We went for the beach - What Beach?

Posted by Billyzoom from Dallas, Texas on 3/22/08

This really is a beautiful hotel. The service was excellent and the food was above average but expensive. The issue was that we went for the beach, and there wasn't one. We knew that the hotel had been damaged by a hurricane a few years ago but had been lead to beleve that all was back to normal. If you want a beautiful pool this is the place but, I had promised the kids a beach so everyone was disapointed.

Great Hotel, but You Forget You're in Mexico

Posted by ssvacation from Washington, DC on 2/22/08

We stayed at the JW Marriott over Christmas in 2007. The hotel was immaculate and the service was excellent. We used Marriott points to stay here, so it was free for us. All in all, it was a great vacation but some things were disappointing: The beach at the hotel is VERY small. It is only wide enough for 1 row of beach chairs. You must "reserve" a chair early at the pool. I am not a fan of reserving chairs and then walking away, but we found that if we were not at the pool by 8:30AM, then there were no chairs because of over-zealous chair reservers. You don't feel like you're in Mexico. The hotel zone of Cancun is very commercial/up-scale/Americanized and people forget that they aren't in Miami - I actually heard a guest saying to the hotel waitstaff in an annoyed tone: "What, don't you understand English?" We also found the concierge to be overwhelmed with requests - perhaps because of the number of guests. However the hotel is very nice. Most of the rooms have ocean views. The rooms and bathrooms are gorgeous with very nice balconies. The spa was pretty good -- I enjoyed my massage and the relaxation area with the delicious teas. The food at the hotel was expensive, but generally very good for hotel food. The pool was very large and beautiful. The wait staff was excellent and friendly - we had no problems. I definitely recommend this hotel despite some of the negatives above. It was very relaxing to just get away. Also - take the bus that stops in front of the hotel rather than a taxi. The bus is 60 cents per person into downtown Cancun and the Cancun tourist destinations. It always seemed to be running and we used it to get to various places including the Ciudad de Cancun and Puerta Juarez (ferry to Isla Mujeres). Very convenient.

Service needs work at the front desk.

Posted by Tenniswoman from Florida on 6/28/07

The hotel is beautiful and clean. The food is better than average and so is hte service. Front desk staff is not accustomed to pleasing the guests. They need to work on smiling and customer service basics. Don't stay here for the beach. It's not much.

Problems at JW Marriott (Christmas 2006)

Posted by jsmith4789 from Vancouver, BC on 1/20/07

I recently returned from a 10 day trip to the JW Marriott during Christmas 2006. While this is undoubtedly one of the better hotels in Cancun, I could not recommend either this hotel, or Cancun in general at this time because of the following reasons: 1. I was woken up and/or kept awake by loud noisy tractors, sand moving equipment and work crews on the beach directly outside the JW Marriott Hotel at very late hours (11:30 PM to 5:00 AM) for three consecutive nights (doing beach reconstruction); 2. I was woken up by someone cutting the grass with a loud lawnmower outside my window at 7:15 AM; 3. My enjoyment of much of the outdoor pool area was disrupted (every day) by major construction at the hotel next door (an estimated 50 to100 construction workers making loud banging, hammering, sawing, grinding noises); 4. My enjoyment of the beach, and many sections of the pool area, was seriously disrupted, by: (a) loud jet skis coming constantly in and out of the JW beachfront (from a privately operated jet ski station); and (b) by the annoying loud ultralight planes that fly by the hotel every twenty minutes; 5. I didnt appreciate being accosted daily by the average of 3 to 4 private vendors who station themselves in the middle of the JW beach an attempt to sell jet ski services, boogie board services, etc. (and worse, flag down every person who walks by); I could not recommend this hotel right now for anyone who is seeking a high end, peaceful, luxury beach vacation.