TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We just returned from El Cid and stayed in Castilla Beach. We were a family of 9 including an infant of 10 mos, a toddler just shy of 2 and a 4 year old. When we booked we upgraded to Elite and it was worth every penny. Let’s start with our arrival. We were immediately directed to the private check in. There is a small tourist tax per room which we were aware of prior to our arrival. Check in was smooth and the accommodated our request for 2 cribs, a fridge and adjoining rooms. Out of the gate we were extremely happy. Our rooms weren’t ready yet so we went and had lunch at La Concha in the El Moro hotel. Shout out to our server, Angel. He looked after us a few times throughout the week and was always pleasant and welcoming. We had a choice of buffet or à la carte dining here. Food was excellent. We had breakfast and lunch here almost everyday. Definitely try the coconut shrimp and the La Concha salad. Rooms were clean and we had a beautiful ocean view. Like others who commented, they are a little dated but honestly the decor is low on our priority. Cleanliness is what is important to our group. Beds were comfortable and there was plenty of space for clothes to be hung etc. Poolside was great. As I mentioned we had a 4 year old with us and there was plenty of things for her to do. Water wasn’t too deep close to the edge and they had water slides that were age appropriate. Our servers at the pool were Francesco and Ramon who were amazing. Talk about hard working! Those guys never stopped. We were there over the Easter long weekend and they set up an Easter egg hunt and the Easter bunny was there for pictures too. Very kid friendly and well organized. Beach was a ton of fun for everyone too; from building sand castles to playing in the waves. Life guards on duty took their jobs seriously and certainly were watching what was going on. We booked four of the five à la carte restaurants and again food quality and service was fantastic. We didnt go to Marina. We will save that for next time. The only place where we didn’t find the food to be good was the buffet in Castilla. There wasn’t a ton of selection but with so many other choices it doesn’t change my rating of the property. We (twosome) also managed to get four rounds of golf in. Courses were in great shape. Played a round in about 3 hours. Our caddy had eagle eyes so no time wasted looking for balls. Overall we had an amazing family vacation. We had never been to an El Cid property prior to this vacation and we were completely satisfied with everything. Although I only mentioned a few, all of the staff were outstanding. Highly recommended and we will definitely return but absolutely upgrade to Elite!

My wife and I spent one week as regular all-inclusive (not elite) guests the week before Easter (Holy Week / Samena Santa) at El Cid Castilla. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and would return. Room: Our ocean view, king size bed room on the 9th floor was fantastic! Very spacious, amazing view, comfortable bed, and very clean. My only negative was the lack of hot water when showering. It was only ever lukewarm at best, but when it’s +30°C outside it felt refreshing. We left notes for housekeeping if we wanted more towels or pillows and they were great at filling those requests by the time we returned. Pool: Every morning I would get our pool towels on some chairs before we went to breakfast. The pool is very clean and well maintained. The waterfall features are beautiful and relaxing when reading a book. The water was a nice temperature. The pool at the El Moro side was definitely busier since that is where kids can jump off the cliff. Castilla side did get busier in the afternoons so as early risers we enjoyed the quiet mornings at the pool. Food/buffets: the buffet was surprisingly good. We enjoyed 95% of what we put on our plates. Lots of options so you don’t need to eat the same thing every day unless you choose to. The omelette and eggs cooked to order station was fantastic! Always fresh fruit, lots of vegetable and salad options, great fish and other meats, pizza and hot dogs available for more North American style foods. Lunch is served at the outdoor restaurant with great views of the ocean, and dinner had different themes every night. Food/a-la-cartes: We didn’t have any trouble booking an a-la-carte restaurant for the following night. With only 2 of us, we were able to book for 6pm or 7pm seatings 3 nights in a row. We ate at the Italian, Thai, and Argentinian Steak House restaurants. All were very good. The mango tapioca dessert in the Thai restaurant was so delicious and refreshing! Alcohol/drinks: we are not big drinkers but enjoyed the occasional michelada, Paloma, jamaica juice, orange juice, or horchata. We never went thirsty and everything tasted great. Beach: the beach is lovely in this area. Golden sand, flat, you can walk for about an hour to the left with no obstructions. Heading right/North the beach does get a little steep in some places making it more of a hike. The Pacific Ocean water is very warm and swimmable. You can walk out quite a way and only be hip deep. Resort Fee: there is a $15 USD/day charge that is paid upon check in. This can be surprising so be aware of it when you book. It’s not uncommon though, I have paid it in places like Las Vegas so just work it into your vacation budget and be sure to utilitize the hotels amenities. Staff: the staff were always incredibly helpful and attentive. Special thanks to Sergio and Antonio for always taking care of us in the Pergola buffet! Location: El Cid is connected to 3 resorts (Granada, Moro, Castilla) and offers a shuttle to their Marina location. The 3 connected are close to the Golden Zone and Malecon so walkable or a short taxi/pulmonia ride from most things you may want to visit. We absolutely loved our stay at El Cid Castilla. We were at Riu Emerald Bay 3 years ago and preferred El Cid. It is an older hotel but extremely well maintained for its 40+ year age. Hope to return soon!

So I’ve been here for 2 weeks and leave tomorrow. So let’s start. First off I booked an all inclusive at the Granada. 14 days all inclusive direct from Edmonton. Price was very fair I thought. As we boarded the busy there was no option for the Granada, just the Beach, Moro, and Castillo. Being here before I got on the Castillo bus and once arrived I was just going to walk across the road when the bell boy told me the Granada was closed. “News to me”. So I checked in and asked to be upgraded because I didn’t want the absolutely packed poos at the other resorts. I wanted a laid back resort. Well get a 4 hr wait I got a room ground floor 15 ft from the pool at the El Moro, 15 ft from the stereo, yoga was 1.5ft from my deck. Yes not what I wanted. Do I thought I would make the best of it which was fine until you tried to figure out the all inclusive and the 59 colors of wrist bands. Went for lunch to be told sorry you came dine here, went for a drink and told the same. Finally four a bar and got draft beer. Guy beside me got a can? Got into the room, not a bad room. It was loud but whatever. I went to have a beer in the deck but guess what? No fridge in the room at all? 2 bottles of water that they replaced “once” in 14 days. Went to the buffet for dinner and let’s be clear I’ve eaten camp food for 26 years. The slop they serve is the worst I’ve seen in 26 years ov vacations. It tasted ok, it it all was “slop” in some sauces that you had to guess what you were eating. Lunch was worse. Breakfast was better if you could wait in line for an hour to get eggs cooked to your liking. No bacon but you could get a pork chop for breakfast. Lol Could not get a seat in the lobby bar. They had 1 for all 3 resorts (1000 rooms). It maybe sat 30 people. Now the staff worked hard and are not the problem. I say to management and owners if you don’t want to be an “all inclusive” then don’t be. I will not return to the El CID, Mazatlán is great and if you want a real “all inclusive” go farther out to the Riu.

If you are a couple or in a family, and you want to check in fast, the one thing to remember is that the bellhops will bring your luggage to you in the check-in area. So, why would you stand around and watch them unload the bus? Get off the bus and walk (or run) directly to the front counter with your paperwork and credit card (because there is a surcharge) in hand. They will have two or more staff at the check-in counter. Check-in is usually 10 minutes long. We got a room overlooking the pool, facing the Pacific. What we didn’t know immediately was that the activity area was close by and their super powered speaker was 8-feet from our balcony. Once we unpacked and headed downstairs to the pool deck to get our towels (and a beverage), we settled into a lounge chair and the activities staff were playing their music and entertaining the guests with games. A few hours later when we returned to our room, it was apparent that the noise from the speaker was going to be an issue. We were pretty tired having had to get up at 4 a.m. to get to the airport. (N.B. Once we got to the airport we found out the flight was delayed by 2.5 hours!) Anyway, after a nice shower and dinner at the Pergola buffet/dinner theatre, we decided to go to the check-in counter and request another room. We are seniors and like to take a nap in the later afternoons. So, this room would not be a good match. I spoke to the same young señorita that checked us in and asked for a different room. She hummed and hawed for a bit asking irrelevant questions. I, again, requested a different room and she disappeared to the back and out came Carlos, the young assistant to the rescue. Right away Carlos found us a room, number 4081, which was far away from the music and activities of the El Moro pool. He made arrangements with a bellboy to come to our room in an hour and escort us to our new room. By 9 p.m. our problem was resolved and we were happy, plus we slept comfortably all night! Thank you Carlos! Our vacation was issue-free thereafter. Not one thing went wrong. Everything was great! The staff there are so pleasant and pleasing. You’d think this review would be over. Not really, we just want to say a heart-felt thank you to Sergio in the Pergola breakfast area for being our number 1 server. He saved us a table each morning, got us our three favourite juices, and sometimes a coffee. Another big thank you to Alejandro in the Mexican à la carte Restaurant (La Cascada), and our two pool servers by the El Moro pool for refreshing us with our morning Tequila Sunrises and afternoon cervesas. And then there was Monica at the money exchange booth for putting up with our daily, sometimes twice daily, visits to “break” our 500 peso notes. This was our fifth visit to the El CID Castilla beach resort since 2007. Superficially, I see there are some changes. They repair and paint as well as keep the building looking fresh and clean. We like coming back because we are comfortable with the resort and the staff are great. Also, the cooking crew are hardworking and creative to ensure we stay satisfied.

Beautiful resort! The staff was so friendly. The kids had a blast with all the activities and shows. The staff was so fun and accommodating for the little guys (Yazmin, litzy, and Nadia)