Last Updated on April 12, 2023
The Iberostar Selection Cancun is a large and popular all-inclusive resort for families and friends traveling to Cancun. Within the Iberostar Selection Cancun resort is a newer, separate building that houses the exclusive Coral Level. The Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level provides an overall more premium and exclusive experience than the standard Iberostar Selection resort. We go through all of the details that makes the Coral Level special and try to answer the question of is Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun worth it?
We spent 5 days here and put together this Iberostar Selection Cancun Review, specifically reviewing the Coral Level all-inclusive option, which is really like a hotel within an hotel, to help you decide where to stay next when visiting Cancun! If you are not sure if you should travel to Tulum or Cancun, check out our post Cancun vs Tulum: Where to Go?
Disclaimer: Our stay at the Iberostar Selection Cancun in the Coral Level was complimentary. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and as always, all our opinions on this Coral Level Iberostar Selection Cancun review are our own. Please note that some of the links in the below article are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase. Click here for the full disclosure statement. Thank you for supporting the businesses that support us!
Table of Contents
Iberostar Selection Cancun Location
The Iberostar Selection Cancun is located in the lower third of the popular Hotel Zone, just outside the town of Cancun. This makes the resort an easy 15-minute drive from Cancun International Airport. This area of the Cancun Hotel Zone is a little bit quieter, and less busy compared to the northern end where all of the shops, restaurants, bars and clubs are located.
The Iberostar Selection Cancun does not provide shuttle service. You can book a transfer to your hotel from Cancun Airport Round-Trip Transfer as a shared shuttle or private airport transfer.
Taxis are readily available at Cancun airport, but can be $45 USD plus, due to the strong taxi union. Uber is illegal in Cancun and is not allowed to operate at the airport. That being said, Uber does operate in Cancun, and you can use the service at your own risk, just not from the airport.
We used Uber to get around Cancun, however the service was from the app was not consistent. Sometimes we opened the app to get a ride and there were no cars for over 20 minutes. An essential Cancun travel tip is that it’s best to always have a plan B if you want to use Uber to get around Cancun. Even though Uber is considered illegal, we consider it a much safer option than taking a taxi, and we also prefer having a clear upfront price, and our location being tracked; all Uber drivers we had were super friendly, and the service is surprisingly inexpensive.
Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Arrival
When you arrive at the Iberostar Selection Cancun, you will first be greeted at the security gate and your reservation will be confirmed before you can reach the hotel. The large curving driveway goes uphill to reach the hotel where the bellman will help you with your luggage.
This is the main entrance to the Iberostar Selection Cancun with the main check-in lobby just inside the doors. However, if you are staying at the Coral Level, look for the agent standing near a Coral Level podium for your check-in experience.
If nobody is there, just ask the bellman where the Coral Level check in is located. From the main entrance you will be taken by golf cart along the path with encircles the entire resort. You will drive by the main resort pool and restaurants before reaching the Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level building.
Stepping into this building you will immediately notice that the finishes and design are more modern and fresh, even though this building is not as grand overall. The Coral Level staff will help you with the check-in process and explain all of the benefits of exclusive Coral Level package.
As we arrived during COVID-19 times, safety precautions were in place such as hand sanitizers and staff were wearing face masks throughout our entire stay. Most guests did not wear face masks, though they were also not required at any time.
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Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Rooms
The Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun is an all-suite building with the main differences between rooms being the floor they are located on, as well as an upcharge for a corner suite. The one exception is the Junior Suite Rooftop Ocean Front, which has a two-story balcony with outdoor staircase and private pool! All Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level room are located in the Coral Level building on the floors above check-in.
During our time at Iberostar Selection Cancun, we stayed in a Superior Junior Suite Ocean Front located on one of the highest floors. The room was bright, clean, and large. As you enter there are cabinets for storage and on the opposite the bathroom. The bathroom included a nice double vanity as well as a large rainfall shower that also opened up with a glass window into the room, if you wanted it to. If you want a little more privacy when showering, a sliding door can cover the window.
The room itself included a very comfortable king-size bed, a small table for dining or working, a large couch to relax on, and floor to ceiling windows that looked directly out toward the beautiful turquoise waters of Cancun. You also can’t help but notice the outdoor, private bath tub. Now that’s a bath tub with a view!
Inside the room you will also find a kettle for tea and coffee as well as a stocked mini-bar (included with the all-inclusive package) and plenty of water that is replenished daily.
Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Junior Suite Roof Top
In addition to the Coral Level rooms like the one we stayed in, the Iberostar Selection Cancun also offers Roof Top suites that are really unique. While the inside of these top-floor rooms are very similar to all other Coral Level suites, it is outside where you will immediately notice the difference.
From your main balcony there will be a spiral staircase that goes up to the roof top of the building. Here you will have your own private area complete with lounge chairs, an outdoor shower, and a private swimming pool that also features an external glass wall.
If you are looking for a unique experience during your next trip to Cancun, this is definitely something that is not commonly offered at other resorts. The private pool and lounge chairs are a great way to soak up the sun in private with some seriously epic views of the beach at Cancun.
Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Amenities
What makes the Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun special? The biggest differentiator of Coral Level is the overall exclusiveness compared to the larger resort. The Iberostar Selection Cancun is a large 426-room family resort that caters to everyone, whereas the Coral Level has 156-rooms.
Starting on the lobby level, there is a Coral Level concierge that can help you plan all areas of your vacation and a lobby bar that serves drinks and snacks throughout the day, including more premium alcohol selections than you might find in the main Iberostar Selection Cancun lobby bar. Outside, there is a large terrace with seating. Each evening there is a small pop-up style bar cart as well as some form of live entertainment.
Right next to the Coral Level building, on the same level, there are two open areas where weddings or other ceremonies can be held.
The level below is the main dining area for Coral Level guests. This restaurant is exclusive to Coral Level guests only and offers a breakfast and lunch buffet as well as a la carte dining for dinner. There is also extensive seating outside.
Further outside is the exclusive Coral Level pool, including swim-up bar, cabanas for rent, and many lounge chairs. In this large outdoor area there is also an outdoor grill, outdoor bar, towel stand, and direct access to the beach where there are again more lounge chairs and chaises that are exclusive to Coral Level guests.
Interested in more travel tips! Check out our guide of the Essential Cancun Travel Tips!
Just because you are staying in Coral Level doesn’t mean that you can’t access the rest of the resort though. You can also go to the large main pool of the resort which has many areas for sunbathing, relaxing, water sports, and more. Here there is a large children’s area as well. Throughout the resort there are nice covered walkways, hammocks in the trees, and more palapas and lounge chairs along the beach.
As the Coral Level building is set further from the main entrance to the resort, and right on the beach, it is about a 5 minute walk to reach the main entrance of the resort. Alternatively you can ask to be driven by golf cart, however the route they take navigates around the full resort, and if you are able to it’s probably better to just walk.
Overall, the Coral Level beach and pool area has a more premium and exclusive feel, and that is where we chose to spend most of our time.
In the main Iberostar Selection Cancun building you will find the Starcafé, small shops, fitness center, and large outdoor theater for nightly performances. The Starcafé offers all sorts of coffee based drinks, including alternative non-dairy milk option as well as some sweet and savory snacks.
Just across the road from the Iberostar Selection Cancun Resort is the Iberostar Cancun golf club. You can easily access the Iberostar Selection Cancun golf club via and underpass from the resort to the golf club, which would take about 10 to 15 minutes to walk. Alternatively, you could request golf cart service.
Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Dining
When you stay at the Coral Level of the Iberostar Selection Cancun, you have the option of dining at the exclusive Coral Level restaurant for all meals, or you can dine at any of the other restaurants at the resort. The Coral Level restaurant does not require reservations for any meals, however dinner at the main hotel restaurants does require a reservation, which should ideally be made a few days in advance.
The resort was reasonably full during our stay, and we were unable to select our desired restaurants on the days wanted to dine due to them having no availability, or availability too late in the evening for our liking. If you can, we suggest making your dinner reservations a few days in advance, or all at once when you arrive.
For breakfast, the buffet at La Barca, the main Coral Level restaurant, is extensive. There is a nice mix of items of offer including hot American style breakfast items, made to order omelets, chilaquiles, and a special of the day, and extensive fruit display, large pastry collection, and many other surprises. We particularly liked the extensive European and Spanish specialties (owing to Iberostar being a Spanish brand), that were combined with many local Mexican items, including a large guacamole station. No matter what you prefer to eat for breakfast, you’re sure to find something you like here.
Additionally, you have the option to attend the main resort buffet, but it is in a much larger area, is more chaotic and doesn’t have the same level of food on offer.
For lunch La Barca again serves a buffet selection. There is a large salad bar, many prepared cold salads, cheese, and other accompaniments. Pizzas, sandwiches, snacks, hot meal items, and a made to order menu that changes daily. The made to order items could be Mexican specialties, burgers, pasta, etc.
Elsewhere for lunch there is the White Shark Snack Bar located in the Coral Level pool area, or the nearby Mexican restaurant El Maguey.
For dinner, La Barca serves an a la carte menu. We found the menu somewhat limited, such that you wouldn’t want to eat here every day of your stay, but perfectly adequate for dinner if you didn’t get a reservation elsewhere, or didn’t feel like planning anything in advance. The service for dinner here was very good, and the food portions are nicely sized (not too large) and feature a lot of fusion-type cuisine. We loved the unique dessert which had a combination of olive oil ice cream, a chocolate wafer, specialty cranberry cheese, topped off with a blackberry!
The larger resort also offers a number of other dinner options: Antiguo Laguito is the main Iberostar Selection dining area; El Maguey focuses on Mexican fare and is located right on the beach; Naga Hibachi is a fun hibachi-style Asian restaurant with dedicated seating times; La Horma features classic French cuisine; and La Parrilla is the dedicated steakhouse on property.
We also dined at El Maguey for dinner. The self-serve guacamole station, including many other appetizers was excellent, as was the seaside breezes from the restaurant location. The rest of the meal was sufficient, but not overly memorable, although we again enjoyed the reasonably sized portions.
We highly recommend dining one night at Naga Hibachi for a fun and entertaining dinner. Here you will be seated around a large Hibachi, or Teppanyaki, grill with other guests. You will meet your chef who will perform a fun display while preparing fried rice, fried vegetables, and an assortment of fish, chicken, steak, and prawns. The meal also included miso soup, a small sushi plate, and dessert. This was a lot of fun to watch, and also happened to be our favorite meal of the trip!
In addition, room service is also available 24 hours a day when hunger strikes at that late night hour, or you prefer to enjoy a meal in your room.
Is Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun Worth it?
In our opinion, Coral Level is definitely worth it. Choosing to stay at the Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun is like choosing to stay at a different resort. The premium feeling of the rooms, service, amenities, and food on offer, will all make your experience a cut above the standard resort.
Of course, staying at the Coral Level is more expensive than the standard Iberostar Selection, however pricing is in line with what you would pay at other more premium all-inclusive resorts. In our opinion the premiere benefits of Coral Level are the up-close water views, dedicated restaurant with no reservations, and unique features such as the roof top suites with pool.
Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level Conclusion
Staying at the Coral Level at the Iberostar Selection Cancun will make for a wonderful and memorable trip to Cancun. The resort is ideally located in Cancun, and the Coral Level amenities will make your stay a lot more enjoyable and exclusive compared to staying at the standard Iberostar Selection Cancun. We recommend a stay at the Coral Level for couples looking to get away to Cancun and enjoy time in the sun, right on the beach, an elevated experience compared to your typical all-inclusive resorts.
Check availability at the Iberostar Selection Cancun Coral Level for your vacation!
If you’re not sure if Coral Level is right for you, take a look at the standard Iberostar Selection Cancun photos and amenities to find the right choice for your next trip.
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