Nice resort

The resort was beautiful but not amazing as I thought I would be for a newer resort. The public washrooms were not kept as clean as they should have been. They need to spend more time on maintaining them. The beach bar was I think under construction as it was difficult to get to and the stairs were apart. No signs to get to the paddle boats and other boats. Some days our fridge didn't get restocked. It stated we would have robes and slippers in our room and we didn't. We had a hard time reg [... read more]ulating the tempature in our room. However the food wasn't bad and the service was great.

Beautiful Resort

Hotel was very nice and clean. Room was beautiful and clean. I cannot complain about the food, it was good. A-la-carte's were great. Staff was amazing. We went during the off-season, beach is beautiful with white sand, water absolutely gorgeous.

Beautiful Resort

Pools are absolutely beautiful. Only problem we had was not many sheltered areas unless you pay extra for them. As far as food , it's Cuba . Rooms are very clean and loved having the beech towels in the room and not having to wear a bracelet. Did not like the 2 hour ride from airport to Resort.

Nice Beach but that's it!

We visited this resort from April 16th to the 23rd 2016. We visited this resort from April 17th to the 23rd 2016. Well, where should we start. How about a summary. This resort is fairly new and basically very beautiful, situated on an amazing stretch of beach. That's the positive - now for the bad news. This place is way too large for the existing staff to handle. Lineups everywhere, always. Buffet too small to handle the stampeding crowds. The kitchen can't even keep up with replenishing food. [... read more] The a-la-cart's you must line up to pre-book and that's a 90 minute wait on average, only to go to the a-la-cart and find out they ran out of ingredients for your meal. General maintenance issues such as broken patio door hardware. Shower drain was plugged. If you want local currency that's another hour lineup too. Not much English speaking staff (but they smile a lot). Hot water seems to have random availability. Had so much standing in line time we were able to get similar comments from other guests. Will not return to this resort unfortunately.

Supert nice place wow

Hotel was awsome,nice people realy friendly and food realy good. The beach is beautiful and clean. The negatif part is the resort is 2 hours from the airport its a long drive in bus. But i recomand this hotel to everyone

Disappointed!!!

This was truly a disappointment. The facility itself was beautiful, however the other problems were the issue. I paid extra to have an upgrade package. This package was to come with a welcome food tray and robes and slippers. Well, the food tray was a tomato on a plate. Day 4 into the vacation and still had not received the robe. The food was the worst. I thought surely there would be something to eat that I would like..if it wasn't for the fries and chicken fingers I would have starved! The sta [... read more]ff were wonderful, they were obviously overworked and understaffed. Forget depending on the internet service, spent hours trying to get on line daily. There was only certain places you could get it, and no two days were the same. Then, if you could get online, you couldn't get off...this was ongoing day after day. There was nothing of a store around, except a little closet that cigars and liquor were sold. I could not get a calling card there, that was my preferred way to contact family. The bathrooms on the resort were always short on toilet paper.....and you could forget soap and paper towels. Some places, we went on excursions, there were no toilet seats, much less toilet paper. The landscaping was not well done. There was very little flowers, everything was so rugged and dry. There was a lot of walking to get around the resort. There was no directory in the bedrooms, therefore we did not know all the services ( i.e. could call and get a golf cart to pick you up) did not know until ready to leave. The one thing I can say is the beach is beautiful, however no better then dominican or mexico or florida.This was my first time to Cuba, and I will not be going back..

Honest Review! Disappointed :(

I'm not one to complain and am easy to please...but here is my review! The grounds and hotel are beautiful! The groundsmen work hard to keep flowers..grass...looking beautiful! The rooms are kept nice and clean! Then comes the disappointing stuff! Disorganization among staff! When we arrived, the front desk did not have our room ready and we arrived around 4. The room was a king size bed only, when I specifically stated two beds time of booking! The staff are very lax in customer service, meanin [... read more]g you can stand in front of them...and they don't acknowledge you for a very long time. The arrival set up is a fail! I've never seen check in so disorganized. I felt that some of the staff were not happy..not friendly and overworked! They need more staff! All of the bars were short staff, especially the lobby (biggest bar) which made it difficult to get a drink! They were selective to who they catered to..if you had pesos showing! The buffet (food) is not big enough to accommodate the amount of people they have at the resort! Food sections ran out several times. Line ups for stations were very long..sometimes up to 30 minutes! I'm not a fussy eater, and have been to Cuba many times...but the food at Valentin Perla Blenca was not the best and very little selections and the same food all the time! The beach is very crowded and not a lot of selection of chairs in shade! You need to get there early, but even then..you have people who save chairs when they are not even there all day! There are other little things you can live with...but I do hope they achieve a better resort for the future. Let's end on a good note>> The A La Carte Restaurants we went to were all good, especially the Oh, la la (French). The entertainment in the evenings at the theatre were spectacular! The choreograph for the dancing in their shows were beyond good....they were amazing. The choreographer needs more recognition! The beach was beautiful. Cayo Santa Maria have the best beaches. I know this is still a fairly new resort..of less than two years..but I wish to see progress and change on how they do things. I would not recommend this resort to my friends at this time! :(

Great beach; lovely room

beach is superb but needs more shades. new buildings, great room; Entertainment was great; cuban live band in particular. Service in restaurants superb. Hotel is a bit too large so there is a problem with selfservice restaurant! Long lineups for currency exchange!

Nice clean and very friendly staff

Rooms were clean and large king bed with an ocean view! Grounds in full bloom entertainment shows at night were awesome esp the Michael Jackson show ! Great cappuccino and Spanish coffees ! French restaurant and seafood highly recommended

Very nice resort, 2 years old.

It is clean,the food was good,24 hr snack bar,the staff was very friendly and good speaking English. A lot of room in the loby to sit with friends in the evening, entertainment was every night,also there was entertainment on the beach and swimming pool during the day. The fridge in the room was restocked every day.all was very well organized.

Resort was very nice

Resort was beautiful, beaches were georgous, and food was alright...the staff were friendly and always willing to help....you are located about 2 hours from the airport, so keep that in mind. We did the Rambo (jungle) excursion, it was great, you are in the mountains, and go to caves and waterfalls.

Nice resort!

The resort was beautiful,grounds well kept,nice room decor. Food was better than I expected heading to Cuba for my first time. Difficult to have a la carte bookings at supper time (say 5-6 pm). If you are looking for spotless cleaning of rooms and adequate restocking, you will be disappointed but I don't dust my furniture home every day. The clear glass in the shower makes you in full view to the rest of the room. Be real comfy naked around your travel companion. Beach was beautiful and staff wa [... read more]s extremely friendly to us and spoke fairly good English. Also, be prepared for the drive to the resort from the airport.. Comfy ride just the same. Everything put in perspective, great vacation.

Just ok

The hotel was just ok. Washrooms we terrible, never paper towels, usually no toilet paper as well. Toilets rarely able to flush. Understaffed everywhere. Lineups at the buffet were at every meal no matter the time of day. Food wasn't worth waiting for. The a la carte were good. As for the rooms...bed was ok. Our washroom was fine. Never were the sheets or towels changed just folded and refolded. Pools were just ok as well. Most mornings garbage floated in it and staff would just walk by and look [... read more] at it...waiting for someone else to clean it...finally a couple guests did. The beach however was amazing and totally saved the resort and the vacation.

Just OK

I really had high hopes for a better review. I realize that by writing a negative review is a way for people to vent and it helps them feel justified, so weeding out the complainers is necessary. However, we are not complainers, and pretty easy going. We had a decent week and enjoyed the many things that the resort offers. After arriving at the airport I proceeded around the corner to the right outside and exchanged some CDN $ into Cuc's. There was no line. The bus ride to the hotel was one of m [... read more]y favourite parts of the week. Our Air Transat Rep was amazing! He was so funny and full of info. Originally trained as a teacher he was very good at his job. I didn't want him to stop talking. Check in took about 10 minutes. There really are no badly situated buildings. The left side of the complex is dedicated to Sunwing and the only negatives we heard were from that side. The beach is truly amazing. Nothing but crystal clear water and sandy bottom. The coffee bar is fantastic. We got up at 6am each day, filled our travel mugs with coffee and headed to the beach to read and relax before breakfast. This is the best time of day on the resort. So peaceful. We had the privileged package which no matter what others tell you is well worth the upgrade. If for only to have a dedicated spot on the beach as well as the buffet and Ranchon. You will never have to wait for a table. The Ranchon offers breakfast menu for privileged only in the mornings. Do not bother with the buffet...go here! You can have a full breakfast just the way you want without lining up forever to hopefully snag a couple pieces of bacon. There were also never more than a 6 or 7 couples dining at a time in the morning. Foodwise...disappointing, even for Cuba. Could barely put together a salad. Very little lettuce. Mostly cabbage. Sometimes tomatoes and cucumbers that weren't mush. The good desserts disappear fast and were not replenished. Waiting in lines for this gets old fast. The a la cartes offer a much more relaxed dining experience. There is a lobster dinner included with the privilege package. It was already booked for us when we arrived. Privilege check in is in the Privilege lounge behind the coffee bar. We booked our a la cartes here at the same time. Others sometimes spend lots of time waiting in long lines to do this. This is not how I would want to spend my vacation. Ridiculous. There were 2 pig roasts at the pool during our stay. This was delicious! The snack bar at the pool is always hit and miss. What was good yesterday may be terrible tomorrow. If you are suffering from salt and condiment withdrawl, have the chicken sandwich. Take advantage of the Privilege lounge! You can always slip in here to get a drink without ever waiting. They also have a great selection of premium liquor. It's air conditioned and there is a pool table and lounge seating. The privilege package also comes with a 30min free massage which we also booked when we arrived. It was enjoyable, but we both had to shower after to get rid of the large amount of oil used. It did not bother us that our towels were not changed all week because we saw that this appeared to be a problem going in and brought a couple from home. Same sheets all week...not a problem. I'm lucky if I get around changing my sheets at home once a month! Mini bar always filled and no problem asking for specifics. We had bathrobes in our room at the beginning of our stay. I use one each day. But on day 4 they both disappeared. Wondered if someone else was wearing my dirty robe. We had a ground floor room which was fine but probably would have slept with the screen door open had we been on a higher level...the temp was that nice. Wifi is terrible. Do not count on keeping in touch with family this way if you need to. The best time to try is in the morning. The market is worth the visit. For the full experience, take the bus one way and share a cab with someone else who shows up the other way. You can request a nice old convertible if you like...but warning, it will be fast and windy. I recommend booking the VIP lounge with your tour rep before leaving. $25/person. Can be paid in CUC or credit card (cdn credit card company only. Capital One is a US company) You will have a short dedicated check in, then off to the VIP lounge with all you can eat sandwiches and snacks and a full bar selection. Coffee was VERY good! AND there is wifi...for free! Easy way to kill a few hours. We did enjoy our vacation, but found that waiting in lines is no way to spend it. The buffet is far too small and it brings out the worst in people. This is where most of my disappointment lies. Sadly, We would not return to this resort. I would rather pay more for more of a stress free vacation.

Amazing hotel !

This was my second trip to Cuba, different part though. The hotel is beautiful, very modern. The rooms were also amazing, we asked for a king bed and actually got one! Everything was very clean. We all know what to expect when it comes to food in Cuba. To be honest some days were terribly off but other days it was really good. Guess it's about whoever is working. The al a carts were good, definitely better quality food. I suggest bringing your own ketchup for sure, and order the chicken fingers  [... read more]at the snack bar! Those are awesome. Don't miss out on the freshly made donuts in the buffet either! So good! The beach was beautiful, clear blue water, jelly fish here and there so be careful. There's not many shaded areas on the beach, there's a complimentary umbrella in the room, you can always bring that to the beach. They maintained the grounds and pool very well. Always super clean. We had done the snorkelling and speed boat excursion that I would highly recommend, it won't break the bank! Over all I had a great time and met a lot of great people.

Absolutely Beautiful

My one week trip to Valentin Perla Blanca was AMAZING!. The resort is really nice, still new, clean and well kept. The grounds are extensive so there's lots of walking and I really enjoyed that. The service is exceptional and the staff try really hard to make your stay enjoyable. The beach was pristine and beyond my expectations. You could walk along it for miles. The waters were calm and very shallow - perfect for swimmers and non-swimmers (those who are afraid to go in deep) cause you'd have  [... read more]to go out pretty far to get past your shoulders. But all in all - beautiful clear blue ocean with white sands - Postcard Perfect! Many thanks to Trip Central and Miranda who helped me with the booking. It was my first time traveling solo so I was a bit concerned. But Miranda walked me through everything, was very patient and showed me the best options to choose from based on everything I was looking for and within my budget. Everything was perfect.

Great place but missing that little extra touch!

The grounds are beautiful. The beach is beautiful though can be a little far for some people. The food could you some attention however there is always something very basic to eat. Rice, pasta and deserts. Nothing is on time, if its scheduled to open at 1 it wont really be open until almost 130. The bank is sometimes open sometimes not but you only find out when your in line for about 1 hour. Even if the sign said open at 7am. The resorts need much attention in the cleaning department for the ro [... read more]oms. Floors in the rooms are NEVER swept ,or washed. Carpets never vacuum and sink and glass window in bathroom to bedroom are never cleaned. For the right cheap price I would go back because minor things like this can be fixed.

Amazing with incredable long stretch of beach

traveled from April 2 to the 9th. Loved the resort. The ground are impeccable. The bars or restaurants and snacks are all situated in the perfect locations for socializing or quite times. Service was wonderful, sometimes a little slow at the snack bar...but what's the hurry! sit back and relax, you are on vacation. We had so much fun on the beach and in the pools we never bothered to book the a la carte's. But lunch or breakfast is served in the restaurant's from menu so the buffet at night was  [... read more]just fine. Our room was in block 20...a perfect location for us. Close enough to everything. The nightly entertainment was always good. Walks on the beach at night were great. Do not have anything negative to say we really enjoyed our stay. Love Cuba! Best memory! My friend catching a 16lb barracuda from the rocks, so for all you fisherman, try to beat that on your stay!

Not bad needs some impovements in buffet

grounds are nice staff was helpful lunch and dinner could use some work. Only one toaster in buffet long lines. beach are nice need more can beers can only get at lobby bar in a glass most of the time.

Valentin Perla Blanca so Beautiful

This resort being fairly new was beautiful , grounds well maintained and always friendly staff around to welcome you .I would suggest that you do bring a beach towels, condiments ( ie ketchup, hot sauce , clamato for Caesars ) , your own shampoo. As it being Cuba you are smart to get up early to attend buffet breakfast and book your a la Carter dinners . The a la carts were quite good but keep in mind this is quite a big resort and at full capacity it can house close to 2500 guests so again get  [... read more]up early to book . If you are a non smoker you may not enjoy the lobby bars as a lot of guests smoke wherever they want even though it is clearly marked non smoking some guests can be inconsiderate and pretend that those rules don't apply to them . Do tip and bring small toiletry items that the Cuban people would not be able to aquire for themselves. Overall go for a walk on the beach as Cayo santa maria has the most amazing sand, surf and views .