Mexico and Clouds, review The Ritz Carlton Resort Cancun
The Mayan Riviera is one of the most popular destinations in Mexico, also visited by thousands of Italians every year. As [...]
Mexico
Marriott
The Mayan Riviera is one of Mexico's most popular destinations, also visited by thousands of Italians each year. As usual here at TFC, we don't focus on what to do, where to go, and what to see, but we aim to tell you how to have experiences by taking advantage of the points accumulated from everyday spending or, if appropriate, how to accumulate points while on vacation.
In this article:
For this we tried three facilities, all of the Marriott group And of three different categories. In addition, we visited the Four Points and the Renaissance.
The best bonuses
With this review of ours we want to tell you about one of Cancun's historic facilities: the Ritz Carlton, one of the brands identifying the luxury properties of the world's largest hotel chain.
Reservation
When you book a Ritz Carlton hotel you have to be prepared to spend a lot of money, if we are then in Cancun, a favorite destination for American tourists and others, the price can only be high.
If we add to all this resort taxes and the always obnoxious resort fee, the cost of a night in this facility easily comes to more than 700$ per night. In this case using points to book a room is definitely One of those conversions that allows you to treat yourself to a 5-star stay without spending almost anything.
I say 'almost' because the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, unlike what Hilton Honors and others do, does not avoid the resort fee. I booked a few days before the policy change: in fact, it went from the Fixed price, defined by hotel category, to a variable system based on supply and demand.
The cost of two nights was 50k Bonvoy points per night, under the new policy, on the same dates, it would go up to 55k points per night. I didn't have enough points available and so I transferred a handful of Membership Rewards into Bonvoy points.. At the end of the day I spent $105 instead of $1600, not bad.
The area of the hotels in Cancun
For those who have never been in this part of Mexico, there is a kind of city within a city: a long strip of land in the middle of the sea where major hotels have been built.
All the chains are present here; in fact, one can live in this part of Cancun without ever going outside the Zona Hoteleria or use the hotel as a base for excursions to Chicken Itza, Isla de las Mujeres, and many other world-renowned locations.
Check-in
That there is something to register in this facility I experienced as soon as I got out of the cab. Upon my arrival, the staff did not pick up my luggage, nor helped me except by opening the door. Same with getting to the room, no one accompanied me or helped me with my bags.
The only positive note was the juice offered while the receptionist was doing the paperwork.
Thanks to the Gold level in Marriott Bonvoy, status included free of charge in the American Express Platinum, I took advantage of a small room upgrade. From an ocean view to a front view. A better view and a slightly larger room.
The room
The facility is an immense building by the sea: nine floors divided into two wings. My room was 5046 with a view of the ocean and one of the hotel's two pools.
From the elevator to the decor, you can sense that this hotel will soon celebrate 30 years, and perhaps could use a refresh in all the common areas. The difference between the historic, such as the Royal Hawaiian of Honolulu, and the old one is thin but you can see it very well.
The room has definitely been renovated, not recently, but certainly less years old than the rest of the hotel.
A really big room with an incredible king-size bed in the center, but again the mattress had seen better days.
What puzzled me, however, were the details, those that in a Ritz Carlton you expect to be perfect, instead everything was too worn. One example is the clock radio with attached Iphone charger, too bad it was still the pre-lightning one. It's hard to explain the feeling, but at these levels and at these costs, it is logical to expect a perfect structure, if it is not modern it must at least be well maintained.
Besides the bed, the other positive note was definitely the view. At any time of day, fantastic light, a view of the Caribbean-colored sea and the pool, which is the least frequented in the facility (and therefore the quietest)
The bathroom was large and lived in. Double sink, separate toilet with door. Bathtub (agée) and a spacious but overhead shower that will surely make it complicated for people over six feet to wash.
Excellent quality of the products offered, the presence of the branded bathrobes and the very soft towels.
Pleasing that room rearrangement is (rightly) offered in the afternoon/evening as well, with staff walking the halls until 8 pm.
The resort fee
This is a tax invented by hotel establishments, a way to add an often "hidden" cost that is only charged at the hotel. No matter how you booked, with which portal or intermediary, this levy includes the most absurd services.
Here at the Ritz Carlton for 50$ per room per night included the ability to drink chilled tap water in the pool/beach and use sunscreen for sunbathing, as well as access to the gym (with old equipment and few for a facility this size) and wi-fi.
Services
On the top floor is the MLounge, accessible to those who book a room with access to this benefit or to Platinum Elite level holders or upper. Very scenic is the atrium in the center of the buildings with a structure reminiscent of Aztec artifacts in a tropical waterfall.
As for public spaces, they are concentrated almost entirely on the ground floor, the one that provides access to the beach.
There is a spa, gym, and a small kids club.
There are two pools surrounded by hundreds of loungers: if it is crowded, the hunt for the best spots starts early in the morning, as on a cruise.
Access to the beach is direct; it is not private but feels like it. There are three different types of accommodations on the beach.
There is the Cabana that can accommodate an entire family and can be rented daily at over 200$.
There is the double crib with cover, which costs about 50$ per day, and then there are free cribs.
I opted for one of these and enjoyed a couple of hours of smart working by the sea, with great colors.
In some ways it feels like being halfway between a cruise ship and an Italian beach.
Hotel staff prepare the sunbed, bring drinks and food, and continually rake the beach by cleaning it of seaweed.
While vendors of all kinds of products (legal and illegal) pass by the beach to place their wares.
The kitchen
If there is one thing this resort does not lack, it is restaurants. The most sophisticated is definitely Italian-inspired Fantino. There are four in total plus two bars.
I tried fried chicken by the sea. I know, I could have gone for tacos or other typical items, but I was craving fried chicken made in Mexico.
Breakfast is served at Café Mexicano; you can choose between the buffet or the a la carte menu. Here I regretted not having the status or not having booked with FH+R, but - considering that I spent practically nothing on the room - I didn't mind too much, also because every dollar spent still earned me more points that will lead to more free stays.
The buffet is average, well below expectations from a brand of this type. It offers nothing special, sought-after or of extreme quality, except for the alcoholic open bar (which opens at 10 a.m.) that ranges from sparkling wine to bellinis, from bloody marys to more structured cocktails. Because in the end, Americans drink h24 seamlessly.
Special mention that the breakfast is open until 11:30 in the morning, great for sleeping late without being on an empty stomach.
In conclusion
Is it worth 800$ per night to which everything else should be added? Absolutely NO. Worth 50k Bonvoy points per night, probably not, but at least the expense will only cover the food and drinks that one would have had to pay for anyway.
I had very high expectations, I admit, from a Ritz Carlton one should expect the best and nothing less. Given the unbelievable supply of hotels of all chains, I will certainly aim for other hotels if I return to these parts, unless there is a revamping of the facility in the next few years.
Pro
- The service
Against
- The service
- Breakfast
- The resort fee