El Dorado Casitas Royale: A Perfect Surprise Vacation

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Does planning a trip stress you out?  Can’t figure out what to do or where to go?  A travel agent can help!  I am usually a fanatic when it comes to planning my own vacation.  I love to research, compare and make decisions.  There is a point, though when it can become so much work it is just no fun.  This year we tried something different!  We gave our local travel agent some guidelines (budget, flight duration, and weather) and let her surprise us!  The anticipation of where we might go was just as fun as if I had planned it myself.  We waited until the night before and then opened the envelope to find out where we were headed.  El Dorado Royal Casitas in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  This was quite ironic because we had visited this resort exactly 10 years  prior!  I dug out the scrapbook and we discovered my husband still had 2 t shirts and a swim trunks from back then so I convinced him to let me stage some photos.

Thinking about visiting El Dorado Casitas?  Check it out

Location

The Adults Only All- Inclusive Resort is located about 35 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport.  It is about 15 minutes from Playa Del Carmen.

The Rooms

There are two sections of El Dorado, the main hotel and the Casitas. Casitas are bungalows organized in a semicircle around a pool with a swim up bar. We were in Casita 31 on the upper level which had a small private pool.  Casitas 32 were to the north of us and were for Karisma members/owners. Casitas 30 were for any guests. I did notice that the sun was shining on the pools for longer in the day in Casitas 32, 31 and 30 then in 29 and 28. This would be something to note when making a reservation.

 

The room was large and had 2 showers, a large whirlpool tub and a pool.  Ours was up about 20 wooden steps  The steps had sunk so were crooked but sturdy.

The Beach

The beach is long and protected in most areas with either large sand bags or concrete blocks which have recently been placed to prevent further erosion.  Some would say they are an eyesore but they are actually a piece of artwork.  From the air they are arranged to look like a serpent.  Anything that can be done to preserve the beach is worthwhile so we did not mind them at all.  It made a break in the waves so we were able to sit out in the water.  There are kayaks and stand up boards and snorkel equipment that can be used as well.  One area is blocked off by a rock wall and is called the Fresh Water Pool.  The area at the end of the resort had many fish in the water that would follow you around as you walked or snorkeled. The beach had chairs, beds and even drink service!

The Food

We have been to many All- Inclusive Resorts (mostly Secrets) and this food rates at the top of the list.  They call themselves “Gourmet Inclusive” and I would agree.  The portions are small but that is great because then you can have room to try many dishes.  The best part is, is that they have an onsite greenhouse where they grow tomatoes, herbs, onions, peppers and more.  This helps make everything taste so fresh!  They also have a huge number of restaurants to choose from.  During our 4 nights there we managed to eat at all but one of the 10 restaurants.

Main Hotel Restaurants

Cocotal – This is where we had a breakfast buffet

La Isla – Open air and Serves International food.  We ate here for lunch and served pasta and seafood.

Rincon– We did not eat here but it serves Mexican food.

JoJos Caribbean– Outdoors and overlooks the ocean.

La Cabana Pizzaria– Ate lunch here and had wood fired pizza.  Overlooks main pool.

Fuentes– Culinary Theater.  We paid a little extra for the wine pairing.  This was so much fun because there are chefs present explaining how to make the food and a wine expert to explain the pairing.

 

 

Health Bar– Great smoothies and wraps

Casitas Restaurants

Kampai– Serves Pacific Rim food and was a nice place for lunch.

D’Italia– Italian food in a fancy indoor setting.

Santa Fe Grill– International food upstairs from D’Italia.  We also had breakfast here one morning.

The resort also has special dining options. When we were there they had a culinary series put on by Air Canada.  They had chefs near the beach preparing gourmet burgers.  Some of these events cost more and some do not.  There are so many options!

Besides all the food options there are many many bars.  Too many to list!  The Bellini bar and the Martini Bar were the most unique.

Entertainment

The resort is very large so being in the Casita section which is on the far end of the resort we got a lot of walking in!  Over several miles a day!  Each night they have a show and the one we went to was very entertaining.  There were young dancers, jugglers, and stunt artists.  There is also a DJ almost every night.  The night life is very lively with people of all ages dancing.   A tennis court and bikes are available for use on the property.  There are shuttles to bring you to either Cancun or Playa Del Carmen for shopping and tours of the greenhouse.  DURIng the day there are also cooking classes, pool volleyball and Yoga classes.  You can be as busy as you want or just relax at the pool all day.

Thinking about visiting this resort? We were so thankful to have been able to be surprised and ended up with a great choice.

Pros

There are many  options for eating and amazing food. There is also a non-adults only hotel next door where you can eat at their restaurants, called Generations.

Lots of night life and activities

Amazing staff

Cons

Really none except if you have mobility problems the stairs leading to the upper level casitas would be difficult and the large property requires lots of walking.  There are golf carts to take you where you want to go as well, but sometimes you need to be patient.

 

Besides being thankful for traveling with amazing friends and a wonderful husband, we are thankful that we are healthy and able to travel 10 years later. My husband was so wonderful and let me recreate these photos wearing the same clothes.

 

Ever been to an All- Inclusive Resort in Mexico?  What is your favorite?

Happy Travels!