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Be romantic and thrifty at Mexico’s El Dorado Royale

This Valentine’s Day, you can tell your mate that you are taking him or her to a hotel that was voted among the Top 10 most romantic in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008 by TripAdvisor, the online travel review website.

It’s the El Dorado Royale in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, where guests are greeted with rose petals and swan towels on the bed, Jacuzzi tubs, king-size beach beds and exotic outdoor private showers.

Guests also get access to a 20,000-square-foot, Mexican-themed spa, where you can indulge in facials and body wraps.

You don’t need to mention that you are also saving a few bucks with the new “It’s Your Choice” promotion. Room rates run between $160 and $367 per night; for an extra $80, you get your choice of a 50-minute couples massage, a four-course romantic dinner on the beach or $200 worth of wine from the hotel’s cellar.

To get this deal, you have to book reservations before March 31.

— Hugo Martín, staff writer

[Photo: A couple enjoys a romantic dinner at El Dorado Royale. Credit: El Dorado Royale Spa Resort by Karisma.]

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 1:45 pm by Hugo Martin and is filed under Caribbean, Honeymoon, Spa & Romance, Hotels, Latin America & Caribbean, Mexico. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

3 Comments on “Be romantic and thrifty at Mexico’s El Dorado Royale”

Mojoman Says:
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Four of us stayed at the El Dorado Royale from 12.25.08 to 1.1.09.

Overall impression: A large middle-market property, lots of tattoos on women and pony-tailed men my age, beer pong at the pool, huge waistlines, guests are bobbing and weaving before noon. The topless scene at the beach gives the place that Euro flare; the bottomless dude is pushing the boundaries…

Rooms: Okay. Our “upgraded” rooms - on something called the Lazy River - are at the far end of the resort, but they’re quiet and we’re enjoying the walks to restaurants, the beach. We can hear the ocean. No internet access. Get to the bell desk at the entrance very early to get a copy of the Miami Herald. Water hammer is a problem I haven’t encountered in years. A slow-to-drain sink calls to mind the Motel 6 we stay at when visiting my wife’s kin in Kentucky. At the other end of the resort - literally and figuratively - are the Casitas. These certainly look more upscale, but guests there use the same eateries as us riff raff. We can move for a few extra bucks a day, but why on earth would we give these banditos any more money?

Food: Fortunately, I need to lose a few pounds and it won’t be hard to do here. This place fancies itself as a gourmet dining destination, but what was conceived in the executive chef’s kitchen has to be completely different from what’s presented tableside.

–Small portions of poorly-prepared, tasteless food: Friday night’s salmon (an ordering error to begin with) went back to the kitchen and replaced with an edible shrimp dish.

–Tuesday night’s deck-of-cards sized steak drizzled with a white chocolate mole: my wife and I played half the deck and folded.

–A ceasar salad at beachside Jo-Jo’s was a laughable attempt at minimalist deconstructionism: someone’s been watching The Food Channel.

–The Health Bar makes a mean smoothie, but a decent cup of decaf is near impossible to find.

–The pan-Asian Kampai is a Panda Express with linens and booze, but at least we got enough to eat.

–We’ve discovered that room service breakfasts are an okay alternative.

–My recommendation: 1-800-GORDAN-RAMSEY. It’d make a great episode!

Service: Fair to poor with a notable exception or two. This is a big 600-room place with lots of guests at a busy time of year and the staff deals with it like that. The charming hospitality and well-trained staff we enjoyed at the Royal Hideaway are absent. The litmus test: it’s been difficult to find staff worthy of a tip. My efforts to speak to the property manager about the Christmas Day Flood in room 5202 - an inch of water throughout the suite - were blocked repeatedly; it wasn’t until I went to the front desk and insisted that I would wait indefinitely did he show up. Alejandro Lopez turned out to be a decent fellow and gave me the apology I was strangely obsessed with obtaining. Mauricio and Alex - our waiter and wine steward at Friday night’s dinner - were personable and helpful, particularly Alex, a French-Canadian with an impressive knowledge of the resort’s mostly overpriced wine list. “For New Year’s Eve, we’re offering a 10% discount on $900 bottles of Cristal.” Yes, really.

Amenities: Gym: too many out-of-service signs - lots of use and not much maintenance; the place is dirty. Did I mention towel cards - shades of Club Med! The amigo who restocks the fridge doesn’t take “no” for an answer - bounding in to carry out his duties while my wife’s in bed saying “Not now” and I’m out. I was able to stop the insecticide guy from spraying our rooms, only because we were in them when they began. The girls love the beach and not the Las Vegas-wannabe pool scene.

Property: The landscaping is lovely and well tended. Not a single complaint about the perfect weather, but the beach is an eyesore as a result of hurricane damage.

Transportation: During the day, the resort staff transports themselves in golf carts that share the 6′-10′ wide pedestrian paths. Guests quickly learn to walk on the edge of the walkway and to look carefully to the left and right before crossing. At night the carts run with no lights, which makes the sport even more entertaining.
boomer Says:
January 31st, 2009 at 8:56 am
Mojoman it sounds like you should continue to go to Motel 6’s because you bitch about everything. Paint your trailer
Dolt Janson Says:
February 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am
As a very happy and satisfied member of Exotic Resorts for the past 5 years, I’ve stayed at one of their original hotels, the El Dorado Royale, 5 times and simply love the place. Specific comments:
1. The food is fantastic and portions are intentionally small so you can make it through the 5 course dinners.
2. Yes, the two large pools get a a bit rowdy with the younger set, but I’ve always had many peaceful hours at the smaller pools.
3. I have always had prompt and friendly service .. but I do slip the waiters and bartenders a dollar or so which gets repaid with fantastic service.
4. Are you that much of a prude that you can’t stand a bit of nudity on the beach??
5. Sounds like you would enjoy one of Exotic’s more exclusive resorts that charge twice as much for the same accomodations and food.
6. Bottomline: It’s hard for me to understand why someone goes to a resort based on getting a decent discount and then complain because it ain’t the Ritz. Please don’t visit my resort again .. you’d spoil my vacation if you were anywhere near me at dinner, on the beach or just walking on the grounds.