El Dorado Casitas Royale by Karisma

We stayed at the resort for seven days in the first week of January . We consider ourselves seasoned travelers with fairly high expectations. The following is our honest account of our experience: First and foremost for the Coke vs Pepsi crowd. This is a Coke property!! Check-in: Dropped at the main lobby and then taken to the Casitas lounge. Check in was fairly quick, and luckily there was only 2 couples or it would have taken forever. They gave a quick run down of the resort since we’ve never been here. They didn’t show us to our rooms, just pointed and said go that way and look for this building. Also didnt tell us about the hotel app, which isn’t very good anyways, as it doesn’t give any menus for the restaraunts, but does show activities. Dinner reservations: At check-in, the conceirge would make us a reservation for that night or we could eat at the buffet. We chose the buffet as it was 4 pm already. It was disappointing. The buffet food was barely edible, and not a ton of variety. Very Mexican influenced which was fine, but not even any tacos or chips and salsa. In fact, none of the restaurants had chips and salsa. We made our other dinner reservations throughout the week via the casita conceirge the next day. We had no issues with the reservations. However, at this time, the concierge did mention the membership presentation and what we could get for spending the hour doing it. We declined. And in speaking to people who have the membership, they advised not to get it as the facility has deteriorated since Lomas took over. I can’t speak to that as this was our first time here. Food: We tried many different restaurants throughout the property for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was hit and miss for us with the food and the service. The pizza place was great for lunch. Good service and food was good. Chefs market for breakfast was ok. Service was awful. We didn’t even see a waiter the second, and last, time we tried it. Palms wasn’t great. Says it opens at 7 but they weren’t ready. We got in at 7:20 and got our food, which was wrong, at 8. All the restaraunts seemed to be like that. We had 2 dinner reservations at 6 and didn’t get in until 6:10 and 6:15. Time really isnt the issue, but if you want to be considered a 5 star resort it does. Mediterranean was good with good service and the Italian was good with good service. Room: Casitas Suite with Private Pool. It was very large but needed refurbishing (old furniture, Jacuzzi tub jets that didn't work, Nespresso machine didnt work, mismatched knobs on the bathroom door, broken towel racks, and old drapes). These things didn't impact our experience, but the hotel needs to improve to be considered a five-star resort, especially when it comes to the Casitas rooms. The private pool is small and freezing. Unfortunately for us, our room only got sun from 8-9 am. Youre right beside one other patio with no barrier so if they are out and loud, you can’t enjoy your space. Has an outdoor shower that was cool. Water was always hot when needed. Beds are soft, so if you require a firm bed, not for you. TV had good variety of channels. If you book into a Casita room with private pool you are in the members section which gets you access to a Mexican and seafood spot behind the bars in each of the casita areas. Tried to get the sea scallops and they came cold and were grey?? Not a seafood guru but have never seen that. We didn’t eat them. Didnt eat at the Mexican spot, so can’t comment on quality there. Maid service and mini bar attendants: The room wasn’t cleaned one day, and they may have come later but it was 4 on already so we put the fo not disturb sign up as we were getting ready for dinner, but done the rest. Bar was restocked daily and towels for the beach daily in your room. Wifi: It is available throughout the resort, but patchy on the beach which wasn’t ideal. Staff: Most were friendly. Most of the staff took the time to say hello as we walked by. Many seemed to be on their phones, which we all know how addicting they are. But found that in restaurants as well. Maybe a correlation between that and the poor service? Resort Layout: The resort is huge. The grounds were kept in nice shape. Being in the casitas , walking to the far end of the resort takes about 20–25 minutes to walk from one end to the other at a leisurely pace. There are very few signs. Easy to get lost looking for a specific restaurant. We also enjoyed the new coffee bar set up near the casitas by the beach. It only opens at 9 am though. Not sure why so late for a coffee place, but good coffee. They also served ice cream at no extra charge. There is also ice cream below the chefs market. Beach: Stay somewhere else if you prefer white, sandy beaches. The beach is dirty and not swimmable. It is rocky so difficult to walk in the water. The cement blocks used to prevent beach erosion are also quite ugly. The saltwater pond was closed during our stay. Bottom line: We wouldnt stay here again. We had actually left a deposit prior to coming here to reserve a spot for our next Mexican trip, but we will cancel that and move the deposit to Xcaret. The food, the spotty service, spotty wifi and the beach, are a few reasons why. We expected an 5 star resort experience, and were encouraged with some of the reviews, but really got an 3.5 or 4 star experience. The Casitas royal is way too expensive for that .

We stayed at the resort for seven days between Christmas and New Year's. We consider ourselves seasoned travelers with fairly high expectations. The following is our honest account of our experience: Check-in: We checked in at the Casitas lounge, which was fairly quick, but not in a traditional way (was done in groups). We are accustomed to checking in privately, similar to North American hotels. Dinner reservations: At check-in, we were told that the only place to eat our first dinner was the buffet, which was disappointing. The buffet food was barely edible, except for the desserts, and it was comparable to a Disney-style buffet experience, with kids everywhere. This was not what we were looking for, especially since we chose an adults-only resort for a reason. We made our other dinner reservations throughout the week via the app. We had no issues. However, at check-in, the concierge told us that the app didn't work and that we had to come back the next day to make our reservations through him. He was either misinformed or trying to influence us to book through him instead of using the app. We suspect he did this so he could upsell us on other services, which didn't happen because we avoided the concierge completely. Food: We tried so many different restaurants throughout the property for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food was always fresh, and the service was excellent. We never had to wait long for our meals. Our favorite places for dinner were the Italian restaurant and the Wine Kitchen. Room: Casitas Honeymoon Suite with Private Pool. It was very large but needed refurbishing (old furniture, Jacuzzi tub jets that didn't work, mismatched knobs on the bathroom door, and old drapes). These things didn't impact our experience, but the hotel needs to improve to be considered a five-star resort, especially when it comes to the Casitas rooms. The pool and lazy river were cleaned daily. Maid service and mini bar attendants: The maid kept the room clean and restocked our towels daily. The minibar attendant brought us water daily and made sure the fridge was stocked with our favorite drinks and chips. There were also clean towels available each day by our pool for our lounge chairs. Staff: VERY friendly! Most of the staff took the time to say hello as we walked by. Resort Layout: The resort is huge! We were impressed by how clean the grounds were and by the lush greenery. We stayed in the casitas and walked to the far end of the resort each day, sometimes twice. It takes about 20–25 minutes to walk from one end to the other at a leisurely pace. We also loved the new coffee bar set up near the casitas by the beach. They also served ice cream at no extra charge, which we really appreciated! It was a nice little pit stop during our walks and we really appreciated it! Beach: Stay somewhere else if you prefer white, sandy beaches. The beach is dirty and not swimmable. The cement blocks used to prevent beach erosion are also quite ugly. The saltwater pond was closed during our stay, too. We knew about all these issues before booking, so they weren't a big deal for us. Included activities: We signed up for the guided nature walk around the resort grounds. It took about an hour and twenty minutes. We saw monkeys, the greenhouse, and a cenote. It was a cool experience! We also took a day trip to Maroma Beach. Transportation to and from the beach was seamless, and the buffet lunch was delicious. Both activities are highly recommended! Bottom line: We would stay here again without hesitation. The food, the beautiful grounds, and the staff made our stay memorable. Although the resort was full, we never felt crowded at anytime. However, the resort is walking a fine line by marketing itself as a five-star property while essentially providing three-star rooms in the casitas section. The rooms and thatch need to be remodeled or replaced soon.

Our stay was plagued by repeated failures in core amenities and maintenance, making it feel more like a 2-star budget property. So happy to be waiting at the airport to go home! Severe Maintenance & Room Functionality Failures • Jacuzzi tub jets completely broken • TV does not work • No hot water in the indoor shower (forced to use outdoor shower). • Ants on the floor and in the closet. • Coffee not restocked during the stay. Inconsistent Service & Lack of Proactive Help • No activity suggestions while waiting for room; unable to book dinner after 1 PM (no reserved spots or proactive assistance for arrivals); •bellman refused golf cart ride to casita upon return of an all day activity. It was raining outside, so we were soaked walking to the room cold without umbrellas. • Staff outside restaurants showed minimal engagement and appeared undertrained. • Golf carts routinely on walking paths, we saw multiple people, including ourselves, almost get run over. Food, Amenities & Presentation Shortfalls • Extremely limited in-room snacks (only 2 bags of Lay’s chips); •scarce food options outside main restaurants. No carts with snacks. •Overall food quality bad. The steaks were so well done at Santa Fe steak house they were harder than unseasoned beef jerky. The Thai food at Kampai felt like it was microwaved in the back with over cooked noodles and sickly sweet sauce pored on top. The best food choice was the room service, although cold, it was more edible. •Drink choices terrible. No bottled water without up charge. No drink menus, and no premium alcohol without up charge. • False advertising about greenhouse organic food. Staff said this stopped in COVID. •outdated map missing restaurants; inconsistent branding (Mediterranean restaurant using D’Italia menus). • Poor entertainment (e.g., terrible “Black Cow” band). No options for entertainment after dinner except for the empty band venues and empty Guacamayas bar. •Beach swimming and beach activities impossible with giant cement structures in water. •Broken salt water pool. External Coordination Issues • Loma Travel Agency sold a full-day excursion despite request for half-day (only discovered on-site).

Horrible! We booked after reading many good reviews, but the favorable reviews are mostly from before a management change in 2023. Reviews since then are far less complimentary. We met a woman who had been to the property for 17 consecutive years, and was very disappointed with her experience this year citing increased cost and decline in the dining experiences. Everything about the resort had an air of decline. The general atmosphere of the guest was one of discontent. 1. Bait and switch room type. We paid for a superior beachfront room, and were given a smaller, garden view room. I had to spend the first 2 hours arguing with management to get the room we paid for. Initially said they were "full" and had no other room available. I later found out they were only at 30% capacity. I suspect they were trying to keep all the guests in one area to keep costs down. The room we were initially placed in had torn and stained curtains, door locks that did not work, and black mold. The second room was better maintained and was clean, but there were ants in the coffee machine. 2. The food was very disappointing, and on two occasions so poorly prepared I could not eat it. We had been very excited to visit because of previous rave reviews of the food. There were many problems accessing food- more about that later. the bookable restaurants were hard to access, and not good. The Italian restaurant served me a pre frozen breaded chicken cutlet (not too different from the frozen chicken nuggets for toddlers) sprinkled with parmesan cheese on top of cold potatoes. The fish (previously frozen) at the Thai restaurant and the pork at the Mexican restaurant were both so over cooked and hard I could not eat them. The only option for dinner if you do not have a booking, is a sad buffet at the next property down the beach, Generations. The were long waits to get in the this awful buffet, where if you were not the first ones in, they would run out of entrees. This was a family friendly area where ill behaved children were running around the restaurant. My college cafeteria had better food than that buffet. They brag the free room service is available 24/7. Often time they did not answer the phone. The room service was burgers, wings, quesadillas and the like, and was usually cold. The breakfast buffet was edible, but really nothing more than your average omelette station and pastries, and 25% of the time there was a 30 min wait. All of the restaurants lacked atmosphere and had bad elevator music and a sterile, cafeteria feel. There were no cozy, romantic venues. There was a coffee maker in the room, but it only mad small espresso shots, and had only powdered creamer available. There were "coffee stations" available at some of the bars, but they were often cold or empty, and again no real cream or milk. The food was all cheap, frozen and there was no local fresh produce or fish. Portions were very small. 3. Access to booking meals and activities was difficult, and desired restaurants and excursions were unavailable. The booking process was not convenient. We waited 90 min to get in with our "personal concierge" and then booking the restaurants took about an hour. I had contacted the resort to arrange a particular activity that was important to me 2 months prior to our arrival, and was told we could not book until we got there. Of course, it was fully booked when we arrived and I was very disappointed. There was little orientation, and many guest felt like they had simply been dropped in and left to fend for themselves. No one explained the shuttle schedule, and shuttles were difficult to find, access and they were infrequent. 4. Upcharges everywhere. I have never been to an "all inclusive" had so many upcharges. The house wine was horrible, but you could pay $50 and up for a drinkable bottle of wine. If you wanted the house margarita at Mexican restaurant, the steak at the steak house or the coconut drink at the pool there was an extra charge. For guests staying at the less expensive area, cabanas were extra. I constantly felt as though we were being nicked and dimed. 5. The alcohol / mixed drinks were basic. I am not a big drinker, but I enjoy a fun cocktail on vacation. The bars had no menus and no specialties, so you need to know what to order. Furthermore, the only fresh ingredient/ garnish available was a lime slice, making what they did have very uninteresting. If you like a shot of liquor with low quality mixers, you will be fine. 6. The pools in the el Dorado Royale and el Dorado Casitas Royal sections were all kept about 8 inches below optimal, exposing the stairs and barely to the bottom of the skimmer inlets. As a result, the small pools were shallow, cold and not good for swimming. The pools in the Presidential sections were filled to the appropriate level. The salt water pool was closed for "cleaning" but I never observed anyone working on it, and guests who had been there longer than us said the same. I think it may be permanently closed. The beach was wiped away by a hurricane may years ago, and is not swimmable due to large concrete blocks placed in the sand to prevent erosion. There is a nice garden path that runs parallel to the beach, but it is not a pleasant walk due to the large volume of speeding golf carts which constantly force you off the path. I felt like we were constantly playing "Frogger" on that path. 7. Poor security/ enforcement of rules. We paid for the more expensive area, which was supposed to grant exclusive access to the accompanying pools and oceanfront cabanas. There was no enforcement of this which lead to crowding and noise. They also did not enforce their smoking policies which meant smoke was everywhere. 8. The spa was nice, but adjacent to one of the pools. Unfortunately, this meant the banging of the party music and noise was present throughout my massage. In summary- just don't go there. We were so unhappy we booked an earlier flight home. We were happy to return to the sub zero midwest winter rather than spend the rest of the week there. The meal I got on the airplane was the best food I had all week.

Spent a fantastic nine days at Casitas Royale. We loved the room as it's very different to any other hotel we have stayed in... particularly enjoyed the outdoor shower. The fridge was refilled daily and it was all very clean. We were there to experience a totally different Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. We booked the special Christmas Eve meal with wine pairing and it was excellent quality. We found all the food was great and even used room service which was prompt and the food was hot. The culinary theatre was a night we won't forget... a great evening and the guy on the guitar was excellent. We found all the staff were very friendly with a special mention to Wilma our concierge who helped make our holiday very relaxing.