The Intercontinental Presidente was originally called the Presidente Cancun built in 1988. At that time, it was a premier hotel. Now, with the new all-inclusive hotels and time share hotels in Cancun, it is your typical first-class Mexican hotel. This was my fifth time to Cancun; previously staying two times downtown and two times on the beach. Would I stay at this hotel again – yes.

HOTEL – The lobby is very large; the halls are stucco; and the carpet is not new. Since the walls have no sound absorption, sounds echo throughout the halls and the sound carries into your room. There are two outstanding, very clean pools surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. There is also a gym and ping-pong tables.

PHONES -- Using the hotel phone is expensive. We called home when we arrived and spoke for three minutes and the bill was $9.00 US. You can always purchase a Mexican Calling Card and use a TelMex phone to call home. That is about 29-cents per minute. My AT&T calling card did not work. It has worked in every country throughout the world, but not in Mexico.

Or, if you are in the downtown area close to the autobus terminal, there is a place where you can call the USA for 2 Pesos per minute (13 cents) That’s as cheap as it gets. It is close to the bus stop by the bus terminal, McDonald’s is almost across the street. There are 29 phone booths in it and you pay after your call. There is a meter on the phone to let you know how long you are talking and the amount throughout the call.

BEACH -- This is one of the best beaches in Cancun. It is large with plenty of chairs. If you’ve never been to Cancun, you will be surprised that the sand it snow white, very fine-like powder and always cool. No matter what the temperature is in Cancun, the sand is always cool. This is because the beaches are almost 100% porous limestone, making for cool sand even under the hottest of temperatures.

STAFF -- No problem. The check-in and check-out was efficient and speedy. You will receive a survey when you check out to rate the hotel. The front desk staff spoke English, the maids do not. However, the maid service was excellent. The people selling time shares in the lobby did not bother us or even acknowledge our presence. There is a 10% IVA tax added to your room per night and modest lodging tax per night. I’ve read some of the comments stating there was a resort fee. I did not get a resort fee added to my bill.

LOCATION -- The bus stops in both directions right outside the hotel. It is 6.50 peso per ride ( 14.00 = $1.00 ) However, if you want to catch a bus, just raise your arm (like getting a NYC taxi) and a bus will stop for you. The R-l and R-2 bus will have HOTEL ZONA on the front. They run throughout the hotel zone and downtown. There are also pay phones in the bus stop area. The closest shopping center is the Plaza Caracol. It is a few blocks away to the left of the hotel.

ROOMS -- The rooms have double beds, room safe, and hair dryer. The floors are concrete. The tub and toilet are separate from the sink area. The shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. are very good and plentiful. The coffee is not free and is approximately $2.00 US. for a pouch. You have a coffee maker and a bottle of free water if you use it for coffee. I told the person in charge of the mini-bar I did not need the coffee and he removed it and the water. I brought my own pouches and creamer. If you go out of your hotel, cross the street, turn right, and walk about two hotels, you will find a market where everything is cheaper. It is a small market that includes just about all you need.

The Intercontinental Presidente has an ideal location and an incredible beach. The Discovery Channel ranked this beach as one of the best beaches in the world. We appreciated our stay at the hotel and the personal service we received.

We just returned from our stay at the Inter Continental Presidente with our 2 young sons and had a wonderful time. While the hotel is clearly an older property, the beach, pool areas and service easily make up for the unassuming rooms. We upgraded to Club Level rooms which were large, very clean and comfortable. Our balcony was equipped with 2 full chaises and offered an amazing view of the ocean. The beach here is stunning - calm turquoise water and white, soft sand. Very good service at both the pool and the beach. Lunch at the grill was always good and the breakfast buffet was great for the kids. We ate off the property most nights for dinner and loved getting to see other parts of Cancun. There is not much night-life at this hotel - which is just what we wanted! Taxis are very easy to get, and will tell you their price upfront. Overall a great trip and a great value.

I have only stayed at all inclusives in Mexico prior to this trip. I wasn't sure what to expect and always expecting the worst, I was very impressed with this hotel. I was able to upgrade my room to ocean view for a mere $25.00 per night which then included breakfast buffet for 3 people. The room was clean and comfortable. The beds are little firm for my taste but the pillows were nice and comfy. The food was great as were the drinks. When i booked through Worry Free Vacations the room came with a $100.00 dollar credit towards hotel charges. After a 4 night 5 day trip, my out of pocket expense for drinks and food was far less than I expected for 3 people. We did not venture far from the hotel due to the current situation there. We had lunch @ the Hard Rock Cafe once which was fine and lunch @ a little local restaurant which was great, food and drinks for 3 for $18.00. The beach was beautiful, plenty of sun, but the water was a little cool. Wait staff everywhere to serve you, even on the beach. We enjoyed the bar menu the most, appetizers and sandwiches. Overall, a very relaxing and ejoyable vacation.

Rooms: older and unpretentious but clean and comfortable. Lagoon view (or basically boulevard side) was not bad, but if you want to spend a little bit more on the ocean side - it might be worth it.
Restaurants: inside - not a gastronomical delight but very decent. We used them for breakfast and for occasional lunch and drinks on the beach. If you take the convenience into the account - there is no better alternative. For the dinners we ventured outside of the hotel, and every night it was a hit. Just ask the staff, and they will be happy to provide tons of info. Because of the hotel's location, there are plenty of options within walking distance (10 minutes) or the bus that can satisfy very discriminatory taste.
Hotel: unpretentious and subtle, but clean and very well organized. Some properties in Cancun (even more modern and much more expensive) have water problem so you step in the lobby or in the room and smell chemicals. This place does not have even a hint of it.
Beach: did Discovery channel name it one of the top ten beach resorts in the world? We've traveled around, so we believed it when we saw it. The staff take pride and the very good care of the beach, too. If you came for the white sand and blue water - you hit the spot. Two important observations: two pools are good, but we value the ocean water. Because of the hotel location - there are FAR fewer waves, and the bottom is shallow - just send your kid to swim and watch from the distance - it's that safe. You would be hard-pressed to find better beach location anywhere else in Cancun.
Staff: very friendly and without selling pitch or expression of deep servitude that younger hotels develop in their staff. They really treated us as friends, learning our names and tastes after couple of days, sharing their personal stories and opinions. We just loved it!
Kids activities: if you expect somebody in the hotel to wisk your kids away every morning, so you won't see them for the rest of the day - this is not that place. But - there are plenty of friendly kids around to form little groups and take care of themselves. There was trully a melting pot of kids from about 5 countries when we stayed there.
Other activities: hotel does not organize anything within the premises (unlike other hotels we've seen). We did not regret that at all. You just step outside, and there is a lot to see and do. There was a representative by the pool to coordinate various aquatic activities, and working with him seemed to be much better deal than working through the third-party agents sitting in the lobby.
Bottom line: we will be back to this hotel next year, and we will try to take our best friends along.