Distance to airport: El Dorado is about 60 miles south of Cancun airport, and this 60-80 minute ride was probably the low point of the trip. We booked our transportation with Lomas Travel, who was excellent. Our driver was not intrusive, as my wife and I had conversations in the back without the driver making small talk. It was a comfortable ride, but there really isn't much to see on the way to the resort. There are run down shacks and abandoned buildings and businesses all along the road, hitchhikers, people walking, it was sad to see. The only areas that were nice were the resorts. On the drive back to the airport, we were in a van with 2 other couples, no big deal.

Resort grounds: Absolutely beautiful, not much else to say. The only complaint I could've possibly had, and this is serious nitpicking, is that the palm trees along the walkways drooped very low, thus forcing me to duck quite a bit while walking around the resort. The gardens are well kept, buildings clean, and there are plenty of secluded, or at least relatively private places to go throughout the resort if you don't want to be in your room. My wife and I also had a great time playing giant checkers, ping pong, and pool.

Beach: This is one area where El Dorado was not particularly strong. The beach is nice, but seeing as the last beaches I went to were on Maui, this really doesn't compare. For laying out, the beach is fine. It is not so good for swimming. In the water, the ground is very rocky, and the water doesn't get deeper until you're at least 500 feet out, and you'd have to walk on a couple hundred feet of coral reef to get there. Also, there are giant sand bags in the water that somewhat ruin the beach's ambiance, but the views are still relatively beautiful. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the snorkeling. A lot of beautiful fish out by the reef.

Staff: The staff was absolutely incredible. They catered to your every need, and spoke decent English. They would also say things in Spanish, then repeat it in English as if to teach you a little Spanish. It was very helpful. Some people that I particularly thought were excellent were Heriberto at Arricefes Restaurant and Lili at the concierge for the swim-up suites. Also, Evaristo, a bartender at Gaviota (swim-up bar) was excellent. While I listed these 3, there was not one time I walked by a staff member, whether it be a groundskeeper or front desk person, whoever it was, they always greeted us with a smile. That being said, sometimes the concierge people would call a little too much. It was nice because they were just asking about how your stay was going, but it got to be a little intrusive after a while.

Service: This was just OK. As part of the honeymoon package, we were supposed to receive a towel arrangement animal daily. Two days we did not get this, or new towels. The towel arrangement was just an added plus, so that wasn't a big deal, but reusing the previous day's towels was kind of a pain. Overall though, it wasn't bad, just not great. In terms of maintenance, they were very quick. Our TV blew out one day, within the hour they came in and replaced it. Also, the concierge does a great job. I had a t-shirt get mixed up with bed sheets, I called the concierge to see if they could look through the laundry, and again, within an hour, I received a call asking when would be a convenient time for them to return my shirt to me.

The Water: The water in this resort is PERFECTLY FINE!!! Do not fall into the "Don't drink Mexican water" thing when at this resort. All of the water is purified, including the tap water.

Swim-up Jacuzzi Suite: The room is spectacular. We stayed in room 4001, about a 30 second swim to Gaviota, the swim-up bar. If you're looking for privacy laying out in the sun by the pool, you won't exactly get it here. You have neighbors, and our neighbors were out quite a bit with us. Only some of the rooms have a divider on one side of the patio, but even with that, the privacy is lacking. This was not a big deal to me, as I loved every second I spent out by/in the pool. Plus, if Evaristo is the bartender, he'll walk up and down the side of the pool and ask if you want anything to drink, and will take your empty glasses. The only problem we had in our room was that the drain in the jacuzzi wouldn't close all the way, so we had to clog it with a washcloth in order to fill it up.

Premium Suite: Again, the room was spectacular, but I actually think I may have liked the swim-up better. We were in room 1404, and the room was truly beautiful. Separate living room from bedroom (no door, just a partial wall), private swim-up pool only available to premium suite guests, and a private exclusive beach bed only available to us. Each premium suite gets their own beach bed. It was great to be able to walk over to the bed and not have to rush out to get one. The view from the bed was beautiful. The perks that go along with the premium suite are excellent. You get the romantic candlelight dinner by the beach, which is a nice experience. Also, one night during your stay the maids make up your beach bed with bed sheets so you can have a nice evening under the stars or you can even sleep out there. This evening comes with chocolates, a towel arrangement, and a bottle of wine. They also give you a bottle of liquor you choose from a brief list. Every night they brought these little snacks, almost like truffles that were delicious. You also get a copy of the Miami Herald Cancun Edition daily. One of the best parts is that you get new beach towels every day. Beach towels can be difficult to track down, so this is a bonus. The MAJOR con of the premium suite we were in was the plumbing. The shower flooded, not severely, but after a few minutes the water would be halfway to your ankle. Also, the toilet did not flush well AT ALL. Going #1 in that toilet you'd have to flush 3 times.

Overall, for the rooms, I think I actually liked the swim-up ROOM better, but the services provided with the premium suite made it beautiful as well.

Honeymoon package: If you're at El Dorado on your honeymoon, if you bring your marriage license (which they never even asked us for), you are eligible for the honeymoon package. This includes a candlelight dinner on the beach, daily towel arrangements, a 30 minute massage lesson, a bottle of champagne in your room at arrival, and bath robes for use during your stay. The candlelight dinner was nice, the towel arrangements were fun to come back to the room to, the champagne was great, but overall having this package did not "make" the trip. The 30 minute massage lesson was basically a plug to try to get you to sign up for couples massages and other spa services, I don't even know if it lasted 30 minutes.

Food: El Dorado offers 5 restaurants, each one is unique and all fairly delicious. The first 2-3 days I absolutely loved the food. I was adventurous, I got things I never would've ordered if I was at home. Don't expect to be able to sit down and order a New York Strip cooked medium rare. All the dishes are gourmet style, with all different kinds of seasonings and sauces, and all very rich. Portions are small, but I actually liked that, because I think if they were bigger, I would've been ready for a McDonald's double cheeseburger about 2 days in. With the portions the way they were, it took about 5 days for me to be a little tired of the food.

Arrecifes is a seafood restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I found the lunch menu to be the best, dinner was about average.

Klay Talay is the Asian restaurant only open for dinner, and my least favorite of the restaurants, but a beautiful view of the ocean.

La Carretas was the Mexican restaurant, and my favorite. I ordered a stuffed chicken with a bunch of spices and sauces inside with a Spanish type rice and it was absolutely delicious. Only open for dinner.

Mia Casa is the Italian restaurant which was my wife's favorite restaurant, I thought it was slightly above average. They provide the menu for the romantic candlelight dinner on the beach.

Vida serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and was very good for breakfast and lunch. I did not particularly enjoy the dinner I had there, as I got sick from it. I'm not a seafood eater but went with mahi mahi and shrimp, so I paid for that.

The Sandwicherie serves the most basic food you'll find on the resort grounds. Your typical burgers, fries, pizza stuff. It's actually the same food menu as Arrecifes, only it's outdoors. This is also where the room service food comes from. If you order one of the mini pizzas, don't get the Margherita pizza, as the sauce tastes like ketchup and is pretty nasty.

Room Service: Very slow. I was told 25 minutes the three times I ordered, and one time it was 30 minutes, the rest were over an hour. Food is still good though, wasn't really a big deal to me.

Suggestions: My wife and I went to Delphinus to swim with the dolphins. It was about $150 a person, worth every penny. It was incredible what the dolphins can do, and how peaceful they are. You take a free shuttle from El Dorado and it's about 25 minutes away. There are a few stops on the way back, but it doesn't take more than 35-40 to get back. Just an absolutely incredible experience. We heard a lot about the archaeological park Xcaret (pronounced "esh-carrot") as well, so we went. It's about 30-40 minutes away, and there was a lot of cool stuff there, such as the underground river, but if you stay for the night show, you're in for a long hot day. The night show is 2 hours long, from 7-9, and even has an intermission. It is basically a musical on how great Mexico is, and while I appreciated what it meant to the Mexican citizens who were there and really getting into it, I found myself extremely bored and ready for it to end. This show is a HUGE deal to the people of Mexico, so it was a great cultural experience, but the show itself, to an only-English speaking American, isn't really worth the time.

Overall: El Dorado Seaside Suites is by far one of the most beautiful resorts I've ever been to, and I couldn't have picked a better place to spend my honeymoon. At some point, I would hope to return. Don't buy into the bad reviews some people have given. The rooms are not musty, the staff does not steal, the beach isn't great, true, but not poor enough to bash the entire resort. Just go, relax, have a great time.