Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Excellent Resort

Very clean, I like the small units no elevators, very spacious rooms and nice balconies, very good food. and friendly people staff, Ocean was a bit raff, because of the cold front, close to couple shopping centres. Transportation bus stop at the hotel double decker bus Vowwwwwwwwwww.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: NOT a 4 star hotel!

This was the first trip I took to Cuba. The bus ride from the airport to the hotel is about 1 hour.... On an old bus, which I am sure hit every pothole on the causeway. Not a pleasant experience at all We had asked that the 4 of us get rooms in the same building. We were told that the place was packed and the best they could do were rooms in buildings across the walkway from each other The first rooms that we were given were ATROCIOUS! There was mould in the bathroom, the blind behind the tub w [... read more]as covered In mold and slime. Our room was dingy and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. Our friends' pillow cases had blood stains on them. We spent some time on the phone trying to explain the situation, but got nowhere. Finally, we went to customer service...... And there we met Lily, the ANGEL of service reps. She listened to our complaint. And took us to another building, where, miraculously, we did get rooms on the same floor. These rooms were at least habitable. I found that the converter I brought would not charge my low voltage items... Laptop, batteries, phone. I talked to Lily, and she loaned me her personal charger. When this worked, I asked her to purchase me on and I would reimbursed her....Lily insisted I use hers for the duration. See.... An angel. The food at the buffet was plentiful, and there were several choices each meal. But... There was very little change from day to day, each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner each day seemed to the same foods) for that time of day. The á la carte restaurants were tired looking, and the selections were not very far above the fare at the buffet. I will say that each and every wait staff we encountered was professional, cheery, courteous and attentive. The cooks, once they got to know you (a 1 peso tip each time helped) took extra care prepping your choice of meat. There was always beef ( which had a different texture than ours and was always, to my standard at least, somewhat tough... But still tasty) chicken, fish, and (at least 4 of the days) pork to choose from. There was a good choice of complementary sides as well. Desserts were plentiful, and I discovered a variation of rice pudding which was VERY good...... One odd thing we encountered.... you CANNOT get milk for coffee or tea during supper..... We solved this by buying milk at the on site store and bringing it with us. Oh, and BRING KETCHUP! They don't know what it is for some reason.and PEPPER... although they have pepper I didn't like theirs. The grounds looked depressed, although this may have been because this is their winter as well. There were always groundskeepers doing cleanup... Everything just seemed shabby. The beaches were nicely laid out, although you had to of get there very early to obtain a shaded spot... Same as at any other resort I've been to. There was nightly entertainment, and it was very good. We were entertained each time with the troupe entertainment. The piano bar was a grand room.... But it stank from cigar smoke. This was a problem, as none of us smoke, and my lady has a breathing proble. But the music was excellent. Nightly entertainment at the bar varied from a pianist one night to a guitar and cello player the next. Very good to listen to.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Very Dissapointed

I'm not sure where to begin, first the airline AirTransit not having English forms on plane to fill out and not friendly when ask for them, then two hour wait at Cuba airport because of luggage being lost for another family traveling on our bus. Then the resort well, no sheets on beds had to make them ourselves 5 hours later, very unfriendly people(staff), same beach towels for a week(discusting) hand towels for shower towels in room also dirty for a week, air conditioner and fan not working in  [... read more]rooms, dirty rooms, maids made beds but that was all, left dirty dishes , never cleaned floors, showered, sink. Walk way to beach very rough and dangerous, beach small no chairs, dirty. Bars around resort not friendly staff and would run out of beer, ice , glasses, straws. Lighting at night around resort terrible and not safe for elderly people. NO MEDICAL STAFF on resort this is unexceptable. Money exchanged closed for three days, head desk and complaint desk not friendly and of no help for anything all week. Intertainment at pool and night showers were terrible and same thing all the time. I could go on and on but we made the best of what we had. Nice weather and great people we traveled with made the trip.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Fun Time At Starfish

We enjoyed our stay at Starfish, the resort was nice and we thought the grounds were well maintained and made for a beautiful walk each morning. The staff were very friendly, and we loved the beach! Our one complaint would be that our travel agent requested a crib for our baby, which we only received on our 3rd day.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beatiful Resort food not so good

We were very pleased with the Hotel, room and the beaches. All were above expectations. However the food was terrible and the restaurants were no better except for the Japanese Restaurant. The room was always clean and Mara the maid was wonderful. The beaches were amazing and the Hotel grounds were immaculately maintained. I have been to Cuba many times and this is my first complaint about the food.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Stay Away!

I am making this review in regards to my recent visit to your Valentin Perla Blanca Resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba! My boyfriend and I checked in on the 6th of February and had nothing but issues from that point on. The day we arrived we were taken to the wrong room which was in the wrong area and had two twin beds instead of the king size bed and pool view we had paid for. This definitely seemed to be the theme with everyone who checked in the entire time we stayed at the Valentin. Everyone t [... read more]hat we spoke to had the same issue. We went to the front desk to complain where they told us that they had no king size beds available and that we could go the next morning to see if our room could be changed because everyone can do that. We were very tired from an extremely early morning and flight and bus ride, so my boyfriend got very upset and said no we were not settling for something when we paid for something different! We began to argue and were sent to the customer service desk who basically just wrote our complaint down but said she could do nothing! This was very upsetting and at this point we were so drained and both just wanted to rest but we continued to insist they get us a different room, after more than half hour of arguing and them telling us they had nothing available miraculously a room with a king size bed became available but we would have to wait about a half hour for the room to be cleaned so we waited. The next day we arrived at the pool and tried to get some beach towels and were told they had no beach towels, they then proceeded to ask if we didn't have towels in our room and we said yes we got our bath towels but that's it and they said we should use those and then we could exchange them later! So we went back to our room to grab our towels and those were the only towels we got for the beach and the pool all week. Every single time we would ask to exchange our towels they would tell us they had no towels available, maybe tomorrow. As for room towels the only bath towels we ever received were the ones we had to use at the pool, from that point on all we received were hand towels to wipe ourselves and most days the same towels we had used the day prior would be hanging in the bathroom to dry. Our mini bar was only filled three times during our week stay most mornings I would have to walk to the 24 hour snack bar to fill my water bottle. Our sheets were only changed once during our stay and that's only because my boyfriend and I got so fed up we took everything off the bed and threw them on the floor next to the door. Our toilet paper was not restocked until we were literally down to a few sheets left and I had to go ask the maid to give me some more and she handed me a bunch of napkins. She later brought us some toilet paper. I had to wake up at 6:30am to make sure I could make our reservations for our A la cartes becuse there was always a huge line up and then each time we went to the a la carte we had to wait at least an hour before we were even seated and then it took so much time to receive our food. We missed one of our a la cartes because we waited so long and wanted to see the Michael Jackson impersonater. Our reservation that night was for 8pm and we were still in line with about 20 or so people in front of us by 8:45pm. The same night of the Michael Jackson show we went back to our room and went to sleep and around 2am I had people open my room door with there key that they had been given by the front desk when they checked in. That was a huge problem for me, that is a huge security issue and should never have happened. I went straight to the front desk at around 7am that morning to tell them what happened and she said oh we're sorry it must have been busy and they gave someone your room key. I found that to be ridiculous and said that is so dangerous anyone could have walked in there and if we weren't there they could have easily stolen all our things. Especially since someone we had met there had a plastic bag with pecos stolen from her room. I asked how do I know that these people still don't have access to my room and all she could say was no no they won't. I was not completely satisfied but was not in the mood to argue about it so I went back to my room to find that my key no longer worked, my boyfriend was in the shower so I had to wait outside my room until he could hear me knocking to find that his key was not working either. We had to go all the way back to the main building to get our keys reprogrammed. There was a huge ant infestation on our patio/terrace every time we would try to go out on the terrace to sit and have a cigarette we would get swarmed with ants. The bank at the resort was closed for 4 days which is ridiculous because we were not able to exchange our money and were running very low on cash. We had to go to the market and wait hours to exchange some money and buy some gifts considering the gift shop at the Valentin is so tiny. Phone calls were so expensive the first day I called home I was charged $6 for a minute and a half. On the Wednesday we decided to go to the beach in the afternoon and went into the water. Went back to our room at around 5:30 because we had a reservation for an A la carte to find we had no water. Had to wait till 7:15 for the water to come back and had to rush to shower and get ready so we could still make our reservation. Every single time I tried to call reception or customer service the call would never go through, when I would go to reception with a problem they would always redirect me to customer service which would only write down my complaint and that's when I could actually talk to her cause there was always a huge line up in front of her desk. Finally on the morning before we left I decided to speak with our Air Transat Rep, we let him know all the problems we had been having and he told us everyone had been complaining about the service and he asked if he could talk to the manager and see if maybe we could get a couple bottles of liquor sent to our room as an apology for our trouble, we told him it wouldn't change much but that would be great. He spoke with the manager and told us that they would be sending one bottle of Rum and one bottle of Cavas to our room very shortly. We thanked him and sat in the lobby and had a coffee and then went for lunch at the buffet, it was 4pm when we finally got back to our room and nothing had been left for us, we got a knock at the door thinking they were coming to bring us the bottles I opened the door and finally the mini bar service came to ask if we would like anything for the mini bar, I took two beers as I had already filled my bottle with water that morning and closed the door. We decided to walk back to the lobby to speak with Livan our Air Transat rep as we knew he would be leaving at 6. I spoke to him again and he was surprised to hear we had not received anything yet so he went to speak with the manager again. We sat in the lobby speaking with a couple we had met there and he walked by and told us everything is confirmed and they will be bringing the bottles to your room very soon. We stayed in the lobby till about 6:15pm and then headed back to our room to find that nothing had been delivered yet. We both showered got ready and headed back to the lobby at around 8:15pm. I headed straight to the front desk and ask to speak to the manager she pointed to the customer service as usual, I spoke to the customer service rep and she told me that she didn't know where the manager was and asked us what we needed. We told her the situation and told her we were going to eat and would be back shortly and would want to speak with him when we came back. We arrived back at the front at around 8:45 and she said she still didn't know where he was that he was doing his rounds she said we could wait so we grabbed a coffee and waited next to the customer service desk as we had to check out at 6 the next morning I started to get pretty irritated that it was now almost 10pm and no sign of the manager so I went back to the customer service rep who was talking on her walkie-talkie and asked if she could please contact the manager as it was getting late and I had to be up early. She said she couldn't reach him which I didn't believe, I asked her if he doesn't carry a walkie-talkie as I had seen almost all the staff of higher authority carrying them around and she said no, I then asked if he had a cell phone and she said yes but no one has his number that made things much worse and I was very upset and it was now after 10, I went to get the Air Transat binder so I could call the after hours number so when I came back there was someone at the customer service desk complaining so I went to the front desk and told her I needed to make a phone call to my representative and she said I had to go to the operator so I went around the corner to the operator who told me she could make the call but I had to pay! At this point I was fuming so I went back to the customer service and told her I need to speak with my rep and I am not going to pay for this phone call so I don't care how you do it you're gonna get me on the phone with this number now as soon as I spoke with the rep supervisor said she would be at the resort within 15min. Is when I was told by the customer service that the bus boy told her he just saw him at the 24 hour snack bar having dinner! She asked what was happening and my boyfriend told her that our rep supervisor was making her way to the hotel, 2 seconds later she was on the walkie-talkie speaking to someone. My rep arrived shortly after and gave us 25 convertible pecos so that we could at least by something at the airport the next morning and apologized for everything. We thanked her and went back to our room of course when we got back to our room there was a bottle of rum and sparkling wine by the door! The wine was still cold because I am sure once the manager was told that our rep had sh

Melia Las Dunas: Excellent vacation!

We arrived at Melia Las Dunas on January 30, 2015 and had a great vacation! The weather was wonderful the week we were there although it rained one evening. This was my second visit to this resort (was there in 2013) and this year, we went with two other couples. The beach is wonderfully and if you enjoy walking along the shore, this long white sandy beach is perfect. The buffet has a great variety and all six of us had no problems finding something to eat that we enjoyed. The rooms are a little [... read more] dated but very clean. The ride from the airport (in Santa Clara) to the resort is a little over an hour but if you travel during the day, the 48 km causeway is an experience in itself! Very beautiful. Enjoy your trip!

Valentin Perla Blanca: good resort

it is a nice resort. it needs some help in the service dept. the grounds are good the beach is real good the pools are nice I prefer the quiet pool .they need to train the bar staff on how to serve a drink to every one not just the ones who have money in their hands....we traveled with sunwing the rep is very good at her job. if you need help she is more than happy to help you. it is hard to make excusses for this place just because they just opened they should have had their staff fully trained [... read more] before they opened the doors .if you arrive later in the evening don not expect every thing that is in the package even the towels that are supposed to be in your room if you do not ask for them you will not see them even if you do not saying you get one or maybe 2 .to reserve a chair @ the beach or pool you better be up early like 6:00 am if you go enjoy what is there remember this is cuba,,,

Memories Paraiso: Great resort with the best beach!

We just returned home on February 10, 2015 after spending 2 weeks at Memories Azul Paraiso Beach Resort. Cayo Santa Maria Cuba is a great place to go if you just want to relax and enjoy the fantastic beach, pools and sunshine. If you are a person that always needs something to do, don't go here as it is a long drive to anywhere and you likely won't find the entertainment you may want in the nearest community which is over an hour away. We lazed in the sun and relaxed for two weeks and it was gre [... read more]at! We walked miles on the corn starch sand on this beach, which is definitely the most amazing beach I have seen in all the Carribean and Hawaii. The beach in front of Memories was definitely the nicest stretch of beach. Memories is a good resort. The workers are very friendly and helpful. They will go out of their way to assist and yes - they are after the tips and are very appreciative of them. The food was okay. We had lobster dinners three times during our stay which was a very pleasant surprise. I am not fond of buffets anywhere, even in Canada, but you could always find something to eat between the stir fries and pasta stations. We were definitely tired of it after two weeks but no more so then any other resort we have visited in any other country and the food was comparable to all other resorts we have visited. For all those complaints you read about the food in Cuba, my response is if you are a fussy or picky eater, you likely shouldn't go to any all inclusive resort anywhere not just Cuba. We went to 7 a la Cartes. The Italian a la Carte on the resort was excellent. The lasagna was fantastic. The Italian one in the market was not as good. The Asian one in the market was very good and the Caribbean a la carte on the resort was good. We did not enjoy the Seafood a la carte in the market. There are bars everywhere and never had a problem getting drinks. Make sure you take a go cup. There are lots of palapas available, you just had to walk down the beach to find one and lots of lawn beds both on the beach and around the pools. No need to get up early to get a lounger. On a couple of windy days, the loungers would fill up around the pools, but you just needed to ask a worker and they would bring one up from the beach for you. The rooms were adequate. Not real fancy but roomy enough. There were marks on the walls that could have been washed a bit but was clean every where else. There is lots of walking required in this resort as it is very large. Our mini bar was well stocked every day. Leave a tip in the fridge and you will have no problem with bottled waters, soft drink, beer and even a bottle of rum if you ask. Great place to go with a family as well.

Memories Paraiso: Great beach amazing sand fun family time!

Rooms were adaquate. Our room did not have lotion which other rooms did. We flew with carry on so didnt bring bottles of stuff. With the hot sun it would have been nice. Beaches and sand were great. Food was better then we were expecting. The staff was really nice too

Melia Las Dunas: Awesome food

Food was amazing at this resort other people we talked to said food was bland in Cuba but not this resort. Beach and water was really good also water was nice and blue. Resort is nice and clean the guys do great job cleaning resort. Rooms were good nice and clean very friendly staff and most speak good English we really enjoyed this resort

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Beyond just another resort

When we arrived we were not impressed or blown away as the resort is dated and simple but once we settled in and started interacting with staff it took our resort experience to a whole other level! The pool barman, Osbien was exceptional as well as the beach bartenders Ernesto and his sidekick :) All staff were gracious, attentive, and thoroughly delightful. As well as our transfer guide on our return date and our excursion guide Duvia. The food was excellent. A simple selection of grilled or sa [... read more]uced meats and simple selection of vegetables fresh and cooked that were all delicious. We really enjoyed all of our a l'ecartes., Japanese, French and mediterranean. The pools were nice. The beach was out of this world! The sand was like powder and stretched for miles. The water bright blue! Cleanliness of all facilities was good and the amenities met our needs. We've been to many islands and resorts over the years, all 4 stars or higher and I would recommend this resort. A breathtaking location, lovely resort, with fantastic staff and excellent entertainment shows! I would go back there in a minute : )

Melia Las Dunas: Just got back form Las Dunas with a few tips

Check in was okay with no major hick ups...the rooms are clean nothing special it is Cuba so to be expected . Food also was ok for Cuban standard .May change with the embargo being lifted (at one point in time).Staff was hit or miss as this resort is huge and you may not see staff more than a few times in a week except your chamber maid ( ours was great) 1.5 plus hours from airport...bring bubba mug...bring sweater for nights as cool and windy ( we travelled feb 4-11 and evening hit 17 degrees)  [... read more]Cuban peso stronger than Us/Can... bring comfortable walking shoes like I said HUGE resort so mobility can be an issue if you have em...24 hour sport bar coffee excellent also hamburger platter also great if the cook is the good one.BBQ also great...Cant comment on restaurants as never booked.Buffet is repetitive . Beach on calm days Best ive seen in a while.Best bar for drinks (front lobby) The pools are clean and water cool but manageable.Lots of kids but adult pool quiet..Sometimes to quiet should have at least soft music.Bring small flashlight as nights are dark with not much lighting.We stayed in 40 block but if you want close to everything block 10 to 20 would be great.Put towel at bottom of door at night as there is a small gap for criters.We had some favorite staff wich were just fab and a joy to have their company.Hope this somewhat helps you

Valentin Perla Blanca: Honestly trust those bad reviews !!!

I'm not going to repeat what others have said here, just Bad Bad Bad I wish I could get some credit from trip central. I wasted time and money for my vacation were I hoped I will have a relaxing and joyful one. unfortunately IT WAS NOTHING WHAT I HOPED FOR!!!

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: Relaxing atmosphere

Our room was kept very clean every day. The staff was very courteous and friendly. Although the food is good, just redondant during the second week! We always sat in the same area to have the same waitresses who gave us good service. I would squeeze lemon in my water. Once they got to know me, they would have it ready for me! We were happy to tip one peso each meal.

Melia Las Dunas: Great resort for cuba

Overall pretty good for Cuba! We were not expecting much after being in Varedero approx 10 years ago and not enjoying much of that experience. After a week, Jan 30 to Feb 6 2015, we actually said there was nothing to complain about. Remarkable for Cuba! Service was excellent, towels everyday, fridge restocked everyday, buffet very good and al lacarte restaurants excellent. We ate at the Oriental, Seafood and Italian. All great. Beach was good but palapas very close together. Beach was very busy  [... read more]but we were still able to find a quiet area away from the beach entrance. the facilities were Ok, but definitely worn and not upto 4.5 star standard you would expect in Dominican or Mexico. Rooms Ok but not luxurious by any standards. Really no views to speak of due to the way the trees and shrubs are positioned. The positive side of this is that many of the units are very private on the balcony or terrace. The place is huge and can be a 7 min walk from the room to the main lobby area. Lots of entertainment in the lobby area at night. Shows mostly musical dancing and not much stage settings. Some line ups at lobby bar at peak times but overall not too bad. Tipping is not required but most definately appreciated so it is a pleasure to do so. After 5, bar service only in main lobby area which is a bit of a minor nuisance when looking for a drink if not in the lobby area. Special thanks to Jorge Luis and Milovich the servers in the main Buffet who provided stellar service.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Hotel!!

The resort ie hotel and grounds pools was great always clean, well maintained the staff was wonderful could not do enough for you! even the long ride from the airport was not a issue, the downfall was the guest most of them was rude,if you are looking for a hotel with lots of Europeans this is not the place mainly all the flights was from Montreal, Quebec, or Toronto

Memories Paraiso: Great Resort!

I traveled with my husband and two children under the age of 8 from January 30th to February 6, 2015. The resort is huge with a wide variety of pools and a massive beach section. The beach was absolutely phenomenal! We travel at least 2 to 3 times a year and never seen such beautiful beaches. We had beautiful warm weather all week! Remember to pack up a light jacket for the evenings as it does get chilly. There was quite a lot of jelly fish in the water which we heard later that they did not sti [... read more]ng. The kids had so much fun holding the jelly fish and feeding the tropical fish and barracudas bananas and bread in the ocean. We never had a problem finding seats in the buffet or loungers by the pool or beach. The grounds were well kept and lush. Our bungalow was near the beach 5572 with a huge balcony, semi ocean view. The rooms were large and clean. The food was what we expected. The breakfast was great! Their freshly made omelets and their warm croissants were yummy! Lunch and dinner we mainly had the freshly grilled seafood that was amazing along with their freshly made fried rice or french fries! Remember to take a bottle of ketchup! Although the food was pretty much the same all week we never left hungry. The staff at the hotel were wonderful and very pleasant.The hotel does need some fresh paint and renovations to their washrooms. Our girls had so much fun at the kids club as they had a schedule of different daily events!Overall for the price we paid it was a great trip! If you are looking for luxury this is not the place to go. I rate the hotel a solid 3.5 stars. Once they open an airport in Cayo Santa Maria we will return!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Best beach

We had a great time at this beautiful resort. Fantastic beach and water, good food, the friendliest people you will find and no paddlers on the beach! We will definitely go back! The resort is large but you never have to wait more than a couple of minutes for a golf cart to get you where your going.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: had a blast!!!

Beach was amazing! Rooms clean, staff friendly, had a great time. Food is not the best but then again I don't know anyone who goes to Cuba for the food. The food was bland but it was edible. Pancakes for breakfast were the best thing there so we would fill up on those. Its a far drive from the airport and because of that we wont be going back. The buses need bathrooms especially if they will offer beer on the bus. All and all it was a good trip. We had a blast!!!! Probably nicest beach we will e [... read more]ver see.....Beautiful white sand for miles