We spent 5 nights at the Royal Sands Cancun and returned with mixed impressions.
Our vacation in this resort got off on the wrong foot - when we first arrived to check-in we discovered that we were assigned a room on the first floor in front of the pool. One of the reasons we chose this ocean-front resort in the first place was to enjoy a nice quiet room with an ocean view, and needless to say that a room on the first floor right over the pool will provide us neither.
We asked the receptionist to change to a different room and the guy called someone on the phone to inquire about options. At that point a whole debate broke out between our receptionist, the colleague next to him in the reception and the third guy on the phone. They spoke in Spanish but little did they know that my wife speaks Spanish and understood every word they said. It seems that they had other rooms available but our receptionist decided that we were not nice enough to have them, and argued with his colleagues that urged him to give us one of the rooms. After my wife decided to join the conversation and told him that we understood every word that he's saying, an alternative room was magically found and was offered to us. Alas, the adventure didn't end there - The guy then told us that since this is a timeshare based resort, all the rooms should be cleared on Saturday and we'll have to move to a different room on Saturday noon. Knowing that it will be hard to switch to a different hotel at that point in time, we decided to take the room and just learn our lesson (BTW - Upon returning home I did find out that somewhere at the bottom of the hotel's fine print it is mentioned that this may happen)
Now to other impressions from our stay:
- The resort itself is not bad, the rooms were clean and it was obvious that they keep the public areas very clean as well. Most of the employees (other than the receptionist...) where quite nice, especially the waiters in the La Veranda (Alejandro was our favorite waiter - so kind and friendly that he made us feel right at home, well done!)
- The room switch on Saturday was smooth. The guy came within the time window and was very efficient. Still it was annoying to wait in the room for the process, especially since it's a 2 hour window in the middle of the day.
- The room description mentions a "wired high speed Internet" which was crucial for me for doing some work, unfortunately upon arrival I discovered that the hotel does NOT have any wired Internet connection and the only option is Wifi.
- We had a chance to try the "Hacienda Sisal" restaurant which was included in our package and it was very good. The fact that you can sometimes have a dinner outside the resort is a big plus, as there are no other decent alternatives around the resort.
- OTOH the location of the hotel is not bad, approx 15 minutes walk from the La Isla mall.
- If you think about calling room service - plan ahead of time. I tried to use them once and called to ask for a bottle of water. 30 minutes later no bottle in sight, so I called to confirm. An hour later still nothing in sight, so I called to cancel and went down myself to buy a bottle in the market (which is quite handy actually). Half an hour later - the guy from room service came with the water that I asked 2 hours earlier...
- We didn't like the fact that every time we ordered something we had to give our room key and then wait for the bill. Not a big deal but kinda annoying considering the fact that we already have a bracelet... Maybe this is the way that all-inclusive works these days, but it's surely not as fun as it used to be a few years ago.
All in all - we had a decent time in this hotel but learned a couple of important lessons from this vacation:
1. If your vacation includes a weekend - don't go to a resort... or at least make sure, upon reservation, that you won't have to switch rooms in the middle of your stay.
2. One rude receptionist can really put a damper on your whole vacation... If you happen to deal with one during check-in, don't let him ruin your day - simply ask for someone else.
- Also Known As:
- The Royal Sands Hotel Cancun
- The Royal Sands Hotel
- Royal Sands Cancun
- Royal Sands
- Cancun Royal Sands Resort
- Royal Sands Resort Cancun
- Cancun Royal Sands
Phone Number:
Region:
Mexico >
Yucatan Peninsula >
Quintana Roo >
Cancun
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge
Beach
Fitness Center
Free High-Speed Internet
Free Parking
Kids Activities
Kitchenette
Restaurant
Room Service
Shuttle Bus service
Suites
Swimming Pool
Wheelchair access
#13 Family Hotels in Cancun
#15 Top resorts Hotels in Cancun
#16 Luxury Hotels in Cancun
#18 On the Beach Hotels in Cancun
#32 Romantic Hotels in Cancun
Price Range:
$$$
Hotel Class:4 star (4*)
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
-
The jewel in the crown of the Royal Resorts Cancún collection, The Royal Sands has a truly regal beachfront setting, five-star amenities and everything you need for Royal Relaxation. The architectural design of this beachfront resort means that all 340 villas have ocean views with breathtaking vistas of picture-perfect white sands and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. The Royal Sands is located a stone's throw from Kukulcan Plaza shopping mall and a short walk from La Isla Shopping Village.Leave your cares behind as you indulge in some Spa time. Take the plunge and enjoy Cancun's water sports, The Royal Sands Marina is opposite the resort on the shores of the lagoon. Relax poolside, play tennis and enjoy a tempting array of dining choices, theme nights and live entertainment with something different every night of the week.
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