wdj

Anyone been here lately? Tips on restaurants, spa or watersports would be appreciated.

Thanks

Curt

We stayed at Marriott Casa Magna, which is connected to JW by elevated walkway, creating in effect a large complex of two hotels and you have access to both and can use the pools etc. The pool area at JW is awesome, nicer that Casa Magna, but that one is also quite nice. The lobbies are similar with JW's a bit more opulent (it is also newer). Rooms at Casa Magna were very nice, large, huge bathrooms, nice balconies overlooking pool and beach. I am sure JW rooms are even nicer. That is the plus side. The down side is they are very expensive, and even though you will be paying through your nose for the room that is ALL you get. There was not even a coffee maker in the room, and everything was extra cost, including the bottled water that was provided. The food prices in the hotels are way out of line. If you do stay there eat elsewhere. There are many good places to eat. We enjoyed riding the local bus to downtown Cancun and eating there (La Parilla is quite good). The food is cheaper there and just as safe as in the Hotel Zone. We also like Maguey's in one of the shopping centers (don't recall name) in the hotel zone. Very good food. We were only in Cancun three nights then we headed south to Playa Del Carmen area. We found the beach in Cancun pretty to look at, but it was impossible to get in the water due to the large waves. The red and black flags were flying the whole time we were there (red means use extreme caution in water, black means if you go in you will likely die!!!). Because of this we had no beach time at all. Water is much smoother south in PDC area. Shopping is plentiful, and as usual in Mexico, haggling is expected. Silver is a good buy. Watersports in Cancun were there, but we did not partake due to rough seas. Overall, I would say use Cancun for the airport but for a more enjoyable holiday go south to the PDC area or even further south. Cancun is also a good base for trips to the Mayan ruins. Have fun.

me

Not all beaches in Cancun have big waves like that!If you stay at the upper part of Cancun , closer to downtown , the beaches there are very calm too ,BUT I do prefer PDC and the nearby areas ,more quaint ,more Mexican and deffinitely a better base to the ruins , much closer(not Cancun!).

Little_Man

We stayed here last August, and this resort was just about perfect. Very nice, new rooms with incredible views. At the time we were there, the ocean swimming was unbelievably good. Calm waves, CLEAR turquoise water that was warm! Salty, though!
Given the chance, I'd stay there again in a minute...

wdj

Thanks, but would live to hear from someone who has stayed recently at the JW Marriott.

wdj

Just trying again, thanks!

wdj

O.K. one more try for review of JW.

Thanks

jen1201

Hi my boyfriend and I just got back from a week at the JW Marriott on Monday and we had a blast! The hotel was extraodinary and the weather was great! There were red flags on the beach almost everyday we were there, but it didn't stop us from going in the water. The pool was really nice and covered almost the entire hotel. The JW has a total of 4 places to eat and we tried all of them. The deli is great for their turkey avacado sandwhich, fruit salad, gelato, and pastries. Gustino's had a fabulous wine list and great entrees and dessert (try the mango panna cotta dessert). Salsa Cafe has a great breakfast buffet. We tried the prime rib and lobster buffet one night, but I wasn't impressed. The lobster was all you can eat, but extremely dry. Do not book any tours through the hotel. You can find much better deals on tours at the malls. We did an all-inclusive tour at XelHa. I highly recommend this tour. The food and the snorkeling was good. If you snorkel by their floating bridge, you can see alot of big fish. We went to Isla Mujeres, but I got sea sick on the boat ride there because of the huge waves. We also took a jungle tour and saw a lot of fish, including a barracuda. Have fun!!!

Jean_Valjean

I stayed there a year ago, and will go there again in a couple of months. It is an extremely good hotel. It has a great location. The pool area is just perfect, and the rooms are a bit larger than average. All of the rooms have a view of the ocean.

As someone else said, the prices at the restaurants can be obscene. I find that the breakfast buffet is expensive (around US 19), but a very good value.

You can ask that breakfast is included in your room rate (European Plan). That way you only pay for one buffet even if there's up to two adults in a room.