We stayed at a new place that opened its doors in February 2007 called The Royal Cancun. What a great place to stay. I can’t say enough good things about this place but let me see if I can summarize our stay.
Check In at The Royal Cancun
What a great experience. Having been to other resorts in the Caribbean, this process can be a pain. The Royal Cancun has a great way of making this process mostly seamless. We pulled up in the airport van and the porters were on our bags without hesitation.
The first moments arriving at a resort can sometimes set your mood for the entire trip so pulling up to this wonderful entranceway nearly takes your breath away. The wide open entrance with floors made of beautiful marble. The Royal Cancun has 4 stations for check in at the main entrance but we did not check in there. 
One of the first staff members to greet us was Erik.
We found out later that Erik was new to the resort (2 weeks with the Royal Cancun) but you would not know that from his fantastic demeanor.
It’s fairly obvious why Erik is up in front. Erik took us on a short but informative guided tour of the resort and we were checked in on our floor.
We were given champagne during check in and that also went very well.
Property Layout at the Royal Cancun
This is a basic rundown of what you can expect. The layout is well thought through and one area seems to flow well into the next. Click the picture to enlarge.
Our Room at The Royal Cancun
The Royal in Cancun boasts 285 Suites and Suite 541 would be ours for a week. It was a Royal Corner Suite and all rooms come with safes 
and plenty of closet space. The mini bar had everything you need from beer, Evian bottled water, Coke, etc. The mini bar was great and had Vodka, Rum, Tequila, and Scotch.
The bathroom had a huge 6 head shower with a seating area in the middle and another shower on the other side. The bed had to be the most comfortable bed we have ever slept in.
You also get a pillow menu and we highly recommend the memory foam pillows. Our view was spectacular and it was great to fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.
Food Choices at The Royal Cancun
We religiously read the reviews prior to booking the Royal Cancun and one of our concerns was food choices. Not being a gourmet food person, some of the pictures and reviews made me a bit apprehensive. My feelings were short lived because the food was great. Its all about quality and presentation with the Royal Cancun chef staff. They really know how to feed you.
From Spice at breakfast with the buffet style service to Pelicano’s at lunch time with the shrimp cocktail and the scallops the size of silver dollars, everything was top notch. We also ate at Asiana and Marie-Marie and they were also outstanding. We also recommend the Chefs Plate.
This is a 6 course meal picked and prepared by the chef and it was wonderful. Book this as soon as you arrive or you will not get a reservation as it fills up very fast. The Chefs Plate has a 6pm and 9pm seating daily.
Pools At The Royal Cancun
The pools were large and the towel game is in full effect so get your spot by about 8am and you should not have a problem (TIP - toss a book on you chair for a little added insurance).
About 9am the wait staff starts the rounds and will bring you your drink of choice on a regular basis. We recommend Cesar and Omar as these two guys really kept the drinks coming and always had a smile for us. It was impressive with all the people that they see come and go, they were able to remember our names.
Cesar and Omar also served as “The Beachtler” and brought around cold washcloths, would clean your sunglasses, and spritz you with a mineral water-aloe mixture. Try the Hurricane, Mango Tango, Electric Lemonade or my wife’s favorite, the “Sexy Banana”.
Basically, there are 2 main pools. Looking out toward the water, the right side is a more quiet,
peaceful side. There are also plenty of the "Beach Beds" for your those times when you want to be comfortable with just the sound of your own thoughts, because these may very well be the only sounds you will hear, delightfully fused with the soothing sounds of nature and the ocean waves.
And from the swim up pool bar at Pelicano’s stretching left is the active side with music.
The activities are led by the sports and entertainment team and they keep it fun. From water volleyball (with and without tequila shots if you screw up!!) to cocktail classes, opportunities to make fresh guacamole, water aerobics, trivia games, etc. Fernando and Said keep the fun going and work hard to make your trip fun.
Nightlife At The Royal Cancun
There were a few shows at the Royal Cancun but not a whole lot, however the Royal Cancun is in a great location to visit some of the hottest spots in Cancun which are located about a mile up the strip. If you like clubs, I highly recommend going with the Sports and Entertainment team as you will be looked after and taken care of.
It works like this: The team announces where they are going that day around 10 am or so. They usually have an option A and B. (option A gets you a good chance of being with the team). They also secure you VIP seating. If you only check out 1 place, make it Coco Bongo. VIP seating is a good idea here because you get your own server and it’s worth the extra 10 bucks.
I also tipped Gustavio, our server an extra 20 bucks and he took great care of us. This place is a riot and its non stop party time with things going on all over the place from start to finish. There are plenty of videos on the net about this place if you want to see it.
Finding Your Way Around Cancun's Hotel Zone
Even after an exhaustive search on the internet prior to the trip, we could not find a decent map showing The Royal and all the other hotels in Cancun but we were able to find two maps of the Hotel Zone in Cancun after the trip. These maps are in Acrobat format and you can zoom in to find locations that interest you. I hope these maps are helpful.
SPAzul At The Royal Cancun
SPAzul at The Royal Cancun featured a spectacular hydro facility equipped with whirlpools, cold plunge pools, outdoor and rain showers, steam and dry sauna, a temazcal steam hut and a menu of Mayan influenced Sáas Philosophy treatments and rituals.
There were way too many other choices to list here and we could not find anyone who had a less than memorable experience at SPAzul. We opted for the basic massages but there is something here for every taste.
We traveled here with another couple and they had a great time too.
If you are going soon rest assured this is a great place to stay and I recommend it. If you are on the fence about where to stay – book this place, you will not be disappointed.
