Shortage of food!!!!

The resort itself is amazing , most of the staff in the restaurant with you don't give them a tips they will never give smile not even to greet you. The foods are the worst !!! I NO MANY OPTION ,NO ENTERTAINMENT ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NO ACTIVITIES DURING THE DAY MAYBE BECAUSE ONLY FEW PEOPLE IN THE RESORT .. the internet it's amazing the signal is excellent !!!! bit they give you only 3hrs ,but you can sign in just to go to the front desk they unlock you .. But don't expect that during YOUR che [... read more]ck out just like us our flight is 1030Pm and we need to check out at 12pm ,NO INTERNENT SERVICE !!!! I DONT NO WHY ?? IMAGINE ALL DAY WE DONT USED OUR PHONE ,BUT WHEN YOU COMPLAINED THEY DONT KNOW THE REASON !!!! THAT WE CANT LOG IN !!! THE BEACH ARE AMAZING DONT EXPECT THE SAND DONT EXPECT THAT EVERY MORNING THAT YOU CAN ABLE TO DO YOUR MORNING JOGGING BY THE BEACH .. It's rock surrounded by the beach !!! it's not worth it to for my money for this resort !!!!

Fantastic Staff, Beach and Pools!

Our trip to Cayo Coco this April 2022 was great, staff all wear masks, guests are only asked to wear them around the buffets. Anybody planning to go to Cayo Coco for a family vacation, I would recommend!

Relaxing vacation!

Had a great trip. The room and ocean view were amazing. Food was good with very attentive staff at the buffet. Food was served by the staff which was nice and your hands were sprayed with sanitizer before entering any dining areas. All staff were masked. The grounds were well maintained and well laid out. There were plenty of chairs and palapas on the beach. We didn't use the pools but they were nice. Yenia in customer service was amazing and helped us with all our requests. Every staff mem [... read more]ber was friendly with a ready smile. The animation team always had something on the go. The drinks were great and red or white wine were always available. The only thing missing was tea but the coffee was great of course! The covid antigen test was easy to have done at the hotel.

Resort needs serious maintenance

The grounds were well kept and the employees do the best they can with what they have. I had a suite 605. The view was beautiful but that’s it. The sliding doors were extremely hard to slide open and you could not lock them. One of the screens were immovable. The curtains were dirty and had paint on them. Both our toilets did not work properly. I had to remove the lids and fiddle with the valve to get them to fill up again. The ac was leaking into the room. The ac in the bedroom barely [... read more] cooled the room and we sweated every night. I slipped and luckily I didn’t hurt myself but it could have been very serious. I went to the bathroom half asleep and stepped on the puddle and slipped. My maid never cleaned the toilets or sinks. The bed was so bouncy and felt like you were sleeping in a jungle gym. The pillows were flatter than the prairies. Our sheets were changed on the day before we left. They turned yellow from all the sweating we did before they were finally changed. The fridge froze my water but I’ll take that over too warm. We didn’t have towels to shower with fir a few evenings. I had to keep my beach towel for a whole week cause no towels were available. There was no milk, no gin, no vodka and no olive oil on most days. I won’t mention the food because what’s the point. The place is run down and in need of serious maintenance. It is not a 4 star and more like a two star at best At the spa, the pool had an oily slick and didn’t filter properly. The steam room had a pipe spewing really hot steam at your ankles which can cause a very bad burn if you weren’t aware that it was there. Honestly, an accident waiting to happen. I was happy to go home. I went there for the beautiful blue water but this was my last trip to Cuba. I realize they are having hard times. I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. I was looking for a bit of pampering and oh boy, there was none to be found. I can’t believe the amount I paid for this vacation. I feel duped. I heard other folks paid a third less. So feeling like a fool for believing the reviews.

Amazing Beautiful Resort & Cubans

2nd time at the IPP Feb 2020 and never disappointed. I love this resort Yami, Babo made things fun with their games, personalities and warm hearts. Roiny, Adrian for good drinks, cute smiles and awesome personalities, the gardener for working so hard to keep the grounds beautiful for us & Janet for all our requests, you made everything happen as we wanted and we are so thankful. We will return Aug 2020!!

Good Resort, could be better

The hotel itself is nice, some of the rooms we were told are a little dated, but ours (a junior suite) was fine. It was clean, had a king size bed (the mattress was not the greatest but we slept ok) had a shower, tub and dual sinks. There is also a safe in the room to keep your valuables in although we have never had an issue in Cuba and have been five times. The resort is Ocean front but not beach front, there is an area with loungers and shade near the ocean but the boardwalk obstructs the  [... read more]view. You can get a lounger on the boardwalk if you’re r there early enough.Playa Pilar is only a 1km walk away and is gorgeous. You don’t even have to walk all the way to get a great view of the ocean. The buffet is the main restaurant at the resort. The food was decent but not spectacular, the second night we were at the resort they couldn’t keep up with demand and we went away a bit hungry. They try and cater to everyone which is difficult and some people do complain about the food. We got three “a la carte” seating throughout the week. Twice we went for the Japanese which was great and fun for everyone and the other was the Mediterranean which was again good, but not spectacular. The grounds of the hotel are gorgeous and the pool is good too. The staff at the pool and beach were great. Special shout out to Miguel who made our time at the beach awesome. Front desk staff was courteous, we had a slight delay checking in and getting our room but not as bad as some that we heard of. The entertainment team was on point, the shows were pretty good and had the Cuban flare Cuba is known for. All in all it was a good trip , the only complaint we really had was we had to ask several times for our mini fridge to be restocked. Good family resort , go for the beaches, the people and the sun.

Lovely waterfront resort!

I had a great time at this resort! My friends and I spent our week sitting on the pier by the water and absolutely loved it. The food was good for Cuba, and the Japanese restaurant was amazing! Our only complaint was the washrooms. All resort washrooms were dirty almost all the time and never had any toilet paper. We were quite upset that we had to pee in the ocean to avoid the uncleanliness of the resort washrooms. Overall a good trip though.

The food was amazing!

The resort was beautiful. I liked the pier on the beach that you could walk along. The room was ok, the beds and pillows are not the best. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The pool was amazing. The food was far better then I expected.

Late January 2020

Recently returned from a 7 day vacay to beautiful Iberostar Selection Playa Pilar. The weather was perfect, only 1 windy day. We are a family of 4 with a 4 and 7 year old, and all had a great time. Approx. 30min bus shuttle from the airport. Pros: - Well kept grounds. Newer resort so rooms, restaurants, lobby etc are showing no tiredness or wear. - gorgeous private bay with seating (covered beds and loungers) on a boardwalk and free paddleboats and sailboats to use. Reserve for 1 hour blos [... read more]ks. Bar on boardwalk! - hotel staff were always friendly and kind. No pushy salespeople for excursions, memberships, etc. - Ample selection of food, never went hungry. - Cigar bar - Kids club and private pool and play area. Kids club staff very friendly and assisted with an excellent adhoc birthday party for my 7 year old son and another guest. - additional pool beside the swim up bar that was great for kids. - pools always clean and well maintained. - 20 min walk from resort beach area via trail to Pilar Beach - bar tenders/servers very polite and efficient and never begged for tips. - Not a busy resort, very chill especially down by the beach. No other people from other resorts or salespersons walking on the beach as beach front is not connected to other resorts. - fun to feed to fish near on the boardwalk with bread. - good snorkeling in the bay, saw at least 20 starfish the first day and small reef on right side of bay with more fish to check out. Cons: - A few minor things could of went a long way. - more bowls and spoons in the buffet, would have been helpful, not sure why these were hard to find at times. - salt shakers could use some rice, clogged usually. - some parts of the boardwalk had inadequate boards, not strong enough or damaged. Take your time walking on them, no running. - could have been a better fresh fruit selection (typical of Cuba), only papaya, pineapple, and guava mainly. - resort could not seem to find a bathtub drain, despite advising them 3 times. Eventually made my own solution with bar soap plug. Had to make use of the great tub in the gorgeous bathroom! - MAKE RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS ON YOUR FIRST DAY! Made reservations on day 3 and were only able to make one on our second last day, very disappointed. Went to the Creole restaurant, food was great, excellent soup, however desserts should not have been the same as the ones at the buffet IMO. Conclusion: Pros outweigh the cons which are minor in the grand scheme. I would recommend for families and would come again. Went on a deep sea fishing excursion with my son via the Air Canada rep (Reps meet with you soon after your first day to tell you about resort, area, available excursions, etc.) and we had a blast catching barracudas!

A Great Resort, but the name is very deceiving

We had a great week. The food was excellent, the grounds were well kept, the staff was phenomenal. however the lack of any beach front or ocean swimming on the resort was shocking. Given that it’s called Playa Pilar one would only assume it’s a step to playa Pilar, but instead you must take a bus that is usually too full or a taxi which costs $5 American per person (so for 5 people it’s $25 AMERICAN!) for the 4 minute drive! Walking is not really a safe option.

Great Place for Family Vacation

We were a party of 12 for a friends and family vacation. This was our first trip to Cuba, and it won't be our last. We were very happy with the resort - not too big, and not too small. The grounds were well-kept, pool was sparkling clean, and rooms were clean and comfortable, even though a bit dated. No one in our party had any issues with their rooms - all was in good working order. The a-la-carte restaurants were very nice - The Tapenyaki (Japan) restaurant was by far the favourite with o [... read more]ur group. The'beach' area we actually were very happy with, even though there is only a small portion of actual beach that goes directly into the water. The rest of the beach area is covered with a dock, with steps directly into the water. Our party actually preferred the dock area - this way we weren't getting sand where it didn't belong. The steps from the dock into the water were in need of repair - a couple steps missing and one that was only half attached - but certainly not a deal-breaker! The ocean was gorgeous! The water was so clear and the bottom was soft sand. We could see many different starfish and conch shells in the water. The snorkeling was great too! Just down from our resort was Pilar Beach - it truly is one of the most beautiful beaches! The buffet restaurant was ok..... We were told that the food wasn't great, however we found that there was always something to eat, and never went hungry - even the picky eaters in our group were ok with the food. We will be back to Cuba, and would like to go back to this resort. The staff were so friendly! Thanks for a wonderful vacation!

Amazing Resort!

This was my second time going to Cuba but my first time in Cayo Coco. I loved it! The Iberostar had amazing service and is such a beautiful resort! My favourite part was the Dock on the beach! Drinks were amazing & food was good especially at the grill in the snackbar ! On our last day we had to checkout at 12 but our bus didn't pick us up until 7, the front desk gave us somewhere to hold our luggages safely and a place to shower as we spent the whole day on the beach. I will definitely be going [... read more] back there every year!

Value for Money with a few improvements

The resort was great. Loved the place, people, sea and pool. The food was ok, not great but ok. I think more effort has to be put into the presentation of the food. It tastes better than it looks. The staff are all great. One rip off though is the exchange rate from American dollars to Convertible peso's. It should be 1:1 and not 0.80 convertible peso's to an American dollar. This is ridiculous. How can the peso be more valuable than the American $... Also the no smoking sign in the lobby has t [... read more]o be more conspicuous. People aren't aware of this or they don't care so there needs to be more compliance regarding this - have a designated smoking area!!! Also the room had a coffee pot on the first day but no coffee - after I requested this it was supplied. The pillows also need to be normal sized pillows - not body pillows.

Very nice resort. Friendly people all around.

Plenty of food to pick from. The restaurants a la carta were also nice and clean. Rooms are clean and well maintained. Good place to spend your vacation. Grounds are nicely landscaped and managed. Would go back for sure

Very nice staff but sub par facilities

The front desk, bar staff and recreation/entertainment staff were amazing, friendly and so helpful; they made the trip. The rooms however were not always serviced properly. When I checked into my room there were stained sheets on the bed that were not changed even after the room was serviced. There was no water at all for a couple of days straight, could not even flush the toilet. Overall the food was ok but I do think there should have been more frequent kid-friendly staples, eg hot dogs  [... read more]and hamburgers. Nice spot for a cheap student trip but be prepared to take a whole suitcase full of snacks, t.p and soap. Pilar beach was beautiful and just a short walk. Friendly people and beautiful views but hard to really enjoy the trip without reliable access to a shower or working toilet.

Very close to pillar beach

Very good resort. But we stay in the ground level, at the first night my friend leave their beach shoes and some wet swimming shorts on the balcony, and they all gone by next morning.so take care of your belongings.

Third time at IPP

We have stayed at IPP three times over the past few years and it never fails to please us. It is the wonderful staff members we encounter at each visit that keep us coming back here not to mention the beautiful grounds, buildings and boardwalk. Cheers Dapa81

Nice Resort

This resort is a 4 star. It’s location is good, beach and water area was one of the best i’ve visited in Cuba. Rooms were comfortable, staff were friendly. But the food was not up to 4 star standards, no croissants in the morning, had bacon only once in the 7 days we stayed. The grill on the beach served the same food every day. Buffet lunch was always the same fish, chicken and pork. No themed lunches. I recommend the Japanese A La Carta not the other ones.

Dirty Room/ beautiful water front & Good food

I , my husband & my daughter stayed in this hotel from march 31 to april 7, it was very disappointing bec they gave us room that is 1 bed only that accordingly, the 2 bedroom junior suite that i paid & booked was not available when we arrived! we've waited for 3 hours yet still my room wasn't available!the housekeeper did a good job on making blanket arts animal but poor in cleaning the room! the management should keep checking the rooms of the hotel to make it sure that its always clean! they s [... read more]houkd implement thorough cleanliness of the rooms. bathroom floor & sink are filthy! they should do dusting, mapping the floor & wash the sink & the shower room sink with detergent! poor quality of cleaning. over all, all staff, workers were fantastiko! the kids club are amazing! amazing staff! thanks to Ketty, Yelene, Mely & the other girl( forgot her name) for taking care well of my daughter, she had fun with them every minute! all the food are very good( im not picky eater) all the chef's were very patient & kind & also all the servers,the beach area at the hotel was a bit lacking yet its good for snorkeling & theres alot of chairs with umbrella shades around.the swimming pools are beautiful. there is a another beach called pilar beach was only 15 minutes walk from this resort, its a cristal beach indeed! its breathetaking beach! i wasn't please with the coctail bars... the management should limit serving of alcohol drinks, i saw drunk people in the swimming pools while many kids around, drunk people in the beach & during the night of entertainment. its fun to drink but there should be limit of serving drinks. the LOngina, international buffet is very good! variety of food. the sukiyaki restaurant food is not really good, but the chef presentation was amazing! the cuban restaurant is fantastik! the GOUrmet restaurant is bad! bad service & bad tough beef steak! we went to eat there on april 5 at 7:30 pm, the bad waitres put us in a very inconvenient place where our table is beside the kitchen door- ( table for 2 people only yet we are 3 peole that has been reserved/booked!) our table is far away from the other costumers tables, yet theres alot of empty tables that available until we finished our dinner. we feel that the waitres treated us differently from the other costumers! i paid so much money for this hotel & not expecting to be treated that way. during our stay in this hotel... we are a very generous giver / tipper to all the staff & workers in this hotel. The Cuban restaurant is fantastik! the waiter & the waitress are very polite.the entertainment were amazing! Above all, despites of those issues... we had fun with food, in the swimming pools & in the beach.

Okay Resort

People where friendly, Food could be better. Housekeeping great. The mini bar never stocked. ie. No water as well had to consistently ask for more toliet paper. Not a great experience. One great experience was at the beach playa pilar. Amazing. Definitely would not rate this hotel as a 4 star.