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Hotel Emporio Cancún optional All-Inclusive

Cancun, Mexico

4.3(8,595 reviews)

Family

Emporio Cancun runs on a concept that sets it apart on a strip full of sealed-off all-inclusives: the all-inclusive plan is optional. You can book the room and eat your way around Cancun, which is a legitimate strategy in a city with excellent food well outside the Hotel Zone, or you can add the plan and never leave. The hotel is beachfront at Km 17 on Blvd. Kukulcan, at the airport end of the strip, with 400 rooms and suites, a smoke-free beach and free Wi-Fi throughout. The room list is unusually broad for a four-star property: Deluxe rooms, Deluxe and Master Suites in oceanfront and partial-ocean-view versions, Family Suites in King and Double, oceanfront Swim Up rooms, the Suite Gobernador and the Casa EK presidential suite.

Traveler Insights

Pros

+The optional all-inclusive is the real draw: you can book the room on its own and eat around Cancun, or add the plan, which almost no other beachfront hotel on the strip lets you choose. As a yardstick, the hotel's 2026 day pass runs 1,299 pesos for the room-only plan and 2,199 pesos for all-inclusive, with reduced rates for children
+There is a genuine adults-only oceanfront infinity pool with panoramic Caribbean views, kept separate from a large family pool area that has its own children's section and a paddling pool with a play area, so both ends of the guest list get their own water
+Club Piruetas runs a proper kids programme for ages 4 to 12 with pinatas, face painting, beach games, kites, trivia and movies, and travelers repeatedly name the staff who run it rather than just mentioning that it exists
+400 rooms and suites across an unusually wide range of categories, including Family Suite King and Double, Master Suites and Deluxe Suites in oceanfront and partial-ocean-view versions, oceanfront Swim Up rooms in King and Double, plus the Suite Gobernador and the Casa EK presidential suite
+Activities thrown in rather than sold on: snorkelling, beach volleyball, water aerobics, dance classes and bicycle tours, with a gym open 24 hours and a smoke-free beach
+Sitting at Km 17 puts the hotel at the airport end of the Hotel Zone, which makes for one of the shorter transfers on the strip, and the R1 and R2 public buses stop right outside for trips into town

Cons

−Four restaurants and five bars is a modest dining programme by Cancun standards, where full all-inclusives on the same strip run six to nine restaurants, so a long stay will cycle through the menus
−This is not a 24-hour all-inclusive. On the plan, breakfast runs 06:30 to 12:00, lunch 13:00 to 17:00, beach and pool snacks 10:00 to 18:00 and dinner 18:00 to 23:00, the open bar is 10:00 to 18:00 at the beach and pool bars and 17:00 to 23:00 in the Legacy Room, and the pools close at 20:00
−The optional structure creates a two-tier property, and the single most common booking mistake is arriving without the plan you thought you had, because the default rate on many booking sites is room-only. Guests not on the plan report friction over basics like morning coffee
−The adults-only pool is actively enforced, and families have described being moved off it while swimming with a child, so read which pool is which before you settle in
−Km 17 is at the quiet, far end of the Hotel Zone, well away from the restaurant and nightlife cluster, so evenings out mean a bus or a taxi rather than a walk
−The grounds have several staircases and the layout is not flat, which is worth knowing for anyone with mobility limitations
−If you are booking a suite specifically for a kitchen, confirm it with the hotel first: booking sites describe kitchen-equipped suites and villas here, but the hotel's own current room pages do not itemise kitchens for any category

Day to day the operation is smaller in scale than its neighbours and more personal with it. The hotel counts four restaurants and five bars: Fasano for an Argentine and Uruguayan menu, Bacoli Trattoria for Italian, CuA Culinary Artisans and the Sunset Grill, with the Legacy Room lounge, the Wet Bar and Area Lounge and the Beach Bar handling drinks. That is modest next to a full RIU or Iberostar on the same strip, and it is the clearest trade-off here. The water side is better thought out than the dining: an adults-only oceanfront infinity pool with panoramic views sits apart from a large family pool area with a children's section and a paddling pool, Club Piruetas keeps 4 to 12 year olds busy, and snorkelling, volleyball, water aerobics, dance classes and bicycle tours are included. The gym is open around the clock, though the pools close at 20:00 and the all-inclusive bar service stops at 23:00, so this is not a round-the-clock resort. Warm, attentive staff is the compliment travelers pay this hotel most consistently, and it comes up more often than any facility.

Emporio suits travelers who want beachfront Cancun without the mega-resort conveyor belt: families who need suite space and a real kids club, couples who want to mix resort days with dinners in town, and anyone who would rather not pay for an all-inclusive they will not use. Against the alternatives, Riu Caribe next up the strip offers far more dining variety and a party programme, and the big Iberostar and Riu Palace properties run slicker all-inclusive operations, but neither lets you opt out of the plan or matches Emporio's suite range at this price. Be deliberate at booking: buy the plan before arrival if you want it, because adding it later costs more and the default rate on most sites does not include it. The R1 and R2 buses stop outside for downtown Cancun, Playa Delfines is just up the road, and the Nichupte Lagoon is close for kayaking and fishing.

Common Questions

How does the optional all-inclusive work, and what does it actually cover?

You either book the room on its own or add the all-inclusive plan, which covers breakfast 06:30 to 12:00, lunch 13:00 to 17:00, snacks at the beach and pool areas 10:00 to 18:00 and dinner 18:00 to 23:00, with the open bar running 10:00 to 18:00 at the beach and pool bars and 17:00 to 23:00 in the Legacy Room. Note what that excludes: there is no round-the-clock food or drink service here. Buy the plan deliberately before you arrive, because the default rate on most booking sites is room-only and adding it at the desk costs more.

Is Emporio Cancun a good choice for families with children?

Yes, more so than most hotels on this strip. Club Piruetas runs activities for ages 4 to 12 including pinatas, face painting, beach games, kites and movies, and the staff who run it get named in traveler reviews. There are Family Suite King and Double categories for space, and the main pool area has a dedicated children's section plus a paddling pool with a play area. The one thing to watch is the adults-only oceanfront pool, which is enforced, so keep the kids to the family side.

How many restaurants are there, and what are they?

The hotel counts four restaurants and five bars. The restaurants are Fasano, which serves an Argentine and Uruguayan menu, Bacoli Trattoria for Italian, CuA Culinary Artisans and the Sunset Grill, with the Legacy Room lounge, the Wet Bar and Area Lounge and the Beach Bar covering drinks. It is a modest lineup against the six-to-nine-restaurant all-inclusives nearby, which is exactly why the option to skip the plan and eat in town is worth something here.

Is there an adults-only area?

Yes, an oceanfront infinity pool reserved for adults, with panoramic views over the Caribbean, kept separate from the family pool area. It is genuinely policed rather than nominal, and guests have described being asked to move when swimming there with a child. If a quiet adult pool matters to you, this is a real one, and if you are travelling with kids, note which pool you are heading for.

What is the best way to get to downtown Cancun from the hotel?

The R1 and R2 Hotel Zone buses stop right outside and run frequently through the day and into the evening for a fare of roughly 12 pesos each way, taking 20 to 30 minutes to downtown depending on traffic. Uber works in Cancun and usually costs a few dollars for the same trip. Taxis do not run meters, so agree the fare before getting in. Km 17 is the far, quiet end of the strip, so budget for the trip rather than expecting to walk to restaurants.

Restaurants (4)

Type	Restaurants
Buffet	CúA Culinary Artisans, Sunset Grill
Italian	Bacoli Trattoria
Steakhouse	Fasano

From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.

What's nearby

Ferry to Isla Mujeres
30 min drive · 12 mi
Playa Delfines
5 min drive · 2.1 mi
Isla Contoy day trip
30 min drive · 12 mi
Playa Tortugas
20 min drive · 6.7 mi
Museo Maya de Cancún
2 min walk · 0.1 mi
El Meco Ruins
35 min drive · 14 mi

More things to do (24)

Catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres · excursion20 min drive · 6.7 mi
Downtown Cancún (Parque Las Palapas) · town25 min drive · 11 mi
Xoxi Cancún · adventure park25 min drive · 11 mi
Whale shark swim (June to September) · excursion30 min drive · 12 mi
Playa Las Perlas · beach25 min drive · 9.0 mi
Garrafón Park day trip (Isla Mujeres) · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
Croco Cun Zoo · wildlife30 min drive · 20 mi
Playa Caracol · beach14 min drive · 5.1 mi
Riviera Cancún Golf · golf20 min drive · 7.7 mi
Playa Ballenas · beach4 min drive · 1.4 mi
Iberostar Cancún Golf Club · golf6 min drive · 1.4 mi
Playa Coral · beach11 min drive · 5.7 mi
Puerto Cancún Golf Course · golf30 min drive · 11 mi
Puerto Morelos reef snorkel trip · excursion40 min drive · 22 mi
El Rey Ruins · ruins3 min drive · 1.3 mi
Playa San Miguelito · beach5 min drive · 1.9 mi
Playa Delfines Lookout · viewpoint5 min drive · 2.1 mi
Iberostar Golf Club Cancún · golf6 min drive · 1.4 mi
Playa Marlín · beach6 min drive · 2.4 mi
Yamil Lu'um · ruins8 min drive · 2.9 mi
Playa Chac Mool · beach12 min drive · 4.4 mi
Playa Gaviota Azul · beach13 min drive · 4.7 mi
Playa Langosta · beach20 min drive · 7.5 mi
Torre Escénica de Cancún · viewpoint20 min drive · 8.0 mi

Amenities

Adults-Only Pool

Kids Club

Snorkeling

Water Sports Rentals

Free Wi-Fi

Buffet Dining

Spa

Gym

Show 1 more amenities

Beach

Style & Rooms

Room upgrades

Swim-Up Rooms

Seaweed & sargassum

Cancun gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →

Every all-inclusive in Cancun →

Google Reviews★ 4.3 · 8,595 reviews

Jem

a week ago

“Mine and my partners experience here was extremely positive. We didn’t go all inclusive so can’t comment on the food etc, but the hotel and service we received was great, the hotel was very spacious and clean and had everything we needed. The private...”

Rubens L.

2 weeks ago

“We stayed at Emporio Cancun with my wife and our 8-year-old twin daughters, and we were honestly surprised by the high quality of the hotel—it was well above what we expected. The gastronomic experience was a major highlight. Being able to secure res...”

Divyendu A.

a month ago

“Its a great property with breathtaking views of the beach. We had the beachfront room with amazing view. Staff is very polite and tries their best to communicate even though 90% of them don't speak English. The dinner reservation booking process is v...”