Flew with First Choice and paid for an upgrade which wasn't really worth the money. Nice to be called to the plane first and to recieve your luggage first at the other end but not really worth £200 each.

At Cancun airport there are many people who will try and take your bag to your coach for a tip - just decline politely, your coaches are literally yards away.

Our transfer was short and we were greeted professionally by the staff at El Dorado Royale with a glass of champagne. We had to change rooms as we had booked for a sea view and didn't initially get one but the transfer was completed effortlessly with minimum fuss.

The food was really quite fancy in all of the resteraunts, nothing was plain, you would never be able to order a steak or piece of fish cooked plainly. The portions were small, order a few courses. Breakfast was the best meal of the day for me as especially at Cocotal they provided such a wide range of food to eat although a cup of tea was unheard of and I often had to wait a while to be served with tea but not the end of the world.
There were no snacks on offer inbetween meal times which sometimes was annoying as I often got peckish around 4pm..room service is available 24/7 but sometimes you just want a bite of something without having to haul [--] back to the room in order to eat it.

All the pools were warm and therefore not refreshing when one wanted to cool off, the pool by the swing bar was FREEZING as it was undercover and had no sun exposure so that was lovely to cool off in.

The drinks were all branded and delicious, served in proper glasses (not thick rimmed nasty general AI glasses!!) and we particularly enjoyed the atmosphere and air conditioning of the cocktail bar after dinner.

Tipping was expected but we only tipped if the service warranted it. We found it was more prevalent outside of the complex say if we went on a trip.

The rooms were comfortable and cleaned to a high standard daily. We had no trouble with mosquitos in fact neither of us were bitten once! Girls don't bother taking hair dryers or GHD's as the voltage of them means they won't work over there. The hairdryer in the bathroom was adequate for me.

It was nice not to have to wear an all inclusive wrist band either, everything about the resort is 5* and worth the money that you will have paid for it. It is very romantic and geared for the special occasion so if you have booked for here then sit back, relax and enjoy yourself you have chosen well.

PS the concierges have loads of books that holiday makers (me included!) have left behind so don't weigh your case down taking loads of books with you...

My wife and I are young emptynesters (early, mid-forties), and hence no-kids resorts are top of the list. EDR was perfect. First, the few negatives. We had booked through Funjet (turned out to be a great idea: charter flights, resort transportation etc.), got to the resort by 11, but had to wait till 3 as the room wasnt ready (got a buzzer that allowed us to go eat etc. while waiting for the room). The only other downside was the absence of a full-fledged Mexican restaurant on the premises.
Did not have a casita, but an ocean-front room, worked out great. Very close to the beach and to all the amenities, yet very quite (it was a second floor room). As other reviewers have mentioned, the beach is in state of repair after the hurricanes of 2005, but the sandbags actually created very comfortable swim and wade areas. Beach was great, so was the alcohol service on the beach. Food was okay (one of us is a vegetarian, and the veggie options were very limited). Did the dinner on the beach, expensive but absolutely memorable. Ditto couple massages on a platform near the ocean. Staff was remarkably friendly for the most part. Were there for only three days, wished we had more time. Did not go out of the resort at all. Great place, would highly recommend it.

We wanted a place we could enjoy the beach and pools and great food. This place did not disappoint. There were activities at the pool if you wanted to join. Great swim up bars and attentive staff who would bring you drinks. Our restaurant experiences were overall great. A few misses, like the super fancy diners I could pass on. You must try the authentic Mexican restaurant hidden behind the Fuentes restaurant.

Our room the Jr Jacuzzi suite was great, we loved the hammock on our balcony.

My best memories of being there are the evenings of entertainment and live music. The great variety of restaurants, Jojos on the beach was great! The lush beautiful grounds which were worth the walk around the large resort, especially at night. And the fantastic breakfasts served buffet style and with made to order omelettes.

So relaxing, or jam packed with activities if you want. We loved it. -April and Tom

Hello all

Does anyone have any experence with private transportation from the Cancun Airport to El Dorado Royale? We are booked for group transportation but I'm worried we will have to make to many stops along the way at other hotels. This will be our honeymoon and I dont want to stop alot on the way to the hotel.
American Express Travel is who is providing transportation.
Thanks in advance for the info.