Last updated: May 13 2025
The Marriott’s Renaissance Cancun – is a design, lifestyle and Mayan inspired luxury hotel in the Puerto Cancun area of Mexico.
A world away from Coco Bongo and Spring Break holiday makers, Renaissance Cancun Resort & Marina is located right next door to high end mall Marina Puerto Cancun, packed with designer shops and a plethora of bars and restaurants.
With a beautifully positioned outdoor swimming pool overlooking the luxurious harbour filled with yachts and the glamorous Shark building’s million dollar apartments, Renaissance Cancun has a range of room categories. They all come with impressive views, but to really enjoy the full Marriott experience, we’d definitely recommend the king suite with marina view.
Our incredible room on the tenth floor bathed in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass walls boasted a comfortable sitting room, sofa, pop-up TV, table and fridge. With a wraparound balcony running the entire length of the sitting area and bedroom, the partitioned wall including two sliding door entrances into the bedroom and bathroom meant that you could also enjoy those amazing views as soon as you woke up and pulled back the curtains.
Dressing room space, a full length mirror, large bathroom and rainfall power shower plus complimentary toiletries like face wipes, nourishing body lotions Colgate toothpaste and Crest mouthwash were all very much appreciated, as was the great lighting at the bathroom mirror!
While the pool area has a limited amount of loungers, the staff will do all they can to ensure you have a spot, a towel, a drink… and it really is a great area to relax in with those awesome views, a jacuzzi section of the pool which has jets and then the separate swimming pool with is long and wide enough for a good workout.
Breakfast at Kaajal restaurant was one of the best buffet breakfasts I’ve had at a hotel. Staff will serve up your eggs every which way, line your plate with warm tacos before piling in lightly spiced chicken, or pile your fresh baguette up with cheese and tomato before sliding it into the open flaming oven.
Fresh pastries like sugar doughnuts and chocolate croissants were like something from an award-winning patisserie and our waiter was on hand to offer us fresh tea and coffee, green juices, orange juices, clean plates… Sometimes you just want to get in and out of a buffet breakfast restaurant as soon as possible but this was such a pleasant experience, we spent a leisurely hour and a half here just taking it all in!
Not only did Kaajaal remain busy all day and night (which is always nice to see in a hotel restaurant) groups of friends enjoyed lunch, work meetings took place and birthdays were all celebrated by the staff with a massive fake cake brought out for photos and replaced by edible dessert afterwards.
Renaissance’s second food offering is Litoral restaurant – a fancier affair and ground floor eaterie which can be accessed from the marina and shopping centre for diners who aren’t staying at the hotel. This is a destination restaurant in its own right fronted by award-winning and celebrated Mexican chef Ricardo Munoz Zurita who has elevated simple Mexican dishes and added some theatre to the whole experience while contributing to the global rise of Mexican cuisine through his high profile appearances.
The experience begins at the restaurant’s entrance where the manager talked us through some of the stories which inspired the many pictures on the walls. These charming Mexican style fairytales were a lovely start to our dining experience which included many interesting anecdotes along the way.
We started with a shot of mezcal out of a half shell, followed by Taco Gobernador – a Sinaloan classic corn tortilla stuffed with shrimp and chichuahua cheese, mango sauce, guacamole and creamy chipotle. A taste of true Northern Mexico, we were told that Mexicans don’t feel whole if they don’t eat a true corn made taco every day – I’ve got to say, I’m a big fan of this tradition! Litoral makes all of its food fresh in house using high quality ingredients and with a commitment to sustainable fishing.
Our tortilla soup was truly excellent. The ‘queen of Mexcian soups’, was brought to us in an unusually shaped serving bowl – bright blue to represent Zurita’s signature restaurant colours in Mexico City. This chicken based broth with roasted tomato, shredded chicken, sour cream, panela cheese, avo and corn tortilla squares was a first for me and I devoured every single mouthful.
A la talla – fish served from a banana leaf had been prepared with a secret marinade from Barra Vieja in Acapulco. With a good hit of chili, yet not a lot of heat, this unique preparation was so moreish, served with ‘party rice’ which has chunks of pineapple in it.
We finished with a corn dough chocolate tamalito which has its ancient traditions rooted in Oaxaca where the dish is served with the birth of a baby. With tamales made of chocolate when it’s a boy and strawberries when it’s a girl, this unique dessert came with pineapple and walnut, chocolate sauce, red fruit, vanilla sauce and whipped cream.
There are few hotels that have a celebrity restaurant attached to them and we loved being able to sit out on the terrace enjoying a gorgeous meal and then being able to head straight up to our room.
While we didn’t spend much time in the bar, it’s a beautiful space with luxury interiors and a huge glistening white central bar.
Located only half an hour away from the airport, Marriott’s Renaissance Cancun’s location is just beautiful with all the service you’d expect from a Marriott hotel and all the glitz and glamour of a Mexican Caribbean retreat. Thoughtfully designed ultra luxe rooms and stunning interiors make this an excellent choice for your holiday with easy access to all the tourist hotspots, but all of the peace and quiet of a hideaway. Book your dreamy stay here.
