went saturday to saturday during thanksgiving week.hotel room very clean but need updating. pools are so-so. people are friendly and helpful.on 3 different occasions though throughout mexico we asked several people the same question on directions and received several different answers.the food was good and very reasonable. we ate several meals right there at our resort.82 all week and cloudy. the beaches were the biggest disappointment. red flagged, red flagged. its going to take several years to get the beaches back to normal.that has nothing to do with the hotel though. our family enjoyed the mayan and cancun and would go back again.

My family stayed one week at the Royal Mayan and had a very pleasant stay.
Arriving: Thomas More met us promptly at the airport and we arrived at the Mayan by 11:30 had a quick bite and we were in our villa by 12:30!

Food: We ate several meals at the Royals and everything was delicious. Other than the yummy mexican food, the chicken and tuna salad was fresh and delicious.

Pools/Beaches: The pools at the Mayan were a little smaller than we like with kids 6 & 8. We checked out all the Royal pools in Cancun including CIC. The Sands is a short shuttle ride up the road and has the best pool by far. Huge with 2 swim up bars and a beautiful view of the ocean. The beach was red flagged all week so we tried the beach at CIC at the top of the "7" . The kids had fun on the beach but there was a little too much green and seaweed for my taste. I prefer the beaches with the waves crashing and the blue water.

Activities: Royals are low key, but we had fun playing poolside trivia at the Caribbean. There was a Halloween Party for the kids at La Palapa, but only 3 kids attended including my 2. We had fun anyway and they won a prize (breakfast for 2) There was an adult party later on and the activity director was a lot of fun. Went to Poncho and Willy's later on while my parents babysat. Again low key with Karaoke and costume contest.

Villa: Nice and spacious. Well kept for an older building. We did have a few little bugs by the kitchen sink, but our housekeeper sprayed and we didn't see them again until the morning we left. Also a ceiling tile fell on my daughter in the bathroom. If she was sitting on the toilet, it would have bonked her in the head. Hubby fixed it and no other problems there, that was just strange.

Service and Cleanliness: This is where the Royal Resorts excel. I have never stayed at a resort where people were constantly cleaning. Our housekeeper was wonderful and even polished our already clean flatware though we had an automatic dishwasher. My mother took her clothes to the laundry room one day and there was someone there to do it for her. The employees do everything with a smile. Tip them well they deserve it! I could go on and on about examples but my review would be too long.

I will end with my only real negative. We went to a complimentary breakfast in exchange for the tour of the sands. This part was fine and the sales pitch was only 15 minutes long. No really meant no. However, the salesperson offered us a "deal" . If I rented a lockoff unit which is essentially like a basic hotel room with 2 double beds and a small balcony, we could purchase a certificate up front for $699.00 for the week at any of the Royals. The certificate said it was for 2 adults. I explained we would be traveling with the children and he asked me how old they were. When I told him their ages he said that would not be a problem. Just to let them know when I made the reservations. He lied! I tried to make a reservation when I got home and they said 4 people in a lockoff is impossible. The good thing is that the Reservation coordinator said she would refund me the 50% I put down on the certificate.

Anyway, we had fun and I would stay there again for the service alone.

An older facility, out of the way (which can be good in some ways). After staying in the Melia and Intercontinental this place was clearly not up to those standards. The restaurant by the pool was OK though. The beach is of course very excellent. I have no complaints about the rooms other than they were very early 80s decor.

The concierge is a joke, just a glorified timeshare rep. He never booked anything I asked him for so I stopped using him. Not at all like other hotels in Cancun.

This is a timeshare place and not a hotel which means checking in will be crazy on the weekends but its nothing I couldn't handle. The crowd was fine, although a bit on the redneck side. But if you like to be with other Americans this is a good place.

The maids were very nice and did a good job on the room. Also they handled our bug issue promptly. The price I paid to rent someone's oceanfront timeshare was very worth it, we had a lockoff room. But why can't I have an iron?

We arrived at the Royal Mayan via exchange on September 15, 2007 and departed on the 22d. The first thing that hits you is the cleanliness of the streets and resort. Some people have a negative view of sanitation and cleanliness when it comes to Mexico or third world countries as a whole. Cancun rivals any American city when it comes to sanitation. We had a one bedroom suite which also comes with a full kitchen, living room, and bath. Most all rooms and suites overlook the Caribbean Sea. The water is pure Azure color, and very warm. I would venture to say it's warmer than the resort pools. The beach is immaculate with no junk littering the beach. I think most rooms can also hear the surf at night which is very soothing. Food at the small poolside resturant was so so. Typical of this sort of establishment. However, the Royal Mayan also has a five star resturant called the Le Conquistidor which serves dinner by reservation only. I found their food to be above average and service average. Everywhere you go you will see 'tip' boxes. Keep in mind that most of these people only make a few dollars a day and depend on tips to carry them over. Most have families living in the interior and they send money home to them. Tip only for service. If you receive bad service, don't tip. I was amazed at the number of people that wanted to shop at Wal Mart or Sam's Club. There's one in town, plus a Costco. We visited neither. We did go to a large outdoor market where deals are to be had. They expect you to haggle prices and you should. I also recommend you use public transportation. We used the Mexican buses that pass by the resorts every few seconds, going into downtown Cancun. The cost is only 6 pesos, about 40 cents. Hang on. Taxi cabs are also abundant and will cost about $10 to downtown. You can find something to do every day you are there. Royal Resorts have three resorts next to each other and you can utilize each with your key card which also serves as your credit card. No cash is used in the resorts. You are billed at the end of your stay, like crusing. Service at the resort was nothing but outstanding. I have one peeve about Mexican resorts. All of the floors are made of ceramic tile, and therefore transmit sounds like a drum through the ceiling and walls. I requested a top floor room and received one two floors below. Needless to say, but the people above were very noisy - walking across the floor with hard soled shoes, dragging chairs across the floor, and dropping things constantly. Calling the front desk was useless. I rate this resort Five Stars for it's cleanliness and service. You WILL enjoy your stay at any of the Royal Resorts. We will definately visit again.