Melia Buenavista: Great Resort!

Beautiful resort! Staff members are efficient, very kind, and professional. Three unique and different beaches. We went swimming at the main and middle beaches. Snorkeling was nice too. The sunset beach is meant for its beauty at sunset and for amazing walks. Further down, possibility of swimming. Be ready for low tides, at that point the preferred beach is the main one. Two pools, one more for relaxing and the other more for entertainment and bar service. Water was cool but was quite refreshing [... read more] on hot days. Very satisfied with massages received at spa. Room a bit outdated but it was clean and big enough. Comfortable bed and pillows. Bathtub/ jacuzzi is comfortable enough for one person. Concierge service was very good! Outside shower nice but when it’s cold or raining outside, not very practical. Food, drinks, and hospitality were good too. Food shortages were at its minimal. Butter, bacon and a few days without eggs are not a deal breaker. Loved the buffet options for breakfast and lunch with the a la carte option. We were very impressed by the St. Valentine dinner; food, music, entertainment, service, outside setup … all excellent! Very impressive! We are considering returning at some point.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Great relaxing vacation spot!

The location is beautiful…wonderful beach and pool area…what really made the vacation is how nice the staff were!!…we have been there twice and the second time felt like we were reuniting with family!!….

Paradisus Los Cayos: ?????

Loved our stay at this hotel. The staff is absolutely amazing, attentive, caring and genuine. The beach is incredible with white sand and the bluest turquoise water. I picked seashells, floated in calm waters and jumped into playful waves all in the sane week. For a large hotel, it surprisingly felt very homey. We got to know the staff who always went above and beyond to ensure the best vacation for us, We stayed in one of the reserve swimout rooms. Lovely room with a standalone tub where [... read more] we could have warm bathes and a nice glass of wine overlooking the private terrace with a balinese bed stretching out to the swimout. Steps away from the Reserve allnight lobby bar with the best coffee and drinks of the entire resort!! What food shortages? We had lobster at one of the restaurants, and the next night it was also served at the buffet. Anything that wasn’t available was always provided with an alternative, and would usually be available the next day. I discovered Tasty Banana chips as a healthier fries alternative thanks to this hotel, and i certainly never felt lacking. Highly highly recommend!! This one is a hidden and under rated gem!!

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Horrible Experience

Unpleasant experience overall. The staff exhibited rudeness, the food left much to be desired, and to add to the dismay. There was a discernible overflow from the septic system in the pathway adjacent to our room. Due to our delayed arrival, we were unable to secure a room in the designated adult section. Unfortunately, seeking assistance or posing questions often resulted in encountering some, though not all, staff members who displayed discourteous behaviour.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: The resort is good

I find it very clean and the workers are really good and friendly. They are hurting with their supply of food and drinks since Covid and the different embargo’s. But there was always something to eat. The staff have their hours cut due to the lack of tourists. Talking to them, they feel it will take them a few years to recover.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: great stay

We enjoyed our stay.The resort grounds are beautiful and well kept. The beaches were amazing. The staff works hard and are eager to please. The rooms are a bit dated, but clean. The food was ok a bit repetitive but we were never hungry.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Perfect resort on an unbeatable price point!

Great hotel, great resort. Would highly recommend. Beautiful beach! Good selection at the buffet. Of course don’t expect too much from Cuba due to their shortages, but the buffet showcased the showmanship of the workers there and their attention to detail! The best service we have ever received, arguably better than most places in Canada! The people working at the hotel were super nice and made it a truly special trip for us!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Great Week in the Sun

Spent a week at Perla Blanca from Feb21-28, 2024. Beach, sun, and ocean were fantastic. Hotel staff were all kind and courteous. Yes there were shortages of various things, but this is to be expected for the Island of Cuba where their primary revenue stream is tourism and ALL resorts are recovering from the "COVID Pandemic". If you want "fine dining", go to the south of France or Italy. If you want beautiful quiet beaches, great ocean water, and somewhere to "unplug" for a week, come here. All t [... read more]hings considered it was an enjoyable stay.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Second visit

I’ve never gone to a resort a second time, but I enjoyed Angsana so much I returned. The staff are amazing, trying their hardest with the shortages which are endemic in Cuba. Unfortunately there was no white or sparkling wine, no coffee in the room or beach towels for 2 days. Even so we enjoyed ourselves. The beaches are beautiful and we certainly did not go hungry or thirsty.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful place

The hotel was beautiful, kept very clean, suggest carrying tissue with you for bathrooms would be the 1 thing, staff was so hard working and the most kind and helpful. Rooms were a great size, and clean. There was things for all age groups to do whether at the resort or down by the ocean

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: beautiful place

This is our 4th time to this part of Cuba. I wish someone would figure out how to get a better supply of food and equipment to the resorts because the buffets and restaurants at the resorts have declined tremendously since our first visit to the area (7 years ago). I thought my wife was nuts bringing instant oatmeal, peanut butter and ketchup but boy was I wrong (yes honey I'm admitting it). Powder egg omelets are terrible. The poor beach guy was trying his best to clean the seaweed with a "Cuba [... read more]nized" rake, but it was a disaster. The place is still beautiful but if there isn't a steady supply of stuff I'm sure it will decline tremendously and there wont be a reason to keep going there. The staff were doing their best to make our stay a pleasant one but there is not much they can do with their hands tied behind their backs. Would I return to Cuba??? Only if I could bring my own food. My heart goes out to the workers at the resort. They (most of them) put all they have to make our stays a pleasure but like I said they can only do with what they have.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Resort was half closed due to construction, I wish we would have known this before booking

Grounds were very nice , people very courteous towards their guests. Three of the restaurants were close due to a broken water pipe that flooded the restaurants. No eggs for breakfast for the first three days.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing place

Perla Blanca is a beautiful place. Nicest beaches I have ever been too. People of Cuba are fantastic and so kind. The hotel has everything you could want to make your stay in paradise exactly that. It's a hidden gem on Cayo Santa Maria.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Amazing beaches

Hotel was ok and food wasn't bad (better than other hotels in the area). Coffee bar is amazing and beaches are beautiful! Pool water was super cold for some reason so didn't enjoy the pools as much as we wanted. Kids club was open on and off, and activities weren't consistent. Would still recommend for going to Cuba.

The One Gallery Hotel: Great resort.

No complains about The One Gallery Hotel. Great location, beautiful beach and swimming pools. Great food and service. No food shortages. Very clean room, well maintained everyday. Super friendly staff.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: A Wonderful Vacation!

Everything is in close proximity at Sanctuary Grand Memories, from the beach to the Pool Bar is less than 2 min walk. We were in Building 57, and our Butler Carlos was outstanding and made our stay relaxed, worry free and as comfortable as possible, he was always around and available to check in and help. The little pizzeria was ideal for a late afternoon snack and our favorite lunch was the poolside or beachside grills. Our favorite a la Carter was Italian. We looked forward to seeing Delvis at [... read more] the pool bar every day and Abrahan and Lebise from the entertainment team were amazing, we made some great friends in Cuba! It was an awesome experience!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Wonderful resort

We loved how the resort is laid out, very easy to get around. The groundkeepers do an amazing job! And I can't say enough about the animation team...they are all very talented and kept us entertained every day and night. Our room, while a little worn down, was clean and the beds comfortable. We had an issue with the toilet not flushing on the first day, but maintenance fixed with a couple of hours...THANK YOU! All the staff are very friendly. As for the food, we didn't go hungry (we are no [... read more]t very picky eaters). Yes, there are shortages at times, but that is not the resort's fault. We will definitely be back!

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: A Nice Vacation

We have been to Santa Maria Cuba several times in recent years but this was our first visit to Grand Aston. We visited as a family, including kids and grandparents. We were there February 14-21, 2024. The people there were wonderful. The rooms were very clean and everything in the rooms worked well. The food in Cuba is inconsistent across the board, so some days the buffet was well stocked and there were tons of options. Other days there were no eggs, bread, butter and/or limited meat  [... read more]but we don't go to Cuba for the food (they were never out of all of those things a the same time). We go for the beautiful beaches, the wonderful people and the feeling of safety that we have there. We always found food to eat here and never went hungry. If you want to get the best food, go early. It will be busier but the food options are better. On the days that the buffet was't great, we walked down to a pizza place and a small market that is just past the adult side of the resort. The pizza was really good and averaged about $6 Canadian per person. Some of our party went to the Italian a-la-cate and said it was awful. We have never had good Italian Food in Cuba though. We went to the French a-la-carte and is was very well done. The food and the service was great. We didn't get to try the Cuban a-la-carte but I suspect that one would have been pretty good. There was also a bowling alley here that I believe was about $5 Canadian per person. The kids enjoyed that very much. The snorkelling at this resort was outstanding. There is a short path to the ocean right beside building 6. We went snorkelling in this area. If you swim to the right side there are some beautiful coral reefs with a ton of fish. We even saw sting rays. This is of the best off-beach snorkelling that we have ever done. If you like to dive or snorkel, this is a good resort for you. The larger market in Sant Maria closed down this last year which is unfortunate because it was a nice place to visit. We didn't get the chance to do it this year, but we were told that you can pay a taxi driver with a classic car $160 Canadian to drive you to the town of Remedios and back for a private tour. It's on our to do list for next year because I am told that Remedios is really beautiful. There were a few things that we did not like at this resort. There are two pool areas at this resort. The adults only side has a smaller pool that is quiet but obviously, is only for adults. If you didn't pay for this side, you can still get in but you can't get food or drinks. We were not on this side but if we had been, I would have been annoyed with the fact that I paid extra for this privacy and anyone could still get in here. Everyone going to the beach or the market needs to pass through the adults only side. My in-laws did pay to be on the adults only side. They paid significantly more than us so that they could have that privacy. They also paid extra for a full water-view room. The hotel overbooked, so they did not get a water-view room. When they inquired about it, the hotel told them that they were given a room upgrade instead of a water-view room. Their room was massive but they were only two people. They were upset because they didn't need or want a giant room. They wanted, and paid for a view that the did not get and they were never asked for their preference. The main pool area is nice but from 2pm-6pm its like going back to a dance club in the 1990's. They blast 90's techno music and rap super loud. We stayed in building 6, which is right beside the pool and could not get away from the music. It was so loud that we could hear it underwater when we were swimming in the ocean. My father-in-law has hearing aid and was miserable because he had to turn it off because of the volume of the music. Poor guy couldn't hear us speaking but still said that the music was too loud. The beach also had loud music so there was no escaping the party vibe. In my opinion, this is a great resort for a girls trip or for going with friends. Especially if you grew up in the 1990's. I would not return here with a family. Around 9am in the morning, there is an airplane the flys over the resort, multiple times, spraying some chemical to control the bugs. The good news is that bugs were not at all a problem. The bad news is that if you don't run, you will get sprayed with whatever that chemical is. Watching people scatter was quite the sight. Don't leave your clothing or towels out on the balcony to dry in the morning or they will get sprayed. This issue probably isn't resort specific but it would have liked to know about t in advance. There are shows listed in the lobby that are supposed to happen at 9:30pm in the auditorium. There were only two nights where that actually happened. The Michael Jackson show on Saturday nights was awesome. Otherwise, they do a fashion show with girls in thongs and beach cover-ups walking around the lobby and trying to sell you beach clothing. They did have a DJ or guitar player in the lobby most nights if you are into live music. The guitar player was very good and the type of music switched up from night to night. The lobby at night is very busy and again, has a party vibe that wasn't ideal for our family vacation. This is a small thing, but every time you ask for a coffee at this resort it will be made a different way and most of the time it tasted like brown water or just hot milk. We have traveled in Cuba a lot and typically their coffee is excellent. They have their own coffee brand called Cubita and they usually make killer Cafe Con Leche. There is a coffee shortage right now. On this vacation, the coffee was terrible so maybe bring your own instant coffee. One of our family members did and she just got hot water from the 24 hour cafe every morning and and had no issues. Next time, we will bring our own and leave it behind for the staff. I would suggest packing toilet paper and white wine with you. Our room always had toilet paper. Other parts of the resort did not always have it. If you go off resort, you will need it. White wine is hard to get there right now. Make sure you bring enough money to spend and tip. The bank at the resort had Canadian and US money but will only give you Cuban Pesos which are essentially useless. Nobody down there wants to get the local currency because their own stores require them to buy things in foreign currency. DO NOT bother bringing Cuban Pesos with you. The people are happy to take Canadian or US money. They can only cash paper money that is not damaged at their banks. You can tip with loonies or toonies but you will find staff asking you to trade their coins for bills if you have them. There were a lot of really great moments on this vacation. Expect to experience the friendly hospitality that you would expect in Cuba. I do think that in the future we will be looking to go to a more quite resort. Parts of are group are already planning to return in November for a girls trip to take part in some of those party vibes. We would not return as a family though.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Cuba's #1 Resort!

This resort was 98% spotless all the time,from check in to check out,spacious rooms, ample food and alcohol access from any point within,and the beach. From cleaning to maintenance, staff smiles and helpfulness, ?. Lots to do with events daily and nightly. Thanks to Nicole Kirk and the staff at Trip Central, I will diffently be booking through Nicole Kirk and Trip Central again!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Good but needs work

The bathroom wall had bubbled from moisture and mold, as well as shower knows. Shower headway broken and stains on the sheets. As per the people that work there, they were kind ad the pool and ocean beautiful. Foood was terrible, an smel of b.m (septic?) Hear cafeteria was rough.