This was one of the best resorts i've ever been to. My now-DH and I decided to get married in Cancun when we saw pictures of the Catholic chapel at the Gran Caribe Real and immediately fell in love. We decided to stay at the Royal, and get married at the Gran.

Here's our review for the Royal portion of our trip:

Airline: B

We purchased our tickets through Orbitz and got a great deal that included the hotel, the flights on United and a rental car. We arrived at the airport, bags, wedding gown and suit in hand, and we were informed that I did not have a seat on the plane. Let me tell you, our wedding was in 2 days and we had to arrive at the hotel that day to meet with the coordinator and priest. I was not a happy bride. Don't get me wrong, I was not a bridezilla but as I was carrying my huge dress and the nerves were kicking in, the prospect of having to leave the next day made my night worse. The employee was less than nice when we went to get information (we were very nice, mind you). The employee said "You guys need to sit down and if we have information we will let you know" without taking note of our names or even listening to our issue. The rude employee seemed to have a change of heart (maybe he felt sorry for me as I was on the verge of tears) and asked someone to give their seat up for me. Once in the plane, I asked the flight attendant if there was somewhere I could put my dress. I was scolded and told that it was too big to be a carry-on and that I should have checked it. I talked to the people sitting around me and they took their bags out of the overhead compartment and allowed me to put my dress in there. Our flight had a stop over and change of planes. They second plane was roomier and the flight attendant offered to put the dress in the first class closet. We made it to cancun on time.The flight back was uneventful. I give it a B because various employees were rude. 

Arrival in Cancun: A

Our arrival was uneventful, we flew through security and because my husband is a Mexican citizen, we were able to go through the Nationals line. 

Cancun from our plane. 

Transport: C

Our Orbitz car rental went south very quickly. We took a shuttle to the Avis rental place. Once we got there, we figured we were home free. However, we were informed that we would have to leave a credit card on file. My husband and I use only a Visa debit card, which can be used as a credit card, so that's what we handed them. They immediately said they could not accept that card (we didn't bring a credit card with us). We asked if we could leave the deposit in cash dollars or pesos and they said no. We started to get nervous. Our family wouldn't get there until that evening (it was 9 am) and we were unsure how we would get to the hotel. We decided to get a cab, but they all required a credit card too. We spoke to one of the cab companies and they called an independent cab who would be willing to take cash. This was nerve-wracking because of all the stories we have heard about people getting kidnapped and such. We went ahead and hopped in praying that we would survive to see our wedding day. As we were about to drive off, another cabbie came and asked if this other man could ride with us to his resort. My husband said he wasn't sure, but the cabbie offered to "discount" our already expensive ride, so we said ok. On our way out of the airport, the cab got pulled over by police. In Mexico they are required to have trip numbers for each assigned trip by their head company. Ours didn't have it. We were stopped for about 10 minutes, they made a few calls and let us go. We eventually made it to the hotel safely (thank God). Unfortunately, now we did not have a car, in which we were supposed to pick up my family, so they had to take a cab from the airport to their hotel as well. When my family arrived, they allowed us to use their credit card to retrieve our rental. The representatives at this different station were very nice. I give it a C because of the strange experience we had and the lack of information from Orbitz or the company prior to us leaving. DON'T FORGET YOUR CREDIT CARD!

Resort: A+++++++++++

I can't rate this high enough. We absolutely fell in love with the resort the moment we saw the parking attendants. Everyone we came across treated us like VIPs. Our room got upgraded because we were getting married there. All of the employees were welcoming and literally bowed to us when they saw us. They have amazing customer service training. As soon as we walked in we were handed cold towels and offered a beverage from the bar. Check in went fine. It seemed to be a very busy time, since we had to wait a little bit, but once we were checking in, everything went well and we were on our way to a beautiful room. 

Room: A+++++

The room was FANTASTIC! We were the only people in our families and friends who actually stayed at the Royal, everyone else stayed at different resorts because they were less expensive. We were upgraded as part of our package to the Royal Corner Suite Ocean Front and it was wonderful. The room was beautiful.

This is what it included: Large wrap-around balcony offering magnificent Caribbean Turquoise Ocean views in two different directions, Exclusive suite-designated Royal Beach Cabana, Unique in-suite steam shower with ocean view, State-of-the-art gourmet Nespresso™ coffee system, One-hour per stay complimentary BMW Mini Cooper test drive with motor lobby parking right (if rented), Exclusive use of Chef's Plate gourmet restaurant, reservation required, Complimentary use of the business center In-suite double Jacuzzi Royal Service® and Royal Housekeeping®, Royal Bed® with pillow top mattress, fine high thread linen, plus duvet covers multiple pillows, Royal Butler Service, Adjustable rotating 32” LCD satellite TV with DVD/CD play, iHome with iPod docking, Mini-bar stocked with water, soft drinks and domestic & international liquor cabinet system; “Magic Box” for discreet 24 hour room service, Spacious modern marble bathroom with twin showers - one with rain shower with multiple body massage jet sprays & a hand held “telephone shower”, “his and hers” sinks and lighted vanity mirror, Hairdryer & hair straightener, Iron & ironing board, Black out drapes, NEW! Complimentary luggage unpacking by professional Royal Butler in all suite categories on request, Furnished terrace or balcony with hammock.

The magic box was wonderful! It has a little light that room service turns to let you know there is something in there. Wow! 

Flower arrangement sent from our Wedding Consultant

Ocean view from our room.

In-Suite Spa

Bed

Bed

Restaurants & Bars: A+++++

ROYAL COFFEE HOUSE: This place was super cute and a great place to have your morning coffee before you have your first mimosa. 

24 HR. ALL INCLUSIVE VIP LOUNGE: We spent some time in here playing board games and cooling off after being outside. This is fully stocked and has appetizers that change throughout the day. 

ASIANA: This was the first place we went to after arriving at the hotel. After our exhausting morning, we decided to have an asian lunch. Wonderful choice! The service was amazing and the drinks kept coming. The food was delicious and it is not your typical fried rice and egg-drop soup. They have everything, including fresh-made sushi.

CHEF’S PLATE: We made our reservation for this dinner as soon as we arrived. WOW! You get to watch a chef make a 5 course meal and everything is explained to you. They have delicious wines and every course was yummy (even for a picky eater like me).

PELICANOS: Beach-side dining with a fully stocked bar. The service wasn't as fantastic as all the other ones, but the food made up for it. Great seafood. 

TRADE WINDS SWIM UP BAR: Great way to keep the drinks coming even while you're in the pool. The bartender was very attentive and creative. 

24 HR. PROMPT “ROYAL SUITE SERVICE”:We ordered some food on our wedding night and it was delivered to suite’s “Magic Box” announced by signal light. It was delicious! We also got breakfast in bed which was great.The selection wasn't huge but it is all inclusive which is great. 

LOBBY BAR: Bartenders were awesome and tried to remember your face. They made great drinks and conversation.

SPICE: We had breakfast here almost every day. The buffet food was great and we even met the executive chef. The waiters here are great, but the host was the one who blew our minds. His name is Luis and he truly went above and beyond every day. He gave us advice as to where to go and what to visit, took me by the arm and walked me to the table, wedding morning he made sure I had a mimosa to calm the nerves and even gave me a hug! Truly a service star. 

DINNER ON THE BEACH: Our wedding package included a romantic dinner on the beach. This dinner was great. We were the only ones there and it was candle lit. The food was delicious and our server paid great attention to us. 

Entertainment: Unsure

We did not have a chance to see any shows while we were there.

Pool: A+++ 

The water was nice and very tranquil. 

Beach: A?

I am embarassed to say that I did not get in the beach. We spent some time sitting in our shaded spot and walking on the sand, but the extent of my beach experience was putting my feet in the water and it was COLD. Keep in mind it was January. Also, the warning flags are always up.

Wedding Coordinator: A-

I will only be reviewing the Royal in this post, and not the Gran Caribe Real where we got married (that's another review). The wedding coordinator was based out of the Royal, so I'll review their services here. 

Our first contact with a WC through email did not go well. They did not answer our questions, but rather sent us a generic email in response. We appealed to the manager and she assigned us a different coordinator. We made sure to copy the manager on all our correspondence. The emails were pretty slow and the answers to our questions vague. I was happy when we were assigned our ON-site coordinator, Elizabeth Sotelo. Her responses were quick and she was very helpful. We met with her the first day we were in cancun and she scheduled our meeting with the priest. Elizabeth was extremely helpful at our meeting and made sure everything was going well. She even helped us schedule our "room decoration" for the wedding night and not for the first night we were there. My DH stayed at the Royal for the first 2 nights while I stayed with my parents (tradition). She helped make sure we got our clothes pressed and that everything was where it was supposed to be. 

Card from our Wedding consultant

Front Desk: B

While everyone was very nice when we arrived, we had some communication issues. We decided to pay a full day pass for two people for our wedding day, everyone else would be there for the ceremony and reception only. I enlisted my mom to help me get dressed and be my support for the day. DH enlisted a close friend to help him. The front desk truly made this difficult. We had paid for the day passes and they couldn't find record of it, so we had to pay again. They then gave our visitors a hard time a couple of times for having bracelets from other hotels. 

I was very excited when we booked the hotel that there was a special offer where if you booked, you got a free dolphin swim. I've always wanted to do that. When we talked to the front desk, they changed the story and gave us a lame reason why that didn't apply to us. I was bummed. 

The money exchange is a robbery! Go change money at a bank down the street.

Our room was missing an iPod and we didn't want to be charged for it if they thought we stole it or something. We informed the front desk and they said that they would have to send some one to check the room, when they couldn't find it, they said they would send one up and never did. 

Clothes Pressing: B-

We had my dress and DH's Suit pressed at the resort. The items looked great and they worked with me to make sure my DH didn't see my dress. The only reason I am giving them this rating is because they were late. My DH did not get his suit at the time they promised, but 1 hour late, 20 minutes before the wedding. Poor thing was stressing that he would be late. 

The resort was fantastic and we truly had a great time.