Cancun Reviews, Cancun hotel and resort reviews

We have mixed feelings about the Barcelo Costa Cancun. We love the way the hotel looks, its beach, how peaceful it is, and the comfort of its rooms. Yet we hate how poorly the staff will treat hotel guests, and how unfriendly and unhelpful they can be.

We have stayed at the Barcelo Costa Cancun twice so far, and both times we have enjoyed ourselves greatly. The kids love the pool (always crystal clear), the open expansive beach (also crystal clear), and the plentiful food and desserts.  We love the big infinity pool with a couple of areas for small children right on it, which is a must for family travelers. We also love how at the pool bar the drinks are made to perfection, and you don’t have to ask for them twice. Waiters will run to get your order filled.

The rooms are beautiful, elegantly furnished, with comfortable beds, nice airy balconies overlooking the ocean and spacious bathrooms. The hotel in general is modern, but lacks that minimalist design style that we dislike so much; it is clean, with big soft recliners all over the lobby so you can be comfy while waiting for your room, or simply staying out of the sun. The food is good (without being great), there are tons of choices in their restaurants, and the drinks are loaded with the good stuff!

The negative part of the Barcelo Costa Cancun is its staff. Yes, we were right when we said the waiters at the pool area are helpful and will rush to your service. But that’s where it stops. The front desk clerks are rude and will go out of their way NOT to help you. The sales people at the tour desk will try to scratch every penny out of you, and will sell you tours that are useless, and the room maids will give you the evil eye when you request an extra towel.

With so many hotels in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area, we have decided not to return to the Barcelo Costa Cancun Hotel. Even though their facilities are quite good, we know we will be better tended to anywhere else, and that is a big deciding point for us

The Cancun Airport (CUN), is the most modern airport in Latin America, and its Termina 3 for international travel is as well equipped as any in a first world country. Having had its older terminal refurbished just a few years ago, and proudly receiving its world visitors at its brand new Terminal 3, this airport is the pride and joy of Mexico.

With a very modern infrastructure, accommodations for disabled travelers, state of the art shopping and plenty of space to roam around, you’ll enjoy your passage through Cancun Airport as much as anyone could ever enjoy an airport visit. Yes, we all hate having to go to the airport, but all things considered, we don’t hate this one.

Nevertheless, the Cancun Airport has its drawbacks. Free Wi-Fi internet connection is only available in some areas, namely some of its restaurants. Those waiting for international travelers to arrive, have to stand in the heat without a miserable chair to sit on. Bottles of water are in the $4 USD range, which is an outrageous price in Mexico. The most ridiculous drawback of the Cancun Airport is the price of the taxis: $50 USD to anywhere in the city or the hotel zone! Despite the airport being just 7 minutes from downtown Cancun, and about 12 minutes from the Cancun Hotel Zone, the price of the taxis remains a constant, and they’ll even treat you like undeserving garbage if you ask for a lower price.

Lucky for us, there is alternative to the taxis ripoff! The ADO buses, which stop at both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, will take you to the center of town for about $3 USD per person. These buses run at 30 minute intervals, are prompt, clean, spacious and… cheap! Once you arrive at the ADO bus station, grab a taxi to ANYWHERE in the city of Cancun for $25 Mexican Pesos (around $2 USD), or to the Hotel Zone for $100 Mexican Pesos (around $8 USD).

Parking at  Cancun Airport is moderately priced, at $24 Mexican Pesos per hour ($2 USD). You can rest assured your vehicle will be there when you return, since without the entrance ticket, they will not deliver any car to anyone. Parking personal is courteous, and they’ll even offer to wash your car for a little over $5 USD.

Terrible! If I had to describe the Submarine tour from AquaWorld in Cancun, I’d use exactly that word: terrible.
We had high hopes for this tour, since it advertises two whole hours of family fun that finish with 30 minutes of a submarine ride. But we were so disappointed! The entire tour was a miserable experience.

The tour starts at the AquaWorld facility on the south end of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. A small boat takes you to the other side of Cancun, on the ocean side, and there you board a tiny submarine that can only fit two people side by side, about 12 rows deep. If you’re claustrophobic, this is not for you. If you get dizzy easily, this is not for you. If you get sea-sick, this is not for you. And if you hate being treated like garbage, this is definitely not for you!

The day we took the sub tour in Cancun, we arrived there early. Our expected day of fun quickly turned into a negative experience after we tried to pose for the “welcome aboard” photo that AquaWorld offers. We positioned ourselves behind the customary wooden steering wheel, and an employee came running to tell us that we couldn’t be there. We were surprised, since all other tourists in front of us had done it. Upon asking why, the employee in question told us that we were trying to steal from the company by shooting our own photos (all our cameras were inside our purses). After explaining that we were there, waiting to be photographed by THEM, we were ignored, and their company photographer simply walked away.

We then boarded the boat that takes you to the submarine. It was a little on the uncomfortable side, and the captain was a little drunk and was going a little too fast for our taste, but we didn’t complain. Two other families did so, but the captain chose to keep his speed, even though there were kids bouncing all over the place. Oh well.

We finally got into the submarine, which is as small and crowded as a general population jail in Los Angeles, and were tossed around by the waves for the 30 longest minutes of our lives, to achieve absolutely nothing! We saw 1 turtle and a few little fish, a lot less than you can see in any Cancun hotel lobby’s man-made aquarium.

What really topped it off for us, was that upon returning to the AquaWorld facilities (dizzy and frustrated), the captain of the boat asked for a tip. I gave the guy 20 mexican pesos, and he was so pissed at my “cheapness”, that he said (and I quote): “I should throw this shit in the water”. We were appaled, and when we complained to a manager, he simply said that this is the way things work in Cancun. Funny thing is, we have stayed in pretty much every hotel in Cancun and done most tours and excursions offered to tourists, and this is the first time we’ve been treated with such disrespect and blatant rudeness.

So, next time you’re looking for things to do in Cancun, steer clear of any AquaWorld tours or excursions.

For the low quality of the tour, the terrible rudeness of its employees, and general lack of disrespect (and fun), we rate the AquaWorld’s Submarine tour in Cancun a flat ZERO!

Yum! Just the thought of having good Argentinian food in Cancun is enough to keep me from writing this long due review. Sorry, folks, but every time I start thinking of writing a review of the Puerto Madero restaurant in Cancun, I end up leaving the house and going to eat there. Yes, it’s that good!

Puerto Madero is located in Cancun’s hotel zone, in a peaceful area away from the hustle and bustle of the older hotels and shopping plazas. Overlooking the Kukulkan Lagoon, this restaurant offers indoor air conditioned and outdoor terrace dining. Open for lunch and dinner, if you plan on going on a weekend evening, you better make reservations, because despite its huge dining rooms, it gets packed with both locals and tourists alike.

The Puerto Madero restaurant is not cheap, yet it is not overpriced. You get what you pay for, and although their dishes are highly priced, you get a ton of food for your money. When they offer you a 12 ounce steak, you can count on it having those 12 ounces and then some. Side dishes are generously spooned and beautifully presented (I recommend the potato souffle, which comes in an edible potato basket). The quality of the meats is quite good and they’re cooked in true Argentinian fashion, over an open fire or in a brick oven. As you enter the restaurant, look to your right, where the open kitchen is, so you can see first hand how good food is cooked.

If you’re not into meats, they also have remarkably good pastas, pizzas and salads, as well as a great variety of typical appetizers such as empanadas and Argentinian chorizo.

Deserts are also plentiful and they have a pretty good variety, so no matter what you’re on the mood for, you’ll find it there. If you like custard-style deserts, ask for the Creme Brulee, a delicious caramel-covered confection that will keep you going back for more.

The only drawback of Cancun’s Puerto Madero restaurant is that the main courses come alone, without a shred of a side dish. You must purchase these separately at about $9 a pop. Granted, an order of French fries is enough to feed two people, but who wants to pay for their side dishes?

The ambiance is perfect, the decoration makes you feel like you are in the original area of Puerto Madero in Argentina, and the service couldn’t be any better. Your waiter will ask “how high” every time you ask him to jump for you, and he’ll go the extra mile so you can enjoy the most perfect meal.

In general, the Puerto Madero restaurant is one of the best eateries in Cancun, and we assure you will love eating there, and will want to come back on your next trip to Cancun. For its ambiance, superb food and great service, we give it an enthusiastic 5 star rating (despite the fact that we hate to pay for side dishes!)

The Iberostar Cancun is a nice classy hotel that combines European quality with Mexican hospitality. The architecture is modern without being minimalist; spaces are ample and quite airy, and the rooms are
smartly built and nicely furnished. Although not extremely spacious, all of the ocean view rooms are very breezy and comfortable.

An impressive system of pools and Jacuzzis gives the guest plenty of real estate to enjoy the wonderful Cancun weather, and the beach offers its fine white sand and crystal clear waters for countless aquatic activities in addition to swimming.

There are several restaurants on the premises, among them a generous buffet (El Laguito), which is one of the best we’ve enjoyed in Cancun. We highly recommend having breakfast there as its variety and quality are second to none.

Iberostar is a brand new name in Cancun, as this hotel used to be the Cancun Hilton and was acquired by the Iberostar brand during 2011. Upon its acquisition, the hotel was refurbished, even though it didn’t really need it, since as the Hilton it was a magnificent and quite new hotel.

The staff is helpful but we did notice that are times they seemed quite overwhelmed. Despite this, they smiled continuously and tried to accommodate our requests.The prices are reasonable, you get plenty of food at the restaurants and the drinks were quite loaded. The common areas are impeccably clean, much more so than most other resorts in Cancun.

For its comfort, good prices, quality of food and beauty of its beach and pools, we give the Cancun Iberostar a 4.5 star rating.

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The Tulum Mayan Ruins are one of the most visited touristic attractions in the Cancun and Riviera Maya areas of Mexico. There’s plenty of reasons for this: they’re relatively close to most hotels (20 minutes from your Riviera Maya hotel or 55 minutes from your Cancun hotel); they’re beautiful, majestic and extremely well preserved; the price is very accessible ($5 per person); the food and drinks sold in the area are moderately priced and on the premises there are plenty of Mayan-made arts and crafts that you can buy for next to nothing, and that will look great on your wall back home.

The Mayan city of  Tulum was perched on a privileged cove in the Riviera Maya’s coastline,  and those Mayan guys really knew what they were doing, because it has a breathtakingly beautiful small beach and marine turtle nesting grounds that are second to none in the whole world. The Caribbean Sea waters are even more turquoise there, and the sand is finer and whiter than anywhere else in the Riviera Maya. From time to time you can see dolphins surfing the waves just yards from the beach, and seagulls and pelicans fly over the swimmers. Another beach, much bigger and grandiose awaits the visitor just 10 minutes walk away, with a huge stretch of sand, but I guarantee you’ll always remember the small beach off the Mayan Ruins of Tulum.

One of the most important Mayan cities in the whole Pre-Hispanic  world, and quite a significant trading post, Tulum will give you a good insight into the culture that inhabited this area of Mexico, and will also make for a wonderful day of sun, sand and knowledge. Be aware, though, that the best time to visit the ruins is early in the day, or past 4PM even in winter time, since the sun can be pretty intense, and shade trees are scarce. Spend the hottest hours of the day at the beach (it is partially shaded by a massive wall of rock), touring the small town of Tulum (adjacent to the ruins) and enjoying the great seafood. Lobster, shrimp and fish are the freshest and tastiest in the region.

For its cultural baggage, magnificent pre-hispanic buildings and beautiful secluded beach, we give the Tulum Mayan Ruins a 5 star rating.

Part of the Royal Resorts, Cancun’s The Royal Islander, is an expansive resort that is interconnected with two of its equally impressive counterparts, the Royal Caribbean and Royal Mayan, so guests can enjoy the amenities and facilities of all three, without having to get out of the compound.

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Located on Kukulcan Boulevard Km 17.5, The Royal Islander is secluded and away from the hustle and bustle, yet is close enough to the center of Cancun’s Hotel Zone, where you’ll find top of the line shopping, fine dining and even finer drinking, and of course, lots of Mexican handicrafts, typical clothing and those infamous Cancun t-shirts that your friends at home will really love you for.

With a huge system of pools catering to family members of every age, the privileged Caribbean waters right by your toes (mostly if you get a beach front room), and more restaurants that you could eat at during a week’s stay, the Royal Islander has it all. There is a dedicated lap pool, a couple of kiddie pools and a regular pool for you to lounge in. On the restaurant front, you’ll find every cuisine covered, with fish and seafood restaurants, Mexican food eateries, a great French cuisine venue and even an Asian restaurant.

Most of the rooms are spacious without being overbearing, although we found the standard rooms to be quite small. All other rooms and suites were just fine.

In general, the hotel decoration is geared towards comfort while maintaining a touch of luxury and the spaces are well thought and even better utilized. This ample hotel will make you feel at ease and give you plenty of room to enjoy yourself.

The staff is friendly, from the convenience store clerk all the way to the coffee shop lady, they’ll all go out of their ways to make you feel right at home.

In a nutshell The Royal Islander in Cancun is a very desirable resort with a soothing décor, plenty of things to do, good food, and even better beaches. The only drawbacks are the high prices of the restaurants (really overpriced for Cancun), and the fact that the regular bedrooms are quite small.

The Ritz Carlton hotel in Cancun is a magnificent place geared for those with a discriminating taste. Although the outside of the hotel itself is not very impressive, the inside is, with a classical architecture and decoration in the style of the best hotels in New York City. Think The Plaza but with a great beach!

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As it is to expect, the Cancun Ritz Carlton gives its visitors the most flawless services, and one can say its staff anticipates your every wish and makes it a reality. Accommodations are perfect to a fault, with the rooms lavishly decorated in a grandiose style that you won’t find anywhere else in Cancun. Not only are the furnishings elegant and stylish, but the pillows are real dawn, the mattresses are as soft as clouds and the bathrooms are a unique combination of luxury, comfort and state of the art appliances.

Every tour or excursion you’d like to take in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area can be booked directly from the hotel’s concierge desk, where they’ll give you accurate information on what’s available and more importantly, what’s recommendable or not.

The hotel has several restaurants, each as luxurious as the next. Those nights when you feel like dressing up, put on your best gown or suit and dine at their Italian restaurant, while on nights when you’re in a more relaxed mood, The Cafe (which in all reality is a sumptuous Jazz piano bar and restaurant) will cater to your every wish with their international menu. In the mood for beach front dining? Head for their seaside cabanas and enjoy the most amazing dinner under the stars, while the gentle waves of the Caribbean crash near your feet.

Yes, the Ritz Carlton is the place to go in Cancun if you want to be served hand and foot and have the money to afford it.It’s obviously not an inexpensive place, but the name Ritz Carlton has never been a synonymous for cheap. Au contraire!

We highly recommend this place for its excellence, spotless services and accommodations. We are certain any of our readers will enjoy the Cancun Ritz Carlton hotel as much as we did, and will leave with the best unforgettably positive memories!

The Mayakoba Resort in Riviera Maya (Cancun vicinity) is an impressive compound with a unique geographical feature: it boasts the only open rivers in the state. All rivers in the Yucatan peninsula are underground, and so were the ones in the Mayakoba resort, but the hotel owners opened the surface of their rivers, to give its visitors and guests a truly amazing areal view. In addition to their one of a kind waterways, the lush gardens and ecological paths are among the most beautiful in the Cancun-Riviera Maya area.

The Mayakoba is actually three hotels in one: the Banyan Tree, the Rosewood and the Fairmont, all very different from each other but all offering the same level of comfort. All of the Mayakoba hotels are rated 5 stars and they truly offer  5-star worth service and accommodations. Upon arriving you will be warmly welcomed by their friendly staff, and you can feel comfortable leaving your suitcases and valuables with their bellmen; nothing will be missing. Enter the grand entrance of your hotel of choice and you’ll feel that you’ve finally reached the tropical paradise of your dreams. With an abundance of woodwork, natural raw materials and an intricate architecture, these hotels are beautiful, unique and simply magnificent.

Even though we all expect all 5-star hotels in Cancun to have soft comfortable beds, that is not exactly true in all cases, but the Mayakoba hotels, especially the Banyan Tree, have the kind of bed that invite you to jump on them, and land face first into their supple, soft, inviting mattresses. I’m sure the hotel owners won’t appreciate me saying this, but do jump on their beds, it’s an experience worth living!

The food at all the Mayakoba hotels is quite good, but once again, I’d like to recommend you take the time to visit their Safron restaurant in the Banyan Tree hotel. This Thai food restaurant is one of the best in the region, and you’ll be hard pressed to choose among their delicious variety of exotic, perfectly prepared dishes.

Finally, I want to mention the abundance of swimming options in this resort. Being beach front, in one of the world’s best renowned beaches, you’ll love their pristine beach with its white sand and tiny tropical fish. For a different experience, go for a swim at one of their open rivers, or if you want to be more traditional, swim in one of the numerous pools that dot the Mayakoba’s landscape.

For the beauty of its uncommon buildings, the superior taste of their food and their immaculate beach and rivers, we give the Mayakoba Resort in Riviera Maya an enthusiastic 5 star rating. By the way, if you fall in love with this resort as much as we did, and you’re ready to live in paradise, consider buying one of the villas they have for sale.

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The Riu Palace Hotel in Cancun is indeed a palace. The most amazing and magnificent hotel ever in the entire Cancun, this spectacular place will leave you breathless, and will awaken both the sense of luxury and uniqueness in you.

Perched on a small hill, with a breathtaking beachfront location, the Riu Palace is close to everything. Just a few blocks walk to the center of the action in Cancun’s famous hotel zone, you can be in Hard Rock Cafe, Chilis or even Coco Bongo in less than 10 minutes. The beach is one of the best not only in Cancun but also in Mexico and the whole world. The facilities are top of the line and second to none, and no matter what kinds of luxuries you’re accustomed to at home, the Riu Palace hotel will top them off. This is a superb hotel and you will love it, guaranteed.

With 5 restaurants on the grounds, there is plenty of variety to choose from, and there is even the option to eat a la cart or buffet style. The food has its moments, probably due to rotating chefs. During some of our stays, we enjoyed terrific food that was from out of this world, while some other times, we were presented with unimpressive rather boring dishes. During our most recent visit, we loved everything we had to eat, specially their Japanese food. Hopefully they’ll stick to their better chefs from now on.

Speaking of chefs and therefore staff, we were served hand and foot, and were pampered beyond our wildest dreams. The staff is extremely helpful and very accommodating but if you’re used to the friendly Mexican helpers that do everything with a broad smile, you’ll notice right away that this is not the case at the Riu Palace in Cancun. Yes, the employees will smile at you, and will go out of their way to help you, but they lack that down to Earth friendliness you find in other Mexican hotels. These guys are more along the lines of the French or English butlers, a little stiff and extremely professional and efficient.

In a nutshell, the Riu Palace hotel is a place fit for royalty, and you will be treated as such. Its prices are also royalty-like, but if you’re looking for an exclusive hotel where you’ll rub elbows with celebrities and wealthy businessmen, this is the place to go to in Cancun. For its magnificence and beauty, its extremely cleanliness, its beautiful beach and supreme service, we give the Riu Palace a 5 star rating.