First things first, the staff members here truly made our trip wonderful. They are warm, friendly, and work very hard to provide you with everything you need for a great stay. If you are staying as a 'hotel guest' and not a time-share owner, be prepared to feel second class by members, front desk and 'concierge' - see cons below.

PROS:
Rather than reiterate most of the other TA reviews, I would like to dedicate this portion to the waitstaff, housekeeping, groundskeepers, maintenance staff who went above and beyond to provide us everything we needed, wanted and more. Tip these people well, as they deserve it. A heartfelt thank you to-
-Eduardo and Wilberth at The Char Hut
-Asael at Hacienda Sisal
-Carla, Catalina, Gustavo and Rafael at La Veranda
-Cedrik, Karen and Marleni at The Spa
-All of the top notch waitstaff at Captain's Cove
-Natalio, our housekeeper and the evening turn-down crew

CONS:
-Personal Concierge: this term is used very loosely. Do not expect a real hotel concierge; these people are only there to get you to partake in a time-share sales pitch. The 'gift' is just hotel toilitries, so if you aren't interested in buying, don't waste any of your precious time! Our 'concierges' Susan and Rob were totally useless. We asked Susan to set up our airport transfers, she gave us the number and said call yourself. We asked Rob to make dinner reservations for us, and when we got to the restaurant we found out he never did. When we agreed to do the sales pitch he said 'Don't let me down'. Rob, you were the ultimate let-down on this trip. We never complained, but he saw us a few days later and quickly turned the other way. I was embarrased for him.
-The property is for time share owners; given that, the weeks run from Sat-Sat. We stayed from Tuesday-Sunday, and were forced to change rooms for our last night. They make it sound like this is an easy process, but it was totally inconvenient and time consuming. We were locked out of our room at 11 am on Saturday and had to make a total of three trips to the desk just to change rooms. Also, expect a ton of traffic on Saturdays due to most guests checking out and in.
-Dinner on the property is mediocre; definitely make reservations for Sisal, Captain's Cove and El Conquistador
-Time share pitch. If you are interested, go, but it is longer than twenty minutes. I will say it wasn't high pressured though. Keep in mind, with a time share you have limited flexibility as far as destination, restrictions on when you can travel (specific week each year), and availability should you choose to trade in for another property. My partner also noticed, and it was confirmed, all of the rooms they show you are penthouse suites. If you cannot make a decision right then and there, it's over. Who can decide on an investment with no time to consider? Oh, and they are trying to sell you a different property which you only get photos of.

Overall, it was a good stay with a few inconveniences. My companion said it best when he said 'This place is going through an identity crisis' - they need to fill unsold villas with hotel guests, but they still try to hold on to a owner-resort mentality. I had a nice time, but would stay elsewhere on my next trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.

We went to The Royal Sands in Oct of 2012. We did not really know what to expect, but Cancun and The Royal Sands really won us over! The room was magnificent, with a deck over looking the ocean and another even bigger deck beyond that one! We could have hosted a party for 50+ people! The room was clean and perfect. We were able to help some baby turtles go into the ocean at night, and that was pretty amazing to be a part of! The little store had many great things available, and the prices weren't bad. The food in the restaurant was good, and we never had a problem finding chairs in the shade on the beach. Loved the Royal Sands and loved Cancun too!

The Royal Sands is one of a number of timeshare resorts in eg St Maarten, Curacao, and Mexico owned by Royal Resorts. The resort has two phases, each with a different style of pool. The huge numbers of staff are polite, friendly and keep the place immaculately. There are kids and adults activities hourly, including yoga, zumba, aqua fit, bingo, etc. Downtown Cancun and the rest of the hotel zone can be reached in 40 minutes using the public bus (8.5 pesos or 70 cents).

The resort recently introduced all-inclusive packages for non-members and it reamins to be seen whether this will change the ambience of a great resort.

This was our first trip to Mexico. We wanted to go somewhere warm where we could unwind and thought this would be a great place to go for our 25th Anniversary. And we were Right. Initially we were a little worried that with it still being hurricane season but the weather could not have been any nicer. We did not have one day where the sun wasn't shinning. The staff at the Royal Sands was awesome, food was great, and accomodations very nice. We had a great evening waiter, Fher, that made you feel very special everytime you saw him. Always smiling, mater of fact everyone always seemed in a good mood.

We used Thomas Moore for one of our excursions to see the ruins (Chichen Itza and Ek Balam) and while it was a long day we had the best guide, Oscar, that kept us entertained and was very knowledgeable about the history of the ruins and myan culture.

We definately want to return, but will plan on a 2 week stay as one week just is not enough!