Awesome beach / snorkelling

Travelled to Pestana, Cayo Coco March 12-19, 2015 with my husband and close friend. This was a smaller resort than we were used too but it was great. Easy to get around, everything was close together and everything was clean. The rooms were clean, we did have a broken shower head but we managed just fine. Always had hot water and lots of water pressure. The beds are small but that is common in Cuba. Food was good, good selections. The pizza at the beach bbq was awesome and we ate it everyday rig [... read more]ht on the beach. My husband and friend really enjoyed the fish that was fried up on the beach. The beach bar staff were a lot of fun, wish they could keep more mint as they weren't able to make mojitos part way through the week but that really was not the end of the world. The beach was exactly what we were looking for - white sand and a bit rocky with coral for great snorkelling. We used the paddle boats and the catamarans. We went out for a bit longer catamaran ride and did some snorkelling at a coral reef just off the resort beach. The workers were all wonderful, always smiling and willing to help. The disco dj's were a lot of fun. The entertainment at night was some of the best we have seen, a good variety and well put together. I was a little surprised to see mosquitoes as i have never seen bugs at other places, i am guessing that they don't spray at this resort and at night at the show i found them to be the worst, that was probably my only really negative comment about Pestana. I would recommend this hotel to friends. We really enjoyed our stay and would go back.

Nice vacation resort

We found this resort to be very clean and the staff very pleaseant to deal with. Our housekeeper went above an beyond to ensure our room was always clean, and nicely decorated. We always looked forward to returning to our room to see what surprise she had left us. The reception desk staff were very pleaseant and tried there best to ensure we were looked after. We generally found all the Hotel staff, Sunwing tour operators, and tour guides to be the friendliest and caring people and they made our [... read more] vacation a trip to remember. The only issue we had was with the "Banker". We found this person to be rude, and felt he obviously did not enjoy his job. Not only would he be rude in the way he spoke to people, he would put up his "lunch" sign if he did not want to deal with you, and then take it down for the next person in line. He made one person go back to their room to get their passport and then when they returned did not even look at it. One of the most difficult problems we had was trying to acquire Pesos so we could tip the staff for the great service they provided. During our entire visit, the bank never had any available. Unfortunatley this meant some staff did not get a well deserved tip, or we would have to go to each bar and try to get change from the staff. The facility is still very new, but as appears normal in Cuba, maintenance is going to be an issue. With it only being 2 years old, there are signs of lack of maintenance. (broken missing path lights, rust on bath room shelves, broken taps, missing tiles in pool, etc.) The A la carte restaurents were disappointing as I tend to expect the food at these types of restaurents to be better than the buffet. In this case the buffet quality significantly exceeded the A la carte food. (e.g. the alfredo sauce in the italian restaurent tasted like uncooked flour). Overall, we would definitely return to this resort and hope that they continue to work on addressing the issues that are raised with them (yes, we did talk to them about the banker and food) We realize things do go wrong, but it is how they are dealt with that will determine the success of a resort.

Good resort

food was quite good for Cuba the fish hut on the beach excellent Calamari was yum the guy ran out of fish one day and did us the calamari such a sweet heart,also the Poutine good change from the usual ham and cheese sandwich. The rooms are very clean bed linens very very clean which is very important for me. Asked for a extra pillow got one right away, staff very friendly and polite,needs a separate disco away from the main lobby other than that had a great time, my 19 year old son accompanied m [... read more]e on this trip and we have been to Cuba many many times, he said he enjoyed his stay also mission accomplished great change from regular reading week lol.

Very pleased

It was our first visit to Cayo Coco, and I am glad it happened to be Pestana Cayo Coco resort. We had a great vacation! We came with our 4 children (9 to 20 yr old) one week before the March break but the resort was practically fully packed. (As we found out, March break in Quebec is one week earlier than in Ontario.) Yes, there were lots of people on the beach and in the buffet, but it didn't spoil any good impressions at all. It was actually nice to see so many families with children of all ag [... read more]es. In spite of so many youngsters, it was quiet and peaceful. Pestana Cayo Coco is a relatively new resort. All buildings are in a good condition, very clean and tidy. Hotel grounds are nicely designed and well kept. Food was very good as well. Every day choice of fresh fish and other seafood, cheese, fruits... My husband really liked pasta. Boys' favorite place was a Snack Bar (open 24 hrs) - with fries, chicken sandwiches and other all time North American favorites. A small inconvenience was the late check-in upon arrival. We came to the hotel around 10:30 am and were told that our rooms will be available only by 3 pm. We took our swimming suits and sunscreen out of the suitcases, put all our stuff to the luggage room and spent time on the beach. Another thing which could be better is the left half of the beach. It is great for sun bathing but not so convenient for swimming because of the corrals in the water. But the right half is great. Just want to say, that this resort left a very pleasant overall impression. People who visit Cuba more or less frequently know that you don't have to expect that everything will be great. Often, if you have a beautiful and comfortable hotel, you might have to put up with poor food, service, or not so great beach; or vice verse. Pestana Cayo Coco is a positive exception. We liked the overall value, including hotel rooms, grounds, food and beach. It's a good place for a vacation!

Beautiful beach, water and lovely staff!

A lovely newer hotel, beautiful clean beach and clear/clean/warm water...best beach in the area and much clearer of any shells etc then its neighbours. Fantastic mojitos and pretty decent draft beer for a resort. The food was plentiful and pretty good array day-to-day and for Cuba overall. The Cuban and Italian restaurants were very good and the service excellent. I know some people weren't thrilled with some of the food but I think thats normal for some travellers...eating at a buffet for for a [... read more] week just isnt ideal for most and if you want a 5* dining experience at a certain price point then you're just not realistic. Our room was also very clean and the maidservice was excellent, we stayed in Building 9 and our room was always done earlier in the day which was ideal having a toddler with us who needed a nap early afternoon. We had a few minor hiccups when we got there having booked a suite which was then unavailable due to some maintenance issues...though we were very disappointed, the Customer Service staff (particularly Joanna) went out of their way to move us to a lovely 3rd floor room with an ocean view to make up for it and checked in with us all week to ensure all was well. Our 23 month old had a great time; this is an ideal resort for little ones given the friendly staff, clean beach, wade in pool, 2 kids pools and kids club/park area. It is also not overly large in size so very walkable. The nightly entertainment was also very very good and they had a 'kids disco' half-hour which they all thought was fabulous. My only complaint overall I think would be they need to add some more food choices at the snack bar, and stock up on napkins/tea spoons at the ice cream station. :)

Nice Resort

We had a lovely time at the Pestana the apartment was clean, the food was good, had a good selection our favourite was the omelettes and the grill bar Ranchos. The beach was lovely too, but due to winds no boats out and no snorkel equipment so take your own so not to be disappointed. The entertainment was good but not much for our 10 year old. The restaurants got booked up early so had to go for the 8.30 dine some nights so you missed the entertainment. The staff were lovely but the reception st [... read more]aff were a little frosty. Overall we had a lovely time but got a little busy towards the end and not enough seating room for the amount of guests in the evenings

All over review

Pestana resort is very clean,staff amazing. Pool is very clean and easy to access.beach and ocean beautiful,, lots of loungers,which beach guy will put where you want them. Buffet is very busy,long lineups for omelettes and fried eggs, bacon was cold and under cooked,but the omelette guy will put it on the grill for you.staff will serve you tea and coffee,which is nice. They don't have teaspoons so I suggest you pack some plastic ones to take with you,especially if you have kids. All a la cartes [... read more] were very good, especially the Cuban restaurant.

For such a busy week feb 20 everything was great.

washrooms were clean, food was good, beach was clean. overall a good time. pool area good. bbq area served good lunches. quiet resort with local entertainment at night. a la carte dinners were the only drawback. Food better at buffet area

Very Disappointed

Visited Feb 28 - Mar 7/15 The service at this hotel is horrible. I travel to resorts 1-2 times per year and this is the only resort I would NOT return. The towels are only changed every 2-3 days and 1 day we got used towels. They smelled really bad. The beach towels have the same issue that they don't have any and you have to wait days with the same towel. They are not accommodating with any room requests. We were on the ground floor with a patio door that wouldn't lock. Asked to change and gave [... read more] 2 twin beds. They said that was our choice to stay in the original room or have the twin beds. The food was not great. They had french stick or hot dog buns. Had to wait in very long lineups for toaster or grill. I think they served leftover from previous night for breakfast. Had mashed potatoes and veggies for breakfast. Last day couldn't get an egg without waiting in line for min of 20 minutes for omelette. Had to wait in long lineup for drink or coffee. Very poor service. Bathrooms on resort are dirty. Did not like using the washrooms at lobby, pool or buffet. I can't believe they rate this resort as a 4 star as it is not close. I don't usually write reviews but wanted to give future tourists some of the issues at this resort.

Done with Cuba

We travel to Cuba for a cheap beach holiday. Our expectations of food quality is low and that is what we got. We did experience shortages of food here, that was a first, ran out of bread on several occasions. The poutine in the 24 hour snack bar was a life saver for my family. We went to 2 of 3 À la carte restaurants, the Italian one was not very good at all. The Portuguese one was much better but the servings were very small. We had no issues with the hotel rooms, they were up to date and clea [... read more]n, TV/computer monitor could be bigger but didn't come to Cuba to sit inside. The activity around the pool/beach was very poorly run, for example beach volley was set for a certain time on the beach we would go down and the activity personnel would throw the ball in and leave. We would read the Activity board so we could join in on the activities but it was not kept up to date and often the activity didn't materialize. Entertainment at night started for the most part at 9:30pm lasted for approx. 40 minutes, although the staff was very talented it was the same type of entertainment...dancing to music. We opted to rent a taxi and go into Moron, this is the nearest town, it was cheaper than taking a bus tour and we were able to do some sight seeing of our own along the way, this worked out very well. We also hired a taxi and went to Lenny's Lobster Shack, this was the best meal we had while in Cuba...well worth the 15 pesos. Analese at Guest Services was very helpful and arranged the taxis for us.

Lovely Pestana!

If you want an 'R & R' vacation and are happy and content with good food & a fabulous beach, this is the place for you! The buffet is more than sufficient, the 3 a la carte's are good, the pool side restaurant is also good...just slower due to volume. The beach grill always serves excellent deep-fried fish (fresh) and excellent paella. Sometimes burgers/hotdogs. Overall, the entire hotel is clean with minor issues ie/ sometimes a lack of towels in your room (esp face cloth) and no beach towels a [... read more]t end of day. The gym is nice & cool with good equipment. The grounds are very pleasing. Stayed in Unit #4, close proximity to the best part of the beach. (Just loud on 2 nights due to the 'beach party'). The beach at Pestana near the beach bar is excellent. The beaches at the adjacent resorts on either side of Pestana are very rocky......and definitely require rubber water shoes there. Never stayed at the poolside. Too crowded and there really is only I pool (not huge) plus a wading pool for kiddies. Bring a good book, lots of sunscreen and have a great time!

Nice newer resort!

The grounds of the Pestana are lovely & very well cared for. The rooms are modern, spacious and kept very clean by the wonderful cleaning staff. The food was what is typical for Cuba with the exception of the Tuesday Cuba night which offered unlimited lobster tails, yummy! If you stick to the grilling stations that are available at every meal you will eat very well. The staff in Cuba are always what makes it such a pleasure to go there. I will be back for sure.

Great beach, good food, nice amenities

The hotel is fairly new and very pleasant. We had a suite with a large balcony and ocean view along the pathway.. Awesome :) Food is pretty good, better then I've had elsewhere in Cuban resorts. Service is ok, very decent and not to obviously angling for tips. Overall it was a great holiday an I am happy I picked Pestana.

Better then ever vacation

First hotel grounds beach pool breath taking employees best ever clean the food better then any other Cuban hotel .lobster ,sea food every night all restaurants top notch food and service only one issue need more then one bottle water dailey

Pretty good!

The hotel is very clean. Rooms are small but fresh and very comfortable. Never got an issue with hot water or pressure in the shower. The housekeeping lady who was responsible if our room did an amazing job!! The drinks are delicious. The food... Nothing spectacular at the buffet. The restaurants a la carte were much better. Now, the only 2 thinks that are on the negatif side are: #1: the wait!! Everywhere you go, you have to line up... The buffet is the worst.... Huge line up all the time!!! An [... read more]d pretty much the same at all the bars... I think its an understaffing issue... and if you are easily bother by noise, ask not to stay in building 1 or 2 as the lobby urn into a disco at night and the noise goesdirectly into your room!!! But overall... Very nice resort and amazing people working there!!

Great resort for money

The resort was nice the staff was amazing great place if you want a relaxing vacation . The buffet could of been bigger but it was good for what was there . Wee went on the jeep safari it was amazing for 79.$

Nice and clean!

the rooms were clean, and comfortable, the staff was friendly and helpful, the food was -- well there was a variety. the resort itself was paradise. only 15 min to the airport. the entertainment was awesome. it truly was a great holiday.

Simply Amazing!! I'll keep going back

Hello, My Girlfriend and I stayed at the Pestana Cayo Coco resort the week of Feb 20th to Feb 27th. We had a fantastic time at the resort with very little to no complaints, so first of all, thank you for that! There were three members of your staff that my spouse and I would like to mention to you. These three individuals stood out in our minds the entire trip and they each went above and beyond to ensure we were having a good time and were more than kind for the entire duration of our trip.  [... read more]Please see more detail of these experiences below. The Snack Bar The first night we arrived at Pestana we were hungry and ready to party. It was late so we went to the snack bar and met Adeile and Daniel. These two staff members greeted us with smiling faces and were ready to explain some of the resort to us as well as the drinks available and were of course more than happy to get us some food. We had a great time chatting with them and stayed out at the snack bar until well into the morning the night we met them. We asked them what their schedule was and for the remainder of our vacation we made a point of going to the snack bar on the days they both worked. Even when people at this spot were acting obnoxious both Adeile and Daniel were nothing but patient and kind with everyone. They kept smiling and giving guests high fives ... continually showing everyone a great time. These men work very hard and work very long hours. When we left we made sure to go and say goodbye to them and I can honestly say that I was very, very sad to say goodbye to these gentlemen. There are not enough positive words I can say about these two men. They were kind, gracious, and genuine. They started their shifts mid-day and didn't stop until early in the morning the next day. AMAZING GUYS!!! Adeile (I think I am spelling his name wrong) worked behind the bar those nights and he spoke excellent english, which was a huge plus for us. Daniel was working the floor taking orders and serving food and he was very kind and fun to chat with as well. The Dinner Buffet Next up was a gentlemen we met during the dinner time buffet. His name is Maikel Neira. We sat in his section early in the week and after he served our table once we made a point to find seats in his section night after night. Maikel was incredibly attentive and made the extra effort to get our drink orders right (my boyfriend doesn't like ice in his drinks and if Maikel forgot that he would go back and change it. It wasn't necessary but it was kind and that is what stands out to us) There were SO MANY rude tourists visiting while we were at Pestana. They complained a lot and I witnessed quite a few rude people disrespect Maikel (and other staff) by yelling or just generally being rude. Maikel kept his composure and remained calm and understanding no matter who was treating him like dirt. My heart broke watching other Canadians treat him like that and I told him that it wasn't ok for people to talk to him the way they were. He didn't have the best english but he tried really, really hard to speak and understand it. He never brushed us off and he never answered questions with "I don't understand". He always had a solution and he always made sure to check on us even when the dining room was packed with people. He was another staff member we found to be quite genuine and made a great impact on our vacation and experience eating at the buffet. He deserves recognition for all of the hard work he does especially during some of your busiest hours! The kind acts of these staff members are one of many reasons we will return to your resort and we truly hope they will still be employed at Pestana and we can visit them once again.

Amazing Resort

Snack bar was open 24/7 and so was the lobby bar. Staff were very friendly and the beach was beautiful. My husband did a lot of snorkeling on our beach and saw several beautiful creatures, a stingray, starfish, barracuda and lots of other beautiful colourful fish. Rooms were also good and kept tidy but the mattresses were quite uncomfortable.

Fantastic

The hotel is very modern and clean. Lots of choice for food... Food was excellent for Cuba! Beach was gorgeous...so was the pool area. Very clean!! Bars were amazing and staff were super friendly. I enjoyed my stay thoroughly and would go back to Pestana again!! Gorgeous resort.