DO not come here if rain is in the forecast, unless you want to buy a timeshare. We stayed 6 days during which TS Ida showed up in the middle. Rain is a normal thing at this time in this area, however this resort had no rain plan. We were essentially trapped in our room for days with no way to get around or eat, because during rain the shuttles and room service are shut down. They did however provide us with the opportunity to attend the time-share presentation during the storm. Thank you Steve for the high-pressure sales tactics try again on someone a little less disgruntled. To sum things up ... we never got our Honeymoon room upgrade because the resort was apparently full during the storm. Total B.S., about half the staff was super cool and helpful and the other half can go jump in a lake. what a waste of time and money. Go to Valentin Imperial or anywhere but here. Nothing but a bunch of fake people trying to sell time shares and grow MR. MARTINEZ"S empire. He and Lomas can find a different customer
.

We went from October 4-October 11 or our honeymoon. We arrived very quickly from the airport it only 30 minutes from Cancun Airport . We arrived to smiling faces eager to help with our bags. We were directed to the check in desk. We checked in and were given a glass of champagne. We came with RCI and were brought to the exotic traveler’s office to be formally checked in. Our room was not ready (although we received a phone call from their office the week before asking for arrival time and assuring the room will be ready) but we went to lunch at La Isla and were told the room will be ready when we returned to the office. It was ready and we were taken by Leo to our room in a golf cart. Our room was a garden view room number 5128. They put all the RCI members in building 51 which was the last Villa and far from most things but it was nice and secluded. The concierge outside our villa were ok they talked a lot but really did not help us with anything.
The pool close to our room was really fun. We enjoyed playing volleyball and my husband loved the water polo. I think they were a great staff and everyone we spoke to was having a great time with the games. The staff at the pool was the same staff that did the shows at night. We only went to one show which was a lot of fun but most nights after dinner the shows did not start yet and we were so tired from the day’s activities that we stayed in most nights. We did two of the off the property activities. We went to Chi Zen Itza and Playa Del Carmen. Chi Zen Itza was so beautiful but very hot. We were told how hot it would be by some of the staff who encouraged us to buy hats and we were so grateful for those hats. The ruins were amazing and the tour guide was really great. The vendors there had the same stuff the hotel did but for half the price. We enjoyed shopping there. Playa was also a lot of fun. The shopping was also cheaper then the hotel. We ate at a restaurant in Playa that was one of the best meals all week. We loved the food at the resort. Our favorite was Kampai; my husband loved the California tempura. Room service was very fast and the food was good. We ate at Cocotal every morning for breakfast. Most days it was very good but if we got there after 9:30 many items was not replenished. Overall we had an amazing honeymoon and loved every minute. The staff at the hotel was so nice and so appreciative of tips. We did not see many people tipping and you do not have to but we felt the staff deserved it. We would tip the golf cart drivers $2-$3, the housekeeping $3/day, and the waiters $5-$10. We probably spend about $200 in tips but it was well worth it.
Only thing we did not care for was the timeshare tour of the property. The tour itself was great but the sales pitch although they say they are not pushy they are. We said no to the tour and we were pretty much were told ok bye and pushed out the door. We were in the middle of the resort and not sure where because it was our second day there. To get to the tour they had you go to the lobby and they picked you up in a cart. We thought we would have been brought back to the lobby but no not the case. We did get a candlelit dinner out of it. The dinner though was not so good and was happy we did not pay for it.
We loved Leo one of the bellmen/golf cart drivers. He was so efficient and helpful throughout the trip.

We just returned from our second full 8 day 7 night stay at the El Dorado Royale. We stayed last October, for our honeymoon, and loved it. Obviously, loved it enough to do the same resort again, even though we considered other destinations just to switch it up a bit. We were afraid we would be unable to come close to meet the expectations met at this resort....and after this second stay, I can honestly say, I dont think we planned wrong...it was probably even better the second time around.

Let me begin by saying that we have had a really amazing travel agent. Using a travel agent will get you perks, and credits that you may not be able to get otherwise if you book alone. It makes it possible for you to also have everything included, and what I specifically mean by that is it allows you to get transport to the resort, and from the resort to the airport, air, and insurance. I highly recommend at least pricing with an agent before booking independently, or through the resort direct.

Weather -
Last October, we traveled to El Dorado Oct 19-26. Unfortunately, this was on the tail of a tropical depression, which is not common for the area during that time, even though, it is rainy season, its usually a controlled amounf of rain. We ended up staying for 8 days, and 4 of those were pretty non-stop rain. Although it rained, this did not hinder our enjoyment, obviously, or we wouldnt have risked to weather to come back. We loved what the resort had to offer, all of the resaurants, the "non-tower" resort accomodation feeling, with so many pools, and restaurants. We had a good time despite the rain, and that says a lot for a place.

This October, we stayed Oct 24-31. The weather was SPOT ON! It was gorgeous from start to finish except for the last day, when we were leaving on Sunday, it started to rain a bit. It was breezy, which made the beach that much more beautiful to lay on. The waves were a bit choppy, so if you wanted to do water sports that may have been difficult, but that didn't make or break anything for us.

The weather channel, and weather.com will tell you there is a 60% chance of rain usually a week in advance, because they have to...normally, when it rains in Cancun, its a quick 15 minute rain, and then its over, and you get on with your day, nothing lost!

Beach-
Yes, the beach is a little rocky, and rough....as it didnt fare as well as others in the area after the hurricane 4 years ago. To ensure the beach remaining will not erode, they have placed sandbags 30-40 feet out in the water. This does not bother me or my husband. As a matter of fact, it makes me, someone that is not real crazy about swimming in the ocean, feel a little more protected from unwanted ocean wildlife :) I have been told that the plan is for these sandbags to eventually disintegrate, with a hopeful stronger beach...so this may be different in 10-20 years.

The palapa beds are amazing. These offer shade from the sun during the heat of the day, but still allow you the feeling of laying right on the beach! You are also waited on by beach butlers, regardless of weather you are in the casitas or the regular villas section. There are plenty of seats for everyone, although, if you want a specific seat close to a certain area, plan on getting there early, as people do reserve them before the go to breakfast.

Accomodations-
Last year we stayed in a villa room....a regular junior suite swim up, which means this is not a casita. It was fantastic. It was cleaned daily, new linens daily, excellent room service. The swim up would have been used a lot more had it not rained as much. We were close to La Fuentes restaurant which was great for breakfast, and we were fairly close to a shuttle for getting from one end of the resort to another. We liked these accomadations, although, we had an opportunity to stay at the casitas this year, and for us, we would probably only stay in the casitas from this point forward because we found them to be nicer. Its not that the villas are not nice, however, the casitas are definitely a step up in the way of luxury. There is an outdoor shower in these rooms, you get pillows that are a little more comfy, and you get a nicely elevated ceiling. Depending on what level casita you book, you may also have the luxury of having a swim up, an infinity pool, or a stand alone casita. We had a swim up, and I LOVED IT. I would book it again, even before the next level up which was an infinity pool, because I like having direct access to the pool bar from my room.

The casitas make it possible for you as a guest to get reservations at restaurants, which is good when the resort is packed full. I think there is a little more feeling of luxury in the casitas. I also felt like it was more quaint on the casitas side....I like that. There are smaller pools in teh casita section which is fine, because there are numerous pools in each section of casitas...so the pools are never at one time too overly crowded. Its a really great set-up.

Service-
I was actually sad to leave the resort, because we actually got to know the server at our little casita swim-up bar, called Faisanes. His name was Enrique, he was FANTASTIC. We also had restaurants that we chose to go to more than once that week, and asked for the same waiter when we returned because they were so good to us. Everyone there is nice...its really hard to make a complaint about service, they work so hard, and make it so wonderful for you!

Food-
My favorite restaurant last year was D'Italia. This year it was Fondue. The Fondue was way better than last year! Not sure how it improved so much, but we found it to be better. The food at every restaurant is amazing, there is no complaint on the amount of food you get, or the quality, because it is all 5 star in my book! We love Jo-Jo's lunch....we also LOVE Kampai, I really would say its hard to pick. Sushi is great at Kampai if you are a fan.

La Fuentes was closed when we were there for upgrades, and also probably because we were there at low occupancy. Occupancy is low due to the economy in the US and the obvious swine flu scare. It was about 40-44% the week we were there....but last year at the same time, it was 95%.

Exotic Club-
We were offered to take a look at the presidential casitas ( the nicest rooms on the resort), and also listen to an offer from the Exotic Club about their group membership. Most people get offers to look at the exotic club. Unfortunately, we found that there are varying gifts offered to you if you go, and give them the two hours of your time. It really depends on age as to what they give you. We got two t shirts, and a fairly cheap bottle of tequila. Some people were walking out with really extravagant gifts, resort credit, cash gift cards to use at the spa. We felt a little bad about that, as we were thinking we wanted to go back, and we would have felt a little more valued had the took that into consideration. We will still go back. Also, it should be mentioned, the exotic club it seems, is an ok club, but do your research. Dont sign anything the day you go. They pressure you and tell you you should, but dont fall for it. You can look into it at any time after you are there....the deals change constantly.

Overall, we love the el dorado. We will definitely go back, we may make it a yearly trip. I miss it, and feel a little sad everytime I think I what I did "last week at this time". You will not regret spending your money at this resort, we highly recommend it!

We first visited El Dorado in January 2006. Stayed in a junior suite and while the room was perfectly fine we knew straight away that the Casitas were where we wanted to be. We arranged an upgrade and spent the last 10 days of our holidays in a balcony casita - just perfect. The high vaulted ceiling gave such a feeling of space, and while we love the idea of a swim up casita - we like to have the sea view that the balcony room gives you.

We've been back every year since and are counting down to January 2010 when we will be there for the 4th year on the trot. We've seen the resort evolve and now the Casitas are classed as their own resort - unfortunately the prices have increased to reflect their 'exclusivity' but still good value compared to say a Sandals resort elsewhere in the Caribbean.

We've read some of the other reviews and are surprised that some don't consider this to be 5*, we think it is 5* all the way. The food is amazing and we dream of Cocotal breakfasts when we get home ! The staff are such beautiful people and cannot do enough for you and they take such pride in their work. It's great to return each year and see familiar faces - Martin, Carlos, Enrique et al. Do tip them, they really appreciate it and you won't need to spend money on anything else unless you indulge in the spa - recommended, by the way !

You can be as active or lazy as you want. You can hire bicycles, jet skis, go parasailing, horse riding or scuba diving. There are also plenty of amazing excursions you can book either through the resort or via your rep, we've done most of them over the last few years - the only downside is the time it takes for the coach to collect everyone from the different resorts. But if you only have one day out then make it Xel-Ha - it really is a water paradise, such great fun and we only come out of the water long enough to sample the fabulous food and drink - all included in the price.

Trying to think of some negatives to balance the review - yes the beaches aren't quite what you imagine for the caribbean, but with your private casita pool with only a handful of guests - who cares ! Didn't enjoy the time share hard sell on our first visit, we now politely decline the offer when our concierge offers 'the tour' to us. Oh yes, it can get quite breezy sometimes, so be careful as you don't always realise how hot it is. Some of the reviews have mentioned a musty or sewage smell, it's just ammonia and it is from the mangroves - it just comes and goes and isn't really that offensive.

We've never been to El Dorado during the summer months, so the resort is never full to capacity and maybe that's why it is so enjoyable - but for winter sun you really can't beat it. Only 11 weeks to go !

Forgot to menion the Iguanas - they just bask in the sun at the side of the paths - I know you're not supposed to, but they love banana and melon !