The Royal

All inclusive is definitely the way to go here. The Royal is conveniently located right by 5^th Ave which is pretty much the Time Square of Cancun. 5^th Ave offers blocks and blocks of shopping, restaurants, bars and lounges to one side and the aqua colored ocean to the other. No taxi needed to go anywhere from this hotel, everything is walking distance. The rooms are amazing and so clean and include an in room, full size jacuzzi. I love that it’s 21+ so no kids to deal with of you’re having an adults only vacation. They have pools with swim up bars that are pretty fun. The staff here is unbelievably GREAT! They truly go out of their way to make sure you have a flawless vacation. They treat everyone as if you were royalty or some famous celebrity. All inclusive is a must here as the property is huge and offers many restaurants to choose from including restaurants located at their sister property across the way — Gran Porto, which is their kid friendly hotel btw. They offer private, romantic dinners on the beach or in the gazebo and for the price, I’d strongly suggest it. Looking forward to visiting The Royal again soon and staying a bit longer next time!

While the beach area is not the best. The hotel, room and service definitely is. Everyone we met was welcoming and would go out of their way to make your vacation awesome. The food at the restaurants was just above average for Mexican AI, but the room service was excellent. I would highly recommend it for a couples trip. Drinks were awesome. Add in the access to town and the ferry… its a tough place to beat.

This was the best vacation we have ever had. Everyone at the resort was amazing. Rooms amazing. The staff amazing.

Amazing
Went on vacation and fell in love with the place. So many different options to choose to if you want something different to eat and we took advantage of them all. Asian, Mediterranean, seafood, and buffet. Only problem is that we went for 5 days and we did not see the sun come out till our last full day there. Room service was great and the 24 hour sports bar was also great. Definitely wished we could have stayed longer and will definitely go back again.

Love. Not much more to say. The staff, all SO gracious… great food, no room is bad, good drinks. If you’re a wine snob, such as myself, you’ll need to upgrade to a bottle outside the all includive red or white. However, the house cabernet IS pretty good!
There are a couple stray cats on the property which most guests really like. When I first noticed them, I fell in love and assumed many guests fed them… Unfortunately, now, I doubt it. Don’t get me wrong… I think some guests pet and love on them for a bit… However, I do not believe they are fed much or receive fresh water outside of the guest’s pools, which of course isnt great to drink. I fed one of the cats a bit of fish and she went crazy scarfing it down and seeing how thin they are, it just made me sad wondering if and when they get food on a regular basis.
Natalia is so cute and full of spunk and energy at the pool and evening entertainment… girl can DANCE. She became my girl crush. And, let it be known, I love me. :D Just book here. everything was pretty damn perfect. Can’t wait to be back one day.

Where do I start?!
This ALL inclusive resort was amazing. Everything you can eat and drink & 24 hour room service. Awesome swim up bar so that you can swim & drink at the same time and you can walk straight to the beach from the resort. The entire staff at the Royal was friendly and helpful. Starting with Miguel at the Lobby bar to Ezequiel at the Mediteraneo restaurant to Rosa in house keeping. Those 3 were absolutely amazingly helpful. The Royal is absolutely beautiful and I completely recommend it to everyone!

*Adults ONLY resort*
Came here for cousin’s destination wedding. Champagne and wet towels to refresh at the reception as soon as you arrive & are checking in. We had many rooms booked since there were about 60 or so people here for the wedding. We stayed at the Adults only side of the property, rather big/​spread out, many sections with varying room layouts.
Overall, we had a great time. The service was excellent through out our stay, they couldn’t do enough to take care of us & our guests. Room service was promptly restocking the bar and bringing in food, desserts & snacks to the main suit as we had a lot of guests coming and going through there. Groom’s mother’s suite had a living/​dining/​kitchen area and a huge bedroom with a jacuzzi and a terrace. Beds were very comfortable. Housekeeping was efficient. The only issue… the bathroom itself was rather small, barely any vanity area to put toiletries etc.
The wedding planners did a fantastic job with the ceremony arrangements. Flowers, décor etc. everything was well taken care of. Food was great, as were the cocktails. We even had an event the night before the wedding and they did everything to help set it all up according to the theme for the night. Taking things back to the main suit etc. Just an excellent job.
After the wedding, one day we ended up booking a car with them for 5 of us to go to the Tulum ruins and our driver was great, took good care of us.
All the restaurant options that we tried had very good food. Loved the fact that the resort isn’t isolated and is part of a town area, lots of shops/​bars/​res taunts etc. around the property. Good stretch of beach.
Would definitely like to come back again.

Every time I’m in Playa I stay at The Royal. It’s a beautifully maintained resort with amazing staff. They truly love their jobs AND their guests. The choice of restaurants on site are terrific. I love that it’s in town and close to everything. The only amenity I don’t use at The Royal are the spa services. I’m sure they are amazing but you will pay spa prices. You can walk out of the hotel, across the street, take a right and find a wonderful place for massages. You’ll pay about $ 35 for an hour (resort $ 100+). I get a massage every day at that price!
Try The Royal and you won’t regret it! I can’t wait until my next trip this summer.

Good food, grieta customer service. I. m right now ate the hotel, this morning we tried to find a place near the Pool or ocean side every chairs had a towell, but only few people using the facilities. Some guest, reserve Estoy morning several location to use one or none during the day and if another guest arrives after 9am is out of luck to sit anywhere. The hotel should have a police to make available a chair convered only by a hotel towel if it was not occupied in a cuplé of hours.

Best experience ever. The staff is very friendly and makes sure that you are satisfied with everything. Everyone has really good English and the entertainment crew is awesome. They want to get everyone involved and having fun.
I loved how tight the security was because if you didn’t have the wrist band you couldn’t get in the property or go past the lobby which made it very safe. The resort is INSANELY beautiful and very clean! High would recommend to anyone of age.

I highly recommend this place! It is a bit pricey but the service is phenomenal! There are so many options at the resort! There are multiple restaurants to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The rooms were immaculate and luxurious. There are multiple activities to take part in, which I sadly missed as I was only there for one evening for a friend’s wedding. The hotel staff were very accommodating with my early check-​in and late check-​out. If you are looking to splurge and pamper yourself I would recommend staying here.

Great resort.
All inclusive, this group will make sure you’re taken care leaving you to get the relaxation you are seeking.
All the staff is outstanding, good food, great entertainment and lots of amazing care.
Thank you to all of the excellence staff of The Royal Resort, Playa Del Carmen.

I’m not that hard to please. I like to eat. I like to drink. And I like cats. The Royal supplied me plenty of that when I stayed for my friend’s bachelor party.
Upon arrival you notice how gorgeous the property is. Giant ceilings, beautiful décor, big pools, nice looking lawns, all of which is right next to the beach. After a quick check in, we got to our rooms to unwind. Fridge stocked with beers and a pull out fountain of tequila.
After putting our stuff away we hit up the buffet (spice) for dinner. I wasn’t overly impressed with the buffet. I’ve experienced much better in the past. That being said the waiters inside were very helpful and friendly.
After that, it was time to shower, get ready, and checkout the nightlife at the resort. Unfortunately, all of that pretty much closes at midnight. There’s a 24 hour game room, but everything else shuts down by midnight. They have some live shows that started each night around 9:30. They were entertaining, but as the trend seems to be here, I’ve experienced better.
I hit up the town for a little with some friends, and upon returning some of my other chums finally arrived for the weekend. Upon returning to the room they had ordered me a burger, fries, and more cervezas. I will say this, this was the best room service I have experienced at an all inclusive resort. It came quick and it was good. After drinking, eating, and chilling in the hot tub it was time to call it a night.
Woke up and had a super light breakfast at the buffet, before I hit up their gym. The gym wasn’t bad. Pretty much on par with all other resort gyms. After a quick lift, I headed back to the buffet to fuel up.
Then it was time for some sun. Took to the pool for some volleyball. The waters were a bit frigid that afternoon, so after awhile we hit the hot tub. We met a crew of married couples from upstate New York and Missouri that were all very nice, despite their sports smack talk.
After a siesta it was time to catch some dinner at the Italian restaurant on the site. I wouldn’t say it was the most authentic cuisine, as you can imagine. The pizzas were pretty bad. My friends hated it. I thought it was decent. If it’s nice out, you can sit outside which is pretty nice. After that we decided to get off the resort for awhile and party.
I woke up the next day sleeping sideways on the bed. A little disoriented, I knew there was only one cure. To keep on trucking. I hit up the swim up pool early, and got some spots to hold down. Then jetted over to the Asian fusion restaurant, which I have to say was surprisingly not that bad. It too is just outside the resort, and provided a nice quiet lunch.
Once back at the pool, the fun continued. Laying out, drinking, and catching some sun. Eventually we managed to get to the beach and my crew started a game a beach volleyball. Three games of 4 on 4. After a game one loss, it was looking bleak, but five straight aces from me gave us the game two win. Game three looked worse, their serve, point game down by 7. After a long volley, we got the ball back. Could I get 7 straight aces for the win? Nah. Make it 8, they tried calling win by two, and we gave it to them and I aced them again. Take that, Dave!
The rest of the day was about relaxing. Hot tub, hammocks, and cats. This place has cats just chilling all around. I suppose to keep vermin off the resort. Plus the cats are fun to play with.
Last dinner we went to the French Mexican place. This was easily the best restaurant in the place. The only thing I’ll say is avoid the lobster bisque, besides that it’s all pretty good.
We spent the last night in the courtyard celebrating my friend’s birthday. Hit up the 24 hour bar, and after that I was down for the count. We all woke up the next day in pain. Couldn’t wait to go home. We loved our time, but we were beat.
The place is fantastic. It’s beautiful. The staff is great. I just wish the food was better, later hours at the bar, and there was some more organization for activities. In the end, I had lots of fun but it may have been a bit more expensive than what I think it was worth. I’d consider returning for a better deal.

The Royal is awesome! No kids, beautiful beach. Walking distance to fifth street! Don’t fall for the presidential suite. It’s further away from the beach.

We have been to Mexico 4 times and this was our favorite resort! Everything is amazing! It is truly an escape to paradise. My husband took me here as a surprise for my 30^th bday and booked the Presidential Suite which is the nicest room in the place. We had our own rooftop pool with incredible views. The staff is wonderful and helpful. The restaurants are amazing and we really enjoyed the variety. Plenty to do also. I had a massage one day (highly recommended!) and my husband did some kayaking. Pool aerobics were very fun! Loved the guy who led them. The only thing lacking for me was that the nighttime shows are all very similar and the bed for me was too hard. I made myself a pillow top out of pillows and that helped! Still a 5 star review and would love to return someday!

Part 2 Long Review!
Food
The food here is typical AI food — generally the quality of fruits and vegetables were outstanding. Some notables included large sea scallops, tremendous shrimp, great cerviches, Almost all mexican dishes were on point, with the best tacos (including fish) available at the cart in Tapas Pintaxos/​Pelicanos near the beach. Asianna had decent cooked food, but avoid the sushi — it was pretty bad and I never found decent sushi ANYWHERE in mexico. Maria Marie has the best, most attentive service of all the sit down places. The breakfast has an awesome selection — you will find something you eat for sure. They were pushing lobster dinners for an upcharge, which was disappointing. For comparison the Iberostar Grand Playa Paraiso had lobster tails at every meal included.
24 Hour room service, but we didn’t do this except to order coffee when we were packing before we left.
Location
I loved, loved, loved that you can walk right outside the hotel and be on 5^th Ave in PDC with plenty of shopping and other restaurants, bars and clubs if you wanted. You can find reputable, quality massages for less expensive outside the resort, but I didn’t get one this time around.
Shows
Most of the time I find the nightly shows at the AIs a little cheesy, but I have to say that they had some of the best performers here. I really liked that the shows took place in the lobby, which gave the performances a cirque du solieil feel most nights with the performers doing stunts above the crowd upon ropes hanging from the ceiling. The lobby is NOT Air conditioned and it makes for uncomfortable viewing experience — this really sucked! They need fans for the crowded spaces at least — you will melt depending on where you sit!
The bands played a varied selection and would perform most days in the afternoon around the pool as well.
Douches
What time is it? «It’s douche-o’clock» — I think this is unavoidable at most places. You get them from time to time — loud mouth people, sometimes blasting their own music around the pool, using a beer funnel, spilling their drinks in the pool, and other behaviors of entitlement. I say the Royal had a 15% douche factor with most people being friendly and chill. Not bad for such a large resort. I try not to be one, but with all the free flowing alcohol I know it may be hard for some.
Shoutouts
As I said, Vicenta was a complete standout and made our pool time perfect. Teresita Ay and Yeni kept our rooms perfect, beautiful towel sculptures and thoughtful birthday cake, bottles of wine and champagne — They made us feel like rockstars and special. My biggest recommendation — use a travel agent, specifically
! We got perks and extra thoughtful service throughout our stay. Our Black bracelets, I believe, indicate prior guests or special services (VIP?).
also got us the BEST DEAL so we got all the extras for the same cost or even less than others paid.
Conclusion
This was the best AI experience we had in Mexico — we loved the location in the town and the outstanding service we received. The food is more or less on par with other AIs and they are not stingy with the drinks. Beautiful, well maintained property. The Royal offers an excellent combo of resort and prime PDC town location — it is a great way to go!
THE END — PART 2 of 2

Another wonderful vacation at The Royal in PDC. Since my boyfriend and I didn’t get to do everything we wanted to a couple years ago from being on a big group schedule, we decided to come back to The Royal for more. The service is still excellent and the staff is very kind. Got to try El Mediterraneo for breakfast which was pretty good, and tried Asiana for dinner which was surprisingly amazing! I had coconut milk shrimp and a rainbow roll and both were delicious. Spice is still my favorite for breakfast (this is a buffet-​style restaurant) as they have such good selections. I’ve never eaten so much passion fruit in my life! They also had a station where someone fired up panuchos, quesadillas, and tostadas.
I wish I could remember her actual name, but we loved one of the employees! We called her Tabasco every time we saw her since she’s from there. She remembered us everyday and was always so sweet and helpful.
Don’t forget to try everything they offer, from the 24-​hour self-​serve lounge, the nightly shows, room service, all the restaurants (including Il Pescator across the street at The Grand), and the bars! There’s also a coffee shop with great juices and fruit tarts.
So glad we got to enjoy The Royal and still feel the same comfort and service we did the first time.

I love this place. My 3^rd time at the Royal resort. My 1^st time here at the The Royal Playa Del Carmen. We used to go to the one in Cancun. But since they got bought out, the food and service just isn’t the same. :(
Was very nice to come here and see the same friendly and superb service I am used to. Something about family owned businesses, the atmosphere and vibe is just more pleasant. Which is what I though, but come to find, the Hyatt bought this one too.
But maybe they didn’t reinforce new management at this resort like they did at the one in Cancun. Because this place is definitely better than the one in Cancun when it comes to friendly service and food.
The rooms are beautiful and spacious. Lovely hot tubs in the rooms, spectacular views, great food, and some of the best customer service I have ever received… EVER. Seriously? A «hello, can I help you, welcome,» etc:.type greeting from everyone. Any issues we have had, they send someone to take care of it right away.
The only thing that kind of sucks is the beach is pretty stinky. My hubby says it’s the sulfur in the ground. Whatever it is,‘it smells like rotten eggs. AND, they don’t clean up the seaweed here. WHY NOT?! The one at Cancun does! Just doesn’t keep a pleasant beach experience when there are piles and piles of seaweed on the beach and in the water. Lovely beach access, but not the best beach. the water was nice and warm, but after awhile, got tired of fighting the seaweed… oh well, the pool is still nice :)
And who can give a resort a negative rating when you have your own open inclusive bar in your room!!! And not the super cheap stuff. You get some good alcohol right in your room and it’s all included.
I love the fragrances they leave in your room also. The turn down service is very nice. We had lovely towel figures in our room when we arrived back, or rose petals on the bed, and our last night, the turn down lady drew us a hot tub bath with rose petals… very nice… and romantic… The beds are comfy, the rooms are clean and updated, sexy and romantic. And one of my favorite things, this place doesn’t have hella old people get up at 5am to place towels on beach chairs to reserve them for themselves when they come out to the pool at 9am. Lol. Wtf?! You can actually get a seat by the pool at any time of the day, and have beach access also.
Let’s just say this, I won’t be staying anywhere else the next time I am in Playa Del Carmen. And just a tip… just because the alcohol is included, does not mean the service is… TIP YOUR WAITERS, WAITRESSES, HOUSE KEEPERS, And BARTENDERS. Geez,…lazy, fat, selfish Americans… talking to you!

This is such a beautiful hotel. We booked a 4 day, 3 night trip here last minute to get away. We looked it up before and noticed there was construction going on next to the hotel so we picked our room accordingly. A beach front swim up room is the way to go. At night we could hear the ocean yet we were far enough from the inside pool that he didn’t hear people on their patios or at the bar partying late. The room was very spacious. Do be careful if you get a swim up. The floors are tile and are very slick when wet. The beds weren’t extremely comfortable but they were decent. They have a jacuzzi in each room for your use. Each room comes with a mini bar stocked with liquor, beer and wine. If there is something you need or ran out of, just call the service line and they’ll bring it. Certain rooms (based off price) have a separate concierge from the main hotel so you’ll get more perks and quicker service.
The hotel staff was always so nice and accommodating. Beware of the sales people though. They’ll try to rope you in to come to one of their hour and a half long sales pitches so you’ll buy additional vacation packages. We told them no on multiple occasions but they’re like vultures and will keep poking. One even waited for us outside the spa to finish his pitch. It was rather annoying.
There are 7 restaurants on site. All are able to cater towards any food allergy. If you have a gluten allergy they all have a separate gluten free menu. Spice is the place to go for breakfast. Pelicanos for lunch. Chef’s plate and Asiana for Dinner.
Outside of the hotel just a few yards up the road is a huge outdoor mall! There’s restaurants and bars with people everywhere. It’s a great place to go wander around during the day or the evening. Each night the hotel has a show in the main house. I would strongly encourage skipping the disco night. It was the worst show they have. It was basically a few employees dressed up dancing on their own to music. The rest of the shows however were amazing! Definitely worth seeing!
There are two pools on site. One is smaller and more of a quiet pool. The other is the mail pool where music is played and the big crowds gather. Both are beautiful and worth trying out.
Service really lacks in the ocean front area. If you want a drink your best option is to walk back up to the pool area and order one because the servers don’t come by as often as you’d like. They have the beach area poorly set up. There are more cabanas than necessary. They take up so much space and very few people use them. Quite a few people dragged chairs out of the cabanas down to the edge of the water so they could actually get sun.
This is a great place to vacation if visiting Playa. I would definitely stay here again if vacationing in the area.

I was so nervous about booking an all inclusive resort as I have never heard great things about them. My fears were quickly put to rest here,
Upon arriving, we were greeted with champagne. Check in did take quite awhile but everyone was friendly and helpful.
We were able to upgrade our room for a better price than what we could have booked it for online. We ended up with a beachfront room, with a hammock and it’s own cabana. The room comes stocked with liquor. The bed was comfortable but the sheets were a little scratchy. The water pressure in the shower was excellent. Housekeeping did a great job and nothing disappeared.
The food was what surprised me the most. I was expecting «cruise ship» food but it wasn’t. Everything was really good from the pool side restaurant to Maria Marie’s (which requires reservations). Asiana (located outside of the resort on the corner) was my favorite restaurant of them all. We did not do the Chef’s restaurant even though we didn’t have to pay for it (due to being in the beachfront suite) because the menu was a little strange and offered quite a bit of pork, which I don’t eat. You can ask to view the weekly menu before signing up for it. The only thing that wasn’t included in the all inclusive restaurants was the lobster.
The bars offered all the typical US bar liquors. Nothing was watered down as I had previously read. There is even a full bar located in the game room lounge off of the lobby where you can pour your own drinks. They had pool tables, ping pong tables and snack food 24 hours including liquor, soda and juice.
The lobby had something going on every night and there was entertainment at the pool every day. Also, there is an excursion booth located next to the gift shop which will help you arrange activities.
The beach was not impressive at all. There was seaweed everywhere and the water was more brown than it was blue. You can however, walk down 5^th Avenue towards the ferry dock and find much cleaner water. Definitely don’t come here for the beach.
BIGGEST TIP for great service… TIP well, in advance, and you will receive excellent service. These people work so hard and so many people fail to tip them or tip them well. A peso is not going to get you great service! One good tip will go a very long way. Our service was spectacular!!!

Si estás planeando unas vacaciones memorables, no lo dudes, tienes que hospedarte en The Royal Playa del Carmen. No hay un detalle que no esté pensado para tu excesivo disfrute.
Empezando por el servicio, la atención es tan personalizada, cordial y amigable, que todos y cada uno de los empleados del hotel te recibirán con su mejor sonrisa. Siguiendo con los atributos de este magnífico hotel, se encuentra la comodidad y el confort. Este hotel está hecho para que descanses de sobremanera, resalta por su limpieza y pulcritud, sin poder dejar de mencionar la decoración, que es hermosa.
La calidad en alimentos es muy alta, de un nivel superior y sus bebidas son excepcionales.
No cabe duda que hay hoteles que están hechos por especialistas del confort y este hotel, es uno de ellos. Los precios son elevados, pero vale la pena cada peso invertido, porque ten la seguridad que serán las mejores vacaciones de tu vida.