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Topic: 4th July Activities
4th July Activities
Colonial beach
11:30: Group photo
Noon: Outdoor grill with live music
3:30 Foam Party
Evening Colonial Plaza
7:30 Live Performance
Rock Forever Show
4th July Fiesta with Music
In reply to: First trip to Mexico
Thanks to Nicole Kelly for sharing
Hi everyone!!! We are home and settled 🙁 I just wanted to thank everyone again for all your help and also share my longer review from trip adviser that I am trying to submit but its not working lol! Thanks again!!! I hope everyone has as much as an AMAZING time as we did at this wonderful resort!!! Sorry review is very long!!!!!
We traveled to the Grand Palladium in Lucea Jamaica from October 16th thru October 22nd, 6 nights and 7 days. My family consists of myself,husband and twin children age 12. The ride from MBJ was approx. 45 minutes so it wasn’t bad at all. We arrived at the resort about 1:30pm and when we pulled up to the Jamaica side which is where I had my reservation we were told we were being upgraded to the Lady Hamilton side, of course I was ecstatic! We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon left our bags with the bellman, received our welcome drink and were taken to check in which had no wait as there was no one else in line. We spoke to Vanessa at the front desk who already knew my kids name and wished them a Happy Birthday she told them to call her Auntie Vanessa and let her know if they needed anything, she was delightful! Our room was not quite ready but she said they could give us another room that was ready but she thought I would like to wait a little bit because we would want this room!
We were given Villa 26 on the 3rd floor with a Ocean View so yes we waited! 🙂 The room was in in perfect location! Close to the pool,beach,theatre,lobby,sports bar,buffet, jerk hut ect. absolutely perfect!!! While we waited for our room which was only about 45 mins we just had a couple drinks and walked around the property to check everything out. The resort is big and beautiful but we did not find it difficult at all to navigate around the property and it did not that very long to get where you had to go 🙂 Once we were able to go to our room which was beautiful we were given a fruit tray, chocolates and champagne with personalized Anniversary and Birthday as well as Welcome letters. We unpacked got changed and headed to the pool 🙂
A little later in the day we headed up from dinner and on the bed was 2 bunches of balloons with Happy Birthday wishes from the smile services team ( I will talk more about them later) After that we headed off for an early dinner so we could get to bed early as we were exhausted from the travel. The next 3 days we enjoyed everything the resort had to offer pool, kids water park, activities, las brias beach and the sunset cove beach, foam party ect. We didn’t catch much of the shows because we were so exhausted from being in the sun all day and having fun but we did watch the pirate show and some of the Michael Jackson show which was really good!!! 2 things we were HIGHLY impressed with the pool and kids waterpark I thought before we got there that my kids would have been to big for the water park but it was AMAZING! Also Sunset Cove Beach was our favorite and every time we were there we played games with the sweet and wonderful Kemar from the POP department 🙂 He was amazing and wanted to get everyone involved and always made sure we were having fun! We miss you already Kemar!!! A few other things I want to mention-
Housekeeping was outstanding! We had Veronica all week and she was the sweetest!!! We left for breakfast every morning between 7 and 8 am and she was already on our floor working so our room was completely cleaned by noon everyday and she always had a smile on her face 🙂
Food was good we ate at the buffet for breakfast, lunch was normally the jerk hut and for dinner we ate at the a la carte restaurants. When we were there it was not crowded until the weekend came but there was never a wait to be seated except the night we went to the steak house they told us 45 minutes for inside or we could sit on the patio and be seated right away so we chose to do that. Drinks were very good and we found them to be strong especially at the Poseidon restaurant bar and if we wanted an extra shot in our drinks we just asked and everything was NO PROBLEM MON 🙂
The staff that we had encounters with were all very friendly nice and helpful! On Saturday which was our kids birthday we left the resort for the day and visited Dolphin Cove which is 5 minutes up the road, Island Luxe Beach Park in Negril and Ricks Cafe so the kids had a great birthday! When we came back we had Hibachi for dinner and we had Chef Carleton who was so much fun! On a side note the Hibachi show is the only place you need a reservation for so make sure you set that up at check in 🙂
Back to the Smile Services department, before we traveled I had reached out to them to let them know about my twins birthday throughout the trip I was corresponding via email with Janine who was OUTSTANDING! She emailed me friday and wanted to set something else up for the kids birthdays and wanted us to meet her at the Cabanas on Sunday at noon I was actually surprised that there was still more to come haha! Sunday came, we went over to the Cabanas and we were completely blown away by what Janine and her team did! They set up a birthday party for the kids at the Cabana balloons, banners, a cake delivered from a pirate that was personalized to my children, champagne, fruit, use of the Cabana for the rest of the day and butler service from the wonderful Oshane!!! Everything was absolutely perfect this day and we couldn’t be more grateful and thankful for everything that Janine and her team had done for us!!! Thanks again you are the best!!! My kids had a birthday they will never forget and we will probably never be able too top!!! xoxo
All in all we had the best vacation and a beautiful week! The Grand Palladium is a wonderful place to stay and I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about it! Our week was great, fun and unforgettable so thank you to everyone at the resort we helped make our stay one of THE BEST!!!! xoxoxo
In reply to: Lots going on (Thursday)
Topic: Trip report GP RM
Hi!
This site gave me great info about my vacation, added to my excitement and I was asked to report back, so here we go…
The short version: it was great, I would be happy to call it a 5/5 stars week and I want to go back! Pretty much everything was as I expected or better, and the “not-so-great” either requires some serious nitpicking, or was out of their influence. So, kudos to GP RM!
If you have more time and interest, here are some points that come to my mind. Regarding where I’m coming from, I have been on several vacations in Caribbean AI resorts (including GP Punta Cana, in 2014 I think – it was great), never in Mexico though. This was also my first trip with a bigger group (from 12yo to guys in their 50s) and thanks to our friend as PTC guests.
Now, lets start with this … staff was awesome. I never thought someone behaved unprofessionally or “unsmiley” or something less than I could ever expect… they were great and I hope to meet them again.
The grounds are probably the most “jungly” I have seen. Some resorts have manicured grass and a few palms between the buildings (which is not bad, airy and clear), but here it seems like the buildings were dropped into the jungle, while destroying as little as possible, which we found very nice. The grounds at the spa are immaculate. We didn’t see any coati, but some agoutis, some cats and lots of iguanas. We also had very lucky timing and seen turtles hatch 🙂
The disappointment that you can’t blame at the resort was the situation with the seaweed, that is bothering the Caribbean. It was washed up in a thick line (and smelly), but also often like a carpet covering a lot of water, so… not great. That said, we have been in the ocean a few times, when it was better and as a silver lining: almost all loungers at the beach were free 😉
Also, they are making great effort to clean it up, all day, every day, but it seemed like a Sisyphean battle with nature.
Surprisingly, I ran into a little issue, when I ran out of my tipping bills (again, everybody was so nice, even without a tip, that we tipped more). I went to the reception and asked if they could break at least a $10 but they said they don’t have small bills, maybe tomorrow. So I went to the lobby bar (I was thinking they get tips in small bills, so maybe…), the bartender smiled a bit, turned to his colleague and she just said no. I think it isn’t a mystery what for I would want smaller bills and in the end, it is not really for me, so maybe coincidence, maybe bad timing, maybe they are not allowed… don’t know. I tried the next day in Zentropia, they said they don’t have any cash. So for a while I tipped more, but less frequently, or I didn’t, and then my friends came from a tour and helped me out. But I’m left with a feeling, that this should have been very easy (and in their interest to make it easy)… maybe one of the unused “phone booths” around the corner from reception could be re-purposed for a “break a bill machine” (what ever they are called).
Food & drinks… overall great, buffet nice (had dinner buffet just once, but breakfast great), snack options great (buffet & to order at the beach, ice cream at the bar…), restaurants generally nice, though there have been highs and lows (steak house meat perfect, Mexican octopus & Sinaloa beef delicious, Thai green curry great… and then the “sticky rice” dessert… well, either just take it off the menu, or look into it – it is not supposed to be just regular, little bit dry rice, with a bit of condensed milk (?) splashed over it as an afterthought… but “avocado smoothie” dessert great again – if you go for a dinner, have a chat with the waiter of chef, they know whats good 😉 ).
The specials were also great, paella on the beach tasty, chocolate Thursday at Hemingway’s delicious… New for me was the constant question “any food allergies?”… and if so, the chef would come out and talk to you.
Drinks also very nice, bartenders knew more cocktails than those on the menu and were forthcoming with special wishes, including branded alcohols… not to everyone though… I witnessed a short conversation at the swim up bar:
3guys “can we have a cerveza and two tequilas?”
bartender “could I please see your armband?”
3guys “never mind then…”
and walked away with their green (minors) armbands
:)))
Few other notes: the resort was pleasantly “under-crowded”. There were always some free chairs somewhere around the pool, line at the bar was never too bad (when it was getting there and there was just one bartender instead of two, he switched into turbo mode, moved really fast and still did same great drinks 🙂 ). Same for the breakfast buffet line, never too bad, unless you are an irritable grumpy German guy (in front of us one morning, waiting maybe 3-5min seemed to ruin his vacation… but there seem to be one like that everywhere 😉 ).
The music at the pools was not what I expected after the Latino/Caribbean sounds in other resorts, but for the lack of a better word “normal western” music (I let it up to you to file it under pros or cons). Some day there was a DJ at the pool bar, then a great guitar guy, in the evening live band…
I’m not a SPA enthusiast, but enjoyed the Zentropia zone and how quiet, empty, beautiful it is there (also the healthy habits bar)… while on the other, more splashy hand, we had some nice games of pool volleyball (at white sands pool, the other has just a kiddie version)… OK, some more nitpicking: archery with one bow for many people wasn’t great, I did 4 shots in a full hour, my friends went for rifle shooting the next day, but it was full, because those who came for archery signed up also for rifle shooting an hour earlier… and sand at the beach volleyball court could be deeper/softer, but it was still nice to play (just don’t dive for the ball) and they went through it with a cultivator after the foam party (the foam pool/dancing floor was there).
And finally, something that luckily wasn’t relevant for our group, but was nice to notice, is that the resort seems quite ready for handicapped guests. Not just rooms and ramps, but there is a “floating wheelchair” ready at the pool and a sand/ocean ready version at the beach, designated loungers and so on.
OK, this is waaay longer than I planned and still so much not mentioned, but lets just say that all that I didn’t mention was great (e.g. PTC services, PTC responsible employees, airport transport, check in/out, carts, maids, minibar refill guy who seen me walk out of the room with an ice bucked and offered to fill it through his access door so I don’t have to walk a tiny bit to the ice machine without me asking him for it…).
As I mentioned in the beginning, it was a fantastic week, thank you GP RM!
Topic: Great trip to TRS Turquesa
By Ken Z
Our return to paradise, my partner and I returned to the TRS Turquesa for our 12th visit to celebrate our 24th anniversary and my 50th birthday.
First Impressions
It was with eager anticipation that we arrived at the resort. For this trip we opted to book a private transfer with Dominicanplus Transfers and were so pleased with the prompt and efficient service. Upon arrival we were greeted by the bellmen who quickly took our bags and escorted us to main desk to check-in. Our first impressions from the gentleman checking in was unwelcoming but efficient. He provided us with paperwork to be completed and bands. Seemed a little off putting from our experiences in the past. A Bellman quickly took us to our swimout junior suite in building 55. Unfortunately when we arrived at the door neither of our room key wristbands worked. The Bellman was able to let us into our room however and we were happy to find it decorated with an anniversary banner, fruit platter and a gift bottle of rum. We breathed a sigh of relief. This was the welcome that we were use to at the Turquesa. I will note that it took three return visits to the front desk that evening to get our keys to work. Both the front desk and guests were left frustrated. However with that being said we do like that your wristbands are now your room key —-you never have to worry about remembering your key.The Swimout Suite
For us the swimout suite is the ideal room. We love being able to walk off your suite deck and into the pool. You have ready access to your own washroom and your sunscreen etc. We found the pool very quiet and relaxing. Drink service to the pool was quick and accommodating. We also love the location of Building 55 it provides full sun both morning and afternoon. Plus building 55 is close to all of the amenities. The only drawback for some might be how close it is located to the Secret Pool. On foam party afternoons the thud of the music can invade the peace and tranquility.Dining Options
When we travel to the TRS Turquesa we choose to dine only in the TRS restaurants. We find that they provide the level of service and the quality of food that we desire. When we first travelled to the Turquesa the only dining option was the Royal Gourmet. We then saw the addition of the French Restaurant and now the addition of Helios and Kuskos. With all of these options we now truly feel there is no need to travel into the other sections. My husband is a chef and dining for us is an experience. We enjoy getting dressed for both lunch and dinner and having a relaxing 2 or 3 hour experience. There were many highlights for us at all of the restaurants. There was one noticeable change in the French with the Chateaubriand, no longer is it served on the stone with two accompanying sauces. The quality of the beef is still excellent but the show is gone. Plus I personally really miss the bernaise sauce. A highlight for us was also the addition of Helios. We love the beach club vibe. The cerviche scallops were wonderful and the surf and turf excellent. We also really enjoyed the crab cakes and duck at lunch. Carprichio and Helios and both open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We loved having two options for dining at lunch with two different menu options, unfortunately this changed 5 days into our holiday. Both restaurants are still open for lunch but with identical menus. This cut your choices in half and eliminated a number of favourite options. Both guests and staff at Helios were taken by surprise. Our experience at Kuskos was excellent but rushed. We were served 4 courses in 45 minutes. One item was arriving before we had even begun to enjoy the last dish. I am hoping that this could be addressed. It should also be noted that the air conditioning in this restaurant does not work at efficiently as the other TRS restaurants.Smile Service
Wow! That is the best way to describe the experience that Octavio and his team provide. For our 25th anniversary Octavio arranged an intimate dinner for us at La Bohieme including champagne, candlelight, rose petals, speciality cake and a saxophone soloist. It was magical. He really made us feel important members of the Turquesa family.The Reason We Return
We are drawn to the Turquesa time and time again because of the staff who are family to us. The are members of the Turquesa team who truly have left an imprint on our heart. Remanita at La Bohieme spotted us from across a crowded dining room and immediately came to welcome us on our first evening. Throughout our stay she went above and beyond ensuring our experience was exceptional, on our last day their were shared tears between the three of us. Another member who is a dear member of our heart from previous trips was Claribel in Carprichio. She two spotted us on our first morning and instantly reconnected with us. Both of these young ladies provide excellent service that should be consider the exemplary standard the TRS brand. We were also were really impressed with Estefani in la Bohieme and Helios, she is a rising star. One two different occasions she turned bumbling service provided by here colleagues in to memorable occasions when she spotted that things were quickly going down hill for us. She is an exception addition as is Jesus and Solanyi at Helios. Finally other standout members for us were Mabel at the main bar, Octavio at Smile Service and Melky as a butler—- who was not our butler but checked in regularly to ensure we were having a good experience.The Butlers
We keep reading on trip advisor the amazing work of the butlers and all of the little extras they do for their guests, well this was not our experience. Over the course of 10 days we had an ever changing cast of butlers —none of whom went out of their way to make our experience outstanding. Our first evening Yan Marc introduced himself and the next morning he told us he was relocated. If it had not been for Melky who we have had in the past no one would have checked on us. On one occasion I asked three different butlers for assistance on the same issue over a 2 hour time span. The butler service for us was disappointing.Overall
Our return experience to the TRS Turquesa was a great experience. It was the perfect place to celebrate two milestones. There have been changes since our previous trip but for the most part they are positive.By Tracy
Just returned from a wonderful week in Ibiza. We stayed on the Palace side but frequented the White Island side as well.
PROS: We felt the food was the absolute best of the GP’s we’ve been to (Riviera Maya, Jamaica and Punta Cana) and our guests agreed, rooms were lovely (we had 3 junior suites in building 4000 facing the sea), beds super comfy, NO upgrade tour or pressure from travel club, travel club reps Fernanda, Noelia and Lea Claire were super helpful and were set up at a lobby table each day, no solicitors from spa, watersports etc bugging you at all, POP shows were great, the Spanish house wines were delicious so we didn’t have to spend our $ buying bottles unlike the other GPs, WiFi worked everywhere and was very good, beach towel service was easy – didn’t have to trade one for another like at the other GPs. resort is much smaller than the others we’ve been to so easily walkable. Drinks were good as was the service.
CONS: HUGE con was the beach situation. All beaches in the Balearic Islands must allow access to the public which is fine. The bad part is GP does not provide beach chairs or umbrellas like at the other GPs. However the govt allows private beach clubs and two were set up right on our beach that we could use but have to pay 50 or 80euro PER DAY for two chairs and an umbrella which we didn’t do. I heard that GP used to have a license for providing chairs etc but they recently lost it so instead they provide beach mats for us to sign out which were not comfortable and cumbersome to carry. A couple other smaller cons were no Travel Club for us to hang out at, no Adult Only pool which we were craving by the end, no swim up bars, less entertainment than the other GPs, basically just the nightly show. Oh, and no maple syrup for your pancakes, just Nutella and other strawberry and caramel type concoctions so bring your own if you want syrup!
Other misc. info: there are 3 a la carte restaurants and they are all on the Palace side. Mexican, Italian and Mediterranean. We ate at these every night and didn’t go to the buffet at all for dinner. All were fabulous but we loved Portofino which is the Mediterranean the best. You could also eat a nice buffet lunch there instead of the 2 regular buffets and it’s on the beachside rather than by the lobbies like the other 2. Two pools on Palace side, one on White Island side. The lobbies and landscaping fauna (with the exception of the beautiful bougainvillea everywhere) pale in comparison to the other GPs but that’s not what we go there for. Also it seemed more laid back to us, less loud music playing poolside, no foam-type parties etc which was perfectly fine for us. No disco/club, as the island itself is known for the party scene which doesn’t start until after midnight and has ample clubs. Advice: rent a car for a day and tour the island. So well worth it! Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions.
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LikeShow more reactions · Reply · 56mIn reply to: Hints, tips & recommendations for TRS Yucatan xx
Welcome Hannah & Matt!
You will love TRS. As you probably know it is an adult only section of a much larger complex. It has its own activities scheduled, mostly around adults but you and your partner may also partake of other events on the sister resorts if you want more activity.
Suggest you download the App
You can see daily activities for the Colonial & White Sand side under activities. Once you are there and have a room number you can also use the App to contact your butler, call a cart and more.
Here are some additional activities planned for TRS.
Suggest you take the Segway tour from the Kantenah Beach.It will give you a great tour of the entire complex
Be sure you ask your butter to reserve Chic Cabaret for you . (Men must wear long pants here.) Also, suggest you try the a la cartes on the TRS side before you wander to the other sections of the resort for dinner. Here are the menus (Scroll down) (You can reserve if you wish through your butler) Menus
In the evening there is sometimes music at TRS. There is a party before and after the Chic shows on Monday, Wednesday, Friday on the terrace outside of Chic.
On other nights there are live bands on Colonial and White Sand sides.
In addition, there is a White Party & Fire show on the Colonial beach on Mondays, Peace & Love Party in Colonial on Tuesdays and a Back to the 80s Party on Wednesdays. There is also a chocolate night in Hemingways off the Kantenah lobby on Thursdays, a Rock n burger party at the Colonial beach bar on Thursdays, a Kukos party at Colonial at noon on Tuesdays and a paella party with live band at Colonial on Sundays at noon. If foam parties are of interest there is one with live music on Colonial beach on Thursdays at 4pm.
Don’t hesitate to ask your butler for anything you may need. There is also 24 hour room service. You cannot order cocktails via room service but you will have 4 bottles of alcohol in your room. You can request juice to mix. There is also a 24 hour bar open in the lobby with premium drinks. The wine in your room has a charge so if you don’t wish to pay stick to house wine (Bring a bubba mug)
Be sure and make a sunrise. I was able to see the sunrise from my balcony in building 66. You can also walk to the beach bar on White Sand ad grab a good coffee or mimosa for the sunrise.
Sunrise at TRS by Connie..This should get you started. Feel free to ask away.
Topic: Foam Party
In reply to: Coconut rum drinks
Topic: Lots going on (Thursday)
Here a a few to get you started from our Facebook Group. What are yours ??
Dan DeAthe : Foam party
Judi Kozar : While there go on The Outback Safari for a taste of the country. Went 2 times and loved it both times.
Anne Adams : Punta Cana Mike’s Dominican Adventure http://puntacanamike.com
Keely Simpson : Hemmingways bar for gorgeous cocktails …Saona island excursion..
In reply to: Live from GPRM – Annette
Topic: Live from GPRM – Annette
Awesome day today! Kate was the female winner of the hamster ball race in the pool, burgers and country music at the beach bar at lunch, and then foam party #2! And it isn’t even supper time yet lol!
Sports bar
Topic: Coconut rum drinks
In reply to: Live – ice cream!!
In reply to: Tuesday Foam Party & more – Punta Cana
Topic: Fun Thursdays
Topic: Grand Palladium Punta Cana
McMommy shared:
My husband and I and another couple just returned from a week’s stay at The Grand Palladium Punta Cana.
This resort is advertised as a 4-1/2 star resort, but I would give it 3 stars. I paid 3 star prices so I was happy with what we experienced.
We had booked Jr. Suite’s and were placed in building 3000, quiet location close to beach and pool.
Rooms 3032 and 3132. Rooms were clean and nicely appointed with a king bed, small sofa which is also a trundle bed, coffee table, TV stand, small table with two chairs, small desk, large closet with safe, Jacuzzi tub, open concept sink, toilet and shower in a separate room with sliding door.
Small desk had 3 drawers which I used as a dresser, closet had 20 hangers and some shelving for extra storage.
Coffee maker, small frig stocked with sodas, beer and water and the bathroom was stocked with shampoo, cream rinse, lotion and bubble bath and of course a shower cap! A hand written note for more water and beer with a $3 tip and we never ran out!
Our patio had a lovely view of the wedding gazebo, the beach and the ocean. Our room also had two large windows with views of the beach and ocean, these windows opened but did not have screens on them.
Everything in our room worked just fine, no problems with anything. Several power outlets but only two prong plugs, which are recessed (which made it impossible for some things to plug in. Bring a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter. Yes a little worn but it was clean and comfortable.
Check in; quick and efficient, Pedro and Samuel were friendly and happy to help us. When we came to meet the other couple a few hours later two buses of people had arrived at the same time as they did and the front desk wiped right thru this group and had them all checked in and on their way in less than 1/2 and hour, pretty impressive I must say!
Resort: Very large with lots of walking paths, roads and trolley’s. Lovely well maintained landscaping. Each resort had its own open air lobby, open air lobby bar and enclosed buffet. Each resort also had their own pool. Large sports area with ping pong, tennis, basketball and several other activities. Shopping mall in the Punta Cana section and the Bavaro section.
Pools: All pools had a pool bar, lots of loungers, lots of Palapa’s with plenty of shade. We had very poor service at all pool bars, inattentive and uninterested in helping you but once we tipped then they paid some attention to us but not much.
Punta Cana pool; one next to building 3000 had no walk in or steps, only way into the pool was metal stairs, small pool bar and not too deep but the day after the foam party they drained about 2 feet of water out of the pool and it stayed this empty for the next two days making it hard to get in and out of
Punta Cana pool by the buffet, nice slopping walk in, cement loungers in the shallow section
Bavaro pool; nice steps into the pool, very deep in some areas, huge pool bar but mostly in the shade all day
Palace pool, nice steps into the pool
Secret Adults only , very nice and quiet, easy walk in, ledge to put your lounger on and cement loungers in the waterBeach: Beautiful! Lots of natural plants and tons of palm trees, easy walking sand and tons of lounge chairs. No beach service but a beach bar is available for you to get your own drinks.
Food: buffet’s every morning were the same thing, nothing changed from buffet to buffet or day to day but there was an omelets chef, a waffle chef and lots of options. Food was hot and fresh.
Ala Carte’s; We tried them all but the Spanish, the Italian was our least favorite and the Steak house was our best experience with great food, service and atmosphere. The Japanese was a close second place.
Reservation system; Poor explanation, everyone gave you different answers but this is what we figured out. Members and Presidential guests were able to make reservations, everyone else had to line up at 5:30 pm for first seating’s and if you didn’t make the cut you had an 1 1/2 wait for the second seating. Only place we could make reservations for was the Japanese, line up at 5 pm to make your reservation. But I will mention that the Chinese, Spanish and Mexican at the Bavaro side never had a line nor a wait, was able to walk right in.
Service; We found that most service was basically forced and unhappy but we like to talk to the employees and my husband speaks some Spanish so we always asked their name and spent a few minutes talking with them and then they seemed to enjoy this and would come check on us more often. We always tip, not just leaving it on the table but shaking their hands and thanking them and then giving them their tip and we seemed to be remembered by many. Darlin, Lordes, Heather are a few names we remembered.
Our first morning breakfast at the Punta Cana buffet we met Franklin who was friendly and attentive and we tipped him nicely so the next two morning as soon as he saw us come in he grabbed us and seated us in his section and remembered our names. He even said goodbye to us on the third day as he was going to be off for the next few days.
Venders and Hotel sales people; not as annoying as some reviews I read but we did learning quickly where they were and avoided them. The Travel Club people were the worst ones.
Room service; did not try it but only available 11 am till 11 pm, we are used to having coffee and fruit delivered in the am so we can enjoy coffee on our patio but this was not an option here.
Sports Bar; 24 hour food here, mostly bar food but still an option. We were at the resort for the playoff game and the boys hung out here to watch Green Bay get slaughtered, the resort and bar did a nice job hosting this game with plenty of wait staff and food available. The place was packed!
Lunch; snack bar by the Punta Cana section pool was ok, tried a few buffets for lunch which were just ok and the service was poor, but all pools had a hot dog cart, which opened at 11:30 am
Hemingway’s; Top shelf liquor here, nice game tables for cards or dice and a lovely piano player. We came here each night after dinner for drinks and to play games which we brought with us, not sure if they had games available or not.
Activities; not really posted nor communicated anywhere, we came across a big board but not much on it other than the nightly shows. Nothing in the rooms or on the TV about which pool and what times, after the fact we learned about the foam party and the lobster buffet.
Phone app; basically useless for us, wifi not great anywhere but your room or lobby so when at the pool trying to figure out events or to “chat” with host to find out about reservations you would lose your connection. So we gave up on it.
All in all it was a good trip, we did not starve but did get bored of the food. Have I stayed at better resorts yes but I also paid a lot more for those resorts.
If you are high maintenance and expecting 5 stars you will be disappointed by this resort, if you know how to relax and enjoy yourself then you will have a good time!
Room Tip: 3132 was quiet and nice views
Eco kids day
Noon
Foam Party
Pilates
Pool bike
3 PM
Merengue lessons
4 PM
Beach soccer
7 pm
Teen get together dinner
8 pm
Mini POP show
10PM
Karaoke
11:30 pm
Peace & Love party
In reply to: Foam Party- Jamaica ~ Sunday
Topic: Foam Party- Jamaica ~ Sunday
In reply to: Live from P RM
Topic: Foam Party Jamaica ~
In reply to: Thursday: Foam party – RM
In reply to: Thursday: Foam party – RM
Beautiful day for a foam party.
From Margaritalady:
We vacation at the Grand Palladium Mexico at least once each year and have been able to observe the constant improvements that have occurred. The Kantenah and Colonial rooms and lobbies have been updated and the White Sands is now being refurbished. The newly renovated Sports Bar is a great place to cool off, have a snack and watch your favorite game.
La Lola is the new Tapas restaurant, which has a variety of small plates. The buffets have been expanded and offer an amazing variety. Damien, the buffet manager is doing an excellent job of overseeing the buffet.
The foam party on the beach on Thursday was fun to watch and participate in! As always, we were happy to see our old Palladium friends and meet new ones. Filberto makes the best drinks and always aims to please! Lucy is a wonderful waitress and we always enjoy the time we spend with them. Jakob makes certain that dinners at El Jardin are perfect, as always. We are always happy to see Luis and his smiling face at the Riveria Lobby bar. We have known Alfredo at the Colonial Pool bar since our first year at the Palladium. Love this guy. Israel, the Royal driver, was always there to give us a lift when we needed it. Last, but certainly not least, Arely and Beatriz, who worked together to make our vacation a memorable one!
Stayed August 2016, traveled with family
Topic: Thursday: Foam party – RM
A wonderful mother/daughter vacation
My daughter & I don’t see each other often and chose the Grand Palladium Royal Suites Yucatan once again for our Christmas reunion as we are always made to feel as though we are”coming home”. We have stayed many times in other locations on the resort complex but after the experiencing the extra pampering, peaceful environment and amazing attention to detail in the adults only Royal Suites last year it was an easy decision to make.
We booked fights from our 2 locations and were happy that AGI was at the airport to greet us with a spacious 17 passenger van. We were whisked away and were at the P before we knew it!
The resort remembered my daughter’s birthday and greeted us with an amazing birthday display in addition to a number of amenities to make us feel welcome ,ie champagne, flowers, rose petals and more. Wow!
As I was starving when I arrived I took advantage of the very extensive room service
menu and had cerviche, salmon and a bottle of house wine by the time I had changed to go to the pool. Yummy.Daily routine
We developed a routine.I usually got up early and went down to the Royal lobby for cappuccino. We’d meet for breakfast in El Jardin on the RSY property then split our days between the beach and the Royal pool. We usually had lunch at one of the buffets (see below).
My daughter enjoyed the jacuzzi on the deck before dinner. We ate dinner around 8, listened to music in Riviera, Hemingway’s or Colonial then my daughter went her own way to meet friends and Mom went to visit Filiburto & Valencia in the Royal lobby . I felt very comfortable letting her roam as staff looked out for her. She attended the White Party at the salt water pool on Monday and the Royal cart picked her up when the party ended. One night she and a friend went to the beach bar after the disco closed and a cart picked her up there when she called
FoodThe subject of food is subjective. As the resort is preparing food for various cultures and thousands of meals a day, nobody will like everything but there is certainly plenty to choose from for even the most discerning diner.
We usually ate breakfast at El Jardin which we liked as it wasn’t crowded. They have a buffet there, an egg grille, and a menu. We usually had freshly made omelets and a selection from the buffet.There is inside and outside seating. They have a nice selection of fresh juice and all the mixings for Bloody Marys.
For lunch we tried El Gran Azul over the main pool on the first day. They still offer freshly grilled items which is what I have for lunch every day. They didn’t have any signage indicating that thus the confusion. Abby had a chicken burger (they have a selection of burgers,ie beef, chicken,turkey,veggie) and I had grilled chicken with a selection of salads. After that day we ate in either La Hacienda on Colonial or Kabah on Riviera. These are much larger and IMHO food quality has greatly improved. They had three kinds of paella, large paella type pans with shrimp and mussels as well as the standard pasta station, variety of pizza, salads, cold cuts, hamburgers, hot dogs for the kids, freshly made bread & rolls There were two grilling stations offering a total of 6 items to choose to have grilled including chicken,steak, pork ,salmon and more.
One day Abby ate at Punta Emilia beach bar as she enjoys the Mexican food there. They also now offer fried fish filet and whole fried fish which I enjoyed.
For dinner we mostly ate at El Jardin choosing lobster with steak or lamb chops. We also went to LaAdelita where the food was very good and Punta Emilia. I enjoyed the seafood platter (and they kindly substituted for a fish I can’t eat). Abby had the pepper veal steak (which is beef) and it was extremely tender.
On Christmas Eve we attended the Gala dinner which was wonderful.Nothing was spared. When entering we were given a Kir Royale (champagne with cherry liquor). The ladies were given roses. Decorations were tastefully done including ice sculptures, Christmas trees, and a live Santa. Food included unlimited lobsters, shrimp, fish, roast beef (prime rib), beef filets,turkey, roast pork, chicken, many veggies, salads, fruits and deserts. Beautifully done.
We did not eat dinner in the buffet but we visited and I thought it looked to be a good variety and a high standard for a buffet. In addition they have the grilling stations for those who can’t find anything to their liking.
Overall I found the quality and variety of food very good to excellent. I rarely found something I didn’t like but considering the vast number of guests and the various cultures they are serving I wouldn’t expect to like everything. I honestly can’t understand people who complain that they can’t find anything to eat. I can’t imagine what their expectations are.
Wi Fi
Being in the Royal, we had the premium wi fi which worked extremely well both in the room and all over the Royal area. I used a lap top and my daughter used her I Phone. My daughter had an App that enabled her to text her friends when on the wi fi so she was happy. The Premium wi fi didn’t work on the other areas of the resort without a password which Jessica and Roxanna kindly supplied. Once I had the password I could access wi fi all over the resort. Only used it in the lobbies outside of the Royal.
Currency
I used both US dollars and pesos. Both are widely accepted. I brought a bunch of US ones with me for tipping then got pesos from the ATM on the resort (There is more than one bank affiliated ATM on the resort that dispense both pesos and US.) It is best to use an ATM card with a chip in it. I have an older card and had a bit of trouble but eventually got it to work. I sometimes was challenged getting smaller denominations. The front desk sometimes had smaller bills, sometimes not so I would go to the bell buys or bartenders. They were happy to help if they had small bills. Note if you want to change foreign currency at the front desk you must have your passport. Exchange for US was 15 pesos to the dollar at the front desk. It was closer to 17 in town.
Entertainment,
There is a variety of entertainment at the resort complex. Check both the bulletin boards and the schedule you are given at check-in.
Schedules are posted in theaters. There are 2 evening shows. One earlier for families in the
Colonial Theater; one late in the Riviera Theater.Band schedule (changes) but usually there is live music in Riviera lobby and/or Colonial, sometimes in Kantenah.There is a piano player in Hemingways.
Special parties such as Paella party (Sunday at noon) with live music,Foam party (Thursday at noon with live music), White Party & Fire Show (Mondays at 10:45 pm at salt water pool), Disco – early events for younger kids, later events for those over 18.
On saturday night they have a “Fiesta”on the Riviera side before the show. That was quite fun.
Argentinian /international performe
Circus party
Teen dinner Wednesdays through Teen Club.
Breakfast with Raggs: Wednesday mornings. Sign up at Guest Services.
During the day you can be as busy or as lazy as you like. During the evenings we usually ate dinner around 7:30 or 8 and then went to look for music. We often found it in the Riviera lobby. One night we ate at La Adelita and found music in the Colonial lobby. We also went by Hemingways to look for books and there was a nice piano player that evening. On Saturday evening there was a fun Fiesta party on the Riviera Terrace followed by the Argentinian show.
My daughter usually left me around 10:30 isn to wander around and meet friends her own age. She met a group of Canadians and American at the White Party and met an Argentinian gentleman at the disco They enjoyed conversation at the beach bar after the disco closed. Two beach bars are open 24/7.
Something for everyone IMHO.
New stuff
There is never a day when the staff are not primping, trimming, painting, sweeping, scrubbing. The resort is immaculate. I love the rest rooms there!!
Two years ago I requested the styrofoam coffee cups at the beach bars be replaced with cardboard. It took two years but they did it! Also added cardboard holders like Starbucks!!
They replaced the styrofoam plates at the beach bars with heavy duty plastic. No more flying plates (fish)!!
New loungers at White Sand.
Great ice cream everywhere. (carts)
Waitservice at 2 main pools
Nespresso machines in Royal.
Daily snack platters in Royal rooms.
Improved quality of food in buffets.
L’Occitane products in Royal
New Royal carts.
Floats at Royal pool
New lobby furniture.
Colonial, Kantenah & Royal have been updated and have new beds, linens and more.
Colonial reception and bar renovated
Sports bar renovated
Some new bridges
Some a la cartes have been renovated; new LoLa Tapas restaurant, O’Pavao (replaced Rodizio)
Per guests’ request men’s dress code relaxed to allow nice shorts in a la cartes.
Room service for all for no charge.
More American beers and Gluten free for room fridge upon request
And more. The resort is always looking to improve and does listen to guests’ requests!
Off site trip to PDCWe decided to go to PDC one morning. My daughter was hesitant about using a colectivo as the last time she used one it was very old and she had to literally hold the door shut! I assured her they are all newish and very safe. We walked out the front gate from the Colonial lobby and there was a colectivo parked waiting for passengers. We sat there for a little while until it was almost full then whisked away to PDC. As we were all hotel guests the majority got off at the last stop at the corner of 2nd & 15th streets. This is also where they park to return to the P. Cost was $3 pp per trip.
We both had specific items we wanted. I stopped first at Playa Mart on 5th Ave where I do most of my shopping.Prices are clearly marked, employees are helpful and there is no haggling. I priced the tequila and vanilla there and then we went comparison shopping. Abby likes the international shops at the south end of 5th Ave where she found a reasonably priced dress. We then made the mistake of going into a locally owned shop where the shopkeeper was extremely aggressive. She had items wrapped and was grabbing for my credit card before we had agreed to anything. Eventually she made us uncomfortable enough that we left and went back to Playa Mart. On the way back to the colectivo my daughter saw a shop that was of interest. The shopkeeper was very polite and low key and we eventually bought an item from him without feeing stressed as we did with the aggressive lady. We left PDC feeling happy. There was a line for the colectivos which moved quickly. When coming back be sure and use the employee tunnel to cross the highway or vice versa if you are traveling south to Akumal or Tulum.
After that we had a nice lunch at Kabah and got too lazy to leave the resort again!
Conclusion
My daughter and I chose the Palladium for our mother/daughter Christmas trip as we feel like we are “going home”. We discussed going to P Punta Cana or Jamaica but we always end up back at the P in Riviera Maya as there are so many great staff that make us feel like family. While I love the Kantenah Mayan Suites when I travel solo, I love the Royal Suites Yucatan when with my daughter. We both enjoy the extra pampering. My daughter took advantage of the new pool floats, the yummy ice cream selection at the bar and the double jacuzzi on our deck. I used the excellent room service both upon my arrival and departure. A very extensive menu is offered as is service with a smile! I was also able to order a bottle of house wine for no charge (not on menu).
The staff both at the Royal Suites Yucatan and throughout the resort are wonderful and go beyond the call of duty to make one’s stay perfect. I have come to know many staff over the years and hesitate to name those who stand out as I would fear leaving someone out. I had the pleasure of a visit with LuLu who has been at the P since the beginning and has assisted me and others with reservations over the years. She also introduced me to Andrea whom I have come to know over the years and who is always there to address guests’ issues. I also went by to visit with Paula in Guest Services and to thank her for the outstanding attention to detail in helping me to celebrate my daughter’s birthday 2 years in a row. The resort lavished my daughter with balloons, a cake, more. Wow!!
I would be remiss if I did not mention Pedro who has also been at the resort since the beginning. He is now at the Royal and I felt like he was always quietly looking out for me and my daughter. On my last morning he tapped on my door saying, “Miss Annie are you awake?” Oh how I appreciated that rather than a shrill wakeup call. He then drove me to the lobby, led me to coffee which was appreciated at 6:30am and tracked down my transfer. It is staff like this who make the Palladium feel like our “home away from home”.
The resort is meticulous. The beach has been impacted by the widespread sargassum problems and the staff work non-stop to keep the beach clean. The entire resort is immaculate. My daughter and I always compare public restrooms to those at the P. I love the restrooms at the P! The resort has added many improvements since we were last there including replacing the styrofoam coffee cups at the beach bars with cardboard. Hooray! The resort management does listen to guest’s suggestions.
The food has been upgraded, especially at the buffets which I went to daily for lunch. I felt that the buffet offerings had been streamlined and quality was improved. The food at the Punta Emilia beach bar is improved and they now offer grilled fish. Dinner was always excellent wherever we ate. The staff are also very attentive to any food allergies one might have so mention this at check-in and to your server.
Despite being two generations, we always found entertainment we enjoyed after dinner before my daunter went of to meet friends her own age. I felt very comfortable letting her wander around the resort. The night she went to the White Party at the salt water pool she called a cart after the party and the Royal chariot was there to carry her safely home.
The weather was a mix of sun/rain/wind We spent our days between the beach and the Royal pool. There is so much to do on resort that we only left for a 1/2 day to PDC and yet we still didn’t find the time to visit the spa, take a pontoon boat ride or check out the new Spanish restaurant.
This trip was truly a perfect week of relaxing, making memories, being pampered and sharing quality time together. We have talked about returning next Christmas either at the Royal Suites Yucatan or to Punta Cana or Jamaica and can’t wait to visit the new Palladium being planned in Puerto Mujeres. Sentimental me …missing the P……I hesitated to take off my bracelet hoping it would transport me back to Paradise……..back to real life & living vicariously.
Room Tip: Don’t sweat the small stuff.Sit back and enjoy.
See more room tipsIn reply to: Live from WS RM
Live from Tricia: “Latest overview as I sit this morning in the members area next to the scuba peeps. The water looks glorious. Since my last update things have been great with some odd moments. Wednesday night we had Japanese show dinner reservations. At 5:35 I went to get the slip out of the folder and noticed it said 530. I quickly called the travel club and they rescheduled us for the show on Friday night at 5:30. So we went and had just a regular Japanese table which I prefer more because I like just sitting there eating sushi. When we got to the restaurant about 6 they seated us within a few minutes there were about four tables filled with people. Our waiter came and introduced himself and I always greet the staff in Spanish my Spanish is limited but I know greetings and how are you I’m fine things of that nature. He asked if I spoke Spanish and I said a little. From then on he only spoke to me in Spanish. I asked him 3 times for English please but he didn’t do it. 95% of the time he spoke to me in Spanish. He spoke to everybody else at the table and English the whole time. I thought that was kind of odd. No specialty drink at this restaurant for us. And they brought my husband the wrong dinner. So they gave us the wrong dinner for him while they made the correct one for him by the time is dinner arrived we were all done eating. The food was very good I only got sushi for dinner but he kept bringing me different roles which was awesome. So I didn’t order a soup or an entrée I just kept getting little plates of sushi which was amazing. Afterwards we went to the sports bar to watch hockey. The volume of the TV’s was very very loud in there for some reason that night. Louder than the fans cheering from the tables for their teams. We went to the show it was fine and then the girls and I went Turtle watching but we didn’t see any Turtles. We didn’t see any Turtles between 10 p.m. and 11:30 but we saw all the volunteers twice. Thursday is when it gets off. My husband had a 7:05 tee time at playacar. And was supposed to be picked up at 6 a.m. He wasn’t sure which Lobby to go to and went to the wrong Lobby and missed the transport. I called the travel Club to see if we would be charged for that and they said we don’t think so. The girls and I went to the Jungle place. It was amazing. our tour started late because the group before us sort of refused to leave they wanted to just stand around and take pictures of monkeys. Our driver was amazing and stayed with us for the three and a half hours that we were there plus that included the ride to and from. He even stopped at a supermarket in Akumal Beach so we could get snacks to eat to and from since we were going to miss lunch and tirely. We got to sit in the enclosure with the monkeys for almost an hour. It was lovely. Definitely a great way to support the local wildlife. We Got back at 3 o’clock which which was when the phone party was supposed to start they didn’t start making foam until 4:10. At 4:15 they said the children to go in first and the children were in there for about 2 minutes before all the 20 some things with her cocktails came running in. You quickly became unsafe for the little ones so my daughter was in there for about 3 minutes because she was getting bumped into so much. Not really a lot of fun when the phone party is supposed to be from 3 until 5 and it starts at 4:15. So that was kind of odd. And the staff didn’t even try to keep the adults out even though they said children will go in for a little while first and then adults. we had dinner at Portofino last night. We were celebrating my daughter’s birthday and when we Mention to the waitress that we were getting the two lobster tails as part of the birthday celebration she looked at as kind of confused. between soup and Andre took almost a half an hour. Our dinner reservation was at 6 And dinner entrees were served at 7. That seems a little slow. Oh I forgot to mention between a full-time and getting ready for dinner the girls had forgotten their keys and this is the first time are cleaning man locked the doors between our rooms. It took me two calls to the travel Club talking to 3 different people to try to get somebody to come up and unlock the door to our junior suite. When they finally sent a security guard he had the wrong key. So my husband had to go down to the lobby. This whole process took over a half an hour. And it seemed like the only people I talk to you understood what I was trying to convey. I said we had less than an hour until our dinner reservation in the one-man confirmed my dinner reservation. I didn’t need that confirmed I need somebody to come unlock the door. So that was kind of odd. we went to the 2 Wednesday night shows and they were very good. Today is a pool / Beach day and packing since we leave tomorrow morning. I’m doing voice dictation on this so if there are any misspellings or words that don’t make sense sorry for that. I don’t feel like typing on my vacation.
In reply to: Live from P RM
Thurs:
Hola – we went to Xel-Ha today. Good time. Word to the wise- bring your ID with your credit card. They would not run my credit card at Xel-Ha. As I did not have my ID. That was $60 cab ride back and forth lesson. Zi respect that they had to do the right thing. We had a great time and then hit the pool bar.
We noticed the foam party going on so we had to hit that. It is set up on the “volley ball Beach” section. We had fun and then went back to the pool bar.
Live band at the Colonial Lobby bar last night was awesome. Great music, great energy, great dancing, we had a blast.
Last day tomorrow so if you need to know anything, let me know and I will try to read in the morning.
Anne, my daughter had a blast! She’s never been one to go to the kids clubs (even though this one seems to get positive reviews) and she actually knew a good friend from her school that was at the resort, so they swam from 10:30 to 4:30 every day, stopping only for lunch at the buffet. She loved trying out her limited Spanish vocabulary with the staff (the staff were all extremely encouraging of her efforts). She did pottery painting at the beach, bought a few small gifts at the outdoor shopping area near the Colonial theatre, and LOVED the Segway tour and the foam party. She would go back there in a heartbeat, which will definitely influence any future travel decisions that we make.
summerlove, I will definitely be trying your idea next time!
Thanks all for the feedback.
Jason
Topic: What’s new
On our Christmas visit I loved the fact that they added cardboard coffee cups at the beach bars. This was on the top of my “Wish List” Gracias Palladium!
There are new heavy duty plastic plates at the beach bars.
New Pak n Plays replace cribs
There is now ice cream, hotdog & guac cart(s) at the main pools and BBQ area at the Royal pool. The Royal also provides treats like sandwiches, fruit kabobs, & ice cream selection.
There is waitservice at the two main pools and at the Royal pool.
There are new loungers at the White Sand pool and at the Royal.
Improved food in buffets & at Punta Emilia beach bar (didn’t try Colonial beach bar food)
Nespresso machines in Royal.
Daily snack platters in Royal rooms.
L’Occitane products in Royal
New Royal carts.
Floats at Royal pool
Colonial, Kantenah & Royal have been updated and have new beds, linens and more.
Colonial reception and bar renovated
Sports bar renovated with great menu
Some new bridges
Some a la cartes have been renovated; new LoLa Tapas restaurant, O’Pavao (replaced Rodizio)
Per guests’ request men’s dress code relaxed to allow nice shorts in a la cartes.
Room service for all for no charge.
More American beers and Gluten free for room fridge upon requestNew entertainment like Foam party.
Something is always being trimmed, primped and/or improved. If anyone has anything to add please feel free.
Jason, Have your daughter get involved with the kids club when they do eco tours, get the kids involved in the evening entertainment There are some shows in the Colonial theater that actually include the kids and therefore very kid friendly.I would talk to the kids club staff and get their direction.
The shows in the Riviera theater are later and probably more PG rated. There are 2 Pirate shows. They both get very good reviews.Regarding meals, your daughter would probably enjoy the Japanese show table (requires reservation), the beach BBQ (requires reservation), the Brazilian. All ages enjoy the foam party. There are also some pool games at the Colonial pool that would be appropriate for an 11 yr old.
People were having a great time at the foam party. They had live music on the beach and give out drinks in coconuts. Had to wait in line for those but great for photo ops
Anne and Blueskies, many thanks for the great info. Didn’t know anything about the foam party, sounds interesting…
Jason
1) Monday 10:30 pm
2) Sunday noon
3) Wed or Friday 7 pm subject to change
4) Foam party Thurs. 4 pm
Lots of special events. Check bulletin boards & schedule given out a check in
Penny shared this great report with us.
“Our stay at GPRM Kantenah side. We arrived Jan 27 and stayed till Feb 3 . Our first 2 nights was cool and most of us needed a sweater. The other days was much warmer.
We were a group of 35 for our daughters wedding week. Our check in went smoothly with a drink in hand upon arrival thanks to Elsa our wedding coordinator and Our Bride And groom. This was a fantastic week of lots of FUN and Laughter.
I will apologize ahead of time if we were too loud for some . It’s not everyday your daughter gets married?in Paradise with a great group of family and friends that gathered from near and far and ready to Party ?
Our first night supper was buffet at Tikal … Wow just Awesome food . Prime rib In buffet was most people’s choice . This hotel was pretty accommodating at a large group just showing up . Great staff all over this resort .
We ate at this buffet most nights as there was always something great to eat . Food temperatures was also great. We Enjoyed the other buffets for lunch . The one had music / band playing during the afternoon. Very nice touch . I don’t want to repeat what others have to say but the sports bar had great food the Brazilian and Mexican restaurant was most of our groups favorite nights out.We spent most nights in the Colonial section listing to the band and dancing. We tipped them to let uncle Tim ( use to play in a band ) from our group sing . They didn’t seem to mind a little extra help. Hopefully everyone else enjoyed his music too. My favorite song was ” House of the rising Sun” wedding night they even let the bride dance on stage with them .
Speaking of wedding our wedding coordinator was superb. The day went smoothly a small delay in getting bride to spa for makeup and flower deliver a bit behind but we where on island time anyways. All in all the most perfect day. The rooms where cleaned early for us to get ready and picture worthy. Fridge was stocked up with lots of cold drinks?room service was fast and efficient for all of us to enjoy a lunch on our patio before the wedding. I am very thankful this hotel has added this service. Our room was 3408 Myan suites . Our daughter and husband got a wedding upgrade and they spent the week in building 33?? Lovely rooms and beautiful bathrooms. Towel art some days but not everyday.
One tip would be if someone would post the air conditioner pic again so as to understand the Spanish translation….. Some of us struggled a bit to figure this out.
The beach is Beautiful and the bars are great at keeping up. I like how on the wedding day they rope a section off for the wedding to keep it clean. Thanks to Irvin and staff at La Jarra bar for great margaritas after the ceremony. Champagne wedding we where not . Margaritas in hand to toast was Awesome ??The transfer drivers in the carts Freddy is the only one I remember but all was outstanding and Fun. They took us all over for pics and took care of our guest in taking them to lobby for drinks.
Our dinner was at Tikal buffet and once again very happy with this restaurant . The staff made 2 lines and cheered and clapped as we entered for dinner. Very nice touch. We had a section in the back just for us . We askedElsa if the singers could come play and once again it was such beautiful soft music to dine too. Thanks again. We tried to tip often on each day but we went a bit more for this day. Well deserved by all the staff. The wedding cake was traditional Mexican cake which was loved by all. This hotel was also very accommodating for food sensitive and allergy people. The little cards was a nice touch rather than a sheet of paper to carry like most hotels.
We kept on schedule for most of the day as timing is everything Lol
We opted for a beach bash and was thrilled with the service and atmosphere which was created. A dream ending to a beautiful day.Other things enjoyed was the Segway tours at hotel and the Foam party at the beach one afternoon. Others also enjoyed the pontoon boat rides. Honestly something for every one here. If you didn’t enjoy your stay then that would be your fault not this establishment everyone works hard for your enjoyment.
My husband and I travel a few times a year to Mexico and stay at All inclusive hotels and beach huts in Tulum. We are seasoned travelers. We have one request for this hotel is to have a high end tequila and whiskey selection . One worthy of sipping or on the rocks. Yes you can get top shelf alcohol for the most part but not in these areas of Tequila and whiskey . The wine was drinkable but could be upgraded also. They have it for Royal guests as we seen stuff and asked and was refused. So when going again we would have to upgrade to royal for this service is my understanding. We bought high end Rum and whiskey and tequila for wedding night to keep guest happy.
This is the first time in our travels that we seen this. We do and have recommended this hotel to others.We did a day trip withH2O Hola sun tours and had a most Fabulous day out with deep sea fishing and swimming with turtles and a Beautiful BBQ lunch on board with lots of Karaoke and much more ?? highly recommend this tour also.
Forgot to mention don’t underestimate the humidity and your hair on wedding day ?and wedding day was complete with wedding crashes wearing sombreros Lol
Also photo op with paramedico and our bride and friend ( bridesmaid ) who are also paramedics here at home ? complete day could not ask for more ❤
Brides bouquet and grooms boutoneer was from Cherry Blossom florist in Playa del Carmen . Most Beautiful bouquet I have seen in a long time . Great work ?
Topic: Conclusion – December 2015
Conclusion
My daughter and I chose the Palladium for our mother/daughter Christmas trip as we feel like we are “going home”. We discussed going to P Punta Cana or Jamaica but we always end up back at the P in Riviera Maya as there are so many great staff that make us feel like family. While I love the Kantenah Mayan Suites when I travel solo, I love the Royal Suites Yucatan when with my daughter. We both enjoy the extra pampering. My daughter took advantage of the new pool floats,
the yummy ice cream selection at the bar and the double jacuzzi on our deck. I used the excellent room service both upon my arrival and departure. A very extensive menu is offered as is service with a smile! I was also able to order a bottle of house wine for no charge (not on menu).The staff both at the Royal Suites Yucatan and throughout the resort are wonderful and go beyond the call of duty to make one’s stay perfect. I have come to know many staff over the years and hesitate to name those who stand out as I would fear leaving someone out. I had the pleasure of a visit with LuLu who has been at the P since the beginning and has assisted me and others with reservations over the years. She also introduced me to Andrea whom I have come to know over the years and who is always there to address guests’ concerns. I also went by to visit with Paula in Guest Services and to thank her for the outstanding attention to detail in helping me to celebrate my daughter’s birthday 2 years in a row. The resort lavished my daughter with balloons, a cake, flowers, champagne, streamers,a fruit basket and more. Wow!!
I would be remiss if I did not mention Pedro who has also been at the resort since the beginning. He is now at the Royal and I felt like he was always quietly looking out for me and my daughter. On my last morning he tapped on my door saying, “Miss Annie are you awake?” Oh how I appreciated that rather than a shrill wakeup call. He then drove me to the lobby, led me to coffee which was appreciated at 6:30 am and tracked down my transfer. It is staff like this who make the Palladium feel like our “home away from home”.
The resort is meticulous. The beach has been impacted by the widespread sargassum problems and the staff work non-stop to keep the beach clean.
The entire resort is immaculate. My daughter and I always compare public restrooms to those at the P. I love the restrooms at the P! The resort has added many improvements since we were last there including replacing the styrofoam coffee cups at the beach bars with cardboard. Hooray!
This has been on my wish list for years and they do listen to guest’s suggestions.The food has been upgraded, especially at the buffets which I went to daily for lunch. There are grilling stations that offer six daily selections to have freshly grilled, i.e. fish, steak, pork, chicken,etc. I noticed large pans of fresh seafood and paella at each lunch
My daughter also commented that they have a variety of burgers, i.e. beef, chicken, turkey, veggie. I felt that the buffet offerings had been streamlined and quality was improved. The food at the Punta Emilia beach bar is improved and they now offer grilled fish and many Mexican choices. Dinner was always excellent wherever we ate. The staff are also very attentive to any food allergies one might have so mention this at check-in and to your server.Despite being two generations, we always found entertainment we enjoyed after dinner before my daughter went of to meet friends her own age. I felt very comfortable letting her wander around the resort. The night she went to the White Party at the salt water pool she called a cart after the party and the Royal chariot was there to carry her safely home.
The weather was a mix of sun/rain/wind We spent our days between the beach and the Royal pool. There is so much to do on resort that we only left for a 1/2 day to PDC and yet we still didn’t find the time to visit the spa, take a pontoon boat ride or check out the new Spanish restaurant.
This trip was truly a perfect week of relaxing, making memories, being pampered and sharing quality time together. We have talked about returning next Christmas either at the Royal Suites Yucatan or to Punta Cana or Jamaica and can’t wait to visit the new Palladium being planned in Puerto Mujeres. Sentimental me …missing the P……I hesitated to take off my gold bracelet hoping it would transport me back to Paradise……..back to real life & living vicariously.
Part Five – Entertainment, New Stuff
Hooray! Cardboard coffee cups!!
There is a variety of entertainment at the resort complex. Check both the bulletin boards and the schedule you are given at check-in.
Activities(Try the Bingo at 3 pm i the beach bar! Great fun.)
Schedules posted in theaters. There are 2 evening shows. One earlier for families in the Colonial Theater; one late in the Riviera Theater.Band schedule (changes)
Special parties such as Paella party (Sunday at noon) with live music,Foam party (Thursday at noon with live music), White Party & Fire Show (Mondays at 10:45 pm at salt water pool), Disco – early events for younger kids, later events for those over 18.
Argentinian /international performers
Circus party
Circus
Teen dinner Wednesdays through Teen Club.
Breakfast with Raggs: Wednesday mornings. Sign up at Guest Services.
During the day you can be as busy or as lazy as you like. During the evenings we usually ate dinner around 7:30 or 8 and then went to look for music. We often found it in the Riviera lobby. One night we ate at La Adelita and found music in the Colonial lobby. We also went by Hemingways to look for books and there was a nice piano player that evening. On Saturday evening there was a fun Fiesta party on the Riviera Terrace followed by the Argentinian show.
Abby usually left me around 10:30 isn to wander around and meet friends her own age. She met a group of Canadians and American at the White Party and met an Argentinian gentleman at the disco They enjoyed conversation at the beach bar after the disco closed. Two beach bars are open 24/7.
Something for everyone IMHO.
New stuff
There is never a day when the staff are not primping, trimming, painting, sweeping, scrubbing. The resort is immaculate. I love the rest rooms there!!
Two years ago I requested the styrofoam coffee cups at the beach bars be replaced with cardboard. It took two years but they did it! Also added cardboard holders like Starbucks!!
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They replaced the styrofoam plates at the beach bars with heavy duty plastic. No more flying plates (fish)!!
New loungers at White Sand.
Great ice cream everywhere. (carts)
Waitservice at 2 main pools
Nespresso machines in Royal.
Daily snack platters in Royal rooms.
Improved quality of food in buffets.
L’Occitane products in Royal
New Royal carts.
Floats at Royal pool
New lobby furniture.
Colonial, Kantenah & Royal have been updated and have new beds, linens and more.
Colonial reception and bar renovated
Sports bar renovated
Some new bridges
Some a la cartes have been renovated; new LoLa Tapas restaurant
Per guests’ request men’s dress code relaxed to allow nice shorts in a la rates.
Room service for all for no charge.
More variety of beers……including Gluten Free pun request
And more. The resort is always looking to improve and does listen to guests’ requests.
In reply to: A wonderful Mother/Daughter vacation
Ater arriving we went to the pool for a while and decided to have dinner at El Jardin where we both ordered lobster. Service was excellent. After dinner we went by to say hi to Filiburto and Valencia.
As we had both been traveling since 3 am we decided to make t an early night.
Daily routine
We developed a routine.I usually got up early and went down to the Royal lobby for coffee.(Must say the beds are very comfy and it was tempting to “sleep in”.) The Jr. suites are lovely but one drawback is that if you are on different sleep schedules it is difficult to move around the room, put lights on, etc without disturbing the other person. The open concept bath also raises some noise issues. For those traveling with young adults you may want to consider a suite which would give you two rooms and a private bath.One of the rooms has a sleep sofa though. I would add to my wish list that the resort consider a two bedroom suite for those traveling with young adults. Usually I waited in the lobby for Abby and we had breakfast together at El Jardin We really enjoyed breakfast there. Sometimes, if Abby had gotten in late and she missed El Jardin, we walked to Punta Emilia where she had some Mexican food.
After breakfast we usually spent an hour or two on the beach, went to Kabah or Hacienda for lunch, and then spent the remainder of the time at the Royal pool. We did attend the Foam party on Thursday at noon and tasted the coconut drinks served. Both the foam party and the kids’ pool party were very well attended.
As the week wore on it got windier so we spent more time at the pool and less at the beach.
The Kantenah end of the beach is still lovely. There is some erosion at the White Sand end, probably due to wind and seaweed being cleaned up. All is all still very lovely.
We also had some quick but major downpours so we could usually hide under a palapa for those. The resort must have gone through a huge amount of towels during those rainy days.
The Royal pool is very relaxing, quiet and peaceful. They now have some floats there. Food, fruit kabobs, ice cream is available. Yvonne serves guests with a smile as do Jose Luis, Antonio & Freddy,
We usually went up to the room around 6 where Abby enjoyed a jacuzzi bath on the deck.
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There was always a new treat waiting for us, i.e. a cheese platter,cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and more. So much food!
We ate dinner around 8, listened to music in Riviera, Hemingway’s or Colonial then Abby went her own way to meet friends and Mom went to visit with Filiburto. Abby did attend the White Party on Monday night were she met some young adults from the US and Canada. She said it was “fun”. On another night she met an interesting gentleman from Texas and they sat at the beach bar until 5 am talking! Mom looked at the clock often on that night.
On Saturday night they have a “Fiesta”on the Riviera side before the show. That was quite fun.
Next: Food
In reply to: Very Worried
I just saw 2 back to back bad reviews, both by authors as their first report. Suspicious. I would not put any weight in these. This one was just posted and seems more realistic
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g499445-d596646-r336071968-Grand_Palladium_Riviera_Resort_Spa-Akumal_Yucatan_Peninsula.html#CHECK_RATES_CONTMy daughter met some young adults who were staying in the Riviera last week and loved it. Tell the kids to go by the White Party at the salt water pool on Monday nights, the Foam party at the Colonial pool on Thursdays at noon. The disco is on the Riviera side and gets lively after 11.
For lunch we often ate at Kabah, the indoor buffet on the Riviera side or Punta Emilia beach bar, a short walk from Riviera rooms
I sent you an email. Send me your info about a week before you go and I’ll put in a word. As was suggested, ask for a third floor room if there are no mobility issues. Some third floors have views. While the Riviera rooms are not refurbished they are immacuate and in a nice quiet area.You’ll have a great time.
Topic: Comments on changes
Off the top of my head….
New sports bar -very nice
Nw Colonial lobby and lobby bar – very nice
New lobby furniture – nice but “contemporary”. I am more conservative.
New loungers at White Sand pool – very nice
New cardboard coffee cups at beach bars – awesome
New plastic dishes at beach bars – very nice
New Spanish restaurant – did not try it
Foam party – very popular
Ice cream options – very niceRodizio – under construction
Buffet food upgrade – Subjective. I foud less of a selection at the El Gran Azul but still had some items to have grilled which I like. At La Hacienda and Kabah we found a higher quality of food such as 3 -6 seafood dishes in addition to 6 items to have freshly grilled. We ate lunch at one of these several times. Did not try dinner but understand they always have the fresh items for grilling.
In reply to: Christmas Eve in Paradise
Wild day today. Rain,sun clouds and wind on and off all day.
Very busy “foam party”with music and dancing. “Coconut” drinks served. Waited in line for those mainly for a photo op. Live music continues at El Gran Azul. Got to say hello to Lucy (at Punta Emilia)who is pregnant, Fernie at La Jarra, Ricardo, Memo.Saw Landi but she was rushing around.
We are now at the Royal pool stayng dry under a palapa.Lots going on tonight.
Topic: Christmas Eve in Paradise
Awoke to some rain.It is now overcast and clearing.
Had a cappy in the lobby, great breakfast at El Jardin and went to Colonial to visit with Lulu and Andrea. They are such great people; always there to handle whatever has to be addressed.
Lots of new stuff here; new Nespresso machines (need to figure out how to use them), new sports bar, Colonial bar, Colonial lobby re-do,new lobby furniture, new Royal/TC carts. I was given a “daily” schedule of events for Christmas Eve. It includes:
Foam party @ noon
Special Gala dinner
https://unofficialpalladium.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Menu-Navidad-AB-Riviera-Maya-2015-Carta.pdf
Living Christmas Representation
8 pm Mini Christmas Show
10:30 Christmas Show
11:30Christmas PartyThere is also a mass today and tomorrow in the chapel.
Resort is beautifully decorated.All staff are wearing Santa hats today. Off to the beach.
Topic: Wonderful Mexico by Sasha
Marvellous Mexico
NEW
Returned from the GP Colonial within the last week, following a two week stay. Travelled with husband and two teens, 14 & 16. Before going we emailed the hotel and asked to be in the Colonial section, I asked for 2 rooms together and not to be on the ground floor. Checked in and this is what we got!We did pay extra for a private transfer from the airport and this IMO is worth every penny, nobody else checking in with us and only took about 1 hour in the private mini bus with a/c.
We received a welcome drink on arrival, a nice touch. Room was lovely, very clean, well stocked mini bar and nice products in the bathroom, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and soap. A good hairdryer, iron, ironing board, coffee machine with filter coffee/tea etc. also in the room. A/C worked fine and ceiling fan great for night, if you do not want the A/C running all night.
We found that the Colonial was the busiest of the 4 lobbies, day and night but we spent time in all of them for a change of scene, when we wanted it. We liked the choice of the resort, if you want a more peaceful day or evening you can find it, if you like dancing and more people around then this can also be found. This is the same for the pool scene, so many pools to try, we moved about, we often went to the Salt Water pool or beach in the morning, had lunch somewhere and tried a different pool in the afternoon. We liked the White Sands Pool in the afternoon but also enjoyed Paella Party and Foam Party at the Colonial on those days.
Found some great places to snorkel on the beach and also good snorkeling in the Salt Water Pool, if not so confident.
We tried all the buffets, a huge choice of food, far too much to list, loved the freshly cooked omelettes for breakfast. I have a very picky eater and he found something every meal time to eat. Tried all the a la carte restaurants apart from Mediterranean, just ran out of days. Liked them all, most fun in the Mexican, great waiting staff. The grounds of the hotels are beautiful and the staff work really hard to keep looking so good.
I also want to mention the seawood problem, this is all over the coast line at the moment and is just nature. Out of 14 days we only had it really bad for 2 and efforts by the staff to remove it are amazing.
Do not miss the White Party and beach BBQ, we did but we did manage to check them out for next time and they looked great fun.
We went swimming with turtles via the boat at the hotel, also did the Segway tour on arrival, would recommend both. We also went to Chichen Itza via Thompson, full day trip but not to be missed IMO. Loved the animals at the resort and really hope these stay for our next visit.
My only negatives are not against the hotel but other peoples behaviour. People without children complaining about being splashed in the main pools, when they have 3 adult only pools to choose from. Also witnessed people reserving chairs in the evening shows, not necessary and not cool. Thompson also need to address problems with online check in, we could not book for 4 days only to be told plane was full and we did not have a single seat together. I then had to pay a further £160 for 4 seats close to each other, still not side by side. Liked the Dreamliner but not the seat configuration. All about money making, great for couples but not families, no 4 seats together. We also missed our welcome meeting due to having a trip all ready booked, my husband asked if we could attend next one but Thompson Rep said it was not needed and just pop and see me with questions. Do not be fobbed off, as you will miss things due to the amount of things going on.
We loved Mexico and the people, we will without doubt return to the GP with more family members next time. Just on a final point, I would like to see help yourself Cava on ice in the lobbies, I know it’s available at the bar but would be a nice touch for future improvement.
Room Tip: Colonial block 1 for young or elderly as very close to main reception.
Created By: lovehotbeaches on Tuesday, July 14th, 2015
We just returned from a 2 weeks (June 27 to July 11) stay at GPKantenah. We had a wonderful vacation. We received excellent service from most staff members. It is a huge, beautiful resort built within a jungle. Lots of animals: Iguanas (our son loved seeing them), crocodiles, flamingoes, coaties (too many imo), agoutis and we were lucky to see spider monkeys too! Wooden bridges and thatch covered paths connect different sections of the resort. Wider roads for trains and buggies to go to other lobbies, spa and sports center. We were celebrating my husband’s b’day and management sent a bottle of sparkling wine to our room, which was a nice gesture.
Weather: Hot and sunny everyday. Lovely constant breeze on the beach kept us cool. The first week we were bitten by mosquitoes despite the repellent but second week was much better. We had heavy rain for couple of hours one day and 15 mins showers on 2 other days over a two week period.
Flight: We flew with Air Transat. Our flight was delayed 30mins so we arrived at Cancun airport 3:30 pm on a Saturday and it was really busy. Immigration and baggage took 1 hr 15 mins. We used private transfer, Canada Transfers, the driver was waiting for us. Very friendly and safe. On return too, the driver was on time and courteous. Drive was just over an hour.
Check in: Smooth and quick, perhaps coz we took a private transfer and didn’t arrive with a bus load of people. A colourful cocktail and a warm welcome from Andrea Diaz.
Room: We had booked a junior suite. We were in building 50 on 2nd floor as per our request. Lovely spacious room, nice decor, air conditioning was fantastic. Beds are comfy but pillows are hard, however we got used to them. Our 11 yr old slept on the sofa bed which was reasonably comfortable for a child.
Restaurants and bars: We tried all the buffets and a la cartes. Food was very good overall. Steak was ok but we don’t expect Canadian beef quality at an all inclusive. Our favourite a la cartes were La Adelita (Mexican), Teppanyaki table at Sumptuori (Japanese) and Portofino (Italian). Good air conditioning at all restaurants. 19 bars so you don’t have to go far to get a drink. Hemingways has the top shelf liquor but it’s adults only. However, we found good alcohol at all bars including beach bars. Ask for a brand or you’ll get house liquor. To eat on the beach, Punta Emilia is the best place for lunch. Made to order menu is yummy. We ate fresh guacamole every day. Loved the scooped coconut ice cream available at Gran Azul bar and La Jarra bar.
Beach: Beach is long and wider in Kantenah area. Lots of palapas, trees and hammocks. Lovely for relaxing. Unfortunately there was seaweed everyday. Some days more than others. The resort cleaned it but couldn’t get rid. Mother nature, can’t blame the resort. More than half the beach has rocky Sea entry coz there’s a reef for snorkeling. The sandy section (no rocks) is in front of GP Colonial and the sand is very soft underfoot. Big enough waves to play in and on less windy days, we saw fish.
Pools: Lake-style two huge pools and some smaller ones in the Palladium complex for quiet time. Beautiful and clean. Colonial pool was too deep for me and for kids. Can’t stand/walk around with a drink from swim-up bar. Shallow wade-in areas at both ends are small. White sand pool is shallower and better for short people and kids. People of Palladium do a great job of organizing activities and games. Foam party and walk in big hamster ball etc Some suitable for all ages and some for adults only. My favourite pool was Las Rocas! Gorgeous pool, beautiful view and lots of fish! Bring watershoes, snorkel and mask.
We had a wonderful vacation and we will return. We love the Palladium resorts. A few names of staff who made our vacation better…Irma and Gabriela (Colonial poolside service), Fernanda (La Jarra), Daniel (made cappuccinos at the beach bar in the mornings). We’ll recommend GPRM to our friends.
Topic: Toral Paradis by Jae Wilkes
We stayed here from the 17th of June until the 28th of June 2015 in room 1103. We booked our holiday with First Choice and also joined a facebook group (search for the hotel name on facebook) which provided us with lots of pre holiday information.
There is so much to say about this hotel I will break it down into sections. I can only comment on what we seen and experienced during our holiday.Flight – on the Thomson Dreamliner. lots of leg room but still no better on width. I have some junk in my trunk and it is very uncomfortable. The entertainment was very good and the food was great. Complimentary drinks were poor. Trolley came around twice which for a 9 odd hour flight I thought was very poor. its not easy when you have a window seat to leave your seat and request a drink at the back of the plane and neither should you have to. When we go to Madrid it is a very short flight and the trolley comes around twice then so make of that what you will. Our arrival into Cancun was fine and we found no major problems through security etc either.
Transfer – We booked a private transfer with AGI and it was prompt however there was no one waiting with our name on card so it took us some time in locating our taxi. The trip to the hotel is fairly long but the roads are straight and its a pleasant drive. approx. hour and 10 minutes.
Check – In. Was perfect. there was someone being served and check in so the check out gentleman decided to help and was very informative and polite. We were greeted with a welcome drink and the bell boys were great.
Room – it is best to email the resort direct 7 days or less before your due to arrive if you have a specific request. I asked for a central room in the colonial section (which is what we booked) and to have king size bed on the first or second floor. We were put into block 1 on the ground floor and had a king size bed. I was actually quite glad it was ground floor in the end but I know there are sometimes issues when it rains on the ground floor but our room was perfect. It was very central and because we were so close to the lobby (still couldn’t hear anything to keep us awake) we had access to WIFI all the time. Maid service was good. We did tip and didn’t get towel art but to be honest we didn’t care. Its only going to get ruined in any case when we use it. We were greeted with a lovely bottle of champagne in our room which was a nice touch. Our fridge was topped up everyday and was quite cold.
Pool – WOW is all I can say really. Its is huge and beautiful and even though the colonial and Kantenah were at capacity it never felt over crowded. The adults pool is tiny in comparison to the main pool but was pleasant and stayed open until midnight which was very romantic. Yes you have to play the towel game if you want a good seat. Why anyone would want to waste the morning in bed is beyond me in any case. we were by the pool by 7.30 am and had great seats all the time. We actually found the beach to be very busy after 10am as well. Pool bar was large but is only manned by 1 person and he worked his socks off. Very pleasant chaps everyday. There is also wait service by the pools as well which is a lovely touch. The main pool has games everyday. No one is forced into joining but some activities do take up room in the pool. It was all fun and included canoe race, belly flop challenge etc. The beach by the pool had foam parties etc as well so something for everyone.
Food – the most important part of the holiday for us as chubbs and food lovers. The Buffets are to be honest some of the best all inclusive food we have ever had. Yes for breakfast it is quite similar but really how much variance is there to that meal time. Choice of breads, pastries, juices, smoothies, eggs anyway you like them including omelettes (I had a fresh one every day) and the Malaysian chicken was soo good. Some mornings they also did churros too which were yumm yumm.
The al a cartes – we didn’t try them all and compared to how good the buffet was they didn’t feel like as much of an experience. What I mean is on our holiday to Egypt the buffet was so average that the a la carte food felt and tasted so damn good in comparison. Here the buffet is so good it is hard to get much better. Our favourite by a long way was the mare nostrum, followed by the Brazilian. Our drink server Santiago (I think that’s what his name was, served us on the 22nd of June for our anniversary, which he didn’t know about) was out of this world amazing. The best person in the whole resort service wise. Thank you!! We left him a good tip he deserved it. We were too sun stroke to enjoy the Mexican fully and we didn’t rate the Italian at all. If you don’t wanna queue get there early. Anything before 7:30 and you should be fine. The resort also has certain nights of the week that are adult only for the restaurants. its worth checking so you know.Weather – was perfect, it rained once the whole 11 night we were there for about an hour. We were at Xcaret at the time and almost went home as it was raining hard but I am so glad we stayed as it was an amazing day. Please bring factor 30 as a minimum. We got so badly sunburnt our first whole day and it made it uncomfortable for a few days after. It is hot and humid this time of year so be prepared.
Mozzies – I understand that this season was particularly bad. I bought with me a mosquito Milk applicator and after bite pen and I can tell you it was the best stuff I have ever used. Yes we still got bit but compared to some people we got off lightly. I had maybe 11 bites the whole holiday and the afterbite pen worked a treat. I also got stung by a jelly fish on the Whale Shark Trip and it worked for that too. I have a very bad reaction to any type of bites usually I get a big welt etc where the bite is but this didn’t happen using this afterbite pen. Come prepared the hotel ran out part way through the holiday so bring your own.
SHows – we didn’t see any shows. We were always too tired and we are early risers. They have them every night and from our guests we spoke to at the hotel they are very good.
Drinks – fast and free flowing. Very good service where ever we went. The drinks are ok. I didn’t like the use of the pre flavoured syrup but that it just me. The daiquiris I have in Egypt were made with fresh strawberrys. here it was a flavoured syrup and was very very sweet. The beer was good and in the Hemingway bar I had my fill of disaranno and coke. we delish. Our favourite bar was Hemingway’s. It only opens at 6pm but we loved it there. Air conditioned and a nice calm atmosphere. there are bars everywhere. You don’t have to go far to get a drink.
Grounds and wildlife – the grounds were lovely. We enjoyed all our short walks and were lucky enough to see spider monkeys. butterflies, iguanas and also the resident flamingos and crocodiles. There is a lobby train that takes you from all 4 lobbies. We never waited more than 4 minutes for a train and with the exception of the white party at the Las Rocas Pool one night we always found there to be room on them.
Beach and Sea – we found the sea to be very murky whilst on holiday. I appreciate before we came there has been a tropical storm so this is likely to be the reason as to why. We bought our own snorkel gear to go from the beach but it was no use. The beach was ok. I come from Cornwall so I am spoilt for beaches and I cant honestly say it was any nicer than the beaches we have at home. But our beaches at home are beautiful so it was still lovely and just as nice. The resort worked very hard with the seaweed and we thought the beach was very clean and had no issues what so ever.
Trips with Thomson – We booked all of ours with Thomson but I am sure anyone could book these either direct or through the resort. For UK travellers the thomson ones we did were:-
Chichen Wonders is a must. Our guides were fantastic and had so much knowledge and hidden insider being as one of them was also working on the restoration of the main ‘Pyramid’. We went to Hubiki Cenote which is still my favourite part of the trip. It was amazing.
We also did Xcaret plus with Thomson. In hindsight I would have booked this through the website and got the bus there. It is amazing and I highly recommend the Sea trek and Nurse Shark experience. It was brilliant. We also loved loved the Mexican restaurant in Xcaret as our place to eat. You need at least 2 days to experience all this place has to offer.WHALE SHARK – Don’t do it. We are not complainy people. We are easily pleased but this trip was awful from start to finish, so much so for the first time in my life I have felt the need to complain to Thomson and request a refund. The trip advertised includes Isla Mujeres – No it does not. You cant use any sunscreen whilst on the boat – bring a cover up you will need it. Blue Caribe which are the people who ran our tour were awful. I know our experience was on the day down to our guide and her crew. If you have Simona poor you. The trip was to include the crew having a camera to take pictures of you with “swimming” with the fish. Our boat never had this. Our boat broke down twice and the condition of the life vests were to frank poor. the rules clearly state 2 person per boat at any one time are allowed to swim with the fish. Due to issues finding the fish (which we knew could happen and are not bothered by at all its a risk you take on such trips) only one fish was found. The boat breached the rules and did a group of 4 at first and then the second round asked the remaining 6 of us to jump together. However only 4 can fit off the side of the boat at any one time so my husband and I (second jump making up the 6) were practically pushed off with such force I lost my flipper. because the fish are the size of buses by the time (delay between them jumping us getting our legs over etc) we got in the ocean the fish had already swam so far past us we didn’t see anything as we had 4 heads and legs in front of us to see through.
Overall – this holiday was fantastic. I can not wait to go back to Mexico and do all the other things we didn’t get chance to do this time. The resort is huge (we only did one half) but its not so huge so as its uncomfortable or impersonalised. If we had money we would easily join up to the travel club. Thank you grand palladium for a wonderful visit, I do hope we can come back one day.
Room Tip: We stayed in Colonial Building 1 and had great WIFI and although it looks far from things on the map…
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