Good resort

New hotel, clean and nice. It is far away from the airport (about 2 hrs). Beach - very nice clear water and white sand. People are very friendly and nice. They make you feel special. Food is OK but repetitive.

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.

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)

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.

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.

Pleasant Stay

The hotel is new and it shows. There were not many people there and service was very good. Only two specialty restaurants open all week. There is not a beach grill and you have to go to the pool area for lunch. Varadero beaches much nicer.

Ocean Casa Del Mar, Santa Maria, Cuba

Great hotel and service. Excellent rooms, most with a view of the ocean on the 2nd & 3rd floors. Food in a la carte's could be better, snack bars & buffet were normal for Cuba. We would return and recommend the resort to friends.

Excellent

L'hôtel était superbe, propre et le service était excellent! Les Restos étaient corrects, et le café au "Mikes" était très bon!!! La chambre était propre et tres belle!! Le Seul point négatif c'est qu'il n'y a pas de toilette près de la plage.

Beautiful resort

We stayed at this resort in October and it was amazing, beautiful beach , good food, great staff, entertainment such a professional staff! ! ! I would go back in a hearth beat! !! Thank you Ocean del Mar Cayo Santa Maria for our amazing vacation! !!

Beautiful beach and resort. Beware of the food though.

Beach is second to none. The resort is very clean and nice. The food is beyond questionable. 6 of 6 got sick. Would highly suggest you pack crackers and bagels. The snack bar is sit down. Takes quite a while to get food. When it comes, it's the smallest portions ever. Which is probably a good thing as it too is questionable.

Great Resort

Just returned from the Ocean Casa del Mar and my husband and I had a great time. The resort was quite empty so that was a bonus for us. The beach was beautiful, white sand and great for swimming, beach shoes not necessary. The rooms were very spacious, clean and updated. The food was what we expected for Cuba, we always found something we liked at the buffet. Our meals at the buffet were always enjoyable because we always sat in the same section and were well taken care of by Magdiel, Rene, [... read more] Pedro, Alexis, Daily Juliet. We spent time at the pool bar and had fun with Junior and Yadi. We befriended Leo from the animation group and learnt much about the Cuban ways. Will certainly think of returning to this wonderful resort.

The best time ever

I love this resort! I have been here 3 times now and plan on going back in February! Everyone that works here was so friendly and the food was great. It definitely has the best beaches! There is a market opening up right beside it, and should be finished soon. I strolled into it (as the Bowling and disco was opened) and it is quite a sight! I recommend this resort for anyone and can tell you, that you will have the time of your life.

The best resort in Cuba!

I have stayed in Cuba at 8 different resorts--all over the island. Oceans Casa Del Mar is by far the best resort I have stayed at. The entire staff is amazing. The food was delicious and always prepared just right. And the rooms were absolutely perfect ! This was my 3rd time going back to this resort (which says a lot since it just opened in February). I highly recommend this resort to anyone. It is beautiful and you will have an amazing time.

Beautiful resort

ocean casa del mar very new ve modern resort.Hotel puplic are loby very nice and modern room very comfort and celan room service very good.beach is wonderfull we spend very good time .Lunch and dinner is okey just breakfest poor but we liked we wants to go again another trip tahmk you for ewerthing.

Very nice resort

This hotel is very new clean and modern. Staff were excellent and very friendly. Great beach for snorkelling. Food was ok. We are picky eaters so we ate a lot of the same food each day. They have more work to do to get the entire resort up and running. Only half the resort was open in August. Lobby bar has a great atmosphere and had entertainment each night. Pools were ok the water was very warm and not very refreshing but then again it was really hot when we were there. Internet access was not [... read more] very good. You buy an hr card for 2 Cucs. Mikes coffee house was awesome for cappuccinos and americanos. Issues we had in the week were our safe had to be opened twice and our sliding door lock was broken. Maintenance staff fixed both issues fairly quickly.

Hotel has potential but is not there yet...

As the title says, this hotel has potential but it is too new at this point and needs to improve in several areas. We went a family of 4 with 2 teen girls and stayed there August 21 to 26. Here's my review: Beach 5/5: The best part of Cuba by far. The beach is not wide, but this is something I preferred. Lots of shade and good loungers. Never had to be early to find a good spot. There are a few spots with rocks but only on the west side of the beach. Catamaran rides are free and beach is sea [... read more]weed free, clear and turquoise perfect water, always warm. Room: 4.5/5 - Rooms are very nice and new, with nice decoration in good condition. Nice LCD TV and the AC works flawlessly (not humid and cools nicely). Bathroom has a new shower and good fixtures. Safe works flawlessly. My only complain about the room was that that the sliding door to outside did not close at all, so room was vulnerable of someone breaking in. Nothing happened to us and we left our valuables always in the safe, but this issue should be resolved soon. Lobby/Restaurants/Public areas: 3.5/5 - Lobby is very nicely decorated and ventilated. Buffet restaurant has good AC and tables are adequate. Only two theme restaurants were open uring our stay. The asian Origami restaurant was decent, nice place and the food was about same quality as buffet. The italian restaurant was awful! Tiny and the food was horrendous. Lack of grass makes the gardens look awful but that will hopefully change with time. Entertainment 3/5: Only the first show (Michael Jackson night) was nice, the rest were boring. Staff 3/5 - After going to Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic I can say that Cubans were dry and not happy at all, from the airport to the hotel. We were very surprised because most Cubans we know that live in the USA and Canada are amazingly friendly people. So not sure if this is something that only happens in Cayo Santa Maria. The maid did a decent job cleaning our room (no towel figures though) but we did leave her $5 so maybe that made the difference. Just 1 bartender in main bar was friendly with us and we speak fluent Spanish so language was certainly not the issue. Food: 2/5 - The food was one of the worst things of our vacation. Very few selection and so-so at best. The pasta and pizza were ok. The meat and fish and shrimps is not cooked well at stations, plus long lineups even with an empty hotel. Breakfast omelettes were decent, but lunch and dinner items are the same, so it gets repetitive really quickly. Cubana Airline: 0/5 - That was the worst part by far of the entire trip. Flight was delayed 4 hours heading South and 2.5 hours coming back. Food is bad, service bad and they only have water and nasty coffee to drink. I will never in my life travel in that airline again. Conclusion: I think the place is ok and the beach was gorgeous, but unless the food and staff improve I would not go back to that place. There is nothing to do after the night show so if you plan on dancing or having night life fun head somewhere else. Overall I would give the hotel a 4/5 just because rooms, pool and most common areas nice. Once they open the other 3 restaurants things should be better too (Ranchon restaurant looks nice). The long 100 minute drive fromairport to hotel is a con as well.

Overall, a good resort

Pros: 1. Fantastic beach - powder sand, lots of places for shade, clear water, hardly any rocks or seaweed, no people on beach trying to sell you things, very safe. 2. Hotel grounds - landscaping is pretty, everything relatively easy to get to 3. Staff - overall, staff are very friendly and helpful 4. Rooms - comfortable beds, good air conditioning (you need to specify in person to the cleaning lady to have your sheets and towels changed, otherwise they will not change them) 5. Entertainm [... read more]ent - there were many options for entertainment in the evenings. The Michael Jackson show is actually quite well done and not cheesy. Often there were live bands playing at night in the main square by the bar. Cons: 1. Blocks with no shower - some of the blocks at this resort only have a bathtub with a deep step inside which could be slippery/difficult for some. As well, there is no curtain or enclosure so the water floods the bathroom 2. Restaurants - there were only two a la carte restaurants open (Oriental and Italian) and one buffet. Only the Italian restaurant was good. They definitely need to open more to have more variety and less of a wait 3. Food - breakfast was the only meal that was reliable with fruits and eggs available. Otherwise, it was difficult to have food that wasn't saturated in oils and there were no fresh salad options and all the vegetable trays in the buffet were soggy and covered in either oil or butter. 4. On many occasions, we did see favors being done for guests if they paid (being served first, being given better food or food that wasn't out for others, etc). Some staff would ask you for presents and tips. 5. Gift shop in hotel - our luggage was lost/delayed for a day and a half so we had to go to the hotel gift shop. It is very small and does not have even the essentials, such as a toothbrush, deodorant, etc. There is a market that you can take a bus or taxi to that has some more options. 6. Gym - very limited, no free weights 7. Lighting - it is very dark at night and the paths are not well lit. Would be a good idea to bring a flashlight. Recommendations: 1. Ask for a room with a shower 2. Ask for a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor as the balcony doors do not lock and some people reported break ins 3. Go to the small grill hut by the beach for lunch as they have the best options 4. When ordering drinks, they almost always will add a lot of sugar or syrup so make sure you ask them not to if you don't want it 5. Mike's coffee in the lobby is the best for your caffeine fix 6. Stay at the beach for sunset around 7:30 p.m. 7. Wear bug spray at night 8. Bring an extra beach towel as the beach towel exchange place was not always reliable 9. Bring a water bottle so you don't have to rely on the very small plastic cups they give you for drinks

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

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

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.