that impressive. the trip to chichen itza on the other hand was worthwhile. the water is made from reverse osmosis - so remember to bring some fresh evian or other kind of real spring water. we bought the stay from ebay.com (from people who sell their timeshares), but we paid directly to the hotel (and only a minor fee to the timeshare owner).