Eldorado Royale Resort - Damage Reports

Snomoovr · 10-27-2005

Could anyone provide some info as to how badly damaged this resort is as well as the Riveria Maya area? My wife and I are traveling to EDR in November.

Snomoovr in Chi-Town.

theBeans · 10-27-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snomoovr

Could anyone provide some info as to how badly damaged this resort is as well as the Riveria Maya area? My wife and I are traveling to EDR in November.

Snomoovr in Chi-Town.

We're supposed to be there on the 12th(fingers crossed on the airport/flights)

From their site and what they've emailed me:
El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort

First impact assessment: NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED. Several villas were flooded (first floors only). All pools are filled with sand, and significant parts of the hotel grounds are covered with sand and debris. Several thatched roof palapas have been damaged.

Estimated opening date: With no structural damage reported, the current estimated opening date is November 08, 2005. The hotel will be closed for arrivals before this date.

cuffedlinks · 10-27-2005

Best of luck with your plans.

brouhaha63 · 11-14-2005

anyone with an inside scoop on what is happening with EDR or might have more information than what is posted on the karisma website? On their website it says that their opening date is Nov. 25, but according to an RCI rep that we spoke to today, the real date they are opening has been pushed to Nov. 30. We are going Dec. 9 but are concerned that they will be overbooked (part of the resort will still be closed and unless the resort wasn't booked to capacity i don't know how they will figure out who gets a room).

thanks!

Klimbimm · 11-28-2005

Just got a call from my travel agent who was talking to Sunquest on my behalf.
Apparently La Isla Restaurant will not be open until the 8th of January.
Also the resort will be limited to two pools. I'm not sure how many pools they usually offer but since it was mentioned I assume there are pools not in operation. Here's the nasty bit. When I asked if there would be a discount since not all ammenities that I paid for are in operation I was told simply "no".
My travel agent is currently working on it and I will post any relevant info here.

Cheers,

**Shammy** · 11-28-2005

There are 10 pools at the EDR. One is a natural salt water pool, not really sure you can call it a "pool" - but they do. I can't imagine that when they reopen, there will only be two pools open. Wait...then again, there are quite a few small pools in the casita section, and since the casita section is not scheduled to reopen at the same time the main part of the resort is, that could be why they are saying 8 pools will be out of operation. The two pools that ARE open would then probably be the pools in the main section of the resort. And I would think that since the casita section reopening is delayed, when it does reopen, most, if not all of those additional pools will open as well (hey, one can hope, right?

).

La Isla is the main restaurant for breakfast. If it's not to open until Jan, they must be moving breakfast to a different restaurant. But that still leaves 5 restaurants. Missing just one (if that IS the only one that won't open) is a rather small issue in the grand scheme of things.

And when an entire facility is not open, like after a hurricane, they (meaning tour operators and the hotel) do not offer discounts for the inconvienence. It's not "nasty", that's just the way it is, and it's the same situation at all of the resorts. But this again leads me to believe that the closed pools are in the casita section, and since no one is staying in the casita section until it reopens, then the guests staying in the main portion of the resort won't be missing any pools anyway.

This is also why they try to put this information out there before you arrive, so that you can decide if you really do want to go to this resort - or if you want to try and change to a different resort (if possible).

brouhaha63 · 11-29-2005

According to their website, the pools that will be open are Tucanes, and Las Fuentes, which is apparently new. As for the resaurants, their website says that the ones open are Cocotal, D'Italia, Jojo's, La Carreta, and the Pizzeria. So Kampai and La Isla are the ones that are closed.

One thing I'm sad about is that their healthy bar is supposed to be closed...I don't drink so I am hoping that maybe I can get smoothies or non-alcoholic drinks elsewhere.

We'll see how everything is when I get down there in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!

In some ways I'm glad that the casitas won't be open so we don't have to deal with some guests getting priority over others for dinner reservations. For those of you that are coming after Dec. 16, I'll try and post a review!

cuffedlinks · 11-29-2005

The Healthy Bar is a great place for "smoothie" type drinks...we enjoyed the beach area near the salt-water pool with the Healthy Bar directly behind us near the entrance to the Casita Section...Hope it is up and going soon and I hope they make the smoothies available to you somewhere...

Here is a pic of the Healthy Bar, and our pictures of the El Dorado Royale can be seen by clicking on our View Our Mexico Photos link...

My guess is the problem with those areas closed....incl. the Healthy Bar and Kampei, Casitas, etc... would be due to the Thatched Palapa style roofs and wooden supports, etc.

Klimbimm · 11-29-2005

Talking to travel agent again. Seems that yesterday's info was incorrect. Only one pool is closed and La Isla rest also closed. Also all the swim-up bars are not in operation.
I will reserve the right to determine what I consider nasty however.

Just because it's business as usual doesn't make it right

**Shammy** · 11-29-2005

Ok, point taken.

But how do you determine what's "right" when taking into consideration that everything that is "wrong" was brought on by a hurricane, which is something out of any hotels control? Should they remain closed until each one of the pools and restaurants are open, which would cause not only a loss of income for the hotel, but also a loss of income to the people that work there - who no doubt need that money to make repairs to their own homes, as well as feed their families? Or should they offer money back because there is one less pool and one less restaurant - even though there are many other pools and restaurants to use and the loss of a few amenities really won't have a major affect on a vacation to this property?

Just trying to figure out what you believe would make things "right".

Klimbimm · 11-29-2005

Gee....how about a bottle of nice wine? A complementary massage at the spa maybe? Everyone seems to expect me to be quite reasonable about settling for less and usually I do just that. In fact I will be doing it at the EDR.
I have noticed that no one else is willing to settle for less, however.
They still want the same money!
If my vacation at the EDR was worth $800 and I only had $750 due to circumstances beyond my control, do you think the management would have settled for that?
Cheers,

PS.
It's -20 degrees and snowing in northern Alberta as I write this. Have a little pity

Scott D · 11-29-2005

Shammy:

HA!!!!!

Not specifically for this thread, but your Avatar is HILARIOUS!!!

Klimbimm:

The thing is, you have a choice. You can wait, and go later, or go to a different resort.

We were scheduled to go to the EDR next week--12/7. We've been planning this trip for well over a year. We were booked into a Casita.

However, Wilma altered that. Sure, we could have still gone, but my gut feeling is that it's not going to be 100%, and we'd end up not being happy..

We opted to go to a different resort. Not exactly what we planned, but I suspect we'll be much happier overall.

YMMV.

Scott

paraiso10 · 11-29-2005

We were booked at EDR on 12/14/05 - 12/21/05 as well, and changed to Iberostar Maya cause the Casitas are going to be closed. Also - about the Main pool being closed at EDR - this is a HUGE part of their resort cause most of those other 9 pools everyone keeps talking about are Casita pools, reserved specifically for each Casita area....which happens to be closed until who knows when.

In the end though, one does have the option to switch their resort or go at another time. We switched!

Klimbimm · 11-30-2005

Pretty much stuck with the New Years period as my Son will be between semesters at school. As for switching Resorts, I have asked my Agent to look into it. I also asked her if we could make our dinner reservations in advance rather than line up when we get there but that is not possible according to my agent. I'm sure that I read here someone saying they had made their dinner reservations in advance over the net?

paraiso10 · 11-30-2005

For EDR you can make dinner reservations in advance, I'm sure of it. Go to their website karismahotels.com and then to the EDR link. I think there should be more info about how or where there....if not, I would directly e-mail EDR and inquire about it.

10-27-2005	#1 (permalink)
Snomoovr sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1	Eldorado Royale Resort - Damage Reports Could anyone provide some info as to how badly damaged this resort is as well as the Riveria Maya area? My wife and I are traveling to EDR in November. Snomoovr in Chi-Town.

11-28-2005	#5 (permalink)
Klimbimm lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 10	El Dorado Royale Just got a call from my travel agent who was talking to Sunquest on my behalf. Apparently La Isla Restaurant will not be open until the 8th of January. Also the resort will be limited to two pools. I'm not sure how many pools they usually offer but since it was mentioned I assume there are pools not in operation. Here's the nasty bit. When I asked if there would be a discount since not all ammenities that I paid for are in operation I was told simply "no". My travel agent is currently working on it and I will post any relevant info here. Cheers,

11-29-2005	#7 (permalink)
brouhaha63 lost on fifth Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 12	According to their website, the pools that will be open are Tucanes, and Las Fuentes, which is apparently new. As for the resaurants, their website says that the ones open are Cocotal, D'Italia, Jojo's, La Carreta, and the Pizzeria. So Kampai and La Isla are the ones that are closed. One thing I'm sad about is that their healthy bar is supposed to be closed...I don't drink so I am hoping that maybe I can get smoothies or non-alcoholic drinks elsewhere. We'll see how everything is when I get down there in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!! In some ways I'm glad that the casitas won't be open so we don't have to deal with some guests getting priority over others for dinner reservations. For those of you that are coming after Dec. 16, I'll try and post a review! Last edited by brouhaha63; 11-29-2005 at 12:35 AM..

11-29-2005	#8 (permalink)
cuffedlinks añejo Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The City of Presidents Posts: 15,998	The Healthy Bar is a great place for "smoothie" type drinks...we enjoyed the beach area near the salt-water pool with the Healthy Bar directly behind us near the entrance to the Casita Section...Hope it is up and going soon and I hope they make the smoothies available to you somewhere... Here is a pic of the Healthy Bar, and our pictures of the El Dorado Royale can be seen by clicking on our View Our Mexico Photos link... My guess is the problem with those areas closed....incl. the Healthy Bar and Kampei, Casitas, etc... would be due to the Thatched Palapa style roofs and wooden supports, etc. Last edited by cuffedlinks; 11-29-2005 at 08:01 AM..

11-29-2005	#9 (permalink)
Klimbimm lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 10	Further Info Talking to travel agent again. Seems that yesterday's info was incorrect. Only one pool is closed and La Isla rest also closed. Also all the swim-up bars are not in operation. I will reserve the right to determine what I consider nasty however. Just because it's business as usual doesn't make it right

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10-27-2005	#3 (permalink)
cuffedlinks añejo Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The City of Presidents Posts: 15,998	Best of luck with your plans.

11-14-2005	#4 (permalink)
brouhaha63 lost on fifth Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 12	anyone with an inside scoop on what is happening with EDR or might have more information than what is posted on the karisma website? On their website it says that their opening date is Nov. 25, but according to an RCI rep that we spoke to today, the real date they are opening has been pushed to Nov. 30. We are going Dec. 9 but are concerned that they will be overbooked (part of the resort will still be closed and unless the resort wasn't booked to capacity i don't know how they will figure out who gets a room). thanks!

11-28-2005	#6 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 12,302	There are 10 pools at the EDR. One is a natural salt water pool, not really sure you can call it a "pool" - but they do. I can't imagine that when they reopen, there will only be two pools open. Wait...then again, there are quite a few small pools in the casita section, and since the casita section is not scheduled to reopen at the same time the main part of the resort is, that could be why they are saying 8 pools will be out of operation. The two pools that ARE open would then probably be the pools in the main section of the resort. And I would think that since the casita section reopening is delayed, when it does reopen, most, if not all of those additional pools will open as well (hey, one can hope, right? ). La Isla is the main restaurant for breakfast. If it's not to open until Jan, they must be moving breakfast to a different restaurant. But that still leaves 5 restaurants. Missing just one (if that IS the only one that won't open) is a rather small issue in the grand scheme of things. And when an entire facility is not open, like after a hurricane, they (meaning tour operators and the hotel) do not offer discounts for the inconvienence. It's not "nasty", that's just the way it is, and it's the same situation at all of the resorts. But this again leads me to believe that the closed pools are in the casita section, and since no one is staying in the casita section until it reopens, then the guests staying in the main portion of the resort won't be missing any pools anyway. This is also why they try to put this information out there before you arrive, so that you can decide if you really do want to go to this resort - or if you want to try and change to a different resort (if possible).

11-29-2005	#10 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 12,302	Ok, point taken. But how do you determine what's "right" when taking into consideration that everything that is "wrong" was brought on by a hurricane, which is something out of any hotels control? Should they remain closed until each one of the pools and restaurants are open, which would cause not only a loss of income for the hotel, but also a loss of income to the people that work there - who no doubt need that money to make repairs to their own homes, as well as feed their families? Or should they offer money back because there is one less pool and one less restaurant - even though there are many other pools and restaurants to use and the loss of a few amenities really won't have a major affect on a vacation to this property? Just trying to figure out what you believe would make things "right".

11-29-2005	#11 (permalink)
Klimbimm lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 10	Making it right Gee....how about a bottle of nice wine? A complementary massage at the spa maybe? Everyone seems to expect me to be quite reasonable about settling for less and usually I do just that. In fact I will be doing it at the EDR. I have noticed that no one else is willing to settle for less, however. They still want the same money! If my vacation at the EDR was worth $800 and I only had $750 due to circumstances beyond my control, do you think the management would have settled for that? Cheers, PS. It's -20 degrees and snowing in northern Alberta as I write this. Have a little pity

11-29-2005	#12 (permalink)
Scott D lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 19	Shammy: HA!!!!! Not specifically for this thread, but your Avatar is HILARIOUS!!! Klimbimm: The thing is, you have a choice. You can wait, and go later, or go to a different resort. We were scheduled to go to the EDR next week--12/7. We've been planning this trip for well over a year. We were booked into a Casita. However, Wilma altered that. Sure, we could have still gone, but my gut feeling is that it's not going to be 100%, and we'd end up not being happy.. We opted to go to a different resort. Not exactly what we planned, but I suspect we'll be much happier overall. YMMV. Scott Last edited by Scott D; 11-29-2005 at 09:39 PM..

11-29-2005	#13 (permalink)
paraiso10 lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15	We were booked at EDR on 12/14/05 - 12/21/05 as well, and changed to Iberostar Maya cause the Casitas are going to be closed. Also - about the Main pool being closed at EDR - this is a HUGE part of their resort cause most of those other 9 pools everyone keeps talking about are Casita pools, reserved specifically for each Casita area....which happens to be closed until who knows when. In the end though, one does have the option to switch their resort or go at another time. We switched!

11-30-2005	#14 (permalink)
Klimbimm lost on fifth Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 10	Go at a different time Pretty much stuck with the New Years period as my Son will be between semesters at school. As for switching Resorts, I have asked my Agent to look into it. I also asked her if we could make our dinner reservations in advance rather than line up when we get there but that is not possible according to my agent. I'm sure that I read here someone saying they had made their dinner reservations in advance over the net?

11-30-2005	#15 (permalink)
paraiso10 lost on fifth Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15	For EDR you can make dinner reservations in advance, I'm sure of it. Go to their website karismahotels.com and then to the EDR link. I think there should be more info about how or where there....if not, I would directly e-mail EDR and inquire about it.