The Palapa at the Royal Mayan is one of our favorite spots for happy hour


Of course, happy hour on the beach is great too

Office: (239) 776-7629 | Cell: (724) 493-3149 | Eklein1088@aol.com

Restaurants | Sight Seeing | Entertainment | Golf

Restaurants

On-Site:

  • El Conquistador located in the Royal Mayan.  Intimate setting, specializing in seafood & steaks, including tableside cooking.  Live guitar music by Duran.
  • Hacienda Sisal located next to the Royal Sands.  Mexican cuisine, seafood & steak, followed by live music & dancing.
  • Captain’s Cove located across the street from the Royal Mayan.  Great for sunsets.  Waterfront dining for seafood & steaks.  Go next door to Poncho Willies for live music & dancing.
  • La Veranda located in the Royal Sands.  I suggest terrace seating for lunch.  Specializing in pasta, seafood & steaks.  Friday is the Italian buffet.
  • La Palapa located in the Royal Mayan for breakfast, lunch & dinner.  Casual dining with a tropical accent.
  • Tradewinds located in the Royal Caribbean.  Wednesday is the Italian buffet.

 

Off-Site:

  • Puerto Madero Steak House & Fish Marina  An Argentinean restaurant located across the street between the Royal Sands & Mayan resort.  Features a wide variety of seafood dishes and grilled Argentinean-style prime quality cuts.  This is one of our favorites and a must.
  • Thai Restaurant located in the back of La Isla shopping village.  Specializing in authentic Thai food served by Asian waiters in your own Teki hut.  Each hut is surrounded by dense foliage or you can request a hut on the lagoon.  Get there early to have a Martini in the very comfortable lounge.  You will never experience anything like this in your city.  This is one of our favorites and a must.
  • Cenacolo Italian restaurant located in the Kukulcan Plaza.  Excellent food in a romatic ambiance with live piano music and candlelight.  Watch pasta being made the Italian way.  The service is a little slow but This is one of our favorites.
  • La Destileria restaurant located across the street from the Kukulcan Plaza.  Specializes in authentic regional Mexican dishes in a friendly atmosphere.  Visit the Tequila Museum.
  • Cambalache Argentinean Steak House located in the Forum.  The charcoal grill makes the difference.  I suggest going with 6 or more people.  Call ahead to order a side of pork, a side of lamb and some beef for ½ the number of people in your group.
  • Locanda Paolo’s Italian restaurant located in downtown Cancun.  Specializing in unique Mexican Italian dishes. 
  • Casa Rolandi Italian restaurant located in Plaza Caracol.  Opened in 1981 specializing in pastas, seafood and specialties from the Lake District of northern Italy.  For one of the best pizzerias in Cancun, go to Casa Rolandi Pizza located down town for wood burning oven pizza and inexpensive Italian dishes.  Many locals go there.
  • Crab House is located across the street between the Royal Sands & Mayan resort.  Fresh seafood and steaks and good views of the sunset.
  • JW Marriott located between the Royal Sands & Mayan resort.  Wednesday is the lobster and prime rib buffet.
  • La Habichuela (Stringbean) located in the heart of Cancun and has been a favorite among its locals since 1977.  We have not gone there in years; but if you go, you must request a table in the garden.
  • LaMadona Grill located in the La Isla shopping village.  Specializing in traditional Italian dishes.  A bit pricey in my opinion.
  • Ruth’s Chris Steak House located in the Kukulcan Plaza.  I prefer Puerto Madero or Cambalache’s Argentinean restaurant.
  • Mikado located in the Marriott Hotel.  Featuring a combination of Thai, Japanese and other Asian specialties cooked in front of you.  Ideal for group seating.  There is also a Sushi bar.
  • La Parrilla located downtown Cancun.  Mexican cuisine, casual atmosphere and mariachis.  Tacos, grilled steak and seafood are specialties.  A favorite of locals

 

Sight Seeing

 
Miles

Cozumel

41
Merida
174
Tulum
75
Coba
90
Xelha
72
Akumal
60
Chichen Itza
133
Isla Mujeres
15
Xcaret
42
Playa Del Carmen
41
Puerto Morelos
22
  • Chichen Itza is approximately a two hour drive from Cancun.  It is very accessible by tourists.  The 25 meter-high pyramid towers above the other buildings.
  • Coba Trails through the jungle lead to an ancient city.  Tree roots & vines engulf the walls of crumbling temples and palaces.  A lone pyramid towers above the forest.
  • Puerto Morelos  An offshore reef was declared a National Park which protects its beaches.  You can get a car ferry to Cozumel.
  • Xcaret is a privately owned eco-archaeological natural park south of Tulum.  It features underground rivers, swim with the dolphins and enjoy the evening show.
  • Xel-Ha is a huge caleta or inlet of lagoons and cenotes surrounded by mangroves and jungle that is hailed by locals as the world’s largest natural aquarium.
  • Merida (or the white city) is an old colonial city whose churches, civic buildings and mansions date back to the 16th century.  The city was founded in 1542.  Avid shoppers will love the State Craft center and the city’s boutiques, stores and markets.
  • Playa Del Carmen is a rapidly growing area known as the Riviera Maya.  Playa’s pedestrian walkway is lined with shops, boutiques and restaurants. 
  • Tulum is one of the most famous landmarks in the Mayan world.  This walled city is located on the coast and dates from 900 – 1521 AD.  The Castle is built on a tall cliff facing the sea.
  • Cozumel is an island with a variety of restaurants, hotels and shopping.  It’s reef is known by divers as one of the best in the world.  There is a ferry that leaves several times daily.
  • Contoy Accessible by boat, this tiny uninhabited island is home to a variety of seabirds including pelicans, cormorants, frigate birds, ibis, herons and roseate spoonbills.
  • Sian Ka’an is the largest Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo and a U.N. World Heritage Site.  You may spot some of the 350 plus species of birds.
  • Ria Lagartos is south of Tulum and home to over 50,000 flamingos.
  • Akumal has been a dive destination since the 1950s and its offshore reefs are rich in marine life.  Parrotfish, turtles and stingrays can often be spotted.
  • Isla Mujeres is a small island with a variety of restaurants and shopping.  It is popular for snorkeling and diving.  There is a speedboat that leaves several times daily.

 

Entertainment

  • Pancho & Willies located across the street from the Royal Mayan next to Captain’s Cove.  Features live music & dancing nightly.  The groups are very good.  The group Flashback is a must to see & hear.
  • Hacienda Sisal located next to the Royal Sands.  Nightly entertainment includes shows, live music and dancing in a hacienda setting.
  • Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant, bar & retail store.  Located one mile from the Royal Sands.
  • Pat O’Brien’s restaurant, bar & gift shop.  Located next to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville about one mile from the Royal Sands.
  • Carlos’N Charlie’s now located in the Forum.  The menu includes unique International & Mexican food.  B.B.Q. ribs are the specialty.  The irreverent ambience includes wacky objects hanging from the roof & walls.  The waiters induce dancing and the DJ parties all night long.
  • Hard Rock Cafe located in the Forum.  Enjoy the traditional American food while you listen to live music in this Rock & Roll museum, which includes a great memorabilia collection.
  • Senior Frogs located half way to downtown Cancun.  A landmark in Cancun.  Similar to Carlos’N Charlies.  The menu includes unique specialties.  The waiters induce dancing and the parties go all night long.
  • Pericos is located downtown Cancun.  One of the original all-time party spots.  Sit on a saddle at the bar and have a Margarita.  A few drinks later, you may find yourself in a conga line going up the street.

 

Golf

  • Hilton Cancun Golf Club
  • Pok Ta Pok,  a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design
  • Iberostar, a P.B. Dye Design located in Play del Carmen
  • Playa Mujeres Golf Club, a Greg Norman design