Overview
I will share some of the details of our trip. Included are some items your don’t see a lot about in other review. You will need to make up your own mind after (if you make it) trough this very long review. I will post some pictures later.

Day 1
Fight was on time if not early. Ended up first in a new line at Immigration. Got a green light for customs. Found our transportation to the resort in about 10 minutes. Arrived to champagne and a fresh cold towel. We were taken to our room as requested and found a plate of Tuxedo Strawberries and more champagne. Unpacked our luggage, went to the beach bar for a couple or drinks and then off to Kampai for dinner. Went to the swing bar for the entertainment and found some Hypnotist that really was not very good.
The fridge was not working properly so they brought up ice for the fridge each day to keep the sodas cool. They did mess up our order so we learned to be more distinct about what we ordered, also some of the food is bland but some was very good.

Overview of the Beach
Let me say the beach is the best I have seen it. It was worse than it is prior to the hurricanes. The Casita section has the worst beach and thus the beach beds to make up for the narrow 15 foot beach. One of the workers at the hotel we recognized told up it took 150 men 2 days to get from the highway to the lobby after the big storm. All 1st floor rooms were totally filled with sand and they had to pump the sand out into the ocean. They burnt all of the grass away and removed and replace all of the palm trees. There is now a 2 to 6 foot seawall on the north and south ends of the beach.

Day 2
Breakfast at Cocotal. By the time we saw our travel group for reservation back to the airport, made dinner reservations the morning was shot. We return to the Kampai for the spring rolls for lunch, very good. Oh by the way the mattress was a very nice pillow top and they were various types of pillows in the room. We then walked the resort from the south end to the north end to take in the changes. Noticed that the main activities center for the resort had moved to the pool at the south end of the resort. Dinner at the Italian restraurant was good and then to the beach bar for a few drinks and off to bed.

Overview of the Warning Flags on the Beach
Casita area always RED flagged not enough sand bags. The area from the Healthy bar to the current Spa was RED went the waves were large and YELLOW on the calm days. South of the Spa was always RED flagged as again not enough sand bags for protection.

Day 3
Breakfast at La Isla and off the Playa for the day. Spent the rest of the morning searching through the shops for interesting items. Found some are our luggage was 12 pounds overweight on the return trip. Went to Sr Frogs for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon there what a great fun place! Ate dinner on the beach at Jo Jo’s. Had a few drinks at the beach bar and off to bed early, Playa really tires you out.

Overview of the Fuentes Restaurant
This is now a no reservation place with almost like buffet food, there is no Ala Carte menu. I was disappointed with the food selection.

Day 4
It rained really hard for 3 hours this morning so we had a long leisurely breakfast in the room. Went to the Pizzeria for lunch and then lay out on the beach for the afternoon. Went to Fuentes Restaurant for dinner, had a short wait to get in. This restaurant was a lot smaller than I had thought it would be. Went and saw the Caribbean show at the swing bar, it was fantastic. After the show the dancers grabbed people from the audience and dance with them.

Overview of the Time Share
This was our third time and we never heard the word Time Share from any of the staff. I did talk to one person who was from Manitoba that was given a 4 day free trip, air and room, and all he and his wife had to do was listen to a 90 minute presentation. I never saw him again to find out the results of the Time Share spiel.

Day 5
Went to La Isla for breakfast, this place has a great view while eating. It was great warm sunny day! Found a great spot on the beach to lay around for the day. Went to Kampai for lunch, caught a ride on one of the golf carts. In the afternoon I noticed my face was getting red, I was not sure if it was from the sun or the number of ladies that had removed their tops in the afternoon sun. My wife took care of that by covering my head with a towel. Went to El Cocotal for dinner, it was Mexican night, the food was very good, better than I had expected. Again it was time for a couple of after dinner drinks and then off to bed.

Overview of Dinner Reservations
We had made 3 in advance online; they had a envelope at the desk with them for us when we arrived. We had no problem make the other 4 the morning of our second day. We did notice one night a couple still in their swimsuits at 6:30 ask the staff it they could get a table for 9 people at the D’Italia, they said they had a table for 6 at Jo Jo’s but that Jo Jo’s could not seat 9 and D’Italia did not look that busy to them. RESEARCH pays dividends.

Day 6
After a normal breakfast at El Cocotal we decided to walk over to see the Spider Monkeys. Not may people know that they are even there, they reside in a fenced enclosure on the road behind the swing bar. Ate a nice lunch at La Isla and then decided to paint another pot in our series of pots we painted at the El Dorado. The beach was pretty vacant due to the clouds and winds. The Ski Doos were having a great time jumping the huge waves. Saw a great looking eel prowling along the sand bags. Went to Kampai for a nice dinner and then to the Martini Bar for a night cap prior to turning in for the night.

Overview of the Sand Bags.
After talking to the staff the confirmed what I already knew. There is a tremendous current and/or rip tide that run past the resort. They are extending the sand bags the full length of the resort. They were adding bags to the Casita section and were roped to the shore as the current was very bad.

Day 7
Sat on our balcony and enjoyed some fresh brewed coffee. The morning was cloudy and we decided to go to La Isla for breakfast. After we went to see how the pot we had painted turned out, that gentleman is amazing, he really made it look better than we had left it. Went for a walk around the resort and took in the sites of what was happening, not much. We went to the Pizzeria and played a few games of Scrabble, had lunch, then lay out on the beach as the sun had decided to return. After a short nap late in the afternoon we had a marvelous dinner at D’Italia. It renewed our faith in the restaurant.

Spit the Resort ?!
Sitting at the Beach Bar one night we ran into a travel magazine writer and her husband who were there reviewing the resort. This is what she shared with me.
1.The new big building north of the current check in is not a new lobby for the Casita’s, it is a convention center.
2.They are going to build small villas behind the current Casta’s for the conventioneers to stay in. They will not have all the amenities that the current suites do, for example, no Jacuzzi’s. but much lower in price.
3.They are currently not thinking of splitting the resort all, just a time share thing.
4.The convention area will be called the Villa’s Royale.

My wife and I stayed at the EDR from Dec. 14-21. It would be an understatement to say we had a wonderful time. We had been to Cancun before and were familiar with the Cancun airport hassle. Just say no politely, hold onto your bags, and look for your transfer contact. We arrived around 1 PM and after checking in we were given a tour of the EDR by golf cart. No problems.

Flipflop man had given us fair warning about the reservations for dinner so we booked the first 2 nights on the internet. Just e-mail the concierge and they will respond in 1-2 days. No problems getting the other nights booked, but we were flexible as we wanted to try all the restaurants and we prefer to eat about 6 or 7. We even arrived at La Fondue about 20 minutes early and were seated after a 5 minute wait. Yes, the dinners took 2 hours, but we found them very entertaining and we enjoyed the time to reflect on the day's events. Food was very good, with small portions and subtle flavors. 4-5 courses were enough to fill us up though. Breakfast at Cocotal was great, and our favorite lunches were at Jojo's and the seafood pizza.

We stayed at section 52 past Fuentes. It is a 10 minute walk to the main lobby, but even with the occasional rain the exercise was welcome. After dinner we usually spent an hour or two wandering along the sidewalks and the shops. The sidewalks have ridges in them so the golf cart tires make noise. This way you hear them coming and can step aside easily. We enjoyed the seclusion of the Jr. Suites, and felt the price of the casitas was not worth it. Again, no hard sell about the timeshare or an upgrade. Just an occasional request.

The beach is not the prettiest because of the sand bags, but we would not have been able to swim at all without their protection.
We did book one trip to Xel-Ha and if you like snorkling it is well worth the price. Also, the bus picks you up first, so you get to "tour" the other resorts as you pick up and drop off everyone else. We found the simple elegance of the EDR refreshing, compared to the neon and chrome of the other resorts.
One caution is the 5000 peso- $500 US- deposit they take on your credit card. Again we knew in advance so it was not a hassle. I've checked the credit card and it was not charged to the card. So, it's not a charge/ credit but just a safety deposit.

All in all it was one of the most hassle free and relaxing vacations I have ever had. I highly recommend it for couples who want to get away and who enjoy quiet time with each other. We're both in our 50's, so we were older than most of the guests, but we never felt out of place and never felt hurried or crowded.

My husband and I visited the El Dorado for a week in December and found it to be absolutely wonderful. We are in our fifties and enjoy quiet time together with friendly staff. In reading recent reviews, we are sorry that travellers had unpleasant issues at this resort. We have tried to find fault and find none. We feel a vacation is what you make of it as is anything else. We did not have a room hassle, we simply sat in the beautiful lobby and enjoyed the short wait. When asked about upgrading to a Casita, we simply said no thank you - same as with the timeshare invitation. The staff was very helpful with the dinner reservations. We asked them where we should be and at what time. Every restaurant was unique, the staff very accomodating and each meal was delicious. The meals, especially dinner, are an event. One night I couldn't decide what I would enjoy so I asked the waiter to serve whatever he wanted me to have. Again perfect and lots of fun. Our room was very comfortable and clean. The bed was one of the best ever. The jacuzzi was a treat each evening and yes it did have a little rust at the drain on occasion. Wipe it off and you're good to go! We enjoyed sitting beside the pool which was beautiful. The beach isn't pure white sand, but there are pictures everywhere of the beach that you can see before you go so there really shouldn't be complaints of how it looks. This is Mexico and some places are more rocky than others. We swam in the ocean, and were glad we had our beach shoes. The sandbags are there for the safety of everyone and although not the most attractive, they are very interesting to watch as the waves come over the top. If you are looking for a resort to share time with the person you love to be with, the El Dorado is that special place. Enjoy what they have to offer, each other, and realize that every place is as perfect as you make it! Happy travelling!

While reading the poor reviews I feel as though I stayed at a completely different resort. I have found that some people are just complainers and will never be happy. We had a great time and stayed there from Jan. 26-Jan. 31st. Everything was first class.

1. Once we arrived at the hotel they had champagne waiting for us. We then went to check into our rooms and they offered upgrades for a much lower price than shown on the online sites (so wait until you arrive to upgrade). We stayed in the new Garden Room section and the others we came with upgraded to the Swim Up Ocean View Suites. Both were in the new section and the rooms were fantastic. This section was also quite it night which was great! All restraunts were easily within walking distance as well. Rooms 5506 and Garden 5115 if you are looking it up on a map. Great sections to be in.

2. Reservartions for dinner were simple and we got to all the restaurants we wanted to. We just had some at different dates then we originally wanted, but no big deal. As for the time it takes to finish dinner it does take some time, but this is vacation and I was in no rush. We rush enough in our regular lives, so who would complain about a nice 2 hour dinner. The food was very good at each place, except we did not enjoy the fondue restaurant. The cheese was a swiss type and the chocolate seemed to be baking chocolate without sweetener, but certainly nothing that was going to ruin my vacation! We just had room service after this dinner. All in all we were very happy with our dinners and breakfast and lunches we nice as well with no reservations needed.

3. The bars were all great. The Swing Bar was very active at night and had nightly entertainment. For those who complained about watered down drinks, they must not know you can ask for any type of alcohol and tell them how you like it. They have top shelf, but you simply have to ask. If you want 2 shots in your drink say I would like a Sky Vodka and Cranberry with 2 shots in it and they will serve it that way. Very simple thing to do. There are also many swim up bars and a beach bar that stays open until 2am.

4. Many different pools to chose from. You cant go wrong. If one is too crwded for you just move on and there are many more to chose from. Easy to find a chair to lay out in with all of these options no matter how busy they are. There is even a completely shaded bar if you want to stay out of the sun. The beach is fine, but nothing to write home about. And there are large sand bags in the water, but it did not bother me at all. You are on VACATION!

5. Service everywhere was great. They go out of their way to make you happy. Sometimes it may take a little while, but we never looked at our watch and just enjoyed being at such a nice place.

6. Rooms were all great. If it seems to smell damp in your room just turn up the air. All rooms have a 2 person jacuzzi and an amazing shower as well.

7. Overall I had a wonderful time and can not understand those that wrote such poor reviews. You are on vacation and this is a great place to go a relax. Kick off your shoes and take your time and enjoy. 5 course meals for dinner are not supposed to be fast! There is a lot of water on the resort, so obviously slippery floors are going to be there. Just be carefull and this should not ruin a trip. If you want a certain type of alcoho, just ask and you shall receive. Be polite and everything is at the touch of your phone! We loved our stay and highly recommend it to everyone, unless you are a complainer and in that case you will always find something wrong.