Royal Decameron Salinitas

We left after less than three hours, despite having paid for four days. The place looked neglected, and the buffet area felt dirty and unwelcoming. Our room was filthy and in poor shape: a dirty chair, a fridge dumped on the floor, and grimy walls and floors. Absolutely despicable. Worst resort ever. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with even a little bit of standards. We went to an Airbnb instead.

The pools, including the saltwater one, were quite nice, but we were so disappointed that we’re leaving before our planned second night. We’ll find somewhere else to stay and lose the $250 we paid for that night. Getting checked in felt like a cattle call. We were told to book restaurant slots, then learned the app wouldn’t work until after 10pm on our arrival day, leaving only the buffet. The food there wasn’t suitable for vegans or vegetarians. My husband asked for a bean pupusa, and it took a manager stepping in before they made him two. The rooms are very basic, the WiFi unreliable, and loud music went on until 10pm. I can’t understand the 4.7 stars. Looking at other reviews, management doesn’t seem to respond to feedback in a meaningful way, just with the same identical reply.

The kids liked the shallow parts of the pools, one of the few things that worked well for us. The rest of our stay at Decameron was a letdown, especially for members who pay throughout the year. We wouldn’t come back or recommend it. It felt poorly managed, inconvenient, and far below what an all-inclusive should provide. Getting around took a lot of effort. The resort is spread out, and walking end to end was tiring, especially with kids. From the pool, reaching the beautiful ocean meant either a long walk to the beach stairs or jumping down a rock and crossing wire. The “ocean pool” was actually ocean water with fish, and sharp oyster shells lined its edges. There were no lifeguards anywhere. The slide required a height of 52”, with no way for smaller children to ride with an adult. Our room had barely working Wi-Fi, a broken safe that was never fixed, and a hair dryer that didn’t work and was never replaced. The shower had only a rainfall head and half a glass enclosure, so water flooded the bathroom floor every time and wouldn’t drain properly. The beds were hard, the pillows uncomfortable, and the fridge was empty. There was no alcohol in the room, just one large bottle of water. Pool and ocean showers were well placed, but you had to keep pressing a handle, making it difficult to rinse sand with only one free hand. Food was another problem. Every meal needed a booked time slot, and dinner choices were very limited. The slots clashed with the evening shows, so it was unrealistic for families: the kids’ show started at 8:30 pm and the adult show at 9:30 pm. The steakhouse had only a few cuts because it was “off season.” Overall, selection was poor, labels were often wrong, and once things like lettuce and croutons ran out, they weren’t replaced. There was no fruit at lunch or dinner. Dinner had no alcohol service beyond one type of beer, and there was no local beer from El Salvador. The main beer was from Guatemala. Ice cream was available for just 30 minutes a day, from 10:00-10:30 am, which is unacceptable for an all-inclusive, especially with kids. There was no pool bar, and the bars closed very early, meaning long walks for a drink. Nobody brought drinks to guests at the pool or shows. The shows at night lasted only an hour and felt rushed, and there were no games or engaging poolside activities. There was also a fire at the resort during our stay. Checkout added more hassle. Both families in our group, although in separate rooms, had to be there together, instead of checking out room by room. We also had to return all pool towels before checkout, which added stress.

At the principal restaurant chack balan, the buffet didn’t have much variety, and the food lacked flavor. Meat options were very limited, and dessert wasn’t great either. There was no ice cream. You already have everything here, so I think you could do a lot better.