The Grand Moon Palace Cancun Family Resort Review
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This is a review of The Grand Moon Palace in Cancun, not the sister resorts Moon Palace Sunrise or Moon Palace Nizuc in Cancun. Yes, they all have similar names so when researching your next family vacation, make sure you are researching and booking the right one.
The Grand at Moon Palace Canada Resort Review
Would I recommend The Grand Moon Palace Cancun for your next family vacation?
Absolutely! Our family of four – two adults, a teen and pre-teen – had a blast at The Grand Moon Palace. It was truly one of the best resorts we’ve ever stayed at.
That said, every resort has its pluses and minuses and each family has its own idea of what makes a great all-inclusive vacation. I’ll walk you through the highlights of our stay – the rooms, pools, activities, and food so you can decide if this family-friendly resort in Cancun is the right fit for your next getaway.
Where is The Grand at Moon Palace located?
The resort is located along the Mayan Riviera, a short 15-minute drive to the Cancun airport. Most bookings made at The Grand include airport transfers, making the journey from home to the resort smooth and stress-free.
The difference between The Grand and other Moon Palace resorts in Cancun
The Grand is often described as “a resort within a resort” because staying there includes complimentary access to the two neighboring Moon Palace resorts – Sunrise and Nizuc. However, guests at Sunrise and Nizuc cannot access The Grand, unless they pay for a day pass.
The Grand is a more upscale resort, offering larger rooms, incredible food, numerous restaurants, more pools, and even a water park. All of this is reflected in the higher price to stay at this resort.
What Makes The Grand at Moon Palace Stand Out
This is a massive resort – easily the largest all-inclusive resort our family has ever stayed at.
It features over 1,300 guest rooms, 10 restaurants (with access to 15 more at sister resorts) and has 9 pools! Families also flock here for the on-site waterpark.
The main lobby area reminded us of a shopping mall, complete with stores, restaurants, activities, a gym and a spa.
Guest rooms span 10 buildings across the resort, some stretching as long as a few city blocks. There’s an extensive trolley and golf cart service (a lifesaver on hot days), for getting around the resort. Our kids loved taking the trolley!
Spacious Rooms
The rooms at The Grand are spacious. Our Grand Deluxe Garden View room was 820 square feet. It had two large double beds and enough space for our clothes and to spread out.
A few steps down was a table, jacuzzi tub, and a balcony, perfect for drying our wet bathing suits at the end of the day.
Personally, I’d swap the jacuzzi for a couch — it would make the space more comfortable and functional. However, the space could work well as an area for a pack-and-play or cot.
The teen in our family was happy with the salon-style amenities including a CHI hairdryer and straightening iron.
The mini-bar fridge was well-stocked, and to our surprise, we discovered a multi-bottle liquor dispenser hidden inside a cupboard! There are larger room options for families, like the Grand Family Suite (essentially two connecting rooms) or the Presidential Suite, but I don’t think it is necessary to blow the budget on them, given the already hefty price tag of this resort.
➡️ QUICK TIP: We stayed in Building 91, which I highly recommend—it’s one of the closest buildings to the lobby and right next to the water park, making it super convenient.
Pick Your Pool
There are nine pools at this resort! You’ll find everything from a wading pool to an activities pool to an adults-only pool! There is truly something for everyone in your family here.
Our favorite pools were:
- The Swim-Up Bar Pool at Cusco – Warmer than most of the pools and we loved the variety of food served at the adjacent restaurant during lunch. The kids especially enjoyed hanging out at the swim-up bar too.
- The Activities Pool – There was always something going on here, from games and contests to live music, with a fun, upbeat vibe
Some seating areas and cabanas around the pools are reserved for Diamond Members only, which made it a bit more challenging to find chairs. Since we visited during peak season, it took some coordination to get seats together at our favorite pools.
Water Park – The Main Attraction for Kids
This area caters to kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens, something for everyone to enjoy:
Waterslides – Designed for older kids and teens. There are three waterslides, which may not sound like a lot but they’re huge and winding slides, and it takes awhile to get up and down each one. The height requirements vary for each slide from 3’11 ft to 4’7 ft.
I was impressed by the staff supervision, ensuring kids only went down the slide once the bottom was clear of people. The kids had such a fun time that I even gave it a try (I’m not a fan of waterslides) and surprisingly enjoyed! it
FlowRider Surf Simulator – Our teen tried it out a few times and started to get the hang of it. The height requirement is 40 inches. There are two FlowRiders, and although there’s a line, it doesn’t take too long.
You’ll need to sign a waiver for any of your kids who are under 18 before they can participate.
➡️ Parent Pro Tip – Start your days at the water park to beat the crowds and long line-ups later in the day.
For Younger Kids – There are age-appropriate water park areas with slides and splash pads for younger kids and toddlers that will keep them entertained and happy.
Lazy River – While not extensive, younger kids will want to try floating around at least once.
Playroom – Located in the middle of the water park inside an air-conditioned building, this space is well-situated for when the kids need a break from the sun. It includes climbing structures, bumper cars, a ropes course, laser maze and mini-golf.
- The upper floor is for kids aged 4 to 7.
- The main floor is for kids 8 and up, who can go without an adult.
Activities and Services
Outdoor Sports Activities
Golf Course – Golf lovers will want to check out the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, which features three 9-hole courses. Tee time pricing includes either 18 holes or 9 holes at twilight, plus golf cart rentals and balls. The golf course is a 10-minute golf cart ride away from the main resort.
➡️ Playing here can get pricey – especially if you need to rent clubs, so many guests try to use resort credits to offset the cost.
Complimentary outdoor activities available are mini-golf, tennis and for those who like to cycle, bikes are available.
Activities To Do on Rainy Days Or When It Is Too Hot Out:
- Arcade – A perfect place to hang out at the end of the night or on a rainy afternoon.
- Bowling – Located on the lower floor of the main building. One of the few activities that comes with an extra charge.
- Gym – A massive fitness room with full locker rooms and showers, which we used to freshen up before our flight home.
- Nightly Evening Shows in the Theater (we were too tired to go to any!)
Food – What Makes This Resort Standout
The multitude of food options and high quality of food is one of the reasons The Grand stands out from other all-inclusive resorts. In total, guests have access to 25 restaurants, 10 located at The Grand, with the rest at the sister resorts.
Dinner options include Mexican, Italian, Asian, Indian, South American, Steak and Middle Eastern themed restaurants. I don’t think anyone can complain that they can’t find food here to suit their palate. All of the restaurants are included in your stay, except for one or two, and you can see (and taste!) why this resort comes with a higher price tag.
There were so many interesting dining options at this resort that we never ate at the main buffet. Our kids went in once or twice for a snack but overall, we really enjoyed the variety exploring the variety of restaurants available.
A few highlights:
Breakfast – We rotated between:
Cusco, a buffet breakfast offering plenty of variety and conveniently located near our pool chairs.
Habibi, a cozy, elegant a la carte restaurant specializing in Lebanese cuisine. Menu highlights include several eggs dishes and highlights were shakshuka, labneh and baklava.
Smoothie Bar at The Spa – We didn’t uncover this hidden gem until later in our trip. Located next to the Spa, this spot serves made-to-order smoothies and acai bowls. Our kids had breakfast here every morning once we discovered it and they were delighted.
Lunch
Most days we went to Cusco for lunch. We liked the variety of lighter options, since we usually headed back to the pool afterward.
We also loved Los Tacos, which serves tacos poolside. We’d even go for a quick dip in the pool while waiting for our order to be ready.
Dinner
I often liked to start the evening with pre-dinner drinks and appetizers at Tapas y Vino, an open lounge space in the main lobby. Your kids can eat some of the finger food while hanging out.
A highlight was our dinner at Casa Mia, which offers elevated contemporary Mexican cuisine. Had we discovered it earlier in our trip, we would have come back again. It makes sense that the Mexican restaurants in Mexico would be some of the best!
One evening we ventured to Momo Teppanyaki at Moon Palace Sunrise for a fun combination of dinner and entertainment. The chef cooks dinner on a grill in front of you on and does a bit of a juggling act (literally) with the food. Our kid are still talking about that dinner!
Another night, we had dinner at Trattoria, a high-end Italian restaurant located on the golf course, and another time sushi and Japanese food at Jade. Both were somewhat overrated and underwhelming.
Every night, we landed up at the Boulangerie for dessert – a delicious bakery serving a variety of pastries, cakes, macarons and ice cream. It’s also ‘the’ spot at the resort for specialty coffees. We even got sandwiches and desserts packed up here for our plane ride home.
Specialty Adults-Only Bar
We didn’t spend much time at the bars here aside from the swim-up ones, but we absolutely loved The Library – a cozy, speakeasy adults-only bar hidden behind a secret door on the lower level of the main lobby.
Our kids were old enough to stay in the room on their own (where they loved ordering 24-hour room service on the app), which gave us the chance to sneak away in the evenings and enjoy live music in this intimate, lounge-style setting.
Booking Restaurants: Reservations & Walk-Ups
You’ll need to book restaurant reservations through the resort’s app. It is a bit annoying since reservations open at midnight—so you’ll need to stay up late to book them.
There was one restaurant we were especially excited to try but couldn’t get a reservation. I ended up going to Guest Services, and they were able to help us get in.
That said, many restaurants do accept walk-ups. On a few occasions, I went ahead while the rest of the family was showering and put our name on a waitlist for dinner. They gave me a vibrating pager to let us know when our table was ready and I had a pre-dinner drink while I waited.
If you time it right, it works out perfectly.
Beach & Ocean – The Resort’s Weak Spot
The beach itself has beautiful white sand and is genuinely lovely, despite what some reviews may suggest. Most of the negative comments are referring to the seaweed closer to the shoreline and especially in the water.
I was surprised at how quiet and uncrowded the beach was, but it quickly made sense once I tried going in the ocean.
There’s some seaweed on the sand, but it’s the amount in the water that really affects the swimming experience. The ocean felt murky, and after a few attempts, I had to give up, which was disappointing, especially since our family usually loves swimming in the sea on beach holidays.
That said, it didn’t ruin our trip. It just meant we spent most of our time by the pool and saved the beach for sunrise strolls and late afternoon naps.
Membership Recruitment & Resort Credits
There is a big push for membership here and many get seduced by the resort credits offered if you agree to attend an information session. Everyone I spoke with said the sessions took longer than promised. If you politely decline each time, they eventually give up.
I even read that they will call and wake you up one morning for recruitment, which they did! After that, I unplugged the phone and continued enjoying our holiday.
Some guests have resort credits that come with their room reservation. There are a lot of rules about what you can use them for. The credits also do not cover taxes associated with the service you book.
We used ours for a massage at the spa and didn’t mind paying the tax since the credits covered most of the cost.
Is The Grand Moon Palace Cancun Worth It?
Yes! The Grand Moon Palace Cancun is worth staying at, especially if you like to stay active. While you do pay more than you would at Moon Palace Sunrise or Nizuc, you get so much more in return.
We were genuinely impressed by the huge variety of activities, entertainment, and dining options available. If your family enjoys keeping busy, The Grand will definitely keep you entertained.
Savvy Summary – Would We Stay At This Resort Again?
Yes… and no. The Grand Moon Palace Cancun was one of the best all-inclusive vacations our family has ever had. There was so much to do and see, and everyone stayed happily occupied.
The food was far better than at most all-inclusives we’ve tried, and almost on par with Club Med (a favorite of ours for the food).
While the pools were fantastic, we’re more of a beach and ocean family. The murky water and seaweed here was disappointing. As a result, we couldn’t really swim in the ocean, normally the main activity for us on vacation.
That said, if you’re a pool-loving family, I’d absolutely recommend The Grand — you’ll love it!
If you still need help finding an all-inclusive family resort, check out my tips for choosing a resort that’s right for your family.
