NIZUC Resort & Spa — Hotel in Cancún

I was so very excited about this wonderful resort. Well our checkin was lackluster at best, we asked when arriving if we could check in at 2 and were told the room was being prepared and we would be notified via text or call. We had a meeting at 4:30, so at 3:15 we checked again and we were told, ' yes, sorry, your room is ready, here is your key' nothing else was noted. There was no welcome drink or towel provided while the guests next to us received one. We came with a group for a conference so it was set up to be 'all inclusive' per what our itinerary noted, but there were a laundry list of restrictions on that 'all inclusive', luckily the kind gentleman at the bar guided us on the set up of our stay and with a map, because the front desk told us nothing about the package for our group and how it worked. I've been to Cancun many times and this is the most expensive hotel we have ever stayed in here, but not the best by far. On a positive note, we had a beautiful room and most of the staff were amazing except for our check in gentleman and the day of check out at the restaurant. The room had a nice vibe and turndown each night. The esthetics of the property are extremely well executed. Signage could be a bit better leading to restaurants and areas like the business center. We had several team dinners including eating at Indochine and Cafe de la Playa, the food was good, but not considered 5 star. The food at 'NI' and La Punta Grill were probably the best meals we had during our stay. We also noted the disappointing information that as an Iprefer member they would not give us credit for our stay even while spending 1K per night because we had a 'group' deal. This made no sense. On the vibe of the people, it was interesting to meet some of the other guests, only a few of which seemed even personably outside our group. Honestly the vibe of the guests came off like they thought they were better than everyone, especially in their approach with staff at the resort. People in our group noted the spa was wonderful, we missed out due to meetings. The extra classes and once per week tequila tasting are great if you can get on the list to attend. After every meal my body swelled up, not sure how much salt or MSG was used but I could not even put my shoes on after dinner at the beach, I was drinking a ton of water, but every night I had to elevate my feet to ensure I could drain the extra fluid. On our last day we had morning meetings and headed over to Ni for lunch before leaving for our flight home. We arrived at the restaurant around 11:55 and our waiter showed up at our table asked if we would like water, we stated we would and began to order, the waiter walked away and then came back to inform us the food would not be included as part of our 'all inclusive stay package' and would be paid for separately, we asked why and we were informed that the package apparently ended at noon which was also checkout time. Well, we had to eat and had ordered and it was 12:02 so we ate and paid the bill. When the bill came, we also noted they charged $12 USD per bottle of water yet that was the only type of water offered. Wow $12 for water, I guess people wanting to blow cash don't blink an eye at that, but that is ridiculous to me. Give your guest options don't just nickel and dime them for every dollar, after $100 per snack or meal outside the 'all inclusive -not" plan, I would have rather spent this chunk of money on an actual all inclusive resort. Lesson learned. Overall, the staff was very friendly but the food and the check in process was not at all up to par, I would NOT suggest doing any group 'all inclusive' trips at this resort, it was not even close to all inclusive and they never fully explained any of the restrictions or times for beginning and end of food outside of no alcohol before 11am and after 11 pm, the list stated room service was an extra charge, mini bar was an extra charge, we could have had an amazing stay and food at several other nearby 5 start resorts for the...

Beautiful resort, v clean and modern, great pools and beach for young children...Staff were v kind, but in comparison to other high end resorts in Cancun this resort had far fewer staff (than Le Blanc for example) in every category.

The only thing preventing me from giving it five stars is that I've stayed at several other very high end resorts in Cancun and Mexico, I also prefer the clean aqua blue ocean side of Cancun (as opposed to the much more tranquil and "lake-like" side where Nizuc Resort and Spa is located.)

--Food--good, nice presentation, but again in comparison to other resorts in this price range the value wasn't there--as an example Le Blanc is all-inclusive with higher end food, more options and twice as many restaurants . . .the Nizuc breakfast buffet is fantastic on Sunday with a raw seafood bar, but was much more limited on Monday... it does include champagne and bloody Mary's. . .

--beaches--extremely tranquil, peaceful, shallow and safe for toddlers and young children. . .Great beaches for young families; decor reminiscent of Bali or Tahiti with touches of modern concrete, black canvas umbrellas, teak furnishings, I prefer the ocean aqua blue side of Cancun with less seaweed and more tropical-looking so the Nizuc beach wasn't my favorite, but it's v safe for young families

Kids club and kiddie pool--nice kiddie pool with tables for adults--good kids club activities, but small physical room and for a hotel that had so many young families I was surprised it was impossible to find a diaper changing table--I recommend Management have a few young moms and women give feedback on how to make it more friendly for parents

Decor--dark, modern, high ceilings in lobby...grounds decor and landscape design looks like a resort in Bali or Tahiti. . .I personally prefer resorts that are lighter and brighter, but this resort is beautiful (I'm just not a fan of darker resorts).

Layout--resort is on ~6 acres so need golf carts to get around...we got drenched going to the gym one day when it was raining because all the buildings are disconnected and open air between each other. . .floors are super slippery when wet because lots of marble. . .first floor rooms have a more garden view, we stayed on the 5th floor and a very peaceful view of the water (ocean view, but it was peaceful like a lake view)

--gym--two big and separate rooms to workout in, but almost no classes offered and none offered on Saturdays (?); only two classes on Sunday one was at 8am (who is up at 8am on a Sunday morning in Cancun? 😂) I was told there was only one trainer (which seems v limited for a resort of this size). . .the gym was clean and good variety of weights and modern fitness equipment, including two "mirror" workout machines, but again far less staff and nearly no classes seemed odd for a resort of this caliber (gym offered towels, waters and fruit -- as is customary in comparable hotels we've stayed at in Cancun)

--spa--my husband enjoyed it, said it was at least as beautiful as other spas we've stayed at in comparable hotels--but his first $500 + massage was just "ok" -- he asked for no scents and v light pressure, then the masseuse proceeded to drench him in scented oil and used her elbows on his back 🤦‍♀️...if you're going to charge premium prices for your spa services then they should be near perfect...the spa manager then offered him an additional massage complimentary to make up for things--that was very kind of the spa manager

--rain plan--it rained two days we were there and at other resorts we've stayed at the hotel management would offer alternative plans of indoor activities for guests in case of rain...this resort didn't offer that as far as I was aware

A nice hotel, but management needs to step up their game and poll their guests for honest feedback -- as much as we enjoyed it, I don't think we'll be back as there are other resorts we like even better that offer better food and way more activities and amenities in...

Ok, ok... I'll be honest. When I first checked in, I was ready to throw down the hammer and give this place a beating with a lone 1 star review. As the hours melted into days, it slowly started earning stars along the way. I hadn't expected to go all the way up to a perfect score based on my first afternoon/evening here. However, when it was time to check out, we admitted to ourselves that it was sad our time had come to an end, and wished we had booked another week. We came during the Thanksgiving holiday, trying to "get away from it all" in hopes of spending quality time with each other as a cute, little family as opposed to socializing with family members we see on a regular basis, just to engorge ourselves with a sleep-inducing meal. That was a great idea, and Nizuc was an excellent choice to make our dreams come into realization! I won't go into detail about all the wonderful things we came across, but I'll point out some of the things that stood out. Firstly, the staff is incredible. They go out of their way for your maximum comfort and enjoyment. From the calm and friendly tone of voice, to their sincere smiles--it's all there! Secondly, the property is so well maintained and kept, you'd be hard pressed to find a speck of debris on the premises. I constantly see someone sweeping or mopping the common areas. The FOOD is perfection!!! Especially at Indochine!!! We have been to quite a great deal of exceptional restaurants around the world, including Michelin-starred establishments, and I can safely say this was one of the most memorable and palate-pleasing experiences in our lives! In fact, we loved it so much, we came back a second night thinking it wouldn't top our first dinner. However, it was EVEN better! Shocking just how delicious it all was--from the amuse bouche to the dessert! And like I said, the service is exceptional. To top it all off, the design and ambiance of it is unlike any other restaurant or eatery. Whoever designed and built this restaurant (as well as the entire property) are talented to boot! It's only sad that Michelin has ignored it until this day. Enough about Indochine... we really enjoyed Ni for our fresh lunchtime ceviche. They give you plantains with a few salsas, which I love! Their complimentary chocolate truffles are yummy! The hotel's breakfast buffet is astounding--lots to choose from. Their omelets are a work of art! Our room was super spacious, clean and modern, with an awesome walk in shower and beautiful soaking tub with a view toward our balcony. The tub is a bit small, barely large enough for one person. The tennis courts are immaculate--they're grass courts! Very fun to play on, and the instructor is so sweet and nice! He even played a bit with my husband and gave him some pointers. I really don't feel like this place deserves less than 5 stars, but I must point out, just to vent a bit, that there were a few things that just won't ever change. Such as, the beach. It is SMALL. Almost nonexistent. It's barely enough sand from the property before the water hits it, and in length is barely as wide as a house. Kind of disappointing. In addition, the water is not what you'd expect in the Hotel Zone--clear, turquoise blue water. It's more navy blue marsh. The entire time, we didn't feel like we were in Cancun. More like Thailand with a splash of Costa Rica. Not that that's a bad thing! Just, not Cancun-like. Also, our room seemed paper thin--I could hear everyone around us taking showers, especially above us. Moreover, the property is on a thin strip of land along the water. That being said, it's a trip from lobby to room to tennis court to spa to pool... they have golf carts to take everyone to their desired destination, but it's a bit of a nuisance when you have a stroller. We opted to walk every time, which helped me shed some weight lol--I guess that's a good thing! At the end of the day, this is a wonderful place, but I would NOT recommend vacationing here...