We spent a week at Ambience Villas and I would return again, but its not the hotel for everyone. I think it was built in the early 1980's and its dwared by Presidente and Olean hotels which tower over the 3 or 4 story Ambience. When I walked by the nearby Riu Resorts, I suffered from momentary Resort Envy, until I realized they had very little beach compared to Ambience, and I heard people complain about fighting for pool chairs. Always had a nice Palapa on the beach or a chair available by the pool. My wife and I had the breakfast plan and it kept us both filled up until dinner--maybe it was the heat, but I was never hungry the whole vacation. I ate dinner once at Ambience and the food and svc. were reasonable and tasty. As for drinks, we bought our tequilla at Wal-Mart, froze it with mango and pineapple juice in quart sized thermos cups overnight and sipped it all afternoon around the pool.

The warning I give is that I wouldn't stay on the 1 st floor again. We opted for the 1 BR with a kitchen and living room, and we didn't have hot water the first day. They tried to fix it and we got lukewarm. Midweek, sewage started bubbling up through the shower, and they PROMPTLY moved us upstairs. We got our hot water finally, and I noticed all week long that they were having to replace sections of PVC pipe that appeared to be leaking. Again, the hotel looked like it was built in the early 80's, but it is kept up, and some of the units look like they are owned and resided in year-round. Ambience probably isn't the only place in Cancun with some sewage issues, but they handled it quickly and professionally. I was gone ATV riding and my wife was alone in the room when it happened. It could have been worse if our luggage and stuff were on the floor and no one was there when the sewage started flowing up through the shower. What a stinky surprise that would have been. We didn't dwell on it and our vacation went on as planned.

If you can get over resort envy for a better beach, and don't want to go the all-inclusive route for freedom to eat somewhere outside the resort, want peace and quiet and not a party at the resort every night, Ambience is the best value in Cancun.

Language was never a problem, and the best source of information is Xavier, the guy who has an office space off to the side of the front desk, where you can book side trips. Made great recommendations for restaurants, where to find things and all the side trips he booked were as described and went off without a hitch. He is also who you talk to when you arrange your transfer to the airport when you leave Cancun, not the jerks in the airport. Some people booked trips outside the resort and got ripped off, so we stuck with Xavier.



We went to Xel-Ha, Deep Sea fishing and I did the ATV without my wife, all were a great time. My email is tdonahue@woh.rr.com if I can help out any other first time travelers.

This was a nice place, we really enjoyed staying there. It is right on the beach, has a clean pool, nice staff, good breakfast and big rooms. We stayed in a double room, but they also have suites (for a minimal upcharge) which have a fridge and a siting area. we did not mind, as the beach bar will always help you with cold drinks that you can enjoy on the beach or on your balcony overlooking the ocean. It was quiet and a pleasant 10 minute walk from Cocobongo and Dady O's. Many families stayed there (probably because of the suites). If the regular high-rise chain hotels with a big price tag are not your thing, this is probably your best option in Cancun.

This was a first out of the country vacation for me so I didn't really know what to expect. The Ambiance Villas turned out to be the perfect place. Absolutely the best beach around. The rooms were huge and kept very clean. Everybody spoke perfect English and were very helpful. This is a smaller hotel for the area but they have everything and anything that you need. We did a lot of exploring but when we go back we plan on not leaving the hotel often if ever. I was not very impressed with the town but this hotel was great.

The Ambiance is a very beautiful hotel. The beach is the best that I saw along the strip, no rocks, the sand is pretty and even, not a great deal of seaweed. Compared to the other hotels this was the best beach. The rooms were great!!! If you come there is no need to do the all inclusive because you have a great stainless steel kitchen in the room with everything you could possibly need minus the food. Their is also a washer and dryer. We had a three bedroom villa that had three bathrooms and two balconies and a living room and dinning room. There is plenty of space. The rooms are nicely decorated and everything was up to date.
We did the all inclusive, so we had the all you can eat buffet for breakfast, which was good and had American food and fruit. The lunch and dinner were okay, they had a pretty American menu, although I was looking for more Mexican dishes. Since we had the all inclusive, the drinks were good, some times a little watered down, but you can have as many as you want, so it doesn't matter. The Coronas were great.
The hotel has a nice pool, mainly for kids. But again the beach is nice and very relaxing, lounge chairs with cushions are provided.
Overall, great hotel, had a little problem with the front desk upon check-in, they were not very nice, but everything else was great. I would stay here again. The location is also great, especially since the bus runs constantly.