My husband and I just got back after spending one week at the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria. Today we both tested positive for COVID. -There was NO sanitization and NO implementation of any sort of COVID protocols. I mean it was bad. The tables all had table runners on them which were not changed or disinfected at all (they would place the cutlery down on these table runners that were visibly soiled and clearly not changed) -I witnessed a server using the same damp cloth to wipe tables, doors and handles. THE SAME DIRTY DAMP CLOTH. Then she just put it back on her serving tray and continued taking orders. -by the end of our trip I would say 25% of the resort was coughing. It was inevitable that my husband and I would end up catching it, despite us trying our best to wipe down our tables ourselves and using sanitizer. -The washrooms were also flithy. To the point that we would walk back to our rooms to use the facilities. No toilet paper and dirty stalls (we will leave it at that) -The beach is the best beach that I have ever seen in the Caribbean. Crystal clear water and silky soft white sand. The weather was also absolutely amazing!! -Lots of loungers and umbrellas available at the beach, no need to wake up early to reserve a spot -There were NO umbrellas around the pools which was...My husband and I just got back after spending one week at the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria.

Today we both tested positive for COVID.
-There was NO sanitization and NO implementation of any sort of COVID protocols. I mean it was bad. The tables all had table runners on them which were not changed or disinfected at all (they would place the cutlery down on these table runners that were visibly soiled and clearly not changed)
-I witnessed a server using the same damp cloth to wipe tables, doors and handles. THE SAME DIRTY DAMP CLOTH. Then she just put it back on her serving tray and continued taking orders.
-by the end of our trip I would say 25% of the resort was coughing. It was inevitable that my husband and I would end up catching it, despite us trying our best to wipe down our tables ourselves and using sanitizer.

-The washrooms were also flithy. To the point that we would walk back to our rooms to use the facilities. No toilet paper and dirty stalls (we will leave it at that)

-The beach is the best beach that I have ever seen in the Caribbean. Crystal clear water and silky soft white sand. The weather was also absolutely amazing!!

-Lots of loungers and umbrellas available at the beach, no need to wake up early to reserve a spot

-There were NO umbrellas around the pools which was kind of annoying if you needed shade. There were a very limited number of covered day beds available around the pools (included at no additional cost); however, those were always scooped up by people very early in the morning

-Beach towels were hit and miss. They did not have fresh towels available everyday, so there were a couple times we had to use the same towels for a few days.

-The first three days we had amazing service from everyone on the resort but after the third night we found the service really declined

-I need to give special recognition to Yasmany at the snack bar/Sunset al la carte. His service was the best we have ever had. He genuinely enjoys and is good at his job. Thank you again for your amazing service Yasmany.

-I also would like to thank our Butler, Xavier. He went above and beyond to ensure we always had what we needed, and he would check in with is multiple times per day. He even remembered my husbands birthday and brought him a card that he had personally written himself.

-The resort is small and intimate so you really get to know everyone staying there; and it is small enough that you can walk from the lobby to the beach in under 3 minutes.

-I was really disappointed with the food. After coming on Trip Advisor and reading all of the amazing reviews about the food, I had expected a lot more than we experienced. The resort does not have a buffet (which we knew when we booked)
Breakfast was the same every morning; your options were limited to toast, eggs, donuts, cold cuts, cheese and a very slim variety of fruit. Only one of the days that we were there, they have bacon.
Lunch was probably where you had the most variety. Quesadillas, ham and cheese sandwich or hotdogs by the beach. Grilled pork, squid, rice, yams on the grill (my husband really liked this; and the men who work at the grill really need more recognition for the hard work they do). OR you could go to the sunset restaurant by the pool and order; pasta, pizza, ham and cheese sandwich, burger or fries (portions are very small; I'm talking 7 French fries) The pasta and pizza options were very limited and the same everyday.

Dinner was at one of the three al la carte restaurants; options were pretty much the same at each restaurant with slight variations in sauces or toppings. For example; pasta with red sauce or pasta with white sauce, breaded pork or grilled pork.

Overall the food was very repetitive and after 4 days we became very bored of eating bread, pasta and pork. The quality of the food itself wasn't bad in comparison to other resorts in Cuba. It was edible and fresh for the most part.

-Our room was invested with cocoroches. I have multiple photos of them but we all know what cockroaches are, so I won't go through the trouble of posting them. The first time I saw cockroaches; I was getting ready to go out for dinner and they were crawling on the bathroom vanity right next to my toothbrush (yuckkk). We very discreetly brought this to the manager, and the assistant managers attention. All they did; was "check" the room and then we didn't hear from them again; so we were left sitting around waiting for a resolution that never happened. Finally my husband approached the manager and asked if we would be getting a new room, and we were told that they went to look at the room and they didn't see any cockroaches, so we were okay to stay in our room.

Well, the very next morning I opened my eyes to what I thought was a gecko (due to the size), but it was a MASSIVE cockroach on our curtains. My husband immediately went back to the manager and requested a new room. Finally, we were given a new room (something that should have been granted the previous night).

Overall I have to say we were somewhat let down by our experience. After reading all of the amazing reviews, we were really expecting to have a 5 star experience (keeping in mind that it is Cuba).

Ive been to Cuba 6 times, and I would have to say that this resort does not surpass any of the other resorts; despite it being rated so highly.More