We booked the all inclusive option for our stay. I was disappointed with the restaurant options as there were really only 2 on site (not including bars)one of which was a buffet most of the time. Service was extremely slow at times, most likely due to the change to all inclusive. I noticed others were not tipping much and from my experience this is necessary to get speedy service, and it seemed to make a difference most of the time. Hats off to Arturo and Pedro by the pool:). The rooms were clean but seemed a little dated. The views were spectacular! The pool was great but I would have liked to see more pool activities for teens and tweens. My biggest complaint is that your room card was required in addition to the all inclusive bracelet. Seemed like overkill and most likely contributed to the slow service. I most likely would not choose to stay here again.

We just spent seven nights in I5625 (Beachfront)

I'll start with the negative. The bed was not comfortable and they use those increasingly popular mini pillows. You know it's bad when you get your best nights of vacation sleep at the holiday inn express. Other than that, I don't have anything bad to say. Although that's a big one.

Fantastic views! If you're contemplating spending the extra money for beachfront suite, go ahead and do it. We opted for the higher suite and the views were awesome. In hindsight, I think I'd go for the beachfront bottom level. Their direct access looked far too convenient.

I've stayed in Cancun before but I don't remember the beach being this deep. They accurately named this place Royal Sands.

Let me give you some tips. Directly across the street is a restaurant with great food at very reasonable prices. You don't have to take the bus or anything. Ask for the horchata.

The towel service opens at 7a, but you don't have to wait that long to claim the perfect chairs. Exchange your towels at the end of the day and send one early bird out to claim your spot when the sun comes up.

Utilize the bus! It's totally safe and very cheap. There's only one road so you can't get lost. I can't comprehend using all taxis or private vans on the strip.

I enjoyed our stay, but the kids really enjoyed it! For that reason, I'll probably return.

It was nice to return to the Sands again.
This resort is gorgeous. We stayed at the RS for the last week of our vacation and we had a beachfront villa for the first time ever.
Beautiful view, gorgeous water. We came to the Sands on the 10th day of our trip, and we had already been hassled so much to buy a timeshare, the previous week, that I demanded, that they did not give us a
Concierge (we call them sharks). I was so happy that they heard me. We Finally, got to enjoy our vacation in Peace.
I am sad to hear that they are forcing non-
Members, to pay all-inclusive, because we like the option to cook during our stay.
We will not pay $265 for 2 adults and our 12 year old to eat each day. The price is so ridiculous!
Looks like they are weeding out anyone who owns a timeshare, and trades to come to the Royal Resorts. I think they will lose a lot of faithful visitors.
We were sad to think, that this may be our last visit "home"

This was our second trip to the Sands in 2012. WHAT WORKS: Consistently great customer service. Hard working and dedicated staff. Spotlessly clean gorgeous white sand beaches. Meticulously maintained sparkling clean pools. Sunday brunch @ Hacienda Sisal. The Caribbean and Mexican dinner shows @ Hacienda Sisal are a good value for the money. Villas that are spacious and well maintained. Beautifully manicured resort grounds. WHAT DOESN'T WORK: A host that would rather not be bothered to meet with you unless you are planning to buy more weeks, or upgrade to a more expensive lodging choice. People "saving" poolside and beachside chairs and then not showing up for hours to use them. Very rude. Maid service for the villas never before 2pm and sometimes as late as 4pm (the time we would prefer to be taking a daily siesta). Declining food quality at the onsite restaurants. Watered down drinks from the pool bar. Forcing people who are not members to pay a ridiculous price for an all-inclusinve meal plan when full kitchen facilities are available in each villa.

If i were coming to the Sands as a nonowner, I would not choose to return to if i had to buy a meal plan and my choices for all my meals for the week consisted of being limited to dining at Char Hut, the Pool Bar, La Veranda, Hacienda Sisal, or Captain's Cove. In my opinion it has not been a very wise choice made by management to try to boost occupancy @ the onsite restaurants by forcing nonowners to purchase a meal plan. Whether you are a first time visitor to Cancun or a many times repeater (as we are) part of what makes it so fun to come here are the many things to do and the 100's of restaurants to choose from. One of the hottest topics out at the pool has always been what new restaurants are out there and if they are worth traveling to. I think more people would be excited about staying on the property and eating a few of their meals here if the food at the onsite restaurants were not so bland, boring and repetitive. When was the last time there were any new options added to the menus? During this stay, we ate very few meals on the property; the majority of those we did choose to eat here being for the sake of convenience. The management folks need to start paying attention to the fact that although the Sands is rated as #14 of about 300 properties in the Cancun area, the number has been slowly slipping. We as owners have not failed to notice the subtle changes.

I WROTE A REVIEW THAT WAS POSTED IN EARLY APRIL OF 2012. If you are interested in things to do and places to go in the Cancun area, i have included several suggestions of things we have very much enjoyed. So, i won't repeat those numerous suggestions in this review.

The main reason i have given this property a 4 star rating (rather than a 3) is because of the many wonderful guests and owners we meet each time we come that contribute to the delightful ambiance. But even better than that is the many wonderful employees who give heart and soul each and every day to make this property what it is. I wanted to recognize these dedicated employees (and also all the ones whose names i do not know) for the time, effort and talents they give each day to make our vacation stay so pleasurable. MUCHISMAS GRACIAS to: Ino Chi Pina, Christina Can-May, Arturo Pedraza, Agustin Corredor, Galindo (spa salesman), Jimmy Solis, Manuel Ramiro, Oscar Cocom, Daniel Mendes and Victor Kubisiak. A very special thanks to Luis Angel Caamal who went out of his way to help a guest in need without needing to be asked.