Great resort but terrible flight

Resort was beautiful and staff was amazing. Rooms were a little outdated but we're cleaned daily. Food was average but we could always find something to eat. Really enjoyed the food at the beach grill. Food was cooked fresh right in front of you. The beach was beautiful and water warm and clear. It would of been nice if there were more cabanas because if you weren't on the beach by 7am you were out of luck. Overall had a great vacation. Great service at the buffet from our server Yuri. If you ca [... read more]n, try to seat in his area. He's extremely efficient and knowledgeable. However, had major issues with Sunwing and would not recommend anyone travel with them. Started to experience problems from the minute I tried to book my seats from home. Sunwing will only allow you to book your seats four hours before the fight leaves which is not the norm as most airlines give you 24 hours. I tried several times to book the seats online but the system wouldn't let me. Since I live about an hour from the airport if I finally had to leave and of course by the time I reached the check in we were given what ever was left. Even had a worse experience coming home. Booked our seats ahead of time from the resort thru the Sunwing representative and paid extra. When we reached the airport we found out the seats were over the wing and we would of had better seats if we had just booked at the airport. Our bags were weighted and we were over. This didn't make any sense as we weren't over going down but were close to the limit. I had only purchased a few souvenirs and knew we couldn't possible be over that much. When I tried to place some things in my purse (it was a big purse) he told me he would have to weigh my purse. This is when another gentleman came over. I asked him what am I going to do then and he said we would have to pay. My husband asked the price and the amount was ridiculous. At this point I said this is crazy and again I questioned how could be over this much when we weren't coming down. I decided my souvenirs weren't worth that much and stated I'll have to throw them out. This is when it went from bad to worse. Without a word he picked up the garbage can and plunked it in front of me. I started to throw out my souvenirs and he never said a word except to tell us we are still over. We felt at this point we have no option but to pay so we did. We travel quiet a bit and we have never had a situation like this or have been treated like this. I have contacted Sunwing twice but am still waiting for a return call. This was the first time we have travelled with Sunwing so travellers beware.

Amazing location

The Ensenachos has two beautiful beaches but there is not enough shade provided. Too few palapasses and many of the ones that are there have part of the roof missing. The resort was not nearly full (don't believe staff when they tell you that the resort is full, they are trained to say that) and still, when you go to the beach, say 10.00 am, you won't be able to find a place in the shade. This was very disappointing for us as the beach is the main thing for us to go to the Caribean.

Great Resort

We had a great time, it was sunny every day the resort was clean, staff was friendly. Our room was clean and keep clean by a wonderful lady by name of Elneza, the beach grill served fresh fish and pizza at lunch . At the buffee for dinner one niight there was lobster very delicious. My only complain wouldbe that there was not enough shade at the beach.

Great Resort!

Excellent family resort. The kids waterpark was excellent. The pools were shallow and well kept. Staff were friendly and helpful. The food was average - there's always something around to eat. The beach was stunning - just not enough shaded area and beach loungers. Overall a great holiday!

Great holiday!

We stayed in the Grand Villa Suite section of the hotel. This area is secluded from the other areas of the hotel and is restricted to 14+. The rooms are large and spacious with a private patio and jacuzzi. We received fresh towels every day and evening maid service. The beach was a 5 minute walk from our room and it was amazing. The meals at both the Suites restaurant and the other 3 a la carte restaurants were very good. The service was wonderful.

Worth every penny!

We were there Apr 9 - 16 and enjoyed every moment. Beaches were beautiful, staff were really nice, food was ok (bring ketchup), the rooms were clean and comfortable and the location was beautiful. Definitely will return.

Beautiful resort too bad the food was bad!

We paid a lot of money to go away to a good resort. Spent the week looking for something to good to eat! Found a few good items now and then but mostly bad trip adviser said the seafood restaurant was the best! We ate the surf and turf then around 12 am we stated going to the bathroom we were sick for a day and one half I mean more sick than I have ever been! Told the management after they compensateed is by letting is check out two hours later. ( big deal ) we missed the best party of the week  [... read more]on the the beach was very disappointing . The Japanese restaurant was good best food on the resort !

Dream Vacation!

We stayed in the Spa section. Amazing beaches, pools & people! The food was OK - we always found something to eat. Wish the pools were open later. We went as a couple but plan to return with the kids!

A great time, but a few areas could be improved

I've been to Cuba about 20 times now for work and play. It's my third time at Ensenachos, mostly because of their incredible tennis pro, Reno, and the amazing musicians, who perform in the lobby and at the sports bar by the beach. The gardeners are also to be commended and the staff are all very nice. The food this time was not up to previous standards, especially in the buffet. And for the first time, we had problems with bugs (he-hens ?), which are very irritating but tend to be seasonal and o [... read more]nly out early morning and early evening. I'd recommend bringing a repellent with high DEET content for this time of year (April). I don't know if the hotel can deal with this problem. There were trucks spraying pesticides on a couple of occasions.

The resort was everything that was advertised

The resort was exceptional in its layout, quality of staff and food provided. The beach was beautiful and staff were warm and friendly. The rooms were clean and modern and the amenities were top notch.

Nice Beaches but the Hotel has Issues

Just returned after a week at this hotel. 2 adults and 2 children. We usually go on all inclusive vacations 2-3 times per year. We have stayed at some 3 stars in the past and I've never felt the need to write a negative review. We are not hard to please and don't complain. This hotel was a new experience for us. Towels were extremely hard to come by for the pool/beach area. It took us 3 days to change our towels. This could have been timing and just not being there when there were clean towels  [... read more]but we were warned by another person as soon as we got there about it. In our room, we noticed that our towels were not actually being changed. We are all about conserving energy/water but our shower had no seal at the bottom and had water flowing out of the shower onto the tile. We had no option but to use the towels to mop up the water so our kids didn't slip and fall. These towels were soaked and on the floor in a pile. They were just hung up to dry. There was no washcloths so I used towels to wash off makeup before bed and these towels stayed in our room. One morning our youngest had a bit of an accident on the bed sheet, it was poop(sorry to be gross) we took this fitted sheet right off the bed so that the bedding would be changed. That night we went to get into bed and saw that they had made the bed with this same dirty sheet but just turned it over. I called front desk and asked for another sheet and was told that someone from housekeeping would bring one. Half an hour later, there was still no sheet so I called again and was told the same thing. No one came with a sheet. It was late at this point and with little kids we had to get them to bed. In case anyone was wondering, yes, we were tipping every day. We also had 2 pairs of mens swim shorts stolen from the balcony. Nothing else was missing. The staff at the hotel were very nice. The beaches are beautiful but a bit of a walk. Stayed March 2015

Great resort. Will definitely return again

The people at this resort were very accommodating. The food is not as good as Mexico, but for Cuban standard it is by far the best. If you love seafood, you will love this place. The food are all organic and the meat (pork, beef and chicken) have very little fat, so the meat was a bit hard. I ate mostly fish, lobsters and shrimps, so I enjoyed it. Will definitely return again!!

Poor

The grounds were very nice but the service and food very bad. Our stay was 10 days March 8 - 18. Three days no hot water and 1 day no water at all. At one time it may have been a 5 star but at best it is a 3 star now. Will never go back nor would I ever recommend it.

Beautiful restful fantastic!

We had a great vacation. Thank you for helping me find it and book it! The hotel is beautiful, nestled among trees and bushes. Two beautiful long snow white beaches with a gentle incline and little surf, perfect for my 83 year old mother. Lots of nature. No motorized boats. You can imagine you are on a desert island! Wreck for snorkeling a few hundred yards off the beach on a very shallow sandbar. You can walk out to it on the sandbar, at low tide deepest water max hip deep, mostly ankle deep.  [... read more]Reefs for snorkeling. Sailboats, kayaks and paddleboats. Lots of activities and sports organizers for my 15 year old. Friendly and fun. She met a number of other kids her age. The beauty of the hotel is that it is very spread out, but that means you need to walk quite a bit... or order a ride from the bell boy. We walked and it was very nice. Food was excellent (for Cuban). Lots of fresh grilled fish, lobster and shrimps. Lots of fresh salad and fruit. Delicious roast piglet, chicken, ham. Rices, beans, pastas. Delicious omelettes for breakfast. People who complain need to remember they are in Cuba and Cuban food is simple. It's not a foody delight. It's delicious basic home cooking reminiscent of my grandmother's era. Our first room was on the ground floor. A little damp. We were able to change to a 2nd floor room on the 2nd day. The rooms are in two floor buildings with an open central courtyard. Entrance off the courtyard. Windows and balconies facing out. Beautiful views onto trees, bushes and bougainvillea. Very quiet everywhere. Gorgeous spacious limestone bathrooms with separate bath and shower and private toilet room and natural light. Beds were comfortable doubles (not queens). Perfect for my 15 year old and myself to share... no need for the cot in a triple for us. Everything worked. Daily minifridge restock with whatever you want. Very pleasant decorations. Our air conditioning would not turn off on our first night in the 2nd floor room. It took a while to get the technician to come out. He was very effective and efficient when he came. The front desk is the key communication point if people have difficulties. They need training in how to communicate with pushy North Americans. They tend to push you off rather than communicate clearly. When I was trying to get the air conditioning technician one of the girls started hanging up on me. I kept calling because their promises were not being met and I was not sure they were actually calling the technician. It would have been easy to say, he is very busy and it will take one hour rather than promising 10 minutes over and over again. And I was being nice. Many of the tourists are not. I'd say this was the weakest link in the hotel. They need a training and coaching program to solve it. Visiting the front desk when it was not busy and speaking nicely with staff was the best way to get things done. They were very helpful then. Bad on the phones. Otherwise the staff were all very nice, friendly and ready to help. Amazing considering how far some of them travel to work there. Tips are important as this is their livelihood and they are otherwise quite poor. The evening shows were of a high quality and the dancers gave it their all. Very impressive. Hola Sun itself is not very organized. We were not on their list when we arrived (probably because we were so last minute), but they put us on a bus with the Montreal flight that came in a little after us. This was OK. We don't believe they sent a bus to take us back to the airport. We were told not to go on the Air Transat bus (our airline) but to wait for the Hola Sun bus. One never came for the Toronto folks and the Montreal bus guide was kind enough to let us on hers, but it took some discussion with her and the Air Transat rep. Not sure what would have happened had we not been proactive. We also took a day trip to Havana. We flew. Guide and bus for the day, including lunch. Cost 214 CUC. Excellent value for money. We left around 7am and returned around 9 pm. Very interesting day. Highly recommend it. The hotel has a beautiful large elegant open air lobby where people arrive, gather in the evening, etc. Guests mingle and talk. Very friendly. Don't expect to buy anything you need from the hotel shop. Mostly chips, drinks, tshirts, bathing suits, hats, flipflops. My sunglasses broke... I could not find any for sale anywhere in Cuba... although Cubans all wear them. I would happily return to this resort. We enjoyed it very much and feel we had good value for money.

Grand Villa Suites

We had an excellent vacation. Weather was perfect. Grounds were gorgeous. Of course, the beaches were breath taking. Staff was friendly and very accommodating. To quote our Concierge, "there is no such thing as "No"." The Grand Villa Suites area of the resort is a true 5 star resort. Other areas such as Park Area and Spa Area not so much. It is well worth the extra funds to upgrade. We are looking forward to our next visit.

The best I have been to in Cuba in the 3 time!!

The place was beautiful!! The beaches were amazing , the staff excellent, and the food was good for Cuba!! We had a blas! Entertaine is a must see. Went on the catamaran tour and that is a must thing to do!! Would I go back to this resort? yes in a heart beat!!

Iberostar Ensenachos

We had a great week at the Iberostar Ensenachos. Our room was lovely, the food was good. The staff was most friendly and helpful. The beaches were spectacular, especially Ensanados beach... white sand as far as the eye can see and good ssnorkeling.

Never disappointed

This was our third vacation to this resort; once as Royal Hideaway and twice as Iberostar. Although there are a couple of signs of the resort looking a little tired, it did not affect our overall vacation. The beaches are still the most beautiful in Cuba. The staff are the best by far, warm friendly hospitality from all (gardeners, chamber maids, waiters, waitresses, bellhops, registation and travel reps). Everyone goes out of their way without pestering you to ensure you are having a wonderul v [... read more]acation. The al a carte restaurants were excellent and we actually thought the variety in the buffet restaurant was better than on previous visits. As this was our first visit to this resort with a youngster we hoped it would still be terrific and we were not disappointed. The staff goes out of their way to make sure even the little ones are having a great time. Our family would highly recommend this resort to families and adults alike.

Very good resort

Beautiful gardens. Polite,helpful and considerate staff. Good variety of dishes at all meals. Rooms could use a coat of paint. Spa pool could use a good scrubbing as well as some chairs in the dining room.

Wonderful family vacation!

This is our 3rd time visiting this resort as a family. The beach is wonderful, and the kids waterpark and kids club is fantastic. The staff are very energetic and great with the kids. The lush green grounds are beautiful, very well maintained and extensive. The rooms are also very nice compared with other places we've stayed in, in the Carribean. I would highly recommend this resort for families looking to get a good balance of beach/pool, with great service/food in Cuba.