In the Uber that takes me to the Ritz Carlton I say to myself “my journey finally begins”. When I planned this trip I planned to test two hotels that we had not yet visited in order to add to our list of hotels in Cancun. As you may have read in my previous review, the Renaissance Cancun was a real disappointment so I was left with the Ritz Carlton to save my week.

We have never had any bad surprises at Ritz-Carltoneven if we sometimes find the brand a little more dusty than St Regis (even if it’s getting better) so I am quite confident.

Booking

I originally booked a standard room so there was no guarantee of location or view. And I paid with the points I have in the Marriott loyalty program.

Location of the hotel

The Ritz Carlton is locatedin the heart of the hotel zone, which means that it is a very active area in both the good and bad sense of the word, but at least it is not as boring as the marina where the Renaissance is located.

When talking about Cancun, you know what to expect when you go there in terms of vacation style and population, so if you like quietness and a certain kind of standing (and clientele), there will never be a “good” place in Cancun for you.

But here the purpose was simply to find a sunny place at this time of the year and easily accessible in a COVID context so Cancun was more the result of logic than a deliberate choice.

Arrival at the hotel and check in

The Uber ride from the Renaissance still takes a while, proof that the marina is not ideally located.

Upon arrival at the hotel the security checks are strictto let the car into the parking lot. It must be said that in terms of delinquency Cancun is not one of the safest destinations in the world.

When I get off the Uber my luggage is taken care of by a bellman and another person accompanies me to the reception.

The lobby is very “Ritz Carlton” that is to say a kind of “old luxury” style which can make a little overloaded or fake but we will talk about it later.

The reception is very professional but friendly. During check-in I will be brought a drink and a welcome snack.

At this point, everything is happening in reverse of the Renaissance. The staff takes its time, runs through the protocol, thanks me for my loyalty, lists the benefits I receive as a result and announces that I am upgraded to a suite with a sea view.

In the list of benefits announced by the hotel there are, for the “elite” members of the loyalty program, two COVID tests offered and done in the hotel. Going back to Europe via Turkey and being fully vaccinated I won’t need it.

Then another person walks me to my room. Since my arrival, no less than 5 people have successively taken care of me.

An excellent experience with one detail: of course I had to pay a resort fee. In other words, a mandatory extra charge to use the hotel’s facilities. It will be $40 per night! In other words, even if I paid for my stay with my points, I will still have to pay at least that much when I leave. It is becoming more regulated, but I hope that one day it will be totally banned.

Anyway.

The style of the hotel

You’ll get a more detailed look at it when you see the various photos in this review, but this hotel is a typical example of the North American hotel trying to buy a style and history that it doesn’t have. Such hotels are still too common in the USA and also in Mexico so that the American neighbors are not disoriented.

They try to copy an old European style but it looks fake. In my opinion, a modern hotel must assume to the end and not try to steal the appearance of a past that it does not have.

From a distance it can look good, it flatters the ego of the client or the hotelier for whom this history that they don’t have is the ultimate chic but I remain convinced that rather than copying what they don’t have these hotels should rather seek their own way.

Another characteristic feature of the “US” style, low ceilings that give a feeling of being crushed, especially when you have a large area like in a hall. As well as carpets with patterns that do not always look good, but which hide stains more easily. A characteristic that can also be found in airports.

You may find me harsh but there are so many talented designers that I think it’s a shame to persist in the path of a “fake old” which is not always in the best taste and prevents a hotel from developing its personality.

The sea view suite at the Ritz Carlton Cancun

So let’s take a look at the suite that was assigned to me.

The entrance hall leads to the living room (opposite) and the toilets (on the right).

The living room area isspacious and not overloadedin terms of furniture.

Then let’s go to the bedroom. It is also of good sizeand furnished just as it is necessary.

At an angle, it offers a double view on the sea and the pool.

Then there is the bathroom with a huge space that serves as a dressing room and where you”ll find the two basins of the sink. A bit of wasted space?

Finally on the right the bathroom itself with the shower, the bathtub and the toilet (separate).

And to get an even better idea, the usual video.

In relation to my general criticism of the furniture I think it could have been worse. Without being very modern it is not too kitsch either and not in bad taste even if the furniture is a little worn. The light shades are quite pleasant.

After if the “facade” is thus rather successful, it does not manage to hide the age of the hotel. There are not enough plugs and they are rather badly located, inheritance of a time when one did not travel with a lot of devices. A number of lights are also plugged into sockets that are not controlled by a switch, so I let you imagine the pleasure of going around the suite to turn everything off at night before going to bed.

This aside, this suite is still very enjoyable. Needless to say, the quality of the bedding is excellent.

I will add that a few minutes after my arrival I will be brought a welcome service not unpleasant at all, accompanied by a message from the hotel.

Swimming pool, beach, spa and gym

Even if the time (November) is not optimal to make the most of the hotel’s facilities, I was still able to enjoy them.

Located on the peninsula of the hotel zone, the hotel directly overlooks the long beach that borders it.

I specify that in Mexico the beaches are not privatized by the hotels but that does not prohibit them to arrange their equipment there.

The hotel also has a large swimming pool with enough space around it so that finding a deckchair is not an impossible task, even if the size of the property means that it must be very tight in August.

As you can see, at this time of the year I had plenty of room.

There is also another smaller pool that I didn’t quite understand the purpose of. Maybe for the children?

The hotel also has a gym. It is adequately equipped but with 70% of the space dedicated to cardio equipment. For the rest, benches and floor exercises you have to fight for your place.

At that time in Mexico the mask was mandatory inside, even during the exercises. A delight…

There is also a spa that I haven’t tried.

I discovered a tennis course the day I left…

Bars and restaurants

The hotel bar is large and very pleasant.

The staff is very professional and pleasantand they get the best score so far in the travelguys test of hotel bars on our classic: the Negroni with Vodka. Impeccably balanced and for once not “watery” at all.

You can also enjoy sushi here.

The hotel has several restaurants of various styles, I will only try the Fantino, its “fine dining” restaurant of which here is the menu at the time (only accessible by QR code, COVID oblige). Please note that the prices are in Mexican peso, not in dollars.

I let you judge the aesthetics of the place…which confirms some of my criticisms.

I’ll have the tagliatelle with truffles and the fish of the day.

It is good, undeniably, without being exceptional. On the other hand, the service will be remarkable.

The service

This was the most positive aspect of this stay:the quality of the service.

As I have already had the opportunity to saythe staff is very professional and of a very pleasant contact, attentive and considerate.

For example, when I returned to the bar after my first visit, I was systematically called by my name without being asked for my room number. My mask falls on the floor? They bring me a new one with the Ritz Carlton logo on it.

When I settle down around the pool, a person immediately introduces himself to me as the “person in charge of this section”: he is in charge of a certain number of deckchairs and takes care of all the customers. He will call me by my name, offers to move my stuff to the beach if I want to go, opens and closes the umbrella at my request (and at one point to protect me from 3 drops of rain)…

Need sunscreen? There are very practical “sun screen stations” and anyway you will be brought some if needed. I will be regularly brought small ice creams.

Generallythe customer is recognized, called by name, and the staff spends their time asking how you are, if you need anything, etc.

Okay, it’ s a Ritz Carlton and that’s the level of service one expects. But sometimes the service can be pro and lack humanity or warmth and, quite simply, sometimes hotels don’t live up to their promise.

Here I did not notice any misstep during my stay.

Check-out

Ichecked out on the Marriott mobile app to save the time of going through the front desk again for endless paperwork.

On the forecourt of the hotel I order an Uber and there…no car available. A heavy shower has just ended and as often happens this has had an impact on demand.

I don’t have any Mexican money with me and I don’t want to draw any except in case of extreme necessity, which excludes at least at first the cab option.

I call one of the hotel’s bellmen and explain the situation to him and he answers that he can find me a private driver that I can pay by card. I worried about the type of rates charged but he reassured me that the only drivers who are allowed to be in the hotel to offer their services to customers are “controlled” and apply a kind of “good practice” charter. I can imagine that this type of hotel does not want to support certain practices known elsewhere where on the one hand the customer is fleeced and on the other hand the bellman who brings a driver a client gets his kickback.

Anyway, 2 minutes later I am installed in a big SUV and I will spend the equivalent of about fifty dollars which is not at all abusive.

Bottom line

What I remember from this stay at the Ritz Carlton Cancun is the quality of the service which, you may say, is at the level of the hotel’s promise. Yes, but how many hotels don’t keep their promise?

Also, strict compliance with the loyalty program and its benefits. Again, this should be obvious, but it is not obvious everywhere.

I will not explain that it was night and day with the Renaissance because the two hotels are not in the same category and even if the Renaissance was not at the level of its own promise.

Then it is a big resort in a city dedicated to mass tourism with all that goes with it even if this hotel must, in high season, offer a small bubble of tranquility despite its high capacity.

Afterwards one can criticize the lack of personality of the hotel or the fact that a slight renovation could be envisaged but it is in the line of a “style” which was all the rage in the 80s and is thus largely present. And the Ritz Carlton is not doing so bad…

Will I return? Certainly not in high season given the crowd and the rates charged at that time (except if I pay with my points and even in this case…). But in the quiet off season why not…

The experience/price ratio will just be tarnished by the $40 resort fee but unfortunately these are the “rules” of the profession in this part of the world.

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