We just got back from a weeks stay at the Royal Mayan in Cancun, which was done as a timeshare exchange through Interval. While this resort is pretty nice, it in no way is as nice as the timeshare we traded it for. This is part of three Royal properties all next to each other. The Mayan is clearly the oldest of the three. My main complaint and one I would recommend you check closely when exchanging through Interval, is at this resort, about 95% of the units have an ocean or pool view. But there is one building, "H" , which you get a view of the parking lot and some even get to look at the lagoon. We even tried to change at check in, but were told it would be an upcharge of somewhere around $900 US. We had exchanged from our Maroitt in Tahoe, which is a 5+ star resort, with top of the line everything, and got a unit overlooking the lagoon, in what I would classify as a 3 to 3-1/2 stars at best. Each time I was at the pool I was quite jealous of those who had gotten a pool/ocean view unit and could relax on their balcony reading or just watching the ocean. When we spent time on our balcony we got the pleasure of watching the taxi drivers clean and wax their cars and the buses come and go.

That said, the resort was kept very clean, the staff was quite nice, except for our personal "concerige" who is really no more than a timeshare sales man, and called us each day around 9am to try to get us to attend one of their "free parties". Daily maid service was a nice touch. Beach was nice, but red flaged every day we were there so we spent more time at the pool. BTW the pool here is not heated and on our first day it was overcast, and the pool was kind of cold.

I would go back to a Royal resort, but will definately not return to the Mayan, as the other properties right next door, the Caribbean and Sands, are a step up from the Mayan. Resturants at the resorts are all pretty good, and the on site markets prices are very fair, especially for a resort.

This is our second vacation with the royal resorts. Our first stay 3 years ago was at the Royal Sands. The Royal Mayan is the 2nd oldest in the hotel zone but it's within the complex of all 3 royals - the islanders, carribean and mayan, so you can use all the facilities without having to take the bus anywhere.

location - perfect, right on the beach, nice pools, the sands have the most stunning view from the gigantic pools and there is a much younger crowd hanging out at the sands.

food- average hotel fare without much of an international flair, all mexican. after one week of it, i was ready for something else.

service - the royals always assign you a personal concierge. part of their job is to make you buy into a royal membership. we visited the newest resort the royal haycienda in riviera maya (about 40 min away from cancun). i have been to many timeshare pitches where they forced you to sit through endless presentations and tried to close the deal with you on the spot. the royal people were very nice, laid back and did not pressure us at all.

the exchange- we exchanged it through interval and got a 2 bedroom which was very nice. upon arriving at the resort, we were told the villa that i thought we were getting is not available and we were put in a villa that's below the "ground" level which is 4 and it only has partial ocean view. i was not happy about it but 2 days later they did switch us to a villa on the 7th floor (3 above) which has sweeping ocean view. if you do not get what you promised on the exchange, be persistent about calling them to request the exchange.

last note, we booked a car rental with hertz online the day before departure and got a very good rate. upon arriving at the cancun airport, there was nobody at the hertz rental counter and some guy from thrifty was trying to make us go with him and lied that hertz did not have any cars. he probably would have charged us a lot of extra even if he was going to match the hertz price i got.
we've heard about the police in 3rd country and at resort orientation they told us that's how the cops make some extra money. we were stopped outside of the hotel zone by two cops and to make a long story short, they took some money from us, not pesos, but US$.

we loved the royal resorts experience and will go back again in a couple of years.

We swapped our timeshare at the Tahiti Village in Las Vegas for the Royal Mayan in Cancun through Interval International. We booked a year in advance and stayed from April 26-May 3. I had done a lot of research and heard mostly good reviews of the Royal Mayan.



We booked our airport pick up with Thomas Moore travel and other than going through the swamp of “welcomers” at the airport trying to divert you it went off without a hitch.



When we arrived at the resort we were politely greeted, our bags taken, and offered cold bottled water. From that moment on we were well taken care of and pampered. Our personal concierge greeted us after check in and escorted us to our room. He was polite and attentive and took notes of our concerns and reservations we wanted for the week. He checked on us routinely and it was nice, not overbearing.



Our room was very comfortable and actually better looking in person than on their web site. Everything was clean, comfortable and we had no complaints about the room or the facilities. Very nice. King bed in the bedroom with a sliding door to a private balcony and a sliding door to the living room balcony. In room safe, ceiling fans, dishwasher, fridge all the utensils for basically your home away from home. It is situated on the beach and our room on the 10th floor had a beach view and a pool area view.



We went on two tours, one to Chichen Itza (the Mayan ruins) and one to Cozumel. Chichen Itza was booked through Thomas Moore and very good. We had a wonderful, experienced guide. The Cozumel was for snorkeling and shopping. Both trips were great and all involved were friendly and polite. Every other day we went to the beaches and pool. It was sunny and beautiful everyday. It is true that because of the hurricane a couple years ago the beaches sustained storm damage but it doesn’t concern the beach. The damage is to the slopping ocean floor leading up to the beach. With the wind and the hard slope it causes rough waves and a strong undertow. The beaches will have green, yellow, and red flags everyday to display the current swimming condition. At the Mayan the flags were red everyday, however, it did not stop others and myself from getting into the water up to chest deep. I recommend a close eye on teens; young adults and weak swimmers while children should stay closer to shore. There were a scattering of lifeguards around, but the signs warn not to swim in red or yellow flags. We found yellow flags and calmer waters up at the Royal Sands, a sister resort. The pools were always available and no waves. Bar/drink service at both the pools and beachfront were regular and very good. No complaints whatsoever. We never needed cash and used our room key for all charges.



The Royal resorts consist of the Mayan, Islander, Caribbean, Sands and I believe the 5th one is being built in Playa Del Carmen. You may use all the resorts and make charges with your card at any. Shuttles run between all resorts and for the most part are within 10 minutes of their posted arrival and departure times. We visited all of them, used the pools and beaches and liked all.



We ate at the Palapa, Conquistador, Captains Cove, Paco’s Taco’s and all had good food at reasonable prices. There were plenty of things to do if you got tired of hanging out by the pool and beaches. If you ran out of ideas they had an activity center to give you some more.



It was a relaxing, rewarding, pampered, enjoyable week and we recommend it for all. We would return without hesitation.

We booked our vacation using Interval World's website. IW's site rates the Royal Mayan as a five star resort, but most other websites only rate it at a 3.5. I was a little worried about this, but once I got there, I fell in love!
We had reciprocity at the other Royal resorts, but still spent most of our time at the Mayan. It is a little older crowd, and is usually less crowded during happy hour. The pool with the swim up bar is not heated, so for that luxury we went to a different Royal resort, but otherwise, we loved our Mayan! I would recommend this resort for anyone looking for a chance to relax and just hang out in the beautiful weather. The staff is wonderful, and by the end of our stay, they knew us all by first name. None of us can wait to go back!