My wife and I spent a very enjoyable week at the Eldorado Resort and Spa (ER&S) in October 2003. This was our third time to visit there. We have taken other trips to Hawaii, the Pacific Coast, and other Caribbean locations over the last few years, but the ER&S provides the best overall vacation value we have found anywhere.
Our first trip to the ER&S was in 1998. We truly enjoy the ADULTS ONLY guest policy, which results in a very quiet and peaceful beach and pool area. The service and the facilities have improved significantly each time we return. The resort is continually renovating and redecorating inside and outside the rooms. We have stayed in a Jacuzzi suite at the south end of the resort each time and we have thoroughly enjoyed them. The second floor Jacuzzi rooms have the tub on the balcony and you have a nice view of the ocean and beach while in the bubbles. The ground level rooms have the Jacuzzi just inside the room next to the patio. (NOTE: DO NOT USE A FULL (small) BOTTLE OF BUBBLE BATH ALL AT ONE TIME IN THE JACUZZI! You will be lost in a small mountain of bubbles. Use the whole bottle of bubble stuff in a second floor (outdoor) Jacuzzi only!) We had no problems with the plumbing, but on this last trip we did need to exchange the TV and phone for ones that worked better. The staff have always been more than willing to help with any such facility problems.
The beach to the south of the ER&S is made of beautiful white (cool even in the hot sun) coral sand and perfectly clear blue water with gentle and low rolling surf; it’s as pretty as the nicest Caribbean postcard and perfect for swimming. This area of beach just south of the ER&S is a federal sea turtle preserve, so it should stay undeveloped in the future. The turtles are smart: over the centuries they have learned the best places to swim ashore to lay their eggs and this is one of them. While we were there, baby sea turtles were hatching at night right in front of our room and they needed human help to guide them to the sea as they became confused by the softly glowing lights along the resort beach walk.
Since our second visit, a very large resort has been built about a mile south of the ER&S at the other end of the same cove. From the ER&S, you can see the jet skis and parasail of the new resort in the distance. It's about a 20-minute walk to the new resort along the long white sandy beach, so there are very few people from either resort who visit the other. My wife and I like to walk, so we checked out the new neighboring resort thoroughly. It is very big and spread out, nothing like the small and cozy atmosphere of the ER&S.
The ER&S has added a "naturalist" side to the resort ("Hidden Beach") in the last year. That side of the resort is completely hidden from view by a very high and sturdy fence, guarded by a uniformed hotel Security person. You can't see any of the private beach or the guests, even from the ocean pier way out over the water. It really is "private". The resort buildings in the area block the view of Hidden Beach from the rest of the resort. Some previous guests wrote that they were able to see the Hidden Beach sun-worshipers from the elevated hot tub near that high fence and were offended by the view. Rest assured, it is now not possible to see any part of the Hidden Beach guests or facilities from the highest part of the hot tub Jacuzzi area on the swimming pool (clothed) side of the fence. I tried. We never saw an unclothed body for the entire week we were there. We wanted to walk along the beach at the north side of the ER&S to access a shipwreck located on the rocky beach that we have visited over the years. The security guard at the Hidden Beach fence would not let us through. He said that part of the beach is reserved for Hidden Beach guests and that no one from the ER&S side can go past the fence. We found a trail that starts north of the hotel lobby where some of the large busses park and the trail winds through the resort behind the buildings. That path took us behind the fenced in Hidden Beach complex to the open public (rocky) beach to the north side of the ER&S. According to several people at the resort, all Mexican beaches are public spaces along the water line and can't be closed to public access. The Hidden Resort apparently has some an agreement outside of normal Mexican law. We have noticed over the years that each time we visit the ER&S there are a more and more ladies who sun themselves topless near the South end of the resort beach away from the main complex. No problem with that! A short part of the sidewalk along the ocean water line right in front of the main restaurant now sports a sign that warns guests not to walk there because of hard-to-see, very slippery mossy surfaces in the area where the ocean washes over the walk at high tide. We discovered that spot years before the warning sign went up, by slipping and sliding and quickly learned to walk on the sand in that area -- no big deal. Many writers have complained about the slippery walk over the years, so the sign should stop the complaints.
We have always found the food at the resort to be average to very good, especially in the Mexican and Italian restaurants. The sign-up list for the specialty restaurants is in the hotel lobby until late in the morning. We like to sleep late and eat dinner early and we never had a problem getting our names added to the list for an early dinner. You can go to the restaurants in the afternoon and find the lists if they are not in the lobby when you get there. If there are open spots, you can sign up then. We ate our first Italian meal this last trip with no reservations at all, as we had just arrived back at the hotel from a day in Playa del Carmen (and the Mayan Palace / Grand Mayan). The food in the main restaurant was always good, but seldom excellent. One thing we did different this time was to take about $100 in US$1 bills for tipping the resort staff. We left a couple of dollars each day for the maids and tipped the waiters a few dollars each meal for their good service. The service got even better as time went by. The small tips were well received and we were cheerfully and personally greeted by name at each meal.
On this last trip (Oct 2003), the ER&S did not provide the excellent nightly entertainment and native shows in the large high roofed theatre facility as they did in past years. The larger resorts have apparently taken the spotlight for night time entertainment. The nightlife at the ER&S now consists of the two well stocked beach bars with swings, quiet strolls on the beach and starlight/moonlight on the water -- quiet and romantic.
We used a travel agent for the first visit, Funjet Tours, for the second visit and made our own reservations directly with the hotel the third visit. This last trip we had to provide our own transportation from the Cancun airport to the ER&S. We learned the going price for a van ride is about $30 US per person each way. Just outside of Mexican customs and still inside the controlled area of the airport, we were offered (by some enthusiastic people in booths) free transportation from the airport to the ER&S and back, if we would visit a new hotel under construction and take a brief 90-minute tour. We agreed. We got our free transportation to the resort. Later in the week, we took the 90-minute tour of the Mayan Palace and of the attached Grand Mayan resort. This included brunch and a long specialized sales pitch. It is a very beautiful five-star facility. We were offered a "really good deal," which was "valid only that day," typical Mexican used car salesmen tactics. After about three hours and an array of sales managers and classical sales pitches, we took the best deal they had to give (maybe). Time will tell if it was really a good deal or not. Avoid the "free" offers at the airport.
Bottom line, dollar for dollar, you will have a hard time beating the Eldorado Resort and Spa for a really great, relaxing all-inclusive vacation at a very reasonable cost.