El Dorado Casitas Royale by Karisma

Day 1 - August 23 (Sunday) Travel and have fun. We try to do this from the start to the end of our adventure. This will be our 10th time going to an El Dorado resort. The first notable difference to this journey is that airlines no longer offer the early flights to Cancun. Who wants to arrive for half a day? Come on Delta and Jet Blue, offer more than one direct flight per day out of Orlando. To make the wait at the Orlando International Airport more enjoyable, we chose the Plaza Premium Lounge. It was worth every cent. Comfy chairs and accommodations to make the three hour wait that much better. The food was good and it switched from breakfast to lunch. One of the highlights was the Black Bean Soup. Tasted like home made. Making the wait even better was Tatiuska or Tati. She is an awesome bartender with an infectious smile and personality. She is great at remembering names and even better at making drinks. It's not cheap, but when compared to what you would pay at a food kiosk and sitting on hard chairs, it's more than worth the cost for comfort and you get Tati! We flew Jet Blue and the flight was great. The pilots did an awesome job of maneuvering around the afternoon storms. We arrived in Cancun a little ahead of schedule. The transfer to El Dorado from the airport was easy thanks to Lomas and Cesar our driver. Our Exotic Travelers membership allows for private transfer - SO NICE! The ride was quick and soon we were at El Dorado. Upon entering the resort, we could see some differences. We checked in and here is where we started to see the differences between Karisma and Lomas. Resort attendance was low, like Covid era low. We came here days after the lockdown was lifted and the capacity is the same now, around 30 percent. It's quiet and not crowded, but the workers are being furloughed and this means not every shift is fully staffed. The butler and concierge crew are working to fulfill the wants and wishes of the guests, but at what cost? Andrea at Exotic Travelers checked us in. Even that was off. Usually, it has been a greeting with a beverage and a lot more hospitality. This time the check-in seemed rushed and at a resort where "everything is possible" we kept hearing, "no." As in no reservations at the restaurant, d’Italia Casitas, directly outside our front door. Remember, occupancy is 30 percent. Luckily, we ran into an old friend and awesome butler, Alfredo, and he was able to help get our dinner plans in order. Dinner was awesome as usual. D'Italia Casitas is absolutely one of our favorites here. The host seemed annoyed by us, but Felix made us feel welcome and took great care of us! Day 2 (Monday) Our first full day! Coffee service with fresh fruit and pastries arrived at 7 am. Eliezer was on time and friendly. We had breakfast at Cocotal, also one of our favorite breakfast spots. Made to order or buffet, the food is great. Yuli checked us in with a smile and a hug. It amazes me how they remember us when they see and cater to thousands of people a year. We were fortunate to have another old friend, Alfredo the waiter. He asked about my parents, who were with us last year. Seriously, a year later he remembered my parents. We showed him some pictures from that visit and he then went and found another waiter, Francisco, who was part of our previous visit. It's really like a family reunion! Samanta was taking care of the omelet station and did an amazing job. Omelets or fried eggs, she is your breakfast chef. The rest of the buffet was fresh and tasty. The resort has brought in some new juices. We like champagne and pineapple juice. The new pineapple and orange juice taste like it's sweetened with artificial sweetener. No bueno. No worries though, Cocotal is also known for their fresh juice selections, including pineapple. Thank you again Alfredo! On the walk back from breakfast, another old friend, Macroni, resort ambassador and bell man, picked us up and took us to see an offering being made to Alux, to ward off bad energy and bring good vibes, near the entrance of the Naay Spa. Back at our casita with bellies full, it was now time to enjoy the resort. We slipped into our bathing suits and floated to the bar at 32. At Bar 32 we met Juan, the bartender. The party is where Juan is. Great bartender and a really nice host to the resort. We decided to stay for the fresh lunch at Bar 32. Felipe was our waiter and Yovana was the chef. I had a Tuna Poke bowl that would rival any restaurant. Cyndi had the Baja Tacos, also awesome with pickled cabbage. For dinner, Alfredo the Casitas Butler was able to get us into Fuentes Culinary Theater for the members gala dinner. It's always a great show and a way to enjoy multiple courses in a relaxed setting. The entertainment was nice with a singer and some cabaret-style dancers. Jesus was our waiter and the service was, as usual, amazing. Total steps for the day were 8,977 according to Cyndi's Fitbit. Don't worry about calories, you're going to walk a lot here. Just when we thought we had met the nicest staff members here, we met Fernanda, the evening butler. She was helpful, attentive and amazing. This is why we keep coming back. Day 3 (Tuesday) You're still reading? Well ok then... Back to Cocotal for breakfast with Yuli, Alfredo and Gerardo. Not only do they remember you from previous visits, but they also remember your preferences for coffee, mimosas, fresh juices, etc. Great breakfast! Today we have a new pool bartender at Bar 31, Cleo. Between him and Alberto the beach butler, we didn't want for anything. Alberto went to one of the restaurants to get me a couple of cold Indio beers as the ones delivered earlier were still warm. Indio may be my new favorite Mexican cerveza. Since we were still at Bar 31, we decided to have lunch. The chefs were Ameila and Yesica. Cyndi and I split the fried beef and chicken tacos. So tasty and really hit the spot. Later we had dinner at Kampai. We love this place. Light and tasty meals after a long day of sun and fun. I had the Saki sampler. Reynol the manager and our waitress Sheila made dinner that much better. Total steps 6,200. Day 4 (Wednesday) Angel brought coffee service, fruit and chocolate pastries a little before 7 a.m. Then off to breakfast. Today we tried the Chef's Market at Generations. It is a kid-friendly restaurant with a buffet and a nice selection of breakfast items. Our waiter was Jesus and Tania Rubi was the hostess. We enjoyed the change of scenery and the new selections of breakfast fare. We need to mention Karina the housekeeper. She was great and brought special touches to the room, including floor mats next to the bed, at the sliding patio door and the indoor and outdoor shower. We treated ourselves to 90-minute massages at Naay Spa. The masseuses were Viktor and Luz. While at the Spa we also enjoyed the hydrotherapy room. The cold plunge wasn't as cold as it was in the past. The rest of the tubs were fantastic. The renovations there looked great and the relaxation room was quiet and peaceful. Today we went back to Bar 32 to see Jesus and Yovana to have another Poke Bowl. It's just the right size and with a little Siracha, it was perfect. Our Butler Alfredo was more than amazing. He makes every day better and may be one of the hardest working people in the members’ section. I bet he doubled, if not tripled our steps daily. We met our evening butler, Angeles. She is effortlessly sweet and kind and very attentive. Thank you Angeles! For dinner it was back to d’Italia Casitas. Oscar was our waiter and he made the evening perfecto! We skipped dessert there and went to the old Juan Gabriel house, now Casa Dorado, for gelato. The selection was limited. We chose peanut butter and limon. The flavors were great and cold dessert was welcome on a warn tropical night. By the way, Juan Gabriel is the top selling Mexican artist of all time with more that 100 million records sold worldwide. Total steps 7,461. Day 5 (Thursday) It's our last full day. We made the most out of every minute. Angel arrived a little before 7 a.m. with coffee, pastries and fresh fruit. We usually eat about half the fruit and then share the rest with iguanas and the Coati we saw walking to Cocotal. Shh, don't tell on us. Yuli greeted us with a smile and hug. We love her! Itzel was another host and also very sweet. Francisco was our waiter and once again, knew what we liked and brought it to the table without asking. Mimosas, fresh pineapple juice, coffee and Amaretto. It sounds like all we did was eat and drink. Yeni was the chef at the omelet station and took great care of Cyndi. We sat and had our member update with Jimmy Hu and Anthony the manager. It's always good to check in and see what's new. What we realized is we should not have "upgraded" to Titanium from Emerald on our visit last year. By the way, the metal levels are no more, after only one year. Seriously, what the heck did we pay for then? We still love being members but upgrading last year is making us rethink our membership. We knew we wouldn’t see Butler Alfredo tomorrow so we made sure to see and thank him for his amazing attentiveness and kindness. We always make friends at the resort and this time around we met Brian and Angie. We had dinner together at Sante Fe and then watched the partial lunar eclipse. We drank too much wine and stayed up way past our bedtime. Samuel and Leo were our waiters at Santa Fe and they took great care of all of us. Before dinner we had some wine at Bellinis. I don't know why, but it is always warm in the bar, but the view is worth it. Total steps, the highest yet at a little over 9,000. Day 6 (Friday) It's our last day. Angel brought coffee, pastries and fresh fruit around 7 a.m. We then went to Cocotal for breakfast and Yuli had a surprise for us. Crepes with Nutella and bananas drizzled in honey! OMG they were amazing. A big shout out and hug to Valentina the chef! Yuli the hostess and our waiters Alfredo and Gerado made our final breakfast perfecto! We went back to our room after the member checkout and fed a few iguanas from the comfort of the cool pool water. Pick up as on time at 10:30 a.m. Lomas had a private transfer waiting in the lobby and now we are at the airport, waiting for our flight to arrive. This is our tenth trip and the stay was a 10 out of 10. You'll notice that we mentioned as many people as we could in our daily reviews. It truly is the people that make the stay amazing. The resort shows its age, but then again, so are we. There were multiple crews working to restore, rehab and refresh each section. We will be back in 8 months. To all of our El Dorado resort family, see you next May! Gracias a todos por hacer que esta visita fuera incredible, como siempre!

What an amazing place, but what makes it over the top FANTASTIC is the people that work there. The friendliness, the kindness & the service…frikin THE BEST!!! Gaby, Luna & Eddie the butlers…holy smokes!!! Always available, willing to bend over backwards & make a great trip to a memorable one. Alberto the beach butler was awesome & so very helpful!! Hopefully we will be back!

Beautiful hotel, food and all round 5* holiday. We stayed in the Casitas & enjoyed all the luxury amenities the room offered. One of the best hotels I have stayed in.

Unfortunately El Dorado Casitas Royale/Exotic Travelers does not stand by the company’s they promote (Flyback Refunds) alongside when selling their membership program. We’ve been waiting 17 months for a Flyback refund, and the only reply we ever receive from them is that we are in the queue for the payment to be processed/sent within a certain quarter of the year, which has not happened to date. Exotic says they can’t really do anything about the issue as they don’t manage the program; however they keep promoting Flyback when sending offers via email. We are now way beyond an acceptable window of time for this refund. We travelled in February 2025 and still don’t have our Flyback refund today, July 2026, even though we submitted all required documentation to Flyback in a timely manner. The Flyback program that Exotic Travelers offers when selling you on their membership program is a waste of your money - do not buy it! Not to mention, the Exotic membership/travel offerings changed (not for the better) after the company was sold a few years back. Consumers beware!

We just returned form ANOTHER great stay at the Casitas, has to have been our 10th trip there. Two people really made our stay very special though...our Casitas butlers Fernando and Fernanda. We had a couple issues with not walls on the beach bed (one call and they were up within 20 min) and construction on the 2 Casitas right next to us, very loud with power tools, and they were able to get us switched into another set right across the way, and no more noise. They were so helpful for all the little things that you would not really think about, the trip would not have been as nice without them and I hope we can have them again next time we are there. The restaurants were all as good as ever, but Kampai menu has changed a bit and it was even better than before. This trip we also went the the Indian restaurant for the first time, and man that was delicious as well. One thing my wife and I have always enjoyed about the Casitas is consistency. I don't think we have ever had a bad stay. Even when we were there post hurricane, everything was still amazing. We will continue to go back until we have a reason not to. This place is very special, if you have not been yet, do yourself a favor and book a trip there. You will not be sorry. One thing they should probably change though, we did not appreciate the woman hounding us to buy a 30% discount for our next trip for $300 as we were waiting for our transportation after checkout. I feel that was tacky and you guys should not do that.