Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Hotel Playa Cayo Santa Maria

Basically the hotel is a 3 star at best, food is very bland, that's the norm for Cuba, pools need to be cleaned more often, staff seem to only show interest when they see a tip coming. One possitive is the beach, we've been to many beautiful beaches all over the caribbean and this is one of the best we've ever seen.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Beautiful Resort

The hotel and staff were amazing, the food and service was top notch. I will recommend this resort to my friends and family. I travelled to Cuba four different occasions and this has been the far most best Cuba location and resort that I have chosen.

Memories Paraiso: Relaxing Trip

The hotel itself is a bit dated and the Azul side was 80% empty, there was nothing at the pool and the buffet looked like a ghost town. We spent all of our time on the Paraiso Side of the resort. Our room was kept clean and was sufficient for us for the 5 days we were there. We had a king bed, matress was a bit hard but that was ok, we didn't mind. We were switched from building 52 to 53 as soon as we got there, again not a big deal. The grounds were beautiful, much more mature from the las [... read more]t time we were there. The gardeners do a great job keeping it clean and beautiful. I cannot say enough about the people there. The first night we walked in the lobby bar Micheal (pardon the spelling) and Dany recognized us from a couple of years ago. So welcoming. We were treated well the entire time from them and Rolando at the main buffet, again who recognized us from before. All of the staff are very friendly and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The beach is absolutely stunning, we walked for miles every day. The pool is great, clean and cool, a nice break from the heat. The food is meh! We had 2 al la carts, they were ok, a nice break from the buffet. It was my husbands 50th birthday and they did a cake and sparkling wine for us for dinner which was nice. We didn't go hungry but it got a bit repetitive by the end of the week, and that is typical for Cuba, we expected it. The only complaint that I have is that we were there when Fidel Castro died. We had entertainment for the first day and theatre show for 1 night but then the country was in 9 days of mourning starting on Saturday Nov 26th. They discontinued the nightly shows at the theatre, no music was allowed to be played either at the pool or the beach and there was no activities at either. It was really quiet and sombre around the resort. People were trying to entertain themselves with their own little speakers but some were told to turn them down in respect for their president. You could definately feel that there was dissapointment with travellors because of this. The true experience of being in Cuba was not felt. We felt a little cheated. We managed to make the best of it, it was a very relaxing trip and that is what we went for.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Very good smaller resort with amazing beach

Travelled with our two kids aged 3 and 4. It was our second time and it still did not disappoint. Very family friendly, great staff (who basically live off and greatly appreciate tips as they earn about $20 a month). Appreciate all the updating they have done since last year. Not enough hot water pressure in the late afternoon, this may have been due to our room being on the first floor or some seasonal issue. Otherwise amazing beach, kids programs, very attentive staff and loads of Cu [... read more]ban charm. Also took advantage of the kids club.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Very nice resort

Excellent beach, pools awesome and great service. Rooms were very nice. Grounds were well maintained and very nice. Entertainment was excellent in both the theatre and the main lobby. Food was good but more variety would be nice. Would certainly go back.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: You get what you paid for!

We have been to Cuba twice before therefore we went knowing that you don't go for luxury accommodations or great food, you go for beautiful beaches and the lovely people. Having said that the beach at this resort was short and rocky, therefore making it hard to walk far. We brought my 80 year old mother with us and it was a bit of a challenge getting her down to the beach, the stairs stop and it's a bit of a drop to the sand at one entrance and at the other entrance you had to navigate through r [... read more]ocks. At that one we had to turn around and leave since she was with us. I can't comment on the third entrance since we never used it. Rooms are average. No bathtub. No hot tub/jacuzzi either on the premises. Walk in shower was great with good pressure but the drain didn't take the water away fast enough so you had to hurry before it went over the lip that kept it from pouring into the bathroom. We asked for the drain to be cleared but it didn't happen while we were there. Walkways were not lit up well at night and often the outside lights on our floor were off. We are not picky eaters but found this trip to be the least enjoyable. There was good selection at the buffet but it was often cold and we always went when it first opened. Didn't go to all the a la cartes but the two we did go to were a bit better than the buffet. Pool entertainers and entertainment was hilarious. The resort was very quiet so it was nice not to have to play the towel on the lounge chair game. There were always lots of places to sit. Nightime entertainment was OK. We only went a couple nights. My husband enjoyed the women's costumes (g string bottoms) haha. They have good routines they just lack synchronicity. It was still enjoyable to watch. Our evening routine was to go to Mikes coffee shop and play cards while listening to the live Cuban music being played outside. Their Cappuccinos were really good and the wait staff were the best!! Thank you you made our trip. All in all we went to relax and do nothing and that's what we did.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Great vacation

We stayed at Valentin Perla Blanca from Nov 18 to Nov 25 2016 . We had a great time. This hotel is very large with a lot to do. The grounds are beautiful, the lobby is amazing. Great place to spend time after dinner. Always nice music and great vibe from all the guests. Amazing service from the lobby bar. Great entertainment. Beach is a 5 star with plenty of chairs and white sandy beach. My only complaint would be that when we arrived at the resort around 11 pm it took almost two hours to check [... read more] in because two buses arrived at the same time. We recommend this hotel and will definitely go back some day.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great Resort!

This was a wonderful resort with a wonderful staff. The hotel is still new and developing and has alot of potential. Good things: -staff, friendly, courteous -rooms, very clean and spacious and modern -very easy to navigate around the resort -pools were good sized -beach was beautiful and very clean -resort not overly large, so it was nice to be close to places -wood oven pizzas and stir fry station at buffet, AWESOME! -waffle station awesome (they should have 2 there, the wait tim [... read more]e was a bit long) -I loved the coffee shop, that is a bonus for a resort. the Iced Cafe Moccachino was amazing! -bathrooms, showers were awesome Other things (not bad): -pool was missing tiles, just some maintenance needed -bathrooms need some hooks to hold towels or clothing, be very handy to have. -buffet needs more vegetables -only 2 a'la cartes, would be nice if there were one or 2 more -there is a 'privileged' area, not really sure what the difference was for that -the grounds still need to be more developed, as time goes on, i can see it developing more nicely -was disappointed that there was no club/disco on site, there was a Latino Bar, but they kept it closed. There was too much advertising for the disco offsite, so that means more money coming out of travellers pockets -24hour snack bar was not available, just the 24 hour lobby (just drinks)

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great family resort

Lovely hotel/resort. Great location and beaches. Hotel is a little run down, but still very nice. It's Cuba, after all. They make do with the supplies they have. Same with the food. It was decent and lots of it, just not as good as first world countries. The staff are very lovely and always a smile and "ola" to you. A great plus on the beaches is they are long and fairly level, so great for walking along. Good snorkelling right off the beach too. Lots of activities if you want to partake, [... read more] but the staff don't harass you to do so if you'd rather not. Shows were just ok, but that's not why I vacation there!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Best budget friendly resort

This was our third visit to Valentin Perla Blanca. We love the resort. The grounds are beautiful. The beach is fantastic and the food is getting better. I love how in November you can find deals that allow you to visit a beautiful, modern, upscale, all inclusive adults only resort for around $100 per day. The reality is, it is difficult for a couple to have ONE meal in Canada with drinks at most restaurants for that price. The only real issue we have consistently had with the resort is th [... read more]e check in. This is problem that REALLY has to be fixed. Management is the biggest deficiency at this resort. The check in was always around an hour on our prevous visits, but this time we arrived at 12:30am and it took over 2 hours to check in. There were four buses that arrived at the same time because one plane was delayed. So I understand that they were overwhelmed, but they could have been more prepared and have more staff trained on check-in procedures. The nightly shows are very entertaining. They have a very impressive theater with outstanding lighting and sound. THE MICHAEL JACKSON SHOW SHOULD NOT BE MISSED!! It is usually Sunday nights and you should get there early as this show fills every seat. All in all a great vacation. We miss the staff and resort already. We will return to this resort.

Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso: Beautiful resort and great people!

The grounds are new and they are so beautiful! The beach was white and the colour of the water is something you can usually only dream of.... every morning looking at the water was so relaxing and it was so beautiful it almost looked fake. The people that were there are so fantastic! The service didn't make a difference whether you tipped every time or tipped every once in awhile... NOTE: DO NOT TIP LOONIES AND TOONIES!!! I made friends with a few employees and they are too nice to disclose to p [... read more]eople they cannot exchange it. They take it with a smile and appreciate the gesture but it just accumulates until a nice Canadian will change it to bills for them. One bartender had accumulated 120$ in loonies and toonies👎🏽 ....overall I would 100% visit this resort again👍🏽👍🏽 Food is pretty good.... it's Cuba.... but there was never a time I was left hungry due to lack of options... and I would say the area is beautiful but there's a smaller airport about 20 mins away I wish that was where we landed instead of the 2hour bus ride but the resort was so beautiful it was pretty worth it

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Holding hope

Resort is new and having great success with what God provided. Weather Water Beach People. Where it fails is with their mgmt and food ( which is due to there mgmt). burgers for breakfast but no where during the rest of day. Same for fries. Sardines for breakfast but no real bacon. Many more examples. Food was a real disappointment even by Cuba standards. This was our fifth time to Cuba. Staff are the best. Rooms were modern.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Totally fell in love with this place

This was a very new resort. We stayed during their off season "Hurricane Season", which was perfect for us; not to hot, not to cold. The grounds are very nice, but still under construction. I worked in the hotel industry for years, so my standards can be quite high with certain things, and much more forgiving than most with others. With that being said, this is a five star in Cuba, not North America. The resort is still being worked on in some areas. The rooms are immaculately clean, but there a [... read more]re some little imperfections like the paint job. Like I said, things most probably wouldn't notice. The hot water stopped working the third day that we were there, which wasn't really an issue for me, the "Cold" water wasn't really cold, more like luke warm. The food was absolutely amazing, and the staff, and service even more so. The service was above and beyond. We plan on going back to this same resort next year for that exact reason. I can't wait to go back.

Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso: Second time

The resort is amazing. It was our second time there. Its on an island with other resorts and nothing else. No stores, no nothing unless you take a taxi into the closest town about an hour away. The food is great. Lots to choose from. You will not go hungry. If anything, you will gain weight. Any vacation is what you make of it. only complaint is the weak wifi. But its Cuba. I love the resort, but not its location.

Melia Las Dunas: No Hot Water

We booked this trip for a nice quick 4day escape from the cold weather, unfortunately this resort had no hot water for the duration of our trip. The front desk kept informing us hot water would be on the evening/following day and it never came. Also beware of the cleanliness of the sheets and towels as we found blood on ours. Front desk did minimal to help us or compensate us. The resort itself was nice, The pools and grounds are well-kept. Food was average however waitresses and waiters [... read more] of the restaurants were very nice. due to the lack of cleanliness this of our room and having no hot water for the duration of her trip I would not recommend this resort.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Very nice resort

We were very satisfied and very impressed. The staff did all they could do to satisfy their guests. There was never a lineup for dinner or at any of the bars. It was quite windy and therefore not real hot at the beach but the pool was more protected from the wind and was warmer

Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso: Beautiful setting, no complaints!

This is my 3rd time in Cayo Santa Maria. I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The grounds were impeccable, the rooms clean and the beach spectacular. The food was plentiful and very good. I don't get why people complain about the food in Cuba, I've never had any problems. There are 2 large pools one quiet and one with more activities. We enjoyed the quiet side with soft music. The service was also very good, especially in the buffet, servers were very attentive. I would go back to thi [... read more]s resort.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Great resort

Overall, this resort was great. The grounds were nice. The staff were all friendly. The buffet was good, but the a la carte restaurants were excellent. The rooms were clean and nicely decorated. The beach was beautiful!!!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: My Perfect Paradise

This was our second stay at Iberostar Ensenachos and we loved it just as much as the the first stay. Our daughter was married last year at the resort and all was beautiful then. The resort is very welcoming and all staff in lobby, dining, pool as well as beach areas are super friendly and very accommodating. We were able to meet with many individuals working within the resort and compliment them on their extremely hard work and dedication to their roles. We will continue to visit the resort year [... read more]ly moving forward as we are truly in love with the beaches and all the services offered.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great family vacation

Our family of 8 stayed at pcm in November. The resort is very clean and modern. I sent a request to the resort before arriving and all requests were filled. The staff go above and beyond to ensure your vacation is great. The rooms were large and well furnished. The pools clean with lots of chairs and bars at most. Food was good for Cuba. The al a carte dinners excellent. The beach was fine white sand however we only had 4 days out of 10 when we could swim in the ocean as very rough and usual [... read more]ly high tide so little beach. May be just the time of year. Only complaint we had was there are no chairs on the balconies. Very strange for 4.5 resort.