Feb 9, 2018, 7:19 pm
Last edit by: hhoope01
This thread refers to the various Marriott brands within a specific geographic area. Marriott Bonvoy hotels in XX usually have posts asking which property is better, etc. Trip reports are usually better suited in the property specific threads.
Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Cancun [Merged threads]
Nov 20, 2003, 3:01 am
#92
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: KCMO
Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, PC Ammbassador
Posts: 352
Thats where were going on our next trip...within the next 7 to 8 months. Whats the best time of the year to go?
Is it kid friendly? How does it conpare to other JW'S?
Is it kid friendly? How does it conpare to other JW'S?
Nov 23, 2003, 4:40 pm
#94
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Putnam County, NY
Programs: Delta-Platinum/Million Miler, Marriott-Lifetime Titanium. Priority Club-Platinum
Posts: 1,214
>>by design<<
Having stayed at both, and seen LOTS of kids at both...what exactly is this design you speak of?
The feeling I got while staying at the JW last summer was that the Casa Magna was the "Corona/Margarita Crowd", and the JW was the "Martini/Cabernet Savignon Crowd"...could have just been the week I was there on business however. I was just at the Casa Magna last week for two days...it was very subdued while the JW had a ROWDY party on the beach complete with DJ (and kids) so it seems the roles were reversed!
The JW has a cool pool...the Casa Magna has a HUGE hotub and great Japanese steakhouse. Wherever you decide to stay, try a Victoria. Great Mexican beer.
PF
Having stayed at both, and seen LOTS of kids at both...what exactly is this design you speak of?
The feeling I got while staying at the JW last summer was that the Casa Magna was the "Corona/Margarita Crowd", and the JW was the "Martini/Cabernet Savignon Crowd"...could have just been the week I was there on business however. I was just at the Casa Magna last week for two days...it was very subdued while the JW had a ROWDY party on the beach complete with DJ (and kids) so it seems the roles were reversed!
The JW has a cool pool...the Casa Magna has a HUGE hotub and great Japanese steakhouse. Wherever you decide to stay, try a Victoria. Great Mexican beer.
PF
Nov 24, 2003, 12:20 am
#95
Guest
Posts: n/a
The JW made it clear, that they were the place for the mature quiet distinquished designer label vodka martini guest, while the Casa was for the family, when I stayed there during their opening.
Perhpas low occupancy has lightened up on this design to fill the rooms. Nothing worse then having a loud DJ and bad rock playing around the pool, when you are trying to relax!
Perhpas low occupancy has lightened up on this design to fill the rooms. Nothing worse then having a loud DJ and bad rock playing around the pool, when you are trying to relax!
Nov 29, 2003, 8:51 am
#96
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Putnam County, NY
Programs: Delta-Platinum/Million Miler, Marriott-Lifetime Titanium. Priority Club-Platinum
Posts: 1,214
>>loud DJ & bad rock<<
Even worse...it was bad rap and/or hip-hop with a smattering of "Oom-psh" thrown in. And of course a drunken crowd screaming "HO!!! HEY!!! HO!!! HEY!!!".
Even worse...it was bad rap and/or hip-hop with a smattering of "Oom-psh" thrown in. And of course a drunken crowd screaming "HO!!! HEY!!! HO!!! HEY!!!".
Jan 7, 2004, 8:25 pm
#99
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Baltimore
Programs: US 1 Mar Plt Hertz PC
Posts: 696
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MilesNPointsAddict:
Hi,
I'm planning on taking a trip to Cancun in February. Which one would you recommend? JWMarriot Resort and Spa or Ritz Carlton? </font>
Hi,
I'm planning on taking a trip to Cancun in February. Which one would you recommend? JWMarriot Resort and Spa or Ritz Carlton? </font>
Jan 9, 2004, 6:23 am
#101
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Washington, DC USA
Programs: AA Platinum, SPG Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Platinum HH Gold
Posts: 246
I redeemed 115,000 points for a seven night point saver award in early December at the JW Marriott.
The property is wonderful. Great beach, nice pools, very accommodating staff. The highlight has to be the spa . . . staying using points allowed me to afford multiple spa treatments.
Try to get a high floor ending in low numbers (up to about 23) . . . the view is incredible.
I didn't see the ritz . . but I can't imagine it being that much nicer to justify the additional points.
My two cents . . .
------------------
CO Gold, US Gold, SPG Gold, MR Silver
The property is wonderful. Great beach, nice pools, very accommodating staff. The highlight has to be the spa . . . staying using points allowed me to afford multiple spa treatments.
Try to get a high floor ending in low numbers (up to about 23) . . . the view is incredible.
I didn't see the ritz . . but I can't imagine it being that much nicer to justify the additional points.
My two cents . . .
------------------
CO Gold, US Gold, SPG Gold, MR Silver
Jan 9, 2004, 7:23 am
#102
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Putnam County, NY
Programs: Delta-Platinum/Million Miler, Marriott-Lifetime Titanium. Priority Club-Platinum
Posts: 1,214
I agree with the post above. The JW (and the Casa Magna next door) are both excellent properties. Dont forget...they ALL have the same beach!
Jan 9, 2004, 8:58 am
#103
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: BOS
Posts: 2,315
I just returned from 7 nights at the Ritz. In terms of location it is just down the strip from the JW and Casa Magna (we walked down the beach to dinner at Casa Magna's Mikado one nights, and it was a 15 minute walk).
I will preface my comments by saying that we stayed on the Ritz's Club Floor, something that you will not get by redeeming points. (If they will let you upgrade to the club floor, do it. You will save money in the long run.) For those thinking of going to the Ritz in Cancun (or any Ritz) I do strongly recommend their club floors, which are unlike any other hotel's club floors I have experienced, featured 5 daily food and beverage presentations that can more than fill you up. The Ritz in Cancun was continuously pouring Tattinger Champagne from 7:30am-10pm!
The Ritz is a 5 Star/5 Diamond location, and has 2 5 Star/ 5 Diamond restaurants. The service is, as one would expect, exceptional. It is the service that differentiates the Ritz from the 2 Marriotts and anything else in Cancun. Facility wise it really does not feature anything the Marriotts don't have. (My last stay in Cancun was about 10-15 years ago, at Casa Magna, by the way.)
If you are content staying at a hotel with excellent facilities, but average service, either Marriott will suffice. However, if you wish to be constantly pampered, the Ritz is for you.
(We have spent the last few years at other Ritz Caribbean locations, including St. Thomas, San Juan, and Montego Bay. Cancun had the finest service, with Montego Bay a close second, and the other two in the distance.)
The Ritz has lots of chairs at the pool and on the beach, and Cabanas available for rent on the beach ($25/day) or Presidential Palapas ($60/day) which come with a cooler filled with ice cold wash clothes, a spray bottle of ice water, and bottled water, delivery of fresh fruit, and your own "beach boy".
They have a new spa that offered one of the best spa experiences I have had ever. In addition to the outdoor hot tub and cold plunge pool, there was a great steam room and Swiss showers each with 7 heads. The locker room attendant did everything but come into the shower to wash my back! My massage was excellent, and I met one gentleman who was on his 3rd massage of the week already, because they were so good!
The food selections are great - although you could certainly dine at the Ritz no matter where you had stayed.
As an example of the service level, on checkout, the front desk clerk completed the process, then walked around from behind the counter to present the paperwork to me directly, shake my hand, and state that he hoped we would return soon. When I asked at the pool where the spa was located, the pool attendant took me on a 5 minute walk to deliver me to the spa - rather than simply pointing the way. When I expressed disappointment after we were told they would not be running the Ritz Kids program one night because they needed 5 kids minimum, and my 2 kids were the only ones signed up, the front office manager told us he would do whatever was necessary to make us happy. Ultimately he arranged for a babysitter to watch our kids in the Ritz Kids room - at what ended up being a lower cost than the Ritz Kids program. My wife and I had massages, and the kids had a great time! If you think those kinds of things are silly, you probably won't appreciate the service level at the Ritz. If you consider that kind of treatment, along with lots of "my pleasures" to add to your stay, you'll love the Ritz.
Rooms feature high thread count linens, marble baths (with separate tubs and showers, and the WC in its own room), and all have great views.
I heard some people complaining about delays in getting their rooms made up, but I asked that my room be made up at 9:30am daily when I checked in, they put it in the computer, and it was. I called when leaving the room each night and asked that my room be turned down "as soon as possible" and was always told "my pleasure, we will send someone immediately". In fact I thought housekeeping was top notch.
I also heard complaints about pricing. We found the food prices to be reasonable, though. Since we were on the club floor, my wife and I took most of our meals in the club lounge, but the kids were eating at the pool or getting room service, and their meals were between $6-$9 each including tax. Room service does add roughly a $5.40 delivery charge and leaves it to you to add a tip. $5.40 is high ($3.00 seems more the going rate), but the staff was also happy with 10-15% tips (we usually left 15%+), so you did not get hit for the 17%-20% room service tips that are automatically added at most hotels. We got all of our beverages from the club - between the Tattinger and Mexican Beers (and they would roll out a Tequila Cart with 5 selections every day from 2-10pm) we couldn't be happier - but I also heard complaints from those not on the club floor about drink prices. I guess if you are accustomed to paying $2 for a beer, you will be surprised at the Ritz, but the prices I saw did not appear out of line for a high end hotel.
They have WIFI access all over the property, at an outrageous price of $35 per day. (Actually they quote $35/day, then convert it to pesos at an inferior rate, so by the time you pay your credit card bill, it is closer to $38-$40/day. They also played this conversion game at the SPA - my massage was quoted at $130USD including tax and service charge - it worked out to be about $138 after the hotel and AMEX both double dipped on the conversion rates, and room rates are also quoted in USD and they then charge you in PESOS, so you get hit there too).
Overall we found the rooms, facilities, restaurants and service to be top notch, and will return. My only complaint - the quotation of any prices in dollars if the hotel posts all charges in PESOS. If they are going to quote in dollars, they should convert to PESOS at the official exchange rate, and not an inferior hotel rate that makes them a spread.
[Edited to fix typos]
[This message has been edited by BeantownFlyer (edited Jan 09, 2004).]
I will preface my comments by saying that we stayed on the Ritz's Club Floor, something that you will not get by redeeming points. (If they will let you upgrade to the club floor, do it. You will save money in the long run.) For those thinking of going to the Ritz in Cancun (or any Ritz) I do strongly recommend their club floors, which are unlike any other hotel's club floors I have experienced, featured 5 daily food and beverage presentations that can more than fill you up. The Ritz in Cancun was continuously pouring Tattinger Champagne from 7:30am-10pm!
The Ritz is a 5 Star/5 Diamond location, and has 2 5 Star/ 5 Diamond restaurants. The service is, as one would expect, exceptional. It is the service that differentiates the Ritz from the 2 Marriotts and anything else in Cancun. Facility wise it really does not feature anything the Marriotts don't have. (My last stay in Cancun was about 10-15 years ago, at Casa Magna, by the way.)
If you are content staying at a hotel with excellent facilities, but average service, either Marriott will suffice. However, if you wish to be constantly pampered, the Ritz is for you.
(We have spent the last few years at other Ritz Caribbean locations, including St. Thomas, San Juan, and Montego Bay. Cancun had the finest service, with Montego Bay a close second, and the other two in the distance.)
The Ritz has lots of chairs at the pool and on the beach, and Cabanas available for rent on the beach ($25/day) or Presidential Palapas ($60/day) which come with a cooler filled with ice cold wash clothes, a spray bottle of ice water, and bottled water, delivery of fresh fruit, and your own "beach boy".
They have a new spa that offered one of the best spa experiences I have had ever. In addition to the outdoor hot tub and cold plunge pool, there was a great steam room and Swiss showers each with 7 heads. The locker room attendant did everything but come into the shower to wash my back! My massage was excellent, and I met one gentleman who was on his 3rd massage of the week already, because they were so good!
The food selections are great - although you could certainly dine at the Ritz no matter where you had stayed.
As an example of the service level, on checkout, the front desk clerk completed the process, then walked around from behind the counter to present the paperwork to me directly, shake my hand, and state that he hoped we would return soon. When I asked at the pool where the spa was located, the pool attendant took me on a 5 minute walk to deliver me to the spa - rather than simply pointing the way. When I expressed disappointment after we were told they would not be running the Ritz Kids program one night because they needed 5 kids minimum, and my 2 kids were the only ones signed up, the front office manager told us he would do whatever was necessary to make us happy. Ultimately he arranged for a babysitter to watch our kids in the Ritz Kids room - at what ended up being a lower cost than the Ritz Kids program. My wife and I had massages, and the kids had a great time! If you think those kinds of things are silly, you probably won't appreciate the service level at the Ritz. If you consider that kind of treatment, along with lots of "my pleasures" to add to your stay, you'll love the Ritz.
Rooms feature high thread count linens, marble baths (with separate tubs and showers, and the WC in its own room), and all have great views.
I heard some people complaining about delays in getting their rooms made up, but I asked that my room be made up at 9:30am daily when I checked in, they put it in the computer, and it was. I called when leaving the room each night and asked that my room be turned down "as soon as possible" and was always told "my pleasure, we will send someone immediately". In fact I thought housekeeping was top notch.
I also heard complaints about pricing. We found the food prices to be reasonable, though. Since we were on the club floor, my wife and I took most of our meals in the club lounge, but the kids were eating at the pool or getting room service, and their meals were between $6-$9 each including tax. Room service does add roughly a $5.40 delivery charge and leaves it to you to add a tip. $5.40 is high ($3.00 seems more the going rate), but the staff was also happy with 10-15% tips (we usually left 15%+), so you did not get hit for the 17%-20% room service tips that are automatically added at most hotels. We got all of our beverages from the club - between the Tattinger and Mexican Beers (and they would roll out a Tequila Cart with 5 selections every day from 2-10pm) we couldn't be happier - but I also heard complaints from those not on the club floor about drink prices. I guess if you are accustomed to paying $2 for a beer, you will be surprised at the Ritz, but the prices I saw did not appear out of line for a high end hotel.
They have WIFI access all over the property, at an outrageous price of $35 per day. (Actually they quote $35/day, then convert it to pesos at an inferior rate, so by the time you pay your credit card bill, it is closer to $38-$40/day. They also played this conversion game at the SPA - my massage was quoted at $130USD including tax and service charge - it worked out to be about $138 after the hotel and AMEX both double dipped on the conversion rates, and room rates are also quoted in USD and they then charge you in PESOS, so you get hit there too).
Overall we found the rooms, facilities, restaurants and service to be top notch, and will return. My only complaint - the quotation of any prices in dollars if the hotel posts all charges in PESOS. If they are going to quote in dollars, they should convert to PESOS at the official exchange rate, and not an inferior hotel rate that makes them a spread.
[Edited to fix typos]
[This message has been edited by BeantownFlyer (edited Jan 09, 2004).]
Jan 9, 2004, 2:03 pm
#104
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: STL, MO-US and A , SWA A-List, Marriott LTTE, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,883
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kjbtraveler:
I redeemed 115,000 points for a seven night point saver award in early December at the JW Marriott.
</font>
I redeemed 115,000 points for a seven night point saver award in early December at the JW Marriott.
</font>
Do all point saver awards need to be booked well in advance?
Also, can anyone tell me if I will be avoiding a majority of the Spring Breakers in Cancun. It's been about 10 years since I last went on spring break but I seem to recall it running from the 2nd week in Mar. thru Easter(Apr.11) I'm sure there will be some stragglers, I just want to miss the bulk of them!
Jan 9, 2004, 3:58 pm
#105
Guest
Posts: n/a
If I recall at the JW near their opening, I complained about the tricky accounting of the conversion to the hotel rates, if they quoted in US$. And believe it got corrected after persistence on my part!
I don't believe it is even good marketing, if it is legally acceptable!
I don't believe it is even good marketing, if it is legally acceptable!