The Unofficial Palladium Resort Site

Newbie Suggestions

cape cod anne

Requesting a particular room location:

Reservation/Room Request Information

Here are email contacts for resort reservation information. Per management, please email only one address one week prior to leaving for the resort. For Colonial/Kantenah email Eduardo or Reservations. For White Sand/Riviera please email William or Reservations. For Royal please email Reservations.

Reservations: Rosalba Flores: reservas1.riviera@fiestahotelgroup.com

Eduardo Ledesma: recepcion.colonialkantenah@fiestahotelgroup.com

William Cervera: recepcion.whitesandriviera@fiestahotelgroup.com

Ala cartes

Ala cartes are unlimited for all guests. There are no reservations so just arrive and if there is a table available you will be seated or you will be given a beeper and will be beeped when a table is available. Royal Guests and Imperial guests may reserve. The beach BBQ and Punta Emilia seafood restaurant require a reservation the day before.

On-site activities cape cod anne

Visit the new church behind the Colonial thater. Beautiful. Also visit the orchid gardens behind the church and on the Kantenah side.

The Black & White Teen club is a great place to meet other teens. Teen dinner is sponsored by the teen club. The grown kids may enjoy the beach bar on the Colonial at night, the sports bar. My daughter and her friend made many friends riding on the train at night.There are also shows and live music (check bulletin boards)

Try to make at least one sunrise. (Check wunderground for time of sunrise) I love wandering to the Colonial beach bar for a cappuccino and sitting to watch the sunrise. It's such a peaceful time of day. The workers are already out tidying the resort before everyone wakes up!

threesons

Loved the early morning and a nice coffee at the beach, in fact it was my favorite time to walk the pathways...hear the birds, see the butterflies etc...it is a great time to be out. Back to the shoes thing...you know if your feet hurt it does spoil things. Another issue I had last year was that my feet and ankles got really swollen in the heat...this had not happened to me before so I was surprised by it, lucky for me I had packed some great flip, flops and a good pair of slip on walking shoes...these are the shoes I ended up wearing all day because they fit my swollen feet and were comfy. I did do a daily trip to the spa and did that water and walks treatment.. In fact we often did the spa in the later afternoon, found a quiet spot to sit and read, then did the pool and rest of the spa stuff. I am going to put this in the wish list but I wish they had a juice and water bar in this area, you can not drink drinks here at all but so many enjoy reading and sitting at the pool area it is a shame that you can't enjoy a nice healthy drink...a juice bar would be wonderful, especially if all the drinks had some health benefits.

loke

We enjoy snorkeling at the Kantenah side of the beach the most & if you wish to snorkel at the White Sands end you will need water shoes. We wear snorkel vests which are not a regulated life jacket but are of good quality & I feel quite safe but would not wear them out in the middle of the ocean. We see a good variety of fish including the odd turtle.

Three Sons

They post the daily schedules in the lobbies near where the washrooms are...this is a good place to check out anything that is on or new each day. Enjoy the lobbies at night...this was one our favorite things about the resort, the lobbies really do have their own vibes and each has entertainment going on that is different...we would go from lobby to lobby, stay awhile and then move to another...we always seemed to spend the most time at the Colonial, our favorite and everyone seems to have their favorite depending on what they like, some are quieter and some are more lively.

Kern

As far as things not to miss, we love going to the salt water pool area at the end of the day before heading back up to the room. It's so relaxing to have a drink and sit on the Bali beds. Perfection!

Visit the spa and the peaceful spa pool.

Food

If you like seafood, suggest booking the Punta Emilia seafood restaurant. I just tried it for the first time in April and loved it.

Also ask if they have the seafood special in Mare Nostrum. The two most popular restaurants are the Japanese (show tabel) and El Dorado (steakhouse). You may want to visit those early.

Paella is served on the Colonial beach Sundays at noon and they have live music

There is a beach BBQ on Friday. Booking opens on Thursday.

Each buffet has a grilling station where you can get something grilled to order. Look for the little signs describing the selections. Tell the chef what you would like and he will get a fresh piece out of the fridge and grill it for you. Usually there are three or four kinds of fish, chicken, steak, pork and more.

Off site activities cape cod anne

Here is a link that has a number of off site activities for you to review. Some of these do offer transportation for an extra charge. The resort is in a great location so many of these things can be reached easily via colectivo or taxi if you feel comfortable getting there on your own. Colectivos (public van) for 23 or 30 pesos per person. there is also a taxi chart on this page. I would review some of these and see what interests your family.

I agree about having your own snorkel gear if you like to snorkel. Iwould either bring it or buy some atWalMart when there.

http://www.unofficialpalladium.com/activities.php

Another suggestion is to order one of Laura's Riviera Maya maps. they are fabulous guides. www.cancunmap.com

XPLOR is close at KM 282 off highway 307. Palladium is at KM 256 on the same highway. Walk outside the gate and take a colectivo from the bus stop on the same side as the Palladium to go north. Tell the driver where you are going and keep an eye out. He will stop at Xplor for you.

Kern

Taking the colectivo to Akumal for a couple of hours after breakfast is a fun activity. You'll enjoy snorkeling and seeing the sea turtles, and lots of colorful fish. Those who don't wish to snorkel can walk on the beach, shop, or just relax on a towel or rented beach chair. We always bring old beach towels from home for our off-site trips, and then just leave them there at the end of the vacation.

Loke

We have booked side trips to snorkel through Scuba Caribe to go to Akumal & really enjoyed that experience. We have also taken other snorkel tours that we booked at a desk in the front lobby. I can't remember the names of the tours but they were good too. There is also a day tour to Cozumel from Scuba Caribe that we want to take so that is on our to do list. We feel Scuba Caribe gives good service. You will love the Palladium & there is something for everyone.

threesons

I think having your own snorkel equipment is best...you can then have mask that fits your face...a good fit is important. You also have the freedom to snorkel when you want and even go off site to Akumal where you can see the sea turtles.

You mentioned a day trip to Xcaret....we didn't do this but family members have with a 12 year old and she loved it. They enjoyed it also...there is a tour for this and it would be probably the best way to go, it is like a water park and they have dolphins there also. There is a web site so you can look into it before but I have heard great reviews for this.

The other place that people rave about...if you have animal loves is the Jungle Place. It is harder to find but they also have a web site and you get a wonderful hands on experience with the spider monkeys and it is very educational as well. You must book in advance as there are limited numbers for each day.

We have heard good things about the new Xplor park also...another water park type place with zip lines, would be great for the family.

What to bring

Updated Packing List

http://forum.unofficialpalladium.com/view_message.php?id_top=5781

Walkie talkies can be used but there is a fine line as to their legality. Here is an article on them. If you get the red light it is possible they will seize the walkie talkies.

http://www.travelyucatan.com/can_i_use_walkie-talkies_in_mexico.php

HDrider

Yes, the walkie talkies work great, and the wireless connection in the lobby worked good as well. We just returned from a week there with our 2 sons and their wives, and 1 - 18 month old grandson. We had a great time. It was our third time there. Great resort - you will not regret it.

Anne

Bring some small bills for tipping. Although it is an AI you will find people you want to tip. The staff are wonderful, work very hard for very little money so $1 will bring a huge smile and much appreciation

Study the map. I personally find the signage at the resort confusing (Even after 12 trips there!) Ask for an extra map or two when you sign in. You will find many shortcuts so carry the map with you the first couple of days.

Regarding packing, I usually remind everyone that you will be in a bathing suit for a lot of the time. During the day you will need cover ups & footwear for breakfast/lunch. Evening attire includes long trousers for the men. (Recent reports say this is relaxed.) Ladies can wear nice shorts, skorts, capris, with nice top or a sundresses.

Comfortable shoes a MUST!!

Regarding snorkeling equipment, the resort allows guests to use it for one hour per day so if you are going to be wanting to snorkel more or going to Akumal you may want to take a taxi to the nearby Walmart to buy some inexpensive gear. You might also want to get a Bubba Mug for cold drinks. I once brought some with me for some UK friends as they couldn't find the mugs in the UK.

If you have anything like phones, cameras or anything else that needs charging it is helpful to bring an extra extension cord with extra outlets on it. The resort does not have a lot of outlets in the rooms.

Three sons

Towels...we do take our own, we have light weight quick dry towels that are very thin and easy to pack...we use these when we go off site. You can also use a sarong if you have a few...I do this also and find they are great, they dry fast and are big enough to put down on the beach to sit on also.

Blueskies

I am sure you will have a great time at the Palladium. The first time we visited I wished that I had brought more comfy shoes, as has already been suggested. An early morning cappuccino on the beach is indeed my favorite time of the day while on vacation. The most important thing to remember is that every one will have different expectations about what they want from their vacation. If you bring a good attitude you will be sure to have a great time. Have fun !

Money suggestions

There is an ATM for pesos and one for dollars. You can use either but will get change back in pesos. You can exchange money at the front desk(s). Rates are not as favorable as at the ATMs.

John & Caroline are from the UK

We are visiting the Palladium again from the UK after Christmas and are having the £/$ debate again. We brought a mixture last time. It tends to mainly peso's witn the Palladium, so whilst you can use $, they convert them at the local shop using a poor exchange rate. At the front lobby, exchange rates aren't that competitive as in all hotels. The atm machine does have a better rate BUT UK banks will charge heavily for overseas use. the best solution we have come up with is... *A small amount of dollars in low denominations for tipping.( £200 for example) * We then bring a larger amount of Peso's in cash changed in the UK ( the room safes are very secure) *travellers chq's - bring sterling not dollar = or you will pay once in the UK, and then again in mexico to exchange. you are better exchanging outside of resort, but not a massive difference. the lobby will only give you peso's for travellers chq's, hence why you are better bringing sterling chq's hope this helps ************************************************************************

First trip

http://forum.unofficialpalladium.com/report_detail.php?id=230

http://forum.unofficialpalladium.com/report_detail.php?id=228

teachkids

My family and I just returned from our first time trip (June 12-18). We had a fabulous time and I know you and your family will too! We stayed in the White Sands side but spent lots of time in the Colonial lobby, the restaurants, sports bar, and also liked the beach near the Colonial/Kantenah side. It is very hot and humid in Paradise! The things we were glad were brought were: our own snorkel gear, more sunscreen than we thought we needed (we used it all), hats/visors/sunglasses, bug spray, anti-itch gel, extra batteries & SD cards for cameras, water shoes, and most importantly, comfortable footwear!

We went off the resort to XPLOR adventure park, which is just about 15 minutes from GP. Your boys should love this park if they like to get wet, like zip lining, and want an active day in the sun. I just posted a trip report for XPLOR a few minutes ago.

My son and husband wore long pants, polo shirts/nice T-shirts, and sandals to the restaurants. That seemed to be the norm for the gentleman at dinner.

The resort is absolutely stunning and very large. You will do a lot of walking. However, we liked that about GP and it never felt crowded at the pool, beach, or restaurants. Once we did catch the train. They seemed to stop at the lobbies frequently, especially right after a show.

Have a wonderful family vacation! You picked a resort that has something for everyone! I want to go back again soon!