I picked up a bonus week thru RCI (as I am a Mayan Palace owner) for the El Cid Moro Beach Tower. THEN, I read thru the reviews on TripAdvisor. Needless to say, after reading thru some of them, I had my concerns. We were on the 17th floor of the tower in a 1 br 2 ba unit with kitchen and balcony overlooking the ocean.

Well, folks, let me put in my opinion on a few of the issues raised:

1. Hard beds - I have stayed in 5* hotels throughout Mexico and for the most part, these are standard Mexican beds - you will not find many (if at all) pillow-tops or sleep-by-number. I slept fine and so did my husband and these are the same firmness of mattress we have experienced all over Mexico and even though I sleep at home on a top quality pillow-top, I had no troubles sleeping.

2. Elevators - there are 5 and they were all working and we had no problems with wait times whatsoever.

3. Hot water - though the temperature would vary just a bit while showering (so you increase or decrease the cold or hot a tad), there was PLENTY of hot water each and every day.

4. Locked kitchen cabinets - yes, these were locked. But, as I am not one that wants to do dishes while vacationing, if we made sandwiches or heated leftovers, I always bring a small stack of paper plates, plastic cups, napkins and plastic utensils so we just use them and toss them, so I never even needed them to unlock the cabinets.

5. Cleanliness - the place was spotless - never saw a bug - even with windows open during the night to listen to the surf roll in. Rooms were cleaned efficiently every morning, sheets changed on request.

Food was great and reasonably priced, staff could not have been nicer!

So, for what its worth, this was my take on the El Cid Moro Beach.

The grounds at this resort and the adjoining Castilla were wonderful. Very neat and clean and one of the only resorts that offer lounging directly on the beach. This is a wonderful family oriented resort that is not in any way Spring Break crazy. Our room was slightly run down and not what we are used to for an El Cid resort. They are in the process of remodeling the older suites so ask for something in the tower. There is a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes to the El Cid marina and the beach club over there is more secluded. Must see the cliff divers, sea lion rock, and there is a trail on Deer Island that leads to some cliffs and good view. Shopping is good and lots of shops within walking distance. Be prepared to be approached by vendors and promotional sales people at least 20 times a day.

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful six night stay at El Cid El Moro in one of their timeshare units overlooking the ocean on the 12th floor. Our unit was wonderful with one bedroom with two very firm double beds, two baths, a living area with a sofa bed, a small kitchenette and a balconey overlooking the pool and ocean. On the second day my wife requested a mattress pad which was quickly taken care of by the efficient housekeeping staff. Daily maid service is provided which was very nice and unusual for our timeshare experience in the US. Never a problem with the elevators. Staff was always pleasant.

We did not eat in any of the resort restaurants or participate in any activities other than the pool, beach and pool bar. Never a problem finding a lounge chair at the pool. The beach lounge chairs were sometimes crowded. Drinks from the pool bar were 70 pesos for premium drinks (strawberry margarita, Miami Vice, pina colada, etc) with 241 during the Noon to 1 and 5-6 Happy Hours.

We did get a little tired of the timeshare pitch at checkin and the notes under the door. At least they never called us when we were sleeping.

We had a great time and would like to return to El Moro in the future.

Myself, wife and 2 young children (6 & 3yrs) stayed here for 10 days in July. Overall, we had a wonderful time. The location is right on the beach and if you can snag a corner room on that side the view are truly spectacular. Tip: Get a room in the SW corner of the tower- these room nos end in "23". These are by far the best view and biggest balcony. Don't be scared to ask for a room change, we changed rooms twice until we got a room with a balcony and a beach view. The front desk staff were very helpful and corteous throughout our various room changes. Speaking of the balcony, if you have young children you simply cannot let them be out there alone- ever! The balcony wall is 36" high at most with a step up that could easily be scaled by a child. Even an adult could feel quite queezy by the lack of a higher wall. There is a gap in the wall were small feet could easily slip thru. There are large open windows in the hallways on a floor levels which could also pose a danger to enquisitive children. The rooms themselves were large and clean but are a few years overdue some refurbishing. A/C, fans, TV and showers worked very well. The elevators broke down 3 times during our stay and you just get the feeling that the interior of the hotel needs a paint job and updated fixtures pretty much everywhere. The pool is superb and the kids had a blast on the water slides and jumping off the rock formations with waterfalls. The staff overall were excellent, extremely curteous and attentive. The restaurant on the beach - La Concha- is superb, we had several excellent meals there- do not miss the Kabob buffet nights!
I would recommend this but remember this is Mexico, their ideas of safety are not what you might be used to so please take care.