Honest Ocean Maya Royale Reviews | Mexico, Riviera Maya
Located on the coast of the Riveria Maya and the cusp of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Ocean Maya Royale – Adults Only Hotel is a popular all-inclusive resort. But is it all that it seems, or should you continue your hotel search? Read on for honest Ocean Maya Royale reviews; the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Ocean Maya Royale Reviews | Content
Quick reference guide
This post provides honest Ocean Maya Royale Reviews based on my experiences and are in way sponsored by the hotel. However, there may be some affiliate links throughout this post which mean that I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.
Where is the Ocean Maya Royale Resort?
Set back from the main highway into Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, Ocean Maya Royale – Adults Only Hotel is set on a beautiful white beach. As you’re in between two major places, getting around is easy enough. Sometimes this middle-ground location goes in your favor when you’re getting hotel pick-ups for tours. Other times you will be the first one on and the last one-off.
Booking.comAccommodation at the Ocean May Royale
There are two main classes of accommodation: standard villas and privilege, which come with an additional charge. We had a standard king-size villa.
Privilege access grants you a bigger room, but most of them are in the row next to the lobby. Great for the evening entertainment but a bit of a walk to the pool or beach area. The villas, on the other hand, are scattered throughout the complex. If you prefer to be near the beach, specify the lower numbers when you book, i.e., 11, 10, etc. This area is also where you will find rooms with ocean views.
The rooms are clean, modern, and well equipped, albeit a bit basic, although you have an ironing board, hairdryer, and toiletries. You also have a minibar with some free soft drinks, water, two beers, and a safe. There is also a balcony or patio.
Tips: if you specify double when you book, you will receive a twin room with two double beds. Make sure to request a king.
Ocean Maya Royale reviews of the room:
Restaurants at the Ocean Maya Royale
There are four al a carte restaurants at the Ocean Maya Royale; two Italians, a Mexican, and a Japanese restaurant (although this wasn’t open during my visit with no prior warning). There is also a buffet restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the Mexican restaurant also serves a buffet for lunchtime.
Vegetarian Appetizer 
Bluemoon is the top restaurant
As a vegetarian, there was a good selection of food, and you can make special requests. Both Italian restaurants were excellent, with a lovely atmosphere and décor. The Mexican restaurant, however, was disappointing. Considering this is the country’s food, all we had was vegetable fajitas which were terrible – we didn’t go back.
Additionally, there was also an ice cream stall in the pool area that was sometimes open. It seemed to open as and when it wanted to, but the ice cream was good.
There is also snack food served in the sports bar after 4 pm until late if you get peckish, and there are cakes in the coffee shop. You can also order room service.
Ocean Maya Royale reviews of the food:
Pool and Beachside Facilities at the Ocean Maya Royale
There are two outdoor pools and a private beach area for you to relax around during the day. You also receive a token for a fresh towel that you can exchange every day.
If you want to be close to the action, then grab a sun lounger at the smaller pool, as this is where the music and entertainment will be. On the other hand, if you prefer a quieter, more relaxing atmosphere, then chill out on the beach or around the larger pool. Privilege members have day beds and specific spots on the private beach.
There are also some quirky features, such as the giant ‘MEXICO’ letters, a beach swing seat, and hammocks to enjoy. The beach is beautiful, and they maintain it as best they can; however, there is a lot of seaweed in the area. We usually snorkel but didn’t bother her as the sea was murky and altogether uninviting.
The area is clean and well maintained. However, when it gets busy, there are not enough sun loungers for all the guests. While the rules specify not to reserve sun loungers, everyone does, and if you don’t get one early in the morning, you will be left lounging on the sand in the afternoon.
There is also a water sports activity center that organizes excursions and tours. The jet ski and snorkeling tour was terrific fun, and I highly recommend it.
There are many other trips to choose from, such as Tulum or the Cenotes. However, we booked these outside the hotel as the deals were cheaper.
Ocean Maya Royale beach reviews & pool facilities:
Entertainment at the Ocean Maya Royale
the Ocean Maya Royale Adults Only hotel reviews for entertainment is split into two parts; daytime and evening.
Day: around the smaller pool, many fun activities vary day by day. Try your hand at making friendship bracelets or tie-dye t-shirts, or go wild at the foam party. Play a game of beach volleyball, or if you don’t want to get sandy, play it in the pool.
Ocean Maya Royale review of day entertainment:
Evening: every evening there was a different show or performance, and some of these were high quality, for example, the fire show was the best I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot!). There were also good dancers, singers, and musicians on the other evenings. However, entertainment usually starts around 9 pm and lasts for an hour, with the entertainment staff then filling in the rest of the time.
I don’t know if it was because we had terrible weather, but the lobby area is used a lot for entertainment, and it frankly isn’t geared up for it. Once the main acts finished, the evenings were boring, and the setup of the evening areas didn’t lend themselves particularly well to socialization (at least when it’s raining). Definitely head to Coco Bongo’s in Playa del Carmen one evening to add some liveliness to your night.
Ocean Maya Royale reviews of the evening entertainment:
Ocean Maya Royale Bars
There is a pool bar with a swim-up area which was good. It opens from 9 am – 6 pm and the staff are friendly and make a good selection of drinks.
The lobby bar is accessible 24/7. It has comfortable seating and is probably the best bar to socialize at (aside from the swim-up bar, of course).
The sports bar is only open from 6 pm, but it does play sports during its opening hours. It is also open until the early hours, so it makes an excellent place to drop by if you’re returning from a night in Playa del Carmen.
Note: Privilege members have the option of premium spirits across all bars.
Ocean Maya Royale review of the bars:
Other Facilities at the Ocean Maya Royale – Adults Only Hotel
There is a spa on-site, but we found the cost of this expensive ($100 + for a massage), so we didn’t visit it. You can also enjoy the fitness center, but this is also something I didn’t use, although it seemed well-equipped.
The grounds are beautiful, and you will undoubtedly be entertained by the wildlife around.
Ocean Maya Royale Adults Only Hotel Reviews in Summary
Ocean Maya Royale Reviews Overall:
Despite some of the negatives I’ve listed, we genuinely enjoyed our stay here. The friendly staff was all great, we met some wonderful people, and we weren’t disappointed with our choice of hotel. However, we’d try somewhere else next time. If the evening entertainment and resulting atmosphere improve then this could tempt us back.
We met several other people during excursions who rated their nearby hotels highly. Check the links below so you can see other resorts in the area and take an informed view of where to stay.
- Hacienda Tres Rios Resort Spa & Nature Park – All Inclusive – an eco-friendly hotel but stunning natural rivers.
- Grand Riviera Princess – All Inclusive – a great hotel closer to the centre of Playa del Carmen.
- Ocean Maya Royale – Adults Only – if you like what you see in this review, check out the latest deals.
You might also be interested in the following posts:
- Best Playa Del Carmen Excursions
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- Ultimate Maldives Packing List | Essential Items for your holiday
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I almos concur with your opinion, except that I had a terrific weather and the weed wasn’t too bad for swimming in the sea. Apart from these I would give the same grades. To me the pool entertainment was quite anoying, noisy and terrible in general.
My stay was nice but definitely I’d try a different option next time.
Thanks for sharing your experience Marcelo 🙂 I’m happy you had a nice stay. It’s interesting as I met people who visit this same hotel every year, some even had a timeshare at the Ocean Maya Royale, so it clearly ticks all the boxes for some.
I agree with the majority of your blog. We, David and Kim, are one of those people that keep coming back as privilege members. We prefer the smaller, more intimate setting, rather than the larger sister resorts to the north and south of OMR or those Ocean resorts found in Jamaica and Dominican Republic, all of which allows kids.
As noted, and you are correct, the privilege rooms are located in the tower. However, we prefer to be close to the beach and pool, therefore, we request rooms in either buildings 9,10,11 or 12. Granted the privilege rooms are slightly larger but feel so far removed from the beach area.
The Blue Moon is our favorite with a great staff and I consider it more of an international style. The Italian restaurant is also very good. The Japanese is a one and done option in my opinion but I’m inclined to try it this year to see what’s different since the remodel, which is why it was closed when you were there. I don’t eat at the buffet or Mexican because I am allergic to tomatoes and can’t eat anything on the Mexican menu except the nachos and I don’t trust people to not cross contaminate utensils in the buffet. I’m also not a fan of the privilege steakhouse because it’s just not very good, thin steaks, but I always eat breakfast there each morning.
We only book tours outside the resort and only if they pick us up and drop us off at the resort. There is a wide variety of activities to fit any ambition or adventure.
The entertainment staff are very good. Yes there are quirky games and activities pool side that are fun to watch. Obviously I don’t do many of those with exception to bracelets and tie-dyed shirts. The evening entertainment is varied depending on who comes during that week. The fire show, Micheal Jackson show and acrobatic show are our favorites. On occasion there is someone new that performs that we’ve never seen, like a singer with a troupe of dancers. Normally all the evening entertainment is outside in the plaza but due to sudden bursts of rain it’s quickly moved to the lobby, which isn’t ideal, but it’s the best they can do. I haven’t even seen the theater open since covid.
Last I knew lobby bar closes just after midnight and drinks can be gotten in the sports bar. Mike’s coffee is open about 4pm and has desserts and coffee, if so desired.
We enjoy the moderate size of the resort that allows for more intimate interaction among guest. We have met lots of great people from Europe and Canada, including you, that we have kept in touch with and enjoyed visiting with while at the resort. You don’t get that kind of interaction from the bigger resort and there are no KIDS!! This will be our 9th year in October and yes we are one of those people lol. We go back because the staff are like family to us and get hugs the moment we arrive. They remember our names even. For us the staff is what makes it special.
Aside from the weather, which can be hit or miss, plus the natural and unavoidable presence of seaweed, the beach isn’t that bad. In fact there was more sand on the beach than in years past because of the storm that hit Tulum had carried a lot of sand to the resort’s beach area. Kudos to the guys working hard everyday to clean up the beach as best as they can.
Thank you for sharing your own honest perspective on the hotel. Quite a number of people we met return every year which shows that they’re definitely doing something right. The fact that it is adults only and big enough to have lots to do while being small enough to easily meet other people was one of my favourite things too. Plus, I really enjoyed the foam party, the pool activities and staff. Thumbs up overall.
Can you email me private? Have travel questions. Not sure if Kim sent you the picture of all four of us either. I’m not on any social media. I know…. It’s sad lol.