Bel Air Collection Resort & Spa Cancun — Hotel in Cancún

An aging bargain-rate hotel with many positives and a few negatives.

We checked in on a Saturday afternoon and were greeted with mimosas - very nice. The clerk said that we did not select the all-inclusive option (this was probably due to the Groupon site, which did not use clear language). He told us that we could add that on, but it would be $70 per person per day, and that we would probably be better off not taking that option. He was right: we did not use drink or eat enough food from the hotel to make it worth that in the end. We had a food and drink bill of only $275 after seven days, whereas the all-inclusive option would have cost us $980. Also, this let us feel free to explore the local restaurants and take day trips to Chichen Itza and XCaret, which I highly recommend!

Room: We got an ocean view room, which had a fantastic view of the pool and the beach. The bathroom drains were very slow and need to be snaked. The mini-bar only contained two beers, two sodas, and two waters - very weak. I would hope for a few more beers and some wines, at a minimum. The staff missed cleaning our room a few days because they came by when we were in, but did not manage to come back later to clean. If you are clean freak, this might upset you, but this was okay with me.

Pool: A beautiful pool with comfortable lounge chairs. Sadly, they blast loud music all day long, making it very difficult to enjoy. At times, the music was pleasant salsa or latin-flavored, but much of the time, it was pulsating techno or rave music, which was unwelcome and annoying, at least to this guest. The swim-up bar has a hot tub separating the pool from the bartender, so it's a little strange, and not the kind of swim up bar I was expecting. The pool-side service was sometimes intrusive, sometimes non-existent. A great hotel should have wait-staff that pays attention to the guests to see who is looking for service, and who is just relaxing.

Ocean: Fabulous spot! It's an easy walk south to the Club Med, which has a promontory you can walk out onto and enjoy a great view of the arc of the Cancun island. Again, would be better without the blaring music.

Restaurants: Dolce Mexico and Palm Terrace are really one restaurant separated by a half wall. The food is big on presentation, but portions are small, and the quality is acceptable, but not fantastic. Prices are reasonable. The breakfast buffet is a good deal. We're not sushi lovers, so I can't comment on the sushi "restaurant", which is really just some tables out in the courtyard. If you want a great meal, go across the street to Navios - get there at sunset for the best experience! Also, you can hop on the bus for a dollar (or twelve pesos) and find some fantastic places a few kilometers up Kukulcan Boulevard (I highly recommend Fred's House and Porfirio's). The KM 19.5 restaurant across the street is good for lunch, but the service can be a little slow.

Bars: Your beer selection is sparse: lager, amber, and michelada (spicy beer with lime). They don't have some of the liquor brands they list on the menus. If you order a mixed drink, expect it to be watered down. The OXXO store across the street has a few types of liquor if you want to mix your own drinks.

Wifi: mostly good, with the occasional slow down.

Location: A little isolated, but the bus runs frequently, if you want to go downtown or up the hotel zone.

Best thing about this hotel: Sunset Hour - on the 6th floor, around sunset, you get free champagne and cakes, plus the view of the...

This place is not a resort. This is a budget hotel with a slamming view, beach, pool. It was in my price point (cheap) so I said yes. I'm a fairly low maintenance traveller, I've stayed in hostels all over the world and this was a solo trip so I just wanted to

Location/hotel: it's far away from the action in Cancun. So if you want a quiet stay this is the place for you. Everything in the hotel shuts down by 11 pm. There is no entertainment offered. I'm not sure if the hotel is under renovation or falling apart, but it did seem worn down. The pictures online are not an accurate representation. At the hotel there were no instructions /map as to where anything was so I had to wander around and figure it out. As well they claim there is room service but there is no menu in your room. Not many of the staff spoke English which is fine if you know a little Espanol. The staff also did not seem very happy. The hotel was very clean and I didn't see any bugs as posted in earlier reviews. no vending machines

checkin - while I was checking in a very rude male guest came up to the counter and started complaining to the staff. They immediately tured their attention to him because he was so obnoxious. I had to wait for them to satisfy him before they could finish my check in. This was pretty low class on his behalf and theirs

Room:I had a pretty amazing view of the ocean, and I had drool worthy sleeps in the bed. It was quiet and the only noise I really heard was the ocean and other tourists slamming their doors. There wasn't a coffee maker in the room which was a bit of a drag, sometimes you want to have a coffee before you venture out. The mini bar was lacking and the fridge never got cold. Ac and wifi were great. The blackout curtains were not blackout curtains.

Bathroom : the sole electrical outlet in the bathroom did not work, the hair dryer was attached to this. The toilet always seemed like it was going to overflow and I didn't have one hot shower. Probably the most aggravating issues in my entire stay.

Restaurants : I did not purchase an all-inclusive stay and because of that the on site restaurants were an exorbitant amount. I ate at the restaurant across the street, 19.5km, almost everyday. I absolutely loved the staff at this restaurant and the food was very tasty.

beach/pool :top notch ! However the water was extremely rough and we were advised not to swim in the ocean during my one-week stay.

Atm: The ATM was out of service. Let me tell you about the ATMs in Cancun this is probably the biggest scam in cancun. There are no banks in the hotel Zone so you have to use the ATMs whichbonly provide USD and charge a fee of $8usd!!! on top of whatever your bank charges. When you use your Usd at a business you get pesos back at whatever rate the business chooses. Talk about your money being held hostage, you basically wait to see whatever change they are going to bless you with. I was severely ripped off a few times, & it really angered me. I would suggest that you just use your credit card to avoid the restaurants exchange rates.

This Bel air needs alot of improvements if it wants to compete with the larger Resorts...

Wow, I'm so glad someone else said that!! I was afraid to post, because everyone on here is happy with the place!?

My fiancé and I were actually going to Cabo the first week in October. When the hurricane made that impossible! We had to make last minute changes for the next day. We were also meeting another 2 couples there 1. Coming from San Francisco and the other from Houston. So we made a quick and what we thought educated decision... Oh boy were we wrong! We thought the idea of a boutique hotel sounded great (imagining service, quality and food with a personal touch). The only way this hotel was efficient was asking for tips! NOT TO MENTION, THATS THE ONLY TIME ANYONE SPOKE ENGLISH. I'm used to always tipping extra, in fact my fiancé constantly yells at me for it, and to boot,this place was supposed to have gratuities included??? Every chance they had, they would actually ask you for the tip. If u give them 50pesos they ask for 100 pesos. It bothered me, usually I would have kept tipping and it doesn't matter even the service. They harassed us so much, our friends didn't want to go near them! You couldn't even get a glass of ice!

That aside, the place has a beautiful pool and beach {probably why we only see those pics}. I mentioned the tip thing because it is one of my pet peeves. But of course you have to take in consideration, takeaway the pool and beach and this place has NOTHING TO OFFER. The choice of restaurants and dining didn't exist. The Japanese restaurant is 4 tables in the lobby. My brave friend attempted to get an appetizer while the ladies were getting ready...His words "I'm not sure what I'm eating, but one of these tastes like a sample passed around Costco". The list can go on...somehow a breakfast omelette, has no EGGS? Instead it's a few pieces of sliced bread , topped with beans and pick de gallo!?!? Once we had lunch and they made a concoction that resembled a "quesadilla" although it tasted nothing like one, we would've been fine if it was at least good! Nope, couldn't get that right, or near it. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THAT WAS OUR LAST MEAL THERE.

In conclusion, that was the first 36 hours. You can imagine the rest. We booked at the last minute and we just want to forget about it or else I would dispute the charges and complain. The hurricane put us there, so we'll make it up in February

For anybody booking, or has booked, JUST BE WEARY OF THE FINE PRINT and I hope it works out better for you!

BY THE WAY, we're from Cali and we love fish, shrimp and all types tacos.... If it wasn't for how bad our resorts food was, WE WOULD'VE NEVER FOUND THE BEST PLACE UN.CANCUN!

THE "SURFIN' BURRITO" made up for the whole trip! All their portions are huge, delicious, and fresh! You get a shrimp burrito and you couldn't believe how stuffed it is with jumbo shrimp!!?? It's a hidden gem near the downtown. As if the GREAT FOOD WASNT ENOUGH..THEYRE ACTUALLY CHEAP!! The places near downtown are either giving u cat food. Or charging $175 pesos, which translates to $18 for a burrito!! Lol

Well that's my 2 cents, I hope it saves someone from what we went through. Safe...