my husband and i stayed here in november, it was our first trip to mexico and we loved it, i cannot understand the complaints of some of the guests i think people are just a bit too picky. The food was excellent even though you couldnt always get the time you wanted, but afterall you cannot please everyone all the time.The weather you cannot control and if the weather is rainy then you are going to wait longer for a shuttle. As for the TV not working or not enough channels i would say dont go on vacation if you want to watch TV. The only complaint i had was of other guests, mostly from the states not respecting the staff and actually being very rude, it takes nothing to say please or thankyou, we did meet some really nice people but just a few were just plain rude and were a little too demanding anf thought they were the only guests that needed to be catered too.

This was our second visit to EDR. We stayed for 2 weeks Nov 19 - Dec 3. We last visited in July 04 when we stayed in a garden room. This time we splashed out on a casita and it was worth every penny.
On arrival we were whisked off to the casita reception to check in, handed a cool towel and a glass of champagne which was very welcome after a 10 hour flight from the UK. We were taken straight to our room 2506. This was a ground floor casita and exceeded our expectations. The room was large with a huge bed draped in nets. The bathroom had double sinks, large bath and outdoor shower. There was a chilled bottle of champagne by the jacuzzi which we gratefully consumed on the balcony while listening to the ocean. We were visited by our concierge Ernesto who offered us a selection of aromatherapy oils to choose from. I chose 'sensual' and this was the oil the maid lit in the burner every night at turn down.
As we had arrived early evening and unpacked first, we decided to just order room service. The cheeseburgers came very quickly and were hot and delicious. That night we made dinner reservations for the next 3 nights. We had no problem getting the restaurants and times we wanted. We ate in every restaurant except fondue. All meals were exceptional altho we were not that keen on the set up in Fuentes. Kampai was our favourite, we ate there 3 times and each time it got better! The portions are small but there are about 5 courses which was more than enough.
We had breakfast at Cocotal which had a great selection of just about everything. We did order room service several times. We just filled out the card left at turn down, hung it on the door and hey presto! the breakfast arrived dot on time the next morning.

Having stayed in both garden view and casita rooms We would definitely recommend the upgrade if you can afford it. The casita section was like a different world. It didn't matter what time we came out there was always a sunbed or bed on the beach available. No getting up at the crack of dawn to reserve beds! The garden room guests could use the casita bars and pools but not the sunbeds at the pool or on the beach. We also had the services of Hugo on the beach. He came round every morning with fresh fruit, sandwiches at lunctime and ice cream in the afternoon. This, combined with the bar service on the beach, meant you never had to move from your sunbed if you didn't want to. Each group of casitas was grouped around its own pool and bar. Even tho the hotel was almost full there were only ever about 3 couples round the pool and always empty beds on the beach. I don't know where everyone went!
The resort is now twice the size it was 2 years ago but never felt crowded as it has been extended along the beach.
If you are looking for night life this is not the place to go. We spent most nights at the beach bar which was still looked after by Pedro. He made sure the JD kept flowing!
The restaurants were spread out across the resort. This made for a pleasant walk, altho I note a few complaints abou this which I cannot understand!
It was my birthday while we were there and the staff excelled themselves! My other half, with the help of Ernesto, arranged for a huge bouquet of flowers to be put in the room. Ernesto also arranged for the room to be decorated on the night with petals which was a lovely surprise. We had the dinner on the beach which was the best lobster I have ever had. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! The staff produced a cake on a plate saying 'happy birthday Jane' which was a lovely touch.
The only let down is the beach which is very rocky. However this would not stop us coming back again. The weather was a bit temperamental. Very cold and windy in the 1st week. Warmer but wetter the 2nd. Apparently the best time to go is March/April.

The last time we were here I did not think a holiday could be any better but this holiday surpassed all expectations. I cannot wait to return some day. They are going to make the casita section a separate resort. The casita guests will be able to use all facilities and enter the garden end but not vice versa.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me: jane.backhouse@hotmail.co.uk

Just returned from EDR last night. My husband and I travel to Mexico at least once per year usually in December and with that being said this was our ninth trip there. We have stayed at Moon Palace (twice), Aventura Palace, La Jolla de Mismaloya,
Paradisus (twice), Grand Velas and Royal Hideaway. I would have to say that overall resort wise, this was my least favorite of the nine. First, I will start with the good parts of the resort:
1. The resort itself is beautiful.
2. There are plenty of beach chairs, beds.
3. The majority of the staff is very friendly and helpful.
4. The food is good (not great though!)
5. Excellent drinks-even though no Mojitos.
6. When you ask for something (towels, pillows etc.),
They bring it to you quick.
7. We had a terrific concierge (Eric).
8. We were invited to a timeshare presentation, but were never pressured to attend.
Now, the disappointing parts:
1. The resort is VERY spread out. We were in a casita and the lobby and most of the restaurants are on the other end. It was a 15-20 minute walk to and from most of those places. Now counting breakfast, lunch and dinner that is 2 hours a day just walking to and from. Carts were very sparse and at times we didn't see any. The week we were there (12/4 to 12/11) it rained considerably. It would have been great if shuttles could get you to and from your destination. Two of the evenings, when we went to dinner, it was pouring. There were no shuttles to be found. We watched for 45 minutes and ended up walking-never seeing a shuttle on the walk either. By the time we got there, we were soaked. Even with umbrellas we were drenched.
2. Our dinner at Fondue took two hours and it was by no means a gourmet dinner. WAY to long for a fondue meal.
3. Room service did not run at times due to the rain.
4. At an upscale resort, internet should be available free to guests. (They charge $8 for 30 minutes) Not a huge expense, but when your pay $4000 for a week, it should be free.
I used it sparingly and I still had to buy 2 hours due to the slowness of the computers. All I did was check mail and return short messages to my family.
5. Lunch service at JoJo's and the pizza place was especially slow and always crowded. It seemed as if the lunch waiters were overwhelmed with the crowds.

Some neutral comments which may or may not influence you either way:
1. There are a large amount of Europeans and Canadians and not as many guests from the USA. (Take it for what it's worth.)
2. The presentation of food was nice but other than Fuentes dinner, but nothing great. Royal Hideaway, Paradisus and Grand Velas dinners were OUTSTANDING.
3. Television was almost nonexistent. They are experiencing some sort of problem with there satellite and I think we only had 2 english stations. (ESPN was not the American ESPN). Luckily we brought lots of our own DVDS. Like I wrote, it rained more than half of our trip and these were a saving grace. My husband and I have been married more that 20 years and there is only so much you can do.
4. The beach is not the most beautiful. This is not a big deal to me but if your looking for a great beach-this is NOT the place. You cannot walk along the shoreline. The Hurricane really did a number on it.
5. The peacocks were very entertaining. One left a "gift" for us on our patio. Of course, my husband stepped in it.
6. There are lots of newlyweds. Its nice to see so many young people happy to be married (HA HA!!)

All in all, we had a very restful vacation. It was our most expensive resort stay, but unfortunately did not rate with us. We did appreciate the vast majority of service and hospitality of the mexican people. We saw so many hard working people and friendly staff.

We have just returned from 2 weeks at this remarkable resort.-Nov 26-Dec 10
The negatives are really minor-
1. The sandbags are a little ugly, but once you realize they are trying to recover the beach they lost. you get used to them. Swimming is possible if you are a strong swimmer but there is strong tidal action. The beach itself is walkable though.
2. It is not wheel chair accessible.. and is so large that if you have difficulty walking long distances it will be a problem.
3. ice buckets in The room but no Ice machines.. so of course that means room service and tipping.

The positives are too many to name.
We have travelled extensively and have never found a resort to be so pristine.. everywhere the bathrooms, the public areas, the restaurants were spotless 24/7.,
The service -white glove the entire way. We loved the Italian and the El Cocotal- they were non smoking, but had a great selection of superb options. Hilda, the Hostess in he D'italia restaurant is a real doll and tries so hard to please in any way she can.Remember this is Mexico and nothing hurries
The rooms-we were in 5416 ..-Ocean View-and yes its at the very end of the property , but we had an unmarred view of the water and were close enough to lull ourselves to sleep with the surf. It was so quiet,-except for the day the rowdies decided to invade the non smoking building and threw each other and the furniture into the water.. and this is an adult only Club-- some people never grow up.

We thought the swim up jacuzzi suites were a waste as they are all ground floor and all over the property , so you could face a pool or be on the main path to the restaurants.. Not much Privacy at all.

Martini Bar- What a delightful place to spend a couple of hours..
Berenice and Theresa are just great and work so hard to please every client.

We did private transfers with kinmont and they were on time and very professional.

All in all, this defintely deserves all the accolades it has received.

If you have any questions, please feel to contact me at ssandulak@shaw,ca