Santa Catalina a Royal Hideaway Hotel

Very good hotel. The breakfast is fabulous. The surrounding park is also extraordinary. Very good facilities (spa, pool, bars, and restaurants) For light-sleepers, the noise during the night could be problematic. Also, potential insects in the rooms from the neighboring park.

Just home from 8 nights at this amazing hotel, i cant fault anything. On our 2nd or 3rd night we had the pleasure to see a stunning wedding at the hotel, it looked absolutely wow wow wow.

Hubby's Birthday on one of the days & sending us that fabulous gift was just such a lovely surprise.

We had a late flight on day of departure so we had an option to pay a small fee for a 5pm departure, to have this option available, again bravo 👏

If you are looking for a hotel that you genuinely won't leave for days this is the place.

Thank you again for such an amazing time.

I had not intended to write a review of my stay at Santa Catalina because, frankly, I was significantly disappointed, and I saw little point in dwelling on what should have been a very pleasant stay but was, in reality, quite below the standard I had expected. However, the hotel subsequently wrote to me specifically asking for my assessment and inviting me to share my experience on TripAdvisor, so I feel it is only fair to respond candidly.

There were certainly good aspects. The hotel remains aesthetically very attractive. My room was perfectly adequate, the bed was comfortable, and the music in the lobby created a pleasant atmosphere.

Unfortunately, that is largely where the luxury experience ended.

The staff were invariably courteous, but the courtesy often felt trained rather than accompanied by any genuine interest in helping. Whenever something was required, there seemed to be an extraordinary lack of involvement. I found myself repeatedly having to pursue the simplest requests and, throughout the stay, had the uncomfortable feeling that I was constantly trying to get things done rather than being looked after.

The food choices were surprisingly limited. Room service was particularly disappointing, both in quality and speed. Even breakfast became something that had to be carefully ordered and arranged because the normal room service experience was so unreliable.

The same problem existed with drinks. They might eventually arrive attractively presented, but waiting approximately 45 minutes between placing an order and receiving it is simply not acceptable in a hotel presenting itself at this level.

I had also requested a table for 11 people so that guests whom I had invited could join me at tea time for tea and drinks. I was told that reservations could not be made, and once again there seemed to be a remarkable indifference to finding a solution. During that gathering, and indeed throughout my stay, I made considerable use of the hotel’s food and beverage services and spent a substantial amount doing so. When I stay at a hotel, I use its facilities extensively and expect, particularly from a hotel of this standing, a corresponding level of service and attention. Regrettably, that was simply not my experience at Santa Catalina.

This, to me, is the fundamental problem. A luxury hotel is not judged by the quality of its pillars, its architecture, or the palm trees outside. It is judged by the quality of its service. Beautiful surroundings may create the expectation of luxury, but only service can deliver it.

Santa Catalina certainly has the exterior and appearance of a luxury hotel. Regrettably, very little about the service during my stay matched that promise.

Since the hotel specifically invited me to give my assessment, I feel I should give it candidly. I expected considerably more from Santa Catalina. What could have been an extremely pleasant stay was instead one of significant disappointment.