“Better than I remembered it-Cancun's BEST resort!”
I stayed at this same resort 10 years ago, and the property has only gotten better in the interim. When they say "All-Inclusive" for this resort, they mean it. The staff goes out of their way to make your stay as pleasant and seamless as possible. It may seem slightly pricey, but for everything you are able to do at the resort, and the beauty of the location, I almost feel like I need to give them a little bit more money. Almost.
After viewing the utterly over-crowded and highly commercialized "Hotel Zone" in Cancun, staying in the Moon Palace Resort is the best place to be for a truly relaxing and invigorating experience. With the gorgeous landscape and the incredible diversity of wildlife found on the resort property, you feel like you are part of the environment, not an ugly eyesore created to pack in the dollars.
Although the majority of the staff are not fluent in English, they do understand what you are trying to say and are incredibly friendly whether it's at 2am, after the resorts nightclub closes, or 6pm, right at the dinner rush. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome and do all they can to make you happy.
For those who are part of the GLBTQ community, (like myself and my husband are) you have absolutely nothing to worry about as far as their attitudes towards you. My husband and I both had an incredible experience and we both hope to return to the facility in the coming years.
Area recommendations
You really don't have to leave the resort to have fun. It is a self-contained city with very good security. It's off the beaten path of the Hotel Zone, but if you so desired to visit the Zone, the resort offers several shuttles going to their various resorts in Cancun at absolutely no charge to you. You are able to use the wristband you're given to visit any of their resorts and reap the benefits at all of the resorts (but you can't stay at another resort....why would you want to?)
My husband and I decided to leave the resort to experience some of the beauty of Cancun and both of us would highly recommend the park Xplor (owned by Xcaret). At Xplor you can ride zip-lines (300 lb weight limit {for bigger people like me}) soaring over the canopy of the trees on the areas highest and longest zip-line (147 feet and 765 yards). If zip-lining isn't your thing (it wasn't my husband's) they have underground caverns where you can explore the beauty of natural stalagmites and stalactites either by foot, swimming in crystal clear waters, or even riding a little raft that you strap little hand paddles and paddle your way thru various courses. If that doesn't whet your whistle, they have amphibious vehicles where you can go across suspension bridges, and literally over the river and thru the woods (with a short drive thru a cave or a tunnel or two along the way).
As with the resort itself, the staff at the park are very friendly to you and do all they can to make you happy.
When to go
I prefer to go in September or October, where the climate is just starting to cool down a bit. We never experienced a night below 60F or a day above 85F. Of course that time is considered hurricane season, but we got lucky. Overall, I'd say the resort is good to go year-round.
Getting there
Getting to the resort is painless if you book thru Expedia. There is a shuttle that will pick you up at the airport and deliver you to the resort (at no charge to you). Taxi's are cheap if you didn't want to ride with other people, but using the provided shuttle makes it easier to get into the resort itself. It's only a short shuttle ride of up to 15 minutes from the airport, and they give you door-to-door service (even though there are 3 lobby's for this massive resort). Departure is just as easy. Expedia is partnered with a company called Best-Day out in Cancun who provides the service to and from the airport, and even better, there is a Best-Day representative on the resort property, so you can ask them any questions you might have when you get there.
Getting around
You have several options as far as getting around the resort property itself. If you stay at the golf course part of the resort, you get a golf-cart included with your room to motor all over the property. If golf isn't your thing, you are able to use the lobby to lobby shuttle which runs from 6am-2am on a circuit between all 3 lobbies. You never have more than 15 minutes between shuttles.
If you would rather walk, be prepared for long walks between the lobbies (easily 15-20 minutes...if you get sidetracked by the beauty).
And, if you still wanted to see the resort in another way, you can go to the Sunrise lobby, and down the hill to the kids zone to borrow bicycles to ride all over the resort.
If you want to get off resort, the taxis are very cheap, and are called by the resort. Of course you can also use the resort's shuttles to go between the resorts a few times a day. (I know, it's a little confusing at first, what with the lobby-to-lobby and resort-to-resort shuttles, but it's all clearly marked on the front of the shuttles, and you have different waiting areas for both).
Must see
From my previous comments, I highly recommend the park Xplor. It is additional money out of your pocket, but for all you're able to do, it's well worth it. You are able to find brochures for the park all over the resort property in the lobbies.
Dining
Moon Palace has several restaurants (both indoor and outdoor) on the property. Some of the restaurants have dress-code of casual-formal, which essentially means collars and pants for the guys. I wish I knew what they call that for ladies, but since I don't wear ladies clothing or have a wife I can't say with any authority. (Sorry, ladies).
You can go to Italian buffets, (or off the menu, depending on where you choose to eat) where they prepare your meals right in front of you with fresh ingredients that you have chosen from their buffet bars. If Italian isn't your thing, you can have authentic Mexican cuisine or for those of you carnivores out there (like myself) you can find several places where they take various cuts of meat and make them delectable. There are a few places on the resort that also have seafood, but since my husband and I don't eat seafood we can't say anything about how good it is. Judging by the high quality of the rest of the food prepared on the resort at 3 distinct meal times (breakfast 6am-11am, lunch 12pm-4:30pm, and dinner from 6pm-11pm) you will go anything but hungry at the amazing variety and quality of the food you are able to eat.
Family-friendly activities
On the resort you will find a kids zone where there are free video games, daycare, (so you parents can have some much deserved alone time) pool tables, or bicycles. In various locations around the resort you will find giant chess-boards, a rock-climbing wall, and a challenging miniature golf course of 18 holes. All of this is included in your resort price.
Nightlife
The resort itself has a relatively small dance club located in the Sunrise lobby called Andromeda. Of course all the liquor you could want to drink is included in the resort price. If you wanted to go off resort (again, I ask why?) the most famous nightclub in the area, "Coco Bongo," is a short taxi ride away. You pay a flat rate upon entering the club and your drinks are unlimited there as well. I don't know the rate, because my husband and I never left the resort for the city nightlife.
Events and shows
The resort puts on a show a night of all kinds of fun activities from fire dancers to a circus to a broadway show, and everything in between. Most of the time the night shows are outside, but on the occasion of inclement weather, they move the event inside the resort into one of the several ballrooms they have. They also have various behind-the-scenes tours throughout the days, and all the events are clearly marked at the lobbies.
As mentioned before, this is all included with your stay at the resort.
Outdoors or beach
The resort sits upon approximately 1.5 miles of pristine white-sands beachfront property. Depending on where you are in the resort, you're never more than a 5 minute walk down to the beach. The resort allows you to participate in non-motorized water-sports and offers courses to help you learn to sail on the beautiful ocean in front of the resort (weather permitting, of course). It boasts the largest pools in the area, if not all of Mexico. The pools aren't very deep (only about 3.5 feet) but several of them have swim-up bars where you can order your drink and enjoy the water all at once. You don't have to leave your room with your towel, because you get them poolside. The pools are closed during the night though.
If you wanted to do motorized water-sports like jet-skis or other things, you can purchase the time on the equipment and charge it to your room.
Other
This is a resort that literally has it all for a very reasonable price. You are allowed unlimited calls back to the states provided you call from your room. The rooms boast comfortable surroundings with an unlimited mini-bar (stocking Vodka, Rum, Tequila, and Scotch). They also provide a bottle of red wine in the room, and the best part about the rooms is they have an in-room 2 person hot-tub.
For the security of something like your passport, they provide an in-room safe where only you and the person you go with have the access code.
The staff will come into the room several times throughout the day to make the bed, clean-up, restock the mini-bar, and turn-down the beds for a very inviting nights sleep. If you need something (like a razor and shaving cream for example) you simply call down to the front desk and they send someone up with a complimentary razor and single use shaving cream.
Everything about this resort is designed to make you feel like you're royalty. I would personally choose this resort over any of the other hotels in the immediate area because you are secluded from the hustle and bustle of the real world while only being a short ride from everything. The variety of wildlife and the landscaping make the resort awe-inspiring. The attitude of the staff make it such a pleasant experience, you really don't want to leave. I would give the resort a full 5 Star rating.
Oh, did I forget to mention the on-site Spa? Prepare to be pampered!
