My husband and I traveled to Sun Palace August 29-September 6, 2008. We loved Sun Palace. It was extremely clean, and always smelled so good! I am amazed every time I go to a Palace resort at the number of staff you see cleaning every day. They were doing touch up painting during the week we were there. And we saw them scrubbing the pool chairs every night!
Room: At check in, we were offered room 531. After looking at it, we asked for another room, since 531 overlooked the activity pool, and there was some jackhammering going on next door that we could plainly hear in the room. They gave us room 410 which was perfect! My only complaint is with the toilet situation. Its in a little glass cube next to the shower. (Envision using the restroom with your significant other 2 feet away in the shower! Yuck).
Food/Drinks: The food was great, but I will admit it got a little repetitive after a few days. We visited the buffet at Beach Palace, and also had dinner at Miyako at Cancun Palace. Miyako was fabulous! We did really enjoy the mariachi band that played during dinner at Sun Palace. They were so good! Also, on our last night, we asked if they made fried ice cream (it wasn’t on the menu) as a dessert. The waiter said he’d ask his supervisor. About 10 minutes later, the chef himself came out with the friend ice cream! It was yummy. That is service and striving to please!
Beach/Pools: The beach at Sun Palace is beautiful. There was a little seaweed, but the staff was out raking it up daily. The ocean was rough at times, but swimmable most of the days. There are two pools: the quiet pool which plays calming spa music all day, and the activity pool. The activity pool plays louder music of all kinds, and hosts games all day long (water volley ball, guessing games, etc). It is true about the pool chairs. You had to get out by around 9am to get a lounger. Guests were pretty bad about “saving” chairs, then not returning for them until 2-3pm.
Tours: We did the Isla Mujeres “party boat” tour. This was the favorite part of my trip, minus the party boat part. The tour leaders talked non-stop the entire trip over to the island, and that HAD to be the SLOWEST boat I have ever been on. Literally, we were passed by other boats and ferries several times! I was hot, sweaty and generally annoyed by the time we got off at Isla Mujeres Palace. My husband and I decided to branch off on our own, and called a taxi with intentions of going downtown to get a golf cart. When I asked the driver if he could recommend a golf cart rental place, he took us to a place about a mile from Isla Mujeres Palace, way back off a dirt road. I was having visions of the movie “Turista!” We were taken to this house which had a bunch of golf carts out front, and he helped us complete the transaction with a non-English speaking lady. She simply gave us the keys to a brand new 2008 golf cart, and only asked us to write down our name and address! No turning over driver’s license, etc. The taxi driver was kind enough to say that he would be back to get us in two hours, there at the house, to return us to Isla Mujeres Palace. And off we went! We had the BEST afternoon driving around, and seeing the island. My favorite part was going to North Beach, and swimming. We were practically alone. Then wandering over to Bar Caribbean Queen- its under a blue tent there on North Beach. It has a swing bar, and they made the best pina colada and chicken nachos I’ve ever had. Time flew by, and we had to get the golf cart back. Upon return, there was an English speaking gentleman there to take our payment ($45) and chatted with us while waiting for the taxi. He said that they are just starting to get into the golf cart business, and had not yet spent any money on advertising or signs. We thanked him for renting to us, and wished him luck. He was very nice! True to his word, the taxi driver sent someone to pick us up right on time, and returned us to Isla Mujeres Palace. There we quickly changed clothes and boarded the slowest boat ever to chug over to shop downtown Isla, then to chug back over to Cancun. I have never been so thankful to get off a boat. I had a headache from the constant chatter on the loudspeaker by the “party crew.” To sum up, Isla Mujeres was wonderful. But next time, I would avoid the Palace resort tour, and take the ferry over to Isla on our own. I enjoyed wandering and exploring on my own much better than being herded around with a group.
Misc: Another highlight was seeing the sea turtles at night. We were lucky enough to see one crawling back from laying her eggs, going back to the sea. She was SO BIG! We watched for the next couple of nights, but only saw one more, that came ashore, then changed her mind, and swam back out. They are very timid and if they saw any movement or bright lights, will turn around. It was very emotional for me to watch such a private moment. (If you want to see some, keep in mind we never saw any until close to midnight and I think the egg laying season is May-October I think.)

I also want to say that I bought from Ebay seller [--]. I was very nervous about this, but the entire transaction was very smooth and totally legit. I would buy from him again next time. However, I did learn quickly to not share that we bought a week from someone on Ebay. The members, who had apparently paid out the nose for their time, were [--]! We quickly learned to say we're there on a family member's week!

I must be the only person who did not like the Sun Palace hotel... first of all I must start by saying maybe my view of it would have been different if I hadn't stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres for a week before hand. Coming from Excellence which is absolutely gorgeous... pure luxury and absolutely spotless... to Sun Palace was a disapointment to say the least. I think I actually cried because it was nothing compared to Excellence. We booked Excellence for the first week and then decided on Sun Palace as it was in Cancun and we wanted to see Cancun. I went with my boyfriend I am 24 years old and he is 28 years old. We booked through a Palace member which was great as we got probably the best room in the hotel with a massive balcony and a good view but the room was just so cold, lacked atmosphere... the hotel was full of Americans... I have nothing against Americans but it was full of them and there didn't seem to be any other nationalities there... it was a very weird group there... ok I will try and give my opinion on the different aspects of the hotel.

Room: very nice but again nothing compared to Excellence... there were dirty rugs in the bedroom and the toilet had a foul smell coming from it anytime you flushed it... room service menu was limited to say the least... balcony was big but again the bed was dirty... we had a view of the beach and the pool gorgeous view but at night time it was lacking something... atmosphere and no lights... in Excellence the hotel was all lit up and there would be entertainment you could see and listen to on your balcony... not here. The air con also made a weird noise.

Food: breakfast was so disapointing coming from Excellence where you had sooooooo much choice... and the room service was amazing... here you had very little to choose from even though it was a buffet. Food at night was good though... we had steak and it was very good... so I can't complain about that.

Pools: absolutely tiny... if you like your pool I wouldn't go here... main pool was tiny and felt dirty... and if you wanted to go somewhere quieter you had only another tiny and I mean tiny pool to choose from or the indoor pool... nothing hectic.

Beach: the beach here is gorgeous... beautiful clear sea with white sand... big waves... I got hit by a massive wave one day and lost my Chanel sunglasses... was not a happy camper...

Internet you have to pay here which is ridiculous...

Service: we were not happy with the service here at all... we had Presidential membership here which meant nothing... there was never anyone on the desk in the lobby for contacting... could never get the internet code we were entitled to so we had to keep paying at the main desk each time. When we wanted to leave the hotel... this took approximately 2 hours... it was ridiculous...

Highlight of our short stay here was seeing the turtles come up onto the beach at night and lay their eggs... we managed to get really good photos of a turtle heading back into the sea after laying the eggs.

The hotel is ages away from the centre of Cancun... the bus stop is outside the hotel but you are talking about a 15 to 20 minute trip into Cancun... the hotel is one of the last hotels on the strip... we just found it too far away it was nowhere near anything.

Entertainment: if you are young... this place is dead... the bar was more suited to older people and was tiny.

I didn't like the hotel from the minute I got there... I am not a fussy person... but I think it was because we had just come from a fabulous resort and we were comparing and contrasting everything... and Sun Palace just did not compare to Excellence...

I managed to stay two nights... and I had to leave so we moved to Le Blanc... it cost alot more to move hotel but it was worth it as Le Blanc is absolutely stunning compared to Sun Palace.

Returned from the Sun Palace 26th September after spending 2 weeks there. Booked thru Jetset2 in the UK and were pleased with the service. Upgraded our flight to Premium - travel agent was Thomas Cook airline Monarch. Only fault was it was the 1st time flying Premium where they allowed children aged about 2 years old and on a 10 1/2 hour flight was not very pleasant.

Sun Palace itself -can't really add anything further as the other reviews say it all. Only disappointing meal was the Steak restaurant which seemed hit and miss. One night meat/fish was great next over cooked and had to wait about an hour for it. Italian restaurant was excellent as was the service.

Also made a change not having to fight for a sun lounger as previous vacations have had to get up the crack of dawn to get one. Not sure if this was due in part to the time of year we visited .

Really enjoyed the breakfast buffet as was spoilt for choice - never had a problem in finding something healthy option to eat.

Went to the Cancun and Beach Palace to check out the amenities and found it only 20% capacity so had the place to ourselves.

Definitely going back next year. Any questions please ask.

One of the main things which made our vacation was the people we met and am sure they all remember my husband Bob doing the Karaoke with the guys from Dallas that we met.

Any questions just ask.

Maggie & Bob

Well, where do I start. When We arrived after our flight, I was a little hesitant about this place. Seems small, and a little pretentious. We walked around, had a horrible meal at the steak, and continued to think quielty ,"where am I".
Well, that all changed the next day. Upon getting up and going to the pool, my attitude changed completely!

First, the food: Bring Pepto!! No way around it. You will get the runs. The food is pretty good for an AI. Always had something to eat. The Italian was our favorite. Although you have to be in pants, you will enjoy every moment. This is where you can order a bottle of Rumbo Sur, and just enjoy your company.
The Steakhouse was vile. I got the worst piece of meat ever, and continued to eat everything else they had. All in all, wan't bad. At this point, I should have received the clue to stay away from the red meat. We also at the lunch buffet-> This is a must. By the activity pool, they are always having a BBQ, but if you go inside to the mexican (buffet area), there is a shorgasborg of eats. Great for lunch. Only found out about it on our second to last day. Well worth the little walk. The Hibatchi at the other palace was OK. Been to one, been to all. They did have sake- but pretty bad. Room service was great. They call you when the drop if off, to ensure it what you wanted and warm. 10 minutes later they call to see if you enjoyed if and want anything else. WOW!

Now, for the room. Other than the little sinks we had, it was great. Always an ocean view. WIreless internet! Jacuzzi in the middle of the room, a hard bed, and a shower which is hot, cold, hot, cold, and while screaming! Water changed severely around 6-8 PM. be forewarned.

The beach was pretty cool. Dunno why, but I found it very dirty. Between the seaweed and trash, I have nicer beaches at home. Except, once you get into the water. Amazing. Nothing wrong with 80 degree ocean water. It was great to frolic and body surf. I would spend at least an hour a day to myself just enjoying this.

Service is what really sets this place apart. Anything you wish, they will get- to a certain extent. They didn't have my favorite tequila, which was a bummer. So I drank what they had. I'm on vaca, so aint mad. The moment your drink is low, Bam, you got a full one. Humberto was the best bar tender! Tell him his hermano says whats up!

Spa- Great. Sports massage was incredible. Got almost all by knots. Very classy, and appropriate for the hotel. Well done.

Pool was awesome. A little rough on the toes, should you spend you time in it. There was aways a great big group for volleyball, and this is always a good time.

Tips- I'm not gonna be one of those people to put you down for tipping or not tipping. The way I see it, these people are here to ensure you have a good time. How would you feel working your a$$ off for low wages, and going so far out your way- for just a paycheck. If you can afford to go, take an extra $100, and be classy. They have all earned it. And if you don't think they guy was nice, or a drink came with an attitude- maybe they are having a bad day because they can't afford to get thier kid cough syrup.

Fellow guests- pretty cool people. I found it easier to call coupled from thier city or state. Say a quick what up to Virginia, East Coast, Chicago, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, TN, (I'm starting to feel like Howard Dean!), Ireland, BOB!!!(you had to mee this guy), and even fellow neighbors from SoCal. We had a great time with you all, and hope you all have safe travels.

All in all, this trip is top 5 for me. I would go back to Cancun in a minute. It is truely an amazing place and this hotel is a great central hub. And I am having a hard time explaining to my buddies how I was the only Charger fan watching Monday Night Football at the Cancun Palace. Oh, the Jets fans didn't like me much!!!

Hey, drop your hesitance, order a bumblebee, a mexican orgasm, a bacarddi and coke- and relax. It will all come together!