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A few weeks ago my 16 year old son and I headed to Cancun for a five-day getaway, just the two of us. While I’ve travelled with my daughter (she is 2.5 years older than my son) this was the first time Bear and I had been away – just the two of us.
When we were trying to decide on what type of holiday we wanted to take, we originally thought of a road trip adventure – the first place he mentioned was Florida. It seemed like the perfect getaway… beaches (sun), shopping (Miami), Disney (fun) and possibly the Keys for some downtime. But after we started to plan, he decided that all he wanted to do was relax – no excursions, no adventure…just beach and pool.
Did I mention that he’s only 16… ? Are you thinking the same thing I thought … why does a 16 year old need to relax? Isn’t their life one big relax-fest?
Anyways, after searching Trip Advisor and Expedia, we landed on Mexico, mostly because of cost and the October weather forecast – plus, he had never been there so that was a huge plus.
We chose the resort based on location to the Cancun airport (I can’t stand long resort bus shuttle rides!) and resorts that had big pools near the ocean. As soon as I saw the Royalton I knew it would be perfect. It looked like it had big beautiful pools, it was ON the ocean and it had a very modern vibe – something my son would love.
So, we booked it. Five days in Cancun, mid-October.
The trip from the Cancun airport to the resort was short – maybe 15 minutes. Just enough time to down a Dos Equis king can. What? I was on vacation. 🙂
Before I get into the full review, here are a few things to know about the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa :
When we pulled up, it looked like a fortress – the property was surrounded by large stone walls with an airy opening that lead to the biggest hotel lobby I have ever seen. When you walk inside you realized that while you were under a ceiling/roof, you were basically still outside as the entire space was open with the most spectacular view of the ocean. I stood there, probably looking like an idiot, because I was overwhelmed with how luxurious and large the resort was, and I was only 10 feet in the door.
We were politely greeted by someone who took our bag and ushered us to the check-in area. His smile was as big as the ‘lobby’.
Everyone’s smile was as big as the lobby. But I’ll get back to that.
We arrived at 11am and rooms at the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa are not available until 3:00pm. This sucks. Not going to sugar coat it. Imagine leaving your chilly Toronto home at 12 degrees and arriving a few hours later somewhere where it was 36 degrees and humid in jeans and a sweatshirt with no access to your room for FOUR HOURS. BUT, because I read all of the info Sunwing sent us (I’m obsessive with stuff like that), I knew this so we packed our bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts in our carry ons. We immediately changed and headed for lunch then the pool.
Going back to the check-in time… over the course of our arrival day, we saw so many people sitting around in long sleeves and jeans, melting in the heat. It seems ridiculous to have such a late check-in when you welcome guests as early as 11:00am. You’d think they’d plan the arrivals a bit better.
But I guess while I felt bad for them, they should have read the fine print.
Now, where to start…pools, entertainment, room, service… let’s start with food, since the first thing that most people what to know about a resort is “how was the food??”
I mentioned earlier that the resort has ELEVEN restaurants. That doesn’t include the poolside bbq, mini-fridge with snacks and drinks and 24-hour room service.
In five days we didn’t even make a dent in getting to all of the restaurants – partly because the buffet had the best variety I’ve ever seen and it was outstanding – not your run of the mill buffet that’s for sure. There was something for everyone and everything we tired was delicious. Well, except one night there was a spice on the broccoli that we didn’t fancy. But that was it.
Beef was always perfectly cooked; chicken was flavourful and juicy, pork and duck were perfect, veggies were perfectly steamed, pastas, pizzas, salad bar and everything in between was delicious.
We also ate at the Italian restaurant one evening and it too was fabulous. Portion sizes were a bit small but it was menu based so once you had your appetizer (I had the Misto salad and Bear had acCaesar) and entree (we both had Chicken Parmigiana with fresh spaghetti) you were full and happy.
There were rarely lines for any of the restaurants and the only one that required a reservation was the Japanese restaurant. All require men to wear a collared shirt and closed shoes, but they were relaxed about it and didn’t say anything to my son about his t-shirts.
Overall, food was FANTASTIC. 5 Stars.
Ok, this place is massive. So in most cases, getting to your room is a trek. But, after a hard day sitting on a lounge chair I didn’t mind the stroll back to our room for a nice late afternoon siesta. 🙂
Halls were spotless. Elevators were a bit jumpy, but they got you to where you needed to go.
We booked a Junior Suite Jacuzzi Terrace room overlooking the ocean. It was lovely. And it was HUGE. The ‘bathroom’ was as big as the bedroom, which was as big as the living space. It was modern, clean and comfy.
Beds were extremely comfortable, the shower could fit at least 6 and the water pressure was divine. Yes, I said the water pressure was diving. Have you ever been in a hotel and the water tiered your skin or barely flowed? How disappointing. This had a regular water head and two rain showers. Divine.
The jacuzzi on the terrace was amazing even though we didn’t use it. The thought of sitting in hot water in 40 degree humidity wasn’t appealing, but the view of the ocean and the pools had me sitting out there (to work) while my son napped. Yes, I was working but I didn’t mind…I was in Mexico and 99% of my work was done while my boy slept.
My only regret was that I didn’t book a swim-up room. The ground floor rooms had stunning swim-up pools with private lounge chairs. If I knew then what I knew now, (same price as the room we had at the time of booking) there is NO question, I would have booked the swim-up pool room.
Overall, the room was perfect. 5 stars.
Ok, let’s go back to the smiles. Everyone that we encountered at the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa was generous with their help, smiles and service. They went out of their way to make sure we were having a great time, were happy and had what we needed.
Having said that, this is probably the only area that I can not give 5 stars, sadly. But not for obvious reasons.
Is it wrong to say they were too kind? Too helpful?
I found their desire to offer great service at times to be a bit pushy and unwarranted. I know, I know, I don’t mean to sound like a princess, but hear me out…
Upon arrival we checked-in and we were immediately ushered to a swanky lobby sofa. It was here that we were “asked” to sign up for a breakfast conversation with other guests to learn more about Royalton hotels. We were literally pressured into saying we’d go even though I said several times we were not interested.
The same gentleman insisted on giving us an hour tour of the hotel grounds. We politely said no thank you and asked where the bathrooms were so we could change out of our cold weather clothes.
It was at this point that my son looked at me and without saying a word I knew what he was thinking. “I just want to see the ocean”…
Each day we received a call asking how our stay was. The call either woke us up or caught us running out for dinner. And anytime we had extra towels brought to our room, more water or coffee, the service was followed up by a call to see if the items arrived and if we were happy. It was too much for us and in a way we found it to be a constant interruption.
Is there such a thing as too much service? Am I a bitch for thinking and saying that? Maybe.
Overall, everywhere else service was good. 3.5 stars.
This place is huge. HUGE. So much to see and do. The grounds were not over-done, but simple, modern and clean. The walkways, main areas, bars, pools and lounge areas were always spotless and because it’s a big place, finding the perfect sun or shade spot was never an issue.
The pools were endless, clean and the perfect temperature. Each day we ventured to a different pool and found something amazing about each one.
Public spaces like the games, bathrooms and bar areas were modern, clean and always being looked after by staff. So well maintained!
There were two very small ‘things’ that we encountered but had nothing to do with the hotel itself: 1. annoying birds seeking food 2. racoons at night seeking food out of empty garbages
Both of these didn’t diminish or interrupt the beauty of the hotel or our experience.
Overall the hotel grounds and amenities were fabulous! 5 stars.
There was something for everyone. Water sports, music, shows and live bands at night – we loved the bands! During the day and early evening there was always something going on for kids. My favourite part of the entertainment was the Vibe Team – they were out on the dance floor getting people up and dancing all night! Their energy was contagious and they clearly wanted to be there!
Overall, 5 stars.
Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa…
Even though I didn’t give service a perfect 5, the overall experience warrants a 5 start rating. I would definitely go back and highly recommend this resort for a long weekend or even a weeks stay in the beautiful warmth of Mexico. But get the swim-up room.
Check out my TripAdvisor profile for reviews that aren’t on my blog!
Character matters to me. It's what I value most about myself because it's a currency I control, and I have strong feelings about human decency. We learn about what character means and what contributes to it as early as kindergarten. As we get older, we continue to...
Visiting Pearl Harbour the week before the 2024 US Election felt right—it was a time to honour the past and, in some respects, bid adieu to certain rights and freedoms... Being at Pearl Harbor was unlike any other historical site I had visited. It wasn’t simply about...
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This made me wanna book my own trip to Cancun! Such a sweet escape with your son, I love that you two were able to spend some quality time together. And it’s so funny to read that all he wanted to do initially was “relax”. Ahh, teenagers lol Overall a great read! Thanks for sharing:) xo
Thanks Makyla! Writing about recent trips almost extends the vacay for me! Appreciate the comments. xo
P.S. Recently sat through an Arizona State game that didn’t go well so I understand your ‘pain’!!!! LOL