Nice quiet resort

The resort was small and quiet. Room was beautiful overlooking pool, snack bar with live music most nights. Buffet was good. Only one A la Carte but it was an amazing seafood dinner. If you like a quiet, quaint resort you won’t be disappointed. Julio and Gerardo were the bartenders at the snack bar in the evening and they were amazing and made sure everyone’s made sure all our glasses were kept full. They are a great example how nice Cubans are. All the staff we met went out of their way to  [... read more]make our holiday great.

Welcoming comfortable resort!

We came back here from Jan 22 - Feb 5, after staying here also last year. We were not disappointed. The friendly staff, the comfortable rooms, good food was exactly what we expected. It is a small resort, I believe a max of 200 guests. It is so nice to get to know all the staff, from the housekeepers, the bartenders, the front desk staff, the buffet attendants, the security as well as the Nexus Rep, Roger and the hotel Manager, Grace. They all did their very best to look after us.  [... read more]It is not their fault certain supplies are lacking but if you are looking for a simple, relaxing vacation with a cute little beach, never have to rush to beach loungers and a cold Cerveza always at the ready this place is for you. There was always a fresh omelette off the grill for breakfast with a variety of hot dishes and fresh fruit, yogurt and lots of bread and sweet rolls. We did not lack anything. The hot water is heated mostly by solar, so mid-day is the best time to get a shower and the Nexus rep told us this right from the beginning so there were no surprises. The linens and rooms are super clean and very quiet. At times, the bar music was too loud, but we simply asked them to tone it down a bit and that was no problem. This resort is right beside the little craft market with a wide variety of vendors who are happy to get to know you also. The town of Guardalavaca is interesting too and quite safe to walk thru. There are lots of horse and buggies as well as taxies close to the front entrance and they are more than willing to help you find your way around and see the sites. If you want to see Authentic Cuba away from the resort areas, visit Starfish Guardalavaca, slow down , enjoy the sunshine and people and take it all in. If you need a 5 Star Michelin experience, this is not for you.

Star Fish

Rooms were great the grounds were in good shape The staff was very helpful some our group got lost and they got out and helped find them very much was appreciated They were up most of the night trying to locate our missing group found them got back to resort The Sun Wing repetitive helped will great work Thanks everyone Thanks as well to our manager was involved very much. Grace Thanks again

Overall good :)

Good overall, perfect size and capacity to have calm vacations.... Good room service overall , good room cleaning services, friendly staff, food is a 2/10 and some night shows involving dancing would have been great, like twice on 7 days. Mostly senior/elderly clientele

Small and quiet

Rooms and public areas all very clean. Wonderfull staff. Food limited and small buffet, only buffet right now. Snack bar only when they have food, French fries and rice. No soda in less you pay for it $2. All mixed drinks mixed with orange or lime mix. No issues there for us was good. Not many people there under 100 so never a line up for anything and can always find a chair on the beach around the pool. Only issue was we never had hot water the full week there. Heated by solar but we [... read more] never had hot water. My only complaint but for me it's a big one.

Terrible hotel

We were at starfish guardalavaca , the front desk was rude and not helpful. Food was ok but they try to charge you for missing towel (20 usd ) we exchanged the hand towel to a shower towel and they said the small towel was missing. Didn’t have enough time to check inventory before the airport bus leaves. Said the plate and cups (20usd )was missing from us taking it to the room. Avoid please.

OK Resort

This review needs to be in the context of the difficulties that Cuba is currently facing (Dec 2025) with fuel shortages which is causes blackouts on the Island, loss of Wifi in the resorts, and apparent shortages of foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Lack of Wifi meant I had to use "Roam like Home" for data for my phone at my own expense for much of the 7 day trip. Food shortages meant a very limited and repetitive menu for breakfast lunch and dinner, with a few exceptions. Cuba has never [... read more] been a destination for foodies, but variety was significantly more limited than on my previous trips to Cuba. The resort itself was not well laid out. The reception was at the top of a hill which made accessibility difficult for older guests with walking limitations. There was no way to phone them - room phones were not working. Communication was lacking. I had to get departure times and arrangements from another guest. Rooms were clean and well serviced. Staff in general were not as friendly as I had been used to though. Again, this may be related to the hard times Cubans are having due to oil embargoes on the island. The vacation was overall good value. The sun and beaches were great. Transportation to and from the resort was efficient and comfortable. On the downside, I reserved and paid for seats with more legroom on the SunWing website, but these were not communicated to WestJet, so I ended up in regular seats, and now have to seek a refund. Perhaps a downside of booking a vacation like this is that there are many entities involved (TripCentral, SunWing, WestJet Nexus and the Resort). It is difficult to know who to contact or who is responsible if things go wrong.

The hotel is good, within reasonable expectations.

I stayed at the hotel from December 1st to 12th. The weather was varied: wind, rain, but mostly sunshine. Temperatures ranged from 23 to 28C. Water temperature was around 27C. My room was on the second floor. Everything would have been fine, but the refrigerator didn't work, nor did the TV remote. I couldn't get the air conditioning to work properly. Renovations were underway in the adjacent rooms. The picture is clear. The food was so good that no one starved to death. The brownish tap water  [... read more]was also drinking water. I won't repeat the many well-known typical complaints. The snack bar worked well, better than expected. But the loud, annoying "music" drove people away from the pool next to the bar. The area around the pool was always empty. There was no shade, and the pounding noise (music) was nonstop. Add to this the constant shouting of the staff and local guests everywhere. The beach is excellent, or rather, two small ones. There's enough shade. The sand is perfect. No need for beach shoes. Nature lovers won't have it easy. The forest is far, and the paths through it were half-overgrown with thorny bushes. There are plenty of coral reefs in the surrounding sea, but they're mostly dead. Otherwise, the hotel is very good for a three-star hotel.

Horrible resort, don't go to Starfish.

The resort should not be open to the tourist. It's a very low category resort, doesn't even deserve 2 stars. The food was very poorly elaborated, it was the worst food I ever tasted in Cuba. The water at the snack bar was contaminated, and the maids did not deliver the water as they were supposed. I would never return to that place. The staff was very nice but they know their limitations.

Horrible resort, don't go to Starfish.

The resort should not be open to the tourist. It's a very low category resort, doesn't even deserve 2 stars. The food was very poorly elaborated, it was the worst food I ever tasted in Cuba. The water at the snack bar was contaminated, and the maids did not deliver the water as they were supposed. I would never return to that place. The staff was very nice but they know their limitations.

Horrible resort, don't go to Starfish.

The resort should not be open to the tourist. It's a very low category resort, doesn't even deserve 2 stars. The food was very poorly elaborated, it was the worst food I ever tasted in Cuba. The water at the snack bar was contaminated, and the maids did not deliver the water as they were supposed. I would never return to that place. The staff was very nice but they know their limitations.

Starfish Holguin (Guardalavaca)

For the money you pay for 3 star it is worth of 4 stars. Rooms were excellent compare to 5 star hotels Eggs, bread, meat, real fruit juice, coffee and many other items everyday (no ice cream) Alcohol beverages may very like vodka, tequila and white wine were absent time to time. Over all you wont starve and guaranty that they have more food than you have in your house. I recommend this hotel.

Amazing experience

Room service is very excellent , every thing very clean and the food was the same every day, piscine was closed and the snak bar was not very clean, they served me after moping the floor without consider the hygiene, so did not eat the snake,there no show no activities like the other hotels, the security guards were all nice to the customers

Bang for buck

Hotel is small. Food is same everyday. Not much in mix drinks very limited. Rooms were dated. However food delicious. Always had cold beer and were accommodating. Rooms were very clean. Beach beautiful.

Better than *** star

Clean, adequate food and friendly staff. A bit lowed music but no complains. One pool is not working and I never enter a pool in Cuba because we have plenty in Canada but missing salty water and beautiful weather. Good value for the price!

Beautiful spot,,,

this resort overall nice,,,,,service can be poor,,,,,,food sucks same everyday,,,cold,,,no hot water in some rooms,,,,no AC,,,,repotred no one came,,main lobby far away,,,,,24hr. bar hit miss for food,,,,when he felt like cooking it,,,gave you awful looks....no pop,,,,no vodka,,,sparkling water for mix,,,,,still a beautiful spot,,,,just got to bring your own food---snacks it is cuba,,,,

Amazing resort

exceptional staff..clean grounds and rooms fabulous ocean location excellent kitchen hygiene great entertainment staff went above and beyond.................. five star............... ****************

Very happy to have discovered Starfish Guardalavaca

The kind of place that works best for our group. Smaller, not too noisy with lots of opportunities for off-resort hiking and exploring. Food and rooms were great and staff were friendly. The cuban music and culture are alive and well in Guardalavaca. These are the reasons we keep coming back to Cuba.

Lovely resort

Loved this resort. It is smaller but everything we needed. Grounds are well kept, nice clean buffet. Very comfortable rooms with quiet a/c, Fridge, safe, roomy balcony with chairs. Linens were nice and white, comfortable mattresses and pillows. We had hot water, except for a few hours one day. We hiked away from the resort in a different direction each day and thoroughly enjoyed the countryside and people we met. The Guadalavaca craft market is right beside this resort which is ha [... read more]ndy. We have no complaints. Super nice staff.

Amazing Quiet Location

Villas 1 was amazing, 2min. to the beach, ocean view with a connecting door between 2 room we had! Amazing staff ( from A-Z) Public relation on both places were perfect trying to help yet they are slowly dividing Starfish from Club Amigo! I have no words for a bad comment. Excellent food was served at the Benny restaurant with a menu and a buffet breakfast! Atlantico hotel had Buffet all the time with a variety to choose from! Alcohol (Beer, whisky, tequila, Schoch, Cuban rum, etc.) Har [... read more]dly weighting to return!