Nice resort!

We recently spent a week in the Royal Service area. This is a lovely area of the resort however it is isolated at the top of a hill that is very quiet with little to no entertainment or music. If that is what you are looking for then it will be perfect for you. We did not like the long winding walk up the hill to the area and the stairs down to the beach. The stairs were uneven and made the trek a bit difficult. The liquor was all the same at every bar, we thought that by staying in the Ro [... read more]yal Service area that the liquor or food would be different, it was not. All the food was good. Lobster at every restaurant. Al la cartes were all nice. There is one restaurant in RS area the rest are all at the main resort. The rooms are nice and spacious. In the RS area you have an outdoor shower, very neat idea. The service staff are all kind and do what they can for you no matter where you stayed. If we returned we would probably stay in the main area of the resort as it was about $1000 per person more and felt we always needed to travel down the hill to do things. For us it was not worth the extra money.

Loved it!!

Very nice, quiet and clean hotel, with excellent restaurants. The bedroom was spacious and very comfortable, the bathroom renovated as well. Excellent staff, very professional and friendly. We loved everything and will definitely be back.. maybe next time we will choose "Royal Service"..

Awesome resort

Resort was excellent.. food / buffet was great 👍 lots of options. Alacart were good seafood bit over cooked. I had junior room and it was clean and very spacious. Wifi have pay for, and only in main lobby which was disappointing. House keeping want friendliest and I never replenishes coffee sugar beer etc. Had call every 2 days get stuff. Be sides that... the resort was definitely a 5 * and u would recommend this resort especiallly in Cuba 🇨🇺 for sure😀

Special place

Lovely place for a relaxing vacation. Warmly greeted by staff. All needs promptly and efficiently met, especially when we experienced a medical emergency. Rooms are large and comfortable. Grounds are spacious and well kept. Very nice place for long walks. Food was the best we have had in Cuba. Entertainment was varied, especially enjoyed the variety of musicians and the variety of music performed at the lobby bar in the evening. Especially enjoyed the beach restaurant - beautiful location on a  [... read more]hill, overlooking the ocean - excellent a la carte food, service, and mid day entertainment. Resort seemed generally suited to adults who want a guieter atmosphere although there are lots of activities if you want to participate. We will return.

Very good resort, excellent service

The main resort is tidy and clean, we had no problems at all. There are two sections to this resort, the Royal section is completely separate from the main section. This review is for the main section. Food in the buffet was good, lots of selection, very tasty. The beach is very nice, services very good, staff very friendly and attentive. Snorkelling oppertunities right off the beach are excellent, many corals and fish to see, easy access to the water and reefs from main beach and from the priva [... read more]te beach beside the spa. We would go back here again. Stayed a week mid Dec 2016.

Top notch service!

We love the place, excellent service, friendly helpful staff, highly recommend the resort to others. We love the entertainment, it' s very Cuban, that's how we love it! The food is very good, just hope they can maintain it that way.

A delightfully relaxing informal experience yet with many pleasant amenities.

The 'Royal Service' (RS) division of the Paradisus Rio de Oro Resort (Holguin), where we stayed this time, offered a pleasant upscale experience by Cuban standards. From the full service restaurant and adequately stocked bar to the exceptional evening entertainment and pampering 'butler service', it was a delightful experience. Although the RS private restaurant menus, particularly the dinner menu, never changed and got to be somewhat tiring after a week, the availability of the larger food hal [... read more]l and several theme restaurants in the standard area of the resort offered ample good dining alternatives. There are many small details one could complain about but allowances must be made for the fact that this is Cuba and the weather and inexhaustibly pleasant people more than offset any small deficiencies one might find fault with in an American or European resort. Although something might be done about the steps, or lack thereof, leading down to the large main beach which offered a minor obstacle course of coral boulders to scrable over before reaching the quite lovely sandy beach. And of course, 'After Bite' or other mosquito/sandbug bite desensitizing agent is recommended as with any tropical locales. Although the Royal Service division is a bit more expensive, offering a touch more privacy and a pleasant remove from the larger, noisier crowds in the standard resort area nearby, one shouldn't forget that tips to staff are still a very much appreciated (and needed) aspect of Cuban hospitality providers, something many guests (especially from Europe) seem unaware of. To end on a sweet note, let me tell you that one of the 'hidden treasures' of this resort is its incomparablly delicious 'coconut ice cream' which, though oddly absent from any Royal Service menu, can be obtained by simply requesting it ... which I heartily suggest you do!

Old Folks Home.

Run down place ...................bad food. save your money go to a newer hotel,in Cuba. at-least no bugs and birds shitting and pecking at your food before you get to it........................................................................................................

Always Nice to Go Back!

First time at Royal Service! Is worth it! Service at the Restaurant is impeccable!Food selection will make it difficult to decide what to eat! Nice experience ! Excellent Weather! Room Service was okay the first few days but we were not impressed with the last two days when they did not change the towels or clean the room or refill the coffee and water.That was quite an unpleasant surprise !!!

One of the nicest resorts in Cuba

The layout is excellent, the grounds are beautiful, the food is excellent and the people that work there are amazing. We have been there at least 5 times and will continue to go there. The staff are very friendly.

Lovely resort, great staff

The hotel and amenities were fabulous but what made the resort by far are the staff at Pardisus who were always friendly and attentive. Beautiful beach and pool area which were what I wanted for my trip although if you're looking to party a little bit, the average age tilts toward senior. However, a great choice for rest and relaxation

Amazing Vacation

We will be going back! What most people don't really understand, is that they don't have access to everything the world has to offer, the hotel is a little tired, but still very clean, I didn't see a single bug in my room the entire week. The beds and pillows are very comfortable, sheets and towels are changed daily, they were all clean and white! Our chambermaid went out of her way to ensure we had everything we needed calling up the refreshment cart to ensure we had bottles of water that w [... read more]ere not restocked the day before, we had 3 that night! The spa is newer, in a very beautiful relaxing setting, the staff are always there to ensure you have a relaxing visit before and after your treatment of choice. We tried all the food locations throughout the resort except the Japanese (closed for renovations) and Cuban a'la cart, the food was delish and I never felt that I had to rush in order to get something before they ran out. We tried the beach dinner that was an extra $30 per couple and found that was rather disappointing for the money as there was nothing special offered in the way of food, wine or service, as a mater of fact, my glass was empty as the main dish was being cleared from the table, with his back to me asked my spouse if he would like more wine, he said no, the waiter walked away not even giving me an opportunity to ask (sorry, that just ruined my dinner and the experience I was done). We did find service was not quite what we have experienced in the past at other resorts, where at breakfast you sit down and immediately have your coffee cup turned over asking if you would like coffee and if you would like a samosa, we found that we almost had completed our breakfast (I eat slow) before coffee was even served, there was no offer for samosa's. We would always walk over to the lobby bar and get our coffee there after our breakfast, and find a comfortable place to sit and enjoy! The pool restaurant was great, those ladies went from just a few tables, we walked in with almost no one around, in just a few min at 1:30 PM the place was packed and just the two ladies to take care of everyone's needs, I can't say enough of how impressed I was, they were sharing the service without missing a beat! The beach was excellent, loved the clean washroom right at the edge of the beach, lots of areas to wash off after a swim, the snorkeling is truly wonderful there, they have equipment that was clean and in great shape! They had someone available to get you a lounge and track it to where you liked, there was lots of interesting spaces to rest and relax as you like close to the pool and beach!

Great times at Paradisus

Another great visit to Paradisus Rio De Oro. The staff were awesome, always there when you need something and quick with a smile or a Spanish lesson! Not enough time to engage in all that the resort has to offer, but there is always next time.

Less than expected

We (myself and girlfriend) usually go to Mexico but this time decided to try Cuba out for the beautiful beaches. I knew that a lot of aspects would not be up to par or even close to what is offered by majority of Riviera Mayan resorts, therefore decided to stay at Paradisus as it is rated 5 stars and is one of the priciest resorts in Cuba. I am going to break down our experience into several points: 1. Beach/Pools: Did not frequent the pool but the beach was amazing. There was a weird smell d [... read more]uring afternoons but nevertheless it was beautiful and great for snorkeling too. Also recommend going to Cayo Saetia as the beach there is truly breathtaking. Rating: 5 Stars 2. Service: It was OK most of the time, but did not like that we felt pressure to tip for everything that was done for us. In some instances it seemed that the amount we tipped was not enough. Never encountered this behaviour at other resorts outside of Cuba. There were some exceptions to this but few and rare. We were also disappointed with the front desk as they were not helpful at all. Rating: 3 Stars 3. Food: As expected, food was decent enough and there were adequate choices. I enjoyed the seafood and fruits the most, while drinks and desserts were pretty bad. Rating: 3 Stars 4. Room: We stayed in a "Paradisus Junior Suite" which was much bigger than expected and neatly organized. However we were greeted to dozens of ants and dead flies in the washroom. Called the front desk and told them about the problem which they promised to clean up the following day (it was OK with us, no big deal to wait until then), however that never happened and the ants kept coming out each day. This was very disappointing especially since the resort is supposed to be a 5 Star. Additionally, the resort itself felt old and sort of rundown, I know they were renovating rooms but things like the watches at the front desk not working and other small details which we noticed really took away from feeling that we were staying at a 5 star resort. Rating: 2 Stars 5. Location: The resort is located near a scenic beach and we really liked the layout, which was one of the top reasons for deciding to stay at this resort. Rating: 5 Stars Overall, we did not have high expectations coming in and are not very picky but the resort is not a 5 Star, maybe it is compared to other resorts in Cuba, but compared to others outside of the country it is a 3 Star. I would recommend it to others for the beach and that it is quiet and relaxing but that alone does not warrant the price. There are much better options available outside of Cuba. Unfortunately we will not be returning.

Amazing resort

Very nice , comfortable , friendly , very good food , lots of delicious fish choices , tons of restaurants , endless bars , very good service , amazing snorkeling just couple of hundred feet away from a beach

Very relaxing

Resort was amazing. Food was great. Grounds immaculate. Personel very friendly. Facilities were good. Toilets should be upgraded. Would gave been noticed about the renovations beside our unit. If we wanted some quiet time in our room it would been impossible.

Nine days of mourning

We stayed from November 23-30, 2016. Arrangements were made efficiently through TripCentral and the bonus promotion of a $100 gift card was much appreciated and covered nearly the entire week of valet parking. Thank you. The resort was well manicured and the grounds were beautiful. Lots of walkways completely around the resort to walk on. We stayed in the main part of the resort and the building we were assigned, #40, was an excellent location as it was close to pool, beach, lobby and res [... read more]taurants. Because Fidel Castro died on the Friday night after our arrival, activities were kept to a minimum. There were no night shows after his death, no sales of liquor in the store, activities were cancelled and the activities that did happen, were quiet and quite uneventful. The food in the buffet and a la cartes was good, service was good and I saw no problem other than a few birds and cats in the dining area. That didn't bother me very much. The pool restaurant was quite handy and the food was good. The beach restaurant had a great pig roast on one of the days and that was very good. I liked the fact that jugs of cold juice, water etc could be found in many places around the resort. We did not use the bars around the resort other than the lobby bar and the service there was fine. I would not say any service anywhere on the resort was exceptional. We have been to Cuba many times and the service at this resort was no better or no worse than most resorts. My favourite part of the resort was the entertainment in the lobby...pianos, violins, claironets, flutes etc. There was usually two performances over the course of the early evening and each was great. Enjoyed that more than anything! Very happy with Tripcentral and it was not the fault of the resort or anybody else that Castro's death changed the entire dynamics of the week. It was memorable and a good choice of a late autumn resort.

Amazing resort!

Beautiful resort perfect for relaxation. The service was amazing....the people there are amazing. Luidmila at the lobby bar, Jujelany at the royal service bar, Carlos the driver and Luis from the royal service beach bar. .... just to name a few😊

Favorite resort in Cuba!

We have stayed many times at Paradisus Rio De Oro and we always stay at the Royal Service section of this resort. As soon we arrive at the resort we get a feeling of coming home , all the employees at the resort are working hard to make it a great holiday. Everybody is very friendly and always a smile on their faces. The food is very good and if there is something not there they will do their best to find it or you. Right now the bungalows are being painted and the interior is being refresh [... read more]ed with new curtains etc. The grounds are beautiful and we loved going for a walk and admire the gardeners hard work. One of the things that can be improved on is the furniture at the lobby bar, the chairs are very uncomfortable and the WIFI is a hit or miss.The seats at the buffet can use a good cleaning or new upholstery because they are very dirty. We had a wonderful stay and a thank you to all our friends at the resort. We will go back next year again!

Relaxing getaway

We went for relaxation and we got it. Found beach a bit rocky but still nice. Pool area and bar were great! Recommend getting a renovated room! (New bathroom). Staff were very friendly. The aquatics show at night was great!