Moon Palace

Ashley Krystelle Gallagher-Chapa

Our stay was deeply frustrating from the moment we arrived. We checked in at 3:30 PM, yet the check-in process took hours, and we were not able to see the resort until dinner which was at 8:00 PM. To make matters worse, the resort ran out of pull-out beds for minors, forcing my husband and me to sleep sideways on a bed that was too small, with our feet hanging off. From the start, getting a straight answer to even one question required speaking with multiple staff members. We were repeatedly passed from person to person, often receiving conflicting information, which resulted in significant wasted time. We were also told we needed to pay $200 per person a day for a water park day pass or we could attend a timeshare presentation. We were assured this presentation would take 90 minutes; it lasted four hours. When we declined the timeshare, we were repeatedly sent to different representatives and were not allowed to leave until we signed paperwork—paperwork that took an excessive amount of time to be brought to us by multiple people. Then as we’re leaving they’re still following us trying to sell us 60% off. After finally leaving, we were sent to three different locations just to obtain the day pass. By that point, half the day was already gone. We later discovered that the staff member who checked us in never made the dinner reservations he claimed he had, resulting in even more time wasted sitting in the lobby. Transportation throughout the resort is overly complicated and inefficient. The buses were fine but the golf cart situation is not ideal. Navigating between the lobby, our room, and other areas of the property required excessive walking and long waits for golf carts, which often took an unreasonable amount of time to arrive. As a result, my feet were sore every day from the constant walking and one of our dinner reservations were almost canceled. We were also required to switch rooms with my sister over the bed situation. When the rooms were reassigned, no one had access to them after they said they reactivated our wrist bands, causing even more back-and-forth travel to the lobby to resolve the issue. Despite the delays and constant movement, we consistently returned to rooms that had not been cleaned. Additional issues included: • Limited towel availability • Slow and inconsistent service • No ability to select our room at booking or check in • Resort credit that was misleading and unusable for many advertised options To be fair, the New Year’s Eve show was excellent and very well planned, and while the buffet was below par, the specialty restaurants offered genuinely amazing food. But good luck finding a spot at the pools! We have stayed at over a dozen resorts in Cancun, and this was by far the worst experience we’ve had overall. A vacation should be relaxing—not spent waiting, walking, and resolving preventable problems. Unfortunately, this resort failed to meet even basic expectations.

Kamille

Every time we stay at Moon Palace Cancún, I’m reminded why this place feels so special to us. Yes, the resort is stunning—but it’s the people who truly make it feel like home. The staff here don’t just remember your room number… they remember you. Mornings at the Grand always started off perfectly thanks to Fernanda at La Cantina breakfast. During our Grand spa time, Adolfo and Perla made hydrotherapy such a calming and memorable experience, and Wendaly and Alondra at the Grand spa gave massages that were absolutely incredible—I left feeling completely renewed. As Diamond members, Florencio, Edgar, and Jeremias took such great care of us, always making transportation easy and welcoming us with kindness and familiarity. At Sunrise, Laura and Claudia made my manicure and pedicure feel like a true treat and took such wonderful care of me. One evening at Los Caporales in Nizuc, Cornelio and Ricardo went above and beyond. Even though the restaurant was extremely busy, they made sure we could be taken care of that night and we felt taken care of and never rushed—service like that truly stands out. One of my favorite little joys is seeing Ernesto, the dancing ice cream man. His energy and happiness are contagious, and it’s always a highlight of our trips. Breakfast at Bugambilia became something I looked forward to every morning thanks to Luis, Teresita, Norma, and Baltazar—before we even sat down, they already remembered our drink orders. It made me feel so cared for. I will miss each of them until we return! A special shoutout to Jesus at the omelet station at Bugambilia—every morning, I asked him to make his favorite omelet for me, and it never once disappointed. It became part of my routine and something I’ll genuinely miss until we return. Dining experiences were wonderful thanks to Andrea at the Grand buffet and Gabriela at Carvio who were both attentive and kind. Pool days were made so much fun by Karen from the Sunrise entertainment team—she always made volleyball a blast. In the Diamond area, Maria, our pool waitress, took amazing care of us, and the Diamond pool concierges—Lizbeth, Geronimo, Eddie, and Sergio—were always attentive, friendly, and ready to help with anything. The Christmas Village was absolutely magical, thanks to Nico from the production staff. And one night at the Grill at the Grand, when mosquitoes got bad, Maria and Javier noticed right away and brought us bug spray so we could stay comfortable and enjoy our dinner—such a thoughtful touch. Lastly, Shaday, our Diamond concierge, truly made this trip unforgettable. He helped us plan everything so perfectly and made sure every detail of our stay was taken care of with genuine care. The staff is the reason we keep coming back. Over time, they’ve become friends—and leaving is always emotional because it means saying goodbye. But we already look forward to the day we return, when we get to hug familiar faces and pick up right where we left off. Moon Palace will always hold a special place in my heart.

Dean Hofer

The Moon Palace is head and shoulders above any other resort in Cancun. The place isn’t shiny brand new, but it’s far from old and falling apart. I find it quieter and a more calm vibe than anywhere in the hotel zone. It is very close to the airport. It’s literally a small city with so many restaurants, you can’t get to them all in a week. You can use the app to book reservations up to two days in advance, starting in the mornings at 7:00. If you’re not picky about eating at a certain time, you’ll get into where you want eventually and will get to try everywhere you want. For a resort, the food is phenomenal. I get sick of people reviewing the food there, saying something like “I’m a foodie, and the food is just OK”. Yes, it’s not the new hipster doofus Asian Martian fusion joint in some city’s overrated up and coming trendy neighbourhood. However, there is something for everyone, the details are covered, and the execution is beyond average. PS we’re all foodies because we need it to survive, and your pallet isn’t more refined because you think you’re eating cutting edge recipes from imaginative chefs, and someone else prefers the Denny’s Grandslam. Moon Palace has so many included activities too: mini golf, bike loans, pickleball, tennis, basketball, kayaking, catamarans, yoga, beach fitness sessions, etc, etc, etc. There are also kids playroom centres. The golf course is challenging and cut into the jungle. The spa services are expensive but above average. The fitness rooms are well equipped and have saunas. There are several pools areas with many sub areas and swim up bars. The liquors used at the whole property includes premium brands. All the room balconies at Sunrise have a comfortable hammock, and rooms in Sunrise and Nizuc all have a large, jetted tub, and balconies. The beds and pillows are super comfortable as well. Although it’s a very expansive property, you never have to wait more than a couple of minutes for a transport cart to come by. The sea water isn’t as clean as the hotel zone, but is calmer, and the sand is softer, like powdered sugar. The thing that absolutely sets Moon Palace apart from other resorts are the staff. You want for nothing and will feel beyond attended to and looked after throughout your entire stay. You are wasting your money going anywhere else and should spend the extra to go to Moon Palace.

Katie Grant

This is probably one of the best places to stay in Cancun. Amazing facility, staff was always helpful and friendly, every meal we had was excellent, and the pools were always clean with enough loungers to be able to find one when you wanted to just lay by the pool. Only two cons/negatives: 1. The beach they are located on is not one where you'd want to swim. The water is so shallow that there is alot of brown seaweed that also covers the beach due to tides. It smells like a bay at low tide due to it laying out in the sun. However, the pools are so nice in the resort that you can still enjoy them and not miss the beach. (We actually got a day pass from the resort planners for a trip to another beach in Cancun that didn't have seaweed, so were still able to have a "beach day" on our trip). 2. The second con is the pushy sales people trying to sell their vacation club. I sat thru what was supposed to be 90 minutes which ended up lasting over 2 hours. I got free day passes to their sister facility, "The Moon Palace Grand" but never used them. I stayed at The Moon Palace Sunrise. They then tried again after I checked out and I still had to decline them 5 x's. Other than those two things our trip was amazing.

Carly Wright

This resort had so much to offer for kids and grownups. It was HUGE, so we loved travelling to other areas and checking out new pools. Because it’s so big, the golf carts and lobby buses were fantastic to use. We stayed at the Grand and found everything we needed within a 4-5 min walk. Beach was beautiful. Service was great! Shout out to the Grand Kids Club- Sonia, Viri, Kristell, Dana, Ms Banana?! Our son Thomas had the BEST time there, and for the first time ever on vacation he was begging us to go every day. Which meant we got to spend time at the unique adult pool (also fabulous, quiet, relaxing and warm pool)! Thank you so much we will be back again ☺️