Royalton Riviera Cancun

deborah mcleod

Our 13 female strong group went to Mexico to celebrate 2 birthdays. The airport with its Trump like security was an experience, but all was well on arrival to the hotel. The staff provided a warm welcome, and whilst it was low season the hotel was full to capacity, leaving us with very comfortable rooms, with a lingering fusty odour, and views over looking what looked like sqamp land. That said, for a 5* accommodation the yoga class was excellent, followed by breakfast which was consistently as cold as the food offered the evening before and drinks that looked good but lacked a decent measure of alcohol. The 7 day booking for winter sun was the consolation for staying here. The hotel is clean, the staff are helpful but in my opinion there is room for improvement considering the price of this package holiday (£1500pp). And be aware of extortionate taxi prices - Uber are not alowed within the confines of the airport or hotel property. I was charged $75usd for a 4am 12-minute taxi ride to the airport. Only sanctioned transportation is allowed to enter the Royalton Riviera Cancun grounds, and this means they have a monopoly/can control pricing.

Cindi Caggiano

We had an amazing experience from start to finish. Don’t miss the Caribbean restaurant was the best of the hotel. We were especially welcomed by Vanessa and her team — she is an incredibly dedicated professional, and someone I would genuinely love to have on my own team. Jairo was our waiter, and he truly stood out for his attentiveness, professionalism, and warm service. He made us feel comfortable at all times and elevated the entire experience. Order the octopus, you won’t regret it! Highly recommended — we will definitely be back.

Sivin Duong

I have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, but this was hands down the worst dining experience of my life. Do not let the photos or the "wide variety" of options fool you; the quality is nonexistent. The Buffet: Quantity Over Quality The kitchen puts out a lot of options, but every single dish was a failure. The food was consistently stale, cold, and poorly prepared. It felt like the kitchen relied entirely on salt to mask the lack of freshness—everything was incredibly salty and nearly inedible. It’s clear that no care goes into the preparation of the buffet items. Room Service: Frozen and Pathetic Thinking we might have better luck with a private meal, we ordered room service. It was a huge mistake. The food clearly came straight from a frozen box: • The Pizza: Completely fell apart when picked up; the dough was soggy and undercooked. • Fries & Chicken Tenders: Arrived ice-cold and rubbery. • Burgers: So dry they were difficult to swallow. The "App" Trap The resort forces you to use their mobile app for everything, but it is a total scam. They "trick" you into thinking you can manage your stay through technology, but the app doesn't actually allow you to book anything. We were unable to reserve a single table at any of the specialty restaurants for the duration of our stay. Final Verdict: This resort is a massive disappointment. Between the inedible food and the broken reservation system, it felt less like a vacation and more like a test of patience. Save your money and book somewhere that actually values its guests.

Riley Vanderhoof

Just returned from a week here. For reference we have stayed at multiple all inclusives before and even a Royalton property in Punta Cana. This resort seriously needs a management change . Check in was a nightmare . 3 hours! They couldn’t get our reservation figured out . We had DC and Hideway and that seemed to be confusing to them? Diamond Club? - don’t bother - our butler couldn’t do a thing for a us . 6 nights and was only able to secure 1 dinner reservation? Dinner reservations were a joke.. use the app.. but the app was not working half the time. You can NOT walk up and get dinner. Restaurants were half full and you could walk up and have seating.. but they said online reservations only! Beyond frustrating! Bars generally had 1 person working and never had top shelf Liquor - always would say , we just ran out. Beautiful property and the food was good, and servers were good. Management and how they run Diamond Club - horrible! If I had a dime for every time we heard “sorry family” ..

Rafael Hernandez

Royalton Riviera Cancun – Autograph Collection (Honest Review) I want to start by saying this review comes from a real stay during a very busy period (Jan 23–28), not from unrealistic expectations. There are some very strong positives here, but also some important things future guests should know before paying extra or assuming a “Marriott Autograph” experience. Check-in experience Check-in was, unfortunately, the weakest part of the stay. It took over an hour, involved five different people to complete my reservation, and during that entire time no welcome drink was offered, which is surprising for an all-inclusive resort. We were told the hotel was 98% full and were strongly encouraged to upgrade to the Hideaway area for a quieter experience. Wanting tranquility, I accepted the upgrade at ~$180 USD extra per room for a 3-night stay. In reality, that upgrade was not worth it. As others have mentioned, the Hideaway area is also accessible to Platinum members, so it ends up crowded anyway. Given how small that area is, it loses the exclusivity that’s being sold. Paying extra simply doesn’t make sense when guests can freely move throughout the resort. That said — one big exception: The El Dorado seafood restaurant in the Hideaway area was almost always empty and absolutely outstanding. The food was excellent, and the staff there made every visit feel special. If there’s one thing to truly highlight from the Hideaway experience, it’s El Dorado — genuinely delicious and well executed. Rooms The hotel has just reopened after a remodel, but honestly, the rooms still feel outdated. Our second room had no proper air conditioning. The first maintenance visit didn’t fix anything at all. After a second call, maintenance arrived immediately and resolved the issue — so responsiveness improved, but it shouldn’t take two calls for something that basic. The mini-fridge was also broken, which is frustrating at an all-inclusive. Room service was included and was just okay — not bad, not memorable. The photos you see online accurately represent the rooms, so expectations should be set accordingly. Restaurants & Food Food overall was a strong point. • The main buffet under the lobby was very good, with solid variety and surprisingly good quality. • Breakfast stood out — I was honestly surprised (in a good way) to see “fry”-style items available in the morning. • Service across restaurants was consistently excellent, and this is where the resort truly shines. Staff & Service (the real highlight) If there’s one thing to rescue and praise from my experience, it’s the people. Employees were eager, kind, attentive, and genuinely wanted to make your day better. From servers to activity leaders, you could feel the effort. The resort would benefit greatly from better training and structure, because the willingness to work and serve is already there. Spa The spa experience was almost perfect — excellent service, relaxing atmosphere — I’d say 90–95%… except they forgot about me at one point and left me waiting, which was awkward. Still, once things resumed, the service quality was high. Activities Activities were very well done. Even my 70-year-old mom participated in pool aerobics, and beach bocce ball was a lot of fun. The activities team deserves credit for being engaging without being pushy. Marriott / Autograph Collection expectations This is important: aside from the name, there is no real Marriott experience here. Even as a Marriott member, benefits were essentially nonexistent. If you’re choosing this resort expecting Marriott-level recognition or perks because it’s part of the Autograph Collection, you’ll likely be disappointed. The branding is there — the experience is not. Final thoughts Royalton Riviera Cancun has great food, amazing staff, fun activities, and moments where it truly shines. However, paying extra for upgrades like Hideaway makes little sense, as guests move freely throughout the resort. With better training, clearer boundaries, and more consistent operations, this could be a much stronger experience.