Lay-Z-Spa Cancun Hot Tub

Is the Lay-Z-Spa Cancun Hot Tub worth buying?

The Lay-Z-Spa Cancun Hot Tub is worth buying at £349 if you want a four-seat spa that looks like rattan garden furniture and can stay up through winter. It holds 669 litres, runs 120 AirJets and carries Freeze Shield, which keeps the water from freezing on cold nights. For a couple or a family of four, that is a complete kit at £2 less than the Miami and £40.99 less than the wifi-equipped Boracay.

The catch is the size: 669 litres is a small body of water, and per litre it works out at 52p against 25p for the Nordivale. If you entertain six adults, this is not the tub for you. If you want a spa that passes as furniture on a patio and has 342 owners rating it 4.5, the Cancun is the one to take.

What does 669 litres mean in practice?

669 litres is enough water for four adults, about 167 litres each, and it sits inside a 180 cm square shell. Divide the £349 by the litres and you get 52p a litre, which is more than double the Nordivale's 25p for 1,000 litres, so the Cancun is not the value pick of the four-seaters.

The 120 AirJets run from the same pump that heats and filters the water, so the bubbles do not interrupt the heating, and the pump takes the water to 40°C. A square 180 cm tub covers 3.24 m² of ground, against 2.54 m² for a round 180 cm one, which means it needs a slightly bigger patio for the same width.

What comes in the box and what is it like to live with?

Out of the box you get the spa, a pool cover, the spa pump, one filter cartridge (VI), a ChemConnect dispenser, a repair patch and the AirJet system. The shell inflates with the included pump in under five minutes and needs no tools, so two people can have it filling the same afternoon.

Empty it weighs 32.2 kg, and once the 669 litres are in, the whole thing is roughly 700 kg, so it wants a flat, solid base. It stands 66 cm high and measures 180 cm square. The energy saving timer lets you schedule a session, the warranty runs up to two years, and a ground mat is not included, so budget for one if your patio is rough.

Where does the Lay-Z-Spa Cancun Hot Tub fall short?

The seating is the first limit: four people, no more, and the 669-litre shell leaves little room to stretch out. Six adults need the Dellonda's 1,200 litres or the Nordivale's 1,000, both of which cost more but give more water per person.

The second is price per litre. At 52p a litre the Cancun is the most expensive way to buy water among the four-seaters here, and it has no wifi control, which the Boracay adds for £40.99 more. It also carries 342 ratings against the Miami's 1,243, so the owner record is thinner than the best-known Lay-Z-Spa.

How does the Lay-Z-Spa Cancun Hot Tub compare with other inflatable hot tubs?

Against the Nordivale, the Cancun costs £97.21 more and holds 331 litres less: 669 against 1,000. The Nordivale wins on value at 25p a litre and seats four to six, while the Cancun wins on looks with the rattan finish and on its owner record, 342 at 4.5 against 60 at 3.8. If the budget leads, take the Nordivale; if the patio look leads, take the Cancun.

Against the Lay-Z-Spa Miami, the Cancun is £2 cheaper and the two share 120 AirJets and a 180 cm width. The Miami is round and has 1,243 owners at 4.5, the deepest record of any tub here, so it is the safer buy for a first-time owner. The Cancun is the one to choose if you want the rattan effect and the square shape and you are happy with a thinner review base.