I booked this trip for my wife and me for the main goal of sitting on the beach all day and doing nothing but relaxing. This was the place to be with this goal in mind. We have been to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel several times but we only had a couple of days for this trip so we avoided the extra travel time and decided to pick a place in Cancun. The beach was excellent, the water was calm, and the other hotel guests were pleasant. We found a lot of the hotel guests are vacationing Mexican families, and thoroughly enjoyed being around them rather than drunk partying Americans.

All of our staff and service experiences were positive, although, we are not demanding on the staff and like to do things ourselves. With other resorts where we have stayed in the past, saving chairs on the beach is a must, as they quickly fill up. This was not the case at the Presidente. There were always plenty of chairs and room on the beach.

Our first impression of the hotel was good when we walked into the lobby. Walking down the hallway to our room, my wife and I both looked at each other and hoped we hadn't made a bad decision. Like others in this forum have said, the carpet in the hallways need updating. We arrived at our room (ocean view) and were pleased with the selection. I booked our trip through Travelocity and wasn't able to choose my room preferences (king bed and non-smoking) through the booking process. About a week prior to the trip, I contacted the hotel via e-mail and stated my preferences. I received a message from a manager at the hotel and said my preferences would be noted. Upon arrival, I received exactly what I had requested.

For breakfast, we went across the street to the taco place one morning and Ty-Coz the next. The Ty-Coz croissants and coffee are excellent. For lunch everyday, we left the beach and again walked across the street, with my wife eating a Ty-Coz sandwich and me eating fish and shrimp tacos at Los de Pescado. The horchata (rice drink) at Los de Pescado was especially refreshing. All of the eating places are in the strip mall across Kulkukan and a couple hundred feet to the west of the hotel. The food at these stands was a highlight of the trip.

We returned to the hotel one night after going to downtown Cancun, only to find the only dinner available at the hotel was a $23 dollar buffet that was lacking. We would have eaten dinner at the hotel, but there never seemed to be good options.

Overall, we prefer the atmosphere of Playa del Carmen and will probably return there next time. If we do return to Cancun, we will most likely stay at the Presidente.

I mistakenly posted this review under the Presidente InterContinental Cozumel. My review below is for the CANCUN location.

We are a married couple with a 17 year old. We booked in haste because of Spring Break. We paid $1800 for 5 nights (NOT all inclusive meal plan) and did NOT include airfare. Our fault, but we also expected LUXURY for the price we paid. The hotel was nice, clean, and pretty but NOT worth what we paid.

Lobby and bar area are pretty, but nothing spectacular. Piano in the bar area is old and badly painted. My son played it two nights in a row and everyone seemed surprised, but not bothered.

Bar inside did not appear to be hopping on any given night, but we went to bed by 10:30 so maybe there is a late crowd? On our last night, they had a Flamenco dancer, guitarist and singer which we watched for 5 mintues. Really nice.

I would say that our room was on the same quailty level of a newer La Quinta in the US. Two double beds that were comfortable with plenty of linens. Room was super clean. Travel size shampoo/conditioner was provided which was nice. Also had a hair dryer and plenty of towels, but they are hard as usual. Armoire with tv, mini bar, small round table with chairs. Bathroom was ok, nothing spectacular. The room is a good average room. BUT NOT WORTH the price we paid AT ALL.

Hallways are dank and look scary. They need NEW CARPET AND air freshener. You feel like you are in a cement cave. Window and seating area by the elevators on the 2nd floor in the main building were cute.

We ate the breakfast buffet on two days. No one told us it was included with our room, so we missed out on the other 3 days. My husband only ate the breakfast on one day, but he had to pay since only two breakfasts were included with our room. Strange. Food was rather good if you like Mexican breakfast and ok if you like American breakfast foods. You wouldn't go hungry as you could find something to eat. Service was good.

The beach. Well, it is gorgeous, but it really isn't a beach. You can only "wade" (not swim) about 20 yards or so. There is a net that keeps you close in. I think it is a man made beach. Right outside the netting fence are a couple of boats with people who are loud and obnoxious and act like they've never seen water. However, there were a zillion lounge chairs, palapas, etc. on the beach. It was VERY pretty. Sand was clean. Very relaxing to lay in the sun or shade. Pools looked clean and had plenty of seating, but we didn't use them. There is an adults "quiet pool" that looked awesome.

The grounds were beautiful. Lots of staff everywhere.

On the beach, we ordered pizza (delicious), fish tacos (don't waste your time), and chips with guacamole (average) and beer (nice and cold). Service was fast. Bernardo was an excellent waiter.

There were other restaurants and bars on the beach that were part of the hotel but we didn't try them.

All three of us had massages on the beach on our morning of departure. They were awesome!! I highly recommend that. You should do it on the day of your arrival and the day of your departure.

TIPS:

take your OWN transportation from airport to your hotel. DO NOT rely on your tour operator because they make you WAIT for OTHER FLIGHTS so that they only have to make a few trips back and forth. THIS IS NOT WORTH IT. Pay the extra money and just get YOUR OWN TAXI or private shuttle.

We walked right past the tour operator station in the lobby near the bar. We SKIPPED our tour operator's "orientation" and ignored their multiple phone messages and visits to our room. We had our own agenda, and I booked ALL of our excursions ONLINE before I left Houston! That is the way to go.

I think that we booked the wrong hotel and an overly expensive one because of our haste. We didn't spend any time there at all, so it was too expensive for our needs. We were gone from 8 am until 10:30 pm every day. But, I also think that it doesn't make sense to spend that kind of money to sit by a pool (even though the weather is GORGEOUS) or on a man made beach.

However, I guess if you just want to RELAX, go NOWHERE, have your food brought to you, OR eat on site every day, then an expensive resort is the way to go. Our trip this time was all about excursions, so we didn't have a need for an expensive hotel. Our mistake.

But, this hotel is definitely NOT on the level of a 5 start InterContinental in the US, nor is it worth the money you pay.

Grounds are beautiful and beach area is super comfortable, but that doesn't merit the price they charge.

Was there between the 7 and the 12 April; booked through Baja Motions Tours ; the hotel has one of the best beaches in cancun, with turquoise water, very friendly staff;nice fitness centre overlooking the swimming pool; a room with three computers with free acess to internet; they should improve breakfast, considering the quality of fruits and juices; when u see the outside appearence may be u get disappointed but the inside is beautifull; rooms are very clean and confortable; had wonderfull days, pity such a short time (5 days).

Picked this hotel because of Trip Advisors previous suggestions that the beach was the best in Cancun and it did not disappoint. We have two boys, ages 11 and 7 both of whom are good swimmers but until this trip, my husband and I always had our eyes on our kids. The pool was shallow enough for my kids to touch the bottom so we were able to let them swim to their hearts content...the beach, with it's sugary sand was only about 3 feet deep for a good 100 yards so it was easy to let the kids play in the ocean as well.
The hotel is lovely and a little rough around the edges but that is okay for me as long as the amenities are good. What I truly came to love about the place was it's wonderful, friend staff. They make it a point to get to know you. My family is pretty gregarious anyway, but it pays to introduce yourself and say hello. The servers would remember my son's names and address them accordingly when we ate.
The restaurants were definitely good but I also suggest going across the street and a bit to the left where some street restaurants are open during the day. We ate there a few times as well and really had some good food.
All in all, we aren't resort people but I would go back to Intercontinental Presidente without hesitation if we visit Cancun again.