Went to Cancun for the first time with my partner and both our families and my family stayed at CIC and my partners family stayed at the Royal Islander (I LIKED CIC THE BEST). We had Villa C which is the 2 story unit and had a ocean view and the room was spotless and looked newly remodeled. The grounds were immaculate and the pool was fun and loved the swim up bar at Happy Hour! In previous reviews it was written that the guest towels were thin but this has changed and all the towels in the room were plush. The beds were firm/hard and the bedding was not the best but we could live with it.

On Sunday's the resort has an orientation and it was quite informative and we learned "Yes you can drink the water" at all the Royal Resorts and don't miss the beach party reception later on in the afternoon with free Cerveza and a BBQ (BBQ was not free) and the staff had games and prizes and then we received an invitation to a complimentary taco party on Tuesday.


On Monday our personal concierge went out of his way to assist us with planning two birthday celebrations. We took the Royal Shuttle back and forth between the resorts and had dinner at Captains Cove (Across the street from the Royal Islander and affiliated with the resorts and shuttle drops you off) and the food was good and reasonable and we ate out side and to our surprise there were 2 crocodiles in the lagoon and it just happened to be feeding time and one of the waiters clapped his hands the crock moved closer to the restaurant dock and was fed scraps of fish. We took pictures with it's jaws wide open and watching this spectacle made our night!

On Tuesday we took the whole family out to the Royal Haciendas for the day and listened to the Time Share sales pitch and it was a soft cell and worth the trip. The Royal Haciendas was beautiful but Play Del Carmen is far away from every thing so be prepared to lie around one of the pools all day or hang out at the beach.

We relaxed around the resort on Wednesday and went shopping at the on site Market and I was delighted with their selection of all the staples (From Beer and Wine to Fresh Produce) and I highly recommend their Mexican Sweet Bread which is brought in fresh every morning and their home made Guacamole is yummo! No need to go to Wal-Mart or Costco because everything you need is right at the Royal Market. We also ordered their food made to go counter and tried the pizza which was actually descent and also tried the whole baked chicken which was nicely seasoned and the prices again were quite reasonable.

On Thursday the onsite tour operator Thomas Moore Travel booked our trip to Chichen Itza and we started out at 8:00 am and the price was $99 per person and at first I thought this was a bit to expensive but then I got on the bus which was a first class coach tour with knowledgeable guides (The guides truly made this a memorable trip), continental breakfast and buffet lunch included and after the pyramids we stopped at a Cinote' (Large swimming sink hole) and had 1 hour to take a dip and cool off and the trip home we had free Corona and shots of Tequila. If you plan on making this trip save your souvenir money for Chichen Itza where the locals peddle their hand crafted wares. Thomas Moore also booked my nieces in their twenties on a dinner cruise ($75 each all you can drink and eat Filet Minion) but it was actually a pirate ship dinner show and it sailed out in the evening right across from the resort and they had the time of their life on the cruise. If you have little ones the pirates take the kids below deck and they play games.

To sum it up we had a Fantastic Time and I highly recommend this resort to all my friends and anyone who reads this review.

The service was professional, yet personal and friendly - you don't find this in large hotels, yet this is not a small hotel.
Our room was for 2 but would accommodate more. Consisted of hall, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, separate sinks in each bedroom, 2 balconies, a large living room with counter/bar type kitchen - fully equipped with stove, microwave, dishwasher, big fridge and small appliances. The decor was tropical, clean and appealing. Good quality materials for all furnishing and kitchen equipment. Effective, but slightly intrusive A/C.
Our balcony/main bedroom overlooked a garden, tennis courts and eventually the main road about 200 yds away.
The resort was built about 30 years ago, recently significantly refurbished and in pristine condition. It still has a modern and appealing architecture. 2 lovely pools, one with swim-up bar, a very pleasant beachside palapa-style restaurant with dining on the beach, doing meals from 7AM-11PM. There are other food options (Takeaway, delivery etc). There are activity rooms to support the many activities for children and adults. Activities are well chosen and run - and even though I am not very sociable, I attended the Spanish and aqua-aerobics classes every day (for 2 weeks). The friendly atmosphere is enhanced by occasional free meal/parties during the week. Staff were friendly and dedicated, competent and would all go the extra mile. Sports desk handled the free sailing/snorkeling/tennis etc activities. I never had a problem booking these each day, when I wanted. Beach is well equipped with palapa/parasols, loungers and lifeguards. Sea is quiet and ideal for children or older people, very warm and clear and roped-off areas for safety. Onsite supermarket with excellent food selection and decent prices. The lady on the desk offered (and did) get things that we noticed lacking, in her own spare time. We didn't need to go out shopping!
Liked best: everything
Liked least: our room was on the road-facing side of the buildings so we had noticeable noise, all day and night, even with windows closed. We still liked our room and didn't ask to change.

My family and I traded our Orlando timeshare in and went to this resort with four kids ages 9-11. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect and felt since I traded that I would be given a less desirable room. Much to our surprise, it was the opposite. Our room was spacious, clean and well maintained. The kitchen was a little out dated but nothing to cry about. The pools were beautiful and well maintained. The staff was exceptional. They were extremely accommodating even if they didn’t have what you were looking for, they were willing to get it for you. The rooms were cleaned everyday except Sunday's. We never ran out of towels or toilet paper. The kids had so much fun with Art's & crafts, treasure hunts and other activities on the beach (Pam was terrific). Drinks and food were reasonable and delicious. During happy hour, we ordered 4 Banana Daiquiris, 2 beers and 3 orders of fries and the bill was less than $20.00 dollars US. The pools and beach were great..I would go back in a second. I wish I could trade my Orlando property for this one. One tip, don’t exchange your money in the US. At the hotel you get 90 cents more on the dollar.......Also, the Hard Rock Cafe has the biggest return rate....It was 14 pesos for every US dollar.....when ordering food. You could get change that would be to your advantage when using US dollars there. Also the buses were the best value. $45 pesos for the six of us each way....came out to $3.50-$4.00 dollars....You cant beat that.....You should also have knowledge on Silver....Get the values down and make sure it has the stamp on the merchandise....if it doesn’t, it could be Silver plated..........

We traded a time share week to stay at the Club International and very much enjoyed our stay. The rooms are basic - we were two couples and had to share a bathroom, but very clean. The beds are a bit hard, but we got used to it as the week went on. We had a room that walked right out to the pool, which was really nice. There are two pool areas, lots of chairs and a whole section of sandy beach, so plenty of places to relax with a good book. They have a swim up bar and happy hour is from 3pm to sunset (about 7pm). The staff is super friendly and you are assigned a personal concierge upon arrival who can recommend restaurants and tours and will make all your reservations for you. There's a welcome briefing for new guests to give you a sense of the property (there are 5-6 Royal Resorts you have access to during your stay), there's also a welcome party on Sunday and a taco party on Tuesday - both fun with free drinks or food. They have sailboats, bikes, tennis courts and kids crafts all included. There is also a free shuttle to take you to the other Royal Resorts, which is a great saving on taxi fare, which is expensive. Overall a really nice facility and a bit smaller than the other Royal resorts so it's pretty quiet and laid back.