Too much to list so I will start by saying the place is more than one can imagine. Unless your used to drinking from silver cups and eating from gold spoons. This resort has blown away anything I have ever seen or experienced and that includes Sandals.

Resort: HUGE! CLEAN! Very very nice from the immaculate landscaping to the beautifully clean buildings to the crystal clear pool water. Everything was perfect ALL THE TIME!

Staff: Always around to help out. Guest services desks everywhere to help with questions. Never once did I have a question that did not get answered. Not one complaint other than the language barrior. Very little English spoken but enough to understand what you need. Not one of the people I talked to working there had ever been to the U.S. so English is not one of their languages.

Rooms: Nice rooms. They are a little old but taken care of and clean. Not one bug found. Shower was HUGE! Jacuzzi is all that it's cracked up to be. King size bed that was very comfy. Room is cleaned 3 times a day. Fridge is stocked daily and the bar too. Not much to the room bar but it's there if you need it. Of course 24 hour room service helps bring drinks too. :-) Only one complaint that I have about the room is the A/C. Just not cold enough. It was cool and we didn't sweat but we also only slept under sheets or it would have been hot. We called and they checked it out but it still was not COLD. We had to keep the shades on the window shut most of the day. It could have been that we were on the 3rd floor which is the top and the heat was causing our room to be that way because others that were there with us on lower floors did not have the same issue. MIght have just been that room. And they asked us if we wanted to change and we declined.

Food: Food was good. Very good. Not the best in the world but good. Excellent variety too. The pizza place was closed for renovation but the menu was at another restaurant so you still could get the food just in a different place. No complaints on the food. Ordered 2 or 3 entrees each night. All were good.

Drinks: Very good drinks. They DO NOT use top shelf alcohol unless you ask. It is there and looks all pretty sitting behind them but when you ask for a drink they pour from the bottles on the rack below the counter. YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THE GOOD STUFF! Bars are everywhere and very convenient to get a drink. They realize this is why most are there so it is easily accessible.

Wedding: We did the free or complimentary wedding and just added the video and the cake. It was perfect. Very nice for them to do all that and it be free. The Justice of the Peace was very good and understood exactly what we wanted. We chose to do it on the beach instead of the gazebo. Very nice to be in sand. After all that is why we were there. They served champange in the wedding and we had a nice toast at the end. ONe thing I will mention as nice as it was the sun was almost an issue. Very bright and shining right in our eyes so pictures were hard. We had a canopy that helped but it was bright. WInd blowing the ladies hair was an issue too. Beautiful water in the background, beautiful weather, just a little bright and breezy. But when we watched the video it was all good. My sister is a photographer so I just paid for her to come instead of hiring their person and that worked out great because we had her for later when the sun went down some. The wedding was perfect and my bride could not have been happier.

Spa: Oh MY!!!! Insane how nice the spa is. You must go through the hydro therapy part. You can use the hydrotherapy if you book something at the spa or if your a member. The sauna, then cold shower, then vapor room, then cool shower, then the foot therapy, then the massage, then the jacuzzi, then the cool jacuzzi, then lay out on the chair and take a nap. Just amazing! A must try!!!!!!!

Tours: The dolphin swim is a MUST! Just amazing. It is only a 5 minute ride from the resort and is worth it! Free shuttle there and back. There are several different dolphin tours you can do. We did the encounter and it worked fine. I don't know what the swim was like. The place you go to is like a harbor for the fishing boats and they have this lagoon area that the dolphins are in. We saw a baby that was 4 days old. Kinda cool swimming with her mom. There are shops and restaurants everywhere too for food and drinks. It is a cool spot to just walk around and watch. Worth every penny!!!!!! We also went to Playacar which is in Playa del Carmen. The resort is OK...definitely not ASP but nice. We ate lunch and swam a little before heading into town to shop. There is a area right outside the gates to go shopping. NEVER...I mean NEVER take the first, second, or third price. Example...ring for my bride....started off at $132....got it for $35. It is safe and many Americans walking around shopping. The shuttle only runs at 8:15 and 4:00 so instead of waiting til 4 we just hopped a taxi for $16 back to ASP. About a 20 minute ride. Not bad. We did not go see any of the "ruins" or any other tours. One thing that is nice about Playacar is it has the real beach area with crystal blue water. Very nice to go spend the day at and use the Playacar resort for food, drinks, and bathroom.

SHOWS: The shows are great too. Very talented people. We made the shows everynight and they are good entertainment to lead you into the disco for late night. Shows are good and very well put on. Need to check them out. A couple of times the shows had arts and crafts booths setup by them for you to buy stuff. Same rules apply here...do not take the first, second, or third offer.

Overall: This was a vacation/wedding/honeyoon for us. We had 22 people come with us. It was a little nerve racking getting ready because there is no planning for the wedding. They take it as if there is nothing to it but for a women getting ready to be married that does not go well. But they did GREAT! Dulce was our coordinator and her email skills are not that great but when we arrived and she did her thing it was PERFECT! Not one complaint. She came through like I would have never imagined. We have even watched the video and it is GREAT! Odalys was our booking agent and handled everybody's booking. She was very informative and kept me up to speed on all the issues that came up. She was SUPERB! I mean the experience from booking to arriving back in the U.S. could not have gone any better. Just more than anyone could ask for.

NEGATIVES: 1) The A/C in our room 2) The member presentation. Yes they give you spa money and tour money but it is pressuring and time consuming. Atleast 2 hours. If you want the free money then do it. It is nice to see the resort "behind the scenes". It is not time share....you become a palace member so you have certain benefits each time you come back. That is about it. So if you don't do the member presentation and you get a room with a good A/C....there is nothing to complain about!

Been to Aventura twice the last 2 years, both trips in June. 2008 had an very full hotel, and in 2009 almost empty. My review will be judged by the sum of both, since my biggest surprise and biggest compliment to ASP is that even though the resort was almost empty this year, service wise there was no difference between the two years. All the restaurants and clubs and activities were the same, and I thank Palace resorts for making the low occupancy transparent in that aspect.
My wife and I, late forties guests, go to ASP for the luxury, the liquor selections and the quality of the food. Costs a bit more that other resorts we have been to in Mexico, but it is apparent the money is spent wisely.
Check-in is seemless, everything is explained well, cold towel and champagne in hand. You are assigned to a resort specialist who will give you your options and ask you to go to a welcome breakfast to explain the benefits of becoming a Palace member, which you may or may not do for a bonus of resort monies. Not pushy at all.
Room is not large but a nice setup, with lots of quality amenities, a huge shower and an even huger jacuzzi tub. Beds are comfy with nice pillows, A/C works well, and there is a nice angle to the rooms which insulates you from noisy neighbors.
Food: Breakfast and Lunches are buffet and have a huge selection of items each day. My wife and I actually love the lunches better than the alacarte dinners because of the many choices available, and the quality(shrimp dishes, lamb, steaks, etc etc.)
We have gone to every restaurant in our 2 trips but the california light, only because of personal tastes. All have their own merits, and you will prefer the one which has the food style you prefer most. Our faves are the Mexican(peach margaritas and fajitas) and the Steakhouse(filet and ribeye) All have a level of service that is amazing for an all inclusive.
Pools: clean, crisp and a consistant visit from the pool waiters, well done.
Entertainment: club is fairly entertaining, varies on the amount of peple there, but the dj's are no joke, and the know how to entertain. SHows were better this year. Seems like more outside entertainment and the level was higher. Fire show, and all the dancing shows were better than casino night and some lame attempts to entertain were last year.
You get 30 minutes of free internet and unlimited call to US and Canada(very rare perk), 24 hour room service, and its pretty darn good.
Entire place is huge, but walking around at night is nice, very quiet and safe, and the ocean is always right next to you, or shuttles between lobbies always available.
The spa: anyone who does not use the Spa is missing the best part of this resort. The largest and most professionally run Spa I have ever been to, with an amazing hydrotherapy room. Go to the presentation, get your spa money and enjoy. Or splurge.
I could rattle on all night, but specific questions I am always eager to answer. Both years were just a total delight, could chirp about a few minor things, but too many positves to gripe about small things. The service level here is the greatest perk. Amazingly friendly and professional people surround you here, from the maids to the waiters, to the bartenders, to the store employeees, to the guy who gives you your towel each day at the pool, everyone is just a delight to deal with.
Remember NO beach!! If you need one go to Sun Palace in Cancun, or Playacar Palace in Playa Del Carmen. Enjoy

The most striking unexpected feature of this resort was the exceptional service and hospitality. I travel once a month and generally expect great service from the wait staff and guest services staff. However, Aventura went above and beyond. Every single person working there - housekeeper, grounds worker, maintenance worker, server, etc - when out of his/her way to smile, verbally acknowledge each guest, and grant every request.

The resort is large and beautiful. The food is above average with lots of variety, the pools are plentiful and very clean, the guest rooms have lots of extra amenities, the coves are full of fish for snorkeling, and the gardens are exquisite. Of course, no real sand beach, but you can hear the ocean waves bounce off the beautiful rocky coastline. It also feels very safe.

The resort maintained full operations with what appeared to be an extremely low occupancy rate during the end June/beginning of July 09. This was an added bonus for a couple looking for a romantic getaway. No lines, no wait for anything, no wait or reservations for any of the restaurants - we ate at all of them.

I have very high expectations when traveling but I can honestly not find anything to complain about at this resort.

I also traveled to the Moon/Sun Palace in Cancun using the "palace pass." Aventura was exceptionally more beautiful, felt safer, and had better hospitality. I was disappointed by the Moon and Sun Palace. Although they have a beach, it is not maintained well at all.

Traveling to and from the resort can be expensive given the distance from Cancun airport (~75 minutes) but its worth the trip to stay there.

We went for a anniversary trip to celebrate our tenth anniversary. My husband and I had a wonderful time.

The food and drinks were superb. Service was also spectacular throughout the resort. We ate at the Italian restaurant, California and Mexican restaurant. They were all wonderful. What I especially enjoyed (as a wine snob) was being able to order a bottle of wine from a list of 20+ wines from around the world and it being all included. All bars were stocked w/ high end liquor that was served when asked.

The grounds were beautiful and so were the rooms. My ONLY complaint was the hard bed (which is common in Mexico) and the noise of the maid carts on the tile very early in the morning. I was looking forward to sleeping in since I was away from my kids, but no dice. However, all the wonderful things outweighed those little inconveniences.


We were also there on New Year's Eve and the party was spectacular. I was very happy!!