Moon Palace Cancun

Entrance to the massive Moon Palace Cancun compound is just off the highway. After passing through a small guard gate, guests will have to travel over a mile to reach their designated lobby. There are two sections at the Moon Palace Cancun resort – Nizuc and Sunrise – and the property sits adjacent to 2017-opened The Grand at Moon Palace, which has access to all facilities at this hotel. However, Moon Palace Cancun guests will have to purchase a day pass to visit The Grand, where there’s a kid-friendly water park. Note that the distances between properties can be far, so guests should be prepared for either a long walk or a chauffeured ride in a golf cart.
With its massive marbled lobby, giant pool, and hefty assortment of other features, Sunrise is the largest of the three sections. The vibe here is always buzzing and people are everywhere, giving it a bit of a party atmosphere. Next-door Nizuc is the older section and has its fair share of people filling the chic and stylish spaces, but it's not quite as bustling, and the vibe tends to encourage strolling or lounging. Its glamorous and gorgeous lobby isn’t tough to look at either. Travelers wanting a more modern and luxe stay should opt for The Grand at Moon Palace.
While there are dozens of features, from large outdoor pools with swim-up bars to buffet and a la carte restaurants to daytime and evening activities, many guests have been disappointed by the beach. Like many resorts in the Cancun area, the Moon Palace is heavily affected by seaweed, which has a foul odor and often prevents travelers from swimming in the ocean. Resorts in Cancun’s Hotel Zone tend to have better beaches.

Historically, the Riviera Maya begins farther south down at Playa del Carmen, but for want of tourism, areas several kilometers on either end of the famous coastline's traditional stretch are being marketed as part of the Riviera Maya's tourist route. The Moon Palace Cancun falls into this boundary line, even though it is in Cancun and just a 15-minute drive from Cancun International Airport. Away from the main drag of the city's Hotel Zone, Moon Palace Cancun is located just off the 307 freeway about a 25-minute drive south from the popular tourist area.
While its location certainly gives it the space it needs and a private, secluded atmosphere without any direct neighbors, the hotel unfortunately sacrifices the idyllic stretch of beach and perfect Caribbean blue waters found slightly to the north. Like at many Cancun resorts of late, the beach here suffers from foul-smelling seaweed that often restricts travelers from swimming in the ocean. Because the Moon Palace's closest lobby is around two miles from the hotel's street-side entrance, the hotel is not walking distance to anything off-site. Likewise, there aren't really any restaurants or bars within easy driving distance, but you will be 30 minutes closer for day trips to Tulum, Coba, Xel-Ha Park, and Playa del Carmen.

Spacious rooms across the board tend to be fairly consistent in terms of style and comfort, offering contemporary decor and upscale amenities. Standout features include double whirlpool tubs, liquor dispensers with top-shelf brands, smart TVs, and furnished balconies. Free daily restocked minibars, coffeemakers, free Wi-Fi, CHI bath amenities, hairdryers and straighteners, laptop-sized safes, and sitting areas also come standard. Bathrooms have showers, bathrobes, and slippers as well.
A variety of textures and materials are represented in the spaces, such as sleek dark woods, shiny marble floors, metals decor accents, and decorative headboards of leather, wicker, or other luxe materials. Swim-Up Suites have direct pool access from their balconies. Larger suites are also available. The Presidential Suite at Moon Palace Cancun has two bedrooms, a dining and bar area, living room, large outdoor terrace, and espresso machine.

When it comes to features, the Sunrise section of Moon Palace Cancun reigns supreme, with around a dozen restaurants and bars and a huge pool that has a Flowrider machine, kids' water park, and swim-up bar. There are three bars and four restaurants in the pool area alone. It's worth checking out the beautiful, Amalfi-style stained glass ceiling at Italian restaurant La Gondola. Sunrise is also where guests can try to make par on the mini-golf course, sip cocktails at the Noir nightclub or Sky Bar, rub elbows at the contemporary convention center, and play a game of tennis while the kids run loose at the stellar kids’ club.
The chic and elegant Nizuc section is home to a spa, smaller kids' playroom, and the resort’s swim-with-dolphins Dolphinarium area. There’s also a nice-sized pool here and beachside gazebo. Things feel a bit theme-y in the UK-styled Pub, but there’s also a glam Lobby Bar, and caffeine and fresh-baked goodies at the Sweets and Coffee café -- or guests can check out on the several other bars and restaurants here. Go to town guilt-free since the Moon Palace’s bigger gym is here, too.
If you are looking for sand traps instead of sand castles, there’s a golf and spa area of the resort about a 10-minute golf cart ride from Sunrise. The 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course is well-regarded. The attached spa is large, housing a few lounge spaces, a big hot tub, sauna and steam room area off the locker room, and luxurious treatment rooms.
Moon Palace Cancun weddings are popular, and both wedding and honeymoon packages are available.

The Moon Palace Cancun all-inclusive package covers food at the buffet and a la carte restaurants, 24-hour room service, and both non-alcoholic beverages and top-shelf liquor at the bars. The kids’ club Playroom, daytime activities, live evening entertainment, and non-motorized water sports are also included in the room rate.

All resort sections are set against the sandy shores of the Riviera Maya. Unlike beaches off Cancun’s Hotel Zone, beaches here are often thick with seaweed, and can give off a slight sewer smell (from the seaweed build-up and trapped water). There is also no turquoise ocean here, and the water closest to shore looks brown. Due to this, the pools are often more packed than the loungers and cabanas along the beach.

The Moon Palace Cancun Sunrise Playroom kids’ club is for children ages 4 to 12, and it offers a number of separately decorated and designed rooms with different purposes, giving kids a buffet of imaginative options to keep them entertained. Some of our favorite spaces include the mini racetrack complete with kid-sized small plastic cars to take for a spin; the glamorous and glizty, all-pink beauty salon/fashion runway room; the arcade; the art room; and life-sized doll house room -- just to name a few. There's also a snack bar, outdoor playground, and mini-theater.
This hotel offers a tourism attraction that involves animals. You can learn more about the cruelty animals suffer in captivity here.