Stayed at Aventura Spa Palace for 8 days at the end of November 2012. The food was awesome but the friendly staff really made the vacation so much better. The resort needs a face lift which I believe they are working on but, it's not that bad. Still very clean and it's a huge place. Lot's to do every day and night. You can check out the Spa side or the Cove side but you'll need to find the cart rides that take you there or else it's a long walk.

I never came across staff that weren't friendly, they never ask for tips but I started tipping more towards the end of my stay because they made my vacation so much better. The drinks they make are great. They never say no to anything, just ask and it will be done.

I would go back for sure. Palace resort owners, if you ever read this, please keep your staff happy as they are the key to people's enjoyment at your resort chains. Good times, can't wait to come back.

Let me say right away that I do not easily give a bad review. It takes a considerable amount of problems on a consistent basis to elicit such. Take a look at my other reviews as examples.
I’m going to try and keep this short, sweet and in point form:
The Good:
- The service staff is exceptionally caring, polite and goes above and beyond what their normal duties dictate.
- The resort is immaculate and beautiful… not to mention enormous.
- The food and beverages are above average.
- Used resort credits for a couple of the excursions (Tulum, Chichen Itza)
- Used resort credits to upgrade my wine selection.

The Bad:
- Safe was not working (dead battery) and after 2 calls to the front desk followed by 2 visits it was fixed 14 hours later.
- I called the previous week to my arrival and reserved 3 spa treatments (massages) and when I went for my first appointment, I was told none of the bookings were recorded and that they could not fit me in until my last day there.

The Ugly:
- Arrived at the resort and was given the third degree as to why I was not there the day before as their records indicated. Showed them MY itinerary with the correct dates and then ask them why someone was waiting for me at the airport with a shuttle? No answer, acknowledgement or apology for their behavior.
- I had called the week before to request a 3rd floor room. Because of their date mix-up, they gave it away the previous day and did not try to find me another one. Simply said the resort was full. Later found out that the resort may have been at 30% capacity… and I’m being overly generous.
- No one from the resort took the time to show me around, explain when and how the restaurants operate and how the $1500 resort credit system works. I had to figure out all these specifics by myself by asking people not working at the front desk/administration.

Now this last upcoming point is a personal preference and not an issue with the staff or resort. I did considerable research into choosing a resort with all the amenities for me and knew that there wasn’t a beach only a cove/lagoon and I didn’t think it would matter. But after 3 days, I found myself longing for a beach and the calming, soothing waters of the ocean.

In summary, is the Aventura Spa Palace a nice resort? Absolutely.
Is it worth the $$? In my opinion, no.
Would I stay there again? No.

DO NOT PURCHASE A MEMBERSHIP AT THESE RESORTS. . Once they have your money they treat you like crap.

Made my reservation 7 months in advance, arrived with confirmation number and was told they had no reservation for me and no room. Hotel was filled to 100% capacity with people who responded to their promotions, but as a member I was told to wait a few hours while they found me a room. Then they tried to put me at the neighboring cove. Only after losing my temper at the front desk did they find me a room, after I made it clear I wasn't leaving and wasn't shutting up.

Later while talking to a concierge I looked at his computer screen had there was my reservation with the date I had made it 7 months before.

This is no way to start what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. They are complete incompetents. Your only leverage as a customer is to take your business elsewhere, but once you are a member you lose that leverage and this company does not care about your satisfaction. So I am telling the rest of the world to TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE.

As members of the Palace Resorts for over 10 years, we have been to Adventura in the past and quite enjoyed our stay. This resort used to be our first choice above many other Palace resorts up until its recent changes. It split into the Adventura Cove, and it has now changed again merging into Adventura Hard Rock. Unfortunately with these changes, the quality of this resort has PLUMMETED.
If any of you have been to Adventura in the past, I DISCOURAGE you to go there again! The changes have made the quality of this resort completely terrible and unacceptable. For all the first time visitors, who may not have known the amazing quality Adventura used to have, this may not be too bad. My ratings for this palace is 2 STARS, maybe 3 MAX, with me being generous. A sign that this resort is going down in the dumps is its MASSIVE 50% SALE THROUGH 2013. They must not even be close to their sales goals to put a steal of a deal like that. Coming back from our trip recently for Thanksgiving, we now know why. It’s because of its awful service and quality. Let me highlight some of the details of our experience for you.
• The Shuttle airport transfer from and to the resort has actually improved. We did not have to wait long at all. The staff and driver were professional and did not hassle us for tips like before. Note that Palace Resort/Hard Rock advertised that tips and taxes are included in all services. However, we still like to give extra tips when the service is exceptional.
• As VIP (black band) members of the resort, we had the privilege of a separate check-in area which was very nice. We did not have to wait in line. There was a nice sit down lounge for us with a waiter ready to take order for our drinks. Because we knew the routine, we booked our tours and spa services at the same time.
• As we interacted with staff members, we were surprised that many of them were very new, just working there from one day to a few months. Most of them commented that they were not sure if they would stay. That was the first sign something was a bit off. In the past, we usually ran into staff who have been with the resort for many years and were very happy with the management. Therefore, happy employees created great services. However on this trip, we often experienced the attitude of “don’t know, don’t care or I just work here”. We were highly disappointed with the poor quality of services we received from the staff.
• $1,500 hotel credit. Sounds great right? But recently they added something we all hate, 11% service fee(11% of any dollar used out of this $1,500). In the past, there is no 11% service fee added. It was truly free credit with your stay. The price is worth it for only tours and spa. It all used to be free with your hotel stay, so it was unfortunate that there was a fee added. The price was not worth it for wine and gifts, because those prices were inflated outrageously.
• The room is the same. However, there is no bath robe! Also, the bath towels were very frail and worn out. It is unbelievable that they actually use the old dilapidated towels, the kind that we use to clean our pets or wash our cars. Yes they gave us those towels for our bodies. When we complained, the manager said that they are aware of the age of the towels but everything is in “transition”. They are not allowed to use the new “Hard Rock” towels yet. Bad excuse if you ask me. There used to be plenty of towels. Now, the quantity is cut in half. This “transition” excuse they used explaining everything that’s wrong with their resort, is really going to hurt their business.
• About the facility. The elevator is filthy. There was a stain that was there the whole week of our stay. Obviously, no one cleans the elevator. Grass is not as green as it used to be. Shrubs and trees were not well trimmed. Many of them are half dead. Staff members told us that management has laid off many employees. The indoor pool was two feet short of water. When we questioned management, there was no explanation. Is it a way to cut cost? There is no staff to take care of the tennis and basketball court. When we called to ask for water and towel, we were told to walk back to the hotel to get it ourselves. What kind of service is that!? Definitely not the service of a 4-star hotel. All the nets at the three tennis courts were not setup to the right height. No center band. Weeds are grown around the court. Animal feces scattered around. The situation is pathetic for tennis players like us. Many of the golf cart drivers are so new (from 1 day to a few weeks) that they can hardly drive it. They bump into the shrub, curb side or have to go back and forth several times. Some of the golf carts ran out of electricity. One of the carts had a horrible screeching noise as if one of the wheel was about to fall off. It was scary.
• About the restaurants. What a disappointment. In short, the Cove provided better food than the Spa. At the Spa where we stayed, the breakfast and lunch buffet are the same for all seven days. Can you imagine, a 4-star resort use paper napkins, one thin paper napkin! Breakfast with a different kind of cook to order eggs, bacon, sausage but NO hash brown. Service is spotty. Obviously, there are not enough well trained staffs. They were very understaffed. Again, most of them are new and not happy. About the dinner, the food quality has gone downhill and long waits for our food after we were seated. After trying the Japanese, Italian and healthy restaurant, we decided to go to the Cove for dinner buffet. More choice and no wait.
• Night entertainment. There is a daily music band at the Spa, various shows and a disco at the Cove. This reminded us of a second class performance at a rundown casino in downtown Las Vegas with poor sound system. We heard that Hard Rock is well known for their entertainment. Well, at least there are options.
This trip is quite a disappointment for us. We felt that the resort management has short changed its members by changing their focus without checking with their members and cutting its services. Worse yet, they have the audacity to approach us to purchase a membership upgrade. Definitely not after that awful stay. Another bad part is prior to this trip we already paid for another trip at the same resort next June to celebrate our sons’ graduation with another family, a total of 10 people. Unfortunately, they won’t let us cancel the trip to get our money back. The best they would do is to give us credit and promise us that the service will be better because by that time they will almost be a full fledge “Hard Rock”, and no longer “in transition”. Note that being tired of their BS or excuse, I challenged them to move me to the Hard Rock Cancun (used to be Cancun Palace) for a few days because it is already “full fledge” Hard Rock this year. If the service is excellent as they claimed, I would consider buying an upgrade. Guess what, they told us that the hotel is overbooked. Again with another excuse. As we talked to many people during this trip, majority of them have complaints after complaints. When we talked to the person who is in charge of the transition project, his reply was he heard it all. Well, if he heard EVERYONE complaint, was anything going to be done about it? Regardless, the company will proceed with its plan. Things will be the way they are until the Hard Rock grand opening in next August. It was obvious that complaints will fall on deaf ear. Whatever management comments or apologetic responses that you read in Tripadvisor are pure lip service. In conclusion, DON’T GO THERE. DON’T BUY MEMBERSHIP. There are plenty of other all-inclusive resorts in the areas that cater to your needs and emphasize on customer service. We hope that what we experienced in this trip is temporary and transitional as Hard Rock management explained it.