Resort Details
Customer ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
7536 reviews
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Apr 01, 2025Lugar incrível
Ótimo lugar!!! Todos muito educados.... tem muita comida boa, muitos drinks, paisagens perfeitas.... muito limpo, glória, Guadalupe, jordi, Gabriel são excelentes profissionais, mos adoramos a experiência, por isso vamos voltar em breve.
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Apr 01, 2025Grand Palladium White Sands – Come for the Beach, Stay for the Disappointment
Our family of five spent a week at Grand Palladium White Sands in March 2024. We came in with reasonable expectations — we weren’t expecting the Ritz. But we *were* expecting a functioning beach, drinkable drinks, and not to be chased down a hallway for rejecting a timeshare pitch. Silly us. The Highlights (yes, there were a few): Pools: Big, fun, and full of floaties and frozen drinks that *looked* like they had alcohol in them. White Sands had plenty of loungers; Colonial? You better wake up at sunrise and bring a towel and a dream. Obstacle Course: Inflatable pool course for kids — costs extra, of course — but they loved it. Sports Complex: Legit impressive. Tennis, soccer, pickleball, mini-golf — something for everyone. Breakfast Buffets: Genuinely good. Omelet stations, smoothies, fresh options. You just had to beat the crowds. Hibachi Night: The one dinner we *actually* enjoyed. Book it early and protect that reservation like it’s your passport. The Beach: You know that sparkling turquoise water in the brochures? That’s not this beach. It was more like “nature’s compost heap.” Daily waves of sargassum rolled in, and the resort’s beach strategy was essentially: *do nothing and pray no one asks questions.* No cleanup. No barriers. Just seaweed soup as far as the eye could see. You could sit *near* the water, sure — but if you tried to swim, you'd be mistaken for kelp. The Service (aka “You're on your own”): We were greeted warmly, then immediately bait-and-switched into a 2-hour vacation club pitch disguised as “finishing check-in.” When we got up to leave, the concierge *literally chased us down the hallway*, telling us she’d be fined $200 if we left. So yeah… good vibes all around. General service was just as painful. Most of the staff seemed like they were halfway through quitting. Communication was a challenge — many guest-facing employees spoke little English, which made everything from ordering wine to asking about shuttle stops a full-on group activity. Dining Reservations: Survival of the Fastest You can't book dinner until you check in — and by then, it’s already booked solid. If you have multiple rooms (we did), the app doesn’t work. So you line up at the concierge desk at 7:45am, hoping today’s the day you win the "which restaurant still has tables" lottery. By day four, I was lining up like it was Black Friday and they were handing out TVs. Buffets: Your options: 1) eat early or 2) scavenge like it’s the apocalypse. The White Sands buffet at 9:30pm was a post-party wasteland: broken plates on the floor, sad heat lamps, and mystery meat that had seen better days. Colonial’s buffet was better — if you got there at opening time and didn’t mind battling for crepes. Lunch Strategy (or: why we walked 10 miles a day): White Sands has no outdoor lunch spot. Want a decent lunch? Walk 20 minutes each way to Colonial’s beach restaurant, eat, walk back. You’ve now sacrificed 90 minutes of sunshine for a grilled cheese. Who planned this? Spa (or lack thereof): Booked an 80-minute massage with my “thanks-for-enduring-a-sales-pitch” credit. No robe, no locker, no explanation. Got led straight to the room in my street clothes after a 60 second stop to look at a relaxation room. Therapist used a *Kleenex* to cover my eyes. Massage lasted maybe 60 minutes, tops. I walked out more tense than when I walked in. Drinks (aka Juice with a Twist of Lies): I had ten drinks my first day. TEN. I felt nothing. I’m a known lightweight — a single martini should have me texting song lyrics. But here? Nada. Even when I asked for extra shots, I got Disney-level cocktails. On our last night we found Churchill’s in the Kantenah lobby, where the drinks actually worked. Took six days and thousands of empty calories to find it. Final Verdict: If you’re into bait-and-switch check-ins, margaritas that taste like Capri Sun, and planning your meals like you're coordinating a military operation, this might be your paradise. But if you're expecting a usable beach, basic hospitality, or a buzz after five drinks, look elsewhere. We laughed, we cried (mostly laughed), and we won’t be coming back.
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Mar 31, 2025
Best Trip Ever
One of the best all-inclusive resorts in Riviera Maya. The specialty restaurants are amazing and tbh you could eat at the buffets every meal they are so good. The amenities and the staff are top notch. The onsite dive shop’s snorkeling and scuba dives are experiences we will never forget. This was our 2nd stay and we will definitely go a third time.
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Mar 31, 2025Spring Break Trip 2025
Overall, we were moderately satisfied with this location. The staff was not as friendly and helpful as we would have expected especially since we were there under a VIP PTC Membership. The only high level service we received was at the Members Pool and Members lounges. Our room was subpar, it needed a good amount of maintenance and did not look like it had been cleaned very thoroughly upon arrival, the safe was also coming unbolted from the wall and could have easily been ripped out. The toilet in our room had a lot of trouble flushing properly. The room cleanliness started to improve as we began to leave a tip each day. We did forget one day to leave a housekeeping tip and there was a noticeable decline in the cleaning and service. Make sure you tip if you want your room to be cleaned.
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Mar 31, 2025
Mr&mrs hoedel
Had a great time. Resort was clean and big with tons of things to explore. Food was great and palladium staff was a pleasure to work with