Great resort

This was our first time to Cuba. We were there from Feb 2 to the 9th. Dhawa was the right choice for us. Very clean, big rooms, all staff were great and helpful. Food was very good. The beach was clean and had good service at it as well. We were greeted everyday by one of two great servers. Always had our coffee ready. And if they were there for dinner our wine was poured as soon as we were at the door. The coffee bar/lobby bar had awesome coffee every day. Only issue we had was the hot  [... read more]water in our room wasn’t working, told the front desk and it was fixed within 15 min. The night shows were good and the music in the lobby at night was very good. We were leary on Cuba after hearing some horror stories from some reviews. This resort took away all our fears and we are going back next year with our kids to enjoy another great holiday.

Amazing resort!

Gorgeous landscape, super friendly and helpful staff, amazing pool & very close to a beautiful beach. The Buffett had food for everyone with a huge selection and the entertainment all over the resort -EVERY night- took it to another level! Very happy with our stay and hope to return someday.

A Pleasant Surprise

The Dhawa was an unexpected surprise. Having been to Cuba quite a number of times, I have seen many resorts get a bit rundown. The Dhawa was entirely the opposite. It’s a new resort that looks like it’s new. The room we had was fabulous. We had a third floor room overlooking the pool and it was fantastic. The pool area was great. The servers were very attentive. Even though the weather wasn’t the best, the animation team got lots of participation. The beach is okay although it’s not  [... read more]one of the best in Cuba for sure. I really don’t have a negative thing to say. If it’s your first time to Cuba you should probably be aware of a few things. Be prepared to tip often. While it’s certainly not required, you may feel obligated because you will see so many other guests doing so. As well, although the food is good, you may find it a bit bland compared to other sun destinations. Also, you will find that the resort does simply run out of stuff. For instance, none of the bars had tonic water for two days. That’s just Cuba.

Nice Resort

Pros: Nice rooms - Beautiful pool - Smiling and helpful personnel makes life easy - Very good drinks Cons : Distance from the airport and everything else (90 min.) - Very Repetitive choices at the buffet and snack bar and I am not a fussy person

Excellent Resort Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

Stayed the week off Jan 19-26. The hotel is new , the ground are extremely well kept beach pool lobby bars and especially washrooms though out the resort.Rooms were modern clean and rooms made up early n the day. All staff in restaurants and lobby bars and housekeeping were very pleasant . Sprayed outside 2x a day for insects. I was very skeptical in regards to food and i was truly surprised at the variety on the buffet and snack bars . Food was great . French Alcarte very good . The po [... read more]ol was cold but started to warm up near the end of the week. My overall view of this resort is 41/2*** unfortunately it its quite a drive from airport, and very little to do off resort.

Amazing Resort with Awesome Service.

A Special Thanks to the Management Jose,Quality Assurance Mgr. Anabel and all the staff including the amazing Lizdani Barman and crew for making our stay a pleasant and memorable one.From the moment we arrived at Santa Clara Airport we were greeted by a Sunwing Representitive. who escorted us to our bus which would take us to Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria Resort, The driver and tour guide were very informative and helpful. Upon our arrival at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria we check in the front desk withou [... read more]t a glitch, our suitcase were taken up to our room promptly. From here on there were no problems whatsoever.From our very artistic maid who would leave our spacious room with a king size bed spotless everyday. The food was very good with a wide variety in the Buffet. The 24 Hr.snack bar with tea, coffee,juice/ beer and food was always open and ready to serve.The entertainment was amazing each night,there is pool and tennis table available anytime.Except for short rain spats a few times the weather was pretty good, the swimming pool water was cool and ok to swim.The beach was amazing with white sand and the water was cool in the ocean.This is a family oriented resort with amenities for all ages.From the wonderful Chefs who prepare our Eggs in every style daily to the Chefs who grill our Veggie and fish, make pancakes, spaghetti, Pizza,french toast and a Variety of amazing tasty dishes we thank you all. This is my 3rd. trip to Cuba and it is the best so far. The staff is by far the best very polite and friendly with a smile.I will be back next year for sure. Thanks again, Regards, Danny & Bibi

Great resort

Wonderful staff, great rooms, beautiful hot showers, comfy bed, great food. Snack bar had delicious food. Buffet was typical but good. Waiter staff by pools and beach. Great lobby entertainment! Guitarist and cello player will blow your mind!

This resort was the greatest place to be

Everything was fantastic I surprised my wife donna with this christmas gift the resort catered to us like you would not believe the food was the greatest the morning coffee was one of the best things just before breakfast they had bbq pork for a couple of nites which was very good and even had the biggest lobster tails I ever saw of course I went back for seconds they also had 3 al carte resturants that you have to make resorvations for which I highly recomend the beach was very nice to swim in  [... read more]no coral reefs to go snorkling but they have catamrans which they take you out at no cost they serve burgers on the beach at no cost and hot dogs and chicken burgers no complaints.A nice beach bar with any kind of top of the line beer or alcohol .the bar at the resort is a thrill at nite the live music was so nice and the nitley theater shows were outstanding .I would highly recomend this to anyone.I dealt with natasha from tripcentral she made feel comfortable and answered every question for me I want to thank her again. Gerry Maxwell

Wonderful Vacation

We have just returned from the Dhawa Resort in Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba. I would give this resort an 8-10 and let me explain. First and foremost was the absolute charm of the staff. They were funny, warm, intelligent and highly effective. The resort itself is fantastic - Olympic size pool, lovely rooms (ours overlooked the ocean) - lots of warm, breezy opportunities to sit and drink café con leche. The food was excellent with a great variety of choices. In fact the buffet and 24 hour snac [... read more]k bar were so good that they made the A la Carte restaurants pale by comparison. Nightly entertainment was excellent. My only complaint was this - sometimes it was too loud around the pool area and there was no need for that volume. Thank goodness there was the lovely beach but it would have been nice to relax at the pool more easily. Also, I felt that regularly scheduled classes for yoga, dancing, Spanish etc were missing. After my last vacation in Cuba, I had come to expect that. However, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants an all inclusive vacation. They have really outdone themselves with this resort.

Good Resort for Cuba

Good resort for Cuba. Stayed Dec 26 - Jan 2. It is a quieter resort not one to go to for parties. The resort itself was clean, rooms were clean and the staff did their best to accommodate our large group. The food overall exceeded my expectations for what I normally expect when I go to Cuba. Breakfast was the best with lots of options. The beach was nice and the water was very clear. There were lots of beach chairs and space, we didn't have to fight for chairs even during the busiest day [... read more]s. The resort was very laid back and it was great that my cousins of all ages could go dance in the disco. We were able to all stay out late at night without the kids under 18 having to go to bed early. The lobby bar is the best, the bartenders make some amazing drinks. Try the cold coffee with coconut liquor. Cons: some food safety practices were questionable to me ie. using the same utensil to grab different types of raw meat and then cook them. The Cubans on the resort were treated with extreme priority over tourists. In some cases, I was completely ignored for extended periods until all the Cubans were served. The activities also need to be improved even though the workers were great and engaging (Yo-Yo is the best he was a lot of fun) it was the exact same thing almost everyday. The shows were also extremely lacking I left half way through the majority of them.

All VIP experience without VIP.

Our recent visit to Dhawa resort exceeded all our expectations. The resort was immaculately clean, food excellent, service very friendly, welcoming and always available, entertainment great full of fantastic musicians and dancers, beach beautiful and clean. In future, we might not even look for any other place. I would recommend the resort in a heartbeat. Thank you Dhawa for a wonderful vacation.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Mario

This is a very nice clean resort. The staff are very friendly and are there if you need any help with anything . Will definitely recommend this resort. Also the guitarist and the shelo were fantastic. Cannot wait to go back.

Very clean resort

Was met by a great staff. They went above and beyond with their service.Great entertainment in the lounge before the show. Really enjoyed the guitar and cello player. Had a great time!...........................................

Wonderful New Resort

We booked last minute with low expectations, yet were pleasantly surprised from the moment we arrived. Being anxious after a long, interesting and scenic ride from the airport, we were impressed right from the start. The lobby is very elegant, bright, cheerful, perfect with the tropical surroundings. The checking in process was pleasant, friendly and very efficient. The two charming young men from concierge were great tour guides while driving, introducing us to the resort attractions ri [... read more]ght to our building and ocean front room. Our room was large, modern, comfortable with a breathtaking ocean view. The beach has been totally redone after the hurricane, apparently much more considerable than it was before the destruction. We found it very smooth, clean, user friendly, perfect for families. The beach bar, grill, sports shop, activities are eager, ready to please. The massive main pool and surroundings are to die for, initially cold when you first get in but ok once your body adjusts to it. The food is pretty good in all 3 a la carte restaurants, main buffet, 24 hour snack bar. Fruits and vegetables were not as plentiful as normal due to the devastation to the local crops, but we had no complaints. The daytime activities by the beach, pool, kids area promise to keep you pretty active should you choose to. The nightly entertainment is second to none, very high quality, professional musicians, dancers, entertainers. Cuba has encouraged the arts and sports, and it definitely shines in this area. Truly a joy to sit around the piano bar area, get blown away by one talented show after the other, then capping it with the nightly big show. There is a disco, but honestly we were too tired to go in there after the main show. The main 24 hour bar, 24 hour snack bar, pool bar, beach bar have awesome staff, bartenders, servers, truly wonderful. The liquor selection is your basic complete resort selection, so don't expect to find12 year old single malt scotch. The grounds are truly fabulous, a never ending array of constantly groomed flower beds... we have no clue how did they all survive the hurricanes. Every tree has a scar, souvenir from the monster storm, but are recovering. Don't listen to people that say it is difficult to get service, coffee... everything is very easy to obtain. The staff are eager to please. The staff from management, front desk right to the cleaning staff are some of the most pleasant, courteous, professional staff you'll find anywhere. My wife and I travel a lot every year and it takes a lot to impress us, and we were truly impressed with Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria. One thing to remember is tropical areas are teaming with greenery, water, life, and with that you shall encounter some pesky insects... a fact of life. Never forget this is a resort in a country that has suffered major damage from this year's hurricanes and is still fixing, improving as they move along. They truly need to be commended on their efforts. They truly deserve our support and I strongly encourage you to book this resort.

Our Trip to Warwick!

We had an overall wonderful vacation, food was great, drinks were great, weather was fantastic! We had some great waiters and bartenders and some whom didn’t really seem to care much! Our room was breathtaking along with the view! The biggest issue we had to come across was difficultly trying to find out if restaurants were open and were to find food most of the time as everything always seemed closed. Our tv would quit out a lot of the time which we had to fix ourselves due to the language ba [... read more]rrier and the hour and a half wait for someone to try to come fix it.As well as our rooms door continuously broke and we were stuck in the hall way until hell arrived. Communication was a large issue for us aswell, when in came to asking where things were on the resort or where to go to get on a bus for an out of town trip, it was very difficult to know anything for sure, also trying to help them fix there wifi when if blew up in the power outage. We had a very huge issue with trying to meet with our sunwing rep at the resort as he/she was never on time and never where they were suppose to be, causing us to be always hunting them done for information which we never seemed to get enough of. The pool was beautiful and always clean, our only complaint which wasn’t really a complaint was the water level kept becoming lower and lower. The pool bar was not open while we were there due to fixing. As well as the main buffet only opened on our second last day. The mosquitos and sand fleas had a large impact on our trip, making it very difficult to want to go outside at all, i have never had insects so bad on a trip to Cuba before and I do recommend to anyone to bring insect repellent! I also recommend the chicken and ham and cheese sandwiches that are made at the beach front as they are absolutely fantastic! The two hour bus ride to the resort is the big kick in the face, but the view on the way there is amazing, but we always had a problem at the airport trying to get on our bus as we were not put on the list, so I can not stress it enough to make sure your name gets put on that list! I do recommend this resort as it is continuously bulidimg back up after the hurricane and is a beautiful resort for families and couples!

Very good hotel. New!!!

It was amazing one week at Dhawa. We loved everything about this hotel. It is new and very good. Rooms are very spacious and clean, comfortable beds. Food was very good for Cuba. Beautiful beach and nice ocean. For sure we will be back!

Really Bad

This was our twelfth all inclusive, Sad to say by comparison Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria is the worst by far. The food and the service is not good by any standard. I would not recommend this resort to anyone.

An ok resort

The resort is ok need many improvement. The services is very good the crew are amazing and show that they love their job. They are very affectionate and welcoming. The rooms are clean and spacious however the bathrooms need renovations. The whole resort doesn't seem new as they claim to be. Food wise not bad but the grill and sea food restaurant food was over coocjed and dry. French restaurant not bad Italian restaurant was very good. I was surprised to see that there is no sea food in any r [... read more]estaurant or buffet only very small overcoocked shrimps like the one we get at the stores in Canada and we had to pay extra for the lobster. The buffet food is ok but most of the ingredient are processed food. Nothing fresh. I had to ask for mango if I don't ask I don't get. Drinks were not consistent sometimes I get a very good drink and rarely. and when I ask for another one I don't get the same I either get too much alcohol that I can't drink it or get nothing. The pool is not as big as I expected and the beach too small and not as I expect it for Cuba. We were VIP and we get the lowest service. When we ask for a certain plate on the menue sometimes we were told that they don't have it. When I have complained I get the excuse that it is a work in progress. The shower was clogged and when we have complained nothing was done until a day before we have to leave. We were promised a basket and bottle of rhum as we were VIP but all we get a day before we leave is a bottle of rhum and an apology. During the VIP greeting on the second week we were there I was expecting to meet with the GM or sales and marketing manager to talk and discuss about the resort but none or the management came to talk to anyone invited at all they stayed at the bar talking to each other. Finally if I have to rate this resort, it is not a 5 or 4 starts resort it should be 3 stars only, due to many issues, size of beach and pool cheap materials used in constructions and bathrooms are not nice at all. Cleaning need to be better too. Services is perfect. Thanks Suzanne

Great Resiort

Too long of a ride from the airport; without a drink being offered on a long bus ride. The food is repetitive over and over and no real salads; however quite tasty. Pasta/Omlette/Pizza cooking bars were very good. A bit understaffed in the buffet as there were long waits for coffee/water and I had to get it myself. The restaurants (French is the best). I wanted plantains at the seafood restaurant and was refused as they could not give it. My dinner sucked and all my family got sick and man [... read more]y other persons on the plane. Staff is friendly and overworked. Management needs to beef up on the food variety and focus on quality and not quantity. The hotel had no beach towels and I waited 3 days to get two and I never changed same. I was disappointed in the rooms, we only got 2 towels for many days and had to keep asking for three and my son was with us. There were no towels until evening in the rooms. It is a new resort and needs lots of work. No fans in the Entertainment area and it was so hot, people were leaving the shows. The beach snack bar is the best, the food is good and staff is amazing; however the pizza guy was sweating and no fans or comfort for him while he cooks. If you do not tip in the buffet, no shrimp for you. I spent 17 pesos a day tipping. The lady in the buffet with the shrimp was hiding the shrimp pan under and only gave shrimp to higher tipping persons. The lobby bar and beach bar were really good and the guys were great in meeting customer needs.

Beautiful Resort!

The resort was new and beautiful. The ground keepers kept the exterior nicely and the interiors were quite clean. The food was way better than we expected, better than the time we went to Veradero. It's nothing compared to the quality of food we're used to but for Cuban resort standard, it was good. Pool was nice but we spent most our time at the beach. The only down side of the beach is that there are lots of seaweed and dead corals so I'd recommend bringing sea shoes. The Cubans that worked at [... read more] the beach were also super nice.