Amazing beach, good resort, a lot of families with kids

We were traveling to Iberostar Ensenachos on January 12 - 22, 2019. The resort is greatly maintained, beautiful territory. Very decent food with lots of selection, good seafood options. Service is amazing everywhere with an exception of the lobby bar. The beach and the ocean were to die for, even on the chillier days. Ocean is so calm that you can swim, no waves at all. Pool is very cold. The drawback for us was the fact that almost every family there was with a few small kids, so very [... read more] noisy. it is perfect if you travel with kids, but we prefer more restful and calm atmosphere

Worth a visit

After 15 trips to Cuba, we’ve stayed in many different resorts. This resort is a solid 4 1/2 star as advertised. Food was quite good and grounds are beautiful. We stayed in the adults only Spa section. This small area is the only part that’s adults only. On the beach and in the restaurants, kids almost outnumber adults. The property is VERY large. I’d guess it was 1/2 km walk from our room to the closest beach. If you have kids you’d struggle without a stroller. It’s a long walk for l [... read more]ittle legs from the rooms for meals. Other than it being too big for our liking, this resort ticks all the boxes.

Excellent resort

We stayed for one week at the beginning of December. The resort is around 90 min bus drive from the airport. On our return to Canada, we drove in the earlier afternoon and could see the coast way as well as the Cuban towns. The tour guide was quite knowledgeable and we really enjoyed our return bus drive. The weather was excellent. There six in our party and we had 2 rooms. Hotel (family part) The rooms were large. There was a separate closet in each room, which was very convenient for stor [... read more]ing our suitcases. The bathrooms were big, with a separate bath tub, shower cabin and toilet. There was always hot water and very good water pressure. The balconies were big and nice. Furniture may have needed some updating but it was in decent shape. Buffet restaurant. Very nice impression. There were always fresh fruits and variety of good-quality cheeses. On the weekend, there were lobsters and they never run out of them. The grill stations had seafood and meat. For the first time in Cuba, we enjoined our steak. The buffet is large and we did never experienced long lines during our stay. Beach. There are two beaches and both are really good. The second beach (further from the family part of the resort) is really spectacular and was our favorite; it slopes slowly and was ideal for our daughter. The two beaches are separated by some land, by which there are some corals. This was an ideal place for snorkeling; I saw two octopuses, a lobster and various fish. In fact, this was the best off-beach snorkeling I have experienced in Cuba. Caution: earlier in the morning (around 7am) and later in the afternoon (after 5pm), I was bitten by biting midges (no-see-ums) on the second beach, when staying close to the vegetation. These insects are almost invisible but there bites are quite itchy (some people are sensitive and some are immune to their bites). Pool. The pool was well maintained. There were water slides next to the pool and our daughter really enjoyed them. We will definitely go back to the resort.

Amazing Resort

This is one of the best Resorts we've stayed at period, the room was fantastic and roomy, we were on the main floor with a nice patio, the grounds were impeccably well kept, the staff was wonderful and very attentive, the pools were great and so was the sandy beach. There seemed to be a bar everywhere, in all the pool areas, in the lobby, a 24 hour bar / snack-bar downstairs and another one by the pool by our room. We never wanted for anything, perfect for an All Inclusive. A great time was h [... read more]ad by all!!!

Beautiful beaches, amazing staff with a room for improvement.

This hotel was perfect four our family of four with beautiful beaches, friendly staff and lots of healthy walking to get to where you want to go. The food was as good as we could expect for an all-inclusive and the kids water park was perfect for our 4 year old and our 2 year old. There is a ton of space in the rooms and we never struggled to find a shady spot at the beach. The Great: Beaches, staff, the drinks and the shade at the beach. The Okay: The food, the rooms and check-in proces [... read more]s. The not so good: We thought how amazing it was that they didn't use straws at the beach which we loved to see but it was all ruined when on New Years their staff decided to use New Years poppers at the beach literally littering the beach and the water with thousands of pieces of small plastic; just terrible. Who ever approved this should be fired, it was a terrible decision. You could see plastic floating int he ocean for days later.

Excellent Family Resort

Grounds: Were absolutely beautiful, and well maintained. Food: Excellent food in all restaurants and buffet. Service: The staff were all exceptional!!!!!! Flight: Had delays on both ways with Air Canada. The only complaint I had was that there was never any toilet paper or paper towels in any of the public washrooms at any given time. Would definately return.

Great Place for New Year's Eve

Visited before in 2016 and found it has slipped a bit. We stayed in Spa section both times. Beaches and accommodations are excellent but food was inconsistent. Staff are the best especially Guerra and Danarys at the Pool Bar and Daimy in the Buffet. Dianne in Customer Relations was also very helpful. Maintenance of communal washrooms not the best. Distance from Santa Clara airport makes for a long bus trip and the service at that airport is not very good. However it's worth it once you are at th [... read more]e resort.

Cautionary

We just came back from this hotel with an adult section, we thought that Iberostar are good hotels but we were disappointed, after the first night we were bitten by insects in our room (bed bags) whole body in a rash. We asked for disinfection, they changed the bedding only. We were advise by our Air Transat representative to see the doctor (one visit cost as $65 CAN ). From our building to the beach should be very close, but the bridge is broken and closed, the next nearest is about 15 minutes [... read more] walking. Beach overrated and narrow. Pools are with cold water .Hard to get extra bath towels for the room ( we use them for sleeping sheets ). Food is average , very poor selection but the service in the buffet restaurant is great and all the people try to be very friendly. We promise our self's never visit Cuba again..

Little piece of paradise!

We stayed at this resort for one week and are certain the return visit we will stay for at least ten days. The rooms were clean, spacious and the bathroom was very modern with plenty of hot water. The food was good; from some of the reviews we thought it was going to be terrible. We could always find something to eat that was tasty. Since this is not Canada, we didn’t expect to see any fast food but hamburgers and frenchfries were always offered. The staff is what makes this place outstanding [... read more]! Tipping was not required to get good service but since we received good service we wanted to tip! The staff were cheerful, interested and extremely well trained in their various work positions. The hotel seems to take great pride in taking good care of its staff and it shows. The entertainment each night in the lobby was enjoyable and the night shows, particularly the Hollywood show was outstanding. The beachs are the best in the world! This is Cuba and all it has to offer.

Exceptional resort!!

Hardly know where to begin as everything was just absolutely over the top fabulous!! This was my 19th time to Cuba (always at a different resort) and can say without a doubt, that the Iberostar Ensenachos will be seeing me again!! I have never stayed more than once in ANY resort...but absolutely, positively will come back to this one!! First off, the beach is absolutely breathtaking!! Yes, we did have a few murkyish water days, but understandable as we did have a big rain one night, and then th [... read more]e cold front from the north another, which will bring big waves and upset in the waters…But other than those few days, the water was so crystal clear you could see your toes on the sand and even in areas where one could not stand, you could still see the ocean floor..and all the fish!! Favourite ‘mascot’ red snapper very friendly social fish “Pablo” was a daily visitor waiting for tidbits of food from the tourists (apparently his favourite is hamburgers!! Bananas are a no go with this Pablo!) and also was very welcoming for a little pat!! He usually had his entourage of three other littler versions of himself along…plus many needle nosed fish and many others of which I have no clue what they were lol! The beach bar was on par without ever having to wait for a refreshing drink…with great beach/bar service by Eduardo, R. Carlos, J. Carlos, Yansel and Camilo!! They remembered our choice of drink each and every time from the first!! Then there was the fabulous animation team on the beach..!!!!! From stretching with Elisabet, to dancing and aqua fitness with honorable mentions to Johnny!!!!! Michael Jansell was always around to entertain as well…and cannot forget about Joel…always up to a little salsa any time we ran into him!! Plus so many other numerous animators that were all fantastic ...just can’t remember all their names! Oh…and obtaining a palapa was a breeze with the great assistance of beach attendants Yury and Salvadore!! Never went without one!!...Then the lifeguards…Joel, Pablo and Leonardo…Only thing, that I found very disturbing and disappointing, (and quite frankly unacceptable) was they are not supplied with binoculars, nor a first aid kit???? This should be the basic minimum for a lifeguard to have on hand…thus I lent them my own binoculars which I had brought along, plus purchased a 100 Band-Aid box from the gift shop for them. Not being supplied with them is no fault of theirs, but management should absolutely supply them with the basic necessities every lifeguard should have on hand. Food wise, we never went hungry…there was always fresh fish ready to grill…as well as meats and fresh pasta. Lots of options of salads, vegetables, cold cuts, cheeses, and desserts….Special mentions to Javier, Armando, Yudany, Annia, Daidenys, Frank and the ever adorable Yaima who presented us with a beautiful flower display of our names on our last evening eating at the buffet!! Must not forget to mention Louardes who made the best breakfast omelets ever!! There were so many mixed opinions about the a la carte restaurants…but from our own personal opinion...it was disappointing to wait 30 minutes before even a glass of water was brought to our table at the Azzia restaurant...and it was downhill from there…at minute 45 we finally had some over to cook….whilst the appetizers were being served (sushi that tasted it was made 2 days before..super salty soup), and then came the undercooked rice and over cooked beef, chicken and shrimp. The surf and turf at the Pirata restaurant at the Ensenachos beach was WAY over cooked…although the rest of the course was on par and special mention to our fabulous waiter Joey!! The Cuban restaurant was delicious…with succulent juicy Mahi Mahi and other courses equally delicious! The Italian restaurant was not what I would call and ‘authentic’ Italian restaurant…but everything was pretty good...except would have appreciated a hotter fried calamari with more sauce as it was sent lukewarm bordering cold with a smidgeon of sauce only. Best part was the hilarious menu…which clearly was not translated properly...but gave us such a laugh reading it lol! Giselle in the lobby bar was fantastic, friendly and just a wonderful person who never failed to bring us our drinks in record time!! All the others were also superb, unfortunately cannot remember all their names. The ONE and ONLY greatly disappointing and in the end infuriating incident was the coffee maker issue. From day one we never had a properly functioning coffee maker (water would never filter through the coffee to land in the pot!) and even after complaining two times a day for a replacement coffee maker, this was only done on afternoon of day 3!!!! This was totally unacceptable, as being a hotel manager myself…this should have been rectified within the first five minutes (not difficult to take a functioning one out of an unoccupied room to replace ours and fix the broken one). A great kudos to all the gardeners, landscapers, clean-up crew on the beach and throughout the grounds, as it was very well kept and groomed …the grounds were luscious with many varieties of plants and trees and very well maintained. Only I think adding more lighting along the walkways would be a big help as there certain sections along the pathways that are either too dimly lit or not at all. Evening entertainment in the theater was always top notch, and could not stop dancing to the great music.!! Staff have my 5* kudos…and to boot met sooooooooooo many wonderful people who were also visiting and gained many valuable friendships!! What a hoot! Cannot wait to get back!!

Amazing Resort

We stayed in the Grand Village and it was the best vacation we have ever had! Our villa was like an apartment stocked with everything you could ever need. We were treated like royalty with Butlers at our beck and call they even prepared romantic surprises for us like champagne by the hot tub and a bubble bath ready when we got home from the beach! All of our meals were a la carte and the staff in all areas of the village were very helpful! The beach is awesome, very beautiful! I would highly rec [... read more]ommend this resort to anyone and everyone!!

Extraordinary grounds

Just back from a ten day at this hotel that we have not been to for a number of years. People as always great. Spacious comfortable rooms that are starting to show some age. Food was very good with large variety. Exception to the good food was the Italian restaurant which was fine for the fish choice but not good for Italian. The grounds are lush and colourful and so large. If you want quiet , stay at the adults (spa ) section as we did . Kids will enjoy the family section with it's pool and wat [... read more]erpark section. Sometimes difficult to get things fixed quickly , case in point was one of the walkways to get to the beach which showed no signs of needed repairs started in the time we were there requiring a longer walk to the other beach access.

Matching expectations

Good service, friendly people, variety of food and drinks, beautiful beach. Long drive to the airport allows to see real Cuba. Store selling some cloths but not all the sizes are available which is not different than in many stores back home ( larger sizes ).

Fantastic Resort - Will return

This was our 25th vacation in Cuba but the first at this resort. We stayed in the adult section and it was gorgeous. The grounds were beautiful, the adult pool was quiet at one end and the end with the swim up bar was more lively so you had the best of both worlds. The spa was very professional and peaceful. The entertainment at night in the theatre was one of the best we've seen in Cuba except for the adult themed night. It was very lame. The staff was extremely pleasant and the rooms were ver [... read more]y clean with fresh towels when you requested them and lots of hot water for the showers. I was truly embarrassed by the way some of the guests treated the staff by being rude and/or demanding; so to those people, get over yourself and stay home. For those who complain about the food, all I can say is, you don't go to Cuba for the food. If you are going to complain about lineups for food then go somewhere else. These people do the best they can and have to work 6 out of 7 days per week with travel times anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to and from work. I'd like to see a Canadian putting up with those rules and still keep smiling!

Wonderful vacation

Nov 11 to 18. Only issue needed to change rooms as sliding glass door wouldn’t close. Hotel staff had us in another room 1/2 hour after arriving. We booked in spa area. Adults only. Very quiet. Building 20. Very close to everything. Encenochos beach is stunning. This was a trip to celebrate our 30th anniversary and our 1st time at this resort in cayo Santa Maria. Would definitely recommend and hope to be back again

8th time to Cuba with no disappointment

Great resort...love iberostar chain of resorts. Great food for all tastes,caring customer service,awesome beaches and lovely people. We travelled with two kids,ages 3&5-they loved it. Kids waterpark is great, lots of fun and sun. Would definitely recommend this resort for family

Very beautiful resort

We went there 4 years ago,loved the place.This time we went in off season, not all the buffet was open.Also we had no brand liquor, that we recognized. But we did find some thing to drink. We could only book on alacart restaurant, because they only had one open a night. The staff were amazing, we would go back but not the beginning on October

Unforgettable beaches!!!

We have visited Iberostar Ensanachos at the beginning of July and liked it so much that have decided to return for another week the same summer, at the end of August. It’s also been our first vacation in Cuba, and, we loved it. First and foremost, the white-sand beaches and clear blue waters of the ocean are truly amazing. For ocean lovers, there’s snorkeling, catamaran, surfing, and water bikes available, provided by the resort at no cost (of course, gratuity is very much appreciated) An [... read more]d, the beaches offer white sand and are both spacious and long for the enthusiasts of long walks on the beach. The rooms are very clean, some are bigger than others. They are also cleaned in a timely manner. In addition, one building was being refurbished, another in the final stages of construction. The food - despite all we’ve heard about Cuba - was amazing in the buffet. There was always plenty of food for all meals; for lunch and dinners there were three types of meat grilled according to each customer’s wish as well as three types of fish - which we’ve absolutely loved. There was salmon, snapper, mahi- mahi and every other day shrimp, squid, and even lobster. The restaurants on the beach served food for lunch as well. We only went to one a la carte restaurant - we’ve enjoyed the selection of buffet more. We liked the food so much that my husband gained weight this time - and this has never happened to him on many trips we’ve taken thus far. Other amenities at the resort were good. The pool was good and quite spacious, and, never really busy, We’ve played tennis and my son even took tennis lessons with Reno - a professional tennis player. And, the service was great - everywhere- buffet restaurant, pool bar, beach bar, beach restaurants. Whether we’ve given a tip or not, we felt we’ve been treated the same. Jorgio (sic?) at the piano bar was very nice and funny, Osniel and Vangie at the buffet were the best waiters ever. And drinks - very generous - at all bars. Finally, we felt very safe at all times, And that was of utmost importance to us and our children. I would definitely recommend this resort to everyone! Just remember, you’re on vacation, there’s no rush!!

Very good deal !

The beach is gorgeous; the pool is clean and is the best I’ve ever seen. The water is cool enough even if the weather is hot as usually in summer. Rooms: the architecture of the buildings is very attractive. We stayed in the Adult Spa Section area, very quiet area, and there are no children in this section Also the pool is very clean and well maintained. So, I appreciated the Spa Section that offered privacy those who like the silence. If this is what you need book here and you won’t be  [... read more]disappointed. Food: Be realistic: Don’t expect the food like in Mexico because you didn’t pay the same amount of money either. Conclusion: I would come back? Yes, but usually I tend to visit a different place. Do I recommend this place ? Definitely yes !

Beautiful resort

We just returned from one week at Iberostar Ensenachos. We were given a free upgrade to the Spa section. The room was very clean and spatious. The AC worked well and it was quiet. The beach was amazing, clean, no sea weed and plenty of space in the shade. Food was good, many kinds of cheese, we had often grilled fish, crepe or eggs in the morning. They had great big sweet mango. The service was excellent, at the bar or restaurants. They are waiters bringing drinks on the beach. The cig [... read more]ar bar became our favourite as it was playing Cuban music and the bartender was very friendly and curteous. I wish it was more Cuban music playing in the resort lobby. During the whole week there was no dancing in the resort and i missed it. The entertainment was very little, after the show there was nothing happening, not even music in the background in the lobby, just a couple of people playing cards.