Stayed 18-28 DEec 2005. It is a lovely hotel - the pool area is particularly nice, as are the rooms etc but, as another reviewer said,, it lacks atmosphere. The bar in particular is very unexciting - just a formal seating area with a few tables off the lobby - quite boring! There is nowhere to buy a simple, small snack. There are 2 restaurants and 1, the St. Tropez, is supposed to be less formal but it is not,and it does not open until 11.00 so you are obliged to have breakfast in the formal and very expensive dining room. The St. Tropez menu is limited and they did not have pizza the entire time I was there, even though it was on the menu. Everything is very formal and very expensive.. There is a coffee machine in the bedroom butmyou are even charged for the coffee. Most other hotels would provide it free. The service is very irritating. I really do not like waiters hovering to refill your glass every time you take a small sip or constantly asking if everything is OK. I am perfectly capable of topping up my glass myself and if everything is not OK, I will certainly say. Most of the American hotels have not yet reopened, but i believe that they would be a better option. They all appear to have a greater variety of restaurants, bars etc (Marriott has Champions Sports bar). Unlike other hotels there are no grounds/gardens to speak of. Most other hotels stretch from the beach to the dual carriageway which runs the length of the hotel zone. The Meridien has a developed area of housing etc between it and the dual carriageway, so essentially it is approached from a side street. Other hotels have gardens, mini golf etc between them and the main road. DOWN TO THE ROAD. I would go back to Cancun, but not this hotel. Also, the Hacienda Sisal was the worst restaurant I visited. The decor is lovely, leading you to expect a Mexican experience. I went there on Christmas night. The food was appalling and anything but Mexican. The band was American or English playing cover versions of the Beatles, Stones etc. The service was poor. I would definitely not recommend.

My husband and two children stayed here for 8 nights over Xmas. Having just left the RIU which was all inclusive this hotel lacked atmosphere. It was more like a business hotel and everyone was quiet and reserved. The kids really missed the RIU but then really enjoyed the kids club. My kids and 8 and 10 and I couldnt get them out of the club. The activities were varied and exciting. The donut eating competition was really fun. I found the hotel a little expensive for drinks. The breakfast was good but the charge for kids was $11 each. The kids penguin menu by the pool was more reasonable $4 to $6.50 for a meal which was a good size. We stayed in a deluxe room which was very nice, lovely marbled bathroom. The management were really good and when we didnt get out room service on xmas eve they did everything to accommodate us. I would recommend hotel for couples who want some quiet time, but if you want a bit more excitement try an all inclusive as there is nothing to do here in the evenings except go out.

12/23/05: We just got back from a week's stay at Le Meridien. According to the concierge, they are 95% occupancy through the holidays. Even so, there was plenty of privacy as the hotel is a manageable size and not one of those expansive properties like a Riu or Westin where it takes 20 minutes to walk to your room.


The hotel is in excellent pre-Wilma condition with the exception of the beach and lack of greenery. The leaves on the palm trees and other vegetation are just starting to regrow. Most surprising is the beach which is 1/4 the width pre-Wilma. There are more shells and rocks as well as some debris on the shore where attempts are made to camoflauge it.


The original access to the beach has been closed and instead they built a ramp by the restaurant. It works, but is another reminder of the damage from Wilma. The waves are extremely dangerous and swimming is not recommended. We saw many people get toppled over in the surf. Also, the undertow is peculiar because the surf pulls you back into the beach which is awful because you end up crashing in the surf. It's not safe to swim. The conceierge suggested 3 other beaches that are safe and accessible by the frequent $1 bus --- 2 of which are protected by Isla Mujeres and closer to downtown.


Le Meridien claims all rooms are ocean view. Not so much --- we had a superior room and had a view of the Ritz Carlton and Cancun Palace. If we turned our head 90 degrees, we would see the beach. There also is a lot of noise from all the marbled floors in the hallway as well as we could hear our neighbors upstairs scooting their chairs around. That was occasionally distracting. Also, the beds were very, very hard. Nice touch was a robe and slippers and nightly turn down service.


The pools are beautiful. Despite 85 degrees and sunny most days, the majority people would stay in the top level pool which was warmest. The bottom 2 pools were hardly used because their temperatures were colder and good for a quick dip. The cushioned chairs were plentiful and we could always find chairs with umbrellas. Prices at the grill were typically high --- $10 for a burger/fries. $3.50 for a coke. The chicken quesadillas were excellent and cost $16.


Pay per view is available --- if you want to spend $18 to watch a rental movie like "The Aviator" or "Meet the Fockers." You can also have access to your aol, msn or yahoo email account in the room for $19/day. The business center downstairs also offers surfing for 15 minutes/$5. We considered a spa treatment but reconsidered. A 1 hour massage is >$100. The spa is supposed to be excellent.


The layout of the hotel is odd such that to access the main boulevard Kukulan so you need to walk a block down a cul de sac type street. The lighting is poor and with the debris like gravel, it was less than convenient.


The concierges are helpful. Good recommendations for restaurants and directions. Overall, the hotel Le Meridien was very nice, but not exceptional.


The city of Cancun has some serious rebuilding ahead of it. Approximately 50% hotels, restaurants and shops were closed for renovations. My favorite mall, La Isla, is now a skeleton and there is no date of reopening. The Plaza Kukalan Mall with Luxury Avenue is about 60% functioning. Luxury Avenue with Louis Vuitton and Swarovski is in perfect shape. Plaza Caracol is about 50% functioning. The stores shut down at approx 8pm every night which is peculiar since Christmas is days away. Restaurants like Margaritaville and Hard Rock are closed. Best meal was at Hacienda Sisal --- it truly was excellent. There is rebuilding everywhere in Cancun with many hard workers putting their masonry and carpentry skills to work everywhere you look.


Cancun has some of the most pristine beaches I've ever seen with very kind local residents and lots of shopping --- however, it's going to be some time before it returns to pre-Wilma shape. I'm certain that when that day comes, Cancun will be better than ever and I can't wait to return at that time.

The hotel is very nice, as soon as you arrive they greet you with fruit juice and fresh towels.

We had a very good time there, breakfast was inc. and was fantastic, however, I think it was too much for the 8 days we were there.

The spa is very good, we had some treatments and the staff is professional and I think one of the best hotel spa.

If you do not want to have treatments, you can use the installations anyway, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, relaxation room, gym, etc.

The pools are amazing and the view from the pool is very nice, we were lucky that was low season and there were not a lot of children running/screaming around the pool.