Royalton Riviera Cancun review

As a blossoming travel blogger over the past two years, I’d forgotten the beauty of a real vacation. Enter the Royalton Riviera Cancun.

It was the first trip I’ve taken in a long time with my family without an itinerary or list of to dos. If I didn’t want to take a single picture or jot down notes about our experience, I didn’t have to. But I decided to write a review of the Royalton Cancun all the same — because we loved it. In fact, we loved it so much that I convinced my now-sister-in-law to host her destination wedding there and we returned a second time!

THE GOOD

There’s a lot of good stuff to report from our stay at the Royalton Riviera Cancun, so it might be easiest if I just break it down into the things most people are looking for in a resort review:

Lobby and decor

When we first arrived at the Royalton Cancun, I was taken aback by how luxe and modern it was. It felt like something out of South Beach, with its ultra-modern lobby and contemporary furniture. Clean lines and ivory decor with pieces that look like they’re straight out of a magazine caught my eye in every direction. It is, in a word, beautiful.

The lobby itself is on the top floor of the resort, so it overlooks palm trees and the ocean. It’s huge, so it never felt crowded or chaotic. You could easily spend time there if you needed a quiet moment to drink a specialty coffee from the onsite coffee shop.

Rooms

I knew from the photos online that our room was going to be really nice and well-appointed. But I didn’t realize how big the Presidential Suite would be, that it would have two bar fridges, a fully stocked bar, a kitchenette, a shower with three showerheads and a massive jacuzzi. Nor did I know that our balcony would be long enough to run a race. Here’s a tour of the one-bedroom Presidential Suite:

Needless to say, the rooms are impressive. Even the “basic” rooms feel like you’re in a luxury hotel like the Waldorf Astoria or Langham.

The Presidential Suite has a separate master bedroom and a kickass jacuzzi.

The Royalton Cancun is also one of the few all-inclusive resorts I know of that can accommodate a family of five without requiring a suite upgrade or adjoining rooms. And this is because in addition to your king bed or two queen beds, there’s also a sectional couch in your room that can sleep three kids — two in the double pullout and one on the chaise section.

Our bed was really comfortable and we had enough blankets and pillows for everyone’s needs (and I need a fair number of pillows for my personal Pillow Kingdom at night).

Before we left, I read several reviews noting that the mangroves smelled. Our terrace during both stays were mangrove-facing and the first time around, we never noticed any kind of odour (good or bad) during any of the eight days we stayed at the Royalton. The second visit, our first night was a stinky one with a distinct sewage smell. But it lasted only one night and unless we had the balcony doors open, we didn’t smell it. So maybe this depends on the direction of the wind, but I wouldn’t hesitate booking a mangrove view again. It’s cheaper and we’re really only there to sleep.

From time to time late at night, we could hear people staggering back to their rooms but for the most part, I found the room’s soundproofing pretty good. That said, we always put on white noise for the kids anyway using an app.

Food

Here’s another area where the Royalton Riviera Cancun shines. If you haven’t read too many of my hotel and restaurant reviews, I must tell you that I’m a total food snob. I love good food and when I’m on vacation, I want to gain weight!

While the a la carte restaurants were fine (not bad per se, but awfully slow and nothing to write home about), the buffet is outstanding. I mean, truly in the top four for best resort food of all time — sitting somewhere among The Grand at Moon Palace, Club Med Punta Cana and Beaches Turks & Caicos. The selection is enormous for breakfast, lunch and dinner and if you can’t find something to satisfy your and your kids’ taste buds, something is amiss. There’s even a gluten-free station and an entire alcove dedicated to “kid food.”

If you have nothing else at the buffet during your stay at the Royalton Cancun, please (PLEASE!) have a fresh tostada. OMG.

Salads like caprese and spinach with toasted walnuts adorn the salad bar. There’s at least one kind of fresh ceviche every day. There are cooks everywhere only too pleased to help cook your crepes, meat, fish, shellfish to order. Sure, there are prepared tostadas but why not head to a station where they’re carving the meat off the spit right in front of you and custom blending it with the sauce(s) of your choice?

I can’t even tell you what to try specifically because it was all.so.freaking.good. We ultimately decided to do the buffet for 85 to 90 per cent of our meals because it was fast, easy and delicious.

We did try the Italian restaurant, which was good but extremely slow. The steakhouse steak was done to perfection but all of the sides were ice cold. Zen’s hibachi experience was a lot of fun, but we’ve done that 846 times with our kids already so skip it if you have too. The Caribbean restaurant was the standout a la carte for all of us. My lobster creole was very good in visit one (see below) and during visit two this year, the lobster tail was truly outstanding.

In the end, though — during both visits — the buffet reigned supreme.

A note about dress code in the a la carte restaurants at the Royalton Cancun: no flip flops and long pants for men. Think smart casual in a tropical setting — emphasis on the smart. You really could be turned away at the door if you show up in flip flops, even with long pants. Big B was sent back to his room to change into the only other pair of shoes he brought, which were white leather Converse sneakers. Ladies need to wear heels, wedges or some kind of dressier sandal.

Don’t forget to go out in search of the specialty coffee shop (to the left of the lobby if you’re looking at the ocean), which also serves healthier smoothies and ice cream.

Service

From housekeeping to buffet servers to bartenders to pool-side service, it was all very good — though this year we noticed fewer truly bilingual staff and we encountered some communication barriers. Do be sure to bring several US$1 and $5 bills with you because there is a tipping culture at this resort. We didn’t find our service suffered at all if we didn’t tip one day, but on days where we wanted to stay in the pool that didn’t have a swim-up bar, a few tips throughout the day brought incredible service — round after round.

And I mean above-and-beyond kind of service. For example, I wanted bananas in the kids’ strawberry smoothies to add some nutrition and our server (Josue) was kind enough to bring fresh bananas to the bar when they didn’t have any. Otherwise, they would have used banana syrup and I wasn’t down with that. He would also bring us bottled water throughout the day, without it even being requested. Anticipating our needs like this is the kind of service that sets apart a great resort from a good one.

Drinks

Overall, the drinks were fabulous. Yes, there were times that my pina colada was too sweet but most of the time it was great. Mojitos were mixed and muddled properly. Top shelf liquor like Grey Goose and Baileys was readily available at every bar. Nothing tasted watered down, as is often the case at all-inclusive resorts.

Pools and waterpark

Oh. My. God. The pools.

Last year, I wrote that they were “far and away the best set of pools at any resort we’ve visited to date.” And while this year they were still good, they were much colder overall and the two main pools were extremely quiet, with music playing only during aqua aerobics. I can only write about the “regular” pools — there are others accessible only for Diamond Club and Hideaway guests, though. There’s the main one with a swim-up bar, an infinity-style one just behind it (where we spent most of our days during our first visit), a family pool beside the waterpark with a swim-up bar (which is where the music was PUMPING this year and we set up shop each day), another pool near that one and — of course — the waterpark.

Just a small peek at the waterpark!

The pools last year were all heated, except (strangely) the one-foot-high water in the waterpark. I spent basically all day, every day in a pool but it was more “refreshing” this year than last. I like my pool water to be at least 85 degrees and not one was that this year. I would like to see at least one of the pools bathwater-warm again should we visit a third time.

They’re super clean, but they don’t feel or smell like they’re full of chemicals. A big downside is that they close at 7 p.m.

The waterpark is really fun, and has areas for all kids regardless of age. There are three good-sized waterslides in one area with varying speeds, some built-in climbing structures and a bigger structure with lots of features and some smaller and covered waterslides.

Perhaps the best part of all is that because the Royalton Riviera Cancun resort is so secluded (as in, in the middle of a jungle more or less), I felt really comfortable letting the kids roam the grounds without us. The beach/ocean was off limits without a grownup, but they could go off and use the waterpark, grab an ice cream or order a smoothie all on their own while I sunned myself in a pool. Now that is a relaxing family vacation!

Umbrellas

There must be enough loungers with umbrellas or sunbeds for every guest at the Royalton. Seriously. We only “reserved” ours each morning because we had a group of 20-ish people who wanted to stay together. And, even still, we didn’t go down to toss towels on the loungers and beds we wanted until just before breakfast at 8 a.m. or so.

There’s really no shortage, and we saw available loungers (with umbrellas!) all day in just about every section of the resort. The family pool was definitely the most packed so if you plan to spend your day there, you may need to get out there to drop off a few towels by 7 a.m. — though I’m just guessing based on the number of people we saw camped out there each day.

Activities

There are heaps of activities going on all day around the pools. Making guacamole, doing aquafit or zumba classes…there’s really something to do nearly every hour of the day if lounging isn’t your thing.

We did the daily aquafit class in the main pool, which was super fun. Be sure to wear a hat and apply fresh sunscreen before you hop in the main pool because there’s only a sliver of shady spots available. The music is loud and AWESOME. If you don’t like to pound it out to dance music, this might not be the class for you. The only part we learned to skip was “circle time” at the end of the class where you have to get a little more up-close-and-personal with fellow guests. Not my thing but others seemed to enjoy it.

That’s Miss Q getting her Zumba on!

To get a schedule for the day, just stop off at the front desk to request a printed copy that you can keep with you during the day. We normally stopped here right after breakfast before continuing onto the coffee shop.

Kids’ club

The kids’ club experience here is very good, though mostly indoors. The kids decorated cupcakes, made bracelets, had their faces painted and created fairy wands. And always came out smiling.

What I loved most were the parent pagers. When you drop off your kid, you get a pager that will buzz and ring if your child needs you to return before your scheduled pick-up time. This is brilliant and was nearly enough to get The K Man into a session. Nearly. But, alas, the anxiety of it all was just too much for him.

Evening entertainment

All I can say is WOW. Apart from one semi-cheesy night involving entertainment staff lip-synching, albeit dancing shockingly well, the nightly entertainment at the Royalton Cancun was just awesome. One night there were fire dancers and drummers. We saw the Tenores (like the Tenors) and they were as good as the real thing.

Another night there were Cirque du Soleil-type performers. The kids were even invited up on stage one night to dance!

The next time we visit (and there will be a next time), I’m planning to partake in the live music karaoke they have on Thursdays. We’re talking a live band with a karaoke book and screen and they play the music for you! How cool is that?!

There’s also a Mexican market set up one night where you can buy paintings, jewelry and other local crafty things. I wish I’d brought cash with me that night for some smaller things. The bigger things (like oil on canvas art) could be paid for with a credit card. Note that you can bargain with the merchants!

It’s clear that the Royalton invests heavily in entertainment and I hope this is something that doesn’t go by the wayside as the resort ages.

Special occasions

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and two birthdays while we were at the resort, and the staff really did a special job of marking the occasions. We had chocolate-covered strawberries and sparkling wine delivered for our anniversary and returned one day near the end of our stay to a huge “Happy Birthday!” banner on our door, obviously for Miss Q. Inside, there were goodies and about a million balloons. It was OTT amazingness for our little girl.

This kind of thing can be noted on your file in advance when you have your booking number, but also be sure to mention it to your concierge when you check in. Alternatively, you can hit up the guest services office (across-ish from the front desk) and make the request there. It’s free but there are also paid upgrades on top of what I already considered to be fabulous treats.

Multigenerational travel-friendly

This trip consisted of my family of four, my parents and brother, my in-laws, my cousin from Winnipeg plus her husband and kids as well as a colleague of Big B’s and his family. The place is small enough that you won’t lose each other but big enough that if you want some space, it’s easy to have alone time all the same.

Aging (grand)parents and new parents with strollers alike will have no issues at the Royalton Riviera Cancun because there are elevators and even escalators. No need to take the stairs anywhere if you can’t or don’t want to. It’s like Stroller City up in this joint, and with good reason — getting around the resort with a stroller is a dream.

Not even close to everyone we brought…

In fact, I should also note here that the Royalton is only about 15 to 20 minutes from the Cancun airport, so those with bad knees (or fake ones like my Dad) won’t be cooped up on a shuttle for hours and hours.

There’s really something for every member of the family at this resort, so it’s pretty ideal from a multigenerational perspective. Everyone agreed they would return.

Price

The value for this resort is good all things considered. One child is deeply discounted and the second is still far less than the adult fare. In year one, for my family of four with two kids under 12, staying the week before Christmas (so we’re talking high season), it was $5,000 all in. Considering the rooms, amenities, food and entertainment, that’s an outstanding price. If the beach and ocean were as perfect as, say, Bavaro Beach or Grace Bay, the Royalton Cancun could easily fetch $8k+ per family.

However, this year the price went up considerably — in early November (so not as desirable as late December), it was $6,800 for my family of four. BIG difference.

THE GAFFE

Check in is slowwww. It just feels like it takes much longer than it needs to be, and some guests reported not getting their bags for more than an hour. I’ve been to places with worse check-ins, but this really stood out as we looked back at our visit to the Royalton Riviera Cancun because everything else was so spot on.

There aren’t nearly enough hangers in the closets. We don’t bring very much on a Caribbean vacation, and I still coudn’t cobble together enough hangers. This is an easy fix.

We didn’t have any water — not for a toilet flush or to wash hands, much less take a shower — on our first night of the second trip. It only lasted about 30 minutes but that’s not something I expect at a resort of this calibre.

Sea grass. And on some days, lots of it. The upper part of the beach, closest to the resort has perfect, white, powdery sand. But as you near the ocean, it’s littered with stuff that’s washed ashore…pine needles, seaweed, whatever. Now, this didn’t bother everyone in our group, but I like my sand clear of everything. The resort is clearly doing its best to rake it away, but you can only do so much with Mother Nature breathing down your neck.

The ocean wasn’t much different, and while my brother, husband and mother all went in the ocean here and there, I just couldn’t do it. Too much risk of the sea grass touching me. I don’t swim in lakes because I can’t see the bottom. And I hate the feeling of things touching me in the water. {Insert shudder here.} Don’t get me wrong — I’m a SCUBA diver. I would live in the ocean if I could. But I want crystal clear blue water with amazing visibility. And the only stuff that I want in there is coral and fish. Maybe a reef shark for good measure. Now, my neighbour (who visited the Royalton Cancun in early 2016) has photos of the ocean matching this very description, so it obviously depends on the tide. The important thing to note here is that this won’t bother every vacationer and it was NOT a deal-breaker for me because the rest of the resort was so, so amazing.

There was a foam party for the kids one day, which I’d heard from this same neighbour was fantastic. The kids were so excited.

The boys LOVED it even if the soap got in their eyes and mouths, but my five-year-old was corralled by staff and unable to get to me, resulting in quite a scare for her. I discussed it with the kids’ club staff manager onsite and she seemed surprised, which tells me this is an employee or three taking the “safety rules” far too literally. It was isolated and my kids had otherwise excellent encounters with kids’ club staffers throughout our stay.

THE GEARS

4/5