I enjoyed my stay at the Mayan Palace. I'm in my mid-thirty's and was traveling alone and felt safe at all times in my surroundings.
I am an early riser and hence retired early so can't tell you much about the night life. I did overindulge on 2 for 1 margaritas my first night and that about did me in for the week! They have daily happy hours (2 for 1) but I never could keep the times straight as to which bar when.
I think you would really enjoy Playa Del Carmen in the evening. There is transportation from the resort to PDC for $8 pp/round-trip and Cancun for $12. The bad thing with the shuttle is that you are restricted as to your departure and arrival times. Playa is a 15 minute drive south and Cancun is a 45 minute drive north. There is a bus (Mayab) that you can hail from the highway that goes into Cancun about every half hour. The cost is only 30 pesos pp and the last returning bus leaves Cancun at 12 am. A few new friends and I caught the bus into Cancun one evening and took a taxi back ($40). You may have problems with such a large group and will more than likely have to split up when it comes to transportation. The cabs are small. Although, if you choose to stay at the Mayan Palace and party during the evening, this won't be something you'll need to worry about!
You will love the pool, it is enormous and has several different levels. There were two swim-up pool bars where I enjoyed happy hour on a near daily basis. It was hot and felt good to have a nice blended something to cool down a bit!
The beach is rocky but not all that bad. Can't say that I saw anyone swimming in it though. If you head south on the beach past the Governor's mansion there is a great beach for swimming. About a 10 minute walk or so.
I was in a hotel unit and it was fine for me. Two double beds, dresser, closet, and a large bathroom. My room was #3005 in the first building closest to the pool. I lucked out! I was right next to the display units and the suites looked wonderful! The rooms run east to west and the ocean north to south. I was told they built the rooms in this direction due to hurricane building codes. It is one LONG walk to the pool if you get a room in buildings (Tulums) 5,6,7, or 8. I clocked the walk from the lobby(on the end of Tulum
to the pool at nearly 7 minutes, but I wasn't walking briskly. Try to ask for a room in Tulum 1, 2, or 3-in that order. I was in room 1046 on my first night (Tulum 4). This was a room on the first floor mid-way between pool and lobby. I asked to be moved as I had to keep the drapes drawn due to the people walking and didn't like having to do that. They did honor my request, but did so a bit grudgingly.
I found the food to be a bit expensive. It was good for the most part, but I'm not a big fan of buffets. The steak and lobster dinner buffet was $40 and the Mexican buffet was a bit over $20. This was without a beverage of any kind. I didn't do the breakfest buffet but heard it was about $13 and quite good. I bought a styrofoam cooler in Playa and ate many bologna and cheese sandwiches with my Mountain Dew that I brought from home. I had a backpack cooler which I brought to the pool with me stocked with a few Dos Equis. Beer at the resort was 36 pesos, drinks such as a Pina Coladas and margaritas were 56 pesos.
The construction noise did not bother me a bit. I was so tired from the fresh air all day and slept soundly every night.
One detail I will warn you of, I rented a car during my stay (which I would recommend) but a $1,000 hold was put on my credit card for my entire stay. I hadn't planned on using my credit card so it wouldn't have been a major deal except that at the resort you are expected to sign for EVERYTHING during your stay. They do not like to deal with cash and change is nearly impossible to get! Since this "hold" was on my card it showed that I had no available credit and I was not allowed to sign for drinks or any meals. This was a major pain :sad: Make sure you have plenty of credit on your card or bring two!
That's all I can think of for now. Let me know if you have any other questions.