Royal Isabela

I played with my son and a friend from Colorado.
The conditions were tougher than we expected, the wind was blowing at approx 25-30 miles per hour and needless to say we had some shots that went from right to left at almost the same rate as the wind.

That was tough enough but what was even harder was trying to find our way around the course as the holes were not easy to find because the y were not marked as to which way to turn in order to stay in sequence. The result was the we spent an additional 20-30 minutes going around looking for the next hole.

We made the best of it laughing at out wind blown shots and really enjoyed the majestic view from various vantage points as the scenery was breathtaking.

Maybe in a remote past, this place was awsome and worth the over $100 to play. The greens aren't greens at all and fairways are blended with the rough.

Totally disappointed

Very tight course,with many blind shots
Highly recommend moving up 1 tee box
Signage is Very lacking and cart paths intersect sometimes putting you in path of other’s teeing off
I was lucky the course was empty when I played, so it was less of a problem
Overall I enjoyed the challenge

This is a must play course, at least once. My wife and I loved it! If it's your first time, they recommend a caddy. Do it. Our caddy was Galo. He was a lot of fun and very helpful.

The layout is arguably the most scenic in the Caribbean some of the views rivals Pebble beach
That being said the course is in poor shape tee boxes fairways and greens are unkempt pace of play today was unreasonable slow 6 hours round with no ranger to keep pace of play
Not worth the $150-200 price tag with the present conditions
There are better options at a lesser price

not woth the $$$. front nine not that great. back nine has all the views. greens are small and sand traps are not kept up. driving range is a cow pasture.

The views along the coast and the undulations on fairways and greens make for a beautiful and challenging course. That said, the course was unkempt and the pace of play was atrocious. For $150-$200 per person, the greens and tee boxes are in terrible shape and not having a ranger to maintain pace of play really diminished the experience.

Golf course will never answer phone to book tee time. When booked with golf now rate was double instead of $75 rate they would charge if we just walked up or actually talked to someone.

Course
74 Traps BUT THEY need a lot of maintenance. No rakes to be found anywhere?

Some pin locations have NOT been changed in awhile. Some where at least 6” wide from wind and play. LOL

#17 is the best hole on the course yet the area surrounding the green is rough. Clear it out and make this hole what it was meant to be!

Design / layout is very challenging BUT a bit quirky. You don’t need to place a trap or hazard everywhere! I understand the slope rating now. It was manufactured but the terrain is enough to make this course Challenging. .

HOW ABOUT SOME BETTER SIGNAGE FROM HOLE TO HOLE.

SERVICE
We tried to play two days before but Pro Shop attendant kept telling us it was cart path only. We took the chance and went anyway and the gentleman told us the course had NO such rules. LOL.

Service at the turn was slow because they had only person tending to players and resort guests. It took us at least 20 minutes to buy and load up.

Place some water on the course! Puerto Rico is warm and players need water! One free water bottle is not enough.

Overall
For the $100+ we spent, this course needs a little more care. Compared to the other high end courses in Puerto Rico, this course rates #5 in my book. Only because of the layout is it worth playing again. Otherwise value falls short.

We had been told how amazing the course was and I must say we were not surprised. It was even nicer than we thought. The front 9 is nice but we had seen similar elsewhere but no one can be prepared for the back nine amazing, fantastic , above challenging , you can’t stop looking just a treat for your senses.

Only negative and I saw it multiple times in other reviews, the directions are simply poor at best in most cases inexistent. How can a course of that level not spend a thousand dollar to have proper signage .
We have no idea what happened between 7 and 8. For 12 we guessed right nothing telling us where to go next.

The course is so nice that this was a minor issue but even your local municipal golf course is better there

Go for it, do not miss a chance to play such a gem

Amazing course, many elevation changes, incredible ocean views. Fairways in great shape, greens were smooth and fast. I pretty much had the place to myself with an 8 am tee time. The staff said they are never busy.

The course needs more signs to get you from hole to hole! I got lost a couple times.

The course was great but I am unhappy with GolfNow. I paid 200 bucks to book through GolfNow. When I got to the course the staff said I should have called them directly and the price would have been $110.

Big expectations lead to bigger disappointments.
No signage for where to park or a bag drop. Inside staff female wasn’t friendly or helpful. No scorecards anywhere to be found, we had no idea where the 1st hole was and nobody out informing anyone. Luckily a single player was making the turn was in the shop and available to help me. Range was closed. No gps on the carts. Huge mistake. I paid 6 bucks for a yardage book after 6 holes, and still not helpful. Tee boxes were in really rough shape, greens were ok, not great, same with the fairways. I had to buy a dozen balls to get a singular logo ball.
Views were pretty amazing 6 of the holes. Was great to take pictures on the back 9. 12 is really cool, on 17 aim about 50 yards into the ocean to get it on the green.
Food was ok at the bar after the round, not great, just ok. Service was good though as are the views.

Beautiful views! Friendly staff! Well-kept fairways and greens!

Beautiful views, the course is very challenge and the staff are excellent.

Also need better directions for going to next hole. Otherwise beautiful course. Definitely need caddie and better yard markers.
Greens were rolling true and fast.

Would play this course again in a heartbeat. The views were amazing. Course was in great condition for summer in Puerto Rico. Greens ran true. Fun course to play. Pay attention to where you going, getting from hole to hole was a challenge at times. A couple more directional signs would help. The Pebble Beach of the Caribbean....Heck Yeah!

Awesome layout...holes 1-10 roll thru mountain side but with links style feel. Tee shots blind but generous fairways. Small greens (1 shared green) but in great condition. Holes 11-17 give some of the most amazing views of the bluffs overlooking the Atantic/Gulf of Mexico. Forced carries over 4 of these holes, but very playable. Hole 17 is a par 3 playing into a strong wind to a small kidney shaped green..unbelievable hole. With the wind, downhill putts really roll out. You got to hit the uphill putts. Wonderful experience!! They offer promo's on facebook.

I was blown away with the views on the course, so many holes with Ocean views but hole 17 was incredible. The course has a great layout. Truly amazing