Villa Del Palmar Cancun Luxury Beach Resort & Spa - European Plan

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8595 reviews

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  Wonderful Family Vacation Christmas Holidays 2025

  We just came back from our stay at VDP Cancun Dec. 26 - Jan. 2. We were a family of 10 - 6 adults, 2 kids under 12, and two teenagers. We had two 2-bedroom suites and 1 one-bedroom suite ocean view. I will provide ratings in each category and attempt to give a useful and clear explanation for each. For context, I travel to Cancun, Mexico 3-4 times per year and always stay at 5-star AI resorts. 1. Service = 10/10 Upon arrival we were greeted immediately by friendly gentlemen with moist, scent towels and champagne in gorgeous flutes (or water for those who want it). My immediate reaction was impressed with how prepared they were. They keep champagne on ice stocked at an outdoor bar they have created at the entrance. The towels I believe are kept here as well. I have never seen this anywhere else and thought it was brilliant. The bar also serves as a nice stopping point on your way home from an excursion or outing. Our luggage was taken care of and we were whisked into the main lobby which smelled wonderful and was nicely air conditioned. We were greeted immediately by Guen who was very friendly and welcoming. She helped us get checked in and we were assigned rooms immediately. No hassles! Throughout our stay the service stayed consistently exceptional. Big shout out to Victor by the large pool with the bridge. He was what felt like our personal poolside server during our stay. Thank you Victor for making our vacation so special! Every single staff member at this property greets you and/or asks if you need anything. the fact the resort was at capacity and the service was this top-notch is impressive. The certainly have their game nailed down extremely well. Bravo! I have to mention, my child is Autistic and we were consistently accommodated at restaurants with food options and speed! This does not happen at home in Canada. Children are served right away at all the restaurants and there is always a kids menu, although they will make whatever you request. Example: grilled cheese sandwhich. Our group was blown away by the service at this resort. 2. Rooms = 8/10, Cleanliness = 8/10 Firstly, I have very high standards. I am sure my group would rate this 10/10 for both. However, the rooms have been recently updated. Their site claims "renovated" which I don't feel is true, hence the 8/10 score. Renovated to me, means gutted and redone bathrooms with new tiles and grout, toilets, and cabinetry. Same goes for the kitchen and includes sinks and countertops. These were all original and not renovated in all the rooms. The rooms have, in my opinion, been updated/refreshed. New paint, new furniture, high end new linens and towels, high quality glassware and dishes. New decor and TVs. Room service menus are on the TVs but you must call for it. The 1 and 2-bed suites were exceptionally large! WE had more than enough space and were quite comfortable. I highly recommend the two-bed suite when traveling with kids. We had THREE full bathrooms and used them also, plus laundry machine and large living/dining room to spread out. I can't comment on the view since we had garden view on the first floor facing the spa. We didn't mind this since we needed easy access with our kids to the room. I feel the cleaning could have been much better in the rooms. Yes, they were clean upon arrival. However, cabinets and doors were not cleaned nor was the front of the fridge. Seeing hand marks etc. was not very inviting. For the sake of the vacation, I ignored it and had my own lysol wipes anyways. But this in my opinion is unacceptable in a five star hotel. I requested specific times and items to be stocked for maid service and it was always done accordingly each day. However, turn down service was inconsistent and we think it is because we were always in our room at that time? Either way it could have been much better in this area. We also never saw a vacuum and have no idea if this was done. Rooms seemed relatively clean each day upon return. Always enough towels were left and beds made nicely. 3. Food = 9/10, Drinks = 9/10 Not your average food at this resort. You do not have to choose the AI option and this could be why the food is better. the buffet could have been larger in our opinion, with more options. But we mostly ate at restaurants or room service after long days with the kids. We ate at every restaurant, but I missed the steakhouse nbight so I cannot comment on that. We loved the Mexican and the Italian restaurants. The sportsbar food was great but it was too loud and stimulating in there for my son and parents. We still enjoyed ourselves. Room service food was always what I would call great. Came hot and tasted good. Lots of options for every meal of the day, including kids menus of course. My kids loved the "cheese fingers". Drinks stood out to me especially the wine. Our group are big wine drinkers and we were impressed with the red and white wines. We LOVED how ordering a bottle to your room was no problem! At some resorts they will only send glasses. We mainly stuck to beer and wines, but I did enjoy the spicy margs and daiquiris (try the fresh mango!), kids loved their "drinks". I also had a few cosmos which were excellent and "special drink" with hibiscus and mezcal which was excellent. No complaints on liquor used and saw top shelf ones available. 5. Beach = 9.5/10 I took off .5 due to the lack of seating. The resorts all need to fix this problem. If you are going to allow capacity bookings than you should have more than enough seating for guests. I was a disappointment to only get seating twice at the beach. Gorgeous calm swimmable water with minimal seaweed, if any! They have a big play structure in the water for kids to use. Lots of palm trees on the beach for shade and some huts. Bali beds are for the residence owners. A very cool beach bar with swings sits there and we enjoyed that on the two occasions we could actually stay at the beach. 6. Activities = 8/10, Entertainment = 7/10 The have kayaking, paddle boarding, a large play structure in the ocean, and a kids club. I can't speak to the kids club as mine did not want to go. Life jackets are provided for the play structure and kids loved it. I am giving 8/10 because my 13-year old nephew was disappointed that you had to be 16 to do the water sports. Entertainment in my opinion was at a minimum. I did not see live music around the pool like advertised in videos and online but they did have a great NYE party from the looks of it and great fireworks on NYE. There is a carousel next door that can be used but its really only good for some photos. Considering how busy it was maybe contributed to the lack of information about activities and entertainment, It did not negatively affect our stay! But if you are into the big resort shows and clubs etc, you will not find that here. 7. Location = 10/10 This is not in main hotel zone on the Cancun strip. You will not be near all the crowds and downtown Cancun. It is about 45 mins from the airport and feels more private and secluded than the hotel zone. I also never saw one local on the beach, whereas on the strip in the zone, you can expect locals at your resort beach. For this reason the area of Punta Sam / Costa Mujueres is ideal for me and my family who prefer a quieter setting. Additionally, there is a ferry access to Isal Mujueres which can be seen from the beach! Overall score = 9/10 - We would definitely return for the service, location and vibe mostly. Food was also way above average AI. I can't give 10/10 just due to the lacking entertainment and the cleanliness/renovation issue I discussed earlier. We will be back to another Tafer Resort next winter and we are thinking of trying Garza Blanca next door which is their newer and more modern resort. Stay tuned for that review! We are also staying at Hotel Mousai Cancun in August which is another one of their resorts. We will be repeat guests there and it is 5 diamond and hits all the marks! Stay tuned for that review as well!

  Jan 08, 2026
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  Another great experience!

  My 3 friends and I went the week of thanksgiving and had a great time! Staff is always nice, friendly, and willing to help. The room was clean, comfortable, and with a view of the ocean. This is my 3rd time here and won’t be the last!!

  Jan 07, 2026
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  Absolutely the best for family vacation!

  Service is the best I’ve ever seen. Zama restaurant was a wonderful experience. From the food, wine selection and knowledge, special dessert and the manager and staff were the absolute best. Pool service great and cleanliness was great too. Wonderful place for a family holiday.

  Jan 07, 2026
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  Best holiday experience ever.

  It was an amazing experience, 10/10. Everything about the resort was breathtaking, from the food, to the beach, the pools, the activities, the clean and cozy rooms and best of all, the warm and friendly staff. Special shoutout to Martin and Jaime at Caprichos restaurant, great guys. I can't wait to visit again. By the way, every meal at this resort was excellent, I was so blown away. Paying for the all-inclusive option was the best decision ever. I had the best time.

  Jan 04, 2026
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  Best vacation ever!

  This was our 7th time to Villa Del Palmar Cancun and it did not disappoint. Amr and his team run a top notch F&B operation. Special shout out to Juvencio our waiter at Casona who was just amazing. Luis and Raphael at the beach bar kept the drinks flowing and Raul, looked after our every need in the beach. Can’t forget the best entertainment staff member Edgar and his coworkers Alfredo and Osman. Everyone makes you feel like it’s your second home. Will be back soon. Thanks again for an amazing vacation.

  Jan 04, 2026