Great Staff, Gorgeous Beach, But Maintenance Lags

Getting to the Resort The resort is at least 1.5 hours from the airport, and the journey can take longer depending on how many resorts the bus stops at to drop off other guests. Paradisus is the second-to-last resort in Cayo Santa Maria. The buses were air-conditioned with comfortable reclining seats. Some had washrooms, others did not. The tour representative usually shares a bit of history as you pass through the towns. We arrived late at night/early morning, so it was dark and there wasn’t m [... read more]uch to see. Beer was available for purchase at the start of the bus ride. Check-In Check-in was quick but depends on how many people arrive with you. The bellboys take care of your bags, so don’t wait to grab them—head straight to the lobby line. We were dropped off at the Reserve lobby. Once you receive your keys, the bellboys meet you at your room. If you booked the Reserve or Royal section, you get a butler assigned to your room. The Rooms We stayed in the Reserve section, which is on the right side of the resort. The rooms were generally clean, though one had a non-functional shower. Water pressure was decent, but hot water was more lukewarm. Be aware that water is cut off during the night for maintenance. The room included shower gel, soap, and shampoo/conditioner. Toilets were dual-flush, but one had a faulty plunger button that required multiple presses to stop flushing. Closets came with an iron and ironing board, and hair dryers were available. A small fridge stocked with beer was provided. There was also a tub outside the bathroom—interesting and a bit odd. Towels and beach towels were provided, but be careful not to lose them or you may be charged. Most outlets were 220V, though 110V ones were available. Most chargers support both voltages. A safe was also provided. Our rooms had one king bed and two queens. Pillows were extremely soft—almost too soft. Not sure if pillow service was available in the Reserve section. Each room had a balcony with two chairs. Rooms were cleaned daily, and bath towels were changed, though they didn’t always smell fresh. Some had rust or other stains. A few handles (e.g., bathroom doors and closet drawers) were broken or needed maintenance. Beach towels weren’t available for exchange, but our butler arranged replacements midway through our stay. Rooms were swept and mopped daily. The Resort Due to low occupancy, the left side of the resort was closed. The resort is beautifully designed but in need of maintenance, finishing touches, and a deep clean. It has a beach-themed color palette and architecture. Some areas are stunning, while others feel overdone—like the bathtubs in the rooms, which we didn’t use. Air conditioning was broken in the central section, making dining in those restaurants uncomfortable. Many areas needed paint and repairs. Some hallway lights were broken or flickering, with exposed wiring. Chairs were worn, stained, and had torn fabric. I didn’t see the general floors being cleaned. One muddy footprint remained untouched throughout our stay. Pools looked clean and were maintained daily. The Royal section’s pool appeared cleaner. Staff areas had dirty floors and debris. We saw a few stray cats and dogs, which I think should be removed. Beach and buffet access was good, with multiple routes. We also saw a large tarantula, but it was dealt with quickly. Many floor access/light ports were broken with exposed wiring. Overall, the resort feels like it hasn’t been properly maintained since it was built. The Beach This was the best part of the resort. The beach was pristine—no sargassum, soft sand, and clear water. Some rocky areas were present but avoidable. There were fish in some spots, which was amazing to see. Water activities like kayaking and catamaran rides were available. We had drink service in front of the Reserve section, and one staff member (brown hat/red gloves) was exceptional—constantly checking in and ensuring guests had drinks. The Food We stayed in the Reserve section and had no major issues with food. Breakfast and lunch offered a decent selection, though the variety didn’t change much. The dining and kitchen areas need improvement. The grill area looked dirty and had flies and cockroaches. Lighting could be better. The Reserve buffet often ran out of mangoes, so arriving early was key. This wasn’t an issue in the Royal section. One day, the Reserve kitchen lacked chicken and pork due to broken equipment, and no alternative options were communicated. The Royal section was unaffected and could have been used, as the prep areas are connected. Two à la carte restaurants—Passion (Italian) and Fuego—had broken air conditioning, making dining uncomfortable. The food felt like repurposed buffet items and wasn’t great. Bana, the teppanyaki restaurant, was the best experience. Food was cooked in front of us and was delicious. The Reserve buffet was converted into à la carte dining on some days, which was enjoyable. The beach and pool snack bars had limited but satisfying options. Drinks were consistently good. We brought ketchup, mustard, and relish but only used ketchup for fries. Salt and pepper were always available. One gripe: the Royal section (adults only) had more variety and availability, which doesn’t cater well to families. For example, mangoes and fresh pasta were always available in the Royal section but not in Reserve. I hope these options become resort-wide. Food variety should be universal—especially for kids. Drinks can be the exception. People and Staff The staff were amazing—attentive, responsive, and solution-oriented. Ari and Yasser, our butlers, did a fantastic job reserving dinners and addressing issues. They regularly checked in to ensure we were comfortable. They always ensured that our kids were well taken care of in terms of food and drinks. Restaurant staff and cooks were also excellent. The chefs and waitresses were always smiling. Yanel, Richard, Freddy, Lana, Daymara and Deanna were always ready to assist and make us comfortable in the snack bar and Reserve buffet. Norma and Tani at the kid's club were also fantastic and checked in with us every day to let us know about activities happening throughout the day. They were really great with the kids! Overall, no complaints—the Cuban people are absolutely wonderful, warm and welcoming. They really do treat you like family! The staff do their best to work with what they got! Other Bring a lot of change for tips. There is an onsite money exchange place but you may get a non-preferable rate. Speaking of money, they prefer USD, and items for sale are all in USD. But I say stick to your home currency. If you want to gift them something they would appreciate neck fans, but also do some research for other items. The Cuban people are grateful for anything! You can take items like school supplies, over the counter medications, pre-packaged food and snacks, hygiene products and basic products like soap, toothpaste and shampoo. They even appreciate things like sauces and spices as it is not readily available for locals. Simple things that you may take for granted!

Good resort for Cuba

Beach 5 star (one of the best I have seen). No sargassum. Staff 5 star (polite and out beat) Room 4 star (need some maintenance, we experience no water for 6 hours one day and 1 hour next with little explanation from management. Bathroom door look and can not unluck, but room was large) Grounds 4 stars (large complex) Food 3 star (expected, not a lots of choice or varieties included a la carte but Banos was the best) Bus drive was long but expected If you are looking for beach, this is the [... read more] place but only the beach for a good price

Wonderful Resort, will return.

Thank you Manuela at Trip Central for recommending this resort. We stayed at the Paradisus Los Cayos the week of July 19 to 26, 2025. We were upgraded to the Royal section. The Royal section was well maintained and the rooms were cleaned daily. We enjoyed our stay having already been to Cuba before, but this was a big step up from our past visits to other regions. The beach was amazing, water was clear and warm. The Royal section has a private beach and someone always is there to set up yo [... read more]ur chair and umbrella. There is a small bar as well on this breathtaking beach. You can venture for a walk all the way around the next resort where there is another gorgeous beach, call the Playa Las Gaviotas, next to the Wildlife refuge. You can also enjoy a fresh coconut or mango some of the workers bring, they don't charge, but you can give them something if you wish, they really appreciate it. The rooms were spacious and modern. Water pressure a little low some days and no hot water, but warm. The rooms are air conditioned, it was down for a couple of days but no more than a few hours, there is a ceiling fan in the room as well. We stayed on the top floor facing the forest, so there was always a nice breeze. There is an elevator for convenience. After our beach visit, we would stop at the Snack bar and have fries and pizza (thin flatbread style). Always we were received with warm smiles and greetings. The drinks were served in glasses and very tasty. You can get bottled water as well. The breakfast and lunch buffet were really tasty and lots of options. Remember this is Cuba, not Canada and US, so food tastes a little different and served differently, but it was delicious. Our butlers Ari, Fidel and Yasser always asked us how we were enjoying ourselves and booked us every night in a different restaurant. We personally enjoyed the one at the Royal building. The servers were for the most part very professional, there are some younger inexperienced staff, but the manager quickly resolved any issues. We went to the Sky bar a couple of times, it had amazing views. We stayed had our coffee and drinks at the outside lounge in Royal area. Special thank you to Maruan and Osmel who always prepared our delicious drinks and coffee. They both were extremely kind and very professional. Also Lazaro, Armando and all the servers at the Royal were always smiling and friendly. We were very comfortable and always someone attending to our needs. The lobby had a washroom which a wonderful lady was always there making sure everything clean and well stocked. Understanding that language for some is a barrier, just a smile and thank you goes along way. The pools were maintained daily, unfortunately some obnoxious visitors kept hoarding food in swim up pools and would drop things in there, the staff you could tell were not impressed, but they maintained their professionalism and cleaned up as quickly as possible. The Royal was peaceful and quiet, even the main pool in this area was quiet, light music in background. If you like it more upbeat, the Reserve or the other side of the resort maybe for you. Thankyou again to the staff for your professionalism and attentiveness. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

Amazing people and resort.

We had a wonderfull experience at Paradisus Los Cayos in Santa Maria Cuba. My kids loves the kids centre and specially Norma. She was so helpful in making our stay to Cuba memorable. Also I loved the service at the main Bar at the lobby from Yainel. He was so great. Another great bartender was the one at Sky Bar, he was very entertaining and helpful in finding our tastes with some amazing cocktails. Our batler Yasser was great too. He tried his best to make our stay pleasant and memorable. Tha [... read more]nk you to all of them that made our vacation to Cuba a great experience ?

Very good resort

Very good resort, friendly staff, rooms clean and pretty new,beach is stunning, beach umbrellas half broken, when i was there june 18-25 the resort wasn't busy so we had plenty of umbrellas to choose from,I don't know how is it when the resort is full, food what can I say,not the best but you won't die hungry ? anyway you don't go Cubs for the food,long bus ride from the airport 1h40 min,after all I will go back definitely to this resort.

I can’t wait to return! I miss the beach already

Can’t wait to go back! I had never gone to Cuba before I did not know what to expect. I wanted a beautiful beach. And knew the food would be ok. When we arrived we were upgraded and received concierge service. Our two concierges were amazing. Yasser and Ari. As they both were great. I found Ari exuded bright and positive energy. Made me feel I was part of her family. They make you feel welcome and show you around. Need anything they are there gave us their what’s app for easy communication G [... read more]ood: The beds and pillows. Wow. I must say I have never had that good of sleep in a hotel before usually takes a couple days to adjust. That was not needed Staff: all were so friendly and helpful we did have our favourites but all were amazing AMAZING: beach , water, and amazing options shade and beach experiences. They had all kinds of toys to borrow if you wanted activity there was yoga and dance etc. if you wanted rest there were so many options. The property was huge since we went in may at times we felt we had the resort to ourselves because there were so many options people spread out. I was wowed by the beauty of the clear water and white sand. Water was warm. I could have stayed there forever. Like all things there are things can be improved Food: knew was going to be limited but breakfast was always great. Snack bar pizzas were our go to lunch. Dinner was hit and miss. Did not find buffet great. My favorite was the Japanese restaurant. Some things need some updating but overall the resort is beautiful and well maintained. Maybe have a couple more bathrooms open Bus ride: it was long almost 2 hours but the remote location and beach more than made up for it Tips: Money; if Canadian. If tip coins offer to change back to bills for them. They can’t exchange the coins at bank. Also bring extra bills as staff appreciates if you can change coins they have Snacks: bring snacks maybe some peanut butter or easy to eat stuff to offset any times you need a little more I would recommend this hotel on the beach alone. I will be going back. Already planned which rooms we would like better and where on resort we want to stay!

Beautiful Resort But,

Upon arrival, the resort attempted to extort $250 from us for a swim-up room. However, we discovered that the swim-up pool is accessible to guests from the second and third floors. Throughout our stay, we were plagued by cockroaches, resulting in poor sleep and discomfort. Despite booking a room on the reserve side, we were denied access to a balcony bed, as advertised on the website. The bed sheets were never replaced, and the resort reused the same sheets. Furthermore, our daughter exper [... read more]ienced coughing fits due to the presence of mold in her room. The resort’s cleaning practices were inadequate, as they dumped dirty cleaning water into the swim-up pool. The resort lacks any entertainment options. We were forcibly removed from the disco after our daughter joined us, despite the fact that she was merely having fun dancing. After the shows, the resort appears to abandon its operations. I urge you to address these issues promptly to improve the quality of your services.

Beautiful resort great staff

The grounds were very well kept restaurants for decent. The japanese is the best, like every resort definitely recommend staff, very attentive.The rooms were very clean as well.........................

Very nice resort

Clean and spacious room. Too bad other side of resort was not open but that’s ok. Pool could have been cleaner. Entertainment by pool n beach were great. Beautiful beach. Food was not bad considering it is Cuba.

Great Resort

My husband and I spent 7 days at this resort. We had a wonderful time. The beach is fantastic, clear water with chairs and umbrellas. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We were upgraded to a fantastic room which included a tub, two person shower, single shower and additional living area space with table. The food was good and there were enough options to choose from. I would definitely return and would recommend this resort.

Amazing beach, run down hotel, poor service

Beach is simply gorgeous. Hotel has a modern and appealing design, but too many things are broken or don't work. There were many days we had no warm water to shower. Many closures across the resort (pools, restaurants, etc.). Very poor service. Food is very basic, in line with what is to be expected in Cuba. Disappointing still for what a 5 star should offer.

Disappointing Stay

If you pay for the Royal Reserve you will not be disappointed, however we didn't, we had issues with.... The room: The safe, the door lock, the air conditioning, the water (freezing, or scalding, or missing altogether), a privacy door missing to the bathroom. Common areas: Look wonderful, however, if you're not a smoker you cannot escape it, and if you want a quiet break, unless you pay for the Royal Reserve, you will have trouble finding it. Loud music played either by the hotel, or the [... read more] guests, either way, it was unavoidable. Beach: The beach is one of the best I have visited, and I have travelled around the world. However, the chances of getting a bed on the beach was only guaranteed if you were out around 6am to claim them with a towel. Loud music was also intrusive on the beach. Food: The buffet food was plentiful, and lots of variety. However, the restaurants you had to book for, were disappointing, with portions that had you finishing and going to the buffet for more food. The staff for the most part were friendly and very attentive, however customer service were not on top of things, and let us down on a few occasions. Summary: If you like smoke, noise, and unsafe conditions in your room, this is the place for you. However, if none of those things are to your liking, avoid, or pay for the Royal Reserve.

Amazing resort

Absolutely fantastic experience at Paradisus Los Cayos. If you're lucky enough to experience the Royal Service you're in for a treat. We had concierge service, Jahana and Yoana are amazing. They looked after our every need, booked our a la cartes and checked in with us everyday to ensure we were enjoying our stay. Service: The genuine hospitality of the entire staff is what made our vacation so incredible. They were friendly, fun, and very gracious. Their professionalism combined with a genu [... read more]ine desire to make each guest feel special really set the tone for the whole stay. This was in the entire resort, not just in the Royal section. We made a special request to recognize a birthday and Elianis in costumer service went above and beyond. She decorated the room, left a gift, and arranged a birthday dinner, it was beautiful. Beach: We enjoyed the main beach. Beach bar is close, wait staff always going around to take drink orders, snack grill has good burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches. You can snorkel right off the beach, go to the left by the rocks. Walk to the right, you can go a long way and there is a beautiful sandbar. Pool: Main pool is great, swim up bar, snack shack is right beside it, music playing, and entertainment is good. Bartender at swim up bar is fun and very nice. Food: Every meal was great. We didn’t expect the food to be that good in Cuba, absolutely incredible. Nobody goes to Cuba for the food, but our whole group was honestly surprised at how much variety there was and everything had so much flavour. Cappuccino’s are amazing. Nothing was missing. We highly recommend this resort. Don’t let negative reviews of Cuba stop you from visiting this beautiful resort. We never had power issues, we always had water, and there were no shortages of food, drinks or wine. We will definitely come back to this resort.

Build to be 5 Diamonds

Excellent layout of resort, with beautiful view, I would think from every room as it was from ours. Magnificent hotel with 34 swimming pools, everything is close by, with just short beautiful pathways to one of the best beaches in the world. Aesthetically designed a la carte restaurants. Hotel is design is such a way that is never crowded. Outstanding result and beach for families and for adults since is has also beautiful tropical pathway to beach just for adults and separate sections of re [... read more]sort, restauorants and caffes for adults. Would suggest, in winter days, for the show, to start earlier, for kids 22:00 the latest, and for adults, 21:00 even later, is way too late. Even so I use it only once, can't skip to mention the gym, neatly organized, on top of the roof with beautiful view of the ocean and another big lounge right next to it. Food, since it is important to mention at these times: Buffet restaurant had neatly served fresh food, with your choice to pick something different every meal every day. Spanish perssutto, cheese and wine. Wine/Vine and whiskey available at every restaurant. Electricity: since it is also IMPORTANT to mention at these times - whole island with it's 22 hotels has it own power plant, therefore it ALWAYS HAS ELECTRICITY. Even so everything was clean, one suggestion I would like to make, as for every hotel/resort in beautiful Cuba, is to have a dedicated person to look after every corner of these beautiful beaches. Because after storms or even windy days there are things to be taken care of, plastics around or other equipment or others things half covered is sand, to be checked for, along the whole length of the beach to the last corner. Really important is to find a person with elan, who would, not do this just as a job, but who would perform this with passion, being keen to keep every corner beautiful as it is. Afterall, this is in fact the most important of all, and a reason why we and millions of other people from around the globe come to Cuba.

Great resort, amazing staff

This was a great resort. Clean and organized. The staff was amazing with us and my boys. The pool was a little cold but clean. The beach was amazing as well as the staff bringing drinks and taking guests out on the mini catamaran. The food was bountiful and great variety. The rooms were spacious & clean but hot water for the shower was tepid. The balcony was a great place to enjoy a beverage late afternoon. Would definitely return and recommend.

Amazing Experience!!

Amazing hotel, just like the pictures. The staff here are very nice and accommodating. Nice beach and pool and lots to do at night. Only down side is you don’t get much options when it comes to food.

Very nice spot!

Rooms were clean, water and beer everyday. Amazing beach with crystal clear water. Food was very good no complaints about anything. Beach staff was great and drinks were also very good. The buffet restaurants were very good, quiet time of year.

Avoid

This resort was a mistake and perhaps so was Cuba as a destination. Food shortages almost daily (bread being main one). Very limited menu (usually fish, rice and some veg daily). Resort was 75% empty during March break. Beach and pool was nice. Room was decent (few issues but were fixed). Wouldn’t go back again or recommend.

Very poor resort for the money we spent

No milk and or yogurt for the children, it was not variety of food, no ramp for strollers, children swimming pool was in repairs, but nobody was working on it, we found out that its been like that for more than a year, people good matters and very helpful, in the snack bar,no french fries, no bread for burgers and or hot dogs, sandwiches cubanos with out ham , only cheese, in washrooms outside the rooms, no toilet paper, in general a 3 out of 10.

Lovely, amazing, largest resort I have stayed at in Cuba, not that I need large

All good except washrooms need some taking care of. Washroom off entrance as you come in beside registration desk in dire need of repair. Door locks broken on all, no soap in any dispenser, and womens washroom beside large pool just past buffet, no soap, no toilet paper in 1, seat completely sliding of base in 1 of the toilets. Happy with Buffet, considering shortages country is having, lots of food, eggs n/a 1st 3 days, thats all. Some cultlery in buffet dirty, needed replacing a few times. Oth [... read more]er than that all good. People that work there amazing, friendly and personable. Our room was good. Unfortunately pool directly off back lobby out of service last 4 days we were there, as well as childrens pool out of service entire time we were there, and quite a few families with children. All in all great hotel, yes would recommend.