Lavish resort with superior amenities and fabulous dining. Mikado's or the Argentine restaurant are wonderful choices. Rooms feature flat panel tvs and impeccable decor. Next door to JW Marriott which you may use during your stay and charge items to your room. The beach is still recovering from the hurricaines as we have visited this same resort for many years and remember the powder fine sand and how the beach once was. As time passes on the rocks on the beach will erode and the beach will recover. You cannot go wrong with this establishment!

Excellent filet mignon/lobster via room service.

Just got back from a vacation with my daughter, sister and niece. We stayed at the Casa Magna and had a great time. As stated in other reviews the staff is very friendly and helpful, the rooms are clean and neat (thank you Luis), the pool is nice and the beach was great. I'm not sure why people complain about the beach. There are some rocky areas, actually one, but the rest of the beach is beautiful. The ocean can be a bit strong but that didn't keep us from going in. If you have small children just make sure you pay attention to the flags they post. If it's a calm ocean you want then just hop onto the bus and head north. The Island of Women was beautiful. We did our dolphin swim there and then spent the day at the beach (which was very calm) and then did some shopping. If time had allowed I would have gone back. I could go on about everything but I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Oh, beware of Senior Frogs it is not for families with small children. Bling is an excellent restaurant and bar.

Our family (2 adults, 1 teenager, 1 8-year-old) stayed at the Casa Magna in mid-April 2008. The hotel is absolutely lovely and the staff was terrific, friendly and helpful. Complaints about the shallow depth of the beachfront are overexaggerated. There is ample area to swim and the water was wonderful. If you do not plan to venture out and sample local cuisine (which is encouraged - and do so beyond the Hotel Zone), taking advantage of the all-inclusive option might be cost effective. Most of the on-site restaurants offer a good range of choices, and you may take advantage of the restaurants at the JW Marriott, which is next door. Be advised that the food at Champions Bar is mediocre, but for a teenager and young sports enthusiast, the multiple large screen TVs were a welcomed diversion.

Leonardo and Alberto at the front of the hotel are very nice, friendly and provided us with excellent suggestions. In the evening, the lobby gets a bit loud, but the noise does not extend into the rooms. If you have requested a "garden view" room, don't be surprised if your "view" is that of the grassy walkway between 2 buildings and their rooftops. Since we hardly spent any time in our room, it didn't matter. However, if you have an room with an ocean view, you will thorougly enjoy it. The room was clean, beds comfortable, AC worked fine and the bathroom was spacious.

The pool is lovely and the grounds are well-maintained. The lunch menu poolside is OK. It is advisable to select lounge chairs early. Currency exchange from US dollar (and other) to Mexican peso is available at the front desk, but they will not convert peso back to dollar.

We suggest renting a car (Budget rentals are available through the hotel) and driving to the ruins at Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum. It is inexpensive ($80 US for a 1-day, small car - standard transmission) and gives you greater flexibility. The tours offered by the hotel are very expensive. Chichen Itza is about 2 hours from the hotel and well worth the drive. Plan to spend at least 1/2 a day. Tulum is along the coast - about 1.5 hours from Chichen Itza. You can do both sites - and even get a glimpse of Coba - in 1 day. We also suggest driving north from Tulum and spending the dinner hour and afterwards at Playa del Carmen. (There is a parking lot just off Avenida Juarez - about 2 blocks from "Fifth Avenue" - $1.50 per hour).

Take advantage of the public bus. It operates 24/7 throughout the hotel zone and is inexpensive, clean and rarely is the wait more than 5 or 10 minutes.

Shopping in the hotel zone is like taking a trip to NYC. Same stores, same merchandise. The prices are OK. The "malls" in the hotel zone offer US franchise restaurants...

Instead, take the bus to downtown Cancun and walk around Mercado 28 for handicrafts, and souvenirs. Silver jewelry is not a real bargain anymore, but the Talavera pottery is beautiful and in every price range, color, pattern and shape. Handmade dresses are available for young children and are good buys. If you can, bring back some tequila and the local almond-honey liqueur - Xtabentun. Be sure to store the liquor in your check-in suitcase. It cannot be taken with you in carry-on luggage.

If you plan on sending postcards - postage is more than $1.00 (US) per card, and it is now more than 2 weeks and no postcards have arrived stateside as yet.

Upon your arrival in Mexico, when you exit customs and immigration, proceed directly out of the airport to get a taxi to your hotel. Do not stop to talk to the staff situated to the right. They appear to be government tourism representatives, but are actually employees of various tour groups and timeshare companies. Initially you are made to believe that they are there to provide maps, overall information etc. Then quickly the hardsell arrives, trying to force you to commit to spending 90 minutes at a presentation (for which you must give a $20 per head deposit). Don't be fooled by the "deals" for excursions to Xcaret, Xel-Ha, etc. Also, keep safe the immigration document that Mexican officials hand to you. You will need it when you exit the country.

We would return to Cancun and the CasaMagna anytime!

My boyfriend and I, who are in our mid-20s had Marriott points to use and wanted to go out of the country. After some reading up and deciding, we picked Cancun, and the Marriott CasaMagna Resort. The pictures are 100% accurate. The place is spotlessly clean, the lobby is grand, the pool is immaculate, and the staff is friendly (although friendly and helpful to the point of being potentially annoying if that is possible.) We've both traveled internationally (Australia), but never to a non-English speaking country. The Marriott was the high quality we expected, complete with turn down service nightly. The first day housekeeping cleaned our room, we came back and the empty ziplock bags in the bathroom on the counter were even folded!!! No lie!!

Tips/Hints/Suggestions
1. Take the hotel shuttle from the airport. It will cost you $25, but is well worth it, and you don't have to deal with the million taxi drivers hassling you as you leave baggage claim.

2. Take the local bus that runs up and down the Zona Hotelera (main hotel strip) It is approx $0.65 per ride and a taxi will run you $5 a pop. The buses come literally every 2 minutes and are always full and safe at night (we felt so). You will get asked coming out of every door if you want a taxi. Say no unless you absolutely have to!

3. There is a flea market north of the hotel area called Market 28. The bus will take you there, and although there are tons of crafts/wares/clothes, YOU WILL GET SWARMED by every vendor every second. We went on a Sunday morning at 9am, and it was like a red neon bullseye reading TOURIST was stamped on our head. You can bargain though, so be assertive and compare prices before making a purchase. We could only take 25 minutes of it, and had to leave, because it was so annoying (and we're from Philly, not high-maintenance type of people!)

4. Simply Seafood has a $46 Prime rib/Seafood buffet that is awesome!! you must eat there, and eat up!

5. In the Kulkucan Plaza, about 1/2-3/4 miles from the CasaMagna, there is a restaurant in the food court called Tequila Grill. You must eat there also!! Margaritas 2 for 1 from 5pm-8pm and the food is sooooo good and authentic Mexican. We ate there 3 times during our 5-day stay. 2 Entrees and drinks for just under $30.

6. Chichen Itza- We went, but on our own terms, renting a car from the Budget office in the hotel. We didn't want to be required to do an all day event, so we rented a car and did it ourselves. Get a detailed road map. Surprisingly, the hotel had no road maps to give away, only tourist coastal maps. It's a 2.5hr drive, and we took the mail (toll) highway there. It's a straight shot, but it's a $22 toll, and when you exit the state of Quintana Roo and enter Yucatan, the military checkpoint will stop you and do a quick search of the car for any contraband I suppose. (Read: 5 Mexican guys in fatigues with MACHINE GUNS slung around their neck, and who speak no English!!!) There were several people and tour buses around, so we weren't scared, but it was a bit unnerving.

7. DO NOT stop for gas at a random, off-road Pemex gas station. The locals WILL take you for tourists and try to rip you off. And if you travel back from Chichen Itza on the free road Hwy 180, the gas stations are few and far between, so fill up!!!

All in all, it was a fabulous time, we definitely want to go back, and Cancun was a blast!! If you stay inside the Resort, it is a paradise vacation, but if you're willing to venture out a little and get some local flavor, be cautious, and don't be surprised if they try to pull things over on you.

We love the Marriott!!