SLS Cancun
BACKGROUND
This new property from SBE Hotels opened in February. SBE is now owned by Accor after the French group bought 50 per cent of the brand in 2018 and then bought the rest while also merging with Ennismore. Among the SBE brands are Mondrian, Delano, Hyde Hotels and SLS. They are all very fashionable, or, as SBE would have it, they represent “a global tribe of individuals, partners and progressives”.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
The hotel is located on the first four floors of a 20-storey L-shaped building facing the Caribbean Sea and the entrance to the marina. The other levels contain luxury apartments. These have a separate entrance around the corner from the hotel so you don’t mingle with the owners in the lifts, although they do have the use of the pool, restaurants and gym.
I stayed in late April. While many of the apartments had been sold by then, they were yet to be occupied so it was very quiet. Security is very reassuring – you go through two attended gates before pulling up at the hotel.
The interior design is by Italy’s Piero Lissoni and has been beautifully done, with low sofas decked out with cushions in alternating pastel and bright colours. The seating area just off the lobby has a pool table and shelves with coffee-table books.
WHERE IS IT?
In the gated community of Puerto Cancun, a new development close to downtown and the hotel zone. It is about half an hour’s drive from the airport, depending on traffic. There are further hotels planned for the area, which is also home to the Renaissance Cancun Resort and Marina.
ROOMS
The 45 rooms and suites are all elegant, with oak wood flooring, Mayan-inspired wall coverings designed by Lissoni and bathrooms with marble floors, silver Travertine walls, walk-in rainfall showers and Ciel Reserve amenities. About 75 per cent of them have sea views, and those that don’t look out over the new developments towards the marina. They range from 51 sqm Deluxe Kings to the 260 sqm Presidential suite. My Deluxe Ocean Front King room had a sliding door between the bedroom and bathroom, a work area with a comfortable sofa, and a balcony with chairs and a hammock.
FOOD AND DRINK
The hotel was still finishing its beach club when I was there (it has since opened), but there was an outdoor terrace for the lobby bar and the restaurant, Leynia, which is an “Argentinean grill inspired by flavours from Japan”. I only ate lunch there but the service was good and my burger was excellent. The restaurant is open daily from 8am to 10.30pm.
MEETINGS
There is one room seating 12 people on the second floor.
LEISURE
The hotel has a 250-metre stretch of sand with a private beach club, a lifeguard and a buoyed-off area for swimming, while further out there are kite surfers and people sailing. It also has a pool with a spa bath at one end. The fitness facilities and the Ciel spa are superb, much too large for a property of only 45 rooms but then they are also for the use of the apartment residents – I never saw anyone using them, although this may change over time. There’s also an 18-hole golf course and private marina, while bikes can be borrowed for free. About a ten-minute walk away is a high-end shopping centre with restaurants and a cinema.
There’s a 250-metre stretch of sand with a private beach club, and the fitness facilities and spa are superb
VERDICT
A luxury hotel with great security, beachfront and good food and drink options, with the liveliness of Cancun and the hotel zone a short taxi ride away. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, but as the apartments are occupied and the hotel fills it could become quite a party place around the pool and beach bar area.
BESTFOR
Uninterrupted sea views and a great restaurant with outdoor terrace
DON’TMISS
A morning swim in the infinity pool, then relaxing in a private cabana
PRICE
Internet prices for a flexible stay in September started from US$672 per night for a Superior King, including resort fee (10 per cent of room rate)
CONTACT
“Novo Cancun Torre 1”, Avenida Bonampak; tel +52 998 689 0757; accor.com; sbe.com
BACKGROUND
Originally opened in 2001, the JW Marriott is co-managed and linked with the Marriott Cancun next door and so benefits from a huge range of bars, restaurants and leisure facilities while at the same time not appearing, at least on the face of it, to be a giant resort. The hotel has also had a renovation of most of its public areas, restaurants and rooms.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
The lobby is very JW Marriott – there’s a large marble reception area on the left and a concierge desk on the right, with the space then leading on to the lobby bar, where giant double-height windows overlook the swimming pool and Caribbean Sea. Marriott Rewards guests have their own desk at one end of reception. A porter offered to take my bag to my room but I was in a rush and so spent the next couple of minutes wandering around trying to find the lifts until a helpful member of staff directed me. Less haste, more speed is something I have yet to learn.
WHERE IS IT?
In the middle of the hotel zone, about 15 minutes from the airport and 5km south of Cancun’s convention centre.
ROOMS
The hotel has 447 spacious rooms, including 74 suites, all of which have balconies and sea views. The entry-level Standard category is 43 sqm. The new design is bright with blue oceanic patterns, particularly in the bathrooms, which have twin sinks and separate tubs and showers. The rooms have good-sized workdesks and large minibars with room to put your own items. The wifi is quick and you can stream entertainment from your device through the 32-inch TV.
For an upgraded price, guests can visit Club 91 on the 14th floor, which is billed as a boutique hotel within a hotel rather than as a club lounge. It offers food presentations daily, an open bar from 6pm to 10pm, Premium Ocean View rooms, access to the second floor of the spa, and late checkout when available.
FOOD AND DRINK
There are restaurants across both properties. In the JW are Gustino Italian Grill, Sedona Grill, the Beach Walk poolside bar and a shop that sells snacks and pizza. The Marriott has Kasai Izakaya and Ramen Noodle Bar, Sasi Thai, Mikado, La Isla coffee shop, the Sacbe Beach Shack and the Champion’s Sports Bar. The main bar in the JW is the lobby one, although the cocktails in the Gustino were also excellent.
MEETINGS
The two hotels have more than 8,175 sqm of meeting space combined, including the JW’s Tulum ballroom, part of which had been converted into an antigen test centre when I was there. Together, the hotels total nearly 900 guestrooms. There’s also a business centre.
LEISURE
There are three outdoor pools overlooking 200 metres of beachfront. One feels more private (it is adults only) and has a swim-up bar. The hotel has a 3,250 sqm, three-level gym and spa with 17 treatment rooms. The fitness facilities are available without charge (well, there is a compulsory resort fee for all guests whether you use these facilities or not). There is also a PADI diving pool and a kids’ club.
Being linked to the Marriott next door means it benefits from vast facilities while not appearing to be a giant resort
VERDICT
A superb hotel with everything you could want for a one-week stay or even longer. The advantage of having the two resorts connected is the wide choice of dining and facilities.
BESTFOR
Exceptional service from the well-trained staff
DON’TMISS
Testing out the vast margarita menu in the lobby bar, then swimming in the spa pool the next day to recover
PRICE
Internet prices for a flexible stay in September started from US$378 per night for a Deluxe Guest room, including resort fee (10 per cent of room rate)
CONTACT
Boulevard Kukulcan; tel +52 998 848 9600; jw-marriott.marriott.com