Playa Pesquero: Beautiful resort

The resort was very nice and clean, restaurants were okay, but the beach was amazing and the pools were great. Lots of activities daily to keep occupied. Rooms were clean and cool. Bar service was quick even during busy times.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Resort shows its age was O.K.

The grounds need work dead trees laying around. The mini golf was different never seen anyone use it as it was run down. Around the main buildings the landscaping was maintained and some garden areas could of used some upkeep. The beach area was different as when you looked out at the water you would see batches of blue water and then mostly black patches turned out to be seaweed and lots of it. You would need water shoes to swim and to walk along the beach area due to seaweed and coral rock a [... read more]nd the odd dead fish. Where the Diamond area was on the beach there was a barb wire fence dividing the property line this was to keep out the cattle from roaming around; but the odd cow was seen wondering around in this area eating the vegetation. The layout of the resort required a lot of walking to get from point A to point B and with all of the trees and plant life you could not see the beach area from your room. The room was clean and the maid was friendly did a great job looking after the room throughout the week. The food was fair your typical Cuban food maybe too much salt on the meats and the service was good at all areas. The entertainment throughout the day and night shows were worth watching. I would not go back to this resort only reason we went here was the price and we wanted to see this part of Cuba. It is 1 * hour from the airport the good thing is nice to see the countryside and surrounding areas if you are arriving and departing when there is daylight.

Don Lino Hotel: stay away

We have stayed here 100 times in the past 4 years , usually a week at a time , its one of the few places that do not do security checks on the locals , they allow 90 year old men to check in with 18 year old local girls , there is an age difference with me and my boyfriend, main reason we stay here , , the food is the same every day , the power goes out 2 times aday , , pool is dirty, , never no hot water , tiles hanging off the walls , no A/C , the list goes on and on , if your looking  [... read more]for a hot steamy night with one of the staff or have a record, even if there is 50 years age difference with your partner this is the place for you , ,

Playa Costa Verde: Playa Costa Verde, so near to being great

The people, as always in Cuba, were great. The buildings, grounds and pools were very good. However, as seems to be normal in Cuban resorts, there were a few minor problems with the room - none were major and we didn't bother to report them. The beach isn't great. It's quite rocky and there is a small swamp between the hotel grounds and the beach. And this leads to our major problem with the location: we were bitten numerous times by very small insects; applying repellant seemed to attract [... read more] more of them. We are still itching after three days home. So, it's certainly a decent resort. I don't expect that the resort can do anything about the beach and swamp.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Beautiful resort

This was the most beautiful resort I visited so far. (I have been in Cuba 19 times to 3,3 1/2 and 4 star hotels).We stayed 2 weeks. The hotel is in a hill, surrounded by nature, very well treated gardens and trees, with view to the ocean. The swimming pools are in layers, connecting each other by a small waterfall (that is wonderful for a free back massage). Although there are too many stairs , there is also an excellent cart service that pick you up and down through the hotel. We used multip [... read more]le times since we had a toddler and an elder in our group. The people is nice and friendly. Every place is very clean. We had only 1 small problem that was notified by the hotel and solved asap. The food is good enough, although I think there is potential to be better, it is just a matter of preparation/ presentation . You can always find something for your taste. They have fish, chicken, pork and beef in all meals, also hamburgers , hot dogs and pizza and pasta. Simple salads and more sophisticated like salmon, seafood salad and artichoke. Dry fruits, fresh fruits. Lots of sweets and ice cream for dessert. It is impossible to not find something that you like. The beach is beautiful, clear natural white sand, lots of shade, very secure for children...no waves since it is surrounded by reefs. The bar by the beach also good enough. You can eat snacks by the beach if you don't want to go to the restaurant. The entertainment group is good, I have to tell they work non-stop by the beach and swimming pool. We watched only 3 shows and were good. We also tried the "a la carte" restaurants and we liked a lot . All restaurants had live music . Specially the romantic restaurant has an amazing group playing more classic traditional instruments. They even played a special request from us. In the Italian restaurant we had a delicious seafood soup. I recommend. The buffet also serves plenty of fruits according the season... the mangos were delicious at this point of the year. We also had a birthday celebration in our family and the hotel prepared a small surprise for dinner time ( at request ). Also by one of the swimming pools you can get ice cream for the "kids". I would come back to this resort. I only can say we had a wonderful time.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Beautiful!

Cleanest and most beautiful resort I have been to. The view is mind blowing. The staff are kind and so willing to please regardless of tipping. I actually did an experiment during our visit. To prove wrong all reviews about staff only serving well w tips our family of 5 did not tip for 12 days. On the 13th and 14th day we tipped all staff that served us amazingly for the entire two weeks we were there. Majority didnt even want to accept it or were in tears. The food was good quality and tasty ev [... read more]en though not as fancy as other places. We got the choice of 3 a la carte restaurants every week and all were great! There was also available lobster, shrimp and other items dinner at a cost of 10 cuc every day at beach and pool. We tried it and was great, way below cost and a definite steal. Honestly we dont understand how such an amazing resort could offer such good deals given the quality of service they offer! Will return for sure! We had read many reviews about the stairs and how not good for #elderly and #small children. Biggest lie ever. They have 4 golf carts running 24 hrs. The amazing cart riders took us with a smile everywhere ( had an 87 y/o and a 3 y/o in group) and only took 5 mins each time. This was consistent through 2 weeks of stay. All amenities worked and were above satisfactory. Even though residents in Cuba have to wait 2 weeks for water supplies all hotel guests had plenty running water (hot and cold) to splurge. I personally took hot showers 3 times a day w no issues. A/c was so cold that sometimes we had to turn it off during the night (during the summer!) Needless to say this is an amazing gorgeous resort which we will most definitely return to! Anyone in general going to Cuba from Canada or any other first world countries should really arrive during the day to constrast the amazing job done at resorts vs what Cubans endure each day. I encourage all travellers to continue to visit the friendliest people I have ever met, safest place in all of caribbean, but also keep in mind that staff serving you have much harder circunstances to deal with than your regular joe. People in Cuba dont have easy access to clothing, toiletries, toys, over the counter medication. Rather than giving them $5 as a tip take these items used or not to gift. They will be forever thankful. MEMORIES is amazing. Go and enjoy. If i could criticize anything it would be the entertainment team. They are very young and cater for kids to very young adults. I saw so many adults in 2 weeks never approached once. They tend to entertain themselves more than actual guests which is unfortunate. Bands at night were fantastic but night shows super weak. Overall 4 stars for sure!

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Beautiful resort with amazing staff

I've been to this resort 2 years in a row. The Cuban people work so hard to make your experience wonderful. The grounds are beautiful and the food is good. It is a relaxed, generally quieter resort, so if you are looking to party hardy, I don't think this is the place for you. If you are looking to chill, and get some R&R in beautiful surroundings with a luxurious spa and royal service, then this is the resort for you. As a general comment, I think it's important to remember that Cuba is under [... read more] the control of their government. Things that we are used to are not always readily available to them. What I consider a 5 star hotel in Toronto, or Vegas, is not what a 5 star is like in Cuba, due to various restrictions that are not in their control.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Desent resort

I only went to the resort as a means to get there. Flights were difficult. I was pleasantly surprised. It was very clean, staff were very nice and the food not bad when I ate there. Really good for the money.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Was it worth extra dollars

This was my seventh trip to Cuba, the other six times i stayed at Club Amigo Guardalavaca which was okay for a bunch of guys. One time in January 2017 my wife and I stayed at Rio de Oro-Paradiso which was definitely 5 star. Brisas is one step up from Club Amigo. hotel rooms very small, Villas much bigger and nicer - was not advised of this option. A little more variety in food but then Cuba is not known for great food I would probably stay at this hotel if the guys went all together again  [... read more]but would stay in Villa.

Playa Pesquero: Good Resort, some ups and downs

Large ground, spacious, lots of walking making good exercise. Food is mediocre; the a la carte restaurants were really good, especially if you like seafood. Personal favourite would be the cold entree shrimp dish. Great beach front and large pool. Plenty of bars available, pool bar was nice to have available. Great ice cream bar. Great place for families. Rough for those who sweat a lot as there are very few a/c areas. Waiters and waitresses were overall great and attentive. Cleaning/restocking  [... read more]staff for the rooms did a very mediocre job; shampoo and towels were not sufficiently restocked or was removed altogether without replacing. A relaxed environment overall, good place to stay.

Playa Pesquero: A good resort with a few areas to improve upon

When planning a trip to Cuba, my girlfriend and I researched several resorts and locations to make sure we chose a vacation that would be right for us. We settled on Playa Pesquero after reading several reviews that promised clean rooms, beautiful beaches and a well maintained pool, and a good variety of food. We went into our vacation with realistic expectations, we knew that even with a highly rated resort, the food was not likely to be gourmet, but we mainly were travelling to enjoy the warm  [... read more]weather and relax on the beach. For the most part, the resort lived up to our expectations, and we had a great time during our holiday, however there were a few things we noted that would have made our stay even more enjoyable. First, and most importantly, we had extreme issues checking into our room. We were given keys to our room that did not work, and when I returned to fix the issue, I was given a second set of keys that again did not work. After returning to the front desk a third time they finally called for someone to go examine the lock, which they had to completely replace. From the time we arrived at the hotel to when we actually were able to enter our rooms took over 2 hours. After a long day of flying and travelling, this was not how we wanted our vacation to start. What made it particularly frustrating is that there was no apology given to me by the front desk throughout the process of fixing this. On our first night we did not feel particularly welcomed and both of us were worried about how this type of customer service would reflect on the rest of our trip. After this night however, the service we received from the staff (waitresses, housekeeping, etc.) was always friendly and helpful. The beaches, as promised, were crystal clear and beautiful, and we spent each day of our seven day vacation at least partly enjoying the ocean. The food was, as we expected, not incredible, but there was a large variety, and you could wait for fresh cooked meat at each buffet. The 24 hour beer garden served delicious finger foods at all times, and we visited this almost every day. One negative we noticed is that the cooks at the buffet would sometimes use the same tongs to handle raw chicken as they did to plate their cooked meat, which made the food unappetizing to my girlfriend. The only other negative I have to say is that when I exchanged currency at the booth at the resort, the person assisting me tried to give me 20 dollars less than I was exchanging for, and while he claimed it was a simple error, I believe it was possible he was trying to take advantage of tourists who do not know the exchange rate and was going to pocket the extra money he tried not to give me. Although this was likely an isolated incident, I would advise people to pay close attention when exchanging money at the resort. Once we got over the shock of our treatment the first night, and were able to relax and enjoy the surroundings it was a great vacation. A little more attention to detail when it comes to customer service from the front desk and things like food handling would go a long way to making this a nearly perfect resort.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Fantastic Vacation/Beautiful Resort

The Paradisus Rio De Oro Resort and Spa is an incredible resort. It is without a doubt the best resort we have ever experienced in Cuba. The room was clean, the beds were comfortable (extra pillows provided), the grounds were well maintained and the food was great. The staff at the resort were very attentive and genuinely concerned we were having a great stay. Additionally the facility amenities were above par. The pool was well designed, there are numerous options for sunbathing and l [... read more]ounging stretched throughout the resort. The mini infinity rooms were a nice surprise and greatly appreciated. The landscaping was very tastefully designed and there is a great balance between construction and flora/fauna (trees, grass, crabs, lizards etc.). The customized hearts leading to the ocean were romantic and creative. The snorkeling did not disappoint (just put on a mask and place your face in the water) and the access and availability to the water amenities - paddleboats, catamarans etc.were a pleasant surprise. We can't say enough and we hope to return in the near future.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Blau Costa Verde Plus - August 4-11/2017

Hotel was beautiful, big, but not too big. Walking from the room to the various restaurants and the beach/pools was not too far. Hotel rooms were cleaned consistently and very well. Room was spotless after cleaning. Stocking of fridge was consistent on a daily basis. Room size was average for two double beds and a cot for the third person. Beds were ok, cot sufferer complained that the bed was too hard. Grounds were well maintained and fairly well lit at night. Pools and pool areas were  [... read more]kept clean. Only issue, the people that didn't know about cleaning up after themselves and the kids that parents did not supervise. Throwing cups and straws in the pool when they were done with it. Buffet restaurant was well stocked and there were always place settings and tables were cleaned fairly quickly. Servers were very slow with coffee/tea, but it is Cuba, different time zone. The a la carte restaurants weren't bad, nothing extraordinary, but waiting between courses was a bit long. Weekenders were quite rude and wasted food and didn't supervise their kids at all. If you spoke spanish, you got service, if not, a lot of the servers pretended they didn't see you unless you called for their attention, doesn't matter if you tip or not. Another issue was the line ups at the buffet where they fried your fresh food, people butt in and the servers served them before all the people in the line up. The servers didn't ask them to move to the back of the line and wait like everyone else. Front desk was very helpful with everything, but the biggest issue was when the day trippers or weekenders were checking in, you could not get any service because the entire front counter was taken over and the wait for service was 1/2 hour to an hour to change money or just to answer a question. Would recommend they implement line ups so that the whole front desk isn't taken over and that they split the counter between checkins/questions/checkouts. Please note that this trip was during the low season.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Sub par resort

Food was o.k. Beach was difficult to get to with tons of stairs The only main bathroom was far from everything and was a sauna Staff were friendly Rooms were clean. Ask for room in main hotel only Beach and water were beautiful Needs better night entertainment and a la carte restaurants

Playa Pesquero: Amazing Resort!

Playa Pesquero checks all the boxes, Grounds were nice, staff friendly, beach, food (lobster incl in most restaurants) everything worked well in the rooms. Good food, good friends, good time! One of the best resorts to visit in Holguin.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great place for families and those who love to swim in the ocean.

Been many times to this hotel. And will return. Always a comfy room and accommodating staff. Fabulous swimming and snorkelling. Food is all over the place. The latest chef really loves cream sauce and salt. Sauce is on most everything..even many of the vegetables. The more recycled the food is, the more sauce and salt will be on it. For some of you, this is a good thing. If you are health conscious you will have to be more creative about what you choose. The fresh salad bar [... read more] saved me. And always fresh fruit. Occasionally, desserts were outstanding. Be careful leaving any belongings at the beach unattended. Especially pool towels. They are often stolen and cost $20 Canadian if that happens. The hotel provides bottled water at no cost. This is a blessing. DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER. Self -serve bottled water at the beach is a new bonus. And self-serve soft serve ice cream is available at the beach snack bar during lunch. Fantastic! Fabulous entertainment in the evening. Especially the piano bar! All inclusive or not, a good tip is expected when a beach lounger is provided. Tipping is becoming more and more the norm, and you should plan for that when you budget.

Playa Pesquero: Great Resort for a wonderful family holiday

Had a wonderful time. Great place; great people. Resort was beautiful. Overall great place but few arrears for improvement - 1. Plenty of food and drink, however, I found that bottled water was tightly controlled. Room was only stocked with 1 bottle of water and needed to ask for more. 2. Room bathroom had plenty of really hot water but the cold water seemed to trickle. Cold water is more important in summer. Would surely go back and recommend it to others. Would like to thank Cathie M [... read more]ilner for the great service she provided. She was very professional and knowledgeable and was able to address all questions I had (fist time traveler to Cuba)

Sol Turquesa Beach: July in Memories

Hotel was build in 2003 and it's in good shape. Pools are amazing and well maintaned. Beach is beautifull with constant breeze but devided to two classes:regular with plastic chairs and Diamond with nice and comfortable streached canvas.However you can use any part of beach but not the chairs. Same with bars; domestic cheep drinks or fancy for Diamond club members. Rooms are big with nice balcony some of them updated but some of them with old TVs and cacroaches. We enjoyed the second one and af [... read more]ter multiply complaines didn't get the chance to change it. They kept saying that the rooms are all the same. We had friends using nice one and had a chance to see it. Main restaurant buffet is open one with lots of cats running through it and birds steeling pieces of food. No one cared about that. Food was typical cuban options; you can always find something you like but not so many choices. They serve bbq lobster at the beach for 10 cuc with french fries and salad. A la carte restaurants are the best choice for dinner. We are not so picky about food and didn't eat too much. There is 24 hrs choice of burger, pizza or sandwich. There is the great doctor at the resort that cure our kid skin issue in few days with provided topical. We tried the same thing in Canada with antibiotics and creams for months. Doctor service and drugs he gave us cost us 82 US$. It included drops for pink eye( also gone within 2 days) and full check up with the shut for fever. We returened for check up following day with kid totally recovered. Awesome! We made a few trips but it was too hot to enjoy them in jungle, rather pick ocean trips; catamaran ,diving or deep sea fishing. We enjoyed the time there, filled our bodies with energy and came back tanned.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Would not recommend

We were travelling as a family of four - 2 adults and 2 kids. The room was standard for Cuba, but very uncomfortable beds. I mean springs digging into your back uncomfortable. They give you one 1.5L bottle of water in your room per day and nothing more. The pools were the best part of the resort. Four pools gave the kids the option of where they wanted to hang out for the day. The people are nice as usual, but the service was very slow and inefficient. Sometimes you would get your drinks (water  [... read more]and alcoholic) right away or you would have to wait even when it wasn't busy. The food was good, but not the best I've had in Cuba. Mainly because there wasn't a large selection. The entertainment included many talented dancers and performers, but they weren't very engaging. There were no kids activities or kids shows which we were looking forward to and was part of the reason for choosing this resort over others. We had a great trip as a family, but this is not a resort I would return to or recommend to a friend.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Best food in Cuba

Went in mid July. This resort is small. The beach was 5min from my Room which I enjoyed. The food was the best I'd ever had. The people there are super friendly. I don't know if I'd go back to a rocky beach again but that's just me. Snorkeling off the beach was pretty cool.