Our older son, Miles, recently turned three years old. We wanted to do something for his birthday — he asked to fly somewhere (yay, he’s getting into airplanes!), to a destination with a beach or pool. Or at least that was my interpretation. Ford and I didn’t want to go too far (since our younger…
Continue reading: Review: St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico (I’m Impressed!)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Was at Nekajui and their free poolside sunscreen wouldn’t rub in well at all. Agree if you’re going to offer it spend another couple bucks to make it decent quality for the price you’re paying.
Great review and pics! Looks like you all had a great time aside from the sunburn and at ~$400 a night that's quite a deal for that room
Excellent, and I love your "Dump me at a Howard Johnson on the side of the highway" remark...it really made me laugh. Incidentally, Ben, have you ever stayed at a Super 8, also by Wyndham? They're a great hotel chain provided you want to stay somewhere equipped like a Romanian jail...
Nice review! Any issues with exchange rates? Still waiting for your followup re: other Mexico Marriott properties
2 bottles of water as a welcome gift and you have ambassador status? Is that typical? I thought it would at least be a decent bottle of wine/sparkling.
Your comment about the sports bar and being gay was strange. I’m gay and I love sports. Lots of gays love sports. Soon, you and Ford will be watching Miles play little league (baseball )
As someone from LA and used to high food prices, these prices from luxury hotels in Mexico piss me off. $20 for guac is outrageous.
Paying $20 for guacamole in Mexico is like paying $20 for a hot dog in the US. Your simply shouldn't let yourself be taken advantage of like that
Ben thank you for your thorough reporting.
As far as the sunscreen issue is concerned without knowing what brand was offered it would be impossible to reach a constructive conclusion.
The manufacturing of SPF50 or SPF70 sunscreens is regulated in Europe but not in the United States or in Mexico so the North American brands do not work the same... sometimes not at all.
Secondly and more importantly in order to benefit from any good SPF50 or SPF70 and all SPFsunscreens for that matter you need to apply the sunscreen fully on your body twice and not just once.
Most people do not know that. Twice every time you apply the suncreen during the time you spend outside. Without the double coating you are not getting the full benefit of your sunscreen.
Finally, you son would probably be better off with a SPF70 sunscreen.
All the best
Regarding sunscreen, my wife is super picky about it and she only uses two brands from Europe that her dermatologist recommends. Sunscreen is the type of thing that once you find one that works and you trust, you should not try something else. I personally would never use sunscreen that comes in generic bottles like those as you could have an allergic reaction to ingredients you might not know. When traveling with carry on, we usually buy the sunscreens online and get it shipped to the hotel in advance so we have it when we get there.
Is the third night free for the stars rate a promo for this property only or a part of the stars program? Never heard of it and am now wondering how best to leverage.
What was the sargassum situation? IF you went recently it should have been in full bloom but I see that they had something offshore maybe? a Barrier of sorts?
While it looks nicer than some other recent St Regis properties, I’m just not a fan of Marriott luxury brands.
It's the occasional promo TA's are targeted / Amex also gets them now and again.
Ok, the fuss they made for Miles' birthday was abso-freakin-lutely adorable. Full marks for that.
The sunscreen issue, however, is a serious one. The tropical sun is no joke, and sunburn is nasty. If you're going to provide sunscreen for your guests it needs to meet a quality standard and be SPF 50+.
Depends where you are. In Australia, for instance, sunscreens are rigorously tested and if it says SPF 50 on the bottle then that's what you get. I've also had great performance from Korean and Japanese sunscreen. Like yourself, we always pack our own when heading overseas. Better to be safe than sorry.
Sometimes I think US hotels would charge for the oxygen in the room + a delivery fee if they could get away with it.
Happy belated to Miles, this is adorable!
Did you let the hotel know about the burns/ask them about the sunscreen? That is unfortunate.
@ Steve Richeards -- Thanks! It has been a long time since I've stayed at a Super 8, but I have stayed at more than one. Back when I'd mileage run as a teenager, I was put up at Super 8 properties a couple of times after being bumped and having an overnight.
@ Steve -- Exchange rate seemed to be fair, and had no issues there, fortunately. Of course same can't be said for some other Marriott properties in Mexico...
@ JK -- I hear you, and at first I thought the same thing. However, with all the surprises they had for Miles (plus a bigger cake in the room the last night), I thought it more than balanced out.
@ Steven -- Fair enough, and it was intended to be lighthearted and humorous. I'd be happy with kids sports, since I know they enjoy it, and it's more about their development than anything else. But the thought of going to an adults only sports bar to "watch the game" is something I couldn't imagine ever doing. Admittedly that has more to do with the type of person I am more generally, rather than being gay (case in point, I also have no interest in going to a Taylor Swift concert).
@ Santastico -- Typically we travel with our own sunscreen, but we specifically didn't want to check bags on this trip, and the night before our trip we realized that all our sunscreen at home was in larger containers. I agree there's something to be said for finding a good sunscreen and then just sticking with it.
@ Max -- Different hotels have different promotions, and some of them are seasonal. So the third night free promotion was specific to this property, though you'll find similar promotions for other properties at times as well (sometimes it's a free fourth night, etc.).
@ FlyingDoctorWu -- As you can see from the beach pictures, it wasn't bad at all. I'm not sure how/why that was the case, but yeah, there seemed to be some sort of a barrier out in the water.
@ Motion to Dismiss -- Thanks! I was on the fence about whether to report it directly.
If it were to be reported, I think it would have to be done with a manager, because I feel like the average employee would just dismiss it or assume someone didn't apply sunscreen correctly. For that matter, they wouldn't have much authority to change the sunscreen supplier, etc.
I worried that even if I reported it to a manager, it just wouldn't be taken seriously, and I'd be wasting my time. After all, my goal wouldn't be to complain or to get anything out of it, but instead, to just make sure the same thing doesn't happen to others.
So for those purposes, I think including the detail in the review works just as well.
No mention of mosquitoes. I was concerned with the the outdoor concept and the mangrove forest.... Great review.
@ Maryland -- You'd think that would be a major issue, but we got virtually no bites. So I'm not sure how they manage that, but I didn't find that to be a problem at all.
What Australian brand you recommend? I remember we used to buy Blue Lizard for the kids but that was an absolute mess to apply due to its viscosity.
Agree. Very difficult to find travel size sunscreen. That’s why we buy online and ship directly to the hotel in our final destination.
Ben, so here's a sort of reated question. Many times I have refrained myself from booking these type of hotels because as a frequent traveler my luggage looks worn out, it works fine but it looms like that because many times I meed to check it in the airline. I feel I may get judged by it by fellow traveles and hotel staff so I settle for "lesser" hotels where this may be more common. I know it sounds ridiculous but I'd like to read your take or from other reader.
@ Efer -- Just so I understand, you're saying you refrain from staying at luxury hotels because you have more worn out luggage? If so, I think you'll find quite a mixed guest profile at many luxury properties, so I don't think you'd feel at all out of place at a property like this. I commend you for having practical luggage.
Blue Lizard or Bondi Sands. Sun Bum (Florida brand) 50SPF spray is also great and super-easy to use.
The only person that should care about your luggage is yourself. Since the pandemic, I purchased 4 cheap Amazon Basics carry on European size for my family and we only travel with those in Europe. I could not care less what people think about them and we have stayed in very expensive hotels always carrying those around. You should do what makes you feel good and not worry abut what others will think.
We used Blue Lizard on our kids when they were little. Although very effective, it is an absolute nightmare to apply and then get it out of their bodies. It feels like applying Desitin diaper rash all over your body.
The property looks gorgeous but it's hard for me to stomach a relatively secluded resort that isn't all-inclusive like that, with those room rates and food prices. I love how happy Miles was with all the birthday surprises though!
And a side note, nice to see Flor de Cana 7 for the minibar rum instead of Bacardi or other bottom-barrel options.
I am a big fan of the Cancun Shuttle. If you are staying at the St. Regis, I guess $$$ isn't as big of a deal, but it's so easy to schedule and always been reliable with lovely drivers. https://cancunshuttle.com/
I love this Hotel stayed a year ago. Will probably try the Edition next door next time.
Two complaints -Incredibly mean cut down Bonvoy Titanium breakfast and failure to honour upgrades when they were very clearly available.
There were no mozzies when I stayed there and they LOVE me. Its apparently something to do with the type of mangrove.
Glad you had a good time Ben.
We explored the Cancun Peninsula last year for archeological purposes from Tulum up to Cancun including the Mayan Riviera. Tried regular hotels, all-inclusive and resorts in the mangroves.
We would not like to do that again. We love the ocean in Cancun, but not what is coming to Cancun.
Also all inclusive was a bust, food poisoning and all lights, electric and water went out. Hyatt property not prepared.
The Riviera we felt like prisoners. Did not feel comfortable with that.
Also as Davedent says, they don't honor your level and cut down so much.
Loads of American prostitutes brought in arriving in buses and vans. Filled the lobbies of some hotels.
We'll avoid.
I don't understand why the owner and Marriott would develop both an Edition and a St. Regis right next to each other. That makes no sense. With that said, this looks a wonderful hotel. And the service is going to be leaps and bounds better than a St. Regis in the USA. I would totally choose this property over say the St. Regis in Sarasota.
Wife and I were here in late July. They have a team of people cleaning up the seaweeds every morning. They also have a barrier that keeps some of it out as well.
We also had an amazing time here.
Haha, same! I'm from Milan, an expensive European "capital" and when I see prices that equal Milan in other countries I get pissed off. I'm used to it, but that doesn't mean I should pay that in a poor country.
Ben Thanks for sharing your review. This was very helpful with someone who plans incentive trips. I'm disappointed with the sun screen and coffee service start end time as well. I also have an issue with not a lot of restaurant outside of the resort nearby. Happy Holidays
Hi Ben--Long time fan and client of Ford's. Can you comment on the child's amenities for these stays with your family? Did this property have a good crib? Diaper pail or any other baby/toddler in room amenities? Thanks in advance!