Which are the best luxury hotels in Tulum and Isla Mujeres with executive club lounges? As far as we know, there are none, but consider the InterContinental Presidente, JW Marriott Resort, Westin, and Ritz-Carlton in Cancun, and Grand Hyatt in Playa Del Carmen.
Riviera Maya, Yucatan is best known for its white beaches, but if you can be dragged away from your lounge chair, you can try horseback riding, golfing, shark feeding, dolphin swims, snorkeling, and scuba diving on the second-longest barrier reef in the world. Step into the past with a tour of the Mayan Ruins, like seaside Tulum, or sail off into the sunset aboard a catamaran.
Most luxury hotels do not have executive club lounges or concierge floors, with lounges offering complimentary food and drink. There are no hotels with executive club lounges in Tulum and Isla Mujeres. It is worth picking a hotel with an executive club lounge, perhaps up the road in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, so that you can benefit from all the free food and drink offered up in the lounge, as well as the luxurious rooms, setting, and service offered by these wonderful hotels.
If you are a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium elite member, you will not get free club lounge access at the JW Marriott or the Ritz-Carlton but will reportedly get free lounge access at the Cancun Westin Resort & Spa.
If you are a World of Hyatt Globalist member, the best Hyatts on Riviera Maya include Andaz, the two Hyatts in Cancun, and the Grand Hyatt in Playa Del Carmen. The latter hotel is the only Hyatt in the area with an executive club lounge which you can access for free if you are a Globalist Hyatt loyalty member. Otherwise, you need to book a club room to get access.
There are two Westins in Cancun. The Westin Lagunamar is reportedly the best of the two hotels. Both offer timeshares. Westin Lagunamar is a large property with great pools but no executive club lounge. The alternative is the Westin Resort & Spa, which is more dated but has great value. This one does have a club lounge. The Ritz-Carlton is a brilliant property with a gorgeous club lounge, and the JW Marriott is also fabulous with an excellent and beautiful executive club lounge. The JW and the Ritz are better than the Westins, but they are more expensive. You get what you pay for!
The InterContinental has the reputation of having the best patch of beach in the entire of Cancun, so this hotel is also worth considering as it has an executive club lounge.
The best hotels with club lounges near Tulum and Isla Mujeres are listed below:
1. The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun
Resting on the tip of the exotic Yucatan peninsula is The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, a AAA Five Diamond resort that offers the best club lounge in Cancun. This Rewards Category 6 luxury resort offers an enticing stretch of white sand beach, indulgent amenities such as the full-service Ritz-Carlton Spa and award-winning restaurants, and the intrigue of the ancient Mayan sites nearby.
The Ritz-Carlton Club Level provides guests with the highest level of personal service with five complimentary food presentations daily. Platinum and elite Marriott Bonvoy members don’t get free lounge access. Everyone who uses this lounge has paid for a club room.
Often referred to as a hotel within a hotel, this oasis offers a dedicated concierge who attends to individual needs in a well-appointed, relaxed lounge environment. The Club Level food includes breakfast, lunch, light Snacks, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, chocolates, and cordials.
Beyond the food, there is a selection of wines, liqueurs, beers, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, complimentary wireless, in-room internet access, and two garments pressed daily.
This lounge is super smart, with double-height ceilings and intricately carved wall features, and the whole lounge is designed in browns and olives with lots of wood and thick chunky marble. The meals are excellent and filling, you will not be disappointed, and you will leave full (both with food and alcohol if you want).
2. JW Marriott Resort & Spa Cancun
JW Marriott Resort & Spa Cancun is a Marriott Bonvoy hotel with upscale amenities, including spacious, sand-toned accommodations and on-site dining. Relax in the family-friendly freeform pools or adult-only infinity pools, or work out at the fitness center, featuring cardio equipment and free weights. The beach here is white sand with a glorious blue sea. Wonderful! There’s an indoor pool and arcade-style game machines for rainy days for the kids.
The JW Marriott, like The Ritz-Carlton and other big hotels in Cancun, is in the Hotel Zone, around half an hour by car from Cancun Airport (CUN). The JW Marriott is around a kilometer south of The Ritz-Carlton. The foyer is beautiful, with lots of marble, pillars, and huge flower arrangements.
The Club and Club level rooms have been renovated. Club rooms are modern with tiled floors, pine headboards with Mayan patterning on, and blue and tan hues bringing the beach inside. Bathrooms are large and stylish with a really nice rough stone tiling on the walls and Aromatherapy amenities.
The look of the lounge is equally appealing, with the same tan and blue hues and wonderful windows looking out towards the ocean. This is a really nice and stylish place to hang out.
Inspired by the great pyramid of Kukulcán, the executive club lounge labeled Club 91 is an exclusive haven of luxury. Located on the 14th and 12th floors of the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, Club 91 guests experience exclusive privileges and a lavish array of world-class amenities.
Is this JW Marriott “Club 91” Lounge worth paying the extra for (usually around $20 per person per room)? This is a common question as Platinum and elite Marriott Bonvoy members don’t get free lounge access. Like the process at Ritz-Carlton hotels, even elites need to pay for access. They say: “A rate with Club 91 access must be booked in order to take advantage of Club 91 benefits. It is not included in Reward Member benefits.”
If you do decide to book into the lounge, expect five decent food events daily and an open bar in the evening with rotating hot dishes as well as cold cuts, cheeses, smoked salmon, veggies, and this kind of thing.
3. InterContinental Presidente Cancun Resort
InterContinental Presidente Cancun Resort is set on a picture-perfect beach in Cancun. The whole family can laze the day away beside the pool, get active with water sports, or discover Mayan culture.
Cancun comes alive with sophisticated nightspots under swaying palm trees when the sun goes down. You can dine at the hotel at the beachfront El Caribeño restaurant or sip our signature cocktails with the sea breeze in your hair at the Deck Bar.
The InterContinental Cancun club lounge is available exclusively for Club InterContinental guests, a haven to work, relax or recharge. This is an extra-cost lounge. However loyal you are, you won’t get access to this lounge without paying for a Club Room. The lounge includes private check-in, with a complimentary welcome drink, buffet breakfast with eggs cooked your way, afternoon tea, freshly made sweet and savory delights, and evening drinks & canapés.
You can see what we have experienced in terms of food and drink at the club lounge at InterContinental O2 in London and the club lounge at InterContinental Park Lane which will give you an idea of what to expect. This InterContinental club lounge will undoubtedly be one of the best, with a substantial hot and cold buffet, a la carte breakfast, evening canapes, and alcoholic drinks.
4. Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
Getaway to Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort and the Caribbean Coast of Quintana Roo. Retreat to beachfront rooms with balconies and suites with private plunge pools overlooking beautiful gardens or the ocean. Walk the vibrant Quinta Avenida, one block from the resort, for eclectic shopping, dining, and nightlife destinations.
It is worth noting that the central location of this hotel in Playa Del Carmen means it’s also walkable to local restaurants, making the meals cheaper than in-resort meals that you might be forced to eat at more remote non-All-Inclusive resorts.
There are, however, reports of cold pools, and the beach is nowhere near as good as some of the other Hyatts in the area, particularly the two All-Inclusive Hyatts in Cancun outlined above. Hyatt Ziva is another good Hyatt option over in Cancun and features in our best All Inclusive hotels in Cancun. The pools and beach are better at Ziva.
Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort is a great choice and has the huge benefit of the Grand Hyatt club lounge, which is very good. You get free access if you are a top-level (Globalist) World of Hyatt member, or you can pay slightly more and book a club room with free club lounge access.
Within the lounge, expect an All-Inclusive setup with a decent feed in the mornings and the evening. The club lounge breakfast offers a nice selection of cut fruit and berries as well as yogurt, cereals, a hot egg dish, hot potatoes, cheese, cold cuts, pastries, and bread. The coffee and tea are good, and it is from a Nespresso machine.
The club lounge serves evening happy hour with salads, cold cuts, olives, hot dishes, veggies, hot soup, bread, and desserts. Again this is a really nice spread and more than enough to fill you up. You also get free alcoholic drinks at happy hour and soft drinks throughout the day, making the lounge worth paying extra for.
Book any room (not just the club room) on an exclusive “Hyatt Prive” rate via our luxury travel concierge, and you get a full breakfast and room upgrade (subject to availability), resort credit and more.
5. The Westin Resort & Spa Cancun
The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun, is perched between the Caribbean Sea and a tranquil lagoon. This beachfront vacation ownership resort has a fabulous beach with plenty of lounge chairs, palapas, and umbrellas, along with some excellent pools.
Unwind in sparkling pools or on white-sand beaches. Schedule a personalized beauty or healing treatment at The Spa or experience one of many adventures without leaving the resort. These activities include the FlowRider® surfing simulator, snorkeling on the coral reef, tennis, and other daily activities. In fact, you can snorkel right off the beach. At the end of the day, savor delicious cuisine and libations at restaurants or sports bars.
Reports suggest that the hotel tries to upgrade all Marriott Bonvoy Gold and Platinum guests to their Royal Beach Club rooms, so if you can bear a lagoon view room or a deluxe sea view room, it is worth booking one of these and trying for an upgrade. Platinum members should get access to the Royal Beach Club even if there isn’t the capacity to upgrade the room itself.
The Royal Beach Club is the executive club lounge at this property and offers breakfast, day-long soft drinks and snacks, and a happy hour. You are given wristbands for club access. The lounge also has a pool with slightly nicer palapas and free happy hour in the early evening. The breakfast is decent, with cereal and plenty of cold cuts, cheeses, and bread. Happy hour includes two hot appetizers, usually a fried chicken on a stick or a skewer-type affair or chicken wings, as well as some desserts. You also get free alcoholic drinks in the lounge. Both food presentations are decent quality and are filling, enough to fill you up for breakfast, and there are nice canapes in the evening, although perhaps not quite enough for a full meal.
Copyright Luxury Travel Diary 2014 - 2024. Duplication outside of luxurytraveldiary.com is forbidden.
Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing but may be amended at discretion of the vendor. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.
