Take it from me, someone who was watching Cancun’s flight departure board like a hawk, that Mexico is indeed safe to visit after recent unexpected chaos.
There’s no need to rehash what gave vacationers south of the border a scare, but truth be told, I couldn’t have been in better hands than Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe.
It felt like a safe haven, even if the world outside seemed anything but.
This was my second time vacationing in Cancun, with the first just so happening to be another Hilton property.
No offense to Paris Hilton’s parents, but I have to pick one over the other. Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe gets the trophy.
With only speckles of seaweed visible, waking up to the sound of waves, a wrap-around swim-up bar, numerous infinity pools, a transcendent massage that soothed muscles I didn’t know I had, and many dishes that were truly a 10/10, Cancun truly won me over this time around.
I found myself saying, “I understand the hype now”.
If you want to be in the heart of the action, while simultaneously craving relaxation, this all-inclusive smack dab in the Hotel Zone is just the place, where everything is taken care of for you so you can do just that — relax.
As blissful as it was all-around, the one aspect that surprised my girlfriend and I most, especially since she’s a hotel manager, was the fact it was sold out our whole stay and not once did it ever feel crowded.
That’s right — not once from starting our day at the all-but-obligatory omelette station to capping it off with fun, late-night parties like
So, let’s start there, shall we?
Sleep In! You Don’t Have To Reserve A Poolside Lounger
I’ve been to 44 countries. Suffice to say, I have not stayed at all-inclusive resorts in every country.
Good luck finding one in Moldova…
But I have stayed at more hotels than I can count, and I am one to hold a grudge against those that don’t come as advertised.
You know —like the first time I stayed at a Motel 6 in Portland, Maine and they didn’t ‘leave the light on for me! Clearly, I’m over it…
I’ve also stayed at hotels that were definitely sold out and felt every bit overpacked, whether it was the lobby bar with no seating or waiting for the elevator for what felt like eternity.
There’s not one time that became a headache at this Hilton.
Let me be clear: we had Enclave status (a blue wristband that gave us access to a private lounge, among other perks like snagging a souvenir bag), but this had nothing to do with escaping crying kids or Karens waking up at the crack of dawn to reserve a whole poolside lounge.
Even if it did, there was no need. For a Cancun Hotel Zone resort, that’s basically unheard of.
There are more than enough elevators scattered around, ample poolside seating, and finding a prime spot on the beach was easy breezy, too.
Just make sure to make reservations for certain restaurants like Noriku (Hibachi) and Flama (Steakhouse), or our favorite, Maxal (Mexican) — where every dish and cocktail was a 10/10.
Though Flama’s sinful ‘burnt cheesecake’ was no joke! We may never go back to The Cheesecake Factory again…
The bottom line — take advantage of your room’s blackout curtains and sleep in. Don’t let an alarm clock take you out of “vacation mode”.
We walked down to the pool no earlier than 11am and scored breezy lounge chairs in front of the infinity pools 2 days in a row, followed by unblocked shaded seats overlooking the Caribbean with servers cheerfully bringing us Piña Coladas from the hidden tiki-esque beach bar, Cocomar.
A Spa To Die For
Again, I’ve been to 44 countries. No, I haven’t been to a spa in all of them either…
That said, almost every resort I’ve had the pleasure of vacationing, I’ve gladly partaken in an array of different treatments.
I may bang out articles for a living on my couch, but aging stops for no man.
In this case, I walked into cleverly named The Spa with a body feeling like it should be receiving senior citizen discounts, and walked out feeling like I could run a marathon — the massage was seriously that good.
I’ve never had a masseuse so masterfully work different areas of concern with precision. The way she twisted me into a human pretzel and surgically dug in her elbows into back muscles and tendons I never heard of years of (dreadfully) watching Grey’s Anatomy with my now ex-girlfriend, apparently taught me absolutely nothing about anatomy.
But it’s not just massages. You can enjoy a full spa day by what their website describes as a “sensory journey” with cold plunges, saunas, and sensory pool.
They even offer rituals derived from ‘Mayan herbalism’ if your Chichen Itza excursion got you in the spirit.
The Spa is open 9am to 7pm every day. While you do need a reservation for access, this is yet another example of how uncrowded the resort felt, overall.
They were extremely accommodating with all requests, even when we needed to make a last-minute change.
Unbeatable Views & Steps From Gorgeous Beach
As renowned as Cancun may be, my first trip to Cancun was in the middle of an unprecedented seaweed invasion, turning the waters a greenish-brown hue, uninviting for swimming.
The waters couldn’t have been more blue, living up to every Cancun postcard you see in trinket shops.
Speaking of trinkets, we were barely bothered by Mexico’s infamous beach vendors making their rounds along the beach.
We saw more police on ATVs than vendors, which was nice to see given the uncertainty of what happened in Puerto Vallarta.
Unfortunately, our Enclave room was overbooked (hence we knew it was sold out), but there’s no bad room on the whole property.
While every room’s balcony faces the beach, even when you walk through the front door, you’re welcomed by a peaceful waterfront lagoon that’s dead quiet.
We were given a 10th floor room (not an Enclave suite — so we missed out on oceanfront access and small amenities like an upgraded mini bar and nightly turndown service).
To be honest, I wouldn’t go back and change it. I loved our room, especially the balcony.
Even being tucked away from the beach, you could still hear crashing waves and it was far enough to avoid party noise if you preferred staying in.
That’s what room service is for, right?
Call us pigs, but we call it vacation mode — we ordered room service every. single. night.
We were always given a 40 minute estimate, but our order arrived in a fraction of the time for 2 out of our 3 orders — yet another example of next-level efficiency even when they’re at max capacity.
Our stay was great. It’s a trip we’ll be talking about for years to come given how recharged we felt.
The only negative marks were a long check-in time (roughly an hour; unrelated to being sold out), some baristas didn’t know how to properly make a latte, and we didn’t get an Enclave room like we were looking forward to — but did enjoy the perks, such as dedicated pools and a private beach oasis.
Overall, both of us agreed the next time we have the travel itch for Cancun, Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe tops our list!
**Travel Off Path was a guest of Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe, who helped with the creation of this itinerary by hosting some of our accommodations and attractions. Our opinions, recommendations, and suggestions remain our own.**
