My girlfriend and I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun from 8-3 to 8-9-2008. I will try to cover several aspects of our trip since reading these more comprehensive reviews helped me when I researched a potential Cancun vacation.

First--the actual getting-there experience. We live in DC---so there are flights to Cancun from Reagan National airport and Dulles airport. Most of the flights are not non-stop----so generally vary in length from 5, 6, up to as much as eight hours. We got one of the few non-stop flights (out of Dulles) on United and were basically there in about 3 hours. So basically we left Dulles at 9 AM and were in Cancun by lunchtime. I can't emphasize enough how great it was to be able to enjoy the bulk of our first day there and not lose it as a travel day. We paid for the round-trip Ritz transportation to and from the airport and that was worth every penny---it also helped us avoid the frequently mentioned (in trip reviews) timeshare folks and other officially dressed scam artists who try to whisk you away to their booths.

Next---I chose the Ritz-Carlton Cancun based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from reviewers. All the reviews of the different hotels and resorts are both a blessing and a curse. A blessing for the info and insight. A curse because it's too easy to get "review overload"...as it almost becomes a hobby to read the latest posts for all the hotels. And also a curse because the one bad review of a hotel stays with you more than the ten great reviews---human nature I guess.....The Ritz was the only hotel with essentially no bad reviews---only nit-picky stuff like people noting that they don't have flat screen TV's.

We had never been to Cancun and the trip was meant to help celebrate a special occasion---so I wanted to make a great choice of where to stay. The Ritz was perfect for several reasons. One--and this doesn't get mentioned much--it is almost perfectly situated within the hotel zone. Meaning not only are you maybe 15-20 minutes away from the airport (some of the hotels probably end up being more like an hour away)---you are not far from a host of shopping and dining options. The Ritz also gives you a feeling that they have their own prime spot in the hotel zone as far as beach---views--etc. Every room has at minimum an ocean view as well. On the subject of the beach---people need to get over their compaints about the lack of beach. I think everyone is aware by now of the hurricane and its effect on the beach---so if you need a huge and perfect beach----don't go to Cancun and consider your problem solved....OK? It does appear that the Ritz in particular has about the nicest stretch of beach of the options in the hotel zone---for info sake.

The Ritz-Carlton property is beautiful---especially the pool areas which border the beach. As many posters have mentioned---the hotel itself is more formal than beach-casual----but my new response to that is "Who cares if the hotel is formal?---it is gorgeous and classy---and you can look out any window and be reminded of the fact that you're in beautiful Cancun with its too-good-to-be-true blue water." The people and service are what makes this hotel special-----everyone treats you with respect and is responsive to your needs. There is a noticeably high employee to guest ratio here that I would think would be difficult to match in the larger properties in the hotel zone. There were several hotel employees that went above and beyond the call of duty---most notably Sarah-- the Guest Relations Supervisor/Evening Manager-On-Duty.

We reserved our stay under a "Reconnect" pkg they offer. It includes the breakfast buffet for two every day--which would normally cost close to $70. And they also give you a $100 daily credit you can use anywhere in the hotel (drinks by the pool---dinner---room service--spa) except the shops. This package makes staying at the Ritz-Carlton more economically viable for the average traveler---and gives sort of a quasi all-inclusive feel without tying you down to the hotel like a true all-inclusive would. There were a couple other things that are unique to the Ritz. One--a culinary center that offers cooking classes--we attended one and had an amazing experience with Rory the chef. And the other is a turtle "rescue" program (since cancelled as an official program but still done unofficially) where they rescue newly laid turtle eggs---and re-bury them in a safe spot so they can hatch when the time comes. We were lucky enough to be observers when a turtle laid its eggs---it was genuinely a one-of-a-kind experience.

There is a lot to do in Cancun and surrounding areas---too much for a one week trip. We went to Chichen Itza and the nearby cenote---but be forewarned it takes up a full day---mainly just from travel time. We also went parasailing---did the aforementioned cooking class at the hotel---got to see the turtle "experience"---and most of all got to rest and relax by a beautiful pool near a lovely beach. And feel like VIP's as guests of the Ritz-Carlton.

Despite my "excellent" rating of the Ritz and the perfect setting and service---I have to mention two negatives in the interest of full disclosure. One---the water had to be turned off in the hotel from midnight to 5 AM one evening-- for maintenance that I gather was initiated by local governement rather than the hotel itself. We never received any advance warning about this--and of course returned to the room after our only really late night to be greeted by no water. We were later told that there was a note sent out to each of the rooms about this---we never got one. Second--and more serious--my girlfriend (and at least one other person on our flight who had also stayed at the Ritz and eaten there his last night ) got food poisoning from our meal at the hotel on our last night there. Once we were back in DC we alerted the hotel and the executive chef even called my girlfriend to follow-up and apologize. As of this writing---we still hadn't heard if the Ritz was ever able to pin down the source of the problem.

I honestly wish the food-poisoning incident never happened (for my girlfriend's health sake most of all) because this was truly a perfect trip in every way up to that point.

I celebrated my 40th birthday with my husband and another couple. We stayed in a standard room the first night and then in a Suite the last 4 nights. It was outstanding! We dined in every restaurant. The beachside grill was our daily lunch routine. The breakfast buffet had food for every nationality which was so fun to try and 5 star food. The Club grill was outstanding...there was a specific waiter whose speciality was bread and another whose speciality was cheese. CASITAS on the beach is a MUST!! Pablo our server stayed with us from 7 pm-Midnight. The staff sent me a beautiful handmade silk wrap as a bithday gift for the evening and a Happy Birthday Sign was setup discretely in the Casita. Dinner at the Jazz Dinner Club restaurant was incredible---rose petals on the table and a live musician/singer. My husband and I have stayed at several other Ritz Carlton locations and none of them can compare their service to the Cancun location. There is a reason they are rated in the top #10 Mexico hotels in Travel and Leisure Magazine. The staff really takes care of you all the way through. Another important note..I left a bag of expensive jewelry in the first room we stayed in and forgot to transfer it to the Suite. I looked for it for a day or two and finally I called the Conceirge for assistance. The maids turned it into "Lost & Found". I had to call and describe it before they would release it to me. Great Procedure and Honesty!! The hotel was a great $$$Value for what we received and better rates than locations in the US.

The Ritz Carlton in Cancun is a lovely elegant hotel with great rooms, great surroundings, and great service. But the beach in Cancun is, sadly, nothing like what it was even a few years ago. Cancun used to have 50-100 yards of beautiful powdery white sand. After the two hurricanes washed away the sand in 2005, they shipped in lots of much coarser sand, and even most of this has since also washed away. So now Cancun has 10 yards of rough sand in most places, sandbags on the beach, and rocks in the sand and water. The beach is not close to being the beach that originally made Cancun famous. If you are a "pool person" you probably won't care, but if you are a true beach lover, this is disappointing. (For those who like pools, the pool area is very nice.)

However, the Ritz Carlton is a lovely hotel. The hotel layout is such that ALL the rooms have views over the pool to the ocean and ALL the rooms have balconies. There are no "garden view" or "lagoon view" rooms at the Ritz Carlton. High floors have better views than low floors, but there are no bad rooms. The rooms are spacious and well-appointed. My only complaint is that they are overdue for upgrading to flat-screen TVs and truly comfortable beds (instead of ordinary beds with cushy mattress pads on top). Also, the use of metal room keys (instead of card keys like most hotels) is quaint but annoying because you are forever scared of losing your key on the beach.

The decor of the hotel is traditional understated old-world elegant. This is not a spring-break or Miami-Vice style hotel. There is lots of polished wood, traditional carpets, and formal paintings and drawings on the walls.

The staff are all wonderful. There seems to be no request that they will not happily satisfy. I joke that they don't know how to say "No". They manage to do this while appearing genuinely friendly and not at all subservient. For example, because we were travelling with our baby, they initially put us in a special room with a built-in baby crib and other baby-friendly features. When we said that we liked the ordinary rooms better, they looked up the room that where we stayed on our previous visit and put us in a room close to that to make sure that we were happy.

I highly recommend the Ritz Carlton in Cancun, but wish that the beach was still as great as the hotel.

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton for 7 nights the first week of August. We had a Club Level room, and it was definitely worth the extra money!!! Leo was the best concierge at the Club level. He was extremely knowledgable, very friendly, and attentive. Ana Maria is training to be a concierge, and she was also super friendly and went way out of her way to make sure we were having a good time.

We booked transportation from the airport through the Ritz, which we would definitely recommend. They were there when we walked out of the airport with a sign and whisked us away to the hotel. Our friends, who traveled with us, ended up taking a taxi and it only cost about $20 less. We thought it was definitely worth the price for personal transportation (and no waiting!).

Upon arrival at the Ritz, we were greeted with cool, lavendar scented towels and a glass of champagne! What a great way to start the week! The Club Level rooms are very spacious and have a great balcony view.

(As a side note, the Ritz is so wonderful that the maid even cleaned my hair brush!!! I thought this was a good example how they go above and beyond what is necessary and are all so friendly and pleasant.)

Some people have posted that there was not enough food at the Club. However, we ate all of our meals but two or three there and loved it. If you are looking for a cruise-style "all you can eat" pizza and chips buffet, then that is definitely not what you are going to get. However, if you are looking for lots of variety and high quality food (we were never hungry - they always had cookies and snacks set out!), then this is the place to go! The food ranged from chips and salsa and quesadillas to sushi to chicken sandwhiches, etc. Don't worry, I still gained 3 pounds!! :)
My husband even has a severe food allergy, and the Club Level staff were very helpful in showing us what he could and could not eat. One time, there was nothing that he could eat, and they ordered us room service instead! We also ordered beer, wine, bottled water and margaritas for free at the Club room 24/7, which was a great bonus for us.

Side note: floor 9 (Cobalt Lounge) is open from 5:30-7:30 and has a martini bar, but you must wear long pants (men) and casual elegance (ladies). We went one evening and it was totally worth it. Very elegant, great service! (Still free as part of the Club package, you just have to dress up a little).

We ate at the Mexican restaurant one day for lunch. Hamburgers (Kobe beef) are amazing! Best hamburger I ever ate in my entire life! Also, the chips and guacomole is to die for! (We ordered this several times at the pool b/c it is so good.) We also had sushi in the Lobby bar one evening, and it was the best sushi we ever had! Highly recommended.

The concierge at the Club level was extremely helpful, especially Leo. They helped us book a tour to Chichen Itza (American Express tours), which was wonderful. We would highly recommend this tour, although it was a long day. Take lots of water. It is very very hot and there is no breeze. However, the tour bus had tons of food and refreshments for you upon return to the bus, and the guides were excellent and very knowledgable. We also stopped at a cenote (cave for swimming), which was beautiful. We had to change when we got there, which wasted time (we only stopped for 30 minutes, so changing took up 10min.), so I would recommend wearing your swimsuit the whole day to save time at the cenote.

We also spent a day at Xel-Ha (Best Day tours), which was one of the most beautiful places we visited. Make sure to go to the cliff dive, rope bridge, and toobing. Very fun. Also don't miss the secret Mayan cave and the pictures with the toucans (by the entrance to the snorkel park). There are a TON of fish under the floating bridge near the ocean. Definitely go over there to snorkel. Toobing is beautiful but takes 1 hour if you are actively paddling down the river or 2 hours if you are floating. Make sure you have time to return to the tour bus before doing this. We heard of some people missing the bus!

Make sure to take sunscreen. If you are pale like us, the sun is pretty intense. We got a little pink, even applying sunscreen several times a day.

We also rented a Casita one day at the Ritz with our friends. Roberto (waiter) and Obelin were amazing! They provided us with bottled water, ice buckets, cold towels, and even swept the sand out of our casita twice! What an amazing experience! If you are going to rent one with just adults, we would recommend renting one at the Beach Club rather than the casitas right in front of the Ritz Hotel. The Casitas are quiter at the Beach Club and you get more of a breeze of the ocean because it is not blocked by buildings. On the other hand, if you have kids, it would probably be better to rent the ones right in front of the Ritz. There were a ton of kids there, and it would be fun for them to play with each other and run back and forth between the beach and the pool.

As a side note, if you want to save money, there is a convenience store right across the street from the Ritz that sells beer, wine, liquor and snacks, which you can bring to the pool and casitas (as long as you don't mind serving yourself). :) We saw several people doing this while we were there and it seemed like a great idea.

We also had two massages at the Ritz spa. The spa front desk ladies do not seem to be all that on-the-ball, but the massages themselves were EXCELLENT and TOP-NOTCH! My husband had the hot stone and I had the sweedish massage. Both of us felt that it was definitely the way to kick of the vacation and get relaxed.

All and all, I would HIGHLY recommend the Ritz, expecially the Club Level. We will definitely return again!

The only bad thing that happened to us the entire time was our return to the airport (flight was Delta, 3pm on a Saturday afternoon). We arrived at the airport exactly 2 hours and 5 minutes before our flight. However, the line to check in at the Delta terminal was 2 hours long and then the security line was 15 minutes long. The Delta staff was extremely unhelpful and down right rude, even after we had waited 2 hours and our flight was boarding. Luckily, we ended up (literally) running to the gate and being the last people on the plane as they closed the door. Interestingly, I think a lot of other people had the same problem, as our flight was only about half-full. They took off without them. Bottom line: if you are flying on Delta, ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT 3 HOURS EARLY. However, I will note that the American Airlines and US Airways lines did not seem to have any problem, as people were zipping through them in 20-30 minutes or so. Perhaps Delta was the only airline with the problem, but it was totally ridiculous, the Delta staff was extremely rude (claimed they didn't speak English sometimes and at other times would be fluent), and next time we will either arrive 3 hours early for our return flight or (better yet) NOT fly on Delta out of Cancun.

All and all, we highly recommend the Ritz. Best vacation of our lives. We hope to go back next summer!