My husband and I just returned from Moon Palace Sunrise and I will definately come back with friends and family. The service was terrific and everyone was friendly. Nothing was too troublesome for the personnel. The food was very good and the entertainment was fun. We dreaded leaving on our fifth and last day. I would recommend the Moon Palace Resorts to everyone.

The Moon Palace is beyond anything you will ever experience IF...

1. You book through a travel agent.

I say this because our experience was effortless. Any ?'s are answered quickly and you always have that liason to call even while you're down there.

2. You book through a company that has a fruit in it's name and it's not an orange.

This vacation company has it's own personal block of rooms with the palace resorts, so you will never be transferred or lied to about when your room is ready or where it's at. You also have, on top of your travel agent back home, a representative at the airport/shuttle and one at the hotel that can also answer any ?'s you may have. These people for "Fruit" Vacation company take care of you like your there only customers. They even go as far as to set up a "meeting" to make sure everything is okay apon arrival and departure.

This may be a little more expensive than the so called "deals" that get from the internet or where ever, but then don't say we didnt warn you. You get what you pay for!!!!

AS FOR THE HOTEL...

Absolutly Spectacular!! The rooms, service, pool, food, drinks, you name it and it completly exceeded all expectations, dreams, wishes and prayers. We will never go anywhere else.

P.S - Going again in two weeks, look for the updated review, Post-Katrina!

My husband and I stayed at the Moon Palace for 7 days on our honeymoon. It dosen't take much to fall in love with this place. We were placed on the Nizuc side and loved it!! Every review that I have read has advertized the Sunrise side to be the best. Before going on the trip, I too, believed this. Even upon checking in I requested a Sunrise room. But we lucked out. We were away from the noise, 3rd floor up, and in heaven, on the Nizuc side. The room was everything we had hoped for. There was a large walk-in shower, king bed, (matress was fine) 2 person jacuzzi, in room liquor dispensor with tequilla, bacardi, scotch.., mini refrigerator, and a nice balcony. We did not have a hammock, but I later found out that the room space is larger without the bigger balconys that supply the hammocks.
The food was great! Some people will claim that some people will go for anything.... not the case. I am pretty picky, and the food here is good. The Italian resturant on the Sunrise side was our favorite. It had such a good selection... a open pasta bar so you could create your own pasta dish and sauce... fresh salad, lasagna, even the olive oil and herb dipping sauce for italian bread as a appitizer... great!!! Even if you are by the pool all day, you don't have to get up! You ALWAYS have someone taking care of you! The excellent staff will bring food or drink whenever you need! The staff deserves reconition, they do everything in their power to make your stay better. Everything is " My pleasure" They will take your plate from you when they see you walking back to your table, and pull out your chair for you.
As far as transportaition, it is there. It may cost some, but not bad. My husband and I went shopping at a flea market and the driver waited for us the whole time- without charging!! Of course we tipped good!! Reading some of these past reviews, I have to wonder, would anything make these people happy?? I can't wait to return to Moon Palace! Oh, and there was not heavy smoke through the resturants!! A lot of their resturants are smoke free. The ones that let you smoke are pretty much open to the air..... So, go, have a good time!! The disco on the Sunrise side is a blast!! There is something for everyone here! If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. e-mail" wgnr_chrstn@yahoo.com

I hesitated writing this review, because of my sincere regret and sorrow for the people of Cancun, and the devastation that occurred as a result of last Fall's hurricane.

But I decided to write an account of my travel experience to Moon Palace anyway, because despite the damage, I had relied heavily on user ratings in planning my trip and felt that others should know what my family and I experienced earlier this week.

I booked my four-person, five-night stay back in early October, prior to the hurricane. After the hurricane, I strongly considered cancelling the trip, postponing it, or moving it to a new location altogether, but was assured by numerous individuals, both in writing and on the phone, as well as by website updates from palaceresorts that our trip would be unaffected by our arrival date of January 26.

During the course of my research, I learned that at Moon Palace, guests are booked on one of two "wings" of the resort. Sunrise or Nizuk. I had been hoping for Sunrise, based on visitor reviews I had read, but was aware that Moon Palace couldn't guarantee on which side we'd be placed, and I certainly didn't expect such an assurance after the hurricane.

When we arrived, however, we learned that we would not be housed on EITHER the Nizuk or the Sunrise side. In fact, we were so remotely placed from the resort, that we would have needed a hotel car to pick us up for any of the dining / pools / salons / activities offered by the Moon Palace. We were offered a room on the Golf Course within no reasonable proximity to a beach, or to any one of the lagoon style pools Moon Palace boasts so proudly.

At the check in counter, all the employees were quick to reference the hurricane as the reason they couldn't accommodate us, and the fact that all of the resort rooms weren't yet open, but in my literally dozens of calls in the weeks leading up to the trip, I was assurred, and reasurred (both by palace resorts and expedia) that the resort was fully operational, and that we'd have a better than 90% chance for a beach view room. The golf course wasn't within eyeshot of any water.

Finally, after more than an hour arguing at the check in counter, Moon Palace did transfer us to another resort an hour away in the Riviera Maya (Aventura Spa Palace) but not until I cried and began asking for a refund. At that point, they agreed to the transfer, and said that we would receive $200 in spa or golf services per room ($400 total) for our trouble. We gladly accepted and got a bus to the new resort.

When we arrived at Aventura, it took some considerable time for them to call back and forth to Moon Palace, and to find us two rooms. When I asked about using our $400 credit, they said that the Moon Palace should have given us gift certificates, which they had not. I showed them a letter of transference that had included the credit in writing, and they said that that "should be enough." But at that point, with a full day of our vacation gone, we couldn't trust that they would honor the credit, and we feared that it would appear as an incidental charge at the end of our trip.

Once we were settled at Aventura, it was indeed very nice, and if asked to review that resort, it would undeniably be better, but the research, the planning, the selection of where I had hoped to go on vacation with my family this year was to the Moon Palace. I thought readers should know about my experience there.