TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Wonderful family vacation, amazing food (thank you Javier at Omelet station!!!) and great amenities!

We stayed at Grand Palladium Kantenah in Riviera Maya, Mexico from 22nd April for 11 nights and honestly had an amazing time! On arrival we were greeted by staff who took our bags straight away and check-in was really easy and smooth. We were offered an upgrade to Family Select which we decided to go for after a bit of bartering ?? We paid an extra $100 a night and got a swim-up room, 7 days spa access and access to the Bravo show. We ate at lots of the à la carte restaurants during our stay and genuinely could not fault any of them. El Dorado, the Japanese, El Gaucho and especially the Italian over at TRS were all amazing ?? The food quality throughout the resort was excellent. Breakfasts were just “okay” for us, so we found ourselves going to The Nest most mornings as that was definitely our favourite breakfast spot. Our favourite pool had to be the one over at the TRS side — the sea views were beautiful and there was always a lovely breeze there. Our least favourite was probably the Kantenah pool, but only because it was SO deep ?? I’m not the best swimmer and felt like I was drowning trying to get to the swim-up bar! The Chic Cabaret show was 100% worth the money — such a fun night, great entertainment and the food and drinks were fantastic. The Bravo show wasn’t really for us unfortunately. We didn’t fully understand it as it felt like one song, then a costume change, then another random song and it didn’t flow very well. One downside for us was an experience with a member of staff at the Colonial bar during the evenings. We regularly tipped staff throughout our holiday, however this particular staff member repeatedly hinted towards tips and would say things like “don’t you remember me, I pour your drinks.” It made us feel a little uncomfortable at times, which was a shame considering how relaxed and enjoyable the rest of the holiday was. Overall we had an incredible holiday and are already looking to book again for next year. Easily one of the best hotels I’ve stayed at!

The food and service were wonderful, we were made to feel very special on our honeymoon. A very special experience. Thank you to our chef Victor

Travel We booked on Expedia for the first time. We typically book Sunwing but since WestJet took over the prices have risen and the service has dwindled. Everything on Expedia was simple. Prices were really good but that is because we took the red eye there and a 2 city connection on the way home. We saved a good amount going that route but in the end it was not worth it. We arrived at 5:20am and were at the resort by 8am. The problem is no one really slept on the plane. We flew United on our way home. Houston to Denver, overnight in Denver and then on to YEG in the morning. Despite a 2 hour delay in Denver I will say that United is such a superior airline to WestJet or any Canadian based carrier. All rows have more leg room, the staff are friendlier, they give you the whole can of pop and each seat has a tv with hundreds of great viewing options. I mentioned above that I would never do a connecting flight again but if I ever have a choice between United and WestJet the decision is easy. Check-In Was very quick at 8am. We were told we would not get our room until 3pm which we expected. We were given wristbands and had full access to the entire resort immediately. We packed a couple bags and went for breakfast and to the pool for the day. They kept our luggage and took it to our room when it was ready. Family Selection With Expedia this seemed to be the only option. It was 100% worth it. We booked a Family Swim-Up suite. Once I had that booked I reached out to the hotel directly to upgrade to Villa 40. This is the newest of the Villas at the resort and is beachfront. It was well worth the price, which was roughly $650 USD for the week. I think this price varies based on occupancy - the resort was about 50% full when we went in mid April. Family Selection also offers a butler service. We used the Butler to book the a-la-cartes and we did that the first day for our entire stay. We also used them to book us shuttles (Golf Carts) for early morning pickleball as well as throughout the day to take us where we needed to go. Family Selection also allows you to utilize all the Facilities Pools and restaurants - which we tried to do - other than the Adults only areas as we had our teens with us. Breakfast On Day 1 we went to the Nest for Breakfast - It was the closest to the check-in and is for Family Select guests only. It was not great. No omelet/egg station & pretty slow on replenishing the basics. We did not return there for the remainder of the trip. On Day 2 we had Breakfast at the buffet at Colonial El Gran Azul. It was only open that day. I believe they were doing maintenance for the rest of the time we were there. This was disappointing because it was a beautiful setting. It overlooked the pool and it was open air concept. It was busy but did not feel that way. Once this location closed we had breakfast at La Hacienda which is right beside Gran Azul but is indoors. The food was decent, often they were out of bacon or the bacon was cooked for about 4 seconds. There was no shortage of options but it was busy, loud and not nearly as nice as Azul. We did not try the buffet at The White Sands. Lunch: It took us a few days before we found the beach buffet at Colonial. It is by the main pool but somewhat hidden. At 11am they have all sorts of lunch options as well as soft serve ice cream. At the Adults only bar La Jarra there is also lunch which was fantastic. Chicken, Ribs, Hamburgers, Hotdogs. I just got a few plates of everything and brought it back to our room. This is located right beside the Family Select beach in the TRS adults only area which Family Select Adults have access to. It was about 40 steps from our room. There is also 24hr room service which had an extensive menu. It did take about an hour. The other option is the Family Select Pool which is over by the villas. This pool is small and shallow and definitely made for kids BUT the sun beds are way more comfortable and the service there is fantastic. Drinks were delicious and you can order food to your lounger. This was one of the best places for attentive service that we found. We never did find an indoor buffet on the resort for lunch but we were good with that. Dinner We did a-la-carte for all our dinners O Pavao Brazilian Service was top notch. They bring you a selection of meats, I believe there was 7 options and they basically came 1 after another. It was a quick dinner but delicious. Chang Thai My Wife loved it. They had a buffet style Sushi Bar which she raved about. The food was delicious and service was excellent. Sumptuori Teppanyaki Food was fantastic but the show was non existent. Usually the chef is tossing stuff around & getting the patrons involved but this guy was just there to cook. Portofino Italian Disappointing. None of us really enjoyed our meals. I would skip this place. El Dorado Steakhouse This was our least favorite, Steaks were not cooked properly and were 1/2 fat. We had to go for second dinner after this one. THE SPORTS BAR This is a really good location for any game (They had all leagues available, NHL and NBA playoffs) They have a good menu but portions are small (6 wings, 2 mozza sticks etc) You can order however many portions you want though and it came pretty quick. Both my boys loved the Mozza sticks, we dropped in almost daily for those. The only complaint I have is there is no bar games - pool, darts etc. Sometimes my family likes to escape from me when I am watching the Oilers lose. POOLS Colonial Pool Reviews will complain about the depth. It was deep but it's was great for swimming lengths, shallow dives and it was huge. We could play a variety of games without having anyone close by. Water temp was perfect. Service was spotty, good some days, not great on others. There are also multiple ledges and areas that are not as deep. The kids slides are right beside it, too small for my kids but looked decent for 4-10 year olds. White Sands Pool A good hike so we took a cart. This pool is exactly the same as the Colonial pool except it is not nearly as deep and is salt water. It also has a different floor surface. It is much quieter but we found the service to be lacking. Also, because the beach at this part of the resort is full of sargassum, you could smell it at the pool. There is a "wibit" inflatable obstacle course in this area. From the images it looked to be in the pool but it was actually in the lake that surrounds the pool, which did not look clean to us. It was $20 USD/person for an hour so we decided to skip it. Family Selection Pool As mentioned previously this is a kids pool but the service there is fantastic. Note that at all Family Selection areas there are better towels and there are sunscreen dispensers. SPORTS COMPLEX The sport courts here are the best of any resort I have ever been to. 2 Full Size soccer pitches, 2 Full Size basketball courts with breakaway rims and nets that are not shredded. 4 pickleball courts, 2 Padel courts, 4-6 tennis courts, 1 Volleyball/Badminton court, shuffleboard & mini-golf. My only complaint is that the pickleball courts are back-to back with no separation so balls are constantly going on other people courts. The facility opens at 8am(ish) so if you do not bring your own equipment you have to wait until then. We brought our own stuff and were glad we did. Their equipment is what you would expect, not great. Also, it is so hot at 8:30 that starting at 8am would be too late. We booked a pickleball court for 8am daily on our first day but showed up earlier as the courts are all open. Some mornings all 4 courts were full by 8am. The sports courts are a pretty long walk from Villa 40 so we would walk to the Colonial lobby and catch a cart back to our room to shower before breakfast. BEACH Yes the sargassum is an issue. Pretty much the entire beach is covered other than the small Family selection area which they tired very hard to keep clean. You have to be prepared for this and book elsewhere if you expect clear water. At the beach there are regular beach beds but also Bali Beds. These cost extra, I had heard anywhere between $30 - $50 USD per day. We had this included for a day when we upgraded. Honestly, the person who was servicing the area did not show up until noon and did not come once to check on us for drinks, new towels etc. We might have mentioned it but since it was free (kind-of) we did not. We brought goggles and went out to the mini reefs that are within the sargassum nets but did not see much. A few fish, 1 stingray, and some little sea urchins. This is definitely not a a good beach for snorkeling. Within this area there are 2 bars, 1 for all ages and 1 for Adults only. Although the sargassum is an issue the beach area itself is stunning. The service on the beach was poor for our entire stay. The last day we finally had a server come to our swim up to take our order. VILLA 40 The beauty of Family Selection Villa 40 is that when the kids need some AC and a break from the sun my wife & I could enjoy either the swim up pool (Sun hits the pool from 9am-1pm) or walk to the beach area from our pool. Villa 40 is the way to go simply for the stunning view and proximity to the beach area. I will say that they really don't have great room options (with a swim up) for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. Our first room was 1 King and a pullout couch. They switched us to a room with 2 doubles and pullout but it was tight. The beds were comfy and amenities top notch but the bathroom was super dark. We walked past the other swim up villas in the jungle and noticed they did not get much sun and obviously the view is of jungle rather than beach. The upgrade was probably our best decision when booking this trip. WILDLIFE The wildlife and jungle like atmosphere at this resort is amazing. There is some kind of animal around every corner. We saw zero snakes, spiders, or even insects but we saw tons of Coatis, Capybaras, Lizards & Flamingos. Unfortunately we saw no Monkeys. Though we did take carts a lot we walked a lot too. There are multiple jungle paths that are just stunning all over the resort. My wife said if we did not play Pickleball daily she would have been up running the paths. My boys came home with hundreds of pictures of the various creatures they saw daily. KIDS STUFF There is a kids club, we checked it out. It was pretty good if that is what your kids like, ours don't. There were video games, and a music room with drums and guitars (with broken strings) Seemed like a fun place. The pool scene was non existent. We saw the pool aerobics happening but there was no volleyball games and nothing that we saw organized at the sports complex. There is so much opportunity for activity and we basically saw nothing. TIPPING We tipped everyone. $1 - $2 USD for a round of drinks. $100 MEX for a-la-carte dinners, $2 USD at the buffet, $5USD at the Sports Bar. $50 MEX daily for Housekeeping. $1 USD for the cart drivers who would take us directly to our Villa. We brought $200 USD (singles) and $500 CAD converted to MEX (Mixture of 20s, 50s 100s) and it was more than enough. We also brought gifts to give to people we felt went above and beyond, which honestly, was few and far between. Everyone was pleasant enough, just not many standouts. DRINKS We did not find that drinks were watered down, in fact the free pouring I saw was as free as it gets. We tried to use the bars with the top shelf liquor as often as possible. I certainly noticed the difference between when I went to the bar and asked for Grey Goose and when a server brought it to me. Our boys drank a ton of Virgin Strawberry Margs and they were consistently good. EXCURSIONS We hired a driver for 4 hours to take us to a cenote and a beach bar in Akumal we visited 15 years ago. The driver was $120 USD for 4 hours and he was great. The Casa Tortuga cenote was really good but not worth the $2400 MEX for the 4 of us. Firstly it was a guided tour. They take you out when they have about 30 people ready to go, which for us took about 45 mins. There is some cliff jumping and small zipline opportunities that our boys loved (We participated too) but not worth the price. La Buena Vida Beach Bar was pretty much as we remembered it except that the Sargassum build up on the beach is so high you cannot use the beach, nor can you avoid the smell. We stayed for a beer and some nachos. I am glad our boys got to experience a cenote adventure but it will be our last unless they are paying! WHAT TO BRING Bring more sunscreen than you think you need. We knew that the shops on the resort were up-charging so we wanted to make sure we were covered and then some. Despite the Family Selection having dispensable bottles most areas do not. We brought pepto, bug spray and after bite. We used basically none of it but again, the price in the shops is crazy so I would still suggest bringing some. My youngest did use the after bite. Aloe Vera - We did use this. We brought 2 Floaties which we left behind. You do not need anything fancy and we really only used them to chill at the swim out pool. If you have a Butler they will inflate them for you. Sports Equipment. You could probably get away without a basketball or soccer ball but if you play pickleball or tennis their free rentals are below average. Lots of pool throw and catch toys. Since there are pretty much no good activities at the pool it could get boring quickly. We brought a football, a few Waboba water toys, and a volleyball. Goggles - I would not pack snorkeling gear but goggles were essential for us. TRANSFERS We booked Canada Transfers. We have used them many times before and have never had an issue. You can pre-book drinks for the ride at a reasonable price. The total price for transport to and from the airport was $300 CAD. It took about 1 hour 15 mins to get there and 1.5 hours to get back. We were at the airport 3 hours early which they always suggest and we always regret listening to. 2 hours is plenty. Upon arrival they are outside the final doors with a sign with your name on it. SUMMARY I am torn here. We loved many things about this resort. The location is off the beaten path but we liked that. The jungle and wildlife were a welcome change from any resort in the Cancun area. We love the beach and we made the best of it but it was certainly not what you would hope for. We knew this coming in but still something that we may place as a higher priority for our next trip. The food and drink was above average. The resort itself was immaculate. A lot of walking but never a boring walk, always something to see. The sports facilities were A+, so great for an active Family. Rooms were small but the views were amazing. I think the biggest thing that lacked was top notch service - specifically at the beach and pools. These kind of things make a vacation more memorable, especially for our boys. I just felt like the staff here were not engaged. Though this may have been the highest end resort (esthetically) that we have visited is was not close to our most memorable. For that reason we are glad to have experienced it, but likely will not be back.

This trip to Riviera Maya was the most incredible trip ever! We were joined with 15 other friends and family. Two other couples were celebrating their own wedding anniversary, as well. From the moment we arrived at the Cancun airport to the day we left—it was a five-star experience. Transportation was waiting for us when we arrived. The welcome at check-in was warm, embracing and filled with hugs and joy. Victor greeted us to make sure we had everything we needed to start our vacation. Our signature residence on the beach made it possible for all 17 of us to enjoy royal treatment. Every restaurant we went to gave us five-star service. The only downside was that we had to checkout after 9 days of fun, food and fellowship. Special mention for staff who made this trip unforgettable: Victor Heredia, Jonathan Nieto, Arleth Falfan, Ernesto De La Fuente Gallegos, Natzayani, Francisco, Leo, Joel and drivers: Victor, Oscar, Adolfo. Thank you to everyone who decorated our rooms for anniversary days! It was all AWESOME!