El Dorado Casitas Royale

We have used Cheap Carribean and been to Mexico multiple times in the past. This trip was for my 50th birthday, so we booked what we thought was a very nice resort. It was 1.5-2 times more expensive than previous trips. Bottom line, it wasn't worth the price tag. Here are some complaints: - the airport driver took us to the wrong resort, as in 1 hour away (a 2-hour round trip waste of time on a short 4-day vacation) - the coffee was terrible, yes there is a Starbucks onsite, but at almost $1,000 a day one would hope for better included coffee - when we checked in there was a dirty room service tray with dishes, glasses, 1/2 eaten food in our room - one leg to the bed was broken and in the middle of the room when we checked in, it wasn't fixed properly and the leg kept falling off during our stay - the room smelled very musty, we asked to change but were ignored - the room was 100% in the shade, no view except of the back of the bar, and had no screens on doors or windows to air it out - the room was incredibly dark, couldn't read - no service on beach cabana one day and poor, slow service on other days - the spa personnel pestered us multiple times on multiple days to buy services - many restaurants and bars were indoors with way too cold air conditioning. So we were limited to 2 outdoor dining options. - could not locate any hot tubs on property To be fair, we really did like the following: - Smoothie bar, healthy and fresh breakfast options - morning yoga on the pier - Bloody Mary bar at Spot restaurant for breakfast - Jojos restaurant, outside and server Jorge - outdoor shower in room - turtle sanctuary - cat casitas with resident healthy cats

We have stayed at 4-5 resorts in Mexico and this was by far the best! We will be coming back! The service was excellent, the staff wonderful, and the resort was beautiful. The food was fantastic, but I will say it was a bit like "Tapas Cuisine" when it came to portions. One place served deserts in shot glasses, my advise order 4-5 shots! Wonderful food, just small in portions. There staff was excellent all over. We will be back on our next trip to Mexico.

Hello CheapCaribbean Friends! I don’t know where to start on my review this year?! My husband and I have been going away for a week every year to an adults only resort for the past 8 years. We have always tried a new resort and usually a new location, but find our way back to Riviera Maya every other year. After this past week, I have to say that we have finally found THE resort and will not look elsewhere in the future. The El Dorado Casitas Royale was by far the BEST resort we have stayed at on all accounts detailed below. This will be a long review so bear with me, but for those who look for more detailed information . . . this is for you.  Check In-We arrived at the El Dorado Royale lobby and were quickly whisked away to the Casitas reception area where we were “Welcomed Home” along with 2 other couples. Here we enjoyed a cool cloth and a glass of champagne while being told about the resort and whom to see for dinner reservations or anything else we would require while there. We arrived early in the morning so our room was not ready so we were told we could change in the spa and utilize the pools and restaurants. We were told we would be staying in Casita 29 so we went and sat at the bar for a while and met Isac and a few guests that were staying in the Casita section. My opinion is Casita 29 is in the best location . . . close to beach bar, gift shop, reception, concierge (Carolina and Tristan are quick to respond to any need you may have), and 4 locations to eat. PERFECTION!! Our Room - #2922 was Perfect as well! Great views of the main pool bar and beach. Room is VERY SPACIOUS. Bathroom is insanely awesome. Outdoor shower is a NICE PLUS. Housekeeping (Isabel) was prompt and discreet every morning while we went to breakfast. Only complaint here is the water wasn’t refilled in the fridge as often as I would have liked, but with the bar only steps away, it was not a problem. (We could have notified our concierge and they would have taken care of it immediately.) The Pillow menu and aromatherapy for the room is also a nice touch. We were celebrating our Anniversary so one evening our bed was covered in rose petals and swan towel art while we were out to dinner.  Restaurants – Many to choose from with lots of options. We went over to the Generations for their breakfast buffet one morning which was a nice change. We enjoyed the Sante Fe Grill for breakfast and dinner. We also went to Kampai for sushi, D’Italia Casitas (Silverino was the BEST Waiter) and Cocotal for dinners. If you go over to Las Olas at Casitas 31, it’s a great little outdoor café that serves the most delicious wraps for lunch too! 24 hour Room service is always an option as well as we did one evening and for an early breakfast on an excursion day. Many of our neighbors ordered room service for breakfast and lunch and I never heard of any complaints. All food arrived warm and delicious. Bars – We spent the majority of our time at our Casitas pool and bar with Isac and Cesar and all of our AWESOME neighbors that we met the week we were there! Isac is by far the best bartender I have met in many years! He introduced himself to us when we first arrived and walked over to our Casita if he saw us come outside in the morning for a swim just to say “Buenos Dias” and offer us a cold water or soda if we weren’t ready for alcohol yet. He remembered our names and drink choices from the start and always greeted us with a smile. As a team, Isac and Cesar cannot be beat at the Casita 29 bar, pool and beach for service with a smile! Every afternoon we had a pool party complete with music, snacks, laughter, drinks and shots! Shout out to all of our new friends: Carmen, Brenda, Yasenia, Gale, Sienna, Chad, Jody, Aaron, Linda, Jimmy, Lauren, Chris, Anna, Paul, Cheryl, Marty, and “Pineapples!” Beach – this resort seems to be in an area of stronger currents and tides so there are many cement blocks just off shore so they can preserve the beach as best they can. As these can be an eyesore, they are a necessity that far outweighs their ugliness. We enjoyed the beach daily and snorkeled in various locations. We were able to see a large angelfish very close to shore. We also had the pleasure of checking in with Turtle Dave at night to see if any sea turtles hatched during the day and were able to release a couple turtles into the ocean one night around 10pm. We also saw jet skiing and parasailing in front of the resort as well. Entertainment – We did enjoy the live music each night before the show at the Guacamayas Bar. It was always a pleasant walk down to the bar with the ocean breezes from the Casitas. I cannot say anything for the nightly performance as we never stayed to watch a show. We also borrowed bicycles early one day to ride around the whole resort to get a better feel for where everything was. Excursions – We ventured out to Tulum one day which also included snorkeling in a cenote complete with caverns as well as an area where fresh water meets sea water. Beautiful scenery and a great tour all around! Cancun Adventures ran the tour and I wouldn’t trust any other company for excursions in the area! They are professional and accommodating. All around I cannot say anything at all negative about the El Dorado Casitas Royale. We will definitely be back next year and will only look to Karisma resorts for our future trips!!! We cannot wait to go back and we have only been gone for 24 hours!

We had a great time. Everything was perfect from the time we arrived to the time we had to leave. Thank to all the staff for a wonderful trip..