Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Not Bad Not Great!!!

its a decent resort, ocean is quite a ways away from the resort but its amazing when you get there, food wasnt too bad, drinks were okay, service was just okay, terrible at the swim up bar, was no one at the bar in the pool and my wife waited 30 mins plus for a drink, needs work but decent price, weather was pretty good also, beds are horrible also, sore backs for 5 out of the 7 days

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: love this resort so much

love the resort have been there many many times. Love the staff they are the best, no complaints at all, cannot wait to go back, beautiful beach, good food, large clean rooms, lots of entertainment, can't say enough about the beautiful Cuban peoplexoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beware

First time in Cuba. Resort is almost 2 hours away by bus from the airport, after waiting in slow moving lines to get through immigration (they take your photo when you get in and also when you leave). This is a modern looking hotel, rooms are in relatively good shape, grounds well maintained. The beach is beautiful but limited by rocks - can not walk around them. Food was above expectations based on what we heard from other people and read in other reviews. Lots of choices for every meal and [... read more] short lines for omlettes and grilled meats. Mini fridge is stocked daily with 1.5l water, 2 beers and 2 soft drinks. The water is not enough given it has to be used for brushing teeth as well, but the bottle can be refilled at any of the bars. The resort is sprayed regularly for insects and we haven’t seen mosquitoes, but still got bitten by insects while sitting in the lobby area. The smell comes through the vents in the rooms, and they also spray in the rooms. Although we were plenty careful, still got sick. May have been the ice in the drinks, or the food, or.. The biggest issue? We had a RAT in our room. This is not acceptable in a (listed) 5* resort. Woke up in the middle of the night to a rustling sound, turned on the light and opened the cabinet with the mini fridge.. the rat went out and around to disappear under the sink. It went so fast that it was clear the path was well known, and not an isolated incident. We were moved to another room next day in bungalow 8 and left a light on in the sink area for all remaining nights. This was in bungalow 11, however it can happen anywhere since the area high under the sink is not finished/closed. We looked after realizing that’s where the rat went. The resort staff seems to make all the efforts to accommodate visitors but this is something management has to fix. It ruined our vacation and was topped only by getting sick - which given the infestation they have is not surprising. The ratings are impacted by this experience, even if the hotel looks good and employees work hard...

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: GREAT RESORT

Well kept resort, food was amazingly good - a huge variety of Spanish ham and different kinds of cheese. There was no olive oil available to use for salads but a huge amount of different vinegars. staff friendly

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Resort! Great staff!!

The hotel was very nice and clean. Staff were so welcoming and friendly. The beach is the best I’ve ever seen. Entertaining was great in the lobby and in the theatre. Lots of great excursions. Recommend The catamaram with dolphin and trip to Trinidad. Lots of nice pools to have fun or relax. Would go back tomorrow if I could.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Resort great

Rooms where comfortable. Need to offer more storage drawers for clothing. Shower needs to be updated., suggestion.,walk in shower and remove narrow bathtub. Very unsafe having to climb into a tub with shower curtain inside tub to shower. Safer to just step into a shower. Also put frosted window in shower or just remove window. Rest of resort great . Staff very friendly and loved personal servers delivering cocktails to us..

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Nice but severely understaffed

Pros: New resort, gorgeous beach (approx. 800m x 60m), large and clean pool, all 3 a la cartes, snack bar food, Hobie Cats/kayaks/pedal boats fun and included. Cons: Lack of staff (esp. in buffet - servers also bus tables, do place settings, etc.), buffet too small, some bars & amenities close at 5 PM so that staff can catch a bus back to the mainland, ran out of vodka on day 2, beautiful shuffleboard court - no pucks or push sticks, nice lighted tennis courts - lights don't work, no prepar [... read more]ed finger/snack foods for on-the-go, could use an ice cream stand and ready-made pizza/hot dogs under a heat lamp (waited 45 minutes one day for 2 personal pizzas).

Valentin Perla Blanca: Large but nice

Hotel was larger than i was thinking. We had over 2 miles of beach to walk. Service was pretty good, food! well it's Cuba so no complaints. Rooms were clean, fridge did not get stocked as it should have but no biggy. I was told that it is not worth the money to upgrade to Privilage. I would go back.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Nice Getaway!

The hotel was nice, nice grounds, pool, beach and staff. Excellent live entertainment in lobby bar each evening. The French Restaurant was Superb. Buffets lacked, excellent omelets though. The beer was not good at first of the week only had Buckeneers (I think that was what it was called, they brought in crystal beer by our last day (much better)

Melia Las Dunas: Stellar Vacation

I had a blast at this resort. Plenty of things to do. The food was amazing and the staff were so warm and friendly. The beach was in rough shape but that was to be expected due to the hurricane. Definitely will be going back!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Beautiful Resort

This hotel was beautiful, extremely nice rooms and facility layout. We were fortunate enough to lick out on rooms that were close to all amenities which made it great to access everything and enjoy the full experience the hotel had to offer. The staff was super friendly and helpful. It was very nice to have multilingual staff oh hand to avoid any communicate barriers. The food wasn’t bad they had lots of assortment and if your creative with your combinations the cooks on the hot grills don [... read more]’t mind cooking it up together for you so you have the ability to mix it up from day to day. I must say the dinners we had at the blue lagoon alacarte were fenominal flavors and preperation was amazing steaks melted in your mouth!! The beach was terrific also lots of room for sun bathers and canopy area for the hubby that can’t be too much in the sun! Drinks were great lots of assortments and tenders were fun and experienced!! We would definitely go back!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Awesome property

Beach was beautiful and so was the resort. Only complaint I would have is that the food wasn't the greatest, but going to Cuba you don't expect it to be amazing so it was manageable. All in all would go back.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: friendly staff

I thought the grounds were lovely. The staff did an amazing job to get the hotel up and running after the hurricane. The beach was picture perfect, beautiful blue ocean with the forever white sand beach. The first room was a bit musty, we were moved the next day and the room was excellent. I loved the small resort, easy to walk to everything. the restaurants were very good, always found something we liked. Especially enjoyed the international restaurant. overall a great place for a holiday.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Nice resortbeautiful beach

Just returned from Oceans Casa del Mar. We stayed in building 9 which was close to the main lobby and the buffet. We had a jetted tub but if you prefer showers, ask for a room with a shower instead. You can't really shower in this tub. Food was good and the only criticism I would have was the buffet got a bit repetitive. We always left with full bellies. Pool area was nice. Enough lounge chairs while we were there. Lots of lounge chairs at the beach also. All in All, great holiday!

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing trip at Hotel Playa Cayo Santa Maria

We were located in one of the Transat Distinction buildings which is steps from the ocean and the main pools. Every other amenity was a short walk away. A-la-carte restaurants were fantastic. Food in buffet restaurant sometimes cold and repetitive but there was a variety to chose from. The beach was very beautiful and we could always find lounge chairs. There was a lot of wind the week we were there so we couldn't go on the catamarans as the waves were too large; they were good for body surfing  [... read more]! Entertainment in the evening consisted of local dancers at the theatre. The lobby bar had a variety of musicians throughout the week. The resort is about an hour and a half from the airport in Santa Clara so it is isolated. Overall, a great place to just sit back and relax.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Large resort

Hotel was larger than I expected, it's only 3yrs old so it was in good condition, you can walk ror miles on the beach as it is the last hotel on the strip. From what I was told upgrading to the privilege is not worth the extra money. Staff friendly, food, well it's cuba. Overall I would give it 7/10

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Very disappointed

We booked this resort because it had mainly good reviews. They gave themselves 5 stars. At most I can give 3.5 stars. The first room we got, the toilet seat was so disgusting that we asked to change. The staff was very accommodating. The next room I killed two huge cockroaches. We complained and received a can of spray. We complained to the sun wing representative and he got us moved to another block right away and upgraded us to ocean view. Thanks for that. The beds in all the rooms we were we  [... read more]had the springs coming through. I cushend mine with towels. The food was ordinary. The water and beach were beautiful. All in all it is a beautiful resort but it is aging and needs some TLC. It is not even by Cuban standard a 5star hotel. At this point I can't recommend this resort.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: 3 in 1 Resort

Sanctuary itself was a reasonable size of over 300 rooms. The butler service, generally 2 people at a time, was excellent. They booked your restaurants, answered questions, gave directions. Restaurants were quite plentiful as you had the choice of 3 resorts, all witting walking distance. The food was the same as other Cuban resorts rated at B or B+.....however, we didn't go because of the food The Cubans are fantastic and always willing to serve, be it at the beach, bars or activities  [... read more]Sanctuary as an adult resort is overall excellent. Rooms clean, pools, beaches, bars and restaurants all within 300 metres of rooms

Valentin Perla Blanca: Good but with issues

We finally got to this little piece of heaven and weren’t disappointed. The resort is spectacular and met most of our expectations. Of course there were some hiccups and all was not perfect as some expect but for us the imperfections weren’t serious issues. The drive was 1-1/2 hours and as others state, it’s interesting and informative. A few cold ones to set the mood & all was good. Check-in was a bit of a wait. We grabbed a drink and just took in the beauty of the lobby and waited our [... read more] turn. What’s the rush. We didn’t have a long wait at the money exchange (go around 7 pm) – never a problem getting peso coins. Booking a la cartes wasn’t a long wait either. We went around 9 the next morning and booked all of them. Very little wait. After reading some negatives about the long line-ups I wonder if we were at the same resort. Our room was in building 29. Great location as it was close to the pool and in our opinion, the better part of the beach. Our room was quite large in size and extremely clean…..everyday. We didn’t lack towels, the bar fridge stocked and yes, two beds but no biggie. The down side was that the room did have a strong musty odour. We opened the patio door and the smell did go away temporarily. The maid must have noticed it was getting worse as she disinfected and you could smell the Clorox then. The other downside was the room was quite damp. Now, we played around with the AC which worked beautifully but couldn’t change the temperature. Could have complained, but didn’t. Plenty of hot water. Note that you can charge your phone on the side of the t.v. but it has to be on. Beds were just fine but the pillows were quite hard for our liking and the sheets at times were quite damp. Buffet was your standard buffet and we grew tired of it. Can’t imagine how difficult it is making food for so many people and keep it interesting. The complaint that the food wasn’t hot is indeed true and they lack in this area. Otherwise, plenty of variety. The grilling stations (pork chops, beef, chicken ) were fantastic and worth the long line-ups – the line-up for the fresh shrimp is worth the wait in itself. They had everything you would need to fix a great salad and many dressing options. Various fruits and lots of it. As far as replenishing food can’t comment as we didn’t wait & stand around to see if they would come out with more. Desserts were plentiful and something for everyone. Large selection of buns and bread although one day the bread was quite stale. Snack bars were the best. The food was hot, well cooked and delicious. Chicken fingers, calamari and the sandwiches were excellent. We took most of our breakfasts here which also was hot and delicious. They did run out of chicken fingers one day and then no ketchup or mustard. After that, they served ketchup on a little plate – strange. Not buffet style but everything was freshly cooked. Wine at both the snack bar and buffet was ok. Not bad and we must have liked it as we drank enough of both red and white. Staff. If there was an 10 star rating we would rate staff as 10. To service so many guests in such short times was astounding. Didn’t have to wait long for a drink or replenish our coffee. Not in the buffet, the snack bar or lobby bar. The staff were so professional and wonderful to speak with. At times, we would go up to the bar to get our own drinks but waitress always came & took our order and told us to sit down. We got lazy quickly. They all are second to none. How on earth can they remember names – it’s astounding. Every evening there was music in the main lobby. What a nice touch to enjoy some entertainment before dinner. We enjoyed the beach but a little disappointed that they do not clean up the seaweed that washes up on shore. It really gives it a dirty look and unappealing. Otherwise very nice beaches for walking and the water was spectacular. Beach service again, fantastic. From finding chairs to getting drinks, those people work hard ! Pools were great also. From the quiet side to the party side, both were fun to be at. A lot of chair hoarding and chairs that sat empty for hours which was too bad for many who needed chairs. Walk around and eventually some become available. Sad to see those that reserved the bali beds at 6 am also took two chairs as well - should be either or. All in all there are probably a dozen more comments I could make but as you can tell, we enjoyed this place. We met amazing wonderful people from all over Canada and a few from Britain. Unfortunately some college kids arrived on the 17th and “took over” the place. Wouldn’t paint all college kids with one brush as quite a few younger people left the pool area themselves for a quieter area. We really hope there weren’t many head injuries as the way they were jumping up on the bar made me think it was inevitable. We were thankful to be leaving the next day. Disgusting is the only word that comes to my mind as to how they behaved. I think the resort failed here in that they really should have stepped in and ended the craziness (maybe they did, we left the next day). Not sure if we would return - just so many other resorts to check out.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Very well run !!

Overall a wonderful resort despite these few hitches . Our room had an ocean view plus looked out to one of four pools . Rooms were very clean , only complaint was we had two doubles so we pushed them together to make a King which we had requested . The lounge had entertainment but no dance floor which was a big disappointment . The smoking was always an issue trying to find a table that was away from smokers . Lots of choices of food but as any all inclusive we were tired of it by the end .D [... read more]iscovered the burgers by the beach day 5 , possibly the best I’ve ever had !! Only discovered the last day when I had carelessly thrown a thick silver & gold band ring in one of my cosmetic bags that it was gone !! I had normally put all such belongings in the safe . My carelessness but I had felt we had treated the cleaning staff very good with daily tips and supplies we had brought from home for them ! So this was a HUGE disappointment as I feel they must have been daily checking through my personal belongings . So the positives are the people & staff were so very friendly and always smiling ! The beach was perfect , great to have long walks on ! Everything was very clean and tidy !! It was my first time in Cuba and I would go back !!