This resort has huge potential as it has a beautiful setting, lovely grounds, beach, and plenty of space at the beach and pools and more than enough loungers at both.
The resort is about minutes from the airport , so transfers are a breeze, I would like to say that some of the negative reviews re the staff on reception and others aren't quite right as we found all but a few really pleasant and helpful. On arrival booking in we were assigned a room on the 3rd floor and we asked if we could have a room nearer the ground and they said we could go get a drink and they would see what they could do,after a short while they call us over and offered us a ground floor. The room was more than adequate with a large wardrobe and safe, umbrella, fridge stocked with beers and soft drinks and juices, replenished daily. A large bathroom with vanity kit and a large shower with shampoo conditioner and shower gel. A large king-size bed , a large wall mounted tv , table and chair, balcony with chairs, small table, and drying rack. The room was cleaned daily, but occasionally didn't leave enough towels as they ran out or hadn't been delivered yet, but supplied them when they arrived mid afternoon, which several other reviewers remarked on.
There's a coffee shop which opens at 7am and is a breath of fresh air, staff are really good and friendly, offering all manner of coffee combinations and teas, patisseries, biscuits and rolls sandwiches and cakes, not to mention ice cream.
There are 3 specialty restaurants which you could book online via their royalton app, a Italian, French and Indian as well as buffet and a nibbles snack, I'm afraid this is where the resort is failing in a big way, some people say that the food is ok to good, but is so far removed from good. It was as if nothing was available or they didn't have any, and at breakfast you go to the omelette station and they didn't have mushrooms, no scrambled or fried unless you asked, fruit constantly ran out, it would have the usual patisseries ,continental breakfast, cereals, juices, breads, rolls, bacon, potatoes and yoghurts. You were offered coffee or tea, but getting a refill was hard. Also, I couldn't get a bottle of water from any of the 7 but the cofffee shop. We had luch and most dinnerrs here, they had a pasta station, but it wasn't always up and running, either couldn't get the burners working or hadn't got started and they would be about 15 minutes before they could offer fresh pasta, now a pasta station without any garlic, mushrooms, and when we went to get some pasta one of the days it was operational, we noticed the container was only half full but had tide marks , we asked was it fresh and we were told it was, but on getting to our table you could see it was grainy and tasted off, we left and the waitress asked what was wrong and we told her, to which she apologised and we saw she went to the pasta station and she took the container away.
We tried the Indian, the lighting was really subdued and I had to use my torch on my phone to read the menu, I'm afraid it was very bland and asking for sorbet for dessert, I was told they ran out, considering we were there when it first opened that evening, you think they would have mentioned what they had or didn't have.
The same with Italian is was bland and no taste, tuna salad with hardly any tuna, we both had carbonara and it was so gloppy I could pick the whole dish on my fork and it looked grainy again. I wasn't shocked when again I asked for Sorbet and they didn't have any yet again.
The pool was next to the Italian restaurant, where premium guests could have there breakfast, always plenty of loungers and was very quiet and empty until 11am, never unable to get seating, and the bar poolside, was operated by Shakira (hopefully spelt correctly ) she quickly remembered our orders and always cheery.
The martini bar was hit and miss, if all the servers could be trained to do the drinks the same or close , as that's what made it difficult to have a consistent drink mix, as some were drinkable and some no so, wich was a shame. Now some reviewers say , "Yes, it's not Italy, France, or India, but it should resemble the flavours we all know." The food and beverages side of things really needs to be addressed, and that would make this resort would be so much better. The 4.3 doesn't match the venue? Some of the reviews mentioned that the staff were awful and rude, we didn't find this to be true, yes some had an off day like us all, but you shouldn't bring it to work, also stating there was no lifts,and a lot of walking, it says no lifts and has extensive grounds, but also you don't go on holiday and lose weight.
Would I recommend this resort, unless food and beverage issues are sorted out? Then no , I'm afraid not, as this is probably the worst experience in the Caribbean we had.
