Venue Guide
Your Wedding at
El Dorado Royale
Riviera Maya
An adults-only all-inclusive spa resort on the Riviera Maya coast, with beachfront gazebos, garden terraces, a chapel, a Mayan cenote two minutes away and a ballroom that seats 800.
Check your dateWhat couples ask first
5 figures, each with the caveat that comes with it.
- 1.1Outside photographers
- USD 800.Outside photographers and videographers are permitted only with prior approval from the hotel.
- 1.2Capacity
- Up to 300 for a beach ceremony at the White Beach Gazebo and up to 800 seated in the Grand Ballroom.
- 1.3Wedding packages
- USD 1,399 to 9,999 standard; South Asian from USD 26,999.Published rate. Confirm with the venue.
- 1.4Best months
- November, February, March and April are the dry season sweet spot, and late November through April is also the lower risk window for sargassum on the beach.
- 1.5Airport transfer
- Cancun International is roughly 21 miles up the coast highway, with Puerto Morelos just to the north and Playa del Carmen to the south.
What couples choose it for
- 2.1
There are nineteen named wedding spaces on the resort's own wedding list, from a sixteen-guest tepee on the sand to a ballroom that seats 800, so the property scales up or down without a change of venue.
- 2.2
Four separate beach gazebos mean the beach ceremony is not one fixed spot: the White Beach Gazebo takes 300, Beach Gazebo 55 takes 150, and Bellinis and Fuentes each take 100.
- 2.3
Very large guest lists are genuinely accommodated here.
- 2.4
Couples can hold the ceremony in an authentic Mayan cenote two minutes from the resort, with complimentary shuttle transport arranged by the property.
- 2.5
It is adults-only, so the wedding week runs without children around the pools and restaurants, and families who want a kids-welcome option can look at the neighbouring Generations Riviera Maya.
- 2.6
Multi-day South Asian weddings are catered for with a published South Asian package, and a luxury planner lists a real wedding held here in its own gallery.
Where you would actually get married
Ceremony
3.1White Beach Gazebo200 seated
300 for a ceremony or canapes and 200 seated for dinner, on an oceanfront concrete floor, with live music or a DJ until 11:00 pm.
3.2Beach Gazebo 55
A contemporary beachfront gazebo with a wooden deck in a quieter stretch of sand.
3.3Fuentes Beach Gazebo72 seated
100 for the ceremony, 80 for canapes and 72 seated for dinner, with a live band or DJ until 11:00 pm.
3.4Bellinis Beach Gazebo
A second beachfront gazebo for 100 at the ceremony and 100 for canapes.
3.5Chapel
An enclosed chapel seating 40, with a long aisle, for couples who want a formal or religious ceremony indoors rather than on sand.
3.6Chapel Terrace Gazebo56 seated
20 for an intimate ceremony, then 80 for canapes or 56 seated for dinner, with music until 11:00 pm.
3.7Frida Garden Terrace
A tropical garden terrace holding 100 for a ceremony and 150 for canapes, for couples who want greenery in frame instead of sand.
3.8Enchanted Orchid Garden
A small garden setting for 40, sized for an elopement or an immediate-family ceremony, with music until 10:00 pm.
3.9Jungle Rock80 seated
A ceremony-only site set in natural jungle and reserved for weddings, capped at 80 guests.
3.10Cenote Bonanza
A ceremony in an authentic Mayan cenote two minutes from the hotel, with complimentary shuttle transport.
3.11Casitas Tepee
A tepee on the sand for a private ceremony of 16, suited to a bohemian look.
3.12Mexican Kiosk Plaza48 seated
An open-air terrace with a Mexican accent, holding 70 for a ceremony or canapes and 48 seated for dinner, with music until 11:00 pm.
Reception
3.13Grand Ballroom800 seated
800 seated for dinner, 1,000 for canapes and a 1,200-person theatre set-up, with a live band or DJ and the latest music curfew on the property.
3.14Salon Royale
An indoor salon seating 120 for a plated dinner and holding 300 for canapes, fully controllable for heavy decor and lighting.
3.15Grand Ballroom Garden
A garden set-up for canapes for 300 with thirty high-top tables, the natural cocktail hour beside the ballroom.
3.16Tucanes Bar80 seated
A bar setting for 80 seated or 100 for canapes, suited to a welcome party or a rehearsal dinner.
3.17Fuentes Beach Gazebo
Seated dinner for 72 on the beach with nine rounds of eight, and a band or DJ until 11:00 pm.
3.18Cocotal Restaurant
An air-conditioned restaurant for a plated dinner of 40, for intimate and semi-private receptions.
3.19La Glorieta24 seated
A garden spot with a Mexican twist, holding 70 for canapes and 24 seated for dinner.
3.20Health Bar
A small space for 40, either seated for dinner or standing for canapes, with music until 11:00 pm.
When another venue fits better
Every point is drawn from the venue's own published terms and documented weddings. None of it makes this a bad venue.
- You are bringing your own photographer.An outside photographer needs prior approval from the hotel and has to file work and tax documentation, then either take a three night stay on property or pay a USD 800 charge in place of it.
- You are bringing a second shooter or a separate video team.That charge is assessed per vendor, so a second shooter or a separate video team multiplies it, and it sits on top of the photography fee itself.
- You want the package price to be the price.Every wedding space is marked venue fee required, and the operator states plainly that decoration and services are not included and carry an extra charge, so the package price is a floor rather than a total.
- You want the party outdoors and late.Music curfews are early outdoors. Most beach and garden spaces stop at 10:00 or 11:00 pm, and only the Grand Ballroom runs to 1:00 am, so a late reception needs to move indoors.
- Your guest list includes children.The resort is adults-only, which rules it out for couples whose guest list includes children.
- You chose this property for the cenote or the tepee in the photographs.Three of the most photogenic ceremony sites are not standard inclusions: Cenote Bonanza and Jungle Rock both carry an additional cost, and the Casitas Tepee carries a USD 99 location fee.
The honest considerations
- An outside photographer needs prior hotel approval and work/tax paperwork, plus a three night stay on property or a USD 800 charge instead.
- That USD 800 charge is per vendor, so a second shooter or video team multiplies it, on top of the photography fee.
- Every wedding space is marked venue fee required, and decoration and services cost extra, so the package price is a floor, not a total.
- Most beach and garden spaces stop at 10 or 11pm; only the Grand Ballroom runs to 1am.
- The resort is adults only, which rules it out for couples whose guest list includes children.
- Cenote Bonanza and Jungle Rock carry an added cost, and Casitas Tepee carries a USD 99 fee.
Arrival, and where you get ready
- 6.1Fly into
- Cancun International (CUN).
- 6.2Then drive
- The resort is roughly 21 miles down the coast highway from Cancun International. No drive time is published, so ask the resort for its own estimate for your arrival day.
- 6.3Arriving at
- The Riviera Maya coast, with Puerto Morelos just to the north and Playa del Carmen to the south.
- 6.4Tell guests
- El Dorado Royale sits adjacent to El Dorado Casitas Royale and Generations Riviera Maya, which are separate properties. Put the exact property name on every guest booking.
- 6.5At the airport
- Ignore anyone offering a ride between the arrivals door and the curb, however official they look. Only pre-arranged and federally authorized transport may pick up at the terminal, and the walk-up offers are where the overcharge stories come from. Ride-hailing apps work for the trip back to the airport but are unreliable for arrivals, so do not plan a pickup around one.
- 6.6Book the drive before you fly
- Reserve a private transfer in advance: the driver meets you with a name sign, at a fixed price agreed up front, and tracks your flight if it runs late. We use Private Driver Cancun, WhatsApp +52 984 132 3989, mixofcultures.com. USA Transfers and eTransfers are two long-established operators for larger guest lists.
Where you get ready
Details below are venue-published.
- Bridal floorNáay Spa, the 20,000-sq-ft spa on the El Dorado Casitas Royale side of the shared complex, which El Dorado Royale's own site says welcomes both El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casitas Royale guests. That site carries this feature list under its 'Náay Spa Casitas' section heading (the heading itself is page structure, not quoted text); oyster.com independently places the spa on the Casitas side. Massage rooms, pedicure chairs and a full hair and makeup salon, specifically designed for brides getting married at the hotel.
What to ask the wedding office
- 6.7
The outside photographer fee for our date, in writing; we've seen USD 800 quoted, confirm if current and per vendor or per day.
- 6.8
What is the venue fee for the space we want, in writing, and what does it cover? No figure is published.
- 6.9
Does the USD 800 vendor charge apply per person on our photo and video team, and does a three night stay waive it for each?
- 6.10
Which decoration and services are excluded from our quoted package, priced line by line?
- 6.11
What is the added cost for Cenote Bonanza or Jungle Rock on our date, and does the USD 99 Casitas Tepee fee sit on top of the venue fee?
How the light works at El Dorado Royale
This is the east-facing Caribbean coast, so the sun rises out of the water and sets behind the resort over the mangrove and jungle rather than over the sea. In practice that means the beach gazebos fall into open shade in the late afternoon while the sky stays bright, which is flattering light for vows and keeps guests out of a blinding sun, but it also means there is no sun-into-the-ocean frame to be had. Once the sun drops behind the tree line the light goes quickly, so portraits after the ceremony have to be efficient. A useful rule of thumb for the Riviera Maya is to start the ceremony about ninety minutes before official sunset, which leaves room for family groups and couple portraits before twilight.
The best time to start your ceremony
Arch's own rule for this coast is to begin the ceremony about 90 minutes before sunset, which leaves the vows in soft light and still keeps time for portraits afterwards. Start times are rounded down to the half hour. Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo. UTC-5 all year: the state left daylight saving in 2015. Times are town level, so they run within a couple of minutes of the property.
- 4:30 pm
- January, October, November, December
Sunset around 6:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- February, March, September
Sunset around 6:30 pm - 5:30 pm
- April, May, June, August
Sunset around 7:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- July
Sunset around 7:30 pm
Planning a wedding at El Dorado Royale?
We are based in Playa del Carmen, so there is no travel fee anywhere in Cancun or the Riviera Maya.