To be honest, as you drive up the very long drive, it’s unimpressive and actually looks penitentiary-like.<\/p>\n
However, as you get closer, you get the full view and as soon as you set foot into the lobby, the stunning view of the ocean takes over<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The hotel is quite modern, but still retains a tropical feel, with the use of lots of wood and warm colors.<\/p>\n I recently stayed here<\/strong> (hard life!) so here is my Royalton Riviera Cancun Review and the full scoop \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Or vacation club, or members club, or privileged membership, or whatever garbage line they are using now to make it not sound so bad.<\/p>\n This was by far my biggest beef with the hotel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The FIRST person that came up and introduced themselves and accompanied us to the reception was a \u2018concierge\u2019. The man said that the front desk would check us in, and that afterward, he would sit down with us to explain the activities and services available at the hotel. THIS IS ONLY CODE FOR HE WILL TRY TO ROPE YOU INTO A SALES PRESENTATION.<\/p>\n Do yourself a favor<\/strong> and head straight back the bellman so they can bring you to your room. The television gives you all the information you need on the resort, as does a binder in the room. It is also posted hotel-wide on boards and TV screens.<\/p>\n If you really want the help of a real, live person that will not try to manipulate you, there are actual concierges there onsite<\/strong> to help. The way to tell the difference is the stripes. The uniform is exactly the same except the time share pushers have a beige shirt with one thick blue stripe and the actual concierges that will help you with any issues have two thinner blue stripes.<\/p>\n The time share pushers will also befriend as you walk around the resort. Just look for the stripes \u2013 one mean runs (away fast). You\u2019re welcome \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Ok \u2013 that was the bad news first.<\/p>\n Now for the good news<\/strong> and a few more icks (but more good than bad).<\/p>\n The Royalton really is a fabulous resort. It is separated into 4\u00a0horseshoe shaped buildings<\/strong>, each with its own unique set of services.<\/p>\n The thing to remember is that the rooms, regardless of the section they are in, are the same. It\u2019s the services that vary.<\/p>\n This is an adult\u2019s only section<\/strong> within the larger hotel. It has its own restaurant, bar, pools and is in a child-free zone<\/strong>. If you stay at the Hideaway, you do have access to the rest of the resort, but not the other way around.<\/p>\n If you want a little extra pampering, this is the way to go. Private check-in and check-out, exclusive lounge, 24 hour concierge service, upgraded bar and room service menu, and more. Sometimes the price difference is minimal but the difference in service is huge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The diamond club section also has its own exclusive pools and restaurant \/ bar.<\/p>\n Regular\u00a0is where we were. The first has an enormous swimming pool in the center as well as the chapel area, used for weddings. Interested in a wedding? See prices on our\u00a0Rivierea Maya Weddings Packages<\/a> post.<\/p>\n This is part of the main plaza, where many of the a-la-carte, specialty restaurants can be found, as well as the buffet restaurant. It also features an outdoor bar and lounge<\/strong> where live music and entertainment happens nightly.<\/p>\n We had what the hotel calls a luxury junior suite<\/strong>. This is the \u2018lowest\u2019 room category available and we also had the \u2018lowest\u2019 view available, which is a view of the mangroves<\/a>.<\/p>\n In all fairness, the room was spacious. It has two queen beds and a full sized pull out couch.<\/p>\n The bath and shower area are open<\/strong> to the rest of the room, which could be a little strange if traveling with friends, but otherwise, the size and layout of the room was great.<\/p>\n The mangrove view was pleasant enough, we really didn\u2019t want to spend any extra on a view, as we spend very little time in the room.\u00a0The room did have a\u00a0mini-bar included<\/strong> with the basics and room service.<\/p>\n They do have ocean-view rooms<\/strong>\u00a0(from the balcony) and ocean-front rooms<\/strong> (full frontal – not the rude kind) available when booking if you do want a room with a view.<\/p>\n This hotel allows for families of 6<\/strong> to share the same room which can help save big time on a family vacation.<\/p>\n Maid service was spotty. Some days they knocked really early, before 9am, wanting to clean and some days we had to chase them down to ask for cleaning. Turn down service happened 3 nights on 6.<\/p>\n On your way in every restaurant hostess asks if you have any food allergies and if you have any restrictions.<\/p>\n In this day and age with more and more food intolerances, this is important. They have vegetarian options and gluten-free options in every restaurant!<\/p>\n The buffet has to be one of the most extensive buffets I have seen<\/strong> (and doing what I do, I have seen my share!).<\/p>\n There are stations for every type of food you would want as well as a separate kids section.<\/p>\n The kid\u2019s section<\/strong> generally means junky food (hot dogs, fries, chicken nuggets etc.), so if you want your kids to have anything healthy, they\u2019d better get food in the regular buffet.<\/p>\n There are LOTS of options for meat lovers, with separate sections for poultry, beef, pork, seafood and chicken.<\/p>\n The vegetarians also have a lot of choice \u2013 I loved the salad bar, with a great variety of fresh options.<\/p>\n There was Mexican food, a bread station, a dessert bar \u2013 you name it, they had it.<\/p>\n In addition to the buffet that is open breakfast, lunch, and dinner<\/strong>, there are quite a few specialty restaurants to choose from.<\/p>\n You do not need to make any reservations, you can choose from the following options and just show up for whatever you are craving. Mexican, a Steakhouse, Asian (with Tepanyaki show cooking tables), Italian, Mediterranean, and even a Sports Bar featuring \u2018pub grub\u2019.<\/p>\n Once all that is said and done, you also have a caf\u00e9 on site and a gelato bar<\/strong>. Hungry, yet?<\/p>\n I am a lover of buffets, I love the idea of having all these choices available and being able to put together my \u2018perfect\u2019 meal. They had so many veggies in the salad bar I was one happy girl!<\/p>\n Again, service was touch and go.<\/strong> It really depended on the waiter you got at any given time. Shift change is at 3 (when the buffet closes after lunch) so if you go past 2:30 seems like everyone is just itching to get going.<\/p>\n A weird thing was that there were\u00a0no spoons on the table<\/strong>. Not to stir coffee, not for dessert. It was hard to get spoons (1st world problem!). You could get gelato as dessert but if you ask for a spoon there, they refer you to the waiter, and then it takes a while to get a spoon.<\/p>\n On our last day, I was chatting with the hostess at the main desk and saw that they have a very deep drawer and someone delivered at least a hundred spoons. I should have asked why, but got distracted (Squirrel!).<\/p>\n We did head to the Mexican restaurant one night and I have to say, the food was amazing. The d\u00e9cor was beautiful, Authentic Mexican<\/strong> that was also tourist-friendly.<\/p>\n The service in the a la carte restaurants was MUCH better in general, but then again the staff there are not nearly as rushed as in the buffet.<\/p>\n There is an extensive list of activities, sports, games, and entertainment.<\/p>\n The water slide area does have smaller slides that are appropriate for toddlers.<\/p>\n The kids club accommodates for kids 4-12 and is available daily from 9am to 9 pm. If you need a break, you can sign the kids in. They have a variety of activities.<\/p>\n My 9 year old ASKED to go on a daily basis.\u00a0If you want to have fun with your kids head to the waterslide area<\/strong>. There are ones for bigger ones as well as the little ones.<\/p>\n If the teens need a break from the adults, the 13-17-year-old lounge may the right escape.<\/p>\n Pool tables, ping-pong, foosball, air hockey and more. For the more tech savvy, there’s Wi-Fi in the room as well as the variety of video games<\/strong> for endless entertain.<\/p>\n Every section, (Hideaway, Diamond Club and regular Royalton) has a list of activities that vary per day. If you want to keep active, there is always something to do.<\/p>\n Well, swim-up bars, sports bar, mini-bar, beach bars AND they have wine tasting and tequila tasting. Cheers!<\/p>\n Ok, so nightlife for me is anything that happens around 9pm, but in all fairness, the hotel has live music of some sorts almost every night as well as a show that changes every night<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The nightclub on-site is open daily, but the ambiance of the nightclub will really depend on who is there on any given night.<\/p>\n You are in the middle of nowhere.Ok, well maybe<\/p>\n Ok, well maybe not nowhere, but if you are the type of tourist that likes to head into town a few times during your stay, you may find the location difficult.<\/p>\n The hotel is only 20 minutes from the airport, but a 40-minute drive from Playa del Carmen town and also 40 minutes from Cancun.Most tours will pick up here, but there is nothing around the resort.<\/p>\n Most tours will pick up here, but there is nothing around the resort.<\/p>\n They have an incredible spa.\u00a0Just the hydrotherapy circuit alone\u00a0makes it worth a visit. Ask for discounts<\/strong> as there are often specials that are not necessarily advertised. Diamond Club guests have an included discount.<\/p>\n The gym has a variety of new equipment and extended opening hours. It is located right next to the spa. Now you can’t say you couldn’t find out (no excuses!)<\/p>\n There are a lot of loungers in all areas. There are also a lot of tourists that stop by the pool and\/or beach on their way to breakfast to reserve their spots. I won\u2019t get into how wrong this is here \u2013 please read post \u2018how not to be an #AssOnVacation\u2019.<\/p>\n They are owned by the same company that owns the Royalton hotel (and a few other companies including the Canadian tour operator, Sunwing). SO \u2013 they will push tours on you.<\/p>\n There are staff in the lobby, by the pool, at the beach and all of them sell tours.<\/p>\n I would, however, suggest that you research your tours well and read reviews as the ones being \u2018pushed\u2019 may not necessarily be the best tours, but rather pay the best commission to the seller.<\/p>\n If you want some honest feedback and discounts on the many tours in Playa del Carmen<\/a>, you can contact us<\/a> at PlayaDelCarmen.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n They have this tour DAILY, 3 times per day. The cost is $40 for adults and $20 for kids (at the time I am writing this) and this is for a 1.5-hour trip. The pick up at the beach.<\/p>\n They also have this trip on a regular basis and it also leaves from the beach. A 3-hour tour with drinks runs at $65 for adults and $40 for kids. This is very inexpensive for a catamaran tour.<\/p>\n If you head to the beach, there are certain sports that are included. Stand-up paddle boards (Yes, for real), kayaks, and a small catamaran for 2-3 people.<\/p>\n You DO have to pay a reef conservation fee of $3 per person<\/strong> for these activities or the water tours lists above, BUT the bracelet you get for $3 is valid for your entire stay, providing it doesn\u2019t fall off. The included catamaran is a quick 20-minute jaunt and you get a guide. Well worth it.<\/p>\n![\"royalton](\"https:\/\/www.playadelcarmen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/royalton-beach-area.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBeware of Timeshare<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Layout of the Royalton<\/h2>\n
3 Sections to the Royalton<\/h4>\n
1) The one furthest to the south is the HIDEAWAY<\/strong>.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n2) Next is the DIAMOND CLUB<\/strong>.<\/h5>\n
3) The next 2 U\u2019s, are the \u2018REGULAR<\/strong>\u2019 section.<\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFood<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nActivities<\/h2>\n
Activities for Babies and Toddlers<\/h4>\n
Activities for Kids<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nActivities for Teens<\/h4>\n
Activities for Adults<\/h4>\n
Activities for the Drinkers<\/h4>\n
Nightlife<\/h4>\n
Other Things You Need to Know<\/h2>\n
Location<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSpa<\/h4>\n
The Gym<\/h4>\n
Shortage of Loungers \/ Shade \/ Towels<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nNexus \u2013 The Tour Company<\/h4>\n
2 Tours You SHOULD Book on Site<\/h3>\n
1) Snorkeling trip<\/h4>\n
2) Catamaran trip<\/h4>\n
Water sports that are included<\/h4>\n