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.