Beautiful Resort

My first trip to Cuba. The resort was very beautiful and lush with flowers, palms & tropical plants everywhere. You definitely don't tire of the view. The rooms very clean. Had problems with my toilet and shower but they fixed it right away. The food & drinks were great in my opinion. If you are a picky eater then it is probably not for you! The staff were great & Cubans are very friendly. The beach was breathtaking & gorgeous and very clean. You do not get bugged at the market, that was very re [... read more]freshing. The couple of excursions I went on were so much fun. The entertainment was awesome every night. I would definitely vacation at Starfish Cayo Santa Maria again!

7/10 resort

Got to the resort after midnight and they didn't have my reservation. Placed me in building 25 which is essentially the furthest building from the lobby/buffet. This was problematic because it was just myself and my 25 lb 1 year old. I was told that the bell boys could drive us back and forth but I frequently called and no one came so I had to walk and carry my baby the 10-15 min walk to eat. Despite advertising as a "family orientated resort" dinner doesn't start until 6:30 pm which was problem [... read more]atic considering my 1 year old eats dinner between 5-5:30 so she was VERY hungry and tired/cranky by then. They also do not have high chairs for the dining area which made eating very difficult. Staff was wonderful, especially the bartenders/chef at the beach bar. Food was okay at best. The resort its self was quite beautiful and all the bushes/trees/gardens were very well maintained. The bed was VERY uncomfortable and saggy.

A very good vacation!

We have been to this hotel several times. We keep to be loyal mainly for fantastic people and beech. The hotel needs more maintenance, but we will be back.Good for children,but not for people who are disable . The ramp to the beach needs repair.An excellent value for the money.

Awesome Resort

The Starfish Resort is for you if you want to experience the Cuban architecture. The rooms are clean and the maid service is exceptional. All staff at the resort are amazing. I would have no issues recommending the Starfish Resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. This is my fourth time at this resort and the staff treats me like family.

Excelent vacation

This was our 4th vacation at Starfish. We got a room we requested (through Tripcentral- Karol). It was clean and comfortable. We appreciated a bottle of water every day and a free safety box. Atmosphere was friendly and relaxing. We found out that a habit of tipping is more profound now. As repeated visitors we got a special dinner - but not a lobster- and a bottle of rum. We will be back.

Beautiful Beach

My family and I stayed at the starfish santa Maria I’m Cuba, the beach was STUNNING, it was amazing, the hotel was run downed, they had a very poor food selection, and run out of food most days! The pool was ok, it did have a pool bar which was nice, the entertainment wasn’t good, the night shows were a disaster, overall I was very disappointed and would not Recommend this resort. I’ve stayed in other parts of Cuba but this is by far the worst resort I’ve been to. The only thing that is [... read more] saving this place is the beach.

Great resort!

This resort was extremely welcoming right from the beginning. The entertainment team especially was the highlight of this trip making sure every single day was full of fun and dancing! The rooms were cleaned very well and the entire resort was maintained beautifully making for a stunning view anywhere you walked. The buffet was great taking into consideration the limited resources and there was always something to eat for everyone in our group without getting sick or feeling unwell. Overall, I f [... read more]ound this resort to be perfect for a week away in the sun with delicious drinks and great company from the staff!

Beautiful Resort

The Starfish was a beautiful, although older hotel. The grounds have mature plants, public areas clean and great pools. Music at the pool was a little loud for us old fogies but the lobby entertainment was really well done. The staff are the most friendly people. Love the Cuban people. We had an ocean view room that was great, clean, lots of hot water and pressure. The real disappointment was the food. We've been to Cuba a few times and aren't fussy and have always had no complaints. It w [... read more]as difficult to find some variety at the buffet. I stuck to mostly eggs and pasta. Since we were to be there for 10 days we decided to make a hotel change so on day 5 we switched to Melia Cayo Santa Maria for the last 5. We were at the Melia over 15 years ago. It has undergone a lobby transformation which is very updated. Our room was a little tired but nothing to complain about. As usually the staff was great. Food... lots of variety, the beach grill is outstanding (try the grilled fish inside) but the a la carte's where outstanding. We did Mediterranean and Japanese. Of course you can't beat their beaches. 5 star for sure. Melia is a little deeper than the Starfish. Did the full day Catamaran trip. Great time. Lots of snorkeling, dolphins interaction and show and lobster lunch. Will we go back to Cuba... absolutely. Oh, and the Sunwing reps were excellent.

Beautiful resort

The mature grounds are lovely, our oceanview room was perfect. Easy to navigate around. The entertainment in the lobby after dinner was very good. Of course the Cuban workers are always very pleasant and eager to serve.

Beautiful resort

This resort was very beautiful many many many Pathways exceptional beaches and beautiful pool areas the main lobby was the main attraction of the resort with the lobby bar well-lit and comfortable rest areas coffee and liquor selection was phenomenal tea was limited as well as mix selection was very poor the room was large and comfortable I'm very nice well taken care of and very friendly cleaning staff rooms were maintained daily and most supplies replenished as needed I gave the overall Resort [... read more] of 4 out of 5 the only downfall was the food but again it is Cuba the resort map listed five restaurants although only one was open and one snack bar grill was open only through our part of the day Pathways were poorly lit but exterior Maiden supposed to ongoing throughout our trip and good progress was seen I would recommend this resort to anyone looking for good value overall we really enjoyed our trip and may consider returning

Great vacation at Starfish

I liked this resort very much , lobby was inviting, staff very friendly, room was big with lots of closet space. Our maid was so friendly and accommodating - she was a gem. Grounds were well groomed with friendly gardiners always smiling and saying Ola to you. We were celebrating a 50th birthday and the staff at the a la carte that evening were so accommodating.A cake was served at the end of our meal with the staff singing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl which made it extra special. The [... read more] beach was beautiful as was the pool. The Grill at the pool lacked a bit in food but the staff made up for it with their kindness. I had a wonderful time here and great memories !!!!

Fantastic 50th birthday vacation!

Had a fantastic time at the Starfish. Beautiful grounds and loved the huge pool and swim up bar. Bar staff and entertainment crew were outstanding and made every day enjoyable! Stayed in building 26 next to beach . Oceanview and pool view was amazing, room was clean but definitely need updated. Toiletries are never replenished so make sure you have your own and take a facecloth, they don't provide them. Most staff were very pleasant except the front desk staff!!! They made me feel like I was a [... read more] nuisance when I would have to interrupt them from personal conversations for help. Not what I expected from front line workers. Food was okay but buffet was always the same. I could always find something to eat LOL. Enjoyed The Grill next to pool! Brenda is the waitress to look for as she was amazing and had special dishes made up for my birthday. There is only one restaurant for the a la carte and don't be to upset if you don't get a reservation, you aren't missing anything. Overall my trip was amazing and had a fantastic time with family and friends.

Starfish 2019 review

First time in Cuba...website was misleading...there are two resorts actually(Starfish Tropical and Starfish Colonial maybe?) All website and travel agent info specified the Colonial part of the resort but upon arrival we were put in the Tropical part.Therefore anything I read ahead of time was out the window because we weren't staying in the part we were supposed to...it wasn't even open. Also,website states I believe four or five a-la-carte restaurants but there is only one. That being said I [... read more] still thought the resort was overall 8/10. Food was hit and miss but food that was good was very good...you wouldn't go hungry. Some workers had tough time understanding us but most were good...and friendly. Room had no issues other than getting locked out of room for awhile but bathrooms around resort that were out of order seem to me like they would be an easy fix to repair but nobody ever even looked at them. We had a couple exceptional waitresses in the buffet and the pool and beach bartenders were fabulous. The pool itself and the beach was incredible. As I said....room for improvement with just some attention but overall 8/10 and very much enjoyed the vacation.

We LOVED IT

We loved this resort in most ways... especially important to mention is the twins in the entertainment section Leonardo and Lionel as they were extremely helpful and attentive to our family. Also Dennis at the bar was amazing. The resort itself was really nice, the buffet was pretty good and I would not recommend the a la carte restaurant here. Our room was very nice and clean and the pool and the beach were awesome.

First trip to Starfish

Our 6th trip to Cuba, we found this hotel little outdated however rooms were clean everything worked well, staff was amazing , very friendly and interactive. More than any of the other resorts. Variety of food was lacking however always found things we enjoyed. Beach was amazing , the cabanas were awesome offering lots of shade. Pool was great as well. My only complaint was the public rest rooms. They needed attention. This was the common complaint amongst other tourists.

This resort needs a lot of work

Maintenance is mostly lacking in this resort. Public washrooms are out of order or have no paper. Most lights along the trails are broken and some are knocked down with no attempt for repair. It is rather strange to see the big boss going around trying to fix things up, while middle management just walks around looking important and even seem to have trouble returning a customers greeting. Lower staff mostly seem to be doing their job and are friendly. Music is played to loud and they shou [... read more]ld stay with old style Cuban music instead of Hip-hop

Lovely place!

We had a slight problem with the a/c in our room, but within a couple of days it was fixed and had no more trouble. The staff were very friendly and courteous. Loved the atmosphere of the place. The ocean as always was divine. It would be interesting to see how busy the place would be if both sides of the resort was open (one half of the resort was closed due to repair from the hurricane of 2017).

Really changed 😣

This was our seventh time staying at starfish and sadly it will probably be our last it has gone downhill especially in the management department they were extremely understaffed .. the hotel is needing some TLC but our own trip was over shattered from day one we were on our anniversary trip and had a room with two double beds it took us three days to get extra pillows they ran out of pop one night red wine one night had no coffee for breakfast one morning he found customer service not very welc [... read more]oming and we've never had an issue with that before there was also some bugs seen in the buffet area we also found that when food started to run out in the buffet it was not replenished so you are stuck with whatever was left .. we love the Santa Maria side we will return but probably to a different Resort maybe one day we will go back to starfish hoping to be redeemed

Good family resort.

Resort can use some updating. However the staff and services were good. For the cost it's a very good deal. Would recommend for family vacation. Was very safe and not rowdy in anyway. It is cuba. Was better than I had expected.

Wouldn't return

Rather disappointing. Staff was pleasant and helpful when they understood what we were saying. Food was horrible and repetitive; beds were hard and horrid; pillows were awful. The 24 hour Grill was a joke. Dark, dreary and no lighting to get to it after dark. Very sparse menu. Rooms were clean, big, bright and the a/c was great! We might return to Cuba but def not to this resort