Royalton Riviera Cancun and Hideaway: A Review

The all-inclusive Royalton Riviera Cancun and Hideaway Resort are two of the eight brands belonging to the Blue Diamond hotels brand.  Located just 15 minutes from the Cancun airport, the 12-year-old complex is a great place for any kind of traveler.  The first level (category) of room prices well.  Think multi-generational family or wedding celebrations, adult-only romantic retreats on the Hideaway side, and kids will go nuts over the water park and kids club activities.

ROYALTON 

We stayed four nights, main building 5, in a lovely and large room overlooking the mangrove and sunsets.  At first, I may have been a little bit disappointed we were not assigned to an ocean or pool view, but it was so peaceful sitting on the balcony that I quickly changed my mind!  Another benefit was that we were close to the spa, lobby bar, and down some stairs to the very large buffet restaurant called Gourmet Marche.  And goodness, were the choices amazing.  I especially loved their fresh veggie/fruit juice bar every morning.  And the soups…deliciosa!

Reservations were only required at a couple of the evening restaurants, and we never had an issue showing up except one night trying to get into the Tex Mex (Armadillo).  Others included Agave (Mexican), Caribbean Grill, Grazie Italian Trattoria, Hunter Steakhouse, Score Sports Bar, Taj (Indian), and Zen (Japanese).  There is a Scoops Gelato and Caffe Lounge (always had a line!).  And for the gourmet, try the C/X Culinary Experience (extra charge).  We were not there long enough to try them all, sadly.

Bars are also plentiful.  There are ten on the Royalton side…will share about Hideaway in a sec.  We tended to imbibe at the swim-up bars and the Lobby Bar, or in the restaurants.  The red house wine was a merlot, and just OK.  I also enjoy sipping tequila, so that was easy!  Dan found the local beers best.   We liked the Martinis they made, too, in the evening hours.  Service was pretty good most everywhere.  One thing I didn’t really like was the culture here seemed to be to give a buck or two for every drink.  My advice to my all-inclusive folks is typically to tip a favorite smiling tender early in the stay, then again at the end of the trip if they enhanced your experience.  It felt a little forced at the Royalton and Hideaway.

Many of the 1,180 rooms in this complex are the same, with either king or two queen beds.  The difference in pricing is often according to room location.  Some may not love that they have a jacuzzi oversized bathtub open to the room.  The shower is HUGE and has a separate water closet.  There is a curtain that can be drawn for privacy to use the bath area, so that’s certainly a nice thing.  I could have used more hangers, but the closet space is adequate, with a few open cubbies and 4 drawers.  The refrigerator was stocked with bottled water, lots of sodas which we do not drink, and a couple of beers.  Had I been persistent, wonder if I could have asked for a bottle of the house red?  We did ask for different beer, as they had Coors Light in there.  Meh.

The balconies have two chairs and a small table with two wall bars for drying things.  We also had a comfy couch and a nice coffee table and desk with chair in room, as well as a safe, of course.  Reading lights and bedside table with drawers were handy and we always bring an electric extension cord with plenty of outlets for a charging station.  Put that on your packing list.  Everything was in good condition, so no complaints there.  The beds are a little bit soft, and the pillows a little bit too fat.  Isn’t it hard when you travel to find something perfectly in tune with what your normal is?

There is a Diamond Club available to book in each category (I think?).  The additional amenities are worth it to most people, but not all.  Here is a link to view Diamond Club amenities. You be the judge after comparing prices.  There is a special Diamond Club pool area where these rooms tend to be.  It’s family friendly.  There is an outdoor jacuzzi in the Luxury Suite.  There is a 1 bedroom and 2-bedroom suite.  The cream of the crop are the Chairman’s Suites, either 2 or 3 bedrooms.  These were wow!  I was shown a 3-bedroom with a rooftop “play” area that had lounge chairs, Astro turf, private small pool, and more!

There is a lot to do here beyond food, drink and the entertainment at night.  There is a grass tennis court.  It has a nice casino.  You can play ping pong, take cooking or dance classes, play trivia games or beach volleyball, and the water sports include kayaks, snorkeling and an intro scuba lesson.  The water was a bit rough each day for the paddleboards or kayaks.  We did see people take out the little sailboat one day.  Oh, and a good time to mention the sargassum (seaweed) does continue to be a bit of a problem along this stretch of beach.  The entertainment was in a covered space right by the main pool, and viewing could be from the sports bar above or the deck below.  I liked the circus night best, I think.

I will share that I was a little disappointed at the check-in process, and I think they can improve this.  We stood in line too long initially upon arrival, then it took maybe 20 minutes once at the desk.  Then they said to come back at 3:30 to be escorted with our bags to the room.  It required an additional 25 minutes in the same line.  Strange, we thought.  Why not streamline that and hand us a beeper or send a text when the room is ready, and have a different quick line to get the bracelet which is your room key?  I suggested that in my comments at check-out.  What would I give the resort?  4 out of 5.  It is solid.  And I have stayed at a lot of AI resorts.

HIDEAWAY AT ROYALTON

This is the adults only section of the resort and has 343 suites.  I was given access as a travel advisor in order to experience the amenities, since when I booked, they did not have any rooms available for me.

There is a restaurant called Dorado Seafood Gril that is exclusive for Hideaway guests and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We dined here the first night, and my meal was deliciously prepared.  I also ate lunch one day while Dan read on the beach.  Service was spotty the evening we dined because a table of ten showed up shortly after we sat down, and our waiter had his hands full.  So, we skipped out on dessert that night.

I should mention that the Diamond Club also give you these Butler services:  So, I guess that’s pretty cool!

• General assistance

• Provide personalized hotel information

• Packing and unpacking of luggage

• Ironing (one set of clothing)

• Polishing and shoe cleaning

• Ice delivery

• Preparation of Jacuzzi (upgraded room categories)

• Escort to the restaurant (upgraded room categories)

• Organizing special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)

• Assistance with restaurant reservations

• Laundry pick-up (service charge applies)

We enjoyed the “party pool” on this side of the resort.  The bar tenders were hustling!  People tend to save lounge chairs, which bothers the heck out of me, but we managed.  I don’t sit long, anyway.  This section of the resort books out pretty far…honeymoons, weddings, and just the fact that it is adults only at a pretty reasonable price point.  I did hear many say that the swim-up room pools were often too chilly, as some remain in the shade much of the day.  Evenings in the winter can be a little chilly in Cancun area, too.  There seemed to be plenty of “warm” pools, so this was not a problem for us.

One thing to mention you will appreciate…the sunscreen they had for sale was $27.  Bring your own if you use it!

I hope you find this review useful.  Reach out if you would like any more feedback on the resort.  Mexico was great.  I will share more about the other properties we visited very soon.  A reminder that currently there is construction on the road from the airport (and to the airport…both directions are affect.)  Most transportation companies are suggesting adding an hour to transfer times “just in case”.  Nothing worse than arriving to an airport and having to run to catch your plane!

Thanks for visiting and learning about this wonderful property.

Peace, Bobbie