Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa

Visiting the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa was my first visit. My bride Shakera chose to get married there so I went to do hair and makeup for her and her wedding party. I have been to Cancun several times but not to this resort.

Upon arrival I was very impressed with the overall look and feel of the resort…it’s really nice. The bellman and front desk staff were extremely friendly and made checking in a breeze. Since rooms were not ready until 3pm, my cousin and I went to the main bar for a quick drink and then went to the buffet to eat while we waited.

I loved how they had wristbands for room keys which made it easier to get in and out of the room without the need to fumble around in your wallet or in my bra for a traditional key card. The views from the main lobby area were breathtaking and the breeze was amazing.

I must say that the property was very nice and both my cousin and I had a good time but there were definitely things that the resort could work on to make guest experiences a lot better.

Who’s Sleepy?

Our room was nice (room 8314). Upon arrival, the room smelled very clean, as if they had really scrubbed the floors and the room with bleach products, so which made us feel at ease. The beds weren’t uncomfortable, but I did notice that there was no mattress cover on the mattress…there was simply a flat sheet covering it.

The shower had three shower heads which had GREAT water pressure, and a seating area that was very spacious. I loved the double sink and mirror option and the option to take a bath if needed.

I wasn’t too crazy about the view from our patio because half of it faced a warehouse building, and the other looked like a scene from Jurassic Park but hey. I wasn’t going to be in the room much anyway!

Unfortunately, upon leaving the resort, both my cousin and I suffered from bed bug bites which we initially thought were mosquito bites until further research was done…not cool at all!

Who’s Hungry?

The food was mediocre. Since we went during the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were required in the lobby and central areas, and there were hand sanitizing stations in all restaurants, which was great. The buffet had many options for everyone, but the food was just “ok.” I feel like if I didn’t get anything freshly made (omelet, salmon, steak), then the food quality was not good. The salt and pepper shakers on our tables had too much moisture in them, so that the salt wouldn’t come out. When going to the Caribbean restaurant, the jerk chicken was dry and didn’t taste like I had in Jamaica.

All of their restaurants seemed to lack air conditioning. When asked, one of the waiters in the Caribbean restaurant said that it was because they kept the doors open. That could be true for that restaurant but not all of them. I mean, there was not one fully air-conditioned restaurant. This made it a bit uncomfortable to eat (especially since it was August) unless you sat near a doorway with a breeze. There were many restaurants to choose from, which was great. We just had to check to see what times they would be open because many of them closed down at different times. My favorite restaurant was the hibachi restaurant. The chef was funny and friendly, and the food was delicious!

Room service was an option but was not 24 hours. I found that the salmon was better with room service than in the buffet restaurant.

Let’s Party!

My cousin and I went to Royalton Riviera Cancun to mainly focus on relaxing. It was our first trip since the shutdown with the pandemic in 2020 and didn’t want to overdo it. There was live entertainment by the pool area throughout the day and evenings. This resort, like other resorts I’ve been too also, had water aerobic classes that you could take as well as volleyball and other pool activities.

The beach was beautiful and not overly crowded but the pool areas were. The pools were nice and cool but you do have to get there pretty early to catch a spot in shaded areas. The wait staff did come around to take drink orders and were very nice however, they didn’t speak much English so that barrier was a bit challenging when trying to convey what we wanted to drink or eat.

Who’s Thirsty?

I can honestly say that the first drink I had (at the main bar) was the best drink I had in the entire five days I was there. That’s sad. The drinks were inconsistent and didn’t come with straws. Since we were in the middle of a pandemic, my cousin and I ended up buying stainless steel straws from the gift shop so that we wouldn’t have to put our mouths on the cups.

Since the drinks were inconsistent and tasted as if they had absolutely no alcohol in them, we started asking for “shots” on the side so we could add them to our drinks. On the last day, I sat at the bar, waiting for my airport transportation. I watched the bartender make several drinks without measuring the alcohol and was barely pouring alcohol into drinks full of ice. I remember saying to myself, “no wonder the drinks tasted inconsistent.” He’s barely pouring any alcohol or filling the bottom of the glass with alcohol and filling the rest with soda or juice.

Who’s Relaxing?

My cousin and I visited the spa while we were there for massages and hydrotherapy. This was THE BEST part of our visit! The staff was friendly, the spa was clean, and we were able to truly relax.

The hydrotherapy service was one hour long and allowed us to take part in about six different treatments. It was amazing. Afterward, we had massages, mine focusing on feet and my cousin’s chocolate massage. The therapists were nice and friendly and did a great job. I must say that it was my first time having a massage where my therapist wore gloves, but after a while, I didn’t notice.

COVID-19 Testing

Before we left, we were required to have a negative COVID test in order to return to the US. We had to make an appointment with the resort two days prior to our departure to do so. Once there, we were tested with a rapid test that took about 30 minutes in total. Everything was done digitally through a website provided by the resort. Results were printed and emailed to each person.

Eye In The Sky