Comparison Between Aventura and Royal Hideaway and Conclusions

Posted by Mari on December 11, 2000 at 10:38:59:

In Reply to: Royal Hideaway Trip Report posted by Mari on December 11, 2000 at 10:37:21:

Overall Conclusions
We had a great time and we will definitely return. We enjoyed changing locations/resorts. This provided variety. We were never bored of the activities or food anywhere because we didn’t spend more than 5 days anywhere. We also enjoyed a break from the AIs in the middle of our trip at Coz. It allowed us to explore restaurants on our own, and it was definitely less expensive than going AI, despite the fact that we had plenty of seafood and we had a full lunch and dinner daily. Coz had a lot to offer and we were glad that we spent more than a day-trip there.

Weather
Honestly, our first 4 days in Mexico had awful weather: rain, clouds, a thunderstorm, wind. Then the following 5 days had some sun, some clouds, a lot of wind, choppy water. Our last 4 days had fantastic weather: sun, sun, sun, a nice breeze, CALM waters. It wasn’t too hot during the day, and it was cool at night (60’s).

Since so many travelers are interested in the all-inclusives, here is our comparison of the Aventura Palace (AP) and the Royal Hideaway (RH):

1) The food for dinner was definitely better at the RH. I think it would be hard to beat the food there. Huge variety and no buffets. The meats and seafood were of the highest quality. For example, the shrimp dish at Spices had prawns, not the smaller kind of shrimp. The tenderloin at Ventanas was definitely a quality above the tenderloin at the Hacienda in the AP.
2) The food for lunch was a little better at the RH. We give the edge to the RH because the Spices restaurant was sit-down, and the shrimp ceviche was delicious and the salads were very innovative. But we did enjoy the pasta and Mexican cook-to-order station at the AP. We also enjoyed the veal at lunch at Mundaca at the AP.
3) Breakfasts were equally good.
4) We liked the room at the AP better. While the RH room had the big bathroom, the CD player, the nicer furniture, and the robes, we thought the double jacuzzi, the hammock, the huge shower, and the partial oceanview made the AP room better. Some robes would have made the AP room even better. The AP mini-bar also had beers, while the RH didn’t. At the RH you could get room service, which the AP didn’t have, but I only called room service for the continental breakfast. I guess you could call for wine or beer too.
5) Beach for Watersports and playing in the water – No contest! RH was 100 times better.
6) Beach for snorkeling – AP had some snorkeling, and also within walking distance the Puerto Aventuras beach had some snorkeling. No snorkeling at the RH or nearby, but you can always take a snorkeling boat trip that will leave from the beach between the Allegro and the RH or you can go the short distance to the ferry and take it across to Cozumel and snorkel there.
7) Beach for lounging – AP takes this one! There were always plenty of loungers, palapas, little table to put your drinks and books.
8) Pools – Tough one to call! We loved the relaxation pools/jacuzzis at the RH!, but the AP had a humongous pool, with some shallow areas, where you could put your lounger inside the pool. The AP pool also had a huge swim-up bar. The RH had very little shade and the AP pool had plenty of palapas. For privacy with your honey and warm-water jacuzzis, the RH takes it; for lounging and hanging out, the AP takes it.
9) Music around the property – the music playing at the AP was annoying. They had these rocks throughout the property that played music constantly, and it played 4 albums: Vicente Fernandez (great), Luis Miguel (great), Enya (great) and Shania Twain (what the hell?). At both places the music was repetitive, but at least the music at the RH was better.
10) Day Activities – The day activities at the AP were better. They had more organized stuff to do, and the lounging areas in the main building were nice. If the weather wasn’t nice or if you didn’t feel like hanging out outside you could go and converse and drink around the courtyard. My husband also enjoyed the foosball tables (he’s really like a big little kid ). The free Palace tours were great, and they saved us the money of renting a car, paying for gas, guides, entrance fees, and in the case of Coba, it even included lunch.
11) Night Entertainment – By default the night entertainment at the AP was better.
12) Clientele – The clientele at the RH was definitely more upscale than at the AP. About half of the guests at the RH were Italian. However, some of the clientele at the RH was of the most annoying type (you know – the kind that even on vacation in Mexico cannot stop talking about their stocks!). The Clientele at the AP was mostly North American, with some guests from Spain, Italy, France and other Western European nations.
13) Service – This one I would have never guessed before this trip. The service at the AP was better than at the RH. In fact, I thought the service at the AP was truly excellent. The amount of staff at the AP is what probably made the difference. They were also soooo friendly. I had heard that at the RH was supposed to be exceptional and this really was not the case. The service was good, probably much better than other all-inclusives, but far from stellar. I was actually a little shocked when we arrived at the RH that the staff did not rush out to help us with our bags. At the AP there were 2 taxis and 1 suburban arriving at the same time, and a bellboy rushed to help us with our bags.
14) Tipping – We tipped the maids everyday (except the last day – we didn’t have anything smaller than a $20 dollar – make sure you bring enough singles). We tipped the tour and snorkeling guides. We tipped at sit-down restaurants and to servers whenever we felt that we had received great service. We spent about $60-70 during the days at the AIs (not including the tipping at Coz, cause we were not going AI there). We tipped a lot more at the AP than at RH because the service there was better.
15) Overall Ambiance – We really enjoyed the Mexican Hacienda look at the AP. The look at the RH was definitely upscale, the restaurants were extremely elegant, but it had less of a personality. We didn’t feel that we were in Mexico, we felt we could have been anywhere in the Caribbean. I think the RH is trying too hard to be an upscale resort and this is what makes it lose some personality. For example, all the female staff (the concierges, the front desk, the hostesses) wore khaki skirt suits. Not exactly a Mexican/tropical look. The hostesses at the AP wore dresses that could have been worn by the staff at a Mexican Hacienda. The dishes at the Hacienda restaurant at the AP were a complete Talavera set, and the barware was the blue-rimmed Guadalajara style glasses. We were impressed by this, and this conveyed a Mexican personality. The plates at the RH were regular white china. All the décor at the AP was very Mexican, but very stylish. The décor at the Hideaway was upscale but somewhat undescript. In fact, some of the décor in the lobby at the RH was a little tacky.
16) We would recommend both resorts to different people. We would recommend the RH for a truly mellow crowd who would not be interested in any kind of organized activities/entertainment, and whose main interests are sunning at the beach, playing watersports, eating gourmet dinners. We recommend the AP for a crowd interested in a romantic room, hanging out at the beach, bars, and in lounges, touring the ruins in the area, good service, and who want some nightlife in their resort. None of these resorts are suitable for the “party hard” crowd. We recommend that wherever you stay, to go out and visit the Mayan ruins, the cute town of Playa, Cozumel, etc. These are our personal opinions and we recognize that other travelers may have encountered different experiences.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Very objective report.... Mari 07:06:15 12/13/2000 (0)
• You climbed up all 120+ steps? tb 15:03:28 12/12/2000 (2)
• Coba was neat! Mari 12:54:07 12/12/2000 (3)
  • Very objective report.... LIZ 21:48:29 12/12/2000 (1)
• VERY THOROUGH REPORT! tb 12:30:15 12/12/2000 (4)

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