Allegro Palma Real

A nice place to stay in lovely Cuba. The beach is only about a five-minute walk away, and both the food and service were good.

The hotel was generally in good shape, and most of the staff were attentive, especially at the restaurant, lobby bar, and specialty bar. There were good shows every night. But the facilities and service had quite a few problems. Only one of the four pools was open. The pool bar was slow because beer didn't arrive until nearly noon, and beer was only available at the hotel pool from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After that, it was at the lobby bar. The beach had neither beer nor food, and getting there meant a fairly long walk across city streets and avenues, so once we were there, we couldn't get a meal or beer. After the beach, there was nowhere to wash the sand off. The pool bartender was bad-tempered and didn't seem suited to working with customers. There was no soap, shampoo, shower gel, toilet paper, or drinking water in the room. Sheets and towels weren't changed daily as they should have been. The room also had no hair dryer, the mirror was stained, and the air conditioning was very weak. One day, a water line broke, so the water was shut off; the air conditioning stopped too, and both were out until late at night after dinner. Meals were short on variety, especially the main dishes, and lunch was even more limited than dinner. During meals there were only three kinds of juice, with no fizzy drinks or red wine. The pastries were poor and disappeared quickly, and they stopped putting out desserts. Breakfast was the most complete meal, but even then there was no milk or sugar.

We were meant to stay three days and two nights, but I left after the first day, hoping the appearance was the only problem. It turned out the whole place was awful. I wouldn't spend money here, and I wouldn't recommend it. Arenas Blancas Hotel is amazing if you want a nice experience. The room was horrible. The bathtub leaked and was gross, the rest of the bathroom was bad too, and the toilet smelled worse than a public restroom. The air conditioning didn't work at all. The food was disgusting and completely tasteless. Around the pool, there were holes in the pavement and obvious cracks all over the pool itself. The staff weren't helpful. This should be renovated. It was sold as a four-star hotel, but it felt like a zero-star place. There's nothing "Royal" about Royal Palm.

The pools and beach were lovely, and the pool bar was a bright spot. There were plenty of loungers by the pools, but not many on the beach, so get there early if that's where you want to spend your time. The beach is about a five-minute walk from the hotel grounds. That was a little annoying, but once we arrived it was wonderful, and the beach bar staff were lovely. Our room was clean, though old and musty, and the hallways and stairwells were dirty. The buffet and snack bar food was barely edible. Drinks were good, but the bartenders spoke very little English, so making requests could be difficult. They also served Spanish speakers and Russians ahead of people who had been waiting longer. The espresso machine seemed to be broken all the time. I knew before the trip that Cuba was having a food crisis and that the hotel had new management. Still, checkout was infuriating. One day, housekeeping gave us just one blue beach towel, and I didn't think much of it. Then they charged me $30 USD for the towel they said was missing, even though we'd only been given one. We had a shuttle to catch, and the staff just shrugged and said we had to pay before leaving. It felt like a scam. I won't be returning to Cuba, let alone this hotel, and I can't recommend staying here. Most of the staff seemed miserable and showed it. Still, it was a cheap, hot holiday with beautiful weather, so it wasn't all bad. You get what you pay for.