My wife and I just finished a 3 night stay at Royal Isabela. I had wanted to come here for a long time, but before I could do it Hurricane Maria happened, then the Pandemic happened, but, finally, we were able to make it work.
The setting is really impressive. A very large property with impeccably manicured grounds and a challenging golf course on top of cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
There are only 20 casitas here, so, even if the hotel is fully booked you rarely see any other guests and at times it feels like you have the entire resort for yourself. I recommend booking a Royal Suite with Ocean views. The Presidential Suites are bigger and more expensive but don't offer direct unobstructed ocean views from the room itself.
The location of the resort is perfect to make it a home base for a multi-day tour of the northwest corner of Puerto Rico: Arecibo, Isabela, Aguadilla, Rincon, the Gozalandia Falls. Plenty to do in this area. Highly recommend renting a car if you are going to stay here. Is about a 1h20 min to 1h45min drive from the SJU airport. Much closer to the Aguadilla Airport.
They have a full service restaurant, Jota, that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a varied menu. They also offer room service. Food was really good.
Service was not always the most efficient, but we found it very friendly and useful. You will certainly experience the famous Puerto Rican hospitality here.
We loved our stay, and will definitely come back. However, there is some room for improvement. The casitas have not been properly maintained. They are very close to the ocean, which means that the salty air corrodes any exposed metal parts and those need to be replaced frequently. That has not happened here. That resulted in our room having door locks that didn't lock, French doors to the patio that didn't fully open, sliding room divisions that were stuck and a shower head (one of 3 in the shower that didn't work). Also, our wooden deck obviously had not been retouched/repainted in many years. The "distressed" look did not work. This resort was sold last year. Hopefully, the new owners will invest more in proper, and much needed, maintenance,

It’s hard not to appreciate being away from home in Chicago but a getaway to Puerto Rico was just what the doctor ordered. With my partner and newborn (6 months), relaxation and minimizing efforts was key. Royal Isabela is well perched on top of the terrain with breathtaking views of the ocean and a manicured gold course to experience. The heat is to be expected with minimal time spent in the sun, where fighting for shade or the pool is a must.

Not being a golfer was a disadvantage as I would have liked the course but much less the blazing hot sun. Our on-site resort excursion, as a result, was only limited to the long 177-step trek down to the ocean beach. Quite exhilarating to experience along with the feel for lots of foliage surrounding your descent and an amazing feeling of seclusion, like being in the deep forest. However, reaching the beach was a very desolate and seemingly uncharted zone. No chairs, or amenities to support this arrival (No water, chairs or towels) so you’re on your own to just experience the view and waves and trek back up.

However, there are some things not to be desired at Royal Isabela. At this price point (+$500 paid), one of the most expensive around, housekeeping should happen more frequently, automatically and not after 12/1pm. We would wake up, have breakfast, head to the pool and then see housekeeping knocking on our door. Our response was always, come back, you had your chance all morning, it’s time for the baby’s afternoon nap. Similar resorts in Mexico have housekeeping multiple times a day voluntarily, and with staff that is overly friendly in greeting guests. Also, bringing the room towels, refreshments and water in a large plastic clear bag was also super low-class service that are found typically in a seedy cheap motels.

Food at the Resort restaurant was very, very, tasty. My favorite was the Brioche French Toast, prepared to perfection along with the toppings for a new flavor experienced. However, the WAITING & WAITING around for service was simply absurd. While having breakfast, a coffee refill takes 15-20 minutes, and we were the only guests eating. How is that possible anywhere for a resort restaurant, and this lasted for our entire four-day stay. Even the memory of the same server to constantly ask for the same repeat request for coffee at the start. Asking and requesting everything is how they operate, nothing is proactive done on your behalf as a guest. I was told that it’s the Puerto Rican way, which in that case, save lots of money and find a decent hotel elsewhere with better service.

The porters near registration were fantastic as they were alerted of your arrival at the parking lot, to provide pickup and drive you to the room in the cart. Quite helpful usually with a sleeping infant on the hilly terrain.

Overall, An “A” Grade for the view, grounds, accommodations and experience of being away. An “F” Grade on the service, housekeeping, and interaction with the staff. Would have wanted a better experience as a family with a toddler.