Part 1: Visiting Mexico - Grand Palladium White Sands

As you know we have been concentrating on renovating our house for the last 3.5 years so there has been very little time for any break, not to mention taking 2 weeks off work and God forbid relax! Well, we came to a point in our renovation that we decided we needed a break and decided to spend some money on ourselves rather than the house. After a lot of research we booked our holiday and were counting down the days for our stay at the Grand Palladium White Sands in Mexico. This is not a sponsored post and I have not been asked to write a review, we paid for this holiday with our own hard earned money and as always the views expressed are 100% my own.

We flew with TUI airlines to Cancun and after a little mishap at the airport when waiting for our bags, the customs and luggage reclaim was a breeze! We boarded our coach and arrived at Grand Palladium White Sands Resort and Spa. We were both exhausted but were greeted by amazing staff members on reception and got our first tequila welcome shot at 20:31 (Mexico time).

The hotel room, lobby and interiors

The reception area is stunning as are all the interiors, restaurant and toilets in the whole Palladium Group complex.

So when we were taken to our room, which was in a villa style building, we were a little disappointed at first. The Junior Suite we booked online was massive, with a balcony and 2 separate double beds (first issue as the beds were too small and we couldn’t push them together due wall lamp). We thought that compared to the hotel lobby and restaurants the room looked a little bit dated and also smelt of damp (which I read was a common thing due to humidity). As Shaun is asthmatic, we knew we had to change the room as soon as we could. The next morning we arranged to be upgraded to a Suite (at an additional cost) for the remainder of our stay and also were given complimentary dinner tickets to their amazing restaurant Bravo. The new room was so much better, brighter and the bed was massive!! I highly recommend the upgrade at the hotel, as the price was very reasonable and really improved our stay. The staff was so helpful and we loved our new room.

We were very impressed with the mini fridge, which got stocked up daily and we got provided with fresh drinks like bottled water and sparkling drinks free of charge in the room. The drinks kept nice and cold during the day and were stocked up daily!

The hotel is amazing and there is so much to see. We loved to see so many beautiful birds, animals and reptiles that were roaming around the hotel freely.

The Restaurants & Bars

When booking an All inclusive holiday, my main concern is always food. I have quite high standards when it comes to food and let me tell you, the food at the hotel was AMAZING!! The complex is connected to other hotels Kantenah and Colonial (where the party never stops!) and if you are “All inclusive”, you get to access all restaurants, bars (apart from a couple but they are clearly marked) and the swimming pools.

The hotel group has a number of à la carte restaurants so you can choose the country you prefer every day: Mexico, Japan, Italy, the Mediterranean, Brazil, the United States or Thailand. There are also 3 international restaurants with show-cooking and entertainment.

There were 3 restaurants which offered buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner. The à la carte restaurants were included in “All inclusive” and had to be booked on the app or simply by visiting the concierge, who were superhelpful.

We tried both buffet restaurants (10 out 10 for selection and staff), Le Adelita (food and staff were 10), Bravo (amazing & highly recommend!), La Paisana (food 8, staff 10), Sumptuari – highly recommend booking the chef’s table with your concierge – this was the best meal & experience! Portofino was our second favourite restaurant at the resort. If you have time and want to make your stay a bit extra I would also recommend booking Bravo, it was such a fun experience with a lovely show whilst you were indulging on a world class meal!

The Hotel amenities

The hotel had everything you would want, several restaurants, bars, shops, souvenir shops, various exercise classes, children’s clubs, entertainment, cocktails, health bar, pools, scuba lessons, movie nights, shows, gym and a spa! Literally, we did not need to go anywhere else as the hotel had everything we needed! We did venture out a few days but I will share this in a different post.

The Staff

I cannot praise the staff highly enough, it was the most amazing experience thanks to all the wonderful staff. Every single person was so friendly, kind, positive, smiley and so so helpful. Nothing was ever too much when we asked and every single person made our stay that much more special. We could not have asked for a better service for the whole two weeks we stayed! Even when we had to upgrade our room, the reception staff did everything they could to accommodate us and find the best solution in a very very busy hotel! Don’t forget to bring either Mexican or US dollars to thank your amazing staff by leaving them a tip.

The Spa & gym

I wish I went to the gym, but to be honest every time I thought about it, I kind of kept saying maybe tomorrow.. I did attend pilates and yoga classes in front of the ocean, which were dreamy! I also went for a run in the fresh air one morning when it was less humid. It felt a little wrong sitting indoors running on a treadmill when the beach was right there (even if it was a little hot). The hotel also has two running routes you can explore, I tried to run the Aqua route, but I think I went the opposite way and invented my own route! Bring some water with you to stay hydrated!!!!!

I highly recommend downloading the app and attend any classes you want (they are free!), there was something for everyone, including archery, basketball, aqua aerobics, yoga etc.

We booked a day in the spa with 80 minute massage, the BEST massage I’ve ever had. Carmen was my beautiful masseuse and she did an amazing job. TIP: book your spa session with a member of staff as you get some great offers just by laying around the pool whilst enjoying yourself. We booked all day at the spa & pool for me and Shaun + 80 minute massage for me and it was around £110! We spent the whole day at the facilities and had the best day!

We also had access to sauna, jacuzzi, cold dip, foot spa and the amazing quiet pool and healthy smoothie bar.

The Entertainment

Each night had different entertainment in the three hotels either in the lobby or on the beach, so there was a lot of choice for both adults and children. We loved the White Party on the beach and the fire show later that evening, we also watched the Latin night dancers, attended Mexican night, Jersey Boys, Beatles Tribute band and so many other amazing acts. The hotels also have cooking and cocktail making lessons as well as tequila tasting. We did enjoy a few tequilas in the hotel lobby, which the lovely staff always referred to as Mexican water!

Going on holiday is a great excuse to dress up!I will be sharing another post with you shortly on some more details about what we did whilst we were in Mexico (apart from eat and drink!) and also details of my outfits and my recommendations for Mexico trip that I loved and found useful. This holiday was definitely one of my favourite holidays we ever had and I cannot wait for the next time we go back!