Great Resort

My husband and I recently stayed at Ocean Maya Royale (March 2026). It's a lovely resort, clean, staff are exceptional, we could always get chairs whether by the pools or ocean and the food was really good. They were very cognizant of my nut and gluten allergy and I still had a lot of choices when it came to food. Drinks were made well and the entertainment staff were excellent. We had a lot of fun without feeling crowded or overwhelmed. Excellent value for the price.

Fantastic Resort

We enjoyed everything about this resort! The grounds are beautifully maintained and cared for! We ended up going to 3 of the specialty restaurants which were the Italian, Mexican and Blue Moon and the food was excellent! The food and choice in the Buffet was also great! The staff are amazing throughout the resort and really enhance the experience. Had a great time walking on the beach and loved the quiet pool area! All in all it was a fantastic experience and we are already looking to go b [... read more]ack!

Another Great Visit...only one glitch

This was our 4th visit to Ocean Maya Royale, and it didn’t disappoint once we sorted out the room during check in. Last year when we left, we received a letter indicating a room upgrade if we came again within the year, which we did. When I inquired by email about what kind of upgrade we could expect and request certain locations on the property to stay, Luis indicated that "they would be happy to offer us a Privilege Junior Suite". We were surprised, but looked forward to a new experience.  [... read more]Upon arrival, I presented his email; and we were refused his offer. Additionally, the room location that was initially indicated was none of the buildings we requested. Not sure how the wires got crossed, but we were very disappointed. It did turn out well, as they did give us another building with an Oceanview upgrade and had a lovely 11 nights. It was just frustrating that a senior staff member would offer something that was not acknowledged upon our arrival.

Disappointed with all except the staff; photos aren’t realistic, and Privilege apparently doesn’t always apply

Unfortunately what I experienced is not what the photos in the ads displayed. I had a ‘large’ leak in my ‘Privelege’ room which required 2 large bath towels in the middle of the night to deal with and 2 calls to my butler as the front desk did not answer the phone. It’s not a difficult repair - I moved into a 70 year old home that required major renovations - they just need to be done properly the first time. After the 2nd text to my butler, large paint chips on the floor & ceiling, and multipl [... read more]e emptying of the dehumidifier in the room I asked to be moved - they were accommodating. I would never make comments like this without photos for proof, of the room, the commentary with my butler and the difference between the actual Privilege area versus what can be seen in advertising photos. I was also disappointed when I went to the Japanese restaurant, advertised as ‘A la Carte’ but not given the option to order from the menu - as a solo guest - or sit with a crowd of strangers and watch a show I hadn’t intended to see. I was not informed before ordering a Sapporo that there was a charge (surprising as it is a Premium beer and Privilege guests are supposed to be entitled to Premium drinks) and guests should ALWAYS be told prior to ordering if there is an extra charge, when they are not given the courtesy of seeing a menu. What was supposed to be a special trip turned out to be disappointing and a lot of false advertising. This was definitely not a 5 star hotel or I would not have been sitting on plastic chairs for my ‘special dinner’.

Mobility Issues

Food and staff were very good. Rooms were clean, bathrooms were newly renovated. The only issue was the shower tiles were a slip hazard, there were no bars to hand onto. The grounds were nicely kept. Lots of wildlife. For me personally, I have a mobility issue that I can’t walk up or stairs without hanging on to a railing. There 5 steps higher than normal to get into my ground floor room. There was no railing, so I had to have help every time I went up or down. There were steps and very st [... read more]eep ramps going to the pool area, again, no railings. Had to have help. If anyone has mobility issues, this is not the Resort to go to. We will never go back, this being the worst vacation.

Great Resort!

The grounds were well maintained. The resort is not really big so easy access to beach and pool. Dining was amazing at all the restaurants. The food was well presented and delicious. Servers and staff were beyond so friendly! Washrooms were well maintained! Check in/out process was really quick. Loved the ice cream shack and pizza shack right across the pool. Mexican restaurant across the pool had the best fish tacos. Only negatives I have was the continuous loud thumping music in the act [... read more]ivity pool we could hear from the other pool. Also for older people they should consider steps to enter second quieter pool. One ladder had 2 rungs and the other had 3 rungs. The other end of the pool had a step down but still awkward to use. I noticed a few people young and older struggling to get in and out. Overall this place is amazing and definitely would consider coming back. I strongly would recommend this place!

Amazing resort

The resort is very well maintained and very clean. The rooms are a really good size. The buffet had a great variety of foods. The quiet pool was clean , but we found it difficult to get a lounge chair. People take the chairs but we found they hardly used them. The party pool was very busy and there were lots of activities going on. the ala carte restaurants were very nice with the exception of the Italian restaurant. the bugs were bad. The beach was amazing and very little seaweed. We would d [... read more]efinitely go back.

Helpful staff

Staff is very helpful and accommodating. Food is also good. Breakfast buffet was highlight of the day. Beach was nice but we went in Seagrass season but they were doing their best to clean. There is always activities going on to make your stay more enjoyable.

Just what we needed !

Air Transat missed our arrival and didn't have a shuttle for us when we arrived. The team at the airport sorted this out in a friendly way, reassured us and found a transfer but it started off with us wondering if the resort knew we were coming. This is an older resort that has been well maintained. We do recommend and would return. Grounds are clean, beach cleaned daily, pool and food(great buffet options) is all close walking distance. Very friendly staff. Feedback for areas to improve [... read more] for hotel is communication- We were told at check in that the buffet was open everyday over our 10 nights. Then they closed it Monday, Wednesday and Friday "unexpectedly" . The worst part is we only found out Monday when we arrived to eat at buffet at 6:30pm hungry - then were told we needed to wait for an a la carte option seat, they were busy. We specifically asked why it was closed and they just said the buffet was closed "just today" and no reason given "just tonight". We ended up eating very late due to this, but willing to let it go as we thought maybe they were doing deep cleaning or an equipment failure. Then on Wednesday the same thing happened ! No notice and it is clear they planned this for some time due to low occupancy. They do not seem to have any compassion for the guests time / planning and being hungry! Furthermore, we have allergies and then limited to only one option for a la carte. We were seated at 8pm and waited a long time for food. Other guests were only seated at 9pm and had showed up at 7:30pm and probably ate at 10pm. Guests were not happy. Your servers and hostesses should be commended on how well they tried to manage things. They were put into a situation that was obviously out of their control from hotel management. Friday we planned accordingly as another guest told us it would happen again. Thankfully the guest had told us! We made sure to be at the a la carte at 5:30pm to get 6pm seating so we weren't left to eat so late like the other 2 nights. We then ordered double steak as we can only eat the small starter salad as appetizers and cant eat dessert , they gave it to us and still friendly but is embarrassing and makes you feel a pig or greedy for steak & veggies but the portions are so small, we needed food to fill us. Maybe they put something on the hotel online app and that's how other guests knew - but no one checks the app unless you are privilege. There is no need for the app as you can not reserve a la carte restaurants unless you are privilege. over 80% are regular guests staying. Please consider sushi without cream cheese - a nice shrimp , avocado etc. Lastly the locals are permitted to sell their "goods" up around the pool bar and seen daily getting beer and food and friendly with the pool towel staff. No other resorts allow this and at other places security keeps them out on the beach. Of course, this is a touchy thing to complain about as we do not want any trouble in Mexico as it seems they are more than welcome. They come at the same time daily so, maybe set them up with a vendor table or have them wear uniforms like the massage people. All that said the small resort with such friendly staff , great buffet and cafe - we would recommend and would return.

Great resort!

We travelled to this resort March 16-23. Check in with Privilege was wonderful. Our room in the Privilege room was beautiful. We had a butler who looked after all of our dinner reservations. The food was very good. We had our own private beach and restaurant which was very convenient and quiet. The resort is small compared to other properties, so great for getting from place to place. There are steps leading up to the lobby, but there is a golf cart, if needed. All the employees were wonderf [... read more]ul and helpful with any questions or concerns. The only glitch was the private transportation booked to and from the hotel and the 2 hour delay flying home. All was resolved. It was a very relaxing week.

Great Resort!

Great Staff, facilities, and overall service. Very well maintained and tidy. We were quite pleased with our entire stay. I would say that we got very good value for the quality of the resort. The sand on the beach was amazing. The lounge chair availability was very good. Patrons were all very respectable.

Great Resort!

Great Staff, facilities, and overall service. Very well maintained and tidy. We were quite pleased with our entire stay. I would say that we got very good value for the quality of the resort. The sand on the beach was amazing. The lounge chair availability was very good. Patrons were all very respectable.

Great Vacation

This was our first time at this resort, and will definitely be going back. The people and service were amazing. The food was really good with a good selection in the buffet and the a la Carte were also good. Didn't eat at the Japanese so can't comment. The beach is a bit different but still nice and you can walk quite a way in either direction (do the lagoon tour). The grounds are very well kept and everywhere is spotlessly clean. The only thing I didn't like was having to line up for the ala  [... read more]Carte restaurants, its first come first serve unless you pay extra for "Privilege", I would rather be able to book like you do at most resorts. For the Japanese you had to line up at 5:45 to book the teppanyaki for that day.

Still love it!

This was my fourth stay at the Ocean Maya Royal I continue to return for several reasons. The resort has a lovely lay out. I prefer the smaller individual buildings with about 8 rooms per building, only two floors high. The grounds are kept well maintained and you will often see workers keeping things tidy and maintained. As an adults only resort I prefer it. You can choose between the younger crowd busier activity pool or the quieter one. There is a vendor on site several days a week  [... read more]plus the gift shop which means if you want a few souvenirs you don't have to go into Playa to go shopping. Having a choice of restaurants is really nice. The buffet is great with lots of good choices. This trip the restaurant down by the pool has changed from a daily buffet to a menu focus. It make sense as there was probably a tremendous amount of waste keeping all that food out all day. This restaurant is the Mexican one and I have to say that for both lunch and dinner, different menu at dinner, the food was really good, tasty and fresh. We ate lunch there almost every day of our 10 day visit. The beach is nice at this resort, though walk a little further south on the beach towards town and you will notice what the beach actually looks like when the resorts aren't cleaning it up every day. There is still an on the beach massage business, I've gone twice two years ago and once again this past trip. The therapists are good and it's nice to have a massage on the beach. Rates are now $70 USD for a 1 hour relaxation massage and $85 for a Swedish massage, about half of what they charge at the spa at the resort. One small downside is that it now costs about $33 USD to get a cab into Playa del Carmen from the resort, one way. As a Canadian that was too expensive to just go walk down 5th Ave again. Several staff members were still there from my visit 2 years ago. A shout out to Lydia and Martin in the buffet and Mexican restaurant for being so great! Overall I'm still happy with the resort and would not hesitate to recommend it to someone looking for an adults only, smaller resort with good food.

Great resort!

This resort was great! Check in was at 3pm so we recommend bringing summer clothes while you wait if you arrive early and coming from a colder place. Check in was smooth with the staff there and drinks were provided right away! You also get help with luggage after the room is available but we just went by ourselves. Rooms were cleaned every day but you should leave the room tag outside if they aren’t cleaning it at their usual time; we had asked them to come back later every day since they c [... read more]ame around 8:30am every day while we were getting ready for the day. Linens are new every 3 days so keep that in mind but they’ll make the bed still. Mini fridge and coffee is restocked every day; they provide pop, beer and water in the fridge. Room service is available from 11am-10pm for free and after then is a charge. Bathroom supplies are restocked if you take or use them as well. Bathroom was clean but our shower had a small leak which didn’t bother us. There was a free safe to use. The bars were quick and the bartenders are all super friendly and hilarious. Shoutout to Cocktail Captain and Francisco! The pools are great, there’s one that’s chill and the other with activities and music every day. The bridge is being rebuilt but luckily we got to walk across it on our first day. The beach was decent, the ocean water was much warmer than the pools but a bit of seaweed build up on the shore and some smell but not unbearable. The ocean wasn’t super popular to swim in given the wind and yellow/red flags most days but we still went in. Just be aware that red flags may mean current conditions and life forms like jellyfish that have stung people during our time there. But the beach has a lot of options to sit, from tree huts to hammocks to being right in the sun by the walking deck (not by the shore) and under sun covers which ARE in front of the shore. Jet ski rentals were easy to book and it was super fun! There were free water activities you could book as well or extra ones but we didn’t do anything besides paid for jet skis. Lots of activities every day and there’s a schedule on their app but the entertainment/blue team also informs us as they walk around and get to know you and there’s a schedule board by the Mexican restaurant as well. The entertainment team are incredible at their jobs. Shoutout to Oswyn, Viri, Moses, and Kendall! We played a ton of beach and pool volleyball, aquafit/aqua aerobics, challenges and games, artsy activities, etc. every day! The food is pretty good! We aren’t picky people but there’s variety and restaurant options. The hibachi restaurant was the only one you had to book a reservation for and we’d recommend going around 5:30pm to stand in line before they open at 5:45pm. They’re closed Wednesdays. The other restaurants are great though, and the buffet has different food themed nights throughout the week but pretty standard during breakfast and lunch. There’s also Mike’s Cafe which is open most of the time with great cafe/snack options which was nice for our early excursion day and our last day getting ready for our check out and chiller nights/days. There’s also an ice cream place right by the pools open every day. The nightlife didn’t really exist in terms of partying as the crowd wasn’t as young as we were for the first few days. Highly recommend making some friends there and inviting them to night events which we ended up doing which made it a bit better. They also have pool/8 ball, ping pong and air hockey available to play. There’s 2 resorts close to ours on both sides and both have access to our shoreline and deck and have kids/families so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a full on adults only. They don’t really access the resort itself or anything though. The resort itself is on the small-mid size resort but we loved it because we didn’t have to walk too far to reach food and bar options and our room. Overall, we loved it.

Super fun resort?

This resort was super clean, modern, and the staff were super friendly and helpful! Food was amazing at the buffet but the a la cartes had long wait times. Its more quiet during the day, not super crowded and rowdy and felt really safe.

We will be back+

We had an amazing vacation at the Ocean Maya Royal. The resort was beautiful, the staff went above and beyond to keep us happy. The food was top notch....the alacarte restaurants were beyond amazing. The only negative thing I have to say is regarding the lack of shade available around the pools. Some of us enjoy the heat and the pools but cannot take too much sun. We had to be at the pool by 7:30 to get a chair with an umbrella. Yes, there were a few umbrellas at chairs but most of them  [... read more]were reserved for people who never showed up. They built a couple of palopas (sp)? By the bar towards the end of the week. A great idea, but not an area that could be used long term to relax out of the sun. Perhaps erecting a large gazebo with comfy chairs and tables would provide some "out of the sun respite " for us shade lovers. Even in the pool the only place to get out of the sun was under the bridge....not a big area at all. Besides this concern, the resort is top level. We will definitely be back!

Very nice resort!!

This resort is excellent as an adult get away. The grounds and the rooms are very well taken care of. This is the first resort (out of 10 trips up to date), that we don't need reservations at restaurants and are able to have à la carte restaurants every night if we wanted, except for the Japanese one. You can only reserve the same night at 5:30pm for your meal between 6:30 and 10pm (no big thing). The Hacienda (buffet) has a different theme every day, which is also very nice. El Charro re [... read more]staurant on the quiet pool side has excellent burgers, fries and salad at lunch time. The nightly shows are half different from other resorts we have been to. Tourists actually participate in great numbers to pool activities and beach volleyball. It would be nice to have more shade around the regular pool. The beach is cleaned daily when weeds show up. Barman does come on the beach if you want anything.

Awesome Resort

We had a fantastic week at Ocean Maya Royale. Clean resort, great staff, good food although the buffet needs a bit improvement. Al a cartes were great. The entertainment team MAKES THIS RESORT! Jules, Kendall, Autero and Adela are absolutely amazing. They work hard long hours and always with a smile & high energy. Would definitely go back.

Great resort

I really enjoyed this resort for all it had to offer. It was visually beautiful, the staff were very friendly and was a smaller resort which I prefer. A big thank you to Melanie from Tripcentral for recommending this place and I can see a future booking happening!