Melia Las Dunas: Lizards Galore! And no water!!!

We just returned from our Christmas vacation from Melia, this was our second visit the first one was in 2014 it was awesome that's why we decided to return little did we know the resort has changed totally! Too many cut backs to the point that they shut off water randomly afternoon until evening and when you get back to your room you can't shower! You phone them they transfer you to 10 different extensions! And when the water does come it's cold!!! What a disaster holiday! We travel a lot in Cub [... read more]a 3 times a year but never have we experienced this before! I did read the reviews on "no water" but thought no way I have been here before and it was fine! I wish I had listened to those that warned us! Reviews are written for good reason so others do not suffer what we went through. The beach has always been windy! And the food was repeat everyday it became monotonous! Of course to go to the bathroom was a nightmare since you couldn't flush or wash your hands! (Also the toilet doors had no locks or seats! )The maids were filling buckets from the pool to dump in the toilets as there were flies all over it! No sanitation! And there were lizards everywhere on my bath towel!!! We had two rooms and the lizards were everywhere omg! If you want a good holiday DO NOT COME HERE! And we paid big bucks to come here for Christmas you think they would realize that! And of course since there was no water there was no coffee or tea or water to drink in the bar!! They wouldn't use the bottled water to pour you the water!!! It's insane! At breakfast they did not have simple things like sliced bread or black tea!!! They only keep chamomile and green tea! We are never coming back to this place and I do not recommend this place to anyone! Also Sunwing sucks! Upon checkin they made an issue on the names so we pay them extra to correct it when the names were fine! Until the supervisor saw that and then we were given identical boarding pass! So only 3 seats instead of 4! Who does that? Very unprofessional and the leg space is crazy! One can hardly move unless of course you purchase elite seats! No more sunwing for us too!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Beautiful resort but some improvements needed

The grounds are nicely done and once it is complete it will look very nice. The rooms and public areas are very nice. The service from the maids and wait staff was very good. Reception were cold and indifferent to you and your needs. The food have little selection and very bland. The beach was awesome but that area is on the windy side. Lots of beach chairs and shade available. Pool area is beautiful

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Not a true 4.5 Royalton resort - let alone the 5 star it was when we booked it!

Royalton claims it's "All-in-Luxury concept it devoted to providing...a unique experience...that features exceptional service and incredible attention to detail." The resort was "set in an idyllic location of stunning natural beauty" and delivered on the promised "pristine beach" and the regular staff were wonderful. If one wishes to have access to a quiet, adult resort with the best beach, wonderful service, clean and well accommodated rooms this resort will suffice. However, if you are [... read more] looking for the promised "Royal Spa", "Luxury Dining" and a "sophisticated luxury" all inclusive vacation promoted by Royalton you will be sorely disappointed. Let us preface our disappointment by stating that we have stayed at other, non-Royalton, adult only 4.5 star resorts promising far less in Cuba before and been MUCH HAPPIER. Our problem was that we picked this resort specifically for two reasons - the expected quality of the spa and the food. The spa was closed for the entirety of our trip - something our butler dismissed with a shrug as unimportant. He did not care that one of us was looking forward to this feature as part of our vacation experience. He did not offer to provide other services to make up for this - such as the foot massages given by the entertainment staff or the bath service that was supposed to be one of his duties. We did appreciate that, when we brought up the issue with our Nexus representative a few days later, we were offered the option of switching to another resort that had spa services in place. We did not take her up on the offer because we were living in hope by that point that the resort's food issues would be sorted out immediately and were afraid to move somewhere else that would have less emphasis on "luxury dining". The food - oh the quality of this so-called "luxury dining" Please understand that our previous experience in Cuba had included so many full lobsters cooked to perfection that we gave away what we had when we went on our catamaran outing and took breaks from the lobster by having perfectly presented chateaubriand. At this all inclusive 4.5 star one had access to all the wines available at the resort without additional cost and all liquor offered was premium - i.e. actual Bailey's (which is available in Cuba) not some eggnog tasting ripoff. Understand that we are now referring to this vacation (which was our honeymoon) as an episode of Faulty Towers. Once things went down hill - on the first full day of our trip - they never recovered. Our first breakfast was at EGGSCELLENCE, the resort's second best restaurant - where they prepared an inedible version of french toast - presented without any form of syrup and couldn't understand the concept of tea - even though we had our own tea bags with us, and could request hot water & milk in Spanish. After that experience we approached our butler hoping to book our dinner at the resort's best restaurant - SENSES - only to find out that when the Royalton says you will booking your dinner reservations through your butler what they mean is that you will be told by your butler when and which of the three a la carte restaurants you will be dining at each night. We were told we would be eating at Eggscellence that and two other nights, Senses once, SUNSET24 (the snack bar) once and Christmas eve was yet to be decided. Eggscellence did no better with dinner than they had with breakfast. Our dinners were indeed the "surprise" cried out by our server as she lifted the cloches on our entrees. The chef had covered a half lobster tail with a sweet almond crumble and kept it warm for far too long - so it was dry & disgusting (Red Lobster treats seafood better - and we avoid Red Lobster at all costs). The medium rare beef offering of our other entree was inedible. By the time we left the resort we understood that beef would only be cooked well done, cut badly and resemble shoe leather even when presented by SENSES. In fact the servers had no concept of anything other than well done beef so could not repeat back the phrase "medium rare" as "well done" would come out of their mouths instead. Anyway - dinner was so bad we stopped eating and left our table. We retreated to Sunset - hoping to survive on their snack menu - only to be pleasantly surprised by a full set menu being offered to the guests scheduled for dinner there. Everything was better at Sunset - the servers & chef were encouraging dinning with good service and food that tasted like it was cared for, UNTIL...one of our delicious pumpkin soups presented a grill cleaning wire for consumption. Luckily we tasted the wire before it was swallowed - but, if not for one server who had knowledge from the news of how dangerous such a thing is (internal bleeding being the least problem if swallowed) we doubt anyone took our concern about the wire seriously. Once again we stopped eating & insisted our butler come down to sort things out. No explanation was given as to how a grill scrub wire ended up in the soup, the chef did not come out of the kitchen to ensure we understood he was taking it seriously, and I'm still not sure they weren't going to serve said soup to others if we hadn't insisted that it not be done. So began our six days of obsequious service by our butler, the food and beverage manager, the resident manager and the new executive chef. All their stories over the next few days contradicted themselves and so seemed extremely insincere. Think of Basil Faulty attempting to placate guests no matter what Manuel does and you've a good idea of the rest of our week. We were told the chef who'd overseen the food at Eggscellence was being replaced by a Canadian - nope he was a Filipino brought up from a few different places depending on who was talking. We were told we were to receive a special dinner to make up for our first - only to find ourselves with a dozen other couples who cried out, when the new chef was introduced to us, "Does that mean better food now?" We went through at least one more inedible meal after the new chef arrived and the others were just barely edible. Ie. for our special dinner we were all given surf & turf - the turf being an overcooked filet of beef that was coated in tomato sauce and the tomato cream soup was the tomato sauce base for the pasta at Sunset that hadn't been within sniffing distance of cream. Faulty Tower moments: Being given white linen napkins and a finger bowl of petal strewn WARM RED WINE to clean up from peeling shrimp from the bbq. Filet of beef being served covered with cheese sauce being presented by the new chef. Kir Royale being sparkling white wine, grenadine & orange juice. Mocha being presented as a Monte Cristo and something more closely resembling a Monte Cristo being presented in a cocktail glass. Being told the following was a part of a menu created by the Royalton for Christmas eve dinner: Panacotta of court bouillon being served under lobster as an appetizer (no milk had been near the dish - let alone cooked) Mille feuille of potato as an entree side (no puff pastry or pastry cream within the four slices of potato) And truffle for dessert (a thin wedge of layered chocolate cake did not resemble either a true truffle or a dessert truffle in shape, texture nor flavour). All inclusive means: Good wine is displayed at Senses and Eggscellence and available for an extra cost of 20-30ish convertible Cuban pesos. If you fly Sunwing from Toronto you will arrive past 10 p.m on your first night, therefore, will not partake in the dinner you have paid for, but be expected out of your room by 2 p.m. on the day you leave unless you want to pay 35 convertible Cuban pesos per room per hour to stay in your room until the Sunwing arranged bus picks you up at 4 p.m. Being presented with Canadian food choices on their daily menu - such as hash browns, poutine, french toast, etc. that they either don't serve or have no idea what they are. Once we began voicing our issues we felt the response, other than by the lower staff who truly were doing their best and as lovely as could be in a sincere way, was one of what is the least we need to do or say to nullify the situation. Our only good meal was our last evening when - surprise, surprise, after being told the food quality problem was due to having only two food distributors in Santa Maria - we were fed two full, large, fresh lobster tails cooked simply and properly after requesting them only 4 hours before. Our appetizers, entrees, and deserts finally resembled the pictures Royalton posts of the food at this resort. But the quality and detail we received that night did not extend to the guests around us and was noticed by the other guests!!! The executive chef claimed he had personally prepared our meal - something we still doubt as he was not around between the courses when we called out the chef to thank him. Our server, who'd we'd grown to trust presented another chef as the one who cooked our meal & that cooking was consistent with any passible food we had on the resort not with what the executive chef cooked lunch for us the next day. There is a bigger issue at this resort than the quality of food. It is a lack of understanding of what "luxury" means as far as food and service is concerned. And it is a disconnect between the desire to attract Canadians and what Canadians expect. According to the Cubans we encountered Santa Maria, until the American resorts open, was set up for Canadian tourism and is intended to satisfy Canadians. Royalton promotes itself as a luxury destination worth the additional cost of staying there instead of one of the many other resorts costing at least half as much per person. Those paying $1000 a week per person are happy to have a week in the sun with poor but plentiful food and as much as they can drink 24/7. Those willing to pay Royalton prices are not looking to drink 24/7 - we can afford to do that any time we want - so we expect good food and drink in addition to the beach the resorts on either side of the Royalton have equal access to, etc. Any Canadian who choses to vacation at the prices charged by Royalton knows what a Kir Royale, panne cotta, mille feuille and truffle should be. They expect good cuts of beef to be cut, cooked, and sauced properly. We almost feel as if the Royalton did a bait and switch with their advertising. By not having anyone in charge who truly knows what "luxury" is to Canadians they have created a beautiful Southern Mediterranean resort, with lovely people, run by a Sardinian and a Portuguese who have no idea of how to give guests what Royalton says the resort will offer. If no one on staff knows what poutine, hash brown, french toast, panne cotta, etc. are, let alone how to cook them, then don't offer them!!! Or bring in a Canadian or someone who has experience with what is actually presented in the context of Canadian "luxury" to over see the place until the staff can get up to standard. Cubans want to work at these resorts - the money we Canadian's give in tips & the condos up for ownership for 15 years continuous work in Santa Maria are the motivation needed to get good, eager staff. Guests at the Royalton demonstrate that they have the means to provide larger tips than those at other resorts - so there is a motivation to do well specifically at that resort. Royalton itself, through the butlers and managers it employs, makes it clear they only want Canadian guests placated to the point we won't write bad reviews on trip advisor or elsewhere. They go from not caring if your throat gets ripped out by a wire to constantly interrupting your meal (six+ times for one lunch) to ensure you aren't going to speak badly of them. We have the means to travel. We have the means to chose Royalton or otherwise. We won't be choosing Royalton again!!!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: 2nd time in Cuba might be the last time.....

I had booked this 5 star hotel wanting a GREAT vacation by spending Christmas in the sand instead of snow. This hotel promised all the amenities of a 5 star resort BUT no one mentioned how vast the property was and if you were booked in "The Village" all adults, in order to get to the main lobby, main restaurant, Spa etc you had to call for a golf cart to come pick u up. Who wants to be waiting to be driven back and forth to your villa. Once we realized where we were on the resort, I asked to [... read more] be moved to "Duplexs" , still adult only but closer to the main part of the resort. The resort accommodated my request and we moved by the second day. Without any reduction in the price that I paid for the most expensive room. People who book here need to know there are no rooms with sea views. In order to get to the beach it is after least a 10 minutes walk. All rooms face bushes. The staff were very accommodating and tips go along way. Almost all staff were courteous and eager to please. Being a 5 star resort I would have expected more for the taste of food. I know what to expect with Cuban flair but this trip was disappointing. They have a la cart restaurants, stay far away from the Italian restaurant. Even the waiters in the buffet restaurant told us not to go there. IF you are ok with no beach views, ok with a lot of walking and ok with being shuttled by golf carts then this place should suit you fine. I must say for the first 3 days my husband and I had a entire beach to ourselves in the village section, I believe that was paradise. I did start experiencing stomach troubles on Sunday 25th, write flew home on the 27th and today the 29th, I am still feeling stomach problems. Paradise beach and great weather made the trip. Hubby and I think sadly this will be our last to trip to Cuba and we will venture back to Jamaica. Jamaica has the food, culture and rooms at or near the beach (Negril) that will make feel we got our monies worth. Bye bye Cuba :(

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Way more than what I expected !!

This is my second time in Cuba after 15 years, but my first time in this hotel, also the first time on Cayo Santa Maria. Being one of the newer hotels on the Key, the Playa has a very clean and tidy look. My large and clean ocean view room also has an impressive balcony. I was very impressed by the people working there, how nice and how talented they are! Housekeeping staff made different animal and flower arrangement with towels every day; Each day I drank a big bottle of fresh coconu [... read more]t water, from three coconuts picked right from the trees by the gardeners; Waiters at the buffet remembered my drink after two days: water only ;-) I took Spanish lessons there and practiced with every Cuban I met. They were all patient and super encouraging; I went solo there, yet I had no trouble playing tennis with the pro there or with some staff in the entertainment team; The evening shows were very good. I was amazed by the highly technical dances: the dancers are all professionals with well trained beautiful bodies. I was most surprised, pleasantly, by the variety of food choices in the Buffet and how talented the kitchen staff were! I am a guava addict and I definitely had more than my fair share of that heavenly fresh fruit ;-) That being said, there are some aspects that need some improvement, for example, 1) it would be nice to equip some yoga mat 2) It would be nice to have a better arrival service.

Melia Las Dunas: Amazing resort

Nice beautiful beach Comfort rooms Clear resort Huge buffet Friendly service Clean pool Strong air conditioner Beautiful weather with warm ocean breeze Reach bar alcohol with good test Internet connection really bad ( find most of the time internet connection was down or failed) Phone call unbelievable expensive Transportation from or to airport was the best with air conditioner bus

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort

Starfish Cayo Santa Maria was beautiful. The beach was absolutely amazing. The pool, was cold but very nice. The bartenders at the pool bar and theatre were awesome!! (Kenny and Landry) The rooms were nice, big and clean but the bed was very hard and pillows were very flat. Unfortunately, we had no hot water two afternoons. Although it was quickly fixed it was rather frustrating as we needed to shower before dinner. The busboys were great at taking us to the market and back. Very efficient and e [... read more]ntertaining. The evening entertainment was ok but it was only at the theatre. We felt that there should have been music or something at the pool grill. It was not upbeat and therefore just sitting around in the lounge drinking got boring fast. The food was great. Lots to choose from. The crepes and omelets were the best. They had a fabulous Christmas dinner complete with a pig roast. So good!! Overall, it was a great time for our first time.

Melia Buenavista: Amazing Resort

It was our first time in Cuba. After contemplating multiple resorts, we decided to go with Melia Buenavista. Pros: We loved the resort. It's very private, quiet, peaceful and secluded. No disturbance and interruptions. You are allowed to visit other Melia Resorts within the vicinity. Shuttle buses run every 45 minutes to an hour. The staff members are very friendly. The rooms are well maintained and spacious. Overall, this resort is a good getaway for a vacation. Cons: If you're a foodie,  [... read more]you might want to pick another resort. Food variety and quantity is very limited. We ended up eating at other Melia Resorts. Also, there is no Wifi available in the rooms. Wifi is only available in the lobby and pool area (limited access and slow).

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Wonderful vacation!

Everything was great, the entertainment was good, the service amazing. The dining could use some work but still many options. The beach is unreal, and constantly kept clean from seaweed, the pool was a great place to tan, swim and play volleyball or have a drink at the swim up bar!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Pretty good; amazing staff

The room was somewhat below the standard I am used to at Melia hotels - some old grimy lamps, sheets and pillows with stains on them, etc. But overall the resort was lovely - tropical lush grounds very well kept up by the tireless gardeners. Beautiful white sandy beach. And above all, what really made my stay enjoyable and memorable were the countless staff members - from the lifeguards on the beach to the servers in the restaurants, the gardeners, the front desk staff, and the tour g [... read more]uide on the bus to the airport - who made me smile every day, who taught me about their country, and who made me want to come back very very soon!!

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Perfect vacation

The hotel was very nice and modern. It was very luxurious and the workers were really really friendly. The quality of the resort was 10/10 for the price. Beach was beautiful with the reef. Will go again.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: More than expected!

We really appreciated our vacations at Warwick. First the service was excellent. They were almost devoted to us! Our room was very nice, we even had a walkin shower. The landscape and flowers were magnificents. We also find the food very good. We were surprised since we had heard so bad comments. They even have expresso machines that make succulent cappuccino ! The beach was also very nice. It is possible to get there by three paths. We preferred the one on the right facing the beach [... read more] since it is more quiet and the beach is nicer. Should I say, we had a very good experience: neat, good, friendly and awesome!

Melia Buenavista: Relaxing and beautiful

The resort was beautiful, with nice beaches and pools, room was perfect. Very quiet, probably not ideal for young people if you are looking for a party. The staff was amazing and we had very great service, especially from the pool bar staff. Food was not great and did not have a lot of continental options, but the drinks were great. Overall we were very happy with our stay but had a bit of trouble with the food because we were not used to Cuban food.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Hidden treasure!

We liked very much our vacation at Starfish! Hotel well maintained, staff friendly and professional, beaches and water fantastic. Buffet style meals gave us an opportunity to choose what we wanted. We will go there again and will recommend the hotel to our friends. Internet connection is handled by a different company . Be prepared and patient.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Nicest place in Cuba

As soon as we arrived on the Tarmac in Cuba I was stoked ( mostly because there were dogs at the airport) but also we were greeted by a super nice guide named Alejandro he was informative funny and help, the bus ride to the resort took a little longer than expected but he made the ride fun, when we arrived at the resort were helped immediatly with our check in and brought to our room which was a main floor one king size bed close to a pool (very nice), we did how ever have to change rooms after  [... read more]3 nights because Mosquitos kept getting in and my girlfriend is allergic so she reacts bad to big bites this was no issue whatsoever to the staff and they gave us a room in a building across the path on he top floor with and awesome view. The food at the resort honestly wasn't the best I've had but my girlfriend is vegan and I really don't eat meat aide from fish but the restaurants and staff did all they could to accommodate us. I cannot stress enough how helpful proud and nice the staff were they are what make this resort as good as it is. Would definitely recommend this resort any day of the week. Only pieces of advice I would give would be to bring bug spray for the beach and your own travel cup so you don't have to go back and fourth to the bars for drinks as often. Only thing I would recommend to the resort would be to change up the variety of food at the buffet a little more. 10/10 resort though will try and return someday.

Melia Las Dunas: Best time in Las Dunas

My family and I had been to this resort and returned because we knew that we would get great service, eat good food and enjoy the amazing white sand beach. The trip was memorable and the only complaint i would have is the lack of day and evening entertainment. This is definitely not a party resort so if you just want some relaxation, then this is the place for you.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: very good resort

Check in was nice and efficient. The hotel staff took our passports and did everything while we relaxed in the lobby. Pros -attentive service and good quality mixed drinks and cappuccino. -beach is spectacular, but it is at neighbouring cheaper hotels as well. -chairs on beach always available. -the room was large and clean with a good quality king mattress. -no problem booking restaurants as the "butler" did that for us. -nightly entertainment was of high quality, but low key and not boi [... read more]sterous or rowdy. -grounds are immaculately kept. -pools are clean, beautiful and chairs are available almost always. -free use of gym in pueblo, other hotels guests pay, not sure how much. -food was a little better than most other cuban hotels we have been to(about 10) Cons -all meals are a la carte. As a big guy who works out, sometimes I like to get something from the buffet without having to go through the whole process of dealing with a waiter. Their are salad bars at all meal times but they are just salad bars, no real protein other than cured meats. I would like to see the option of a full buffet at least for the breakfast and lunch available at at least one location. If I got that I would rate the hotel a full 5 but for me its a 4 due to food issues

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful, Well-maintained Resort

Grounds and gardens absolutely beautiful. Service friendly wait staff (Ariel, Yandy) and cooks. Bartenders and reception could use a hug to smile more. Entertainment dance crew were incredible, what's up with the standing 270 degree splits? Beach was beautiful, lots of loungers, water clear and warm with that awesome breeze making it a relaxing time. Workers continue to build more palapas, which will make 2017 guests happy. Although not access-friendly for tourists who have difficulties clim [... read more]bing up and down as the beach has steep bank to navigate to. Food was the best out of the other Resorts we have been to in Cuba, but it's still Cuba. Rooms spacious and comfortable, but needs balcony furniture. We would recommend this resort to people who need rest and relaxation, the tours offered will kill most of the day and you'll either be on a bus or boat most of the time.

Memories Paraiso: beautiful resort

my husband and i just returned from memories azul thur dec 22 2016 with a notion of returning again next year for third time in a row at this amazing white beach with exceptional runners on beach setting up our chairs for us to lounge around on. the beach lounges were softer than the beds....with the hard bed being the only downfall. so if you go take blow up water air mattress and save your back. the water was amazing along with the drinks on the beach. the hotel staff was warm and friendly but [... read more] front desk had no small pesos for the first two days so we were not tipping every drink as our usual. it all worked out as they got every single peso we took as they were well worth the tips. i would highly recommend this place...clean spacious huge bathtub quiet at night balmy weather and a few good laughs. nice to be home though and will enjoy christmas at our house. merry christmas to all and to all a good night. maggie and laurie meade

Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso: Awesome Experience

My husband and I went to celebrate our honeymoon and had an amazing time. Our only complaint was college students took over half way through the week. If you are looking for peace dont visit during winter break.