Valentin Perla Blanca: Better than most in Cuba

Was all ok, clean, food was ok compared to other parts of the country. I did not like the ride to and from the airport, too long Went into the little town ( market) make sure you have cash for the restaurants, as we sat down to have a lobster diner and had to buy a bottle of wine ( they don't do by the glass???) so the bill was $86. Cuban Paso's, went to pay by visa and they don't take anything but cash!!!!! NOWHERE DID IT SAY THAT.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Good value for I paid.

Room fairly clean, towels mostly old and worn. Grounds clean, alleys very dark at night. Service very good at both, pool and beach bars, less so in the lobby. A heartfelt thank you to Nelson, the restaurant manager and to Anier, Rafael and Robert, all bartenders. Very friendly and professional as they can get.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: unforgettable experience!

Over all the resort is clean. They have lovely and genuine staff. Special mention to Jenny from the lobby bar and Pedro from the grill. The staff of this resort are going above and beyond to provide a better experience in Cuba. About the food, I don't have any complain. I always find something to eat.. even my husband who is a vegetarian.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Great

Was there for 14 days in January, restaurant and snack bar staff could use a refresher course and the Manager should purchase some more towels. Lobby and beach bar staff TOP! Food was very good for the most part. Not sure why so many people complain. If you don't find anything for your taste at the Buffet then there is something wrong with you. Spanish ala Carte awesome, Nice beach. Pools looked nice, but can't say much, I like the beach. Sadly the weather was not the greatest. Would go back !!

Memories Paraiso: resort is adequate

hotel is average. people are friendly and food is good. I wouldn't classify this as a 4 star as you do but maybe a 3.5. we had an awesome time. also the pools are fantastic and the beach is beautiful. probably the best we have seen in a while.

Memories Paraiso: Not a 4 star!

The grounds were nice. Buffets were over crowded, unclean, not enough staff to keep up with the demand. Too long of wait for simple items such as omlettes, grilled meats such as chicken, pork or beef. (Which ensured your food was actually hot and cooked to your liking), otherwise food temperatures off. Ran out of most items. People literally hoarded the bananas and took like 10 when it came out. After never seeing bananas again, I realize why. It was like you were "lucky" to be at the buffet ear [... read more]ly enough to get real bread for toast and jam packets, otherwise you were left with a hamburger bun. Waiting in a line for 15 min to toast that bread meant the rest of your food was cold by the time it was toasted and you found a table. There should be a second buffet area on the opposite side of the resort that mirrors the two buffets by the theatre to accommodate a resort of this size. We hoped the al a cartes would be our saving grace and unfortunately they were not. At the Mediterainian ever after reserving a table for our party of 10, we were sat at two tables of 6 & 4. And waited over an hour to receive our appetizer. The server explained "there was only one cook tonight", when she brought the main course the plates were so hot from I assume sitting there prepared under heat lamps that my 5yr old burnt the palm of his hand when he brushed the edge. The Caribean wasn't much better waiting over an hour to be sat for an 8pm reservation. The Italian was more efficient but my appetizer bowl of "tomato soup" which was actually canned tomato sauce for pasta was disappointing. In all there was nothing extraordinary about any of the Al a cartes we went to. I wasn't prepared to fork out 25CUC to experience lobster. The public washrooms around the entire resort were disgusting! I don't need to go into detail as there are enough reviews on trip advisor explaining in great detail which I chose not to believe, assuming that they were just extra picky people. Now being home for 3 days, we are all experiencing more than normal trips to the washroom & my boyfriend is taking immodium. On our bus to the airport a young girl, and 20 something woman both threw up, and did so again on the plane. I can see how easily people are getting sick from there as it is completely unsanitary. I love the beach in Cayo Santa Maria. The resort staff were all very nice and helpful when they could be. They are limited by staff, products, tools etc to perform their jobs. I will probably never visit Cuba again. This experience has left me feeling like I didn't really have a vacation at all. More like I was on Survivor trying to make it through the week. Sunwing should also consider their rating, and changing it to 3 stars.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Very good value for your money!

Best beach in Cuba! Have been there twice and 5 years later, it's just as beautiful as the first time! The only bad side is it's 1 1/2 hours from airport. Travel during the day and it give you a free excursion!!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Set your expectations appropiately

I generally don't write alot of reviews but I was a little disappointed with Iberostar Ensenachos. I have been to Santa Maria once before to a 4* resort and really enjoyed it, so I decided to pay extra to experience "5*". In a nutshell, there was no real value in that extra money spent for this hotel. The main differences between this and a 4* are it was isolated, quite, and the Ensenanchos beach was absolutely beautiful. That is pretty much where it ends. The hotel room was an average room. T [... read more]hat being said, we had a large cockroach in our room the second night. We didnt want to over react, but then we saw a bunch of ants on one of the night tables. We moved to another room, we saw another small cockroach there. Front desk did not really feel like they needed to apologize or what not. I understand this is Cuba, but this is my 4th time there, and it was a little disappointing to experience this at a so called 5*. Food was quite good for Cuba standards, but it more or less was equivalent to other 4* resorts in Santa Maria. Contrary to some reviews, there was no Heinz Ketchup, and the biggest disappointment was I never had lobster at the Buffet restaurant. Generally the beef is very tough, chicken has a slightly different texture, but Seafood is a safe bet. I don't eat Porc so can't comment on that. I love Cuba, and the Cuban culture, but value for the dollar is not there for this resort. It is disappointing to pay a significant amount of money more than other resorts and not experience a "special" vacation.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Needs a refresh, but still good

My first thought was "this place needs a coat a paint and some new fixtures", but it grew on me. Overall, this is a good place for the price. If you have not stayed on Cayo Santa Maria, you should know: it is 90 minutes from the airport. Just getting to the mainland is a 50km drive on the causeway. That means if you want to do something off resort other than the dolphin show or the shopping "village", you are going to have a long drive. If you're looking for action, go elsewhere; if you want to [... read more] relax on the beach or at the pool, this is the place! Rooms: The rooms are decent-sized, with a big balcony (a plus when the kids go to bed early!). If you are a family of four, I recommend asking for two extra cots/beds. The "double" size bed is not really double. Our kids are still small, so we managed fine with just one extra cot. The beds are hard and the pillows, well, not very pillow-y. But after playing in the sun all day, we hardly noticed. Resort: As stated above, the resort needs a bit of a refresh. Nothing is horrible, just a little dated. It seems like some of that is in progress - there was a crew painting the beach restaurant; and another group going around with clipboards taking notes of things that were obviously in need of repair. In another year, my comments may not hold true anymore! The pool and pool area is huge with a decent amount of lounge chairs around. I wish they cleaned the pool a little more often since the palm trees around tend to shed leaves into the water, but it's not a big deal. Staff: The staff was amazing, especially with the kids! Entertainment: We didn't really partake in most since the kids were in bed early. Food: At the buffet, the food was plentiful, with a good amount of selection; and at least part of the menu was rotated. At every meal, there was an option for something prepared fresh - omelettes/crepes, fresh pasta, fried rice, and a selection of meats and fish cooked right in front of you. Lunch and dinner usually had a roast of some kind - turkey, pork, beef, etc.. There was usually pizza and pasta available for picky kids. The pizza/pasta restaurant (Los Flamencos? - on the West side of the resort) is open for lunch and makes a good pizza! My only complaint about food is a lot of it tends to be overcooked. I assume this is a food safety thing. On the bright side, with the fresh grilled meat/fish option, you can tell the staff when to take it off the grill.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Great resort to relax and enjoy

Pools were very clean and a fun place for the kid to have hours of fun on the island in the center. Very friendly entertainment staff, even had my daughters hair done in new twice. Good selection of outdoor games (shuffle board, chess etc) Always someone at the beach to setup the chairs, cleanup etc. Great selection of food.

Melia Las Dunas: Good Vacation

This was a wonderful resort. The staff was always friendly and they had nightly entertainment and always tried to get people involved with poolside/ ocean side activities. The food is good my only complaint would be that it is fairly repetitive at the buffet. The service staff are friendly and helpful although not always fast, this wasn't an issue to me as i'm on vacation. The beach was AMAZING, honestly if everything else would have been bad it wouldn't have matter because the beach makes up fo [... read more]r it.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Very nice resort and facilities.

Very clean and well maintained. Excellent staff overall. The food was only so so but about what you expect from the average resort in Cuba. Entertainment was good. Better than my last cruise ship. The restaurant meals were small and only so so. Next time I'll stick to the buffet. Beach and pools were great. lots of lounge chairs.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort

Gorgeous surroundings and clean wash rooms nice clean rooms . Entertainment was good . Last year we stayed at the Star Fish and the entertainment was much better . We enjoyed are stay also went on two excursions which were great .

Melia Las Dunas: A memorable holiday

When the guy we spoke to at Trip Central recommended Melia Las Dunas, I was initially not very keen because it was more expensive than several others. But now that I have returned, I can assert with confidence that it is an excellent resort and fully worth the money. The unit we were assigned had an ocean view. The beach was great and better than at Varadero. Also, the food was excellent with plenty to choose from. The service was also very good. The only downside is the long bus ride from the a [... read more]irport to the hotel at night in the dark. May be Sunwing should consider adding an earlier flight. Despite this, on balance, we are so happy that we chose this resort and are thinking of going back to the same resort next year.

Memories Paraiso: Would not return!

Grounds are nice, room okay, although we paid extra for ocean view, had to stand firm at check in as they did not want to give us what we paid for. The clerk did give us ocean view, but with two beds, which is not ideal for married couple. We took it as he said that was the only room he had, but we knew that was not true. I would not go back for several reasons, the food was terrible, the service "so so", in a week we did not have sheets changed on bed, no fresh towels one day, bar fridge not st [... read more]ocked daily with water, public washrooms disgusting. Lots of bugs and the hotel sends the truck out to spray while people are walking to the buffet and resort is busy with people all around. Had to cover your nose and mouth while the truck went by the pathway. Terrible food and lots of people fell ill. Beach nice but weather sucked...cant blame hotel for that but we only had 2 days of sunshine. It all added up to this, would not go back to Cuba or that hotel.You know the clothes that you bring to help out..well if you see them in the gift shop, you really should think twice about bringing things they turn around and sell. Tip money only.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Beach is awesome ! Resort needs touch up.

I have been to this area before so I kind of knew what to expect, was disappointed that we held the bus at the airport so people could go to the bank there. There are banks at every resort so why hold that long bus ride for a certain few. I knew I was in trouble at the resort when the first thing the young lady at the front counter asked me was if I wanted to upgrade my room ?? I said thank you I haven't seen it yet but how much to upgrade if I would like too ? I had asked for an upper floor poo [... read more]l or ocean view and when I was shown my room I got a ground floor view of the walking trail. I considered the upgrade but my wife talked me out of it. The room was clean for the most part and close to the beach so we kept it. I noticed right away a piece of dental flus hanging from the bathroom mirror so I thought I would use this as a test to see how the maids did. After 4 days my wife removed it, other than that the room was clean and well kept. The staff at the buffet were nice and we sat every morning in the same section (leuis's section) he was great. We did our two al carte meals and the sea food was good (overcooked the lobster) and the Italian was a joke. Meal portions were tiny and trying to pressure you to buy over priced "special" wine. The snack bar was great for service and food 24hrs a day. The ice cream was a nice treat also both at the buffet and the ice cream bar. The beach was awesome and what we went for and it didn't let us down. The staff at the beach bar and sandwich bar did a great job and the lines were large but everyone for the most part were great . There were a few form eastern Canada that speak something other than English that were rude,never tipped and liked to smoke in your face and thought they were special but say le vey. In closing would I go back to this resort ? No. Would I go back to the area ? Absolutely !!! The beach is awesome and the water is nice and I already am planning my next trip.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Intimate Resort

When we arrived at the hotel we were very impressed by the lobby, quick check in and the calm of the resort. The hotel is kept very clean and it seemed all the staff were happy to be there and help out any way the could. The rooms are adequate and clean. We felt, despite the hotel being at full capacity, that we were the only ones there, no line ups, no fighting for chairs. Pure quiet and relaxation, just what we were looking for, and that truly was impressive. The beach and the pools were lovel [... read more]y with lots of space for all. The drinks were plentiful, and in the lobby bar they had top shelf liquor with the best pina colada ever and the Royalton coffee was superb. The food was hit and miss. Some days good, other days not so good, cold and unfortunately my husband and I both got sick...not sure from why or from what but they recommended we drink tonic water with angostura bitters to help and I did notice many other people drinking the same remedy...we did talk to people who were experiencing gastro problems and I assume, by the looks of things, that their were many others ill as well. If the the food was more consistent and of course if we did not get sick, it would have been almost perfect.

Melia Las Dunas: Not a 4.5 star

First impression is huge to me, so when we arrived to our room to see a room that is very run down and not really clean looking that starts my vacation off with a bad taste in my mouth. The mattress was very worn and painful to sleep on. Our bedding was never changed our towels were never changed and that is disgusting to me. We didn't even get a face cloth. We had to ask for toilet paper whenever we needed it. The lounge really needs a lift. The cushions we well worn and you spend a lot of tim [... read more]e in the lounge area especially when the weather is not so nice. The beach and pool areas were amazing and that is where we chose to spend our time even though we were wrapped in our towels. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. That's why I don't understand why they don't take such pride in the rooms and other areas of the resort. Just giving my true opinion!

Melia Las Dunas: Great room, good food, lousy samitation

I was there for 7 Jan/16 thru 21 Jan/16. I was in the Adult section in an upgraded room and I pay the single supplement as well. I room was good room-great king sized bed, nice couch, walking in closet Great maid- but I also tip 3 Cuban dollars per night The Adult pool was lovely and the snack bar off it is very good The extra restrauants are good-The Romatico is excellent. Wine lists are good Nice lobby and good banking facilities The buffet restraunts are good and yes you can get bacon with br [... read more]eakfasts in at least 1 of the 2 bkfst restaurants every day The beach is kind of tricky - it has a sandbar- and you walk in about 1 to 2 feet and then drop. It is hand getting in without falling and even rougher getting out. People -all ages- were getting tripped They need to enforce the no saving seats rule I would go for a swim about 7.15 to 7.30 and about 80% of the lounges had blankets, books etc on them There would be me and about 5 or 6 other people on the beach and maybe a couple of joggers There should be an adults only section of the beach Now the sanitation issue It took about 24 hours to get a screen installed on the window of my patio I didn't get towels till late the next day- mine are to be bright purple and in the room, when I get there People all over were complaining about towlels-you couldn't get them Then there are the toliets You can't put toliet paper in them or they plug So you have to put solied toliet paper in a plastic waste basket with a lid Every one has to do this Add in a full hotel, 2000+ guests including kids so what happens For the first time in my life i got sick- TWICE -in 2 weeks I have never seen anything like this in my life and never in a 4+ star hotel Please note I have been to Cuba twice before Please note I have been in every Central American country except for Belise. I have done the Trans Siberia Train Trip with G adventures I have spent 4 weeks each in Tunsia, Hawaii and Mexico I have been in Spain Will I go back to Cuba Yes Will I go to a Melia No But now I will have to remember to ask Shelia Denika-my travel agent for at least 15 to 20 year-and excellent at it- beside is the hotel under construction, I'm going to have to ask her if I can flush the toliet Also Sunwing is great I try to book an ELITE seat back and this time they gave me a whole row, because there was space on the flight- I had a laydown nap And Yes I always book the VIP lounge on the way out )

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Nice hotel, not so nice food !

The grounds at Hotel Cayo Santa Maria were very well maintained with lots of flowering trees and shrubs. Most of the facilities are on side of the complex, but is only about a 10 min. walk from one end to the lobby in the middle. Our 3rd floor oceanview room was clean with a great view, cleaned daily, the a.c. and water were perfect, the mini-bar filled daily. No problem with room towels, but beach towels seemed to be in short supply. We found the staff to be very pleasant, and service was gen [... read more]erally excellent. The pool layout was different, the pools themselves generally in good shape and clean. The beach and water in front of the hotel are very nice, and you can also get around a rocky stretch at the end to reach the much longer beach where some of the other hotels are located. Lots of chairs everywhere. Some safety concerns with pathway lighting, kids jumping from bridges at the pools. large gaps in some of the wooden walkways. Biggest negative for us was food......this was our 9th visit to Cuba, but even by Cuban standards, we found this to be very lacking. We did like the lunchtime buffet at the waterfront "ranchon", but in bad weather it was not open. Drinks were generally good, and we had no problem getting mojitos, which isn't always the case. This hotel had grounds as nice as we have seen, the room and view were lovely (and quiet), but the food at this particular hotel spoiled the package. We don't normally go to the same place twice anyway, but would not go back because of this. A shout-out to Jen Huet at Trip Central. This vacation planning started out badly, but Jen came through for us, and did everything necessary to get us on our way. Thank you, Jen