Could have been better

This was my Third time to Cuba and I have always enjoyed myself. But I was disappointed in this vacation. I have traveled all over the world some high end locations and some where you are in the middle of nowhere and no bugs is the best you get for rooms. But lack of water, general indifference of the staff, among other things was not what I expected when I booked a four star resort. Had we known that the resort was closing the week after we left we definitely would have chosen somewhere else, I [... read more] feel it added to the general feeling we received "your here, now your stuck, this is what you get, better make the best of it". This is the first non-favorable rating I have ever given a location, i'm general prepared for things not to be perfect and do enough research to know what I'm getting into, but I will say I was disappointed and would not be returning to this hotel or area...though the beach is BEAUTIFUL!

Great Value with Amazing Staff!!

My husband and I just returned Sunday April 19th after a week’s stay. Our overall assessment of this resort is high even with the negative comments. We will not personally return but the resort and staff should still get the recognition they deserve. Positive • Grounds were maintained • Rooms were clean • Staff was friendly and helpful • Beach is stunning • Weather was amazing • A la Carte restaurants are pretty good; we tried the Mexican, International and Italian. (House wine w [... read more]as actually really good which was surprising) Negative • I was eaten alive by Cuba's equivalent to our Mosquito which I took to calling "Ninja's" as you didn’t see or hear them coming. I had Toonie sized welts. • Food handling, as well as lack of choices. I will say that they did try to add taste by adding, garlic, salt/pepper, wine, however my husband and I both ended up with food poisoning which as I said I believe is due to how the food is handled. • Lighting at night - bring flashlights (it's really really dark in some area's) • Transfer from airport to hotel is over an hour away. • KIDS!!! Parents allowing their kids to do anything they wanted. Not cleaning up after their kids! ** My husband and I were eating breakfast and a couple with their baby decided they were going to clean their kids diaper right there in the middle of the buffet!!!! Are you kidding me!!! • **People are disgusting** On the occasions I used the public restrooms I had a poor experience both times, which is why I took to using our rooms bathroom moving forward. - The first time was the by the pool by buildings, there was poop on the walls, on the counter, and mirror! - The second was in the main lobby there was poop smeared on the toilet paper roll. I feel bad for the cleaning staff; they should not half to clean up after people like that. Other • Towels are not always changed daily • Water pressure is great however water temperature varies by time of day. Mornings = Cold, and at night = HOT!! I like the water hot but for some this may unexpected. • If you’re looking for a quiet place to just relax, this is not the resort for you. Young kids drunk, loud music until 1am-2am most nights. • Resort is pretty big so be prepared for some walking. DON'T LOSE YOUR PASSPORT! I lost my passport when we landed in-between the airport and the bus ride. The hotel and our Canjet rep Hector were great, they did what was within their means to try and assist. Long story short you need to travel to the Canadian Embassy in Havana which is 4+ hours away in each direction and a cab fare of $350-$450 return. Once you get to the Embassy you will need to fill out paper work to apply for a whole new passport at a cost of another $200 (not including photos) **We had a difficult time actually speaking to anyone live at the Embassy > we kept receiving voice mail. We didn't want to travel all the way to Havana if there was another way or if they were closed on the day we traveled. We actually had to call back to Canada and speak with someone in Ottawa in order to get any answers. Good news was hours prior to leaving my passport was recovered :)

No complaints!

We arrived at nightcheck in was fast, our safe didn't work, maintenance was there in 10 mins! Hotel and grounds are kept very clean. Large resort! Lots of places to eat. Lots of entertainment. Great place for kids. Beautiful beach! Staff is friendly and helpful. The market is very close to the hotel. I would totally go back!

Amazing resort

Just got back on Thursday April 23 from Starfish Cayo Santa Maria and it was great trip resort and people were amazing. The beach was so nice. For Cuba the food was really good. We will go back for sure.

Amazing Beach

We had an amazing vacation at this resort. We would recommend this to anyone as the price can not be beat. The beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and the resort had huts all along the coast and beach bars as well. You could grab lunch at the beach bar if you wish. It is on an island with several other resorts side-by-side. You don't have a bracelet at any of the resorts, so you could go to each resort and eat lunch or dinner there and experience a 5-star meal which was much be [... read more]tter than the food at the buffet. A big down side to the vacation was that the resort was closing the next week. The servers and bartenders stopped caring about providing service and would often be rude and ignore you. They would carry on conversations between the staff in Spanish, drink & eat at the resort, and you would be left without help. We also found that getting bottled water was almost an impossible task. It took 2 days before we even had 1.5L of water, in 37C weather. It was my husband, my daughter (1 year) and myself, so you can imagine how important the water was for us. Service aside... we had a great vacation, and like I said, we recommend it to anyone who is looking for a getaway at a great price. *** No WIFI, and internet was SUPER slow at the resort... I recommend getting a travel data plan with your cellular provider. ***

Stay Away!!!

To begin you need to know that I am pretty easy going- I understood that the food in Cuba is less than deisrable ( from a tourist perspective) and that the star rating is not quite comparable to our North American standards...but there is no redemption for this resort. The sun and the beach were beautiful. The resort was reasonably clean and at least 3/7 nights of entertainment were quality and worth watching. What we didn't know when we booked this resort was that it is closing at the end of Ap [... read more]ril for some (obviously needed) upgrading. It was evident that the majority of staff had already "checked out". They were, for the most part, indifferent and ignorant. You contstantly given the run around. There was no butter, when we asked for salt and pepper we were given shakers that were missing the bottom cap and therefore obviously had nothing in them. We were told there was no towel exchange but rather housekeeping would put towels in our room- sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't- the day before our departure we were told there was a towel exchange. You had to almost fight staff for a bottle of water. When you went to the bar or the grill (where the rudest of the rude worked) they would almost roll their eyes at you if you ordered more than one item per person- i.e 2 hotdogs was clearly an inconvenience. But even if you got your hotdog you would probably have to eat it dry- no condiments whatsoever, "not today" became the popular catch phrase. Mid way through our stay I discovered how things mysteriously appeared if you offered up money- it was so incredulous that another vactioner wondered aloud if we'd have to tip the pilot in order to get home ( thankfully we did not :) So if I knew then, what I know now I would def. not have picked this resort. Thanks to Starfish and it's mostly ignornat staff I am done with Cuba- I'll take my tourist dollars elsewhere, thank you very much.

Beautiful Beach but thats it

Beautiful beach.. HUGE resort, it was beautiful, rooms were nice but bathroom leaked everytime you showered and created a flood, the sink got clogged everytime you used it. towels were NOT changed at all, didnt received any bottled water had to hunt down the maid for it. no controler in our room for the tv. food was disgusting. it was all stale old food. not much to choose from.. beach and entertainment was the only thing that kept me going. not to mention its a 2 hour bus drive to the resort wh [... read more]at a killer

Fantastic

Huge resort. Gorgeous Beach. Wonderful staff. Very clean. Amazing entertainment - Elvis was the best, super guy and great at his job. Food was quite good. Pool area, loads of fun. I would definitelt go back and of course recommend Starfish to others.

Enjoyable vacation

My husband and I had an enjoyable vacation at Starfish Cayo Santa Maria. We stayed in building 10 with close proximity to beach/pool/theatre/buffet and Lobby. We request 3rd floor with king bed which we received. Room was lovely with a view of the ocean. No coffee maker in room but great coffee at the Lobby bar. We enjoyed the theatre shows and music in the lobby was a nice touch. There were long line ups in the buffet at the grills with slow service so we ate from the prepared sections. We alwa [... read more]ys found something tasty to eat and enjoyed the red and white wines, plus the champagne. Our room was kept spotless by our maid who left us lovely towel and blanket art. Towels are still a problem on the Cayo so we took our own bath towels and beach towels and gave them all away to very appreciative staff when we left for home. The 90 minute bus ride has now become a 2 hour bus ride. Beer is sold on the bus and when they run out, they stop to buy more and then stop again just before the causeway so people can relieve themselves at the side of or behind the bus. There are no bathrooms on the Chinese buses. We have been to Cayo Santa Maria 5 times, staying at various hotels. We always enjoy our holidays on the wonderful white beach and enjoy the crystal clear water. Try it....I think you will like it.

Great trip!!

I enjoyed my stay at the starfish. It was clean and very nice. The food was good and the employees went above and behond. All in all a great place! the beach is amazing and the pools were nice. The bubble machine made the pool party fun. Nat

Amazing

Public areas excellent, rooms could be nicer, more clean or renovated. more entertainment would be good, the pool area is great and beach is very nice and should be cleaned regularly. Overall I was happy at that resort.

Beautiful beach

The hotel is not bad at all, some needed upgrades to rooms might make it a 5 star, the food was very good especially the fresh grills, the cooks were wonderful, lobby was very helpful, the beach was beautiful, shows were also very good, bartenders need to learn to make mixed drinks, the hospitality at pool bar and main lobby needs to improve, the gardens were beautiful and overall it was a beautiful place to visit. The family had a great time!

Really pleased!

Had a phenomenal trip. Went from April 4-11 2015. Not too sure what's up with the negative reviews for this hotel but I had a great time. Entertainment was great, beach was all I needed and was the best part of the resort. If you want to do the chicken or fish or seafood at dinner/lunch just go a bit later and you'll have no issues getting served. If you go peak times you're obviously going to wait. The pueblo near the resort is cool. There's another one near Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Melia a [... read more]rena doradas that they don't talk about but it's just as good. If not better. Spent the week in block 30 on the third floor. Had a partial ocean view. Was a good surprise. Good to be away from the noise of the colonial side of the resort. Didn't realize there was another bar open near our block until Thursday haha. Big resort. But awesome. Beds are really uncomfortable lol. My only qualm. Anyway. Enjoy!

Great Resort

The resort was great. We were there for 7 days and enjoyed every moment. The people were amazing. The food was good. There is a lot of walking so you need to expect to walk to go to places on the resort. We were in bungalow 10 with an ocean view.

Excellent beach vacation

One of the best beaches in Cuba - cool sand and beautiful water even when there are waves. Overall quite place with "Cuban" food and long lines for freshly made omelets or grilled stuff. Good Spanish champagne, good beer and good 7 years Havana club rum (you might have to tip some extra for it). It is an "tourist island" with little interaction with regular Cuban life style. Enjoy the sun, the sand and the ocean.

Fantastic place to stay

This was a beautiful resort. It was perfect whether you wanted peace and quiet or a party atmosphere. One side of the resort was the quiet side and the other was the lively side. There were two lobbies, two pools and three access points to the beach. The room I stayed in was very spacious with a king size bed, couch, desk and baalcony with patio furniture. Also provided were an ironing board, iron, umbrella and safe. There was a lot of beach front and the sand was very soft but heavy, when the w [... read more]ind picked up you were not sand blasted. The resort itself was very well maintained - gardeners were out in force ensuring everything was healthy, water features were cleared of debris daily, boardwalks were swept clean of sand. The entertainment was varied and took place throughout the day in the lobbies, on the beach (party side), and at the theatre. There were also activities for children. I had heard that the food in Cuban resorts was so so; however, I had no complaints about the food quality or variety. The fish was always superb and in the main buffet for breakfast the banana crepes were divine ( you had to line up for these but it was worth the wait). For the a la carte restaurants my favourite was the Italian - beef carpacio that melted in your mouth and roast pork that was flavourful and tender. The buffets and grill restaurants did have set hours for breakfast lunch and dinner but you could always grab a snack of whatever was being served at the 24 hour grill on the party side of the resort. There was also The Estrella open air market next to the resort that had many souvenir items at very reasonable prices. It was a quick walk -5-10 minutes (depending on your speed) or you could wait for the little tram to take you there. When you first arrive, they give you a map to find your bungalow; however, if you arrive at night I'd recommend waiting for one of the golf carts to take you to your bungalow and then explore in the daylight for how to quickly get around. If you want the quiet side, ask for bungalows on the left (20-30) and for the party side bungalows on the right (1-10). All of the staff that I had dealings with were very friendly and helpful. The few issues that I had with my room: no plug for the sink, lighting wasn't the brightest in the bathroom, couldn't figure out how to work the stopper for the bathtub, water would take a long time to heat up when using the sink tap but the water in the bathroom for the shower heated up pretty much right away. The internet is extremely slow and you have to pay $4.50 CUC per hour to use it; this will hopefully change now that the US embargo has been lifted.

Beautiful beach

Beach was beautiful. Great for walking and enjoying the waves. Managers and employees at hotel were friendly and accommodating. Very clean and well kept. Shows were very well done, but could have had the volume turned down a bit. Didn't go hungry. Lots of places to walk, too.

Starfish Cayo Santa Maria

We spent the week of March 25th to April 1st at Starfish. Overall it was a good experience. The trip in from the Santa Clara airport was about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it gave us a taste of the real Cuba. Upon our arrival, we were greeted with music, dance and a welcome cocktail. A very nice touch. Our room was clean and comfortable, but we could have used more pillows. If you have mobility issues, this is not the resort for you. The grounds are very large and sprawling. Getting to the beautif [... read more]ul beach was a chore. You cross a wooden boardwalk , go down a set of stairs and then take a path to the beach. Another set of stairs would be quite useful. Once at the beach, which is very long and very beautiful, there are only 2 places to get drinks and food. Another bar/snack area would be perfect set halfway down the beach. The pools are beautiful. There is a mini buffet at the main pool , but the other pool had only hamburgers and hot dogs and one day was not even open. The food was okay. Some days better than others. One of the best meals we had was from the pasta station at the buffet and the Italian a la carte was fantastic. We managed to see only 2 shows. Do not miss the Michael Jackson show. It was amazing!! Showtime was listed as 9:00, however the actual time is closer to 10:00 They would start giving out awards for the day at about 9:30. Followed by a game. By the time the actual show started, a lot of the audience had left. A suggestion would be to start awards, etc. around 8:30. It is tiring sitting at the beach!! There is a market down the road from the resort with shops, bars, restaurants and craft vendors. Some of the a la carte restaurants are located there. You can walk there or be taken by the resorts golf cart. Starfish is a beautiful resort but could use some tweaking.

Need to work on the food otherwise great

Bus ride was long 1.75 Hrs and bumpy. Wife was carsick,not to the point of heaving but not pleasant. We asked for a front seat for the return and they were very accommodating. The wife had some issues with a previous leg injury so we wrote to them 2 days before the trip . Although we did not get a reply to the e-mail they did see to our requests. They pre-arranged booking in with the rooms already assigned giving everyone an envelope on the bus.That made the booking in go much smoother. Rooms we [... read more]re clean, decor a bit tired but everything worked. Towels were kept fresh, although other reviews warned of problems. Grounds were clean. It would be nicer if they removed more of the jungle from the grounds. Our terrace faced the path to the pool with 20' of thick jungle in front. Only was to get to the pool was the building exits. Pools were excellent, pool bar and permanent hamburger bar beside it were great. The beach was excellent with a handy beach bar. A nice touch was lots of portable bars on carts close to all events so you wouldn't have to go far for a drink. Lots of mini shows, in the lobby, buffet, and in front of the theater to preview the night's entertainment.The hotel is on startup with new ownership from Dec 2014 and it seems lots of equipment is lacking. People complained about things like sports equipment lost or missing, volleyballs for pool and beach, that sort of stuff. The theater was beautiful. Entertainers were great .They need 2 or 3 times more speakers and power amps so you can hear the show when the place is full and a DJ that knows how to run a mixer board. During the Michel Jackson show all we heard was Tish tish boom boom boom and not a word of the singer's voice. The food was not 4 star. I have had MUCH better food at 4 other 3.5 star places in Cuba. The variety was inconsistent.With a good buffet we usually can search through it and find enough variety to please us and we rarely eat at the a la carte .We had to search a little harder than normal to satisfy our needs. We ate at two a la cartes . The service was excellent but the food was below par. No butter for our buns and Cappuccinos came with sour curdled milk, kind of like cottage cheese. The guy making them should have seen that. They offered to get us fresh ones but we were kind of turned off. The people managing the food service need better training. Food at the steam tables was generally cold even at the opening times. It seems they cook the food hours before it goes out and leave it on a cart full of trays before getting it to the steam tables. They did have staff keeping the steam tables clean and attractive but couldn't time the kitchen cooking the food to keep the steam tables full. Long waits for trays to be replenished. Main Buffet had no toaster for breakfast till the last day then it didn't work. You got hit and miss toast from the pizza oven.They would not serve cappuccino with dinner though they had a coffee window for servers near the kitchen. Everyone seemed to do their best with what they had. If they trained their food managers to do a better job organizing things then the materials they have to work with would present better. I understand it is difficult to get a consistent stock of food materials in Cuba but other hotels seem to do better. A long dissertation but the Resort's only drawback I see is improving the variety and quality of food the rest of place was great.

Starfish, Cayo Santa Maria

Amazing beach! Beautiful white sand, gorgeous water color, very breezy. Room was clean, bottled water replaced daily, and service great. Problems with in room safe but repaired fairly quickly. Not impressed with the food variety or selections, but found a little something each day to fill us. Staff - friendly for the most part. Overall experience, very good!