I booked myself a package holiday to Cancun the other week. Part of me wants to laugh at myself about this. But first let me tell you the situation: I spend enough time in South Florida as it is (family ties), so I’m kinda over Miami and Fort Lauderdale. And for a beachy weekend getaway from Chicago, there are really only two tropical places you can easily get to on United Airlines, my airline of choice because of my miles. (Haters, don’t be hating.) The two places you can get to easily via a direct flight from Chicago most days of the week are Cancun, Mexico and San Juan, Puerto Rico. I do really like San Juan — especially the old Colonial part — but I like shrimp tacos better. (Although shrimp tacos are technically more a west coast of Mexico thing.) So Cancun it was. (I also toyed with Panama but it’s a longer flight. Some other time, perhaps.)
Anyhow, because it’s August in Mexico, you can get some pretty good deals. (British friends, take note. Because all the currencies are still in your favor.) So I ended up flying business class to Cancun and staying on the Club floor at The Ritz with food and booze all included — as long as I wasn’t expecting filet mignon or anything — for what I personally considered to be a decent deal. (Not a steal. A deal.) Other things for me to consider: I was by myself and I didn’t want to feel like I was interloping on anyone’s honeymoon — always a risk in a lot of Cancun hotels. So my options were fairly limited: the Westin, the JW Marriott, or The Ritz.
The Ritz it was it. And let me tell you…this place is OLD SKOOL. Pink marble everywhere, oil paintings, woodwork, brass. WOW. It all felt pretty weird and out of place in this very beachy, touristy town.
But…the beach out back was pretty fantastic. Really an awesome beach. I spent a lot of time in the water. I miss salt water.
And the SERVICE. The service was fantastic. Any time I turned around with the slightest thought of “Maybe I should…” someone was there to get me a drink or offer me a menu or bring me a cool towel. When I left, one of the staff members HUGGED ME and in a nice way and not a creepy way.
The shrimp tacos poolside were awesome, if expensive.
And the Argentinian sparkling Chardonnay Malbec in the lounge was interesting and different and, well, it helped to pass the time as I read book after book after book and tried to figure life out. (Still working on that.)
Ohh…and there were BABY TURTLES waiting to be hatched! Everywhere! July – September is turtle season in Cancun.
The Ritz Carlton Cancun is about to undergo some major renovations, so I would stay away from here in the near-term. But come November or December, if you’re looking for a nice place to relax with classy service, this is a good choice. You could do worse. (Note that it’s not technically all-inclusive. But if you go for the Club Floor, you can definitely make three meals a day out of things.)
