Review of the Hilton Cancun All Inclusive

After a long travel hiatus, we saw a deal too good to be true and booked it. After several canceled vacations due to covid and related issues, we were finally able to take a much-needed break. This brand new hotel, The Hilton Cancun All Inclusive, just opened on November 7th!

So if you have read any of my other articles on Disney planning and saving you know I love a good deal. I was able to book this whole trip to an all-inclusive resort and flights on points. I won’t bore you with the details but if you are interested in how we did head over and read this short article.

We were provided with a bracelet that was basically our key to the resort. It reminded me of Disney’s magic band but they called it an “easy go band”. This band had a QR code on the back that would open an app with all the resort activities and allow you to make a reservation for the restaurants. The app also had all of the kids club activities and other information about the resort including booking COVID tests for our return to the US. The easy-go band also served as the room key to unlock the door.

All Inclusive Food

This is the first time we have ever stayed at an all inclusive resort. I had heard some stories of the food not being great at some all-inclusive resorts. I can honestly say the food was delicious. This resort has a variety of restaurants to choose from. There were 7 or 8 restaurants to choose from. Because we visited in November, Sunan the Asian, restaurant was not yet open. Each restaurant is situated so that it has a view of the ocean.

We ate at each restaurant at least once. We did not order any room service during our stay so I have no comment about that. We did speak with another family that said they had a long delay with their room order service. The chalked this up to the hotel being so new.

We loved Maxal and its sister restaurant the Taqueria. We dined here more than any other restaurant eating dinner here twice and lunchtime tacos more than one day. They had a variety of tacos to choose from. They were all great. I was so thankful for the all inclusive aspect here since we ordered 20 tacos on the day of our arrival for the four of us!!!! My ten-year-old ate six tacos. All Inclusive may be the way of the future for our family with two growing boys.

Vela Food hall was their answer to an elevated buffet. Each day the food was slightly different. We mostly ate breakfast here as it was the main thing opened in the morning. They had what you would expect, a wonderful omelet station, fresh fruit, waffles, bread, and some local dishes. Lunch and dinner had a pasta station, carving station, and wild desserts. Deserts included bags of cotton candy, lollipops, cakes, and cookies.

We ate at Auma on Thanksgiving day. They had a rendition of American Thanksgiving dinner but we stuck to the steak. My only complaint was I wanted a nice glass of red wine with dinner and they only had one option. Now, I’m not a wine snob by any stretch but it would have been nice to have options. I am not sure if this was due to the hotel being so new, or something that just happens at all inclusive places. They did not try to offer any additional upcharges for purchase so I assumed they really only had one red wine to choose from.

La Luce was their take on an Italian restaurant. Everything we had was delicious. The boys ordered some wood-fired pizza. It was good but not the best pizza we have ever had. Our servers we great and made sure we had everything we needed. I wish would have been able to eat here again as the menu had a lot of good-looking options.

This hotel also had two bars a more family-friendly pool bar and a pool bar on the “chill side” or quiet pool. Both had the same menu. It was what you would expect of poolside food. Nothing fancy but exactly what you need. Located close to the family pool was an ice cream and churro shop. They always had hot churros, donuts and soft-serve ice cream on tap.

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Activities

The hotel offered a different show each night. The shows included dancing, singing, a circus act, and novelty acts ( hula hoops, trick bikes). They were all family-friendly and we enjoyed having something to see each night. In addition, they had live music in the lobby. We did not stay in the lobby late as most people were unmasked in the crowded lobby and we had the kids with us.

They did have a kids and teen club. Each day they had a list of activities including crafts games on the beach and movies. The official kids club room did not appear to be open during our stay. For a few days, the club was in a converted hotel room, then it was located in one of the conference rooms. Throughout the resort, you could tell that they were still finishing up some construction, hanging signs, and making final touches. My kids were happy to bop in and out of the club depending on the activity of the hour.

Work out facility. The gym was well equipped and was never too crowded. They offered several classes including sunrise yoga, water Zumba, boot camp, and spin. I recommend visiting the gym to get the schedule of classes because during our visit they were not listed in the app.

The hotel website states that non-motorized water sports were included. We attempted to try stand-up paddle boards but were told they were “closed”. I later learned from another staff member that they did not have a permit for paddleboards or kayaks. This was at the end of November so I am uncertain if this has been resolved.

Pools. The resort had two lovely pools. One family-friendly pool close to the kid’s water splash zone. This splash pad was designed for kids aged 12 years and under. It had a variety of water features and some medium-sized water slides. There were plenty of lounge chairs at all times and plenty of servers walking around to bring food and drink if you needed it.

Beach. The beach was cleaned every day. It was a small stretch of sand and relatively small waves. We did not swim in the water because the pools were so lovely and honestly we live close to the beach and just not that interested.

Room

The room we stayed in was amazing. Due to my Hilton Honors Diamond status, I was generously given an upgrade to a swim-up oceanfront suite. This means we had two beds in one room, two bathrooms, and a living area. We had a large outside patio overlooking the beach and a quiet pool with our own little pool! The pool was the perfect size to lounge in or for our boys to play around in. It would also be ideal for little ones as it had a little shelf and was not too deep. It was also heated which was a nice bonus. It was the nicest room feature I didn’t know I needed. The kids played in that little pool for almost one entire day.

The room also came with a mini-fridge that was re-stocked daily with drinks, water, pop, beer, and juice. We also had a few snacks provided in the room. They never replenished the coffee, I preferred the lattes in the lobby anyway because they were so delicious.

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Bottom line I would totally visit this resort again. It was located on a stretch of beach that was secluded and felt quite safe. We booked private airport transport via the hotel as they didn’t have a shuttle at this time. I was able to book this room on points so there is immense value in that for me. However, even if we paid full price it would have been a good deal for our family based on the food cost alone.

We did take a private day tour to visit Tulum Ruins. We had a good time but spent a lot of time in traffic. The last time we visited this part of Mexico was twelve years ago. There has been significant growth and the traffic to match. I would say 4-5 days at this hotel was just enough without feeling like you needed to leave.

Final Thoughts

I think there are some pros and cons of visiting such a new hotel. I think we may have missed out on some activities because they were just not up and running. We also couldn’t find our room because the signs were not even hung up yet. We encountered a variety of very small inconveniences that did not detract from our stay. I think staying at such a new hotel allowed us to enjoy lower crowds and that was appreciated.

Have you stayed at an all inclusive resort? What are your favorite types of vacations? Let me know your thoughts or questions below!