In all we had a fantastic time and never got bored once in the two weeks, the hotel was fine but we did pay an extra 30 dollars a day to move to a room with a balcony, an expense we could have done without but it did make a huge difference. Shame they feel the need to charge for coffee in your room, we have always had this in other hotels as part of all inclusive so a bit shocked to find we would not only pay 3 dollars a day for the coffee but also pay stupid costs for the water, we went to the oxxo shop down the road and bought our water at a fraction of the cost along with a jar of instant!
Hotel entertainement was ok but the place is dead from about 10pm onwards when the youngsters have gone clubbing and everyone else has gone up to the rooms as there is little to do. We went off site on the local bus and visited most of the plaza's along the Cancun strip, the best one we found was the Plaza Fiesta, about 10 mins on the bus but well worth it, no hassle from the shop keepers so much nicer to browse around, something for all pockets and so pretty. A must see would be the restaurant with the sharks on view, amazing!!
Xel Ha trip was so worth the money, what a place, so much to see and do we feel we have to go back for another visit just to spend another day there!
Great beach and the sea is clear, shallow and bliss to go in, the pool was very nice but we didnt spend much time in it as the beach was so lovely.
We will go back but will book into the sister hotel next door, much nicer with double the benefits, room service and minibar included, rooms bigger with bath and shower, premium drinks rather than local brands, cushions on the sunbeds around the infinity pool and by the sound of things, better food for a little extra price a lot more benefits to the 'all inclusive'.

Ok, I took my chances after all the negative feedback and went with very low expectations. Thanks to all my fellow advisors I was very prepared & here are the tips that got us to a Great Vacay!
1. Hotel -Expect a very clean, medium size, & nice hotel no A/C on the lobby or shared areas but who cares if you're there for the sun.
2. View -Ask for a room on the upper floors - the view is gorgeous- our room was on the 7th floor & the entire back wall was a window facing the ocean & pool area.
3. Room -Room is basic, clean, quiet at night, noisy in halls in the AM starting at 9am - don't spend too much time there unless there is a REAL reason if you catch my drift ;)
4. Length of Stay - This is a great deal & good hotel for a 3 NIGHT MAX - why? there is no entertainment really, the food starts getting repetitive, it's a bit far from the center if you want to venture out. We stayed the 3 nights, took one tour, rotated on the restaurants, created our own entertainment & games with other guest, relaxed at the beach and had a fantastic time!
5. Money - Tip & Tip - our documents said all gratuities included but don't take it seriously. You want to be treated extra special & get a drink fast - give a buck here & there - believe me it goes a long way.
6. Food - the sushi is ok, the sashimi much better (octopus yum), keep in mind they really know how to cook their meats - so stick with beef, pork at the Mexican restaurant if you are a foodie & away from the seafood & the corresponding restaurant. It tends to be overcooked & a bit salty. The flavor combinations don't really work but the base is there just not executed correctly. The buffet is surprisingly good - pick a protein & enhance the flavor by adding some of the sauces. Speaking a little spanish to the grill station cook can get you a very nice meal. Didn't dare try the pizza being from new york it's just wouldn't make sense but they serve that & also have a grill at the beach for hot dogs/hamburgers/nachos/pico de gallo stuff. I didn't try them myself but they exist.
7. Drinks -The cups are 8 oz plastic, very weak, & sugary. Yes your corona will get hot if you don't drink it fast. Ask for "limon" if you like your beer with lime. Corona is what's on tap. The margaritas ask with tequila or double tequila if you want to feel something. They have a very decent Spanish white table wine - mild, full of citrus, and soft on the headache the next day. If you want to feel loose or out there - don't mix, tequila can be serve on the side as a shot so you know it has the goods, stay away from the sugary drinks - it will take a ton to make you feel something & leave you with a pounding headache the next day. Cheers!
8.Time Shares - the lobby has a few desks where you can book tours and some will try to get you to a "90 min presentation". Avoid it unless you're getting something really good for it. I heard people getting $150 voucher for tours but it will cost you half your day NOT 90 minutes. Make sure you ask very specifically what you are getting if it's a tour it won't be with the companies we see online & the ones in the lobby. Ask if you will be picked up & dropped off at your OWN hotel. Remember they just want to get you to the presentation it's up to you to watch you own back.
9. Water & Weather: The first bottle in our room was free, it's a littler and says it cost 290 pesos but when we checked out they said it was free. Weather is 80-90 degrees in Oct 09, bring bug spray if you're doing a tour. Pool was large & there is a kid section. the swim up bar is a joke - tiny and not inviting.
10. The Gist - To sum things up, you can have a really good time at the Palm Beach if you plan ahead. Book your round trip transfers at BestDay tours $17 pp round trip, tip, be selective at the restaurants, sleep in a cool room, don't stay too long, and drink up.

Thanks for reading & Bon voyage!

K BROWN Oct 21, 2009

After searching and reading reviews on this hotel here is what we found. We stayed for 6 days. The hotel itself was very ... nice and clean for the most part. The front desk was very business and to the point about additional charges ( in-room safe, room service, phone etc). We had a "lagoon view" room and found it decent. We were surprised that they had no blankets on the bed though. Don't touch the bottled water or you will be charged $3.00 each. Also no ice vending machine and if you want a refer they charge you $5.00 per day. The Mexican service was good but the food was mediocre. The first time we ate there our food was luke warm. The fish tacos were great and the ribs were terrible. The coffee was the best we've ever had. The Asian restaurant was much better but the a/c was off and it was very hot and humid while eating dinner. Because the place was so hot, I had reservation about the raw fish but eat it and enjoyed it anyway. The third restaurant never opened. The buffet was probably the best food at the hotel. Most was Tasteful and served hot. For breakfast, be sure to have the short-order cook you a personalized omelet. They also have a fresh fruit bar but unless you look for it you may not know it's there. The pool-side hamburger stand served fresh and hot burgers w/fries or nachos. Never realized the sushi bar until the last day. The bad points are this: they have a slew of time-share sales staff that make you believe they are hotel staff, they hound you from the moment you get there and will wake you up with phone calls to your room telling you they have a "welcome gift" for you. DON'T BELIEVE THEM! These people are the reason I'm giving the hotel a 3 star instead of 4 stars. The phone situation is also bad. It will cost you $3.00 to make a local 800 free call. Buy phone cards from the local stores and you can use the phones outside the hotel. If you want to rent a car, go to the hertz at Wal-Mart and you can rent one for $22.00 a day w/o insurance. Wal-Mart is a great place for any items you will need. Be carful about where you park the car. We went to Market 28 and ours was broken into and our passports, cameras and other items were stolen. That is a whole other story though and not a very good one. So the bottom line on this place is it's not a 5 star place and it could be a 4 star place if not for the time share sales staff harassing you from the moment you arrive.

At first: you don´t have a balcony, so nothing you are wearing or your own beachtowel is able to get dry under at least 2 nights. Maybe I shouldn´t expect one single picture on the wall. You only get one mini towel for two persons and one big one per person. The Pool-area is fantastic, but the sunbeds are very uncomfortable the have nothing to cover, you need a inflatable mattress if you wanna stay longer. The buffet was mainfully cold even stuff that should be at least warm. They didn´t have a big assortment of meals, in 2 weeks it was nearly everyday the same! The dishes - well you shouldn´t have a closer look! On the terrace the crows are waiting for EVERYTHING you leave there (the sugar too) so don´t go inside to get some more food/drinks, without leaving a friend/familymember behind at the table. One elevator is without working-display, the other one is damaged at the bottom and sides, so kids should be careful because it is rusty and not covered.