Luxury Redefined: Living the Palace Life in Mexico

Palace Resorts has a total of 10 resorts across Mexico and Jamaica. Their locations in Mexico include Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Los Cabos. I stayed at the Grand at Moon Palace, which is connected to the Moon Palace Cancun. Guests staying at the Grand can access the Moon Palace and enjoy all the facilities of both resorts, which brings luxury travelers an endless menu of activities and dining options. Furthermore, guests can also visit any of the Palace Resorts in the area. Transportation is not included, but one can enter the other resorts with their wristband and use all services – including Cozumel Palace if you take the local ferry over there. However, guests from other Palace Resorts cannot access the Grand side.

The luxury experience starts after exiting the airport, when a Palace Representative awaits and takes you to the resort in their private transfer van. Within 20 minutes of exiting the airport, I arrived at the resort. This makes a big difference compared to other resorts, as most of them outsource their transfers to a local company which does shared transfers. Those transfers stop at up to 10 resorts along the way to drop off travelers at each resort.

Arrival at the resort

Upon arrival, I was greeted by their staff who offered me a welcome cocktail, and a refreshing towel. The moment one enters the resort, one can feel the luxury redefined in the massive marbled lobby, with a smell of the Santal 33 Le Labo Perfume. 

Check-in was fast and efficient. The advanced technology that the resort uses was amazing: instead of the usual key cards offered by hotels, Palace Resorts has a bracelet which is also a room key. In other words, no need to take care of your key. Simply use your bracelet to open the door to your room and other hotel facilities.

To start, all room categories include a Premium Liquor Dispenser which has international drinks, a Double Whirlpool Tub which is the biggest I’ve ever seen in a hotel, complimentary 24-hour room service and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the resort.

The room I had was a Grand Deluxe Garden View Room. It was bigger than any Deluxe Room I have had at any resorts around Mexico and the Caribbean. Upon entry in the room, a bottle of wine with 2 glasses, along with macaroons and chocolate snacks were waiting for me along with a welcome note. I felt spoiled!

This room comes with 1 king bed or two double beds, a balcony with a table and loungers, and a separate breakfast table with 2 chairs. Aside from the Premium Liquor Dispenser is also a minibar with water, juices, soda, domestic and imported beers. Both are refreshed daily. Whether you want to take water to the beach, or a drink on an excursion departing early in the morning, there is never a shortage of drinks in the room!

The bathroom had 2 separate sinks, 6 towels and 4 hand towels, plenty of bath amenities, a hairdryer and straightener, bathrobes and slippers. The shower was separate from the toilet, divided by a wall. 

The beautiful and spacious beach stretches across both properties. There are plenty of beach chairs, and there is never a moment when one cannot find space to sit on the beach. 

Beach lovers who have had a bad experience with seaweed on beaches can book this resort with confidence. The resort invested USD 2,000,000 to build a barrier that blocks seaweed from reaching the shore. As a result, the water is very calm and clean. 

The beach faces east, so if you are an early bird like me, make sure to wake up early to catch the breathtaking sunrise. My alarm was set daily for 05:30, and each day I went to a different area for a different view. Words cannot explain how breathtaking the sunrise was.

In total, the hotel has over 10 restaurants and many snack bars. Other than the buffet, there is an Italian restaurant, 3 Mexican restaurants, Lebanese, French, Peruvian, Caribbean and Asian. More Italian and Mexican options are located at the Moon Palace side, along with a great Japanese restaurant and a formal Indian restaurant. 

Other than restaurants, there are numerous bars throughout the resort, some of which also provide a nightclub environment. And close to the hotel lobby is a full-service boulangerie (yes, it is included). Whenever I had a meeting in the morning and/or business activities, I would start my day with room service and then a coffee at the boulangerie.

Those who enjoy the comfort of dining in their room can enjoy the 24-hour room service, which is always a treat. This is also ideal for couples who want their intimate moments.

Visitors should beware that this is a huge resort, hence room service can take up to an hour to arrive. I would order the moment I arrived back from watching the sunrise, then take my time showering and getting ready for my day. By the time I was ready to go, the food would arrive in 5-10 minutes. What more luxury could I ask for?

Waterpark: the resort has a huge waterpark which is sure to entertain the kids and make them want to spend all day there! Families will find long and adventurous waterslides, a lazy river, an indoor playground for the kids, bumper cars, an arcade and several pools. However, in order to access the waterpark at no charge, one must stay at The Grand at Moon Palace. Guests staying on the Moon Palace Side or at any other Palace Resorts property cannot access the waterpark.

Return to the airport

After the last sunrise that I woke up at 05:30 for, it was time to return to Canada. Just like when I arrived, the direct transfer was waiting for me at the scheduled time. And boarding that shuttle was the hardest thing I did, thinking “I hate to go and leave this pretty site”. This was the best luxury I’ve ever experienced on a beach getaway, and I’d recommend everyone to invest in a vacation to this place. It will change your life, and your views of luxury travel! For honeymooners looking for ultimate luxury to make your honeymoon a trip to remember, one of the 10 Palace Resorts will be ideal for you!