The Cancun Palace is simply gorgeous. Checking in was easy and you are greeted with flowers and wine in the lobby. The rooms are very clean and spacious. All staff in the hotel are helpful and nice. The restaurants were very nice. If you stay here, make sure to make reservations at the habachi grill restaurant - very entertaining! The nightly hotel entertainment could use some work - it was pretty cheesy. We found other things to do at night (like shopping!). The beach is small, like every hotel in Cancun, but the pool area is fantastic. We had a few problems at check out with our bill, but they were taken care of after speaking to a few people. Would definitely return to the Cancun Palace!

Cancun Palace provided a wonderful locale for a completely relaxing family vacation. We would definitely return with kids or extended family. Our kids voted it the best hotel in all of creation. (For a romantic trip for two, we’d probably go elsewhere.)

Check-in: Smooth. Greeted with champagne for the adults and smoothies for the kids. Received adjoining rooms as requested and ocean-view (not even requested!). After check-in, were directed to a (much too long after a long day of travel and empty tummies) description of the resort and the available tours. Unfortunately, we were misled a tad. The gentleman whom we spoke to indicated that to schedule one of the (supposedly included) excursions, we merely needed to call him the day prior. Unfortunately, when we called the next day to try to schedule one of the tours, we were told we needed to present ourselves downstairs. So we dutifully schlepped down to the lobby (not always so easy when you have a bunch of children) where we waited a very long time to speak with one of the staff. Then we were told we had to speak to a different person. We waited again. Then that person told us that all the tours were booked for the next three and four days! Of course we were leaving in three days. And no, they don’t let you reserve the tours prior to arrival. So if your stay there is short, like us you may miss out on the excursions altogether. In the end, we were very happy just hanging at the resort, but felt that the whole “Palace Passport” free tours promotion was a bit of a scam. If you are only staying four days and if they don’t permit you to reserve tours prior to arrival, and then they are booked through your whole stay when you get there, it’s really not an option at all then, is it? For those of you staying longer, book your tours the second you get there!

Rooms: Very nice decor. Clean. Beds very comfy. A bit small for four people and their belongings, especially on the day we were stuck inside due to heavy rain all day. Would be plenty of room for two people, though. Water pressure in shower was ridiculously weak. Could have gotten rinsed off faster outside in the rain! Also had extreme fluctuations from boiling to freezing without even touching the tap. (Be careful if you have little kids.) Very nice balcony with two chairs and a table. Nice bottle of wine in rooms on arrival. Fridge with beer, soda, juice, hard liquor. Nice large flat screen tv. A few channels in English, which our kids appreciated on that rainy day!

Food: Actually pretty good overall. Much better than I expected, having stayed at a couple of other all-inclusives. Most of the buffet food was mediocre as I typically expect of buffets in general but the made-to-order omelettes were very good and they did have a nice selection of fresh fruit as well. Leonardo’s for dinner was definitely the best, especially the service there, which was on par with the finest restaurants at home. We had tasty food and very friendly but SLOW service at the Steak and the Mexican restaurants. Some of our party had completely finished their meals before others were even served. Not a big deal if you are on vacation and don’t have other plans for the evening, but if I received the same service at home, it probably would have bothered me more. The burgers by the pool were quite good and the kids loved the fries, too. Whole family agreed that the desserts just weren’t that good anywhere in the resort. Loved the room service. Loved the Japanese restaurant as well. The shrimp and the sushi were not top-grade but actually pretty good. One nice touch is that all of the restaurants (except the buffet) bring you a nice little appetizer soon after you are seated. All of the appetizers were tasty and it allowed us all to try things we may not have chosen from the menu at first.

Drinks: We aren’t really hard liquor drinkers usually, so didn’t know the “best” things to order. The pina coladas were quite tasty, though. Didn’t care for their margaritas. Have had way better at home in Denver. Wine list was better than we’ve had at other all-inclusives so mostly drank the wine. And plenty of beer by the pool. : )

Pool: Great! Huge. Absolutely beautiful. Spent most of our time here. They play a few silly games but the staff are nice and don’t pressure you too much to participate. And if you stay at the quiet side of the pool (to the right if you are facing the ocean), it’s far enough away that you won’t even notice. Plenty of umbrellas for shade but enough sunny spots, too. Don’t know if they heat the water or not but was nice and comfortable the first day and then FREEZING for the two days after it rained. Were quite puzzled by the jacuzzis on the third floor. They were cold. Only saw about four people in the three huge tubs the whole time. Would have been nice to have hot tubs on the rainy, cold days. Suspect the occupancy was on the lower side (post-Swine-flu-scare) because we never had to fight for pool chairs.

Beach: Can see how it disappears at certain times of the year or with certain weather patterns but when we were there it was very nice. Beautiful blue water. Waves slightly rough but for kids about 8 and over they were perfect for jumping into!

Nightlife: Not so much. Nice little lobby bar where everyone, including the tots, can congregate in the evenings. We likened it to a good, fun, wedding reception every night. Lots of kids and parents on the dance floor. Line dancing. Macarena. Chicken dance. You know the drill. We had a lot of fun but again, not so good for singles or for couples looking for romance or “grownup time.”

Overall, the whole family had a really wonderful time at Cancun Palace and despite the few minor glitches described above, it’s really a first-class resort that we’d happily book again next year (if only we could afford it...).

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.

Just returned from a week at the Cancun Palace (June 13-20th). My husband and I went wtih two other couples. We have stayed at the Cancun Palace in the past, but it was before the hurricane. I can honestly say this is the best place to stay.! The room we had was on the 12th floor. I can not describe how nice it was. Our friends were all on diffrent floors, but that did not matter! Not one of us have any complaints! The service is exceptional! We did not want or need anything all week. Everyone from the front desk to the maid service was top notch and was very helpful! They were so good, I think Americans should take lesson on how to give good service! Yes, there is a beach and the pool is spectacular! All of the bars were really good too, just ask for top shelf when you order and you will get the best drinks! The best place to eat is Leonardo's. The buffet was okay, but you can also have items made to order which was really nice for breakfast. We did go and visit some of the other Palaces (Moon, SunRise, Cozemel, and the Island of the Women Palace) while we were in Mexico, and all of us agreed that the Cancun Palace was the best! It was not too small or too big! If you are looking for the fun place to stay, this resort is it! We also did do the Zip line tour that is offered through the Cancun Palace. Do it!! It was the funniest and most exciting thing I ever did!! E mail me with any questions you may have, I am more than eager to help any one have a wonderful trip like we did!