We own 2 weeks.... one week at the Royal Sands and one at the Royal Islander. We only went the 1 week this year...we stayed at the Royal Islander and that was a good choice considering there was no beach. We are not pool people and had to stay at the pool all week. The ocean was just too dangerous to swim in with all the exposed rocks. I know we won't go back next year if it is the same situation...I realize that you can't do anything about mother nature, but the beach was the reason we purchased a time share there.
Also, when my husband went to check out he used US dollars....why I don't know because the dollar is worth much less there right now. I think it would have been an honerable thing to do for the front desk to remind him of this fact...but they didn't. I made a purchase at the airport and was going to use US money and the cashier told me it would be cheaper to charge it because of the exchange rate. I am very disappointed in the Royal Resorts for not mentioning this.

The Royal Islander is a nice resort with very comfortable accomodations and a great staff. People return here year after year. The restaurants are top notch with very reasonable prices. There are a few scheduled activities which make for a fun day. HOWEVER, the beach is not usable. I had read reviews that said that there were rocks and it could be difficult to get into the water. I had even called the resort to inquire about the situation and was lead to believe that depending on the wind conditions, some days the beach was usable. There is no way to get into the water. The beach, at this point, is totally unsafe. Most returning guests said that the beach was beautiful until all the hurricanes hit over the last few years. They tried, unsuccessfully to re-establish the beach but it eroded again. There are plans to try again, starting in April.
We were looking for a beach vacation so we were somewhat disappointed, That being said, this is still a very nice place- just don't expect to use the beach. If they are ever able to re-establish the beach, this resort would be ideal!

We stayed at the Royal Islander from Jan 31 - Feb 7 this year. This was our third visit to the "tri-royals" in Cancun" (I have benefited immensly from information on TA and wanted to give a little something back--this is my first review). We had an oceanfront villa-two bedroom. We love the hospitality and excellent service that we consistently get at Royal Resorts. We also enjoy the option of taking the free shuttle down to the Royal Sands and using the facilities and restaurants at the other adjoining resorts next door to The Islander. Basically you're getting the use of four resorts instead of one--actually five if you take the shuttle down to the newest- Royal Haciendas in Playa DelCarmen.

Please bear in mind that these are "timeshare" resorts, but on the surface function as if they were hotels--your room key is your pass to use all the facilities and restaurants at any of the Royal Resorts-and no, there is no pressure to purchase one.

I give The Royal Islander excellent marks for service, good food, cleanliness, value and friendliness. Enjoyed Happy Hour every day, used the gym, loved that the pools are now heated--it was cool the week we were there, high 60's low 70's. Loved the breakfast buffet at the palapa every morning.

The only negative and it's a big one, is the loss of beach due to erosion started by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. This is the first time we could not swim at the beach at all during the entire week and frankly it was a big disappointment. Obviously, you can't blame this on the resort, but it is a big factor. There was some beach restoration done in 2006 and we did use the beach during our 2007 visit, however this year was the worst we have seen it. The waves break hard and close on the shore and the shoreline-water's edge is mostly covered in boulders. Much of the sand has been washed away. This appears to be the case for many other resorts as well along "the strip." The red flags are posted daily meaning "no swimming allowed." If you were to disregard the warning you may be risking your life-seriously. I asked around the resort and was told that for the most part this is the norm here--no (beach) swimming allowed. As some consolation, you can still walk the beach or sit in loungers and order drinks and take in the beautiful view of aquamarine blue waters and white sand.

The "old" beach was probably the most beautiful beach I ever swam on and sadly, for now it's gone. There is some talk about another government restoration project in the works. This is still a beautiful resort--just don't plan on swimming in the ocean here anytime soon. If swimming in the ocean is important to you...go someplace else :(

We traded our timeshare to stay here. I have to say, we were extremely pleased with the Islander. We arrived to the resort around 1 pm. Check in time is not until 4. We filled out their forms upon arrival and were told that the check in time was'nt until 4 however, we could use the resort as we pleased. Within an hour, if not sooner, our personal concierge found us on the property, checked us in and brought our bags to our room. That is service!!! We were put into a 2 bedroom lock off unit that could very easily sleep 8. King size bed and two trundles in the master suite and the lock off had two doubles. Both of course had kitchens. Both had beautiful verandas. Our suite had a perfect view of the ocean and the pool from the backside and a perfect view of the lagoon on the front side. We were in building #4. The grocery store in the hotel has just about everything you could want. Meat, produce, alcohol, clothes etc. Very convinient.

They also have a tour desk and rental car desk located right outside of the lobby. They have thought of everything for their resorts. My only complaint is the restaurants. Not very appealing and I would rather spend my money off property due to the lack of selection or ambiance.