Best resort in Cuba!

The Royalton exceeded our expectations in every aspect. Finally, a resort with comfortable beds and pillows. We were greeted every morning by our butler who was there to ensure our day would be perfect. A la carte dining was exceptional. The beach was perfection with amazing service everyday. We enjoyed the bali beds at the pool. The entertainment at this resort was also fantastic, live music every night in the lobby was a real treat. We will only return to this resort in Cuba as we feel it woul [... read more]d be impossible to top!

Great resort!

We had a wonderful time at this resort! Any issues we did have the staff tried very hard to rectify. We will definately be returning in the hopefully near future. The only service we can honestly say that is not needed at this resort is the butler.

Well worth it!

You can’t beat the powder beach sand and warm, turquoise water. The resort was excellent. The staff were amazing and the accommodations were good. It’s Cuba so a degree of latitude must be given. The food was good overall and better than we expected given all that we read about Cuban resort cuisine. I have no hesitation recommending Royalton Cayo Santa Maria. Also, Tripcentral was excellent in booking our trip from start to finish.

Fantastic Resort

The resort is beautiful. Kept very clean The staff are wonderful . Its crazy go have your own butler....wow they would do anything for you to enjoy our holidays The weather was perfect and the bar tenders were very good. Nicest beach I have ever seen. We would definetly refer this resort

Beautiful resort

I have really enjoyed spending time at this resort. The rooms are very clean and the staff is great. The beach is amazing. It is a small resort and it is very quiet either at the beach or near the pools. The food is good but, being a la carte, we have a limited choice of the meals being offered. Overall, I would recommend this resort but it is a bit far away from other activities (outside the resort) and the airport! Having the services of a butler for the week was great! A big thank you to D [... read more]iana who took care of us during the holidays. My wife and I were there from March 6 to March 13, 2018. Lots of sun and windy!!

Super Resort

The Royalton at Cayo Santa Maria Cuba was well entertained, very clean, they kept the room always clean, there was always bottle of water in the fridge. The people working were kind and friendly, We had two butlers who were working long hours to make sure that we were not missing anything, they booked us with other two restaurants at the Resort next to ours. The Restaurant were a la care. For people loving Seafood it was ok, but for others they have the opportunity to try other restaurant. T h [... read more]e Snackbar Sunset had a better variety of food for the lunch hour. It is a quiet resort to relax, younger people might find it too quiet. We had good weather.

Very nice!

We especially loved the small size of this resort, the most beautiful beach with so many cabanas and the friendly staff. The beach waiters were great. Our butler Diana was wonderful and so kind in helping to celebrate a birthday we didn’t know she knew about! The grounds were lovely and clean. I enjoyed that the restaurants weren’t buffet style. The food was fairly good but not great, as we had expected. The entertainment staff was very friendly and we really enjoyed the evening entertainmen [... read more]t. The room was very comfortable, but many rooms have patio doors that won’t open, I assume due to the hurricane. We met many return guests which says a lot. I do wish that the wifi was more widely available.

Top Class

Everything about this resort is very good ! The butlers, maids beach staff and waiters at resturants all go above and beyond ! The beach is really amazing The only comment is that 10 of 14 days was windy with red flags at the beach which restricted swimming ,

Definitely not a 5 star property

THE GOOD: The staff are great. Very friendly and attentive. Great service. The Chef went out of his way to make special food platters for us with the limited resources available to him. The entertainers were extremely talented and of high quality. The suite we stayed a in was spacious and airy with a good view of the ocean. The 300, 400 and 500 blocks all have a great ocean view. And the beach itself was gorgeous as is typical of Cuba. White sand and beautiful turquoise water THE BAD: The foo [... read more]d choices were limited especially in terms of fresh fruit and vegetables. Apples,fresh lemons and lettuce were not available as was the case with papayas and bananas. This was probably due to the aftermath of the hurricane. We did get more fresh fruit during the end of our stay (last 3 days) but they were unripe and generally without flavor. The cocktails like mojitos and daiqueries were nothing short of awful. THE UGLY: There was some sort of bug that was absolutely nasty. People called them sand flies but they were like tiny mosquitoes that had a terrible bite that lasted days after the vacation was done. There was a constant shortage of ketchup which was strange as the buffet at the sister resort (which we had access to) had a plentiful supply. The front desk had no clue what was going on with respect to the dining options that were open or closed on the day. Overall not as smooth running as one would expect from a five star property. Would be perhaps a 2.5 or at the most a 3 star by Canadian standards

Super resort

Very Nice room, great pool and extraordinairy beach. Everything is super clean. Foods is so so and repetive and service is very slow especialy at noon a the restaurant and extremly slow and désorganised at the snackbar. Fortunatly we had access to the Memories buffets and restaurants for breakfast lunch and diner

Third time at royalton Cayo Santa maria

After being at this hotel on two previous trips in 2014 and September 2016 we returned this May and were surprised to see that the quality of food and motivation of staff was down from previous visits . Food was bland and no variety and the staff were aware of this and therefore seemed not motivated . After presenting our concerns to our butler he advised the manager Fredrerico that we were disappointed as returning quests and Fredrerico requested a meeting with us so he can find out what had ch [... read more]anged in the last 3 years so he can attend to bringing back the good reputation of previous years. We spent about an hour with him explaining what we felt as lack of detail and food presentation and just common sense items that needed to be implemented . Much to our surprise he was truly upset and horrified of the difference between the quality of previous years and present . He assured us that he would take our concerns into account and rectify what he could immediately. We did not have much hope That he would be able to turn it around in a short period of time but much to our surprise he managed to bring the quality up in food and employee morale within 2 days of our meeting . We mentioned this was like our home away from Home and wanted to return but if the experience of the first 2 days continued it would be the last and we would not recommend the resort to our friends and family. Needless to say Fredrerico is a man of honour and with his other management staff especially Lacky we feel confident that improvements will be made and the 5 star status will return.

Beautiful resort

This a is great resort. This was our ninth trip to Cuba and by far the best. Great staff,grounds,beach,pools, and entertainment. The only challenge we had was the a la carte food variety. The bus ride was a little long 90 plus minutes but once there you see why it is worth it.It was very quiet at this resort and had no issues with night noise. We were in building 4 which is pretty much central with easy access to everything

First Impressions Count

As soon as our bus approached the hotel you could hear everyone on the transfer bus saying "Wow this hotel looks so beautiful, we tried to get in and it was fully booked, no wonder!" As we entered the open air lobby we were amazed by the backlit alabaster seating area, the smell of fresh flowers and the friendly reception we received. Check in was fast and very efficient. We did a quick tour of the grounds . It was jaw dropping beauty, the 2 infinity pools, the landscape lighting and the spect [... read more]acular lush gardens. Shortly after arriving at our room our luggage arrived. The room was nice and quite large and very quiet. It was an ocean view room with a balcony . The beach at this resort was the biggest and best we saw in the area. The food was quite good , the variety offered was good and all our dinner reservations were booked for us by our two personal butlers. Most of the wait staff were very professional and provided us with excellent service. Our maid, Dayami was such a joy and left us an assortment of towel sculpture every day. We looked forward to seeing her every day. The entire resort was very clean and well kept. The beach was a pristine white beach with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for shade. The water was crystal clear and nice and warm. This is the most beautiful beach we have been to in Cuba. The entertainment staff were amazing. They led beach walks, stretching on the beach, games on the beach, dancing lessons and water fitness classes. The evening entertainment was something we looked forward to every evening in the lobby. The variety and high standard of entertainment was the very best we have experienced on any holiday we have ever taken and we have travelled a lot. The gardens are spectacular and hats off to the entire team of gardeners who keep this resort so spectacular. I speak Spanish and they even answered gardening questions I asked. This is a very well managed resort. It has made a lasting impression on us and we look forward to returning. We would definitely recommend this resort. Our only complaint was the Sunwing flight being delayed and the poor quality of food offered, and the cramped seating on board.

Beautiful beach - quiet retreat

The resort was lovely and the beach was amazing. Lots of space and no trouble finding a spot by the pool or on the beach. Food wasn't very good but I found items that were okay. Snack bar service was quite poor but other alacarte resataurants were good.

FIRST RATE TREATMENT

Having never been to Cuba before it was suggested we stay at the Royalton for best food and treatment. We were not disappointed. Upon arrival we were met with open arms and ushered into the lounge, no standing in line in a lobby waiting to check in. Handed a glass of champagne and introduced to our butler Lester. He was fantastic, our other butler was Diana, she went above and beyond to accommodate us. We aren't fussy people but we broke a bottle in our room and within 2 minutes of us calling  [... read more]her, she showed up with a new bottle of wine (Cold) and the cleaning crew was minutes behind her. Not 5 minutes and they were out of there, floor was dry and you would never know it had happened. Our chamber maids were Alina and Yuliet, and I was so thrilled to see what towel art they had for us each day or what they had done to the sheers, made our room special every day, well one day they were off and we could certainly notice they weren't the ones to take care of the room. Those two are a great team. We did spoil them with gifts. The rooms were larger than we are used to, wider, very clean, no complaints at all. Lots of closet and drawer space. The bartenders in the main lobby bar were fabulous, shout of especially to Yahki and Umberto, we spoiled them too. High end liquor like i've never had at other 5 star resorts before. Very impressive. We waited for NOTHING. While they have less than 125 rooms the resort still had 3 restaurants and plenty of food choices. Dinner was on the table in less than 5 to 10 minutes. My favourite server was Estudante who works in Eggcellence. Love the way they pour wine, The Sunset grill was a great choice for lunch, right by the pool. The best spaghetti i've had in years and the Royalton burger was to die for, so big we could barely finish it, If you like seafood, it's abundant, lobster, shrimp, octopus, you name it, everything is presented beautifully. The Food and Beverage Manager Luis Rijo was amazing. We saw him everytime we went to eat, no matter what restaurant we went into, he was there, (I think he was following us), lol, this man did not stand around and watch his staff, he was right in there, serving wine, water, removing plates, seating guests etc. He treated his staff with lots of respect and I just loved him. Such an nice man. All the staff right down to the gardeners were so nice, friendly, got lots of hug. The entertainment staff at the lower pool, and i didnt' get all their names, Javier, awesome foot massages, the girls at the bar they are all so much fun. I can't say when I've had such a great time. The nightly entertainment was first class. I know you want to know about the food, while we aren't a fan of spicy food we found it just to our liking. If you want more, just ask. It's cuba, they don't get what you can get at home, you are on vacation, go with it and relax. Not a fan of the coffee in the rooms, more like an espresso so we didn't use it past the first day. Ordered room service a couple times and it was FAST, like 15 minutes maybe. The beach was gorgeous, wide white sand, a tad windy the week were there so we didn't spend much time on it, but we did walk down to other resorts and found them far below Royalton standards. Beat up some. The memories that you can eat at it you choose, was quite run down, too big and full of kids, so we stayed close to home. The shopping bazaar next door was quite convenient and we found the vendors very nice and not pushy at all. Took the bus tour into Santa Clara, all day trip, highly recommended. Learned so much about the Cuban culture and people, history. Visited a cigar factory, an old sugar cane factory, beautiful old church and two towns with markets. Had a great buffet lunch as well. Would I go back, you bet. We met some really nice people. if you are looking for a real swinging, drinking, partying time, you won't want to stay here. It's more relaxed, laid back, but still you can get up to some shinanegans at pool in the afternoon.

It's not 5 star, 4 stars maybe

nice well kept grounds. rooms, big and clean. no garden view from patio. all bush. lack of communication in restaurants. lack of food, no bananas no salad bar run out of buns twice for hamburgers. for desert had ice cream husband asked for chocolate they said no. less than 5 minutes later, table next to us and 2 tables on other side got chocolate ice-cream. we went to the memories for three meals. butler service was good.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria

Nice beach，nice weather, the vacation was overall okay. The resort was very small with not a lot of activities. However, the basic facilities in the resort was nice. No wifi no cellphone signal. Sufficient food variety for a 3-4 day stay.

Royalton/ cuba

Honeymoon Vacation - Booking #88663312 We were picked up at home by limousine and driven to airport. We arrived 3 hours early for our direct flight from Toronto to Santa Clara and waited to be booked in. We booked Elite Plus to enjoy the additional services offered and had seats 16 B and C on our flight to Cuba. When rep was finally available, she took our passports and boarding information. She took my luggage first and weighed it along with my carry on luggage.  [... read more]She tagged my large piece of luggage and then my carry on. She then proceeded to tag my wife's large piece of luggage and then her carry on. She handed back the passports and paperwork along with the tags from the two stowed pieces of luggage. As we were about to leave her, she requested the passports back which surprised me, however she took a look, and then explained the two tags were in my wife's name and she circled the flight number, boarding time and said it would probably be from Gate B, but to check the television monitors in 20 minutes time - which we did. Her English was broken and we asked her a few times to explain things as we wanted to ensure we fully understood what she was saying. We picked up something to eat and sat and enjoyed prior to going to our boarding gate. The aircraft was very late arriving - the in-flight crew waited in the boarding area with us. By the time the plane was cleaned and serviced we were over an hour late. The flight was smooth, food good and crew wonderful. Needless to say we were tired when we arrived and knew we had a long trip to the resort ahead of us. My wife's luggage came off the plane immediately and she picked it up. We waited until the carousel stopped and questioned the staff at the airport regarding my bag. No one seemed to understand our dilemma. Finally someone set us up with airport personnel to fill out a “Property Irregularity Report”. We then proceeded to go outside to look for our Sunwing Rep and bus and when we couldn't find one, we went to go back into the airport. The doors were locked and we could not re-enter. We went to the bus staging area and asked a few other reps where our Sunwing Rep was. No one could find him. My wife finally stayed with the luggage we had and I finally found someone who could understand English to go inside to find a rep. That rep finally walked us back to the bus staging area. Our bus had already left for the resort, so he managed to put us onto an other bus and they dropped us off. Needless to say it was now very late and although we were ensured our luggage would be delivered to the Royalton once it was found, we boarded the bus with an uneasy feeling. We arrived at the Royalton around midnight and the hotel staff were very accommodating, however when we entered our room and got ready for bed, neither of us were happy with the accommodations. The curtains were falling off the rods, the pillows were terrible and there was only one spare. My wife removed the bed cover and folded it up out of the way - it should have been laundered. It wasn't at all as represented on line. We had a terrible first night and in the morning I went to the front desk to request another room. I spoke to the Manager and we were moved at 2 pm that day to much more satisfactory accommodations. Every morning I went to meet the Sunwing rep to inquire about my luggage and every day it was the same answer. We checked after each flight arrived from Toronto, but to no avail. I made some calls to Toronto regarding my luggage - I was assured the search would be accelerated. I did receive money daily and my wife and I went to a few other resorts looking in their gift shops for shorts, t-shirts, shoes, underwear, toothbrushes, dental floss, shaving equipment, hair brushes, etc. Shaving with the resort razors was brutal. Unfortunately I have a size 12 shoe and a triple x shirt, so we managed to find only a few pieces that barely fit. I did find after shave. Wearing black jeans and a heavy dark golf shirt was a little much in the heat, not to mention washing the same clothes every night to wear again the next day. I finally sent my clothes to the laundry in the morning on the 10th for a good cleaning - requesting them back by dinner so we could go to the restaurant - they weren't returned for 2 days - I had to send the butler out to find them. Another fiasco! A fellow Canadian left me his sandals when he returned home because he felt so bad. We heard that the vendors had changed at the market so we went back on the 13th to try our luck - my wife found sandals that fit me and we were looking at shirts when she stepped forward and fell off a raised area where the vendors had their racks. Her ankle swelled immediately so I went to get some ice. One of the vendors got a taxi for us and we went to the Clinica International in Cayo Santa Maria. X-rays were taken and after examination by the doctor he explained that it was a severe sprain and he wrapped the ankle and said to use analgesic cream, gave her pain medication and an additional wrap for her ankle. He suggested she have bed rest with foot raised and on and off ice compresses for a few days. The ambulance ended up taking us back to the hotel as there was no taxi nearby. I had meals delivered to our room because it was too difficult for her to get to and from the restaurants. There were additional fees for taxi's, tips for room service, not to mention the missed meals and entertainment in the lobby and bar or the days that we should have been at the beach. We missed going away last year to save for our wedding and what we thought was going to be the best honeymoon ever. We are very thankful for the staff at the Royalton. They went above and beyond their regular duties to accommodate us in every way possible. Our Sunwing rep Ms. Rodriquez was wonderful. It is just beyond me how we can track Fedex from the moment we drop the package off - put it on 2 or 3 different flights across the country- drive it from one depot to another and monitor it daily until it arrives at your door and yet a simple transfer on a direct flight from Toronto to Cuba gets lost in the abyss. After 28 years together, we finally decided to get married. We had a very romantic wedding in Niagara Falls on December 17 and were so looking forward to an extended vacation at the Royalton. Hopefully Sunwing will look into this matter and contact me. Regards, David J. Wallis 3535 Fowler Court Burlington, ON L7N 3W3 Cell: 905 630 2223

Not a true 4.5 Royalton resort - let alone the 5 star it was when we booked it!

Royalton claims it's "All-in-Luxury concept it devoted to providing...a unique experience...that features exceptional service and incredible attention to detail." The resort was "set in an idyllic location of stunning natural beauty" and delivered on the promised "pristine beach" and the regular staff were wonderful. If one wishes to have access to a quiet, adult resort with the best beach, wonderful service, clean and well accommodated rooms this resort will suffice. However, if you are [... read more] looking for the promised "Royal Spa", "Luxury Dining" and a "sophisticated luxury" all inclusive vacation promoted by Royalton you will be sorely disappointed. Let us preface our disappointment by stating that we have stayed at other, non-Royalton, adult only 4.5 star resorts promising far less in Cuba before and been MUCH HAPPIER. Our problem was that we picked this resort specifically for two reasons - the expected quality of the spa and the food. The spa was closed for the entirety of our trip - something our butler dismissed with a shrug as unimportant. He did not care that one of us was looking forward to this feature as part of our vacation experience. He did not offer to provide other services to make up for this - such as the foot massages given by the entertainment staff or the bath service that was supposed to be one of his duties. We did appreciate that, when we brought up the issue with our Nexus representative a few days later, we were offered the option of switching to another resort that had spa services in place. We did not take her up on the offer because we were living in hope by that point that the resort's food issues would be sorted out immediately and were afraid to move somewhere else that would have less emphasis on "luxury dining". The food - oh the quality of this so-called "luxury dining" Please understand that our previous experience in Cuba had included so many full lobsters cooked to perfection that we gave away what we had when we went on our catamaran outing and took breaks from the lobster by having perfectly presented chateaubriand. At this all inclusive 4.5 star one had access to all the wines available at the resort without additional cost and all liquor offered was premium - i.e. actual Bailey's (which is available in Cuba) not some eggnog tasting ripoff. Understand that we are now referring to this vacation (which was our honeymoon) as an episode of Faulty Towers. Once things went down hill - on the first full day of our trip - they never recovered. Our first breakfast was at EGGSCELLENCE, the resort's second best restaurant - where they prepared an inedible version of french toast - presented without any form of syrup and couldn't understand the concept of tea - even though we had our own tea bags with us, and could request hot water & milk in Spanish. After that experience we approached our butler hoping to book our dinner at the resort's best restaurant - SENSES - only to find out that when the Royalton says you will booking your dinner reservations through your butler what they mean is that you will be told by your butler when and which of the three a la carte restaurants you will be dining at each night. We were told we would be eating at Eggscellence that and two other nights, Senses once, SUNSET24 (the snack bar) once and Christmas eve was yet to be decided. Eggscellence did no better with dinner than they had with breakfast. Our dinners were indeed the "surprise" cried out by our server as she lifted the cloches on our entrees. The chef had covered a half lobster tail with a sweet almond crumble and kept it warm for far too long - so it was dry & disgusting (Red Lobster treats seafood better - and we avoid Red Lobster at all costs). The medium rare beef offering of our other entree was inedible. By the time we left the resort we understood that beef would only be cooked well done, cut badly and resemble shoe leather even when presented by SENSES. In fact the servers had no concept of anything other than well done beef so could not repeat back the phrase "medium rare" as "well done" would come out of their mouths instead. Anyway - dinner was so bad we stopped eating and left our table. We retreated to Sunset - hoping to survive on their snack menu - only to be pleasantly surprised by a full set menu being offered to the guests scheduled for dinner there. Everything was better at Sunset - the servers & chef were encouraging dinning with good service and food that tasted like it was cared for, UNTIL...one of our delicious pumpkin soups presented a grill cleaning wire for consumption. Luckily we tasted the wire before it was swallowed - but, if not for one server who had knowledge from the news of how dangerous such a thing is (internal bleeding being the least problem if swallowed) we doubt anyone took our concern about the wire seriously. Once again we stopped eating & insisted our butler come down to sort things out. No explanation was given as to how a grill scrub wire ended up in the soup, the chef did not come out of the kitchen to ensure we understood he was taking it seriously, and I'm still not sure they weren't going to serve said soup to others if we hadn't insisted that it not be done. So began our six days of obsequious service by our butler, the food and beverage manager, the resident manager and the new executive chef. All their stories over the next few days contradicted themselves and so seemed extremely insincere. Think of Basil Faulty attempting to placate guests no matter what Manuel does and you've a good idea of the rest of our week. We were told the chef who'd overseen the food at Eggscellence was being replaced by a Canadian - nope he was a Filipino brought up from a few different places depending on who was talking. We were told we were to receive a special dinner to make up for our first - only to find ourselves with a dozen other couples who cried out, when the new chef was introduced to us, "Does that mean better food now?" We went through at least one more inedible meal after the new chef arrived and the others were just barely edible. Ie. for our special dinner we were all given surf & turf - the turf being an overcooked filet of beef that was coated in tomato sauce and the tomato cream soup was the tomato sauce base for the pasta at Sunset that hadn't been within sniffing distance of cream. Faulty Tower moments: Being given white linen napkins and a finger bowl of petal strewn WARM RED WINE to clean up from peeling shrimp from the bbq. Filet of beef being served covered with cheese sauce being presented by the new chef. Kir Royale being sparkling white wine, grenadine & orange juice. Mocha being presented as a Monte Cristo and something more closely resembling a Monte Cristo being presented in a cocktail glass. Being told the following was a part of a menu created by the Royalton for Christmas eve dinner: Panacotta of court bouillon being served under lobster as an appetizer (no milk had been near the dish - let alone cooked) Mille feuille of potato as an entree side (no puff pastry or pastry cream within the four slices of potato) And truffle for dessert (a thin wedge of layered chocolate cake did not resemble either a true truffle or a dessert truffle in shape, texture nor flavour). All inclusive means: Good wine is displayed at Senses and Eggscellence and available for an extra cost of 20-30ish convertible Cuban pesos. If you fly Sunwing from Toronto you will arrive past 10 p.m on your first night, therefore, will not partake in the dinner you have paid for, but be expected out of your room by 2 p.m. on the day you leave unless you want to pay 35 convertible Cuban pesos per room per hour to stay in your room until the Sunwing arranged bus picks you up at 4 p.m. Being presented with Canadian food choices on their daily menu - such as hash browns, poutine, french toast, etc. that they either don't serve or have no idea what they are. Once we began voicing our issues we felt the response, other than by the lower staff who truly were doing their best and as lovely as could be in a sincere way, was one of what is the least we need to do or say to nullify the situation. Our only good meal was our last evening when - surprise, surprise, after being told the food quality problem was due to having only two food distributors in Santa Maria - we were fed two full, large, fresh lobster tails cooked simply and properly after requesting them only 4 hours before. Our appetizers, entrees, and deserts finally resembled the pictures Royalton posts of the food at this resort. But the quality and detail we received that night did not extend to the guests around us and was noticed by the other guests!!! The executive chef claimed he had personally prepared our meal - something we still doubt as he was not around between the courses when we called out the chef to thank him. Our server, who'd we'd grown to trust presented another chef as the one who cooked our meal & that cooking was consistent with any passible food we had on the resort not with what the executive chef cooked lunch for us the next day. There is a bigger issue at this resort than the quality of food. It is a lack of understanding of what "luxury" means as far as food and service is concerned. And it is a disconnect between the desire to attract Canadians and what Canadians expect. According to the Cubans we encountered Santa Maria, until the American resorts open, was set up for Canadian tourism and is intended to satisfy Canadians. Royalton promotes itself as a luxury destination worth the additional cost of staying there instead of one of the many other resorts costing at least half as much per person. Those paying $1000 a week per person are happy to have a week in the sun with poor but plentiful food and as much as they can drink 24/7. Those willing to pay Royalton prices are not looking to drink 24/7 - we can afford to do that any time we want - so we expect good food and drink in addition to the beach the resorts on either side of the Royalton have equal access to, etc. Any Canadian who choses to vacation at the prices charged by Royalton knows what a Kir Royale, panne cotta, mille feuille and truffle should be. They expect good cuts of beef to be cut, cooked, and sauced properly. We almost feel as if the Royalton did a bait and switch with their advertising. By not having anyone in charge who truly knows what "luxury" is to Canadians they have created a beautiful Southern Mediterranean resort, with lovely people, run by a Sardinian and a Portuguese who have no idea of how to give guests what Royalton says the resort will offer. If no one on staff knows what poutine, hash brown, french toast, panne cotta, etc. are, let alone how to cook them, then don't offer them!!! Or bring in a Canadian or someone who has experience with what is actually presented in the context of Canadian "luxury" to over see the place until the staff can get up to standard. Cubans want to work at these resorts - the money we Canadian's give in tips & the condos up for ownership for 15 years continuous work in Santa Maria are the motivation needed to get good, eager staff. Guests at the Royalton demonstrate that they have the means to provide larger tips than those at other resorts - so there is a motivation to do well specifically at that resort. Royalton itself, through the butlers and managers it employs, makes it clear they only want Canadian guests placated to the point we won't write bad reviews on trip advisor or elsewhere. They go from not caring if your throat gets ripped out by a wire to constantly interrupting your meal (six+ times for one lunch) to ensure you aren't going to speak badly of them. We have the means to travel. We have the means to chose Royalton or otherwise. We won't be choosing Royalton again!!!

Very good resort

Check in was nice and efficient. The hotel staff took our passports and did everything while we relaxed in the lobby. Pros -attentive service and good quality mixed drinks and cappuccino. -beach is spectacular, but it is at neighbouring cheaper hotels as well. -chairs on beach always available. -the room was large and clean with a good quality king mattress. -no problem booking restaurants as the "butler" did that for us. -nightly entertainment was of high quality, but low key and not boi [... read more]sterous or rowdy. -grounds are immaculately kept. -pools are clean, beautiful and chairs are available almost always. -free use of gym in pueblo, other hotels guests pay, not sure how much. -food was a little better than most other cuban hotels we have been to(about 10) Cons -all meals are a la carte. As a big guy who works out, sometimes I like to get something from the buffet without having to go through the whole process of dealing with a waiter. Their are salad bars at all meal times but they are just salad bars, no real protein other than cured meats. I would like to see the option of a full buffet at least for the breakfast and lunch available at at least one location. If I got that I would rate the hotel a full 5 but for me its a 4 due to food issues