Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Such a Great holiday

Everything was great, Food , Hotel , room , safe and super clean. I would definitely go back again and highly recommend to everyone.the only trouble you might face is the bad attitude of AirTransat check-in counter in Toronto, make sure dont ask for 2 soft-drink or water or your inflight hostess would shout at you and say "JEEEEZZ" , oh and make sure if you ask for extra Visa paper infligh because you mess up yours they charge you additional $16! basically flight services from Toronto TO Cuba  [... read more]Sucks(TS700)! however return flight was so much fun (TS3701)! AirTransat mobile App is great and allow you to do the check in prior

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Very relaxing place

Hotel was very clean, but Cuba is Cuba. Not much doing at resort. Went Dec 14-21/18. Noticed day before we left place started to get better food, entertainment etc. Not sure why they only splurge for Christmas week, it should be like that all the time. Had cloudy weather so no entertainment anywhere. Went to hotel across the road for fun n excitement. But better place. Sorry Dhawa just didn’t cut it for us. .

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Nice beach, insert problem,food poor

the enviroent of resort is nice, room is clean well, bars are good. but there is insert bite whole body red buttons lot of people not only me. the food quality need to be improved. the beach good quality clean clear water.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Wouldn't return

Rather disappointing. Staff was pleasant and helpful when they understood what we were saying. Food was horrible and repetitive; beds were hard and horrid; pillows were awful. The 24 hour Grill was a joke. Dark, dreary and no lighting to get to it after dark. Very sparse menu. Rooms were clean, big, bright and the a/c was great! We might return to Cuba but def not to this resort

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Nice vacation!

We have been to this hotel three times. Despite of ongoing renovations we still like it and we will be back.The beach should be maintained better-but it is a very nice beach. We like the friendliness of their staff. Rooms are clean, we appreciate free of charge safe and a bottle of water every day. It is a very good value for the price.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Wonderful people and culture.

The resort grounds were still damaged from the storms and should not have been opened yet until more repairs were completed. Several people cut themselves on broken tiles including us. Lack of medical

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Heaven on Earth

We had an amazing stay at plays cayo santa maria . We spent a beautiful 7 days there and at the end we were very sad to leave. The room was well maintained, very cold AC and daily water and beer in the fridge. Service is amazing and all staff have a smile on their face . We loved the beach and spent most of our days on the plage, however the pool area are really good too with lots of activities . Management in this hotel is superb , the daily night show were amazing especially that one night  [... read more]on Saturday where they brought a professional dancers. We also were lucky to be there on the hotel 6th anniversary so had an amazing beach party. Thank you cayo santa maria and thank you Cuba

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Great resort

Very good - best of the two Melias there. What more can I say - resort was very nice and great staff..............................................................................................lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: A hidden gem

I have stayed in 5 star hotels around the world and believe the Melia Cayo Santa Maria is the best value for money available. The staff is amazing, the food good (my husband gained weight during our 2 week stay), the exercise programs and entertainment have enough variety to suit anyone. The resort is small enough to suit people who don’t wish to walk much but the beach is beautiful and great for a long walk if desired. This is the only resort that I have gladly returned to multiple times and  [... read more]will do so again. The only drawback is the 1.5 hour bus ride from the airport to the resort but if you add that to the short plane ride from Toronto it is less total time than a longer plane ride (and better scenery).

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: 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..

Melia Buenavista: Fantastic Holiday

Melia Buenavista is a fantastic resort to relax and enjoy quality time doing whatever. The staff work extra hard and go above expectation to ensure your stay is memorable. The location of this resort is beautiful with an east beach to enjoy a sunrise, a cove beach to enjoy snorkelling and a west beach to enjoy a sunset. The entertainment in the evening is of high quality. I would recommend this resort and will be returning.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Disappointed

We stayed at the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria from December 8 to December 15. The hotel was nice, but could tell it was run down after their last hurricane. We had a cockroach in our room mutliple times, and the food was just horrible. We never had one meal that was warm, always cold, stale, and very limited selection. We found ourselves going to different hotels to eat almost every day. The beach was beautiful, and the staff were friendly, but unfortunately we would not go back to this hotel. M [... read more]&A

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Food need improvement

Hotel is very clean , staff are wonderful and always willing to help when needed. Check in and out very good and fast. Food at Buffett needs much improvement, cold except for items freshly cooked, breakfast omelette and Pasta were best. Do not cater to children where food is concerned .Ala-cart restaurants are booked daily, but never know which one you can go to, only 2 available every day, we ended up at the same one twice. Ran out of white wine on 2nd day of our trip, Bars are good, pina [... read more] colada are best at the main bar, Entertainment in evening was ok, enjoyed the Cuban night the best Better entertainment was pre-show. All pools are good, no trouble at any pool in getting a lounge chair, plenty. Though sometimes it’s hard to get a clean towel. Don’t miss taking the double decker bus to the market, or just stay on for the round trip which takes you to all the hotels. Also Mike’s coffee was wonderful especially the cappuccino royal, where u can also enjoy a pastry with coffee. Our room was extremely clean, but the patio door did not lock, but was fixed very fast. Beach is wonderful and so was the opportunity to go on catamaran, food at lunch time grill on beach was very good.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Cuba - Home away from Home

This was our 6th time at this resort since 2014 and we plan our 7th in April. Its not a fancy resort but it has everything you would ever need. Its a 1.5 hour ride from the airport but it seems shorter. The staff and the beach are the big draws for us. We never go hungry and enjoy the buffet and only occasionally do we book a restaurant.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: nothing special

we had no hot water, tv .telephone ceiling fan first night.after a meeting the next day with our rep they fixed hot water .others had in our unit had no hot water for 3 day's.they said if tv wasnt fixed next day we would not have any for the week.it wasn't fixed next day so i made the repairs myself by pulling out desk and a makeshift connection to cable that had come apart.we never did have telephone service or ceiling fan .they ran out of beer twice in pool area in early afternoon. food wa [... read more]s better than expected .service was good.weather good.i had a visit to local clinic for reaction to bug bites.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beware!!!

After spending months saving to take my family away on a much anticipated vacation, along with two friends, I was very excited to book, at what appeared to be a great resort to retreat to for a week. On arrival, the view from the lobby to the ocean is quite nice. The lobby is very basic and dated. The chairs were badly stained yellow and the washrooms leave an overall impression of a lack of cleanliness. The pools are beautiful but do need attention as many other reviews have noted. The rooms we [... read more]re clean but just...ok. The grounds are nice and inviting. Now the real issue... As it was along day of travel, we were all very hungry. After checking in and getting settled we headed to the buffet for some food. The first thing we noticed was the odd smell. When you get to the food area it is apparent that there are no standards for cleanliness. The glass over the food is dirty and greasy, also full of fingerprints and looks as though it hasn't been cleaned in a very long time. The food smell and visual was unappealing and did not invoke any desire to eat, even though we were sooo hungry. Noticed a few cockroaches on the food carts and walls. When you see them when the lights are on, you know there's an issue. We know that Cuba is not known for its food but this was just not right. We had to eat however, and chose carefully. Everything was cold and unappetizing but we got through. Took a walk, enjoyed the grounds and went to sleep. The next morning we all woke up looking forward to breakfast, hoping it would be better. Most things were cold, half cooked and generally tasted bad. Spent the day at the beach and enjoyed the day. A few of us felt a bit off, but got through. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon, my son (15) was not feeling well at all. He went to the room to lay down. We checked in on him for the next few hours, of which he got progressively worse. By 8pm he was in tears from the pain and throwing up along with diarrhea. We gave him some medication and got him to sleep. Around 11PM, I started... the same thing. Keeled over in pain, vomiting and diarrhea. I now understood what my son was feeling. The pain was sooo intense it had me in tears. We we terrified. In a foreign country, in intense pain and what to do???... The night was rough. By the morning we were no better. The pain kept coming back in waves and both of us were on the beds curled up and in agonizing pain. My wife went to the front desk to request an ambulance. (very scary). The bell hops drove us in a cart from the room to the ambulance waiting on the grounds. At this point, it is important to note that NO hotel manager or official came to us or showed any concern as their guests. After a 3 hour visit at the local clinic. (injected pain meds and IV for dehydration), we were given 500 peso bill for the services. ($700) canadian. I understand that they must charge but just wanted to warn others what to expect. We did not have cash and they were kind enough to let us come back the next day after we made arrangements to secure the funds. That day was spent entirely in bed. My Wife, oldest Son and our two friends checked in on us throughout the day and tried to make the best of it.... By 2 or 3 in the morning, my son was in agonizing pain again. I, still feeling unwell went to the front desk to request the ambulance again. This time... NO Ambulance!!! Told it was broken down!!!! I was really angry at the whole situation now, but the pressing concern was getting him treatment... They ended up driving us to the clinic in a golf cart. It was what it was... The doctor gave him more pain injection and meds.. Golf cart back to hotel. (You'd think the hotel would have at least got us a taxi by now) By the next day, my son was better, but not quite right for there rest of the week. We demanded to be moved to another hotel and the Hola Sun rep we had did everything she could for us and got us moved to the Playa Caya. She was awesome I must say. However, again I must stress that NO, absolutely NO hotel official or manager came to speak with us, apologize or to express concern for our well being!!! While waiting to be transferred we learned from a Taxi driver and... a few GT employees that the Golden Tulip has a very bad history of food issues. Also on bus back to airport at the end of the trip we talked to others who were sick from there. (and other hotels) (although not requiring Hospital). The new hotel was better but honestly the food area still left something to be desired. For the rest of the week I carefully observed the food handlers everywhere and it is easy to see why so many people get sick there. They obviously have no standards or food safety training in Cuba. Make no mistake, this is the root the the problems associated with why so many people get sick there. Handling raw meats with bare hands, no washing stations and handling cooked food and utensils with same hands. Dirty trays, dishes not washed properly and reusing bowls with raw eggs and meats. Also, things like using the water taps to rinse out smoothie blenders and making new smoothies in it. (contaminated now with non filtered water). Its a roll of the dice if your gonna get sick or not!!! I spent the week, off and on from throwing up and painful gut spasms and constant painful burning diarrhea. We made the best of what was left and managed to get an excursion in by Thursday... I did not feel well and still wasn't eating but made it through. Been home for three days, still sick. Been to the hospital here at home. Running tests to rule out salmonella or food borne parasite as it is still with me. $3000 family vacation down the tubes. Oh, did I mention that NO manager at the hotel expressed any concern? Ya, sorry. I think i did. I am expecting some retribution for this and would like to see Transat Vacations do a better job selecting resorts they back. Not happy, but most importantly, two of us suffered physically on what should have been a good memory filled family vacation...

Melia Las Dunas: wonderful resort. great staff, attentive and friendly and accommodating.

we are writing this after the fourth visit to this resort in the last three years. nothing bad to say about the location, the cleanliness, the staff and the food--especially the new a la carte arrangement, the lunchtime outdoor bbq buffet and, the piece de resistance, the amazing pastry table following the evening buffet. but two things have changed--for the worst. 1. during our most recent 10-day stay, all the evening entertainment was staged in the lo [... read more]bby area. sometimes, two musical bands playing at the same time at each end, and, other times, in competition with musical activities on the theatre stage. It seemed like a battle of the bands--at uncomfortable ear -piercing levels. this created a loud, noisy, dumbfounding atmosphere that made it impossible to endure for those not interested in the music. or, perhaps, interested but not at ear-deafening decibels. and it was impossible to find quiet refuge for those wanting to engage in conversation over drinks and/or coffee. 2. The second complaint --and this is a recurring one for me -- is the lack of drinking water in the resort's rooms. with two people sharing a room, we need more than the standard one or two 1.5 litre bottled water left daily, and usually in the early evening. No amount of coaxing--and extra tipping--of the chambermaids, the front desk staff or the men delivering the water-- succeeded in getting them to leave the four bottles daily that we required. I do not understand their practice: i advised the man who delivered drinks to our room that we did not want soft drinks or beer (nor the complimentary bottle of rum found in our room the first night). I ADVISED HIM ALL WE WANTED WAS THAT HE ENSURE WE HAD 4 1.5 LITRE BOTTLES OF WATER DAILY. EVEN A GENEROUS TIP DID NOT PERSUADE HIM. For health reasons and long stays on the beach, we require larger amounts of water. i just don't get it.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: A great Resort

The hotel is amazing the grounds are nice and clean the stuff for very generous the pools the beaches were amazing for walking I would highly recommend this spot if you want to go to have a nice relaxing and have a beach to walk on the people in Cuba are very nice

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: A great resort and setup

This was a great resort lots of room and dining areas and lots of room at beach and pools. Food was good and varied. Staff was always great and helpful. Lots of loungers, and bars everywhere. The coffee bar in main area was great , every night for a Great experience. Al la carts were good and great service. Washrooms has someone always there cleaning. Floor areas always being cleaned. Snack bars lots of choices in food and drinks. Pool bars always good and their entertainment group during the da [... read more]y at the pool was very good.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Nice time for the price point

Father with 2 daughters and this was our 3rd time at the hotel and we have noticed a drop in the food quality and service around the main buffet and lounge and Grill Acon. Compared to the previous trips to Starfish we were disappointed in the selection and variety of food offered the entire week. We also experienced bed bugs the first 1-3 nights. However the staff are very friendly and nice, the ocean and beach are first class, the main pool was clean and well staffed. and we had an overall  [... read more]nice experience, just disappointed in the food