Feeling cocky about all the other TripAdvisor reviews that helpd us have a Great vacation, maybe my expectations were set to high. Like, non-frayed electrical wires, working smoke alarms, or walls that didn't look like they just survived an earthquake. Everyone that reviewed this hotel well - did we stay at the same place?
The staff was churlish and made things up as they went. Even though our reservation said 4 people (didn't list their ages), when they saw we had one child (9), they said she wasn't entitled to the included breakfast. But hey, at least they had our room. They tried to charge us extra for it, but then changed their minds.
The A/C was like a steam engine running off the tracks and we chose to sleep stuffy than listen to (or breathe) what was coming from it. The kitchenettes are non-funcional & don't expect a coffee maker. No bathtub, but that's OK, because that's the size of their pool. The bedsheets had stains (not recent - I think/hope).
I wouldn't say it's a short walk to the neighboring beaches, unless you think a half hour walk is short - and that's to crash another hotel's beach. Don't even think about the nearest public beach (Playa Tortuga) - it's a very long walk for a very small and not clean beach.
Positives: the breakfast was OK. And we managed to leave without a disease or bedbugs.
I've stayed in better hotels that were $5/night in dodgy southeast-Asia border towns. For me in the future, whatever it costs to get a better hotel, I'll pay it, or stay home with a bucket of sand and a heat lamp. I don't mind rustic and have done cheap many times, but for only double the price, you can stay in paradise at the Hilton. Never again, this one.

My GF and I spent a week here. The rooms with a balcony are the best and well worth the $10 more per day. We were in Room 434. It has a refrigerator and little stove. The staff was very helpful. The daily free breakfast was simple and good - eggs or pancakes. Sandwiches, groceries and great Mexican food a block away around the corner. Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe, etc about a 10 minute walk. The Ferry to Isla M. is about a 15 minute walk. Wi-Fi wasn't great, but I was able to get emails. Did any web surfing at the Starbucks for free. Room cleaned every day with new towels. Overall, well worth the price.

I stayed at the Grand Royal Lagoon for 2 nights in late January 2011. I booked this hotel because I wanted a cheap place to stay in Cancun so I could make an easy pick-up for a tour to Chichen Itza. My final destination was Isla Mujeres, but it would have been too much trouble to make the Chichen Itza pick-up from there, so I decided to stay in Cancun for the first 2 nights.

The Grand Royal Lagoon is not a fancy, all-inclusive hotel resort. And that's why I booked it. I just wanted to use it as a base from which I could tour other parts of the Yucatan. But the Grand Royal Lagoon is a nice, decent, clean little hotel that offers very reasonable rates.

I booked this hotel online, and they had my reservation in their computer system, and there were no problems at check-in. My room was clean and was ready when I arrived. There is a nice swimming pool in the centre of the hotel. There is a little bar/restaurant which was nice. The staff were friendly.

From this hotel,it is a 2 minute walk up to the main boulevard in the Cancun hotel zone (Blvd. Kukulcan). From Blvd. Kukulcan, if you walk 20 minutes to the left (sorry, I never quite got my compass bearings down there!), you will come to Playa Tortugas and the ferry terminals for Isla Mujeres. To the right, it is a 10 minute walk to a shopping mall and some of the big nightclubs (Senor Frog's, etc.). Also to the right, right next to the street the hotel is on, there is a small strip plaza which has a coffee shop, a small taco/burrito stand (very good food!) and a supermarket.

I found the surrounding area to be quite safe, even late at night.

So, if you want an all-inclusive resort - the type of place where you'd never leave your hotel - then you should look somewhere else. But if you want a cheap place to stay in Cancun while you do some tours of the surrounding area (archaeological ruins, in my case), then this hotel is an excellent choice.

We arrived in Cancun after reading these reviews but not booking a hotel anywhere. We arrived and took the ADO bus from the airport to the downtown Cancun bus station. From there we walked accross the street o get the address for this hotel on the McDonalds free wi-fi. We were able to step back out the door and grab a bus to the Hotel Zone that dropped us off just a few blocks from the hotel road. This travel totaled about $7 for both of us vs the $60 taxis they were husseling at the airport! We walked down the short quetzal rd and found them booked. They sent us next door to the Imperial Laguna and we picked up a room for one night there (thank god!) and went straight backto the the Royal Lagoon. We LOVE this place! Perfect for the tourist that is "right in the middle" of adventure. We don't really want to stay in hostels anymore, but dont really need the big AI resorts either- this is a perfect fit. Think Motel 8 here- standards needs are met- just not a luxury place. The lagoon is fun to walk around by and look at the alligator everynight by the dock and count the jellyfish. The pool is just what you need to cool off-not swim laps. The breakfast is great for the extra $3! The location is great! So easy to walk to the bars (you could also hop on the bus for about .60 cents each way) and the beach. All the beaches are public property so the big hotels have to let you walk through their lobbies to get to the beach. Don't let them fool you! We also loved the grocery store just a couple blocks away to buy beer, chips, fruit, etc. In that same strip mall is a laundry area, breakfast, bread shop, sweets store, taco place and more! I love that we could access these local amenities so easy. Much better than being at the big resorts where your only options are Senior Frogs or Chilis. Come on people- eat the real Mexican tacos!
Overall- great place to stay!!!! Highly recommend. We also took the ADO bus up to Puerto Juarez to catch the ferry to Isla for only $7 a person! the same trip accross the road from this hotel is $35! The bus ride is an adventure and easy- only takes about 15 mins! : ) Have fun. See you there soon. Can't wait to get back in a few days!