Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun

Room facing the mangrove was terrible described as "luxury sunset room" that it was not, we asked to be changed and met Mr Alfonso (General Manager) who indicated that because we had booked with TUI this is what you get. The smell was unbearable and we were unable to sit on our balcony. Construction works for 5 days of our holiday the noise was unbearable If you are looking for a relaxing time at the Hideaway resort this is not the place for you the music is much geared to heavy rock all afternoon. On a positive note the staff are excellent big shout out to Moises, Magic David, Mouricio and Lilliana who were fantastic.

Overall, we had a great time at the Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun. The food and service was great. The room was nice and clean. The room temperature adjusted to where I like to keep it, unlike many places where it is too warm but can’t be adjusted any lower. The entertainment during the day and at night was fun. And the beach was very relaxing and had great service as well. Shout out to Ciro Alfonzo! He was our server all week on the beach and did an outstanding job! Every time we came around he remembered our names and was very enthusiastic and provided great service. I recommend this resort and I’m sure I will be returning in the future.

We spent 14 days at the Hideaway at the end of October. The hotel is well managed and sets a high standard across all functions. Although we stayed in the Hideaway section, we would have no hesitation staying in the main hotel. As previously mentioned, most of the staff here are awesome, service is exceptional, and all amenities are immaculate. We had a standard room, which was a good size and was very clean, the room was serviced every day and had the occasional turn down in the evenings. For us, the bed linen could be better, although clean it felt worn and was slightly off white. The mini bar was topped up with a few bottles of water each day, the beer and soft drinks were not always topped up however not a problem for us as we didn’t consume that much in the room. The shower was great with plenty of pressure and heat. We ate at all the restaurants except the Mexican, which was closed on the night we planned to use it. The service and quality of food in all the restaurants was good, with exception of one occasion in Hunters, service was slow, and my main course arrived before I had finished the starter. Bar service was generally good except for the lobby bar which we found slow, we found the range and quality of the drinks across the hotel to be good. We thought it was too hot in the sports bar even when it wasn’t full for a sporting event. Service was slow in the sports bar during major sporting events as only one barman would be servicing the whole bar. We think bar staff should be re-deployed during busy periods, i.e. to the sports bar during busy periods, to the lobby bar when it’s raining or when there is entertainment in the lobby. We did witness a barman in the lobby bar sell some top shelf spirits to a guest, this was all done sneakily and away from the camera. These guys make a fortune with tips, not sure why they have to be dishonest to the hotel. The seaweed is still a problem on this coastline however, we found it less of a problem here compared to Playa Del Carmen earlier in the year. The hotel does a good job of cleaning the beach daily. The beach wasn’t as popular with guests as I expected, possibly due to the seaweed/dirty water. There are 3 beach bars along the beach servicing the Royalton, Diamond Club and Hideaway guests. The bars provide a nice setting for a late afternoon drink. There are plenty of pools to accommodate everybody and there is a drinks service around all the pools. The coffee shop is a great feature and provides a range of coffees, ice creams, cakes/cookies. As in the rest of the hotel the staff here are great. The public areas are immaculate and there is always someone around cleaning. Tipping is not expected but is very welcome, in fact, as a testament to the service/staff here, we tipped much more than we have at any other hotel in the Mexico/Caribbean and coming from a brit where tipping is not a way of life but a reward for good service, this speaks volume. I would say those who tipped as “a way of life” did not always receive better service. Perhaps it’s the manners that make a difference! Hideaway section: Check-in is in a separate air-conditioned lounge and was quick. The staff were very polite, professional and explained everything very well. This lounge was lovely and cool and could be used for a quiet drink at any time, there was also a small selection of fruit and snacks available. After check-in we were directed to our room and our suit cases were there within minutes. We did have a problem with our air conditioning and guest services dealt with it promptly. Dorado’s restaurant is very good for all meals and all are al le carte, even breakfast. The views at breakfast time are spectacular looking out over the sea. The pool at the Hideaway section was very busy, adult guests from the Diamond Club can also use this pool and many of them do as this is a lively pool, because of this the pool area gets very busy and there are not enough sun beds. The pool is not that big but ample to lounge around and have a drink but it can get very busy especially in the afternoon. Volleyball and other water-based games frequently take place during the day. The hotels Vibe team provide the daily fun with games, quizzes etc and entertainment is provided in the way of a guitarist/ saxophonist/ groups/water show etc. With the music, entertainment, activities and some very loud and obnoxious guests (even without alcohol) this is not a quiet pool area. Everyday there is a grill around the bar area at lunch time, there is also a sushi bar and you can order a limited number of light snacks from the restaurant. A special mention to Henry in the pool bar, he was awesome and looked after us for little reward (compared to what some people were tipping). We wouldn’t have to ask for a drink when approaching the bar, but would always end up with the same drink unless we could get his attention before he poured the drinks. Ivan in the pool bar was entertaining and good fun. Gabi, Moses and Carlos also deserve a mention for their service around the bar area. Now for the only negative about the Hideaway – The “Towel Sheriffs”, the most powerful people in the hotel! They block reserve sun beds using towels, sun creams and books. We were down at the pool by 07:30 every day and we couldn’t get decent beds because these guys reserve them for people who, sometimes don’t turn up until 10am, 11am sometimes after lunch and sometimes not at all! For me this was the only thing that spoilt our holiday and the only reason for dropping the hotel a star. We think the hotel should rotate these guys/girls daily between all the hotel pools as this would stop their scam and allow all pool towel guys/girls a share of any lucrative areas. A big thank you to all the staff and management at the Royalton, I hope we can return someday!