NYX Hotel Cancun

I thought I'd give a quick review of our stay at the NYX Hotel Cancun.

If 1st impressions are any indication of how a stay is going to be, we were in for a long week. We arrived well past our scheduled arrival time due to snow and deicing in Atlanta -- yes, I said snow in Atlanta! Instead of arriving at 12:30, just in time for lunch, we arrived at 2:30 and were hungry, tired and ready for the beach!

The airport transport dropped us off at the hotel and we were left there by ourselves to figure out just exactly where the main entrance was. With no hotel staff there to greet us, we tried a few of the doors on the ground level before coming to the conclusion that we were going to have to carry our bags up the stairs (or ramp) to the second floor main entrance. There, the check in process was okay but could have been quicker -- no worries, we were on vacation, right?

We did have someone help us with our luggage to our room. It was a good thing, too! A short walk past one pool and the hot tub, down one level of stairs to another building then up two levels of stairs to our third floor room.

The room was large and functional. The NYX is a relatively new owner (less than 3 yrs) of an old hotel. It was the old Avalon Grand. Our room was clean, but definitely showed it's age. If you are used to finer resorts with all of the amenities, this isn't the place for you. But as I said, the room was large (more like a studio apartment), functional and more than comfortable for the little amount of time that we intended to spend there.
And it had a great view! All of these pics were taken from our balcony (late afternoon, dawn, moonrise).



We put away our things, dressed for the beach and headed down to the restaurant to get something to eat.

This hotel was different from any other all inclusive resort where we have stayed. There was only one place to eat for lunch and dinner...and no buffet! There was a soup/salad/dessert bar for dinner, but you ordered lunch and the main dinner course from a menu. This was great for me and I feel I was better able to control my diet and not over eat. The portions were a fair size (smaller than US restaurants) and really just the right amount to leave you satisfied and not full.

And the food was DELICIOUS!

Seriously, I think this was the best food that we have ever eaten at an all inclusive resort. Not only was the food great, the restaurant was right on the beach so the atmosphere was also fantastic. Part of the dining area was cleared at night and a small band played and sang during dinner each night. The one small restaurant might mean a short wait at dinner time, but waiting around the pool bar next to the beach isn't really so bad.
For the most part, I'd say that service was very good. It was a little slower than you might expect at a restaurant in the states, but we were in no hurry. We were dining with friends, enjoying our time together and we never felt rushed.


Lunch service on the beach was also great and we ordered pizza and burgers to eat right where we had been sunning/sleeping/reading/relaxing all day!

Breakfast was in a separate area off the lobby and had a pleasant view of the lagoon. It was on the west side of the building and shaded from the morning sun. It was a small buffet with an omelet station and the coffee was good. I tried to keep breakfast fairly light before going for a walk on the beach.

The hotel had three types of guests -- those that paid for their room only and then paid for drinks and food as they went, all inclusive guests like us and time share owners that had the option of purchasing a meal plan or not.

We took a short walk on Sunday and went through a little tourist mall that is right across the street from the hotel. On Friday, we walked to the flea market which is 1.5 miles from the hotel. Other than that, our days were spent on the beach, in the pool or in the hot tub.

I should mention that Chris and Jo-Jo took the poolside salsa dance class one day and I won the ring toss and football throw on back to back days.

In the end -- I would definitely return to the NYX Hotel Cancun. They are making renovations in different areas of the hotel and I believe that it will be an even better place the next time.

John <><