I recently stayed at the Ritz Carlton Cancun as a renewal for me from work, and a break for my daughter from her demanding college schedule.

I will be hard-pressed to top this experience with future vacations.

I booked the Reconnect Package, which seemed reasonable in comparison to all-inclusive rates at other resorts in the area. We tend to prefer a good breakfast, which is included in this package.The breakfast buffet was abundant, representing several country preferences: US, Japan & Mexico.

The service all around, from concierge to on-site American Express Travel Agency ( for tours and travel assistance) was impeccable.

The staff was extremely warm, gracious, and professional.
They encouraged our attempts to speak Spanish, and seemed genuinely interested in helping us communicate in their language, as they correctly sensed, we truly wanted to do. Of course, they spoke fluent English(among other languages) but allowed us the luxury of practicing what sadly doesn't come as naturally to us, as English does to them.

The property was immaculate, the rooms, beach and pool area clean & welcoming, the service prompt, efficient yet warm. The food quality was as good as any you would find in the finer dining establishments of NYC.

The Turtle Guardian Program was a plus, particularly for individuals interested in giving back to the community and environment at large. Very unique, and something a student like my daughter, who intends to apply to vet school, truly appreciated.

The Concierge level had 5 superb food presentations a day. I was extremely fortunate to have been upgraded to this level by my long-term Virtuoso travel agent. While I have stayed at Club/Concierge Level at various resorts before, the Ritz Cancun Concierge Level far exceeds the others in food & beverage selection, and again the service was discreet yet warm.

To me, a hotel's staff can make or break an otherwise fine looking property. This particular Ritz ( I have stayed at others) seems to understand this. Everyone was clearly trained properly, but I think also their natural inclination to be warm and friendly came forth on its own.

I would not hesitate to recommend this property to the pickiest and most jaded of travelers. I also commend the Ritz Cancun, on it's Human Resources-the staffing and training of its employees here-is the most memorable and impressive thoughts I have.

This property understands it's most important asset is its people. Kudos to that kind of thinking. It certainly shows.

JV
White Plains, NY

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.