I naively purchased a vacation package at Sam's Club around Christmas 2008. When I started reading the reviews on this hotel, I started to panic. Yes, it is a timeshare scam if you were invited to come down there for "free". However, If you bought this trip through Sam's, you are under NO obligation to take the 90 minute (turns into 5 hr) tour. We just politely told them we do not want to take the tour and they let it be. They actually treated us very well. It was our 5th wedding anniversary and they delivered a complimentary bottle of Champagne to our room the night we arrived. Before we left for our trip we got a call offering to upgrade to a Spa Deluxe Room, which was VERY NICE.

The staff went out of their way to treat us well, and it really helps to TIP. Come on, people, I know it's all inclusive, but these people work hard for you. Believe me, we were treated very well for tipping.

Okay, first things first. Setting up a couple massage tables does not a spa make. If you have been to Cancun before, this hotel will be a disappointment. The Ocean Spa Hotel is a very basic hotel with few decent ammenities. The ocean is stagnant and weedy in front of the hotel making swimming no fun at all. The only positive thing I can say is that the grounds were nice and the pool area is okay. As far as the staff goes, the restautant staff and the cleaning personal were friendly and effecient. The same can not be said about the front desk staff. They went out there way to be un-helpful. The same goes with the conceirges, they were big on smiles, but small on useful help. Further, if you don't purchase the all-inclusive package you are really made to feel like second class citizens. They won't even give you purified water to drink after the first night. We ate at the restaurant a couple times, and found the food to be half decent, but the portions were miniscule. This hotel is also noisey 24-7. My recommendation is if you get stuck at this hotel, is not to purchase the all-inclusive, but to spend the majority of your time eating out as there are some great restaurants in Cancun. I'd also recommend spending your days over at the Sunset Royal Hotel (you can use all of their facilities and catch a free shuttle from the Ocean Hotel) .

H'orrible infrastructure, accomodations, facilities, "the beach" is terrible, not even ice machine or a place where you can buy drinks from a refrigarator, no vending, food horrible, if you are looking to be comfortable go somewhere else, Service stinks, smokers all over, What a nightmare, you need to listen to the "concierge" before they issue the room key, have to sign a blank credit card slip for a safe and they hold you hostage if you want to leave early.... Be smart, dont make the same mistake we made.

Stayed here beginning of February it is a basic hotel with some new renovations.
The lobby is new with a nice bar and sitting area where you can access wireless internet - but it is not open air so if you need to spend time on the computer you might feel a little 'trapped'.
The grounds are nicely grassed which is good for Cancun which seems to specialize in concrete. The beach is sandy with access to a couple of bars, restaraunts and convenience stores of other hotels in the area. the water is very calm here so the 'turtle grass' (seaweed) is thick along the shore. There is a narrow path cleared so you can wade to a small swimming area a little ways out and the hotel next door has an area cleared to the shore but it is quite small and shallow. If you want good ocean swimming you might be disappointed here but go the sister hotel Royal Sunset the beach is excellent there and there is a shuttle from the Ocean that runs often. Most of the time the pool was clean but there were a couple of days when some garbage had blown in and no one seemed to be taking care of it. there is a swim up bar - but this is not a party hotel - the clients were generally quieter couples.
There were activities offered by entertainment staff and from afar they looked enthusiastic and fun but we did not participate so others reviews of these would be more reliable. the rooms are basic hotel style - two double beds and really basic furniture, firm beds with crisp cotton sheets; bathroom was clean and nicely tiled; balcony with a view of the garden and a bit of ocean if you are up higher. there is no bottled water provided - not even large bottles in the hallway for filling your own bottle. Even a really cheap hotel $37 we stayed in in downtown cancun provided water! I imagine you can get water at the bar which is where I got some ice from because there is not ice available either. No coffee in room or station in the lobby in the AM and again even the other really cheap hotel (Lux Cancun) had coffee in the sitting room and nice fresh buns with peanut butter and jam in the AM! even the Travelodge has coffee makers in the rrooms so come on Ocean Spa!! We did not do all inclusive so I can't speak for the food except the quesedillas we ordered from the beach restaraunt which were good but a little pricey if you don't get the discount. we were well treated by the staff - the somewhat 'rude' person that other reviews refer to is still there. i think his people skills are not strong so don't take it personally. there was always someone else at the desk to help as well. there were lots of complaints about vacation club presentations being really long and aggressive - you really do have to push back your chair, get up shake hands ask for your receipt and start to walk away or they keep making more and more offers from more and more people! even when you walk away there is still one more person. If you do want to purchase keep saying no until you get an offer that makes you really happy. there is a shuttle that returns to the ocean hotel regularly from the Royal Sunset where they do the presentations so don't worry about getting back. the beach at the Royal Sunset is really nice - we spent lots of time there and if not doing all inclusive from there you are only a 15 min walk to the restaraunt zone or a 2min walk from the Oxxo on the corner. Buses are very easy and cheap to take to go up and down the hotel strip and into old Cancun - 13 pesos for 2 and they give change and come very often. Taxis are plentiful and a good price but agree on the price before you get in - if there are a lot of them lined up - and there usually are then negotiate a better price. I think it was $6 for us to go back to our hotel from the zone one night. The sellers in the strip shopping areas can be very aggressive even if you politely respond "no gracias" . If you go into Cancun town off the main street - Tulum Ave - and go towards the center one block there are some really nice different restaraunts with good food , good prices and quiet atmosphere by a park that I think is called Palapa. there are some sellers kiosks there as well but they were not as aggressive so it is nicer to browse and buy. (#1 or #15 bus)
There is also a large grocery store on the corner where you can get just about anything including a fast 'meal' and reasonably priced food and liquor. If you haven't been to Cancun before be prepared for traffic and massive high rise hotels. the central shoppping and restaraunt areas offer party time places and this may be just what you want. if you want an area that is more 'pedestrian' with low rise resorts with green grounds but still restaraunts and great bars and beach bars (which Cancun seems to be lacking) and clubs go to Playa del Carmen area south of Cancun. For an even quieter vacation with beautiful beaches go farther south to Tulum. we did not like Cancun very much - too noisy; too much traffic; too much concrete but others may like that atmosphere. Hope this helps.