This was our second year staying at the Royal and were not disappointed! You can't beat the location of this hotel. 5 minutes (maybe less) away from 5th avenue for great shopping, bars and restaurants.

The rooms are quite large, beautiful and very clean. The housekeeping staff are friendly and efficient. The nightly turndown service is also a very nice touch. I had to contact maintenance to change to battery in the smoke detector and they came in minutes, as well I messed up the safe combination and security came to reset the safe very quickly.

The gym is amazing. First class equipment including spinning bikes, treadmills, elipticals, freeweights and pilates equipment and weight machines. I didn't have a problem with wait times for the equipment, but I did go early at around 6:30 am.

What can I say about the beach? GORGEOUS. I walked on that beach for 2 hours every day. Loved it!!!Beautiful white sand and a beautiful blue ocean. The beach on the otherside of the breakwater (by the Gran Porto Real) is not as nice - lots of coral and sandbags. Although its great to walk that part of the beach to see the sights, the walk isn't as peaceful than on the Royal side (don't know what direction I was going- i.e. north, etc, but it was towards Cancun.).

I didn't spend any time at the pool, so I really can't comment on anything there, except the pool is large and beautiful and everyone around the pool seemed to be having a great time.

Enjoyed all the restaurants with Pelicano's, Maria Marie's and Il Pescatore being my favourite. You can't beat the guacamole and shrimp cocktail at Pelicano's. Went to Spice one night for the buffet, but wasn't as happy with the meal as I was at the a la Carte restaurants.

The staff work extremely hard at this resort and all are very friendly and accommodating. The sports team at the pool and beach are fantastic! They make all of the guests feel comfortable and welcome. I would recommend the bike tour with Fernando. This gave me an opportunity to see the city that I otherwise would have missed. I had no idea that Playa del Carmen was so big and had such a history. Fernando is friendly and entertaining, very knowledgeable of the area, and his English is excellent.

This was my 6th time in Mexico and this is my favorite resort to date. I would not hesitate to come back for another holiday.

We were at the Royal the middle of April. I was a little nervouse because we were going with friends that have never traveled Mexico, however, they have traveled Europe. I was responsible for booking a place to stay. I utilize this website to help. I cannot believe that anyone said anything negative about this resort! We always stay at 5 star resorts and this was a 5 star.

Our first experience with the resort was with our Conciere - Fernando! What a doll. He took such good care of us throughout our stay. He checked with us periodically right to the end. We could not keep our upgrade room the last two days because the resort was full. Fernando made sure we had two really nice rooms together. The last night he had roomservice come in and put rose pedals on the bed and in the jacuzzi tub. We also had a huge swam built out of towels on the bed. It was so romantic and what a way to end the trip. He was fabulous.

We did the upgrade the first four nights. I would highly recommend it. The room is the same, however, they do all these nice upgrade amenities, i.e. Bose system, higher qualities soaps, candles by the jacuzzi tub, etc.

We found the food very good. We did not care for the Tapas Restaraunt, but that was us. Our favorite was the French/ Mexican. I did have the Mexican one night and I prefer the French. You have to have the warm cake - WOW. It is worth every calorie.

The beach was beautiful. You do have to go a litle North for better swimming - no big deal and it is still in front of the resort. We actually stayed by the pool all week. Yes, they do the towel thing in the morning, but I really didn't mind. I don't know why people say it is really loud there, because it wasn't at all. My only complaint was the pool bar. It wasn't as much fun as most pool bars and you don't get the afternoon sun. The bartenders were not real cordial even when you tipped them.

The staff overall was wonderful. Housekeeping was really friendly, the wait staff at the restaraunts were great. We had one bad one at the buffet, but they have so many managers walkng around, that it is corrected instantly.

We would definitely go back and our friends agree. I have to admit that I can be high maintenance at times, and they met my expectations. A very special thank you to Fernando for starting our trip out right and making the last night so memorable!

We are members of the real resorts in mexico in playa del carmen and cancun, We are Gord and Lisa myers have been members of your resort since April of 2007, been coming to this resort since it.s opening in 05. As for quality of your resorts nothing less then a 10 + resort The layout or your resort location to the ocean the perfect beachfront property ive been too in my whole time travelling would go to no other properties then here.The decor of the hotel is like a huge oasis from heaven love to stay there forever, the food also at this resort nothing less then the best food weve even tasted far none to anywhere else we have stayed. The wide variety of drinks here also was overwelling and tasteful let me reassure you that. This trip we just took in April with our 2 teenage daughters was a trip in a lifetime for them they fully enjoyed everything the hotel offered them.All your staff there are the best Luis ake is the best your hotel has alberto and fernando from entertainment awesome

I believe we went to this hotel when it was known as the Royal Porto Real (RPR) in Playa del Carmen. Absolutely LOVED it here!

It was both our first time going to Mexico. My husband and I went to RPR for our honeymoon. I did a lot of research before picking this hotel - deciding between the Gran Porto Real and RPR and ended up going with this one and it was worth the extra $.

We liked everything about this hotel.
- the staff -
the front desk staff, were okay but the restaurant staff were lovely. treated us with extra care. it helps when you converse with them in spanish, they appreciate you more.

- the room -
great! stayed at room 333. had a jacuzzi in the room. everything was clean and didn't have problems with theft. always left us cookies at night and made towel origami. had a balcony, with a hammock, overlooking the pool and a peripheral view of the beach. fridge was always re-stocked.

- the food -
took gluttony to a whole new level. loved the buffet for breakfast, fresh waffles were my favorite. so much variety. the a la cartes were amazing and food was well made: steak, scampi, pizza, sushi, and more. not to mention the exceptional presentation. didn't have to make reservations which i appreciated.
took advantage of the 24-hr room service, ordered in breakfast one morning and ate outside on the balcony - highly recommended. (it takes 30-40 mins to get the food). and one night, at around 11pm, had the munchies so ordered a couple of their western offerings (burgers and hotdogs) oh and their guacamole is delish! they will bring you whatever you want on their menu.

- the beach -
directly outside of the hotel didn't have to walk too far. didn't have to fight over chairs. security was too good - if you didn't have the bracelet, they pretty much ask you to leave. nice white sand. towels were offered by the pool so don't have to bring your own outside. they also provide sunblock and tanning cream in case you didn't bring yours, all free. the pool never got crowded.

- our activities -
when we first arrived we had an agenda of all the places/attractions we wanted to go to/do. but the beach and the hotel offerings seduced us so well, we ended up spending time there and didn't regret our decision. seadooing was fun but make sure to barter the price.
we went on a bike tour of playa (offered for free by the hotel, just need to sign up for it) and it was fun to see what was outside of our hotel.
the only external trip we went on was the snorkel trip offered through transat. it cost $150 for 2 ppl. it was a good experience and lots of fun. saw a sting ray just as we were stopping for our 2nd snorkel site. just remember to bring cash bcos they ask for a tip at the end.

the hotel is a five minute walk from Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) where locals have set up kiosks and stores. i don't believe we ever got to the end of the strip. we walked it every night and any other chance we got. there were mariarchis playing, and the locals were quite friendly.

i would recommend to get your money always exchanged at the bank which is a few minutes from the hotel and do not go to the kiosks or other storefronts offering exchange.

we met 2 couples who have been there before and said that it was the best hotel they've ever been to and have kept coming back. we totally agree! my husband was reluctant to go to mexico, but after this trip, he can't wait to go back.