We stayed at the Park Royal from 3/20 through 3/27. I'm not sure where some of the other reviewers stayed, but it sure didn't sound like the Park Royal in Cozumel. The Reception area was busy when we got there-in fact it seemed busy all the time-but they got us checked in quickly enough. The rooms were comfortable and kept spotless; the air conditioning worked fine and kept the room comfortable. The floor around the shower leaked-I think the people in the room below us must have complained-but someone came and fixed it right the first time in a matter of minutes. No problem after that.

The staff was friendly and helpful. I don't think I ever saw one with a moment of down time. They were always working. That includes bartenders, waiters, maids, groundskeepers, everyone. The entertainment staff were exceptional. They did a great job of getting activities organized and made lots of new friends. Speaking of entertainment, the nightly shows were pretty good. Some I enjoyed a lot more than others. The Mexican night was great-they performed some regional dances from different parts of Mexico and it was as good as i've ever seen.

The beach is very rocky-make sure you bring your water shoes and you won't have any problems. The payoff is the great snorkeling right in front of the hotel. Lots of snorkel tours from around the island wound up near the Park Royal; those of us at the hotel could just swim out from the beach and see the same thing. Lots of colorful fish and I also saw a large eel one morning just a few yards from shore.

The best part of our stay was the food. The buffets were good: if you can't find something you like, you've got a problem. There were lots of Mexican dishes on offer, including some incredible seafood-a couple of amazing ceviche dishes-as well as American food for the less adventurous. Unlike most all-inclusives, there was no limit on how often you could eat at the a la cartes. All were great; I couldn't pick a favorite between the Caribbean, Italian and Mexican. We ate there every single night of our stay and never had a problem getting a table.

One last thing: I'm not much of a shopper but the trip into town was worth it, especially if you get away from the tourist traps. Just keep walking and you'll know when you've found the more authentic places. I got a couple of very nice guayaberas at reasonable prices. And the museum is definitely worth an hour or two of your time.

I went here with my GF for spring break and we had an overall great experience with the hotel and the island. The hotel has great proximity to the downtown area, only about 10 minutes away. When you enter the hotel, you are greeted by several hotel staff.

Food: We are both vegetarian and I was apprehensive going to an all inclusive, but the chefs there kindly prepared us veggie meals. They were very good.

At 3 of the restaurants, you have to make reservations from 12pm-3pm. You can call in your reservation or wait in line. I actually liked the reservation concept becuase it kept the process very orderly. If you unable to make a reservation, you can eat at the buffet (which changes each night).

Service: Overall, the service was excellent. The waiters and staff were very nice. However, I did run into some issues with the front desk. They are not helpful or all that nice, so watch out for two persons in particular, Pedro and Ricardo.

Facilities: We were very impressed with the facilities at the hotel. They have two new infinity pools overlooking the caribbean. At each pool, they have a poolside bar where you can get whatever drinks you want.

They also have a theater, where they have daily night shows at 9PM. The shows are really entertaining, great for families or couples.

The Island: We drove a jeep around the island...best decision we made. By renting a car, you really get a real feel of the island.

I would also recommend taking a half day and going to playa del carmen. Excellent for shopping and great restaurants.

Important Recommendation: Remember that you can bargain with the locals!

I would not stay at this hotel again! The staff was not very friendly! The meals were ok but I actually lost weight on vacation. My first time ever, if that tells you anything about the food.. I go to Mexico five times a year and this is the first hotel I would not go back to.

My wife, her sister ,and I vacationed at the Park royal from March 23 to 28th. Overall it was a much needed vacation and I would say I was very pleased with the overall experience. Here are some pros and cons.

First the pros:
1. The resort was very clean, staff was alway working to keep a good appearance.
2. Food was for the most part good ,remember this is a all inclusive resort and it is in Mexico so the food will not be 5 star cuisine and it will be a little different then food in the states. The breakfast was my favorite Fatima at the buffet could make some mean eggs, the juices were fantastic ,french toast was great and the coffee was some of the best I have had.
3. The bars were very good all the bartenders was were friendly and gave good suggestions as to what you should try. I liked the blue Cozumel and the Riveria maya the best.
4. The pools were very well kept and the ones around the beach were really nice with a beautiful view of the ocean .
5. The beach area was small but it was very well laid out. The snorkeling off the beach was great.
6. The rooms were very well kept and roomy.The shower was huge.

Now the cons:
1. Check in took long they really need to have more people at the front desk (we were there during a busy time of the year). We got there at 11:30 and our room was not ready till 4pm. After getting two hours of sleep before we left it would have been nice to get our room and get situated.
2. The hallways were loud at night, however our rooms was ont the ground floor and close to the elevators so that probably had something to do with it .

If you get a chance go into town walk around the town square and take in the culture and go to margaritaville.
I would say I am a reasonable person and I do believe that you get what you pay for and park royal was not the most expensive place to stay but a very good value. Any bad reviews you read are probably from people expecting to much to begin with or are just miserable people that will alway find the worst in everything and never be happy . But why do that the weather is beautiful and your on vacation.