The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cancun where Ted Cruz and his family jetted off to, before he scurried back amid widespread criticism of abandoning Texans facing an unprecedented winter storm, boasts five stars and a hefty price tag.
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The luxe resort, where rooms cost a minimum of $380 per night, offers 1,200 feet of white-sand beachfront with two swimming pools and an oceanfront whirlpool, as well as private beach cabanas and lounges.
It has received numerous awards and accolades and has been listed among the best hotels in Mexico by outlets including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes Travel Magazine.
Cruz, facing criticism, arrived at the Cancun airport ferried by a man wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with the hotel’s logo, CNBC reported.
A chastened Ted Cruz landed back in Houston on Thursday afternoon and said he ‘regrets’ flying to Cancun in the middle of the state’s energy crisis for a vacation while at least 24 people are known to have died in Texas.
Cruz enraged his state by fleeing in the midst of the worst snow storms to hit in decades, with power failing for millions of Americans, and people left freezing in the subzero temperatures.
On arrival in Cancun, Cruz’s wife Heidi had texted friends and neighbors, encouraging them to join their family in Mexico.
She said their house was ‘FREEZING’ and said that their hotel, which they apparently got for a bargain of $309-a-night, had excellent security, according to the texts, which were obtained and published by the New York Times. She noted they had stayed there many times before.
The top-of-the-line lodgings got five stars from AAA – and it’s got two five-star restaurants on property, too. It’s said to be the only five-star hotel in North America that also has two five-star restaurants: the Fantino and The Club Grill, according to its website.
Fantino’s menu offers dishes like roasted Caribbean lobster and tarragon butter Cornish hen, according to Open Table. It also offers a tasting menu for about $110 with an additional wine pairing for an extra $50.
The restaurant’s interior ‘combines man-made frescoes with floor-to-ceiling windows,’ creating a stunning view for guests.
The Club Grill was described by Frommer’s as: ‘Dining is a theatrical experience, like being dropped into the set of a BBC historical drama.’
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Its menu includes recommended items such as the pear salad, roasted duck and ‘signature souffles.’
‘We were initially intimidated by the formal look of the dining room and the dress code requirement,’ one Yelp review reads.
The resort offers seven other dining options offering Mexican favorites as well as international foods including a sushi bar.
A luxury spa offers treatments ‘inspired by ancient Mayan traditions,’ its website reads.
Featured treatments include an 80-minute Kayanta Synergy Massage for $220. It combines Swedish massage with warm stones, pressure points, stretching and lomi-lomi techniques, according to the website.
For $230, an 8-minute ‘Mayan Sanctuary Ritual’ lets guests unwind after sunset with an ‘exotic massage experience performed with seashells in the privacy of the Spa’s beachfront terrace.’
A ‘Zac-Xib Bath Elixir’ combines a vigorous body scrub with ‘a renewing bath therapy’ and essential oils for $140.
The most expensive treatment on the spa menu is an 18-minute ‘Escape to Purification’ for around $465, which includes a ‘slimming shape-up wrap,’ a detox massage and a detox facial.
Spa guests can also ‘have worries melted away’ with access to other spa amenities including: aromatherapy showers and steam rooms, whirlpools and plunge pools.
‘It’s a moderately priced spa and worth every peso,’ according to one reviewer on TripAdvisor.
A ‘contemporary fitness center’ offers numerous classes including a sunrise yoga class and salsa dancing lessons.
The 2,460-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Suite offers luxury at the top floor of the hotel for about $2,150 per night. The suite boasts 1.5 baths, including soaking tub baths and wet bar, a personal terrace overlooking the ocean, and a walk-in closet.
All of the hotel’s rooms feature private balconies or terraces with panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea.
The hotel also offers an interactive sea turtle conservation program offered May through September, while it was revealed this week Texas residents braved the cold to rescue more than 4,000 endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico from ‘cold stun.’
Of the hotel’s negative reviews, guests note that the hotel is ‘extremely noisy’ and ‘not worth the money.’
‘Could literally hear guests peeing and flushing their toilets throughout the night. Got no sleep. Hotel nickled and dimed us,’ one guest wrote.
Another said: ‘I found a large paper napkin crumpled up into a ball at the bottom of my salad bowl while I was eating it.’
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