Before today, you could not convince me of the existence of a true 5 star, all-inclusive resort in Mexico. Yes, there are plenty of resorts that claim to be 5 stars, including a few scary ones on the show Dateline. Of course Trip advisor has people that would rate a Motel 6 as a 5 star resort. That is the underlying problem: if you are used to a Four Seasons, very little else will do, but if you were a Motel 6 customer, almost anything would be fantastic.
It all started at the recently updated Cancun airport, if you have been there before, you are used to the throngs of people selling timeshares, activities, and representatives from every tour wholesaler you have ever heard of and a bunch that would be new to you. Waiting for my wife and I was Jose in a crisp white straight collared shirt, and adobe colored pants, hair neat and clean shaved. Instead of the usual van (in various states of repair), there is a nice, clean, cool A/C, Ford Expedition supplied with chilled champagne, bottled water and a nice chilled towel served on a burnished wood tray.
On arrival at the resort, we were given a brief tour of the property and then driven to our room where the check-in was completed. For those of you unfamiliar with the property, all of the 90-ish rooms are beachfront, steps from some of the finest, whitest, softest sand imaginable. All of the rooms are generous suites with Mexican marble everywhere, décor touches based on the name of your suite (our suite “Bangkok” has Thailand figures displayed in prominent locations). Standard amenities include early check-in and late check-out (based on availability during busy season) a fully stocked mini bar, a bottle of Tequila served on a marble platter with lime slices, salt and shot glasses, a decorative fruit platter (refreshed daily) with chilled champagne on demand. They also have one of my favorite bathrooms: Marble showers with 3 showerheads, a tub for 2 (lying side by side!), separate water closet with bidet, all well stocked with Bvlgari bath products, Frette linens, 24 hour in-room dining AND laundry, and more. New to the property are LCD TVs in the living room and bedroom, complimentary WiFi internet in all rooms, cordless phones with complimentary worldwide calling, ipod docks, and aromatherapy turndown service.
Typically when a resort goes all-inclusive, service and food are some of the first things to suffer. Rest assured that the meals and the dining service are up to the standards of the finest restaurants worldwide. The first thing served to us was an amuse-bouche (like a pre-appetizer) of a baked cherry tomato, served with a Gorgonzola sauce, pesto and micro-herbs on top. It was like an explosion of flavor went off in my mouth. Next was a still-warm-from-the-oven selection of rolls. They are served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar poured into a small smooth stone circular dish, the size of a small sushi shoyu dish. Our choice of appetizer was yellow fin tuna Carpaccio served in 3 different incarnations, each one better than the last (and frankly the best I have ever had), next my wife and I had 2 different “salads”, mine was a spicy soft shelled crab, served with small cubed pieces of kiwi, and jicama, the combination attacked every taste bud on my tongue from multiple angles. For my entrée, I had a petite Angus filet mignon served with three types of mushrooms reduced to an amazing pate that amplified every essence of flavor contained in such a morsel. After this, a mango sorbet was served to cleanse the palate in preparation for dessert: chocolate and coffee filled ravioli served with a raspberry sauce and topped with “vanilla foam”. Then, the “after dessert”: a small marble canoe topped with a selection of chocolates and macaroons.
To add to the romance of an adults-only Caribbean resort, tall candle lanterns lit the walkways, warm ocean breezes carry the music of songbirds, and accompanying that are a duo of classical guitarists: one does most of the singing and the other harmonizing while his fingers danced quickly over the fret board, almost blurring at times.
Top all of this off with a staff that seems to be more interested in knowing how to pronounce my name, than begging for tips and you have an experience heretofore previously unknown in Mexico.
And that was just the first day.
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