Brief Trip Report - II Cancun Trade

[PJMPA]

My family and I (wife and twin 14 yr old daughters) spent Christmas week (12/25-01/01) at Royal Islander in Cancun Mexico. We traded thru II and used 160 DVC points. I initiated the search I think in about July so I was surprised that they found something available. Dean, who is knowledgeable about some of the II resorts thought this was a good deal for this very busy week and he was absolutely correct - I was very impressed with The Royal Resorts in Cancun. There are five of them, 3 of which are adjacent to one another and within walking distance and you can use the amenities at all of them whenever you choose. These resorts had to be the cleanest most well maintained places I have ever seen, equal to if not exceeding DVC standards. The accomodations were spacious - We were in 1 BR which had a full size galley-type kitchen, living area with two Murphy beds that pullk out of the "entertainment center" in the living area and a separate Master BR with King size bed. There was a large dressing area with sink and counter separate from the shower & toilet, including a door to a walk-in closet. The living area and Master BR had sliders to a large balcony/deck which is 3X the size of the balcony's at OKW (probably 4X the size of other DVC resorts) with a full size round table, 4 chairs and 2 add'l chairs with oversize ottomans (all quality telescope type furniture with pads). There are several buildings which surround and face the pool area and a few that are direct ocean front that don't face the pool. All have a decent view of the beautiful blue Carribean except perhaps the first floor units. We were on the third floor which afforded an ocean view - lower may be hidden by trees, buildings, etc. The weather was great - 85-90 every day although with a pretty stiff breeze. You are assigned a personal concierge when you check in which turns out to be somebody trying to sell you some weeks at one of the resorts. It is the traditional fixed week timeshare arrangement. After a bit of a hard sell, I told Bruno that we were DVC members and would not be interested especially since we have the opportunity to trade in thru II. He mentioned that they may pull out if II next year which may have just been his comeback to my not-interested response. The food onsight was excellent although there are many great places to eat in Cancun. One negative was the temperature of the pools. They were cold to the point of of being unusable. The do not heat them and don't seem to warm even in the intense Cancun sun. I did overhear somebody saying that their concierge todl them that they planned to heat all pools by next year. Even though we have been DVC members since 1997, this was out first trade and I was very pleased with the quality. I would recommend the Resort to anybody considering Cancun as a destination. Dean, if you read this, thanks for your good advice and input. It is appreciated.

 

[kaw1106]

I will agree!! We stayed at the Royal Sands last January. Loved it!!! Pool was freezing, the ocean was warmer. The place was SPOTLESS and I loved the daily maid service.

 

[scootert]

Thanks for posting about your stay in Cancun. Great info and glad you had a good trip..

 

[Alice Sr.]

Did you visit any of the other sister hotels? If so, did you prefer one over the other as far as design and location to the beach?

Thanks,
Alice

 

[bongo59]

another awesome place close to cancun is the Mayan Palace at the riviera Maya...........it is about 30 minutes outside cancun and the place is real nice..........has a Jack Nick golf course on site. Suites are massive. And the Pool was to die for.........3 acres of pool!!!!

 

[madelyn]

My sister-in-law owns week Aug 21-28 in a 2-bedroom at the Royal Islander. Last year I used her week to trade for an OKW 1-bedroom through Interval. Maybe one of these days we'll be able to use her Royal Islander week.

 

[PJMPA]

We visited the 3 resorts that are adjacent to one another - Royal Islander, Royal Carribean and Royal Mayan. All are equally close to the beach which is to say that they are all right on the beach. The direct ocean front units are probably no more than 20 yards from the beach. The surf is loud and I imagine in those units you would really hear the wave action. The resorts do have subtle differences in decor although architecture and design in Mexico is a lot of Marble and concrete - I suppose some would say stark. For example, the floors in all the villas are marble with only 1 area rug in the living area under the coffe table. One thing I noticed that crosses international boundaries is the saving of pool chairs. Most every chair at Royal Islander was "taken" by 9AM while the Carribean, which is bigger, had more chairs available later in the morning. Lounges on the beach under the shade Palapas went quickly also. There are friendly waiters and waitresses serving drinks and food at both the pools and on the beach. The Mexican people are very warm and friendly and always willing to help.

 

[Dean]

Did you visit any of the other sister hotels? If so, did you prefer one over the other as far as design and location to the beach?

Thanks,
Alice

I've visited them all and stayed at the lowest, Club International. We did the tour at the Sands and I spent a significant amount of time just walking around the other 3. While I liked VCI, it is not worthy of a DVC trade at the current points levels. The rest are truly on par with DVC UNLESS you do a studio which is really just a hotel room. Don't believe they will be pulling out of II, just a sales lie.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Thanks Dean - one of these days I really am going to get there. It seems and I think you pointed this out, you can cash rent for cheaper than you can trade.