JW Lobby Bar

The JW Lobby Bar is the place in the Hotel Zone to work your way through a margarita list. The bar sits in the lobby of the JW Marriott Cancún, at kilometre 14.5 of Boulevard Kukulcán, and the hotel describes it as recently renovated, with a terrace that looks out over the resort and the Caribbean Sea.

Its calling card is a menu of fifty margaritas, so it is worth asking the bartenders for their favourites. The dress code is casual.

Opening hours are generous for a hotel bar. From Monday to Friday it opens from 16:00 to midnight, on Saturday from 12:00 to midnight and on Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00, so it works as an afternoon refuge from the sun, a sunset spot and a nightcap venue. The hotel also runs a deli, 750 Pizzeria, with espresso and gelato until 23:00 if you want a snack with your drink.

The bar is a good alternative for travellers who want a relaxed drink with a view rather than the big clubs of Punta Cancún. It suits couples, small groups and hotel guests, and the terrace is the best place to sit when the weather is fine. Non-residents should check with the hotel about access before making a special trip. The hotel's Gift Shop and 750 Pizzeria also serve New York-style pizza and empanadas from early morning until late, which is useful for a quick bite before or after a drink on the terrace.

If you want to stay in the hotel for dinner, the JW Marriott has several restaurants, including Gustino Italian Grill, the Mediterranean Sybil and Sasi Thai, an open-air Thai restaurant with sunset views. For something more secretive, La 16 Speakeasy is hidden behind a door inside the hotel's Spanish restaurant, Bravío, and opens nightly from 17:30.

The JW Marriott is on the busy central stretch of the boulevard. Fred's House is at the same kilometre marker, and Harry's, Porfirio's and Puerto Madero are just to the north between kilometres 14.1 and 14.2, while HROOF, the rooftop nightclub above Harry's, opens on Friday and Saturday nights for anyone who wants to carry on dancing after the margaritas.