Cancun is a very busy, commercial/retail holiday resort with loads to do and see. If you are a bar/club hopper....then you'll love this place. The beaches are decent and busy but you will probably have your own section of hotel beach. And the sea is usually warm and quite shallow in many places but it can get a bit rough depending on the weather. The weather is very changeable.
A friend has stayed at the Moon palace and loved it. there will be a few reviews on this website for the actual hotel.

A must do for us was the long trip to Chichen Itza (bad spelling, sorry). It was well worth it. Xcaret park was not so good but only because it had been trashed by the hurricanes. I believe it's normally a fantastic trip.

Money wise, that's a difficult question to answer really as everyone has a different budget for holidays. There were two of us and we took a credit card and £1000 cash. But our circumstances meant we did use a lot of our money.

One thing i'd like to mention that we did was a Pirate ship evening trip out of Cancun itself. this was such great fun and really good value for money. Not sure if they still do it but if they do, go for it as it was a great evening.

Hope you have a lovely trip, do your homework on Cancun, and don't forget your sunscreen and mossie repellants.

Jules

Welcome to the forum!

Looks as though you've picked a good one!

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/mexico/yucatan-peninsula/cancun/moon-palace-golf-and-spa-resort-hotel/

Thanks dizzyb23 for your recommendations and advice, i am going to look into that Pirates Ship evening as it sounds like a great experience, i wonder where i can find out the prices of it?

I dont think we will be able to afford to take too much spending money as we are paying an arm and a leg for the holiday hahaha!
We are planning to take around £500-£600 if we can save that up, hopefully it will be enough.
We would like to do the Paragliding and my hubby would like to do some water sports such as the jet ski's etc...
I am also interested in the Pirates Ship Evening too.

But i am unsure of prices of these things?? I cant find any websites with a price lists for these extra activities.
We will buy a few gifts for my daughter and my grandad while we are there too, but nothing too expensive.
So i hope our spending money will be enough

Thanks soooo much for your kind advice, i am soooo looking forward to the holiday, i cant wait!

Thankyou Pippy HT Mod for the link
WOW the Hotel does sound absolutely amazing
I am reading through the reviews now and im not even half way through and im getting reallllllllllly excited hahaha!
It really does sound like heaven there!
Thank you soooo much for the link, that was very kind of you

It's been a few years since I was in Cancun but I loved every minute of it. One of my favourite trips was Tulum and Xel-Ha combined with a swim with the dolphins - the kind of experience you can never forget! I also enjoyed the Jungle Tour and Chichen Itza. I've found this link - not sure how competitive the prices are but it seems to have a good description of the trips. http://www.cancunfuntours.com/

I remember that eating and drinking outside of the hotel being quite expensive unfortunately.

WOW thanks for the Link ClaireAnthony its great and was just what i was looking for, it has a list of activities with details and prices.. thats great
Thank you soooo much

Hope you have the best holiday ever.....Mexico really is a wonderful place to visit. I asked my hubby for details of the Pirate ship evening as he remembers all this stuff and the website link is http://www.pirateshipcancun.com
All the info is on there and I do remember it being very cheap considering how much you get on the trip. Open bar all night, choice of well cooked food, so much entertainment and it's for all the family. If you do nothing else, go on this trip...

Hi Sarah, I just got back from Moon Palace on Saturday (without swine flu hopefully!), it's fabulous! Anything you want to know, feel free to ask

vikki x

Thanks for that link dizzyb23 the Pirate Ship does look amazing, what great fun would that be!!!
Not a bad price either considering that there is entertainment, Drinks and Food.
It looks like lots of fun and i think we will definately consider doing this.

Do you think it will be ok to pay for this when we arrive OR should we book it before we travel, if so where should we book on the website you gave me???
Or if its ok to book once we arrive, do we pay at our Hotel??

There seems to be 2 Price Options though

1) New York Steak Option
2) Lobster Option

So does that mean that you are only allowed 1 of the 2 Lobster OR Steak?? And Not a bit of both?
Is it a buffet style or served out on a plate for you?

I am guessing that we dont need the 'Transport Included' option as we are staying in Cancun.
Thanks for your help, its much appreciated

Hi Vikki,

Thanks for your reply, im glad you had a wonderful holiday and im pleased to hear that the Hotel is lovely
Did you stay in the Sunrise section ? I think we are in the other section.. cant remember the name
HAHAHAHA!

How did you find the rooms? Where they nice? Do all rooms have a nice balacony? It says on their website that some room have a Hammock

What extra activities did you do? I quite fancy the Pirate Ship and Paragliding... my Sister in - Law fancies doing the Coco Bonga but i think i would prefer the Pirate Ship.

Do you know how much it costs for hiring the Jet Ski's and doing the Paragliding?

Thank you

HI Sarah
Pay for and book the trip when you get there as then you have a bit more flexibility as to when you go in case of weather issues etc. It doesn't get booked up in advance and there are regular trips. I think you are only allowed to have either the lobster or steak BUT there is usually so much food that you end up having both and they serve you at a food counter but you can help yourself to the other bits like potatoes, veg and salad.
I'm not sure about transport as we were almost opposite the area the boats set off from. Cancun is a big area but there are tons of buses and safe taxis. But I think the staff at your hotel can better advise you. It may even be walking distance. Maybe your Tour Op will organise a group trip for all of you. But definately do it!!!!! What a great night we had. The kids in other groups were involved in the action and if you have a special event whilst away, they will do announcements for you too......

Hi Sarah, it is a gorgeous hotel, sooooooo big though (maybe too big really)! There are coaches and golf carts to take you from one side to the other! There are 3 sides - we stayed in the middle building (Nizuc) where they seem to put most English people, is that where you're staying? We defo felt like second class citizens compared to the Americans though The Sunrise side seems to be the livelier side - that's where the Michael Jackson show is which was soooooo popular. Then there's the new side (Grand) which is very posh! There's also the golf club too and the amazing villas next to it. Our room was fabulous, maybe a bit smaller than I'd expected, I thought all rooms had a hammock too but it's just the sunrise side. We just had 2 chairs on our balcony. Every room has a jacuzzi though, and the shower was lovely and very big. It was my son's 7th bday while we were away and we got a cake in our room and a bottle of champagne on arrival! Make sure you remember the name of the building you're staying in cos when you first get there it's so easy to get lost - they do give you a map though!!!
The restaurants are lovely, spesh the Italian at the golf club.
Dont take beach towels - you dont need them - something we found out after we'd we got there! You just get them by the pool and everybody did that.
We did a Jungle Tour where you go out to sea on your own speedboat then you go snorkelling. And we also did the dolphin swim at Dreams in Cancun which was ace - we were provided with transport too door to door although we had to pay for it. The photos are a rip off though! You can book all your trips though the hotel, we actually booked ours through the guys in the bit where you get your towels from by the Nizuc pool. Saw quite a few people paragliding - you're braver than me! There's jet skis and kayaks and boats you can take out on the beach too. There's also the ziplining place opposite the entrance to the Moon Palace (which is at least a mile from the main road!), that looked good. Sorry, not sure about the cost of any other trips.
Moon Palace is about 15-20 mins away from Cancun.
Anything else - ask away!
Vikki x

Thanks again dizzyb23, you have been realllly helpful I really think the Pirate Ship is a MUST DO ! It sounds like an AMAZING experience. Oh dear im getting soooo excited about this holiday, got to wait til April next year though
Thanks for your advice on the Pirate Ship

Hi again Vikki

Thanks for your reply, wow the Hotel does sound very grand i cant wait! Yes thats right we are also staying at the Nizuc section, i couldnt remember the name before hehe!
Shame our rooms dont have Hammocks, but the Jaquizzi in the room sounds good enough to me

Thank you sooo much for the tips and info on the Hotel and extra activities.
I was reading up on the Jungle Tour (James Bond speed boat) and it is something my hubby would really like to do, i wouldnt mind the speed boat part but i am not keen on the snorkling as i am embarrassed to admit that i cant swim, i know that we would all wear life jackets but the thought of being in the sea would freak me out!
I am ok going in the sea or swimming pools aslong as i can touch the bottom LOL!

The Paragliding does sound scary, and im probably being brave as im not there to see people doing it, but i bet when im there i will chicken out hahaha! But heights dont bother me and i am not sure but i think they dont put you in the water, your feet just touch the sea.
It is my hubby that is more interested in the Jet Ski's and water sports.

Just one more question, im sorry!

1)I want to take my hairstraightners, hairdryer and Hot brush... and i was wondering if they will work cus GHD's are high volts and im not sure if it will work. Should i bring a adaptor? What kind do you suggest?
Are the plug sockets 2 points or 3 points like the UK??

2) Should i bring a hairdryer or is there a hairdryer provided in our rooms?

Thanks sooo much

No probs bout the questions - you know what it's like when you get back, you just want to talk about it and I think I've bored everybody at work about it now!
There are 4 hammocks by the Nizuc pool (near the steps to the beach) so you can try them out still!
The speedboat bit is fab (my bf drove ours and loved it), I HATED the snorkelling bit, i've never used a snorkel mask or snorkel before and felt like I couldnt breathe and was gagging on the snorkel. you get a life jacket to wear all the time (including on the speedboat) and flippers to wear in the sea - but I felt like I couldnt swim properly with them on and I'm a good swimmer. I ended up getting all upset like a big baby which then upset my son too! Boyfriend loved it though and apparently the fish were great - I spent the whole time with my mask and snorkel on top of my head sort of swimming, convinced sharks were about to eat me!!! The speedboats drive right past the Moon Palace though and it's good to see the hotel from the sea. One woman did stay on the speedboats while the others snorkelled and I soooo wish I'd done that too!
Hairdryers are provided, they're not the best ever but mine did the job, they're a bit like travel hairdryers. I took my straighteners (sadly not Ghds ha ha) and they worked ok too, you'll need an adaptor - the plugs are 2 pin ones
Anything else you think of it's not a problem!
vikki

Thanks again Vikki for your helpful advice
Staying on the speedboat is a good idea, i think i might just do that hehe!

Im glad that the rooms have hair dryers provided, i wont bother packing mine.. i just hope my GHD's will work cus i know they are powerful, if not it might be worth me looking into buying a adapter or perhaps buying some less powerful straightners.

Thanks for your help again x

Well you'll defo need an adaptor anyway. Mine worked fine but dont know why I bothered cos with the heat and humidity and it was quite windy when we were there, by the time I'd got two steps out of our room my hair was a right mess!

No probs, any time! x

Hi Sarah,

I have just joined this forum after reading this thread!

I am also booked to go to the Moon Palace in April next year and I am so excited already! My Partner and I are getting married out there, and we have about 6 other family members/friends travelling with us. We booked back in November and I just can't wait!! When are you going? We are booked 01/04/10 - 16/04/10.

Are you booked through a tour operator? We are going with Thomson. If you have a look at the Palace Resorts website you can see the free tours that you can do. Also the Thomson website shows some of the excursions that are available and the price.

I'm thinking I might start stocking up on some holiday clothes too!!

Kate

Hi Kate, hope somebody corrects me if I'm wrong but I believe the free tours are only available to American guests. It may be different if you're getting married there though
It's a fab hotel though
Vikki