Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa
Grand Palladium Colonial is the family-tier entry point to Palladium's enormous Riviera Maya campus at Kantenah, and the most important thing to understand about it in 2026 is what your wristband now opens. On January 1, 2026, Palladium relaunched the neighbouring Grand Palladium White Sand as Grand Palladium Select White Sand, a premium tier, after a reported $6 million investment. The old 'five resorts in one' arrangement went with it. Palladium's own guest FAQ now states plainly that Colonial guests may access Grand Palladium Kantenah's restaurants, bars and swimming pools, and the resort describes your booking as covering the facilities of two Grand Palladium hotels, not five. Select White Sand, Family Selection at Kantenah and the adults-only TRS Yucatan are out, and the access runs one way: Select White Sand guests can still walk into Colonial and Kantenah.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Colonial and Grand Palladium Kantenah still work as one shared campus. Palladium's own guest FAQ confirms Colonial guests may use Kantenah's restaurants, bars and swimming pools, so you are walking a two-hotel property rather than a single block
- +Eight restaurants across the two hotels and not one of them requires a reservation: La Hacienda, Tikal and El Gran Azul for buffets, El Dorado for steak, Ribs & More for ribs, La Adelita for Mexican, Sumptuori for Japanese and La Lola for Spanish, with the a la cartes serving 5:30pm to 10:30pm
- +The kids programming is the strongest reason to book here. Baby Club takes children from one to three with a play area and cribs, Mini Club runs four to twelve with group games, nature tours and themed meals, and the Black & White Junior Club gives teens pool tables, Xbox, computers and a chill-out room with karaoke and card nights
- +A genuinely long list of included sport: soccer, tennis, padel, basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball, badminton, table tennis, pickleball, kayaking and snorkelling, with scuba diving and bowling available at extra cost
- +El Secreto is a dedicated adults-only pool with its own bar, which is a rare thing to find on a resort this family-heavy, and the Xtra Time sports bar runs 24 hours
- +Southern Riviera Maya location near Kantenah puts you closer to the Tulum ruins, Coba and the cenote routes than anything in the Cancun hotel zone, which is the trade you are making for the longer airport transfer
- +Set up properly for groups and weddings, with a business centre and eight meeting rooms, the Weddings by Palladium programme and enough room configurations to put a thirty to fifty person wedding party in one place
Cons
- −The complex went tiered on January 1, 2026, and Colonial sits on the lower rung. Palladium relaunched the former Grand Palladium White Sand as Grand Palladium Select White Sand after a reported $6 million investment, and Colonial and Kantenah guests do not get access to it, to Family Selection at Kantenah, or to the adults-only TRS Yucatan
- −That change runs one way and it stings. Select White Sand guests may use Colonial and Kantenah freely, while Colonial guests cannot cross the other direction, so you will watch people walk into facilities your wristband does not open
- −Food quality is the complaint that dominates every discussion of Colonial specifically, with the buffets drawing the harshest language, and the better dining in the complex now sits behind the tier wall rather than a short walk away
- −The rooms are the oldest part of the property and the money went next door. The 2025 to 2026 investment was spent relaunching White Sand as a Select hotel, not refreshing Colonial, and guests continue to describe a resort overdue for a room renovation
- −Roughly an hour from Cancun airport, which is a long last leg with small children after a transatlantic or cross-country flight, and the resort is big enough that you will walk a lot once you arrive
- −Imported-brand spirits are not part of the all-inclusive, the Zentropia Palladium Spa and its hydrotherapy pools are an extra charge, and the airport shuttle costs extra unless you are a Palladium Rewards member on a qualifying package
- −CHIC Cabaret & Restaurant carries both an entry fee and a reservation fee, so the one dining experience most guests want to talk about is not actually included
- −Long check-in queues on arrival day are a recurring complaint, and with a complex this size there is no quick fix if you land with the afternoon wave
What you do get is still large. Eight restaurants across Colonial and Kantenah, none of which require a reservation, covering three buffets, two steak and ribs venues, Mexican at La Adelita, Japanese at Sumptuori and Spanish at La Lola, plus a swim-up bar, an adults-only pool called El Secreto with its own bar, two lobby bars and a 24-hour sports bar. Freshwater pools for all ages, direct beach access, a gym, nightly theatre shows, and an included sports programme that stretches to padel and pickleball alongside the usual tennis, volleyball and kayaking. The Zentropia Palladium Spa and its hydrotherapy pools cost extra, as do scuba diving, bowling and the CHIC Cabaret dinner show. Food quality is where the complaints concentrate, the buffets most of all, and the rooms are the oldest element of a property whose recent investment went to the hotel next door rather than to Colonial itself.
This is a resort for families with children roughly between one and seventeen who want pools, beach and supervised kids programming at the complex's lowest price, and who are planning cenote, Tulum and Coba day trips from a southern Riviera Maya base about an hour from Cancun airport. The children's offering is genuinely good across three age bands: Baby Club from one to three, Mini Club from four to twelve, and the Black & White Junior Club for teens. It is a poor fit for couples, for anyone travelling primarily to eat well, and for anyone who books this complex imagining they will upgrade their dining on arrival by wandering over to the premium side. As of October 2026 that route is closed, so pick the tier you actually want before you book rather than after you land.
Common Questions
Which other hotels in the complex can Colonial guests use in 2026?
What exactly changed in January 2026?
Do you need dinner reservations at the restaurants?
Is the food as bad as the reviews suggest?
What are the kids clubs and what ages do they take?
Does it work for a destination wedding?
Restaurants (9)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | La Hacienda, El Gran Azul |
| Mexican | La Adelita |
| Japanese & sushi | Sumptuori (at Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa) |
| Steakhouse | El Dorado, La Paisana (at Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa) |
| International & fusion | Le Petit Chef (extra charge, at Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa), Bravo Dinner & Dance (extra charge, at Grand Palladium Select White Sand), CHIC Cabaret & Restaurant (extra charge, at TRS Yucatan Hotel) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. Venues marked "extra charge" are not covered by the all-inclusive rate; the others are, per the resort.
What's nearby
25 min drive · 16 mi
20 min drive · 12 mi
Akumal Beach12 min drive · 7.9 mi
Yal-Kú Lagoon15 min drive · 7.9 mi
8 min drive · 4.6 mi
20 min drive · 12 mi
More things to do (24)
- Xenses · adventure park20 min drive · 15 mi
- Cenote Azul · cenote7 min drive · 4.6 mi
- Xpu-Ha Beach · beach7 min drive · 3.5 mi
- Gran Cenote · cenote35 min drive · 24 mi
- Río Secreto · adventure park20 min drive · 15 mi
- Cenote Cristalino · cenote7 min drive · 4.5 mi
- Jaguar Park (Tulum National Park) · nature30 min drive · 21 mi
- Jardín del Edén Cenote · cenote10 min drive · 5.0 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Marina · marina10 min drive · 6.5 mi
- Riviera Maya Golf Club · golf12 min drive · 8.5 mi
- Cenote Chikin-Ha · cenote13 min drive · 5.2 mi
- Cenote Nicte-Ha · cenote25 min drive · 14 mi
- Caleta Tankah · beach30 min drive · 20 mi
- Half Moon Bay · beach13 min drive · 7.4 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Golf Course · golf13 min drive · 7.0 mi
- Cenote Tajma-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 4.0 mi
- Xel-Há Ruins · ruins20 min drive · 12 mi
- Xcacel Beach · beach20 min drive · 11 mi
- Cenote Xunaan-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 11 mi
- Xplor · adventure park20 min drive · 15 mi
- Cenote Chac Mool · cenote20 min drive · 8.4 mi
- Cenote Dos Palmas · cenote25 min drive · 14 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park25 min drive · 16 mi
- Aktun Chen Nature Park · adventure park25 min drive · 11 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Seaweed & sargassum
Riviera Maya gets sargassum, typically worst May through August, peaking in July and August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 24,299 reviews
“We had an amazing stay at this resort in Mexico. Everything was well organized, clean, and relaxing, but what truly made our experience unforgettable was the outstanding service from the staff. All the staff members ( Angel and Geremias) were incred...”
“We stayed at Grand Palladium Kantenah, which is connected to Coloniale and we used the amenities of both. One of the most beautiful resorts we’ve stayed at! Lots of greenery and wildlife. Well-maintained grounds, nice clean rooms. The family selecti...”
“Wonderful Stay at Grand Palladium We had a really enjoyable stay at the Grand Palladium. Everything was consistently nice, with friendly and attentive service throughout the resort. The food was excellent—plenty of variety and high quality across th...”
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