SUMMARY:||Iberostar Cancun's best days have passed. The resort simply is not worth the prices we paid, especially because the beach is mostly unusable. ||Cancun is crowded, expensive and logistically cumbersome. However, the locals are delightful people and worth the trip if you can get to know them.||Other travelers we met have repeatedly returned to Cancun (though few returned to Iberostar), so many people enjoyed better experiences than mine.||SWIMMING:||We travel to beach hotels primarily to swim in the ocean. However Iberostar's waterfront is dangerously covered with underwater rock formations making it dangerous to swim even when the waves are mild. Red flags were up the entire time we were there. Moreover, Iberostar has cluttered the sand with palapas and chais lounges that block other guests' views of the ocean and pools. There is a maze of shallow pools breaking up the grounds, one large the rest small. My family's children like the shallow pools but shallow water makes me feel as though I am in someone else's used bathwater. The water in the pool with apparatus for children is cold so our children did not want to use it. ||Bottom line, Iberostar is unsatisfactory in respect to its most important feature - swimming.||BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT:||The main building is aesthetically beautiful and the guest rooms (especially the suites) are well laid out. However, the facility is not being properly maintained. The roofs have leaks. Doors squeak and do not close properly. Most or all the exterior doors leak at the bottom when it rains and the guest room balcony doors are extremely difficult to open and close. There are traces of mold in the showers and hot water pressure is mediocre to poor. The elevators are slow and unreliable, causing considerable acrimony between guests. The sensors on the filtered water dispensors are finicky and the ice dispensors do not work at all. The central front fountain is not working.||There are insufficient chais lounges for the guests so there are daily dog-eat-dog races to reserve lounges; the best situated are gone long before breakfast. We spent a lot of time and effort chasing shade. Furniture in shade is occupied during breakfast. Cabanas blocking other guests from poolside and beach views can be rented for $100 per day.||The accoustics are terrible and there is pervasive indoor and outdoor sound pollution. Sound from the atrium echoes throughout the building and into guest rooms well into the night. It often is difficult to converse in most of the restaurants. ||STAFFING and TIPPING:||Virtually all the employees were professional, diligent and pleasant. However, the entire facility is substantially under-staffed. Consequently, the staff is over-worked and the guests under-served. We found ourselves constantly feeling compelled to tip what we inferred were underpaid workers. Non-stop tipping added upwards of $25 per day per guest to the costs.||ACTIVITIES:||The Kids Club has a great staff, but again too few. The facility is small and activities are limited. Very young children too often are mixed with older children, perhaps because the are too few participants. The scheduling often gets confused, altered without notice, or simply disregarded. Baby sitters are available upon 24 hours prior notice for $30 per hour per child. ||There are water polo, water volleyball, bean bag toss, and dancing every day. There is little else for teens to do other than swim.||There usually is music or other entertainement in the evening. A few of the performers were quite good.||Third-party excursions of varying quality are available, typically costing between $100 and $200 per person. Cabs can be expensive. Cancun has a busy downtown night life. Visitors' areas are policed and appear safe but we were warned there are five districts around Cancun that are controlled by violent cartels and must be avoided.||FOOD and BEVERAGES:||The main dining room is buffet style. Some of the dishes are excellent, some rather poor, and most are good to mediocre. The pastry desserts look better than they taste. There is considerable redundancy from day to day but enough choices that we always found some things to eat. Probably due to staffing shortages, the buffet often was missing odds and ends such as butter, fruit, and spoons. Mostly, the buffet food is well-prepared but served tepid or cool. ||The alternative restaurants ranged from mostly good (the steak house) to mediocre (Mexican) to terrrible (the American Bistro). All were first come-first served starting at 5:30, forcing people to arrive about 5:00 or stand in lines. Many tables were left empty due to staff shortages, also causing long delays at the tables. Food often was served tepid or cool. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, French fries and ice cream are available most of the day in outdoor shelters. ||Wine, beer and hard liquor are free and abundant. However, they are of mediocre quality and the hard liquor seemed watered down to me. Better beverages are available at additional cost.