We chose the neighboring hotel—Ambiance Villas—in 2008 because all the reviews said it was the best beach in Cancun. It was. At the time we spotted the more upscale InterContinental Presidente, which shared the same beach, so it was a no-brainer to choose it in 2009 when the cost was almost the same as Ambiance.

The Presidente can’t be beat. The currency exchange rate offered at the hotel was second only to the bank, and the difference was miniscule. The food was excellent! We don’t do all-inclusive because we like to dine at different restaurants. We had little desire to dine elsewhere. Continental breakfast was less than $10 per person, and Buffet breakfast was less than $20 per person. Dinner and desert were excellent as well. Customer service is top notch. The mini-bar in the room won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
They have two pools, both of which are less than 5ft deep. One is for kids. There are 3 internet connected computers that you can use for free. Most other hotels charge you! The lobby and Tequila Bar look very upscale. The rooms are not super fancy, but they are nice and the beds are comfortable.

Listen, you could always spend more and go to an All-inclusive fancier place like the Rui, but that does not guarantee you a better time. It does not guarantee you’ll save money since the food is so cheap. And you certainly can’t count on a better beach front. You can hope for similar, but not better.

Tips: Don’t be boring and spend all your time in the hotel. Book at least a couple activities. See Chichen Itza. Cozumel. Isla Mujeres. If you love souvenir shopping, prices at these places will be lower than at the flea market. You get better deals if you go shopping with pesos instead of dollars. Have a calculator with you—or know how to use the one on your phone—to convert back and forth between currencies to see if you really are getting a deal. Take the bus if you can. It will cost you 60cents as opposed to $6 for a cab. The bus makes sudden swift movements, so sit or grab something ASAP when you get on.

A few of my friends and I stayed here last week for 4 days. The hotel itself is beautiful with pretty pools and a nice lobby. The rooms were clean and we had a great view of the beautiful beach in front. The location is great as it is walking distance from all the plazas and there's a bus stop in front if you need to make a quick trip to Walmart downtown. They offer massages in cabanas on the beach so take advantage of that if you can. The downfalls are that it's on the pricier side, and the front desk people were not that friendly or helpful when you needed restaurant recommendations/shuttles. Most of the other hotel workers were very nice so not sure if the front desk had a problem with our large group of girls (7). All in all, great location and beautiful hotel and I would probably stay here again if I came back.

I was a little nervous going to this hotel on an all-inclusive as I couldn't find a single review from someone who'd gone on one. Everyone seems to pay their own way. I have to say, if you can find one, book it - excellent value for money! The food and drinks at the hotel are great but pricey and it can add up fast.
Another plus to the all-inclus - no annoying bracelets. You get vouchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner (which you can use at any of the 4 restaurants) and from 11am to midnight you can just charge all your drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) to your room. If you include a tip to be charged to your room, I don't think the waiters get it - try to have some pesos on hand for tipping. The service is pretty good - we only had to get our own drinks a couple of times.
The food was really good - my husband is not a fan of buffets so it was nice that dinner was only buffet style twice during our 1 week stay. The morning breakfast buffet was okay - I don't really think it's worth the 215 pesos they charge for it, but to each their own - we didn't have to pay! Lunch was always good - excellent fahitas and shrip tacos that my husband is still raving about. All very fresh and tasty. Dinner was tasty - good variety. The drinks are really great - I loved the cosmos and magheritas! For desert we even managed to score some Hagen Daz... yum.
The grounds are incredible - by far the biggest highlight. Modern, clean and beautifully laid out - you really do feel like you're at a five star, not a four star. Very luxurious!
I thought the rooms were great - no problems with noise. Enjoyed the king - size bed and clean white linens. Also, the rooms are a really nice size, something you don't seem to get in newer hotels. And even though we didn't have a balcony, the window streches the width of the room so you don't feel closed in at all. Maid service is awesome and I really liked the use of the safe was free. The business centre was great too - free internet access saved us a fortune on phone calls.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone without hesitation! It is a real gem!

First I would say do not read any old reviews just recent ones. You will waste your time and get the wrong information or overload of information.
Check in - Fast and professional
Hotel entrance and concierge area - Very nice
Hotel grounds and pools - Very nice and clean
Rooms - If you upgrade your room to ocean view ( negotiate we paid $ 30 US per night additional) you will not regret it. We were lagoon view due to expedia not showing any ocean rooms available. The Lagoon view hotel beds are hard and you can hear the discos and traffic all night (we live in the city). Do yourself a favor and upgrade to ocean view, the beads are very comfortable and the noise is only on Friday or Saturday until 12:00 PM ( music from a wedding). Room service is great. Rooms sizes are OK - Not important, you will only sleep in the rooms.
Beach - Almost perfect. (BEST BEACH Turq and Caicos - nothing to do) The service on the beach was excellent. ( try a coco loco - Natural coconut cut open mixed with run, tequila and vodka. The beach was perfect for young kids.
Restaurants - The 3 restaurants were pretty good and everything was fresh.
Location - Supermarket; turn right 2 blocks away on oposite side of the road ( be carefull crossing the streets. No respect for the pedestrian) Mall area - Turn left and walk about 15 minutes. Bus just outside the entrance.
Safety - I did not feel for one second of my stay any aggression or weird vibe. Except to cross the streets.
Downtown cancun - OK, very americanized ( walmart) etc etc etc Maket 28 0r is it 26 OK.
Hotel zone - Very turisty, but some good eats.

Activities - You can book the trips in Cancun anywere ( hotel, hotel strip, downtown) + - $ 20 US difference. If you have the time, visit some of the cultural site ( Chichen Itza ) we paid $ 195 US bus + food + entrance + natural well swim ( used my CC no issues) for 3 adults and a 4 year old ( bring hats). Islas mujeres was OK we snorkel. Much better snorkeling in Conzumel if you have the days.

Do book a private roundtrip taxi service from the airport website $ 70 US roundtrip.
http://www.cancun-airport.com/transportation.htm

This was an great vacation and will return to Cancun. The Presidente was a great choice for a hotel.