The Royal Cancun
The Royal Cancun All Suites Resort is a low-rise, all-villa family resort on the north shore of Cancún's Hotel Zone at Km 4.5, facing the calm water of the bay and Isla Mujeres. It was one of the four Royal Resorts properties bought by Holiday Inn Club Vacations in 2023 and now trades as The Royal Cancun by Holiday Inn Club Vacations. All 201 villas have two bedrooms, a kitchen, living and dining areas and a terrace, so parents get a door to close between themselves and the kids, and the garden layout with its water inlets feels more like a neighborhood than a tower hotel.
Things to Know
- Timeshare Property
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Every one of the 201 villas has two separate bedrooms, a kitchen, living and dining areas, Murphy beds and a private terrace, sleeping up to six, which is serious space per dollar for families
- +Sheltered north-shore beach facing Isla Mujeres, with shallow, calm water the resort itself pitches as perfect for toddlers
- +Low-rise buildings set in gardens with water inlets feel like a small village rather than one of the Hotel Zone's glass towers
- +Real choice of plan: all-inclusive, bed and breakfast or room only, and the kitchen makes the cheaper plans genuinely workable
- +Staff warmth is the thing repeat guests mention most, with people remembering families by name years apart
- +La Palapa on the beach, with views across the bay to Isla Mujeres, is a long-running local favorite for seafood and runs a different theme night every evening
- +Supervised kids club, children's playground, tennis and basketball courts and kayaks keep a family busy without leaving the property
Cons
- −Interiors look their age: the layouts are great but furnishings and fixtures have not kept pace with newer Cancún builds
- −Only two full restaurants (La Palapa and The Italian Trattoria), so a full week on the all-inclusive plan gets repetitive; Bartolo's Pizza is in-room delivery with an extra charge
- −Rooms near Kukulcán Boulevard pick up traffic noise, so light sleepers should ask for the garden or beach side
- −It is a vacation-club resort, now Holiday Inn Club Vacations, so members and renters are priced differently and you may get a sales pitch
- −Km 4.5 sits at the downtown end of the Hotel Zone, a taxi ride from the bars and restaurants around the convention center
- −Massage services rather than a full spa, and no water slides or buzzy pool party for those who want one
- −Two pools for a family resort means the swim-up pool gets busy in school holidays
The beach is the headline for families: sheltered, shallow and gentle enough that the resort sells it as perfect for toddlers. Dining is small. La Palapa does seafood, Mexican and international dishes on the beach with a nightly theme (shrimp on Monday, prime rib on Sunday), The Italian Trattoria handles dinners, and there is a sports bar, beach and pool bars and room service, with Bartolo's Pizza delivered to your room for an extra charge. That is why the kitchen matters: a grocery run plus a couple of dinners out can beat the all-inclusive plan, and the resort sells room-only and bed-and-breakfast rates too. There are two pools, one with a swim-up bar, plus a kids club, tennis and kayaks, but the suites themselves are dated and boulevard-side rooms hear the traffic.
It is built for families with young children, multi-generational groups and anyone who would rather have space and a quiet beach than a party pool. Compared with its sister The Royal Sands down the boulevard, it is smaller and quieter, with fewer restaurants. The downtown end of the Hotel Zone puts you close to the city and the Isla Mujeres ferries but a taxi ride from the convention-center strip.
Common Questions
Is The Royal Cancun all-inclusive, or can you stay without the plan?
How big are the suites?
Is the beach safe for young children?
Is this a timeshare?
How does it compare to The Royal Sands?
Restaurants (2)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Italian | The Italian Trattoria |
| Seafood | La Palapa |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
13 min drive · 5.4 mi
13 min drive · 5.4 mi
Playa Delfines25 min drive · 11 mi
Playa Tortugas7 min drive · 2.8 mi
20 min drive · 7.4 mi
Museo Maya de Cancún20 min drive · 8.8 mi
More things to do (24)
- Catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres · excursion7 min drive · 2.8 mi
- Downtown Cancún (Parque Las Palapas) · town10 min drive · 4.2 mi
- Xoxi Cancún · adventure park30 min drive · 15 mi
- Whale shark swim (June to September) · excursion13 min drive · 5.4 mi
- Playa Las Perlas · beach4 min drive · 1.4 mi
- Garrafón Park day trip (Isla Mujeres) · excursion5 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Croco Cun Zoo · wildlife40 min drive · 23 mi
- Playa Caracol · beach9 min drive · 4.2 mi
- Riviera Cancún Golf · golf35 min drive · 15 mi
- Puerto Cancún Golf Course · golf8 min drive · 3.3 mi
- Playa Ballenas · beach20 min drive · 7.7 mi
- Iberostar Cancún Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 9.9 mi
- Playa Coral · beach30 min drive · 15 mi
- Puerto Morelos reef snorkel trip · excursion45 min drive · 26 mi
- Torre Escénica de Cancún · viewpoint8 min walk · 0.4 mi
- Playa Langosta · beach5 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Marina Puerto Cancún · marina6 min drive · 2.2 mi
- Playa Gaviota Azul · beach10 min drive · 4.5 mi
- Ka'Yok' Planetarium · museum11 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Parque Kabah · nature13 min drive · 5.2 mi
- Playa Chac Mool · beach13 min drive · 5.8 mi
- Playa El Niño · beach15 min drive · 6.0 mi
- Yamil Lu'um · ruins20 min drive · 6.4 mi
- Playa San Miguelito · beach20 min drive · 7.3 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Cancun gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 3,767 reviews
“The room was very spacious and clean. The room service was very fast. I felt very safe at the resort with my family and we even went for a little walk outside the resort to see the Christmas lights. The view of the ocean while eating at La Palapa was...”
“Still at the resort but OMG I love it here. For an all inclusive resort the food is top notch. Rooms are so clean and nice and comfy so much space for our fam of 5. Such a cozy environment with calm beaches which makes a great environment for snorkel...”
