InterContinental Presidente Cancun Resort

This facility is a luxury resort situated in front of the Plaza Caracol shopping center and the Convention Center. It has large open areas where guests can enjoy the pools, tennis courts, restaurants, bars and a snack bar overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Opt for the ultimate in relaxation: a beachside massage provided by onsite staff. The rooms are large, very modern and have a private terrace with an ocean view.

Stayed at the Presidente on December 15-23, 2007.

We used Priority points for the stay, which at 40,000 points per night, is pretty steep. This did not cover fees, administration charges ($20/day), any airport transportation, food or discounts. We ended up paying about $600 in these extra charges.

We arrived at the Hotel and it has a very open, expansive, though not impressive Lobby. We were directed over to the special "Ambassador" check in desk, used for those enrolled in the Ambassador Club, where you are supposed to get a guaranteed instant upgrade, special handling, recognition and gifts. The front desk was never helpful, rarely there.

On our way to our room (then again every time we went to our room) we were accosted by someone from the "Vacation Club" desk. They "tricked" us into sitting down the first time, and proceeded to keep us there for two hours while they pitched a Vacation Club.

The room was an average-sized Holiday Inn Class room. The view of the beach was breathtaking. The room was clean. Cement floors, cheap wooden furniture. The ceiling in the bathroom leaked. The bathroom very small. The bed was a King size, very comfortable. The room has a minibar and coffeemaker. Everything has a pricetag on it. Making a cup of coffee will cost you $4. In summary, the room was good to sleep and stay in, but not exceptional as was expected from this hotel brand.

The beach was probably the best on Cancun. Very clean, calm, with plenty of chairs and opportunities for shade or sun as you prefer. This definately makes the hotel. The service on the beach from the staff is also exceptional.

We ate only the breakfast buffet, which is very good at $20 pp. The wait staff here was also some of the best and most friendly ever encountered in these hotels, constantly cleaning, and attending.

In summary, there are many better places and less expensive places to stay on Cancun. There are not many, if any places that have an equal or better beach. The staff, except for the front desk is top notch.

Unique Quality: Beach is phenomenal

Directions: On the Hotel Strip

The main floor has been recently renovated and it looks great: big modern bar inside, a couple of tiki bars outside by the pool, next to the beach (that is the calm side of the beach in Cancun, and the sand is very thin, soft and white) They give you some huge towels to use in the pool/beach area. There are two restaurants, one is very rustic and the other one is very modern (but not open yet) (too bad because it looks great)

The gym has state of the art equipment, and it's located by the pool, you can also see the water!

All the employees are very nice.

We had a situation at the check in and with the room but the assistant manager took care of us in a great way. That made a huge difference and it shows that they really care about the customers. GREAT customer service. We'll definitely be back.

Presidente Intercontinental Cancun: Me and my family stayed at this hotel the first week of July, 2006. It is rated as "Grand Turismo" which I understand is above "5-Star". The outside look of the hotel is discrete but nice. The lobby is humonguous, discrete and sober. The door is promptly opened for you by one of the bellboys. The reception desk is an island at the center of the lobby. Young nice persons persons welcome you and assist you in getting your check-in promptly. They'll explain to you briefly what does your room includes (ie. breakfast, use of floaties at the pool, the gym, computer w/internet, etc.) When you're all set the bell boy will escort you to your room, adjust the A/C to your taste, explain the use of the minibar, etc. As soon as you come down to get acquainted with the beach and facilities, a lady will come to you to explain every detail you may want to know about the hotel. Then softly will try to tell you a sales pitch similar to the time-shares you find everywhere. Although she will insist this is no timeshare's pitch, you know it is. A little more flexible and less compromising, it seems. Then if you accept she'll offer coupons for drinks, massage at the spa, perhaps discount on some tours. (Your wife will love the massage). The personnel was respectful, discrete, helpful and quiet everywhere you go. Not all of them are bilingual, though.
My travel package was arranged with Aeromexico's Gran Plan thru my travel agent by a really great price.
Of course, as soon as you arrive and unpack, rush to the nearby Walmart and buy yourself one large bottle of purified water, and bring from home your own ground coffee and filters, as these supplies are provided by the hotel at very expensive prices. You will find also a Sam's Club, City Club and CostoCo at downtown Cancun, as well as some other regional-chain supermarkets with pretty good prices.

Unique Quality: The Beach: Fabulous, calm, shallow, clean, safe, wave-less (great if you come just-married, elder people or couples with small kids, as you can walk like 80 meters into the water and it is still at your chest's depth), beach uncrowded, sun-covered since around 9 a.m. up until sunset (which are geat). White and powdery sand you can walk on barefeet.
Facilities: Really nice palapa-style installations. Lots of chairs for sun-bathing and really great beach towels. Two elevators, two distinct towers (for different-priced rooms), walkways, halls, elevators, bar and pools extremely clean and well-maintained. The hotel is old but just rebuilt after the 2005 hurricane, looks great. We don't drink, so I cannot give my opinion on the bar and service at the pool. Two pools of safe depth for kids any age. one of the pools has some 4 or 5 jacuzzis integrated which most of the times you will find one available.
Others: Your stay entitles you to the use of kayaks and some other water-related articles, just ask.
The walkways out of the elevator are semicarpeted, which contributes to a quieter room (although you get a good scare when sitting in the bathroom and the person upstairs "pulls the chain" [:-D) because the plumbing is not noise-isolated at all, you can live with that, though).
Most of the reservation packages include breakfast for the adults, and you'll have to pay your kids' breakfast which is kind of inexpensive (50 pesos or like 4.50 dollars) which is great as you can stuff yourself with the buffet [;-D).

Directions: Is located at the opposite side of Laguna Nichupté when coming from the airport. Km 7.5 counting from downtown Cancun.

The Hotel Presidente is touted as one of the 5 star resorts in the hotel zone. I would agree that it is a great resort, but I'm not entirely sure I would agree with the 5 star rating. The hotel's architecture is modern, and not particularly beautiful, but the lobby is pretty. The rooms are on the small side, but clean and have a tropical feel, but are a little loud. We had a nice view of the lagoon and were grateful that we were further down the strip than most of the major resorts because we could somewhat hear the clubs at night. If we could hear them I cannot imagine how loud they are if you’re staying at a hotel closer. The hotel has a bus stop right outside, but is also a relatively easy walk to Daddy O’s, Plaza Caracol, Senor Frogs, Carlos and Charlie’s and the Hard Rock Café. There is a little shopping plaza across the street with a few local taco stands, a pharmacy and a supermarket. The staff is nice and helpful. If you use the concierge to book your restaurant reservations she will usually give you a coupon for “welcome drinks” at most places in town.

DO BEWARE the hotel has a strict policy forbidding outside food and drink from entering the building. They do not tell you about this policy upon check in and if they see you bringing in any outside food or beverages they will stop you at the door and confiscate it. We found this out prior to our arrival through customer complaints, and because my friend walked into the lobby with an open can of Coke which they promptly “threw away” for her. My advice is to hide your provisions in your beach bag to get them into the building, as everything is overpriced at the hotel. It was the way we were able to circumvent this annoying rule. Also be aware that they have a $17 a day charge per room for tips and reef preservation, so while you’re at the hotel it’s not necessary to tip.

Overall I enjoyed our stay here. I was annoyed by the no outside food and drink policy but thankfully aware of it so I was able to maneuver around it.

Unique Quality: The Presidente has two fabulous pools. Have a drink at the pool bar if you get a chance. I must say that in my opinion they also have the best beach in the Hotel Zone. The water is shallow and calm with two designated swimming areas and an area for water sports. You are allowed to swim past the buoys at your own discretion where the water gets deeper, just watch out for waverunners and boats. We saw loads of starfish, but there’s not really much else to see in the water – so you don’t need to bring your snorkel equipment out here. The white sand beach is long and wide. There are hotel employees out on he beach to get and set up your beach chairs and waiters wander to serve drinks and food. And they also organize games of beach volleyball throughout the day. Check out the activities list by the beach concierge (where you can get your fresh beach towels) if you’re interested in doing some yoga or playing some cricket, etc. They also have tennis courts past the upper pool. Don’t forget to check out the resident Iguanas sunning themselves in the makeshift lagoon between the pools.

Directions: On the north end of the Hotel Zone.

The hotel is fairly near the convention centre so it's very convenient and the beaches are great. What isn't so good are the rooms and the petty rules.

The rooms themselves are adequately furnished but the view (even on the beach side) is lousy. The beach is so far away and the hotel is so squat that your sea view is completely obscured by palm trees. If you're on the other side you get to overlook the main road. There is no balcony either and the window opens barely an inch.

The pettiness comes in through the hotel's food and drink policy. Simply put - you aren't allow to bring food or drink into the hotel. Want to buy a few bottles of Coke for the morning? Forget it. Want to buy a snack noodle for breakfast? Forget it. If a guard spots you with any food or drink, expect to be lead up to the desk to have your bags searched and the items confiscated.

Maybe they think it will force people to buy from the outrageously priced minibar or restaurants, but it had the opposite effect for me. I learned to better smuggle stuff in that I ate in the room and when I dined out it was outside the hotel. And I felt no guilt about it.

I didn't pay the hotel a penny beyond the room rate. I wouldn't have even paid that if I'd known in advance that I was checking into a open prison instead of a hotel. Shame on Intercontinental Hotels. I'd never stay there again.

Unique Quality: A very nice beach. A petty streak a mile wide.

Directions: About 1/2 mile from the convention centre, nightlife