We just arrived home from our trip to Cancun. Our stay at the Ritz-Carlton was wonderful.

**I'll review Cancun separately- but to sum it up- if you are looking to experience Mexico then Cancun is not the place for you (no latin music, no salsa nights at clubs). Everything is Americanized (Walmart, Costco, Outback Steakhouse, Applebees). It truly is like going to a Virginia beach just with a much better beach and friendlier people. I'm not suggesting that there's anything wrong with Cancun- it just depends what you are looking for. It is a very safe area!**


Our stay at the Ritz Carlton was wonderful. The biggest asset at the Ritz Carton is the people. The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly. If you ask anyone where something is, they don't just tell you, they escort you. You really do feel that helping is their pleasure. Everyone speaks English (again think Virginia Beach) and not broken English, almost everyone we encountered spoke enough English to casually carry on a conversation and joke with you.

We chose not to stay on the club level- which was a hard decision to make for us. But we felt that having to go from the beach to the club level for drinks and snacks was more of a hassle and opted to order food and drinks poolside- paying for the convenience. If we missed out anything, we didn't notice it.

Our room was well set up and was spacious enough for two. We both had luggage and it was never in our way. Our room and balcony directly faced the ocean and it was wonderful to sleep with the doors open and hear the waves at night. I can't imagine staying at a place were you don't have an ocean view in a setting like Cancun.

Everything in the hotel was spotless...everything. It was a very welcome and warm environment. I will say that the vines hanging in the courtyard were very tropical touch which was in stark contrast to the rest of the hotel which had a very old English decor. This was a little odd and the vines did make the courtyard and hallways to the room unnecessarily dark (but then we really didn't hang out in the hallway.)

The pools were amazing! Again spotless. We had no trouble getting chairs, umbrellas, towels or anything else that we needed. The pool attendants are very friendly and in most cases attentive. They are up very early (we would see them setting up at sunrise) and hustle and work a very long day.

I used the fitness center several times and again wonderful staff!! They bring you cold water and cool towels (scented with eucalyptus) during your workout. The fitness center is not super big- but it is clean and has enough equipment to get a good workout. I used the yoga space to do zumba. Most of the equipment faces the floor to ceiling windows that face the pool and ocean...a nice view if you don't want to watch the TV's. The workout room was the only place that I heard any latin music the whole time we were in Cancun (again, think VA Beach)

I used the Kayanta Spa. AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I can barely find the words to express was a perfect experience I had here. I would have gone every day, if I could afford it. AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING. The staff was exceptional. Upon arrival you're introduced to your spa valet that makes sure you are relaxed and comfortable at every moment. In the relaxation room you are treated to a warm soft blanket and a warm neck pillow, snacks, drinks in a fabulous setting. I got the Kayanta signature massage- wonderful! And afterwards I went out to the spa's terrace (women only) where I enjoyed a quick dip in the hot tub and while I was in the outdoor shower, the valet brought me a cool towel, some fresh mango juice with some mexican leaf ground up in it and a snack...it was waiting for me when I got out of the shower. After the shower I chilled a little longer on the chaise chairs on the terrace.

Finally, we ate at several of the restaurants at the Ritz (I'll review separately). Overall the food was very good and we did get to try some mexican dishes (cochinita pibil). Without making you search for my restaurant reviews, here are a couple of recommendations: do the breakfast/brunch at least once (yes it's $30) and if you are traveling a couple, I HIGHLY recommend getting a private villa when eating at Casitas restaurant. It is pricey to have them set up the private villa and I was hesitant- but I am truly glad we did. It was one of the most delicious and romantic experiences. You get your own waiter that treats you like Royalty while you dine on the beach (the only place in Cancun where you can dine on the beach) The food was excellent!!

Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Ritz Carlton. If we were considering going back to Cancun we would stay at the Ritz again..

There are many nicer beaches around the world...But this was just fine. The beach definitely gets a little crowded compared to some others around the Caribbean, but it is Cancun afterall. I came here for a Bachelorette party, and the nightlife did not disappoint. Many great places to eat not far from hotel.

What a perfect place. Compared to many 5 star resorts and other ritz carltons around the world, this is one of the nicest resorts I have been to. Kind staff, fantastic restaurants (though pricey), lovely beach, ample shade, nice room upgraded to ocean view - beautiful. Would love to go back soon!

This hotel was really different from what we would typically pick. We tend to like non-chain type places but we were traveling with extended family and opted for compromise. That said we had a great time. It was quiet, not a lot going on in the way of activities and small enough to be manageable and comfortable and really family friendly. It was esp. great for families with young children given the “kids club” and overall highly accommodating vibe. We got a surprisingly reasonable deal by going through AMEX, so I strongly recommend that you call them to arrange your accommodations if you are a cardholder. We probably saved $600 just by doing that; our family of four ate breakfast for free everyday, we got a free night, a free upgrade & $100 toward any hotel service we wanted (we used toward the kids club which is only for kids who are potty trained.) This ended up being a much more affordable hotel choice than lower quality hotels after all of the AMEX discounts were applied. Who knew?

Pros for parents of young children include the sand toys you are given upon arrival and a fun kids club (extra charge) that my little ones really enjoyed. In addition to watching lots of Spanish television they ate Mexican candy, baked cookies and made piñatas with some very nice ladies. Their watching TV and eating candy was fine with me. The ladies obviously had s strategy; the kids were dying to go back the next day, which was great. The only con for parents here is that the pool doesn’t have any zero entry points, which is not ideal with little ones. I would bring floaties if you are with young swimmers. As a plus the pool is really warm & well heated so it was still usable on chilly days (we had 2 of those.) Another con is that the ocean is too rough for little ones, but great for adults. The beach was beautiful.

As others have mentioned the rooms were nothing fancy but they are completely normal & fine and the service all around makes up for this minor issue. When you order room service it always comes in 10 minutes or less, the people working are extremely competent and professional and housekeeping was truly excellent; they came twice a day and always left us sweets, etc. We had an overall positive experience here & especially enjoyed the buffet breakfast which was delicious & featured an omlette station, fresh fruit, and some authentic Mexican food which is not always easy to come by in Cancun ☺ One other major plus, this is one of the few hotel that we have ever stayed in that had our room made up with non-feather bedding (allergies) before we arrived instead of giving it to us after we got there. We always ask a few times ahead of time but no one ever cares until we get there. This was so awesome to not have to worry about after a long day traveling with kids.

My only constructive feedback is that there was construction happening on our floor. Fortunately, it was mostly during the day. Also, It would be nice if they replaced the coffee for the coffee maker in the room without trying to charge you for it. I found that weird given that much cheaper hotels offer complementary coffee in rooms. Although it would be fine I probably wouldn’t recommend this hotel to a couple without children or solo travelers, but it’s a solid choice for families of young children.

*Helpful hint: They have free water bottles in the gym & a free water cooler to fill up your water bottle with clean filtered water. You can also get filtered water, juice or tea at breakfast in a “to go” cup to take with you for the rest of the day. I hate buying bottled water, so I was happy to find this.