Moon Palace Golf Club
Mexico Golf Course Review
Moon Palace Cancun is a five star, all-inclusive resort that offers luxurious accommodation, numerous activities, beautiful and enormous meandering swimming pools, full size
gym, lush landscaping, a wide variety of dining venues, complimentary wireless internet throughout the resort and a long, beautiful, white sand beach. There are two separate
resorts on property - Moon Palace Cancun and The Grand at Moon Palace. Both resorts offer special packages and promotions for golfers staying on property. One offer includes
unlimited golf instead of resort credit which lets golfers play as much as possible during a minimum stay of 3 nights. The shared cart fee needs to be paid at the course (Resort
Credit is a promotion that offers money-back to you when staying 3 nights or more). Another offer is the Golf Deluxe Package which provides guests with unlimited golf that
includes the shared cart fee (this reate is offered exclusively by Tour Operators that have a valid contract with Palace Resorts).
Two golf courses are available for play at Palace Resorts in Cancun - the 27 hole Moon Spa & Golf Club Cancun and the 18 hole Riviera Cancun Golf & Resorts Golf Club. Both courses are Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses which provide an all-inclusive value and memorable experiences that embrace not only the local cultures, but also take full
advantage of the spectacular natural environments in Cancun, Mexico. Transportation to the courses are provided to guests at no charge.
Accommodations at Moon Palace Cancun feature a Whirlpool in every room, comfortable king or twin double beds fitted with luxurious linens, 24-hour room service, marble
bathrooms with rain showers, private balconies, plush bathrobes & slippers, fully-stocked mini-bar plus a slide-out liquor dispenser containing whiskey, tequila, rum & vodka, a
coffee maker, & much more.
Everything you need for a perfect Caribbean vacation is at your fingertips at Moon Palace Cancunt. The almost 1 mile long sand beach is dotted with thatched umbrellas
sheltering comfortable lounge chairs, recreational areas for bocci ball, sand volleyball and other beach activities plus many water sports such as paddle boards, sailboards,
catamarans, etc. There are 7 free-form pools with six swim up bars throughout the resort as well as a complimentary FlowRider where guests can test their surfing skills. The
Grand at Moon Palace offers guests similar activities plus a water park (visit their website for full details).
There are many other features at Moon Palace Cancunt - such as a Kids Club & swimming pool, Teen Club, Mini Golf, a full gymnasium, world-class spa with 39 spacious
treatment rooms, meditation garden, beauty salon, Business Center, and a full arena where spectacular concerts are held as well as a convention center for small, medium and
large business conferences & meetings. And - it is truly a one of a kind location for a destination wedding (visit the Moon Palace Cancun website for more information and details
on wedding packages).
If you are planning a golf vacation to the Caribbean, we highly recommend that you check this place out - it will not disappoint! You can find out more about Moon Palace Resorts
when you visit their website by clicking here.
Moon Palace Golf Club
Moon Palace Cancun offers 27 holes of championship golf on property. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Moon Palace Golf Club provides play on three nines – the Dunes, the
Jungle and the Lakes. Being GEO certified, the course was designed around the natural environment and a wide variety of wildlife inhabit the jungles and ponds on the property.
Tucan, grey fox, iguanas, anteaters, marsh crocodiles and margay can be spotted as well as the infamous coatimundi (a cute mammal that looks like a cross between a raccoon
and a lemur – be sure to hide any food and/or valuables you take on the course with you as these banditos will clean you out before you get to the green!) We had a group that
grabbed our sunscreen and made off into the jungle before we knew it! They like beer, too – so keep an eye out.
The clubhouse features a beautiful pro shop, the AWE Spa and numerous dining facilities as well as a swimming pool on the patio. Practice facilities include practice green,
bunker and chipping green and a large two-sided driving range. Players are treated to a complimentary bucket of practice balls before their round. The player assistants are
amazing here - I doubt that I have had better service at any golf course I have reviewed (other than Cascata near Las Vegas). Complimentary beverages are located in a cooler on
your cart and you can choose beer, soda and-or bottled water. There are also refreshment areas located throughout the course and we never played more than 4 holes without
finding one of these welcoming complimentary pit stops.
18-hole play consists of three combinations: Dunes & Jungle, Jungle & Lakes, and Lakes & Dunes. Throughout each of the 27 holes, players will encounter numerous bunkers
and waste areas, water hazards and slightly undulating, sloping greens that are carefully guarded both front and back. All bunkers are clean white sand and the waste bunkers
are dotted with tall grasses that beacon errant shots. The combination of water and bunkering create risk/reward situations on many holes. Greens, teeboxes, fairways & rough
are all Seashore Paspalum. The course conditions are immaculate with beautiful landscaping, well manicured stands of palm trees and yucca, carefully raked bunkers and
nicely groomed greens. Yardage markers for 100, 150, 200 and 250 yards can be found in the middle of the fairway on all par fours and fives and some sprinkler heads are
marked. Pin location sheets can be found on all golf carts.
The Dunes
Definitely the most difficult of the three nines, The Dunes offers a significant challenge. Seven holes feature water either off the tee or in play near the green. Bunkers are
strategically located next to narrow landing areas with approach shots playing to well-guarded greens.
Rated the most difficult hole on The Dunes, #2 is a pretty par 5 with water off the tee and bunkers and waste areas placed in such a way that they are almost distracting. The
greenside bunkers intimidate as the green slopes toward the back of the hole. The long par 3 that follows provides players with ample landing area, but the deep water crevasse
on the right and the two bunkers in front of the green can easily distract you. Long hitters will have no problem with this hole, but many players may choose to lay up. Hole #4 is a
short par 4 with water separating the fairway from the green. It is not difficult to reach the optimal approach area off the tee, but if you come up short it is easy to misread the
distance to the water. The green looks easy enough to reach and, for the most part, it is, but if you are in the rough you may have some difficulty getting the distance. Most players
will be tempted to go for it but there is a bit of fairway to the left of the green that may be more approachable.
The Dunes plays to 3,597 yards from the black tees, 3,312 yards from the blue tees, 3,107 yards from the white tees and 2,667 from the reds with 31 bunkers on course.
The Jungle
The Jungle course is the most interesting course at Moon Palace. Like the Dunes, it also has 7 holes were water comes into play but it features a few more bunkers (38). The
course winds through some beautiful forest and the combination of holes that are open with water in play and other that are tight with jungle lining the fairways provides beautiful
balance.
The third hole - a pretty 420 yard par 4 (from the blues) looks wide open off the tee, but bunkers are strategically placed near the landing zone. Errant shots will easily find these.
The green is well guarded by a waste bunker on the left and bunkers on the right and in back. #6 is a short par four with water on the right off the tee and bunkers on the left. A
well placed tee shot between the bunker and water will provide you with an opportunity to get on in two. The finishing hole on the jungle is wide open until about 100 yards out
where water comes into play. There is ample landing area but there are bunkers on the fairway to the right both off the tee and to the right and back of the green on the approach.
The Jungle plays to 3,599 yards from the black tees, 3,235 yards from the blues, 3,123 from the whites and 2,576 from the forward tees.
The Lakes
The least difficult and probably the most fun 9 holes at Moon Palace Golf Club is the Lakes. This tight course with big deep bunkers features 4 holes where water comes into play
and is dotted with 33 bunkers and only 3 holes with waste areas. Mostly lined with jungle, there is not much rough here.
The opening hole is a wide open par 4 with water in play off the tee to an ample fairway and gives players a good idea of the type of play they will have for the next 8 holes. The
third hole is a short par 4 with lots of bunkering but well placed shots will get you back on your game. One of the most intimidating holes on the course is #8 – a gorgeous par 3
that plays over water. This green is the closest youŽll come to an island green at Moon Palace with water on 3 sides. Be prepared to stick it on the green or lose your ball to the
water. The finishing hole plays to a beautiful green with water on the left and the clubhouse in the background.
The Lakes plays to 3,602 yards from the blacks, 3,272 from the blues, 3,153 from the whites and 2,702 yards from the forward tees. Together with the Jungle course, this nine
plays much like most parkland style layouts in North America.
As stated in the beginning, Moon Palace Cancun is an all-inclusive five star resort. This rolls onto the golf course where all snacks, drinks and services are complimentary. The
course is open for play to the public but the most enjoyable experience is to stay at the resort with their all inclusive golf package (unlimited golf with carts included). When we
stayed here the property gave us $1500 resort credit and we took unlimited golf instead of the resort credit. Cart fees are extra when you take golf instead of the resort credit and
are $38 us per day per player.
Please visit our review for the Riviera Cancun Golf Club - which will be available by December 20, 2018 - by clicking here.
All in all we highly recommend Moon Palace Cancun - it is an everything you could ever ask for in one place resort. We plan to visit again and again and again…
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