I do not recommend the IC Presidente. I was also Platinum when I stayed there. I believe I stayed on points, and immediately was given a hard sell to buy up over $100 a night to a "nice room." I have been with IHG for over 20 years, and I was always treated well. I am also not an resort type of person--and frankly, I am not a Cancun person. I was there at Christmas during Covid to deliver a full suitcase filled with brand new clothes to an orphanage in the city of Cancun, far removed from the Hotel Zone. But I needed a place to stay on points to afford this trip. I don't recall how I landed at this hotel, but that is why I was there. I figured I would head to Chichen Itza as well, and then head back. I fell for the upsell for a day, and it was nice enough, I guess, but the more I thought about it, the more it bugged me--a lot. I marched back down and said I wanted the room I had booked. So I was given a dreary and horrible room that had a window (maybe it was a door?) I could not see out. It was on the first floor. It was dark and depressing. It doesn't look like the pictures I see now, but I didn't take any because I remember I was posting pictures and I was embarrassed to show my friends. The whole experience left an ugly taste in my mouth. I absolutely made the decision, and probably was just taken aback by the whole thing. Rotten time, rotten experience. One of my three worst IHG stays in 20+ years. The other two were at Candlewoods. One has closed down completely and was taken over by a budget no-tell motel, and the other I left a month ago (and I am Diamond now--and this one was 4.5 stars though I usually don't choose that budget of a hotel) for a Marriott property where am writing this now (I live in hotels year round).

Also, note that the IC is NOT on the beach, though the map looks like it. It's across the road from the GoMart gas station/ Subway, which was actually convenient (and just down from that there is a great food stand area--cheap yummy street type food). Keep in mind that Cancun caters to Americans who like to think they are in "Mexico," but mostly are in American resorts in the Hotel Zone. So if you insist on AI or B&B you pay those prices. Find a nice room with access to a real Mexican restaurant and you will really eat well at good prices!

There is a concierge at the IC and probably most 4 and 5 star hotels, if you want to book a tour (as well as Viator type bookings, but they all are going to be upcharged, and you can do ut yourself too). Tours are bookable all over the HZ at little booths; remember, you are in a tourist area. They are all ready for you. Most tours were reruns of each other for Chichen Itza and way too long for me (I am sort of a party pooper!) 13 hours: Leave at 7, and always a cenote, a (famous area) buffet lunch, and Chichen Itza, then return at 8--something close to that (variations might be 11 or 12 hours).

Then I looked into renting a car. Very different cars and laws (I hate driving. I'm not bad at it; I just hate it!). You absolutely have to have the liability insurance per MX law, but many try to upsell the others too. I did a lot of reading on agencies and insurance. I have a Chase card that has primary coverage, which I verified covered me in MX, so I arranged a car drop off with a company that would sell me only what I was legally required to have. I rented it for 24 hours, drove out and back (skipped the cenote and buffet--a time change occurs on the drive, too). Then I also went to the orphanage while I had the car because that made the most sense. Then I texted the man who brought me the car and he picked it up. It was an old, very used car. The windows rolled down manually. It was a hoot! But it worked. And the guy and the agency were honest. It was cheaper and faster than a tour--and did not involved me spending a lot of hours packed on a bus.

Oh, the kids got their new clothes, and I rented a car in Mexico and drove myself to Chichen Itza, and those were the best parts of the trip. The IC was the worst, and looking over the pictures on Google is a very different story than my experience. I guess I wasn't a big enough spender. So maybe your mileage will vary if you want to pay the price. The lobby and common areas were nice. So was the upsold room...