Melia Cayo Santa Maria: We are still under the Cuban Charm!

We have been to Cuba many times... First time in the summer and to a Melia. We would like to go back to the same place. The staff was excellent, room spacious, clean and the food was very good with a lot of choices. The beach was spectacular and the pool area and garden simply beautiful and well maintained. The only thing that my husband wished that there was a straight flight from Ottawa.

Memories Paraiso: The beach is the only positive thing I have to say....

The resort forgot to provide our room detail package to the bus guide so we were told it would be waiting at the hotel for us. We arrived, waitied in the check in line for over an hour only to be told our paperwork was missing because our room wasn't ready and to come back after 4pm (approx 3 hours later). We were not offered any food, snacks, or water and told that the buffet opened at 1pm and to go there. After eating we went down to visit the beach (the most amazing beach I've ever seen). We  [... read more]went back to check in, waited another half hour, paperwork took another 15minutes to find. We were taken by golf cart to one of the furthest buildings only to find our room's door open and the cleaner just getting started. We left our suitcases, went back to the beach, and then back again to get ready for dinner. Our fridge was completely empty (not even water) toilet didn't work, neither did the phones. When we went to customer service she looked at me and laughed, saying "that's it? That's the big problem?" And handed me a bottle of water. The resort boasts many à la carte restaurants on their website (I wanted to visit the steakhouse on my birthday) only to find out we get 2 reservations per week and only had two choices, Italian or Med. When confronted about the other restaurants described on their website,we were told they were part of the marketplace next door and were not included. We could go but it was at our own cost. We were told we could use a debit card to book tours thru Nexus but they only took credit cards, the lady told us to take a taxi to the ATM so we did, cost us about $15cdn. We got to the ATM and a man at the entry looked at my card, shook his head and turned me away. We returned to tell the Nexus guide what happened she giggled and said sorry and THEN wished me a Happy Birthday as I walked away. The resort was full of locals which doesnt bother me at all IF they didn't receive preferential treatment over the rest of us non-Spanish speaking people. Their 24hr snack bar/restaurant was NEVER open...we generally went all day without any snacks between meals, and ended up spending a fortune on hotel chips and chocolate bars. My husband was even swatted like a fly when attempting to get some fruit before it opened for the lunch hours...WORST resort EVER

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Good Resort

Most beautiful beach I've ever seen!! Very clean. And quiet. Good service on the beach with someone always around to help pick up a chair or if you got hurt. Fun playing volleyball on the beach with the entertainment team who have so much energy! Pools were also very nice and clean. A lot of space to move around with equal amount of chairs. I liked staying by the music area where there was always something going on like salsa lessons. Great music also. Not too many people at this time of year so [... read more] it was nice. Rooms were clean and nicely decorated. I love the bright colors! Comfortable sleeps. The food was okay. The grill was amazing. Nice hot meat off the grill with Cuban plates and salad. It was really good righr by the beach. It gets very busy though. When the entertainment staff helped by seating everyone it ran a lot faster. The snack bar was awesome. Put up with our late night cravings of pizza and beer. Very friendly and accommodating. Always felt comfortable. Never tried the restaurants. The bruffet was okay. Eggs in the morning and meat, rice and beans etc. for dinner. Nothing exciting but the staff cooking worked really hard so that we appreciated. The banana and crepes cooked in front of you was amazing! The waiters were so friendly and quickly knew what you liked to drink so each time they saw you they had it ready. The coffee was so good. Drinks were okay. Beer and rum which we thoroughly enjoyed! The shows were fun. They have a dancing competition with people from the crowd and that's hilarious. Stores, disco, gym, spa and bowling all really close by eachother and fun to have on the property, it was a lot of fun at the disco and bowling. The entertainment staff were all so great and friendly. Made sure you always were having a good time, whether dancing, talking, playing sports whatever. They were awesome! Bus to get to the hotel from airport was long about 1 hour 45 but the ride is nice because the your guide gives you some background on each town, I think you pass 3 towns. I thought my trip was great. My friends and I enjoyed it. It was fun for 3 girls to drink beer, relax and salsa! I am not sure what they have for kids so I am not sure I'd bring my kids but definately I would go back with a group of friends and that has a lot to do with the staff and the beaches!

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Low season stay

The was probably only at 30% capacity when we stayed. The beach was beautiful and there was plenty of room for shade. The staff for the most part were friendly. Good animation team. Food better than I had expected for Cuba although repetitive. Unfortunately the photos of the pools, rooms and grounds on the web gave us high expectations and were not really representative of what we experienced. All the fountains were empty so it felt a little like it was "under renovation" Bring your own pil [... read more]low if you have neck or back problems, trust me.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great beach

Awesome beach great room service maids very friendly only real problem was with a waiter refusing to get someone to clean up cat shit that was under are table Mario at the Buffet was great always smiling we would go back

Valentin Perla Blanca: Perfect resort

Everything about this hotel was amazing! The pool and the beach was just WOW! The buffet was alright... We felt like it was almost the same every day... Overall I would recommend to everyone who wants a great service and classic like hotel!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Not feeling comfortable

This is my first trip to Cuba with my family when I choose this resort and read the reviews it was good so I booked and went last week at the first day I got shocked when I went to the restaurant at the lunch time and asked the waiter there for a spoon he told me wait 5 minutes until I wash it then at the same time I found him getting one to next table I understood later that nothing will happen unless you give tips The food in this resort was veryyyyyy bad at all times In my last day I deci [... read more]ded to try the Italian restaurant there the waiter was very rude with no reason I stayed an hour waiting for Marconi and chicken at the end I left without eating I know they are doing there best to entertain us in the resort but the show was not appropriate for kids at all I didn't like it at all All over will not go there again

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: amazing resort!!!

Great vacation, we will be back, food and staff were great. The grounds were very clean the rooms were clean and great air conditioning. Entertainment was very good showed you a lot of the Cuban culture. All the staff was happy and couldn't do enough for you. The food was very good, a lot of people said would not be great but was very good. Great value for the money.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Changed hotels after one night

First impression is very nice. We travel quite often and adjust our standards when we visit cuba. This is our second stay in cayo santa maria but first at this resort. We booked a family suite which was extremely spacious but on the first floor. We asked to be moved to a higher floor to avoid bugs and hopefully have a partial oceanview. We were told that the resort was overbooked and we would have to come back in a few days to see if there was availability. Cool not a big deal as it was  [... read more]a last min request. We got to the hotel at 8pm and check in was breezy. We settled in and headed over to buffet for something to eat. What a disaster. People were fighting for tables. We had a waitress hold a table for us but upon returning another family had taken our seats. The line ups were easily 30 mins long for somewhat fresh food. The meats were swimming in blood. The buffet is small and food was sparse. My daughter (4 y/o) was hit a few times by passerbys with no apology. No fault of the resort but further added to our decision to change resorts. We settled on eating bread for dinner. The next morning we walked around the grounds, which were nice but very tired. The pool cabana beds were ripped with filling spilling all over. Tiles missing in the pool. For breakfast we had ice cream from the ice cream bar and chicken fingers from the snack bar. Kids liked it as that would never happen at home. We promptly met with our air transat rep and switched to another hotel that afternoon. If the hotel was not overbooked we may have given it a chance. This experience was horrible due to the amount of people during low season. Based on my experience and the positive one we had at the second resort, i would not return or recommend playa caya santa maria.

Melia Las Dunas: Very nice

Hotel room needs some maintenance e.g.: the bathroom needs a good scrubing. AC not working up to par, ironing board broken, curtain needs replacing and most unimportant the room smells. The room needs airing out.

Melia Las Dunas: Vacation in Cuba

Resort was ok overall, but service was poor. Room was ok. Shower was broken when we arrived, water pressure was low. Not enough towels and soap/shampoo provided. When you call for extra towels or shampoo to guest service, they only bring it the next day.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great time

New expanding hotel, great beach, clean contemporary style rooms, nice pool and a good variety of food (it's Cuba). Beach has free watercraft including Catermaran. Catermaran excursion and speedboat are great value. Nothing bad to say at all but I am sure some haters will find something lol

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Very nice resort

Grounds where very nice, rooms where clean but dated. We had no issues with linens, hot water or a/c. Due to the time of the year being low season the food was limited and repetitive. Buffets where never opened on time. Check-in was fast and rooms where ready when we got there. Beach was amazing made up for everything that was negative.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Enjoyed it all

New hotel still expanding. Nice staff, amazing beach, clean contemporary styled rooms, food had much variety (it's Cuba), free watersports including Catamarans. The Catamaran excursion was good value for experience and fun as well as speedboat.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Stunning view

Nice place to relax and enjoy vacation.room is ok food not bad so many choices.beach stunning.people working there are nice.t he bus drive to and from the resort is long took an hour and fourth minutes to get thete

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great people

This resort overall is very nice, the rooms were clean and modern as was the main hotel lobby. The highlight was the staff. All very willing to help and serve you. The A la carte food was great as well. However the buffet food is quite different than the food most North Americans are accustomed to. And while you can find something to eat theres a 1/5 chance that you could get sick from it since your body isnt used to the food. Im sure however this is to be expected in Cuba as the food is more sc [... read more]arce. The beach does make up for it though. Clearest water I have seen at a resort, non crowded beaches and white sand as well as lots of palapas to shade you from the sun. Yoel is a Barista at Mikes coffee and he is amazing. He ensures everyone is happy and will remember you after only seeing you once as he genuinely does love his job and interacting with guests. The pool area is nice but very loud during the day, I could hear it clearly from the beach which is quite a walk from the pool. The nightlife is also scarce. Aside from live music played by the same band doing the same songs every night and a show every other night there isnt a lot to do at the resort aside from a game of pool or sitting at the bar. They are however in the process of building shopping and a few other amenities at a new centre right next to this resort so in a few months im sure there will be more to do just off of the resort, a two minute walk down the beach. If you dont mind walking quite a lot as the hotel rooms, beach, pool, lobby and restaurants are all fairly spread apart, go to sleep earlier and you are not the pickiest eater then I would reccomend this resort to you. 7/10 the only real downside is the food of course.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Nice stay, but a few critiques

This resort was beautiful overall, although some details were less positive. On the bright side, the beach was jaw dropping. It was a beautiful turquoise color and very warm. The sand was almost like flour, it was so white. Also, the animation team was fantastic and always full of energy. They truly know how to entertain a room/group. Special mention to Ernesto, Walter and Frey (I hope the spelling is correct.) Also, two buffet servers, Hector and Yanetsy, were incredible and always ready  [... read more]to serve everyone. Furthermore, Noel was wonderful at the catamaran station; he was so great and welcoming. On the negative side, we didn't always have clean towels and the infrastructures seem much older than 5 years. Also, the dinner service at the buffet in particular was quite cold, many workers were hostile and slow, except for our last night when a buffet manager (Adrian) strolled around; he asked us how we were served and he truly showed care. The service was good then. Moreover, the food at the buffet was plenteous but nothing was really good. Very little vegetables could be found, and the fruits present were old and tasteless (except for the mango.) it was hit or miss with the food. We would recommend this resort, if one wasn't too picky with food and cleanseness. Everything is worth the water though.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Sol Cayo Santa Maria

Booked this resort in May and on July 9th arrived at the resort only to find out we were not booked at this resort. Got moved to Melia Cayo Santa Maria. Don't like paying out lots of money to have our vacation plans changed because the resort booked the S-Trip Graduate experience group there. The hotel was still under construction for the pipes to the bungalows and safety was definitely an issue there. Many of the students were complaining they had no water, the toilets would not  [... read more]flush and the showers did not work. We have friends that work at the resort and were so looking forward to spending time with them and couldn't as a result of not being booked at this resort.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Never lets me down

Just returned from my 6th trip to Valentin. Resort had few people there but service was excellent. The grounds were so beautiful and everything has grown so much and the flowers are amazing. The beach as always is breathtaking and although one pool was closed for renos the other was open with lots of shade or sun available. I have been there when busy and slow but love the quiet pace right now. Less selection at buffet but you won't go hungry. Staff as always are amazing. The entertainmen [... read more]t team michele giraldo gato aynel george randy roly leonardo joanie junior yancel victor yeniley you are all fabulous and so much fun. Lester raynel eduardo roundry ernesto smith noel andrej best bellboys. Always there to offer a ride when injured. Lisandra Lazara alberto and all of the waiters and waitresses you are awesome. Love the resort and love the staff. No issues with towels hot water or bugs. Some mosquitoes but i live in winnipeg and there are more here. Can't wait to visit again.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Amazing beach, Terrible food

Having been south of Florida between the Caribean and Central America more than 30 times my review has some experience behind it.I will start off by saying that the beach there is absolutely gorgeous unfortunately the resort is not so nice the food quality is terrible with recycled food every day, If it wasn't eaten on day 1 it was put back out day after day.I have never gotten food poisoning in all my travels except this place.Even the Ala carte restaurants were terrible so bad that we had to g [... read more]et up and walk away from our dinners. At the bars they were even washing out the cheapest .02 cent cups and not even doing a good job of that as I was having a drink and ended up with sand in my mouth.As for the rooms they were decent except for the beds that are in desperate need of replacement nothing like lieing in bed and feeling like your going to roll out bed because the spring are so shot.I will definitely not be going back to this resort.I forgot to mention the fact that the floor in our room got swept once the hole week we were there, bed made towels changed that's it and we left a good tip every day.