Melia Buenavista: Best of Everything!

The resort is very rich in everything. The rooms are very comfortable and clean, outdoor private balcony with shower under the stars. The restaurants are great! Great view of the Ocean, great selection of a la carte menus and very efficient staff. Lots of fresh selection on the breakfast and lunch buffet. The 3 beaches are all unique and amazing!! White sand and see through crystal turquoise water. The entertainment team is so much fun! Yoga at the beach, aqua gym, salsa dance with the [... read more] amazing and energetic teacher Andrenxon? The sunset rituals are something out of this world! Incredible!! I will return to this Gem of a resort and I recommend to everyone!

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Amazing Resort

My first holiday in almost 20 years..first time to Cuba... people were so friendly and accommodating ..most amazing ocean view...room shared with 2 others and still felt spacious...walked the beautiful beach early in the mornings with my coffee.. server Geovel was so friendly and always entertaining the 5 kids with our family and friends.. If ever given the opportunity I would happily return there..

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: beautiful resort

Grounds , public areas, rooms were regularly serviced. Food needs more attention, hope kitchen staff will be able to apply proper spices to improve food-taste. Excellent service at the reception area specially from AIRAM that was available all the time to accommodate our needs.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Nice resort with beautiful beach.

Thank you Liz Simunic for booking our flight and resort for us. The resort grounds and gardens were beautiful and the beach was great. When we had problems booking on line we contacted you and you made the process easy . You checked back with us by email to see if we had further questions about our trip and also provided park and fly information and coupon. We appreciated your excellent service. Regards Jerry and Dorothy.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Beautiful and relaxing

First time visiting this area of Cuba. We upgraded to air suite cabana and the room was lovely and clean. The staff was very helpful and friendly. This is not a party resort but entertainment in the lobby bar in the evening was fun. Pools were clean, beaches the best I've seen in Cuba. Buffer was large and seafood cooked fresh. They tried to use the supplies creatively. There was even shepherds pie, Brussel sprouts. They couldn't get eggs two days but still had French toast and lots of other ch [... read more]oices. The embargo has made getting supplies difficult but they did well with what they had. I would return but do not go expecting comparable to other Caribbean countries not facing such supply issues. Cuba and uts people work hard and are super hosts.

Valentin Perla Blanca: One of the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria

The hotel is tastefully made and designed. Loved the garden and the landscaping work. Rooms are clean and spacious. The food is great- it is cuba so you have to come with an understanding and willingness to try different food than your usual. The seafood they served was absolutely the best part. Freshest calamari I have ever had in my life. Entertainment team worked really hard koodoos to all of them. The only problem was the repetitiveness. Maybe through in a karaoke or some more engaging activ [... read more]ities in between for a change. We got to see the other resorts on the island and came to love our own much better. The ocean and beach get A+ no need for my words. Very friendly staff. Keep in mind if you want to see the city and the “real” cuba you have to leave island and that’s 48km. So renting a car is a must, or get one of the excursions. We rented a car because we like having the freedom. Excursions don’t take you deep into the city, only main squares. If you like to learn about people, their living conditions and real cuba I highly recommend renting a car for one day and go to Cambarien and Remedios. Overall I recommend.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Not Happy!

We decided to return to Angsana after a 2 week stay last year. The resort has declined substancially this year.Upon booking we paid $800 more for the same room as others we travelled with. Our room was Superior ocean view and the others were partial Ocean view for the same room. Rooms were not as clean,sheets and towels were not changed in 2 weeks. We were only able to exchange our beach towel once in 2 weeks.The resort also had numerous shortages such as White wine,eggs,bacon,ham,coldcuts. The  [... read more]buffet was the same every day. I feel as a good Sunwing customer i should recieve a credit for the price difference in the rooms.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: AMAZING RESORT!

We were a group of 8, and we all enjoyed this resort. The rooms are modern and clean, as is the rest of the hotel. Staff is very friendly and go out of there way to help. The beach is awesome and you can go for long walks, collect shells or swim in the clear blue ocean. The food was very good for Cuba, some shortages like eggs but we did get eggs for 4 days in a row. None of us starved, there was always something for everyone. Plenty of drinks and pop, they even had rice pudding every night [... read more] which was delicious. We are definitely going back next year. This was my 4th time to Cuba and this resort should be a 4.5 - 5 star. The only negative I do have to say about this resort, is they need to organize the buffet a little better so there isn't long lines and people trying to cut into line to get their food. They had different stations, one grilling fish, one grilling chicken or pork and another doing fried rice for lunch and supper. For breakfast, when they had eggs, they cooked then the way you wanted at one of the grilling stations, and they also had pancakes, but bring your own syrup. I will be sending a email to the resort with some suggestions that our group found might be helpful for the buffet. Big shout out to our waitress at the buffet "Mayumi" - we miss her already! Bring salt, pepper, peanut butter, jam, syrup for pancakes, and coleslaw dressing because they always have coleslaw at the buffet but only mayo for it.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Definitely a disappointment

While the beach was great, and most of the staff were lovely the current environment of shortages greatly impacted our two week stay. There were no eggs for the first 10 days and white wine only at the limited reservation restaurant a few visits. No bacon but so much hot dog weiners in everything. Food choices were very limited and it became very monotonous—almost dreaded going to the buffet. Toasters did not work well. Butter tasted like lard so bring your own. Bring peanut butter, jam, ho [... read more]t sauce, salt and pepper. Hamburgers were pretty good at pool and the big beach food shack. Chicken sandwiches at pool bar were never the same—sometimes great and other times awful. Same with the pizzas. Bar at big beach made fabulous mojitos. Bring your own water bottles or large plastic glasses for the bars to make drinks in. They have tiny glasses so you will spend all your time getting drinks. The service was very hit and miss. Some staff were very friendly while others seemed to avoid eye contact so a lot of time waiting to be served drinks. But when the good staff were there it was great. Drinks were hit and miss and varied each time you order. A great margarita once then later on it was just water, tequila and ice despite the server indicating they had lime. So many wasted drinks. There was no real real entertainment or if they did anything it was very late and geared only to the younger crowd. They had karaoke a couple of times but almost 10:00 before it got started. No big song/dance/comedy shows. Everyday seemed like the last with nothing to look forward to. Sheets only changed once in the two weeks we were there despite asking several times. Changed only on the last night. Beach towels were not immediately available and then we could not get them changed during the whole two weeks. We were always told they had none. So spent time with a very wet towel. There was mold on the walls in the bathroom and an intermittent sewer smell. We had a lot of issues with wifi and our room keys had to be fixed several times. One of our group had a door that would not stay locked. The Sunwing representative was pretty useless. His English was very poor and despite trying to book an excursion and him promising to let us know when we could book—he took our room numbers—we never were able to book it. He kept telling us it was cancelled and then after checking repeatedly over the two weeks he said it was all booked up so we could not go. We wanted to get snorkeling equipment to use from the beach but despite telling us that equipment was available we were never able to find it. So no snorkeling. Bring your own equipment if you want it. Bus to the market which is supposed to come at regular intervals did not show up at all one day and we waited forever the next time we tried to go. We were told we had to pay $5 American per person for the bus and that he would not take $5 Canadian but we saw others paying Canadian. Not that big of a deal but annoying all the same. The market is tiny and doesn’t offer very much. A few trinkets but don’t expect much. We will not go back. We went because our friends had been there the previous year but they were shocked at how it had gone downhill. I know some shortages were expected but the service and experience did not meet expectations either. Also paid for a Superior Ocean View and most of our view was the pool bar building. Did not feel luxurious and not worth the extra cost.

Memories Paraiso: Ok

The hotel is in the very beautiful beach ?? the resort has a beautiful landscape is very good for walking around and for exercise, the food is ok but lunch and dinner buffet has seafood almost every day.but the hotel can’t not mention the basic need no toilet paper in the public bathroom no soap in the public bathrooms no coffee almost every day no beer

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Wonderful resort

We have been to Cuba many times, but this time we vacationed at Iberostar Selection Ensenachos in Cayo Santa Maria and from the first day we felt at home. Excellent management and honest, dedicated employees make our stay at this resort pleasant and stress-free. Clean rooms, great swimming pools, huge selection of food, rich greenery, beautiful beach, peace and relaxation. Thank you to everyone at Iberostar Selection Ensenachos for a wonderful 14 days of vacation.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort

The resort and its staff are beautiful and helpful. Because of the pain in my knees I was limited to where I could walk, so they moved me to a closer building to the buffet. (much appreciated). We tipped the housekeeping staff, buffet waitress, and lobby bar staff, but this is purely personal. All in all we would go back to that resort again. The only negative is, the long bumpy 2 hour bus ride from the airport to the resort.

Iberostar Coral Ensenachos: Beautiful resort

We stayed in a family unit even though we paid for a single. Apparently they didn't have single available. Beautiful unit - 2 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms, living and dining rooms, kitchen, outdoor hot tub. The staff were very helpful and friendly. The grounds and beach were beautiful. There was live music during the afternoon and evening on most days and a show was presented each evening. The resort didn't seem to be anywhere near their capacity, but there were shortages - eggs, lettuce, potatoes, [... read more] mushrooms, onions etc. This is a Cuba problem and not the resort. Bring Canadian or American currency for tipping . These wonderful people have lost faith in their currency and deserve much better. D

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing Resort

Went from feb 8th thru 15. It was our second time at this resort and still exceeded our expectations! Our housekeeping was amazing and the bar tenders are so friendly and so much fun! The food for being in Cuba was very good! Never went hungry. On Valentines the buffet was out of this world and the entertainment was so much fun that day staring with a foam party at the pool which was so much fun, after dinner they had a mini disco and singers and performers! I must say they went above and beyond [... read more] for us. We had our friends from the resort from the first time there and they were so happy to see us as we were to see them! I honestly can’t complain and can’t wait for our third trip!!! I wouldn’t have any problem recommending this resort ???

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas Cuba

We arrived on the 8 Feb 2024 at Melia Las Dunas Resort in Cayo Santa Marie and started the check in process. When asked for a room with a king-size bed we were told that it would be a 350 dollar upgrade. We accepted the room we were assigned which was room 4812. When we arrived at 4812 and opened the door we were greeted with the instant smell/odor of mold/musty. We went to open the patio doors and they were not locked so we tried to lock them to see if it works and we were unable to lock the [... read more]m and we were located on the ground floor. I went to use the phone and call the front desk to inform them of this issue and the phone did not work, so we had no way of reaching the front desk. After a few minutes in the room I realized the mold smell was coming from the Air Conditioning and shut it off which helped the smell dissipate a little. After returning from a walk around the resort we attempted to have a shower at which time we realized that we had no hot water pressure in the shower area. The only way to get the shower to engage was to turn on full cold water. But yet the bathroom sink worked great. At this point we walked up to the front desk and talked to customer service. I was asked if I had turn the shower taps all the way to the left for hot water. I explained that I had and yes I was familiar with the operation of a shower. I was basically brushed off by customer service. Later that day I wrote a complaint on the Sun Wing and Trip Central sites. The next day I received a paper directing me to go to customer service. Upon my return to customer service I was greeted by a staff member that was not to happy that I written my complaints on the web sites. I was offered another room and compensation of a bottle of Rum after signing paperwork listing the issues with room 4812. We promptly took room 3022 even though it was away from the group of twelve that we were traveling with. We packed and moved to room 3022. The next day we got up and went to the beach/pool with the group we were traveling with. Upon returning to our room later in the day to get ready to go on a Sunset Dinner cruise we discover that the Bathroom had flooded and there was shit and water all over the place ( I have Pictures). When I contacted the front desk they said that they were aware of the issue and that there would be another room available for us after 4 pm. I tried to explain to them that we were going on the cruise and wanted to get cleaned up before we went and they basically said to bad but that is the best that we can do and we could get the keys for our new room when we returned later that night. Upon returning to room 3022 I had to walk through the water and other stuff still on the floor in the bathroom to get our shaving kits and other toiletries because they had not bother to clean any of the mess up. After carefully looking over room 3022 to make sure we had not forgotten anything we moved to room 3015. Later that night I was violently ill. This put me in my room for basically 36 hours. I had received an email from Trip Central that directed me to talk to the Sun Wing Rep. On Tuesday the 13 Feb I received this email because the Wifi did work most of the time. On the 14 Feb I approached the Sun Wing Rep as directed and was greet with her asking why I was tell her these things when I was leaving the next day. I looked at her and could not believe what she had said. She reluctantly started to write down what I was saying to her. I also mentioned that I had not received the bottle of rum I was promised for compensation yet. We say her talking to a Resort Manager after I finished telling her the problem. I was informed that the bottle of rum was placed in room 3022 the afternoon that the bathroom had flooded. Both my wife and I never saw a bottle of rum while looking around the room to ensure we had not forgotten any of our belongings before moving to room 3015. Needless to say every time I mentioned this to customer service or the Sun Wing Rep I was brushed off and never did receive the bottle of rum I was promised. The other issues with this Resort include running out of food like Eggs, Bacon, Bread and Coffee. The Wifi was never worked properly. Some staff seemed unfriendly when approached with concerns. The Woman’s washroom by the Adult pool had no running water on one occasion, which meant that they could not flush the toilets. I was also served a raw piece of chicken directly off the grill by one of the cooks from the kitchen staff (Picture available).

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Great experience

First time returning to Cuba, after 2020, it was also first time in Cayo Santa Maria. The resort didn't disappoint, it was in quite decent condition. Room was clean and beds always freshly made. Had hot water at all the hours. The pool was well maintained and pretty inviting. Food was probably best I've had in Cuba as much as the situation allows it. The chef's were creative with the restrictions imposed on them. On a couple of occasions I very much enjoyed the burger at the snack bar by the  [... read more]pool, that was the culinary surprise of the trip. The beach is absolutely amazing and snorkeling was as interesting as it can be, making it the best possible experience of the trip. The staff was pleasant and I had the pleasure to go for a short catamaran trip around Cayo Espanola. Ask the guys at the beach for the experience, it will be interesting. If you're interested in an snorkeling experience, they can take you for a couple of hours trip by the reef which is supposed to be quite interesting for a small fee. Now the least pleasant part: The worst thing was the sandflies bites which became really difficult to bear by the end of the 2 week trip. These creatures are so tiny, it's almost impossible to see them but their bite is really unpleasant. Be prepared and bring bug repellent, it will be worth it's weight in gold! The small lagoon, between the resort and hotel is a wonderful part of the biosphere but the miasma emanating from it can be quite strong. All in all, this was a great experience for a winter getaway especially at the price that was purchased. There were quite a few tourists on the second week giving the feeling of a semi-private resort, somehow. Looking forward to go back as soon as possible

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Great resort

Most of the staff were very helpful, very good service. Great beach and pools. Lots of chair’s available all the time. Some food items were not available, like eggs, butter and jam. Some cocktails not available. But we had plenty to eat and drink. The weather was great overall. The mattress should be changed, you can feel all the springs.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: First solo trip

Being on my trip alone this time, it was crucial for me to feel safe. I needed to change rooms, they were awesome in assisting me with my needs. Folks are very nice, was told it's very safe and eventhough it's slightly old... they work very hard at keeping things clean. I was already warned that the food wasn't that great, so I brought stuff and I did manage to find a few things to feel content. I had brought gifts to offer everyone that assisted or served me. If you can bring shoes or school su [... read more]pplies to help the locals. My cleanilady was the sweetest and I will miss her smile. The beach is gorgeous and the sand very clean and soft. Plenty of long chairs both at pool and beach area, as well as shady spots. I was grateful the sealed bottles of water they gave but I had brought water tablets in case. Their was entertainment such as dj and fashion show at pool area during the day, in the evening the dj would keep everyone laughing and dancing at the bar. The bus ride is very entertaining and they tell you about Cuba. The airport is small but clean, make sure you get many 1usd dollars to give as tips & don't exchange too much of yr money in pesos cause you might stay stuck with them. Their currency changes every 4-5 yrs. Bring tiny kleenex packs, wipes & a tiny handsome bottles since most of the public bathroom have none. You may see ladies offering some but they do it to get money to survive so pls tip. Lots more to say but this should help. Overall a beautiful place with very hard working kind ppl but I will be going to explore other places.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Not as advertised! 2 star

Wow people are delusional…this is not a 5 star resort! 2 star at best! Your butler encourages you to give a 5 star review…joke! You get what you pay for! So many shortages to list and the food is well…awful! Stained unwashed sheets and blankets…no beach towels on the daily…etc etc! The beach is 10/10 but good luck finding shade due to the lack of beach chairs and tiki huts! Oh and the word “sanctuary” is not as advertised especially when the crop duster plane sprays you daily on the beautiful be [... read more]ach! Pathetic! Please stay away at all costs!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beautiful Resort

We arrived at the resort check in was smooth however our room wasn’t ready until four hours latter. However, it gives us time to become familiar with the resort and have lunch. We were one of the first stops after leaving the airport. First the good things about the resort there was sufficient amount of food in the buffets. They had roast pork, chicken, beef and salmon which was freshly cooked and it was warm. The pizzas were good and fresh. Plenty of bread and butter. The sweets were the best  [... read more]we every tasted at any of the resorts we been to before. The down side lot of stuff was reused and was often cold. The eggs where powdered eggs and the bacon was chopped up in cubes and placed under the heating lamps. The Mengano Beach snack bar was great grilled chicken, sausage’s, hotdogs, beef or chicken bulgers. They had soup and some salade items. I really enjoyed this place and the service was great. The Mengano Beach bar was great having a wide variety of drinks alcohol and non-alcohol. The Mengano Beach was the place where the activities occurred. The animation team could improve a little more if you are into these things. The lounger guy was on top of things finding you places on the beach in the shade. The Ensenacho Beach area is beautiful and you got to get there early it quickly fills up in the morning. Be prepared to stay the day it’s a bit of a walk to the main buffet. Also, the water appears to be a bit warmer. The bar has good service lots of alcohol but no power for the draft beer. They do take the beer down in water bottles. The snack bar is grilled just burgers and hotdogs. The la Carte restaurants were not bad they had hot food which was very good. The only choices we had was Cuban, Asian and Italian. The food was really good. The rooms were large with a walk-in closet. Large bathroom with both shower and tub. The beds were your normal Cuban mattresses. The resort grounds are beautiful and so nice to walk around. The resort is still in good shape but is showing her age a little. They appear to doing some work on the outside. The resort was at 30 per cent capacity when we arrived. The good thing about Cayo Santa Marie there wasn’t any Russians. The tour guide on the way in from the airport said Cayo Santa Maria area is usually 90 per cent Canadian Tourist. The staff work very hard and appear to a little older worker. The negatives the buffet items were cold, powdered eggs and no tonic water. But we couldn’t beat the price it like 2008 prices. Cuba is suffering and numerous times been told the they need the Canadians to return to their resorts. We were reminded how important we are to the Cuban tourism. The good thing we usual enjoy ourselves in Cuba. Just remember the price is half price of going to DR, Mexico or Jamicia. I would return to this resort again. Just a note some of the resorts in that area had run out of beer for a couple of days and had no eggs or butter. If you keep it in mind there are shortages and no fault of the workers you still will enjoy if you can't accept that go somewhere else.