Riviera Maya Vacations & Riviera Maya Beach Resort Reviews

Grand Palladium Kantenah Review Top All Inclusive Mayan Riviera

Ctra.  Chetumal-Cancun km 259.9 

77710 Mexico

TEL: +529848772100

Fax: +529848772101

http://www.fiestahotelgroup.com/en/mexico_riviera_maya/
grand_palladium_kantenah_resort_&_spa.htm

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• 414 rooms
• 13 restaurants, 13 bars (in the complex)
• 800 meters of beachfront
• Traditional Spanish colonial and Mayan style architecture
• Situated on a 700,000 square meter estate, surrounded by tropical gardens
• 25 minutes from Playa del Carmen
• 60 minutes from Cancun International Airport

The Grand Palladium Kantenah is part of the Fiesta hotel group.   Guests will be able to choose from 414 rooms, 7 restaurants (including 4 theme restaurants), and the 13 bars in the Grand complex.   The Grand Complex includes the Grand Palladium White Sand, the Grand Palladium Colonial and the Grand Palladium Riviera.   The entire estate has over 700,000 m2 of lush tropical foliage, and is situated on 800 meters of beachfront.

What people are saying

• Nice rooms
• Large, beautiful property
• Rooms are a little far from the beach
• Plan to do a lot of walking to get around the resort

Editorial Review

Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa is situated on the eastern end of the Yucatan peninsula, on the Riviera Maya area of Cancun.   It is surrounded by tourist destinations like Xcaret and Xel-Ha, and the turquoise blue Caribbean and white sand.  The resort forms a part of the Grand Palladium complex.   Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa offers rejuvenating and relaxing facilities for its guests.   The facilities generally attract a lot of people and at times may be crowded.   The spa facilities are well equipped with steam, sauna, and Jacuzzi.   Guests will have to pay extra for the massages and various beauty treatments.   Guests are also free to use the facilities offered by the neighboring resorts.  

Even though Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort is away from the city, it has all the amenities that one would expect.   A disco, spa and gym, sauna and steam, jacuzzi, tennis courts, minigolf, archery, beach volleyball and some water sports, are all available for you to participate in.   The resort has 2 lagoons that have beautiful flamingos during certain times of the year.   Kids can also have their share of fun.   The resort has a specially designed mini-club called the ‘El Ranchito’, which is best suited for children between 4 and 12 years of age.   Apart from this, guests who wish to take home a memento or two back home can visit the Plaza Artesanal, which is held 3 times a week.   Here you will find exquisite Mexican artistry in the various products and jewelry on sale. 

Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort offers 414 luxurious rooms, with a king-sized bed or two double beds.   Every room is fitted with air conditioning, telephone, ceiling fan, coffee maker, etc., which makes it easier for guests to enjoy their own space, being away from the hullabaloo of the resort.   Junior suites in the resort come with a hydro massage bath and a sofa bed.   Mayan styled rooms are a crowd puller to the Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort.   These rooms have a separate entrance and are equipped with hydro massage bath and outdoor shower.

Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort has seven restaurants (3-buffet and 4-à la carte) on site, and offers a total of 13 in the complex.   Guests can choose from a wide range of restaurants.  In all, there are 8 theme restaurants where they serve Mexican, Mediterranean, Steak house, Japanese, Asian, Italian, grill-barbeque cooking, and Brazilian dishes.   You will have to make sure you follow the dress if you are going to the theme restaurants.   Other than the theme restaurants, the resort has buffet-type cooking restaurants that have show-cooking.   You can see how your food was cooked and eat it too.   The restaurants have an exclusive range of international cuisine that is delectable and quite a treat to the gastronomy fanatics.   Most of the specialty theme restaurants have a restricted rule, wherein guests with one-week stay can avail of three dinners, while guests on 2 weeks stay would be allowed to avail of only 4 dinners.

Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort has acquired rave reviews for its services and restaurants in particular.   Although many have complained about the walkways and time taken for traveling from one part of the resort to another, some actually found this to be a great way of getting in touch with nature and breathing the fresh air.   The resort has an expert team of biologists who manage the overall ecosystem of the resort and ensure maximum availability of the natural greenery.   All in all the resort, its ambience and food has gathered in popularity.

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Reviews

Cheryl

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Age: mid-40’s, Married

Where: Grand Palladium, Mayan Riviera

When: January 2007

Our Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Grand Palladium consists of 4 hotels, the Kantenah and Colonial which are side by side and the White Sands and Riviera which are side by side but over a slight bit from the Kantenah/Colonial. 

Everything you find at the Kantenah/Colonial you would also find at the White Sands/Riviera.  Each hotel has two al a cartes, and the Colonial has the main buffet for the Kantenah and Colonial, and the Riviera has the buffet for the White Sands and Riviera.  What is being served at the Colonial buffet is also being serviced at the Riviera buffet. 

Flight

We flew from Edmonton, direct to Cancun with Air Transat.  Our flight left Edmonton right on time.  The flight was not full, so luckily my husband and I had three seats for the two of us.  The seats are narrow, so not being crowded was nice.  Our friends who came with us for our first week were also lucky having an empty seat beside them. 

Airport

Our flight arrived in Cancun on time.  Getting our baggage and getting through customs was fairly fast and no problems.  Very modern airport and kept up well. 

Transportation to Resort

Outside the airport we were directed by a rep with an Air Transat sign to a certain bus.  When we got to the bus, the name Trafic was on it, but no reference to Air Transat.  We were given a tour pamphlet with the name Trafic and the name of our hotel on it.  Our name was not on the pamphlet, nor at any point were we asked our names before boarding the bus.  The whole time on the drive to the resort, I thought there was a possibility that the bus was not with Air Transat, and that we could be paying for the ride when we delivered to our resort. 

We have never been on a holiday before where we were not asked our names before boarding the bus.   The Rep on the bus then proceeded to stop the bus TWICE to buy beer and sell it to the passengers.  We then had to make another stop for a bathroom break.  It took us 2.5 hours from when the bus started moving to get to our resort.  I’ve read that other buses only took 50 to 60 minutes. 

Before we left Edmonton, I read some comments that you should take a cab for $57US and go straight to the resort, at the time I didn’t think it was necessary.  I was wrong we could have gotten to the resort in a lot shorter time.  We were at the Edmonton airport at 6:00 am that morning and didn’t arrive at the resort until 6:30 pm., made for a really long day. 

Check-in

Check-in at the resort went smoothly, very friendly and informative staff.  They give you a map of the resort and show you some of the main areas to get you started.  Bellboy took us and our luggage to our room right away on a large golf cart. 

Location

We were in Villa 58, which was by the beach, great location, in the middle of most things.  All we had to do was walk out of our building and take a short bridge to the beach, very handy. 

Room

We had a Jr.  Suite, king size bed (I believe all the rooms in White Sands are Jr.  Suites).  In the lounge area we had a love seat, 2 chairs and 2 tables.  There is a lot of space and hangers in the closet, a long with an iron, ironing board and an easy to use programmable safe at no extra charge. 

On our bed were slippers and bathrobes to use during our stay, nice touch.  Beds where made up, bathroom cleaned, towels changed, and floor was washed daily.  The room also had a television with good assortment of channels, a coffee maker and cups along with packets of coffee and tea. 

The balcony has 2 plastic deck chairs and a small table with a view overlooking the mangroves.  We thought it would have been nice to face the ocean, but on the windy days and evenings we where sheltered from the wind facing the other way, making it nice to sit on balcony in evening sheltered from the elements, so worked out good.  Air conditioning in the room worked well as did the ceiling fan. 

The Mini Bar in the fridge is filled three times per week, 3 large bottles of water, 6 bottles of pop and 4 bottles of beer.  We never ran out of water in the room, we used it for drinking and brushing our teeth. 

Bathroom had a large Jacuzzi tub and separate marble shower.  A basket of amenities such as shampoo, body gel, comb, show cap, sewing kit and soaps were also in the bathroom along with hair dryer (worked well) and magnifying mirror.  Not being used to tile on the floor, we did notice it got slippery when wet, so caution should be taken. 

Pools

There are a number of adult pools hidden away in the maze of paths to use throughout the resort.  The Kantenah and Colonial adult pools are both enclosed with trees, which is nice when it’s really windy.  The White Sands adult pool was more open to the wind.  Bars are situated along side each adult pool.  Iguana’s frequented the private pool areas numerous times, but where really of no bother. 

Each side of the resort has huge pools.  One for each of the two sets of hotels.  Although we never stayed at these pools they looked nice and we noticed a number of activities there.  Lots of loungers available and plenty of cabanas set up to get out of the sun if desired. 

On arrival, you receive a beach towel card that you hand in by the pools to receive your beach towels.  The towels can be handed in for fresh ones at anytime.  Before you go to your room at night, get a clean towel, that way you’re ready for the next day.  At the end of your stay you hand your towels in and cards back which you hand in when you check out. 

There is a salt water pool in front of the Riviera section on the ocean.  It is a pool that they made where the ocean water can come in one end and go out the other end.  It has small stones for the bottom with fish swimming leisurely about.  I’m assuming they made this because there is no beach around that area.  We didn’t go in the pool but walked around there a couple of times.  It was nice and quiet there with a bar close hand and numerous lounge chairs. 

Beach/Water

We spent most of our time at the beach.  The area in front of our building had a decent beach, the reef is right there, so the water was good for snorkeling, but not for swim. 

The rocks (coral) started only a few feet out.  If you wanted to wade out further without having to step on coral, you had to walk 3 for 4 minutes down the beach in front of the Colonial section.  It still had the odd coral on the bottom, but further out and sparser than other locations.  Although we enjoyed snorkeling, this is the one thing we didn’t like about the resort.  I had read about this issue before we booked and decided we could live with it, but it was still an issue for us. 

A tip we had learned from readings on the internet before we left home, was to purchase insulated cups and take them along.  This was a good thing, as with the heat of the Mexican sun beating down, it did not take long for the drinks, whether being alcohol or water, to melt the ice and get warm.  We purchase a couple of mugs called “Bubba Kegs” from our local Canadian Tire on sale, excellently insolated for cold or hot drinks available in 20, 32 or 52 oz.  sizes, the later saving trips to the bar.  These were used daily for our beverages and lived up to their reputation, We could have sold cases of them on the beach as anyone seeing them wanted one. 

Snorkeling was good with a short swim to where an array of multi colored fish compiled amidst the coral, as well as the odd sighting of string rays moving along the bottom in the sand.  Buffets (move this down for the heading for food)

If you are a breakfast person, you would love all the variety.  Lots of fresh fruit, morning, noon and night.  Every night the buffet had a different food theme, Mexican, Chinese, etc… There was always fruit, salads, grilled steak, chicken, fish, pizza and pasta every night so even if you didn’t like the theme food there was always something else you could eat.  There was soft ice cream for lunch and supper every day.  Desserts were also good and plentiful.  There is no reason someone couldn’t find something they like to eat.

The White Sands 24 hour beach bar, along with drinks, had some great food available (jalapeno poppers, quesadillas, pizza, tacos, steak bunwich, burger, hot dogs, etc).  Tables and chairs are available at beach bar to sit and dine under cabanas, as well as hammocks to lounge in. 

Al a Carte

A 7 day stay entitles you to your choice of 3 restaurants and a 14 day stay of 4.  We ate at the Steak House, Mediterranean, Ribs and More and the Brazilian.  All the al a cartes we went to were excellent.  All the restaurants had small salad bars in them.  Steaks and ribs were tender and flavorful, vegetables with the meal were done perfect.  Service in all of them was very good.  The food portions were huge, we never had room for dessert.   Men must wear long pants or they send you back to change. 

Friday nights, weather permitting, they had a BBQ on the beach.  We went twice in our two week stay.  Musicians play as you eat and waiters are plentiful to take drink orders.  Two settings that evening, 7:00 and 8:30, they won’t take your reservation until Wednesday morning.  Each seating is only 200 people so go early to book.  This is not counted as one of you al a cartes. 

Sport Facilities

Just about anything for everyone, including miniature golf, badminton, basketball, volleyball, soccer, archery, rifle shooting, pool games, etc, etc… where all available at resort.  Events consisting of competitions at scheduled times where organized with prizes consisting of certificates, bottles of Tequila, and T-shirts going to the winners. 

Bars

Bars are plentiful and were every where, each lobby had one, every pool had a bar and the restaurants all had them.  Unsure how many, but more than enough.  The main pools each have a swim up bar.  They used quality name brand liquor.  The bartenders never skimped on the liquor in the drinks, a number of times I had to ask them to cut down on it because they put too much in. 

Resorts Transportation (Train)

The resort is very large but we still saw a lot of older people, a few wheel chairs and electric scooters around.  I didn’t hear any one complain about the size. 

If you stick to the main roadways, you will not get lost.  We did find that trying a few shortcuts through the smaller paths didn’t save any time. 

The resort has two different colored trains that run lobby to lobby and then the green train goes back into the Kantenah/Colonial buildings and the red train runs thought the White Sands/Riviera area.  If you get tried of walking you can take these.  We rode them just because they were fun to ride.  Also, bellboys scooted around with passenger golf carts, picking up people from time to time and taking them where they needed to go.

Entertainment

There were shows every night in the theaters located in the Colonial and the Riviera.  We only saw a couple shows in our two weeks, but they looked well done.  They also had karaoke a number of nights before the main show, which were always fun to watch or participate in.  Entertainment was everywhere, you could relax in the lobbies with live entertainment, dance by the bars close to the pools to bands playing popular hits, or for the brave at heart, drop in to the disco that operated into the early morning.

Taxis

Should you decide to take a taxi any where, there is a sign in the front of each lobby.  It lists certain places and locations and the costs to them by taxi.  I thought this was a good idea, no bartering. 

Shopping

Every night except Sunday, vendors come to the Riviera and Colonial lobbies to sell their wares.  Prices were of course expensive, but a convenient way to get souvenirs if you didn’t venture out of the resort.  The vendors were open to barter on the prices, some nights more than others.  There was a lot more vendors in the Colonial side than the Riviera.  One thing that we bought at the Colonial was some beautiful pictures painted on tiles (8” x 12”) done with only the artists fingers.  $25 each or 2 for $45.  We bought 2, worth every cent, should have bought a few more.  Another popular item was art done with spray paint cans, always drew a crowd to watch the talents of these artists and sales where good. 

We took the Collectivo for $2 each into Playa for a few hours one day and bought a Corona tank top for $10, at a T-shirt store, with the Corona trade mark tag.  At the resort they wanted $12 for a boot legged version, with no trade mark tag.  Playa offers many things, from souvenirs, to dining, to trying a new beach.  Everything from McDonalds to Starbucks Coffee shops.  Should you need staples as suntan lotion or other items you forgot to bring from home and don’t want to pay the high prices in the resorts, pick them up at Wal-Mart in Playa at more reasonable prices.  This includes cigarettes that are half the price than at the resort. 

Resorts Spa

Absolutely a beautiful spa, lots of equipment in the gym.  A number of things you can do there for free.  Certainly looked more like a 6 star spa.  It is certainly worth visiting.  You can also get a massage on the beach, $100 for 50 minutes.  Or, if you’re lucky enough, you can receive a free “sample” message, complete with oils, when they are not busy and they wander along beach trying to drum up business. 

Tours

The only trip we went on was to Tulum that we took on our own.  Tulum has an excellent beach below the site where the boats used to come in to dock, so make sure you take your swimsuits along to change into and enjoy this beautiful place.  We took the Collectivo there.  It is a bit of a hike down a road from the highway to get to the site, I would recommend good foot wear. 

When we got to the site we paid for a guide, which was $35.  Well worth the money, as the guide gave us a lot of information on the site and ruins.  There were 4 of us for the one guide.  Had we taken a tour from the resort, there would have been a lot more people, and it would not have felt so personal.  There is also a market there that sells the usual trinkets and souvenirs, at fairly decent prices, as well as foods and drinks.  We found the vendors on the other side of the road cheaper and more willing to barter. 

Departure

Sadly, the time had come to head back home.  The tour guide suggests checking out the night before but we had no issues or problems with checking out in the morning, it was quick and easy.  The bus was on time picking us up and the trip was much more relaxing and faster than ride to the resort.  No problems checking our luggage in at the airport, was a long line, but went fairly fast.  We bought our liquor at the airport duty free.  Since we had already gone through security there was no issue with taking it on the plane. 

Travel Tips

- The breakfast buffet didn’t open until 7:00, and our bus was there to pick us up at 7:25am, we didn’t have anytime for breakfast.  We would recommend raiding the evening buffet for something to nibble on (fruit, yogurt, etc…) for the next morning, just put it in your refrigerator the night before. 

- Also, food at the airport is VERY expense, so put a little extra in your refrigerator the night before and take with you or buy what you want right at the beginning as you enter the airport at the kiosks, to save some money.  One thing we noticed, the deeper into the airport you went, the higher the prices where for snacks while you waited for your flight.  (US$4.00 for a bag of chips)

- Take insulated mugs to the resort the staff has no problems filling them, even the huge ones. 

- Take the Collectivo on the main road instead of a taxi, much cheaper. 

- Don’t take a tour from the resort to Tulum, do what we did by taking a Collectivo and pay for a guide there.  Much more personal and you save money. 

- If you need to contact home use the internet in the lobby, 2 pesos a minute, you pay a person after you use it. 

Resort issues

Since a 7 day stay entitles you to your choice of 3 al a cartes choices a 14 day stay should entitle you to 6, I felt a little like we were punished for staying 2 weeks, a few more al a cartes would have been nice. 

As I said before, the swimming area was an issue for us. 

Conclusion

When ever I look at a review, I always look to see if the reviewer would go back.  Our opinion is if we got a really good deal we would go back.  We enjoyed this resort very much, I would give this resort a 4 out of 5 stars only because I believe there is always room for improvement.  Do we recommend the resort, yes. 

We are comparing this resort to other places we have gone, Club Med in Bahamas, Iberostar in Cuba, Copacabana in the Riveria (perfect beach and water). 

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