We drove up to Cancun to the Hilton (I am a Hilton Honors member) on a whim to end our trip. We can up from Cesiak, an eco-lodge south of Tulum and where looking for fresh-water showers, clean, comfy beds, and a place to clean up and relax before we headed back to Portland. I called from the road and about fell over when they told me it was $119/night! I was expecting $250 or so. We never slowed down until we arrived and were amazed at how easy it was to drive to and how close it was to the airport. I was elated to walk into such a clean sparkly white room with the most killer view of the ocean and pool. I don't think I have ever seen so many shades of blue before. We got a late check out for our flight and enjoyed the Hilton and it's pool for nearly 24 hours on just $119! What a way to end the trip!! Great Value and highly recommended.

Our only complaint: One of two meals -- breakfast -- in the restaurant was really, really bad. I never thought you could mess up French Toast, but they managed to do so. I would try to avoid the inside restaurant and stick with the poolside one. We stopped by a place on the lagoon side of the road back to the airport to eat lunch -- JC something or other -- ask the front desk; it was excellent and on an open air dock.

For those that have cancelled their vacations due to fear of swine flu, you should have gone it was your loss. I trust the USA. I really don't believe that if we were in such danger we would not have immediately been restricted from travelling with no more than a canned flier being handed out at the airport and that was upon returning not leaving. Nothing upon leaving the US. Honestly think about it.

That being said... We have stayed at the Hilton for many years when we go to Cancun. We have tried other hotels but came back to the Hilton and haven't swayed since. Everything is wonderful. The food, the service, the rooms and the atmosphere.

One warning, they are replanning their room service options and there seems to be a lot of confusion for ordering and meal options. However, due to our experience with the room service menu over the years when my displeasure was expressed, the meal was immediately taken off of our billing without me even asking and my daughter was brought a complimentary banana split. This falls right in line with the service we are accustomed to from the Hilton Cancun.

The service poolside is exemplary! Robert and Javier are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out the pics so you know who to look for and tell them they were referred when you go to the poolbar!

The maid service was great. We had a pull out sofa bed in our king suite and when I called for more blankets and pillows, the response was immediate. In fact we got several knocks at the door after that, and my daughter ended up with about 10 feather pillows and 5 blankets. Everyone is so eager to please and they don't want to disappoint you. When I explained to the maid that it was my daughter's birthday the one day, and ask if she could do something special for her bed (towel arrangement or flower petals or something), when we arrived back at the room there were 5 towel arrangements, hershey kisses, a rug at the side of her bed and a fresh robe with flower petals on it! Wow, more then I could have hoped for!

If you are looking for a great meal in the evening and want to venture out of the hotel, try Puerta Medairos. Fabulous! A little pricey, average is about $40 or more per entree and at least $20 for an app, but well worth every penny!

The pools were fabulous and CLEAN! as always, no beer cans in the pool as mentioned in a previous review. I do remember a plastic bag blew into the pool once, but was immediatley scooped out by one of the grounds keepers who are always walking around and watching for things such as this.

The spa was incredible! The chocolate body treatment was my daughter's 16th birthday present and it was fabulous! The spa is beautiful, clean and staff is pampering. Once you receive a spa treatment the sauna, whirlpool, etc are for your use the rest of the stay.

The concierge staff is eager to please and very accomodating to every request. Usually we stay in the villas but this time we requested to upgrade to a king junior suite on the 5th floor and it was worth a couple extra dollars. The huge balcony with jacuzzi was wonderful to come back to after a day at the pool or beach. It was very private with lounge chairs and a regular table and chairs for relaxing and watching the ocean. You are on a corner and there is no one to see you on either side. The view of the ocean and the gardens was unobstructed.

All in all, once again we were not disappointed. If you are having any doubts, GO and stay at the Hilton!!!! You will not be disappointed!

I am going to try and make this simple: Airport: You will get hosed by the taxi/shuttle service to your hotel. It will cost about $15 US per person for the shuttle. I paid $50 US for a taxi for my wife and I. A taxi will get you to The Hilton in about 15 minutes TOPS. The shuttle...it is a crap shoot. They wait to get them filled up before you leave and if getting to the hotel and out in the sun is a priority. Cough up the extra $$ and get in a taxi. On the way back to the Airport, it will only cost you 270 pesos ($20 US). The Hotel was Very Nice. I am a Hilton Honors Member and I have stayed at several Hilton Hotels and this one did not disappoint. Check in: We stayed at the Villas, Greeted at the front desk and promptly taken via golf cart to the Villas. We got in early, so don't anticipate on getting into your room right away. Suggestion: If you want to start enjoying the beach and pool right away, get your swim suit out of your bag before you give it to the Bell Boy. Rooms: For those who do not know, it is Mexico, so you will have ceramic tile throughout the room. The rooms were...ok....not top notch, but not too bad overall. Clean, but remember, it has ceramic tile so you will see some dirty grout. That being said, it's Mexico, so you should not be in your rooms much anyhow. The Villas has a lounge for Villas Guests only. Daily continental breakfast and evening snacks (tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole and some hot items), The hot items were not the best. But...you do get free beer, wine, champagne or mixed drinks from 5-7 PM. The pool was awesome! You will not be disappointed. The beach area was nice and clean. Compared to other hotels in Cancun, Hilton probably has the best beach area. No shortage of lounge chairs in the pool or beach area. Food: If you did not purchase an all inclusive package...book through Hilton.com and book your room under the "early saver" option if available. This will include a daily breakfast buffet at Spices Restaurant inside the hotel. This was usually the best meal of the day. Pool food was average, and the pizza & pasta restaurant was average as well. Don't expect too much in the food category. Cancun: You can take the bus into Cancun for one peso per person (less than $1 US). This is the best way to get into Cancun and the cheapest. CAUTION: Do not go much further on the bus than the Plaza Forum. If you do...get off at the Riu Cancun! If you do not...you WILL end up where you DO NOT want to be. I am telling you this from experience! Stay in the Hotel Zone! With that in mind, there are plenty of little shops and places to eat in some of these areas...and you can drink on the streets with an open container of alcohol. Cancun to me was a little like Mexico meets Las Vegas (without the casino's) with a little New Orleans twist. Overall...The Hilton was very nice! No worries!

I feel compelled to put down my review for the Hilton in light of all the hubbbub about violence in Mexico and now, unfortunately, swine flu. We stayed here 4-18-2009 until 4-25-2009. We arrived late due to the fact that there were terrible storms in Houston. We got in about 11:00pm. Wihtout double checking first, we were placed in a room with two queens instead of a deluxe king ocean view. My husband called the desk and we were able to move on Monday to a deluxe king oceanview. Boy was it deluxe. 9th floor, nearly uninterupted view of the ocean, terrace bigger than the room itself, and a blacony to boot. It was a FANTASTIC room.
FOOD and drinks: the first night we ordered room service. Maybe it was the fact we were starving nad it was so late at night but the burger and quesadillas were delicious. Breakfast was an incredible spread in Spice, including the best french toast I've had. We at at the poolside grill at least once and the seafood tacos were blissfully delicious. Our only disappointing dinner was a later night last minute at the pizza/pasta restaurant. The pizza choices are just weird. All of our other meals were in Cancun restaurants. I'd like to add to the other reviewers that if you don't like the american restaurant and chain choices found on the hotel zone strip, consider riding the bus to downtown cancun and find a real mexican restaurant. Not only are they a great value, the food was outstanding. We loved La Parilla. The drinks at the HIlton were good, but we took it upon ourselves to go to a downtown Cancun grocery store (not Wal-Mart) and stocked up on cuban rum and Herradura. We made in-the-room pina coloadas, rum and cokes, and margaritas. The sol beer you can buy at the grocery store runs about $.15 a can so you can't beat that.

The service was great, the housekeeping was efficient. There were a few nit-picky cosmetic things about the bathroom fixtures, but nothing that I couldn't live with. I thought the hotel was lovely, a good value.

The beach: I don't get what everyone has said about the rocks and surf. There is PLENTY of sand, PLENTY of beach. There are large rocks but they are nothing like the rocks in front of the hotels directly to the north of the Hilton (one of the Parnassus hotels, can't remember which, and so on). There is plenty of room to swim in the ocean without rocks interferring. Those hotels to the north have virtually no beach at all and the rocks butt up to the edge of the hotel terrace. I would have been pissed had we stayed at one of those places. The Hilton has the best beach and best beachfront. The waves were too rough the first sunday we were there but they really calmed down to the point where everyone was swimming and having a blast for 3-4 days of the week we were there. Seriously, don't fret about the beach.

I'd also like to add that we rode the bus all the way to Puerto Juarez and took the Ultramar ferry to Isla Mujeres. It cost us $7.50 pesos for the bus and something like 27 pesos for the ferry (maybe 30, but I can't remember). This is definitely the way to do Isla. Quick, and cheap. We weren't hassled by anyone and really, downtown cancun is filled with a lot of nice people. We also took a tour company to Chichen Itza and rode a deluxe bus with beer, tequilla, water, air conditioning, and stops in a mayan village and cenote in addition to the ruins. I highly recommend going this route if you can. Our guide was named Rex and he was outstanding in his knowledge of the area.

All in all, great visit to cancun and I can't wait to get back to the Hilton