Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa

Arrived on Saturday morning. Once we survived the solicitations at the airport for excursions and time-share opportunities, our hopes of a great vacation remained somewhat optimistic. After a 1:15 drive and 2 drop-offs; we were met with friendly staff at the Kantanah...things were looking up. The staff did a great job at check-up in...cold towels, fruit drinks, and smiling faces. We arrived their at noon, so I room wasn't to be ready till 3pm - no worries we had our suits, the skies were blue, and were were off to grab a bite at the buffet and drinks poolside. It went downhill from there. The buffet food: The number one reason we will not got back. There was plenty of variety, great presentation, and lots of everything; unfortunately, it didn't taste good. Nothing looked like it was suppose to... the beef was ?beef?. Thank goodness for plenty of salad and fruit which we were able to survive on through the weekend. Oh yeah...breakfast was good....hard to mess up eggs. We tried the dining experience. We made our first reservations at the NEW Seafood Dining Facility. That was a joke. We were greeted at our table by a Raccoon begging for food. The waiter was fun, but didn't understand English - he though he did and answered everything with a smile and "Si". The food choices were by number.....who knows??? None of the fish choices were by the type of fish. I ordered Fish Soup and some sort of Fish. The soup was "Fishy" and the "Fish" was overcooked - I think it was Tuna. We were polite and sat for a minute as other quests came and went with the same concerned look. We didn't dare eat the food; and figured Rocky Raccoon wasn't going to go hungry tonight. We left a nice tip on the table and sneaked out the back. The room was nice and tropical. Loved the outside shower, but thought the quests above us to the right and left may have enjoyed watching us more. The room was smaller than we'd expected for the "Mayan Suites" upgrade and quite a bit an off the beaten path. The Air Conditioning was on in the "most the time" as were the mosquitos and smell of sewer. I recommend you bring plenty of bug spray and masks....you'll be fine. Once we figured out the primary mode of transportation was the the golf cart guys, we reduced the number of bites and putrid sewer odor to a minimum. The pool was, by far, the best part. Unfortunately the limited access to cocktails and friendly bartenders caused me to give it a 3 instead of a 5. The ratio of people to bartenders was 25:1. Good thing is....you don't get a drunk in the pool. We did during one of our walk-around ventures, finally discovered the Pool Secreto...same ratio of people to bartender, but friendlier. We were there for a wedding. Good friends always makes the best of bad occasions. The execution was disappointing. Apparently wedding happen here quite often, the the staff that does the activations seemed quite bored with the whole routine. I'd take this off my list if you have any thought of a wedding destination. Bottom line is.....we will never go back and we will encourage others not to stay here. It was our first time to Mexico. Most of my friends and family rave about going to Cancun, so it must have just been where we stayed. I'll take Jamacia, BVI, Dominican Republic, anywhere really, over this. Lesson Learned.

We were greeted with a fruity drink and a cold towel upon our arrival. We were pleasantly surprised to have our room upgraded at check-in to the Colonial section. The staff was always cheerful, polite and helpful. Many wonderful nature sounds to listen to while sitting on our patio in the mornings. The resort is sprawling with many paths throughout. It took a day and a half to get to know our way around, but many times we were offered a ride by the staff driving by in the quiet golf cart taxis. Zentropia Spa is marvelous. We spent two days there. The hydrotherapy, lazy river, and quiet pool are relaxing enough; add a massage and you will be floating. Get a ginger shot at the Health Bar for good measure. Pay a fee to spend the day, or book a treatment and spend the day included, either way it's worth it. If it is entertainment and activities you seek, you won't have to look far. During the day the activity group offers something fun and different every hour around the pool area. So much energy and enthusiasm. Every evening there is a different show on the Colonial main stage. The dance troupe is very talented with a wide variety of music and elaborate costume changes. There are bands and musicians playing at different times of the day at the bars, at the pools, at the beach. In the evenings you'll find music in the lobby. The White Party on the beach (usually Monday night) is music, dancing, and a fire show. Our favorite restaurants were the Italian Portofino (outdoor seating by the river), the Asian Sumptuori, and the seafood Punta Emilia; a big surprise to us on the beach – by day a lunch spot, by night fine dining, who knew!. The steak restaurant El Dorado was good, but it took very long to get our meal. Would we go back? Yes!

This was our first all-inclusive experience and we were very pleased. I would definitely go back. Using cheapcaribbean we felt like we got a good value. We loved the natural surroundings and wildlife around the grounds. The kids we're counting how many different tropical animals they could spot. Walking around the expansive property didn't bother us at all, we enjoyed experiencing the tropics and the beautiful grounds. The pools were perfect for the kids to play in and there were lots of shady spots for us to lay in. The beach is beautiful and the snorkeling in front of the resort was decent. I like how the palms come almost down to the water. The service here was great. Most everyone goes out of their way with a smile to get you what you need. They bent over backwards to help my wife with her allergy restrictions. Chefs would come out and discuss the menu with her and the buffet managers would tour her around and bring out special things she could eat. Lots of good food choices. Our favorite restaurants were La Lola, O Pavao, and El Dorado. Next time I would skip Punta Emilia and the Japanese place. I was surprised how good and fresh the food was at the buffets. Go to the White sands buffet for the best desserts. The resort does not have a heavy party atmosphere. There are bars everywhere but you can always find an area to be quiet and relax when you want or go out and party when you want. Pillows could have been better but otherwise we were happy with the room. The in-room coffee was not good, I went out to any bar or buffet for their good cappuccinos.

Overall outstanding experience with the resort and staff. Special shout out to Freddy at the swim up bar and Armando in the Colonial Lobby bar for their friendly and courteous service. But they is just two examples of the great staff. Went and saw the shows every night and enjoyed how hard the staff members of POP work at providing an entertaining experience for everyone. We liked the a la carte restaurants with the exception of Ribs-n-More where the food was cold and not prepared well. Other than that, we have no complaints on the quality or quantity of the food. Stayed in the Mayan Suite which was closest to the beach. Only issue with the room was that the air conditioning was, to be nice, spotty. We understood that the resort is very environmentally friendly and when the doors are open the air conditioning kicks off. But, when you are not in the room for over four hours, there should be no reason that the thermostat somehow resets to 80 C. Especially after lowering it to 72 C before leaving. That is the only reason for the 3 palm tree review. Otherwise, room was fine. Loved the beach, despite the seaweed. The staff there does and excellent job at trying to control it's impact. The check-in/out process was quick and efficient. Even though the airport is a good distance from the resort the transfers to and from were easy. We will definitely be back at the GP in Riviera Maya in the future as this was our second awesome trip there and look forward to the next. The only change we would consider is that traveling as a couple, we will book the TRS side and enjoy some of the extra amenities that they offer.