My wife and I stayed at Elan just a week ago, in early April. It was absolutely wonderful, exactly what we were looking for. The property is laid out like a small Mexican village, and is essentially an oasis from the hustle and bustle that typifies the rest of Cancun.

We were greeted at the front desk with a couple of tropical cocktails and escorted to a nice (but not lavish) room in one of the towers. It was clean and well laid out with a comfy bed. After a shower, we adjourned downstairs at the pool bar, where we enjoyed multiple beverages over the remainder of the afternoon. Dinner was outside next to the Palapa that evening, and I had one of the best pieces of fish ever.

The remainder of the week, our routine was essentially the same: a wonderful breakfast in the Palapa (try the Mayan egg dish- excellent), the remainder of the morning by the pool. The pool bar opens at 10 (!), and Juan or Marco are itching to start serving drinks right away. After a few hours (and occasionally a few beverages), we'd head up to the room for a shower and get ready for lunch, which was normally served in the plaza right next to the waterfront pool. A siesta after lunch, followed by either a little exploring (which only served to demontrate that we liked it just fine at the resort) or more pool time- including the swim up bar. A little rest before dinner (meals here are served relatively late by US standards- I don't think anyone ate before 8:30).

We met and made friends with a wonderful couple from England who also seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, and got an upclose view of a whole lot of wildlife native to the region. The food was uniformly excellent, the drinks were top notch and freely flowing, and the service was extremely attentive. We would never have left if we didn't have to go back to work. We are already looking at going back next Spring.

Idyllic setting but dreadfully run . No hot water for three days ,only two of the five restaurants open in the evening , bars regularly not staffed , had money stolen from safe in reception . One evening everything in the complex closed by 9.30 p.m.

Having read previous reviews about The Elan, I was looking forward to my whole holiday on Cancun. Cancun as a place is everything you expect of it, however, the Elan is not.
During our stay we had 3 rooms, all smelt of sewage, the first room the toilet would not flush, the second room our neighbours, despite less than 20 people being in the hotel, were incredibly noisy, and with thin walls we could hear everything. Our third room still smelt and the balcony door would not lock, but we opted to stay as we were sick of moving.
On at least three separate occasions throughout the stay the resort had no hot water for hours on end, although a cold shower can sometimes be pleasant after a hot day in the Mexican sun.
The staff were very friendly throughout, but as the resort was very quiet, they were sometimes difficult to find, an all inclusive resort where you couldn't always get a drink by the pool as there were no staff around, and on at least three nights all bars were shut by ten o'clock on a night and you had to ask at reception to be allowed a drink, which could take 20 minutes to reach you.
The mini fridge in our room although part of the all inclusive package was only restocked twice during our stay, and only when we asked for this to be done.
The food on the whole was very good, but the resort and our travel agent reported a choice of seven restaurants. A maximum of two were open on any given day, with some days your 'choice' restricted to one restaurant.
The website stated the resort had entertainment, and on one night out of 13 it did.
The Elan was classified as 5 star but would be roughly a 3 star in my opinion. The staff on the whole were very friendly and helpful, with some exceptions, and I know other guests had serious problems with hotel staff.
At one point a senior staff member was overheard saying to another guest that the hotel was renovating and not really ready for guests! We were informed by another senior employee that we should contact our travel agents and ask for a reimbursement.
The resort is very quiet and if you are looking to escape the world in a 3 star environment with friendly staff and on the whole good food you will enjoy this place. However we were expecting so much more from a 5 star Cancun resort and were left disappointed.

Just came back from Elan Resort & Spa in Cancun with a few friends and we had a terrific time. Arriving in Cancun's Hotel zone, we were somewhat weary of the crowd and noise, but Elan is something different: it is on its own private part of the Laguna, so it is isolated from the frenzy going in on elsewhere in Cancun.
The premises are simply fantastic, food was great, and service was very nice. We went there to relax and get a few days of sun and that's exactly what we got.
Be advised that Elan is not directly on the sea, but on the Laguna: this makes for a more peaceful experience, a private beach, and a possibility to go canoing or kayaking in the laguna. However, there are no waves, the beach is more limited and access to the sea is a little bit more complicated. (if you check Elan's location on a map, you'll see what I'm talking about).
On the down note, we had minor difficulties with room service: messages did not always go through and our room was not made on one of the days. We still however had a great time and found the staff friendly.
Simon