Our favourite spot

This was our 26th time to this resort. Some may say we are biased but most people we have met there are repeat guests. It is an older resort but built with Spanish architecture as opposed to a condo style of a newer place. Depends what you are looking for. The beach was great the first week and then the winds came up and it washed away our 2nd week. Didn't matter. The sound of the waves thumping onshore with a drink is very pleasurable for us. As far as food goes food is food. Even if you pay [... read more] 2-3 times as much for a 5 star we will never eat as well as we eat here. Me being the cook in the family. If you are pool people the pool is kept very clean by Alfredo. Noel Yanny Ernesto and Griffith do a great job at the beach buffet and bar. Starfish has started a butler service and Yuni the manager Eliza Yunet and Daughrie do a great job making sure to help you with any problems. Case in point on our arrival our room had a new doorknob which was loose. Asked Eliza to have the handyman to tighten it up and it was done right away. For drinks they never ran out of beer wine or rum. If you're OK with the basics then all is good. So this review isn't to say it's Paradise. But it is a very relaxed atmosphere. The workers are very nice and make an effort to make sure you are happy. As I started 26 times to Starfish but another 10 elsewhere in Cuba. So as a final note the beach to the the left is for all around suntan or halves and to the right is with bathing suits. Completely apart and your choice and very discreet. There are no security guards saying do this or that, just mutual respect. Already planning our next trip.

My home away from home

I go to this resort 4 times per year. Sometimes with my daughter, sometimes with my husband and often by myself. I have physical limitations and love the fact that everything is accessible on the resort. The rooms are dated but are extremely clean and very comfortable. The food selection is great. I always eat very well during my stays. The staff is absolutely the best. So friendly, helpful and always smiling. I enjoy the pool every day and the beach view is incredible. The entertainment staff i [... read more]s very creative and offer show's that are very entertaining as well as fun poolside games and activities. I just came back from a 2 week stay last Wednesday and today (4 days later) I booked my next trip in May.

Nice beach

We didn't expect to eat well, we are not fancy eaters neither but this time around in Cuba the food was not good. It was ok for first two days and after it was the same thing from the day before just preheated. Last three days we were eating only pizza because all the food was fermented. Last day there was no more cheese for the pizza. I fell bad for people who working there because its not their fault. The amount of plastic bottles and flip flops on the beach (outside of resort) is unbelievable [... read more]. The area in front of the room was clean but lots of garbage in the backyard. We rent a car and went to for a ride around the island. We found a pig farm. What a terrible picture to see. The condition the animals live in are unimaginable. They eat garbage and drink their own urine. We didn't eat the meat for the rest of our stay which was 5 days. There was also a lot of cats, they look like they starving. They should be neutered also and there was couple of them with very bad infections of the skin.

Cayo Largo was fantastic!!

Our experience was amazing. It was our first tropical trip and it did not disappoint! The Super Reef excursion was totally worth it. And the resort staff was friendly and fantastic! I wish there was a clearer itinerary for free busses and shuttles. A schedule for events/shows happening would have been nice as well but all in all it was a great experience! Would definitely go back to the island and to the Starfish resort!

Happy Vacationers

First time at Starfish April 10 – 17, 2024 HOTEL: Older, updated resort with Cuban charm. Well-kept. Walkways in good condition and well-lit. Lovely landscaping. Plenty of seating outside. Hotel room was clean, everything worked well. No hassles about anything. BEACH: Beautiful, sandy. At high tide, chairs are on top of a bluff. A great way to enjoy the lovely scenery and admire the waves. Went almost every day, by air-conditioned bus, to Playa Sirena, the most gorgeous, calm, natural b [... read more]each – no other like it. Only wish the drinks and food would still be free. Cafeteria and Beach Bar Restaurant: Food was good, with enough variety. However, we missed the bread, ice cream, pastry desserts, pina coladas and Spanish coffees - which was good for our health. Beer, wine & other drinks were readily available. Appreciated the cloth napkins. Quickest service ever from waiters/waitresses. BARS: Efficient and most friendly service, except for the pool bar. Due to the lack of supplies, they never had anything we wanted, be it drinks or food. MOSTLY APPRECIATED: Very quiet resort. Never any loud and constant music, resulting in a very relaxing vacation. ALL employees were super friendly and offered good service. We look forward to visiting this resort again. Bring you bug spray though – needed for two hours in the evening. P.S. Congratulations and thank you to SUNWING for your punctuality, and even being early!

Relaxing week

Mum and I had a relaxing week at Starfish but I would not recommend for elders. Mum hurt herself a few times tripping on the uneven walkways and trying to get down the bluff to the ocean. We got a gastro from our last breakfast and have been very sick for the last week.

Better days gone by

I have been to Cuba more than a dozen times to many destinations. This was my fourth time in Cayo Largo. The people and beach are amazing. The shortages that they are experiencing are unacceptable. We arrived early Saturday after a 3.5 hour delay leaving Friday. Sunwing gave us a food voucher for the delay. There was no tomato sauce for pizza and pasta. The pizza bar never opened during our one week stay. Tomato sauce arrived on our third last day which was available for pasta but pizza  [... read more]only lasted 2 days at the buffet. There was no bread or desserts for any meal for the last 4 days of our stay. There were no ice cream for our entire stay. We did not receive toilet paper for the last 3 days of our stay and no fresh towels for the last 2 days. I went to the front desk to get clean towels and toilet paper. I also spoke to the Sunwing representative about the shortages and he said they were working on " a deal". I told him with 4 plane loads of tourists (one from Toronto, one from Ottawa and 2 from Montreal ) a week to this resort Sunwing should help out by bringing essentials such as toilet paper and bread. Beer and soda other than cola ran out for 2 days. On our last day I asked for water at breakfast and was told I had to go another section since my section didn't have any more bottled water. Also I was told that the tea and coffee tasted salty since they didn't have bottled water to use to make them. This is a sorry state of affairs. Shame on Sunwing and all tour operators for not giving aid which is so desperately needed. We heard there were "shortages" but no specifics. The shower ran brown water on our last two days for a short time. So sad.

Sad state of affairs

We have visited this resort several times when it was as called the Pelicano and expected to find the same quality and standard of rooms, service, food, drinks, etc. No travel agent should be recommending this resort. Cuba and its people are going through terrible times with massive shortages. Sunwing should be ashamed of itself for promoting this resort while not helping out to ensure that its customers at least get the everyday amenities liked, for example, toilet paper and clean towels and [... read more] untainted shower water, etc. We experienced 7 days of significant shortages of bread, fruot and vegetables, drinks and liquors. The resort also was low in bottled water and had to use sea water for coffee, tea; and ice cubes (we were very concerned about this and wondered about our safety) . The water from the taps and shower ran murky dark and limey the last couple of days. As an engineer I suspect that the water pipes on the resort were being flushed and cleaned. The customers should have been advised and warned in advance. We should have been advised to run all the taps for a significant time. As an engineer concerned about the safety and well being of people, I would have shut down the resort to ensure the cleanjng and flushing was done properly, We advised the other guests that we had visited the resort before and that this wasn’t typical. Shame shame shame on you Sunwing and anyone promoting this resort!

Great Stay in Paradise

This was my first time staying at Starfish Cayo Largo. I booked an ocean view room that did not disappoint with the most stunning view of the ocean. Everything was clean and the bed was comfortable. I had no expectations and had an open mind to the fact that I was visiting Cuba and there are many supply chain issues. Yes, the food situation was quite frustrating (but got better as more variety of food was added) but the resort is trying to do its best. I brought snacks, toilet paper and spice [... read more]s for the food. I wish I had brought instant coffee as they did run out. The alcohol is plentiful and they have wine. The staff are great, amazing people especially Eliza. The cleaning ladies were also wonderful. The beaches are stunning and the reason you go to Cayo Largo. I could not get over how beautiful the water was and how you can find complete natural solitude by just walking 30 minutes down the white sand beach. If you like snorkelling, there’s great reefs off the beach. I will definitely be returning to this piece of absolute paradise one day.

Amazing

Unfortunately Sunwing cancelled our vacation to Cayo Largo. We were looking forward to returning to this resort. Instead Sunwing diverted the bookings to Cayo Coca and/or Cayo Cruz. We are very disappointed with the customer relations with Sunwing. Next time we will book with a carrier that keeps their customers interest in mind. Rating is from previous stay at this resort.

Shortages very noticeable this time around

Weather and ocean were fabulous - the beach has eroded but plenty of sand and umbrellas to take in the sun and ocean breezes. On windy days when the ocean is choppy Playa Serena and Playa Paradiso are good options. The rooms are dated but clean - some buildings are under renovation. Even though we come prepared, the shortages were very noticeable this year; no cheese (so pizza snack bar was closed all week), some days no eggs, no ham, no vegetables, fruit, pop, beer, toilet paper, hot wat [... read more]er…. We along with other guests got food poisoning from something we ate and it wasn’t fun - we resorted to bread and butter for a few days. Staff were friendly and accommodating and try their best despite all the limitations. Our butler Daviel was fabulous. The fuel in Cayo Largo was contaminated so we had to stop in Varadero to refuel on our way home. We’ve been to Cayo Largo many times and this by far was one of our worst experiences BUT we love the island and its special charm and I’m sure we’ll be back again and will pack more snacks and toilet paper just in case.

Beautiful Beach

If you are looking for a variety of drinks and food this is not the place. Shortage of many items starting with the first day with no toilet paper available. Resort is old and tired and in need of many renovations. The staff are amazing and go out of their way to accommodate the guest the best they can with what is available to them. Sunwing and Blue Diamond should be ashamed of themselves that they are not living up to the contract they have with the island of Cayo Largo.

Another amazing week in paradise

This was my 5th time since January 2023. I’m already looking forward to returning in the next month or so. The grounds are very clean. The rooms are very comfortable and clean. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. There is a good variety of food choices. The weather was wonderful. The pool is beautiful and the beaches are breathtaking. I highly recommend this resort. It’s the perfect place to relax and soak in the rays.

Glad we came back!

Animation staff: very welcoming, talented, (especially the dancers) and everyone seamlessly took on various roles. “Butler”: Wilber was extremely helpful and answered any questions we had. It was nice to have someone assigned to us. Resort: Just the right size, lovely room on first floor with patio looking out towards the ocean, handy to everything. Good cleaning staff. Beach: the ocean brought in lots of beautiful beach the first week and swept it away again the second week. Big waves were gre [... read more]at to watch and there is lots of sand on the ridge above the shore. Nice to have Playa Serina “train” and taxi van options. Nice pool to swim in on red flag days even a working jacuzzi. Excellent bar tenders especially at the lobby bar. Excellent wait staff. Fantastic band. Each member very, very talented. More than adequate buffets plus pizza bar and bbq sometimes. Helpful folks on the beach to bring chairs and plant umbrellas. A power outage presented a challenge but food was made available as soon as the power came back on. We stayed 2 weeks this year and look forward to coming back again. Only problem was a two hour wait for our luggage to be brought into the airport after we landed in Ottawa. Also it would be nice to have a shorter wait at the airport prior to departure. Processing everyone didn’t take very long. The seats on the flight home were worn out to the point of being very uncomfortable even for a relatively short flight. This needs to be addressed. All and all, a lovely, sunny, relaxing vacation in January when snow and freezing rain were happening at home.

A special place despite the situation

Starfish is a nice, small and accessible resort. The pool is fine, the beach is great. You have choices for snacks like a pizza place, pool bar open all the time, the buffet, another reservation restaurant and the beach restaurant. And it’s in Cayo Largo! Gorgeous water, beaches, tiny relaxed island where nobody really lives. All workers live in Isla de la Juventud or Havana with 20 day shifts. They work night and day and the tourists who return over and over go for the beach but mostly for the  [... read more]relationships they have created with Cuban staff members. I saw lots of hugs and people bringing in necessary items. Cubans do not have access to so many things. Yunet was my mayordomo, butler which every one is associated with and they get you whatever you need. She goes above and beyond and I would say most staff I met are friendly. The reality in Cuba now is food shortages. All over Cuba and especially in CL as everything is brought in by boat and barge. If the water is rough, the stuff does not come in. Things don’t often gets fixed; food runs out; food is rationed to make sure there’s enough throughout the week. We had butter a couple of days, sometimes no bread, no fresh fruit except watermelon for 2 days and apples on New years eve. The food was mediocre most of the time, no fresh veggies at all and it’s repetitive. Good fish and chicken. It was ok but I recommend bringing a few snacks and maybe some hot sauce. There was no mayo, sauces… I didn’t find the evening restaurant really worth it. Same food as the buffet. Wifi is very good in most parts of the resort, even at the beach. I would return as it’s like returning to the cottage. I had an ocean front room which was so lovely. So… enjoy Starfish with all the complexities of being a cuban resort during this time period.

Fantastic vacation

The resort is very clean. The restaurants and buffets have a very good variety of meals and the food is delicious. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, always smiling. The rooms are very clean and the beds are comfortable. There is free wifi throughout the resort, even on the beach. The beach is breathtaking, white sand and turquoise water. I look forward to going back soon.

Nice hotel, cheap in November

Hotel is renovated so it is in great shape. Restorant has Ac. Nudist beach is great. Food is ok if you are not picky. Staff is great. They have big kindergarden, and kids pool too. It is wheelchair accessible. Playa Sirena is super, but after 3.pm sand bugs start to bite. Transport is free, or taxi 2.dollars each way pp

Good

Room was good,new king size bed,clean a d chamber maid was great. Worse part of trip was no beer,red and white wine Last 2 full days of our vacation. Not all guest drink rum drinks. So we paid to take taxi to marina to get purchase wine and beer. Understand shortages, but blue diamond plus Sunwing need to really try to prevent this to occur. Food was sparse. Overall we love Starfish Resort, cayo largo and will return.

VERY DISAPPOINTING!!

This hotel was recommended to us. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to our expectations. This was my husband and my first trip since 2018 and we brought our daughter for her birthday. We requested ocean view rooms which we got but upon entry to the room was awful. The air conditioning wasn’t on, no bottled water, no toilet paper and no shower curtain, dirty floors and balcony doors wouldn’t close properly. We immediately went to the front desk , spoke to our butler Elisa and Daniel the gener [... read more]al manager. They were very helpful and changed our rooms which was a great improvement. The food was very repetitive and not plentiful. The 24 hour snack bar had no snacks. On a good day you might get a burger or ham sandwich. The salt water pool was very large but full of algae. The tiles on the ground around the pool so chipped and not level. There were no lights at night outside your hotel room door. The store on the property very low inventory but mostly rum. Couldn’t even buy sunglasses. The nightly entertainment was pretty much non existent. However Lazarita was very lovely. They seemed to be very skimpy handing out water bottles at the bars. There is a turtle sanctuary in town which is cool and also they brought baby turtles to our beach. We got to do a turtle release in the ocean. The hotel needs a lot of work and repair. The ocean was beautiful but the beach very small, lots of rocks and stairs very unsafe. My husband was upset they ran out of Cristal beer. The only thing he drinks. My daughter and I did discover Spanish Coffee which we loved! For the first time in my life ever travelling anywhere including other parts of Cuba had I ever gotten eaten alive by sand fleas. So so bad!

Amazing resort Starfish coyolargo

we have wonderful time for our vacation and will come again .Weather was good sunshine water was rugh bu we went to Playa Sirena beach. covid was not problem nobody talking about it neither wearing musk like we in Torontoroom was very clean and changing linen every day in our resort food was some days good some not , but was O kay