Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Best beach

Hotel was clean, no insects or mosquitoes, slight issue with air conditioning, Room complete with fridge and full bottles of vodka and rum plus soft drinks. Good TV reception including CTV and CNN as well as sport channels. Internet only works in the main lobbies but still problems using Skype. Food both buffet and restaurants were very good and well stocked. The beach was fantastic - clean clear warm water with no stones, no shells, no sea weed in the water or the beach. Some sea weed did [... read more] appear on windy days, which was cleared from the beach as it appeared, The sand was white soft but firm both on the beach and in the water. You can walk out for quite a distance and see your feet in the clear water. Best beach i’ve Been to.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: The resort delivered

The resort delivered as hoped. The facility itself is in excellent shape. All public areas, including the pool were great and well maintained. The housekeeping in the our room was excellent and our in room fridge was re-stocked every day. The food is not gourmet eating but very good nonetheless.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Great value!

Had a great! Loved the beach and the staff. The beach is top notch. The food needs variety and flavour. Cubans are always helpful and friendly. Please don’t be cheap and tip them fairly! Do not forget your bugspray and after-bite; you will needed, despite the regular spraying by the resort.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: What a great week!

The staff is amazing, accommodating and always willing to help. The go above and beyond with any request. The food could use a lot of help in terms of variety when compared to other destinations, but overall good. The gardeners, and staff, have done a great job im recovery after the hurricane. The beach is great. We’ve been to top destinations in the world. Cuban beaches are simply the best. Oh, and don’t forget: value for money, Cuba is hard to beat.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great resort

The resort is modern and ample. Truly what you would expect a 5 star to be. The rooms themselves were a 4. We didn’t know everything was 220 v and the hotel didn’t sell adaptors and the alternate option didn’t work. We were disappointed in that there was nothing to do after 10pm. We expected dancing as it was promised however there was only an open bar with music in the background.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Pooba

Sunwing Airlines travel was great; courteous and friendly staff, plenty of help, directions, and hints from employees. The hotel (Valentin Perla Blanca) was satisfactory, but left much to be desired. Our room was nice enough, but the bed had plastic sheets and was uncomfortable. The staff were either extremely friendly and helpful or disinterested and uncaring, regardless of how much you tipped. (On that note, it is hard to believe what the guides tell you about tipping — the reaction to [... read more] a tip is the same, whether it’s $1 or “a month’s rent”.) The bar serves cheap booze unless you upgrade your club status to “Privilege” — which we did — and then you still must insist on the premium alcohol for each drink. The beach was nice and well kept, especially considering the recent hurricane. The pool areas are also welcoming except for two huge factors: the pools are ice cold, and NO ONE used them; the daily stage activities are loud and obnoxious, led by staff who I assume were elected because they had the most annoying voices among the staffers. One aside: the playlist is repetitive and tired. Bring your own music. The tours offered by the various agencies in the lobby are quite expensive and you can find them cheaper if you look. Example: we went to Remedios (an hour away) for a day. It was $75 CUC each for four of us to take the tour bus. We got a cab for $50 each way for all of us. The dolphin swim: DO NOT GO unless you can swim with a heavy heart. The catamaran trip to the dolphin prison was terrific, but once there, we immediately regretted this excursion. The dolphins are obviously starved and likely hurt themselves out of boredom or frustration. It was tragic. Lastly, the reason for the title of this review: Pooba. Not less than 50 times, did our group of ten get stranded in a toilet stall with no paper. FIFTY!!!! We learned the hard way to bring paper with us everywhere we went. Everywhere. Even when we were the first table seated at one of the Privilege a la carte dining rooms, we discovered that there was no paper in the restroom. In any of the stalls. In either men’s or women’s. We checked. More than once. I cannot emphasize this enough, because we are not accustomed to this even in slummy Vancouver parks’ washrooms, let alone a supposed 5-Star hotel. The food is unremarkable. It’s best to just lower your expectations and be pleasantly surprised. All in all, this trip reinforced my disdain for all-inclusive resorts, but — if this one resort is exemplary of Cuba — then the service and attitude pales in comparison to Mexico, where tips seem to mean something and the staff actually work for them.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Amazing resorts

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Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Not as nice as the other hotels in the area.

The staff was awesome, Drinks were great, pool was clean, food was as good as you can expect in Cuba ( stuck to the pasta, pizza, omelet, and crepe stations as they are always good) the rest was not great due to the embargo.) Now as great as the staff was and as much as I enjoyed my trip, I have been to Cayo Santa Maria before and whilst we were there we toured the other resorts and used their amenities as they had much more to offer (like clean washrooms in the lobby for example and 24hr snack  [... read more]bars). The beach in the area is breathtaking and I highly recommend travelling to the area even if this resort is your only option however if others are close in price pick one of them.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Comfortable Resort

For being back in operation after a recent hurricane we were very pleased. We arrived just before Christmas and stayed until 1 week after New Year. Fantastic sea food spread on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. The food was very good and on a constant basis. The staff was as friendly as could be. This was never an issue. The rooms were very comfortable except for a hard mattress if you like soft. The shower was amazing. We would recommend you bring your favourite pillow for a much better nights [... read more] sleep. Looking forward to returning again. Just not looking forward to the 1 1/2 hour ride from the airport.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: It is good

The food is very good and delicious, and we can have our lunch beside the sea. There is a little problem about the room. The door to the balcony can not be locked for our rooms. Then we have to go to the lobby to change room. But the staff did it carelessly. First she let us wait and then she told us that we should change rooms tomorrow! After we insisted on, she had to change two rooms for us. Beside this little trouble, we have a good time at the Golden Tulip.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Beautiful beach & friendly staff!

The staff is very friendly and the beach is beautiful. The hotel is nice and the food is very acceptable. The major problem is the bites. Beach or bed bugs whatever they are. My whole body hitches and hurts.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Decent Hotel

I have been to Playa Cayo Santa Maria resort twice. Same quality both times. It is a 5 star in Cuba but would be a 3.5 any where else. Food is not good. I have a lot of bug bites. No swiming in the pool in the evening. Very annoying to get kicked out. Grounds are well kept. The chinese a la carte resturant had the best food.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Perfect resort !

Everthing was perfect...the staff is the best...always ready to help and make your stay to be just wonderfull, the food and the restaurants à la carte are excellente, the pool and the pool bar are just great and I think they have the most beautifull beach at Cayo Santa Maria ...thank you very much ! I will see you again next in 2019 😊

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Lovely Staff, Nice Resort, Some Improvements to be Made

Overall: A nice resort, great beach, with lovely staff. With respect to location, adults travelling to Cayo Santa Maria would have no issue with the length in getting to the resort, however, travelling with 2 young kids was a bit lengthy. Grounds: Much work has been done to restore the property to its state before the Fall 2017 hurricanes. Its quite beautifully landscaped and the ocean is pristine. Quite rough on windy days which means that swimming is limited. Of no fault of the resort, t [... read more]he small bugs (sand flies, biting midges, etc.) were very prevalent and our family sustained quite a few bites (but not the kids funny enough.) Public Areas: The lobby, pool areas and sports area are nicely setup and well maintained. I would say that a small criticism is the pace at which the resort was able to keep up to the demand for clean pool towels. We were often left with using our towels for a few days before able to arrange for replacements. Rooms: The rooms are modern, clean and nice. The bathroom is spacious and shower head had great water pressure and hot water. Umbrellas are provided as well as large format body gels, shampoo, etc. They were cleaned promptly each day. Dining: This is where my family felt the experience let us down. The food was quite average, even keeping in mind that we brought our own hot sauces, etc., to try and spice things up. Perhaps more of an issue were the hours food was available on the resort. I was travelling with a 6 year old and 2 year old....and these little ones are used to snacking frequently. Breakfast was not an issue, but the snack bar menu only became available at noon, and the lunch buffet at 1pm. I tried to snag some additional snacks at breakfast to sustain the kids, but sometimes it was not possible. The buffet was by far the best food available on the resort. The line for the Italian restaurant was always far too long to wait, however, we tried the Oriental and exterior Seafood restaurants, and still found the quality and variety at the buffet to be the best. The bar's were all great, and having Mikes coffee bar in the lobby was a great benefit, with pretty delicious regular and specialty coffees. If you were not a "privilege" guest, room service was not available for purchase. Staff: For the most part, all staff I came into contact with at the resort were so very kind and helpful. It was a great safe environment to have a holiday at and we were happy to establish some nice connections. Resort Features: While the resort markets a "kids club", its not really a service that you would leave your kids at. Its pretty much a few rooms with some toys and am outdoor playground and kiddie pool. There were no activities for kids to take part in that I could see. The evening entertainment did not disappoint. Every night there was something new and the quality of the musicians were excellent. Even when it was raining outside, the hotel arranged for a piano player in the lobby. Internet was quite spotty, but I think we anticipated that to be the case. However, you can purchase internet cards from the lobby that enable a better connection than relying on the resort "wifi."

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Horrible Customer Service!

This resort has horrible customer service. From the moment we arrived to the time we left, it was constant disappointment and a lack of caring for their guests. Our rooms did not have hot water, shower head did not work, pillow cases were dirty, just a few of the things we faced. And every time we brought any issue to their attention, they did not do anything an simply did not care. We had to get really upset and constantly being on their case to get anything resolve. Was not a great way to rel [... read more]ax. Would definitely not recommend this hotel based on their customer service. There are many other Cuban resorts that are much better and more hospitable.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Lacking direction from management

For the most part, the staff seemed friendly and hardworking. Obvious instances where management was missing was the wait for the Italian restaurant, Limoncello. The duration of the wait to get in was typically an hour and a half, whereas the other 2 specialty restaurants were usually zero to 15 minutes. The food was nothing exceptional but I observed that while the wait was that long, the restaurant was always half empty. It made no sense. Ash trays in the lobby were left up to 48 hours wit [... read more]hout being emptied. This hotel was probably a 4.5 star on opening day, but has dropped steadily since.

Memories Paraiso: Wished the week would end so I could go home

We had to chang rooms twice because there was no hot water/ no water pressure & a coackroach in room. The food was THE WORST food I’ve ever experienced. I literally dreaded every time we had to eat. The beds were so hard and uncomfortable. I’m not a snob about where I sleep but my back and neck were aching by the end of the week. The beach was gorgeous - so blue! White sand. The pools were very clean and wonderful to hangout by. This resort was not worth the money though - there are  [... read more]better resorts you can stay at for similar price.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: The place to avoid

Everything was spoiled because of bedbugs!!! 10 days after the trip are over and my daughter who has been affected most is still scratching!!! From the 3rd night we did not sleep well, the treatment was done twice, but it was not very effective. Really a shame because in general everything was fine, but the other people we talked to had the same problem.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Absolutely amazing

The resort, beach, food, staff and drinks were all absolutely amazing! Unlike most resorts, we had access to a La carte dining every night! We actually chose the buffer for most nights, since the food was really good! I would recommend Ocean Casa del Mar to anyone!

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: 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.