theres a big construction project right in front of this hotel in March 2009. we had a room right next to the street so it was so loud every morning and the blinds dont keep sunlight out. the location is bad. the main street in downtown is called Tulum and Terracribe is about 15min walk to downtown shops and restaurants. cab in downtown is cheap about 20 pesos everywhere. bus to the hotel club zone is called R-1 and is 7 pesos per person takes 30min to go from downtown to hotel zone. but for $60 a night this is a clean hotel and decent service. no pool and wifi only in the lobby. restaurant in the lobby serves american and mexican food. I came here for spring break so we went out to hotel zone every night and it was a hassle to take cab to bus stop then bus to hotel zone. I recommend to stay in the hotel zone hotel to get a better experience for cancun. and you can still take bus to downtown for cheaper food (not much cheaper)

Background:

I was set to Mexico on business and knowing the troubles in the north, i decided to finish what I had to do there finishing as quickly as possible while working the non essentials from Cancun remotely. Like in previous ratings I'll get the points out of the way then go to into details.

Pros:
- Very accessible Downtown location
- Walking distance to two 24 hr stores
- Easy access to main Bus routes
- A lot of local fare including restaurants, street vendors, and stores within a 5 minute walking distance in all directions.
- Free wireless internet and safety deposit box

Cons:
-High volume traffic area, and street construction is ongoing making it very noisy.
-Open concept amplifies sound during the night when its really busy outside
-Public beach is about 10 minutes away, I prefer the public one on the hotel zone
-Not a hotel to just "live-in" without experiencing anything else, if you want all the resort type stuff (fancy spa, entertainment, and sports) go to the hotel zone.
- Beach location shuttle is only once or twice a day so sign up a day before or get the pass and take a bus for 6 pesos.

Location:

It is in the heart of the safer parts of the Downtown area; two doors down is an extra (7-11 like convenience) and in another block from there is the main road of Tulum. From this point you can access any and almost every bus that runs through Cancun, my personal suggestion is to only use the main high volume routes of R1,R2,R15,R27. The actual route maps for any other buses are seldom found and mainly known by locals traveling from the slums in the west end to work in the hotels, tourism agencies, and street markets within Cancun.

The Hotel:

I admit that I've heard some horror stories about this place in the past, however the restoration is really quite tasteful, TV, AC, and phone worked flawlessly, there were times when there were some hiccups with the wifi, but considering how much i used it, this was to be expected (even back in Toronto, wifi is sketchy at best). The restaurant is alright, nothing more than 100 MXN pesos/10 CAD, with rather generous portion sizes. the food isn't spicy but the salsa is fresh and made with green chillies so you've been warned. Personally I would only eat in the hotel once or twice during your stay, try going to the market at Tulum/Lopez Portillo and buy some local fruit and such.

The Room:

I was given a rather large room no less than 12x15 on the main floor with a standard 3 piece bathroom. The restoration has clearly updated the features and I can honestly say if I had gone before, I wouldn't be impressed. Room service is anywhere from 10:00-16:00 depending if the maids start from the top or the bottom floors. It clearly shows that they want these restorations to last as long as possible because they clean the place round the clock and it's spotless. Because it was on the main floor it was really close to the patio and you can clearly hear people talking during the night there is about a 1-2 inch clearance within the floor and the bottom of the door so jam one of their towels in the space to dampen the sound. Aside from the noise everything was quite exceptional but I've become used to no frills flying so I don't mind some things.

Conclusion:

Always book properly ahead, try prepaying through expedia or travelocity because they will always receive duplicates. Last minute bookings will be disappointed because of the sheer number of people who want reservations. Make sure you research the area a little in advance, getting a street map of the area was hard, I had to use google maps for some things while walking to Walmart and China Town Plaza. Like everywhere else be smart when taking out money always carry small Mexican bills 20, 50, 100 and separate your money if anything should happen. All in all a great hotel for the price I only wish I upgraded for a mini fridge and that they put some weather stripping on the door to block out the noise.

We went last week to cancun and rented a timeshare that began on Saturday, so for Friday night we needed a hotel to sleep in. I personally made a telephone reservation with the hotel, they even told me they guranteed late arrival. When we finally got there (it's far) we found out there was many people waiting for a room, and they were going to send them to another hotel, because they were overbooked. I tought well maybe they will respect my reservation, and sure enough they didn't. They even were charging double the price they said over the phone. I asked them if they will honor the price they told me on the phone, and they said yes.

But like we rented a car, we decided to drive to a safer area and stayed near the entrance of the hotel zone. The hotel is called hotel bonampak, it's clean, safe, and in a decent area.

Upon our arrival in Cancun, we rented a car and drove ourselves to this little gem in the heart of Cancun, far away from the Hotel District. Walking passed the restaurant to the front entrance, the door was open and the smell of 'clean' lingered in the warm air. We were greeted with a fresh orange juice by the staff as we were checking in. When we opened the door to our room, we were once again noticing at the cleanliness of the room. It was pristine. And the fixtures/plumbing were first class. The bed was comfortable and we were very happy with the price of the room, at around CAD$60 per night through Expedia. The only thing I would advise other travelers, is to bring ear plugs, as the traffic on the streets in Cancun can be quite loud.
I had injured my leg from a fall back in Calgary a few days earlier, and it was starting to look infected. So, soon after our arrival (it was about 8 pm) I asked at the front desk where I could go to see a doctor. What followed was the most wonderful experience of Mexican generosity and open heartedness....the Manager of the Hotel (Victor) took my husband and myself in his personal vehicle to the Red Cross, where he translated everything on my behalf with the nurses and doctors. I needed medication (penicillin and antibiotics) and Victor then took us to fill the prescription, providing translation services again. He then brought us back to the hotel, and I was almost crying in gratitude for his help - he literally helped to save our vacation, and put me back on the road to wellness. We stayed in the Hotel Terracaribe for two nights before heading south for Solimon Bay, Our experience with Victor and the rest of his wonderful staff will leave an everlasting impression on us. of our very first trip to Mexico.