Grand Oasis Palm — Hotel in Cancún

DO NOT STAY HERE! This is NOT a 4-star resort. There was seven of us and we booked three rooms from 8/12/24 to 8/17/24 to celebrate my mother’s 60th birthday. This was my 4th time visiting Mexico and the absolute worse experience I’ve ever had. Everything is outdated and most of the food was absolutely horrible. Upon arrival, we checked in then decided to get food. The food was mostly inedible at the first buffet, so we went to the second one and didn’t like how the food looked. We ended up going to the pizza restaurant. There was bird poop on the table cloth and I asked our waiter for a clean one. There was a bit of a language barrier but I understood that he couldn’t accommodate my request which was completely outrageous to me. I just put a napkin over the bird poop, but I was not happy about it. A big ant fell from the tree above us into my mother’s drink. The waiter didn’t want to get her another drink until I put my foot down. None of us like the pizza but my sister and I thought the pesto pasta was okay. We upgraded at check-in, so had access to all 13 restaurants instead of 9. ||||We went to our rooms after leaving the restaurant. It was clear that my room was half-cleaned. The hot tub was disgustingly dirty. There was absolutely no way it had been cleaned. ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! I found hair on the bed and the sheets were stained. Some of the towels were stained, too, and the shower head was extremely rusted Furthermore, the lobby area is cool but the hallways are very hot and the AC in the rooms barely work. I called the front desk and requested for my room to be cleaned asap. I was tired after traveling, so decided to take a nap. A housekeeper arrived 2 hours later but my son and I were about to shower and head out, so she just cleaned the hot tub. My son went to take a shower but the shower didn’t work, so I had to call the front desk again. Someone came fairly quick this time. The guy fixed the shower and asked me to come in the bathroom to see. This man stepped in the bath tub with his shoes on! I asked him why he stepped in the bathtub with his dirty shoes on and he just smiled. Also, there was only one wash cloth in the bathroom. I called the front desk and asked for more but none were brought. Luckily, I packed an African net sponge for my son and I but we still needed wash cloths for our face and private area. After leaving the room, I stopped by the front desk and showed pictures of the hair and stains. I requested my room be cleaned before I arrived back and explained the wash cloth situation as well. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to go back to the second buffet because most of the restaurants require reservations and reservations can only be requested a day in advance via an app. Keep in mind, it’s only a request that may or may not be approved which was extremely inconvenient. Also, if you missed your reservation you had to pay a fee. The tacos at the second buffet were okay. My room was cleaned by the time I came back.||||By the next day, we still had no extra wash cloths. I called the front desk and was told that they must’ve ran out and that more would be brought later. I was floored that a 4-star resort would run out of wash cloths. I booked a reservation through the app for dinner that night. An employee responded and I thought the reservation was confirmed. My family and I left off the resort for the day. I checked my phone and saw that the reservation was cancelled. I messaged through the app, asking why. A different employee, identifying himself as Manuel, responded and stated that no one was staying in the room number I provided. I apologized for my mistake and provided the correct room number, asking. that the reservation be reconfirmed. The employee messaged “you dumb a$$ mother*cker.” I didn’t respond and started another message thread, explaining what happened. Another employee responded and asked that I stop at guest services once I arrived back at the resort. Once we arrived back, I met with Valentina, a resort supervisor. She was very apologetic and stated that it wasn’t Manuel, it was an employee names Andrea pretending to be him and that she was fired. Dinner reservations were booked for my family for the remainder of our stay. Reservations were also booked at Le Petit, a specialty restaurant not included in the price of the resort. It was an intimate setting with just my family. The experience and food were the only good part of our stay at this resort. Le Petit and Cocoa are the only restaurants on the resort worth eating at. My mother was also scheduled for a complimentary massage for her birthday. I went back to my room and three towels had been left but still no wash cloths. I stopped by guest services later that evening and explained the wash cloth situation again. Finally, three wash cloths were brought to my room. It’s unacceptable that it took me going to guest services to finally get wash cloths. On Wednesday, I was stopped in the lobby by a guest service rep and told Valentina wanted to see me. She came out with a document outlining the free services my family would be receiving. She stated the total price would be deducted from the terminated employee’s severance package. I took a picture of the document then signed. On Friday, we decided to stay at the resort as it was our last day in Mexico. We booked two canopy beds on the beach. The sheet on one of the beds had a stain. I asked the employee attending us for a new sheet and of course my request couldn’t be accommodated, so I placed a towel over the stain. ||||We booked roundtrip shuttle service to and from the resort with Amstar. We were told to see the Amstar rep at the resort to schedule our pickup. My sister and cousin stopped at the rep’s desk at least 6 times but the person was never there. The desk was completely empty, no telephone number or directions were left explaining how to schedule pickup. A resort employee said they hadn’t seen the Amstar rep in 2 days, so I stopped by guest services again to schedule our pickup. We never did use the hot tub because there was some disgusting liquid oozing out of the hydro jets. Also, there are only three elevators on the entire resort and one stopped working on the second day of our stay. One of the working elevators had a weight limit, so the lines to get on the elevators were long. ||||On Saturday, we went to check-out at 3:30a.m. as our pickup was scheduled for 3:55a.m. The front desk employee said there was a balance on my mother’s room for the massage. I explained what happened and showed a picture of the document but she still wouldn’t check us out. She said she needed to verify with a supervisor. I told her to call Valentina but she refused and said it was too early to call her. The shuttle had arrived and I told her we had to leave or we could miss our flight. She went outside and told the driver we couldn’t leave yet. The security guard was hovering over us like we were criminals. I asked him why he was watching us and he started stretching like he was preparing for a fight. Finally, an onsite supervisor came over and told the front desk employee to print the picture of the document and had me sign it. In hindsight, I should’ve signed the document before I took the picture but honestly, I don’t think it would’ve made a difference. Either way, Valentina should’ve made sure the charge for the massage was cleared. What happened was completely on the resort. I WILL NEVER STAY AT THIS RESORT AGAIN! THE EXPERINCE WAS AWFUL FROM CHECK-IN TO CHECK-OUT! I couldn’t wait to leave and took a long shower when I got home. After unpacking, I noticed the tiger head that I bought for my son was missing. It was in our hotel room; I remember telling my son not to open it as the store owner had packaged it nicely in newspaper for our journey home. Before leaving the resort, I did a walkthrough like I always do before checking out of a hotel/resort and verified nothing was left behind. The housekeeper threw it out or stole it! That’s the only plausible explanation. There is no way it could’ve been mistaken for trash; it was...

Where do I even begin with this disaster of a vacation? As first-time visitors to an all-inclusive resort with our children, we expected relaxation, convenience, and quality service. Instead, we encountered disappointed, frustration, and outright unsanitary conditions. ||Arrival & Check-In: A Chaotic Start|After a long day of travel, we arrived in the afternoon exhausted, with hungry and thirsty kids. Unlike other resorts we’ve visited—where guests are welcomed with refreshing drinks and light snacks—there was nothing. No hospitality, no consideration for weary. ||Check-in took over an hour, despite the resort repeatedly confirming our arrival time in advance. Even worse, our room still wasn’t ready. We were directed to Dos Lunas, the only open restaurant an outside setting in the heat for guest coming from NJ dressed in long sleeves and pants. The pizzas was dry, sauce less, and were out of pepperoni—unacceptable for a resort that markets itself as all-inclusive a 4.5 star rating. How does a resort run out of basic ingredients by noon? ||The Room: Musty, Noisy, and Unbearably Hot |When we finally got to our room, the overpowering smell of mildew hit us immediately. The air conditioning was an ancient relic—loud as a jet engine yet barely functional. Even at full blast, the room never cooled down. Sleeping was miserable; we spent the week sweating, with no fan or relief in sight. The emergency exit door on the side of our building directly next to our room was kept ajar the entire time, night and day for unknown reason which could have impacted our air conditioning?||Dining Disaster: Limited Options & Poor Quality|• Restaurant Reservations (Or Lack Thereof) |No one informed us that reservations for the better restaurants required a special appt. By the time we figured it out, slots were booked for better dinning. Why isn’t this communicated upfront or weeks prior to arrival? ||• The Buffet: Repetitive & Underwhelming|Breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered the same bland selection: endless rice, beans, and dry tamales geared toward their own culture. It seemed a little strange with limited Americans at the resort for the entire week we were visiting. If you didn’t arrive early, food ran out, and replacements took forever. Worse yet, much of the food was undercooked—risking food borne illness. ||No Room Service When Sick |When our entire family fell ill (likely from the food), we were not allowed to bring meals to our room. After pleading, the buffet staff reluctantly agreed for two nights only. Even getting plain pizza for our sick children was a battle—staff insisted food must be eaten at the table, showing zero flexibility or compassion. ||Pool & Beach: Understaffed & Unsanitary |• Drink Service: One Bartender, Long Lines |• A single bartender served the entire pool area, creating absurd wait times. The plastic cups were reused after a quick water rinse—no soap, no scrubbing. Disgusting…|• We saw the staff collecting plastic cups across the resort, garbage on the grounds and beach even inside the bushes and left for days||Weak, Cheap Liquor |The drinks were so watered down and tasteless. Instead, we suffered stomach issues—likely from poor hygiene and low-quality alcohol and or food. ||Beach Chair Chaos |Guests reserved chairs at dawn and left them unattended all day taking the palapas the only areas of shade, while staff did nothing. Meanwhile, actual guests had nowhere to sit. All day every day solicitors selling excretions would flock families trying to book out their week. The only positive note was the jewelry sales that allowed us to buy souvenirs avoiding us to leave the premises. We did ask for market place to shop and were we were directed to a shady area that made us feel unsafe and return back to our hotel in a hurry unsure of the risks during this encounter at “Their Market 28,” yikes run!!!||Public Urination Incident |The most shocking moment? A man urinating near the beach rinse shower—in full view of security and bartenders. No one intervened. We avoided that area for the rest of the trip. ||Shady Pricing & Discrimination |• Bait-and-Switch Pricing |• In the resort stores, items were priced differently depending on currency. When paying in dollars, the cost mysteriously increased—an obvious scam. ||Aggressive Timeshare Pitch |Staff pressured a 90-minute sales presentation, thankfully we were too ill to attend. Hard pass. ||Final Verdict: A Waste of Money|As Interval International members, we’re appalled this resort is part of their exchange program. For the high fees we paid, we expected far better. Instead, we endured: |- Filthy conditions (mildew, reused cups, public urination) |- Terrible food (repetitive, undercooked, limited options) |- Horrible service (understaffed, unaccommodating, discriminatory) |- Unbearable room conditions (broken A/C, no ventilation) ||This resort should be removed from Interval International’s listings; otherwise should be advertised appropriately with maybe a 1 star rating. We could have stayed somewhere else far better for the same price or less without a forced all horrible all inclusive meal plan with poor quality food that makes travelers ill. The “Explore” excursion was the best and only positive experience we had while visiting Cancun, the buffet was a delight and worth us spending the day away from this horrendous resort. Avoid this resort at all costs. ||Would We Return? |Absolutely not. Save your money—and your stomach—by choosing a different resort. Total shame and worst vacation of our life. Stick to Aruba or Bahamas where you won’t be disappointed. Representatives from Interval International should be required to take a trip to these resorts themselves, even if just for a few days an anonymous visit without them knowing they are being evaluated to see firsthand this dog and pony...

Where do I even begin with this disaster of a vacation? As first-time visitors to an all-inclusive resort with our children, we expected relaxation, convenience, and quality service. Instead, we encountered disappointed, frustration, and outright unsanitary conditions. ||Arrival & Check-In: A Chaotic Start|After a long day of travel, we arrived in the afternoon exhausted, with hungry and thirsty kids. Unlike other resorts we’ve visited—where guests are welcomed with refreshing drinks and light snacks—there was nothing. No hospitality, no consideration for weary. ||Check-in took over an hour, despite the resort repeatedly confirming our arrival time in advance. Even worse, our room still wasn’t ready. We were directed to Dos Lunas, the only open restaurant an outside setting in the heat for guest coming from NJ dressed in long sleeves and pants. The pizzas was dry, sauce less, and were out of pepperoni—unacceptable for a resort that markets itself as all-inclusive a 4.5 star rating. How does a resort run out of basic ingredients by noon? ||The Room: Musty, Noisy, and Unbearably Hot |When we finally got to our room, the overpowering smell of mildew hit us immediately. The air conditioning was an ancient relic—loud as a jet engine yet barely functional. Even at full blast, the room never cooled down. Sleeping was miserable; we spent the week sweating, with no fan or relief in sight. The emergency exit door on the side of our building directly next to our room was kept ajar the entire time, night and day for unknown reason which could have impacted our air conditioning?||Dining Disaster: Limited Options & Poor Quality|• Restaurant Reservations (Or Lack Thereof) |No one informed us that reservations for the better restaurants required a special appt. By the time we figured it out, slots were booked for better dinning. Why isn’t this communicated upfront or weeks prior to arrival? ||• The Buffet: Repetitive & Underwhelming|Breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered the same bland selection: endless rice, beans, and dry tamales geared toward their own culture. It seemed a little strange with limited Americans at the resort for the entire week we were visiting. If you didn’t arrive early, food ran out, and replacements took forever. Worse yet, much of the food was undercooked—risking food borne illness. ||No Room Service When Sick |When our entire family fell ill (likely from the food), we were not allowed to bring meals to our room. After pleading, the buffet staff reluctantly agreed for two nights only. Even getting plain pizza for our sick children was a battle—staff insisted food must be eaten at the table, showing zero flexibility or compassion. ||Pool & Beach: Understaffed & Unsanitary |• Drink Service: One Bartender, Long Lines |• A single bartender served the entire pool area, creating absurd wait times. The plastic cups were reused after a quick water rinse—no soap, no scrubbing. Disgusting…|• We saw the staff collecting plastic cups across the resort, garbage on the grounds and beach even inside the bushes and left for days||Weak, Cheap Liquor |The drinks were so watered down and tasteless. Instead, we suffered stomach issues—likely from poor hygiene and low-quality alcohol and or food. ||Beach Chair Chaos |Guests reserved chairs at dawn and left them unattended all day taking the palapas the only areas of shade, while staff did nothing. Meanwhile, actual guests had nowhere to sit. All day every day solicitors selling excretions would flock families trying to book out their week. The only positive note was the jewelry sales that allowed us to buy souvenirs avoiding us to leave the premises. We did ask for market place to shop and were we were directed to a shady area that made us feel unsafe and return back to our hotel in a hurry unsure of the risks during this encounter at “Their Market 28,” yikes run!!!||Public Urination Incident |The most shocking moment? A man urinating near the beach rinse shower—in full view of security and bartenders. No one intervened. We avoided that area for the rest of the trip. ||Shady Pricing & Discrimination |• Bait-and-Switch Pricing |• In the resort stores, items were priced differently depending on currency. When paying in dollars, the cost mysteriously increased—an obvious scam. ||Aggressive Timeshare Pitch |Staff pressured a 90-minute sales presentation, thankfully we were too ill to attend. Hard pass. ||Final Verdict: A Waste of Money|As Interval International members, we’re appalled this resort is part of their exchange program. For the high fees we paid, we expected far better. Instead, we endured: |- Filthy conditions (mildew, reused cups, public urination) |- Terrible food (repetitive, undercooked, limited options) |- Horrible service (understaffed, unaccommodating, discriminatory) |- Unbearable room conditions (broken A/C, no ventilation) ||This resort should be removed from Interval International’s listings; otherwise should be advertised appropriately with maybe a 1 star rating. We could have stayed somewhere else far better for the same price or less without a forced all horrible all inclusive meal plan with poor quality food that makes travelers ill. The “Explore” excursion was the best and only positive experience we had while visiting Cancun, the buffet was a delight and worth us spending the day away from this horrendous resort. Avoid this resort at all costs. ||Would We Return? |Absolutely not. Save your money—and your stomach—by choosing a different resort. Total shame and worst vacation of our life. Stick to Aruba or Bahamas where you won’t be disappointed. Representatives from Interval International should be required to take a trip to these resorts themselves, even if just for a few days an anonymous visit without them knowing they are being evaluated to see firsthand this dog and pony...