Our Long Review of the El Dorado Royale (all inclusive) in the Mexican Riviera:

It was our honeymoon, and we had a great time. The reviews we read were very helpful, so I am going to go in GREAT detail to return the favor! We stayed for 8 nights/9 days and wished we had stayed longer! I’ll give a description of the resort first, and then I’ll tell you what we did each day and give you tips (excursions, etc.).

The resort:
The resort has 6 restaurants (7 if you count the cookout at the pool for lunch and dinner), 24 hour room service, 6 bars (several swim-ups), 7 fresh water pools and a salt water one that the ocean feeds), a spa (services are a little pricey), an entertainment schedule, and includes free excursions to Playa del Carmen and Cancun (for shopping). They will also take you to clubs in Cancun for $40, and it includes all your drinks and transportation. You have to visit the swing bar (bar with swings not swapping partners). That’s where the party and entertainment is at night. During the day, the main pool has volleyball, aerobics, and other activities. Wednesday is Mexican Fiesta night, and they have a HUGE Mexican buffet and entertainment. It was great! Parts of the beach are rocky, so bring water shoes.

My 1st piece of advise:
TIP!!! I’m not talking about a lot here. They say it’s included, but when you get great service, thank your server. A dollar or two here and there is really appreciated. We never spent more than $10 a day in tips (all meals included) and we had lots of servers calling us by name when we left. It’s just the nice thing to do because they probably never see the included tips and the service is really awesome. Bring some $1 bills.

The room:
We stayed in an oceanfront room thanks to a cheap upgrade. Our room had a HUGE shower, tile floor, king bed, and a Jacuzzi tub near the window. There was also a porch with a really comfortable hammock that was great for napping together. Our room was clean, had remote controlled AC, and was a good size.

The restaurants:
You can make reservations 2 days in advance starting at 9 am. Get there early. The restaurants that take reservations are really small, and that makes them romantic and ensures great service. Request your free candlelight dinner on the beach if you’re on your honeymoon or anniversary. It was amazing. The 24 hour room service food was also great (I highly recommend the pasta dish).

La Isla (no reservations required): Great food! You can eat there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is located at the main pool and changes its menu every day or two.

Beach Snack Bar (no reservations required): They say it’s a snack bar, but it serves buffet breakfast with made to order omelets (we did this every morning) and lunch. It is way more than a snack bar, and has very fast service!

La Fontana (Italian, reservations required): Great food! Dinner only.

La Carreta (Mexican, reservations required): We didn’t eat there but heard good things about it.

Kampay (Oriental, reservations required): This was our second favorite at the resort. Awesome food. Make sure you order appetizers (chicken teriyaki is awesome), soup, rice, and a main dish.

Steak House (reservations required): This was our favorite, to die for beef tenderloin and ribeye! The cheesecake dessert was also great.

Pool Grill: They don’t advertise this, but they cook burgers, chicken, and hotdogs at the pool for lunch. They also have a buffet with grill there for dinner where they will grill you ribs (super yummy), chicken, fish, and flank steak. Awesome food, and very fast service.

Nightlife:
You have to visit the main bar. It’s also known as the swing bar because it has lots of swings around it. They have a great live band there each night that takes requests. They also do entertainment shows each night there. The best nights are the ones where they get guests on stage. I’d tell you more, but Fernando (the head of entertainment and also known as Sexy Fernando) says that what you do in Mexico stays in Mexico. Also watch out for Fernando’s tequila shots where he gets up on the bar, and pours it in your mouth. Jose is the best bartender in the resort. Tell him Kelly and Jason from Atlanta sent you (he may not remember us, but who knows!) They also do excursions to clubs in Cancun, but we didn’t do any of them. The main bar closes at 2 am.

Our Trip Day by Day:

Day One (Sunday):
The Cancun airport was no big deal. We got to the resort just before 5:00. They upgraded our garden room for an oceanfront for $160 for the whole 9 days. What a deal! I booked the candlelight beach dinner for the next night. We went to the room and unpacked. We ate at the buffet by the pool. The ribs, chicken, and steak were awesome, and they also had salad, rice, and several other side dishes. We ended up at the swing bar for a few hours. The music and dancing was great, but we went to bed early because we were tired from the trip.

Day Two (Monday):
We ate breakfast at the beach restaurant. We sat at the beach (drop your towels before 8 for a good spot), and then went to the pool. Even though we wanted to go on excursions, we booked them the next day because we wanted an entire day where we didn’t have to think. We had our candlelight dinner that night and ate crab stuffed Mahi-mahi and beef tenderloin; both were great. Eating on the beach by candlelight was amazing. Only 4 couples are served at a time. We made another trip to the swing bar for drinks that night.

Day Three (Tuesday):
We started the day with a couples massage at a cabana just off the beach ($85 for an hour). Then we moved to the pool and beach. We booked our excursions to Xcaret and Chichen-Itza (see below for more info). The rest of the day we laid at the main pool all day. I painted a bowl; there is a man at the pool who sells pottery and paints designs on it for you to finish painting. He brings them back the next day. It was $18 dollars and well worth it considering that he glazes it and fires it for you. We went shopping in Playa del Carmen that night. Make sure you bicker with the prices (most stuff can be bought for ½ of the original asking price) and bring lots of small American bills.

Day Four (Wednesday):
We went on the Chichen- limo package to Chichen-Itza booked through Lomas Travel in the lobby. We paid around $73 each, and it included transportation on a really nice bus, breakfast, lunch (a buffet with entertainment), as well as drinks and beer while you’re on the bus. This trip was awesome and well worth the drive. You also get to see a Mayan house and village. The 2 ½ hour trip did not feel that long because the guides are awesome, and the bus (with bathroom) is very nice. Bring LOTS of film and some money to shop. You stop at a place that has great prices. Climb the big pyramid; it is worth it! This is a great trip full of history. That night we went to the Mexican Fiesta at the resort. It had a live band and the food was great.

Day Five (Thursday):
We laid around at the resort all day. Marylou that serves drinks at the beach and main pool is awesome. She brought us a turtle made out of a walnut shell. We didn’t even have to ask her for drink refills; she just kept them coming! That night we ate at the oriental restaurant. It has an awesome atmosphere and great food. We spent the rest of the night at the main bar (swing bar).

Day Six (Friday):
We went on an excursion to Xcaret (through Lomas Travel again). It has everything: an underground river to snorkel in, we swam with the dolphins ($115 each but WELL worth the price; you even get to ride on their noses), sea turtles, butterfly sanctuary, pumas, jaguars, wild bird aviary, aquarium, and the best night show in the area (200 performers). We highly recommend this trip. It was around $70 each. You don’t get back till late, but we did fit in a few drinks at the bar.

Day Seven (Saturday):
We laid around the resort. We alternated between the main pool and the beach. I went for a swim and took some pictures in the salt-water pool. There are lots of fish in it. Saturday is lobster night, and we ate at the Italian restaurant and had our lobster with pasta. Big surprise, we ended the night partying at the main bar.

Day Eight (Sunday):
We once again laid around the resort. Can you tell that we loved it? Jason played pool volleyball and loved it. At some point we managed to pack for our trip back. We ate a late dinner at the Italian restaurant after splitting some room service pasta. We spent our last night closing down (you guessed it) the swing bar.


Day Nine (Monday):
We said our goodbyes and spent some time at the pool. Our trip back was upgraded to 1st class for $50 each and was well worth it.

Tips:
- Bring lots of American small bills for tips and shopping
- If you want a spot on the beach, set your alarm and throw some towels on your chairs
- Tip for great service ($2 for breakfast and lunch, $4 for dinner, $2 here and there for drinks)
- Wear comfortable shoes for excursions
- Bring your own mask and snorkel for the resort and to save $ on excursions
- Bring water shoes for rocky parts of the beach
- Bring lots of sunscreen; it’s really expensive ($20) in Mexico
- Xcaret and Chichen-Itza are awesome excursions

Kelly,

Thanks for the review of your vacation at the El Dorado Royale. My partner and I just booked a 7-day vacation there, all inclusive, and we are really excited. I was really glad to know that you can get a bus tour to Chichen-Itza. We will definitely be making that reservation.

Thanks for the tips!

Lucy

Kelly,

It sounds like you had a great honeymoon and thanks for your detailed review.

I have booked our honeymoon for October this year in the El Dorado Royale resort and was please to read your comments and tips.

Many Thanks,
John