Overall: We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and thought it was well worth the money. Friendly staff, great food, and a variety of pools, bars, and restaurants made it a great place to just go and relax. Access to the resort was limited and constantly monitored. We felt safe everywhere on the resort.
Vibe: Diverse, in every sense. Lots of families, lots of older couples, lots of Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, even some Europeans; honeymooning couples, retired couples, young families, multigenerational family groups with grandparents and teenagers and toddlers all mixing together. With 13 pools there was a spot for everyone; just explore until you find a place that matches your mood, and then make that your 'spot'.
When to visit: We visited in April, and my wife has been to nearby resorts in October. Both are great times to visit. We’d read about overcrowding during Spring Break, and that’s certainly possible given the seating and layout of the place, BUT if you don’t come during peak periods, finding pool deck chairs, lounge chairs on the beach, seats at the lunchtime buffets and the nighttime shows, etc. shouldn’t be a problem.
The room: We didn't go for any upgrades, and still got a beautiful room with two queen beds plus a couch (and a murphy bed behind the couch, which we didn’t use), and a balcony overlooking another resort building and a jungled courtyard in between. (A construction site next door got loud sometimes, but it wasn’t unreasonable, and it looks like it’ll be finished before Fall of 2026.) The room was spacious, though noisy neighbors were a bit of a problem--bring ear plugs. The beds themselves were firm and comfortable. The minifridge, stocked daily with water, sodapop and beer, was a nice touch. The bathroom was large, clean, and comfortable, with a stepover walk-in shower.
The food: Wow. High quality, tremendous variety and selection. The menus offered lots of interesting options and sometimes unexpected pairings, but we enjoyed everything we tried. The ceviche fish at A’Akat, the desserts at Ile de France, and the risotto and swordfish at Tratorio del Giulio are all not to be missed. Loud Americans insisting on “just a steak and potatoes” was the worst experience we had at the a la carte dinners. Note: Reservations for the a la carte dinners are required; you can only make two reservations at a time; and (it appears) reservations from 6-7:30 are only available for Platinum Club members. We ate at 5pm most nights, which was fine, as it allowed us to eat heavy meals and then walk them off as we enjoyed the evening, or went to the rooftop bars at Ventus Ha’ to enjoy the sunsets.
The pools: What a variety! Want to drink while hanging on the edge of a pool overlooking the jungle or the beach, with no kids around? There are 3-4 pools for that. Want to jump and play games while the dance music thunders? There are several pools for that. Splash pools for toddlers? Several. Waterfalls? Slides? Places where shaded lounge chairs are in the pools themselves, with waiters delivering drinks? Yes. All within the resort.
The beach: Not great. Concrete berms lie in the water to prevent erosion, and lots of seaweed washes up. They’re constantly raking up and carting it away, so walking on the beach is possible, but swimming and splashing in the salt water is not something that you do at this resort. Trips to Isla de la Mujeres or snorkeling at a nearby reef can help scratch that itch, but at a (reasonable) extra cost.
Tipping: It’s an all-inclusive resort, so tipping isn’t required. That said, lots of people do it, and it’s appreciated by the staff. Most people bring US dollars, and tip every now and then for table service or rides or drinks. But it’s NOT necessary: the staff are just genuinely friendly and helpful, and we never saw someone doing things for a tip, or expecting a tip for service.
Logistics: Before arriving, a staffer at El Cid texted to welcome us and warn us that the hotel only covers the ride in from the airport, not the ride back. We asked them to set up ala carte dinner reservations for us, but they could only do the first night.
Flying into Cancun International Airport was no problem. Immigration was simple. The wait for our bags to finally show on the carousel took about an hour. We then headed through customs (waved through) and past all the vendors, down the sidewalk and out to the bus terminal to look for our El Cid driver. After about 20 minutes we got into the van, and so about hours after landing, we arrived at the Ventus main entrance.
They lined up the bags outside and we headed in to check in. Passports, credit card, room upgrades (Platinum Club? Ocean view? Room with its own access to a private pool shared only with others in similar rooms?) are handled by one agent. Then we chatted with the agent who had been texting with us for a couple of days who wanted to set up a breakfast presentation for us about the leisure club El Cid is part of, in exchange for about $200 in coupons for on-resort amenities (including the $60 Wifi connection fee for one device, a two-for-one massage, a two-for-one catamaran/snorkel cruise, etc.-- all things we were interested in). We were curious about the club so we said yes. In hindsight, we should have politely declined. (See below if you’re curious why.) Finally, about three hours after touching down, we were in our room.
Handicap accessibility: At the airport, we picked up a guy in a lightweight electric chair who was unable to to get himself out of the chair. The driver and wrangler picked up the entire chair and wedged him just inside the door of the van. If it had been an old-fashioned heavy electric chair, or if he’d been a big guy, I’m not sure what they would have done. But they made it work and he got safely and happily to the resort.
Tile floors are everywhere. Since I use crutches, wet floors are potentially quite dangerous, and I had to be constantly vigilant. I found puddles and wet spots just inside the elevators, just outside the elevators, and in public restrooms, on a regular basis. Be warned. That said, there were ramps everywhere, and we could request rides anytime to get around the three resorts.
We found the whole 3-in-1 resort to be walkable, even for a crutch-user. Still, if you’re restricted to a wheelchair and can’t easily move in and out of your chair, just know that your experience will be different. At the two older resorts, El Cid Marina and Ventus, most of the public bathrooms (the ones you use while lounging by the pool, for example) are a little tight on corners for wheelchair users. There are a lot of stairs throughout the resorts, and while there are also ramps, sometimes you’ll have to cover a lot of extra distance to get to where a walking person can get very quickly. Ventus Ha’ (the newest of the three resorts) was by far the most accessible, with dedicated restrooms near the pool with wide automatic doors and all the amenities you’d expect in the States. Still, we did not see any pool cranes anywhere.
* About the leisure club: they offer multiple packages, running from $10k (5 year) to $30k (20 year), which entitles you to at least one all-inclusive week at El Cid properties per year, plus multiple weeks at a large number of worldwide properties and cruise lines ($500-700 taxes per week not included), plus seriously discounted rates for more vacations, free/reduced airfare if flying into Mexico, etc.
It starts as a soft sell, with breakfast one-on-one with a sales agent. Then they lead you through an interactive presentation where they help you understand how much you’re spending on vacations now, and how much you could save if you booked all of that travel through their leisure club. Eventually the ‘manager’ joins you to make the sale and/or sweeten the deal. If you say no, then a third “quality control” guy comes in to try one more time. Honestly, by the time the whole thing was done, I was feeling a bit drained, but I’m one of those folks who has a hard time saying no.
Why did we say no? The quality of the resort is great, the daily prices they quoted were reasonable, the staff is universally wonderful, the food is fantastic. We just didn’t feel comfortable committing to a $3-6k down payment and the $200-400 monthly payments for the next 48 months.
My advice: Unless you’re tempted by the deals outlined above, just decline the $200 in discounts and say “no,” you don’t want to meet with anyone to talk about the leisure club, you’re just here to enjoy a vacation. The presentation cost us a morning and more stress than it was worth, at least for me.
