Brisas Guardalavaca: Amazing Resort! Wonderful vacation.

The beaches are beautiful and well looked after. The service is exceptional. The staff are so friendly and helpful. Villas are clean and comfortable. Our fifth time visiting Brisas and we are already planning our next trip.

Playa Pesquero: Great resort

Older but well kept, amazing beach, great snorkelling right from the beach. The À la carte restaurants were great, buffets pretty good for Cuba. They added over 50 palapas during our stay, so it was pretty easy to find some shade. Nice secluded bay on the left hand side to explore.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Week of Relaxation..

We have been to Cuba several times. This Hotel was the best of all aspects. The room was spacious. It was attractive and linens were nice. The bed was the most comfortable of all the beds in Cuba to date. No issues at all. The rooms in the main section are all "garden view". However, this was not an issue and the serenity offered by the gardens was actually a welcome change. Lots of song birds to wake up to and there was a great little garden area that was actually their own tree nursery [... read more]. They set it up like a garden area with paths and benches. Nice touch. The resort had a small boutique hotel feel, but with all the amenities. We were easily able to make 4 reservations for A la cartes. Our least favourite was Cuban. We loved the effort made by Manny our "Japanese" chef. What a lovely young man. The food was very good in the Japanese. The meal in the Mediterranean was very good, and we thought that would be the best but the we went to El Patio and it was even better. The difference here than other Cuban resorts is the specialty restaraunts actually serve a completely different meal selection, very high end. Nice effort was made in serving. Wine and drink was always offered and staff were attentive. No request was too much. Lately at other Cuban resorts the servers and staff always seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Not here. They all went out of their way to greet you and offer you services. From the front desk staff who had exceptional English and took a few minutes with every guest to explain all, to the bar tenders who were very professional and always made the extra effort to add in a straw or a slice of lime. The bank was open when we arrived, quick service. We were hours early, but had a room available. We were only a bldg from main lobby, which meant it was a bit of a walk to beach, but great pathways to walk on. We even had some staff tell us that we did not need to tip them! Never had that happen before. The staff are genuinely happy. They enjoy being together and laughing. They greet each other each am with kisses on the cheek and a hug. They quickly greet returning guests they recognize in the same warm fashion. This genuinely pleasant staff spills over onto the guests. This comes directly from management creating a relaxed atmosphere. The buffet was very good. Lots of selection. I do wish they allowed self service for coffee/tea. The beach was the biggest drawback for me. Directly in front of the hotel the beach has large areas of a shale kind of rock/coral. It is impossible to enter there really. You do need to walk about 200-300 feet up the beach to get into the water safely. For this reason only I would not return. My husband didn't mind it as he snorkels. He saw a lot of great fish. However, I will say that there are people that go there 3 times a year. I asked one elderly lady why she goes every year. She said she has a business. Only has one week off and she knows that her vacation will always be A1. No surprises. No disappointments. I think many liked that aspect of it. Plus it has a feeling of being cared for and people are very welcoming. The beach itself was beautiful to sit and we never had a problem getting seating under shade, no matter if it was 08:00 or 11:00. Oh I must mention the music. Phenomenal. I love that the resort stayed Cuban. Lovely guitar music, violin, traditional singing, dance music at times in evening for guests. Not over whelming. Just perfect. I can see why so many do return.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Very Nice Resort

The resort is a little larger than what we prefer, however, it is very nice. The food was some of the best that we have had in 13 trips to Cuba. If you are looking to snorkel, this is the resort for you. Great snorkeling for sure.

Playa Costa Verde: Great Vacation

This was my fifth visit to this resort, and my eleventh to Cuba over all. So far I haven't found a better resort: best food, great beach, good room, and amazing staff. To be remembered year after year by the staff, and to see consistent improvements to the hotel (fresh paint, updates to the cigar bar, beer garden, and other areas) means that they care about their guests. It is Cuba so temper your expectations versus what you are paying to go. I'd recommend water shoes for the beach as there  [... read more]is some coral. There is not much "night life" at the resort so if you are looking for dance clubs it's not the place for you. It is kid-friendly but there is pay-to-use WIFI and limited organized programs for children. Having hot water and cold AC in the room, a bed that doesn't crawl with bugs, and is OK (not great) to sleep on, and a wide selection of food and beverages makes it a good place to go in Cuba. I'll be going back to Playa Costa Verde next year.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Blau Costa Verda in Cuba

My husband & I enjoy our stay in Cuba so much that my husband wanted to stay. Beautiful beach, Lovely meals and comfort room. We went one of my daughter and her friend, they both enjoy themselves. We had been to this resort six times now.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Not a true 5 star

While it wasn't a true 5 star, the locale was great, the staff were great. The food was not great so I recommend you bring your favourite spice for steak, fish and chicken. The airline was a nightmare. Air Transat has lost my business for sure. Terrible seating arrangement "high density" seating configuration best suited for premordial dwarfs. Air Transat call centre left you feeling that there was a bit of anti anglophone happening. Trip central could have been abut more helpful when it [... read more] comes to the airline and their weird seat selection policy.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Our 2nd time at Memories

We flew to Holguin with Cubana Airlines. The flight departed on time to Cuba, and arrived back in Toronto on time, no waiting or delays, very efficient. The in-flight light lunch was nothing to write home about, so bring your own snacks for the flight. Memories resort is very beautiful, being built on a hill, the views are stunning. The pools are built on the actual hill which is spectacular. We've been to many resorts in Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and this resort tops most with s [... read more]cenic beauty. The beach has nice white sand, the water turquoise, but shallow for about a 100m. Nothing to see while snorkelling, you'll have to arrange to be taken to a snorkelling or Scuba site, which is a 10min cab ride. The food was fresh and healthy. Don't expect T-bone steaks and lobster in the buffet. Fresh fish, chicken, pork and some beef dishes are your meats, along with fresh vegetables and fruits. A variety of cheeses and pasta dishes are also available. Steak, lobster and shrimp skewers are available at an additional cost. My teenage boys enjoyed the disco while I enjoyed the cigar lounge with the friendly staff and other vacationers.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Nice resort - great beach

I knew before going on the trip that the rooms would be dated and they are - hopefully they'll renovate soon and the hotel would look great. If I went to this resort again I would ask to be in the Luna part of the complex. I was in the Mares part on the 2nd flr. (origionally they gave me a room on the 1st flr but I didn't like it and they were very accommodating and switched me to the 2nd flr. My room was near an elevator so I heard noise from the service carts early in the morning. We didn't [... read more] have warm water for 1 1/2 days. I wish they had designated smoking and non smoking rooms or not allow smoking in rooms at all. The new people that moved next to my room were smokers and I smelled the smoke in my room. I found that there was a lot of variety of food at the buffet restaurant but they didn't change it up enough, so by the middle of my stay I was getting tired of the choices. The beach is beautiful, lots of room for chairs, and there are trees and palm umbrellas so you could always find a shady spot. One thing that made me mad was the internet card I purchased with the intention of going to a computer to check my email. The 2 computers that they had were located outside the Italian restaurant and one day were covered in dust. I was told that I had to enter the two numbers on the card. After trying several times I wasn't able to log on. I asked a few times for someone to help but the people who were selling the cards didn't know much. One day I went to Customer service and she said she would send a computer engineer to meet me at 3pm that day. I went there but nobody showed up. I happened to see another couple who were using the computer and they had told me how to log on. I don't know why they don't locate these computers closer to the lobby and print clear instructions how to log on in ENGLISH the universal language so it's not so frustrating for people. Otherwise the staff are friendly and helpful.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Decent option

Clean overall. Fairly good a la carte restaurants. Really, really poor quality mixed drinks - all syrup and sugar, no real fruit - no attempt to make them good. Great cappacino. Very hard to find a decent fresh vegetable or salad. Rooms were clean - not that big, but comfortable. Shortage of chairs at every pool and beach. Not nearly enough shady spots anywhere. Even getting up at 6 am they would be taken already. recommend Blau Plus for rooms and better food and pools - worth the extra [... read more].

Playa Pesquero: pristine resort

Beautiful sand and pool, abundance of food for all food types/medical conditions, rooms were clean and comfortable, staff were amazing, knowledgable, friendly. Resort was family friendly with excursions off resort if you desired. Safe to roam anywhere, was up till 3:30 first night and didn't have any issues. Travelled with 9 other people ranging in all from 30-70 years of age and there was things to do for all of the group. It is a resort that I would recommend to other family and friends [... read more].

Brisas Guardalavaca: Overall a Good Resort

Went with a group of 16. Check in was quick, but we were given a ground floor room in the bungalows and since we had booked back in August of last year and our only request was any floor BUT the ground ( I have a REAL phobia about bugs)and we are repeat guests,( 6-7 times) we were quite surprised and a little disappointed that desk staff didn't even try to accommodate us. We had to go to the other side of the resort to the hotel and speak to customer relations who immediately got us another room [... read more] on the third floor within minutes :) Overall the resort is starting to look a bit more aged. They were working on a few areas and you could tell that there has been some work that has been done. The staff has changed a lot. There were more young employees than ever before and although they were nice, it just doesn't feel the same. There was not the same " happy" atmosphere as in the past. It just seemed like the " family " feeling and upbeat feel of the resort is gone... Witch is unfortunate. Don't get me wrong, we totally enjoyed our vacation!! Just didn't have the same feel.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: An amazing resort

This was the best all inclusive that we have ever been at in 10 years. The food was great, including the desserts. We had an ocean view room, which was wonderful. The staff at the resort were very friendly and always smiling.

Playa Costa Verde: Playa Costa Verde Not worth the price

The place needs a really good upgrade, starting to show it's age. When we got there complained about the mattress asked them to change it but I think they just flipped it exposing the broken spring. Asked for a king size bed but was told if we wanted that it would have to be on the first floor only, two beds pushed together not very good. Had to wait two days for a bathroom light bulb to get replaced. Booked and paid extra for the grill a la carte restaurant and was very disappointed, they said  [... read more]we were getting fillet mignon but it looked like a very thin steak done on the hot plate, the salad was buffet style had to make our own, only the one choice for appetizer and one choice for dessert even though they had a menu, could have had the same food at the buffet. I wish they could teach people how to cook steak properly, it was overdone and tough. The beach was good with lot's of options for shade. This is a two star hotel anywhere else but in Cuba they rate it a four star.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Great Resort

The hotel experience was good. We had a lovely cabin style room with an incredible ocean view. However, we had to upgrade to this option for an additional $700 dollars. The original room with a garden view was dark and not very nice. The best part about the hotel was the spa. The staff was kind, helpful, and went completely out of their way to make you feel pampered and taken care off. The buffett and all the restaurants had decent enough food except the Japanese restaurant. If you di [... read more]d not get seated in front of the cooking station (which we did not) the service was incredibly slow, and the food was really quite awful. All in all, the hotel is very laid back, the atmosphere is mostly quiet and we had a very relaxing time.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Pathetic Resort

Very bad experience & very bad resort.. broken washrooms, power failures , room phones not working...Never recommends to anyone...Food is bad..not much choices of food .. tasteless food.. staff is very rude & not helpful..

Brisas Guardalavaca: Fantastic Resort

I love this place. I was at the same resort last year and had such a good time, that my husband and I decided to go back again this year and take the whole family. It is child-friendly, so my grand daughters had a blast. Everyone was really pleased with their rooms (very clean and the maid service daily). We don't want to spend time in our rooms so, we were quite content spending the whole day outside enjoying entertainment, pool use, beach at your doorstep, and meeting very friendly peo [... read more]ple. We discovered that many people have been to this resort for the past 10 years, 12 yrs, 16 years, they just keep coming back year after year. The dining area was very organized and clean and the food was really good (and this is Cuba, so a lot of people warned me the food was so-so, but we all thought it was pretty good.) The grounds were clean and well kept, there was some work (construction) being done, but it wasn't noisy or inconvenient for anyone. The front desk people were friendly & courteous. I mean seriously, who could complain at an all-inclusive resort where the drinks and the food are available 24-7? The only complaint I have is that we only went for a week. Next time, it will be longer!!!!

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Absolutely Amazing time

All the rooms are now refurbished and it shows. Pool area is large and clean with plentiful chairs, cabanas and a few big umbrellas. The beach is deep enough for lots of thatched beach umbrellas (palapas?) and breezy enough for sun bathing. Chairs at the beach and pool were still available after 10:00 a.m. every morning since it's an older, more mature crowd that isn't into rushing everything. The food is the best we've had at a Cuban resort. Remember, this is Holguin, it's in the heart  [... read more]of Cuban agricultural country not the touristy Varadero so the few resorts here can get a fresher and larger variety of food and Paradisus Rio De Oro gets first pick since it's rated the best resort in Holguin. Also, GREAT music throughout the week in the lobby although the shows at night were typically cuba-tacky. And the animation staff were a lot more active and fun to be with than in the Varadero resorts we've been to. This is the first resort out of all of those we have stayed at in Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic that we have agreed to go back to.

Brisas Guardalavaca: fantastic holiday

Brisas was great as usual happy to see much upgrading being completed. many staff are gone and lots of new faces Villas need some sprucing up painting and work needs to be completed. Staff were fairly quick at rectifying any issues. Buffet was good always something to eat NO mashed potatoes though many times we had baked that was unusual. The Cubans still have terrible beef but lots of choices of fish, pork and chicken Our 14th time here and was very good as usual

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Had a great time at Blau.

This is a nice 3-4 star resort. Plus side was full but if we went again, we would upgrade to enjoy more ala carts and the plus side pool in addition to new rooms. Our room was ok - dated but clean and everything worked. People working at the resort were awesome as always in Cuba. Wifi not working when we arrived for a few days but it was fixed and worked great after that. Buffet is like most... gets old after a while. We ate at Cuban restaurant (ok) and Italian (very good). Also ate at th [... read more]e Italian for lunch a couple of times - limited menu but very tasty. We also paid extra to have the lobster dinner and steak dinner at the restaurant by the ocean on our last night... apparently the regular chef was not there that night and if was reflected in the food. The steak dinner was exactly what I could get at the buffet and the lobster dinner severely overcooked. All food was cold. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. They are always fixing and painting and cleaning. Not enough music and entertainment by the pool. Spent 2 days at the beach and it is beautiful however difficult to get chairs but we managed. We did an excursion to Cayo Saetia by catamaran. A stop for snorkelling on the way if you chose to, then a nice jeep ride on the island to see some animals including buffalo, wild pigs, horses, antelope, and a friendly ostrich which you can pet if you like. Buffet lunch was very tasty and then an hour to enjoy the beach. Easy to exchange money at front desk and never ran out.