Carisol los Corales: Amazing Quiet Location

Trip Central should remove the airport "Santiago De Cuba" from they site because there is no flights to Santiago and the resorts you are going to is transported in by ether a taxi or mini van! Resorts that are open and running are struggling with lack of tourists and the tourist that are in are complaining of misled by falls advertisement!! Corales resort is open and fits the number of stars rated. Food adequate, drinks limited to beer and rum which is ok. for us. Local tourists at the re [... read more]sort were very polite. The grounds kept in shape also some repairs and new construction going on. Rooms are clean only 7 days out of fourteen issue with hot water only in our room. The beach is kept clean but main issue was: see weeds in the ocean that should be cleaned and only a little patch of sand for non swimmers! The ocean was very clear and very warm!! I would recommend this hotel if the Santiago airport was open or if you like 4 hr. of site seen and some bad roads, yes! The staff are friendly and appreciates our stay. The south part of Cuba is being neglected by the Cuban government with everything from food to medication etc., etc.

Costa Morena: Good times.

Updated rooms, very nice and cozy. Beautiful view of ocean and palms. Good times. Natural beach and clean with umbrellas. Food was very good on arrival late at night. Bar is open late.. Friendly and happy staff.

Brisas Los Galeones: Viva La Cuba

We had booked to stay at Lis Galeanos, which we had loved in a past visit. On arrival however we found we were transferred to the sister resort ‘Sierra Mar’ while Galeanos under went renovations. We didn’t really want a big resort but found Sierra Mar quite pleasant, like Cuba in general the people were friendly and warm, the beach was fantastic, there was lots to do, there was a small town nearby to explore…. Cuba is still rebounding from the pandemic, there were only 28 people at our gorgeous  [... read more]resort of 100 rooms. The airport in San Diego is not taking flights right now. We had to travel from Holguin which was a trek but it meant we were off the beaten path- we loved that.

Brisas Los Galeones: this resort is now closed ,everyone transferred to Sierra Mar

Some people very unhappy about the sudden change, was there from Nov 28 to December 12, hotel is not ready, lack of everything including tourists, will not return until things improve a lot, employees do their best with what they have but for the price paid, not worth it, use Holguin airport and bus people for 4 hours after to get there, loose the first and last day travelling to and from airport

Carisol los Corales: Ghost hotel

I was in that resort 2 times about 6 years ago, right now is so much worse in everything looks like they try to fix some parts of hotel with no luck of materials,it is dirty rooms with no working lights ,problem to close every door ,problem with towels .Room was clean partialy about 4 times during 2 weeks,little dirty refrigerator . No beach intertiment ,water in ocean was cover with algas so no body use beach including my self. Food was limited and horrible (first time I came from vacation  [... read more]with lost few pounds) Bars provides only few kind of alcohol ,always problem with soft drinks, no bottle water During my time they closed 24 hours bar . Intertment only weekend .over all ghost hotel . Few years before was 300% better

Carisol los Corales: Carisol Los Coralis has changed!

The room was very good. There was always hot water available for showers. But the buffet was small. There was a snack bar previously where I could get a pizza in the afternoon. This did not exist anymore. For lunch, spaghetti and pizza had always been available in a separate lunch area. This was no more. My security box took 5 days to fix. The internet was non-existent for the first 8 days. The pool was not cleaned every day. Some days the pool was very dirty. But the weather was excellent! An [... read more]d most of the hotel workers are really excellent. The taxi ride from the airport was long...3 hours and more, especially because of the terrible road conditions. There used to be bicycles available for visitors but no more. But with all the negative issues, I will still return to this hotel even though similar hotels in the Holguin area are better and more reasonable.

Brisas Los Galeones: Guardalavaca…should have been Los Galeones

My original booking for a December 2022 holiday at the hotel Brisas Los Galeones was cancelled by HolaSun. Sadly the hotel was not open at this time. I am hopeful that this beautiful hotel will be available for international tourism in the near future as it was a favourite among many of us and really nothing can compare. Brisas Guardalavaca was offered as an alternative and it was nice if not as tranquil. Thank you Cuba for being such gracious hosts especially in these continuing turbulent time [... read more]s.

Carisol los Corales: Cuba : post covid

I am a frequent traveler to cuba, I have been all over The country, and I have been to corales about 10 times. Because of covid I haven't been in almost 3 years. When I booked it said it wasn't all inclusive and only 3 meals are included. This almost made us book another hotel, but because we were going to visit friends we decided to do it anyway. Your drinks are included and you have no limit. What is not available is the 24 hour snack bar..there are no snacks at all.(this is only during off  [... read more]season goes back to normal in Jan) The food is no longer buffet style. They serve you at your table, a four course meal. For money exchange , there is no longer CUC. You can change your money at bank for 18 pesos for one Canadian dollar. I do not recommend this. The man at snack bar outside holguin airport will give you up to 80 pesos per Canadian dollar. And the guys at the beach by corales will give you about 70 pesos per canadian dollar. It helps you and it helps them.You can no longer buy anything in the store without a card no cash is accepted. A visa debit card works great :) The whole world was affected by covid, but Cuba and this area were especially affected. If you have friends there you should check on them Everyone is asking for sandles or clothes. Which is normal for this area but the need is even more noticable now. Alot of people were walking around completely barefoot because they have no shoes. I brought seeds and nobody said anything at the airport, my friend says the laws have changed you are now allowed to bring food and medicine. They have no Tylenol or pain meds , antibiotics are impossible to find. The amazing service and people are the same , always willing to go above and beyond with a smile on their faces.

Carisol los Corales: Great for the money.

Very clean hotel. The grounds are beautiful. The food for cuba was great. Rooms were very clean but tired. For the most part the staff was great. I would recommend this hotel. Lost my bags first day. The hotel tracked them down. When I received my bags same night they were untouched. Nice to see that honestly

Carisol los Corales: Quite Disappointing Resort

Firstly, when I arrived at the Hotel Costa Morena at 10:30 pm, I expected to meet my friend. She had come to the hotel at 4:00 pm at my request. Her name was NOT on the tourist list beside my name and she was sent home. She lives quite far away. I went looking for her at 11:00pm. This was totally wrong! Pedro, the HolaSun rep, had on file both our names together. WHY WAS SHE SENT AWAY??? WHO MADE THIS ERROR??? I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED!!! The workers at the hotel are excellent. However,  [... read more]we did not have beer for five days at the resort. Toilet paper was in short supply. No milk for my coffee for many days. No sugar for several days. No butter for several days. No cooking oil at breakfast on the grill for several days. Eggs had to be scraped off the grill due to lack of oil. We had only pork every day for two weeks for lunch and supper. I do not eat pork. Two days there was in addition chicken or beef. I obtained fish from an outside source and fish was cooked for myself and my sister on several occasions. The kitchen staff were very helpful. There were no eggs for breakfast on many days. HOW COULD ALL THIS SHORTAGE OCCUR AT AN ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTEL CHARGING A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY??? Considering the large amount that I spent for the two weeks, this was totally totally unfair, unacceptable and overpaid.

Brisas Sierra Mar: wrong hotel

We were originally booked for the Brisas Sierra Mar, but due to circumstances we were transferred to the Brisas Guardalavaca While the resort is beginning to show some of its age, it is well kept. Grounds are beautiful and the groundskeepers are very pleasant. Would not recommend this hotel solely because we prefer smaller resorts. This one was too big for our liking, and very busy.

Carisol los Corales: A place to relax

I like the hotel Los Corales , because I like to walk around outside the hotel grounds and visit some friends and other small farms. The beach area is very nice to lie around in shade or Sun, bat the water part of the beach is not great, most of the area is covered with weeds at the bodem. The hotel itself , the grounds and the rooms and the pool are very nice and of cause the staff is very nice and friendly. Now comes the part I don't like, its the food, it is OK for me but if somebody likes g [... read more]ood food and likes to eat, it is below the average and good for somebody who likes to loose weight. Harry

Carisol los Corales: Best January weather ever, a very enjoyable vacation

It was our 15th trip to Cuba since 2009 and third to the Hotel Carisol los Corales, so we knew what to expect. We paid $1,295 CAN per person for 2 weeks (from Toronto) for a junior suite in the Carisol Section. We departed Toronto on January 8, 2020 from Toronto’s Pearson Airport (Sunwing Airlines). The take-off was late due to deicing. The flight lasted 3 hours and 41 minutes and we landed in Santiago de Cuba. Because of TripAdvisor’s Cuban forums, I knew that unexpectedly the US doll [... read more]ar had become a hot commodity in Cuba—and we happened to have plenty of US dollars anyway. Within minutes of getting on the bus we exchanged $200 US and got 200 CUC—more than enough for our whole stay. I also ran to the nearby kiosk and got 2 cans of Cuban beer (Cristal). It turned out that I bought the last 2 cans—and that was the only Cuban beer (in cans or bottles) I had during my whole trip. Some tourists also discovered that their luggage was not on the plane and it was supposed to be delivered the next day(s). It took us over 1 hour to get to the hotel. Our very nice and personable rep on the bus, Sahidy, told us a lot of interesting things on Cuba. HOTEL We got the Junior Suite C-3 (upper level). We were not very thrilled with the room (or rather the location of the building), but decided to stay—we liked better the Junior Suite H-4, where we had stayed previously. We had the same maid as 2 years ago, Martha. The staff were overall nice and helpful, although I saw a lot of new, young people working at the reception and most of them barely spoke English—and I had a feeling they were not too eager to practice their meager linguistic skills with tourists. The two-level room was nice, but there was cold & hot water, although the pressure was bad in peak hours. Otherwise everything else worked (A/C, TV, fridge, hairdryer). There was no phone in the room. We had to ask for the safe a few times—eventually it was brought (!) to our room and bolted to the wall (2 CUC per day). Both the safe and the room use traditional keys, so bring a lanyard. IMPORTANT!!! Some electrical outlets in the room were 110 V, others 220 V and they were NOT clearly marked, so ASK the maid before using them or you might damage your electronics! We brought a small coffee maker (and coffee) along with a surge protector bar—2 year ago, due to a spike after a power outage, we had lost our coffee maker. There was no Canadian channel on TV, only the CNN, which I never liked watching. We tried to watch the 6 pm news, but sometimes such ‘momentous’ news like the story about the royal couples announcing their intention to step back as senior members of the royal family took up the first 20 minutes, relegating other ‘inconsequential’ news items as the Ukrainian plane disaster, Iranian Crisis or the coronavirus outbreak in the background! That was why we spent just minutes watching TV. From our balcony we could see the ocean and, mostly covered by vegetation, the ruins of old hotel buildings (disco), destroyed years ago by a hurricane. There were always various animals grazing the grass around, mostly horses and donkeys (with cattle egrets hanging around them), which gave this place a very rustic look. Cats and dogs were not as numerous as in the past. The beach was nice and the beach guys quickly brought us loungers. The coco bar served cold beer and other drinks—Frank the bartender did a great job and I especially loved the piña colada. There was a massage place on the beach and Catherine had a massage every day. I hoped to do snorkeling, but every day was quite windy and there were relatively high waves near the reef, making snorkeling there too risky. But closer to the shore I did see a lot of colorful fish and even a moray eel, luring from an opening in a rock. We had the best January weather ever in Cuba: every day was sunny, about +30 C and it rained a few times, but by the time we reached our room, the sky was blue again. Because of the wind there were no mosquitos or other bugs. The Carisol section (where we stayed) was much quieter than the los Corales section, where all the entertainment took place—and it was one of the main reasons we decided to stay in the Carisol part of the resort. On the bus to the resort we ran into a couple from Streetsville that we had met at the hotel two years ago and during our stay we frequently enjoyed dinners together. We also (finally!) met in person two well-known TripAdvisor members, Cubacarol and CoralQueen, whose posts I had read for many years and often relied on their valuable advice. In fact, it was CoralQueen who had recommended our casa particular in Santiago de Cuba in 2010! We met Karen from Quebec, with whom we had gone biking two years ago to the Jardin de Cactus and whose excellent Spanish greatly enhanced our outing! Besides, we often intermingled with other tourist from Canada and exchanged a lot of interesting stories on travelling in Cuba and in other countries. FOOD/DINING The food was average, but tasty and I had no complains. For breakfast I always had fried eggs, coffee and yogurts. Most of the time we skipped lunch, but a few times we went to the Ranchon Restaurant for excellent ribs and fish. Dinners offered a lot of various dishes. I loved grilled pork at the cooking station, it was delicious—unfortunately, twice I tried beef and it was tough & stringy—well, at least the local dogs enjoyed it… We brought several salad dressings which greatly enhanced the taste of salads. Yet after a week I did experience some mild stomach problems—there was nothing wrong with the food, but I guess the greens did not agree with my gut flora. Although we never noticed any beer or wine shortages in the resort, the wine was ‘rationed’—the servers poured only half a glass of wine and never left a bottle of wine on the table. Every evening a Cuban band would provide musical entertainment while we were dining. I had really mixed feelings about them: on one hand it was nice to listen to one or two songs and admire their artistic talents, but after a while they kind of overstayed their welcome, making it literally impossible for us to conduct any meaningful conversation at the table. The performers were standing very close to our tables and were very deafening! Even if Frank Sinatra were singing like that, I’d say, “Get lost, Frankie, and pop up somewhere else!” We were often relieved when they finally went elsewhere in search of other victims... I mean, tourists! HOTEL STORES (TIENDAS) For the first time in 11 years it was impossible to buy any Cuban beer in the hotel stores! What’s more, on the second day after our arrival I purchased one bottle of mineral water and 2 bottles of Cuban liquors—it turned out that from then on there were no liquors and no mineral water available at the store! I brought tabasco sauce, hoping to make a Bloody Mary—but there was no vodka and no tomato juice in the store either. Well, I’m glad that there was draft beer at the bars. RENTAL BIKES, WALKS AROUND THE HOTEL AND BUS TRIP TO SANTIAGO We had been looking forward to renting bikes at the hotel and exploring nearby attractions. This year there were only 4 bikes available for rent. We rode to the blow holes (past the aquarium) and then Catherine’s bike got a flat tire—it was literally peeling off the wheel, so it was impossible to even walk the bike. She rode my bike to the hotel and sent a horse carriage to pick up me and the broken bike. We got another one and the next day in the morning rode to the village of Baconao—just in time to see the start of the elementary school at 8:00 in the morning, where students were reciting some revolutionary stanzas and singing. Later we toured the small school and spoke to the teachers, giving them several bilingual periodicals. Since we were supposed to return the bikes at 10 am, I was already at the rental place at 9:45 am, but it was still closed. I waited for over one hour (in the meantime, two people wanted to rent scooters and another tourist was impatiently waiting to return one), but the rental place remained closed, its sole employee nowhere to be seen. Just before 11 am I dragged the bikes to the reception and in spite of the protestations of the reception clerk, I placed them in the storage room. I suspect that the hotel is going to be very pleased when the remaining bikes finally break down—one less issue to deal with! In the morning we walked around the hotel and twice explored the nearby caves along the coastal cliffs with indigenous cave art from Central and South America (Exposición Mesoamericana). On a couple of occasions we spoke to the gardener working there—he showed us bats (“murciélagos”) attached to the caves’ walls. We also noticed that the restaurants that we had seen two years ago were gone. The hotel offered a free trip to Santiago de Cuba, which was leaving at 10 am on Saturday and we took advantage of it twice. The first time the bus was full, the second time there were two buses and there were still some empty seats on the second bus. Each time Julio, a very entertaining man, was our guide on the bus and kept regaling us with a lot of interesting stories. Overall, we experienced less problems than 2 years ago, the weather considerably better and we had a very good time. Of course, we always travel to Cuba with a very open mind and do our best to overlook as many flaws as possible—after all, we come to enjoy our vacation, NOT to complain! Yet it’s obvious that this resort needs a lot of renovations and enhancements—thus, I’m not surprised that some tourists are disappointed. Unfortunately, given the current economic problems in Cuba (furthermore exacerbated by the unexpected coronavirus situation), I’m not very optimistic that any significant improvements will take place any time soon. So if you go, just focus on the positive and have a great time!

Brisas Sierra Mar: Un très beau séjour

C'était notre 2ème fois Au Brisas Sierra Mar, un hôtel certes désuet et qui mériterait des rénovations, mais qui offre en contrepartie tant de qualités ! Un bémol pour commencer : vous ne trouverez pas de beau site de plongée immédiatement au Sierra Mar, il vous faudra aller plus loin en mer, prendre une excursion. La nourriture y est franchement bonne sinon variée. Beaucoup de légumes, de choix de viande ou poisson. C'est très correct. On ne trouvera pas poisson plus frais. Les [... read more] chambres sont correctes. Les employés sont incroyablement gentils ! Tous ou presque ! Les musiciens qui s'y produisent sont talentueux et sympathiques. Le paysage est absolument somptueux à toute heure, la longue plage - lorsqu'on sort des limites - est splendide, les hameaux environnants méritent qu'on s'y promène à la découverte de vrais lieux de vie des Cubains. C'est une zone rurale pauvre, les habitants proposent des échanges de biens et soyez préparés à participer à ces échanges (café, fruits, promenades guidées, contre vêtements, produits d'hygiène, etc.) Sortez du complexe et de vos complexes ! ;) Les excursions sont super. Celle à cheval vers la grotte aux chauves-souris et celle à Santiago. Voici une liste non-exhaustives de produits à apporter trouvables au magasin 1 dollar et + : linge, sacs durables et surtout sacs à dos à donner aux enfants, stylos, papier, savon, produits d'hygiène féminine, ciseaux. Vieux électroniques à réparer. Fil à pêche Cordes pour instruments de musique Boyau pneu de vélo

Carisol los Corales: Charming!

Great little resorts. Very charming. Although the resort needs some work, it is a 3* In Cuba. You make due. There was plenty of food, although repeatitive. I've been many times and will continue to go! My mom's 1st trip and she loved it.if you want fancy accommodations and dinners, go elsewhere If you want great staff who care, beautiful weather and surroundings, then try this out!

Carisol los Corales: Terrific Value

My girlfriend and I just recently returned from a great week at this resort. For one of the less expensive options we found while looking for our trip, we were both completely satisfied with our experiences. Nearly an hour ride to get from the Santiago airport to the resort, but as you go through the Cuban countryside with mountains and landscape all around, the bus ride seems very quick. The staff at the resort were all excellent, without a single issue in that regard. We enjoy how the r [... read more]esort has plenty of shrubs and greenery all throughout, something neither of us had seen at a cuban resort before. The food was as good as you'd expect in Cuba, so we were content with that, and we found the Cuban a la carte to be exceptional. The rooms were not exactly beautiful, but they served their purpose with beds and a washroom, and a mini fridge. The beach had a good amount of seaweed in the water, but also clear patches of sand to wander into the water. Aside from the seaweed in the water, the beach itself is beautiful. Something else to make note of is the amount of dogs and cats on the resort. We are animal lovers so we enjoyed their company, but if you aren't, it is something to be mindful of with this resort. In conclusion, considering the price of this resort compared to others, we found the value to be incredible. While we might look to spend slightly more next year in hopes of a better room and beach, we certainly got more than what we paid for and expected with our visit here.

Carisol los Corales: Great Week!

This is a great resort for 3stars for easy going and not-picky travellers. If you are travelling because you want sun and beach, but also a coral by shore full of fish and sea life, then great spot! The hotel is older, and not at it’s full peak in maintenance. You will come across broken path ways and some worn areas. Some public bathrooms don’t have toilet seats so I used my rooms bathroom primarily. The staff do a wonderful job at cleaning but I blame other guests for being messy and in [... read more]considerate. Please understand that the staff are all lovely hard working Cubans that put up with lots of drunk people. I did my best to tip and show appreciation and it was always rewarded in turn. The room was basic but I liked the high ceilings and AC. We always had warm water and only experienced a water shortage after a night black out stopped the resorts pump. It returned to normal flow hours later with little inconvenience as the resort provided bottle water. Only got bit by mosquitoes from vent into bathroom. We enjoyed the Disco and Isreal the dj was a great entertainer. The food was a decent selection for a 3 star. We thought the staff did a great job of keeping it clean and tasty. We really were happy to have guava, plantains, bananas and beach coconut. We didn’t feel sick at all and it’s the first resort that the water was safe to drink. We did stick to bottled bar water for most the time. The pool was very clean all the time, on the beach water gear and boats were always available day hours. The beach is rougher white sand, coral and weedy. But cleared areas by the shore still should wear water shoes. Snorkeling was great and easy to swim to and saw lot’s of sea life! All in all, great experience but definitely for seasoned travellers who know that despite the embargo the Cubans offer great service as hosts. We plan on continuing our yearly vacation to Cuba, and would return to this hotel if returning to Santiago region. Im giving it a 5 star rating because we didn’t want to leave! It is a personal rating regardless of some of it’s faults.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Friendly resort

Our first impression of this hill side resort as we climbed the 100 steps to our room was, "Great view, we gotta change rooms to a lower floor!" The following morning, thanks to Mercedes at the front desk, we were moved to an ocean view room a short, downhill, walk to the beach. The view was stellar! The beach isn't soft powder white sand, it's a bit gritty with some fair sized rocks so I'd recommend swim shoes (something I didn't have). There's a shortage of beach loungers and some are in n [... read more]eed of desperate repair, but we're not fussy and always found a shady spot under a palm tree to spend the day. We ate lunch on the beach each day so I have no idea what the lunch buffet was like The food, overall, was good but repetitive and for some reason there wasn't any cheese. We were told by a long stay guest there was cheese two weeks ago but none now. Reason unknown. The bars occasionally did not have certain drinks, so if you're a fan of Cuba Libres or pina coladas you were out of luck some days. However: you could drink the tap water at this resort!! Yes it's true. We did and NO ill affect and I can say that my partner usually gets some gastro trouble in Cuba but not this time. Our room was very clean and well kept but dated. So to sum up: dated resort, amazing location, wonderful staff, centrally located to Santiago and Chivirico (shopping, sightseeing). A lower end 3 star resort BUT we met so many retirees that book long stays (10+ weeks) that definitely says something about the resort staff and location. I would recommend this hotel for budget-minded travellers and those who enjoy venturing off the resort to truly get a feel for Cuba. If you are looking for a luxurious all-inclusive stay in a bubble Brisas Sierra Mar isn't for you. If you want to EXPERIENCE Cuba, not just visit,this resort is for you. My partner and I enjoyed our vacation and will go back again. But I know my friends, and they'd expect more than Brisas Sierra Mar had to offer which is the ONLY reason I answer "No, I would not recommend this hotel to a friend." I would recommend this hotel to travellers who want to know the real Cuba and its people.

Carisol los Corales: A great hideaway

I really like this resort. It’s small and intimate. The rooms are average as is the food, but it’s Cuba. The staff are some of the nicest people. I’ve been before and will go back again. If you want a relaxing vacation of sun, beach and pool this is a great place

Carisol los Corales: Good Resort!!!

We (as a couple) have been on this small resort 5 times and love it. Great people, great service, great beach and amazing snorkeling !!! Los Corales Hotel is great but Carisol area needs some renovation.