HawkSE

Mrs. HawkSE and I did 10 days at this property in July and loved it. We payed the upgrade to Club 91 and found it be worth the money. I do not think they want you to take food out of the Club area, but taking soft-drinks and water was no problem for us. Between the water/sodas, food, and open-bar from 6-8p it was well worth the fee - plus the attendants were very helpful for reservations and general information.

cjmx50

Sounds like that is the place to go. Can I book a standard room and then upgrade to club 91 when i get there in oct? It seems like it is about 100 nt for the upgrade? And after every sefvices rendered are you suppose to tip the people from club 91? It says it has butler service, so do i tip every time, just like at home? Thanks for all the help, CJ

John Galt

Ms. Galt and I went on an award stay. Gold at the time...no problems upgrading to a jr. suite (overlooking the CasaMagna, but nice nonetheless).

We ate at the restaurant one evening, which was OK, but not really worth the money. We had better luck at the other restaurants. We ate at the grill a couple of times, and it was pretty good standard American burgers.

eduboys

How much per night to upgrade to the Jr. Suite? Or was it a free upgrade because of your status?

HawkSE

I think the Club 91 is $80 a day for (2) people - but I would recomend booking it before you arrive since folks staying with Club 91 receive free airport transfers. The staff will contact you a couple of weeks before your stay to obtain your flight information and ask if you have any special requests during your stay. This was a great benefit since it was personal sedan service to/from the airport and it is great to know someone is waiting for you once you hit the streets at the Cancun airport, that area can be a real circus.

Also I am not sure how well documented it is but there is an additional per person charge for more than (2) folks accessing the lounge - I think it is $35/person/day.

sjxmang

I was there last October, and the stay was awesome! My wife and I stayed there for our anniversary and they really went the extra mile for us. The service is top notch, quite impressed! A suggestion: while you are at the pool speak with 'pool concierge' and make any reservations for any of the 5 restaurants on site (all are good).. you will get your reservation as well as receiving a 15-20 percent discount card for the dinner. adds up

For those who want to economically have drinks poolside There is a liquor store a short walk/drive from the hotel...exiting left from the property, turn left and it's close by on the right...most mixed drinks are 8 - 13 USD poolside..

Another good thing at JW is there is a travel agency onsite so you can book any activities with them...speak with concierge on details. Their prices are competitive, so no need to shop around.. there is also a car rental onsite with decent prices..my wife and I just used a taxi all week I definitely recommend a trip to Chechen Itza, which you can book via the concierge/travel agency. No need to do the personal tour, the group tour is fun...unless you don't like company

TribeFlyer

That whole complex is amazing! When I was there two years ago, they were talking about closing off the pyramid steps permanently to tourists--did they go through with that idea?

Boraxo

Is it worth an extra $50 per night to stay at the JW rather than the Casa Magna?

Also, regarding Club 91:

(1) Do you need to pre-book Club 91 at the exhorbitant room website rates, or can you simply reserve a regular room and then purchase Club 91 priviliges before you arrive? What is the additional cost per room per day?

(2) Do you only get free alcohol between 6-8pm?

(3) Are there extra fees to use the health club/spa? Any "resort" fees?

(4) Are there young children running wild in the Club/at the pool? This seems to be a common complaint at the Ritz...

Thanks for any insights.

John Galt

Free because of status.

Boraxo

Nobody has been to Cancun recently???

frankhi

I haven't been there for 1.5 years (be back in Nov), and I always liked the case magna, but it seemed a little run down at that time, and the JW was awesome. I'd say for $50 I would go with the JW.

eduboys

I'll be down at the end of august. Can't wait for my stay at the JW.

HawkSE

Boraxo, I was there in July - here are a couple of answers.

(1) Not sure, I was on an award stay and reserved a room with a $80/upgrade fee per day for Club 91.

(2) Do you only get free alcohol between 6-8pm? -->Yes

(3) Are there extra fees to use the health club/spa? Any "resort" fees? -->Health Club and Spa (indoor lap pool, sauna, etc) access charges are waived with Club 91. Otherwise something like $15/day.

(4) Are there young children running wild in the Club/at the pool? This seems to be a common complaint at the Ritz... -->Both were well run and nothing too wild from our view point. Though keep in mind it is a rather 'kid friendly pool' with zero entry areas etc...

peteyp97

I'm staying in Cancun during Presidents Week in 2006. Stayed at JW in 05, and was thinking of staying at Casa Magna this time (since we'll have the kids). I'm using MR points and wasn't sure if it was worth the points difference for the JW.
Any suites at the Casa Magna that I could upgrade to? Thanks.

BeantownFlyer

I haven't stayed at the JW (I usually stay at the Ritz). Stayed at Casa Magna years ago, and liked it. I note that if you use points at the JW you can upgrade to one of their club room floors for $100/nt. From the description in the rate rules, it seems to be a copy of a Ritz-Carlton Club floor, and can save you a decent amount of money you would otherwise spend on breakfast, airport transportation, drinks, other meals, internet access, etc. (it doesn't say it here, but I think it also includes free access to the second floor spa facilities, they otherwise have a $10 per person per day charge):

CLUB 91 AND CLUB 91 LOUNGE INFORMATION
*** IMPORTANT NOTE CLUB 91 LOUNGE ACCESS IS FOR MAXIMUM OF 2
ADULTS (16 YEARS OR OLDER). ADDITIONAL GUESTS BROUGHT TO THE
LOUNGE WILL INCUR A 50 USD DAILY MEMBERSHIP FEE. ANYONE UNDER
16 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT ****
************************ IMPORTANT ****************************
CLUB 91 IS NOT A CONCIERGE LEVEL OR EXECUTIVE LOUNGE AND IS
AVAILABLE ONLY THROUGH CLUB RATES*****
************************************************** *************
* UPGRADED SERVICES AND AMENITIES ON PRIVATE FLOOR
* COMPLIMENTARY AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION (FOR 2 ADULTS ONLY)
HOTEL WILL CONTACT GUEST VIA E-MAIL FOR FLIGHT INFORMATION
ADDITIONAL PASSANGERS WILL BE CHARGED 18 USD ROUND TRIP.
UP TO TWO KIDS UNDER 12 ARE FREE.
* CLUB 91 LOUNGE - EXCLUSIVE KEY ACCESS, SELECTION OF CD'S
BOOKS, GAMES, PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS
* CLUB 91 LOUNGE HAS FIVE DAILY FOOD PRESENTATIONS
* GUARDIAN ANGEL SERVICES - UNPACKING/PACKING, PRESSING,
SHOESHINE, PERSONAL SHOPPER, SERVICES UPON REQUEST
* SLEEP IN COMFORT - A VARIETY OF PILLOWS, MASKS TO CHOOSE FROM
* BATH AND BODY - VARIETY OF SOAPS, BATH SALTS AND SHOWER GELS
* PREMIUM OPEN BAR FROM 6PM TO 8PM