We had two moms and two 14 year olds on this summer vacation at Park Royal for 8 days. We throughly enjoyed everything about Park Royal - the food was excellent, the room always clean and beautiful and the staff very helpful and courteous during our stay. The pools were very nice and always clean and the social directors always trying to get people involved in things around the pool. They seemed to be there at all hours of the afternoon and evening.
The location of this property is great - there is the large very upscale La Isla Shopping Mall with a movie theatre right across the street with lots of restaurants if you choose to wander over there. We found bowling up the street about half a mile. We thoroughly enjoyed our evenings in the Italian restaurant on property. Make sure you make your reservations early in the day. We never had a problem getting in when we wanted to eat there if we talked to them early in the day. The buffet was varied and always wonderful too and the waitstaff very helpful and nice. A small tip went a long way at each meal. The pool area had burgers, dogs, nachos and pizza available all day. We felt very welcomed. The time share people needed a firm NO but left us alone when they got this. We did get a call to come down and get information they had for us when we arrived, which seems to be a time share introduction ploy. We thoroughly enjoyed our week at Park Royal and would not hesitate to go there again. BTW, the city bus comes by every 3 minutes and is much much more economical than a cab ride ( we were charged $20 for a cab ride one mile for the 4 of us). The bus is less than a dollar and goes throughout the hotel zone!

My gf and I (both in our early 20's) stayed at Park Royal from 6/3/08 - 6/9/08. To sum up Park Royal and our vacation in one word: Wow! Park Royal met or surpassed our expectations in every way and we'll definitely stay there again. Through Orbitz, we got the room dirt cheap and, considering how much food and alcohol we consumed all day, amounted to cheaper than Motel 6 :-) The comments are mostly positive, except for one negative comment at the end.
**Staff: Very courteous and friendly. Everyone speaks English, though I was surprised to find many local tourists (from various parts of Mexico). Tip a couple dollars here and there (especially the bartenders) and they'll make sure you get more alcohol than ice. Timesharks were not a problem ... not approached for the whole trip.
**Location: Best beach we saw in the hotel zone (we walked a little bit and were not impressed with other places). I included a picture of the beach. Across from La Isla Mall, with Starbucks, McDonalds, and other American places with American prices. Swim with the Dolphins across the street (cheap through EntertainmentPlus and easier than wasting half the day at Xcaret for the same experience).
**Grounds: As other people mention, amazingly clean. Spotless! They inform you when they clean your room's exterior windows. There's always somebody trimming or sweeping or cleaning something ... seriously!
**Food: The buffet was great. Easy to eat healthy (fruits, granola, veggies,etc). At breakfast, there is an omelette chef so you can build your own creations. Lunch and dinner were similar ... chicken, beans, nachos, fish, etc. No burgers or pizza at the buffet, but they serve it by the pool in the afternoon. The Italian restaurant was EXCELLENT (must make reservations early in the day, but if you tip 5-10 bux to the hostess, she'll reserve you for the week). We ate there 3 of the 6 nights during sunset and to the sound of live music in the restaurant. This is a 4-5 course meal, so come hungry (appetizers, breads, pastas, meat, calzone, pizza, salad bar, deserts, drinks, etc). Service in both restaurants was great.
**Bars: The swim up bar was amazing and I spent a fair amount of time at it. The other bars were busy and the alcohol was fine. You're not getting Patron, but the alcohol is good and the bartenders are generous for all-inclusive. Margarita and daiquiri are on blend 24/7.
**Room: We stayed standard and are happy since we were out of the room most of the time anyway. Housekeeping was great, theft was not a problem (get the $2/night safe and you'll be fine), no maintenance issues, TV had English channels and movies. AC is great. Very happy!
**Activities: They have games night, karaoke night, dance night, etc. Not fantastic for college, drinking crowd, but fun for families. College kids can take the shuttle at 10:30ish to go drinking at the clubs downtown.
**Water: Drink it ... you'll be fine. I brought Cipro just in case, but don't worry.
**Negatives: The internet machine in the lobby claims to charge $5.00 for 30 minutes of use and only takes CC. When I got my bill from Visa, they charged $10.00 instead of $5.00. I don't know if this is Park Royal's fault since it was an internet kiosk. In any event, I disputed the charge and Chase refunded the difference. I never heard anything back so I think it's kosher.

Overall, I will be staying there again next year and hopefully in the future. Booked through Orbitz and flew Mexicana, which meant free alcohol on the flight down, the whole stay, and the return flight. And it worked out to about $143 a night, which is awesome for what you get. I attached a few pictures below.

This small, older all-inclusive is well worth the money. The grounds, public spaces and rooms are spotless. Reviewers who complain about sewage smells at this and other hotels don't get the reality - it happens in Cancun, no matter where you are. At the Park Royal there is only an occasional waft of the odor from the bathroom vents - but it is rare. The rooms are very basic, so you need to decide what you are vacationing for - the rooms or the beaches, activities, weather, etc.

This is a wonderful location for families. Spring break is not a time to go to Cancun if you are seeking rest and relaxation. I stayed here last year as well, but caught the tail end of Spring Break and it was very tough, rowdy teens were everywhere, no matter where you stayed! But if you avoid this part of the calendar, the Park Royal is great for kids and older people, even those traveling alone. The hotel is small enough you feel safe.

Staff is excellent. Maids, barmen, waiters, front desk - all are examples of the finest customer service. Although tipping is certainly not required - don't be an ugly American, these people certainly appreciate a dollar for their efforts. Plan to take a cache of singles to honor their service - it will come back to you tenfold in special ways.

The buffet restaurant is open for three meals daily. There is always something to please everyone, especially the breakfasts. Room service is now available. The Italian restaurant is reservation only - book the day of between 1200 and 1500. Dress for the Italian restaurant is resort eveningwear - no flip-flops or shorts. Definitely a must - the food is excellent, and live music most nights-harpist, violin, etc.

There are two pools - one adults only. The only complaint is the loudspeaker for the kids activities at the lower pool is annoying to those at the upper adults pool. The beach area is small and the water is rough - but that is fairly consistent at the hotels along the strip.

After reading the reviews posted here, we chose Park Royal for our Cancun vacation. We arrived on 5/30/2008, and promptly checked out on 5/31/2008. We booked the Presidential Suite, and it was a joke. It was spacious, but it smells like bleach, our shower didn't work, there was hair in the toilet, and the "private" hot tub on the balcony, was so dirty from all of the construction that I couldn't even imagine stepping into it. There was no mention of construction when I booked our stay. However, be aware that there is HEAVY construction going on at resorts on each side of the Park Royal. It sounded like someone was going to hammer right through our closet. For the money we paid for the Presidential Suite, it was disappointing to say the least. Thankfully, we were refunded (we had to fight for it) and I called bookit.com, and they hooked us up with another resort for $700.00 less, than what we paid for Park Royal. Park Royal needs to follow suite with the two resorts next to them, and shut down and do a complete remodel, or be more truthful about their resort on their website.