TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Overall Review Overall, the hotel was good, clean and well maintained considering the size of the resort. Most aspects of our holiday were enjoyable, but several issues spoiled the experience enough that I wouldn’t return or recommend it. Hotel, Staff & Transport The shuttles were hit and miss. Sometimes they arrived within the expected 20 minutes; other times, they never arrived at all. We stayed by the Fuentes pool, which was lovely, clean and had plenty of sunbeds. It was much cleaner than the main pool, where the water was murky. Unfortunately, the Fuentes swim-up bar only opened once during our 10-night stay, despite the other swim-up bars being open all week. Staff were generally friendly, always greeting us, and the cleaners did an excellent job. However, friendliness didn’t always translate into helpfulness. On several occasions, staff either couldn’t answer basic questions or provided incorrect information. I did experience one rude interaction with a member of staff at the main pool swim-up bar, but after I challenged him, he was polite again. One particularly unacceptable incident involved my partner being locked out of our room while I was away. Reception arranged for a shuttle to take her back to the room and said security would arrive to let her in. Nobody turned up, leaving her waiting for over an hour until I returned. On our first day, we arrived at 4 pm and spent around two hours walking around trying to find somewhere to eat. There was no information provided about restaurant opening times, so we eventually had to return to reception, soaking wet from a storm, to obtain the schedule. This should be provided on arrival. We were also almost charged a late checkout fee for leaving at 12:30 pm rather than 12 pm, despite nobody having explained the checkout time to us. Food & Restaurants Overall, the restaurants were good. Fuentes was my favourite, with a fantastic cooking show and delicious food. The Thai restaurant was also very good, while the buffets were okay. Avoid Khaab. I ordered the tikka masala and could only manage two bites because it was so unpleasant. Shortly afterwards, I became violently ill and only started feeling better two days after returning home. Something else I found bizarre was the complete absence of chocolate ice cream anywhere on the resort, including the buffets. There are two ice cream bars, but neither offered chocolate. The flavours were frankly disgusting, and the supposed vanilla tasted more like cinnamon. When I asked whether chocolate would be available, the staff member simply shrugged. Another frustrating issue was the lack of signage throughout the resort. Many of the restaurants and bars have no signs identifying them, making it unnecessarily difficult to work out where you are, which bar you’re at, or which restaurant you’re trying to find. I genuinely don’t understand why these places aren’t clearly signposted, especially in such a large resort where finding your way around can already be confusing. Excursions The included excursions were mostly brilliant, but the organisation and communication were inconsistent. We visited Maroma Beach twice. The first visit was excellent, with great snorkelling, catamaran trips and jet skiing. Our coach collected us at 5 pm without any issues. On our second visit, we also enjoyed the quad biking, although this was an additional cost. However, we had booked to leave Maroma at 12:30 pm because we had other activities scheduled at the hotel. Maroma hadn’t booked our return shuttle, and we were told we would have to wait until 2:30 pm. We therefore had to pay £30 for a taxi. The excursion booking team was particularly disappointing due to what appeared to be blatant dishonesty. We wanted to visit the included Aktun Chen cenote, but the representative tried to upsell us to a more expensive cenote, claiming it was much closer. He specifically told us Aktun Chen was 1.5 hours away. We went with Aktun Chen anyway and were annoyed to discover that, even with traffic, the journey took just 45 minutes. Don’t fall for the sales pitch or upselling tactics. Beaches & Seaweed Maroma Beach was lovely, although there was a lot of seaweed. The staff did an excellent job clearing it, even using a JCB, so this wasn’t something I would hold against them. The resort’s own beach, however, was awful. The red flag was up all week, making swimming impossible, and personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to swim there even with a green flag. The natural pool and beach looked nothing like the promotional pictures. The beach was covered in rotting seaweed, and the smell was so bad that it genuinely made me gag. Fortunately, our room was away from the beachfront, although the smell was still noticeable from the beachfront rooms. Final Thoughts Despite these issues, I did enjoy most of the holiday, and there were plenty of positives. However, the inconsistent transport, poor communication, room-access incident, disappointing beach, excursion upselling and other avoidable problems collectively let the resort down. It was a good holiday overall, but there were too many frustrating experiences that could and should have been handled better. I wouldn’t return or recommend this resort to others.

We have been to El Dorado Royale on many trips and this one did not disappointed. From our great friend Jimmy Hu ,to our long time waiter friend Celesteo, and fantastic bartender friend Jovany we have also know for so long….thank you thank you to you all for making our 25th wedding anniversary special. El Dorado was our honeymoon resort just 10 days after 9/11 so being able to spend our 25th anniversary was extremely special. Our concierge this trip was the lovely Paula in building 53 and she made sure we had everything we could hope for and so much more! As always El Dorado is our magical place and we are so grateful for each trip and for every single employee we meet . Gracias and hasta pronto until next time. L&L

I want to be fair because there were many things we genuinely enjoyed about this resort. The property is beautiful, exceptionally clean, and very well maintained. The service we received from the restaurant and bar staff was also very good overall. Unfortunately, our experience with management regarding our room reservation was so disappointing that it overshadowed much of our vacation. We originally booked a Swim-Up Junior Suite More Inclusive in March through Lomas Travel. Unfortunately, I missed the final-payment deadline, and our reservation was cancelled. I immediately contacted Lomas Travel to see if there was any way to reinstate our original reservation. The representative I spoke with told me she would speak with her manager to see if they could honor our original room at the original rate. She specifically told me that if they could do so, we would receive an email confirmation. We did. We received written confirmation that the reservation had been reinstated, and based on that confirmation, we paid the reservation in full. So imagine our surprise when we arrived at the resort on Friday, September 26, 2026, only to discover that we did not have the Swim-Up Junior Suite we had booked and paid for. Instead, we were given a Luxury Junior Suite More Inclusive. Before our arrival, we had even been contacted and asked what type of room we had booked. I clearly stated that we had booked a Swim-Up Suite. We had every reason to believe the reservation had been properly corrected. Yes, the written reservation showed "Junior Suite," but the swim-up feature was not specifically listed. However, we had been verbally assured that our original room type and original price would be honored, and we had received confirmation based on that assurance. As soon as we discovered the issue, we brought it to the attention of Letty, the concierge, and Crystal, the office manager. I explained the entire situation and showed that we had been specifically promised the same room at the same price when our reservation was reinstated. Crystal asked for 24 hours to investigate the situation with Lomas Travel, which is their sister company, and told us she would get back to us the following day. She never did. The next day came and went without any communication from Crystal. We eventually had to ask Letty for an update, and we were told they were still looking into it. Meanwhile, we were left in a room that was not the room we had booked. Then things became even more frustrating. We were told that the resort was only around 40% occupied, and both Crystal and Letty acknowledged that Swim-Up Suites were available. Yet instead of simply honoring the reservation, Crystal approached us on Monday — two days after we initially reported the problem — and offered to move us to a Swim-Up Suite for an additional $300. My response was simple: Why would we pay another $300 for the room we had already booked, received written confirmation for, and already paid for? At that point, this stopped feeling like a simple reservation mistake. It felt like a bait-and-switch. We were not asking for an upgrade. We were not asking for a free room. We were not asking for special treatment. We were asking for the room we had already booked and paid for. And unfortunately, Crystal ultimately did nothing to make it right. We decided to attend the resort tour that was offered to us so that we could at least receive the complimentary 50-minute massages that came with it. During that tour, we met with Francisco, the sales representative, and Carlos, the manager. Letty had already informed them about what had happened with our reservation. Honestly, we weren't even planning to bring the issue up with them. We were there for the tour and the massages and didn't want to spend any more of our vacation discussing the reservation problem. However, Francisco and Carlos insisted that we tell them what had happened. After hearing the entire story, Carlos told us he was going to pull every string he could to find out exactly what happened. He contacted the team at Lomas Travel and spoke with the representative involved in reinstating our reservation — the same person who had told me that our original room would be honored at the original rate. And here's what was incredibly frustrating: It took Carlos approximately one hour to uncover exactly what we had been telling management all along. After speaking with Lomas Travel and the representative involved, Carlos confirmed that the mistake was on their end. They had made the mistake. We were right. At that point, we completely understood that Carlos worked on the tours/membership side of the property and that there may have been limits to what he could personally do to change our room situation. But that wasn't really the point anymore. The point was that someone finally took the time to investigate the situation and confirmed that what we had been saying from the beginning was accurate. And yet, despite the fact that the resort ultimately acknowledged that they were at fault, nothing was done to make it right. That's the part that is hardest to understand. They knew they made the mistake. They knew we had been promised the room. They knew Swim-Up Suites were available. They knew we had already paid. And still, there was no meaningful attempt to correct the situation without asking us for another $300. That is simply unacceptable customer service. If this had been an honest mistake that management immediately corrected, we would have completely understood. Mistakes happen. What matters is how a company responds when the mistake is discovered. Unfortunately, management's response was extremely disappointing. We were given a different room. We were asked to wait while management "investigated." The office manager promised to follow up and didn't. We received little to no communication. And after two days, we were offered the room we originally booked — for another $300. Then, when another manager finally took the time to investigate, he confirmed that the resort was indeed at fault. And still, nothing was done. The frustrating part is that this situation could have been resolved in minutes. Someone simply needed to say: "There was an error with your reservation. We're sorry. You were promised the Swim-Up Suite, and we're going to honor that commitment." Instead, we spent valuable vacation time dealing with a problem that was not our fault and should never have been ours to resolve. And that's ultimately what makes this experience so disappointing. A resort can have a beautiful property, great restaurants, clean facilities, and wonderful employees — but when something goes wrong, management's response is what determines how a customer remembers the experience. Crystal had an opportunity to turn a frustrating situation into a positive customer-service experience. Unfortunately, she did nothing to make it right. Even after the mistake was confirmed, we were left with the same room we never booked and no meaningful resolution. I also want to make clear that this review is not a reflection of the many employees who treated us wonderfully. The restaurant and bar staff were very good, and the property itself is beautiful. This review is specifically about management's handling of our reservation, the lack of communication, the lack of urgency, and ultimately the lack of accountability when the resort's own mistake was confirmed. We were celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary, and we chose to take this vacation to celebrate together. We were looking forward to relaxing and enjoying our time away. Instead, we spent several days dealing with a room issue that should have been resolved immediately. A vacation is supposed to be relaxing. Customers should not have to spend their vacation arguing over something they have already booked, received confirmation for, and paid for. I sincerely hope senior management reviews what happened here — not just because of our experience, but because this is exactly the kind of situation that can turn a potentially loyal customer into someone who will think twice before returning. Beautiful resort. Great property. Good food and beverage service. Wonderful employees. But a very disappointing experience with management and the way our reservation was handled. At the end of the day, the expectation is simple: If a resort confirms your reservation, accepts your payment, and promises you a specific room, you should be able to trust that commitment will be honored — without being asked to pay another $300 for it.

I’m currently in the hotel and we are a party of 8 people came to celebrate my mother’s 60 birthday. We have been to several restaurants so far but every time we asked for a cappuccino we are told that the coffee machine doesn’t work. Among our group there is my grandmother which has mobility health issues. Yesterday we went to 3 places in order to drink a cappuccino. I believe that a hotel of this class minimum should have a coffee machine that operates in each restaurant and bar.

As long-time members of Exotic, typically visiting 2-3 times per year, this was our 2nd visit in 2026. During our May visit we stayed in Casitas and chose the 5500 during MAW. Over the years we have witnessed many changes, some positive and some not so positive. It saddens us to say that, for the first time in 16 years, we will be looking elsewhere for our future vacations. I feel compelled to expand on why we have reached this point. When we first became members, the resort grounds were maintained impeccably. The grounds are no longer maintained to the standard they once were. The in-room bars contained true “premium” spirits, and amenities such as kayaks, sail boats, jet skis, para sailing were all available. Dining options were plentiful, with most restaurants open and offering unique menus. There was also a vibrant schedule of daily and nightly entertainment. Over time, many of these amenities have either been reduced or replaced with offerings that provide significantly less value than what was originally included as part of the resort membership experience. There has also been a significant increase in rates. We fully understand that pricing adjustments are necessary to keep a business viable. However, when rates increase, guests expect the value and benefits to remain consistent or improve, not be reduced. Unfortunately, the sargassum situation has continued to worsen and appears to arrive earlier each year. This is extremely unfortunate for the resort. We have consistently tried to plan our visits around the sargassum season so we could enjoy the beach. We understand nature is beyond anyone’s control, and we do not fault the resort for that. We simply recognize how challenging this must be for both guests and the hardworking staff who depend on occupancy for their livelihood. That said, beach maintenance and long-term improvement efforts remain significant concerns. In conversations with other members, no one seems to have received a clear explanation as to why capital improvement funding has not been allocated toward removing the artificial reef structures that have been pushed onto the beach by storms and now serve primarily as eyesores. Similarly, it is unclear why seaweed barriers, which are utilized by other nearby resorts, have not been implemented. Replacing aging palapas, beach chairs, and other beach amenities also does not appear to be a priority. Quite simply, the beach has not improved since we joined. In fact, it has deteriorated year after year. THE STAFF What can we say about this kind, hardworking group of people. They are the one aspect of this resort that has NEVER changed and is the primary reason we have continued returning year after year. Over the years, we have made wonderful memories and developed genuine friendships with many staff members. Understanding that certain everyday items can be difficult or expensive to obtain in Mexico, we have often brought small gifts from the United States as tokens of appreciation for those who make our stays so memorable. Unfortunately, during this visit, we were informed that staff members are no longer permitted to accept such gestures. Again, this is very unfortunate. The very people who consistently go above and beyond to create exceptional guest experiences can no longer be recognized in this simple and meaningful way. While we certainly respect the resort's policies, it is disappointing to lose another small tradition that allowed us to express our gratitude to the individuals who have contributed so much to our enjoyment over the years. In closing, our criticism comes from a place of loyalty, not negativity. After 16 years of membership, we want nothing more than to see the resort thrive and return to the standards that originally made it such a special destination. The staff continue to provide exceptional service and remain the resort's greatest asset. Unfortunately, the overall value proposition and guest experience no longer align with what we have come to expect from our membership, leading us to reconsider our vacation plans for the foreseeable future.