Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa All Inclusive

We chose the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Family Selection Club for our family vacation (with our 6-year-old son), expecting a premium experience comparable to Hotel Xcaret Mexico based on the hotel’s online descriptions and photos. The website boasts modern, renovated suites “alongside the Caribbean Sea” with easy beach access, lush amenities, and top-tier service. What we got was a far cry from that—more like a dated 3-star resort with misleading advertising that borders on deceptive. We’re still at the hotel and don’t check out until December 24th, but the ongoing issues have already ruined our trip. From check-in, the issues piled up. Our room in Villa 50 (Junior Suite Garden View) was musky and musty, with an old, humid smell that no amount of airing out could fix. The decor felt outdated and worn, nothing like the sleek, fresh photos on the site. Toys provided for kids were minimal and generic, not the thoughtful family perks promised. The location? Far from the beach— a 10-15 minute walk or tram ride, not the “steps away” implied online. No elevators in the three-story villas meant lugging bags and a tired child up and down stairs, which was especially frustrating—it’s virtually impossible for families with small children to access higher floors without exhaustion or safety concerns. Even worse, they initially assigned one of our group members—who was heavily pregnant with twins—to a third-floor room, refusing to provide a ground-floor option without an extra payment. This lack of accessibility and empathy for vulnerable guests is unacceptable in a “family-focused” resort. Food was another letdown: buffet options were bland and repetitive, a la carte restaurants barely better, with staff often seeming more focused on tips than service. In the premium Family Selection lounge, we sat ignored—no one even offered a drink. Overall, the “luxury” feel was absent; it felt overcrowded and underwhelming. When we complained to our butler team and requested a swap to a beachfront suite in Building 40 (as shown in booking photos), they confirmed we were in the correct category but offered only a move to adjacent Building 51—essentially the same garden-view setup, no real upgrade. They suggested a paid upgrade for beachfront, which felt like an upsell tactic after we’d already paid premium rates. Attempts to escalate to reception yielded polite apologies but no meaningful resolution. For the price, this is unacceptable—it’s miss-selling, plain and simple. We won’t return to this hotel or any Palladium property. If you’re considering Family Selection for a true luxury family escape, look elsewhere like Hotel Xcaret. Save your money and avoid the disappointment.

This was the best birthday trip I’ve ever had! The resort is beautiful, and very clean, the staff are all amazing and I didn’t want to leave! Will definitely be recommending to all of my family and friends and I can’t wait to come back! 10/10

We spent a week here for our destination wedding of 50 guests. Positives - We think the resort is very beautiful and was a very good time overall. - The food is plentiful and good enough (very few items are *very* good though). - The fruit is very good - The wedding ceremony was beautiful with no problems. - Staff is friendly - The photographer was excellent. Great shots, great personality, great direction - Swimming pools are big and beautiful - The beach as some rocks but was pretty good, warm (December), and beautiful - Wildlife is almost tame, probably from being fed by guests - Showers in both rooms I was in were spacious, beautiful, and fancy fixtures (water from the top, from a wand, from a faucet) Negatives - The price ended up at *3 times* the advertised price (about $24,000 in total) even though we brought our own decorations. It was not hidden prices (we agreed to all the extras), my problem is that I wonder what the base package actually includes (seems like absolutely nothing, deceptive) - Even though our group brought them around $50k they were not the least bit accommodating to anything out of the ordinary. - I (groom) stayed in my mother's room until the wedding night but they would not give me a key to both rooms. - One of the bridesmaids was not staying at the resort so we used a "day pass" which costed twice the price of a room if we had booked it in advance (day pass was around $550 for 2 people) even though they told us day passes would be $80 for our event. - We made groom's dinner reservations for 30 at the Brazilian steakhouse. Some of us were a bit late and they threatened to give our tables away even though the restaurant was not even a little busy. They were very slow, offering maybe 10 items the whole dinner. At the Brazilian steakhouse where we live they seem to offer a cut every 1 or 2 minutes! Only 1 item here (chicken) was delicious - Almost all of the staff through the entire resort seems like it's their first day. Servers come by without being asked to (ok) but then take 15 minutes to come back, and we gave tips for most everything - Alcohol here seems to be diluted

Rafael in Concierge was very helpful with booking reservations throughout the resort and was very patience with our party. He was very friendly and his smile made my day.

Sumptori Restaurant was very good. We loved the waiter Rafael. He was very nice. The food was also very good. A little bit Cold in the Rom.

Went for a family vacation down to Mexico, food was great lots of options. Pool area was busy but could always find a spots. Our pool side server Diego kept the drinks flowing all week!

Ommar was an amazing host and very helpful. He assisted with a special birthday dinner on the beach. Recommend this location.

Absolutely fantastic service. Marcelino at Bar at the Adult Pool was amazing. He remembers everyone’s drinks, has a smile for everyone and taught me a Spanish phrase every time I went to the bar! Absolute Rock Star! Gloria at the Sport Bar was also fantastic and Benjamin at the front desk was very friendly and helpful.

It was okay. The restaurants and amenities were nice. Water's good too. The sports field was great too.

Overall very good. Will be back. The hotel was clean, the staff were all polite and helpful. We had a great vacation and are pleased with the overall experience