Quaint, Quite & Relaxing

My family rented 2 condos for the week and enjoyed our stay at Coral Mar in January. It was windy and not as sunny as we would have liked but we still enjoyed ourselves. My sister has a hard time walking but was very comfortable with the lay out of everything which made it easy for her to get around and enjoy herself without too much help. This is a spot that we noticed a lot of people return to year after year. Many people from Canada in particular. The bar/restaurant is a great hangout so you can maximize your relaxation if you don't want to restaurant hop and just stay at the resort. It is in a safe quiet residential area but if you are looking for a lot of action it may not be for you. We requested downstair units and received just that. The ease with children and being able to watch them from the condo was also very relaxing for me as a mom. Housekeeping was daily and probably the best we have ever experienced. We ordered the $30US welcome package that I would highly recommend. They stock you with everything you would need to get by for the first few days, a great value. The staff were all very friendly until the day of our departure when the person that had been on vacation for the week returned abruptly. Maybe it was the pressure of packing up the family and not checking out promptly that got her jumping on us?? Be aware that upon check out my they count all of the towels and you will be charged for any missing towels of any size. My sister was charged for 4 faceclothes that she did not feel she was ever given and would have no reason to steal. We were charged for a hand towel and a beach towel left by the pool and probably picked up by the staff and taken to the laundry room the day before departure. This was a sour note to leave on and I found it to be very tacky. We were told by our new staff member that they must do this to keep the cost of the dues down. All in all I can see why most people go back, although I think next time we will try to find timeshare accomodations that have a beach in front of the hotel which we missed. We especially like it more toward Playa Del Carmen ( any suggestions ?) and would love to stay at Akamal Beach Resort in the future.

I loved the Place

We stayed at the Coral Mar in December 2004 and like some others was skeptical about being on the lagoon side. Well I am glad we stayed there. The staff was great, place was very clean and it was so nice to be able to come home and enjoy the evening at the bar and the pool with the view of cancun and the piece and quite. Will we go back again. There was always a cab out front to take us to the hotel zone and beaches, $85 pecos each way.

Wonderful...

The staff was very friendly and helpful. It's not brand new, but it's clean, well maintained and away from the hotel zone, which was really a plus for us. There is a mini-mart next door, but a better one is about a 10 minute walk up the street--if you can stand the heat. We didn't mind paying/taking the taxis, it was actually cheaper for us than renting a car for the week because the fare quoted is for up to 4 passengers, which is a tight squeeze, but can be done. Plus, after two tours, we were ready to relax on site in the pool. As another reviewer wrote, Wal-Mart is nearby, so if you don't want to pay everyday for the restaurant, you can buy your own food and cook--stove-top only. The kitchen is fully stocked with dishes. Although you can end up feeling sold-to quite a bit, I highly recommend the tours they sell on-site. Everything is just for the guests at Coral Mar so you don't have to pick/up or drop/off people from other hotels which can make for a long day at the end of a tour. We did Chichen Itza and Xelha, and I think we actually came out ahead vs arranging everything ourselves or buying from one of the "information" staff at the airport. They timed events throughout the day perfectly so you never felt rushed or worn out. It was a little disappointing not to have the beach nearby, but the facility has a deal with a couple of the hotels for use of their beaches--towels, lockers, etc. If you are really feeling like a hermit, they have a lot of services that they can arrange on site for you--massage, manicure, someone even brought souveniers and set up shop during the last couple of days--she was very nice, not pushy. We also recommend you mail your postcards from there as it's difficult to find places that sell stamps--not even at the airport.

Great way to enjoy Cancun without the craziness of the hotel zone.

Having been to Cancun about 10 times, I was honestly a little skeptical driving up to the Coral Mar. I was used to the huge hotels on the strip and the Coral Mar is on the tip of the island in the lagoon. It is about 1.5 miles to the hotel strip. It took us 20 minutes to walk but we had a baby stroller and 2 senior citizens with us. So, needless to say, we only did that once. We rented a van for a few days and took taxi's the rest of the time. We used the van for Tulum and Xel-Ha; both easy drives and you are on your own schedule. The hotel was immaculate! The staff very friendly and accomodating. You can't swim in the lagoon and there isn't a swim up bar but the pool is nice and the real bar is just a few steps away. Our room was a 2 bedroom suite with a FULL kitchen. It was nice to eat breakfast in the room, although we did eat breakfast in the restaurant twice, and it was nice to come home to a quiet room. All in all we loved it. In hind site the only thing we would change is that we would rent the van for the whole week. The price was about the same as the number of taxi's we took. Also check out the 2 for 1 card on cancuncare. It saved us a good amount. Also, shop at Walmart downtown for groceries and stuff. It's on the downtown bus route.

Coral Mar great for families

We stayed at the Coral Mar from March 28th- April 5th. It is located on the lagoon side of the main strip. You can not swim in the lagoon they sat there is crockadiles in there, but the pool was just fine for us.

You can find many public accesses to the Ocean. ( The flea market next to Fat Tuesdays has a wonderful public beach access) It was wonderful to have a quiet peaceful place to come back to everyday. We rented a car since there were 6 of us traveling. Taxi service only allows 4 people per taxi so this was a more economical choice for us. (You need to be an aggressive driver) Cab rides from Coral Mar to the main strip is $8.50 USD do not pay any more than this. We also took our rental car out to Isla Mujures on the car Ferry. What a beautiful ride. I wont say much about the island everyone should see it atleast once. If you go take the Ferry out of Punta Sams.(cheapest place) But dont fall for the tours go on your own. We had a great time. If you get a chance go to chitzen Itza this will be the last year you can climb up the big pyramid. If you drive take the toll rode it is $18.00 usd each way but it is safe and no speed bumps. Back to the Coral Mar the staff were wonderful. I was happy we waited to book tours until we got there because they were all cheaper through the Coral Mar. Barbra also helped us find the rental car. Our rooms were very spacious and clean. There is no laundry on site but about 1 block away you can have your laundry washed for $7.00 per kilo. We did our shopping at walmart for groceries. I will be going back to the Coral Mar for sure. The staff made it feel like home.

A very nice place

Coral Mar was a very nice place to stay for the week. As mentioned previously, I too was initially a little bummed to be away from the action of the hotel zone, but it really was a blessing in disguise. The hotel zone is readily accessible. It is a hike to the bus stop, about a mile, but the taxi is relatively cheap. We rented a car for the week, so it was never an issue for us. The rooms are very, very clean and have AC. Daily maid service is very well done. The staff is very friendly. The restaurant is also nice, though a tad pricey, about 15-18$ per plate, not including drinks. The food is superb though. The downsides: no laundry on site, being a good ways away from the bus stop (though once there, the bus gets you anywhere). Overall, I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Great Place

I just returned from Cancun. The trip was last minute and the Coral Mar was all that was available for me via my time-share trading service. I was, at first, disappointed to stay so far from the "action" of the Hotel Zone. Then, I realized how great the staff was, how wonderful the peace and quiet of the lagoon was, and how helpful the travel office was in making arrangements for day trips to Xel Ha, Chichen Itza, and snorkeling. They no longer have the water taxi available, so taxi's are the only way to get out to the strip unless you want to walk (15 minutes) to Kukulcan Blvd. You can't beat the little restaurant on premises for reasonable prices and a good menu of basic mexican fare. I really had a great experience at the Coral Mar and recommend it to anyone who wants to get away and won't miss the pounding night life action of the Hotel Zone.

Coral Mar a quiet place

We stayed at the Coral Mar by using a time share from our Puerto Vallarta timeshare. We thought the rooms were very nice, very roomy, nicely maintained. The faciliaty is not a mega sight, probably only a hundred or so rooms. This is the place to go if you want a very quiet and very secluded vacation. There are no on the premises activites, but there is a very helpful travel office on the grounds. If you want to go anywhere, except the mini mart, you have to take a cab, or walk 1.5 miles to the bus stop, from which you can go almost anywhere. The on site restaurant was adequate but a little limited, and not cheap, but you will find the later true all over Cancun.

One exception to the "isolated" comment. If you want to play golf ($125/round), the Golf Club Cancun is right on the peninsula with you.

It is a very nice course and clubhouse.

Tips for staying here

Coral Mar is my timeshare, and I have stayed there 3-4 times. The rooms are great, good service, good view of the bay, and the staff is very helpful. There's a small restaurant on site and the prices are very reasonable. There are, however, 2 downsides. It's on the lagoon, and there's no easy access to the hotel zone (and bus service). If you have 4 or more people, it's more economical to take a taxi to the hotel zone, then catch the bus. For just 2, like my wife and I, it's a better deal to user the Aqua-Taxi. At $3 a trip, it's pricey, but if you buy a week long ticket for $35, it becomes a good deal. And the views of Cancun at night from the water are very romantic. True, you'll do some waiting, because the boat doesn't come around as often as the buses, but if you memorize the schedule, you can plan around it.

I tried staying at another hotel last year, in the hotel zone, for comparison purposes, and was glad to come back to Coral Mar. The staff is friendlier, it's not as crowded, and the prices for drinks and meals are much better. So, the tradeoff for me is worth it.

GREAT PLACE

Six of us went and stayed on a private island on the Lagoon.One could not just drive onto the island via the one bridge from the mainland,without being questioned if not recognised.So the feeling was not only one of peace and tranquility with lively evenings at the bar come dance when you want type places but also knowing that the island was safe.Staff are very friendly;courteous as well as being extremely professional.Cancuns hotel zone was near enough for any kind of restaurant,club,disco,stores and much much more. WORLD INTERNATIONAL VACATION CLUB [USA]OWN THE CORAL MAR,POK-TA-POK AVENUE CANCUN.