A FOOD LOVER’S TRIP TO CANCUN

AT THE HILTON CANCUN, ALL-INCLUSIVE TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW CULINARY MEANING

BY HANNAH SELINGER

Was this a resort, or a street corner in Tulum? Another bewitching culinary option arrived at midday. The ceviche cart, clearly the resort’s most popular, required a little patience, as I waited in line for my made-to-order poolside snack.

My children, not fish lovers, preferred the taco truck, Maxal Taqueria, tacos al pastor, a spitroasting puck of pork, basted by pineapple and onion. Tortillas and meat were warmed through on the plancha, then topped with a shaving of pineapple, onion, and salsa.

In the winter of 2022, Juan Corvinos, a senior vice president at Hilton, made me a promise. Hilton Cancun, he said, the brand’s 715-room all-inclusive that opened in November of 2021, would deliver untold culinary delights. It was part of the brand’s ambition, after all, to reimagine the framework of what an all-inclusive resort could deliver in terms of food and beverage.

This past November, one year after Hilton Cancun opened its doors, my husband, two children, and I traveled to Cancun to check out the resort’s 12 dining concepts for ourselves.

That first evening, we were due to enjoy one of the hotel’s so-called Extraordinary Experiences, which are add-ons that guests can opt for in addition to the all-inclusive fees. On the beach, our table lay in wait, a beautifully lit cabana for four, where we enjoyed food from Auma, the hotel restaurant's open-fire mixed grill concept.

In the morning, we headed to breakfast at Vela, the buffet-style venue that offers an unparalleled view of the water. My children went straight for the sweet cereals and pastry tables, but I remained outside, where traditional Mexican tortillas were being flattened and warmed next to all the necessary accoutrement: a variety of salsas, refried beans, rice, vegetables, stewed meats, and shrimp.

While our kids spent the evening with the endlessly energized staff of the resort’s kids club, my husband and I ducked into Maxal, a casual dinner-only Mexican restaurant highlighting the country’s diverse cuisine. There, we sampled an Oaxacanstyle mole, made with black coffee and served with beef tenderloin.

My family and I settled into lunch the next afternoon at Sunan, an Asian restaurant with low-slung tables overlooking the restaurant. With its openair concept and casual vibe, Sunan was the perfect shady spot for a midday meal. There, the sushi — a tempura-fried tuna roll with yuzu and cucumber and a ceviche roll with shrimp and pickled onion — was impossibly fresh, and a teppanyaki bowl with chicken, shrimp, and crunchy vegetables, compelled even my often-picky children.

Even an adventure in the resort’s massive splash playground couldn’t distract my kids from La Churreria, the sweets shop with gelato, a panoply of colorful cakes, cinnamon and sugar-dusted churros, candies, and cupcakes.

But perhaps the trip’s most impressive meal was our final one, at La Luce, the property’s Italian restaurant that is open to guests for dinner (reservations recommended). Juan Corvinos had tipped me off to La Luce’s superlative pizzas, but I had my suspicions. Great pizza at an all-inclusive in Mexico? I’d see about that.

La Luce is framed by its pizza oven, visible from most of the restaurant, a set piece that defines the dining room. That dining room looks as decadent as any fine dining venue in any major city. The bar: backlit with onyx. The ceiling: lit from above with a thousand suspended lights.

We ordered pizzas; a salad of burrata, prosciutto, and grilled peaches; an heirloom Caprese; a minestrone soup. Our pies were chewy and pliant, charred though not burnt. They were shockingly good. We ate it all. I sat for a moment too long, expecting a check to arrive, the way I would after any meal, in any fine restaurant. It didn’t come. And then I remembered where I was, shook the surprise off, because this was, after all, part of the experience. It really was that good.

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