My Wife and I spent our honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale the first two weeks of June this year. We flew from Gatwick, England with thomas cook who we booked through.

A long flight and a bit of a bus journey we were well rewarded for our efforts. Arriving at the hotel there were a number of friendly porters there to assist us. they looked after our bags, presented all of the new arrivals with Champagne and ensured we all new where to go and how to get checked in. We had booked to stay in the casitas part of the resort which, although a bit more expensive was deffinately worth the extra. once checked in we were taken on a golf buggy to our room. the Casita we stayed in was one of the hut like appartments right beside the beach with everything we needed in the room.

The food in all of the resurants was excellent (the Kampai oriental was by far the best) and the wine and drinks were also very good. We didn't bother with any of the hotels night time entertainment as we spent the evenings walking along the beach or sitting in one of the many beach bars.

The Staff were beyond friendly and strived to make sure your holiday was a good one. the Consierges were most helpful. They would call to see if we needed anything like appointments for the spa, but were not overly pushy. the room service was also excellent.

Over the 2 weeks we found the hotel to be a lovely, relaxing resort. No Kids in the resort made a big difference. a perfect spot for honeymooners to relax after getting married.

I stayed in the Casita Suites. Mine was an oceanview and it was perfect. Out on the Balcony you have a bed which I would use every night & listen to the waves crashing before turning in for the night. Then my bed was already turned down with some cute towel creation and the aromatherapy scent I had chosed filling the air. I am a bad sleeper but slept like an angel here.
I also loved the beach beds. Was always so quite out on the beach and enjoyed the relaxing on it while enjoying the ocean. Then the beach butler would come by and bring ice cream. There are so many bars if I wanted to get up and get a drink I didnt have to walk but a few feet.
It was a good clientelle at the hotel. A high class who seemed to all be happy & friendly as well as considerate of others.
If you cant find something you like on the menu then just tell them what you want to eat. I special ordered many of my meals & they always accommodated me. I am a picky eater so this was a big bonus to me.
The fondue restaurant was my favorite.
Didnt make any of the shows but I was really there for the beach but heard they were fun.

I really don't understand how people can complain about this fabulous resort....
I believe it is only at 50% capacity and some of the restaurants and bars are undergoing renovation....but there was so much to do...we could not fit it all in. The food is fabulous. The pools and grounds are gorgeous. The staff is so helpful, nice, fun.....
We got free massages- which were awesome-by the beach. We got a wine credit for upgraded wine at the Italian restaurant. We had drinks of every flavor and color by the pool. The martini bar was classy and cool after a long day in the sun by the pool. I painted pottery which was then made to look like a masterpiece after I had finished. Our group of 6 was accommodated at every restaurant without hesitation. In fact, it seems as if we got better seating- our own private room at the Italian restaurant. The breakfast at Cocotal was wonderful everyday- Efrain was a great waiter. Martha, our pool waitress, became our friend by the end of the week. The swim up rooms are so nice. Not sure the Casita upgrade could be any better. The only advice that I cold share- take good shoes to walk in....as it is a long walk everwhere- the golf cart shittles come around every 20 minutes...but, we are impatient...so we walked- a lot!! What a great vacation.... wish I was still there. Be careful of Lomas travel transfers to the hotel...we thought we were getting a van transfer and ended up on a big bus- having to wait a while for it to get full. So, just clarify your plans before you get there...and you will know what to expect!!!

We returned from a 2 week stay at the Eldorado Royale yesterday and it was one of the most amazingly relaxing holidays I have ever expereinced.
The first thing to say is that the food is truly gourmet. They are looking to change the face of all inclusive and refering to the service they provide as 'gourmet inclusive' and it really does live up to that.
The best restaurants are Kampia, D-Italia and Las Isla for dinner. La Fondue was a great and fun social experience and there is plenty of choice at lunchtime too.
The thing to remeber is that the menu is designed to be smaller portions and more courses - we were encouraged to order from each course although 5 per evening was too much for me so I tended to stick to 3, which was plenty.
The hotel was down to about 40% occupancy because of the economy and swine flu and the hotel is obviously feeling this as not all of the 7 restaurants were open every night - they are rotated so that guests can experience all of them over their stay. The longest we had to wait was about 40 mins and that's no hardship with a cocktail in yur hand!
On the odd night where you can't face getting changed go for room service. My previous experience involves being handed a tray of virtually cold food at the door - not here though! The guys come into the room, sest the table and serve your food. It was piping hot and really good.
The rooms were spacious and clean - could do with a little updating but still worthy of a mention. We managed to see one of the Casita Suites and they are just lovely but bear in mind that you really do pay a lot extra for no better food or service. The only added benefit is that you get to use the beach palapa and other guests don't. All guests can use all other faclities and the rooms are significantly more expensive.
All staff at the hotel are so lovely and very helpful.
We were happy to tip every time but there really was no pressure to do so - we were talking to another couple who were concerned about this as they had received almost a second class service at Sandals in Cuba the previous years as they were perceived to be tipping less generously - this is just not the case here. Over the 2 weeks we probably spent £300 on tips but there is little else to psend money on and we felt that was deserved as the service is second to none.
The only slight downer was when 2 wedding parties from the US arrived and the guests were really rowdy and causing excessive noise and problems in the pool and the bars. I have no problem with people having fun but vomiting in the Martini Bar and pushing each other around really was too much. That said, they were usually in bed by 5pm having overdone the shots in the pool during the day so late night revelry was never a problem. The staff were kind of powerless to act as the US provides much of their custom. That said when one drunk stole a golf buggy and tried to drive it they acted immediatey.
We did a couple of trips - Xel Ha and Chichen Itza. If tours are your thing please book with the Lomas guys that are located in reception. They really look after you unlike the holidy rep whose welcome meeting extyended as far as selling only the trips in her list and nothing beyond. Lomas have excellent staff, they are cheaper than Thomas Cook and the trips are usually smaller so a much more personalised service. We asked whether they could arrange a round of golf and the response was 'we can arrange almost anything' - brilliant for those that want to go beyond the boring travel company trips that usually spend the first and last hour picking up at multiple hotels to keep costs down and profit up.
The hotel also has a ranch on site and the horse riding was good fun and very reasonably priced if a little hot.
Whilst we were away it was my sisters 25th wedding anniversary. Despite us having advised Thomas Cook at the time we booked and also reminding the rep (who was not aware) they did precisely nothing to make it special. Their brochure states that flowers and wine will be provided on the day but nothing at all was done. The hotel however were amazing. Our Concierge Fernando arranged a romantic breakfast in their room and also arranged for the room to be decorated with rose petals and swans made from towels - sounds odd but a really nice touch. They also put a bottle of champagne on ice ready for their return from dinner.
Overall this place is right at the top of my 'must do again' list (although never with Thomas Cook again!) and we never normally return to places as there are so many others to see.