I want to base my review on what people with a baby or toddler can expect because I wanted that information before I went. We traveled with a 16 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. Overall, we had a wonderful trip and are glad we took them. Some of my remarks may seem negative, but this is a wonderful resort and we would return. Everything is safe and will work for a family with little ones, but you may want to read my review to make a better decision or prepare you more.
The Room - We were on the 11th floor and had no issues with noise from outside. We were close to the elevators. The room doors close loud. Some of the doors at night would close loudly and wake us. The water temperature is very hot. The kids can reach to turn on the water, but cannot reach the faucet. They can reach the tub faucet. My youngest thought it was fun to turn the water on in the sink, but I didn't haha. The entire resort and the room is covered in beautiful, shiny, slick, marble tile. This was the main problem and a constant concern because I was very paranoid my kids would slip. Even the bathrooms at the beach and pool are in this slick tile with no runners or rugs. My youngest kept trying to empty the fridge but I put a rubber band on the cabinet so he couldn't get in. One morning, he rolled off the bed and knocked his head on the wood bed rails and cut his head. We caught him before he hit the hard floor. The dining table is glass and all the glasses are glass. You can get plastic cups from the lobby or the maid service. The room is not kid friendly at all and we had to try to get out of there as quick a possible every morning. We had a king bed and a roll-away. We moved the night stand on the other side of the roll away and pushed it against our bed. The roll away worked great for both of them.
Kids Club - Kids under 4 cannot stay without a parent. The kids liked the kids club. They had a small arcade area and trampolene that my kids liked. They had a snack area that always had some kind of snack. The water area was great for both kids. The 2 year old was able to play by herself and go down the slides. There are chairs to lay out on, but alcohol is not allowed in the kids club area.
Food- High chairs are provided and were always very clean. They also had crackers and little plastic spoons on them. They had the same kid menu at all the restaurants. Basically chicken, fish, pizza, pasta, and hamburgers. The portions are huge. We always had the kids share one or we didn't order them anything and they just ate off our plates.
Breakfast buffet - lots of good choices for the kids like yougart, eggs, pancakes, bacon, smoothies, fresh juiced fruit and vegetables. Lots of sweet breads and toast.
Milk - My kids drank the milk everyday and several times a day. I brought sippy cups and would go into the lobby every morning and fill them. The milk did taste different - sort of sweet, but my kids liked it and drank it without issue.
Lunch - most days we ate pool side. There are a few different options and they change daily at the pool but everyday had burgers, fries, tacos, and ice cream at the pool bar. There is a pizza oven where you can get a pizza and usually some type of bbq at the pool too. One day we went to the buffet just to cool off.
Dinner - The mexican place was slow. We ate at the tables close to the pool one night and that was better because we didn't feel like we were disturbing other guests. The Steak is a grill on the terrace. This was our favorite place because it was outside and they had good food. Leonardo was not a place for little kids. We were there with friends and we had our friends watch the kids while we ate there. They allow them, but I didn't want to take them in there.
Pool - the middle section of the pool is a zero entry pool that only gets to about a 1 1/2 feet deep. Both kids played in this area with arm floaties. There is a wall that seperates the two pools. My 2 yo could climb over the wall onto about 6 inches of water before it drops to about 4 feet of water. The pool is safe and we spent most of our time there. I took plastic take-or-toss type cups with spill proof lids. My kids love the pina colodas and could drink them out of those cups without spilling them in the pool. Those cups are a must have for this trip! The kids were able to nap in the pool chairs under umbrellas. I had a little travel fan that I put on them, but there is a nice breeze. Lots of sunblock, sun shirts, and hats are very much needed so they do not burn. The towels are big and thick. I had boca towel clips which were good for hanging their sun hats on and reserving chairs. I only saw one sea gull the whole time, but they had a few black birds that would swoop in and grab food if you weren't looking.
Beach - too rough for babies. Bring a swim trainer vest or life jacket for peace of mind.
Palace Shop - everything from swim diapers to pool toys. Beach toys were about $8. Sunblock was about $11 or $12 and I paid $10 at home so nut much more expensive. They had about everything you would need. I do wish I brought their baby nail clippers because my kids nails got long and scratched me a lot. I tried the nail clippers from the palace shop but they didn't work good on them.
Island Tour - we did the free tour and bought the additional island tour for $35 each. The kids were free. There were life jackets on the boat and the boat was large and safe. Bring lots of water and snacks. We had some fruit loops from breakfast and waters from the room but I wish I had brought more. The resort will pack a box lunch for you if you request it from room service the night before. The tour offered very little to drink and nothing to eat. When you do the additional tour you are out there until 1:30 or 2:00 and that is not good for the little babies. The shopping was horrible with the kids. It was way too hot, dirty, and just a big waste of time. The whole tour was a bad idea with the kids, but we made it through. The crew brought towels on board from the resort.
Transfers - to the marina to catch the ferry, Wet and Wild, and the airport were on a very nice charter bus. I felt very safe on this bus. The transfer to the resort from the airport was in a large van. We had seat belts and I felt safe. We did not bring car seats and we did just fine. We also rode the city bus back from Wet n Wild. It is how everyone says, fast and scary but sort of fun at the same time.
Wet-n-Wild - a good trip for the kids. Lots of free food for palace guests, kids play area is not great because the water sprays too hard so you have to be right there with them the whole time. Good lazy river. Towels provided with towel card from the resort.
Entertainment - the kids liked the shows, the clowns at the circus show were scary looking to me, but my kids didn't seem to mind them.
This is a wonderful resort and I would love to go back and leave the kids with the grandparents next time.
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