Average at best

We found the grounds and staff to be very good. No complaints there. However for a “5* luxury resort” we thought it fell short in a few areas. Firstly, I had sent a mail weeks before our arrival. I received no response from the hotel. Our bathroom door and the patio door did not function well. Our shower drain was clogged and filled up with water during showers. (I later fixed) Seemed only 1 of 3 ala-cart restaurants were open which was near impossible to book. Booking for th [... read more]e week starts at 9am Sunday. We arrived tuesday afternoon. Only Sunday evening was available for us. Buffet was very average with long lines. Snack bars had very little selection beyond ham and cheese.

Not what we expected

We understand that there is shortages especially to islands but if you are going to run a resort, make sure you have the supplies needed to keep people fed and clean. The buffet was a dream for a meat eater but for a tropical location, there was a lack of fruits and vegetables. Flies were everywhere. The staff work so hard and many of them are kind and sweet but there are a few that seem to resent the people going to the resort. It did not make us feel welcomed even though we tried to be a [... read more]s kind and loving towards them as possible. Omar and Yoandry were the best part of our stay! Truly kind and appreciative and even if they couldn’t accommodate a drink request, they got creative and made something delicious. I agree with the previous review about hand soap and toilet paper. Especially after going through the pandemic, it should be top priority that people have what they need to wash their hands to keep themselves healthy. No toilet paper is unacceptable, you cannot expect people to have nothing to wipe with. That not humane. As for the maids and gardeners, everyone was lovely and friendly. It was disappointing to see one of the maids sweep broken glass shards into the garden in the lobby where a little kitten had just come out. It’s not good for the garden and it’s especially sad if there is a family of cats living in those gardens. Use common sense. We have been home a week and a half and our guts are still recovering. We were extremely sick when we got home and we believe it is from the meat not being properly cooked or from all the flies sitting on the food in the buffet. All in all, the beach is beautiful and it is the reason to visit this resort but other than that, it’s disappointing. I hate to leave a review like this since I really feel for the people of Cuba but people who vacation there work hard for their money to go on these vacations and deserve much better treatment.

Could be an amazing resort…

This was our first post-pandemic trip to my very favourite country to visit. We read lots of reviews before booking Dhawa. We have nothing to complain about really, other than supply issues which we have all heard about over and over and over. The staff are worn out trying to make the best of the situation and it shows in their morale. Some tourists are not so understanding. The beach was phenomenal and the pool was clean and warm, with lots of activity. A fun relaxing visit. The one thing I  [... read more]would like to pass on to management is that the Cuban servers, mostly at the bar, seem so stressed that they can appear to be uncaring or even rude at times. Other than that, it was fantastic.

2 star at best

Very Unorganized staff was very wasn't very helpful. Al A Carte food was worse then the buffer. There 1 week only I day had vodka, and that only lasted a few hours then out of it again. Everyday run out of gin, red and white wine. No crystal beer. Dirty rooms and last but not least cock roaches in the buffet area.

Horrible

It was the worst experience ever. This hotel is filthy and very unsanitary, with no soap to wash hands, no toilet paper, despite asking over and over to supplie some. We are so disgusted. We came home with a horrible stomach virus. The food is so unsanitary, flies all over, they cross contaminate food, they wipe their hands on filty cloths and then touch the food. We will neverever go back to Cuba... we understand it's a poor country but, but then get vinegar or any type of cheap disinfected. [... read more] They just don't care, I am beyond disgusted. We just are getting over a major pandemic, seriously. I don't think we will ever do an all inclusive again...I have so much more to say but really what's the point. The food was horrid.

Disappointed

Hotel is spacious, public areas clean, staff courteous and helpful. Bedroom is a good size, cleaning staff is mediocre. Dining room is large, but is infested with house flies that are on food, place settings, very few of the staff provide good service, all that is required of them is setting table serving liquids but it is hot and miss. Same menu for my 2 wk stay, overcooked ad mushy. Beach is nice, a lot of chairs are broken, will not return again.

Very nice resort!

That’s a nice resort with very friendly staff. The rooms are large and very clean. The landscape is very beautiful, the pool is very clean. The beach is amazing. It was great to be at the beach after the pandemic. There was missing a few things like pasta but we always had something to eat. I would go back!

Very nice hotel with fendly people.

What a nice place I used to go to Varadaro but the beach here is just as good and the hotels are newer . Excellent holiday! The food was good never had a problem . The atmosphere was priceless. I loved my stay at Dahaw. I would go back no problem. Excellent value for the money.

Disappointed

The hotel was neglected and dirty. The restaurant noisy, crowded, full of flies on dishes and tables. Empty desinfectant dispensers. Bad food, prepared without care. I was traveling with my husband. We both got covid at the resort.

Great stay at Dhawa

Beautiful resort, gorgeous beaches, and amazing staff! Thanks to all for making our vacation one of the best. Special thanks to Julia who took care of our room, Handy and the folks at the lounge and Havana Bar and Barbara.

Average!

Nice hotel and staff, food was poor, drinks had very limited selection, even coffee was poor at the coffee bar. If your looking for a cheap vacation with good accommodations and don't care about food then I would recommend.

Amazing resort

This resort exceeded our expectations for sure!! This was probably our 10th time traveling to Cuba but our first time staying at Dhawa and want to say I couldn't be more happy that we choose this resort!! We didn't have very high expectations(just because we knew that because of Covid lockdown we probably shouldn't expect much) but let me tell you, the expectations were very much met and more! Food was tasty(repetitive) but not blend, lots of options for sure at the buffet. If there was someone  [... read more]there saying they were starving or didn't have a choice, I would say they would be crazy!! Bar and drinks- everything you need, can say I have been to DR where they couldn't make me a gin&tonic as they didn't have tonic water but not at Dhawa!! The hotel grounds, absolutely very well kept and beautiful. I will end my review with saying the people made it all overall one of our best trips, everyone was so nice, friendly and always smiling. Thank you to everyone for making our vacation so special, we will definitely return soon.

Not as expected

I was really looking forward to this trip after reading the reviews but this was a rough, not so pleasant trip! To start off they are extremely short staffed. Check in took much longer than expected, getting a drink was tough since only 1 person was working. They know the amount of people checking in they should be better staffed. The 24 hour snack bar food was horrible!!! Cartilage in the burger, no condiments only mustard and ketchup if your lucky and no fries! Fries are the cheapest easiest  [... read more]thing and there were none, only got fries day 1. Then they started making banana fries, but if you ordered more they would NEVER bring it to you and would avoid you. The room was okay but not close to looking new, it has been well used. I was on the main floor not sure if the higher levels are in better shape. There were no new towels when housekeeping came. They dried the used towels that were on the floor, on the balcony!!! Gross!!! I had to get pool towels to ensure I had clean towels to dry myself off with. The selection at the buffet was just reused food from breakfast or lunch. So unappealing. The napkins were cut in half and hard to come by…. The washrooms never had toilet paper, you had to be sure to carry a roll with you. This is the first time tipping at the resort felt unappreciated by the staff. To end things off the drinks were DISGUSTING!!! No consistency and the coffee machine needs a cleaning so the coffee doesn’t taste like dirt!!! I am beyond disappointed, if the weather wasn’t as good as it was this trip would have been absolutely dreadful!! Save your money and don’t travel at this time to this hotel.

Good value and amazing staff

The staff in all areas were always cheerful, polite and friendly. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of food in the buffet which surpassed that in the “à la carte” restaurants. There appeared to be a shortage of staff though as the Seafood Restaurant and the beautiful outdoor eating area was closed. There was a shortage of serving utensils and paper napkins at the buffet. Not a major issue for me but the choice of drinks was quite limited at the beach and pool bars. On [... read more]e could only get a piña colado at the separate Havana Bar in the lobby area which opened late in the afternoon. The gardens are beautiful and well maintained and make for a lovely short walk to the great sandy beach where chairs were always plentiful. It is a good medium sized resort. The rooms are large and comfortable with screened doors and outdoor balconies. Be sure to take and use bug spray regularly as bug bites were common. Overall good value for money.

A new low!!!!

As always when we travel to Cuba we expect nothing, well this time we were shocked. At arrival we didn’t get our usual welcome to Cuba drink, okay not a big deal. The room has updated furnishing, bonus…nice big balcony, bonus….The pool area is very large and the pools are beautiful, bonus!!!! We met a few lovely people, bonus!!!! After check-in we headed to the buffet, it was after 8pm when we arrived. We grabbed something quick, cause we were tired. Well for the next week, the food w [... read more]as exactly the same 3 times a day…On our second day at dinner we noticed cockroaches running around and staff just didn’t even mind them. I got up and with a napkin did my best to kill them with my feet..I spoke with hospitality manger and he didn’t flinch and proceeded to tell me that Cubans called them American cockroaches because they just come out of no where….what???? I said to him..The fact is that if they were roaming around the dining room I could only imagine the kitchen…There were hardly any serving utensils, one set for each side of the hot table….chicken and fish being touched by same utensil…Napkins were only available the first day, second day we were given toilet paper and there after not even toilet paper was supplied. People eating fish and chicken and going back for seconds and hands not being wiped..At the bread station sometimes there were thongs, most days not, so people just reached into the baskets and grabbed bread with their hands, the same goes for the dessert area. I asked the manager if the what looked like pirogies, had meat, he went over to hot table, with is hands he reached in and took one, pulled apart and said not it’s pumpkin. Cold cuts and cheeses being served with same thongs. NOTE there aren’t any washrooms at the beach, at this resort. The specialty dining rooms were a joke. Only one was open and it served different food every night. I was told by people who ate there, that the same buffet food was served there in a different setting. Wi-fi is free but you’re given 10 hours and then you need to go back to main lobby to log off and ack on again, most times it didn’t even work in our room..One day there weren’t any bath towels, finally beach towels were given in their place. Wait staff refused Pesos as tips, asking for U.S. $ instead…They purposely keep only a few pool chairs out, maybe 20, so that you have to request and of course tip…never seen this before, only at the beach. This resort is not a 5*, it’s a 1*, I would hate for someone to spend their har working money on this resort and be disappointed….it’s absolutely horrendous. We have been to Cuba over 10 times…this was the end

Great trip

The staff there are fantastic, and make you feel so welcome. The beach was beautiful. The main pool is huge and there are 2 other pools that are shallow. Food was good and buffet had lots of choice. We will definitely return to this resort.

Great beach

Most of the staff are very courteous and go and above beyond. Room maintenance can definitely be paid attention to - towels, toilet paper, toiletries etc Some bedding do have a bit of stench Vegetarians pl pack extra additions to make your meal. Not much of choices and even rice needs to be cooked better. Non vegetarians have ample choices but may need some flavoring Amazing beach and grounds Entertainment is good too

Christmas trip

The gardens were beautiful. The bartenders and wait staff were amazing. Pool was huge and clean. Food was decent. French seems to be just as fluent as Spanish there. Excursions were as expected with no surprises. I wish we would have known that they now accept Canadian money.

Just ok

I would say this resort was just ok. Of course the staff were amazing. The beach was ok. Entertainment was minimal, very disappointing. Food was okay. Location is out of the way and far from anything. We did the Jeep safari and thought that was well done. The lobster dinner and sunset cruise was excellent. Highly recommend. The bugs were horrible. I came home plastered in bug bites.

Wonderful and relaxing vacation

Visited from Nov. 13 – 27. Don’t know where to begin to describe this lovely resort. We just loved everything about it! Beach – beautiful and sandy, second to none, with more-than-enough comfortable lounging chairs. Pool: Clear and huge. Although it looked so inviting, we still prefer the ocean to any pool. Hotel facilities: Well-appointed, easy to get around. Rooms are big, kept clean, and everything is in good working order. Love the screen door. enabling us to hear the ocean and g [... read more]et fresh air. Food: simply delicious. Large variety. Liked especially the food in the Cuban section. Also enjoyed the numerous decadent desserts, from cakes, to croissants, to Danishes, to ice cream, etc. Loved as well the roasted piglet on Cuban Day. Our hats off to Sergio, who is responsible for Food Services and is doing a super job, along with his fantastic chef and their staff. Cafeteria personnel spoiled us with their friendly and efficient service. Special thanks to Adianez, Dreidy, Diainnery, Gelen, Lianna, Lisandra, Evelyn, Jack (just to mention a few, as we cannot recall all your names). Bars: very good and quick service. Loved the Spanish coffee. Landscaping: a delight to behold. It’s like walking in a botanical garden. There are so many plants and flowers to admire. Gardeners are doing a fine job. Once again, a sincere “Thank you” to ALL you wonderful people: waiters, waitresses, cooks, bartenders, cleaners, gardeners, etc. Your hospitality goes above and beyond, making our stay at your resort a happy and memorable experience. Would we return? Definitely! The sooner, the better- God willing.