This was our first visit to the Royal Hideaway after staying at the Iberostar Tucan on all our previous trips. We were there to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary and EVERYTHING was wonderful throughout our 12 night stay and we met some wonderful people! We arrived with some doubts after reading many negative reviews, but we encountered none of the issues that constantly seem to be mentioned. The air-con kept our room at a very comfortable 23c! I guess some people’s expectations of air-con are much higher than ours, but if we feel that cool blast of air every time we enter the room, then that is good enough for us! We had a room on the second floor in Block 31 and it was a perfect location. Large room with a huge bathroom! Yes, we had some off-colour water from the taps at times, but after running for a while it always cleared. We only used bottled water for cleaning our teeth! It was also great having the Jacuzzi tub! Wi-Fi was excellent throughout the whole resort including the beach. The grounds are absolutely beautiful with lush vegetation, pools, streams and bridges. It really is like walking through a paradise. Very small resort, by Riviera Maya standards and we loved the intimate feel. The buildings and architecture are lovely! All the buildings are currently being repainted including the roofs, so in a few weeks time it will look even more stunning! We ate at The Deck every morning for breakfast and sitting outside overlooking the beach was heavenly! Breakfast is buffet, not a huge buffet but certainly enough choice and it varies slightly each day! I requested poached eggs every morning and every one without fail was cooked to perfection! Equally excellent was lunch which we also ate at The Deck! There is a menu for lunch and another small buffet! Everything we tried was superb, especially the Burgers, Fish Tacos and Spring Rolls. The cooked to order Pizzas were also excellent! Evenings dinners are all a’la carte and must be booked in advance! We ate at the Grill, Spices, Ventanas and Palazzo. We didn’t eat at Azia as it is not really our thing. We always enjoyed the Grill (which converts from the Deck), not the greatest steaks, but nothing to complain about! You can choose between eating inside (not air-conditioned) or outside on the terrace! We loved Palazzo and Ventanas, both are inside and air-conditioned. They are both beautiful restaurants with amazing food and a lovely ambiance! Our least favourite was Spices, but we made some poor choices first time there and it was much better second time around! Air-con was not great in Spices and we did see a few people complain about the heat and leave before finishing their meals, which we felt was not only rude, but also very unnecessary! Yes it was warm, but you are on vacation…..in Mexico, so just deal with it! Drinks! We had read a few complaints about the quality of the drinks, mini-bar restocking and lack of bottled water! We encountered none of these problems and all the drinks we had were great! Bottled water was readily available, cocktails were delicious and the sparkling wine was good! All the bartenders were friendly and happy to make whatever you requested! The beach was absolutely beautiful with that lovely turquoise, clear water! After the past few years of seaweed problems, we didn’t think we would ever see it like this again, but it was truly amazing and just how it was when we first came to Mexico in 2004! They were constantly working on the whole beach with tractors. Smoothing the sand and clearing the minimal quantities of seaweed that was washed ashore! There was a constant flow of sellers walking the beach, but a polite ‘no thank you’ was all that was needed to move them on! Most afternoons we wandered over to the Plaza opposite the hotel! There are now two small Plazas, the original one (our favourite) and a new modern looking one! These are certainly a much more pleasurable experience than 5th Avenue with the constant hassle the shopkeepers give you down there! Prices are also on a par, so save yourself some hassle and just ‘shop local’! Finally, the staff! They are all very helpful, friendly, lovely and hard-working! Special mention has to go to Elena, Luis, Pablo and Angel at the Deck! Carlos and Brenda on the animation team were fantastic and kept everyone entertained! I would also give a special mention to Samuel, the Maitre-d’ in Ventanas, he was wonderful and called us by name from day one! Tip them, they deserve it! We tipped a mixture of Dollars and Pesos. Every time it was received with thanks and gratitude! Overall, we had an absolutely brilliant time at the Royal Hideaway and would highly recommend it and we will return! …
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