Nice resort, beautiful beach

Great things: the amazing friendly staff, the beautiful white sand beach Good things: the room was nice, really modern for Cuba Ok things: food was ok but we found it limited. Loved the hot dogs on the beach, and the pizza (although we didn't find this until our last day!). It would be nice to offer more vegetarian options. We often decided to go to the resort next door for buffet or restaurants instead. It would also be great to eliminate the timed seating at dinner. The resort is suppose [... read more]d to be reservation free, however, the butlers give you your dinner reservations when you arrive. Needs work: the pools do not have any shaded areas to relax in except for the bali beds. However, all the beds were "taken" by people's towels by 7:30am or earlier. We almost never saw people using them, only saving them. It was really disappointing as we couldn't use the pool all week even though we really wanted to. To solve this it would be great to remove people's towels when they leave, or add more shade with some umbrellas. Then more guests might be able to enjoy the pools. It would be great to add a small store into the resort to buy items like sunscreen, toiletries (if you forget any), food etc. Overall we liked this resort and thought the staff were the nicest we've ever encountered!

Fastastic Holidat!

The Royalton in Santa Maria is beautiful and luxurious. The top infinity pool and cabana beds is very relaxing, The service at the bottom pool and the beach will spoil you. We had a beautiful junior suite which is larger than the standard room, very large bathroom, closet and private balcony. it was very close to the upper restaurants and main lobby. Thee are three restaurants, not counting the beach grill (which is excellent), Sunset, Senses and Eggcelence. that are all ala cart, even the [... read more] breakfast is ala cart. Our two butlers took very, very good care of us The beach is spectacular, no seaweed, no smell....and there are lots of chairs on the beach and pool in the sun and shade. We will be back next year

Great vacation

The Royalton in Cayo Santa Maria is a beautiful resort with the best staff we have ever dealt with.This is our 11th trip Cuba and the 2nd to the Royalton. We certainly will be back. The only negative would be the extended bus ride from Santa Clara.

Outstanding resort

This resort was great the bed was comfortable. Good air condition was quiet had a few small issues that were taken care of quickly. It is a small resort quiet no problem in getting chairs at the pool or the beach. The entertainment was fantastic. The beach was amazing. The drinks were amazing best pina colda and chocolate martini ever. You don’t go to Cuba for the food it is the beaches I would rate the food as the best I’ve had in Cuba but still nothing to rave about, except the Casadias(?? [... read more]) on the beach were great.

Paradise in Cayo Santa Maria

Small intimate calm resort, where Cubans staff and employees are working to make your vacation a success. From the moment of arrival to your departure, your are important to everyone. Beautiful people, resort, grounds, beach is spectacular and food prepare by chef exceptional. Gracias.

Not a five star resort

Rayalton Cayo Coco Santa Maria , we were not happy with this resort , got eaten by bugs and they would spray the resort twice a day , this spray would go all over every one and they didn’t care which I complained and fell on deaf ears , food was bad with only 3 restaurants to choose from , rooms were exhausted and tired looking , we are still recovering from bug bits , would not recommend this resort

Lovely resort!

Very nice compact, quieter, resort on one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. Walk everywhere & trolley available if wish to go to Memories next door. Rooms are nice, spacious, comfortable bed & service is friendly & efficient. Excellent check in & out. No buffets, no waiting for meals & drinks served on beach or in restaurants/bar areas. Gorgeous grounds & flowers. Good Cuban music & entertainment evenings. Guests make their own parties at the piano bar.

Nice place/food shortage

The staff were very friendly and helpful Ran out of bread ,potatoes,bacon,eggs Staples like these should be available at a 5 star resort Security is also an issue Staff was caught entering our room Spoke to other tourists that had the same problem Hotel manager expressed concern but didn’t appear to do anything about it

Great and Awful at same time

The grounds are gorgeous. The staff super friendly. The amenities are amazing... clean, gorgeous beach, nice pools, ample sun beds and chaise longues for tanning, great cleaning staff. Definitely a 5-star resort from these perspectives. However the food is really bad, and the service (while friendly) is simply awful. Things we take for granted in customer service aren't applied here. To order food then be told 10 minutes later that they don't have it, then to re-order then wait another 1 [... read more]0 minutes to be told they don't have that is truly deplorable. Zero excuses why the staff can't tell you BEFORE you order what they have and don't have...especially with only 3 or 4 things on the menu. Come on people....get with it. "Hamburgers" with no buns, and "fajitas" with no tortillas are other examples why you don't go to Cuba for the food. To top it off our luggage was ransacked at the airport, my clothes all thrown back with no regard to neatness or order, and my girlfriend had her jewelry and curling iron stolen from the buffoons who work at the airport. Not the resort's fault but still a bad reflection on the whole Cuba experience. As i said....some great things and some awful things in our experience. Not sure if we'll ever go back to Cuba. Mixed feelings.

Great beaches

The hotel itself was amazing. Great beaches , the staff went out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Extremely friendly. But the food was not very good. I didn't like that there were not any buffets, it was off a menu but always the same food.

Great Find!! Highly Recommend

We were pleasantly surprised, especially after hearing other people's experiences from other resorts. We met a few couples who stay here every year, one couple has been to this resort 7 times! We were treated well; they took our bags for us, explained how things worked and then paired us off with our buttler (like a concierge, but they are only paired to a few rooms so you get more personal attention) who gave us a personal tour of the resort, drove us to our room, and showed us around. We didn' [... read more]t use the butlers much, but some people took full advantage and really appreciated the service. We arrived just after Christmas and it (amazingly) did not feel crowded, and the service was great! After New Years things relaxed even more. My one caution is that they fumigate the resort every morning, I think this is necessary given the surrounding environment, but worth noting if you're sensitive. And we did find the odd bug in our room, but again, hard to avoid. The food was good, but after a while I missed spices and rich chocolate desserts. I was hesitant about the food at first, but eventually realized that everything was very sanitary and had no problems. The rooms were very nice, nice big shower, and a normal sized tub. They are not new, but they have been kept in quite good repair. Our only problem was that the patio door was very hard to open and close. It took us a few days to realize that the shower door doubles as a toilet door, by design, which is brilliant.

Incredible resort, food, staff and beach! Best. Honeymoon. Ever.

My husband and I just returned from our 11 day honeymoon at the Royalton in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. This was my fourth visit to Cuba, but a first to Cayo Santa Maria and the beach and resort exceeded my expectations. We started off by meeting our butlers for the week, Maria and Javier, who were so professional, friendly and helpful. When we walked out our door each morning, they were there to greet us with a friendly smile, ask how our day before had been and asked if there was anything they nee [... read more]ded or could do for us for the day. You name it, they did their best to take care of it. Maria set up our dinner reservations for our stay including a special one set up by the pool for returning guests and honeymooners, Javier set up a special bath with flowers floating and champagne for us. Our requests weren't huge, but included new batteries in the TV remote for the evening, shaving cream, and water in the room and everything was provided in a timely manner. There were three consistent managers we saw day and night, always helping out, talking with guests and making sure everyone was having the best experience possible. Any issues were taken care of immediately. Beyond that, the food was incredible and I was pleasantly surprised as my expectations for food in Cuba were not high. There is no buffet here, which I liked because it gave us a chance to have a served meal every night and I found the quality of food to be better this way. Guests at the Royalton have the option to eat the buffet (or restaurants) at the Memories resort next door, but we never felt the need to do that as we didn't hear the best reviews about food there. Our part of the beach was the most beautiful (if I do say so myself). The room was really spacious and clean. The air conditioner worked amazing, I haven't slept so well in years! The entertainment at night was very good. It was more intimate and I liked that. I find the big staged performances a little cheesy. This included bands, dancers and musicians and I was really impressed - everyone was so talented. The pool was beautiful, infinity style and there was an upper pool and lower pool (upper was a bit more quiet, lower had music and afternoon entertainment). Both were gorgeous, with really comfortable and high quality beds as well as cabanas with curtains that swayed in the wind (small things make a big difference for me!). The bar we liked the most was the lobby bar, its ambiance was so relaxing and sophisticated. In the evening, someone was always playing the piano, dressed so well and the drinks there was so good. We favoured the Spanish coffees, but I also liked getting tea there to settle in for the night. For those who are wondering, internet worked well, though we weren't on our phones much. Your given a card, either pay 1 CUC for an hours worth of time or we were also given three hours free, just remember to turn your wifi off when you're not using it or the time will continue and you'll run out! There were little cats on the resort, but they were harmless. They didn't bother you unless you gave them attention or food (the resort staff asks you not to feed them for obvious reasons, but people still do because Canadians are suckers for pets!). They were actually really cute and we named them all. One last thing, we noticed smaller palm trees with stones at the bottom that had people's names on them. Apparently, if you visit this resort three times, you get to plant one and have your name there (how sweet is that?). Both my husband and I would highly recommend this resort if you're travelling to Cayo Santa Maria. It's close to two hours from the airport, but it's definitely worth the drive.

Good experience, service not so great

The hotel overall was beautiful, well-kept and offered much tranquility and relaxation. The spa was offsite as was the gym but relatively close by. The service, however, was lacking and was not up to the Royalton standards. I felt that I was ignored most of the time. The food was also limited in selection as well as lacking in flavour. I have been to other resorts in Cuba and the food was not very good. Overall, I don't think I would return to this hotel.

Disappointed

We stayed at the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria from December 8 to December 15. The hotel was nice, but could tell it was run down after their last hurricane. We had a cockroach in our room mutliple times, and the food was just horrible. We never had one meal that was warm, always cold, stale, and very limited selection. We found ourselves going to different hotels to eat almost every day. The beach was beautiful, and the staff were friendly, but unfortunately we would not go back to this hotel. M [... read more]&A

Breathtaking

Just returned from a beautiful vacation at the Royalton Santa Maria. We upgraded to a balcony room located half way between the lobby and beach which was large with lots of storage and impeccably cleaned each day. The food was good and the chefs very accommodating to dietary wants and needs. The service at the restaurants, lobby were excellent but I can't say enough about about the beach service. Pedro and Norge were always one step ahead of you and you never had an empty cup. The beach is [... read more] stunning and very clean - powder white sand and crystal clear waters. The resort grounds are absolutely beautiful. The gardeners take so much pride in their work and it definitely shows. The staff and management are what makes the whole experience something very special. I would not hesitate to recommend this report and I hope to return next fall.

Royalton

Hotel was fabulous. The grounds were nicely kept. Service was very good. The one area that needs improvement , is food. There were not good fruit or veggies available. There were lots of meat and fish choices, however, not cooked with great taste or flavour. The servers and entettainment staff definitely made my vacation.

Amizing resort

I love this place. Nice people . They are smiling all the time even they are tired. The food was very good and services amuzing. Places are clean. I did love vegetation. The room was very clean. I will return for sure.

Enjoyable stay

The resort is nice, but not without its faults. The staff try very hard to please and are generally very accommodating. Some attention to detail would go a long way with improving the quality of the stay.

Royalton Luxury Hotel, Santa Maria

There were three things we didn't like about this hotel 5 Star Luxury Resort the Royalton. 1. Location: It was almost two hours from the airport. If you wanted a drink, you had to buy a can of beer for $5.00 Canadian and there was no water available. 2. Buffet: You had to go to its sister hotel, Memories, if you wanted to eat at the buffet. Otherwise, there was two restaurants and a snack bar. Only one restaurant was open for breakfast and lunch with very limited choices, you had a few more  [... read more]choices at the snack bar. The food choice and quality was poor to fair for a five star in Cuba. 3. Entertainment: Again you had to go to its sister hotel, Memories, for entertainment that started at 9:50 pm. However, the mosquitoes were so bad not many went. What we liked about the Royalton Luxury Resort. We had the Super Saver Room, ground floor, close to pool and snack bar. The room itself was big, spacious and clean. The bathroom had a separate shower and a tub with shutters that opened into the bedroom. Each room had a butler that would try and satisfy your every desire from restaurant reservations to a beach lounge on your patio. The beach was a short walk from the room to a gorgeous, clean white sandy beachfront and the ocean was clear with a clean hard sandy bottom. There was a beach butler that found you a shelter and cleaned off any sand left on the chairs and a bar waiter that went around and took drink orders. Every day there was some kind of entertainment/games at the pool or beachfront. Would we go back? To be honest, NO! Nothing to do with the room or cleanliness but because the food was lacking and I came home with salmonella poisoning which started on the day we left to come home. Things to remember to bring from home: plug for sink/tub and washcloths.

Very nice resort, food not so good

Pros: When yo get here you can't help but be impressed by the infinity pools, beautiful gardens, spread out buildings, beach, etc. The service is good, people are happy to help. You get a butler that looks after you. Good quality drinks, bars. Rooms are large, in nice shape. There are many poolside cabanas with beds - nice!. Enough umbrellas and cabanas on beach for all guests. Good quality loungers, many are in the pool edge where it is 12" deep. In short a very nice resort with one of  [... read more]the nicest beaches I have seen compared to Hawaii, Bermuda, Bahamas, etc). Cons: Bus ride from airport is 1.5 to 2 hours away. Not a fun journey after the plane ride. Several closed resorts along the beach, so not much to do (I knew this beforehand and didn't care). Adult only if that matters to you. Food. The food is primarily a la carte so you can't pick and choose from a buffet - there were some breakfast/dinner appetizer tables which did have good food. On arrival I had a burger which was the worst thing you have tasted. A McD's single would have been just fine. Another time I had calamari figuring we were seaside, so... Terrible, and I'm not being picky. You could get breaded calamari from No Frills and it would be much better. BBQ lunch - sausage was ok but burnt black, fish was completely dry, chicken was not too good. Lots of people dumped a lot of it in the garbage, which is sad. No ketchup after 3rd day. Food Other: some food was good like the beach-side chicken/cheese quesadilla (literally just chicken and cheese). Or the lobster tail (you have to order a few days ahead). Cold meat and cheese trays were good. Wine/beer were good. Nothing really was as good as Milestones for example - just to set the level. Summary - When you see the resort and beach you will realize it is maybe one of the best in Cuba, as it is rated. However the food is generally not good, and bad in some cases. The bad food items should be removed from the menus. It is quite disappointing to see a really beautiful resort where they can't serve half decent food, especially when service etc. is so good. I read online in a few places where there is one food importer for Cuba (communist govt?) so the quality and availability is not there. And there is no competition, sigh... If this is Cuba's best then I will not return to Cuba and would not recommend a friend. Perhaps Dominican has better food at its resorts?