TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The staff in the lobby was rude as heck and they tried to shaved an hour off our trip with an early airport transfer and then when we paid for their taxi, he petulant and asked for more than we were told. He forced me to go to the bank machine for extra cash when I gave him 1K pesos. He wanted 1,300. The beach is like Normandy and the food was bad as Cuban food. Stay away!

Most of the staff was great! Food 6 out of 10 Roaches just gross. Several safety issues door locks, frayed wires slick paths

The El Dorado Royale is an adults only 5-star resort that is part of a chain of El Dorado resorts that are family owned. There are two sister properties attached to Royale: Casitas (adults only) & Generations (family). As a guest of Royale, you have access to facilities at both Casitas and Generations.  The Good: - The food for the most part is excellent! The only bad meal served was a burger I ordered to my room on the second night we were here. Other than that, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at breakfast, lunch and dinner - The service is outstanding. Every employee here is extremely friendly & helpful! A very special shout out to Victor, Nadal & Kingston who took extra good care of us! The employees also speak very highly of the owners which was nice to hear! - The resort is very clean. Washrooms and the pool areas are cleaned frequently and I saw the pool water being tested regularly - There is a main pool and several smaller pools around the resort. They are all very nice but seating can be tough to get after about 10:00am or so. I highly recommend renting a Bali Bed at the main pool which you can do through your concierge. It comes with your own waiter, bottles of champagne, unlimited water and a guaranteed spot. The cost is $95 USD/day. For about $200 USD/day you can rent one that comes with breakfast & lunch service at your bed. The beds at the smaller pools do not have a fee but if you want one, show up very early to claim it as they go fast! - The basic room is a "Luxury Junior Suite" and it's just fine. Spacious & clean with two sinks in the bathroom and a shower with great water pressure. Each suite has a balcony or a patio if you are on the ground floor - Room service is offered 24/7 (though the food wasn't the best) - The snorkeling excursion was one of the best I ever experienced - Every Tuesday night is the Mexican Festival in the ballroom. This does not require a reservation and is buffet style. It's an authentic Mexican experience with dance performances and some great food options. One word of advice: if you get tacos, the green sauce is not guacamole. It some kind of super hot sauce that will absolutely destroy your mouth if you put too much on your taco! Be careful! The Less Than Good: - You cannot swim off the beach here and that fact is not well advertised. This was the one consistent complaint I heard from everyone I talked to that had never stayed here before. They should be more transparent about this. The beach is lovely but it isn't swimmable due to a strong undertow. You can; however get transportation to a sister property with a lovely beach that is swimmable - They advertise a champagne welcome but this did not take place. I don't know if it's because our arrival was late (10:30pm) but we were not offered anything. As I sit in the lobby writing this, I see guests checking in with champagne  - If you don't have restaurant reservations (which you can make with your concierge and I highly recommend you make on your first day for your entire stay), your only walk-in dinner options are pizza by the main pool or the Chef's Market Buffet which is way down at Generations (15 minute walk or short shuttle ride). There is also a late night buffet offered at the main bar beginning at 10:00pm nightly - The resort signage is very poor. If you're directionally challenged and/or don't read maps well (they give you a fairly lousy map at check-in), you'll have a hard time finding your way around as the signs are few and far between and not well placed. Also, most of the restaurants are hidden and not well marked and in some cases, not marked at all. They do have a free shuttle that runs every 15-20 minutes or so but you can also flag them down Overall, the resort is great and I would definitely recommend it. You'll find great staff that really go above & beyond, great food and great pools. Just be aware that you can't swim off the beach here and there are limited dinner options if you don't have restaurant reservations. And be sure to ask for Victor at breakfast!

Beautiful, large resort, great amenities and good food, but more than anything it is the staff that makes this place. Wife and I just returned from a few days there, weather was perfect Special call out to the butlers, Johnny and Miriam. The waiter at our private dinner, Manual The chef, Imanol (probably spelling his name wrong, but my god he can cook). Also like to thank Eric at the World Market for his courtesy and attentiveness. Last the manager at D’italia restaurant was amazing in his coordination of the operation, dealing with unexpected, communicating to the staff and customers, making everyone feel that their concerns were important and would be addressed as quickly as possible

Returned from 10 days at the Royale. Our butlers Fernanda and Alondra are amazing. They are great brand ambassadors for the El Dorado brand. Always making sure breakfast was accurate and on time, and that we made it to our restaurants for dinner every night. Such amazing service and a BIG reason we return again and again. Thank you so much ladies, you are the BEST! Great housekeeping by Jose who made our room look new and fresh like the day we arrived. Beach butlers Ramon and Jose looked after us like VIPs, even going above and beyond for a special drink request. We loved the Italian restaurant d'Italia. BEST DESSERT EVER.... The Panna Cotta A must is to try the Taco restaurant tucked away at the far end of the resort. It's quiet and quick for lunch. Would be nice if they stayed open longer, especially for guest who arrive same day or late and need a meal. Reservations at all restaurants is recommended. In-suite dinner by Chef Roxanna and Assistant Oswaldo was the best we've had at any of the hotels. Amazing presentation, taste, and flavor. LOVED IT! Finally a special thanks for Lomas Travel for the excellent limo service. On-time, friendly and a smoooooth ride.