el dorado royale report

we just got back from the el dorado royale. here's my observations and a few suggestions ......

arrival: the main building is very grand .... marble everywhere, and free champagne. the building looks like a W hotel (from the starwood chain) done mexican style. very white and modern .... very clean lines.
the bad: no warm fuzzy feeling.
the good: no running, yelping or screaming kids!!!!!

our room: we had a swim-up casita .... room 2802. OMG .... how cool is the place!!!!!! very classy hacienda styling, no schlocky mexican paintings or loud gawdy colors ... again, all white, marble and gauze. three ways to bathe or get wet: normal tub with shower; big two peep indoor jacuzzi or a cool outdoor shower with the water coming our of a tree branch! really ..... now how cool is that!!!!! we step out on our patio, and we can step down to the water which is set up like a 'lazy river' type thing ..... and sit on the launge chairs that are partially submersed in the top 'wading' area of the lazy river. can lay on it and splash a bit of water to cool down. very diva like!!! the swim up bar for out 'block' was right there to our left. great bed with teh netting draped made it romantic. the mini fridge stocked a few soft drinks as well as tacate beers and water. bottles of water were everywhere. a coffe maker was in the room as well. i liked the double sinks in the bathroom .... as i tend to bring lots of 'girly-gotta-get-pretty' stuff. the swim up casitas are the farthest away from everything!!! know this upfront as it is quite a walk to most restaurants. there's a shuttle (sort of) but it really doesn't have a schedule, and we barely saw it. you can call for a golf cart to come bring you somewhere tho.
the bad: could not see the ocean (due to the berm and placement of the pool and vegitation) the second level is not considered a 'swim up' casita, but you can see the ocean.
the good: everything else was great!!

i have to do some work now, then i'm in las vegas for a week at a trade show, so i'll finish the review (and will submit pics as i get tem developed). snaps to all the peeps i met at the ****** get together monday night!!!!! adios for now!!

[babs31]

Thanks, waiting for more of the details!

OK ..... back form my week in Las Vegas (the NEW Soddem & Gommorah!!! I swear ...) and ready to hopefully finish my review.


El Dorado Royale ...........

The food ............................. YUMMY!!!! WAY YUMMY!!!!!!!!!! As most know who go to AI resorts, the food is usually 'ok ... nothing really special'. Well just wipe that thought our of your little mind!!! The food at this place is very, very good!

D'Italia - Duh - Italian cuisine. We ordered three appetizers (two peeps), and three pasta/rice dishes. The shrimp rissotto is too die for! I can't remember what we had exactly .... but I know it was fish of some sort (salmon, I think). Hubster had the shrimp ...... frickin HUGE things!!! Tiramisu at the end, and we absolutly loved this place. We like liesurely dining, so the pace was perfect. We drank the red wine, and it was fine. You can buy another wine if you wish. My score for this place is a '10'. Great service and great food!

JoJo's - Carribean Seaside Grill. More casual place then the Italian, as it's on the beach. Again, great seafood ............. killer ceasar salad with real anchovies! Food is always presented in a gourmet fashion (in all restaurants), and is always visually appealing. My score is a '9'.

La Isla - Had breakfast there everyday. Good mimosas!!! The eggs benedict were yummy! Hubby liked the omelets. Great way to start the day. It's right by the main pool swim-up bar ............... how convenient!!! My score is an '8'. Service was inconsistant. They also serve lunch.

Kampai - Asian. OMG .... the tuna sashimi was so fresh and tender, I swear they caught it five minutes before they served it!!!!! EVERYTHING we tasted at this place rocked!!! If you don't like sushi (like the hubster), they have the california rolls or tempura. Outstanding service and quality of food. My score is a '10'.

We had the pool grill almost everday for snacks for lunch (great burgers & pizza). We did not sample El Cocotal (International cuisine) or La Carreta (Mexican cuisine). We had room service the morning that we left and it was still hot and absolutely perfect when we got it.

Gotta do a bit of work ................. but there's more to this entire review. This concludes the FOOD portion tho ..... great ........ now I made myself hungry!!! lol

[cpfstich]

We stayed at EDR in 2003 & 2004, it is a great place! BTW, is Julio still bartending at the Martini Bar?

Originally Posted by cpfstich

We stayed at EDR in 2003 & 2004, it is a great place! BTW, is Julio still bartending at the Martini Bar?

Gosh ......... I'm not sure. I get most of the names all in a jumble, but the bartenders at the Martini Bar were good.

Next review:
Bars & Pools

Main Swim up bar & pool: Spent MOST of our time here. My liver will probably never be the same! The two bartenders (Umberto was one of them) are a bit shy at first, but warm up as the cervesas and shots are served. This is the loudest pool and the place to meet people. Met tons of folks from Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Canada. I swear, no one was left in that country!!!!! Toronto-ins were everywhere!!! Gotta do SOMETHING when there's no hockey!!!!! Go to Mexico and drink ........ sounds good to me! We burned a few CD's for the main pool's DJ's to have in their repatoire. If you hear and Big & Rich down there, that was ours!!! "Save a horse, ride a cowboy ..." One of the strange things about the pool bartenders was they don't make the same drinks the same way. We drank shots of 'Scooby Doos' at the main bar .......... but when we went to the other swim up bars, they made them differently or didn't know how to make them at all. Odd, I thought. Guess each bartender has his own 'signature' drink. As I mentioned before ... we had a swim up casita room, so we had to drink in all of the casita pool bars. There are 6 of them!!!! Most were quiet ..... but were a good place to wind down while we jumped from pool to pool to go back to our room (the last block of casitas, and the last bar). The salt-water pool is unique and I enjoyed watching the fish swimming around me. Any place that has this many places to get a drink and soak your tootsies have MY vote!! We also had a great time every evening at the Swing bar. BUT ............ the two bartenders there were HORRIBLE!!!! Everybody complained about them, and wrote about them on the survey sheet ........ so hopefully they will be 'reassigned' to other duties in the resort. You waited forever for a drink ....... they had no personalities other then rude or indifferent. Luckily with the other peeps in the bar still had a good time and the place was fun. The entertainment that we saw was good ........... not Broadway, but not Gong show either. Back to the Martini bar .......... nice classy place to start your evening or to cap it off. My only complaint about any of the bars was that they only had Dos Equis on tap as their beer. But it was cold ... and it was beer ...... so I drank it.

[sunshineinwa]

I am loving your report ... Did you think that the swim up castias were worth the extra $$$??? I was reading in another post about them splitting the resort into two seperate resorts, that the castias would make up one "resort" and the regular rooms the other, did you get the feeling they were trying to do that?? We are about 98% sure that we will be staying at the EDR next Feb. and I am wanting to splurge on the castia, but the couples that we travel with don't want to spend the extra money and I am worried that it will feel like we are at two separate resorts, what are your thoughts on this??

[sunshineinwa]

One more question (I just asked someone else this question in another thread)... Did you happen to listen to the "time share" pitch?? What did you think of it and do you know what "perks" you get with it??? Thanks..

[QUOTE=sunshineinwa]I am loving your report ... Did you think that the swim up castias were worth the extra $$$??? I was reading in another post about them splitting the resort into two seperate resorts, that the castias would make up one "resort" and the regular rooms the other, did you get the feeling they were trying to do that?? We are about 98% sure that we will be staying at the EDR next Feb. and I am wanting to splurge on the castia, but the couples that we travel with don't want to spend the extra money and I am worried that it will feel like we are at two separate resorts, what are your thoughts on this??[/quote]

Well ......... they ARE going to split the resort. There is construction going on north of the last casitas now. How they are going to do this is iffy .......... not sure if you book the 'cheap' side that you can get into the casita section. You have access to all places now .... cheap or pricey. Nobody complains or shoos you away. Was it worth the extra money? If I had to do it all over, I would request the regular casita, not the swim up. I'd want to be on the 2nd level ...... you get the ocean view. In my opinion, it's worth it. The rooms are sooooooooo nice. People say, "Well, I don't spend much time in the room so I don't care". Well ... you DO spend time in there ..... sleeping, getting ready - showers, jacuzzi's, relaxing and just winding down. We had no problems with our plumbing or A/C that some folks in the regular rooms had. (one set of peeps had no hot water, the other set had no cold water) Are your friends partiers? Usually we go on vacation with my sister & her hubby, but this year we went solo. We're the partiers, she's the quieter one. We BOTH agree that the casita is the way to go. It's easier to WALK to the party and have peaceful bliss at your 'home base' then it is to LIVE in the party zone. The ocean is prettier at the casita section (no ugly 'beached whales'), and the beach beds are soooooo inviting! At night it's so peaceful ....... just the sounds of the waves. You get special or first priority for restaurant reservations, and your own concierge for activities, etc. The open air shower is worth the price!!! It's too dang cool!

One more question (I just asked someone else this question in another thread)... Did you happen to listen to the "time share" pitch?? What did you think of it and do you know what "perks" you get with it??? Thanks..

We're in the process of getting a timeshare thru the Starwood group, so we told the dude this at the beginning (in the orientation), and they never bothered us again about it. So I'm afraid I don't know how to answer this ....... one guy said they wanted too much money for what you get (in his opinion). Remember about timeshares ........... also put your cost to fly to the place into the equasion; time you'd use it; weather or not you'd be happy always going to the same place at the same time (I know you can switch & change, but it may cost you and it's a pain in the a$$); and how many other HIDDEN charges there are, ie; taxes, etc.

[georgie]

We are also 98% on EDR for our honeymoon next March, thanks for the report! From what I hear everywhere, the casita is the way to go..... Are there beachfront casitas, or are they all a ways from the beach? Do all of them have two stories and rooms, or are some individual?

Originally Posted by georgie

We are also 98% on EDR for our honeymoon next March, thanks for the report! From what I hear everywhere, the casita is the way to go..... Are there beachfront casitas, or are they all a ways from the beach? Do all of them have two stories and rooms, or are some individual?

i just posted some pics of the casitas on the picture site. some are two story and some are individual ................. all are facing the beach (as far as i know). the swim up bars, a pathway and the beach beds are between you and the beach tho. still nice .................

[georgie]

Sounds perfect to me! This will be our first time at an AI since we usually like to hop around, but we don't want to have to move or think about where to go on our honeymoon!! How is the dress code at restaurants? I know some of these resorts have pretty fancy restaurants, and I'm bringing mostly bathing suits and shorts for our first week in Playa. I should probably pack some skirts or nice clothes I assume? Oh well, I guess it won't kill me to dress up a bit and actually brush the hair!~

Originally Posted by georgie

How is the dress code at restaurants? I know some of these resorts have pretty fancy restaurants, and I'm bringing mostly bathing suits and shorts for our first week in Playa. I should probably pack some skirts or nice clothes I assume? Oh well, I guess it won't kill me to dress up a bit and actually brush the hair!~

Most peeps wore summer sundresses (ok ..... the guys didn't) but nice beach or resort wear would be acceptable. There's so many cute dresses out now it was an excuse to do some shopping!! Anything flowy or cropped would be good. No dime store flip flops tho .............. and if you don't brush your hair, at least put a flower in it!!!

[golightly01]

Originally Posted by georgie

We are also 98% on EDR for our honeymoon next March, thanks for the report! From what I hear everywhere, the casita is the way to go..... Are there beachfront casitas, or are they all a ways from the beach? Do all of them have two stories and rooms, or are some individual?

Georgie, we're going to EDR for our honeymoon next week (5/30 - 6/12). When we return we'll certainly post a thorough report! We'll let you know about the place from a "honeymooner's" perspective...

Gina

[georgie]

Thanks Gina....looking forward to it. Enjoy and congratulations!

[Linnea]

How do I get to the Picture site? Can you explain the difference to me on the regular rooms and the casitas again? I also would like to know, because you mentioned money in a couple of your story's... I thought this resort was mandatory all inclusive?... Thanks in advance for your reply I am going in Feb 2006.

Originally Posted by pj4texas

i just posted some pics of the casitas on the picture site. some are two story and some are individual ................. all are facing the beach (as far as i know). the swim up bars, a pathway and the beach beds are between you and the beach tho. still nice .................