Best Vacation in Cubs

We have been to Cuba many times and this was our best experience. Staff was wonderful and friendly. Rooms were large and kept immaculately clean. Food was the best we have had in Cuba. Yes the beach is short but beautiful, you just walk and turn around. Great snorkeling right at the beach.

Beautiful grounds!

The Dhawa is a really nice resort. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The resort is clean. The food was quite good for Cuba. We tried two of the three à la carte restaurants, the Seafood grill and the French restaurant. Both were very good. We were a little disappointed with the beach. There are a lot of tiny broken shells so it's not that comfortable to walk in, unless you walk by the water, then it's okay. I'm not sure if this is because it's a man made beach. Also, when we were there ( [... read more]April 23-30),. on some days, there was a lot of seaweed in the water and on the beach. If we compare it to Varadero (we went 2 years ago), the beach was much nicer in Varadero. All in all this was a nice resort. I would recommend it.

Good but not great.

Most staff were friendly. The room and pool were dirty. The French a la carte was really good in taste and service. The Italian a la carte service was terrible and the food was just ok. The buffet was just ok and I actually threw away my chicken I had cooked because of cross contamination with uncooked meat. There were not a lot of choices. The snack bar had really good food. The resort was small enough that you didn't have far to walk to the pool, beach, lobby or restaurants so we liked this. T [... read more]he beach is small but beautiful. The entertainment by the pool was repetitive but I did like the music being played all day. The lobby entertainment was just ok. The drinks are inconsistent. I would order the same drink and it would be made different every time. There are just too many loud obnoxious French Canadians in Cuba now. I may have to start travelling somewhere else because of this. I think with a little extra work and training this resort could be excellent.

Great time at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria

Do not try to compare Cuba resorts with Mexico or Dominican you will be disappointed. Cuba is a world of its own. Resort was modern and clean all the basics. Beach was amazing and pool was beautiful. We had great weather April 17-24. Food was edible you will not starve. We enjoyed the French and Seafood restaurant the most good food but small portions. Buffet we stuck with pizza or cooked to order meals. Buffet food was not good. Bread was amazing. Beach grill has good chicken sand [... read more]wiches which we had most days. Drinks were not good if you wanted a piña colata, margarita etc. If you wanted rum and coke or gin and tonic make sure you get a good brand and you will be fine. All in all we had a good week and for the price would return again. If it was more expensive I would choose differently.

Excelent hotel but..

I lost my cellphone and report it to the customer dervice they report it to the scuerity of the hotel which they said they will do thier best to investigate and l didn't hear from them until my last vacation day l asked the customer setvice for my surprise they told me that it not their responsibility if lost anything outside the room they arr only resposible if the lost from inside the room an hour later another man from the customer service told me the scuerity are still investigating and ehen [... read more] l told him lm leaving within an hour he said oh we will send to you when we find it and he didn't bother to tell me how and l didn't ask. Other than that the saff were excellent the food soo good the amanities of the hotel very good the service is excellent.

Wonderful vacation

Peaceful and quiet, very clean, friendly staff, delicious fish, pasta, pizza. Slow service at lunch , 2 hour wait for food, 30 minute line ups for grills at buffet restaurant. Fine sand beach, peaceful waves, but lots of sharp shells in sand. Good wine and beer. Very long bus ride from airport , therefore not planning to return

Very Nice resort!

The room, we had the Ocean view premium suite and the views were exceptional. The beach was great with plenty of Palapas (went around 9 am) and always found plenty available. Swimmable for all ages (at times like being in a pool) . You also had sections for Snorkeling. The only drawback was NO washrooms on the beach! The grounds were nicely kept (The vegetation was still very young "2 years old"). The restaurants were fine, they can improve at the buffet by having more personnel t [... read more]o reduce lineups for Pasta/Pizza/Crepes bar! The pool's (plenty of them) for all ages. Entertainment was nice with piano (lobby) and shows were also very good. The Front desk (checkin/checkout) was quick. Reservation (3 per week) was easy to reserve. Same for internet (1 peso per hour) and access was adequate for Cuba. The only service where we saw plenty of lineups was the bank. Overall, a nice resort, but needs to adjust (quicker service), if they want to compete with its competitors.

Nice resort

the grounds are very well maintained ....... pool area is great ........ hotel and rooms we're clean...... tons of room on the beach. food was good but I was disappointed by the lacked of fresh fruits especially from a tropical area..... could be the results of the hurricane they went through!!!! (maybe)

Very Nice Resort

The grounds were very nice. The rooms were nice and clean. The staff was very friendly and nice. The Beach was amazing. The entertainment was great. The food was good but it is still Cuba food. The pool was also very nice. All in all I really enjoyed my stay at the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria. There is always little things that can go wrong but nothing to complain about.

Nice resort

The beach was amazing,We found the lobby very nice but service was very slow,Employees very friendly,Food was typical cuban food we never went hungry,Rooms were very clean and modern beds were comfortable, The rooms had rain showers which were very nice,We had an issue getting a bottle of water for our room it was the end of our second day before we recieved it and that was after i went to desk twice and my husband went twice the third tim my husband went he lost his cool and water was in our ro [... read more]om within the hour other than that good vacation

Delightful Dhawa!

Small, quaint resort with incredible beach and huge pool. We love Cuba for its fantastic beaches and Dhawa did not disappoint. The resort sits on an expansive stretch of white sand with clear blue/green water. There are plenty of beach chairs and huts so always a place to sit. The hotel is lovely with spacious, clean rooms, pleasant bars, friendly staff and well maintained gardens. There is a nice selection of restaurants including French, Italian and seafood. We will definitely return!

Great resort!

We stayed at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria from April 3rd to the 10th. It's a really pretty resort with a small but great beach. We always got a chair and we were lucky to get umbrellas most days. We didn't use the pool but it was a large, beautiful area. The Pool Grill was amazing,,,food so tasty and we'll prepared! We really enjoyed the music in the lobby every evening and it was a favourite spot most nights. The bar area was very busy but had lots of staff to fill orders. We found the buffet  [... read more]wonderful for breakfast, didn't have lunch there but food at dinner was pretty much the same most evenings. The pasta station was popular and areas where food was cooked for you but the buffet was fairly bland. Our rooms were clean and comfortable with good space for your clothes. We did get a lot of bug bites and seemed that after using spray the bites continued so be prepared! All in all we had a great week and would definitely go back!

Great new and clean resort!

Hotel grounds are nice , with lot of new bushes and small palm trees, but very well kept and maintained. The beach is beautiful, nice sandy beach and clean clear water. There is not enough shade so you have to go very early to get a spot and not to be very far from the Beach Bar and Showers. Maybe that Bar should be located in the middle of the beach. Swimming pools are nice, spacious, but we spend time mostly on the beach. We stayed for 9 days and the weather was great. French and Italian a [... read more]la cart restaurants were good. We do not have complaints about buffet food, there was always something that we could eat. All workers were nice and polite. Live music at the lobby bar was great and Caribbean shows were very good.Weather was great, quite windy first few days but later hot and calm. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this resort for relaxed vacation.

Beautiful resort

My husband and I stayed here from March 20th - March 27th. Although the resort is beautiful in every way, there were some glitches, which led me to believe that there is no regard for guests staying at that resort. When I booked my trip, I specified that I needed to be situated close to everything, as I am waiting for a hip replacement. We were put in a room at the end of the resort. It would not have been a big deal as the resort is not that big, but because of limited mobility it was difficult [... read more]. I immediately asked to be switched. It took 2.5 days for us to get moved. It literally ruined my vacation. I told them that we were celebrating our anniversary and my husband's birthday. They did nothing. They were so busy that staff seemed overwhelmed. I must say that I was very impressed with Yousef, our Air Transat rep and the airline crew to and from Cuba. If it had not been for these glitches, I would recommend The Dhawa. Rooms are clean and beautiful. The beach is nice but small. Food, ok but desserts were amazing. The bellboy staff were great and Jorge, who ran the catamaran was wonderful.

The resort was beautiful !!

The resort was nice and the workers very friendly . The grounds were kept clean and the rooms. The food was good for Cuba the beaches were amazing there was lots of chairs. Entertainment was great, I would definitely go back to this resort.

Loved Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria!

We settled on this resort after reading great reviews about it ( had to ignore the whiny ones with unrealistic expectations) and on the recommendation of our Trip Central agent - Tyler Curtis. We loved Dhawa! my family and I (2 adults and a young child) were pleasantly surprised.They greeted us with refreshing drinks and check in was fast ( this obviously depends on how many people arrive at once). The rooms are nice and clean (building 8 is closest to beach but we stayed in #11 - had a good vi [... read more]ew of water and sunrises). The beach is beautiful and lots of snorkelling opportunity- pedal boats/catamaran/wind surf board included. A really nice resort and had great landscaping overall and looks wonderful. The food here is fabulous and a good variety. The 3 restaurants serve superb food and great service. The buffet has great variety - pastas, pizzas, bbq, grilled seafood, breads, salads, meats, rices, desserts, great variety of cheeses etc. we went for breakfast & dinner mostly. The 24-hr snack bar by pool is busy at times but fine for snacks(the “chicken bites”and fried potatoes, ice creams, pizza, crispy squid, house salad, burgers and hot dogs were good). The grill snack bar on beach serves burgers, chicken wraps etc. is fab. Great coffees, imported wines, drinks, slushes. Good ketchup, hot sauces, maple syrup all available as well.The pool is nice and centrally located- the resort is not too big and easy to walk around. Good live music in lobby area and entertainment shows were fine. The staff are wonderful ( please keep in mind this is Cuba- many staff are learning English via their jobs and try hard..)and we had no issues. If you need something - just ask. We also rented a taxi and visited nearby towns and cities, decommissioned sugar mill, monuments, etc) on two of the days (very safe in Cuba and loved this). my son loved the tennis court(racquets etc. included) & soccer field and the gym is great too. Some minor issues: snack bar ran out of hot dogs one day - but there is so much to eat -this was not a biggie at all. Another day, I went to late to switch my beach towels and they ran out as the new shipment didn’t come in.. we just hung the towels on chairs on balcony and they dried fast. btw, none of these affected our holiday or that of the people we met there but Some people might be bothered by it. People reserve beach and pool chairs even though they are not supposed to (but we found chairs regardless). I have travelled widely around the world and I would rate this a 5 Star resort —Cuban standards -but it is more a 4.5 Star compared to other countries. I think if you keep in mind that there will be little quirks/ inconsistencies- especially in Cuba-and go with a good mindset - you will have a fabulous time Also, early morning walks on the beach are great if you have kids who love to collect shells etc. Weather was fabulous when we went (March 24-31), no humidity but hot. One cloudy day but we were on a day trip in city. also, windy sometimes at night so take a light sweater. We had an awesome vacation! Hope you do too! Will definitely return here.

Beautiful Resort

We stayed at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria for a week in March. The resort was beautiful, lots of beautiful flowers and shrubs. The pool was fantastic and very clean. The beach was breath taking with a stunning view. The food was some of the best food we have had in Cuba. The outdoor grill was a great addition. We had clean rooms with an ocean view and always had good service.

Absolutely Amazing Resort

The resort is beautiful the rooms are beautiful very clean and comfortable. The staff very friendly but communication was a little tough not much English. The food was pretty good also. The pool excellent and the beach just gorgeous. The only thing could use some more variety for entertainment in the evening. All in all excellent will go back definitely

Loved our resort Dhawa

Upon our arrival at the resort we were escorted to the reception area where we were welcomed with a refreshing cool drink. We are thankful to Gilberto for having our requested reservations. It was important for us to be close to the relative that was traveling with us. Our unit was exactly what we were promised it was on third floor close to the beach, pool, main dining areas. The room was very clean overlooking the pool and view of the ocean which we loved. The beach was great and the service [... read more] was fantastic. I had to get up early to reserve the beach chairs which everyone was doing. My only complaint was the buffet restaurant. The selection was a little disappointing, would have liked more items for breakfast and dinner. The lines were very long to wait for our food. Would have liked to have more stir fry meals prepared. I asked the main manager at the buffet for fresh baked donuts, croissants, pancakes. Over all the grounds at Dhawa were beautiful. Their cappucinos I looked forward to everyday. For sure we would return to the resort some time in the near future..:) We are thankful to our travel agent O'Neil for his professional help.

Lovely Resort

We just came home from a wonderful vacation here. Jordan and Randy at the swim up bar where our favorites, great guys. The steaks are amazing and shrimp where a great treat. The beach is beautiful, I have seen complaints about no chairs but all you have to do is ask the guys on duty and they will bring you one. Loved the resort and no compmaints.