Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beautiful setting and gorgeous beaches

This was our 2nd visit to the resort and we chose it because of the beautiful setting and the gorgeous beaches. The property has beautiful, mature trees, shrubs and flowers and lots of birds, butterflies and geckos. There are lots of activities (e.g tennis, beach volleyball, water activities) and beautiful pools. The tennis facility is the best in the area with a fantastic pro (Renaud). There are number of beaches that can be accessed on the resort however the Ensenachos beach was our favourit [... read more]e. The water was shallow, warm, and crystal clear for snorkeling and watching/feeding the fish. The beach was generally quiet (a few times there was loud music) and it typically had enough chairs. The main building is beautiful and has a lovely area to lounge, use the internet ($), listen to music, drink at the bar, etc. There is entertainment each night. The buffet (main restaurant) offers a lot of selection of meat, fish, vegetables, bread, salads, cured meats, cheese + french fries, hot dogs, burgers, pasta, and pizza. The food is good quality but not exceptional (when compared to Canadian standards). But we don't go to Cuba for exceptional food, we go for exceptional ambience and beaches. There are also a la carte restaurants for dinner however we preferred the selection of the buffet. The staff is fantastic. They are friendly, attentive and clearly take pride in their work. In advance of arriving, we needed the help of the hotel customer service staff and they provided us exceptional service. The resort is very large with 3 sections: luxury, adults-only and family section. The family section is the only section that has wheelchair accessible rooms. Each section is organized in clusters of buildings with approximately 20 rooms per building. The room we stayed in had a large accessible washroom with wheel in shower (be aware the toilet is much higher than you'd find in Canada) and a large living/bedroom with a beautiful patio. It definitely could use a facelift with new linens plus more bath and hand towels would be helpful. The resort provides a beach towel exchange program for your stay. As an active, manual, wheelchair user, I love this resort as there are lots of places to wheel and feel like you are getting a workout. The paths are generally even with hills in some sections. For less active wheelchair users and other individuals with mobility disabilities, you may find the resort too big and feel it requires too much effort to get around. When we were there, the elevator in the main building was out of order. The building was still accessible but required traveling a greater distance to an alternate entrance. There are carts to transport people from to place but a wheelchair user would have to transfer out of their wheelchair to board the cart.

Muthu Colonial Hotel: meh......I've certainly stayewd at better

the People/Service: really quite good the price: of course that was the reason we chose this particular excursion, price was good for budget the hotel: nope. Not going to go there again.....mostly due to the food, there is little to no 'rotation' on the buffet, same food pretty much 3 times per day and not a lot of it.....we never had this problem in Cuba before but now I guess I 'get' why people complain about the food in Cuba. The cooks, though, were great and tried to accommodate  [... read more]our requests for more spice or garlic or WHATEVER, just to make it betrer. the grounds: so so.... I understand that this hotel suffered in hurricane a few years back and it's fairly obvious they are still struggling to put everything back....it needs work the beach: Sand- incredible. But if you like to snorkel, there is NONE HERE... oh, and NO COFFEE MAKERS in the rooms? wow....never have seen that.....anywhere! people will say (as I usually do to any whiners) HEY- you get what you pay for....we needed sunshine and we got that. When I fell (on a floor that was slippery and not cleaned up) and cracked my head open, they didn't know what to do with me and seemed very much more concerned with CYA than with whether I might have a concussion.....

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: Excelente

Wonderful experience. This hotel gives you access to all their properties. Outstanding pools including wave pool, salt water pool and lazy river. Activities from gyms to spa to pool side to evening presentations were well organized fun and professional. Dance lessons with Sailin were amazing. Food was to die for especially the Italian restaurant.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Average hotel

We have stayed at this hotel a few times but this year noticed the food selection at buffet was very low budget. Breakfast was the best, lunches and suppers always had hot dogs and pre made hamburgers, food was always room temperature. Shows were not well advertised and animation team spent more time chatting with each other then engaging guests. Rooms were clean and comfortable but could use updating.Grounds are lovely and beach as well. Pool was enjoyable. Daunny wait staff in dom [... read more]inicana buffet is a real gem😁 !, PLEASE PLEASE stop guest services from pushing people into going to the information breakfast about privilege membership. Not sure if we will go again, not a bad trip but definitely not as impressed as in past years.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great resort

The resort was great, but for the first 2 nights I was stuck in a moldy room. Couldn’t sleep or breathe in that room. But they did accommodate me as soon as I brought it up. The staff were wonderful, food was great, environment and atmosphere was absolutely lovely. For my first all-inclusive trip I can say I enjoyed it a lot despite the bad first room.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort !

This hotel was clean and well kept. The food was fantastic, the staff were always friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean. We stayed mostly at the beach as the pool was always full with towels on the chairs by 7 am, but that was ok as we are beach people any ways. Music playing at the beach and pool would be a good idea. But all in all it was a wonderful experience...

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: Never again

Sollicitation, sollicitation, non stop all week long. Some employees ask for money in exchange of little "extras", and two men in charge of activities (entertainment) had a fight (twice) during an evening show. Small families were affraid and going back to their room. The hotel is nice, food is average, but good enough, the beach is excellent, but people reserve chairs all day by leaving their towels, even if they don't show up. Domenican people working there don't smile much, you fell you bothe [... read more]r them, except those who have something to sell (stuff or service). We never saw Air Transat rep, we had a hard time finding the transportation at the airport. We traveled about ten times in our life, and we don't generaly complain about small things, that is part of travelling. This is the worst trip we had. No more Iberostar, and no more Domenican Republic.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Loved his place

This is a beautiful resort. Great pools, lovely grounds, super clean rooms and friendly staff. We had no issues with the water served with meals, frozen drinks or fresh fruit and salad bar items. I would highly recommend Iberostar Paraiso to anyone looking to travel to the Mayan Riviera. Also a bonus that it is so close to the airport.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya Suites: Best Resort so Far

We have been to at least a dozen resorts. This was our best so Far! The grounds at the Maya Resort are beautiful. It is a big resort without feeling crowded. The whole resort is clean and welcoming. Check in was quick. Lots of great fresh food. All the staff were polite and went over and beyond to please your needs. When we called the front desk for any request, we were dealt with immediately. Excellent Service All around!! The pools were beautiful. Beach was beautiful. The sea did have sea wee [... read more]d washed up on the beach. But they had a tractor picking it up many times a day. Best resort - service so far in our 10 years of travelling

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Excellent Resort had a great time.

I had been at this resort 10 years ago .I decided to go back because I knew It was a good place back then and still owned by Iberostar . I took My wife for here first trip to a southern island and wanted it to be the good experience that is was .The rooms were clean. The lobster night at the main restaurant was fantastic and the creole restaurant was our favorite and I loved the pizza nice thin crust with real cheese(not the processed stuff) If you go for a beach vacation in Varadaro this pla [... read more]ce has the best beach front , lots of sun umbrellas ,nice wide beach with beautiful sand . The staff were all top notch ,everybody was friendly and helpful on my stay . I would recommend this place for a beach Vacation in Cuba .

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Just as expected !!

This is our 4th visit to Iberostar Tainos, in Varadero. It's the old story, if it ain't broke, don't fix it !! This is a beautiful little resort situated on one of the nicest stretches of beach in the Caribbean. You don't have to walk forever to get from one end of the resort to the other. You can get anywhere in two minutes. The staff is always friendly, and will do anything to make your stay better. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms have all been recently renovated. We stayed in an upper [... read more] bungalow unit near the beach and it was awesome. The food keeps getting better and better. Never a problem to find something that agrees with you. We spent two weeks here, and the time flew by. Spent the entire time at the beach. There are over 3 miles over beach, that you can only dream of. Walked every day for 1 1/2 hours. No problems getting an excellent place with a parasol, to sit and relax. I understand that different people have different standards, but believe me this place is the type of resort that you will want to keep returning to !! We have repeatedly returned, and I would not hesitate to do so again. Good luck in trying to find something better.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Nice Resort

This resort has a lovely beach, a well kept hotel and grounds. But maintenance is an issue. Light bulbs are not replaced when burnt out along the walkways. Lock on our washroom door didn't work. Shower door had a gap, so water sprayed out onto the floor. Bathroom towels were dingy grey with spots on them. There were no fresh beach towels all week. We waited 2 days for Tonic water to arrive for our Gin & Tonic drinks. The food was basic cafeteria style, not what you'd expect out of a large ho [... read more]tel. Sorry to say but, this hotel has gone downhill. I've been there 4 times over the years and this year was the worst yet. I don't expect to go back to this place sometime soon. Nor do I want to visit any other Hotel in Cuba as I heard other hotels are even worse.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Agree! This used to be an amazing resort

Love this hotel, it's architecture, and beautiful design which seams to complement the green gardens and blends in with the serenity of this heavenly area. Over the years my husband and I have seen most of the Caribbean islands and so far have decided to settle for our holidays at Ibero Star Cayo Ensenachos mainly because of the gentle beach , beautiful surroundings and very friendly staff. On Feb. 22,2019 was our tenth visit to this place. Unfortunately we found the place rather disappointi [... read more]ng in comparison to our previous visits and our last on March 2018. Te quality of food in the dinning room dropped at least 40%, same dishes were served for lunch and dinner, soups were cold and watery on many occasions and there was hardly any variety in the meat department.. There were never fresh pool towels for exchange in the morning, mid day or in the evening. The walkways to the bungalows were dark since numerous bulbs were broken and not replaced,or the light stands were driven over by the carts. In order to get a palapa for shade on the beach you had to personally be there by at least 0630 to reserve it. The maintenance and the management definitely does no give enough attention at this beautiful hotel.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Relaxing Resort

Beautiful new resort with plenty of space. Accommodation is really good with modern furniture, comfortable beds and plenty of light fixtures for good reading at night. Bathroom is spacious with a walk in shower and plenty of hot water. Staff is extremely helpful and not waiting to get tip before helping you. Food in the main area is repetitive. The restaurants à la carte offer a good variety of quality food. The beach is not yet up to par. At the time we were there, the bea [... read more]ch was being dredged. So we were exposed to the noise and the fume of the boat doing the work. It was possible to go to a different beach close by either using a shuttle or by walking. We were never informed of the work that was going to take place on the beach. The manager was surprised that we were not informed in advance.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: probably the best in Cayo Santa Maria but!!!!!!

Beautiful resort, beach, mature plants and trees and a very friendly helpful staff. The entire infrastructure is excellent but from what we heard from staff and repeat customers and seen ourselves is that everything is going downhill. The a/c stopped working in our building and other buildings including the dining room. It took a couple of sleepless nights because of the heat and humidity before ours was fixed but the dining room buffet area still wasn't fixed. Light bulbs burned out that never  [... read more]got replaced, general maintenance items need to be done. The buffet food is of good quality but the same food almost every meal every day and never any lobster or steak like it says in the ads. Cheap quality drinks at the bars. Example: menu says Baileys but its a cheap substandard Cuban brand. Even the beer, Kristal beer is Cuban and an excellent beer but they try hard to always give you Buccanaro beer. The staff will even tell you that they are concerned about the cutbacks and quality down-slide in the last three years, especially in the last 6 months. It's a shame that this is happening because the place is beautiful and it wouldn't take too much to make it a great resort. On the positive side the problems at this resort are small compared to the issues that guests experienced at other resorts in Cayo Santa Maria from the stories that we heard at the airport on our way home. Over the years we hear things like this is Cuba, this is good for Cuba etc. Those are lame excuses and I would hope that the owners/managers of these resorts would realize that travelers have many other excellent options to go to on vacation other than Cuba.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Iberostar was average

Hotel was very nice but there were several lights that did not work in our room, we were on the ground floor and the sliding door to the balcony did not have a lock (no one would fix it until the next day), every single sheet and pillow was stained, we constantly asked for water to be brought to the room because that was the only way to get it but it never showed up. There were not enough pool or beach loungers for everyone so if you did not get up before 7 to claim one you did not get to hang b [... read more]y the pool. Lots of little things that made this trip not worth the $$!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Hotel Iberostar Playa Alameda

This is a smaller resort that we enjoyed going to. As for all Cuban resorts, the food was a 7 out of 10. Do not expect for the snack bar to have much of what they list in their menu. (no pizza at all during our stay). As for cleanliness, this is one of the best we had ever had.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Pretty Good Value for the Money

We did enjoy ourselves very much at this resort and thought the food was excellent. As I would suggest to anybody, stay away from anything fried or that you can visibly see oil on and you will be ok. We had lobster, crab, sushi, swordfish and other great items during the week from the buffet. This is not something you will see at most resorts this price. We had a king size bed in our room and it was comfortable compared to most resorts. The room was average and clean but not exceptional. The sta [... read more]ff were nice but a bit slow at the bars, could use a bit more staff there. The grounds and beach are very nice with a good amount of loungers. One items that needs improvement is the public washrooms which are very smelly and require more cleaning. The towel policy is something to pay attention to, the staff will pick up your towel and you will have to pay $15 CUC for it, ours were taken from our bag along with our sunglasses on the beach and we still had to pay. Suggest you take your own beach towels and give theirs back as soon as you check in. Who steals towels? Seems like a scam to me and it did anger me that they have no interest that you were robbed they just want the money!

Iberostar Selection Cancun: Great resort

We had a great time at this resort. The staff was friendly and helpful, the resort is clean and well kept. Our room could have used some upgrading but not a big deal. Limited amount of palapas on the beach when comparing to other resorts we have been. I love that everything is so close by, especially when travelling with a 2 year old. The buffet has lots of selection and the a la cartes were good also. Unfortunately could not go to the French restaurant as no kids are allowed.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: sharing my experience

Know what you are getting yourself into. I always search out larger resorts, as I enjoy wondering around and can feel the space, rather than a smaller setting. We stayed at the Lindo section of the 5 Iberostar resorts that are adjoining. The Del Mar and Beach seemed to be the older section, and the Maya the newest of the 4. The Lindo and Maya section offered interesting courtyards to access your room, as the Delmar and Beach were just boring apartment buildings with hallways. So an obvious upg [... read more]rade in hotel design. We had access to the Beach and Del Mar, but were restricted to the Maya, however did share the pool with them. Then there was the Grand Paraiso, which seemed like a total different hotel. Design and decor was a major step up, rather opulent compared to the others. Their beach was almost equivalent to the combined of the other 4 building. Some of their rooms were directly on the beach as the other 4 resorts were separated by a mangrove area, giving it a more rustic and natural element. Maya, Lindo, DelMar and Beach's rooms closest to the ocean, which you would think to be the better and more expensive, were not the nicest at all. Our beach bar and snack bar were excellent, however there was a lot of watering down of the drinks. Not a bad idea for the early day consumption, but still disappointing in flavor for some drinks. Found the rooms be to large enough, beds were very comfortable. The balcony was a solid waist high enclosure, so little sitting down and people watching. The restaurant booking was very easy. Your building concierge can make all the reservations for the week. Steak house very good 1st time, second time was very disappointing. The french restaurant was a lot of show, with little food and flavor. The jambalaya was our best meal of the week. Interesting enough we were booked 2x in the Maya section restaurants. We also had access to other Iberostar resorts in the neighborhood. So we went and checked them out, as you could spend from 10AM to 6PM at those locations. Playacar, slightly older again, but a nice wide beach. Cozumel, which was a step down for sure. 4 room buildings, looking very tired, small beach and a dilapidated counter at the swimup bar, missing large sections of the tile, exposing the cement, unacceptable lack of maintenance at that resort. We traveled to that resort for a snorkeling excursion, booked on the beach at the Lindo resort with DresselDive. After traveling 2.5 hr to get to the diving location, we were told the winds and ocean conditions were too strong to be able to go snorkeling/diving. Traveling back and forth used up the day, however we were told the next day we would be fully refunded, which was done on a manual visa transaction slips. They took the funds electronically, why not process the credit in the same manner? It has been 2 weeks and no credit has shown up yet. After several emails to dresseldiving, just received a response that they would be looking into this. Also there was lots of wild life roaming around. Coatis, peacocks, lizards, flamingos. Several peacocks were rather noisy, keeping us awake one night. I was not displeased with the resort overall. It had lost of nice areas to sit and go to. The coffee shop, which made nice specialty drinks, had a roof top (open)terrace, a sports bar, several other bars. I personally like to be outside, so when I go on vacation where it has a pleasant outside temperature, I want to feel that. All the restaurants and buffets were closed in, the buffets had a lot of windows, the restaurants not so. The world is a large place, so many other places to go an see, so I would not return to the resort. I am understanding that the hotel chains all have their own theme and design. I prefer the colonial feel to a place and I felt the Lido gave me that. And I have realized that a 4.5 star rating is the minimum I would like for a resort. I like a rustic feel, but not rundown and old. Pictures make it often nicer than it really is, so be very careful not to underpay for your vacation experience, as a little more could make all the difference. However the same resort, same room, same perks all have different rates, depending when you book.