Recommend August 2018 - 30

onsitereview

Globetrotting

Poolside at the newly opened
Panama Jack Resorts Cancun.

Panama Jack
Resorts Cancun:
Exceptional Service
David Paul Appell

30 august 2018

recent addition is Panama Jack Coffee Co.,
with tasty brews and baked treats including
signature cinnamon buns (a bell rings when
they're fresh out of the oven). Once I spotted
a magician roaming the lobby, bemusing folks
with his antics and tricks; as GM Matias
Klein put it, "we like to offer our guests nice
surprises!" Another quirky note is the sayings
emblazoned on various walls across the
property, such as "The difference between a
rut and a groove is style and attitude."
Included among the resort's half-dozen
dining options is the dinner-only Casa de
Rosa, where I enjoyed a fabulous steak with
huitlacoche sauce, part of a well chosen menu
of modern Mexican treats. Others include
the main Ventanas buffet (featuring sweet sea
views indeed), casual waterfront grill Deck
74, seafood-oriented Italian Viaggio
(a guest favorite), alfresco At Sunset, and
Jack's Shack taco stand (where you can
watch local ladies making these Mexican
classics by hand).
Just out behind the lobby, right next to
Deck 74 and Las Olas Bar, the main pool
and the beach beyond are of course guests'

"

It's a good value for clients
who want a nice beach and
activities, and good service.
-- Fara Alleyne,
Owner, Travel by Fara

"

Since it officially opened its doors earlier
this year, the 438-guestroom Panama Jack
Resorts Cancun has been making its mark
among the area's many all-inclusives as
a family-friendly, four-star option whose
hallmark is friendliness and exceptional
service (with 640 employees, the staff-toguest ratio is exceptionally high).
The result of a partnership between Playa
Hotels and Resorts and the Panama Jack
brand, Panama Jack Resorts Cancun is the
rebranding and renovation of the Gran
Caribe Resort property, with the new feel
being a nice, breezy mix of modern and retro.
As Kevin Froemming, Playa Hotels &
Resorts' executive v.p. and chief marketing
officer, explains, "This resort concept
resonates with all age categories and greatly
with the U.S./Canada market because of the
widely known brand recognition that the
Panama Jack brand has there. We are seeing
great possibilities for growing this resort
brand not only further in Mexico but also
throughout Jamaica and the DR."
Entering the spacious, airy lobby, a light
take on retro comes into play behind the
reception area, lined with knickknacks
suggestive of vintage travel. Just across the
hall, the expansive main bar, Jack's Landing,
has a view out to the kids' area's colorful
pirate ship, and a stage with nightly shows
from rock bands to traditional Mayaninspired dancers. At the far end, the most

main hangouts for most of the day, with
daily activities including water polo, beach
volleyball and Zumba, cooking classes,
and surfing contests in the moderately
kicky surf. Among other amenities are the
aforementioned kids' area, which besides the
water-gun-equipped pirate ship boasts its own
pool, other fun water attractions like a threestory waterslide, mini-golf, kids' program
Camp Jack (ages 4-12), and #Hashtag teen
zone with video games and other activities.
For adults, the intimate Aura Spa offers a
nice little selection of treatments such as its
signature Tequila Sunrise massage (involving
blue-agave oil), along with a whirlpool and
wet/dry saunas.
The 438 units are distributed into 12
classes, more than half of them 387-sq.-ft.
Junior Suites (I particularly liked the half
dozen right on the beach, connected by their
own pool). Located nearby in a villa annex,
115 645-sq.-ft. suites add separate living
rooms, larger baths/showers, and private
terrace whirlpools; 55 of these are oceanfront.
Another perk especially worth a shoutout is
Cancun's only oceanfront chapel, Our Lady of
Guadalupe, a serene, glass-sided affair gazing
out over the turquoise waters.
Finally, another key difference Klein likes to
emphasize is Panama Jack's social conscience
and commitment to sustainability, with which
the property was explicitly redesigned. That
includes complex energy-saving and recycling
systems, beach-cleaning campaigns, and
onsite details such as notes to guests to reuse
towels and limiting distribution of plastic
straws unless specifically requested. These
measures have won them recognition by
international programs such as Green Globe.
Hand-in-hand with this, the resort also
sponsors a number of local social initiatives;
for example, one of the available day
trips takes guests 90 minutes south to the
town of Tulum, famous for its beaches and
seaside Mayan ruins but also home to the
Melipona Maya Foundation, which works to
preserve traditional but endangered Mayan
beekeeping, as well as to re-establish it in
local communities to provide income streams
from honey and beeswax. ■
Contact Information

Panama Jack Resorts Cancun:
panamajackresorts.com/cancun
recommend.com
http://www.panamajackresorts.com/cancun http://www.recommend.com
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