El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

17650 reviews

• 

  We Will Not Be Back

  We’ve stayed in many all-inclusives across the Caribbean, and we’re writing this review with that experience in mind. Off the top, unless you opt to stay in the Casita section (at a higher cost), this resort is definitely not a 5-star property. We’d rate it a 3-star max. Upon our mid-afternoon arrival, we were not offered any cold drinks or food, nor did we receive any orientation to the property. Our room keys were issued by the front desk, along with a brief mention of the resort’s app to book a la carte restaurants. This was a far cry from the warm welcomes and thorough introductions we’ve experienced elsewhere. We were here when the property first opened about 20 years ago. Back then, it was much smaller and had an amazing adults-only vibe. Unfortunately, it seems that as the resort has grown quite large, it has lost much of the personal, intimate feel it once had. It’s now run down in many areas although the food was excellent as were the bulk of the staff members. We booked through Air Canada Vacations and were initially assigned to Room 204, which was supposed to be a swim-up oceanfront suite. However, this room faces directly into the Health Bar, which wasn’t exactly the tropical paradise we envisioned. We asked if it was possible to switch rooms, understanding it might not be feasible. We were told that we could move the following day to another building with the same class of room. We packed up our belongings and were issued new room keys, only to find out the new room had been double-booked with another couple. After sorting out the confusion, we were relocated, but the process took nearly half a day. The resort’s app is not user-friendly, making it more of a hassle than a helpful tool. Another notable issue was the golf carts. This resort is massive, and while golf cart shuttles are offered, they drive way too fast—particularly at night. It became a constant challenge to navigate the property without having to jump out of the way to avoid being run over. We also had several maintenance issues in our room. The furniture was worn and stained, both in the room and around the resort. The dual sinks in our room drained very slowly, the room safe malfunctioned (it took two days to get repaired), and one of our swim-up pool lounge chairs was broken and unusable. It took multiple calls and two days to have it replaced. Overall, while the resort offers a lot of amenities, it’s clear that maintenance and guest experience have taken a backseat to the sheer size of the property. If you're looking for a luxurious, 5-star experience, we’d recommend looking elsewhere unless you’re willing to splurge on a Casita room.

  Jan 17, 2025
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  Our second visit!

  This was our second visit and did not disappoint! The grounds are fantastic and very well kept. The service is unbeatable, the variety of drinks is amazing. The food portions are small so would recommend ordering two lots of everything! The entertainment is what makes the place, the main show is superb and great fun however the ‘live DJ’ has really gone downhill, on our first visit there was another stage where a live DJ would take place until 1am with everyone up dancing. Unfortunately, the hotel now has a big projector screen displaying sports, and no live DJ just the same playlist every night. We didn’t realise it was NFL play offs which meant the evenings were spoilt by everyone standing around what they now call the ‘sports bar’ resulting in zero atmosphere! Some Americans even asked the band to turn their music down so they could listen to the game! We ended up going to bed most nights around 10.30pm. It’s a real shame as the resort needs to cater for everyone, having the sports showing elsewhere would have made it a 10/10 holiday for us. The other bar closed at 11pm which meant there was no other option available. We love this resort and will definitely return hoping they see this review and change the evening entertainment. P.S you will need to tip for every drink made and every meal (even breakfast) if you want continuous good service. One waiter even got funny with us when we didn’t tip at the cafe by the main pool, which was surprising to us considering how much we spent on the holiday. That aside, thank you again for a wonderful holiday! We will be returning.

  Jan 16, 2025
• 

  Very mixed

  The property was beautiful, the staff were wonderful (particularly Ernesto)and the food was very good and the spa massage was great. I was in building 17 and had no hot water, I was promised I would be moved the day after check in and it took 2 nights to move me. Never received bar soap in the first room, washcloths, water or chips in the first room. The BIG issue was we used the dinner reservation app within 15 minutes of check-in and every restaurant was booked for dinner our entire 4 night's stay. This made waiting around to be at the mercy of each restaurant, each night to try and get in somewhere. This was very stressful to us.

  Jan 16, 2025
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  Old resort, poor entertainment and immature drunk crowds.

  Old resort, poor entertainment and immature drunk crowds. Nothing what You would expect from a 5 star resort, except for food and ala carte options. To sum it up the crowds were mostly young and loud. The Beach was poor, rooms were old, entertainment limited, service was ok and food was excellent. We stayed 03.01-12.01.2024 in the Junior Suite. LOCATION We didn't move from the resort. If You want to have a walk on the beach it is almost impossible because of the rocks. The security will also not allow you to leave the resort this way but they probably have good reasons. The place is big enough to walk inside the complex about 1.5 km on the pathway / driveway close to the beach ( El Dorado Royal, Casitas and Generations). It might seem like a small thing but running and walking around the place can be very stressful due to hotel vehicles “flying” on the pathways all day and night. You need to be constantly looking back almost like you are in traffic. BEACH AND POOLS Not a paradise beach. Rocks everywhere. As well as the big cement structures on the sea. It almost looks like a beach landing defence preparation. A lot of beds and sun chairs. As in most resorts you need to throw a towel or something in the morning if you are looking for some nice spots near the pool. Main pool was crowded and noisy but I'm sure that’s a plus for some. There are also 2 other pools with less noise and crowds We have travelled a fair bit but this was our first time in Mexico. Not sure if this is the norm or American drinking culture in this region but a lot of people were very drunk by mid morning! Can’t say we’ve experienced that in any resort before. Also note that technically if you are not staying in Casitas parts you cannot use their pools. NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT Not what we expected. We thought the entertainment will be top class but except for few events it was a disappointment. Check with a staff location because different shows are in different locations and the hotel app doesn’t specify it. Don't get us wrong. Some shows and singers were great but they played only about an hour, mostly starting at 8.30 - 9.30 pm, for us it was dinner time. Danna Kennedy or Tenores stole our hearts. Mariachi was a nice show, badly organized, nobody knew the location and there was chaos during the arrival. After the show there was sometimes “live dj” - music from speakers. I really love to dance during vacations but for the first time I wanted to leave and go to my room. It was very loud and the crowds were very young and drunk. There were a couple more bars on the property but they lacked any music after 9pm most nights and that is a shame as they could have provided some mature experience over there. We just missed simple entertainment - a live band for a few hours after dinner so you can dance and relax. Perhaps we chose the wrong place for us. Gym is located close to the beach. Has mostly what you need but the bar on the squat rack is unusable as it’s the wrong size for the stand. If You like running outside, one loop around from the gate to Generations is about 5 km. ACCOMMODATION Junior Suite To be honest, terrible. Old furniture, chairs and sofa looks like a grandma's room. Dirty spots from years of use. We also had an issue with leaking air con. One time there was a massive puddle under our bed because of this. It took an hour before someone came to fix the air con and probably a few more before someone cleaned - we called a few times and left for dinner. They left a wet mat near my side of the bed. Room has no views of the sea. You need to be careful when using the shower door as the design is flawed and the towel rack hits the glass if you open it too far. A few times they didn't stack our bar fridge full. There was no coffee available in our room either. We made several enquiries about this in the reception but they never brought it. I honestly don’t understand how a 5 star resort would not invest a couple of dollars to place a pod machine in every room. It should be a standard by this day and age. . Room looks clean ( except a few things) but the overall look with dirty furniture around is just awful. Smell was the same as wet old furniture (might have been caused by the leaky aircon). There are robes available in the room but no slippers or beach bag. Casitas - we thought about upgrading for Casitas but in the end decided it will be a waste of money. Looks more private with the pool belonging to few Casitas only but the pools are located near the pathway so a lot of traffic around. Beach is the same with rocks. CATAMARAN, CANOTE AND MORE One of the things that convinced us to book this place was the “more inclusive” option where you could book a bus for a free transfer to Maroma beach and stay there and use their Catamaran etc. In the end it wasn’t worth it at all for us as you are forced to stay from 8am till 5pm and you can only use a couple of facilities there (on the beach). You don't have access to a gym or restaurants inside. Catamaran is at 9.30 am or 1 pm. We decided not to go as we won't get breakfast and we will be stuck there all day. You can come back on your own if you like to pay for a taxi. FOOD AND DRINKS As mentioned before, no coffee in the room. You can order a free coffee as a part of room service but you either need to wait a long time if you do it in the morning or you need to schedule it for a specific time the night before. We did it a couple of times but we have always regretted it as we had to rush out of the bed to let the waiter in. There are a lot of options for Breakfast and Lunch but often you have to wait for the best spots. Dinners on the other hand were amazing. There are 10 restaurants a la carte to choose from and you can book them using a resort app so you don’t wait in line. Please try and do it as soon as possible as they fill up pretty quickly. Room service is an option as well but it can take over an hour to get the food. SERVICE Not a personal touch but the resort is huge so it lacks personal touch. We asked about upgrading our room, but nobody called back. They also don’t do anything on special occasions like birthdays (as far as we noticed). Overall everyone is nice and helpful. Feel so sorry for the bartenders from the main bar with the disco. They are doing an amazing job with all the drunk people. All Ala carte restaurants offer great service. Concierge was useless for us. Wasn't any point to using his service. You can also get premium alcohols as a part of all inclusive. We do not recommend El Dorado Royale (at least to mature couples). It is a big resort with focus on a massive policy. It was our first time in Mexico so we are not sure if every resort has the same policy. It's a 5 star resort but we can give only 3 stars based on the experience above.

  Jan 14, 2025
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  Service , quality, and so much more!

  From the moment you enter the lobby until your last step onto transportation to the airport it’s all about service! I’ve stayed at ElDorado Royale many times and will continue to return. At any resort things can go wrong, but it’s all about perspective. I choose to look at the bright side. The staff here at ElDorado Royale is the hardest working, friendliest and most accommodating I’ve ever experienced. The shining stars of this trip are Edmar at D’Italia Casitas! He was our head waiter and was absolutely fantastic. Top notch service above and beyond along with so much personality and humor. Made our last dinner so special. Plus the food was delish!! Always a favorite! Additionally, our butlers Hugo and Ruben in building 54 were amazing! Helped out three rooms of wild women and kept everything in check. They made our stay organized and thought of everything for us. Not only were they attentive, but also brought humor and fun! We genuinely appreciated them. Last but not least the shuttle driver Macaroni! He was fantastic! Funny guy, good driver snd a memory I can’t comprehend! We will be back because we love it here. It checks all of our boxes!

  Jan 13, 2025