We are planning a trip to this resort in January and would appreciate any comments from recent visitors. We have heard that the beach is rather rocky and not that suitable for swimming so would appreciate any first hand info. in that regard as well as overall experience at the resort. Thanks.

We are going to stay here for our honeymoon in March. Any information would be great!

My wife and I spent a week at the El Dorado Royale Resort in February 2002. As you may know, there are two seperate ElDorado Royale Resorts. We stayed at the one that seemed to be less expensive.
Over all we had a pretty good time. The staff was very friendly and generous. The room we had was nice including a balcony and an ocean view. We toured Tulum and Play Del Carmen. The beach was rocky due to a recent hurricane. Although, that did not stop me from taking a little kayak out for a little while. also the pool was petty nice.
The only real negative thing about our trip for me was that there was an electrical short in the jacuuzi in our room and I nearly electricuted myself finding that out. In my experience, Mexican building codes are very poor. I really should have known better than to have tried that jacuuzi.
The food is plentiful at the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets but the food in the three different restaurants was below average compared to American dinning.
Over all, we had a good time but when we go back to mexico we may decide to stay at another resort.

Also, STAY AWAY FROM THE TIME SHARE SALES PITCHES! THEY WILL TAKE NEARLY A WHOLE DAY FROM YOU, NOT JUST THE 90 MINUTES THEY CLAIM.
The time share deals they offer at the airport and in playa del carmen are a waste of time.

Hope you have a great vacation!

James

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale 25 minutes from Cancun. The El Dorado may be right for you depending on what you are looking for in a vacation. The resort is quite attractive and the rooms are great for the most part (we had no problems but others did - including no phone, malfuntioning jacuzzi, loud noise from bar etc...). We were quite happy with our garden view room. The beach is very nice and I am not a very adventurous swimmer but I did in fact swim in the ocean - once. It was quite unexpectedly cold when we were there and we did not come prepared. The food at the resort ranged from mediocre to above average as did the service. One thing we did not like about the resort was the dinning arrangements. In order to eat at the nicer restaurants you have to make reservations. Most of our dinners ended up being at 9:00 or later as a result - a little late for my taste. I would have preferred having a little more self service when it came to food because at times the service was extremely slow (1 hour to get a sandwich!) We were also disappointed in the entertainment. The Carribean show is well worth it but don't expect much in the line of music - the live band was mediocre and had poor sound equipment. They advertised all kinds of activities such as dance lessons and aerobics but don't count on it. Their entertainment crew is not very motivational. You'll have to make it happen yourself. Also the bikes were in disrepair and they only had three tennis raquets for their tennis courts. Do take advantage of the honeymoon dinner on the beach if you can, it is well worth it. But don't forget your marriage certificate. There are a lot of honeymooners there. I would recommend the timeshare sales pitch though. We were there for about 2 hours chatting with a nice guy from Texas over brunch, did not buy a timeshare and received two tickets to Xcaret worth $190US for our time.

We are planning to stay in the El Dorado Resort & Spa in October for 1 week (after 2 weeks visiting the highlights of Mexico).
I hope we`ll like the Hotel.

mfg Andrew91/ Austria

I have close church friends that just came back from El Dorado Royale on Jan. 25/03. They are well travelled people, havin experienced a number of different hotels in Cancun I believe their comments are credible. I currently have clients booked at Eld Dorado Royale for March departure but as a good travel agent looking after my client's best interests I have advised my clients to seek a different hotel. The Iberostar Paraiso turned out to be a very good alternative for the same price. Comments about the resort are as follows: Staff & Management were rude. Food was just barely fair. Rooms were nice & resort was nice. Entertainment was not very good. Beach is very rocky for a ways into the water - must be careful where you are walking. Food personnel never seemed to know what they were doing. And probably the worst thing was the constant sewage-type stench around the resort. This comes from the reconstituted water used to water the grass and plants. They were very disappointed with their holiday and would definitely not stay there again. The resort is not deserving of its 5* star rating nor the price that is paid for it. Please be forwarned if you decide to go to this resort. As a travel agent I will not recommend this resort to anyone unless I find out down the road that there has been a complete change of management and staff as well as some changes to the existing problems.
Vilma from Travel Only - Windsor, Canada

Thank you Vilma!

Best regards Andrew91 - Austria

Returned from EDR on 13 Jan03. Had a great time. 3rd trip to Yucatan area. Resort well laid out, but beach is rocky out front. Rooms were OK, jacuzzi nice touch. Get oceanfront. Food/drinks & guest services was great. Get reservations for dinner early! Make your own fun here. Great place for couples 30plus, mostly North Americans. If you're high maintenance, uptight, whine alot, and generally snobbish, stay home or go someplace else. If you want to relax, meet some interesting people, act a little silly, this is the place.

For Mark and honeymooners wanting to make the most of it: We stayed at EDR over New Year's 2002/2003. If you want good service then be prepared to TIP, it's the only language they understand. Book a la carte restaurants two days before, in the morning (be prepared to line up). Don't order room service breakfast (it never arrived). There is no car rental at the resort but they can arrange a shuttle to Iberostar next door. Chitzen Itza was great if you like the ruins. Food is variable. Watch out if they substitute your wine as they'll try and rip you off! Entertainment great if you like hits from the '80s. Cozumel was worth the trip - rented a scooter from Tommy's for $25 - nice guy. Watch your wallet in Playa del Carmen.

Our stay was kind of stressful which is not what you want on honeymoon. Jacuzzi was excellent, if a little cloudy - at least we didn't nearly get electrocuted like James.

Good luck!

Returned 2/25/03 from vacation at El Dorado Royale. Very disappointed with the trip for the amount of money we spent.

The rooms and grounds look great; however the service stinks. It seems that they overbook and that they do not have enough staff to service everyone. There is a constant sewer smell.

We used the jacuzzi and afterward found a rusty, muddy residue left in the tub. The shower door wouldn't close. Be prepared, the water to bath with is salt water and there was no cold water. There is even hot water in the toilet.

Not enough food. Specialty restaurants must be booked 1-2 days in advance and you may not eat until 9:30 at night or later with very small servings. Room service prepare to wait or order in advance, however, we ordered breakfast by having our sheet on the door before midnight for breakfast to be served at 7:30 a.m. The order was never picked up and we never got breakfast.

The beach is not for those of you who love to swim in the ocean. It is very rocky, lots of coral. Last day while walking on the upper part of the beach I cut my foot on a shell or glass. They don't even have anyone at the hotel to handle first aid, not even a first aid kit with first aid ointment or bandaids, they had to call a paramedic which took over 30 minutes. We also had a 3 inch cockroach in our room our last night. Does not make me anxious to return there. What a shame, because it truly is a beautiful, quiet, relaxing place, but really needs some major changes.

I cannot imagine anyone having anything bad to say about the El Dorado Royale.

I suspect they are confusing it with the El Dorado Hotel south of Playa Del Carmen. Or confusing it with Paris which is where they should vacation.

Our 2 week stay January 19 - Feb 4 2003 was utterly fantastic.
Service is excellent, staff are super nice. (rude?? is that person crazy?)

Try a little spanish and pretend english isn't the only language in the world and you will be pampered!

Food was excellent, Oriental restaurant had great sushi, an espresso machine (as does the Italian) and La Isla changed their menu twice a week so you will never have the same meal. There is also a Mexican restaurant, excellent service from room service (24 hours) and a Steak House.

The sand is white, limestone and doesn't get hot, the service (brought to you on the beach and to the pools) is a big bonus, and that's just your accomodations. There is so much to do, with free shuttles to Cancun or Playa Del Carmen, trips to Tulum, Xel-Ha, Chichen-Itza...there's hardly time to enjoy your own personal hamock or two person jacuzzi tub that comes with every room (plus HBO and Cinemax).

I would highly highly recommend the El Dorado Resort. This is only my 3rd time to Mexico (twice to Puerto Vallarta)and we're going back to the Mayan Riviera next winter (and the El Dorado resort). Do not be put off by bad reviews, the place is spectacular.

As for activities the two British Girls ran a three ring circus, the bikes were all brand new during our stay, plus spanish lessons every day, aerobics ( 2 kinds every day), cocktail lessons, salsa lessons, vollyball, water polo ceramics painting (all of this offered every day). The resort brings in vendors to sell their wares (prices are no different than Cancun or Playa, but be prepared to politely barter and haggle).

Muy Muy Excellente!

Vilma,

I'm sorry to dispute your church friends testimony, but I stayed at the El Dorado Royale January 19 - Feb 4 and had a completely different experience.

As a travel agent you should only provide recommendations on your own experience because as you can see from the message board, -every person's experience at the El Dorado is different.

Most of the folks we met ( Vancouver, Toronto, Michigan, Iowa, Chicago, Wisconsan, and our favorite people from Whitby Ontario absolutely loved the resort.

The Whitby folks are world travellers and of all the accomodations they've experienced, this was by far their favorite. So I guess until you experience it yourself, I would recommend that you provide impartial advise to your clientelle. Had someone declined to recommend the El Dorado Royale to me, I would have missed a lifetime experience!

Our WOW agent actually recommended the Iberostar Parisio and folks we compared notes with on some of the day tours wished they could have traded vacations with us !

I have to agree with Sandy. I just returned on 04 March and though I did hear some complaints about the reservation system for meal that was about it.

I also do not think that Vilma is a travel agent as she did not even leave an email address. If she is though and she bases her decision on the report of one "church freind" then perhaps she should find a new profession.

On all trip report message boards there are some whiners and if you only pay attention to the bad you wil miss out on a great vacatioin spot. This resort is not intended for the party or the stuck up crowd. I to have traveled extensively and aside from a Hilton hotel in Guam have not seen anything with the combination of accomodation, food, and service. Also in Guam the food and beverages were extra. As you can see I did include my email address so if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

I am getting married in May 2003 and heading to the Eldorado Royale Resort. We have booked the casita and would love any info on where you get the most "bang for your buck". We are 25 and would like to relax during the day but have some fun during the night!! Any suggestions PS Any info on horseback tours would be fab.

Just returned form the EDR last night. Our agent/resort messed up our reservations. Overbooked. So we got to see the El Dorado Royale and the Colonial Fiesta. The two resorts were completely different in the crowds that they attract. EDR, a good mix of Canadians and Americans of all ages, mostly above 30. While the Colonial is a resort that caters to adults with children. The rooms and atmosphere were great at the EDR but if you read the other posts, most of the negative comments were true. There is the sewage smell, mostly at night. The beach is not the very best for swimming and because of the strong breezes at night you will need pants and possibly a long sleeved shirt. The staff was great, food was good, almost impossible to get a dinner reservation at a reasonable hour (you have to book at least one day in advance to get a reservation, but you are not allowed to book more than two days in advance). Although all of the meals are a la carte and are all good. The hidden treasures are: the barbeque behind La Isla (good food with no reservations required but VERY limited seating, and the smaller pools near the casitas)
The Colonial on the other hand had a very large and new resort. The staff understood English much better and were very enthusiastic. The activities staff were fun and participated with everyone including most of the kids shows. The customers staying at the hotel were Canadian and American of all ages, although a very high percentage of Canadians there at the time were French speaking. Food was very good, staff was excellent, the big downfall was if you have ever stayed at a Holiday Inn, then you have seen the rooms at the Colonial. They have a great beach with lots of activities, including snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, a dive center, and inflatable banana boat rides behind a seadoo.

You make the call. Thanks.

USE CAUTION: El Dorado Royale Overbooking Problem
Let me start by saying the El Dorado is a beautiful, secluded, romantic property. It would be a perfect place for a romantic getaway, anniversary or Honeymoon BUT... and that's a BIG BUT. My husband and I just returned from our Honeymoon which we booked at the El Dorado Royale 4 months before our trip. When we arrived in Cancun we were met at the airport and told that the El Dorado Royale had been overbooked and we would be going to another resort. How could a resort be overbooked when you book your accomodation 4 months prior? It took 3 days to get a response from the El Dorado management and to actually check in there. The Honeymoon package they advertise on their web site? Don't count on it - we were told it was not available. I have travelled to the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Mexico to varying levels of resorts and have never experienced anything like this. Would I return to the area - yes. Never to the El Dorado Royale. Try the Barcelo Maya, Bahia Principe or Iberostar Paraiso - at least you'll get your booking.

Trip Report – El Dorado Royale – March 3-10, 2003

(I had my inhibitions when going to this resort due to the message boards even though my other half’s one of his co-workers went there last year and absolutely loved it, and looks forward to returning there. I know too would agree with the co-worker rather than the message boards. We met 3 couples that stayed at the Barcelo Maya Resort before, and they didn’t think it could get any better until they seen El Dorado Royale.)

The Cancun airport was a breeze to get through as our plane was the only one that arrived at that time. We then got on a bus, and headed to the resort. There was only one other couple that got off the bus, so our check in was no lines either. We arrived at the resort at 11:30 am, and greeted with a glass of champagne.

Our room was not ready due to check-in time being 3:00pm. They were very helpful with us by keeping our luggage, so we could enjoy our first day. We changed and headed to the main activity centre, and had a Banana Daiquiri. The layout of what we could see was absolutely gorgeous you could see the ocean from more less anywhere on the Resort.

We went back to the front desk later, and checked-in. The door man loaded our luggage onto a golf cart, and we sat on the back of the cart. They drove us to our room, and carried our luggage up to our room (they would not allow us to carry one bag even though it took them two trips). This allowed us time to check out our room ocean front room, and what a room it was. It consisted of a king size bed with a 2 man Jacuzzi out looking the ocean. The bathroom consisted of a walk in shower that was 3 times the usual shower stalls with a man-made bench. On our balcony you had your own hammock, and 2 patio chairs. The ocean was right in front of us. We enjoyed sitting on our deck and seeing and hearing the ocean. It was very mesmerizing.

The ocean had a rocky shore, which added character to it. They had man-made tide breakers that slowed the tide down when coming to the shore. There was a place to swim, and there was also a pier which was closed and under repair. It was recommended to bring your boat shoes. We did, but we didn’t need them. There was also a man-made pool attached to the ocean that had fish in it. The ocean consisted of 3kms that you could walk down; you could pick up different shells and coral. I found out the day before we left that if you go out at 5am that you can luck into a conk shell. That will be something that I remember the next time we go there.

The food was out of this world every morsel you thoroughly enjoyed. We usually eat only 2 meals per day when on vacation. The food was so good that we couldn’t resist it that it was 3 meals per day. All meals were a la carte, and they greeted you walked you to the table, and set your linen napkin on your lap each time. For breakfast you could have a champagne and orange juice, and I enjoyed this a few times. There are 6 restaurants that consisted of Mexican, Oriental, Italian, Steak House, International and buffet. We would recommend trying each of them out as all the food and service was wonderful along with the room service that was very good food, and delivered quickly too.

There were 7 swim up bars, 1 beach bar, and another bar where the entertainment took place at night. Unlike other resorts there was no waiting for drinks once again excellent service.

The entertainment was good too. They had a different night each night that consisted of Caribbean night, Mexican night, Iron man night, Casino night, etc. The Mexican night we highly recommend they do it to the 9s. They decorate the full activity centre in Mexican decorations, they put on 2 live performances of dancing, and they have a buffet of all different kinds of Mexican food – quite a spread laid out. This was the only buffet that we had during our stay, and it was very good.

The security is very good too for example they cannot accept any gifts in person without a note from you stating that you have given them this gift.

The service was excellent. They are constantly aiming to please you along with the grounds men constantly working to keep the place in a royal status.

In our mind, we felt like we died and went to heaven or as the name says El Dorado Royale you are treated like a Queen and King for the week. Overall, we loved this resort, look forward to returning to it, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Stayed at the El Dorado Royale 3/7 thru 3/14. We travel a lot, this was the piece of heaven I've always dreamed of.

Service was out of this world. Unlike other posters, we had no problem making reservations for dinner. At almost all times, we ate around 7:00pm had excellent service and the food was outstanding. We went with about 20 other people to attend our daughter's wedding. The hotel outdid themselves. Flowers and cake excellent. Dinner at the steakhouse brought rave reviews from all attending. There were people of all ages in our group, from the 20's to the mid 50's. We each went our own merry way, some taking advantage of side trips, and some simply vegging out.

We stayed in the "Casitas" which is the only way to go. For the money it was a steal. Don't understand the complaints that are posted...doesn't seem like the same place we stayed. Out of the 22 people in our group there were NO complaints. Because, if there were malfunctioning faucets, etc., you simply called the concierge and it was fixed within hours. The staff was friendly, courteous and often very entertaining. I've only been home for 2 weeks and find myself daydreaming about waking up, going out on the veranda at dawn, and lying in the hammock watching the sun come up. We cannot wait to go back. The staff went the extra mile for the wedding and for us. It was fantastic.

Hope everyone has the experience we did.

We spent four nights at ElDorado Royale April 8 through 12, 2003. Prior to this we had been in Cancun in the Hotel Zone and oh what a relief it was to leave that place and come to the peace and quite of ER. This is one very good resort, with excellent food, great staff, and lovely grounds. Our room was the “standard” Garden View Junior Suite, which was very large and well appointed. As do all the rooms at ER, a two person Jacuzzi was standard. We had a ground floor room and on the patio, which even though we were Garden View still afforded a view of the beach, was a nice hammock and two reclining chairs made of wood and fiber. The room was equipped with a king size bed (and as typical in Mexico, it was a bit firmer than we are used to), an in room safe, large closets, big tiled full bath, mini-fridge (restocked every day with beer, sodas, and water), table with two chairs, and of course a TV in a large armoire. Overall a very nice room and quite comfortable. If there was one thing I could fault in the room was that the TV reception was a bit fuzzy on some channels, but who comes to a resort to watch TV anyway?

Regardless of room type 24 hour room service is offered, which we used only on our last day for breakfast as we had early morning transfer to airport. The dining options offered are very good. The standard restaurant, La Isla, is located by the main pool and offers three meal services a day. It is an ala carte service at all three meals and the food is very, very good, as is the service. There is also a beach side café that serves breakfast (buffet style – the only buffet service in the whole resort) and lunch, and in the evening is “converted” to one of the reservation only venues. At lunchtime grills are set up the main pool where one can get hamburgers, chicken breast sandwiches, and hot dogs if a quick lunch is desired. Dinner options include La Isla, as well as four reservation only options. These options are Mexican, Italian, Oriental/Japanese, and a Steak House. One must reserve these ahead of time, usually at least the day before, and since seating is limited it can be a bit difficult of get the times/dates desired. However, we were able to eat in the Italian (excellent) and the Steak House (very good) during our stay. Wine served is Mexican from Baja California and it was very good.

There is one main pool, which is large, and while we were there the water was generally pretty warm (after one rainy afternoon it was pretty chilly water the next day). This pool is where all the daytime activities take place as the activity staff has their hut there. The pool has a nice large swim up bar, and the staff also walks around at all times taking drink orders and delivering them to your chair if so desired. There are other pools as well, one close to the Garden View suites, again with swim up bar, one called the quiet pool which does not have bar service, and two or three in the Casitas area, which also have swim up bars. One pool in the Casita area has a “healthy” bar, which serves only juices, sodas, and smoothies – no booze.

Even though some have complained about the beach we thought it was adequate. It is a bit rocky in areas, but there are good stretches of sandy areas to enjoy. Several man made break waters have been installed out in the ocean so that the water is a lot calmer than the beaches in Cancun (which were so rough we could never go in the ocean during our stay in Cancun). Some basic water sports are offered, including use of snorkeling gear, sea kayaks, and paddleboats. No sailboats are offered. The staff also roams up and down the beach constantly taking drink orders and delivering them to you. The beach has generous chairs provided and several shady papalas (spelling?).

Another complaint that has been voiced is about a “sewer” odor in the grounds. I did notice that in once section of the resort, on the back side close to the service road. However, if one just looks through the fence on the other side of the road it is quite evident that there is a swamp just there, and the smell is simply the smell of the swamp. It was really not a problem, but I can see that if your room was close to the swamp it might be noticeable.

The resort was spotless in all respects. The house keeping staff did an excellent job (well, I never did get any coffee cups for the in-room coffee maker, but no big deal I just used a glass). The grounds were well maintained and every day there was a large grounds keeping staff hard at work. The activity staff (the Animation folk) was very good and each day there was a full slate of activities to choose from if desired. We did the water aerobics, which was quite a good work out, and also did the Jungle Walk, which was a hike through the jungle surrounding the resort. Very interesting and well worth the time (there are even some small Mayan ruins in the jungle, plus a very good cenote).

Evening fun centered in the main bar, which always had a good live band and an audience participation show/skit type thing each night. These were great fun to watch and as this an all-adult only resort they can be bit risqué but nothing bad. Really a good place to hang out in the evenings, have a few drinks and meet other guests. Speaking of drinks, ER does not water down their drinks as other resorts have been accused of doing. They offer a good selection of top name alcohol, and are quite generous in their mixes. The beach bar is also quite popular during the day and in the evenings as well. In fact, if you go to ER, Jorge at the beach bar (only works day hours) is an excellent bartender. We asked him if he knew how to make a Hummingbird (a great drink we enjoyed at Sandals in Jamaica) and he asked us to describe it to him. After he heard what was in it he made us one and it was spot on (he even liked it!) From that point on all we had to do was ask Jorge for a hummingbird and it was done. Try one but as far as I know only Jorge knows how to make one. XX Lager is the beer on tap and it is always cold and tasty. ER offers great bar service.

The resort offers bus service to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. The Cancun service leaves at noon and returns at 6, and the PDC service leaves at 6 and returns at 10 (pm). We did not use this service, as we wanted to go into PDC in the afternoon, so we used a cab, It cost $17US to go into town and $15US to return. Numerous excursions are offered by the travel services that maintain an office on the resort (Funjet, Transat, etc). We did only one, snorkeling at Maromar Beach Club. This was a good time but we did not see a lot of fish. Other people did the Cozumel snorkeling trip (more expensive) and reported that they really enjoyed it and there were lots of fish to see. Other people spoke highly of Xel-ha as well. We just did not have time to do everything offered.

So, overall we have to give ER an outstanding rating. Our other AI experiences have been with Sandals, and other than the water sports offers, we would rank ER as good as Sandals, with ER winning on food service, at a much more reasonable price. This is one good resort and we have no doubt that we will return. We were extremely satisfied with the rooms, food, service, and the staff.

Getting married end of may 2003. We have been to the el dorado spa but not the royale before. My future husband is from mexico and his family will be joining us for our wedding at the resort. Im a little nervous considering the mixed reviews. Anyone what to add anything. Thanks

We took our first Mexico trip last August (2002) to the El Dorado Royale (ER). What a trip!!! This had to absolutely of been the best vacation we have ever taken. This year we are returning to ER to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

If you are looking for a fantastic resort, you will not be disappointed with the ER. The food was excellent, the drinks were great and service was second to none. If I had to complain about anything, it would be the lack of international drinks. We had our fill of XX beer. We finally rode a bus to Cancun and bought some Bud Light and brought it back to the resort.

One thing I did not realize was that room check in is set in stone for 3:00pm. No earlier!! We were beat when we arrived, after the early morning flight. My original intentions were to go to the room upon arrival, freshen up and take a short nap. Due to the late check in time, that didn't occur. It will be alot better this time around now that I know the rules. Just pack you some swim clothes in your carry on luggage, and relax by the pool until your room is ready.

On a 10 scale, I would give it a 9.5

By the way, just a little advise, when you get to the airport, walk by all of the time share booths. Those people are like vultures and will make you believe that you are buying excursion trips for half price. They suckered me out of $20. Then like a fool, I bought a Corona outside of the airport on the way to the bus for $4. Once on the bus, they were selling them for $2.

Take care and have a GREAT TRIP!!!!!

We loved it. Couldn't have dreamed of a more beautiful and wonderful honeymoon. Cant wait until we can return!!!

Feel free to email us... if you have any specific questions...

bill and mary ann 6/2003

Hello,
My Name is Glenn and my wife's name is Barbara we are staying at the El Dorado Royale on May 10th to the 16th 2004
I was wondering since your not supposed to drink the water is it safe to order a drink with ice in it?
My Wife Takes various prescription medicines is it save to bring tham along or will there be a problem with customs?
We appreciate any tips you could give us, it would be a big help!
This is our first trip to Mexico and our first anniversary.
Please email us back.

Thank you
Glenn & Barbara