Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe

Stayed at Hilton Mar-Caribe July 30th-August 4th.

I chose this resort due to it being family friendly and we brought a minor with us. I am keeping in mind that I’m use to staying at Adult only all inclusive resorts so I’m aware the dynamics are a bit different as far as my surroundings.

The check-in was smooth and front desk was quick to get us checked in.

Rooms were a 4 out of 5. Basic and everything you need to sleep. Beds were comfy and shower was spacious. Mini bar was restocked on a daily and housekeeping was super sweet. We had Rosa as our housekeeper.

Now let’s talk about food. Very mediocre if you ask me. Buffet was small with limited options. For a resort of this size I would expect something more bigger and better quality especially for the price you’re paying. The other restaurants were also mediocre and I didn’t like that I had to go down to the lobby to the desk to make a reservation and or having to make a reservation to eat at the restaurants. You can make reservations on your phone but for parties of 6 or more it wouldn’t let me (I had 6). I’ve never had to do that unless it’s a more “upscale” restaurant or hibachi type thing. Overall I didn’t like the food for what I paid to stay here.

The poolside bar drinks were even more mediocre! Lol… the morning the bartenders started off good garnishing drinks and whatnot closer to midday/afternoon no cares were given they stopped all that. Bartender’s weren’t very attentive at the poolside bar either. I’m guessing because it’s a lot of children going up there.

Nightly entertainment was very limited. I don’t think we were able to enjoy any shows. For example one night our dinner was at 9 (not because I wanted that late) and a show was at 9. 1st place I’ve been to without an entertainment theater. They did host “casino night” but with the amount of guests 3-4 casino tables wasn’t enough for more to enjoy, they might as well not do anything at all! I do have to say that our last night (Monday) was probably the best night we had! They had Mexican night with a Mexican food buffet and mariachis which In my opinion was the best food all trip along with a Mexican show by the pool (the singer & dancers were great and the vibes were good). They should really invest in having a dinner buffet at least 2-3 nights out of the week and not just Monday.

I was told reservations were needed to be made for dinner and one-day I went all the way to where reservations were made just to be told that those were made the day of (it was for the hibachi) so basically wasted my time.

The gift shop was like any other tourist trap! A plastic float that cost 6.95 at Walmart was FIFTY dollars!!! FIFITY DOLLARS!!! I’ll just leave it at that!!!

Pool cabanas are very limited on the beach, when most resorts have rows of palapas and chairs they only had a handfull. I do understand some were for the VIP upgrade but for regular there was only a few. Same for pool side being that there isn’t much shade, they don’t have many umbrellas for guests.

I feel overall staff could use a class on hospitality! A revamp! I’ve never experienced a place where staff weren’t smiling, or at least acting like they were happy! Other than Rosa from housekeeping, and Orlando from poolside services.

That last thing I didn’t like was that they didn’t give bottle water (they did at the mail lobby bar for bottle water) or can beer!! Other than in the mini bar in the room everything was out of a plastic cup!!

I am keeping in mind this is a “family” resort and there are kids everywhere you turn so I can understand the limitations on certain things like the water bottles, kids are wasteful so serve in a cup and not have half drank water bottles everywhere. entertainment was over with by 9:30-10 because I’m guessing parents sleep their you g kids early. Things like that.

Overall I would never book this resort again and if you do book here, do your research! Again I do understand it was a family friendly kid-friendly resort not necessarily my cup of tea, but for price we paid there could of been some better benefits/quality.

We stayed at this resort for the third time in 1.5 years and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not as large as some of the resorts down here, but it has enough pools and good food to keep everyone happy. We were down here for part of the World Cup and enjoyed the lively atmosphere during game day.

Pros: the staff here hustle! From the main buffet, to Sea Salt, to the Coffee Shop, etc. the staff hustle here to try and make your stay enjoyable. While I could not get the name of everyone that went above and beyond, I do want to give thanks to Alex Dias and Vincent at the Main Buffett, Pedro at Chala, Juan at Sea Salt, Aurora at the Coffee Shop, Nestor and Santiago at the Enclave Bar, and Alberto at the Concierge Desk.

Food: we have two teenage sons and they eat everything. Given this is our third time, Noriku is still a favourite, with a close second being La Luce and Maxal. The steakhouse makes a great burger, as well. Overall, I think Sea Salt was the biggest hit and fills a craving after a morning/afternoon swim.

Enclave: the bar area and Chala Skybar were awesome. The guys made amazing drinks and the food was always fresh and fast. The bartenders were very friendly and made a lot of effort to get to know you and what you like.

The beach area is not as large as some resorts and does have a sargassum issue. However, the resort was constantly raking and using machines to help pick it up. This is a never ending battle and one that is known throughout the Cancun area.

Cons: akin to other resorts, people put towels out on chairs and then walk away. I saw chairs by the pool with towels on them all day, with no one occupying them. Not sure what could be done about that. If you are looking for evening shows, this resorts has them at a much smaller scale than other resorts. That being said, the shows are entertaining and a lot of fun.

While we did not spend any time in the kids swim area, the water-playground structure looks amazing. I saw a lot of kids having fun there. The teen club has ping pong and foosball, plus video games.

I would definitely go here again, but may change up for the next trip to a different Hilton resort just to mix things up a bit.

It was a wonderful stay! Our family of 4 had a great time. The staff was kind and helpful. Nestor at Vela made sure we had the best experience.