Oasis Palm

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 show present.