Valentin Perla Blanca: Beautiful Beach and turquoise water

The hotel was appealing, beautiful rainfall large showers, lovely pools and friendly staff. All amenities are well kept and clean. The food was alright, you certainly would not go hungry. Good value for the cost.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort, Amazing trip!

This resort was stunning! The beach was breath-taking, beautiful soft white sand with a gradual entry perfect for young families! The ocean was a shimmering sea of turquoises and greens, just amazing with plenty of activities going on such as catamaraning, kayaking and pedal-boating! The pools were incredible, pristine and clean and sporting an amazing view of the ocean...to die for! The rooms were tastefully decorated, with clean white sheets and towels, which were changed daily. I always had p [... read more]lenty of hot water even at peak hours! The fridge was stocked daily with pop, beer and bottled water and you could always ask for extra...no problem! The service was great in the buffets but slow in the 24 hr snack bar. Drinks were amazing, food...so, so but I never went hungry. The beach buffet (overlooking the ocean) had a grill going everyday with chicken, fish and pork chops and on 2 days they hosted a pig roast with live Cuban music which I really enjoyed! Main buffet served wonderful omelets and crepes but be prepared for long line-ups! ACTIVITIES: Animation team-- Thai Chi, Meringue and Salsa lessons, Aqua gym (all fun!) COMPLAINTS: No beach party or pool party! :( They should play more music in the lobby bar at night, PREFERABLY CUBAN! People want to dance!! A DISCO would be great! SHOWS: need a lot of improvement!! All in all a great vacation! :)

Melia Buenavista: Fabulous resort 5 star plus

The moment we arrived, the initial bus ride to the resort, we were treated like a King and Queen! The check in was cordiual and a great tour of the grounds by Armando was delightful,the junior suite so spacious the balcony view of the sunsets was breathtaking. Outdoor shower was simply amazing, the foods at both dinner restaurants was delicious. The Pool Bar was very entertaining, the bartenders Lester & Osmani were very attentive to all of our needs, a big thank you to you both. Next to the poo [... read more]l bar was an amazing outdoor grill with the best thin crust pizzas, burgers and wings., The nightly entertainment was Cuban culture at its best, a great way to end a day. All 3 beaches were quiet and private, great relaxing moments. The Champagne Sunsets were very romantic with the sax player. We would like to thank Belkis, Armando, Lester, Osmani, Navy, and our maid Lily for making our stay a dream.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Some was good some bad

My room was good the ground clean well keep the beach was excellent, food was an other story they are good for a 400 room but they have 800 if they run out of food in one bowl they don't refill it. It is not my first time to Cuba I know that the food is different but there was very different they are not to clean handling the food I have been traveling for 25 years and it is the first time I was sick in a resort all and all it was an Ok trip I would not go back.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Good Resort for the money

Hotel was amazing, rooms always cleaned and had nice towel art with letters from our maids. The nightly shows were amazing, always got the crowd involved. Beach..was spectacular. Ive been to Cayo coco, and this beach beats it by far. We only saw one jellyfish that had washed up on shore one morning when we decided to go down early. The people are always nice. Our favourite bartender was at the one pool bar. Food is good for Cuba. For the morning, the best breakfast was the made fresh omlettes. T [... read more]he a la cartes were good as well. Best thing to eat while there is the vegetable crepes.Overall, really good resort for the price.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Great resort

We travelled with family from Feb 1 - Feb 8th. Had a wonderful time. Beach is amazing!!! Food was good we always found something to eat. Pasta station is great! The trick to the station line ups is to go when the buffet opens. The already prepared food is never that hot but it's edible. Go to the lounge for the cappuccinos they are so tasty! Shout out to Betty who served our drinks in the lounge. She was so nice and always pleasant. She is the BEST!!! Bungalow 15 & 7 are the closest to the be [... read more]ach, the big pool and the snack bar. Our room was cleaned everyday. We did not have any trouble with bugs or ants in our room. If you are looking for a lot of evening entertainment or discos this is not the place. Everyone just gathers in the lobby/lounge. There is always some sort of music and a magician most nights. Overall it's a great place to just relax.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Nice, Clean Resort

The resort was very clean and well laid out. No matter where your room is, you are only a few minutes walk away from the beautiful beach, or the restaurants, lobby, and everything else. The food was my only complaint, everything was overcooked and cold. Before we left we knew that you don't go to Cuba for the food, but even still. Having been to a different resort in Santa Lucia a few years prior, The food at Playa Cayo was awful, even by Cuba food standards. Also there really wasn't much going  [... read more]on once the sun went down. We found ourselves spending a lot of time in our room relatively early out of boredom in the evenings. All in all the trip was very enjoyable and the beach was absolutely breath taking. We did go on the Catamaran Excursion which was a lot of fun as well.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Big Resort

Positives: Hotel was fairly new so in good shape. Beach beautiful could walk for miles, people friendly. Entertainment every night. Lots of activities. Option of 2 large pools, one more quieter. Great snack bar for lunch. Even with the negatives below, for Cuba it was a decent place to go to. Negatives: Didn't always get towels, missing face cloth, hand towels some days. It was a hit and miss. Water pressure terrible. Food was typical of Cuba. Wasn't keen on the 90 min. bus ride to resort. Sinc [... read more]e big resort food line ups big. They ran out of some food items like bread, bacon.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Amaizing resort

This is our first trip to Playa Cayo Santa Maria, but not last one for sure!!! Everything was perfect. Nice and clean rooms, beautiful beach, helpful service and the best entertainment team ever. The food was really good, well equipped bar in the lobby and delicious coffee.We enjoyed very nice kids and night entertainments every...

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Nice Resort - Great Value

The grounds were great - well kept - lots of lush green - Pool areas were very nice. Good size crowd - never had any lineups but the resort was well attended. Room was great - nice size - view was not great. Food was average - they need to discover some spices. Entertainment was not the best.

Melia Las Dunas: Great resort

Had a wonderful time. Huge resort. Love to walk everywhere everyday! Food was good. Great activities ! Catamaran trip was amazing. We were there for a wedding. Beautiful experience. Weather was perfect.

Memories Paraiso: Jan 22-27 vacation

Rm3935 was spacious but smelled of molds, the fridge didn't work and the coffee maker was defective. Sunday dinner at baconao restaurant was a disaster, we waited for an hour with 30 other guests outside the restaurant only to be informed that they used another door for entry. We were also promised a cake & champagne because it was my wife's birthday but they forgot. We complained to customer service and they promised to send it to our room the following day but we never receive it. Aside from t [... read more]his everything else was ok.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: ok resort

there is not a very big beach at this resort not big enough for busy season I have been to cuba five times this was the worst food and customer service I have had I know it is a cheap vacation but I wont return to this place

Memories Paraiso: Memories at Santa Maria

Very nice hotel , staff, and beach.Quite a ways from the airport..a 2 hour drive.There is a medical clinic about 10 pesos away by Taxi.This resort is HUGE, ;it is two resorts blended together.Lots of good entertainment at night...shows, live music, theatre, participation.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Sol Cayo Santa Maria

Hotel needs a bit of TLC...a little run down. The staff was very good. Food was quite good... but not a huge selection. Very little variation from night to night in the buffet. Both a la carte dining was quite good. Beach was great...beautiful water... my main reason to go to Cuba.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: It was okay, but we won't be back!

After an approx 2hr transfer from the airport to the hotel - which I do not recommend if travelling with young children... no bathrooms on the bus, and even kids who don't get motion sickness may vomit due to the style of roads and driving in Cuba (ask me how I know!) - here's what I noticed about the resort: - Many of the toilets in the public washrooms either had no toilet seats or were out of order. - The staff, although pleasant, seemed overworked and it was often tough to find a cleared ta [... read more]ble to sit and eat at during the buffet hours. - We often observed lineups outside the building to get into the buffet at peak dinner hour, and lineups for food at the snack bar during lunchtime. Meal times were an absolute feeding frenzy with everybody looking out for themselves and cutting in line (for the fries especially). - Food choice was somewhat limited, unless you were willing to line up for the stations serving omelettes, chicken, fish, or pasta. A lot of "mystery meat" floating in sauce, and the same kind of cake (tasted almost like cornbread) just with different "icing" at the dessert table. Many of the fresh fruits were also unrecognizable. - The pools were lovely (albeit cold). - The beach was gorgeous (although we weren't able to enjoy it due to the cooler weather, so don't fall into the same trap we did and pick a resort based solely on its amazing beach!) - The grounds were very well-kept by friendly groundskeepers. - Our room was clean and tidy (the resort staff even provided an extra bed for my 3yr old daughter which was unexpected but appreciated) - The bars were good and the wait to be served was typically quite short (not the case with the swim-up bar though). - Still not sure about using the tap water even for brushing teeth, as I had an upset stomach every single day of my stay although I can't trace it back to anything specific (I seemed to be the only one in my group who suffered from this, though). - The daily lobby entertainment was enjoyable and what I would imagine to be typically "Cuban". All in all it wasn't the worst resort we've stayed at but it wasn't the greatest either. I wouldn't recommend it only because of the state of the washrooms (imagine running back to your room any time you needed the toilet!), the feeding frenzies at the buffet, and the miserable drive to and from the resort (which we did in the dark, both times). As I'm a traveller with young kids, I'll stick to Cayo Coco next time (bless it's 20 min transfer!). Hope this helps someone, I've tried to be as objective as possible in my review!

Memories Paraiso: Just LOVE It There

I love it there so much I have been 3 times in last 6 mths. Staff make you feel like family! Good Food with amazing dining room staff! Entertainment staff is great, always making people feel welcome and lots of fun! Heard some rumours on net about unclean rooms and poolside was dirty. I have yet to find such a state! My room was always cleaned daily and poolside was cleaned nightly by staff! I have been sick from the food or anything else that has been claimed to make people ill.... It's Cuba an [... read more]d they do what they can with the resources they have available at the time! I planning on returning for a 4 th time in April!! It's my home away from home! Irene of Brampton ON Canada

Valentin Perla Blanca: exelent resort

everythink,perfekt room,area service food,water,ocean,beech,costommer service,peoples very friendly,everythink was very handy,dont ask me to much this was our 16-trip to Cuba and from the aeroport by buse goin to the resort perfekt.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Better as Eurostars

Stayed there from January 28th – February 4th, 2016. Of course everyone who reads these knows that it is just one opinion and that some people are a little more particular than others. We did chat with a lot of people and will post some of their comments and concerns as well… And here it goes!! CAVEAT: I love Cuba. I have been there 15 or so times. I have seen some changes for both positive and negative. It seems to be in a transition; and in my opinion could prove to be disastrous to the to [... read more]urist industry. Cuba works in its own universe/time continuum. Comical – when a tour guide says it but annoying when you are the one with a need. I have stayed at this hotel when it was the Eurostars. AIRPORT: Everyone is excited to be there and get going so no major problems. One person had their bags delayed ($25 per day to buy necessities until they found it – doesn’t cover much for a Mom and her child). They lost the airport baggage tag on mine and had to rescan (no big deal). Changed money at the airport at 46% exchange rate. Yes 46%. It is the highest rate I have ever seen. People have now started to tip with loonies and twoonies and on great service $5 bills. Staff will ask to change money in to bills and the process is repeated. Night time arrival – 90min or so bus ride not much to see or do. Enjoyed some “road pops” and relaxed as we travelled. Return travel was entertaining and informative. Done the bus ride 8 or 9 times and learned more each time. HOTEL CHECK-IN: Very simple – sign here, map of resort, room number and go! Bags were delivered to the room within 30 minutes. ROOMS: PROS: OURS was good enough. Modern looking, nice bathroom, safe, fridge(stocked), 2 doubles beds (not a big deal for my wife and I) coffee cups and such but no coffee machine?( whatever) Clean sheets and pillows (as to be expected) Towels and Beach towels in the room (nice not to have to lineup to get them) Mattress was firm but didn’t expect a 5 star bed. CONS Broken patio door (cracked glass) ½ inch gap under the front door allowed some unwanted guests – sprayed bug spray a couple of times no big deal. Others had No toilet seats… No shower curtains and no hot water. We were lucky. I heard that the toilet seats had started to stain yellow and looked dirty so they removed them but never got the stock to replace them. Hey I don’t really know what the rational was but welcome to Cuba. People that we met went to the front desk and nothing could be done. The staff seemed to let them know that that was the way it was going to be and shrugged them off. The rooms were in better shape last but have seen a lot of use and misuse. The maintenance workers were working on units everyday but I think that they are just overwhelmed and under resourced. FOOD: “Can’t get 5 star food in a 3 star country” pretty much sums it up. Buffet had some improvements which was nice to see – pasta station and stir fry station (which was the best meal I had) but only had one element or station which caused very long lineups and friends allowing others friends to get plates. Hey we are all on vacation… had to wait a little longer. 30+ minutes for pasta is a little much. Breakfast was the same sort of confusion. MY SUGGESTION is to go in later. No real line up but the food is often cooler. Went in once when it was supposed to be closed and got the best service ever. “amigo what do you want, I’ll make it for you now.” That was one of the highlights of the food experience next to the pig roast. This time there was no bacon at all at the buffet. Lunch we mostly did the beach grill – always great food and no real problems with lineups and such. Pizzas in the snack bar are great; takes a while to cook/get served but you are on vacation. Hidden grill near building 8 (I think) is hit or miss. Went once asked for pizza he said no and then made 2 of them for the next person. Diner always ended at the buffet. We had 2 a la carte restaurant reservations *supposed to have gotten 4 as per the Air Transat website. Some people raved about the food at these but they were average at best. Had the same (exactly the same) menu at the international (took 90 minutes from seating to meal) and the Creole grill (45 minutes). Staff seemed to be indifferent to clients. We witness people stand up and leave because of the terrible service more than once. The service was much better last time. Staff at the buffet was great – some from last year remembered me and when out of their way to make the meals nice. THANKS! Some guests ACTUALLY started smoking in the buffet after their meal. No one approached them; it clearly upset several other guests and one actually asked them to put it out. BEACHES Always are amazing but have taken a beating from the weather from last year. Sand has eroded from the shore and exposed a large plateau of coral/rock. Water shoes are a must if you approach the beach from the center of the resort. The tour guide explained that there was a “flood” that washed over the dunes and took a lot of the beach away with it. Pity. EXCURSIONS Did a scuba dive trip that was amazing. Worth every penny at $65 pesos. Others that we talked to loved the catamaran ride which we have done several times. (only complaint was weather related) The taxis are slow to get to the hotel as the CSM is isolated - if you ask the customer service rep from the hotel he seems to get miffed about calling for a taxi and often disappears. Taxis cost $5 for most if not all trips on the island. Ask as you get in to the car. The VIP cars (older cars) are sometimes $5 or $8 depending but worth it for the experience.

Melia Las Dunas: lovely setting but----

grounds lovely, beach hardly there, one more big storm and it's gone,food poor, was much better the last time we were there, rooms fine, towel service very spotty, towels [pool] not available the first day and we heard later arrivals complain during the week.