Me and my boyfriend stayed here for 2 weeks from the 9th - 23rd May (sorry for the late review). It was the best place we have ever stayed. We booked a Royal Ocean View room. The only thing that we didnt like about it was that we were told that we could do the online checkin and would have golf with this package, but when we arrived there we were told that this was no longer available with the Oceanview room. So if we were to do it again we would not book the Royal Service as it cost us an extra £200 which is $400. Although as we had already paid for it we made the most it.

Room service: We really liked the 24 hour room service. The menu is not big but you can order whatever you like within reason and they will do it for you. Being 24 hours was great (coming in from Coco Bongo at half 3 then ordering room service!)

Pool: Great size! Never overcrowded. The entertainment guys are so good at getting you to have a good time. We stayed at this end of the pool most of the time becuase it got the sun for longer. The towel game was not as bad as i thought it was going to be. We usually went down there around 8 and always got a good spot. Although we did see people reserve 8 chairs and not come to them all day!!

Staff: We didnt meet 1 bad member of staff there. The service is exceptional! We did tip every meal we went to becuase we felt they all deserved it although they never made us feel like we had to.

Spa: We both had a treatment in the spa because my boyfriend had a free 5 minute massage by the pool. He had a massage which he said was great and i had a facial. My facial was good and worth the money. We didnt realise before then that you could use the spa area without having a treatment. This is such a hidden secret! No one is every in here. Its great.

Arrival: We arrived at the hotel around half 4 in the afternoon and he said he had to look for a room for us. Left us for around 20 minutes then said we got very lucky as he had found a great room on 7th floor for us! (715). Then he said to us if you just go over for a few minutes and see our guest services they will take you from there.... Well we had just got off a 12 hour flight from London and wanted to go straight to our room.. so i told him and we were not bothered by them again. Got got to room 715 and it looked fantastic apart from 2 double beds. We were really unhappy about this. So i telephone concierge straight away and we were moved 3 doors along the next day! GREAT!!!!

Overall: Fantastic!! i would advise anyone to go to this hotel. We are desparate to come back next year!!

My husband and I had been to Cancun together once before and got so terribly sick (weren't quite sure how we were going to make it back on the plane!) that it took nearly five years for us to consider going back. My only "must have" requirement was a four star or higher all-inclusive hotel. We asked for recommendations but we were planning our 10 year wedding anniversary so wanted to make sure that we picked the best place. Then discovered trip advisor and i felt very comfortable with our choice and had very high expectations. My expectations were far exceeded! The entire first night I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face...the entrance - awesome, the open bar area - great, the greeting and being taken straight to our floor (did a pre-check in online and even picked our room) with chilled champagne offered right away. Upon entering the spectacular room noticed rose petals on the bed and in the jacuzzi and there was more champagne, a plate w/a small cake and on the plate was written "Happy 10th Anniversary." We arrived late in the day...thanks in part to a long line at customs, so didn't have too much time to walk around before getting ready for dinner. All the restaurants were great...my husband's favorite was the hibachi grill section at Asiana and mine is Marie Maria's (even ate there twice). Did I happen to mention the pool and beach? so gorgeous. We lucked out and had wonderful weather too. This was definitely a trip to remember and I have already told everyone I know that if they're ever looking for a place to getaway then this is the place. Oh...and the coffee bar is awesome too. We would stop by on the way out in the evening to get an energy surge for the clubs! the only thing not really offered is a night life...they have some great evening activities...one night was club 54 and the theater hall was decked out with white lounge chairs, smoke machines, disco balls, a dance floor and fun music...however hotel is pretty quiet around 11p on. If you're looking for night life...nothing a 65 cent bus right can't help with. Highly recommend club Coco Bongo. Overall this was an amazing place that I cannot say enough good things about...and...didn't get sick at all this time :-)

My husband and I (age early 50’s) stayed at The Royal Cancun for 7 days, June 3-9, 2008. The hotel is situated very close to the major road that runs through the Hotel Zone of Cancun and across from a busy Plaza which includes Pat O’Brien’s, Margaritaville, Outback, and other popular night spots. (I have included some photos.)

We had reserved a royal corner suite when we booked our trip. The Royal advertises as a special feature that only they offer -- online check-in which allows you to go online 48 hrs before arrival and select your own suite. I was able to register online but tried repeatedly to choose my suite and kept getting a message on the Royal screen that the service was unavailable. I finally sent an email to Carlos Navarro, Reception, explaining my problem with the web site and our preference for a suite on the quiet side of the hotel. He chose a suite for us that he assured me was one of the quietest.

On the second night of our stay, 4 excavators along with dump trucks hauling rocks appeared on the beach next to The Royal’s Pelicanos Restaurant. The dump trucks would drop a load of huge rocks into the water and then leave to return with more. The excavators were attempting to form two wave breaker walls in the ocean. The noise from the heavy machinery and falling rocks continued until dawn. On the third evening, the excavators returned (see photos) and worked through the entire night again. Our neighbors added to the noise by playing their music so loud until 2 AM I thought it was coming from a bar in the Plaza. Only the royal corner suites have a connecting door which is so paper thin in structure that you can hear when your neighbor is filling his jacuzzi or placing ice cubes in a glass.

The next morning, after little sleep, we spoke with Jorge Hernandez, Operations Manager. To those of you who have dealt with Jorge before, he is still the manager and is still offering 25 min. massages as a resolution to all problems. We explained to him that we came to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary at what we thought was a high class, “exceptional” resort and have traveled to many countries including Greece, Brazil, Venezuela, Italy, Ireland, and most of the Caribbean islands and we have never had so much noise that we could not sleep! We were willing to take any room as long as it did not have a connecting door and was away from the Plaza so we downgraded to a royal junior suite and the excavators left that evening.

ADVICE: There are over 150 hotels in Cancun. Many have long driveways which lead
to large properties (true resorts) located well back from the road. Choose one
of those. You’ll be close to all the activity without the noise. There are also
better built hotels with solid doors and walls.

THE BEACH: We were told that a lot of “construction” had gone on in May with
truckloads of sand being hauled in to enhance the beach. Honestly, it appears
to be a losing battle. Any sand brought in from outside and walls made of
rocks just slow down the inevitable---this tiny beach will be washed away by
mother nature.

OTHER PROBLEMS: The Royal is still aggressively selling “timeshares” which they
call “memberships” and the man who tricked us into talking to him was not
very professional.

Had to call room service twice and then the concierge because our refrigerator
was never stocked with water by the maids. Three calls for water? Is this royal
service?

Was never asked if I wanted coffee, juice, etc. after being seated for breakfast
two mornings. Had to get up, leave my table and find someone to help.

*My husband and I are old enough and have traveled extensively enough to see past the
frills and glitz on the surface of a hotel like The Royal compared to truly first class
hotels that are perfection right down to the core.*
.
Problems in the recent past that other people have experienced were (1) not having a reserved room available upon arrival due to overbooking and (2) how quickly chairs in the pool area were all taken forcing guests to wake up as early as 5 AM to save chairs. We never had those problems. At any time of the day, we saw rows and rows of empty chairs on the beach and up by the pool and many empty cabanas. (see photos) We also had no problem changing rooms because many were unoccupied.

GOOD POINTS: The hotel is beautiful to look at, especially the lobby with its stained glass ceiling and grand piano. The beds are comfortable, the pillows are the best anywhere, the rooms with the jacuzzis, candles, and rose petals are very romantic. The majority of the staff does their best to help you. For an all inclusive, the food is OK, some meals better than others.

FINAL ADVICE: I would only recommend this hotel to people under the age of 30.
The majority of the people at the hotel were young couples, mostly on their honeymoons. This would be a hotel to consider if you are a smoker (half of the rooms are designated for smokers), or if you would like to be in a hotel where a party atmosphere is right outside your door. Otherwise, stay somewhere else.

The food and the service was phenomenal! We stayed for our honeymoon. You couldn't ask for a more elegant hotel either! The restaurants within the hotel were amazing. The buffet was awesome too! The service was unbelievable. I will most likely be staying at the same hotel in the future!!! Definitely book this one!!!