The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun

The Westin is a large family-friendly resort that first opened in 1991 and underwent plenty of major renovations in 2014 and 2015, including to the entire wing of Royal Beach Club Rooms. The lobby is dominated by neutral hues, with off-white walls contrasted by bright accent swatches of blue, plus rose-colored stone flooring. More of this rose-colored flooring can be found throughout the exteriors, as can grassy areas full of palm trees. Most guests here are vacationing couples and families, and the resort's location away from the main party strip in the Cancun Hotel Zone deters the party set from staying here.

The Westin Resort & Spa is located at the southern end of Cancun's Hotel Zone, about a 15- to 20-minute drive to the airport, depending on traffic. It usually takes around the same amount of time to reach the nightlife at the center of the tourist strip, and 45 minutes to reach downtown. There’s plenty of on-site parking, and the R2 and R1 buses run 24 hours a day from the city center to the Hotel Zone. The hotel fronts a beautiful stretch of white sand that leads down to turquoise sea, and gets considerably fewer hawkers than at some of the more centrally located beaches. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, otherwise known as the Great Maya Reef (the second largest reef system in the world), starts within view of the hotel, just south of the property.

The Westin has 376 rooms spread across two sections of the property: a primary section with dated rooms that lack proper balconies, and the Royal Beach Club, where rooms were renovated in 2014 and 2015. Older rooms are bland and sterile, with teal-hued tile floors (some with dirty tile grout), dated wall texturing, limited artwork, and simple furniture, while remodeled rooms have far more life and color, with marble-topped furniture, pops of bright yellow and blues, and a more modern look and feel overall. While rooms vary considerably depending on both category and whether they've been remodeled, most have -- at a minimum -- desks and sitting areas, flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, mini-fridges, and free bottled water water. The one-bedroom Royal Beach Club Ambassador Suites add kitchenettes, the Presidential Suite has its own kitchen, and Master Suites have whirlpool hot tubs. Bathrooms are largely the same in units in both the main building and the Royal Beach Club, with marble floors and countertops and separate bathtubs and walk-in showers. 

The Westin has plenty of resort-style amenities, including lots of palapa-shaded lounge chair seating along the main white-sand beach. Waters here are tranquil most of the time, though they can get a bit rough during periods of high wind, at which point advisory flags are set up warning guests of conditions. There's also a lagoon beach on the backside of the hotel with some additional lounge chairs set up. Additional lounge chair seating can be found at the hotel's four pools, a few of which are practically on the beach. Guests staying in the Royal Beach Club also have their own private pool.  The resort has its own signature Westin brand-named Heaven Spa and WORKOUT Fitness Studio as well, which features both a gym with lots of high-end equipment along with six indoor spa treatment rooms, three terrace cabanas, and two palapas directly on the beach. Family-friendly amenities include a kids' club and a special SPG Kids Pass, which is essentially an all-inclusive meal plan for children. Although there are no proper all-inclusive plans for adults, meal plans can be arranged (with stricter provisions than what one might find at a true all-inclusive). Restaurant options include the ocean-facing Arrecifes, which is open only for dinner and focuses on grills and seafood, as well as El Palmar, which serves both buffet and a la carte meals for breakfast and opens again for dinner. Sea & Stones is a papala-style by the ocean focusing on surf-and-turf meals and wood-fired pizzas. Other options include Sunset Bar, with typical bar food for the afternoons, the Place Bar & Lounge for drinks and light bites in the evenings, and the Brisa Breeze Pool Bar with swim-up access and light cocktails and snacks throughout the daytime hours. Note that dress codes are enforced at dinnertime.The Westin also offers a total of 16 meeting and event spaces and offers wedding-planning services for those looking to host a beachfront destination wedding. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, but it costs extra to access.