Cayo Santa Maria

This was our first time in Cayo Santa Maria and at a Royalton resort. The resort is not huge but offers so much. Also it has a limited number of rooms so it doesn't feel congested. There's always room at the pools and the beach. The beach is where we spent most of our time and it was just perfect. One of the most beautiful beaches and waters we've seen. There were three restaurants to choose from, which varied their menus every night for dinner, which was nice to see. If that wasn't enough though, as Royalton guests, we also had access to the adjacent Memories Resort, which is enormous. The staff are the people that make all the difference in the end though. They were amazing. At the Royalton, as it turns out, you get assigned butlers who look after you during your stay and address any and all of your needs 24/7. Javier and Maria Rosa were the ones assigned to us and they did an exceptional job along with the other staff from bar tenders, to waiters, cleaners, cooks and all other servers, Dyan, Ariel, Bernardo and Beatrice to name a few. They all did their part to make sure that our stay was nothing less than fantastic.

The resort is getting dated, but we could see that they are trying to maintain as well as they can. Very friendly staff all around. The food is good always plenty to choose from at the buffet. The à la carte were only so so. The beaches are the most beautiful ones around.

Our overall experience was great!! We had 2 rooms and 1 was not ready when we got there but it was quickly relaced with one that was ready. Unfortunately, the patio door would not lock and it took until the next day to get fixed. The customer service lady Sulay, is an amazing person. She got them right on fixing it the next day when we went to see her. The food at the resort was good. There was not a huge variety but there was always something to eat. Always bread, lunchmeat, cheese, rice, eggs. It was a little disappointing when going into the restaurants and not being able to have chicken or other things, but its understandable. They get what they can get when they can get it. But they always make the most out of it and come up with some pretty good things to eat. The staff was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! Not once did any staff pass us and not say hi or nod their head. One of the friendliest groups of people I have ever met. They have golf carts that will take you anywhere around the resort that you want to go which is great because the Adult section is closer to the beach than anything else (which is where we stayed). The Michael Jackson Experience was awesome. Very good show that I was not expecting. The maid service was great but they could try and move some things to clean under them, like the couch. The bathroom rain shower was good but we had water squirting outside of the shower. We always had wi-fi, even on the beach. We started with 4 hours of access before you had to sign in to the network again and then sometimes it wouldn't work so the guy at the front desk put us up to 2200 hours of access and we were able to keep signing into the network with no issues for the rest of the stay. That is something that should be done right from the start. There was always access to hand sanitizer. The resort is 90 minutes from the airport but you get to travel across a part of Cuba's history on their man made causeway. Overall, this resort was amazing. Traveler's need to understand that the food situation is not ideal anywhere in Cuba. Your vacation is what you make of it and the staff. We brought gifts and tipped a lot and never had anyone that was not appreciative of this.

The hotel layout and staff were lovely. The rooms were a nice size. Do have some power outages at various times of the day. The a la carte restaurants were good. Bathrooms around resort are few and far between.

the Coral level section was amazing, a la carte everything was delicious, service was very good, was really impress with this resort, the only thing i would recommend more lights on pathways, beaches are stunning's everyone his helpful, if you want something just ask and you will get it ...really enjoyed YURI is service was exceptional will go back for sure

The room need renovation, the drinks and the beach and the pool were no taste, the food in the buffet was cold and a lot of time empty, no fruit, no vegetable, the mini bar was empty and they give you one cerveza or cola at a time, no paper toilet in the bathroom at the beach and the pool.... but the beach was amazing.

The hotel was very nice for cuba. Clean rooms and grounds the staff were super friendly and helpful. We were there for Christmas with 2 adults 2 children (9 and 7). The only big downfall was the buffet opens for dinner at 7pm which with children is not good at all. They do have a 24hr snack bar. As well there was no entertainment at night. I was told it was because of covid and it will start again. I've been to cuba a couple of times now and this was the best food at a resort I've had. There were a lot of mosquitoes in our room as the door didn't seal well. We actually ended up spraying bug spray around it. Check in and out was very easy. We got a swim out room. But honestly wouldn't again. The weather wasn't warm enough the pool was very cold. I was happy with this resort. I would probably go again if the price wasn't so high. The internet times out after so many hours and you have to go to the front desk for them to reset it. Which I found annoying for the children's tablets and our phones. Seemed like everyday at least one had to be reset. Overall very relaxing and chill which I loved with the children.

I have been to Cuba over 25x and have stayed in many Melia and Sol hotels to give you an idea of what I'm accustomed to This was by far the most $$ I ever paid to visit Cuba so I did expect a little more for my visit The hotel, the room, the choice of beaches, and the service by staff were exceptional - I have no complaints! My biggest complaint is the food or lack of food I received during my stay. There is something obviously wrong when sister resorts in close vicinity who charge $500 less a week have better food choices and variety. I know as I visited and ate at another nearby Melia on two occasions!! Lack of hand sanitizer available and toilet paper for napkins - this is what we received. many of the workers were sick coughing and sniffling so be careful folks!

This was my 5th time in Cuba, the first at this hotel, and it was definitely the best hotel experience overall. Although the amenities are fairly standard for Cuba and there were imperfections, there is much to appreciate and enjoy. The common areas are well designed and really lush with greenery - including a small island in the pool area with shrubs and palm trees. The beach & the turquoise water are amazing - great for swimming on most days we were there (windy on the others). The food is very good - lots of choice and the "specialty" restaurants have great decor and calm atmospheres. The beach grill was a favourite - semi-outdoor with lovely views. Even at the Cuban Restaurant (which had a meat based menu), I was given a very tasty vegetarian meal on last minute request. Lots of specialty drinks/international brands at the main bar and wonderful cappuccinos both there and at the pool restaurant. There are lots of fun activities and the animation team was really great. They are very professional and also very sweet. Their personal touches added greatly to a very special vacation. The White Party experience was super.

The Bad things about the resort: - The food is not good and same menus every day, if you need some fresh omelettes, fish you need to stand in lineup - The beef meet is so tough - take with you peanut butter bcs they don't serve it there - the worst coffee in the buffet not at the bars - 2 snack bars work as restaurants ( you need to set on table and order...... another way to pay the waiters tip) - Low quality service (they will give you a smile n good service if you pay tip, so you need to keep paying Pesos)... peso is almost $1.4 Canadian dollar. - Most of Toilets are not working - you need to keep asking daily for the two beers and water for your room's mini bar (tipping again) - the evening music programs are the worst - they give us 2 bed instead queen size (we had to join the 2 beds together. - Can not snorkeling The good things about the resort: - Nice swimming pools - Nice beach - Spacious and open - 1 peso for 1hr WIFI (about 1.4 CA) but slow most the times - Nice rooms and bathrooms and good cleaning staff - 3 exits to the long beach - enough chairs on the pools and the beach, but the problem is the French people from Quebec when the take most the chairs to themselves without using them - Good bar https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g670039-d7171247-r559479753-Valentin_Perla_Blanca-Cayo_Santa_Maria_Villa_Clara_Province_Cuba.html#