We stayed at palladium on the resort side. We booked an ocean
view room(yes they do cost more).This was our fifth time at this
resort so we basically new what to expect. When we arrived there
was a beautiful fruit basket and letter thanking us choosing
Palladium. I guess they do recognize past guests!

The beach: This is one of the things we love as you can walk for
miles it seems with no other resorts on either side. It is also very
safe at nigh as it is so isolated. checked out the beach on the
other side not so nice! If you are staying on the suites side you
would have to use the resort beach.

The food: Yes it is resort type food which in my opinion all
pretty much the same.We did book the bbq and the mexican
for our a la cartes and they were all very good. One thing they
should change is the coffee service in the buffet. You end up
waiting for ever sometimes for them to bring you coffee it
should be available at the breakfast bar oh well not a big
deal I guess. The snack bar in the sports bar does make
the best pizza! He will even make to order for you.

The room: We had a fabulous room on the top floor in building
1 overlooking the ocean. It was amazing going to sleep with
the waves crashing and waking up with them as well. The
rooms themselves are not huge but have all the amenities.
I guess the balconies could be a little bigger though.

Day trips: we did not do any of the excursions as we prefer to
just get out and see some of the other small towns. We went
to Yelapa one day by water taxi I think it cost about $22.00 per
person return. Great day I highly recommend going there for
the day. We also did Bucerias a couple of times.One night
a bunch of us went in by bus to watch the hockey game. We
pretty much took the bus everywhere not because we are cheap
but because we love the adventure! Sayulita by far is one of
the most beautiful towns to visit. Very clean as compared
to say Bucerias and lots of great waves. We went into PV
one day and ate lunch at Que Pasa. Lots of ex pats to chat
with as well as really great food.

The resort: We did notice that it is showing its age a bit. Not a
big problem but there are definetly some improvements that
could be made. Lots of beach chairs though as the resort was
not overly crowded. We did not go to any of the pools as we
prefer to hang by the ocean.

All in all we had a really great time. I believe that your vacation
is what you make of it. The weather was great all though we
did find that it cooled off a bit at night so make sure that you
bring a hoodie or light sweater. We would absolutely go back
again!

The Good:
The suites were spacious, clean and comfortable. Five stars.
( I understand that the rooms in the other part of the hotel left much to be desired.)
The pool area (where we spent many hours in our two week stay)was clean, quiet and the bar service very friendly. Five stars.
The private restaurant although a limited menu provided very good food. Four stars.
The entertainment was very good. Four stars.
The grounds (which included a small zoo) was well kept. Four stars.
The beach barbeque a la carte was enjoyable. Four stars.

The Bad
Although the service and spanish coffee in the Mexican a la carte was very good the food was not especially good. Three stars
The service in the Oriental a la carte was good, the appetizer good the main course not so good. Both my wife and I fely ill after. Two stars.

The Ugly
Each evening as my wife and I strolled across the bridge to go to dinner the unmistakable smell of sewage spoiled both our appetite and the ambience of the beautiful grounds.
The food in the buffet was apalling. I am not a fussy eater. I was raised to eat and enjoy what has been prepared. I have never encountered such bad food in all our years of travelling. Some of the meat dishes were so tough you simply couldn't chew it...not that you would want to it tasted so bad. The vegetables were overcooked ,mushy and terrible tasting. Some of the other dishes were disgusting looking and tasted as bad as they looked. I stress again I am not a picky eater. Last year for example we were at the Mayan and the food at the buffet was phenomenal. It was fresh and tasteful and the presentation was inviting..yet I did hear some picky eaters complaining about that. I shudder to think what they would say were they to sample the buffet here.

In closing, improve the quality and presentation of the food considerably. Improve the rooms in the main part of the resort and do something about the sewer smell.

We would not stay here again nor would I recommend it to anyone.

We arrived on Sunday, February 17th-what a beautiful resort as you drive in! Unfortunately we forgot our travel voucher in the taxi and he had left before we noticed the mistake. Luckily Mabel was working the front desk-luckily she let us check with although we had to guarantee the reservation with a credit card. We were able to receive another travel voucher via email the next morning. There were 2 computers in the lobby of the suites for great internet access 24 hours a day! Mabel and Fredrico at the front desk were GREAT!!!

The grounds were beautiful and quite large to explore. Walkways are very well lit at night and it is easy after a little exploring to find your way around. A word of caution-when they are watering the walkways can be slick so be careful.

The buffets were average-if you hit them at busy times some foods would run out but there was always something to eat. The other restaurants were good and it was very nice having the Punta Mita to the suites only. It was less crazy than others.


As far as reservations for the other restaurants-we made ours for the whole week on Monday and didn't have any problems. Some people told us they couldn't get in to certain restaurants esp. Viva Mexico. At the last all-inclusive we had to make reservations each day so we enjoyed only having to book once. The beach barbecue was good-the atmosphere was great! Portofino's was our favorite. Another hint-at Bambu's there were men with shorts on so the next night my husband wore very nice shorts and a polo to dinner at Viva Mexico and he had to go change into pants so a little inconsistent.

The workout room was nice-but they need to be a little more careful with music selection. One day the music was repulsive (and I am not a prude). The funny thing is I don't even know if the attendant could understand the english words.

The spa was great-we had massages two of the days next to suites pool and beach. I also had Maxi put on acrylic nails-she did a good job. They offer a lot of services and making appointments was never a problem. Prices are about what you would pay in the US.

The pools were all nice-the adult pool got pretty crowded in the afternoon and evening-the main pool was quite cool but nice for aqua aerobics which I did one day. We mainly hung out at the royal pool which was just for the suites guest. It was nice and they have the Punta Mita bar and bar waiter Ricardo was GREAT!

Sunsets are amazing-we got beautiful pictures which I will post later. There are lookout places where you can take wonderful pictures.

We took the bus to PV one day for shopping and sight-seeing. It was not too bad and alot cheaper then cabs. The shop at the resort is nice but a little pricey.


Our room was very nice and quiet. The water from the faucet in the bathroom is not drinkable which we did not know so you have to use bottled water to brush your teeth-not a big deal.

All and all it was great resort-very relaxing. It was a ways from town which was a plus for us but wouldn't be for everyone. There were lots of excursions offered although we chose not to take any this time.

To those that do not want a secluded resort, this is not for you. Palladium is about a 45 minute drive from the airport and the closest shops are at the Buceria which sell a little of everything.
We booked the vacation for the superior room but decided we would upgrade to the Royal Suites as this would ensure 18+ and a much quieter atmosphere. It took several efforts to have the front desk at the main lobby to understand we wanted to upgrade rooms, and all the front reception seemed to be in cranky moods Once the proper paperwork was completed we had to bring that over to the Royal Receptionist who took a very long time to provide us with the room key and any information we needed. I felt sorry for the bellboy as going to the 4th floor with no elevator was quite a task with the baggage and you could see him out of breath.
Once there I must say that the beach is barely a beach, it is completely filled with rock, very short and a lot of sea weed laying around. We knew that the water would not be pristine (if you want a better beach go to cancun for sure). Of all the days there only one had the flags showing the water to be swimable, that it was not too rough.
The food near the pool had its assortment of finger foods and the nachos were quite good as well as the cheeseburgers. We had tried all the restaurants as well as the buffet numerous times. The buffet has mainly the same food over and over, waiting for custom eggs or omelet would be about a 30 min wait so this was never an option for me. The service in all the restaurants was amazing, very friendly and fast. The waiters were the ones that made the food seem so much better.
Of the 3 restaurants and the Beach bbq, the beach bbq was great and the Mango Vallarta drink was awesome! We kept ordering them later on :)
Bamboo was an oriental themed restaurant with great atmosphere and food. The Mexican restaurant which I believe was Viva Mexico was great too, but the Italian one fell completely short. The food although presented beautifully tasted horrible and I would recommend going to all the other restaurants then this one.
The Royal rooms are nice, maid service is great, the main complaints are that the walls are very thin so hopefully you do not get anyone extremely loud next door. The jacuzzi tub took forever to fill and drain, as well it is recommended to check it as it probably has not been run or cleaned in some time and will have dirty jets.
Overall the trip was a success with nothing but sunshine and great drinks. In all honesty I probably would not go back to the hotel nor Puerto Vallarta as Cancun has a lot more to offer in terms of everything. I would say that the people were nicer in Puerto Vallarta, and the Sierra Madre tour with Tom was brilliant.
If the price is right and you just want to soak up some sun, this is the place for you, otherwise I would suggest going to one on the strip or better yet Cancun.