Family Ultra All Inclusive - Moon Palace & The Grand, Cancun, Mexico
We stumbled across The Grand Moon Palace by chance, a serendipitous discovery. We had booked a trip to Mauritius for November when my second born would be 4 months old as a belated baby moon {since we couldn’t leave the country during my pregnancy with him thanks to covid}. It was at the end of all of the lockdowns when everything in the UK was back to normal and travel was really looking up. We LOVE travel and had really missed it during the lockdown time. It was booked with BA holidays but as the time approached and it was time to pay the balance, we realised it was a bit of a gamble with Mauritius’ strict Covid testing policy {and expense of testing} and also from reading up more on the restaurants and timings for the resort we’d booked, not very toddler friendly {our daughter was 2}. Cue a naptime spent looking at where we could transfer our booking to and score, Mexico was fully open for business {I understand everyone had very different views on travel and Covid in general but this was when the world was opening up again, there were no red lists anymore and we had both been fully vaccinated} anddd it would suit us a lot more plus even saved us some money despite it being an all inclusive!
We didn’t read too much about it, it ticked enough boxes and was a great deal. So we went and it was OH MY GOODNESS INCREDIBLE. We love Mexican food for a start. And Mexican all inclusive resorts are another level. We had such a great time and it worked so well for our 2 year old and 4 month old that we immediately booked to return the following year and my parents joined us. It’s a huge resort with 3 hotels within one, so here is everything you need to know!
First up, how to book:
We booked through BA holidays which included our flights, transfers from the airport and the all inclusive resort. The first year we stayed at Sunrise at Moon Palace. The second time we stayed at The Grand. From the UK, unless you’re using miles for flights it’s the best option to book it through an agency to save on a package {and get protected ATOL wise}. But the resort is owned by Palace resorts so a lot of Americans book through members - more on that below.
Which hotel, how does it work?
So there are 3 hotels all across one property. It’s ginormous! I think it takes around 30 minutes to walk from end to end, there are lobby to lobby buses and a whole map of golf carts that are constantly running with letters on the front like a mini subway system to get around.
Moon Palace consists of 2 hotels which have their own lobbies and buildings but are interchangeable and if you book through a travel agent I don’t think you get a choice on which one you’ll get. So there’s Sunrise and Nizuc.
Then the more premium option is The Grand which you can only access if you are staying there {or buy a day pass or earn one, more on that later} but if you’re staying in The Grand you can access all of Sunrise & Moon Palace.
So if budget is no question, definitely stay at The Grand. It really varies throughout the year as to how much of a price difference it is to stay there compared to Sunrise or Nizuc.
If you are staying in Sunrise or Nizuc and want to visit The Grand to use the waterpark or playroom or nicer beach or pools, you can either pay for a day pass {prices vary depending on availability} or you can go to a Palace meeting where they’ll pitch to you in the marketing showroom and you can ask for day passes in exchange. We did this on our first trip but be aware it will take around 90 minutes of your time and they pitch to you SO hard - you can tell them you’re literally setting a timer. I’ve heard it referred to as a shark tank. They want you to commit $20,000 to buy a membership. We knew what to expect but just be aware if you go down this route!
Here’s how our room set up looked at The Grand. The rooms are huge! They can add extra beds and cots. They all have whirlpool baths. Just be aware of the hard floors and a step down to the bath area for little ones. I didn’t take any photos of the room at Sunrise but it was more basic, a little smaller and we had 2 cots at that time.
The differences between the resorts //
You can definitely have an amazing holiday at Sunrise & Nizuc. They have 12+ restaurants to choose from, multiple pools, two play rooms {childcare is included from age 4. Before that you can go in with your children}. But The Grand really is another level. It has the nicest beach areas, a coconut bar, really exclusive feeling pools and loungers, the rooms are a real level up, there’s more choice restaurant wise {Los Tacos!!!}, an incredible lobby that feels like a shopping mall. It’s, if you excuse the pun, a lot Grander in every way! And that’s before I’ve got to the Water park and Grand Playroom. It really does feel like a wonder world.
If I went back now that I’ve stayed at The Grand I don’t think we could have a trip there without having access to it. But before we stayed there, Sunrise and Nizuc definitely blew our minds.
Why did you love it?
It was so fun, a place where anything feels possible and everything is built for peak holiday happiness. I just kept saying ‘if they even offered a fraction of this then we’d still be over the moon’. It’s excessive in the best possible way.
The lobbies have the most incredible boulangeries and ice cream bars with fine chocolates and macarons and cookies to pick up anytime, it’s literally open 24 hours a day. The restaurants and choice were amazing, there’s 24 hour room service available. The playrooms were unreal and blew our little children’s minds. I imagine for older children it would be a really amazing different experience to use the childcare {included from age 4} or really enjoy the different activities on offer.
It was incredible value when we visited. Granted it was November when we didn’t need to worry about school holidays.
What should I note?
Because it has the time share-esque membership element to it, you can find some of the sales representatives a bit too pushy. You can totally ignore this though and just use it as a regular hotel! Especially when they know you’re from the UK, it’s not worth becoming a member.
The beach is not a reason to visit. The sea is brown and there’s a lot of Sargassum seaweed - they do have a barrier to minimise it and the hotel definitely tries its best to clean it but it’s not that typical turquoise beach you’d imagine when you think of the Caribbean sea. I’ve heard that it really varies depending on the time of year and weather but just be aware this isn’t a beach resort where you’ll want to swim in the sea. We played on the sand with our kids, the area at The Grand under the palm trees is especially nice. That being said, it’s so amazing that people visit year after year despite it not having a nice beach - which says a lot about the resort itself!
You can access the sister resort called Beach Palace in the ‘hotel zone’ which is meant to have a proper Caribbean style beach though if you arrange your own transportation.
Or book a taxi to the ferry for Isla Mujeres for a day, you can hire a golf cart for a day and explore the island. Our children felt a bit young and also the resort was too amazing to make us want to leave but on another trip to Mexico in general I’d love to go!
We really liked the size of the resort being so big. We loved the variety it offered and the steps we could get in to try and offset some of the food haha. But if you prefer, or if we needed to get somewhere quickly - a kids class at a set time for example then you could hop on a golf buggy or the lobby to lobby coach. {my toddlers both found this such a highlight of course}.
We found it to be stroller friendly everywhere. We took our double buggy both times, you’ll need it for getting around and handy for naps. But it does make it a bit trickier to just hop on a golf buggy!
Be aware of the dress code for certain restaurants for the men in particular.
Be aware that there is wildlife there, we loved spotting crocs from afar but just be aware not to go near the edge of ponds - there are some signs around, and also loved spotting the cheeky coyotes who would roam around looking for leftover room service plates in the early hours. We didn’t see anything else though.
The staff were all incredible and sweet and couldn’t do enough for the kids especially.
Definitely get the Palace App to scope out the menus/activities before you go and familiarise yourself with a map. Also the Facebook groups - there’s one specifically for The Grand and one general for Moon Palace are really helpful. But as ever, there will always be mixed opinions.
Because it’s a big resort, it really caters for everyone. There’s a huge conference section so you’ll find big business groups, there’s adults only sections, weddings, families of all ages. I think it’s one of those places which really changes vibe depending on the specific week too as there’s all kinds of events going on or different parts of America being on holiday at different times. Even across the resort there are different energies going on so you can switch it up depending on what you’re feeling that day and it works really well for a multi generational family trip as there is literally something for everybody.
Bear in mind that the last time we visited was Nov 2022 so things may have changed since our visit.
What is there to do there?
There’s a full 27 hole Jack Nicklaus designed golf course {where you can spot crocodiles!} which is worth a trip over to on a golf buggy as there’s a couple of restaurants there but be aware the golf isn’t fully excluded and will be expensive to play. I think it’s high because members tend to use their credit on it.
Non-motorised water sports are included, beach volleyball, mini-golf and cycling. There are also two lit tennis courts, four pickleball courts, a basketball court and an artificial skating rink for kids aged four and over.
Children, aged four to 12, can join The Playroom Kids Club or tire themselves out on the dedicated playground.
Teens have the WIRED Lounge decked out with TV screens, Xbox consoles, pool tables, arcade games and a snack bar.
There’s open air stages, indoor nightclubs and lots going on every evening.
The Grand has a bowling alley {I think this may be chargeable though}, a day club for epic pool parties and a karaoke bar. Along with a theatre!
The playrooms are out of this world, the Grand’s version in particular over multiple levels including Science museum worthy play, a high ropes course, bumper cars, glow in the dark mini golf, virtual reality rooms, whole role play street scenes.
One day we were walking by the water park and there was a big realistic dinosaur just walking around!
You’ll find too many pools to count across the resorts and different sized water parks depending on the age of your children. There’s a wave surf simulator, big slides at Nizuc, a full on waterpark with a lazy river at The Grand.
You’ll find a mini movie theatre, multiple softplays, crafting activities with an ever changing schedule, face painting, cookie baking and very sweet staff. They even give your children a cap and t-shirt when you leave!
Here is everything that’s included.
And these are all of the kids activities - show your kids this page!
This photo was the schedule of activities for just one of the playrooms on the resort @ Sunrise. Children aged 4 and over can be signed in by parents.
Tell me more about the food.
Across both of our trips we ate in so many of the restaurants and never had a disappointing meal. I think the only one we regretted was the Indian in Sunrise because it took so long for the food to come - and we had a 4 month old and a toddler who really didn’t want to be sat in a restaurant for any longer than they had to.
There are too many restaurants to mention. Everything from authentic Spanish tapas to French chateau, Lebanese, multiple Asian spots, Italian trattorias, healthy smoothie bars to live teppanyaki {rarely included in all inclusives} to tacos - of course - to buffets with everything & anything. We are big foodies and sometimes all inclusives aren’t known for their food but this really was spectacular. The only downside was how we were too full to fit it all in!
There were food trucks near the pools and an ice cream cart going around {with a legendary server called Ernesto who dances as he serves}, guac and chips stations, fresh churros.
Our favourite restaurants were; The buffet in Nizuc which had a bit of everything {and really good curries}, Riviera Maya restaurant at the golf course where they make fresh tortillas in front of you, Los Tacos for lunch, Breakfast at Gondola I still dream of the mini burritos at breakfast and the dulche de leche cruffins, The Swing Bar by sunrise pools & the coconut bar at The Grand, we’d often pick up lunch to go from the poolside Palapa Alsadero {they have pool friendly plates with lids} with a mix of chilli, grilled meats, lots of salad, waffle fries etc. Lebanese at The Grand, smoothies and bowls from the Spa at The Grand and picking up cookies, fine chocolates or macarons or ice cream from the lobby coffee shops which was all really really good - be sure to check them all out as they vary what’s served in each one and don’t miss the flavourful Mexican ice lollies.
I’ve seen that they’ve since opened a special circus themed restaurant for kids which looks super fun!
For babies they have a weaning specific puree menu and it’s a baby led dream having so much food on tap.
We don’t drink alcohol but they include unlimited premium drinks - wines, beers, top-shelf spirits and signature cocktails plus unlimited access to your mini bar.
You can also order room service which is included at any time, this was especially handy for our second trip where my parents would sometimes sit with the kids for dinner and get them ready for bed so that we could go out to eat on our own {the luxury!!} and then they’d go for dinner a bit later. But also just so nice to know you have that as an option for children or if you’re stuck in the room if they’re asleep or something. You can order this on the app.
How long to go for? How was the flight?
We went for around 12 nights the first time and 9 nights the second. I’d say go for as long as you can budget wise because there is so much to do but not so long you’ll feel sick from the temptation of the all inclusive. You definitely need that bit longer than a week to get over the jet lag and long flight {10 hours}. The jet lag is 4 or 5 hours behind UK time depending on what time of year you go so you’re likely to wake up early and then be tired in the evening for the first couple of days. Luckily here though there are 24 hour coffee shops and room service if you wake up starving!
The flights both times were perfectly do-able with a 4 month old, a 2 year old and then second time we had a 16 month old and 3 year old. That being said we took our eldest to Australia at just 6 months so if the destination is worth it, we’re never put off by a long haul flight! See this page for my ultimate guide for travel entertainment with babies and kids of all ages though.
We found the second week of November a good time both times before the price rises for Thanksgiving.
As we were leaving they were building a very impressive Christmas village and I’ve heard that they go ALL out for Christmas with a huge Christmas tree to meet Santa inside, special events and dinners. We actually looked into going this year but it gets booked up fast {and I have read it is really busy and hard to get tables for restaurants etc}
Some people are worried about visiting Mexico but they’ve read about drug and cartel related violence. The Palace resort to us felt extremely safe as it has its own security and is so far from anywhere else, it’s surrounded by jungle.
I’d really love to combine a trip here with more of Mexico and see the real Mexico, Tulum, some of the islands etc! But I can only find a way to do that if you book it separately and then the flights become so much more money {with a package with BA Holidays in particular they run the flights as a loss leader for this resort} so it would end up costing more.
You can read more here.
