Please do not use the pool if you have loose bowel movement (Moon Palace Resort & Spa Hotel (Cancun))

Member Name: stayleyvegas

Product:	Moon Palace Resort & Spa Hotel (Cancun)
Date:	17/10/07 (289 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: all inclusive, great people, friendy, superb accommodation

Disadvantages: little to do at night once entertainment finished

Back in 2004 some good friends of ours announced their engagement and also wedding plans and said they were planning on getting married in September 2007 in Cancun, Mexico. “But that’s 3 ½ years away – it’ll never last”. Well it did and we have just come back from a fantastic two weeks, all inclusive holiday at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Cancun.

***Booking***

Given the wedding plans and the fact there were 21 people going we had to book early and this was done a year ago via Thomsons. Cost was circa £1800 for adults for flights, transfers and all inclusive accommodation. In reality, if we had booked at the last minute it would have been cheaper but we had to book early to guarantee getting in as this hotel is probably the biggest and most popular in Cancun, especially with the huge American market virtually on it’s doorstep in comparison to the UK.

***Where is it?***

Cancun, is situated on the Yucatan Peninsular, South East Mexico. The Hotel is based approximately 10 miles South of the Hotel Zone in Cancun (ie, out of the centre) and overlooks the Caribbean Sea. Cancun itself is an island although you would not notice this when traveling into it.

***First Impressions***

After a comfortable ten hour flight (Thomson’s long haul leg room is by far the longest I have experienced in over 30 long haul flights although the seats appear to be narrower), we were picked up at the airport by Thomson and taken on the 20 minute journey to the hotel. Actually, you are in the hotel grounds within 10 minutes but they are that big it takes 10 minutes to get from the entrance on the main road to the reception which is a mile away. From leaving the airport I had the impression I was in Spain but less manic and with more greenery.

Our first view of the hotel was from the main road and was that not much of a view. You could see one building but had no idea of size/scale as part of it was hidden in the trees. It was only as you came down the heavily pot holed road with huge speed bumps and got closer to the hotel that it started to make an impression. The state of the entry road should not put anyone off as there is significant construction work in the hotel grounds and the roads have taken a battering. However, you can see this is a temporary thing and you do not see or hear any construction at all as it is being done very far from the hotel itself.

The nearer you get, the gardens appear to become more landscaped (although there is a mixture of strategic landscaping and just letting nature run it’s course which is beautiful). The grounds include substantial, land-scaped gardens that are stunning and well kept and covered by lawns, palm trees and beautiful flowers of almost every colour.

The building is a modern, Spanish style, hacienda building and is not particularly big or imposing. I had heard this hotel had over 2000 rooms and was expecting to see a lot more than I did on arrival. I had deliberately not looked up the hotel beforehand to get a feel for it as it was largely pointless as I had no say in where we went to and could do nothing if it had poor reviews ( I had heard excellent things from someone who had been though).

Immediately the coach stopped, then bellboys appeared to help unload the luggage and this was my first experience of the Mexican Experience where every discussion ends with “It’s a pleasure!!”. This is the Mexican equivalent of “Have a nice day” in the States and “No problem” in Australia. The check in desk was immediately inside adjacent to the lobby bar and it was decked out in marble, very modern, clean and air conditioned!! Check in was a very simple process. We were provided with champagne and flowers for the ladies whilst in the queue. The staff were quick and efficient (and there were plenty of them) and generally the hotel gave you a very welcoming, friendly feel. It certainly did not feel like a hotel that had over 2000 rooms. You are given a welcome pack (includes the instructions “Please do not use the pool if you have loose bowel movement” – hence the title)
and wristband and the pack contains a little map which is very useful for getting around although there are also maps situated throughout the grounds.

We were then taken to our rooms by the bellboy who was a mine of useful information as to where everything was and which way to go and what happens if there are any hurricane warnings. Leading up to the trip we were watching things closely as Hurricane Dean was heading for Cancun and hit the Yucatan on 21 August but thankfully largely missed Cancun, other than a few uprooted palm trees we passed in the grounds.

***Accommodation***

The room itself was absolutely stunning and way beyond our expectations. Nicely air conditioned with a bed beyond king size, modern, marble fittings, wall mounted plasma HDTV, walk in shower , small balcony with a sea view, but taking centre stage a huge Jacuzzi. The fridge was stocked with all kinds of soft drinks and beer and slide out optics with four bottles of spirits and replenished daily. The maids tidied your room when you left and when you went out at night tidied it again and turned down the beds. They did all the little things that are probably not much but mean a lot, very well.

The accommodation itself is based around much smaller blocks of around 18 rooms over three storeys. Each block has its own name (ours was Cactus) and are very easy to find despite the size of the place.

***Hotel***

The hotel covers 155 acres and has 2244 rooms and rising quickly (for anyone inquisitive the web site figures are lower than this. My figures were from the hotel direct). The accommodation is split into two areas (and to all intents and purposes could be classed as two separate hotels) named Sunrise and Nizuc. Sunrise is the original and much bigger part of the property and Nizuc was built much later and is smaller and more personal. Each side has its own check in/reception although everything within the grounds can be used by everyone irrespective of which part you stay in. At the time we went the hotel was relatively quiet as it was outside the holiday season and I think we got more out of it because of this.

There is also a 27 hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus or more accurately three nine hole courses. We went for a game and the courses are spectacular and carved out of the jungle around three themes: Jungle, Water & Dunes. It took us less than 5 minutes to see our first alligator and any ball that went into the rough stayed there!!

Golf is very expensive and is not included within the all inclusive trip. It costs US$250 per person for the round and buggy with a further $30 or $50 for club hire. However, if you play after 2pm the cost is $115 pp. The course is absolutely stunning and you see a wide range of wildlife & flora during the round.

There are various options of getting around the site. Free buses go between the two receptions every five minutes or so (also stops at the golf club) for 24 hours a day. You can also walk (15 minutes but through lovely gardens) or get a lift in a mini bus or, our preferred route, via golf buggy.

Tipping is expected for good service but you don’t feel obliged or under pressure to tip but keep a steady supply of one dollar bills in your pocket (everywhere takes either Pesos or US$).

The hotel is totally child and wheelchair friendly although if in the pool you need to keep an eye on the kids as there are no lifeguards.

The hotels web site is http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/MoonPalace/In dex.asp


***Eating & Drinking***

Wherever you are in the property you should neither be hungry or thirsty. There are a total of 13 bars/restaurants and so for a two week trip you could eat in all of them quite easily. There is a wide range of cuisine from Mexican, Italian, Chinese/Japanese, Brazilian, snack bars for burgers etc. During the fortnight we did not have a bad meal and given the volumes of people being catered for I did not expect the food to be this high quality. A lot of the restaurants, whilst advertised as buffet, actually cook to order. For example, El Manglar, the Italian restaurant in Nizuc, also offers effectively a mixed grill and they cook the meat to your liking at the grill area and it is delicious. You just then added vegetables etc from the buffet.

However, what I did find, and this was common throughout the trip, was that food cooked straight away was delicious but the items from the buffet (ie, vegetables) may have become overcooked or not as hot as you would liked.

Whatever time of the day or night you have a huge selection of food available from many locations including room service. You can also take food away from the restaurants if you so desire.

Wherever we went we were always made to feel very welcome, there were no queues and they were always happy to accommodate 21 people by pushing tables together without any hint of frustration. The service in Nizuc was more personal given it is smaller and there are not as many guests there.

Out of all the restaurants there are three where shorts are not allowed (jeans are fine), namely Caporales (Mexican) in the Nizuc, Momo No Hana (Japanese/Chinese) in the Sunrise and La Trattoria at the golf club. Whilst everything is very informal throughout the hotel if you want more of a formal evening then these are for you as they are also à la carte.

What was initially charming was that when you went to the buffet, on the way back your waiter would meet you and carry your plate to the table and would finish with “It’s a Pleasure”. However, this got very annoying after a while. It wasn’t because I felt the waiters were doing their utmost to get a tip, far from it. It was as though this practice had been honed into them so much they had become almost robotic and couldn’t think for themselves or show any initiative. It quickly lost its charm and became very false. The carrying of your dinner plate as well as the “It’s a pleasure” response to every movement, question, answer, statement & shrug quickly meant that we were devising games as to how we could avoid these. You find yourself carrying out some form of pincer movement to get back to your table plate in hand or making a comment that the answer “It’s a pleasure” is totally irrelevant to.

On this front, this was the biggest disappointment of the hotel for me. The waiters are far too Americanised and everything is set up for the American market (which is not surprising given it’s location and popularity with Americans). At times, the service is overdone to the extreme and you beg for some polite reserve. Everywhere you go in the hotel, without exception, is the same and you just have to go along with it and maybe inject some humour otherwise it could drive you mad.

There are also two sister hotels in the Hotel Zone in Cancun: Sun Palace and Cancun Palace and you can use the services there for free. It is a good idea to go to one of these for dinner then head into Cancun. We never got the the Sun Palace but the Cancun Palace was a very modern hotel having just been rebuilt from a hurricane three years or so ago. However, it is steep in places and doesn't appear suitable for kids/wheelchairs and is significantly smaller than Moon Palace. The beach however is much whiter and the sea clearer than down near Moon Palace.

***Activities***

Guest services located near reception or your holiday rep can both book tours/trips of which there are lots to choose from. We tended to book with the Thomson rep as we got to know him well and he got discounts for group bookings although Thomsons were slightly more expensive than the hotel but was more personal. If you decide which trips you wish to go on then I would recommend getting a quote from both the hotel and holiday rep and once you know your way around the town you could also book things there. Most tours arrange transport from your hotel.

In terms of on site activities, each day a double sided A4 sheet is available showing all activities and there are lots. These range from kitchen tours, water polo, gym, tennis, basketball, pool, aerobics , crazy golf, etc etc The list goes on and they are all free. You can also visit wet & wild about ten minutes away which is also free but you have to arrange your own transport. Alternatively, you can just lounge around the pools (one of which is the largest in Cancun) or sit at the pool bars. There is also the option of Jet Skiing or para sailing (Jet Skis $55 for half hour – great fun) or doing some sailing which is free.

Each night there is a free show at one of the outside stages which alternate nightly. The entertainment was generally excellent and professional from the dance troupe, hypnotist, Michael Jackson tribute etc etc. We were rarely disappointed but, other than the hypnotist, rarely lasted beyond an hour and was over by 9pm.

Because there were so many of us we could make our own entertainment after this and generally have a great night but if you were a couple it could get very boring and I would recommend going into Cancun.

There are a couple of late bars/nightclub where kids are not allowed. The nightclub took some getting used to as they played lots of American rap which everyone danced the Rumba to which was a bit strange but not as bad as us English teaching the Americans how to dance to Come on Eileen.

***Wedding***

As a guest, the wedding was very special indeed. It was held in a large outdoor bandstand (of which there are several) adjacent to the beach. The bride arrived via horse & cart and the ceremony was simple, quick but very meaningful. As a guest it was just a matter of showing up but our friends who got married absolutely loved it. Everything was very well organised including the meal afterwards and it is clear that the hotel is very experienced at putting these events together. Indeed they market themselves as a wedding venue and anyone thinking of getting married here I would totally recommend it although have no idea of the cost.

***Conclusion***

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely and I would not hesitate to either go back again or recommend this as a great place to stay. You are far enough away from Cancun to be secluded but close enough to get to for trips/nights out etc.

The overall feel of the hotel is very comforting and welcoming and the staff are superb, even though the “It’s a Pleasure” thing can get a little ingratiating at times but I wouldn’t let this put me off. Service is excellent and staff generally go out of their way to help and in the main you feel that this is because they want to and not because they want to engineer a tip. I felt very comfortable here very quickly and many of our party said the same thing.

Everything about the hotel is geared towards you having a great time. They replenish drinks before you ask, take you wherever you want to go and constantly checking that everything is OK. They are on hand to cater for your every whim and always with a friendly smile on their faces. They also make the best Mojitos ever!!

Without a shadow of a doubt, this was way beyond my wildest dreams. I have stayed in many top hotels but what makes a hotel stand out for me is attention to detail and doing the basics well. The Moon Palace achieved this in spades. This is what it promises, this it what makes it and there is no doubt that this is also what they deliver. Thousands of other people must agree with this as well because clearly 2244 rooms is not enough.

The size of the place becomes meaningless also as you do not feel that you are somewhere big. Unlike Vegas where you are in a very big building, these are low buildings spread over a vast area so at any one time you only see and feel a small number of buildings. It gives the feeling of being a lot smaller than it actually is and I think the hotel gains from this as guests feel they have a more personal experience.

Finally, after checking out which took one minute we arrived at the airport check in. Within the check in queue there is a desk and you have to pay a departure tax which changes daily. So I paid for two adults a total of $96 and said “Thank you for allowing me to pay you to leave your beautiful country” and the guy said “It’s a Pleasure!!!!!” That saying was chasing me to the very end!

Summary: Superb hotel in a fantastic location.