Luxury Residences by Villa del Palmar Cancun

I hate leaving bad reviews - I own a business myself and I understand that people often focus on little things. We were concerned from other reviews about the tip/receipt structure but decided to go anyway. We thought the bad reviews were likely overblown and possibly user error. Our strategy was to take photos of every receipt just in case. Unfortunately, we were overcharged by about $90 US dollars for a steak and lobster dinner we never ordered. We had about 20 minutes to check out before our hotel-arranged shuttle arrived, and we were at the front desk for 40 minutes trying to understand the charge. The woman who helped us was purposefully obscure and then went to the back office to try to find someone else because they didn’t have a physical copy of that receipt with my signature. She returned and said the employee who can resolve it wasn’t in and she gave me four email addresses to follow up with. Not one of them has returned my email. It felt like a scam but we had to leave for the airport. The whole system is suspect - even with all-inclusive, you have to get receipts and sign for every single thing you order. The bill is massively confusing on the in-room tv screen and when you check out, making it very difficult to determine what’s going on. Order a drink at the bar? You have to wait for a receipt and then sign, and even if the charges are zeroed out because you’re all-inclusive it gets messy when you leave a tip. My charges (almost all for tips, with some for purchases at the store for sunscreen or ice cream) were not organized by date and had vague descriptions of where they recorded. They count on people being confused. The rooms are great and have terrific A/C, the food is decent and the pools are nice. But this charging/tipping structure means we won’t go back, and I am disputing the extra charge with my credit card company. Also, the cleaning person accidentally took my daughter’s stuffed animal, which was likely wrapped up in a sheet when she was sleeping, and they never found it. Things happen, but that was the icing on the cake. Can’t recommend this place.

Had an amazing trip to Villa Del Palmar with my wife and 4 kids (11,11,9&5). Everything was fantastic, new updated rooms, pools were great, amazing service and incredible food. We got the all inclusive package and ate all of our dinners but 2 at the Garza next door (all inclusive works for dinners at Garza restaurants except Dao). At Davino, the meals were incredible and service was amazing - Alonso was incredible, took care of us and made our 2 dinners their unforgettable. At Hiroshi, again incredible sushi and Luis made each of our meals so memorable. And poolside we had the best waiter, Enrique Tabasco — he was so attentive to everything we needed, went above and beyond our expectations. He knew what we were going to order before we did…and had it waiting for us. 10 out of 10!!

We stayed in the 3-bedroom residence. The room and views were spectacular. Our butler, Otikio, was great. He was very friendly, and ensured that everything was set up and ran smoothly. When we had any requests or questions, he was always available. The restaurants were overall good. Our favorites were Davino and Legends. We booked the catamaran tour of Isla Las Mujeres, and it was fun. The lunch on the boat was a sandwich, so we ended up having lunch on the island. Our second tour was the Tulum/snorkeling with turtles/cenotes tour. I would not recommend this tour in July. We actually were taken out snorkeling and ended up in a bad storm while in the water. Pouring rain, rough water and lightening. We definitley learned that this was not the tour to take during July. There is pretty much no nightlife at this resort or this end of Cancun. If you are looking for a quiet place to spend your evenings, this is it.

First, I would like to thank Trip advisor for providing very informative reviews. I obtained several tips from reviewers that helped me adequately prepare for this trip. Overall, our family of five had a wonderful time at Villa Del Palmar. It has been almost a year since we travelled internationally and it was well worth the wait. We’ve been to Mexico several times but this was our first time at Villa Del Palmar. Accommodations- Outstanding. We’ve traveled throughout the Caribbean and we can honestly say this is the best accommodations we’ve ever had. The two bedroom suite was perfect for us. We have three boys (15,11,10) so the more space the better. The suite was lovely. It felt like our home away from home. Only minor issue: the “king” size bed was a bit small for my husband (6’3”). Food - I booked our dinner reservations several weeks in advance as noted by several reviewers. Davinos was a clear standout. Delicious food and excellent service. We went there twice. Zama was better for lunch. The dinner was ok and the service was a bit slow. Casona (steakhouse) was good but again the service could have been a bit better. Last but not least, Legends was good for a casual dinner. We ate there on our first night. Overall, the cocktails (at the restaurants and bar) were pretty good and the frozen beverages (especially the mango daiquiri) were tasty. We decided to skip the buffet for dinner. The buffet was excellent for breakfast every day and bites was good for lunch as well. We were pleased with the options. Beach/pool: the beach was nice and there were plenty of loungers. There was also a “waterpark” the boys enjoyed. Seaweed was an issue at the edge of the beach but once you got past that it was tolerable. Not much they can do about that. We typically spend the majority of our time at the beach while we’re on vacation. This time we spent mornings at the beach and afternoons at the pool. The pools were spacious and very relaxing. We thought the Pool with the bridge was the best. Another thing I found quite interesting is the pools are open late. We saw several families in the pool after 8pm. Entertainment - Nonexistent. We were told there were nightly shows at the resort but we did not see much going on. This is probably the main criticism I have for this resort. Going back to the room every night right after dinner is not ideal for us. I suggest the resort make more of an investment in this area. Spa - Excellent. The hubby and I got the couples deep tissue massage. We suggest getting to the spa an hour early to partake in the hydrotherapy circuit. It was a perfect way to end the vacation. Location- Perfect. 20 minutes or so from The airport. We had afternoon flights both days which allowed us to maximize our day. We were able to get some pool time in before our 4pm flight. The resort provides a hospitality suite for folks to change if needed. Airport transportation/check-in - Good. We booked transportation through the hotel. No issues. Smooth sailing. We even got the van to ourselves for our commute back home to the airport. Overall, I highly recommend this resort especially for large families.

Jared, Alejandro, and Raul at the Elite pool were amazing and took wonderful care of us. Octavio at the front desk was always helpful when we had questions. Bianey at the lobby bar at Garza Blanca was lovely and a familiar face from previous trips. We really can’t say enough about how attentive and friendly the staff are. I can’t imagine ever needing to stay anywhere else!