Moon Palace Nizuc - All inclusive

We stayed at Moon Palace Sunrise Cancun from June 5 to June 9. Some of the money was taken from a safe. They did it in a way that left the rest looking undisturbed when I checked what was inside. I only found out the day after we arrived at another resort, when I needed the money for a purchase. I contacted MPS customer service and am waiting for their findings. From the email response, though, it looks grim. They asked questions I’d already answered in my first email and discussed over the phone. As I suspected, they don’t seem interested in investigating. They say that because I don’t know the exact date and time of the theft, they can’t do anything. The possible window is three days. They have the electronic room entry records and can access the safe’s opening and closing log, which would leave at most three housekeeping staff in question. Still, they say there’s nothing they can do. MPS seems not to care about what guests go through. Unless you catch the thief yourself and take them to security, apparently nothing happens. Even then, there’s no guarantee. Be careful.

For the first time in 10 years of being gluten-free, I went on vacation and didn’t leave hungry. They took my allergy seriously, recorded it on my account at check-in, and the restaurants followed through. They made me gluten-free pancakes for breakfast and accounted for my needs with other dishes too. I wish more buffet items had labels, but the gluten-free toaster and bread were great. The staff were super friendly and always helpful, and the app made it easy to request room service or reservations. The property was well maintained, although the lawn mowing at 7 a.m. on a Saturday was noisy. The pools were huge but could use some care, with lots of sharp or missing tiles. At the festival, many diamond seats by the pool stage were blocked off and empty all day, leaving a lot of us without anywhere to sit. At Momo, the Waygu was worth ordering, but they gave me a hard time because there wasn’t a card linked to my reservation, even though I’d provided one at check-in. The resort is massive. I’d consider another Palace property, but this one might feel a bit too big for us outside of a music festival.

This is the only place I’ve been where staff go out of their way to help with whatever you need. The rooms are large and clean. Housekeeping comes during the day, and if you shower and use the towels before dinner or your plans, they’ll come back and replace them. Room service is always available. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, and the service was amazing at every one.

There were some good moments, but our stay at Moon Palace ended on a very bitter note, and we won’t be returning. We’ve stayed at Secrets before without experiences like this, so we’ll keep choosing that option. The app worked really well for ordering food, requesting hygiene items, and chatting with the concierge. The food was good overall and caused no issues, and the bartenders, waiters, and other service staff were generally friendly and attentive. Edrei at reception was kind and helpful. He arranged a room upgrade when we arrived and helped us get a late checkout. The pressure to visit The Grand started as soon as we arrived. It felt more like being pushed to go, use a day pass, and eventually agree to an offer than receiving an invitation. We spent about 30 minutes after check-in telling the concierge we just wanted to enjoy the stay we’d already paid for. The persistence was exhausting. They spent a lot of time explaining The Grand and barely explained Sunrise, where we were actually staying. I know sales are part of the business, but it was excessive and uncomfortable. They also asked very personal questions, like when we were getting married and why we didn’t have children. That felt completely inappropriate. The more serious problem happened at a wedding at Nizuc. The wait staff accidentally threw away my partner’s insulin pen. My partner has Type 1 diabetes, so this is essential medication. Staff at Nizuc apologized and sent us to Public Relations. We explained everything to Linda, who said they could help get replacement medication but the hotel wouldn’t cover its cost. The replacement was about $70 USD, and paying for it wasn’t the issue. It was the lack of professionalism and common sense in throwing out a guest’s medication and then refusing responsibility. For my partner, insulin is the difference between life and death. Linda delayed things, saying an investigation would take time if the hotel accepted responsibility. There seemed to be little empathy or urgency beyond offering to call a pharmacy. This happened a day before we left, and it turned what could have been a good experience into a bitter ending. To me, this is what separates a luxury hotel from an average one.