Peace and quiet!

The hotel was nice...clean and roomy...I loved the deep , large bathtub....the food was fantastic ...and the food choices were great....the beach was beautiful with white sand ...the staff extremely friendly....couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

Amazing resort.

The best resort I have ever stayed in. It was a small intimate adults only resort, They cater to your every need. Beautiful grounds and loved the very friendly staff. Every one will go out of their way to make your stay memorable. I will defintely be back.

Beautiful Intimate Resort

When we arrived at the hotel we were very impressed by the lobby, quick check in and the calm of the resort. The hotel is kept very clean and it seemed all the staff were happy to be there and help out any way the could. The rooms are adequate and clean. We felt, despite the hotel being at full capacity, that we were the only ones there, no line ups, no fighting for chairs. Pure quiet and relaxation, just what we were looking for, and that truly was impressive. The beach and the pools were lovel [... read more]y with lots of space for all. The drinks were plentiful, and in the lobby bar they had top shelf liquor with the best pina colada ever and the Royalton coffee was superb. The food was hit and miss. Some days good, other days not so good, cold and unfortunately my husband and I both got sick...not sure from why or from what but they recommended we drink tonic water with angostura bitters to help and I did notice many other people drinking the same remedy...we did talk to people who were experiencing gastro problems and I assume, by the looks of things, that their were many others ill as well. If the the food was more consistent and of course if we did not get sick, it would have been almost perfect.

Beautiful resort -

grounds - well kept and clean restaurants - attentive wait staff - no need to rush meals staff- always there when needed to accommodate every request small resort is the way to go as well as adults only craft market and Memories Hotel all within walking distance beach is spectacular - sand as soft as silk

AMAZING VACATION!!!!

The Royalton Cayo Santa Maria is an amazing and most friendly hotel. The Staff are so nice and will do anything for you!!! from the Management, the butlers and the "beach chair" guys and waiters!!!! The pools,the grounds and beach are beautiful and clean.....

Amazing beach, but has issues.

The hotel grounds and resort itself is beautiful, the beach is amazing, soft powder sand and turquoise waters. The pools are stunning. Well kept and clean. Rooms are comfortable, nothing extravagant. Plenty of bottled water in rooms everyday, towels are plentiful. The butler service,which every guest receives, is a nice touch. Service in bars and restaurants is spotty at best. Breakfast seems to be the worst- flagging down a waiter for coffee is routine. Ordering from the menu will take time, so [... read more] stick with the buffet. Lunch - the grills by the pool and beach are your best bet. The dinner staff seemed to be more attentive. The quality of food can be an issue. Yes, it is Cuba- however, food should be properly cooked, seasoned and presented, regardless of what it is! many plates were returned by guests and much discussion. Perhaps there were chef issues. The beach bar staff is very good, bringing drinks and food right to your lounge chair, and with a smile. The lobby bar staff will pour a decent drink, just make sure you tip- may be a while otherwise until you are served.... Entertainment- this was the hi light of the trip- 1st rate talent!!! Only suggestion here- not enough places to sit for all guests to enjoy this comfortably. Overall the trip was enjoyable, but this resort certainly does not warrant the 5 star rating that they claim. Staff issues, attitude and the quality of food are areas that management need to address. Don't go for the food- Go for the beach and enjoy the surroundings.

Amazing beach, beautiful grounds!

If your looking for a quiet beautiful resort with the most amazing sand and beach the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria is the place for you! The staff is friendly and if your a return customer you will get the royal treatment. Unfortunately the food was a real disappointment, small portions no flavour in the dishes and very little in the way of variety. Two restaurants and a snack bar menu always the same. Also, very inconsistent with product that's on the menu..at every meal at least one of the items  [... read more]listed not available. Something as simple as orange juice in the morning was only available 3 of 7 mornings. They appeared short staffed at dinner we waited 45 mins one night for someone to take our food order. For such a lovely hotel it's not what you expect.

Peaceful paradise

The Royalton Cayo Santa Maria lives up to its hype. This is our 5th time to Cuba in a 5 star resort and we WILL be back. Our only regret was leaving. It is beautiful. From the pools, to the gardens, to the restaurants, to the suites/cabanas, everything is very thoughtfully laid out, ensuring a maximum of privacy and beauty at every turn. The staff are first rate. They are extremely helpful, thoughtful and take every opportunity to go above and beyond - right from the front desk, to your butler, [... read more] to the waiters and bartenders, to the cleaning staff. The beach is spectacular - I think this resort has the best strip of sand and water on the entire stretch of beach! The sand is like talcum powder. The food is terrific - and beautifully presented. We were a bit nervous having only a la carte restaurants available, but the food was very good. And we appreciated that they served Cuban food along with other international cuisine. The entertainment (in the restaurants at dinner and in the lobby evenings) was first rate. We usually never note the entertainment, but here, it was very good. There is a marketplace between this resort and one next to it where there is a spa and gym, as well as many gift shops, stores and (pay for) restaurants/bars. It was an interesting concept and one that makes a lot of sense as you got a fair bit variety. This is a quiet resort, so if you are looking to party, this is not the place for you. This is also a small resort, so if you want lots of people and places (restaurants/pools/stores, etc.), this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a little slice of paradise, put this place on your list.

One of the Best in Cuba!

The Royalton in an amazing resort with all the amenities that a person could need or want while on vacation. We found the beach delightful, the pools relaxing, the grounds well groomed, the rooms very comfortable and the staff over the top! For those that enjoy a cigar while in Cuba, this resort has ample places to light up while not bothering those that are not interested or you can head over to the Casa Habanos. We met up with some friends staying next door at Memories Paraiso Azul for coffee  [... read more]and a cigar each morning in the "La Casa del Habano" at Pueblo La Estrella, which is about a 200m walk from the lobby. This top notch operation has Miguel gladly rolling you a fresh cigar, Eddy or William guiding you thru the selection in the humidor and Luis refreshing you with a cervesa or a Cuba Libre. Air conditioned, comfortable leather chairs and friendly staff make your visit a pleasant place. We will be returning again!!!!

Amazing resort

Excellent hotel but some improvement is possible. The cook is maestro who prepares a very good food. I would say that I ate there probably the best stake ever. But when I asked for a fresh salad the response was we do not have it. No mango at all. Ok it was not a season for mangoes there but in Toronto every grocery store had it. No natural orange juice. They responded yes we have it from a factory. Hehe. And I doubt they will be able to change it because it does not depend on them but on the ow [... read more]ners of the corporation who have their profit interest. Sand beaches and the ocean are wonderful but not paradise on Earth. It looks more like desert because there is no palms on the beach. The resort is full of wonderful vegetations but beach is not. It seams to me like beach belongs to the government who does not pay attention. Beautiful palms like I saw next to the catamaran marina would make these beaches real paradise on earth and bring significantly more tourists. At the end I would recommend you to check a weather forecast. Rain is no problem. If falls it brings a rescue from sun for one hour which is welcomed. Strong wind is a problem. It brings large waves which makes swimming less pleasant. It also brings jello fish. I got bitten three times. It is not a terrible experience but is not enjoyable either. Aleksandar

Amazing resort!

I was truly surprised to find this level of quality in a Cuban resort. The food was truly amazing. There are two restaurants, no buffets, and a 24 hour snack bar. All meals are sit down with good portion sizes. Grounds are maintained impeccably, the beach is clean and the pools have a stunning view of the ocean. The staff delivered excellent service and I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing adult giveaway.

Quite resort.

Rooms are clean and comfortable. Service is great! The food menus list not exactly accurate and makes it difficult to order. What you read is not necessary what your gonna get! Overall is was a quite resort.

Awesome Resort!

Excellent resort, excellent vacation! We had an ocean view junior suite and it was perfect. Lots of room and an awesome view. We used the lower pool most of the week and we wouldn't change a thing. There is no swim up bar but Alberto or Yidel came by every 20 minutes to bring us our drinks...no swim up bar needed! The Pina Colada's (and every other drink) at the lobby bar were sooooo good and Freddie that served them was great too! There was always someone available to drive you to the other res [... read more]orts if you needed them. The spa and gym were within walking distance. We walked both ways along the beach and what's in front of the Royalton is definitely the nicest...we even saw a stingray in the water our first day there! There is no buffet but we didn't miss it at all. The food was great and we never left a meal hungry. If I had one complaint if would be the mosquitos but that's not a complaint of the resort...just bring bug spray and bite cream

Not as good as our first visit

Stayed a the Royalton October 10th to 17th 2015.Grounds and common areas were immaculate and well cared for.We had a King Suite that was maintained on the plus side but the shower had missing tiles on the floor and really needed new caulking around the whole shower area as it was in poor condition.Menu selection was good and Senses providing excellent service as did all staff at the resort.My concern would have to be limited to the flavor of the food as I did not care for the taste of the cookin [... read more]g oil.Beach was excellent

Great Resort!

They are very accommodating. Well kept grounds, pools and rooms. We had really good dinners at the Royalton restaurants. The activities could be better communicated so you know what is going on and where, then they would probably get more participation.

Amazing

This resort was the best for service and food I have been to. Everything was top notch.nice quiet relaxing . If you want shows and buffet you can visit the memories resort next door. This is an all adults resort. I would love to visit here again and have told many people about it.

Absolutely fantastic time.

I'm really picky where I stay. I couldn't have been more delighted. Lobster night. Shows were outstanding. Food excellent and above all the Butler included took care of any questions or special dietary needs. I've stayed at other royaltons. Thai is by far the best one. And the beach. Breathtaking.

Over the top resort!

The Royalton was superb! The grounds were immaculate, the rooms super clean. All amenties rate at ten out of ten. Excellent value for your money. Want to visit Cuba, then this is "the place to stay" Relaxing!

Fantatic, service,quiet, super-clean and beautiful

Stayed 3rd week of July. We had perfect weather, which is scorching hot. This is relatively small hotel (250 capacity) and you can walk anywhere on the grounds in a minute or two. The staff are friendly, articulate, and often speak (a bit of) several languages. You can do most arrangements in English if you prefer. It is common for your butler to inquire if everything is to your liking, or the chef or maitre'D to ask if the food was good. New contruction (2010) and it shows: the AC, fixtures, p [... read more]lumbing, electricity, are all top notch. Everything is spotlessly clean and dry, including the poolside toilets. If I have any minor complaint, it's with the other guests doing dumb stuff like reserving three Cabanas, and only using 1. Finding shade can be difficult and the Cabanas are 80% reserved but 20% in use. But this is a problem with us as guests, not really the hotel IMHO. The beach is beautiful white sand and you can walk safely for miles. There is snorkling off the beach at the Sol Cayo Santa Mariato the East (cab or catameran ride).. Or a 30min walk to the West. Scuba is available as an excursion and is excellent. This Island is 1.5 hrs from airport. It's attached to the mainland via a 48km causeway.The island is exclusively tourists and industry staff, there are no local Cuban towns on it. You'd need to take a $35 tour to drive off the island to see the "real Cuba". For $5 you can take a cab to another hotel/beach on the Island. for $1 you can take an hourly bus. The Royalton is adults-only, and mature in it's style of service. Not a loud party-place. Next door is the Paradisio (capacity 2000+) where you can use the resturants, bars,Kayaks etc. we visited once and left pretty quickly as it was overrun with kids, and not nearly the same level of quality, or even maintenance. Royalon nightly entertainment was quite good. Better than most I've seen at all inclusives in Carribean. Of particular note, are the numerous musicialns. (duets and trios) playing live music in the restaurants. One evenening we saw an awsome flute/violin duet on the beach! To my delight, the playlist included romantic covers of coldplay, metalica, led zep. It sounds odd, but it was fantastic! Would visit again.

Loved the resort, very friendly and helpful staff.

This was my first time to an all adult resort, and I loved it. I loved the fact that the resort was small so I didn't need to take a shuttle from my room to the beach and back. But the highlight for me was that there were plenty of beach chairs with palapas no matter what time of day you arrived at the beach. Everyone could get out of the sun and into the shade. This is a very important feature for me and my husband, as I'm sure for most people. Also, the beach is fabulous!!! Breakfast and lunch [... read more] was very good, but I was somewhat disappointed with the dinners. They were just okay. Entertainment was awesome. Evening entertainment as well at breakfast and lunch. The resort is very well maintained and very clean.