Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Awesome Experience

Once again we had a fabulous experience during our latest visit Feb 21 to March 3rd/23. The grounds were beautiful, the staff was always smiling and the weather was perfect. Special thanks go out to Idalmis G. and Jose M., to Osmany M. To Fernando M, Yamina and Fabian from the buffet. We will again in December, see you soon!

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Great trip

Hotel was real nice, small and had friendly staff. We would end up at the amazing beach or larger pools next door, bars were close with ample amounts of beer, rum or vodka mixed drinks. Entertainment every night was nice in the main lobby. Food a la cart cordon bleau was great, Cuban night was also tasty with chicken lasagna and pulled pork rice etc. Every day for breakfast was bacon with ham and cheese omlettes. Cuban coffee was outstanding. Cigar bar had great coffe and canned beer. Ve [... read more]ry hard working and nice staff there too. My expectations of food were not high cause of the reviews. yes Cuban cooking is bland, but plenty to eat at the buffet or snack bar. I survived without any Doritos for the week, lol. Would go again just for the beauty of the beach!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Comfortable and clean with amazing staff!!

My husband and I have been going to this same resort for 20 years. It is always clean and the staff go out of their way to make you comfortable. It wasn't as busy as normal this year but we still had a great time. The ala-carte restaurants served very good food although fewer of them were open. We will most definitely return!

Memories Paraiso: Nice resort and very friendly staff

Beach, grounds, pool all beautiful ! Food was very good , excellent fruits, meat , vegetables and fantastic fresh baked bread. We stayed for 2 weeks and end of last week we got Covid. Stuff were great, they called every morning to see how we feel and what we want to eat that day. Food and weather was delivered to our room every day, and doctors were visiting as well. I assumed there were more Covid cases in resort but not reported. We didn’t see anybody wearing mask…….

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: An absolutely amazing vacation!!! (February 23-March 2, 2023)

Our stay at the Royalton, exceeded our expectations! This was our 6th time in Cayo Santa Maria, but our 1st time staying at the Royalton. We were very happy with our hotel room. We received 5 STAR customer service, from check in-to check-out (from all of the employees). The food was the best that we have had in Cuba. We had a nice variety, each day. We were a group of 4 (age ranging from 23-57). We all enjoyed this resort, to the fullest. We are already planning our next vacati [... read more]on, at the Royalton. Thanks for the amazing week!

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Fun resort

Gran Muthu Cayo Guillermo was a fun resort. Food was great 2.days out of 7....but I guess that's expected in Cuba....you don't go to Cuba for the food!! The resort is 5 years old and is in good shape but could use and update!! The staff were exceptional....very accomodating. The pools and beach are second to none!! The resort is very small and easy to get around....My first time to Cuba so I really have nothing to compare it to in Cuba so I'm giving it a 7.5 out of 10!! For the.price we paid I c [... read more]annot complain!!

Grand Memories Varadero: Dirty and disgusting!

I was at this exact hotel 12 years ago and it was nice. Unfortunately we were Mislead by whoever was paid to give good reviews. I am not a high maintenance person, I have travelled 7 countries all across south east Asia with a back pack and stayed at Hostels for 8 dollars a night Canadian. This hotel was disgusting, bugs, cockroaches, at the buffet people were using one small server for 8 different items, causing cross contamination of food. The tables lacked napkins, forks, knifes and mostly sp [... read more]oons, as I was there 11 days and never saw a spoon. They served ice cream for the kids who had to use a fork. The buffet was always dirty and lots of flies, and we had to wait for plates numerous times. Water was served warm, no ice, the coffee, drinks and wine were all watered down. The maids were lazy, rude and not helpful, three days it took to get a clean towel, and rarely came to make bed or clean as they claim they could get into the rooms, locks were not functioning. I heard about the toilet paper , but some guest had problems getting that, so I brought my own. All areas had at least a mens or womens bathroom screwed shut and not able to use. I arrived 1st day and noticed debris and dirt and a unique broken piece of plastic on the floor of the hall leading to our room. It was still there 11 days later. I had a massage and was told that I could pay at check out in Canadian funds. Because of the lack of communication from sunwing, our flight was delayed and we stayed in our room until instructions from sunwing. Nobody from Sunwing advised or told us what was going on, at 6 pm we attended at Lobby to pay for the massage and were told we owed for late checkout 120.00 American. I was very disappointed and agreed to pay for massage only, however things escalated and I was forciblely confined to a private area, and was not allowed to leave, and a security guard prevented me by standing inches away from me to go to lobby to get my partner and wait for manager. They tried to intimidate me and threaten to call immigration.I then told them to call police and they refused to call them. The manager ended up coming and he agreed that there was no communication and we were allowed to pay for the massage only. There were not enough lounge chairs at pool or beach. The beach was full of cigarette butts and plastic cups! Trust me this is not over, I am contemplating getting a hold of the media to let Canadians know what has happened since Covid.. every Canadian at the hotel was complaining as well. This hotel was a 4.5 .. es at fa…..rip-off ! It was a 2 at best! The rooms have mould and heavy smell of mildew and caused my breathing and throat to go horse! The Sunwing rep confidentiality stated he would never go to that hotel, they also had nerve to charged American money at the money exchange and gave us it in peso equivalent to Canadian funds. You may see a lot of complaints! My sister and her husband had a flight just before us and her rum, perfume, cologne, and nail clippers were stolen from her bag. I will never fly too Cuba again, sad as I have been there almost 15 times.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: The Newly Renovated Sol, Cayo Santa Maria

If you are looking for relaxation and utter beauty, than the newly renovated Sol, Cayo Santa Maria should be considered as your next holiday destination! We travelled at the end of February, beginning of March. I will share my impressions with you. The Beach: aquamarine ocean, cool, soft, white sand beach, blue/lilac sky...perfection! You can walk along the beach to find your own private spot, or settle down on a lounge chair under one of the palapas....no need to play the ''towel game'...the [... read more]re were plenty of chairs to go around, when we were there, at any time of day! The Resort: The gardens were lovely, colourful and well maintained. The pool was beautiful with a unique snack bar located in its centre! The Restaurants: The buffet was spacious, the Italian Ala-Carte had an intimate feel, and the beachfront Ranchon had the most amazing view of the ocean and beach! Service was professional, yet warm and personable. The lobby bar also needs a special mention for creating wonderful cappuccinos and mojitos, (they always had mint when I was there!) The Food: When I travel to another country, I always try to dine on the food of their culture. I absolutely enjoyed the Cuban choices. Favourites included the homemade soup, homemade bread with plenty of cheese and butter, (no butter shortage here), rice with beans, bbq chicken and pork, guava, watermelon, pineapple and other fruits, stirfried vegetables and plantain...not to mention the delicious, creamy icecream. I enjoyed the buffet, more than the Italian restaurant, but that is just my preference. On one evening they had a Cuban dinner by the pool, with entertainment! The Rooms: The rooms are completely renovated! There is a walk-in shower with a rain-head, a true kingsize bed, a balcony with comfy chairs. The room was always cleaned each day My only suggestion: I would appreciate if management could post daily, at a convenient spot, if there was going to be special entertainment, or food. Twice I missed something special, that I would have made an effort to be at. This small, boutique resort offers quality service and a stunning location. I would not hesitate to recommend it!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beautiful Beaches

This resort has accommodations to suit every type of visitor. Families, singles and seniors can be comfortable in this resort. The Coral section is removed from the main property and offers a quieter pace suitable for those who are looking for relaxation. The resort struggled with supply issues and food items were not available. COVID did not appear to be a concern anywhere from the airport, going to or from the resort and inside the shared spaces. There did not appear to be an increased cleanin [... read more]g regime and staff and guests were unmasked. There was entertainment throughout the day and evenings. The staff were excellent.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Beautiful beach and resort

This resort was the perfect size, not too large nor too small, the staff were amazing, very friendly. The beach was incredible as was the pool area. Food is always hit and miss in Cuba as a rule so expected. Lobby bar was fantastic. My only one complaint is that they should have designated smoking areas, my room neighbours all smoked so I was surrounded by it even in the hallways, sadly I couldn’t even sit on my patio as the smoking was making me feel ill, obvious I’m a none smoker I would w [... read more]ake up with my room wreaking of it and I was there for two weeks. My suggestion would have certain room blocks just for smokers, it really was unbearable but other than that I loved this resort. Thank you

Tryp Cayo Coco: Great as always

Clean rooms with fresh towels and water daily and plenty of tp. Nice big pool and the best beach and swimming with a lot of seating available with shade. The staff are really great, friendly and the bartender remembered us from 2017. The buffet had salad, fresh bread, cheese, turkey and always a choice of meats from the grill. There was cockroaches around the buffet the first few days but the new manager took care of it quickly. The entertainment was phenomenal! We had a great vacation

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: A Perfect Stay and Great Vacatopm

A Perfect Stay!!! I really had a great vacation. The Memories Trinidad del Mar in Cuba is a human size resort with staff that make you feel welcome and provide a 5-star service. The rooms are clean and very near the beach. Make sure to say Hi to Sophia at the snack bar, she’s the best! Hotel is located on the great Ancon peninsula! 4km long, clean-not-over-crowded beach with palms and trees with a background view of the Sierra Escambray montain range and astonishing sunsets … Very Close  [... read more]to old colonial city of Trinidad - just a short taxi ride away (ask Osman to reserve) that has tons to offer: Good restaurants, arts and shops and great music venues, like La Casa de la Musica – “a must-go-to” for a real taste of Cuban culture. Not to far away is the entrance to El Cubano, a Unesco natural reserve heritage site where you can do and see all sort of things. The only down-side if you are coming from the Santa Clara Airport is the 2-hour long drive through the Sierra … but it was worth it and I will definitely return.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Friendliness, Kindness, and Great Dancing

I was grateful to return to Iberostar Tainos for a week in the sun. First of all, the staff is amazing. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and at all times professional. The manager, Jania, has an infectious smile - and beautiful singing voice. She sang along with our choir at times and bent over backwards to make our stay agreeable. She's a load of fun. Several improvements have been made in the past few years: the food is more varied and attractively arranged, the amenities work better (though not [... read more] always), the fans really cool down your room...The grounds also look cleaner and well maintained. It was pleasant to walk around and examine the beautiful trees and flowering plants. And the beach was immaculate, the sand perfect, the water incredibly blue. There were enough places to lie in the shade. It truly is a wonderful part of the world. As for activities, there were many right at the resort. Much thanks goes to Hugh (Hugo) and his wonderful dancers who led us in salsa dancing night after night in the outdoor piazza. Hugh and his crew are all gifted artists (your daughter, Tamara, is a lucky girl, Hugh!) and we had such fun dancing to the live music and then watching live performances in the theatre. What was also clear was how much people have been (and still are) affected by the past few years of Covid (as well as the storms). Donations (e.g. children's medication, school supplies, clothes, reading glasses) continue to be welcomed and can be dropped off at the church in Varadaro - just a short bus/taxi ride away. Tip the staff generously; they (and their families) more than deserve it!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Not as advertised: This is not a 5 star hotel

I don't like writing bad reviews but I think our experience here is important to share. 1- Rooms were dirty, with dead insects on the floor, specially under the beds (cockroaches). 2- Not hot water on first day. 2- Food was very limited: no bread, no eggs, very limited fresh fruit. Mainly rice and chicken and it wasn't even fresh. 3- They run out of glasses at the bar, toilet paper, napkins (they had to cut them in half) 4- They were understaffed. 6- In general facilities are not well m [... read more]aintained (Sofas in check-in area, were dirty and smelly). Although the beaches were very beautiful, and the staff was very friendly (they were really trying) this is NOT a 5 star resort at all!

Playa Pesquero: Sunwing

We enjoyed the Playa Pesquara Resort. 2nd time being there. We were treated to a fantastic VIP dinner with Lobster,so good. We could always find something to eat, Pork or Chicken, Was looking forward to our favorate cocktails, but didnt have Margaitas, Pina Colada, Dacquaries. Only got Pina Colada the last day. It is a spacious resort, they only had a few trollies running so a lot of walking. Last time (2016)they were always accesable to pick you up where you wanted to go. Hardly ever saw them  [... read more]around resort. The main thing wanted to let you know is SUNWING.... we were delayed 2 hours flying out as they had to get a volunteer crew to take us. I wouldnt go with Sunwing. It took so much extra time to bus us to Sunwing terminal and wait again. Same coming home. Had to wait for a ground crew to unload us, then bus back to airport terminal, then it took us 2 HOURS to get our luggage to us. It was 12 hours getting there both ways for a 3 .5 hour flight.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: It was ok. We have stayed at better, in Cuba.

The palm trees, blue skies and Island grounds were lovely. Beach was beautiful. The Resort was spread out so no crowded feeling.There was a good variety of food items. They had various entertainment, most nights, in the Main Lobby which was great. The Disco from 10pm to 1am, every night, was too loud and kept many guests awake, who were trying to sleep. Not enough lounge chairs at the pool but they are ordered and haven't arrived yet. We used wicker, straight-up chairs from the Pool Bar for four [... read more] days until we complained to a Female Rep and demanded to see the Resort Manager. The Female Rep handled it and obtained chairs as the Resort Manager was never 'available'. We gave her a large tip and some Womens Make-up items that we intentionally took there to give to deserving workers. We also gave a tip to the Pool Attendant who kindly saved the chairs for us. The rooms were adequate for holiday needs. We had no 'hot' water but usually warm or cool-to-warm. We are so blessed in our own country! It was nice to get away from the snow. The country is struggling after Covid and doing its best. Let's all be grateful and not grumpy.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great resort, wonderful people, amazing beach

It was great resort worth to visit another time. Food was great, maybe more varieties of fish. Amazing beach, good for long walks. Rooms were decent, big, and clean. I would recommend this resort to other people.

Brisas Guardalavaca: A great resort for a comfortable get away

We really liked our vacation at La Brisas Guardalavaca. The rooms were exceptionally clean. We stayed in a villa which was away from the main hub of the hotel. It was very quiet compared to the main traffic areas closer to the pools. Absolutely no complaints about the food. There are shortages all over Cuba. Most of the bars didn’t have vodka or tequila, but the brisas punch and the Mojitos at the Havana Club on the rooftop bar went down fairly easily while watching the sunset.

Blau Varadero: Worth a Visit

I hadn't planned on vacationing yet given what these Countries have suffered the last 3 years but I'm so glad I had a change of heart. We flew Sunwing the day after a big storm and through no fault of their own, were delayed 6 hours! Pearson wouldn't give them a runway to get to Waterloo Regional. Frustrating to say the least given this took away from our first day by arriving at Blau at midnight as opposed to 3:30 p.m. The flight was uneventful. The resort is stunning. They have vines hangin [... read more]g from the top of the building (14 floors) to the bottom ending in an indoor garden of sorts with plenty of greenery and small palms. The lobby bar is very unique as well. PROS: Spacious main floor with different sections for different preferences. You can sit in quiet and play a game or sit and listen to live piano or otherwise calming music or sit in a place with louder upbeat Caribbean music. They have a games space as well. Not huge but there's a ping pong table & pool table. Outdoors is beautifully maintained. Everything is close by or small 5 minute walk away. The beach is clear and breathtaking with loungers awaiting any guest at any given time of day. They have beds as well but some are in need of levelling. NOTE: take travel toilet paper... washrooms outside your room seldom have any. The a-la-cart is as good as any high end restaurant you'll dine in at home. I'm very cautious about eating meat when I travel but our dinner was fabulous and I finished my plate. The rooms are very spacious and cheerfully decorated. Very comfortable beds (soft mattress) with plenty of pillows. Ample storage space for clothes NOTE: Take a plug adapter.... you'll need it! The nightly shows were very entertaining. Our favorite was the water ballet one evening. CONS: Obviously the food. I generally live on pasta the whole week and Juan made my dinner to perfection every night. Only issue, it was only spaghetti noodles available. My husband enjoyed the selection at the buffet though. The snack bar leaves much to be desired. It's closest to the beach. Most the time, your option was a ham & cheese sandwich. Seldom they had pastries or fruit. Main restaurant wouldn't use the coffee machine at breakfast. We're coffee drinkers and having a good cup of coffee is appreciated but we had to walk to the snack bar and bring one back most mornings because the pool bar wasn't open yet. I will definitely pay this resort another visit. If you go to Cuba, you MUST remember, you're not at home. Things here aren't as easy to come by as you're used to. If you want all the comforts and conveniences of home, then you're best to stay there. These people work with what they have and work hard to make your experience a joyful one.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Great resort and staff

Despite the challenges since COVID my family have had two trips within one year to this resort and always found the staff helpful and the amenities/provisions more than satisfactory. With kids it is a nice size, small and easy to get everywhere, clean too.