Hotel: everything is functional, but with signs of deterioration. The rooms are decent, we had no problem. Outside paint is very old. One of two elevators does not work, but it was no problem for us.
Food: good enough for us. I am vegetarian, and it was OK for me. Sometime the selection of fruits was small (2 only). There also were meat / chicken / fish choices every day. Two a la carte restaurants menus are quite simple, though, and mainly serve the same food as in the buffet, looks like.
Service: good, no problem found.
Transportation: It takes 2 hours to get from the airport, and the road is like a country road; expect 2 hours of vibrations in the coach. Winter is the dry season, and the roads are dusty; wear dust mask when going out after few dry days with no rain. We had only one rain in 6 days. 6 days is because Sunwing airlines had 7 hours delay from Montreal, and practically we arrived one day late. So do not use Sunwings!
Beach: not big, with grey sand. Water was good, warm and clear, a lot of corrals not far from the shore.

Buy a beer for the bus ride, sit back and relax. The bus drivers know every pot hole so don't worry!
The staff is super friendly if you are friendly to them. Just came back today. 2 great weeks of sun shine. They had a fantastic buffet New Years eve.
Yes the beach is small but you have the shade, the beach and the bar all in one place. The beach is very long so you can go for a long walk.It is super safe there.
Adolpho who has worked at the hotel for many years has opened his own restaurant called Oceanos down the street. The food is great,very well priced. His family lives there also. He also has music there most days. He can't always get supplies so he will tell you what is fresh. You can walk there, it is dark at night but very safe or you can take a taxi from the hotel.
Bring a flashlight.
As for the hotel-yes it need updating. but this is Cuba.I liked the stairs,good exercise.
The view is amazing and everything you need is there.If you want a 5 star go to Vegas.If you want a great experience go to Brisas Sierra Mar

We booked this vacation in the summer for a very low price and you get what you pay for.
We got to Brisas Sierra Mar by a van ride from Houlguin that was four hours! If you're not up for a long, bumpy road fly in somewhere closer if possible.
Once we got there the staff was very friendly and they were the whole two weeks we spent there. The rooms are OK, always had warm water and we had a great view of the ocean.
Theres a lot of stairs if you want to go up or down depending on what floor they put you on. Fourth floor is closest to the top where the pool, bar, and restaurants are. The first floor is closer to the beach and I wouldn't suggest anyone to be on that floor unless they're looking for a serious workout everyday.
The locals come in a few days a week, not sure if its just during the summer, but it gets really busy. Waiting inline for drinks will take twice as long, and the buffet becomes a zoo.
The pool was clean everyday and so was the rest of the resort.
Diving here was very cheap, not much to see but the dive guy, Edgar, is a great guy who will take you to some ok places.
We also rented a vespa and took a drive down the bumpy road, it was an adventure. Bring some things to give out to the families, they love anything, candies, bandaids etc. Theres some gorgeous beaches if you just drive a few minutes down the road.
Again, all the staff was awesome and so kind.

This was our 6th trip to Cuba and I would not recommend this hotel for 2 reasons:

1- A 2-hour unbelievably bumpy, scary, stressful, (read dangerous) road from the airport to the hotel (74 km). Good luck in case of an accident.
2- Day-pass visitors who take over the place with rude behaviors.

We started on a sour note, since we chose Tour Mont-Royal and no one was there at the airport for our transfer. We had to be resourceful to be able to find a rep who called a taxi and left us there, while she left with another group. After waiting 1 hour at the airport, we finally got the last-minute transfer taxi for the incredibly dangerous 2 hour road to the hotel.
The beach is the worst we have seen in Cuba. (This is our 6th trip to Cuba). In fact, forget the beach and spend your time at the relaxing pool....until the day-visitors arrive.

On a positive note, all public places, including washrooms are incredibly clean, the staff is friendly and smiling, the food buffet is the smallest we've had in Cuba however the food is fresh, not oily. Really liked the quiet beach restaurant. Loved the 6:30 p.m. shows at the lobby bar. The best feature of staying in Santiago de Cuba is the almost guaranteed sunshine and warmth, even in December. We had sunshine everyday, with a beautiful 27C in the shade. Since it was only about 1/3 full, no problem getting chairs around the pool, which is very relaxing, except for when the day-pass visitors invade the place in an aggressive way.
My suggestion to the owners would be to open up the place completely for day-visitors only.