The Grand, Moon Palace, Cancun, Mexico

The Grand lobby was haute and glittery, full of marble, glass, and modern furniture. We weren’t quite to the front desk when staff greeted us with sanitized towels to wipe our hands, offered us chilled water with a splash of passion fruit, strawberries, and cucumbers, and then brought us beverages from the bar. We were taken by shuttle to our building and given a short tour of the room and it’s workings. 

The Grand Lobby, Moon Palace, Cancun, MX

The beds were luxuriously comfortable, sitting on shiny marble floors, two steps up from the jet tub and sliding doors to the balcony where the view offers a beautiful sunrise over palm trees. Later, after waking up from our first night’s sleep, my wife and I faced each other and asked, “Did you just have the best sleep you’ve had in months?”  

“Yep,” we both replied. 

The bar in the room was stocked with full bottles of tequila, rum, whiskey, and vodka. There was a bottle of Mondavi Cabernet, the small fridge had cans of Bud Light and Corona, and a snack drawer contained salty peanuts plus pods for morning Lavazza espresso. 

I mention these amenities because I want to paint a picture and offer a helpful review, but I also want to give readers a “feeling” about the places I visit, not necessarily lament over an inconveniently located ice machine. So, atmosphere, for me, is very important, and I felt The Grand had a relaxed, classy vibe. 

You don’t see a lot of people incessantly beating their phones with their thumbs at The Grand. It’s a different crowd, perhaps one that knows what matters most in life; enjoying time with family, unplugging for the sake of sanity (ok, maybe I’m giving them too much credit). However, you get the feeling these are seasoned travelers—people from all over the globe. You can walk through the lobby and hear Australian and English accents. You hear Portuguese from Portugal and other dialects from Brazil. Even many of the Americans here speak fluent Spanish. 

I had the feeling that many guests of The Grand were more affluent than average: wedding bands seemed to have a 2-karat minimum, men wore expensive watches; women, expensive everything. Middle-aged men with long hair and sunglasses walked with wives that looked like retired models. Their au pair travels with them, watching the toddlers climb over fancy furniture in the lobby bar. The lounge, by the way, has a blown-glass chandelier depicting Portuguese man o’ war floating through a current under the sea. It is enormous, vivid, and stunning.

It’s difficult to remember the last time I’ve seen a concentration of people this beautiful. A group of women walking around in see-through wraps and sun hats can barley conceal their toned bodies and sculpted faces—even at 50 years old. Young men with the chiseled torsos of a Calvin Klein shoot are hurriedly walking through the resort, shirtless, carrying small backpacks, riding bicycles, taking photographs. 

And then, there’s the smell of The Grand. The resort has its own patented fragrance, pungently floral and clean. It’s  sharpness cuts through the lobby like a censer stirring an ambrosial air: “You now dwell among the Gods.” Of course, the signature scent can be purchased. One whiff of this unique bouquet will transport you back to the lobby, or maybe to The Grand’s hidden speakeasy, The Library. 

The Library is redolent with the scent of The Grand, but once you become nose-blind, you focus more on the smart, prohibition-era decor; the delicious cocktails like the refreshingly tart Pisconac, or the lush espresso martini; the spicy peanuts soaked in brine, mixed with dry Chinese peppers (keep your water handy); and the mini pretzels. These will hold you until your next meal, which, at The Grand with its many eateries, might only be five minutes hence. (Check out my reel on Instagram, @foodranting , for a peek inside The Library:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/CNakW1wBTfk/?igshid=17hvp4h18lhwn )

Barbacoa, La Cantina Street Tacos, The Grand

Speaking of food, La Cantina Street Tacos is situated just next door to The Library. Inside, you’re immediately impressed by a rolling margarita mixing cart putting-out tequila-laden beverages like it’s 1999. Servers bring fresh guacamole, crisp blue corn chips, and whatever else is on the menu. Items here were hit-and-miss, but mostly good, and always fresh. Tlacoyos were rustic steak fritters, but the “ribeye” was a gamy dust that evaporated in the mouth. Slow-cooked lamb barbacoa was citrusy and warm, served in a small Dutch oven with a side of handmade corn tortillas—a woman makes them in the hallway just outside the entrance. Other items like the queso fundido were no frills—it’s a leaden bowl of melted cheese, topped with small, gamy bits of cured sausage: the regional version of chorizo. Hanger steak tacos were full of meat, savory with red salsa, lime, and a cool verde sauce which seemed to be on everything in the resort. The drinks were nice. The salsa is hot, if you ask for it. 

Beside being oceanfront property, The Grand boasts something like ten swimming pools scattered throughout the resort. None of them were crowded. We never had to fight for pool chaises or look for a server to bring bottled water and drinks. Poolside service was quick and easy. Foods were varied and menus differed at each pool. Our favorite stand was Los Tacos, which offered tacos from different regions of Mexico. 

La Trattoria, Moon Palace, Cancun, MX

There is also a waterpark with several slides, a lazy river, a giant dump bucket, a wave pool, and a kids club that my ten-year-old daughter didn’t want to vacate. The club is near the center of the waterpark, a wacky-looking edifice with an interior that’s straight off the set of Double Dare—brightly colored jungle gyms, plastic tubes, rope ladders, bumper cars, and arcade games. Kids can eat anytime they want. Parents can even come and play. 

La Trattoria is an Italian gem that sits on the golf course at Moon Palace Sunrise (hop on a golf cart and ride over). The interior is contemporary and sophisticated with long, tufted sofas in place of chairs. The meal comes in courses, with each being better than the last. There’s wine and more cocktails. The pasta dishes were al dente, the sauces were rich. The glazed beef with spinach was exceptional: tender and sweetened with a wine reduction. The slow-cooked lamb was also good with a crust of seared herbs, laced with carrot cream. The Milanese and arugula was fine. 

For a better look at the food, check out my Instagram @foodranting for several posts and reels of great food and atmosphere at The Grand! Start here and look around..... 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZzFgkBeOR/?igshid=1lkppbcot3q5u

Tavola’s Capellini Milano, The Grand, Moon Palace

What’s nice about La Trattoria, is that it’s part of the all-inclusive package; if you stay at The Grand, you have full access to Sunrise resort and Nizuc—both Moon Palace properties—as well as the Moon Palace in Playa de Carmen and downtown Cancun. We went to Playa de Carmen for the day, for example, and we ate lunch at the resort located there. We could have swam too, but we wanted to keep exploring. 

I could go on about The Grand’s other food like Habibi, the Lebanese restaurant with belly dancing, hookah, and Turkish coffee in sand; contemporary Asian restaurant, Jade, (which may have been my favorite spot) with saki, dumplings, and ramen bowls; the tomahawk ribeyes at JC Steakhouse; Tavola’s perfect pasta and pizza; or all the gelato and macaroons, but you get the idea: the options are huge and the experience is grand. 

I’m all about the food, so that’s what I tend to focus on, but the resort also offers a Jack Nicklaus golf course, a theater with nightly entertainment, a health spa, two night clubs, a bowling alley, fitness activities, a gamer lounge, and a concierge desk that can set-up guests with area tours like the ruins of Tulum, Xcaret, and Chichen-Itza. 

Crema di Parmigiano, La Trattoria, Moon Palace 

I realize a lot of people aren’t big on all-inclusives, opting instead for something more secluded, especially in this covid era, but my time at The Grand was one of the best vacations I’ve had in the last decade. It was a restful time at a relaxed pace, with plenty of sun and food. And the covid details were all handled with class; The Grand offered two free tests, on site, with immediate results and paperwork for the flight home. If there was a positive result, the resort offered free quarantining in one of their guest rooms for the next 14 days.