Address - Paseo general Escalon No. 4711 | Col. Escalón, Sonsonate, El Salvador
Location - Beach
Distance to airport - 90 minutes
Reviews posted on this page - 9 review(s)
Description: The Royal Decameron Salinitas Hotel offers a fantastic Mayan flavored all-inclusive vacation experience. Located on El Salvador’s Pacific coast, just 50 minutes outside of San Salvador, Decameron Salinitas borrows heavily from Salvadorian culture with both its colorful architecture and it’s many Mayan statues distributed throughout the property.
Are you the owner of this property? The link to your website could stand here. Please, contact Debbie.
After two weeks at the Decameron Salinitas resort, we are happy to report back.
-The grounds were beautiful and immaculately clean. The whole resort is colorful and photogenic.
-The beach is somewhat gray, but lots of chairs and much shade.
-Swimming in the ocean is a no-go. Too shallow; also very warm. Too warm for us. The incoming and outgoing tides are interesting to watch, beautiful, in a rugged way.
-There are fresh water pools everywhere. OK for swimming but too warm and not refreshing enough.
-The room, top floor, block one, was large and well kept. The balcony is only about one foot deep, so basically we had a very large window with a sliding door giving us a great view. A/C worked quietly and well.
-The staff is very polite and friendly.
-The restaurants are all open with no A/C.
- The food is typical for a three star hotel. We usually found something we liked. I preferred the buffet over the a' la carte. My wife didn't. Montezuma's revenge kept us low for a couple of days. Nothing serious.
-The Costa Azul Beach Club was worth one outing. The waves are awesome.
-The best part of our vacation were the excursions with Cuscatlan Tours, an independent outside company. We did three full day outings, including zip-lining, dune-buggy to the craters, history and pyramids and shopping in small indigenous villages. We toured with Julio and twice we were the only ones, one trip was with another couple.
The costs are comparable with the prices of the hotel touring company (monopoly), but we did not sit in a bus with 25 others.
Julio would also stop whenever we wanted to take pictures or do a little shopping. At the zip-line he took great pictures with our camera. We are highly recommending this tour company.
Make your reservations via e-mail from home. They don't ask for money up front. To use a telephone from the resort is difficult and very expensive.
-We have travelled in over forty countries and everywhere we found something unique and fascinating to explore. El Salvador was no exception.
Egon
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
Looking for something different we chose Royal Decameron as this resort looked as though it was well worth the trip. And was it!!! We have previously been to Dominican (twice) and Cuba and this was near the best. The tours were great, we did three, and the pools, resort, drinks, food were all good. Full sun and 35 degrees for 4 straight days. We will return and highly recommend this resort. El Salvador is set to grow with 2 more resorts opening in the next 2 years.
Your Arrival
Booking was with Nolitours. Flight was 737 with Can Jet. Flight was 5 1/2 hours long. Food okay, got sparkling wine on way down. Plane flew right past the city (could see right out the right side of plane) and then flew over the Pacific, turned 90 degrees and came back in to land. Cool.
Through customs, rep met us (one goes to get bags while one gets guest envelope). In envelope are tags for your bags with your room number.
Water, Coke or beer upon boarding bus. Treats on seat for each passenger (nice touch). Bus ride was 2 hours long which seemed shorter as we enjoyed seeing the city and country along the way.
At resort, you leave your bags, they get delivered to your room. (very nice) They direct you past the check in desk to the disco where there are tables set up that match a number on your envelope (ie. A-35-A40) You go to your assigned table, hand over envelope and they match it to yours with key and towel cards. You're done. Pay for safety deposit key ($21) if you want, which we did. Then they direct you to your room.
We were in our room with 7 minutes.
Rooms
Our room was in block 4 on the 3rd floor. King size room and very large. Beside bed it had 2 night stands, 2 day beds, 2 chairs, 2 coffee tables, a tea table, TV and stand, desk and a baggage stand. The room still had tonnes of space. A large balcony with 2 Adirondack chairs and table. Bathroom was okay. Needs a bit more sprucing up. 2 bottles of water every day.
All rooms are ocean view, except those in block 5, they are set back a bit.
If you are not on ground floor, request block 3 or 4 (4 is closer to bar and breakfast buffet) as the 2nd and 3rd floor balconies on blocks 1, 2 and 5 are very tiny. We requested block 4 and got it.
Restaurants and Bars
2 buffet for breakfast and lunch. 2 snack bars. 1 buffet for dinner. 5 al-la-cartes. We tried 4 and liked the Thai best. Pastafari was pretty good too. Buffets did not have a huge selection but provided more than enough. Uusually 5-10 buffet items then 2 or 3 stations for specialty items like pasta, meat or fish. Coffee was awesome. I like mine black and it was the best so far, EVER.
Bars were good. Beer is good, I drank that most. Wife like Coco Loco. Mixed drinks were hit and miss. They can't make a Tom Collins. Damn. They use 7 year old Nicaraguan rum though, very nice. No swim up bar, but that was okay.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach is okay. There is enough to walk on but is not wide flat and forever. It is mainly rocky in that area and they have built up a wall to protect what they have which creates a tidal pool. When tide is out most of the water is gone, but not all of it. The tide will be our depending on where the moon is when you visit.
Pools are the best we have had. Better than the Riu we stayed at in Puerto Plata. Lots of them, nicely shaped, warm and clean. Also a huge salt water pool which is real sea water, which comes with fish, sand and the occasional weed. It was neat.
The grounds were very, very nice. Lush, and green, well taken care of. Lots of natural plants and very old that were left in place while they built the place.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We chose to do 3 tours. Mayan route ($75ea), Culture & Crafts ($40ea), Climbing the Santa Ana Volcano ($75ea).
Mayan Route was good and saw 4 sites and had a really nice lunch. The chicken was unbelievably good. 1 site was okay, the rest were good. Last stop you can get a number of crafts and gift items.
Culture & Crafts was fun. We stopped at 3 villages for shopping and touring. Craft markets and such. A bit rushed in spots but we enjoyed it. $1 for a beer to enjoy streetside.
Santa Ana Volcano tour only opened back up in January 2010. A lot of work to get to top but well worth it. What a view. Tallest, oldest volcano in Central American. So glad we did this.
Other Comments
room number is listed on your tag you get from the airport.
they deliver your luggage to your room.
Morning after arrival book your al-la-cartes. can book 4 in a row at one time, hours are 8am-noon.
Beach club can only be booked one day before. Times are 8am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm.
Luggage was picked up from room at 7am day of departure.
Main bar has some really cool big puffy chairs and couches to lounge on in the shade.
Resort could be 5 star if;
they had glassware at bars after pools closed.
buffets had a bit more selection.
there were more tables and chairs around the bars.
bathroom were tiled more and had some artwork and were just a bit classier.
bars would have more drinks like Bailey's and such.
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
Arrival: We had pleasant flight with Canjet. Typical boxed sandwich for breakfast. I was amazed at how quick and efficient going through customs/immigration at the airport was. On the bus was a cooler of cold beer, pop and water - the bus filled quickly and we were off. They also provided a little box of snacks for the long ride to the resort. It was a very nice touch to have our room assignment package ready on the bus and didn't need to stand at the desk waiting to check in, as happens at most resorts. It was long drive but a great opportunity to see the countryside. At the resort there were dancers directing us to the proper check-in building, which again, was quick as we received our bracelets and then shuttled off to our room. Luggage arrived no more than 10 minutes later !!! Amazing how fast and organized this all was.
Rooms
Rooms: We had the good fortune to have a room in building three on the fourth floor. The view of the ocean was spectacular! The room had a huge balcony and it was wonderful to sit and enjoy the sunset. Although this room was terrific for us, if someone wanted shade on the balcony there is none here...it's open to the skies and no relief. The view, morning or night - amazing. Our room was cleaned thoroughly everyday, always fresh towels and 2 bottles of water.
Restaurants and Bars
Resturants: We only went to the steak house and didn't try all the a la cartes. The steak house was delicious and boy, do they know how to cook their beef. Was so great that we booked it twice and enjoyed it immensely. A little heavy on the salt, but I requested no salt and was even better than the first time. The buffets were plentiful and many, many varieties of meat, vegetables and pasta. So many dishes to choose from and each one we tried was great. A huge selection of fresh fruit at every meal. Service was top notch at every restaurant. Our glasses were constantly being filled and empty plates didn't linger for too long on the tables. 5 star service, without a doubt
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach/pools: The beach was interesting. Certainly not the white, powdery sand but it was great just the same. Playing in the water during high tide or even low tide was fun and the water was very warm - took no coaxing to get in and get wet. What they say about the sand being hot...watch out as it's no exaggeration. The beaches all along the resort had many palapalas and plenty of chairs for all. There were no chair reserving games and even around the pool(s) there were always plenty of chairs available, no matter what time of day. The grounds around the resort are always being manicured and it shows. The whole place is full of shrubbery with flowers in bloom, lush grass and many, many trees all throughout the resort. They've also added many decorative statues all over which add to the mayan ambiance of the resort.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Activities: We walked along the beach one day and came across a large statue of Jesus out in the water. We returned during low tide and were able to walk along the lava rock out to the statue. Made for some great pictures as some of the rocks have unique formations. Was extremely hot walking, so if you plan on walking this far, make sure to bring plenty of water with you. You can always jump in the water along the way to cool off as there didn't appear to be alot of rocks in the water and quite a nice stretch of beach.
We only did one tour the Cultural Tour on Sunday. Although I was hesitant to go, I must admit it was great. So informative and fun to shop in the little villages and there are plenty of bargains to be had. This was the shorter tour and great to mingle with the locals and check out their food stands and we even ate at the fair grounds. The smells and sounds were terrific. They provided a little box of snacks on the bus as well as water and pop – nice touch. Well guarded by the police and we could leave our purchases on the bus without worrying about theft
Hubby did go out on the crater dive tour for a full day. He was rather disappointed by the experience in that it was dark in the water and he felt, quite unsafe if anyone lost track of their dive buddy. He wouldn't recommend this tour as there wasn't much to see - but, it was informative and he learned alot. It was an opportunity to crater dive but not worth the long 2 hrs to get there and back again. Just to mention, the first dive was cancelled due to not enough people - so there's always a chance of missing out completely. His suggestion is to book your dive early enough in the week to allow for rebooking on another date should this happen. I did the hot stone massage and oh my !! for $45 for one hour it was well worth it and a wonderful experience.
Other Comments
On the day of leaving, again everything was well organized. We left our luggage outside the door to be picked up and the bus left promptly at 9:00. Airport was quick and no problems at all. Do watch your luggage weight, as people next to us got nailed $70 for being overweight. Our lighters got confiscated at the security entrance, so don't be surprised if they find yours.
Everything at this resort was exceptional here. It exceeded our expectations and we would definitely return next year if the price remained the same. We would like to try Panama next, but who knows. This Royal Decameron truly was outstanding and I hope they realize that the staff are hard working people that do their job with pride and it shows, whether it be quick service from the bartenders or the cleanliness of the rooms - outstanding in all areas. In my mind it's a 5 star resort however I think the beach would drop it down to a 4 star - in that it's not white sand and turquoise water - I'm not really sure why this isn't rated a 5 star except for that reason....Pat & Diane, North Bay Ontario (selectivedi@yahoo.ca)
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
Good flight. Guided out to the bus to the hotel to be greeted with a cooler of cold beer (and other beverages)and a snack on each seat. The guide was informative and showed a good video explaining some of the options. He took a poll on the bus to see who had been there before and half the bus had.
The air conditioned bus ride from the hotel did take you past some of the impoverished conditions of the area. Lots of garbage on the street, armed guards and very poor housing
Rooms
Once at the resort, for better or worse, you left those images behind to have a week to relax and enjoy.
The rooms were not luxiourus but very spatious and clean. Very large comfortable bed. We were on the 2nd floor of the first block which did mean a bit of a walk back to the lobby. The ocean was right out front and lots of pools. I preferred the ocean and the large salt water pool.
Lots of lounge chairs under the shade.
Restaurants and Bars
I liked the food. Interesting and healthy. I really like the fried plantains for breakfast. My husband has food allergies to wheat and corn and did fine. He had a Spanish translation of his allergies and handed it to the server at dinner.
After the 3 day I bought in the on site gift shop 14 oz insulated tumblers - I got tired of the 3 ounce cups.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
At the resort there were impecable grounds but I really wish some of the plants were labelled. And there are some interesting birds. And some birds, like the grackle, who have migrated there from my back yard.
We played tennis at 7:30 four mornings. It would have been too hot later in the day.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Went to the beach club twice - there are four 4 hour excursion there daily. The bus ride through the poor areas again was a bit disturbing. And there was an armed guard right in site. And young children looking for hand outs at the gate of this beach club. But I loved the waves! Very hot sand. There were drinks and good food here and a pool if you really didn't like the ocean (but I don't know why you would have gone there if you didn't like the ocean)
Not every excursion was available every day so planning was needed.
We took the bus ride to the top of the crater with a stop for an amazing lunch at St. Fernades - an orange grove. Great meal, great service and we were seranaded by a sax player. It was almost surreal.
Some amazing flowers including poinsettia. This excursion also included a stop to see a famous lake. It was hazy so not great pictures.
The other excursion I took by myself was the crafts and culture. We stopped at 3 towns each with a different flavour. This was on a Sunday so a stop at the church and the markets was appropriate to see. Lots of opportunity to purchase some local things.
At the first town there was a dance performance in the street - it was a native dance. There seems to be a real effort to revive an almost extinct indigineous culture. I think this is seen as good for tourism.
Most of the people at the resort spoke only Spanish, except those in the lobby but there weren't issues. I heard lots of Italian and French.
A tour guide informed us that the Minister of Tourism is implementing that all students learn English.
Tourism is becoming a real source of revenue for the country (so says Wikipedia too). Coffee is the main thing they export. So yes, the coffee is good. And you can bring back packs of coffee at very good prices.
The tour guides were local people (both university students) and they genuinely were very glad there were tourists coming to their country and encouraged us to come back again with friends.
Other Comments
The gift shop didn't have too much except T-shirts. The ones there were much better quality than the ones in town.
Also there were local people wandering the beach selling trinquets - for $2 you can get some nice bracelets or necklaces. And you really felt that you were supporting someone who needed the money.
The sunsets are amazing. They started at about 5:30. We found ourselves a seat at the ocean's edge and got beverage and enjoyed the time before the 6:30 dinner time.
Much of the day for most of the days was spent relaxing on the beach. I read 5 books on this holiday.
We needed to get something to eat at the airport when we left and that was a challenge. Not much to do and see at the airport except the people arriving to spend the next week there.
We're planning on being back again next year!
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
We loved our holiday at the resort. The food wa great and the ala carte restaurants were terific. The presentation was a class act.The resort was immaulate, the pools were beautiful and the salt water pool was amazing.We had a great time and would recomend it to anyone. We went to the Cascades and Apeneca zip lining. It was a blast.Nightly entertanment was great and the botique shopping was very reasonable. Normally I do not shop on the premises but everything was good value.
Your Arrival
This was the most efficient check in I have ever experienced and the check out was just as easy.
Rooms
Our room was large and very clean. If I was going again though I would request a ground floor accomodation because of my bad knees. The stairs were a little hard on them. My fault for not asking for a relocate.
Restaurants and Bars
We only tried 3 ala carte restaurants. Pastafari was excellent, as was (the white tent)el something. The steak house was o.k. but the steak was a little tough. Other that that, all the food was greaat.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
very clean beach and pool areas. The grounds were constantly being cared for.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
The tours were well organized and well worth the money.
Other Comments
Linda was the best rep. I have ever run across, and I have been all over the world.
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
Wonderful Trip
Royal Decameron Salinitas
User Rating:
Cori >
2 contribution(s) Canada
Mar, 2009
2 people found this review helpful
I had an absolutely wonderful trip at the Royal Decameron Salinitas in January! I stayed there from January 12 to 19, 2008 with two of my children. In fact, I loved it so much that I am booking another trip today for the end of March.
This is the third Royal Decameron I have stayed at. It was much better than the Royal Decameron Complex near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and as good as the Royal Decameron in Panama.
I have stayed at numerous all inclusive resorts over the years and can tell you that the Royal Decameron Salinitas is top notch in all departments. Frankly, I would suggest you disregard the previous review from M.A. which is ridiculous. We were there at the same time and none of us got sick nor did we hear anyone else complaining about getting sick. Some people just aren't happy if they aren't complaining and having witnessed M.A. and her husband at the resort I can honestly say I've never ever seen such an obnoxious display. I was embarassed for them and embarassed that they are Canadians representing our country and I find the comments about "Latinos" to be offensive and amounting to bigotry.
I e-mailed the resort a couple of days prior to departure requesting a first floor room (because I had a baby with a heavy stroller) in a specific part of the resort and upon arrival I was happy to find my requests had been honoured. We had a room in Block 2 at the very end toward Tower 3. The rooms in my building were the closest to the beach. The sand was literally 10 feet from my patio which was amazing! The rooms are all the same. They are spacious and nice and very clean, albeit somewhat spartan. Like the other Royal Decamerons there is no mini-fridge, no alarm clock, no wash cloths and no coffee maker. There is a blow dryer and shampoo and skin lotion are provided. Room cleaning is prompt and we had no problems with our room at all. The air conditioners are newer and have a remote control.
The weather in El Salvador is incredible and very consistent. It is very hot and sunny every single day and doesn’t cool off much at night. The weather is much better and more predictable than Mexico or the Caribbean so if you want guaranteed good weather El Salvador is a great choice.
The grounds of the resort are gorgeous and very well kept. The pools are beautiful and there is a hot tub that actually had hot water. The salt water pool was great. My older son spent quite a bit of time in there and it seemed to be popular. The water in the pools was quite warm by the afternoon which I just loved. The beach changed dramatically depending on the tide. The beach is about 1 km long and is diverse from one end to the other. At one end there is a long breakwall. When the tide is in the water behind the breakwall is quite shallow, very calm and quite warm. It’s very safe and perfect for young children. At the other end of the resort the beach is more natural and there will be fairly large waves when the tide is full and it’s windy. When the tide is out you can explore the rocks and walk out fairly far. I spent a lot more time in the ocean than I usually do because the water was so warm and clean. I didn’t even consider going to the beach club since we loved the beach so much at the resort.
The resort is fairly well spread out with lots of choices for pools and bars etc. Even when the resort is full it won’t seem crowded.
I felt very safe on the resort as well as off. We had Ipods and a Blackberry plugged in to charge in our room most days without incident. I didn’t bother to pay the extra for the safe and had money, passports and credit cards stored in my luggage and I accidentally left the patio door open one day for hours and came back to find nothing had been disturbed. We did one tour and walked outside the resort both on the road as well as down the beach and had no issues. The Culture and Crafts half day tour was a nice opportunity to see some of the surrounding towns and shop for souvenirs.
One of my favourite things about the resort was the large number of lounge chairs and the abundance of palapas and shade. There is just no reason to play the towel game here. At any time of the day you can find a lovely spot on the beach under a palapa anywhere on the resort. There are also lots of chairs by the pools and many trees providing shade. The last resort I went to we could never find a palapa or a shady spot because people would get up before dawn and "reserve" chairs and not show up for hours on end. That’s not an issue in El Salvador thankfully.
The food at the buffets was better than average for an all inclusive resort and the a la cartes were all good. Our favourite was Pastafari. My teenage son who is a very picky eater just loved the lasagna there and I really enjoyed the Balsamic Chicken. None of us got sick and I didn’t hear about anybody else getting sick at the resort.
The staff at the resort were all friendly and accommodating. Service was virtually always excellent and we never had to wait in line for anything.
There are a number of massage palapas right beside the beach and a variety of massages to choose from at reasonable prices. I would recommend you book early to get the times that you want since they are quite popular. My son raved about the hot stone massage.
I laughed when I saw earlier reviews complaining that many of the staff don’t speak English very well or that the resort had too many "locals" staying there. Please remember you are in another country. Imagine someone coming to Canada from Holland and complaining that the staff at a resort in the Muskokas didn’t speak Dutch well enough or complaining that there were too many Canadians staying at the resort. If you want to travel to a southern destination with hotel staff who speak perfect English I would suggest you consider Florida. In fact, I found that the staff who dealt with the public had adequate English and you could always make yourself understood. Personally, I consider it more interesting to go to a country where the language is different and look forward to the opportunity to try to pick up some of the language. As for the breakdown of the guests, there are lots of Spanish speaking guests at the resort (from El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala, etc). I would say the English speaking guests are definitely in the minority. From what I saw I’m guessing that the guests are 40% Spanish speaking, 35% French speaking, 20% English speaking and 5% other languages. This makes things more interesting in my opinion.
There really wasn’t much of anything to complain about at the Royal Decameron Salinitis. I can't wait to go back!! :)
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
Live and learn
Royal Decameron Salinitas
User Rating:
M. A. >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Jan, 2009
2 people found this review helpful
My husband and I just got back from a 2 week stay at the Decameron Salinitas (jan5-19/09). The Air Transat flight was uneventful except for some turbulence. The food on the flight was ok, some kind of Chinese/Thai noodles and chicken in a box. At least it's better than the cold white bagel and pizza they last served going to Panama. Customs was quick enough except for the fact that the immigration paper was given to us at the airport, and not on flight to fill out. Don't know why they did that, but it was an extra waste of time. Otherwise, all was quick enough to the hotel. You don't really get to see much on the bus because it's dark, but it was about 1.5hrs. What I didn't like was that the flight left in the afternoon and by the time we got to the hotel it was around 11pm, too late to enjoy anything. Not to mention that they initially lost/misplaced our luggage and golf clubs at the hotel. They were eventually located that night but it was a hassle to get them to do it right away. They did switch our rooms when we complained we did not have an ocean view, but we had to insist it happen that night. In short, they are accomodating, but you have to really be insistent and persistant to get something right away. The manager at Lobby 1 was very nice, however. He spoke English and he helped us. Unfortunately, I do not know his name (but Santiago is his boss).
Ok, I will start with the good points. The weather is fantastic; sunny and hot everyday, no rain (although it did rain a few times while we were sleeping (big deal!)), and not as humid as Panama. The staff are friendly, although they can't speak English for the most part, but sign language and a few words in either Spansih, French or English usually did the trick. The tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable, especially Juan Carlos. The price of the trip was cheap ($2,600 for 2wks for two adults, including taxes). The cost of items/supplies OUTSIDE of the resort is cheap. I would not recommend buying anything at the resort, as it's too costly. Remember to bring travel mugs, they come in handy as the bartenders pour drinks in little plastic cups at a time, and they're expensive at the resort, like everything else.
The grounds are beautiful and very clean, although some tourists and latinos like to litter I've noticed. That is a pet peeve of mine, to see plastic cups, etc. on the beach, which I would sometimes pick up. I did notice the staff picking up litter, but either they failed to notice all or didn't bother. But it was by no means dirty, it's just that I hate to see even one plastic cup on the beach.
We only went on 2 tours (culture/crafts (40$US/per person) and the mayan route (60$US/per person). Both were good and had their individual charms. However, there were some boring spots/moments and the towns are all similar. Worst of all is the garbage strewn all over the countryside, because apparently there is no garbage pick up in the country only the capital city, so people either burn their garnage or bury it (that which cannot be burned like plastic, etc.). However, from what I saw, not too many people burn or bury their garbage and it's EVERWHERE. Now, that alone should not impact on your trip, except for me it was an unsightly sore. If you're going to buy things or souvenirs, the tours we went to would be the best, especialy the culture/crafts, where you wil find the cheapest stuff and coffee, and more variety. Be prepared for no lunch to be served on the culture/crafts tour. It's from 8-2pm, so better you eat breakfast and bring some food with you on the bus. All they give you is a "snack box" with some chips, peanuts and candy, same junk they give you at the bus from the airport to the hotel. Heard the canope tour was great, but don't know if you can buy things.
The coffee is great, remember to buy some at the culture/crafts tour or the coffee tour. It's more expensive at the resort or airport, or the mayan route tour. Don't think it's available at the other tours from what the tour guides said.
We met some really nice people and had fun hanging out with them. When the tide was in late morning to late afternoon, I really enjoyed lounging on the beach under a hut with palm trees and tanning/reading my book. For me, that was fantastic, because the beach is not busy and there are plenty of lounge chairs available, and the water is SO warm! That was my alone time - hubbie was playing golf . The pools are obviously busier, but you can still get lounge chairs, perhaps not in an "ideal" spot (i.e., with shade available or in a quieter spot) depending on the time of year you go and the time of day, and depending on what's "ideal" for you. Be aware that latino schools start in mid Jan, so we had a lot of families and babies/kids the first week we were there, not to mention our own university kids because they choose to miss the first week of classes. If that matters to you, when latinos travel, they travel in families and they all had babies and kids. For me, it matters. I would like to avoid big, young, and noisy families and noisy and disrespectful university kids. They will sit anywhere, they don't care. I would be sitting alone in a secluded spot, reading my book, and a big young family would plant themselves next to me. I didn't appreciate that. Live and learn. I now think I know when I can travel to avoid them - from mid Jan on! February and March is not good for us because you start getting into reading week and spring break for the university crowd. We like a more older crowd, as we're over 40.
The golf course (Las Veraneras) is about 5mins away and is an 18 hole course, not championship, but with bermuda grass. It used to be only a 9 hole course, but they have expanded it (some sites will still list it as a 9 hole course). Transportation is included, but green fees/cart are extra. You can work out package deals if you want to play several times, either at the Decameron or with the golf course itself, otherwise it was about 40$US green fees and about 20$US for the cart. Make the deal at the golf course, they have more room to negotiate than Nolitours. The guest services manager who was also the golf coordinator from Decameron, Santiago, was really good to my husband.
Now with the bad. If you're a beach person, this is probably not the place for you. The tide goes out every 6hrs and there's no swimming in the beach when it's out, but you can swim in the sea water pool (filled daily by the tide) or regular pools. When we had a full moon, the tide would be in late morning to late afternoon. That was the best, but that did not last for long, before it was back to its usual tide in at late afternoon. That sucked because you could only swim in the ocean in the morning (the water is cold though) or in the late afternoon/evening, which was too late for me. Remember to bring pool shoes as the beach (not the shore, but when you get into the water) is rocky and the sea water pool is very slippery. The shoes help with the above problems. The nearest town is 45 mins away and no public bus, just a taxi. We were told it would cost 50$US to get there, and we didn't bother. I don't know if others got a better deal. It would certainly be cheaper per person if 4 or more we're going, but still more expensive than a public bus.
Now, with the really bad. The water is undrinkable and you can't even brush your teeth with it. You are given only 2 bottles/day, but we tipped a buck everyday to the cleaning lady and were given 3 bottles. But that's all you get unless you want to buy some more at 1$US/bottle or get water from the bars in small cups. It's really hot down there, so I suggest you bring a water bottle with you for refills, or you can refill empty water bottles yourself. The staff are not allowed to refill empty water bottles because mgmt prefers you buy them, but you can get around that by refilling them yourself with the small cups they give you full of water.
The food would have been OK (nowhere as good as in Panama) were it not for the food poisoning. MANY people got sick (nausea, vomitting, diarhea) from the food and/or water. My husband and I were really sick for 3.5 days, three days into our first week. After that, we just had diarhea, but at least not uncontrollable, for the most part. There was a wedding party there of around 23 or so, and 13 of them were sick like we were. That is NOT counting all the others who were also sick, who were not part of the wedding. I would say close to half of the Canadian guests were inflicted. We went to a non English speaking nurse who of course said we over-indulged with too many things and drinks, etc., (the usual blame game), and gave us some powdered drinks and electrolites. We already had pepto bismal and immodium, none of which worked. I guess it just had to work through its cycle. Anyways, we paid about 25$US for that stuff. Personally, it should have been free. They make us sick, and then charge us to make us better?! Anyways, my husband was able to get back the 25$US by complaining to the Nolitours rep, who agreed to give him a 25$ rebate on his next golf game. This he got after much arguing and convincing, and pointing out to them that he did not bring this sickness from Canada, and that another fellow golfer complained to the Decameron head mgr, and after 1hr of arguing was able to get a golf rebate. What I noticed is that they are unwilling to refund any money unles they can apply it as a rebate elsewhere, like golf, and even then it probably won't be a big amount. It was insulting that they blamed the guests for getting sick. We heard it all, either directly, or through other guests: we over-indulged, we brought the sickness with us from Canada, we swallowed the tap water, sea water and pool water, we drank too many pina coladas (we didn't drink any), etc., etc. In other words, they refused to take blame for anything. Nothing was ever the Decameron's or Nolitour's fault.
Now, a special sour note for the head mgr at Decameron, who we never laid eyes on because he REFUSED to even speak to or see my husband. His response to us via his underling was that there would be no refund, and to go speak to Nolitours. Nolitours tried to send my husband back to Decameron to speak to them, but he wasn't having any of that ping pong game.
The most bizarre thing that happened, was what they did to this young man we met. He got sick like almost everyone else, VERY sick, so he got to see the non English speaking "doctor". I don't know if this was a real doctor, but he told our young new friend that his problem was that he was diabetic (he wasn't) and that he was a cocaine addict (he wasn't), and he showed him the sheet where he indicated that (in Spanish). He ended up giving him a shot in the rump, don't know what it was. ANyways, when he went to complain about that whole scenario, he was intimidated and harassed by Nolitours and Decameron, and of course, ******* the mgr, and they, and the doctor DENIED it all. They told him they would never say that he was a diabetic or cocaine addict and asked him to prove it by showing them the sheet. He couldn't because the good "doctor" never gave him that or any other sheet of paper or receipt - he just showed it to him. He was out about 100$US for the shot and meds (no receipts given as evidence of that transaction). I can't for the life of me explain what happened to him. Maybe they picked on him because he was blonde, young with long hair and looked the California surfer type? Still no excuse for what they did. At the end they had the gall to ask him not to complain about Nolitours or the resort!
From another guest (French Canadian) we heard that they refused to exchange a small shirt purchased from the Decameron store for a medium one by his wife and daughter. Now, they weren't even asking for their money back, they just wanted an exchange in sizes. Their response was that they did not buy that shirt from their store - amazing given that they only purchased it just 10 mins prior when they realized it was the wrong size! After much arguing, they got their medium shirt, but were banned from going to that store! It ended well for him because he was fed up with the money his wife/daughter were spending so his dream came true - his family were banned from shopping at the store! That gentleman was laughing all the way to the bank with that one, and we by the poolside who heard that story, were laughing at the outcome.
Now, for the worse of it. On Monday, Jan19 they had elections, and by law, there can be no alcohol served or drunk anywhere in the country two days before the election. Decameron had a tourist police officer on site until 4 p.m. each day (they originally thought he'd be gone by 2 p.m.) So Decameron decided to break the law and allow alcohol to be served after 5pm Saturday and Sunday. If you left the resort, and passed the police station/shack just off the resort, then my husband was told that the police would arrest you and put you in jail for having any alcohol in your system. Monday was back to normal, but Monday we were leaving! What is the sense of such a law?? In other words, our last weekend there, we had no access to alcohol until 5pm, but we had already prepaid for an all-inclusive! Many people complained. First Nolitours told us it was until 3pm, then they said they were misinformed and it was 5pm. We were all provided with only 1 hour's notice of this "law". As for the notification that it was not 3pm, but 5pm - there was none! We found out from word of mouth or the bartenders. NOTHING from Nolitours or the Decameron. When we complained and demanded a refund for that last weekend where we could not drink, but had paid for an all inclusive and bought booze at the stores, and paid for a fridge to keep it cold, and were NOT advised of this by Nolitours in advance who admitted knowing in advance about these elections, we were told by head office Nolitours in Montreal that it's the law and they're not giving out refunds. In other words, get lost. Our position was that Nolitours SHOULD have posted this unique situation on the website so we all could have made an informed decision as to whether we wanted to go there or elsewhere, or they could have dropped their prices still further to account for this situation. But, no. Their response was a lot of head nodding and repeating that it's the law and suggesting we BUY our booze at their stores. Yeah, that's why we prepay for an all-inclusive! Funny how they did not have any response to the question as to why they did not post this situation online prior to booking. They apparently did not even care that we would be complaining about this on Trip advisor or elsewhere. They did have the gall to ask us and others to NOT complain about them or the resort. Who raised these people, and who taught them business sense?
Now, before you assume that we are lushes, let me clarify that I personally was unaffected by this dry spell, because I never drank anything other than water until about 7pm or so. My husband, on the other hand, would drink, and he was not alone. There were plenty of men and women who drank. My complaint is that because MY husband drinks, we, as a couple, were financially put out by the extra unforeseen costs of buying alcohol and renting a fridge to store it, and for tipping the bartenders extra because they conveniently took advantage of this situation to obtain tips from guests during "wet" time to overfill their mugs for future storage.
Anyways, I need to end this because I've written A LOT, but I thought I'd help fellow travellers, like I was helped by others. This is my first review by the way. I thought after what happened to us here, and how we were treated by Nolitours and Decameron, we SHOULD speak of it! However, we did go to the Decameron at Panama and were very well treated. I understand they're a franchise, so the Decameron in Salvador would be different.
Anyways, in conclusion, we had a very good time, despite the glitches, met nice people, had loads of laughs from stories told and experiences had, and the weather was unbeatable. We would not go back because of the food poisoning, the non beach, the treatment by Nolitours and the Decameron mgmt. After what we experienced, we will never again travel with Nolitours or stay at a Decameron. There are plenty of other resorts and travel agencies.
In case you're wondering, I did know about the lack of a proper beach, but I thought I could live with it because the price was right and my husband could golf. Now I know I cannot live without a proper beach. Live and learn.
If you've made it this far - congrats!
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
This place is good value
Royal Decameron Salinitas
User Rating:
Keith and Stouffville >
1 contribution(s)
Jan, 2009
2 people found this review helpful
Arrival: December 29/08-January 5/09
As discussed in past reviews it is VERY organized arrival at the airport straight through to the room- excellent.(other resorts could really learn something from the way they handle check in.)
Rooms:
(Room 2344)Large,clean,close to ocean,great view,air-con works great,big shower- no complaints.
Restaurants and Bars:
There have been some mixed reviews on the food. We found the food (both buffet and a-la-carte to be good) not as good as a 5 star in Jamaica etc., but way better than Cuba. There was always lots of choices. The buffet at the end by the towers was the better choice with a pasta station, sandwich station, stir fry, as well as the regular buffet choices. The salad bars were always good and fresh(something that we miss when in Cuba!).There are LOTS of staff in the restaurants and are very attentive and quick to clean up plates etc. Actually all restaurants and the whole resort for that matter was VERY clean. Beer was good, mixed drinks could be hit & miss depending on the bartender (same as most resorts).
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
We were actually not as turned off by the beach as we were expecting to be. There was lots of sand, lots of loungers, shade or sun. There was a couple of beach volley ball courts. It is not your typical beach but it was interesting and the pools and beach club made up for it in our opinion. We have been to better beaches but we have also been to worse.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Spent one day at the beach club and really enjoyed playing in the waves. They are big and you need to be smart about not going out too far but as long as you use your head you should be ok. I wouldn't recommend letting children play by themselves but adults who are average swimmers should be fine! Other Comments: We have travelled to alot of resorts in the Carribean and South America from 3 star-5 star and this place is good value. There are many things about this place that could make you feel like you are in a 5 star resort. It is not much of a "party" resort but if you are looking for a place to relax and enjoy the PERFECT (absolutely PERFECT!!)weather, this might be a good choice.
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
They need more people who can speak English
Royal Decameron Salinitas
User Rating:
Peggy and Bill Brantford >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Jan, 2009
2 people found this review helpful
Arrival: January 2009
Arrival was fairly smooth, flight was good,and without delays.Bus ride is long but so are many other bus rides to resorts. The pay off hopefully is when you get to your destination
Rooms:
We were in Block 1 on the main floor. It was great as we had a patio to sit on in the evening if we wanted and we did use it. If you're on the upper floors you have a small balcony you can stand on but that's about it. We could see the ocean just the same as the rooms above us so we felt we had it better (no stairs). Rooms were very clean. Beds were pretty comfortable but one thing that was missing was a fridge in the room. Water was supplied every day but if you drank it all you did not get anymore unless you took your water bottle to the bar and had it filled, otherwise they will charge you if you request additional water. NOTE: just a reminder to everyone, you cannot drink the water from the tap so don't rinse your toothbrush with the tap water either. All and all everything you would need for a week of relaxation. Remember a four star here is not the same as a four star in the Caribbean.
Restaurants and Bars:
Bars were great and the drinks were pretty good. The al a cartes were-well lets just say if these restaurants were here I wouldn't go back. About the only restaurant that wasn't terrible was the Bamboo (Tia) restaurant. All the restaurants were clean and the staff were freindly but the food including at the buffets was barely eatable at best. The food was bland and more often than not it was not labelled in English so you didn't know most times what was really being served. There were several people that we ran into over the course of the week that were very sick and it wasn't just from the meat as a few of these people were Vegetarians. A person originally from El Salvador, I spoke with in Canada, warned us to stay away from any pork products in El Salvador as well we didn't go out of our way this time to try any of the unusual dishes (they just didn't look appetizing). Also I have yet to find anywhere in that type of climate where the beef wasn't tough. Maybe we were lucky but neither of us got sick from the food. On the plus side I have to say their white wine was very good. Best I've had yet in Central America or the Caribbean.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The Beach, pools and grounds were terrific. Very clean and wonderfully relaxing. There were always chairs available but if you wanted to leave your towel on a specific spot there were no problems as long as you remembered to take your towel back with you at the end of the day.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Since we were there to relax we only took one day trip - Culture and Crafts, mostly to see somewhat how the people of El Salvador live and to pick up some items to take home. For what we did and where we went the price was right for this trip. We also went golfing while we were there. Everything indicates this is only a 9 hole course but it is 18. Remember though it gets really hot fast there so 9 holes might be enough. 18 holes is at a cost of $40 each or $27 for 9. $20 for the cart, and if you need clubs $20 for them as well. Would suggest you bring your own balls as well as tee's and shoes, otherwise you will pay for all these items. Also had two massages while at the resort. WELL WORTH IT. They have a variety of options but for a 50 minute Deep Tissue massage your only looking at $35 or $50 for 80 minutes. All other massages are about the same prices or a little less. Trust me you'll love it but book early they fill up fast. We booked the first morning there to make sure we didn't miss out.
Other Comments:
The resort was beautiful. The people were very nice but they need more people who can speak English (most of their staff does not). This is a fairly new resort and El Salvador is just starting to really get into the Tourist industry so considering they're new at this they are doing a pretty good job so far. They just need to fix the food that they serve. As one person stated if they stopped trying so hard to prepare what they think we'd like (our food) and concentrated more on what they know how to prepare then the food would probably be much better.
Was this review helpful? YesThank you for giving us your opinion.
| 
