Hilton Cancun All-Inclusive Guests & Fans FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for the Hilton Cancun All-Inclusive Guests & Fans Facebook group.

The most common questions about the Hilton Cancun All-Inclusive. This will be constantly updated as new questions come up. It was last updated on Jan 26, 2024.

The guide is new as of January 26, 2024, and questions are still being added.

Booking & Hilton Honors

Q: Can you earn Hilton Points if you book through Costco?

A: No. You can add your Hilton Honors (HH) number to your booking, but you must always book your reservation directly with Hilton to earn points and receive Honors benefits.

Q: Do Hilton Diamonds Get Upgraded?

Yes, but it depends on the occupancy level.

If the resort isn’t full, the most common type of upgrade is to an ocean-view room.

The upgrades can vary from a resort view upgrade (resort view to ocean view) or even suite upgrades to something like a 1 bedroom ocean view suite.

Don’t expect an upgrade if you’re here on one of the busiest times of the year, like Christmas to New Year’s. Also, large corporate groups sometimes book up much of the resort, in which case upgrades are unlikely.

Q: How do you Find Availability for Points Bookings

You can book the Hilton Cancun with Hilton points, for either 95,000 points per night or by using a free night certificate from one of the Amex credit cards.

To find availability, go to the Hilton Cancun website (it works better on a desktop or laptop), and click on book a stay.

When the search comes up, click on the dates, then click the shop by price, as shown below

You’ll then need to click on “Special rates” to get the points calendar to show up.

Then select the number of nights you’d like to book. If you’re booking with all points, five nights will get you the 5th-night free benefit (points will be lowered at check out). But this won’t work for a points-plus cash booking.

You also need to click the special rates box, then click the points option to show rewards night availability. Note: you need to keep guests on 2 to show the lowest per night cost.

This will bring up the rewards calendar below. All the nights that say “standard room reward” are bookable with a free night certificate.

Note: With a 5 night stay at 100,000 points per night, it will change to 400,000 points total before you complete the booking.

Cancun Airport and Transportation

Q: Do we need to pay the Quintana Roo Tourism tax?

Before your flight to Cancun, you’ll most likely receive an email similar to this:

All international visitors over 15 to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, including Cancun, must pay a tourism tax of 224 pesos (approximately US $11). This tax is not included in your airfare as it can only be paid online by credit card. The site will generate a receipt, which must be presented to Cancun airport authorities on the day of departure.

This is a legitimate tax but is not enforced yet, as of January 2024.

We just returned and weren’t asked about it at all, and haven’t observed anyone needing to pay it yet. We will update this answer when it changes.

Q: Does Hilton Cancun have a free shuttle?

There’s no complimentary airport transportation, which is standard for most resorts in Mexico.

A complimentary shuttle will take you to one of the other Hilton resorts, Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla. That shuttle departs Hilton Cancun at 9 am, 12 pm, and 4 pm and returns at 1 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm.

Q: How To Get To Hilton Cancun from Cancun Airport

This one is important:

• Whichever company you book with, ALWAYS BOOK IN ADVANCE!
• Don’t book with someone who sends you a message from the Facebook group! We’ve been messaged by people whom these people have scammed.

Walking out of the airport, you’ll be greeted by a chaotic scene like the picture below.

People are shouting and trying to sell (sometimes unlicensed) taxi and shuttle services. You may also pay much more than if you prebook ahead of time. It takes a lot of the stress out of getting from the airport to the hotel.

Shuttle (Best Option)

There’s a transportation link on the Hilton Cancun website for airport shuttles, but it just takes you to a separate company’s (Tropical Incentives) website. And at $75 each way for a private van, there are better/cheaper options.

We’ve used USA Transfers which has been ranked one of the best on TripAdvisor for years, for every Mexico trip and haven’t been disappointed. Roundtrip transportation is just under $105 for a large van for up to 7 people.

If you choose a different company, check the TripAdvisor rankings before booking. Canada Transfers is another highly ranked option.

Pools and Beach

Q: How is the beach here?

This is one of the first questions that appeared after the group was created, and it’s been a popular one since!

Unfortunately, the beach isn’t the best here. We’ll explain why below. But don’t let that ruin your vacation, there’s plenty of other things to do here.

As you head south of the Hotel Zone in Cancun, the water isn’t as as clear and is more affected by seaweed, particularly sargassum, brown algae. The sargassum can vary seasonally.

This Twitter post below is a pretty good indication of the areas you’ll find clear water, with the green being the best, around the hotel zone.

The Hilton Cancun is located further south, near Royalton Riviera and Moon Palace.

Cancun seaweed map today, it’s getting better pic.twitter.com/H7dKdH8qWb

— Alenka Caribe (@AlenkaPhoto) July 24, 2019

While the best beaches are in the Hotel Zone (including one of our other favorites, the Hyatt Ziva Cancun), that area is well-established with no room for new resorts to be constructed.

Due to the running out of places to build resorts near the most transparent water, the newest properties tend to be located south of Cancun, like Hilton Cancun. Moon Palace The Grand is also located nearby (a huge property with a giant water park).

So after that long answer: Yes, the beach isn’t the clearest. But you’ll still have a great time!

All-Inclusive & Tipping

Q: What’s included?

Nearly everything is included in the price:

• Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks with 12 dining options, including five specialty restaurants and three bars
• Stocked minibar that’s refilled daily
• Premium wines and liquors
• Unlimited ice cream & churros
• 24-hour room service, Pool and beach service
• Nightly activities and entertainment
• Pool activities
• Access to state-of-the-art fitness center
• Kids’ Clubs. Kid’s pool and splash area
• Two infinity pools
• Yoga
• WiFi, Concierge services.domestic phone calls
• Taxes and gratuities* (see the tipping questions)

Q: What’s Not Included?

Extra tips or gratuties (see below), speciality restaurant items (see dining section), and water sports.

Q: Is tipping included?

A: Like many all-inclusive resorts, tipping is advertised as included, and some people don’t tip. But servers largely rely on tips for income, so tipping is recommended.

Q: Are US dollars okay for tipping?

Yes, US Dollars are fine for tipping

Q: How much to tip?

A general guideline is:

• $1 per drink
• $5 for room service
• $5 for breakfast
• $10-$20 for dinner

Food and Drink

q: What are the restaurants?

A: See the dining list here.

Q: What’s the best restaurant?

The top consistently recommended restaurants are La Luce (Italian restaurant,) and Auma

q: Are Reservations required?

Yes, reservations are required at La Luce, Auma, and Maxal.

Q: How do you make dinner reservations?

Make reservations in person when you arrive. It’s been reported that if you’re Hilton Diamond, you can email the concierge before arrival to make reservations.

Q: Are there Extra-charge or Specialty restaurants?

All restaurants, bars, and the coffee shop are included. The only extra food or drink charge is if you order the speciality menu at a restaurant, which is marked on the menu.

Items on the specialty menu are entrees like the tomahawk steak at the steakhouse or specialty wine.

Q: Is Room Service Included for Meals?

Yes, room service for meals, including breakfast, is included.

Q: What’s the dress code for restaurants?

Here’s the official guide:

• Casual Restaurants: Shoes are required. Swimwear and beachwear, flip flops, and tank tops are not permitted.
• Smart casual restaurants: Shoes are required. Swimwear and beachwear, beach robes, flip flops, tank tops, and shorts are prohibited.

In practice, shorts and sandals everywhere are probably going to be just fine, and multiple people have reported that. We’ve always had a hard time bringing pants and closed shoes to beach vacations!

Q: How hard are dinner reservations to get?

A: We recommend restaurants for most nights as soon as you arrive for La Luce, Auma, and Maxal.

For short stays, it can be difficult to get reservations on short notice. While you may be able to get Italian and Steakhouse reservations on the same or the next day, it’ll probably be late, 9 p.m. or later. During busy times like Christmas it can be really hard. For longer stays, booking later in the stay shouldn’t be a problem.

Off peak times are easier, but the hotel does get some large groups or conferences year round.

Q: What are The Best drinks to order?

A: Some of the most recommended in the group are the different Mojitos (Tequila Mojito, Mango Mojito, Passion Fruit Mojito), along with the Mango Margarita and Mango Frozen Margarita. Here’s the drink menu:

What type of Liquour is available

VODKA

• Eristoff
• Ketel One
• Titos
• Smimoft Red
• Absolut
• Absolut (Sabores)
• Stoli
• Belvedere
• Greygoose
• Croc

TEQUILA

• Jimador Blanco
• Hornitos Blanco
• Don Julio Blanco
• Cazadores Resosado
• Centenario plata
• Centenario Reposado
• Homitos keposado
• Olmeca Altos blancos
• Olmeca Altos Reposado
• Jose Guervo Tradicional
• Maestro Tequilero Blanco
• Maestro Tequilero Reposado
• Don Julio Reposado
• Centenario Anejo

CREMAC

• Bailey’s
• Toncha Crema de Tequila
• Bell’s Cream
• Crema de Tequila 1923

APERITIVO/DIGESTIVOS

• Campan
• Cinzano Blanco
• Cinzano Dry
• Cinzano Rosse

CERVEZAS

• XX Lager
• Tecate
• Tecate Light
• Bohemia Oscura
• Bohemia Clara
• Heineken
• Heineken Coro

VINOS

• Variedades de vino tinto
• Vanedades de vino Dance
• Vino rosado
• Vino espumoso