REVIEW: Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort, Cancun, Mexico
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Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort offers all inclusive luxury close to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, complete with top food and some of the best beaches around!
A few weeks ago I flew to Mexico to begin 3 months of travel. I’m spending the first four weeks in areas in and around Playa Del Carmen and Cancun. My first weekend coincided with the TBEX annual conference (an event for travel bloggers) so I headed to Cancun and checked into Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort. It’s one of the largest hotels on the Cancun coastline, but is a little way south of the main hotel zone.
I have stayed at a few all inclusive resorts, including another in this area, and would happily say that Mexicans really know how to deliver excellent service. From the second I arrived I was made to feel like royalty! Flowers, welcome drinks, someone helping with my luggage… there was such a lovely fuss over me!
I was introduced to some of the team who would be looking after me, including Gerardo the concierge for my section. I stayed in a stunning suite in the Grand Section. The decor was modern with marble accents, jacuzzi bath in the bedroom, king size bed, full lounge area with bar and dining table, and a beautiful large terrace with sea views. Not to mention a personal mini bar containing full size bar optics!
Moon Palace is a very large hotel, with 251 rooms in the Grand Section, over 759 in Nizuk and more in Sunrise. While some might find the scale intimidating, and be surprised to have to travel by bus or golf cart to get between sections, I felt like it gave a village feel – with lots of places to visit.
While at the Moon Palace I ventured out of the Grand Section to see Nizuk and Sunrise. These are both larger than Grand, containing several bars and restaurants, enormous Vegas-style lobbies (think marble, chandeliers, and plush seating) and vast inter-connecting pool areas.
All inclusive resorts often have a bad reputation when it comes to food. I’ve stayed at a few which had large buffets of low-quality food. After a few days of it, you’ve tried everything and are stuck eating a repetitive menu. At Moon Palace, the lunchtime buffets are generally very good, with plenty of variety – Mexican dishes, sushi, salads, pizza, pasta and more. I particularly enjoyed sampling the special ceviche menu at lunchtime on the a Sunrise terrace.
In the evenings you’re spoiled for choice. Assuming you stay around a week, you can easily eat somewhere different every night. Plus as you travel between sections, you feel more like you’re venturing out for the evening – and avoid that ‘all-inclusive claustrophobia’ which is common.
As I only had a few days there I decided to try out Arrecifes (a Brazillian churascuria) and MoMo (oriental food). Arrecifes operates as a traditional Brazilian restaurant – waiters bring around giant skewers of grilled meats and carve into your plate. Salads, breads and cheeses are available from the buffet. The meats I tried were all very tasty with the New York style beef being my favourite. Due to the cooking method, some meats were a little tough. Service was excellent – friendly and welcoming, without feeling forced. It must have been good as I was too full to manage dessert!
MoMo was a completely immersive experience. A dark room, chic black furniture with accents of red and bamboo. The menu included sushi, tempura, dim sum, teriyaki and yaki soba. On arrival I was brought a platter of tasters, which were delicious. In particular the tuna sashimi on a tostada. I ordered dim sum and miso soup to start, followed by the black sesame fish for main. I also checked out the tepanaki table where the chefs were busy entertaining customers by juggling eggs and chopping vegetables.
The highlight of my stay was the nightly baby turtle release. These happen most evenings between May and October and are run by a turtle conservation project. Once eggs are laid on the sand, the project collects them so they are safe from predators. Once they hatch, they are released by hand into the sea, again to avoid being eaten by birds, crabs and more. We were each given a turtle to hold and place on the sand. They then set off on their first journey into the sea. Read more about this experience here.
There are a number of bars located around the resort. In general the mojitos and caipirinhas were excellent – and best sipped while sat on a swing at one of the sea-view palapa bars.
On my final day, I took a short shuttle bus to the spa. This is located by the golf course and it is free to use the hydrotherapy pools, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.
I am really pleased I was able to stay at Moon Palace while in Cancun for the conference. The staff were very attentive, the food was impressive and the hotel was immaculate.
Prices at Moon Palace start from $3981 MXN per night (£183) for a deluxe resort view room. For more info, click here.
Chloe Gunning
With a passion for food, fun and adventure, Chloe is the content creator behind one of the UK's top travel blogs Wanderlust Chloe. From volcano boarding in Nicaragua, to sailing around Sicily and eating her way around Japan, her travels have taken her to some of the coolest spots on the planet. Named Travel Influencer of the Year in 2022, Chloe regularly works with a number of tourism boards, producing inspirational travel content across multiple platforms. Find out more about Chloe here.
2 thoughts on “REVIEW: Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort, Cancun, Mexico”
Moon Palace has always been our favorite vacation. Great staff who are always kind and willing to accommodate. Love the Grand. Have stayed at Nizuc with family. Great childrens area. Awesome service. Highly recommend. Can contact me for information.
My wife and I are traveling to Cancun for her birthday and will stay at Moon Palace For 10 days, this will be our 8th stay at Moon Palace. We consider it our home away from home as many of the staff are friends of ours.
We got married there in 2011. I had always imagined myself getting married on the beach. It was amazing!! A horse drawn carriage, a harpest, fireworks!! The whole nine! Unfortunately its been that long since we’ve been back:(
Our first experience with Moon Palace was amazing, we were instantly hooked and purchased a membership that year. We’ve returned every year from 2002 until 2011, upgraded our membership a few time as well. they’ve done a Multi million dollar renovation since we were there last. I can’t wait to see the improvements and additions! 10/10 for us!!
offers all inclusive luxury close to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, complete with top food and some of the best beaches around!
Moon Palace has always been our favorite vacation. Great staff who are always kind and willing to accommodate. Love the Grand. Have stayed at Nizuc with family. Great childrens area. Awesome service. Highly recommend. Can contact me for information.
Debbie Michalenka
My wife and I are traveling to Cancun for her birthday and will stay at Moon Palace For 10 days, this will be our 8th stay at Moon Palace. We consider it our home away from home as many of the staff are friends of ours.
We got married there in 2011. I had always imagined myself getting married on the beach. It was amazing!! A horse drawn carriage, a harpest, fireworks!! The whole nine! Unfortunately its been that long since we’ve been back:(
Our first experience with Moon Palace was amazing, we were instantly hooked and purchased a membership that year. We’ve returned every year from 2002 until 2011, upgraded our membership a few time as well. they’ve done a Multi million dollar renovation since we were there last. I can’t wait to see the improvements and additions! 10/10 for us!!