Gets Better Every Time by Clint UK

[Anne]

Gets better every time!”
5 of 5 starsReviewed 3 weeks ago
This is my 4th stay at the Palladium and each time it gets better and better. This comes down to a number of factors that I’ll cover in my review. From the moment we arrived until I reluctantly left, I felt we were always taken care of, and I am just a regular traveller to the resort, no upgrades or special treatment at all.

I’ll cover all the main bits (and you are welcome to click my profile to see my other reviews on this place as well)

**Arrival/Check in**
Quick, friendly and easy. Drink and cold cloth on arrival. We were taken to our room quickly by the golf cart and were let in.

**The Room**
Big King sized bed and on the top floor, exactly what I asked for when I emailed the resort. The resort cannot always fulfil your request, but unless you can’t walk upstairs, this should not be an issue as you’re not always in your room. The bed was hard and the pillows too, but I like it like that!

Bathroom was big and full of what washing/hair/soap products that one needs on holiday. The shower, excellent.

They now also offer Room Service for ALL rooms which is incredible considering the work required to do this. I’ll be honest, this does seem pretty over the top, as we have good food on the resort available. I never used this but was impressed that they have bought it in.

**Food/Drink/Bars/Restaurants**

I always like the food here and am baffled to why anybody would be fussy or have an issue in this regard. I have an iron stomach while my partner has a very weak stomach. Not once did we have any issues with the food or drinks (aside from drinking too much!) There are many a la carte restaurants – Mexican, Steak, Ribs, Japanese, Mediterranean, Brazilian, Italian and the old Chinese one will be a Spanish tapas one very soon. My favourites are the steak and Japanese, whilst the girlfriend raved about the salad bar in the Italian. We did the Japanese show table which was very entertaining. You can book this with the very helpful customer relations team in the lobby. Every other of the a la carte restaurants you can just walk into, it’s just that show table and I believe a fish restaurant on the other side of the resort (never went)
The buffets have been improved since I was here last year – which I didn’t think was possible – and there was even more choice for those who wanted a slower, more relaxed dinner time.

Alcohol… oooh yeaaah. I love a few drinks on my holidays and the bar staff work bloody hard to look after you. They do not have a preference to nationality, wrist band, tips or not or any such nonsense. If you want a drink you ask. It will be made as quickly as possible. A smile and a joke with the barman goes a very long way. Honestly – if you are a positive type, like I am, you will not have an issue with anything. I saw more than a few people expecting the staff to be at their instant disposal all the time, but you’re on holiday. Relax.
You can have bubbles and Bloody Mary’s for breakfast if you like as well! Boom!

**Pools/beach**

There has been a seaweed problem throughout the entire Mexico and the surrounding areas for a while but they are getting on top of the situation. Every day they run tractors along the beach in the morning, and they have staff cleaning the beach all the time. Enough with the moaning that there is a little seaweed, it will not kill you and it’s not their fault. Nature is unrelenting at times!
I found the beach to be in an almost perfect condition for the whole 2 weeks I was there. No drama at all. It was easy to find a beach chair and the beach is nice and long. I would recommend that to avoid the rocks to swim in the Colonial/Kantenah side – or bring swim shoes. It’s a stunning bit of beach and you will be swimming with a lot of fish!
Pools were excellent. I do not swim on the White Sands/Riviera side but I’ll be found around the main activity pool and the adult secret pool. The main pool is deep, so make sure you can float or are tall enough to tip toe. I am short but I find it no issue. The pool bar is a place where people meet, make friends, drink a fair bit and joke around with the bar staff. BIG cheers to Pedro and Ronald for running a fast smooth and entertaining bar for my 2 weeks!

There is also a saltwater pool at the very far end. Very nice! Plenty of little fish in there as well and you can also lie on a beach bed and enjoy the view.

**The Grounds***

Stunning! You are in the jungle so do not forget this and pack mosquito spray if you tend to be delicious to the mozzies. I never got bit but my partner had around 20-30 bites and she had 2 products on daily. You will see some beautiful animals around the resort and a lot of iguana too!
Look out for flamingos, crocodiles and raccoons as well. But the main ones you’ll see, and they are everywhere are the coatis. I remember these cute animals from all my visits but this time their population has exploded. This is thanks to the hotel guests feeding them, even while standing in front of the no feeding signs. Please do not feed ANY of the animals on the resort, no matter how cute they are and boy are they cute. Just don’t do it. The coatis are now getting out of control around the main pool areas and soon it will become a major issue. If you have given them even 1 bite of food, you are the problem! Stop it and tell others to as well. I wish staff members were more strict on guests when they see them do this.

**Entertainment**

I usually never pay attention to the animation and entertainment on the resort, but this time I saw some shows and I have to say, I have never seen such hard working performers in a very long time. The shows are very impressive and the costumes amazing – and as a hot blooded man I really enjoyed them! Each night has a theme, some for the kids, others for the whole family. You can see the schedules up around the resort or ask at reception for where to find them. The disco at the far end in Riviera is also a cool place to end up at the night time.

**The Staff**

These guys work hard and they appreciate being respected as much as you do. If you come on holiday with a smile and relax, you will get on famously with the staff. They will always greet you with a smile and have your drink in front of you without asking. If you come here and are up for a battle or have unrealistic expectations then do not expect to be treated like a member of the family when you arrive. Settle down, smile and enjoy your holiday!

**Tips**
I come from cultures that do not tip but now and then I did to show my gratitude for excellent service. I was never treated any differently for doing so. Staff work hard and do not spend their time deciding who is a better customer.

**Check out**

Easy. Sat at the bar afterwards and the bags all looked after.

Let me quickly dispute some of the bad reviews that you may read. I know a lot of people use Trip Advisor to choose their holidays so it’s important to give you some perspective before you book.

* The food/drinks*
If you see cold food, or your drink is not strong enough, tell somebody immediately. Drinks can be topped up with good quality booze. Do not believe anybody who tells you it is cheap. If you ask, you shall get. Cold food or undercooked food, keep calm and talk to the chef, waiter or if they are unable to understand you then talk to customer relations (they have desks in the lobby)

* Pool *
The main pool is where all the activities are so of course there will be loud noises and activities. If you’re over 18 and you don’t want to hear activity, go to one of the adult pools. Simple.

* Size of resort *
Yes it’s big but you can easily walk around from lobby to lobby – restaurant to restaurant no problem. Golf carts are used by staff and most are reserved for those who paid to be in the Travel Club or those in the Royal Suites. But there are others that drive around, incl the train, to get you around the resort. I went to this resort last year on crutches and I still was able to get around without constantly needing a buggy. Considering you will eat and drink more than you will at home, a brisk 5 min walk will not kill you.

Tips – bring insulated cups with you and also if you have a phone, camera etc, bring a multi-plug as well.

I love this place, it’s the result of a lot of people working very hard to give you the holiday that you deserve. We all work hard to be able to take holidays and this is a place that you simply must come and try!

Any questions, please message away! Cheers!

Room Tip: Email the resort a week before you go to ask if they can help you. Do not get upset if they cannot f…
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Stayed September 2015, traveled as a couple

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