Very nice, new resort.

It is new, spacious, very nicely done. Pools are awesome, lots to choose from. If comes to food- I recommend restaurants ( 5 of them ) not buffet...Phenomenal beaches, and lovely Spa. The only thing is- when you have a problem, literally nobody speaks english, not even at the reception ) LOL ) It would be nice, if they had little welcome drinks ( like even a water or juice ) and small snacks. We arrived late at night super hungry, and thirsty, and they did not give as a pamphlet where everything [... read more] is and what are open times.

Lovely resort

The hotel was clean and modern, the rooms were comfortable with an amazing shower. Staff was friendly and helpful. The 6 all a Carter restaurants offered great variety first supper. The beach was lively but narrow so you had to keep an eye on the tide to make sure your belongings did not get wet.

Great Resort

Nice new resort. The rooms were comfortable, and loved the shower. Large resort but didn't seem crowded. The restaurants were good, and the staff were friendly. Beautiful beach and loved the water. Enjoyed the entertainment and a couple excursions.

First vacation to cuba

This was my first trip to Cuba and I wasn't disappointed. The sand and beach was everything I had imagined. Awesome. The hotel rooms were quite adequate, air conditioning worked, rooms cleaned every day, sometimes with clean towels and sometimes without, but all in all was great. I was disappointed with some of the staffing, having really difficult times being understood, certainly not the impression I had of the friendly and helpful staff, always joking and interacting with guests. We had some  [... read more]waitresses that were cold and rude. Also, groups of Cubans hanging around the beach bars making patrons uncomfortable to approach, quite blatantly speaking about us in Spanish while looking and laughing....very very uncomfortable. Friends with me who have been to many different Cuban resorts said this has never been a practice before at any resort. That was not pleasant for me. But, we did have a great time, meet a few very nice staff and hope the minor glitches will be smoothed out, if we ever go again. It would be more attractive to be able to fly direct from pei instead of a 3 hour drive and an overnight in another city. Perhaps that will be possible one day, we have a direct flight to veradara from pei now...thx

Stunning resort

Beautiful, clean, amazing resort! We fell in love with our surroundings. The beach took our breath away with stunning green/blue water and white sand. We were treated like special guests. The resort had amazing, refreshing pools. There was always a vacant lounge which is different than other resorts we've to. I would love to go back!

Good Resort

In total we had a great trip. The hotel is beautiful and clean, you can tell they take a lot of pride in it! The food & maid service was fantastic, huge shout out to Tall Ernesto and Magdeil in the buffet and Tania in Villa 16, they were all so nice and helpful. The beach is gorgeous and the pools are spacious. I love that there is a market right next door. All the workers are so nice, they really want to make it special for everyone there! The food was good, lots of options. I did find it re [... read more]petitive which got tiring but I always find that. We only managed to find two A la Carts, the Italian was fantastic! We were told the one outside was Privilege only at supper. I wasn't a huge fan of worrying about what was only for Privilege but it didn't come up often, only with the A la Carts. We had some issues with getting an extra bed brought in that we requested in advance for the room with 3 people, had to ask three times, was finally brought on our third night. Two people with us had some mobility issues and we asked if we could call to have bell boy bring them to the lobby for meals and stuff. They said that was fine and usually it was. Except the two times we had time constraints and they never showed up, despite calling over an hour in advance. We almost missed our excursion because they kept assuring us they were coming. And then they had to carry their bags up when it was check out time, which was really hard for them to do. Disappointment the Havana overnight trip we saw advertised online was not available when we arrived ( we really wanted to go on it). The AirTransat ladies were very helpful in finding us another excursion though. Would definitely go back, the people, the hotel and service was all great! The few hiccups we had did nothing to ruin the experience for us. Ocean Casa Del Mar is a lovely resort! Would recommend to anyone!

Ocean Casa del Mar

The beach was awesome! The pools were also wonderful! The food was ok but could use some improvement. The entertainment for the most part was a bit of a let down. Sharing of resort information could have proven to be beneficial.

Loved the ocean

The beach here may not be as wide as in Varadero, but it is better for swimming because the waves are smaller and there are little corals that shelter plenty of fish which makes snorkeling fun. As can be expected in Cuba, the food wasn't great, but our room was very comfortable. We paid $300 more per person for Privilege, but I don't think it was worth it. All the rooms in this resort have a balcony and we did not get an ocean view. The web site says Privilege will get you an hour of free Intern [... read more]et per day and majordome service. In fact, in double occupancy, it will get you 2 hours of Internet per person per week. Any more time, you must purchase. If you want majordome service the hotel charges an extra $ 40 if you've bought a Privilege package through an agency like Trip central. I don't think the small bottle of rum, poolside massage (in plain view of everyone at the pool) and lobster dinner are worth it. Otherwise, Cubans are very polite and friendly but anything non routine can be a challenge. The evening I called at 6 for a clean set of sheets (my daughter had a bad case of la tourista) it took 3 hours and several phone calls before they were finally provided.

Great resort!

What a pleasant supprise. The hotel is new and clean, the beach is beautiful. The food was a lot better than on my previous visits to Cuba. All together I was very pleased with my trip. The bus ride to the hotel is a little long (about an 1 1/2 hr) but we'll worth it!

Beautiful top notch resort

The staff are awesome. The grounds and landscape are very nice. Garbage around the pool could be picked up more often. Restaurants have very good food. Buffet is basic. But did have a all you can eat lobster night. Nightly entertainment and live bands are great. Would highly recommend.

Amazing beach and beautiful resort!

Amazing beaches and resort overall. The only thing we were not impress about was the diversity of the food (at the buffet). You can always find something to eat (fries, omelets and shrimps) however, compare to other resort we've been in Cuba, it's the worst buffet we've seen so far...

Better then advertised

This hotel was in a class as Dominion Republic resorts. The resort layout had a nice flow to it, great view from balconys. Both pools very clean,one was quiet and part for small children.the other all the music & activities as well as a great swim up bar.Service at all bars were fast &drinks well made all with a big smile from the bartenders. Lots of lounge chairs around the pools as well as the beach.the beach area is a bit narrow at some spots but the water was the best in Cuba. The rooms spac [... read more]ious ,large shower and kept clean as the maid was there helped with any requests right away.the food in the main rest. Was pretty good ,lots of variety with the breakfast being the best.plenty of entertainment during the day and after supper to sit outside has a drink and listen to live bands.The downside is the long bus ride to the hotel almost 2hrs with a pit stop for a bathroom break. Also the airport is old and services are poor .bring your own snacks from the hotel as the food at the airport is ?.?. and expensive .overall great place !

Lovely vacation spot.

Resort: Lobby is very impressive with lovely view of the ocean. The white gauze curtains on the couches looked very bohemian and breezy. Loved them. Everything was very clean and new. I enjoyed walking between areas as there was some nice landscaping and although much was in infant stage I could see the potential as plants grow. There were adequate chairs on the beach and by the pool. Staff: Most were very friendly and very helpful. Most of the staff at front desk spoke English quite well but  [... read more]elsewhere it was occasionally difficult to communicate although everyone managed to figure things out. The service in the A La Carte restaurants we patronized was very good. In the buffet area we found quite a mix of level of service. At times it was excellent and others quite poor. We had to wait for a table a few times when many were available but dirty. When we were told to take a table and it would be cleaned, we returned with our food and the table was clean but no cutlery. Once we had to ask three times for cutlery as our food got cold. The staff were cleaning tables when no one was waiting instead of attending to us. Perhaps the area was somewhat understaffed? Our room cleaner was excellent and we enjoyed the different 'towel' animals! Food: Freshly cooked fish, meat and eggs were very good. Fruit and desserts, especially ice cream, were good. Found the vegetables to be lacking. Too many mushy, cooked vegetables. Avoided salads. Had a severe intestinal issue from unknown cause. Have travelled many times over 50 years and never been sick. Entertainment and Activities: Very good variety however found the live entertainment a little too loud.

Nice spot, but really needs competent management

Ok so I should preface this with the fact that this was my first trip to Cuba. This is a pretty new resort, from what I understand. It needs to grow into what it could be. The primary issues are related to lack of (or in the wrong position) people who are fluent in English, and lack of understanding vacationer's expectations. We went via HOLA and Cubana airlines, - Hola rep was very helpful on site, and our booking agent was similarly helpful before the trip. Cubana seems efficient (particu [... read more]larly compared to others at the totally crazy airport in Santa Clara) and you get a meal en route. The thick Spanish accent makes any English announcement on the aircraft very difficult to understand, so just read the flight safety instructions with your earbuds in and save yourself the hassle. The Resort... The Pros: Mike's Coffee Bar, which is open 24 hours, and has great drink options and great staff - especially Joel – the classiest guy in the resort - this guy should RUN the entire place, seriously. BE SURE to indulge in a few good coffee variations there. The beach is LONG, and has access to a small market area at the end, which is worth a look (notes on rocks later). Pools are superb with plenty of shady spots if you're not looking to burn. The 24 hour snack bar in the resort is good for those late night munchies. Daily maid service was super. The dinner buffet is open until 10pm, so you don't have to rush there (the lines are much easier to deal with later). The WEST pool is a little more sheltered from wind and was underused and has some fantastic seating spots, also has a swim-up bar. Bartenders were generally pleasant, with the exception of the 24 hour bar in the main building, where they were less attentive and lacked warmth (perhaps because they're overburdened and deal with the highest number of intoxicated people). Waiters/waitresses were generally good and polite. Best a la carte places to eat: Neptune, the Italian restaurant (I forget the name), and the privilege members restaurant next to Neptune. The Cuban cuisine a la carte wasn't in operation while we were there. Chicken and Fish/seafood entrees were pretty decent overall. Cleanliness in the resort was quite impressive. The consensus was that it’s best to get a room with a real shower, on the 2nd floor or above to avoid water/drainage issues and frustration with getting salt water off in a bathtub. Shows were pretty entertaining overall (see cons for entertainment caveats). The Cons: It's Cuba, as they say. Is it fair to compare to a vacation elsewhere, or should it be compared to other Cuban places? The food was NOT a culinary delight, but it's certainly tolerable. Beef is only decent in the Italian restaurant, and it's no wonder when you see the cattle during the bus trip. Salads are severely lacking (in late March) - no fresh lettuce, just cabbage. No actual ripe tomatoes. The bar-fridges are re-stocked at around 5pm which I found to be rather late in the day, particularly since that’s your source for bottled water, other than refilling a glass or trusty bubba-mug at the bar. We found the Internet to be spotty, frustrating and unreliable – not worth having if it’s a source of annoyance trying to get online. The beach, although really beautiful, IS significantly rocky in areas, including IN the water. You do NOT want to swim at any time when you can't see where the rocks are, you'd end up getting seriously injured. This isn’t so much a negative as it is just a “need to know” so you aren’t expecting something else. You CAN swim, you just need to be watchful. During all the shows, the announcers were doing 3 languages and seemed to love to hear the sound of their own voices (great for them, notsomuch for us) which got pretty annoying and detracted from the actual talent in the shows. "Mini-disco" (at 8:30 EVERY NIGHT) is the kids’ time to show their learned dance steps which frankly should be eliminated from the "entertainment" program because the ratio of families is so low and it's not entertaining for those without kids actually in it (we’re talking about 5 kids total on one evening, and I don’t think that was atypical). That should be a break-out performance elsewhere other than the main stage adjacent to the 24-hour bar. Customer service appears great, until it comes to delivery (all promises and smiles with little action), so if you're in a pinch, GO TO YOUR TRAVEL PACKAGE REP for resolution. The resort fumigates with who-knows-what kind of fogging machine, behind a truck, morning and evening - so if you're pregnant or have young kids, you may want to find out WHAT they're using and what the implications are for your kids' health/development. It was drawn into our room through the ventilation system and we had to shut it off on a couple of occasions due to the fumes. Yes it keeps the mosquitoes at bay, for the most part. It's true, the locks on the sliding glass doors are broken, but if you stick the ironing board in the slot and wedge a heavy chair against it, you're secure. Although it didn't bother me, there was no dance floor or dance music on site apart from poolside scheduled “dance lessons” schputz. My wife was a disappointed with that, as many ladies would be. Finally, the a la carte restaurants are infinitely S L O W to seat you. Totally annoyingly snail-paced slow between customers. It’s not because they’re busy, they just seem to take pride in having their little moment of control, and there can be a long line-up by 6:30pm when they open, so it’s really an unnecessary frustration. My single biggest complaint for this resort is lack of proper management and a problem resolution system and this is why I rated service as "poor" despite many individual non-management employees being superlative. Language barrier aside, there seems to be no accountability trail nor anyone “running the ship”. There’s a lot of head-nodding and smiling, and “we’ll get that fixed”, jotting down a note but at the end of the day, we were still left with many of the same issues and nobody at the management desk seemed to WANT to get things done to our satisfaction, leaving us feeling rather powerless. I have no doubt that this place could really shine if its management staff were action/solution oriented and were striving for kick-butt customer satisfaction as their M.O., which is generally expected by the North American tourist. However, I get the feeling that the “competition” in Cuba isn’t great, so perhaps they only need to be “at par” to get their respective piece of the business and hence that’s what you get. Let’s face it, the profits are not going into someone’s pocket any faster if the place is booked regardless. It’s a shame because many of the working staff are diligent and really seem to want to do a good job. Kudos to them, I hope they promote from within. Otherwise, they’re stuck with so much potential, and so little vision. Would I recommend to a friend? No - because although my experience was good overall, it was entirely because of the company I kept, and not the specific resort. In fact, our "privilege" package was not properly honoured, we had to hound them for "free massage" which were then booked improperly with the wrong date so we couldn't do it, and our "free bottle of rum" arrived the day before we left instead of being there in the room when we arrived. No free room service or "butler" service since (we were told) the privilege rooms were all booked up and we were assigned a room in a "non-privilege building". Granted, there may be some misunderstandings here with the language barrier, but still, it leaves a bad taste of poor management. I wouldn't recommend this to someone because I'd be afraid they would end up not getting what they paid for. There should be an allowance of unbooked rooms where people can be moved to if they have a maintenance or repair issue in their originally assigned room. And they should NOT book "privilege" in non-privilege buildings just because they ran out of space, as some people paid a significant price difference for that upgrade. I really expected a better customer service experience.

Great Place to Be..

The Resort was amazing, staff was good... the beach was great, nice sand, clear water. The pools where clean and welcoming. The food was actually pretty good for Cuba.. they had a variety to chose from, I would recommend this resort to everyone, and the ones that complain about this resort should not travel to Cuba!!

Best Ever...Two Thumbs Up

Thankyou tripcentral...to Colleen Droin.....last minute deal....We had a wonderful time....Newer resort....staff very friendly.....food better than my last trip....more variety....grounds kept clean.....Just had a great vacation...thankyou

Would recommend for sure

We stayed at Ocean Casa del Mar the last week of march . The resort is a long ride from the airport but worth the time. Mikes coffee shop makes the best cappachinos ever and the staff was amazing. We lucked out and got oceanview rooms only a few feet away from the lobby and restaurants. Our concierge Lazario went over and above to make sure our stay was enjoyable with complimentary bottles of wine , messages and extra coffee , he even came and saw us off at 5am with a bottle of water for the lo [... read more]ng bus ride to the airport . Our breakfast was always served every morning with a huge smile and great service from Rachel and William , they are a great asset to this resort . A big thank you goes out to Cathy Milner from tripcentral for what i call as being top notch customer service. .

Trying to love this resort!

The hotel looked inviting upon arrival at night. It was very lovely, looked new, clean, fresh, all white décor, staff were friendly. We were excited and lined up to check in at the front desk, (they didn't have enough staff working the front desk in my opinion) then were told we were privileged (wasn't sure what that meant at the time) and would have to go to another area for further instructions. It was by this time, approx. 11:30pm and there was another lineup to see someone in an enclosed [... read more] room. Was not told why we had to see this person before we could go into our room. After a very long wait, we were ushered in to be told we were getting some upgrades, free lobster dinner on a scheduled night so given a coupon, free massage (although we did not find out about that until a few days later) can't remember what else they felt was so important that we had to know at that late hour. The resort is approx. 2 hours from the airport, so we were tired by the time we got there. We eventually received our keys and went to our room. Very nice, however, there was very little water pressure and the toilet did not flush. We remained there that night then asked to be moved the next morning. The hotel staff were aware of the problem and were very accommodating and moved us to another lovely room. So were happy with the second room we received. Unfortunately, my friend and I both got sick while at the resort. Not sure if it was the food (which was not great) but there was certainly enough choices if you didn't like something, could have been the water, we thought we were drinking bottled water all the time. Don't know, but it hit both of us pretty hard. Of all the people we talked to at the resort, there was one other family that had a family member become sick. Too bad because the beach was fabulous, the resort very nice, the ocean unbelievable, the weather great, the activities provided with the all inclusive were fun, but they really need to bring the food up a notch. Maybe growing pains. Hopefully they can make it better. I also think some of the wait staff in the buffet restaurant needs better training. We had some very good service, and some so, so service. Same with the food.

Ocean Casa Del Mar great experience

Stayed from March 21-28 overall our stay at Ocean Casa Del Mar was a great experience the food was plentiful and delicious rooms are excellent and always clean, frig topped up daily with water, beer and soft drinks. The only complaint would be the shower draining, if you have a long shower the water will end up spilling out onto the bathroom floor. the resort is large, clean and the staff is always friendly. the only downfall would be the beach. the beach is narrow and non exist [... read more]ent in high tide, however when you take a walk along the beaches of the Warwick resort, Ocean's beach is far better.

Relaxing vacation

We stayed at this hotel from March 24 thru to March 31. We had been upgraded to a privilege deluxe room in block 6 overlooking the ocean ( great room location - quiet, close to beach). Room was comfortable, bed was harder than what we are used to; room was kept clean but shower and balcony was not cleaned during our stay; mini-fridge was filled everyday. The hotel is beautiful although the grounds are young and struggle with the wind. The buffet Restaurant food was ok in the morning but lun [... read more]ch and dinner was not appealing to us. We tried the privilege restaurant for lunch and the food and service was excellent but when we tried to go to dinner there the door was always locked and the one meal we did manage to get there was the lobster dinner which was not very good and the service level was poor. We had 3 dinners at the Neptune and the food and service was excellent each time. We also tried the grill on the beach a couple of times and the food was great. Beach bar staff were great and attentive. The lobby bar had excellent staff and appeared to work really hard and the specialty coffees made there in the evening were the best we had during our stay. We tried mike's coffee bar as we had seen many reviews that were good unfortunately we did not find it that great and preferred the coffee in the downstairs bar. Beach was great and you can walk quite a distance each way easily. There was always plenty of loungers and you did not have to get up early to get a lounger with shade. Overall we had a nice relaxing time. The hotel staff ranged from great to almost indifferent regardless of tipping or not. The biggest disappointment for me was that there appeared to be smoking in most areas - the whole of the downstairs bar allowed smoking in all areas. If you have mobility issues you may have trouble getting around easily as there did not appear to have the shuttles you usually see in abundance at other resorts. We also saw a lot of new arrivals that had to find their hotel room alone at the same time dragging their suitcases with them. It is also a long drive to the hotel.