Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Amazing resort

Amazing resort everything was wonderful from the service to the food to the accommodation would go back in a heartbeat.Service was best that we have ever received at any other resort. Location was close to the airport about a 15 minute drive

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: 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 Cayo Santa Maria: 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

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Incredible holiday!

The resort is beautiful (very new) with lovely facilities. The rooms were clean and nicely laid out. The swim up rooms are fun for the kids. Food at the buffet was excellent ( thw kids loved the kids area in rhe buffet snd the gelato station was a hit at lunch and dinner) and the a la care restaurants were even better! Service from all staff was excellent and they were very attentive to our needs. If you have time to enjoy the spa it is worth while. The water spa prior to my treatment wa [... read more]s a highlight! Pools around the resort varied in temperature but most were reasonably heated. The sand on the beach was so soft which was a treat compared to some other Mexican resorts that had more of a rocky texture. For dinners at the a la carte restaurants, we had group of 15 so reservations were sometimes tricky but they did try to accomodate our size and time requests as best as they could. The only thing lacking was the kids club. The staff wasn't very engaging or welcoming with the kids and they close for lunch every day which is tough when we are only dropping them off at 10 or 11 am. Otherwise I would recommend this resort to families with kids if all ages.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: GREAT FAMILY RESORT!

We, decided to choose this resort based on recommendations from other families who have stayed here. Prior to our departure date I was worried about the reviews left by people on trip advisor about the lack of hot water at the resort. I was so worried that I sent many emails to my travel agent Sandra Gallaugher. Sandra re-assured me that was not the case and if I had any issues while there to call or text their customer service dept. Well we went the Royalton White Sands and had a fabulous ti [... read more]me. It was our first family trip with our two little ones aged 3 1/2 and 6 years old. * The food was good, sometimes repetitive but other wise it was always hot and a good variety * The butler service was amazing and I highly recommend purchasing this upgrade if you can. Our butler Nick and Rushane always made sure we were looked after. They brought hot lunch (pizza, wings, fries, jerk chicken) to the pool for us and the kids so we never had to leave. * The pool and kids area were fantastic and I can't say enough about the Kids Club which my children loved. It's a place where the kids can do art, play video games and hang out at the park * The resort it self is not very big and that is a plus because you know where everything is. Very quaint with a great family vibe. * The entertainment at night was great and we listened to amazing music on our balcony every night. * I can't say enough about the staff at this resort, top notch, very friendly and helpful. Would I go back? Yes A great family vacation with no issues with hot water! ;0) .

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: 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!!!

Royalton Punta Cana Resort: 5 star resort

This hotel is very beautiful, and is definitely a 5 star. Accommodations were amazing, in the diamond club swim up rooms Food was pretty good for the most part. Beach was fabulous.. Our kids..7 and 10 loved the big waves. Not so good for babies Butler Daniel was amazing and always around Swim up room number 1431 was the closest to the beach...very amazing Could hear waves at night No theft all. Wendy our cleaning women was perfect

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Great resort!

This resort offers great service and lots of amenities. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The beach is great, but the water is quite dirty (lots of seaweed) so if you're looking to spend all your time in the ocean, you may not enjoy it.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: 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

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Relaxing

Staff are wonderful. Beaches are the best as always. Clean rooms. Small resort perfect to relax and enjoy. Will be going back for sure. Cuba is such a friendly place to go. 2 hrs drive to hotel but worth the drive. Only bad thing was getting to hotel at 11.30pm and arriving back in Toronto at 1230 in the morning.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Top knotch resort

I'd recommend this resort. The food was excellent and the staff were well trained and friendly. Great pool area with waterslides for the kids. The beach is very nice with lots of chairs and great sand, but the swimming area at the beach is just so-so. My only other quibble would be they have staff that are asking you about once a day to attend a time share presentation. They're nice enough about it, but it gets old after a bit.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Beautiful and peaceful resort

Lots of space for everyone even though resort was 90% full. Buffet was okay, Italian and Caribbean were best a la carte restaurant with good steak(from Canada). Best Piña Colada at Piano bar and beach bar. Room was very clean and good size, with soap, shampoo, body lotion. Do private tour recommended by butler, it is worth the extra few $$$. Shows were good, especially the rock show. Live music everywhere you go.

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Luxury

Amazing staff! Full on luxury. Beautiful beach and wonderful food. the Hideaway is amazing for time away from the kids. Entertainment everywhere. Restaurants are top notch. Only request would be for a smoking area near beach and pool. I'm not a smoker and it can really wreck your day if there is one next to you. The spa is prohibitively over priced. If it was priced better... Maybe they wouldn't have to constantly push on selling it everywhere.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Amazing family resort

Everything was amazing from the rooms to the pools and the food! Kids club was well run and they give you a pager for when your child is ready to leave. The only thing is this resort is pretty secluded- taxi to the nearest town is $50 usd each way.

Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa: Luxury at its finest!!!!

It was our first time in Mexico and we loved everything about Royalton Cancun Riviera all inclusive resort. From the impressive lobby to the amazing service provided we would return in a heartbeat. The restaurants were incredible. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the cafe/ice cream parlour was a great treat for us on the hot days! The multiple pools and kids play were so convenient. The beaches were clean and well kept. Everyone there seemed happy and content which made for a pleasant [... read more] trip!!!!

Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: SUPER STAFF! SUPER HOLIDAY! THE ROYALTON WON US OVER!

OVER ALL, A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THIS WAS A GREAT TRIP FOR A MOTHER AND HER ADULT DAUGHTER TO CELEBRATE MOMS 55TH!! DECIDED UPON BOOKING THE ROYALTON HIDEAWAY ADULT ONLY EXPERIENCE WITH LISA A. FROM THE ST.LAURENT MALL LOCATION IN OTTAWA. SHE'S NEVER STEERED US WRONG IN THE PAST. THIS TIME WAS NO DIFFERENT. FLIGHT AND TRANSFERS TO THE HOTEL WAS SEAMLESS. ARRIVAL AT THE HOTEL WAS WARM AND WELCOMING. FROM THE CONCIERGE CHECK-IN ONWARD, THERE WERE NO NEGATIVES TO COMMENT ON. THE FOOD AT THE DIFFERENT  [... read more]A-LA-CARTE RESTAURANTS WAS GASTRONOMICAL. THE FACT THAT NO RESERVATIONS ARE NEEDED WAS A HUGE PLUS. WITH MOM CELEBRATING HER BIRTHDAY ON THIS TRIP, NOT A DAY WENT BY THAT SOME FORM OF CELEBRATION TAKING PLACE. BIRTHDAY WISHES FROM THE BAR, BEACH SERVERS, WAITERS, HOUSE STAFF AND FELLOW GUESTS. WHAT A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE. BEING SEASONED TRAVELERS, THIS HAD TO BE THE BEST-EVER SERVICE EXPERIENCE. HANDS DOWN!!! KUDOS TO ROYALTON! ONE NEGATIVE ONLY TO SPEAK OF. ALTHOUGH THE MODERN AND SPOTLESS ROOM WAS COMFORTABLE, IT OVERLOOKED A HEAVILY FORESTED AND SWAMPY AREA . THE BALCONY WAS NOT ABLE TO BE ENJOYED DUE TO A PUNGENT ODOR RISING FROM THE SWAMP. MORNING COFFEE ON THE BALCONY WAS VERY MUCH OUT OF THE QUESTION. WE SUGGEST THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS A DELUXE ROOM, BOOK AND PAY EXTRA FOR THE UPGRADED BEACH VIEW. AGAIN, THE ROOM WAS BEAUTIFULLY APPOINTED WITH MODERN AND IMPECCABLE TOUCHES. VERY COMFORTABLE. A REQUEST WAS MADE FOR A MOVE TO A DIFFERENT ROOM, BUT INFORMED THAT THAT WAS INDEED THE DELUXE VIEW. THANKFULLY, NOT MUCH TIME WAS SPENT IN THE ROOM. SAYING THIS, WE WILL BE BACK. THE ROYALTON AND ITS WONDERFUL AND FRIENDLY STAFF WON OVER MOM AND DAUGHTER !!! R & I

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: It was an amazing resort

Grounds were immaculate, food was great and abundant, so were the drinks. Staff were friendly and always helpful. We have no complaints whatsoever. We would def like to visit again very soon and will recommend to family and friends.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: Such a great vacation

The resort was awesome, very clean, well maintained. Nice pools; cool water slides, and lazy river :) Childrens play area had fun water features and water slides. Staff were amazing, so polite, happy, pleased to serve you. Our room service was excellent. Food was very good all in all, service at the steak house was very slow - only drawback. We had a couple of excursions, half day to Dunn's Falls - great experience, highly recommend. Also did luminous lagoon - very entertaining and fun evening.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: Not the Royalton 5 star Experience I expected!

I have travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean and Mexico and stayed in many 4 and 4+ star resorts. I was somewhat disappointed with this 5 star resort. Upon arrival at the hotel I was informed that my room would not be ready until 5:30 p.m. My understanding was that check in was 3:00 p.m. I was given a room on the 3rd floor overlooking a massive flat roof at the front of building overlooking the street and noise of the locals. It made it very difficult to catch a nap late afternoon. I ha [... read more]d paid extra for a single supplement and was somewhat disappointed with the size of my room (1 double bed) and the lack of amenities (no full length mirror). I felt like I had booked a "super saver" room. I complained to the front desk and requested another room. They told me they could not accomodate me until the next day at 2:00 p.m. The following day they gave me another room on the 7th floor with the same view, however this time I had a King Size Bed, but still no mirror. I was shocked at the size of the shower and how a larger person would ever fit inside. Other people I was travelling with had rooms that were larger. I felt like I was given a smaller room because I was travelling on my own. On a positive note, the bed was extremely comfortable, well maintained and the lighting in the bathroom was awesome. I found the food throughout the resort, at both the buffet and the a la cartes extremely good, along with the Jerk Chicken served on the beach. I found the service at both the restaurants and bars very good. I did tip for the good service and it definitely did not go unnoticed by the staff. They had 1 hottub, however the jets did not work my entire stay. There was also high pressure spouts at the infinity pool which did not work the entire stay. I inquired about the hydrotherapy at the spa and was informed it also wasn't working. They did offer different nightly entertainment such as a Michael Jackson Show, tribute to Bob Marley (a live Reggae band), acrobatic performer, synchronized swimming, along with an outdoor buffet. The only down side to the entertainment was the courtyard location where the shows took place and lack of seating. In summary, I did not feel that the Royalton White Sands was superior to any of the 4 star resorts I have stayed at previously, and yet was the most expensive resort.

Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters: Just ok.

We had trouble checking in with the resort, even though we were part of a wedding group that had been booked for months & months in advance. My fiance and I did not get the king bed we requested. We were told they didn't have any room for us and for another guest of the party when we arrived. We waited approximately 20 minutes and were given a room with a twin bed and a double bed, which was dirty. The tv was left on, the bathroom was dirty, and the bed sheets had sand in them. I can only imagin [... read more]e someone checked out and they stuck us right in the room without properly cleaning it. The other guest without a room had to wait an hour before they found a spot for him. They told us to come down the following morning before breakfast for another room. Nobody came to clean the room. The mini fridge was empty. We asked three separate times to have water, it was not brought for over three hours. We had to sleep on top of the covers & sheets because our bed was dirty the first night. We came down the following morning and were told we should come back at noon. Fine. We come back at noon with our packed luggage (as they requested) and we were told to wait again until 2pm, and to leave our luggage in the lobby. The front desk staff was rude when we expressed our frustration with the process. Not helpful at all. I won't even get into the trouble the bride had on her special day, as I'm sure she wants to write her own review, but for the amount of money you spend to ensure you have a special day - I can say with certainty I would not recommend this resort to anyone for their wedding day. The resort itself is small, but beautiful. The resort is very modern and well decorated and clean. The bartending staff is great - they are friendly and prompt. The chefs are great too. The buffet service is very slow, there were times where we were not served drinks at all or given napkins/proper cutlery. Room service was pretty bad too, it would not come for 1.5-2 hours and they were always out of more than half the menu. There were times there was no hot water and the wifi was not working. All in & all, I would not return to this resort. There are many other places in Jamaica to travel to and I would suggest trying another spot.