Which of the 3 Tri-Royal Resorts would be the best to get, in terms of the quality and condition of the facilities (living and recreational), the convenience of the location (accessibility and beach), the desirability on trades (most demanded & popular), etc.?
All are kept in top condition, with constant maintenance and frequent upgrades.
All have pretty much the same layout (2 bedroom lockoffs, though the Club Internacional has different layouts) and similar recreation available.
Club Internacional is different than the others - it has small buildings and is arranged kind of like a village. It is on a very quiet beach and has a very quiet atmosphere.
The others are all set up in a C or horseshoe shape, with the open end at the beach, so with the exception of one building in the Royal Mayan, all will have an ocean view.
The RTU (right to use) expires 30 years from the original opening date for the Royal Mayan, Royal Caribbean, and Royal Islander - I believe it's 2012 for the Mayan, 2018 for the Caribbean, and 2023 for the Islander - don't have time to look it up right now. The RTU is good for 50 years for the Royal Sands and Royal Haciendas - I think till 2050 for the Sands and 2057 for the Haciendas.
At that time the developers *might* renew for another period of time - that's what they did with Club Internacional. In that case, current owners might have the option to buy in again at a reduced rate. That's what happened with Club Internacional. However, the current thoughts are that they are more likely to sell to the highest bidder. In that case, owners will get part of the proceeds depending on how much is left after legal, taxes, etc are paid for. How much if any depends on the selling price, costs, and the detals of the original contracts which vary by resort.
With each successive resort the developers made some changes and upgrades - e.g. the kitchens have formica in the Tri-Royals and granite in the Haciendas. Likewise, the appliances are upgraded in the Sands and Haciendas, and the bathrooms are upgraded in the Haciendas. The Haciendas has additional upgrades, such as a jacuzzi on each terrace.
The newer resorts also cost more, of course.
They are all in good demand for trading. As far as rentals, I'm not sure about Club Internacional, but depending on the week the others are good in terms of rentals - with holiday and summer weeks being in high demand and returning well more than the maintenance fee.
As far as the vacation experience, in all cases you have very clean well maintained and comfortable resorts, with very friendly responsive staff, clean pools, and reasonably priced restaurants. You'll have an older crowd at the older resorts. All are family resorts that are kid friendly.
I suggest spending some time on royalresorts.com, reading the reviews on TUG, and searching this forum for more comparing the resorts. Of course ask more questions here!