Cancun: Villa Del Palmar Resort Review

Last month I attended an (in)courage writers retreat in Cancun at the Villa Del Palmar, an all-inclusive resort about 45 minutes from the Cancun airport.

This trip marked a lot of firsts for me including my first time flying by myself internationally, my first visit to Cancun and my first stay at an all-inclusive resort! I was grateful to (in)courage for arranging the trip and covering part of our stay and travel expenses. They really believe in the importance of quality time as a group of writers and to have a retreat at such a beautiful resort was an incredible gift. (I’ve been going on these writer trips since 2010, and they are always a highlight of my year.)

If you are considering visiting Cancun, I would absolutely recommend the Villa Del Palmar for the following reasons.

Service

First and foremost the service at the resort is impeccable. Villa Del Palmar is very well-staffed and everyone is polite and dedicated to serving hotel guests.

Pools: The five salt water pools at the hotel are wonderful – clean, comfortable (lots of seating around the interior edges) and numerous.

Visiting in August meant the hotel was not crowded and there was plenty of room to enjoy the water. The infinity pool is only available to certain guests, but early one morning I slipped it and spent an hour in it. It was definitely my favorite pool at the resort. It was glorious. 🙂

Beach

The Villa Del Palmar has its own private beach, with plenty of chairs and beach beds. One of our days there, our group spent nearly the entire day at the beach and it was perfection.

The beach was also the perfect setting for taking lots of pictures.

Food

The food is excellent. The hotel has four restaurants, and over the course of our stay there, we ate at them all. I especially loved the steak restaurant, Zama. I also ate my weight in chips and guac poolside. So fresh and delicious.

Activities

The resort offers a plethora of activities to enjoy each day.

One morning we did yoga on the pier.

Another afternoon, I mustered up all my bravery and parasailed. Thankfully Lisa Leonard and Jennifer Dukes Lee were there to encourage me every foot into the air!

The resort also offered paddle boards and kayaks. These were a great option for getting out on the water and it was so fun. Yes, we got into the kayak backwards, but we corrected ourselves shortly after this photo.

The Villa del Palmar offered everything from water aerobics to beach soccer to cooking classes. Every day had different offerings, and most of the activities were free. (We paid $65 for parasailing and it was worth every penny.)

Spa

The Villa Del Palmar has an incredible spa, with a ride range of services. I had a deep tissue massage and was so impressed by the experience, which included cucumber water, a hot compress on my shoulders before my massage, a eucalyptus steam room and various hot tubs to enjoy. I try to get massages as often as possible when I travel, and this was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

Price

The hotel was very affordable, with rooms starting at less than $200 a night. Obviously, pricing varies depending on season and availability, but being that this included food, I was shocked by the price.

So if you are looking to vacation in Cancun, definitely check out the Villa Del Palmar. It’s a fantastic, affordable hotel with enough amenities that you won’t want to leave.

Note: This post was not sponsored. I simply enjoyed my trip so much that I wanted to share the experience and this resort with y’all!