Royal Resorts , Pick One

[JBRES1]

I have made plans to go to Cancun for spring break next year and plan to stay at one of the Royals on an exchange if I can, if not I will rent a week.
If you could pick any of the Royals , where would you stay and why?
My daughter wants to stay at the Royal Reosrt with the swim up bar. She is 13 yrs old and thinks its just too cool to sit in the pool at a bar and drink smoothies.
I am leaning toward the Royal C or Royal I , just because they are in the 3 pack of Royals, and I think I stand a better chance of an rental there.

Do any of the Royals offer a meal plan for the week ?

Should we get a car, I hope not.

If I do rent from an owner, would we get their unit ?

Thanks, Jim Breslin

 

[Hoc]

I know there is a swim up bar at the Royal C, and another one at the Royal Mayan. I don't remember if there is one at the Royal Sands or Royal Islander, and I have never seen VCI, so I don't know about that one.

The Royals do offer a meal plan, but you don't need it. Some of the Cancun restaurants are very good, and reasonably priced, as well. You don't want to be stuck eating at the resorts for your whole week (despite the fact that there are some good restaurants at the resorts, as well).

You don't need a car. There is a very cheap and very convenient shuttle bus into the main parts of Cancun running every 15 minutes or so. And cabs are quite cheap there.

 

[JEFF H]

Picking one is hard as they are All are Good resorts. You should be happy with any of them that you can get on exchange during the high season.
Sands,mayan,carribean and Islander all have a pool bar with stools in the pool.
No rental car is needed for Cancun.
The bus system runs 24 hours up and down the Hotel zone into Downtown.

 

[KarenLK]

if you rent from an owner, you will get a fixed week and unit. No bait and switch at the reception desk.

 

[tonyg]

The meal plan was discontinued. All the Royals in Cancun have a swim up bar. If you exchange, the Royal Mayan does have some units with no ocean view.

 

[Ellis2ca]

In my opinion, the Royal Mayan is the most beautiful Royal Resort of them all... it has the nicest gardens and pools and beach and the best views... it also has the best restaurant (El Conquistador) and the most pleasant restaurant to have breakfast or lunch or supper in (La Palapa), and it is closest to the bus stop and to Captain's Cove, if you care to walk. (you can wait for the shuttle bus, everyday except Saturday...)

As Tony says, some units don't have a good view, namely, building F... and all floors 1, 2, and 3 are below the swimming pool and gardens, so you don't get to see that view which is really very beautiful, but they have a good ocean view. Building H is "lagoon view" which is not bad, but not as nice as the "ocean and pool view." If you can get an Executive Penthouse at the Royal Mayan, that is unbeatable, in my opinion.

The Royal Caribbean is larger than the Royal Mayan, and has a bigger lobby, and a shopping area, and I like the Tradewinds restaurant, too.

I don't go very much to the Royal Islander, but it is nice too, and I like the Mexican restaurant there too.

The Royal Sands is the glitziest of the 5 Royals, it has a huge and very nice swimming pool, it has a beautiful lobby, it has the Spa on its grounds, and it has the What's-It's-Name restaurant (was "The Royal Bandstand"), which I don't particularly like. I like to GO to the Royal Sands, and I'm glad it is there, but I feel much more at home at the Royal Mayan, and I try to stay there whenever I can...

V.C.I. is also very nice and it has the best sailing... but it is like old wine, maybe you don't even like wine... We old connoiseurs love V.C.I.... but the Royal Mayan is more modern and has a better beach and La Palapa, and Captain's Cove close by, and those are all good reasons why I think you will love the Royal Mayan.

You really can't miss. Any of them is great, even the old wine one... And in any case, if you stay at one, you can go to the restaurants and pools of the others, so location and view are the determining factors. V.C.I. is the closest to Can Cun city, but you might not even go into Can Cun city in one week... And the Royal Mayan and Royal Sands are both the best located of the other 4.

Try to get a good view. If you are offered one without a good view, wait until you find a Villa with a good view. It really does make a lot of difference in your one week stay and your appreciation of Can Cun, and it usually costs the same.

Rent from an owner, if that's still true that you don't get the Villa that it says on the reservation. I don't see why they ever did this... except I think it might have been a temporary measure while they repaired some villas after Wilma. - Ellis

 

[BSQ]

I think all the Royals are nice, and while they are all similar, each has something a little different to offer.

While at the resort, we spend most of our time at the pool & beach, and only eat breakfast and/or lunch on site.

Pool wise, my order of preference would be: Islander, Caribbean, VCI, Mayan Sands. (the pool bar and being able to swim under the bridges has me prefer it to my home resort). Your daughter might be disappointed, minors aren't really allowed to sit at the pool bars. The pool at the sands always feels too crowded to me.

I've always felt the Caribbean and Islander are the most similar of all the resorts.

I do like the location of the sands being walking distance to a mall and a few places to eat.

Definitely don't need a car. The buses run 24/7 and they are fast n frequent.

 

[Janis]

Our group prefers the Royal Sands. It offers the largest pool, 3 swim-up bars (and minors are allowed - even if the signs say otherwise). My kids spend a lot of time there drinking smoothies and eating chips.

Plus, we like that the pool and the ocean are pretty much on the same level. Though we love the Mayan, Islander & Caribbean - we find the trek between the pools and the beach to be less than ideal. (you have to walk down a few flights of stairs to get to the beach from the pool deck)

Because we have teenagers, we love being able to walk to Kukulkan and La Isla and La Distelleria.

We have been there for many Spring Breaks - and are all planning on being back there again for 2007.

La Palapa at the Mayan is the best place for b'fast. The food isn't any different really than the Sands - but the ambience is amazing. Conquistador has great food - but you don't need to stay at the Mayan to eat there.

We never loved Captain's Cove - so proximity to it isn't an issue with us. Plus , it's not open yet. I heard that work is scheduled to start soon - but as of April 15th it was still in shambles.

 

[Ellis2ca]

We never loved Captain's Cove - so proximity to it isn't an issue with us.

Maybe that is why you don't love Captain's Cove... But I give you some good advice: go to Captain's Cove for breakfast some day... especially on a Sunday when they serve a big buffet breakfast...

Or go to Captain's Cove at night, for supper... As you said, the ambiance is "amazing"... I love to walk out on the deck and see the fish, maybe Pancho (the Alligator), and I simply love Captain's Cove. The food is very good, too... Not very expensive because it is run by the Royals (and we get a 10% discount, too...) and very good for an informal restaurant.

I missed Captain's Cove on my last three trips to Can Cun, and I was very happy to hear that it is finally being repaired and is expected to be ready in July. For me, it is one of my can't-miss restaurants in Can Cun.

 

[Jameson18]

Just back from Cancun. Stayed at the Royal Islander. I guess we all have our preferences, the Islander is still my preferred location. Having a BF unit also helps although depending on your style, any other unit is just as good. You mentioned pool bar for your teen, there is a age restriction (18 and older) to use the pool bar so your daughter may be disappointed.
As far as food is concerned, well, I am still making up a list of good places, this also is a personal preference. We tried a few places again this year, disappointed with some, loved the Disteleria as recommended by TUGGERS before I left, found the Laguna Grill just outside the Mayan (a little walk) great food, good quality, only problem is price, wow $65.00 for surf and turf and skip the wine list, most expensive I have seen, but food was good.
Captain's cove still closed, looks like it will be some time, just beside it is a a few take outs, MAc, pizza, etc... we usually skip those. Also, skip the tradwinds express in the Caribbean, we did take out chicken that the staff promised was just cooked a short while ago, I think they meant days not minutes, terrible. Don't miss the Wednesday Italian buffet at the tradewind (not same as the express), we had a good meal that night and even went through two bottles of italian wine all for under $90.00 INCLUDING A BIG TIP. :whoopie:
Another place to skip which we tried downtown next to the Mexican Outlet, La Parilla, not sure why this place is recommended, never seen a steak (supposed to be their specialty) served on a plate....with nothing else, no fries, mash, rice, veggies or nothing, just a few sprinkles of parsley...Dry as anything and very poorly cooked...
Downtown is the fun place to be, try different merchants quick tortillas, etc... now that was great food....

 

[Aussie girl]

Love the Royal Sands.

Jim, you don't need a car. We hired a wonderful cab driver from the Sands for 3 different day trips. It was the highlight of our trip.

 

[mickeyfanz]

My favorites are the Royal Islander and the Royal Mayan. They are both smaller resorts so you don't have as many people fighting over spots at the pool. The Caribbean seems to have that problem since it is so large compared to its two neighbors. Most of the children's pool activities do take place in the Caribbean pool as well as a lot of the arts and crafts activities in their rec center.

We own at the Islander and love it. I also love the Mayan because I think that the landscaping is the most beautiful there and I love the outdoor dining under the Palapa.

We eat 95% of our meals at the Royal Resorts. We love the breakfast buffets and also try to do all of the theme nights. Our favorite lately has been the Caribbean night that they do in Cayo Largo towards the end of the week - all-u-can drink rum punch and yummy beef tenderloin wrapped around scallops. We always do the Mexican Fiesta night at the Mayan and the Italian night at the Caribbean.

Don't miss El Conquistador at the Mayan - to me it is one of the nicest meals I have had anywhere and the prices are still very reasonable for the first class dining experience and live guitar music by Jorge Duran.

We do visit the Sands and while I like the impressive lobby, the pool is very crowded and it is kind of limited in their restaurant selection. I don't really count Hacienda Sisal because they cater more to non-Royals guests and their prices reflect that. We have done the early-bird special there and that was good - I think I liked the menu better when it was Isabella's though. The dinner shows at Hacienda Sisal are much more expensive than the theme nights at other resort locations. We do enjoy the lunch buffet at the Sands restaurant though. If you are big into spa activities or being next to a shopping mall, then you may want to stay at the Sands.

All of the resorts have swim-up bars but you are "supposed" to be 18 to be in there. I see that rule get broken a lot though and sometimes it is annoying - especially when it is happy hour and the bar seats are at a premium already. I think it would be okay to escort your daughter to get a smoothie there when it is not a busy time. The annoying ones are the unsupervised 8-12 year olds that are splashing around there when adults are trying to have a relaxing drink. And then there are the obvious underage teenage drinkers who decide to test their limits while in Mexico and can get pretty obnoxious - not sure where their parents are either - they must enjoy getting the bill charged to their room card at the end of the week!

Have a great time - it is a wonderful and relaxing stay and you can do as much or as little as you want to.