Was puzzled at some of the negative reviews once we got to Park Royal. A few things to keep in mind before you book: This is a three star resort, so don't expect El Presidente style accommodations or food. The rooms were very nice and the entire resort is kept spotless. I saw a complaint about leaves in the pool in one review Good grief! It's the tropics and very lush. I saw maybe two leaves and they were quickly cleaned out by a very concientious staff. As to the food, it's OK and selection was limited; it's not like a cruise ship buffet by any means. I always could find something good. The staff is very professional and efficient and most of the bartenders and waiters are friendly and eager to please. In short, be aware of what you're paying for, be flexible and enjoy. Leave the little ones at home.

My friend and I stayed at the Park Royal from March 10-17 and I cannot say enough good things about this resort. I had read some of the reviews and was skeptical but I got a $99/night rate and figured I would give it a shot. From the first minute we entered the lobby, I knew I could stop worrying about the quality. It was new and simple, very clean. I was so happy about our room and new bathroom, especially the fact that ALL rooms have a private balcony. Everything was clean and new. The food at the buffets was good, but the restaurants were better- Italian being my favorite. They were not greedy with the alcohol- if you get a mixed drink it is half alcohol and half mixer. A little too stong for my tastes but I am sure others loved it. The weather was PERFECT every single day we were there. The beach was a little rocky but for a $10 cab ride you can go to Paradise Beach and it is what you would expect of a typical beach. There are bars, water trampolines, snorkeling, jet ski's, etc... We pretty much stayed on the resort most nights, they have a great sports bar on the premises where there is dancing. I know I will be back again and I have already recommended this resort to all of my friends.

The only negative thing I heard was that they only had a handful of suiteswith king beds, but the room with 2 doubles would be fine for a couple- you could always push the beds together. If you have any questions, just email me at melissac@gmail.com. I wouldnt mind answering any of your questions.

My husband and I booked a trip to the Park Royal through Apple Vacations at a very good price, so all in all, we had a great time. However, we felt that this resort is not a 4 star, but more in line with a 3 star resort.

Good:
Activities staff is wonderful. They had lots of stuff going on throughout the day (water basketball, water polo, volleyball, dance lessons, water aerobics etc.). We had a great time participating in the sports activities.

As others have posted, the grounds are beautiful, well maintained and clean. The resort has utilized the space well.

All the bartenders were great! They are very attentive and make great drinks. Try the dirty monkey. Tip to get above the top service.

The free snorkeling was a plus from the resort, but don't expect to see great coral. There are some fish, but that's really it - take a snorkeling trip if you want to see some great coral - I also heard diving is awesome or do the submarine trip if you don't want to get wet.

We thought the snack bars were really good. The hot dogs are very good & hamburgers are ok too. Staff at the snack bars is great. : )

This is a smaller resort and the guests were wonderful! We met so many nice, friendly people - more so than any other place we have stayed.

Average:

The food was just average overall. I have been to many good resorts and travel a lot - nothing special at all about the food. You also had to stand in line for reservations, but we noticed empty tables at all hours - seemed like they were understaffed. The only plus was that I didn't get sick.

Breakfast buffet was really great.
Lunch buffet was average, but not good.
Dinner buffet was terrible.

Mexican - not very good - if you go try the fajitas.
Italian - pretty good if you ordered the right stuff and had very good salads.
Carribean - fish was excellent - top pick!

Night entertainment was probably the weakest that I have ever seen at any resort. They have competitions with guests, which is really fun. The sports bar is open at night, but is really smokey - I would suggest going into town for night life.

Bad:
Front desk staff was rude, but it wasn't too much of a pain as we didn't have to deal with them much. We asked for an ocean view non-smoking room, but didn't get either. We spent very little time there, so it didn't bother us too much. Not everyone can have a great room!

Housekeeping was terrible. We think it was our floor as others had great service (were in the 2200s). Our room didn't get cleaned one day and was cleaned very late & hastily others. This was really surprising as we tipped every day. Some friends we met had towel animals every day - so I guess it just depends on who you get.

Very disappointed in staff one day as our friends lost some money and a guest turned it in. We can only assume that the staff took the money as none of them claimed to have known anything about it. We were very disappointed at the dishonesty, but just take care of your stuff! Use the safe in your room.

We thought it was insane that you had to pay for the safe in the room. We have stayed lots of places, and never had to pay for the safe.

Prices are way over inflated for Mexico. Jewelry was so overpriced that I hardly bought anything. I think you get better deals after the cruise ships leave or on Sundays. There was a jewelry vendor that came into the resort one day and wanted $150 - $200 USD for some necklaces.

Ovreall, it's good for the price - we cannot complain about that. It is a beautiful resort. If they changed some things this would truly be a 4 star, but they have some things to work on.

My good friend and I decided to book this hotel about a month out. We are both 25 and wanted a fun hotel, but not crazy college spring break. This hotel was amazing.
Room- Clean, big, had unrequested balcony, granite bathroom--no complaints
Drinks- Strong if that is how you liked them, international branded liquior, all water purrified
Food- Buffet was alright. Many different choices everyday with different offerings from breakfast to lunch to dinner. Went to the mexican and italian restaurants and loved both. The pizza was very great! Sick with what you like---and you won't be disappointed. You could eat at the restauarants as many times as you liked during your stay there. By all of the pools there is a place with hamburgers, hotdogs, nachos, and pizza. Great place to grab something while you are hanging out at the pool.
Pools- There are 3 large ones and two cold hot tubs(you would not need a hot tub there!). One huge one that was very close to the hotel, and two closer to the water. Swim up bars at all of them. The ones closest to the ocean were both infinity pools. There was sandy areas for people who like sitting in the sand and other areas for those people who do not but all very close to eachother.
Entertainment- snorkeling, shows, outdoor bars, a sportsbar, and daily pool activiities, giant cruise ships coming and going. We were able to see a pretty sunset also.
Bottom line is that this place is well worth the money. We never left the hotel the entire 8 days that we were there.