Grand Palladium Riviera Resort & Spa Reviews
Carretera Chetumal-Puerto Juárez Km, 256-100, Solidaridad,

74%
families recommend
233 family reviews



Grand Palladium White Sand - overall a great place that we would return to.
amypete - Apr 28th, 2011
We visited the Grand Palladium Riviera for 8 nights April 15 - 23, 2011. Overall we had a wonderful trip and would definitely return. Unfortunately our trip had a bit of a rough start.

We arrived at the White Sand check in more +around 1:30 on Friday and were underwhelmed upon arrival. No one greeted us as our car left us off, no bellboys to take our luggage or anything. I had to convince my husband to come here as we had visited the Iberostar Paraiso Maya for the past three years and he would have been very happy to make it a fourth. When we got to check in, they told us we had been "upgraded" to the Riviera. I had written to request either White Sand building 57, 58 or 59 so this was yet another disappointment. When we got to our room however, I was thrilled with our fantastic ocean view in Building 60, third floor.

The first thing I always do upon entering a hotel room is to remove the bedspread and check the sheets. I was horrified to see a fairly big stain on our sheets. The sheet had clearly been laundered so it wasn't dirty, there was just an old stain, clearly visible on the sheet. I called housekeeping and they had someone there within 5 minutes. He acknowledged the stain, changed the entire bedding and also checked the pull out sofa, which was fine. I thought it was a nice touch that he checked that as well. It was fine. We also asked for two additional plastic chairs for the balcony. He said he would try but we never got them, despite calling several other times. Kind of silly that in a room for 4 people, there are only two chairs. We debated dragging out the nicer room chairs but I worried that we would damage them. The pillows are as bad as everyone says, really ridiculous in a resort of this caliber. It is almost as though they are trying to extort you into purchasing something from the pay per pillow menu.

Things went from bad to worse when we changed into our bathing suits and then visited the Colonial/Kantenah pool area. The grounds are simply gorgeous, but there were tons of rowdy young adults there. I just read a review where the manager responded to a complaint of spring breakers by saying that they don't allow spring breakers but every now and again a family brings older teenagers. Well there were at least forty Spanish speaking twenty-somethings there on Friday the 15th. They even brought their own funnel and were doing funnel shots pool side. Just what families want to see. I was surprised management did not stop them from doing this. It went on for quite a while. We decided to hit the 2:30 bingo advertised in the program. Only problem was it didn't actually start until 3:15. This was a common theme during our visit, advertised programs not starting on time. Normally this wouldn't have bothered us as we'd be on Mexico time but by now we were thinking we made a serious mistake coming here. When Bingo started, it was fun but when the POP friend called her "favorite number" of 69 I cringed. The next day another POP friend called his "favorite number, 69 " as well. At a family friendly resort, I should not have to explain to my 12 year old why everyone's favorite number is 69. Saturday was just as rowdy and my husband was seriously ready to pull the plug and move to any Iberostar. We decided to try the Riviera/White Sand pool on Sunday. That was much better, very serene, almost too quiet. We moved to the beach for the Sunday afternoon beach party, which was fun. Things were looking up. Monday the atmosphere was totally different. We could have been at a different resort. We returned to the Colonial /Kantenah pool as the kids felt the other was too quiet and also we love the beach and wanted the easy access. The rowdy crowd had departed, replaced by more families. The rest of the week was fantastic, things were on Mexico time, but that is okay. I do feel that the activities staff, while very nice, is an area where offerings can be improved. We laughed for three years at the bold colors the Star Friends wear at Iberostar. Now it makes perfect sense, the navy blue and white uniforms here are too easy to blend in. You don't know who is leading an event. They activities staff did run many fun activities, guacamole making, towel folding, bull riding, and afternoon trivia were a few of our favorites. I was disappointed in the POP friends at the towel folding where they dressed as Palladium housekeepers, complete with sets of very bad teeth. The uniform was fine but the teeth were very mean spirited and not necessary. We had a great snorkeling trip with Julio and Alex (his first day, he was great!). They were very good to my 10 year old who was apprehensive about going too deep. We really enjoyed that trip. I loved being able to snorkel right off of the beach.

The food here was good, not great, but you could always find something. I liked how they clearly labeled everything at the buffet, it was very helpful. We ate there twice. We also ate at Sumptori, El Dorado, Ribs & More and La Adelita (twice, it was our favorite). We tried to eat at Punta Emilia but the raccoons drove us away. They were ridiculous, darting in and out of the tents and even under occupied tables! So bold, they are not afraid of anything. While I don't think they will hurt you, I didn't want to take the chance, plus my daughters were freaking out. It is too bad as it is such a fabulous atmosphere, soft music, the sound of the waves. Just too bad some foolish people continue to feed the animals.

The kids club was good, the staff there was lovely. We were very disappointed that they did not actually have a separate club for the 9-12 year olds as they advertise that they do. All ages are together, doing the same activities. My daughters really enjoyed the evening treasure hunt as well as the circus, Grease and HSM shows. They had fun preparing and performing and the adults really enjoyed the performances. I wish they would have turned on the fans in the theatre, it was stifling in there, even though it was very comfortable just outside in the courtyard.

In summary, we had a great time after the few hiccups at the beginning of the trip and would definitely return here.


Date of Stay: 04/23/2011
Children in Party: 2


Tweens (10-12)
Accommodations
Dining
Kids Play Area
Money Value
Pool & Water Fun
Staff


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Lush paradise-like setting with lots to do
patinthehat - Sep 13th, 2010
Upon arriving at the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya, located about 45 minutes south of Playa del Carmen in Mexico, everyone first notices the trees and plants. Walking around the grounds is like moving from one garden to the next, and the whole more +resort is very well kept. Lots of different flowers for kids and adults to enjoy looking at.

There were activities for children and teens, but this was not the focus of the resort. We did not use the facilities for the younger children, but it was located near the beach and seemed to be popular. The teen facility had video games and a dance floor, and is very clean and tidy, like the rest of the resort.

The beach has some hazards, but there are two large areas that are open and meant for swimming. Many water activities are offered, but they only run if the ocean is deemed safe, so be sure to not save one certain water sport for the end only to find the ocean too rough. The pools are huge, but quite shallow throughout. Still refreshing on a hot day.

The food offered was good for both adults and children. Lots of variety, lots of very familiar selections available. The buffet is clean and run well, as well as each individual restaurant.

Overall, the Grand Palladium is probably better suited for adults than younger children, since it is mostly focused on drinking, eating and relaxing. However, the resort is gorgeous in terms of its setting, so anyone who knows what to expect at an all-inclusive will certainly not be disappointed.

Date of Stay: 12/24/2009
Children in Party: 1


Tweens (13+)


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