Not sure what the statute of limitations is on me posting songs from my “Tropical Vacation Tunes” playlist after our holiday is over. But I’m going to keep doing it for the time being (and since there’s more than 52 songs on that playlist, who knows – maybe I’ll post one a week until our *next* tropical vacation!) 😉
“Summer Girls” – Lyte Funky Ones (LFO)
A few years back, I did a post where I listed 10 things that were important to us when selecting an all-inclusive resort for our vacations.
That list, in no particular order, included the following:
Obviously, it’s pretty hard to find a resort that hits all of these notes at a high level (our most recent, Moon Palace Cancun, may have come closest but it also had a pretty bad beach which is something we rank highly. Hmm, maybe I should go back and add some sort of three point scale of “factor multipliers” to show how important each of these categories are – “Good Beach = critical, Swim-up bars = important, nearby city = nice to have”.
Anyhow, now that we’ve been on a few more trips and also because our family’s getting older and what we look for is changing, I thought I’d update my original list with “10 (More) Things We Look For In An All-Inclusive”.
1. Room Service
We’ve had a couple resorts in the last few years that offered room service and it was a nice option, whether you wanted breakfast in bed or a late night snack. Moon Palace went above and beyond – 24-hour room service for no extra charge with the extensive menus displayed on the in-room smart TVs plus a menu card you could leave out on your door to guarantee delivery of breakfast the next morning at a time of your choosing! (We may have overdone it the first time we used it when the person delivering our food observed “That’s a pretty big order!”)
2. Teen Club
Pace is 10-going-on-11 so he’s a pre-teen which means that a lot of the features of a Teen Club are going to appeal to him more than a Kids Club. (Interesting side note: there was a lot of online discussion about the Moon Palace Teen Clubs being listed as for 13-17 year olds and how that should be enforced, if at all. Ironically, some of the discussion/inquiries/complaints may have played a part in the Moon Palace removing the “Teen” designation from their clubs entirely to make it open for all kids.)
3. Good Balcony
You don’t spend a lot of time in your room but if you want somewhere to sit for morning coffee, if you’re having some quiet time in the afternoon, or for a night cap, it’s nice to have a spacious balcony with comfortable chairs, at least a small table, and hopefully room for more than a couple people.
4. Waterslides/Water Park
I used to think it was silly to pick a resort that had a water park since I always figured spending time between the beach and the pool was sufficient for anyone’s water fun needs. But again, with the kids getting older, I’ve come to appreciate how enjoyable it can be to have a water park for them to play in as well. Unfortunately, the gigantic water slides at The Grand at Moon Palace weren’t operational during our visit. Luckily, we knew this in advance, we knew parts of the park were working (lazy river, small wave pool, kids play area) and we’d also been to another resort – Sandos Caracol – just last year that had fairly decent water slides so it wasn’t that disappointing. With that said, the lack of a functioning water park probably also played a role in our decision not to upgrade to The Grand for our second week.
5. In-Pool Lounger Chairs
There’s probably a better name for this but whatever they’re called, I love resorts that have pools with lips where chairs can sit submerged in a few inches of water, allowing you to splash water on yourself to keep cool and providing direct access to the pool when you want to go for a dip.
6. Spa
I’m not a big spa kinda guy but if the price is right, I might go for a relaxing massage at some point during a holiday. I’ve also been a fan of a couple resorts we went to that allowed adults access to some parts of the spa – whirlpools and cascading waterfalls and so on – even without booking any other services.
7. Unique A La Cartes
In my last list, I mentioned a good selection of a la cartes as something I wanted in an all-inclusive resort. I’ll go one further on this updated list and say that I will also lean towards picking a resort that offers something beyond the usual mix of Mexican/Italian/Brazilian/Japanese Teppanyaki/Seafood that you get at most resorts. Last year, we went to Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort, which, in keeping with the theme of the resort, had a Vegan restaurant. It wasn’t great but it was different and memorable. Similarly, on our trip this year, we went to a Lebanese restaurant and it was the best meal of our trip. We didn’t get to try a couple other unique ones at Moon Palace but they also offered a Peruvian and one that I think was more specialized in regional cuisine of the local area of Mexico.
8. High Quality of Service
Good customer service principles are universal but are particularly important in a leisure-based industry like all-inclusive resorts. So you should feel like staff are willing to do whatever they can to make sure they’re giving you the best experience possible and going out of their way to accommodate you. This also manifests in other ways – does the resort train staff well? Do they staff areas sufficiently? And most importantly, are drinks served promptly? Or when you tell a bartender you’re tired of all the usual drinks and you’ll drink whatever he makes you, does he whip off something amazing you’ve never heard of like the “Mexican Butterfly” pictured below?
9. Intangibles
This is hard to describe (and in many ways, relates to that last point about “High Level of Customer Service” but to me, it’s all those little touches that show the resort has thought through creating a great experience and which are going to add up to make your vacation feel like something special. Are you greeted with a drink/flowers/cool towel upon arrival? Do staff bring around a tray of drinks at the poolside for people to sample? Does the cleaning staff make towel animals in your room *and* include the stuffed animal your child bought along in their creation? Does the server at the buffet remember how you like your coffee or the bartender get to know your preferred cocktail? Do staff maintain the same level of service whether you tip or not? Is the safe easy to operate and spacious? Is there a scale to weigh your suitcase when you’re getting ready to leave? Are walkways between buildings covered to give guests a break from the sun? Are maps posted around the resort (and which clearly identify “You Are Here”)? Is there also clear signage indicating times and locations for both daytime and nighttime activities? Is food in the buffet clearly labelled? Is most signage in Spanish *and* English? In a world where all resorts build on the same foundation of beach/pool, buffets/a la cartes, daytime/nighttime activities, what does the resort offer that you’ve never seen anywhere else?
10. Close To Airport
All things being equal, I’d prefer to be in a resort that minimizes the time spent in transit once we arrive – if you spend 2-3 hours getting to your resort after you arrive, that’s 4-6 hours of your trip, *not* spent enjoying the resort.
…and realise it’s still set to the location where you just returned from a tropical holiday! 🙁
A restaurant menu board from our Hawaii trip in 2012…
As I said in an earlier post, Moon Palace Cancun nails pretty much everything on my “10 Things I Want in An All-Inclusive” list except that the nearest city (Cancun) is a bit further away then I’d like and Moon Palace Cancun doesn’t have a great beach/swimmable ocean (which then becomes a deal-breaker in terms of whether I’d ever go back since a good beach is pretty important to us when we go on holiday – not withstanding that our last two holidays were to places without this feature – Moon Palace and Sandos Caracol.)
Even though Moon Palace has 8.5/10 of the things we want (and most of those done really well), there are still going to be some regrets after every trip – even after being away for two weeks instead of our usual one week and even with all the research and planning I did beforehand.
(My family laughs because I always create a tentative agenda for our trips – what we’ll do each morning/afternoon/evening. We never stick to it but it’s a good way to keep track of shows we really want to see or activities that only happen at certain times or whatever and to try to make sure we don’t miss something really cool.)
1. We Should’ve Made Two Trips to Isla Mujeres Instead of One
Considering it was probably the highlight of our trip, both when we first visited Cancun in 2004 and again this trip, I’m disappointed that we didn’t find a way to get to Isla Mujeres (and its “Top 10 in the World” beach – Playa Norte) a second time, especially since we could’ve used resort credits for our second trip to go very inexpensively compared to paying our own way (which we did our first time to maximize our time on the island and control our agenda.
2. Didn’t Get To A (Real) Sunrise
One of the resorts is named “Sunrise” and we went there lots. But I never got my butt out of bed to go watch a real sunrise, even though I was often up early enough in the morning to do so. Resting in bed, drinking room service coffee was too big of a temptation.
3. No Coconut For You!
During their first week at the resort, Grandpa and Grandma had a gardener offer them a coconut to drink from but we forgot to seek out the same thing during our time there.
4. No Paddle Boarding/Hobey Cat
With a crappy beach/ocean, we only went out in the water a couple times in the “green box” in front of Sunrise where there’s no seaweed. We still could’ve taken advantage of the non-motorized water sports but since we were rarely on the beach, we kept forgetting and then the one day we did walk the beach, it was too windy to go out.
5. Belly Dancing
I’ve mentioned a couple times that Habibi was our best meal of the week but it would’ve been even better if we’d been seated in time for their nightly belly dance show which is apparently very early – around 6:30pm – and only runs once (I would’ve thought it might run a couple times per evening.) (Oh, and I just realised that doing a post about things we regret not doing means I won’t actually have pictures of some things we didn’t do. So here’s my son doing a yoga pose instead…)
6. MiniGolf/Bowling
I’ve always said I don’t like to do things at all-inclusives that I can do at home. So we didn’t make a point of doing the mini-golf at Nizuc or the indoor glow mini-golf in the kids club in the Grand. But funny enough, Sasha got to mini-golf one day when we left her at the Kids Club and we didn’t even know until she later told us! Pace also went to the glow golf by himself one day while we went to the Spa at the Grand. We also didn’t do bowling at The Grand but I wish I’d at least popped my head in to see it. However, we *did* do a couple activities I wouldn’t normally do – basketball one evening with Pace and riding bikes around the resort – both things we can do at home but still fun (but sweaty!) to do at a tropical resort! I’d also read there was a rock climbing wall somewhere between Nizuc/Sunrise but we forgot to try to find that.
7. Sasha Snorkeling (With Lots of Fish)
Sasha picked up snorkeling at Isla Mujeres very quickly but only did it in front of our beach chairs where there was less to see. She said she even saw some small fish but I wish I would’ve taken her up to the point near the Mia Reef Hotel where the snorkeling was much better like I did with her brother!
8. Poolside Activities
I’m never a big one for participating in poolside activities – games, cooking lessons, Spanish lessons, etc. – but I do occasionally wish I did more of that type of stuff, especially when I see a Zumba class being led by one guy in a Lucha Libre mask! 😉
9. Tequila/Wine Tasting
The resort apparently had both a tequila tasting (booked through the gift shop maybe?) and also a wine tasting, hosted by a professional sommelier (er, is there another kind?) and paired with various foods, both of which might be payable with Resort Credits to make them very good values.
10. More Excursions
Being there for two weeks, I thought we’d probably end up doing more excursions – both to see some of the nearby Palace sister resorts but also to other places we hadn’t visited – Ek Balam pyramids and Xenses Activity Park were two that were high on my list. But a combination of enjoying the resort so much, not wanting to spend much after paying for our second week, and knowing that some excursions would tire us out, even as we enjoyed them, kept us close to Moon Palace except for one day at sister resort Beach Palace and one day at Isla Mujeres (plus two days using day passes at The Grand which felt like excursions in a way as well!)
(Sorry this pic is so blurry – either the cabbie had a shaky hand or I got sunscreen on the lens!) 😉
Shea and I learned a lot from a private Facebook Group dedicated to the resort we just visited and in one of my posts from the resort right before our holiday ended, I mentioned that I’d likely post a review on my blog and/or that group and/or TripAdvisor after we got home.
I still haven’t done a full review but one person commented that they’d be interested in hearing our “Must Do” list. So, while acknowledging this will be different for everyone depending on what you’re into, who you’re with (family vs. couple vs. large group) and so on, here are Ten of our “Must’s” for the Moon Palace Cancun.
This list may also overlap slightly with my earlier “10 Highlights” post though that one is maybe more about specific memorable things we did/that happened to us rather than more general things everyone should do at the resort and beyond if that makes sense.
1. Steak Supper at Nizuc Poolside Grill
We’d spent a lot of time at the Nizuc pool but hadn’t eaten at their grill, thinking it would just be the usual mix of burgers/hot dogs/nuggets. That’s true…in the day. But one night, my son and I happened to walk by in the evening and the chef mentioned that from 6pm-11pm they had a broader menu including chicken, pork chops and even filet mignon steak (he even offered a sample to take with us – delicious!) I immediately penciled this in as the place for our farewell supper the next night and even a torrential downpour couldn’t ruin it – in fact, it made it better in a way as we sat at a table in shelter under the grill’s covered area, the only people silly enough to eat outside in that weather, while the sky turned purple, the ocean sparked in front of us and the food and drink were delicious!
2. Ice Cream Truck
The ice cream truck that comes around at both the Nizuc and Sunrise pools isn’t just for kids – make sure you get some of this incredibly delicious ice cream if you’re an adult!
3. Kids Club
One thing it was sort of hard to figure out in advance but yes, all three resorts (Nizuc/Sunrise/The Grand) have their own kids clubs and all are different sizes and with different offerings. The Grand’s is easily the biggest but the other two are good in their own ways and I met one couple who brought their two girls from The Grand to Sunrise’s specifically because it had a modeling catwalk, dress-up area and styling chairs. Plus no matter which Kids Club you visit, you’ll leave wondering how they make them smell like bubble gum!
4. Crepes
The Sweet Shop in Nizuc offers made-to-order crepes which are great for a unique breakfast or late-night treat. I’m not positive but would assume the sweet shops in Sunrise and The Grand offer something similar.
5. Bob Marley Cocktail
Along with the Toucan, probably the most tropical looking cocktails you can order. (You’ll want to stir after taking a picture but before drinking as they’re pretty sweet and/or boozy in each layer alone!)
6. Michael Jackson Show
The evening shows we caught (Circus, Urban, Breakdancing, maybe 1-2 others) were all good but the Michael Jackson show was particularly enjoyable. Plus, as a bonus, the Michael Jackson shows at Sunrise and Nizuc are somewhat different so you can get twice the bang for your buck if you catch them each night they’re on (also nice that the shows at each resort are staggered – Sunrise is 8:30pm and Nizuc is 9:45pm so people who want to can catch both.)
7. The Grand Day Pass
Even if you’re staying at Sunrise or Nizuc, a day pass to The Grand is worth the money to see this higher-end sister resort and all it offers at least once. Technically a full day pass costs $200 for adults and $100 for kids but if you use Resort Credits, that $600 suddenly becomes closer to $100 since you only pay the 16% “tax” on Resort Credits – a small price to pay to get to try a whole range of other pools, bars, and other amenities. And if you’re planning a Spa Treatment, The Grand is apparently the place to do it as its the largest and most fully featured spa at any of the three resorts (though someone told me the Spa at the Golf Course is being remodelled and will be as good as The Grand’s when done though not sure if that’s true or not.)
8. Jade
I said in a different post that Habibi was the best meal of our trip and that’s true. But we also really enjoyed our meal at Jade during our other visit to The Grand although we were so full after a few rounds of appetizers, we didn’t even stay for a main course!
9. The Pub
This little British-themed hideaway off Nizuc’s lobby is much smaller than it looks in pictures online but that just makes it cozier. Plus, in a resort where the overall service level is particularly high, I found the bartenders and serving staff here to be some of the best we encountered – engaging, funny and great at their job.
10. Local Food & Drinks
There will be many opportunities at buffets and bars and a la cartes to try local food and drinks – both Mexican dishes and even those that are specialties of the Yucatan Peninsula. I tried everything from Cochinita Pibil pulled pork to a Michelada beer/caesar hybrid drink to even having a painful encounter with habanero sauce at one a la carte! 😉
And obviously, this list isn’t the definitive “must” list but basically the first 10 things that came to mind as things I really enjoyed or that others might not think to do.
But honestly, everything from having a tequila shot to trying the various a la cartes – all of which have different features and attractions (tableside guacamole! Mayan coffee! Live entertainment!) to visiting the numerous nearby attractions and other sister resorts of the Palace in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel could easily fit on a “100 Musts” list! 😉
Another favourite from my “Tropical Tunes” playlist that provided a soundtrack for our recent Mexican holiday.
“Dancing in the Moonlight” – Toploader
When we booked our two week Mexican holiday, we realised that was going to mean Sasha would miss her final dance recital.
Luckily, they had a scheduling issue so the recital was pushed back to when we were home. That meant Sasha wasn’t able to attend the last couple lessons (including dress rehearsal) but she still rocked it!
Sasha loved that she could drive this kid-sized electric car at The Grand at Moon Palace (we couldn’t get her out of it on our first day pass to The Grand but the car wasn’t working the second unfortunately.)
