Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Hot Summer Week

After reading past reviews we were not sure what to be ready for here. Bus ride was good on way to hotel we were first drop off. Upon arrival at check in , no welcome drink but our room was ready early so we got in fast unpack and hit beach. The beaches are amazing , water so clear and calm high tide does bring some waves .The beach restaurant at Megano beach should close sorry but flies and birds everywhere on food, where the waitresses drop uneaten food is right off dining area no lid and fly  [... read more]central !!!! Can't be healthy ? It was easy to get a lounger any day any time, catamaran and peddle boats worth the trip to marina peddle to sunken ship. Two bars at Megano beach !! The walk to both beaches is not bad with the odd golf shuttle carts , Ensenachos Beach is amazing clear and shallow with plenty of loungers but only one drink station so we used Megano more plus it was closer to our room. First night A la carte we went to wrong place we were gladly seated and had a great meal lobster and chicken ( no Beef available ).Breakfast was usual buffet style which we were careful what we ate, it was true what we read they do not clean tables fast and move very slow in buffet. Food on whole was not the best but its Cuba were we go for the beach. Our room was very good king bed ,full washroom everything worked and was good. Bar fridge restocked daily. We were in adult only area with the pool a 1 minute walk away, huge pool with a lunch menu and bar, we ate here most days and ordered off menu items was good. Lots of chairs and loungers, as this was 18+ we were shocked to see kids about 12-14 with same wrist bands as us ????? After paying more for this it was not acceptable when reported to front desk was like oh well u see them call us !!! how we are in Cuba ? Once air Canada rep involved action happened , the manager had people checking as staff at pool thinks adult is 12+. The manager found us offered us free upgrade meal . Entertainment was good but once show was over that's it, this is quiet area of Cuba. We bought Wifi cards and they worked no problem. Just a few fixes could make this resort great . The Bank get there early as they run out of money. We found out during summer they discount rooms to Cubans to fill resort so i guess this is where the kids get in adult only? I will learn more Spanish to help with communication but they need more english trained staff as it is Canada's resort favorite Loved the beach ,the animation team ,mangrove was interesting but work on food !!!!!

Valentin Perla Blanca: RE: Valentin Perla Blanca

My husband and I stayed at the Valentin from July 22 to 29 2017. The property is very nice, well kept grounds and garden. Our room was also kept clean and the staff are very nice and friendly. However the second day my husband and I got really sick, for me it started out as nausea, then vomiting and then chronic diarrhea. We couldn't keep anything down. We did not drink any tap water we even brushed our teeth with bottled water (which I'm now thinking is not so bottled perhaps) By the end of our [... read more] stay we were either eating toast bread with nothing on it or not eating at all, the very smell of the buffet would be nauseating to us. Our vacation was spent on the toilet or lying in our room or in the shade somewhere if we could muster up the strength to go outside. We came back Sunday morning the 29 yesterday Aug 1 I still didn't feel any better so I went to the doctor he prescribed antibiotics, I have travelers diarrhea which is mostly caused by E Coli, which is found in fecal matter. Enough said FECAL MATTER! My husband is getting better he was hit a lot less then me. I'm not sure if I will be going to Cuba or anywhere else down south, its just too dangerous for me. This def ruined our vacation and made me think differently about the food handling practices that are in place.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Beautiful grounds and beach

This is my third time at this resort and the first time I get sick with gastro problems. Other guests were complaining of the same. The grounds are very well kept and the beach is beautiful. It was nice to be at an adult's only resort, perfect for relaxation.

Melia Buenavista: Another fabulous week

This was our third visit to this beautiful all adult resort and again it did not disappoint. This is a small quiet all inclusive resort with about 120 rooms. It is about a 90 minute bus ride from the airport across the causeway to the hotel. There are 3 restaurants that are off menu, no overloaded buffet here! The service is second to none, the staff from the gardeners to the front desk, the pool bar and BBQ to the room butlers are professional, courteous friendly and welcoming. I reall [... read more]y enjoyed the brick oven pizza prepared by Yosvany at the BBQ by the pool, they also make great hamburgs and hotdogs. Breakfast at the beach restaurant was lovely and our waiter Fernando did a wonderful job. Lester, Osmany and Orestes mixed the best drinks at the pool bar and Livan was there to to make sure you were comfortable as you enjoyed the pool and the loungers. Adianez made sure our room was clean and stocked everyday, and always had a nice word when we saw her or she left us notes if we missed her. Gerardo was our butler for the week and he checked with us everyday to make our dinner plans and to make sure we had everything we needed. The resort is well taken care of, well maintained and very very clean. I was impressed with the level of cleanliness in all areas, public washrooms were spotless, the restaurants all were very clean, the lobby, the bars all well maintained. You can use the services at the two other Melia resorts down the road, there is a bus that runs from 10am to 11pm, running every hour on the hour between them. The other resorts are larger and have more families staying there so you do appreciate the serenity and calm you experience when you return to the Buenavista. The suites are very large and include a sitting area, with a coffee machine bar fridge and a supply of wine glasses and beer glasses, a walk in closet, safe, hair dryer, iron, magnifying mirror, robes and slippers. The bathroom has a large jacuzzi tub and this is the best part, an outdoor shower, loved it. There was no shortage of hot water or water pressure. The food I really enjoyed. Remember this is Cuba not everything is available at hand the way it is here in Canada. The breakfast is very good, make sure you let the servers know how you want something prepared, like a six minute egg and they will ensure that is what you get, if you like your bacon crispy, just ask for it! Coffee is good, they make a great latte, wine is also respectable, most from Spain, but a few from Italy as well. Make sure you ask for the coupon package when you arrive, great deals for the spa and on bottled wine and other off menu drinks. Internet is available at the lobby and we actually got access a few time in our room. They provide you with an internet card good for 1 hour of use, they will give you more cards as you use them, just ask at the front desk. If you exchange money to CUC's do it at the hotel, they have a better rate then the airport. The beach, actually 3 different beaches on the property are all amazing, the small cove is surrounded by rock and the snorkelling is fabulous. The larger beach have shaded loungers and the water is shallow for quite a way out and it is crystal clear. I would recommend this resort to those couples who are looking for a relaxing, pampered vacation. There is some nightly entertainment but more musical as opposed to the "shows" that other resorts have.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Holidays

the hotel grounds were very clean and nice, the beaches are the best in the world. the food at best was a 3 star. The rooms are large and clean. The working staff was great. But front desk and customer service was really bad. To bad!!

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Should have listened to the reviews!!!

Ever an optimistic, I assumed that reviewer are compulsive complainers who can never been satisfied. Was I ever wrong! After travelling to numerous Cuban resorts in Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria, Holguin, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and Guardalavaca, this is my first negative review. Do NOT GO to Warwick! Reasons: 1. Pools turn green from algae infestation every second or third day. Hotel says they don't have chemicals to treat the pools. 2. Beach is awesome and picturesque, but dirty! Very di [... read more]rty!!! Watched the workers strolling by at 6:30-7;00 am and walking by numerous empty cups, straws, plates and leaving them in the sand. After picking up 3-4 plastic bags they retreated in the shade and smoked... We picked up more empty cups after our morning runs than the workers... 3. Cleanliness in restaurants is poor. First day arriving at 2pm we could not find a seat at the buffet restaurant. Only 10% of the tables were occupied but the remaining 90% had leftover food, dirty plates, and mess all over. A lady with a broom walk around in slow motion (dragging the broom) but obviously thought that cleaning tables was not her job. Waiters walked by, or stood in groups chatting, but they also thought that cleaning tables was not their job. We cleaned our own table in order to sit down. As we later experienced this was NOT a stand alone occurrence. Waiters and personnel are oblivious to basic cleaning and table setting duties. 4. Service is poor. Waiters are not trained, tired and rude. They approach guests and ask "what do you want?" despite being greeted with a "Buenos dia". Yes, you read it right, we usually greeted the waiters first... 5. Food is hit and miss. Most guests complained about not having enough variety - which is true, but not being foodies this did would not really bother us. However, the restaurant etiquette really bothered us. When something of a better quality shows up, there will be guests storming the new dish and take an entire serving tray away to their own table. Staff tolerates this, and other guests remain wishing they were quicker on their feet. Overall, the hotel had the potential of being a 5* facility in terms of building design and execution. However there is no maintenance work undertaken. The management is not visible, does not implement basic hospitality or hygiene standards (especially in restaurants) and in our view this establishment will be in such a run down condition in two years that it will be closed.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Good Vacation

I have been to Cuba before, so I knew what to expect. I travelled with my 2 children for one week in July. I would give this resort a 4 star rating. The food was good, we didn't starve! I chose this resort because I wanted a smaller resort feel, everything is close together. It was low season so the resort was not crowded. It was mostly families or couples. Everyone who worked in the buffet were very friendly. Beautiful beaches, ice-cream shack, and 4 pools kept us busy, cool, and happy!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Wow! what an amazing resort - we will have to return!

We loved the people, the food, the bars, the entertainment, the pools, the beaches, the gardens, the rooms - very clean!!!!!! The service was amazing! it was an absolute pleasure to tip every staff who served us...even the bus drivers. if you truly would like a vacation, this is the place!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Resort

This resort was fantastic. Everything was very clean and the workers there were the friendliest and most helpful than anywhere else I have ever been. The food was ok. I was always able to find something whether we ate at the buffet, snack bar or restaurants. However, I wasn't there for the food...I was there for the sun and the pool. I would definitely go back!!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: The Best

Arrival was very smooth. Hour and half from airport which is tiring after three and half hour flight. Arrive to Grand Memories then transferred to Sanctuary section. Rooms were large and updated. Butler service was awesome. All of the staff there were wonderful. Paola the general manager was always available. Anya my maid was absolutely wonderful. My daughter was on the 3rd floor she had two amazing butlers. Yagniel and Pedro. I was on the main floor and I had two amazing butlers as well. Leon a [... read more]nd Carlos. Melisa in the buffet was always accommodating. The buffet is outdoors and the mosquitos are terrible. Bring lots of bug spray an use sunscreen as I received 2nd degree burns not paying proper attention. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. It was wonderful. The best part, as always, was the beach and the people. I have made many friends there from past trips. Janny in the Paraiso lobby bar. Rene, chicken man, cart driver and now all my new friends from the sanctuary side. Peaceful and relaxing. I will go again.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Choose another resort

The grounds where well maintained. Meals where very terrible and bland, my two year old and my self stuck to plain spaghetti all week, my wife with fried rice. We still got sick, my wife and child the worst with vomiting and diarrhea for days after. The rooms suited our needs but many cockroaches the size of my finger. Customer service where prompted in responding to our requests. The only accommodation they gave us was the request for a late check out. It was disappointing to pay for wifi and t [... read more]o only have it available in the lobby. Last but not least was the travel time from the airport. If we knew it would take an hour and half to drive each way we would have looked elsewhere

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: VERY CLEAN NICE RESORT

We stayed at Ocean Casa Delma from July 14- July 21. Flying with Cubana air was very good experience. They are on time. The pilots are skillful we had smooth landings. Good services on flight, and they provided foods with sandwiches, salads, and little desserts with drinks. We found the foods and drink were good enough, better than other airlines. The planes are not new, but have extra legging. The bus ride to resort back and forth were good, with the pleasant tourguides gave us some int [... read more]eresting information and fun. We stayed at building 18, it was excellent location, close to 24 hr snack bar, swimming pool, and a little walk to lobby and buffet restaurant, also to the beach. We ate most of the times at the buffet. The foods were not really good on the first day, then getting better with very tasty caramel flan cake, mango fruits, guavas and salad, tomatoes...etc then on the last couple of days, it turned back to the not very good foods, just like they changed the chief cook or something. Foods were refilled fast, and have a lot. They said Cuba is the third world country, but I found they have enough meats like pork, chicken, beef, seafoods, veggie, garlic, onion...etc to make lots of good tasty meals, it is just the matter of skills of the cooks. They can make beef balls for pasta or good soups from a chewy beef, or ground pork can be made springrolls or other Asian dishes and soups...etc, just search the recipes on youtube or internet. The breakfast is always nice with lots of selections. Lunch and dinner are almost the same. They have a seafoods night with crabs, shrimps,and squids...that was nice. The shrimps were a good treat. We tried the Italian a la carte, as it was recommended. The service was so slow, we were there from 6 PM( walk-in, doesn't need appointment), then left at 8:30PM with the half empy stomach ! we just ordered the main dishes, the small portion of shrimps rice is unbelievable! too little, and the beef sirloin was chewy, chewy !! So we didn't bother to try other restaurants. Shout out to Victor, Danny and a nice girl, sorry I forgot her name at the buffet. They gave us very nice services. The room are very clean, the water pressure is excellent, the maid did good job. The entertainment were good, specially the Michael Jackson show, excellent. The Broadway show was also nice, with the two singers and very talented dancers. There was a disco and bowling at the market. You can walk there for 10 mins. or walk a few minutes to the right from the beach, where they are doing construction... The gardens need time to mature. The lobby is beautiful. The front desk provided good services, and good manner. My brother also mention the tennis handsome guy, who spent time to play with him every morning. The beach is beautiful, you can see fishes without snorkeling. a bit coral...again like other Cayo Santa Maria hotels, the beach is very narrow where there is not much sand. This hotel is a good choice, that 's why it is always crowded. We had good time. Thank you Ocean Casa Delma ! We would like to recommend it to family and friends.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Dhawa

Food- Repetitive for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the buffet area. 3 lacartes are ok. Snack bar food on the lists are not available when u order like the chicken nuggets and sweet potato chips. Food are Very good for cuba resorts. Love the cooking area for seafood, pasta/pizza and for meat. I got diarrhea for days from something i ate or drink. Room- I paid extra for the oceanfront view. Beautiful view hope they made a pathway going the the beach for building 5 which is infront of the oce [... read more]an. I like that they separated the sink from the toilet and shower room. I wish they made the door for the shower coz water splashing outside that makes the floor so wet. And the water pressure is really good and hot water too. But the drainage is not good. Making a flood all the time when taking a shower. The sheets and towels we get always have stains on them. Which i find it so not clean. Beach is not long sand beach and rocky. And the youll pass by a pond/swamp that really stinks. I love that they didnt touch the beach. Ull see sooooo many different kind of fish and corals. Like you are in a aquarium. U didnt need to go into deep water. U can go snorkelling for free. Bring ur snorkelling gadgets and water shoes. Entertainment- Is only OK. Service- The WORST service ever from the front desk- bank- internet shop- waiters. We still tip every service even i dont think they deserve it. From the front desk (lots of them dont speak english so when youll ask them theyll "just say i dont know". we always get ignore and pass by or bumped by someone i dont know if they dont see us or ignore us. Sometimes no one is in the front desk to ask questions and you see all of them smoking by the side of the front desk or they are on there cellphones while they are talking to you. Bartenders- quiet few times i got the wrong drinks. People cleaning the room- are okay. I dont think they clean the shower room. Waiters from the buffet- Again we are getting ignore. We always look for service. Always looking for a waiter to get a coffee or drinks or utensils. Yet others after us gets a service before us. I feel like because we are "asian" we are getting ignored or forgotten.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Good times were had by all

This hotel met and surpassed our expectations. The rooms we had were clean well stocked with water and beer. The staff was friendly interactive and always had a smile for you. The beach was absolutely amazing. The water was beautiful and very refreshing everyday. The beach bar was also located perfectly to have your favourite beverage on the beach. The food was good but repetitive as the selections did not really change from lunch to dinner nor day to day. The onsite restaurants were good and  [... read more]provided a decent meal.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Great Family Resort

The resort has only been open since December, so you can imagine how sparkly everything still is. There are nice rooms, A/C is very cold which you need in the heat they are currently experiencing. Staff are amazing, very gentle and friendly! One thing we had an issue with was the shrimps not being cooked at the Italian restaurant that messed up our stomachs for a few days. Their is a bad smell behind some bldgs as there is a swamp. Beach was great. Make sure you apply a lot of sunscreen!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Beautiful site and beautiful beach

People are very kind and the site is amazing but the food choices we're not so great since we where on the Low Season. Really nice snorkelling if you walk to the left of the beach where there's corals. We add an amazing week and we're able to find sonething to eat every day but the variety and hiegine we're Not the best.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Clean and beautiful resort.

Before saying anything, one must consider that July is low season for Cuba. I think we must have been around 70 people in the entire resort. So it was very very quiet. They close half of the resort this time of year, which means they also close most of the "à la carte" restaurants. Apart from the buffet, only one other restaurant was open per night. Considering there's only a handful of guest at the resort, there's a very limited selection of dish available at the buffet. And you can tell they  [... read more]only have access to the same fruits/veggies so it can be very repetitive. Same ingredients but different spices. The hotel is relatively new and very clean.the beach is nice, although if you want a nice flat white sand beach, you have to walk a bit as there is a lot of rocks next to the resort. A LOT OF MOSQUITOES!! Seriously, I have at least 25 bites only on one arm. Bug spray doesn't really help. The location is amazing, you are able to see both sunrise and sunset at either end of the beach. Overall, nice trip but I'm sure this resort is a lot more fun and alive at high season.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Great resort

Beautiful resort, great pool , food was really good, excellent service, accept the activities and team that should entertaining the guest is really poor, the team should be more outgoing and able to interact with guests. The beach is good.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Nice resort but better options available

We spent 8 days at VPB (July 8-16th). Beautiful beach and ocean! We had very hot & sunny weather and it was quite humid, although no complaints. The resort is quite large and certainly not for the mobility challenged. The pool areas are lovely with plenty of loungers. The rooms are new and clean and quite nice. We had an issue with virtually no hot water in the shower for 3 days. We complained each day to the front desk - they said they would send a technician out to fix it, but we never [... read more] saw anyone at our room, although we spent most of the day at the beach. Front desk never called to follow up at any point. After the 3rd day, we asked for the manager, a young woman, who immediately moved us to a new room. No issues with lack of hot water after that. We essentially had 2 complaints about the resort. When we arrived, people at the front desk were not very friendly or inviting. There were only 2 other parties checking in at the time. They told us our rooms wouldn't be ready for another 2 hours. We said we would go to the pool for that time, then left to find it. They didn't offer any instructions or details - they just gave us a map. The resort is essentially an area to the right or left of the main resort complex. We followed the map and decided to go to the right - well, it was closed off. With this being low season, they close it off and have all guests stay on the left part of the resort. The front desk didn't make any mention of this to us - we were left to figure this out for ourselves. It was also hit and miss with other workers at the resort - some were pleasant and friendly and happy to serve (Jose T at the beach bar), while others not so much... The other complaint was the food. Let's face it, you don't come to Cuba for the food. The a la carte's were OK but the buffet was virtually the same each day for lunch or dinner. There was absolutely NO green leaf lettuce for the entire time we were there. They only had shredded cabbage and variations of coleslaw. We didn't go hungry - there was always something to fill up on but it was a disappointment for us. I will say that the Pool Bar restaurant (open 24 hrs) served excellent burgers, deep fried calamari and other offerings - we had our lunch there a few times. The resort was a bit more of a party atmosphere than we thought. Plenty of mid 20's who came in groups and were clearly in party mode which was fine. We enjoyed the week at this resort but would not return. A better option I think would be either Melia Buenavista (where we stayed a few years ago) or the Royalton.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Do not go here in the immediate future

I have filed a complaint with Air Transat and Meila International upon our return from here July 14 2017. There are some serious problems at this location and need to be addressed I have given both Air Transat and Melia the opportunity to make good on our vacation woes before I publish my detailed account of events but for now, the beaches are beautiful and there are 14 other establishments in Cayo Santa Maria to choose from. Until the health , saftey and customer service issues at this resor [... read more]t are quickly resolved I suggest another location.