Wonderful first trip

Cape Cod Anne was honored to travel with some newbies. Here is their trip report

Wonderful first trip

Kantenah

Created By: Amy on Sunday, November 17th, 2013

As a newcomer to the Grand Palladium, let me first say that my family and I were very impressed. As neighbors and friends of Cape Cod Anne, we had been hearing for quite some time about her fabulous trips to Mexico so when my parents asked me if my husband and I would like to plan a trip to the Riviera Maya with them and Anne, I could hardly refuse. In fact, I couldn’t say an enthusiastic YES fast enough. We all love to eat and relax by the beach, so the Palladium in Mexico was a perfect choice for us.

Anne kept telling me that the resort is in the jungle, but I had no idea that it is truly in the middle of the jungle with all kinds of cute jungle animals walking around everywhere. The coatis had apparently had babies recently as there were cute little ones running around. I did resist feeding them but it was so hard when they would beg.

the coati’s, iguanas, and raccoons that would come so close you could almost reach out and touch them. The animals were a highlight for me.

Upon arrival, we were introduced to the lunch buffet. My goodness, there are so many choices! That set the tone for the entire trip. Breakfast and lunch were at the inside buffet most of the time. (La Hacienda) Each morning, my breakfast started with a pineapple mimosa or two, a cappuccino, and a big plate of homemade danishes from the onsite bakery. Oh my gosh, the bread is fabulous. As I would approach the table and see the surprised look on my family’s eyes, I would tell them that I got a plate of danishes for the table; however, we all knew who was going to be eating them all! The donuts are incredible and my favorite is a cream cheese filled danish with sugar on top but they didn’t serve that every morning. However, there were plenty of other choices! Since I knew I had to fuel my body with something other than sugar, I would move from the bakery table to the other stations. I found that I really liked the Golden Tacos, the create your own omelet, the French Toast, Eggs Florentine, Plantains in some kind of syrup, and a variety of dishes to which I do not know the name. After a morning of hanging out on the beach either in a bali bed or under a palapa, we would head in to the buffet again.

Some of my lunchtime favorites were the mussels, stuffed chicken, chickpea soup, fresh chips with cheese and chili and pico de gallo, thinly sliced pork in an onion gravy, and lamb. After more time on the beach in the afternoons (next time I will be sure to snorkel as I could see all kinds of really beautiful fish in the water and even a couple of small stingrays!), we would meet in the Kantenah lobby for a cocktail and then head to dinner. During our trip, we ate at El Jardin, Punta Emilia, Portofinio, Rodizio, Mare Nostrum and La Adelita. The attention to detail and the presentation were top notch at all the restaurants as you can see from some of the pictures. Below are some of my family’s favorite dishes from the various restaurants:

El Jardin
Cream Cheese Stuffed Roll

Coconut Shrimp which is shrimp rolled in coconut and fried with a fabulous creamy coconut dipping sauce. I ate this as an appetizer at El Jardin and as an entrée at Punta Emilia.
Either the steak and lobster or the lamb and lobster
Bananas Flambe—this is a must for dessert!

Punta Emilia
Cream Cheese stuffed roll
Garlic Shrimp
Shrimp Ceviche
Seafood Platter

Portofino
Duck Salad
Salmon Cream Soup-very very good
Portobella Mushroom Steak
Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Meatballs
Stuffed Chicken
Baked Alaska-This is the first time I have ever had this dessert and it is so good. The mirangue is so creamy.
Fabulous Salad Bar filled with prosciutto, soppressata, beef tartar, and fresh mozzarella and tomatoes

Rodizio
Turkey
Lamb-we voted this one our favorite
Chicken

Mare Nostrum
Mushroom Soup
Grilled Tuna Steak
Caponata Royal Shrimp

La Adelita
Squash Soup
Mexican Apple Pie

While the room accomodations, the food, the activities, etc. were all fabulous, I do believe that the staff really made the trip memorable.
I have never been anywhere where the people are more eager to do anything that they can to exceed your expectations. My next vacation, hopefully next year, will most certainly be back at the Grand Palladium. The only decision will be which location!

© 2011 UnofficialPalladium.com Cape Cod Anne© 2011 Peter van Demaele Photography