In case you don't look at the profiles, before I start, I like to throw out that we are 47 yrs. old (young!), and our reviews are based on cleanliness, comfort, and an overall good experience. We do not pay for 5-star resorts to travel more. That being said, we still want a pleasant experience.

We (me and hubby) stayed at Oasis Palm Sept. 21-26, 2011. Like everyone else, I was frantically reading the reviews, worried about my choice. I usually spend a lot of time on TA before I make a choice. This one was quick...we found a great deal on Cheap Caribbean ($1100 for both of us, with air from Detroit), and booked. Then, the reviews came! OH NO!

We booked USA Transport to and from the airport. Again, they didn't let us down! Considering cab fares change (example $13 to the ferry, $20 home...what a racket!), we paid $55 R/T. They have the most wonderful employees, and clean maintained vehicles! (Again, thank you to TA members for telling us about USA!)

CHECK IN: We booked at Oasis Palm, and planned on asking for the Carribbean side when we got there because of the reviews. We got dropped off at Palm's door, the door man just looked at us and said, "Your reservations are next door." They took our luggage and we walked over. (No biggie, few steps.) 2 people working the desk, another couple checking out, took about 15 minutes. I asked about an upgrade, the girl said, "You have been upgraded. This side is a 5 star, the other is a 4 star." She applied a GOLD bracelet. OK.

The hotel was at "30% occupancy" per the front desk. They put their "North American guests in the Carribbean side, our guests from Mexico at the Oasis Palm." We were definately segregated. Though we were able to use the entire resort, all restaurants and buffets, the pool at the other resort had all the activities, the beach bar, the swim up bar. The pool pretty much full every day. Lots of families. We were SO separated, I was on the verge of feeling like we shouldn't go to that side in the pool. We would try to talk to people, but my Spanish is limited at best, and no one really spoke English. I am in their country, trust me, I know and respect this. It just made it difficult to get to know other people, which is why I like to travel. (I really need to learn the language!)

Few employees spoke English, with the exception of the bartenders at the bigger bars, the front desk. It was fine, you play a little game of charades, and basic words, and everything is taken care of. This didn't not effect the service. I have NEVER been let down at any resort I went to in that regard, and The Oasis Palm was no exception.

OUR ROOM: 7249 was a corner unit. HUGE. Large windows looking out over the beach, and to the right at the other resort., great views! The bed, we requested a king, was 2 full pushed together. Again, we didn't mind. (For all you love-birds out there, it might bother you. It didn't get in the way of our romance!) The sofa pulled out to a bed. If my kids were little, the room was fantastic, you could add a cot, etc., if needed. The TV was tiny considering the size of the room (19 inch), but we just watched a little CNN in the morning. I know a few people mentioned english speaking channels...MTV (UGH!), CNN, Discovery was about it. This would probably matter for travel with kids. You could order english speaking movies. There was a mini-fridge. OUR BED WAS SO COMFY! It was by far, the best bed I've ever slept in in Mexico!!

MAID SERVICE: Friendly, timely, no problems.

WATER: One complimentary 20 ounce bottle, with a note next to the large bottle, $290 pesos. Yep, thats it! Not one per day, ONE when you check in. We had our driver stop at the OXXO on the way in because of the reviews, so we were prepared. The whole resort is bottled water. This is the 1st resort I went to that didn't have a purification system, the water at the buffets was served from bottles. Yes, you could refill your bottle downstairs. I was glad I was warned. This, to me, would remove the 5-star tag.
*There is an OXOX a short walk down the road (think 7-11) for any basic items. There is NO store to get suntan lotion etc., to the best of my knowledge. But, we really didn't search.

FOOD: We primarily ate at the Los Palmos, located in the Carribbean side of the resort. The common denominator in the the reviews I read (except the lady that "lived on snacks for 7 days" hehe), was the food was great. IT WAS! OK, it's a buffet. For a buffet, comparatively speaking to U.S. Old Country Buffet, Golden Corral, FANTASTIC. Food was beautifully presented. Every night, they served what my husband and I affectionately call "meat on a stick". Chicken, flank steak (amazing!) , sausage, turkey, lamb, all roasted and served hot. The waiter would circle the tables with the just cooked meat.

Breakfast, the usuals choices, with an omelet station. Bacon was out early and not replaced. (My favorite meal!) All sorts of fruit, breads, muffins, and the hot foods, pancakes...nothing you don't already know.

There we 2 ala carte restaurants open for lunch, one at the Carribbean serving food and drinks from a menu, the other seafood, both fantastic. Both serve alcoholic beverages.

Mexican buffet was by far the busiest. We had breakfast there once, hubby liked it, me..not so much. It was also full at all hours for breakfast/dinner. Again, hubby loved it, I liked the other one better, but I didn't starve. This was a favorite of the guests at Oasis Palm. (Using the term "locals"...people were from all over Mexico which I found out watching the pool games.)

We just never got to the ala-carte restaurants. We booked one night, but left at 7am to go scuba diving on Isla Mujeres, and pretty much died when we got back, and never made it.

ELEVATORS AND AIR-CONDO: Always worked. However, for the size of the hotel, I wouldn't want to be depending on these elevators during peak season. (6 ppl. would put you elbow to elbow.) You will have one heck of a wait. The lobby in both hotels were cool, air condo or not. The halls in the hotel going to your room were terribly hot during the day. No air-condo.

BALCONIES: NONE. This is the major reason we will not go back. The windows do open, which are huge, and I would say dangerous for children, they just need to be on a chair. They do lock, but fair warning. (Kids figure that out pretty quick.) The resort is NON-SMOKING. We are smokers. We could smoke any place out side, not in the bars or the rooms. I respect this, but I wish I was warned. We would smoke on the balconies, even in smoking resorts, enjoying our coffee, or a cocktail at the end of the day, listening to the ocean. Not having this really bothered us. Looking at the pictures, I thought maybe, thats what I get for assumming. I re-looked at the hotel sites, and never saw this smoking rule.

BEACH: More like a "paddling pool". Warm, a little dirty to my taste. Not the fault of the resort, it's a lagoon for boat traffic. Liked watching. During the day, you could hear all the other resorts activities. (A little annoying, like people screaming over each other.) Perfect for kids. They couldn't travel far, or deep in the water. There are lifeguards at the beach and pools.

POOLS: Very nice. I liked they went 7ft. deep. Easy to tell, were the tiles changed colors. At both hotels. Our side had better beach chairs, and surrounding the pool had cushions on the chairs, and cabanas for no charge.

BARS: Completely empty, though the decor was very nice. The bartenders in the entire facility were extemely friendly, and we had many conversations with them about life in Cancun, raising our kids, etc. Great people. The Sports Bar, I liked that the best, you could see the games from outside, too. There is a Piano Bar in the lobby of our hotel, very classy, my hubby met the most people there (I was in bed! LOL) the Disco is by our pool, the beach bar is down at the Oasis, as well as the Swim Up bar, and the Sports Bar. Maybe one inside the Oasis, we didn't look.

BOOZE: Top shelf for the most part. The only drink I had that was definately watered down, and mind you, I have NEVER agreed with people that say that, was Captain Morgan. They kept the Jack Daniels under wraps, except at the Piano Bar. The "fruity/slushy" drinks, you could REALLY taste the booze. My hubby is a beer drinker, it was Corona throughout the facility. The Piano Bar has a few Buds and Bud Light in the bottle.

OASIS GRAN: Asked for a pass at the front desk, walked a block or so down to the bus stop, 80 cents, about 20 min. down the road. Tell the bus driver when you get on. Beautiful resort. I took pics of that amazing lobby! ( Don't have any of our hotel. Decor was like an upscale US hotel, clean, very modern. I liked it, but just not that overwhelming open air lobby I like to walk in to when I arrive.) This hotel was HUGE compared to ours. Bring your bathing suits and a change of clothes, and enjoy. The beach there was fantastic. The food at the ala carte for lunch was 10X better. (Lunch only for my comparison.) It got deep, quick, and the waves were strong. The pools and bars were amazing. The look was generally more upscale, but the guests were young. Think "spring breakers". My 1st impression was I wish I would've stayed here. Only in "off season". Even the staff we talked to told us it gets pretty loud at night.

ISLA MUJERES: Spend the day there! The ferry next door runs late, starts at 9am and runs every hr., ending at 6pm. Puerto Juarez runs from 6am until midnight, $13 cab ride ($20 on the way back, scoundrels!). We went diving for the 1st time (please review Casa del Bucero if you are in the least bit considering this as a 1st timer!), rented a golf cart ($50 everywhere for the day), saw the ISLAND of Bottles (you tube this guy!), ate lunch, and had a WONDERFUL day. Thinking of staying there the next time around! If you love the touristy junk shopping, this is your place!!

IN SUMMARY: For the amount of kids at this resort, the kids club had to be fantastic, because we never really saw them. In my opinion, this resort is for the families of the people from Mexico. THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION, and not meant to offend in any way. The resort itself was beautiful, small, well maintained, with excellent service. The food was fantastic. The language barrier never effected the service, as I stated before. Most the Americans we met were spending their time at the Oasis Gran, primarily because of the beach. The main things that turned me off were no balconies and the beach, and the water situation. If you don't use the water, it's fine for sun bathing. Would I go back? No. For the reasons I mentioned above, besides, again, I don't think the resort is really after the North American guest, either.

As always, PLEASE TIP. I'm that person that talks about the hard working employees. The general public can be terrible. Throw 'em a buck or 2! If you're lucky enough to be able to vacation in these tough times, you can surely afford this. Good service deserves a reward!