Royal Playa del Carmen

In 2007 they added the Asiana restaurant in front of the Royal. The beach picture above is from 2008 and you can see nothing has changed over the years.

The pictures below from the Royal Porto Real taken in 2005 (The first year it was fully open) Not much has changed.

The front lobby and common areas of the hotel are extraordinary.

The Royal is not favored with lots of rooms with ocean vistas but all rooms have a jacuzzi. They have a ballroom, a business center with computers, and a 24 hour snack/pool room. The hotel has a humongous backup generator under the lobby driveway and they love to use it. There is nothing like the smell of diesel exhaust while sitting in the lobby bar.

The sauna is a small dome shaped "sweat lodge".  The problem is it should be located out of view of upper floors and be private enough to allow you to throw off that clinging swimsuit and enjoy the sauna in the European tradition. They have a cold fountain shower and a super location for a few lounge chairs in which to relax. ...but nothing to lounge on.

The beach is one of the better ones but it can be crowded especially on the weekends. This area used to be a public beach access point so you will still find many of the locals enjoying the atmosphere. The Royal's guardians will keep them off the Royal chaise lounges and out in the sun away from the palapas and your valuables.

The hurricane late in 2005 took the palapas at the beach but they replaced them with beds.

The pool always has room and towels aren't a problem at his hotel like at the Gran Porto Real across the street. I didn't really use the pool all that much but do know the water isn't heated. I love the ocean and oil and water don't mix but seawater and tequila do.

Night is a lonely time even for the critters.

Take a closer look and you see work continues on the fine points. The third wing is well under way to the north and will continue to give guests hesitation in booking due to the noise. Little do they know but that Wilma will arrive in 2006 to deliver its welcome to the brand new hotel. What an experience to be in a hurricane in the notorious room 408.

The grounds are shaded due to the height of the buildings. Get an upper floor room if you can. There are a few rooms above the lobby that are not suites but have a superb view. The tennis courts are up there also.

The bride and groom came out early in the morning to enjoy their first sunrise as man and wife. Only a few witnessed their special moment.

If you should listen to the timeshare presentation make sure you are well compensated. The hotel prints its own money. If you get bored go out in front of the hotel and maybe they will be making a movie or soap. It's a hoot to watch the emotion, pathos, and energy of the crew.

Nearby the main entrance is a taxi stand. No need to walk a block up to 5th for the normal area for taxis.

In 2003 the Royal was nothing more than a hole in the ground. A fence surrounded the construction site and the beach area was still being used by the local population as it had always been a public beach. A little further to the north a few beach clubs catered to the party crowd.

Last update was on 10/16/2016

email: message@thatec.com