Guest post by kcluggish
Map tips: each color represents a different day. Click a marker to learn more about the spot, and click the star in the map header to save the entire map under Your Places in Google Maps.
Day 1:
We had a morning flight with a short layover. Just enough time to grab lunch. Arrived in the late afternoon in Cancun. Immigration and customs had a long line, but moved pretty quickly. The shuttle ended up being just us after waiting for about 10 minutes to see if any other travelers were headed to Sun Palace Couples-Only Resort as well. Upon our arrival, we were greeted with cold towels, beverages, and directed to the private check-in on the 5th floor. This is where we were able to coordinate our itinerary for the remainder of the week. There are quite a few options for excursions and we were able to use resort credits as part of our package. The room we were in was nice with a hot tub jacuzzi and beautiful ocean view from our balcony. After exploring the resort, we had dinner at El Alamo. The menu consisted of authentic Mexican cuisine. Overall, the food and service were wonderful.
Day 2
Buffet was very sizable with several options for all appetites. Some dishes are prepared on request while various other options rotate throughout the buffet including pastries, fruits, cereal, and even ice cream. The beach staff was awesome and we were frequently asked if we needed any additional food/beverages. We highly recommend the Miami Vice! Honeymoon dinner is included for all newlyweds with about 5 couples per night. The dress code is more formal and we were seated at a table with our pre-selected menu choices and a rose. We were surprised with flowers and chocolates in our room after dinner.
Day 3: Tulum Excursion
Our Tulum tour started off early in the morning before the breakfast buffet was open. Therefore, we had a light continental breakfast in the lobby bar. The bus ride there was about 1 hour long and there were a few stops along the way to pick up other passengers from the other Palace resorts. When we arrived at Tulum, the group was broken up between those who spoke English and those who were Spanish speaking. Our tour guide led us around the different ruins for about 1/2 hour explaining the history surrounding the site. Then, we had time to explore on our own and take some photos. Before boarding the tour bus, we had opportunities to tour the various markets and see the local vendors. We had some time to relax on the beach and ate from the snack bar for lunch. Dinner at The Steak is buffet style for your sides and you got to select your main entree. Entrees consisted of prime rib, various steak options, chicken, salmon, etc.. We went to the lobby bar for some drinks and live entertainment from a local band. Then, we ventured to the beach for the fire show. The dancers were amazingly skilled and twilled, hula hooped, and even limboed under fire. After the show, we were surprised to find that baby turtles had hatched. All of the attendees searched the beach for turtles and helped set them free in the ocean.
Day 4: Ventura Water Park
After the buffet breakfast, we visited Cancun’s #1 water park that features attractions such as a wave pool, waterslides, a lazy river, pools, and, their main draw, dolphins. There was a free shuttle from the hotel that provided pick-up and drop off service as well as free admission to the park. We each received 2 meal tickets that got us a drink, entrée, and dessert as well as 4 other drink tickets to use throughout the day. Lunch options were typical of a waterpark location with pizza, burgers, and chicken strips offered, however we found a street taco place that allowed us to pick the meat, toppings, and salsa. When we got back to the hotel, we decided to try the Thai Restaurant that the snack bar transforms into at night. The service was excellent and this was by far our favorite dinner of the trip. From the egg roll entrée to the fried ice cream dessert, everything was top notch.
Day 5: Moon Palace Resort
We wanted to see some of the other resorts that the Palace Resorts offered, so we took the free afternoon shuttle over to Moon (their largest resort that is family oriented). You could easily get overwhelmed there, with numerous restaurants, pools, shops, and even day care. We tried out the buffet lunch there and found the options more kid-friendly such as popsicles, french fries, and hamburgers. Then, we explored, swam in the various pools, and even played mini golf that was available to resort guests. For dinner, we decided to eat Brazilian, which featured an extensive salad bar and waiters who bring around lots of meat options for you to taste. Everything was very good and we would have stayed longer if we didn’t have to rush back to catch our return shuttle.
Day 6: Chichen-Itza Excursion
- Chichén-Itzá
- La Casona de Valladolid
- Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché
An outside vendor that worked through the resort offered a package deal that included Chichén Itzá, Vallodid, and the Cenotes, so we joined with other travelers from all different hotels onboard a tour bus. The company offered sandwiches for breakfast and also had a bilingual tour guide that kept us entertained for the duration of the trip there. Once onsite at Chichen Itza, we were mesmerized by the ancient structures and history of the Mayan civilization. After the tour concluded, we were allowed free time to shop from the vendors onsite selling handmade goods, take photos, and explore some of the ruins that weren’t included in the guided tour. From there the bus headed to Valladolid, for us to get a taste of what an authentic Mexican city was like. We dined at a delicious Yucatan restaurant, La Casona de Valladolid, that offered buffet style service in an open-air setting. The tour concluded with a quick stop at a local cenote, which is an underground cave formed from a meteor strike. There was a pool of water at the bottom, but it was not recommended that non-locals swim in it due to the poor water quality. Once we were back at the resort, we decided that we were hungry for Italian. The restaurant service was slow and the food was subpar, so we would recommend sticking to the other venues if you ever are at Sun Palace. Lastly, we went to another evening entertainment event, break dancing. The dancers were highly skilled and traveled all over Mexico performing, which really drew in a good crowd. They were pretty amazing!
Day 7: Aquaworld
With our package we also received free couples massages, manicures and pedicures. At the end of a long week, it was nice to relax and enjoy the spa. From there we caught a city bus to Aqua World where we were suited up with lifejackets and boarded a speedboat. This is a crazy joyride all along the water with wild turns, spins, and splashing. Needless to say, only venture onto this if you do not suffer from motion sickness. Finally, we returned back to the hotel for a romantic dinner on the beach with only one other couple. The menu options were a beef or chicken entree with seafood soup and an apple Brie salad. It was such a wonderful way to spend our last night on the beach dining under the sunset.
We flew home the next day. All and all, a wonderful trip and we would definitely like to return someday!
Traveled in August 2019
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