Royalton CHIC Punta Cana, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort - Adults Only — Hotel in Higüey

WARNING: This is a lengthy review for you, the Traveler, so that you can make an informed decision about visiting this property after reading.||Last year, my husband and I planned a family trip to DR for our daughter’s 25th birthday in October, 2024. We made the travel arrangements at the Royalton Chic through Jet Blue Vacations for 7 people (my husband, myself, 3 daughters and daughter’s bestie) and my sister-in-law (SIL) made hers separately. Fast forward to September, 2024. We received an email stating the hotel was undergoing “planned renovations” and they were moving us to the Royalton Bavaro. Daughter #2 was very adamant about us not switching due to their poor reviews. So, we called the Chic directly and were told it was up to us if we wanted to remain at the Chic, so we did. (KEEP THIS IN MIND FOR FUTURE REFERENCE)||PRO: We arrived at the hotel (free transfer through Jet Blue) and were welcomed by the staff with a fruity blackberry something or other drink (not to my liking, but oh well). The property is absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, the large pool was under renovations, which we were informed prior to our arrival.||CON: Only one of the rooms was ready, but that was okay since we were able to go to the buffet. As I previously mentioned, my SIL made her reservation separate from us through Jet Blue and somehow managed to book a room in the “Diamond Club”. Well! They took my SIL to a separate desk and she returned 10 minutes later with a glass of champagne (RATS! Why couldn’t we have been given champagne instead of the nasty tasting cocktail drink) and informed us that her room was ready (hmph).|We were able to check into our rooms after we ate and stayed for a week. Here’s a summary of the PROs and CONs:||CON: Purchase or upgrade to Diamond Club. Otherwise, you will be treated like a second or third-class citizen, even if you are a big tipper. My husband and I ARE big tippers and always tip regardless if it is an all-inclusive resort. However, it did not matter – we were underwhelmed by the service.||PRO: The rooms are HUGE! They’re roomy enough for my husband and I not to get in each other’s way. They also have a patio where you can sit outside.||CON: There’s no microwave in the room. My husband and I are not big eaters and quite often pick at our food. It would have been nice if we had a microwave so that we could bring our food back to the room.||CON: They are stingy with face towels, bring your own. I had to call almost every day for face towels. And, housekeeping would never replace the ones we used. What in the world!!! I can’t shower with these big ole’ hand towels.||CON: The beds are horrible in the regular suites (I don’t know about the Diamond Club). I left with my back and hips aching from the hard mattress.||PRO: THE SPA IS EXQUISITE!!! One of the best I have been to so far. We normally go the day before our departure. And lucky for us we did, because my tail bone was killing me at this point.||CON: If you are a light sleeper, bring an eye mask for the evening light show in the room between the smoke detector and the other flashing red light detector (which I have no idea what it is for).||CON: If you are poolside, you are better off getting your food and drinks on your own. They are short staffed. Drinks ordered take approximately 25-30 mins to arrive. ||PRO: If you want a drink made correctly while at the pool, MAKE SURE YOUR DRINKS ARE MADE BY MARCOS. No one else on the island knows how to make a proper alcoholic drink. He is an excellent bartender, friendly and has a great memory. He is normally stationed at the bar facing the Diamond Club entrance.||CON: Again, they are short staffed. The resort closes one restaurant every day and the staff are divided between the remaining to serve customers. Service is slow. Also, if you are ordering room service – order 70-90 minute ahead of time.||CON: Unable to get ginger ale anywhere on the property (what in the world!). Make sure you bring Kaopecte, Imodium, and or Pepto-Bismol. You’re going to experience some stomach issues and maybe even some liquid poop. They associate Seagrams Gingerale with 7 Up (sigh). NO, 7 UP IS NOT THE SAME AS GINGERALE!!!||CON: The beach is practically non-existent due to erosion and seaweed. My SIL and I were unable to take daily walks on the beach due to this.||PRO: The daily entertainment is great!! We LOVE FELIPE and “THE VIBE TEAM”. The nightlife was also incredible. They hosted something different every night.||CON: My husband had arranged with a hotel staff member by the name of JOSEFA, to setup a Happy Birthday banner on my daughter’s room door. In addition, balloons, decorations and a cake were to be placed in her room. We took her on an all-day excursion so that they had the entire day to setup. So, imagine how upset we were when we followed our daughter to her room expecting this, only to find out they delivered just a birthday cake (WONK, WONK, WONK). THAT WAS IT!!! REALLY!!!||PRO: Although, we were not part of the “Diamond Club”, THANK YOU J. VILLAR for treating us as if we were. This gentleman looked after us. Also, THANK YOU TO LUDY (I think that’s his name. I remember it rhymed with Trudy) for making my daughter’s 25th birthday a memorable one. He approached us about renting a private cabana, which came with a dedicated wait server. THANK YOU NESTOR! And, also a private area to have dinner where they setup birthday decorations for the occasion. Unfortunately, our dedicated wait server for my daughter’s dinner acted like he did not want to be there, so no tip for you.||Overall – as a family, we always enjoy ourselves and we enjoyed the property. However, my husband and I are accustomed to a certain type of service which the Royalton Chic did not provide. After reading the reviews for the Royalton Bavaro, I then understood that the reviews applied to ALL of the Royalton resorts. On that note, if you book - make sure you book...

Here we go, overall it’s a lovely resort. I know how to have a good time and make lemonade out of lemons. Once a couple of meals are not to my liking I will stop eating the food even at an all inclusive. Some of the staff was extremely nice and accommodating some not so much. Nairobi a hostess a the steakhouse should not work in hospitality. Maybe she was having a bad day. I took offense to our interaction and she’s lucky I have some common sense to walk away. Oliver the Spa representative at the front of house Told me it doesn’t benefit Him for me to walk in for my spa treatment and not book through him. No Spa treatment for Jennifer. The resort’s front of house spa representative needs additional training. The spa is a major money maker for every resort. Once you rub me the wrong way I don’t interact with you again when I’m on vacation. NBA eastern conference final week , no basketball game in the sports bar. They said I needed to order beforehand. I did exactly that. Guess what? Thursday no game in the sports bar. A guest had to stream it from his laptop. The bartender at the night club was very nice during my tirade. The concierge Gregori couldn’t be found after he gave me his what’s app info. They said he went to dinner. Didn’t see him for the rest of the night. I failed to mention the first day I got there a young lady showed me where I could change until my room was ready. No AC sweating my balls off changing guess what? I get locked In That room for a good 15 minutes. Sweating banging on the door hard and yelling help me in Spanish. The attendant walked off. I had a to squeeze my fingers in The crack of the door. Theodoro at the diamond club breakfast was nice. He also made sure he was my waiter at the Italian restaurant when I made reservations. Unfortunately when I received my food I took two bites and quietly left the food there. Won’t tell you what it reminded me of. I left some nice tips over the week because I know these people work hard. The resort fit staff were great for a few pool activities I saw. I did water spin class M,W and water aerobics all the days expect Friday cause guess what. I injured my hamstring when I slipped in the nightclub dancing on the dance floor. Yes the designated area for dancing. I just called it a night. Took some showers to get heat on the injury. Friday the day before my departure I filed a report with a very nice concierge staff member. I wonder if that ever got filed. I should have taken a picture of it as proof. She even walked me to the medical clinic. The medico was on the phone so we waited a few minutes and he finally opened the door. Told him I fell the night before after midnight could he provide something for the pain simply ibuprofen. He said he could if I wasn’t seen. What the hell does that mean. Am I not standing in Front of you. Another inexperienced worker. I have awesome medical insurance but he could be bothered. So we walked back and she showed me where the gift shop was. The shows were nice pretty amateur dancers and acrobatics but cute. The steampunk singer was talented. The show by the pool with the acrobatics the bbq was low budget for a 5 star. So every day in between my pool aerobics and pool spin class I spend my day with the diamond club beach bar stafff. Terrific I love Carlos excellent drinks he kept the pool drinks flowing for the nice waitress Castro. The food was ok there. Mostly ate the fish and chips daily. The sushi was dry but tasty. I don’t usually do a lot of sauce. So for the whole week I nibbled and drank a lot because Carlos Olin and German were the best people there. When I get good service I’m a loyal follower. I tip well and treat you like family. I felt appreciated out there. Me some nice guest but not enough to go back there. They need to mature their staff and do a little renovations. I used to come to PUJ every Memorial Day weekend from 2008 to 2017. People were nicer before the pandemic. Royalton splash Cancun was better. Just went there march of 2024. |You have to pay for quality workers gift girl was often confused. lol. ||I travel often to different countries and I used to cruise a lot so I know good service. Drinking or not I’m very observant and a lot of the staff are not happy and lack experience. They need some mentors in the industry. Times are hard and cost are high but don’t present 3/2 Star meats at a 5starresorts. I didn’t see a good steak all week. Maybe in the steakhouse but oh yeah Nairobi put an end to that. What a unique name they’re going to know who I’m referring to. Extremely clean everything was spotless but getting a little old and worn down. It’s only 10 years old. I hate a bad contractor. Good luck Royalton chic punta Cana. I would love to see Carlos again but not under these...

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!!||||On 7/17/25 I visited the Dominican Republic to embark on a 5 day 4-night vacation with my 4 sisters at the Royalton Chic Punta Cana. This trip was an absolute nightmare consisting of inept staff, unkempt décor, insufficient items to provide protection from the sun, ongoing solicitation from vendors, illness, and untidy spaces.||As I engaged in the check-in process, I observed the facility and interacted with some staff. I immediately noticed that many staff were not precise with information and failed to provide me with the knowledge that I was seeking. ||||After being assigned a room I noticed that the décor was damaged with paint stains on the furniture and the mirror in the bathroom had a great deal of erosion. Of course, observing these deficits was very disappointing. I elected to note the information and discuss this with the staff at a later date. ||||While sitting at the poolside, I was very hot and frustrated as the resort had 11 umbrellas for over 70-100 chairs poolside. I reported it to the front desk and was informed by the concierge staff that “ an order was placed and that it takes some time to get items into the country”. When I inquired as to when the order was placed, he was unable to provide the information. As this information was not noted on the Royalton Chic Punta Cana site, I was livid and felt duped. Not having this information served as an impediment to me making a different choice for my vacation. ||||The solicitation to buy items from the onsite vendors was HORRIBLE. These vendors were specifically located by the cabanas poolside which was also the area to enter the main buffet restaurant. The consistent haggling to buy items was most uncomfortable and annoying. I found it despicable that I came on vacation to relax yet; experienced an extreme amount of pleas to purchase things when I should have been able to enjoy myself. ||||On 7/19/25, I was incredibly irritated which warranted me reporting back to the concierge staff to share my concerns and my desire to document my complaints (regarding the lack of sun umbrellas, solicitation by the vendors, and subpar décor). As per my request, I was provided with a complaint form titled “For injuries, Losses of Property, or Property Damage” According to the concierge staff his supervisor Diana would reach out to me to discuss further. It must be noted that though I was informed that Diana would contact me to discuss my concerns, she did not. ||||On the evening of 7/19/25, I began to feel ill. As my stomach continued to churn and I couldn’t keep the contents of my stomach down, I reported back to my room. For the next several hours, my body continued to purge the contents of my stomach which left me feeling lethargic. Later on during the evening, my sisters brought me some crackers and suggested that I come out of the room for some air and to dine with them. During dinner, I did not eat as I could not keep any solids down yet; ate some crackers, tea, and water (It must be noted that based upon complaints from other visitors of the hotel and my symptoms, it appears that the food at the Royalton Chic Punta Cana is/was unfit to be served). ||||On 7/20/25, as my sisters and I wanted to enjoy our last day at the resort, we rented a cabana to shield ourselves from the hot sun. After my sister paid $169.00 (we split the cost post the payment) for the cabana, we entered and noticed that it was filthy. On two occasions I spoke with staff who shared that they would report to clean the area however they did not. I finally went to the manager of the cabana area to make a complaint whereas he directed someone to clean the area.|| ||As my stomach symptoms began to subside a bit and I was extremely hungry, I attempted to eat again on the evening of 7/20/25 and the morning before I departed on 7/21/25. Unfortunately, I gradually began to feel ill again and upon arrival at the airport ( en-route home) I had to report to the bathroom several times as my body again began to purge the contents of my stomach. During my flight back home, I was afraid to eat and drink as I did not want to experience extreme embarrassment by using the bathroom and voiding the contents of my stomach. ||||I arrived home on the evening of 7/21/25 at and was at my doctor’s office on 7/22/25 obtaining a prescription to address my loose bowels. To date, I’m on medication for 5 days to address my symptoms. ||||This was not the vacation...