Cancun! The Ritz Carlton here, Latin America’s most elegant resort, brings unsurpassed luxury to this sun drenched vacation spot.
Lately, I’ve come to yearn for a Caribbean island resort where I could dress for dinner and be served by the kind of well-trained waiters that were the hallmark of the great European Hotels. I craved the idea of enjoying cutting edge cuisine in the kind of elegant setting that invited sophisticated conversation.
In my mind, I envisioned it like one of the opulent resorts featured in the old 1930’s musical comedies, a gorgeous oceanfront hotel with marble, flowers, gilt, and chandeliers everywhere that’s formal by night, yet informal enough during the day that I could wear a tennis outfit while passing through the lobby.
Happily, I’ve found my tropical paradise at the Ritz Carlton Cancun, Mexico’s premiere resort destination characterized by Technicolor blue skies, transparent turquoise sea, and tropical fish frolicking beneath the crystalline waves. For too many years I dismissed Cancun as a spring break retreat for the college set, but after hearing friends rave about the luxurious accommodations and lavish service at the six-year-old Cancun Ritz-Carlton, I eagerly booked a visit.
Cancun, on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, was developed as a tourist resort by the Mexican government and features many hotels, but none even approaches the elegance and level of service at the Ritz. The gleaming marble lobby with its vast arrangements of tropical flowers sets the tone for the elegance that characterizes this resort. All the spacious, peach-colored rooms face the ocean and feature balconies where you can enjoy a room service breakfast overlooking the sparkling Caribbean.
Dinner found me at the romantic Fantino, a fairy tale of a restaurant featuring Northern Italian cuisine with Mediterranean influences. It’s impossible not to feel pampered as a pretty hostess warmly welcomes our party and escorts us to the table like treasured guests.
The Maitre’d, dapper in an elegant tuxedo, graciously serves our cocktail order of champagne from a silver tray, a hint of the luxury to come. Unlike an American restaurant where menus are brought to the table immediately, we were left alone with our bubbly, giving us a chance to admire the lovely pink and green room with dazzling murals above the chandeliers and picture windows overlooking the Caribbean sunset. The attractive crowd was elegantly dressed, surprisingly young, and from the quiet hum of conversations around us, quite international.
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