Second time back

Second time back at this resort. Food was very good. Room was amazing and clean and the beach was to die for. Will be returning again next year. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. I got a free bottle of rum for returning.

What an utterly gorgeous resort, peaceful, fantastic beach.

This was my first Cuban trip to anywhere but Varadero (which I also loved). The bus trip from the Cayo Coco airport is an hour, which is not bad. It was the massive inifinity pool that sold me in the advert for the Valentin hotel itself. That pool and the ocean in the background charmed me every day several times a day. Several of the staff at the resort really stood out with their customer service and ready smile - Bruglio (spelled wrong but he'll know who I mean) and Yulia (name is wrong but s [... read more]he'll know who I mean) were fantastic on the lobby bar. The beach is a combination of coral rock and white sand the texture of flour, probably effected by persistent strong winds that come in from the ocean and can make the temperature feel much cooler than it is. The coral rock is home to several species, including a large crab we found and (probably hundreds in total) several iguanas. Valentin Cayo Cruz is the closest resort to the coral rock where these creatures live, and people walked from miles up the beach every morning hoping to catch a glimpse, so it was a treat to have it right at our disposal. The open lobby is massive and beautiful with glossy white tile floors and tons of seating. Dining was what it normally is in Cuba - tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, lots of rice and beans, cooked mixed vegetables with a tangy sauce (quite good), sweet potato (green - again very good), "pumpkin" (squash - also great, for those of us who appreciate fresh vegetables), fresh fish, mussels, shrimp on the griddle (or everything omelets cooked to order at breakfast), and lots of roasted chicken legs and pork. Not a ton of deep fried stuff, which I also appreciated for a vacation, but some people...you know. :) Rooms were neat and tidy and had recently been renovated in a modern style. We had a ground floor room which gave us our own walk out patio looking onto a big field full of tropical plants that separates the hotel from the ocean - like a lovely private back yard. Overall, I was completely charmed by this resort and will definitely go back.

Remember where you are and be grateful

This review is for those who are willing to educate themselves on Cuba and their history before coming with expectations! Firstly the Cuban people are sincere and amazing regardless of their circumstances. We came to this resort by accident and loved it. The beach is breathtaking and the water is so pure like the hearts of many Cuban people! We were grateful for what was provided, nothing is perfect but for the resources they have and the location, everything was good and you have all you need. [... read more] Shortages here and there but you can’t blame them, this is not a luxury vacation so it’s confusing to hear people complain about not having food options and eating like a king. For elderly people, there are a number of stairs and the lighting isnt the best at night around pools when going up and down so be careful. As for the service and people, very genuine, they truly do the best they can with what they have !!! Come here for the beautiful water and people. And remember, you are living in luxury to a local!!! Tip in Canadian bills as coins and American dollar not accepted/difficult at their local banks. In our opinion, tip those you see who aren’t generally servicing the tourist but are working behind the scenes or gardening as they don’t have as much of an opportunity to make a bit extra for their families! Bug spray at night and sunscreen in the daytime. Sometimes windy sometimes hot oh well enjoy both. Thanks Valentin for a great stay!

Nice resort

The grounds were nice. The staff went out of there way to help. The food shortage is a problem but always found something, no eggs bread run out of pop. Cleaning staff was ok only problem towels were hardly changed always hot water. Beautiful views throughout the resort. There is a lot of stairs so may cause problems if motility issues.

March 17-24

Total trip time from airport to resort is 90 minutes, this included an additional drop off . We were greeted with a smile and a song from animation team, followed by a quick and friendly check-in. Rooms were ready immediately as we did arrive earlier than expected. Spacious clean and upgraded rooms, huge walk-in shower, plenty of hot water. Large balcony with view of ocean. Large , clean and quiet resort. Beach is endless white sand groomed daily. Plenty of beach chairs but limited shade area, [... read more] you need to get up early to reserve. Good at buffet very poor every day. Actually embarrassingly poor. Hotel should have been closed just because of lack of food. Special acknowledgment to Jose Ley. A young man with huge potential in hospitality.

Beautiful resort!!

The resort was beautiful. Staff went over and above to help you if they could. There were shortages on resort, but we were expecting that. We read up a lot before the trip. Overall....we (6 adults) had a good time. Had no complaints about resort.

Beautiful beach & a nice resort.

This was our first resort stay, we had a lovely time. The beach and the ocean was something to see. It was definitely worth spending on the Alegance package. The staff was great, and very attentive. Shortages to the region made for some challenges with certain foods and beverages, and I think it was handled very well by the staff. The property is beautiful, the pools are well maintained and readily available. You are a little out of the way, but if you want to relax like we did, this place was a [... read more] great choice.

Wonderful resort

I like the layout of the grounds. I enjoy walking so it was perfect. The buildings are spread out and it was very quiet. My room was awesome. All I could hear was the ocean and the birds. It was paradise. The buffet dining room is huge so I had a choice of privacy. Very comfortable resort . The staff was great. I felt safe and enjoyed myself very much. The beach is exactly how I had seen it in pictures. Absolutely breathtaking!

Lovely quiet resort to relax

Not too busy, and has everything necessary for a great warm winter holiday. Staff were very helpful and kind. A special shout out to Deimis, our concierge. She went above and beyond our expectations! What an amazing lady!

Beautiful Resort

The resort was very beautiful. The staff went out of their way to help you. The layout of the resort was good. A little bit of walking, but not too much. The week was so windy. so it made it hard to enjoy the beach.

Sad state of affairs. Pack extra.

I’ll start with: I understand that a lot of folks say you travel to Cuba for the beaches and the people. Those two did not disappoint. The catamaran excursion was also a lot of fun! Lunch at the marina included lobster. This was the third visit to Cuba for myself and the beaches do not disappoint. I was prepared with an entire extra suitcase filled with things to eat and gift however it still was not enough. The coffee maker in the room is nespresso I believe but comes with no pods, so d [... read more]oes not function. I wish I had packed a kettle to save myself a walk to their bar for boiling water to prepare the food I brought. The lighting is not great at night time. The buffet lacked basics (bread/butter/eggs/fruit/potato/fries) for most of the duration of my stay. Maybe bad timing? The location had a lot of potential but I suspect lacks management and resources. Often there was no wine, even in the restaurants and several times during my stay they would completely disconnect water to the rooms (shower/taps) so having a shower after a day on the beautiful beach wasn’t an option. Reception didn’t have any information regarding the outages. When I read about water shortages, I assumed drinking water. Which was also the case. The flight was terrible. It was westjet hosting a cheap Swoop plane and a story for another day.. Gift ideas: baby formula - there are shortages for the kiddos. Medicine, feminine products, bandaids, easy instant snacks, spices, (they have salt and pepper) hot sauce/sauce packets from that collection in your fridge and a small kettle!

Great Resort

Nice resort but unfortunately the lack of food with all the shortages makes it not worth the price we paid. It would be nice to get a discount on our next trip that we would be happy to deal with you on our next vacation.

Valentin Cayo Cruz require lots of improvements

Bad: Dining - always missing something : bread, eggs, wine, soft drinks, water,food is always cold, my daughter had a stomach flu. Water served in the dining room had very terrible taste with lots of chlorine. Service require improvent - servants predend they do not see you too often, very ofyen it's no water in the room, difficult to change beach towel - no towels available. There are hard plastic chairs in the beach, soft only for the VIPs. It's practically no entertainment, in the evenin [... read more]gs and specially at the beach. Instead, the people from the entertainment team open the door to buffet, what I personally find very humiliated for them. Beach - not bad close to hotels, as soon as no hotels looks like a garbage site, for sure should be cleaned. Several times was no water in the shower or bath tab. Good: Very good gym, clean and with good temperature inside. Good coffee service. Conclusion: This for sure not 5 stars hotel, 21/2 max. Will not come back.

Great Resort

We had a lovely relaxing time at the Valentin. The rooms were clean and lovely, no issues. There was a mini fridge restocked with water daily. Had new towels every day. Would recommend bringing face cloths and toilet paper, while we didn't run out, came close. Lobby bar and other public washrooms ran out once or twice. We would just go back to the room. We were in building one, was great and central to the pool and lobby areas and not far from the beach. The grounds were also ver [... read more]y clean and well taken care of. Beach was beautiful - when the tide is high, it's great for lounging, not so much for walking. Pools are lovely too. We had no issues finding chairs at either the pool or the beach. Wouldn't hurt to get up early if you wanted a particular spot. There was always beach towels to exchange. Would recommend bringing some larger bills to change for locals - either US or CDN - $5,$10,$20 - it was our understanding they cannot exchange the smaller bills or coins at the bank. We were asked daily about exchanging $$. The staff were all lovely and working very hard. The food was to be expected and as we read in prior reviews, there are shortages and should be expected. There were eggs only one day, not a lot of fruit. The cheese sandwiches at the snack bar were delicious. We never went hungry and the A la carts were quite nice. You need to book those in the mornings. There was lots to drinks, the juice is from packages. There were a couple excursion options, a city tour and catamaran tour. We didn't do either, but heard they were nice. This resort is quite remote, would be driving an hour or two to do anything. Overall, we had a great deal and the goal was to lounge and relax and it was exactly that.

Wonderful Hotel and Holiday

This hotel is beautiful and had almost everything we'd hoped for in our last minute getaway. We chose Cuba mainly for sun, warmth and a beautiful beach, and all for a reasonable price and we were not disappointed. We also wanted to fly from Hamilton versus Toronto so picked Valentin Cayo Cruz versus going elsewhere in Cuba. Our room (6201 in Building 6) was perfectly positioned to see the sun rise every morning and to still catch afternoon sun too. The rain shower was hot and never ran out o [... read more]f water. The king sized bed was huge. Building 6 is also a short walk to everything - the lobby, the beach, and one of the three pools. There are three pools. We chose to lounge by the smallest one as it had fountains instead of music. As for the beach it is beautiful and longggg and the water is clear. The sand is soft away from the water but firm near it, great for strolling along. We walked along it several times, twice for long walks that were up to two hours. It was simply beautiful (except sadly for the collection of washed up old plastic garbage from the ocean that we think is mainly there from the hurricane some years ago). The beach and pool staff were attentive to help us set up our chairs and towels. We knew there might be some food shortages so we went with those expectations. And they did occur, including shortages in wine some days (no wine for 4/7 days), no eggs most of the week, and they ran out of champagne and French fries after our first day (well, this resort did but we heard another resort had no shortages so these might be occurring based on individual decisions at each hotel about budgeting or rationing?). But that said, there were still plenty of options and we ate well every meal and enjoyed many different drinks at the lobby and beach bars including rum, vodka, tequila and beer. The hot Brazilian alcoholic coffee drink served in a champagne glass in the lobby bar was delicious. The beer is best on tap at the lobby bar. There was a steady supply of tea throughout the resort. The coffee was sub par so if you love coffee we suggest bringing some Starbuck instant packs. For meals, we found the best options were at the lunch buffet versus breakfast or dinner although all meals had good options. One luncheon was an outside buffet where roast pork was served- yum! And one lunch had a very tasty seafood paella. We did not sign up for any of the specialty restaurants as we didn't want to stick to a reservation time to eat so we can't comment on how they were. The desserts were very good, especially the vanilla ice cream which we had at every lunch and dinner. There were also fresh pastries, jello, fresh pineapple slices, pears, and leche flan and puddings. We're not much to watch the shows at resorts however watched two shows through the week - one musical and one name that singer/group game show with the audience. Both were well done. The resort was clean and staff were polite. There was toilet paper most times in the common washrooms however still carry tissues as a few times it had run out. We'd come back to this resort. Despite the few shortages, we give it an 8/10.

Enjoyed our stay

Rooms were nice, not opulent but above standard and comfortable. Shower is so large you could park a small car in it. The food is basic and what one would expect from Cuba but certainly no one was starving! They have 3 themed restaurants but the menus are “almost” identical however the food in these restaurants is fantastic. Entertainment in lobby in evening is the smoothest jazz you will ever hear. The staff must be hand selected from the best of the best - happy - smiling - friendly - helpful [... read more]. Please do not bring loonies and toonies for tips (they can’t exchange coins). If you want to be a good guest bring some five ten and twenty dollar bills to help them convert their coins to bills they can use. Watch a couple of YouTube videos to see what you should be tipping On thing to be aware of if you are a nonsmoker is smoking is permitted everywhere except eating areas. Also be respectful of other guests and staff by not drinking your weight in alcohol everyday and eating more than you would at home. Also say ola (hello) to everyone regardless of their job, regardless of what they do from cleaning washrooms to gardening to serving drinks everyone is trying to make our vacation memorable and they deserve our respect. Beach was really spectacular but take note the sand is deep so best to walk at water line. Showers are best taken in the evening as water is heated by solar panels so morning water is warm at best there is a tiny market at the hotel next door that is a short walk or the hotel has a little tram that will take you to and from. You can also get an awesome massage there. The best part of this resort was the people, if you go you will know what I mean. Hotel is remote so if you plan any off site tours (only two available) you will be on a bus for hours.

Great resort and a great deal

We found the resort was well maintained. Our rooms were spacious and clean. The pools were great. The beach was beautiful, and the workers were good to rake up any seaweed that may have come ashore on the windier days. The food was often the same every day, but you could always find something to eat. We knew to expect this in Cuba, especially with the supply shortages. We were going for the sun and water, not the food . The entertainment was good and staff were very friendly.

Superb beach and resort

Looking for a Peaceful place to spend vacation, Valentin Cayo Cruz is the perfect place! Plenty of Food to choose from, you will survive if you're not picky eater.The ambiance is Superb and unique that you would always wish to come back?and of course, the Big smiles of the staff and are always accommodating to your needs.For improvement, just needing a little few touch ups for toilet seats and cleaning.

Excellent Resort!

Valentin Cayo Cruz is a very, very nice resort, new, very clean, elegant and very well maintained! The personal is nice, polite and ready to help, or advise. There were many gardeners taking care of the plants that are not yet fully grown up, but I expect that they'll look beautiful in a couple of years. The food was tasty and they had a bit of everything... Not a lot of salads and fruits, but they weren't totally missing. There were two things we did not like: 1. A lot of mosquitos i [... read more]n the evening - I did not see them fuming, or if they did it, it wasn't effective... It was almost impossible to stay in the lobby area because of mosquitos.... 2. Coffee was really Bad... Actually, I was wondering if it was coffee, or a bled of a small percentage of coffee beans and some other beans... It had no coffee taste, or aroma and it was just vaguely smelling like coffee... That was disappointing for me, because I'm a coffee lover and I wasn't able to take more than 2, or 3 sips of that 'coffee'. Anyway, the resort is really beautiful and we enjoyed our stay! I'll go again anytime (however, I'll bring my own coffee and AeroPress...)

Wonderful Resort ! I recommend!!

The hotel and staff were wonderful. Top notch! I was pleasantly surprised! Everything was as expected and more. I had a great time. The facilities and beach were amazing. The hotel and staff really delivered. I will return and I definitely recommend!!