Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Not a 4*...perfect 3* !!!

Just returned....2 weeks...totally wonderful...BUT.. NOT AS A 4 1/2* as advertised !!! It is a 3 1/2 with huge potential for being a 3 1/2*. Negative points first....lighting in room so bad you cannot even apply make up. Towels almost NEVER changed...even if you leav hie them in a wet lump on the floor...they are refolded. Bed not changed often (if at all). Many lights on fixtures and in chandeliers burned out...all small things that they are presently working on changing. Now....Positive points [... read more]....beautiful well kept grounds, nice big (90%) clean rooms, fabulous staff, continuous entertainment all day (poolside fun, nightly entertainment. Different groups in restaurants, lobby's, bars) food...typical Cuban. Beach is the most beautiful we have ever seen...sand is white and soft like floyr. Water is unbelievably crystal clear and turquoise. Soooooo...if you want a fabulous vacation and can overlook the small things and expect a 31/2....Starfish is PERFECT. If you want perfection and 4 1/2*....wait till they bring it up to that standard.

Melia Las Dunas: Beautiful resort with a gorgeous beach

Loved this resort. I was nervous about the food but it ended up being pretty good. Our room was right in between the beach, pool and buffet. Beautiful beach and grant staff. Loved how the pool was surrounded by palm trees.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Beach is the only good thing about this place

Poor food quality, poor hygiene, rooms not clean right, dirty bedsheets, disgusting. Beach was the only good thing about this place. spend some extra money, go somewhere else, and enjoy your vacation.

Memories Paraiso: Good vacation

Resort is showing signs of age but most of all lack of adequate maintenance which isn't surprising for Cuba. Beaches are beautiful, staff mostly tries hard to make you feel welcome and food was ok. Rooms were pretty musty which is common in the down south but a little more so at an older hotel like this one. Entertainment was good and kids had a blast so overall it was a positive experience. Having said that next time I would probably look for a different resort to try.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Good get by

The beach was excellent. The cleanliness and the hygiene of the hotel room and the restaurants and eating areas was very poor. the utensils were not clean property, the people preparing the good didn't follow hygiene procedures (gloves, hair guard etc). The selection of food was fair but since it never changed by the end of the week we were sick and tired of eating the same food. will not return to this resort.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful beaches and people

The white sand beaches were breathtaking and immaculate. Every staff member was beyond friendly and helpful. The nightly shows at the theatre were extremely entertaining and if you're looking for the perfect drink ask for Robin..his friendly service was top notch.

Valentin Perla Blanca: First time in Cuba

First time to Cuba so have no comperision. I enjoyed the beach very nice. Was able to do some snorkeling to the west side. Food was okay you won't go hungry! Don't expect everything to taste as they do at home it's Cuba after all. They did run out of bread, ketchup and fries at one point, so if the food is a priority for you Cuba should be out. Staff were okay and entertainment was great. The room was good ceiling fans don't work and bathrooms are nice just know that there is little privacy from [... read more] the bathroom to the rest of the room do to a glass between shower and room. The room bar fridge has pop water and beer no snacks. Bathrooms outside of your room often ran out of toilet paper. The 24Hr snack bar does close one evening a week for the privlige guests. Over all had a good time and nice trip. FYI found the catameran trip with snorkeling ,dolphins encounter/show and lobster lunch well worth the money.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Wonderful Once Again!!

This was my 3rd time to Starfish Cayo Santa Maria and it was still great. It is on the nicest stretch of beach on Santa Maria. The rooms are basic but very clean and really how much time does one spend in their room?! The pool is beautiful and like i said the beach is like no other. The buffet could stand to be a little more organized but there is a good selection of food. The waiters are always smiling and wanting to please you. They work very long days. The lobby and lobby bar is a great place [... read more] to enjoy a specialty coffee and live music before the show. I highly recommend the Brazilian coffee!! The entertainment at the theatre shows is some of the best i have seen and even after being there 3 times and the shows being the same, it is still enjoyable. The a la carte restaurants are all good and nice change from the buffet. Bartenders are very happy and make some delicious drinks, and even remembered me which was nice! The only thing i feel needs some attention is the public washroom area. Many of the stalls were not working and most were missing toilet seats, however that is a common occurrence throughout Cuba. Overall despite the age of this resort, it was very clean and workers always making improvements. I won't hesitate to return!!

Melia Las Dunas: Good resort

Cons-dated rooms, food was OK at a la cartes and buffet, slow service by some of the hotel staff in the buffet (some were excellent though), bathrooms were FAR from the beach, and not many throughout this big resort, drinks weren't great....check in and checkout (especially checkout) was a terrible process, FAR drive from airport Pros-CLEAN! Good selection of foods, barbeque was great! Super friendly people working at the resort, grounds were lush and well manicured with plants/trees, pool area  [... read more]was clean, beach was amazing

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: OK resort

rooms was average but clean,nice pools and nice beach but need to get up early to get chairs, service was good but very long wait at the buffet don't be surprise on waiting 30-45 minutes in line, overall this resort is OK

Memories Paraiso: run down resort

ground ok room ok lobby washrooms messy...water on floor some toilet no seat sometimes you smell sewer no more comment.....................................................................................................

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba

The resort was absolutely beautiful, a little large so there is walking. The food is a scale of 1/100 if I could... You waited for 45 minutes every morning for an omelet and pasta for dinner was 1 hour. They had nice fresh rolls but that was the extent of the good food. Also how they prepped their food was unsanitary. They used the exact same folk and cup to mix the omelets, if someone had an allergy it could have been a big problem. They buffet selection was terrible.. they had nice sliced meat [... read more]s and cheese but you get sick of eating that every day on roll for 7 days. The pizza isn't bad at the 24 hour snack bar - but, If you are hungry don't go you will wait 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The beach is beautiful but get there early you wont be able to get shade/tiki past 11 pm. The service was okay on certain nights. If you don't tip though they will come to your table last or skip a rotation, we never had this issue, but we saw it happen most of time to younger groups like ourselves. The pool closest to building ten is the party pool (aka the best pool, aka the strongest drinks). It is usually pretty rowdy come 5 - 7 pm at night, but always a good time meeting new friends.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful resort!

This resort had beautiful pools and a fantastic beach with an ample supply of sun loungers. We found that most of the staff did not speak English or understand us. Our biggest complaint was they have not designated any "non smoking tables" in the main lobby/bar area. It took a lengthy time to have an omelet cooked or meat grilled in the buffet - sometimes 30 minutes or more!! Service in the buffet was slow. The a la carte restaurants were excellent and the food well prepared and served professio [... read more]nally. This resort recently changed ownership and needs management to improve service to ensure repeat clients.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Great Resort

The hotel was beautiful. The staff were great. The food had improved greatly since we first visited the resort in November 2014. My only complaint would be that it is a fare drive from the airport, however the tour guide was great, providing us with information about the towns we were driving through.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: A really nice resort

Beach was amazing, some of the rooms were in disrepair though... Nice resort layout not too big. Lots of pools, snacks were good also. Food at buffet was a little repetitive. Fried rice cook banging his spatula was annoying while eating. Resort distance to airport was a little far (2 hrs to drive back, but had to kill time anyways, since 3 hrs was required at airport for international departures....)

Memories Paraiso: Resort needs some repair!

The resort in a whole was okay. I stayed there about 5 years ago and I did notice that the resort is in need of repair or sprucing up (ie. paint peeling, bathroom updates, modernization). Also, I felt that the food was not as acceptable as the last time I stayed there. For example, they used to make great pizza, no longer available, seafood lunch, no longer available. Also, the disco was complimentary and now you have to pay. All in all, it was acceptable but in future, I will probably stay else [... read more]where.

Valentin Perla Blanca: This resort was no for me !

We just got back from our vacation in Cuba at the Valintin Perla Blanca, I was not expecting the food to be great but figured I would be able to find something to eat during my stay. We tried the buffet the first night and were disappointed so we decided to try the snack bar cause they had french fries and burgers, ya that would be great if they didnt run out everyday, and even then my wife and I were visiting the bathroom very frequently, when we could find one that was not locked. VERY UPSET.. [... read more]. And then when you try to resolve issues the language barrier makes it near impossible to communicate. I ended up counting the days till we could leave this place. I was told that they overbooked because the Oceans resort that was supposed to open next door was not ready and they sent everyone over to this one, great now we dont have enough food for the people that were supposed to be there let alone the newcomers. ON THE PLUS SIDE Drinks were decent and the beach was beautiful, resort was kept reasonably clean and staff was very friendly for the most part. The French restaurant had one of the best and biggest t-bone steaks I have had. Also the Italian restaurant was very good as well, dont even bother wasting your time with the Mexican, I spit it out on the first bite and we all left. Spanish was not bad but of course they didnt have the " Rib Eye " (only on the french side of the menu ) . I did not try the Seafood Restaurant but heard it was good !

Memories Paraiso: Memories

My 3 time at this resort beach is the best in world. People are great they remember you from one trip to next. Hotel is getting tired no repairs a true Canadian 3.5 cuba. Not known for great food or spicy food. Take some spice breakfast is the best but always something to eat. Been to cuba 7 times love this resort staff make it worth. Coming back.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Nice resort but in need of some TLC

The outside grounds were lovely and well kept, but unfortunately many tourists don't care and they leave cups, straws and cig butts anywhere. The hotel rooms (we saw a few) were in need of some extra cleaning and touch ups (to be considered a 5 star). The food was difficult to get used to at first but we found things that worked for us like egg stations in the mornings, hot dogs/sandwiches on the beach with Rodney (great guy) at lunch and stir fries at supper. The snack bar was also a nice break [... read more] from the buffets. We would go back just for the beach - it was so beautiful. Overall it was a good 1 week experience. Stayed Jan 25 to Feb 1.

Melia Las Dunas: Absoultely stunning!!

My entire family went down together ( 23 of us) and every single person had an amazing time. The staff were all extremely accomodating and the food was delicious with so much variety. Theres also a huge advantage of having a family side and adult side completely mirrored image. Tons of activities for everyone (since our group ramged from 6 - 50 years of ags i know this for a fact) definitely reccomend it !