It is a Paradise

Hotel infrastructure is good and nice; it covers all the needs for a pleasant stay. The beaches are the best we saw through our extensive travel experience in the Caribbean area. People are nice with a good service oriented training. There is field to improve the food area, for example: for 2 days we could not have our usual capuccinos due to milk run out.

Best Cuba resort yet!!

We have been to cuba 7 times and have been to cayo coco and cayo largo but have been to cayo Santa Maria the most and just keep on going back and there is reasons why. The ocean is unbeatable and is the most beautiful we have ever seen. The Paradisus de la cayos has brought Cuba hotels to the next level. The grounds are beautiful,gardeners always working hard daily to keep it beautiful, the food is great, and always something for you to select. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous and we had two  [... read more]rain shower heads and had our own space in the shower which was wonderful. We always had hot water. We also had a bath in our room and that was nice after a long day to relax. The employees all exceeded our expectations. The workers go above and beyond and please tip them as the littlest tip helps them tremendously and they really appreciate whatever they get. Not everyone tips so please make sure to budget a bit for that. They also appreciate small gifts which we always tend to bring more and more every time we go back. They have a hard time getting certain items so tooth brushes tooth paste deodorant etc. Also do not forget that the maids seem to get a lot more gifts to give some to the other workers at the bar waitresses etc as they all deserve to be treated as they treat us. DO NOT exchange your money into their pesos. I exchanged $100 Canadian and received 2000 pesos so when I would tip 50 pesos I would be giving them 2.50 tip but unfortunately the government knows what their doing and the exchange rate should be almost 5000 pesos for 100 Canadian. So we get screwed exchanging to pesos and the Cubans are making less tips which is a control thing. Please bring Canadian money $5 bills are The best as loonies and too ira they will take but they cannot exchange it at their banks so the only way is to exchange it with Canadian bills with us. They also will take American 1 dollar bills and I guess euro’s are good too. Again just wanted everyone to know this as even myself I made the mistake of not bringing Canadian cash as I would always take money out at the Cuban banks but again not worth the exchange. The Cubans deserve every penny they can to help them in their difficult life but are all happy to be working and back to almost normalcy. It was sad to see some hotels still closed. I wanted also to say how honest the Cuban people are. I went to the market beside the hotel and bought cigars and some rum. There was a situation where I paid twice by accident and didn’t know till I got home as they called my hotel and sent someone to send me back as their was an issue with my transaction. I know I had paid and don’t bother going back to see. When I got home I noticed they charged me twice and actually refunded me the one transaction back which was almost 120 Canadian dollars. This shows you the honesty and safety of Cuba and Cayo Santa Maria is our favorite place to travel and now Paradisus is our favorite resort. Please take a vacation and relax and if you want the quiet side of this resort pay the bit extra and you will be on the royal side which is so paradise and peaceful. Congrats to all the employees from Paradisus from managers to butlers to maids and waitresses and bar tenders etc. Keep up the great work Paradisus and see you soon with many more friends and family ❤️🍻

Clean, friendly resort

The resort is very clean and the rooms well laid out. Was very quiet during our visit as a couple of the wings were not being used. Staff are friendly. The beach is beautiful. Very nice pool area too with a swim up bar. Alejandro and Mikey are fantastic dancers and kept us well entertained. Food is ok but not 5 star.

Wonderful experience

The rooms were clean, and the people were wonderful. The servers at the buffet areas, snack bar, and beach bar were polite, attentive and did their best to make your experience memorable. Food was okay, however snack bar has some good options. Cuba is known for its beaches and friendly hospitality. When going to Cuba to any resort, food will be a hit or miss. The resort was relaxing and quiet, and their customer service representatives would check on their guests to inquire if everything is me [... read more]eting your needs. Overall a beautiful resort, and very clean.

Excellent resort

The staff are the main plus quickly followed by the high standard of facility. The resort is only about 14 months old and still really shows its "newness". Rooms, public areas and grounds are very well maintained. Staff treated us very well. Always a smile from everyone. Would definitely go again. Have already recommended to friends.

Good resort

Beach: nice beach but a little rocky and little shells in places that are hard on your feet. Water is crystal clear when it is calm, even in windy days we were still able to enjoy the water. Pools: main pool was nice with entertainment throughout the day. Small pools outside the buildings were cold but nicely lit in the night. Service: at the beach bar and beach restaurant was amazing! Service at the buffet and pool bar was poor. People did not seem interested in serving us and overall servic [... read more]e was slow. Some people were very friendly and happy to help while others were disinterested. Food: buffet food for breakfast had lots of options. Fresh to made omelette, eggs and pancakes were fantastic. They also had delicious fresh donuts. Lunch: buffet food was the same as dinner. We ate at the beach bar where the food was fresh and fantastic as well as excellent service. Dinner: buffet had many options as well as freshly made rice, fish, meats and pasta. Overall quality was lacking but everything was edible. Do not go to the a la Carte restaurants as they were terrible. Service was very slow and food at some places was not edible. Fuego was the only edible one. Room: very nice and clean, comfortable beds, shower just smelled a little musty. Location: 120km from the airport a 140 minute drive. Island was beautiful although our beach wasn’t very long but private. Value: we went during break so it was more expensive but would consider going again if prices were cheaper. Overall: resort was nice but it only seems to be 40% full and the service was still lacking... would hate to see if they actually filled it. Would recommend if you are looking for a nicer place to stay in Cuba.

Okay resort

Overall: decent stay. Takes 2 hours to get to the resort from the airport. Flying out of Santa Clara is brutal. The airport is tiny. The beach was lovely, although a little shelly/rocky until you get into the water. Lots of fish so on good weather days you can see them swimming. The beach food and drink bar have the very best service! Amazing people and we ate lunch their every single day. The only place on the resort that you get quick service. There are free catamaran rides which are a l [... read more]ot of fun. Saw some wild dolphins. Some wifi was included which is nice. For a 7 day trip we received 7 hrs on day 1, 6 hrs on day 2, 5 hrs on day 3 etc. The rooms look lovely, beds were comfortable and the lighting is great. A/C was not working the entire trip (other people we spoke to had the same problem), the toilet seat was very stained, and the shower smelled musty. The pools outside the rooms look pretty but they are very cold as they are not heated and don’t receive much sun. The a la carte restaurants were terrible. Fuego was the only decent one. Bana and Vente were terrible service and inedible food in some instances. The buffet was edible with various options for freshly made food such as fried rice, fish and meats. Breakfast options were good too, fresh made pancakes, omelettes, eggs etc. The pool food bar was okay.. the food was good but the service was extremely slow. Also had an instance of drinking from a wine glass and noticing the rim was chipped in two places and almost cut my lip. One huge red flag is that this resort seems to be at 30-40% capacity. It is HUGE, huge buildings and many of them but very empty and still very slow service. They also offered a Valentines special to locals so the day before we arrived over 1000 local Cubans checked in. They were very noisy, rude and it was quite uncomfortable. This resort attracts the “affluent” local crowd, something to be cautious of. The staff were hit and miss. A handful were very happy to help and serve but there were many who were rude or did not seem excited to help. Have never experienced this before at an all inclusive. The entertainment team was okay. They seemed happy but there was no clear schedule for the day provided to us so it was hard to know when things where happening and where. Evening entertainment was good, but not much happens after that. The nightlife is not great. Overall definitely did not feel like a 5 star all inclusive experience. The beach, beach bar food and drinks were great though. We spent every day at the beach.

Great Time in Cuba

The Rooms were nice with comfy beds, nice shower (hot water), clean and bright! The Food was good with made to order omelettes, eggs for breakfast. Lunch at the pool or beach was good with burgers, pizza etc. "Chicken Toast" was the best. Beach was beautiful and staff would go out of there way to set up your chairs with an umbrella so you were in the shade or sun. Tons of drink variety. And the bar tenders would make whatever you wanted. There is a little shopping mall within walking di [... read more]stance that was nice to visit for some unique gifts and treasures. This was a very good vacation and would recommend this hotel.

A Wonderful Vacation At A Beautiful Resort

Paradisus Los Cayos is an absolutely beautiful resort that was laid out in a very customer friendly manner: The rooms are attractively designed, with a bathtub in the middle of the floor. And no mold, no unsightly wear. Hey the resort is only a year old! And our residence had easy access to the buffet restaurant and to the main office and lounge. Moreover each residential building had a canal like swimming pool running alongside it. So it was very enjoyable to walk out onto our patio and hop in [... read more]to the pool. Outrageous. And the host staff were friendly, smiling, helpful Cubans with wonderful service. And we enjoyed the food, the evening shows, the special dinners, the massages, the bars, the special couches where we would spend half the day reading, the gym. An absolutely wonderful 9 day holiday it was! With one small but important caveat. A few days into our stay we discovered a few things missing, a couple of gym shorts, then a hat, a pair of scissors. We were not too disturbed as we felt that if someone needed them, they were welcomed to them. But when a pair of Nike gym shoes went missing, we reported the matter to the resort service department. This was our 19th trip to Cuba and never had we encountered an incident of petty thief. But now we lock up all small valuables.

Review

The hotel was very clean and the buffet would good - a good mix of food - meat can be cooked right in front of you if needed. The staff was friendly, the rooms were nice as well. The al carte were not very good - this would be my Only complaint. You can tell it’s a new resort with some kinks to be worked out but no real issues - would recommend.

Better than expected.

Was very happy with this resort for Cuba. Went with 7 people. Resort was clean with great service. Beach was amazing very clean and well laid out. Food was better than expected for the most. Nothing spectacular but still good. Room was clean and very nicely presented. Shower leaked but nothing serious. There are two small mall close by for cigars, rum and local merchandise. One is attach to Royalton. Not a lot of night life. All and all very pleased.

Unfortunate Experience

Note: This is the first time I've ever thought I had to warn people, and write a review. So think what you will - - I've myself read way too many 5-star reviews which had no substance...making this place seem amazing. Review posted originally on tripadvisor. Looking back on the trip it dawns on me that I must've mistakenly purchased a trip to a 3-star hostel, but sadly that would have been a better experience. Arriving during evening hours, we were greeted with a lobby that smelled of sewag [... read more]e, and cranky front desk workers. I tried to request a room with two beds but was told to be quite while they went on about random tasks. Eventually we were handed a ripped up paper with a room number and two cards, and told to be on our way. With no bellboy available we had to drag all our stuff to the third floor, only to find out that the room had a single bed. Repeat. This time a floor higher the room had two beds. Perfect....until morning when we were woken up by the most disgusting sewage smell coming from the shower. (The employee we got to check it out, almost threw up upon entering our room...so ain't lying here) After wasting more time to move rooms, we got a good one this time. It smelled of a sports bar, with a piss stained toilet cover, a clogged shower, broken mosquito net, and three lights that did not have a switch to turn them off (maintenance came in and had to rewire things...) This took a while since every time you need serious help, no one seems to know English. I had one guy pretend not to speak English, then few days later approach us while doing customer care survey...spoke decent English. Now is a good time to mention that while this is a very new hotel, the materials used in its construction were very subpar, and everything is slowly falling apart. Anyway let's continue. After finally getting settled in, we dropped by the snack bar restaurant for some breakfast. After ordering two omelets, we watched for an hour as the staff served a cuban family of four plate after plate of food. We never did get ours. This was our first day and a half. Here is a light summary of the rest: - Dirty plates and glasses everywhere. Was served rum with sharp plastic pieces floating inside. Parents have fun with this. - Generally food was ok - but much of it was either undercooked or burned to a crisp. - Bars were either tended by skilled bartenders, or random people who got in through connections. It was a weird lottery tbh. You can either get a really nice drink, or a gin and tonic that's just sprite and ice. The rum selection was nice but consisted of 99% Havana Club variants. - Beach was very nice as usual of Cuba...but not the best in the surrounding area. A few min walk can get you to a nicer place -- especially during stormy weather. I could keep going, but I think I've covered enough. Oh wait, the day before leaving -- our room got robbed. Nothing large to delay our departure, a pair of pants etc...(easy to get away with) Triple lock your stuff up, you never know. If you do end up going here the beach bar has the best chef, so enjoy that. =)

Best Seven Days Ever

I spent a week over Christmas and the time there was amazing. Rafael at the tiki hut was so friendly and helpful. He was quick to help us out with a fishing trip and my usual drink was ready whenever I arrived. His smiling face and energetic dance behind the bar was a great source of fun. Madelin was a treasure. Quick to come to my rescue when my poor phone landed in the ocean with me. A bag of rice was snagged in minutes and my phone dropped in. She always had a smile and hug waiting for me. [... read more] Dèivy was wonderful. He was always making sure I had everything I wanted. His consideration and admirable personality made me feel like someone special.

Best Seven Days Ever

The service was fantastic, the people were super friendly, and the food was amazing. Add white sand, warm sun, the ocean and beautiful scenery, who could ask for anything more. So much to see and do, so many places to explore. Can't wait to go back

A very tidy and upscale resort

This hotel complex was immaculately clean and very nice to stay at it. It was well laid out and easy to negotiate the huge layout. The staff were very friendly and hospitable. The food was okay and a nice variety.

Review

personally i didn’t find the hotel great. First, the food wasn’t good at all and no variety. Second, i didn’t find that it was maintained\clean very well . On the positive side, the beach was wonderful ! The hotel is modern.

Room for Improvement

The hotel décor and rooms were modern and comfortable. The beach is stunning with some great snorkelling. The service has room for improvement. Check in was very slow. The hotel should allow guests to book restaurants each night of their stay rather than limit to 3 per week. Service was slow for food and drink options and they often ran out of food or drink at all venues after you had waited a lengthy amount of time. Smoking should be designated to certain areas only as we travelled with childr [... read more]en and other guests were smoking everywhere including in children's sections.

Waste of Money

I am struggling on finding a way to politely express how awful of an experience I recently had at paradisus los cayos in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. Upon check in I asked if we could have a room on the ground floor or something close to the buffet or beach as I was traveling with my Mother and young son and was told "it is impossible, there are no available rooms". I thought fair enough, it's a beautiful resort it must be fully booked. . Which was not the case at all they had entire wings that had no [... read more] guests in them and rooms on our block that had no guests staying inside. There wasn't a single day where something didn't go wrong. On our first morning after our arrival we had no power for about 4 hours. Air conditioning, water, fridge nothing was working. The same thing for the buffet, all that good sitting in that heat speaks for itself; the food spoiled quickly. Half the elevators weren't working for days after the power outage.. Imagine going up four flights of stairs and having to walk over 400m to your room in 37 degree weather with a 65 year old woman with herniated spinal cord discs and a 5 year old with asthma. On our second day we decided to try the 24 hour snack bar restaurant by the pool; we sat on the patio for over half an hour before one of the servers decided to come over and ask us if we wanted food. Every other patron (95% of which were Cuban / spoke Spanish) was served almost immediately after they sat down. Never have I had such awful service at a resort in my life. Our 3rd day we awoke to our beautiful view of the ocean and main swimming pool... Only to find that the swimming pool had gone green. Not a little green, literally moss green. I thought to myself maybe it'll be clean by tomorrow, nope. You could see clouds of algae floating around in the pool on the 4th day. The 5th night going into the 6th night my son had awoken at 230am vomiting and having uncontrollable diarrhoea. I was trying to clean up the mess and put him on the toilet only to find out that there was no running water. Literally couldn't flush the toilet and couldn't wash him off or my hands. I had to use all the towels including beach towels to try and clean the mess up. We only got running in the room at about 530am. It may not be pleasent to read but the stench from my poor son was almost unbearable, and I couldn't even flush the toilet. I had to use bottled water to clean him off with our towels cold water from the fridge. My poor son was so uncomfortable and the cries from him; it just broke my heart. He didn't understand why there was no water for him to take a bath. I tried calling the front desk 5 times to have my call ring out. I spoke to another guest who was staying with her husband and 1 year old baby and found out that they didn't have water for the same block of hours 2 nights prior.. I was shocked. Is the resort shutting off the water at night to save money??? What other reason would there be for no running water for more than 2 nights in 4 days? We had to stay in the room the whole next day only leaving to get bread for him to eat at lunch time. When we came back to the room I had found that the maid cleaned up the room but left us without blankets and pillows cases for my son's bed on the pull out couch. My son really enjoyed the pizza at the snack bar and we went back 3 seperate times during the course of our trip to find out that they had run out. Same with hamburgers. The buffet was awful for their portions they served on the platters. They would put (for any given fish) the same amount of portions for a dinner party of 20 people. It was literally a race to each dish to try and get food. It was so sparse with them filling up the dishes. All of these problems I could MAYBE understand experiencing them at a small 2 star resort where you're paying next to nothing to be a guest at. But to pay collectively for 3 people over 500 a night to experience these issues it's simply unacceptable. I thought spending a little bit extra than normal I would be comfortable.. not the case at all. I have used trip central in the past for a family vacation where we paid 680$ per person and had a wonderful experience; although this past experience where I spent literally double the price per person is making me want to rethink my decision to use trip central in the future. Double the price and not even a quarter of the quality and customer service from the resort. Had I known that I would have had a vacation like this I wouldn't have even boarded the plane. I am truly gutted that my family vacation (which as a single mother I can't afford many of) went so badly. How do you explain to a 5 year old he can't go swimming in the pool because it's dirty? Truly disgraceful on the resort's part.

Paradisus Los Cayos, Santa Clara

OUR TRAVELS We travelled to Paradisus Los Cayos with Air Transat Holidays and our tour operator was Hola Sun. From the beginning our flight was delayed around 7 hours and then we lost another 2 hours on the Tarmac due to operational issue. Upon arrival to Santa Clara airport we technically lost a day of our holidays because of the inconvenience of the plane issues. I feel that the tour operators could be more organized. We where directed to the wrong coach bus with our two small children and  [... read more]had to run around in the rain to try to find out where is the correct coach bus travelling to our location. Initially the driver of the initial bus we were on was not caring to assist us, however he ended up helping after. THE HOTEL The hotel is stunning, it's a beautiful property located on a gorgeous turquoise beach. We really enjoyed our family concierge room it was a apartment style living area it had a queen roll out and a king bed in the other room. There was a dining area along with two washrooms and a jet tub, the special touches with the décor are on point throughout. The only issue I would like to mention is the chambermaid service. Our bed was turned down every day and the sheets where sometimes changed. However the place wasn't ever really cleaned. The floors weren't swept, nor washed and the towels where dirty. We even tipped with hope that they would, but unfortunately nothing happened. Later on I came back to my room and she just finished "cleaning it", and lifted her shirt to show me that she was pregnant and that she had a child at home. I kind of figured she wanted me to give her some money or gifts but didn't act on it. We had mentioned to the front reception that the room wasn't being cleaned, but nothing was ever changed. We had a Oceanview room and it was super close to they're 24 hour snack bar which was super convenient. The hotel grounds are immaculate always maintained and the foliage is mature in a sense, so you get a lot of nice flowers and palms as well as banana trees. The concierge check in lounge is very modern and light you can really tell they put a little extra oomph into this resort. There is a kids zone with a pirate ship slide as well as a area for the children where they keep them busy all day long every day its amazing! There is a good amount of a la carte restaurants as well as a smoothie bar with the best coconut ice cream. DINING AND FOOD There is a kids side buffet and an adults side buffet I have been to many hotels in Cuba being a consistent traveller and I personally think this hotel is however one step ahead from any in Cuba in the sense that they have more variety and the food is very well kept. The sanitization standards are high and the waiters and chefs are constantly bringing in new fresh cold food from the back so it's consistent. The expectations of the GM Moad, are very high, the result shows because the food is in tip-top condition and you will always find something yummy for everyone in the family. I would suggest maybe possibly doing a kids menu, although there was plenty to choose from, a lot of kids that are picky eaters so it would help if there was a few more things that were more versatile to those who are. 24 HOUR SNACK BAR We really enjoyed lunch and even dinnertime here, the Supervisor Mercedes along with a few of other hard workers here are amazing, always serve with a smile. The food is delicious and the service here is top notch. They have delicious pizzas here as well as burgers. Our favorites where blue cheese pizza (Quattro Queso) and Paradisus burgers. They also serve really yummy drinks just ask for a Miami Vice :) ENTERTAINMENT For the kids- there is a kids zone, with a pirate ship and slides into the water, lots of playgrounds for the children. They have a kids club that I may say is so amazingly organized. The ladies there are so loving and the kids never want to leave. They have a full day schedule going for the full duration of your trip. The organizers of this hotel really put a lot of love into this section of the hotel and it's evident. For anyone travelling with children, go and experience what the kids zone has to offer because you will not be disappointed. One thing to make note of is that if they don't have anyone to babysit some of them proactively go on the beach and entertain the kids so the adults can enjoy their time more. LATE NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT- In the buffet there are singers and people that play instrumentals to all your latest top 40 music. These people are so talented! Every time we passed by I got goosebumps they have such beautiful voices and are ultra talented with they're instruments! kudos! The central entertainment was super fun as well, they put a lot of effort into the choreography of the night entertainments and the performers always did an amazing job. The bar upstairs (Sky Bar) is super nice as well playing new age music you can kick your feet up in a palapa and enjoy the nights breeze, with company BEACH The beach is gorgeous, It has an ample amount of umbrellas that are placed in your desired location, wherever you want to sit, the gentlemen which work there will personally install the umbrella beside your sun chairs. There is amazing service on the beach whatever you want to drink or eat they will bring for you, and they always do circles just to check if you need anything else. The last two days the water was a little choppy but there was a storm coming. Nevertheless people where still jumping around in the waves. On all other days the water was still and tranquil you could even see the little fishies swimming around. Absolutely beautiful! Never an issue with finding sun chairs always lots of shelters. Special Thanks to Moad, Mercedes and Oswaldo amongst others Moad GM- Thank you for organizing the amazing langouste dinner in the comfort of our room along with the birthday cake for our little one, it was a beautiful touch and we really enjoyed our private dinner. You have made this trip very personal and enjoyable and for that we thank you! You are very needed in this resort keep up the great work! Mercedes- I can't thank you enough for looking after us throughout our trip, you are fantastic! Oswaldo- Super hard working and the kids always enjoyed your Donald Duck voice and your drinks are always top notch quality!

Love this resort!

Paradisus Los Cayos is a beautiful, clean and modern resort. Wonderful assortment of pools and entertainment. Beautiful beach too. The food is good, and there is a good choice of restaurants. Really enjoyed the entertainment team and the friendliness of all the people who work at this resort. The service is excellent! Would definitely come back!