My husband and I spent 5 nights at the JW after flying there for a conference. Context, we arrived the day before the CDC suggested that everyone stop discretionary mexican travel. The next day, the conference was cancelled due to the CDC rec, concerns about holding a conference given swine flu fears, and the fact that other countries had made similar recs (note this was an international conference). I was thoroughly impressed with the way the JW handled our conference situation. Everyone was really nice as many of us grieved the loss of our event. Moreover, they let everyone change/cancel their reservations without charge. So they took a financial beating in what was a lose/lose situation. But they really impressed me with how they handled it.

Now for the other details:
Room - lovely. Very clean, good size, lots of drawer space, robes etc... Bathroom was very well designed. We had an ocean view overlooking the adult pool.

Lobby/public spaces. Very well designed, attractive etc. It would have been a fabulous venue for our conference.

Food. My husband and I normally stay away from cancun because it is too americanized. But we had a lovely meal at Gustino the first night. Not cheap but very good and the person who said it was worse than Olive Garden is crazy. Last I checked olive garden doesn't serve perfectly balanced palate cleansers between courses. Both of our appetizers and main courses were excellent and the wine list included some decent reasonably priced bottles. Lovely glassware here and at the lobby bar. For lunch, we found that the lime soup was really quite good and since we are used to eating at more remote beach eateries, this was great news. We always rely on being able to eat a lot of yucatan lime soup in quintana roo and the local waiters loved that we were trying to steer towards more local food. Also if you like spicy food ask for xni pec . It wasn't made traditionally there, but it was quite good and added a good kick to the salsa. Finally, the hotel stocks leon negra which is local beer that is also very good. We didn't eat breakfast at the JW because we are not willing to pay hotel prices for breakfast in mexico. Instead, walked outside and turned right (towards some restaurants like puerto madero). If you walk for maybe 10 minutes you will come to an internet drugstore (on the other side of the road from the JW), which is much cheaper than the business center, and then a little lunch counter where locals seem to eat. For $3 per person we had really good huevos a la mexicana with corn tortillas. Ask for chile and you get an assortment of chile sauces to go with your breakfast. We ate breakfast there every day. After the first night we ate at la distilleria twice - which was quite good and very reasonably priced for cancun. Much more local style mexican than some of the other places we saw. La distilleria and a bunch of restaurants are all walking distance if you are used to walking as we are. For bottled water/beer/wine for the room I suggest walking across the street from the JW. There is a little convenience store right across the street and that way you can avoid the crazy prices the JW charges for bottled water etc.

Pool - lovely. We didn't have the chair problem because the pool was not at full capacity. For all of those complaining - one option would be for everyone from trip advisor to try and model better behavior. When we staked out chairs right after walking back from breakfast (about 8am or so) we made a point of having one of us stay with the chairs while the other person got changed etc. This way we were not contributing to the impression that it was okay to just claim chairs with towels and not be there.

Beach - very small. My husband had fun playing in the waves.

Overall - we were very stressed the whole time because of the conference, issues with getting home sooner since our reason for being there had vanished, concerns about whether or not the hotel would charge us for the whole trip etc. When people asked me if I had a good time, my response is that I did not. But none of that was the fault of the JW and I think it is a lovely hotel. Just wish we actually could have had our conference there.

We loved our stay the JW Marriott Cancun from 4/24-4/27. We used points to book and upgrade to club 91. We also had to pay nightly for each child to use the Club which was $140 a night. Now since that was all we were paying(we used points) we found the Club to be a great value and option.

Our kids are 14 and 17 and we started our Cancun vacation at Moon Palace and then moved to the Marriott since we had points and it looked beautiful. Well, it is! The grounds, the pool, the ocean views, are stunning. We also had a great experience with Club 91 and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Room:
Our room was on the top floor of the hotel (14th) and we had a stunning view of the ocean and the adult pool on one side and the calm bay on the other side. We could see two Magna Casa(the Marriott next door) weddings from our room, which was fun. The room was typical size, but the balcony was huge. We ordered a rollaway for our son, who put it out on the balcony and slept out there each night . The weather was beautiful, but a little windy, so it was very comfortable for sleeping with the sliders open, listening to the surf

Activities:
We had run around a lot for the beginning of our trip, so really wanted to relax more for this leg. THis is the perfect place. THe pool area is stunning, and we were able to get chairs, towels with no problem whenever we wanted at the pool. The pool and hot tub were great, and we all swam a lot while we were there. Poolside drinks were great, and we ate lunch once at the restaurant at the pool and it was good and affordable. The view of the ocean behind the pool is stunning though the beach was small and the ocean was rough. We didn't swim in the ocean here because of the waves, but did find chairs on one of the decks one day that overlooked the ocean and beach and it was quite lovely.
One day we did a 'Jungle Tour' through Advendture sports. Because of the wind, we couldn't do the snorkel part of the trip, so they reduced the amount we paid by $10 each. It was fun, my husband and son drove the jet-ski type boats and my daughter and I rode on the back. We stayed in a pack behind the guide and went through some jungly areas and saw some cool birds and stuff. We also stopped at a small beach where they gave you masks and we did swim and see some fish. It was about 3 hours, longer than advertised, and I liked it but probably wouldn't do it again. The kids loved it though.
On another day we went to Isla Mujeres. We took a cab and the ferry. When we got there we rented a golf cart which was about $35 US(we used pesos) We wouldn't do this again as the golf cart was very slow with four adults, and we wouldn't think it was worth paying for two. Playa Norte(the beautiful beach) is a short walk from the ferry and we would take a cab next time up to Garafon. The cliffs and park up there are beautiful and you can spend an hour or so walking around, looking at the art, shopping, checking out the few historical tidbits and just enjoying the beautiful views. Playa Norte was a blast. We found alittle area where you could use the chairs and umbrellas if you bought a drink. We spent a while there, there was an adorable swing bar and music playing. It looked like what you would expect in Mexico and there were a lot of natives there. THe water was beautiful for swimming too. Before we headed back, we stopped for a quick bite and had the best tacos and quesadillas, outside with the sand in our toes for about $15 bucks US. It was a great day.

Club 91
We really feel like we got our moneys worth of Club 91 and we loved having the extra room since we were 4 in one room. I would get up early and go to the lounge and have coffee, read the paper, watch the news, and enjoy the beautiful view. We ate breakfast there each day and it was great. Eggs, bacon, toast , potatoes and pastries, fruit and yogurt everyday and then each day there was a different type of breakfast sandwich and some sort of sweet entree (french toast, crepes). We got great mimosas, capuccino and juices, milk. In addition we could take drinks (water,soda), fruit, granola bars, and wrapped cookies to have throughout the day. We went to the Club only once for lunch because we were off doing things, but we filled up easily. There were roast beef and seafood sandwiches, salads, fruit, chips, cookies. They also had tea in the afternoon from 3-5 but we never got there. We disagree with other posters about dinner not being enough to eat. The first night we went to the club for appetizers since we had reservations next door at the japanese restaurant. Well, the food at CLub 91 was fabulous. It was a sampling of skewered meat and chicken from the Argentinian restaurant, with empanadas, and various sides. We were all full at dinner, and we ate at the club for the next two nights. The next night there was ceviche, shrimp scampi, fried calamari, various sides and salads. The following night there was thai food, noodles with chicken and shrimp. beef curry, again various salads and sides. We loved all of the food, and easily filled up for dinner and enjoyed our drinks and wine. Again we were with teens and weren't planning to go to clubs with them, so it really worked out well. From 8-10 they had dessert, which was always good.
Club 91 had a small library were my daughter and I borrowed books for the beach. The hosteses were wonderful and helped us plan our excursions and spa.
SPA
We loved the spa here. We got massages which were wonderful, and used the gym (which was wonderful with beautiful views) several times. Club 91 gave us 15% off treatments and they weren't priced outrageously and no one tried to push products. Also,because we were at Club 91, we had free access to the second floor of the spa(usually $15). Here we used the private jacuzzis, steam and sauna. This is part of what I really enjoy doing on vacation, it may not be for everyone.

The staff at the Marriott were great. The bell men at the front would ask us if we needed beach towels on our way out of the hotel, which we did for Isla Mujeres. They were very polite and cheerful. Club 91 employees were beyond helpful. They made all phone calls, kept our wine glasses full, and were just cheerful and friendly.

The only recommendation I would have would be to have something more in the way of activities, organized volleyball, or a movie or show. The only entertainment we saw was in the lobby bar, a single singer, and no one was there.

We would definitely go back and use Club 91 again.

Pros: new hotel, great views, Caribean suite is wonderful, GREAT service

Cons: expensive, can't bill anything to room, club 91 is a rip off

The Bottom Line: GREAT hotel in Cancun. Read my tips and you'll love it even more.




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I wrote this review for another website two years ago..
We are finishing our week at the JW Marriott Cancun and I am out on our (one of two in our suite) patios surfing the web, enjoying the views and staying out of the sun! Overall I would give this property a 9 out of 10-and here's why:

Room: I am a Platinum (75+ nights per year) member of Marriott Rewards so we got upgraded to a "Carribean Suite." I was able to look at one of their "normal" rooms, but my experience is with the Carib Suite.

Our suite (1035) features a very large living area with it's own balcony with a very nice view of the Caribbean. It has a pullout couch, which, according to my 11 year old son has a horrible mattress in it. We were able to get them to send up two roll away beds which made it much more comfortable for our kids (11 and 8). If we were in a normal King room I don't think this would have been possible.

Our suite also features a very large master bedroom that is completely separate from the living room. It is quite large and expansive for a hotel room and more like a master suite in an executive type house. The bathroom is also very large, and has a walk in shower with two shower heads. There is marble everwhere and it is very nice and upscale. There is crown molding everywhere, which is also a nice touch.

They hotel provides you with JW Marriott inscribed slippers (two pairs) which my kids thought was neat.

Public Areas:
The lobby is expansive and has TONS of marble—I mean everywhere. They also have beautiful columns of marble and the look is very very nice, nothing like the business class Marriott’s I am used to in the US.

Club 91: We also took advantage of Club 91. I'd skip this upgrade (which is NOT offered for free to anyone, Platinum or otherwise). The cost is $100 per day is like a super snobby and upscale concierge lounge that you see in every full service Marriott around the USA. In their literature, the boast about "five meals," daily. This is total BS. I would say it is five appetizers--at best. There is NO way what they serve for either lunch or dinner cuts it for a meal. Period.

There a few "values" to Club 91.
1. The concierge attendants (usually two at all times) who work in the club provide a much higher level of service, i.e. making dinner reservations, helping with this or that, etc.
2. If you like to consume alcohol and can drink a lot in a short period of time, this is the place to be. They have an open bar every night from 6-8pm. During that time you can drink as much of any drink, top shelf or otherwise, gratis.
3. The lounge itself is stunning. There are four private "rooms" where you can admire the amazing views and have some quality time. This is really rather different than a regular concierge level.
4. You can check in and check out in the lounge (although my daughter liked the extra dierre (I don't know why you can't say AS$?) kissing, it really was no big deal).
5. They offer like five different pillows--here too not that big of a deal, but certainly unique.
6. If you stay at Club 91 they give you free internet access (wireless) that I am using now from my patio. This is great, since it is normally $20 per day, which IMHO is very high--about double what I pay in the US.

That's about it, I'd pass next time, but since I got such an outrageous suite I thought what the hell.

Pools: there really are only two pools. The main one is huge, but does NOT have a waterfall or slides, etc. It is free form and does offer an "infinite pool" view, meaning that from a small distance you look at the pool and it since it blends in with the ocean it goes on forever. The pools are also SALT WATER, which was different, however we stayed at the JW Ihalini in Hawaii for my son's 10th birthday (see that review) and simply put, the JW Cancun's pools KILL the Ihalini--not even close.

There is also an adult oriented "pool bar" where you can drink from the pool on little chairs built into the pool.

Finally, there is the diver’s pool, which is ONLY open for the hotel's use when they sell lessons. It is NOT open for swimming at other times--this was a disappointment, as their literature led me to believe otherwise.

Beach:
The beach is smallish, but the water is an amazing blue green color. They have numerous thatched huts that are first come first served. A word here, I found many people (guests) rather rude with their manners as it related to umbrellas at the pool and the huts at the ocean. The custom is to claim them with towels, etc. first thing in the AM and then think that they belong to you if you leave (and never come back). It is disappointing that the hotel does not do a better job of policing this as this morning my wife and I were at the beach for literally five hours and the hut in front of us was “occupied” but we never saw anyone.

The waves are rather large and strong and have strong under tows. Be careful with little ones.

The area:
The JW is located near KM marker 17 on the hotel strip. It is connected to the Casa Magna (the cheaper Marriott, but still nice) and is near the Ritz Carlton and Le Meriden. There is not much in the way of restaurants to walk to as the main area of Cancun is a taxi cab ride (or bus) away (about 3-4 miles I would estimate). Having said this though, if you want solitude in an otherwise boisterous place (think spring break) the JW would suit you well.

Things to do:
We rented a car and drove to Tulum (ancient ruins) and XCARET (Mexico’s version of DisneyWorld—I’ll take WDW any day over it). Rental cars are expensive (about $100 per day, which includes insurance—which you need) I did not find driving in Mexico any sort of challenge and would recommend to anyone that has even a bit of an adventurous streak to do so.

Deep Sea fishing: For my son’s 11th birthday he chose to go deep sea fishing. We went with Aqua World (they have a booth on the JW property). It was expensive (about $750 for six hours, but we had a private 40 foot fishing boat with a crew of three), but the good thing is that he did catch a sailfish (here too getting it mounted was expensive, a little over $1,000 total, probably more like $1,400 when we are all done). AquaWorld is good, but they try to sell you everything and want tipped every two seconds (much of Mexico is like that) If you are a beginner deep sea fisherman (like us) you’ll like this place. If you are looking for ESPN I am sure that there are better alternatives.

Specific tips:
1. Ask the bellman for coupons. I know that this might sound tacky, but they will give you 15% off coupons for THEIR restaurants. We went to the lobster and prime rib buffet at the Mexican restaurant and saved like $30. They have them for the restaurants at both the JW and the Casa Magna.
2. Buy water PRIOR to getting to the hotel. This is a BIG rip off. They charge like $10 for a bottle of Evian Water. Save yourself a ton by buying this prior to getting there (we went to Sam’s Club in Playa de Carmen and bought a case of Evian for like $15 total).
3. Get out to the pool and or beach early in the morning to claim your umbrella or hut. This is crucial as after about 10am everything is gone.
4. Go to the Seafood buffet at the JW. It is held every WED, FRI and SUN. The prime rib is great and it is all you can eat lobster tails that are grilled—you can’t go wrong there (a little pricey though, $46/person—beverage NOT included)
5. WEAR sun block. It is REALLY hot here, I mean smoking and I am from Texas. You will get burned very easily if you don’t use sun block.

The hotel is very nice and deserves it's five star rating. The staff are all very helpful. Room service was prompt and excellent. The main pool is very nice and kid friendly, the infinety pool is very beautiful. However, don't pay any attention to the pictures on the Marriott website with the nice wide white sandy beach! The ocean starts at the bottom of the stairs that access the beach. You can't find a foot of dry beach at this property and it because of the rocks it is too dangerous to even enter the ocean. False advertising at it's best! Marriott, Trip Advisor and everyone else need to change the picture used for this resort.

As a side note, skip the rental cars. We were pulled over by the crooked police for going 68 in a 70 zone. No violation, but they threaten you to pay cash on site or they will take you to the police station. Your basically stuck and forced to pay cash on the spot to pay them off.