Brisas Los Galeones: Guardalavaca…should have been Los Galeones

My original booking for a December 2022 holiday at the hotel Brisas Los Galeones was cancelled by HolaSun. Sadly the hotel was not open at this time. I am hopeful that this beautiful hotel will be available for international tourism in the near future as it was a favourite among many of us and really nothing can compare. Brisas Guardalavaca was offered as an alternative and it was nice if not as tranquil. Thank you Cuba for being such gracious hosts especially in these continuing turbulent time [... read more]s.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Almost there!

Starfish Cuatro Palmas is almost back to pre-covid operations. There were a few fairly small issues to be worked out before they get a "10" from me. 1) no "snacks" were available between regular meal times. 2) It was impossible for us to book the ala carte dining. One day we were even told it was "Italian night" and you had to be Italian to book! How did they know I wasn't Italian, and why was it segregated anyway? It should be open to ALL! 3) I only had hot water for a shower twi [... read more]ce all week. The rest of the time the ocean was warmer! 4)A tray of pastries used to be placed in the lobby bar each morning. I loved sitting there with a coffee and pastry. Unfortunately, that is no longer a practice. Again, pretty small issues, but something to rectify. On the plus side, the staff was amazing and there was free wifi! So, I'd offer a solid 7 of 10 at this time. I'd return and recommend!

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Warm and welcoming

First time at a smaller resort where everything is only a 5 minute walk away - very handy. Staff were all very friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious and Disnay was meticulous in cleaning it. Very inventive with his towel art too - lots of fun! Food was plentiful in the buffet but not many options for fruit. They did the best that they could with what they had to work with ... The food and service in the a la carte restaurants were excellent!! As the resort was in the middle of a bay [... read more], you could walk the beach for at least half an hour in each direction which was great to walk off all those extra calories from the delicious drinks they made at the beach bar. We took bug repellent but didn't need it as there was enough of a constant breeze to keep us cool and the bugs away. All in all, very happy with this resort.

Grand Memories Holguin: beautiful resort/grounds

The resort itself is beautiful but the location is to remote. There are no stores or markets to go to. No cigars to be had, missing toilet paper in most restrooms,no sodas, orange juice,no hot dogs/hamburgers at the snack bar. The walkway to beach is great ,beach is clean and well kept Hopefully in the future they improve.

Hotel Los Cactus: Wonderful resort !!

This was my third time at Los Cactus. I came back because I love everything about this resort! It’s a little older than other resorts I’ve been to, but the staff is so helpful and friendly, the resort and rooms are kept so well, and the rooms so clean, I feel so safe staying there. I also love the size of the property, and look forward to seeing the planned renovations on my next visit. You could tell by the selection at the buffet and a la carte restaurants that food availability is a chall [... read more]enge since Covid, but the chefs are creative and I enjoyed every meal I had. I’m a golfer so I was disappointed about the golf cart availability after the accident at the golf course, with a call from the hotel guest services explaining our needs the golf course was able to help us get a cart for all of our rounds of golf. The beach the pool and cocktails all great! I had a wonderful vacation.

Barcelo Solymar: Past its Peak

I've stayed at Barcelo Mexico in the past, which is why I chose this resort over the others. The beach is amazing - white sand, and the water is clear and pretty calm. Most of the shore didn't have rough rocks/boulders like I've experienced in the past, so it was pleasant entering and exiting the ocean. the boardwalk to the ocean is falling apart. The location is great. You are able to use the facilities of the resort next door. If you walk through the other resort's lobby, downtown Vara [... read more]dero is a 2-5 minute walk. Not too far from the airport, so the bus ride is pretty short. When we did the catamaran trip to Cayo Blanco the bus ride was only 5-10 minutes. The spa inside the resort was closed. I'm not sure if it is permanent or because they had a huge leak. The leak was in front of where the gym is located. The gym is dingy and humid. I did not see anyone use it during my stay. The resort looked a bit rundown in general. The decorative fountains are turned off. Make sure you bring any toiletries and clothes you may need. I have more appreciation for how accessible basic things are here in Canada. The resort has a couple tiny stores that probably won't have what you need. The only sunscreen they had was 50ml for $20 CAD. My boyfriend lost his sunglasses and couldn't find a single pair in Varadero (finally found some at the airport) The resort does host games like bingo, bowling, and mini put a couple times a day. There is a schedule on the wall in the resort. Always a bottle of Havana Club for the winner. The bar kept running out of mint, so they couldn't always make mojitos. They don't have the stuff available for Mimosas either. There was no bar in the pool - technically the rules on the wall state no drinks even allowed in the pool. The pools are very shallow and there is barely any shade. There are no longer any canopies for the lounge chairs. The structures are still there but there are no tops. For a pool with some depth you have to go over the other resort. After spending time there, the photos I see on tripadvisor must be from when they first opened because the buildings are no longer colourful as shown. Also, the pool by the lobby looks way larger in the photos but they've definitely reduced the size. The ceiling in the bathroom of the room leaked and when we first arrived there was no hot water which took a day to fix. The room itself it pretty basic but the mini fridge is only stocked with water. No sodas, tea, or coffee... despite there being a coffee machine available. Half the outlets didn't work. I had to use the outlet beside the bed for my flatiron, which was annoying because there was no mirror there. The pillows are basically two body polyester pillows so I found it awkward with two people trying to use the same pillows. The food is terrible. Often the same food for lunch and dinner. Either very bland or too much vinegar and often over cooked. Seen a roach crawling on the wall a couple times in the cooking area. I ate very little. There were only three a la carte options - Italian, Cuban, and ex-seafood. It's ex-seafood because the restaurant use to be a seafood place but it isn't anymore. Not sure what they served there because we didn't choose it. I found the servers either were awesome or a little rude. A couple times we sat down, ate, and left without the server ever coming over to even say hi. However, the good servers are great. Once we figured out who were the awesome ones we pretty much always sat in their areas so are experience with servers improved as our time there passed. Overall, I didn't enjoy the experience and I was ready to go home half way through the vacation - which I've never felt as such on a vacation before.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: It was OK

My boyfriend and I went to Cayo Santa Maria for our first time. We have been to Varadero in the past but before COVID/before the shortage. The beach and ocean was absolutely stunning and probably the most beautiful I have seen so far. The staff were so so friendly and probably why we didn't mind the trip as they are so kind, and so happy and appreciative of every little thing, even if you just chat with them.The resort was dated, however it was still fine. The rooms were OK, of course if you loo [... read more]ked closely you can see things rusting, etc, but we chose to ignore that as we hardly stayed in the room (except to sleep). We stayed at the adults section of Grand Memories, however if you are looking for entertainment at the Sanctuary, there are next to none. We would walk 5-10 minutes or take a cart to the Grand Memories to attend the nightly shows at 9:30pm, which were just ok as well. Some nights they had good shows, other nights it seemed like they just made things up on the go. Most of the time, we would just drink in the bars and talk with other couples we met. The entertainment during the day was OK, they had games at the pool with the entertainment team. We were told this resort is the "liveliest" of all Cayo Santa Maria resorts, but for us it wasn't enough. That's on us, now we know it's more of a quiet/relaxing place. As for food, the food was OK. I am already aware that Cuba food in comparison to other places isn't the best, but we made the best of it. The Sanctuary only has a buffet for meals. We learned that when you book dinners it is at the Grand Memories, which can be super confusing to navigate so we ask for a cart to take us to said restaurant. The shortage is really apparent here in their food and drinks, which of course is not the workers' fault whatsoever. Our butler would schedule us for certain restaurants but the food is all essentially the same thing with maybe a slight change to a menu. Sometimes they run out of things on random days. A turn off for us was when they could not provide daily water bottles in our room fridge. Supposedly, the fridge is supposed to be stocked but there was no room service for ordering things, and only one giant water bottle per day. Some days, when we asked for water, they said they had none left and could only provide water in little cups. This is an issue as we can't drink Cuban tap water and because of alcohol consumption, you would think we would need more water bottles in the room. There were also times they ran out of beer at around 1am-ish. Again, we are aware of the shortage and how COVID affected their tourist industry. The excursion was so much fun and very beautiful. While snorkeling we did actually see coral reefs., and fish, and even a stingray! I recommend their catamaran cruise (99 USD), which includes the catamaran, snorkeling, a dolphin show and interaction, lobster lunch (delicious!) and relaxing on a beach before returning to the resort. We spoke with other tourists who had been to Sanctuary prior to COVID and they said it was amazing and nothing like it was when we were there. I hope to return when it goes back to its former glory as we didn't mind it, but would not return with their current shortage. Would I recommend this to my friend group? No, because I know what they like and this wouldn't be for them. But it might work for individuals who don't mind little entertainment.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Food poisoning alert…..

Hotel was clean and lounge bar was great. Only issue is that on our 5th day both my husband and brother in law both got really sick. We believe it was food poisoning and when I asked public relations if anyone else was complaining of being sick her response was that it could not be food poisoning and it was probably the shift from cold weather to hot weather. I told her that would not be in this case as it was the 5th day and both got sick almost at the same time. Disappointed that they did  [... read more]not take this serious and when we were returning on our bus ride back we talked to a few others and said they also got really sick….it had to be some type of food poisoning. Anyway - bad experience and seeing that this was first trip since COVID restrictions lifted- making me think that CUBA is not the place I should have gone to…..food at buffet was always the same - not much change. Treat of the trip- we had lobster one night and that was good. Beach and pool good. Entertainment could have been better. Note- shortage of spoons. Had to ask for spoon at buffet to stir coffee or if having soup. They did provide sugar cane sticks to stir your coffee. Cleaning could be better. As soon as we got in our room first thing that stood out was the amount of dust seen. Dusting is not their forte and for 7 days- still Could see the dust on the glass shelf!!!

Hotel Playa Paraiso: We are not happy...

Excellent place, nice ocean, green territory, very bad service, fair food, dirty restaurant with cockroaches and flies, lazy and not friendly receptionists, good beer but no pinacolato in the bars... It can be a good 4 star hotel if there was a normal top manager there who cares a little about the job he/she has to do. Just my feeling. I go to Cuba almost every year and I can compare different hotels. I don't expect too much from Cuban service, but this time is just less than expected.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Nice place

Pleasant resort, we had a nice time. Beach is excellent , food was above average most of the time,actually surprisingly good. Room was ok, air conditioning running well, just the bed a little uncomfortable. Nice gardens, well maintained resort. We spent a nice vacation here. As anything in life, had some 2 star moments, but overall, the 4 star is well deserved in my opinion.

Hotel Villa Cuba: Be live experience

The resort and the room were very clean and I had a nice trip. Personnel was friendly and entertainment every night. The music or sound was loud which we already told the reception. The fact that we could go and eat at the other hotel Los Mortas was good too.

Mar Del Sur: Has a mayor problem.

For a two-star hotel in Cuba, my stay at Mar del Sur was as expected, the food was not bad, good night shows, friendly and polite staff, the rooms were good. The only thing really frustrating is the dirty pool. This is a large well designed pool with a deck level overflow recirculation system which could be a great attraction if kept clean however the overflow recirculation has not been working for years as an employee explained to me , they only in the morning collect the floating dirt using ma [... read more]nual Skimmer connected to a suction hose. The result is people swimming in dark waters.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: beautiful location

rooms are old and in need to be redone including installation of bathroom fan , better specification and location of 110 volts plugs due to the fact that most guests are Canadian . grounds vegetation are great and nice to look at ,nice large swimming pool devaited in to 2 sections

Melia Cayo Coco: Excellent

We spent 11 nights at MCC and were delighted with our choice. Everybody was friendly and helpful. The resort was well-looked after, clean and tidy. The food was plentiful but not a huge variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. We had the best bacon everyday, which I put in the cucumber and mayo sandwiches for a delicious breakfast. The beach is lovely, and what little seaweed there was, was dealt with promptly. We will be back in 2023!

Melia Las Dunas: Amazing beach Great for people who enjoy long walks

The resort was great Good food amazing staff The resort was at half capacity which actually worked well for people to space themselves. Always felt safe There were very few people who wore masks . We definitely would go back again

Hotel Playa Paraiso: December 2022

Very nice resort and beach. There was some rain and wind most days but resort even had umbrellas in the rooms. Great staff and amenities.Food was pretty good and drinks were good most times (sometimes they didn’t have certain beverages)

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Cuba - Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: very good 4star-excellent time

Travel date: Dec 3 – 10 \ 2022 Airline: AirTranat : no problem, take off \ arrival on time. Cuban Airport \ Customs: no problem easy passage. Transfer via Bus Cuban Airport to Hotel: No problem, long ride approx. 1.5hours. Hotel Check-in: Easy no problem, minutes at counter. Hotel Lobby: excellent, very clean, welcome drink, bright roomy leads directly to lobby bar. Hotel is Family oriented. Hotel Room: I requested top floor \ King size bed. I got top floor but 2 single beds. Not a big [... read more] problem. Room was perfect: AC no problem, water pressure no problem, very clean room with balcony view. Room has a small fridge filled daily with Bottle of water \ 2 cans of beer. Resort grounds: excellent very clean, staff maintained. Buffet: wide variety and selection. I was surprised and thanked them daily for the salad bar…Romain green leaf lettuce excellent. Cheese, tomatoes, Q-cumbers and plenty more. Chicken no problem grill, daily stir-fry, seafood. Core hot meals with Chicken, Pork, Beef and assorted vegies. No problem. 3 Al cart: French, Cuban, Italian. Only tried the French…NO PROBLEM. Drinks: Excellent Beer, Poor quality red wine. Spanish. Hotel was not at capacity. Plenty of seating available at Buffet. Buffet service: excellent no problem. Hint…sit near the front entry door breeze of fresh air, as rear of room is hot, and windows are closed. I am amazed as how people waste food, load their plates and end up eating only a portion and leaving the rest. Do you do this at home. Desert: excellent selection with 3 choices of ice-cream. Parents with children need to be more responsible for their kids who approach the desert table. Kids are kids, there is ice-cream all over the counter, floor and spoon being dropped as the kids help themselves. Parents do you allow your kids at home to waste food like this. Pools no problem excellent, plenty of chairs. Snack Bar: Limited eating items. Hamburger, Hot dog, ham – cheese sandwich. Hamburger was bad, no hot-dog left with sandwich only, excellent Beer good service. Beach: needs to be maintained has good potential, lots of seaweed, branches broken, walk down hundred yards to better ground keeping. Tipping: YES, show your appreciation for the service, the staff works very hard. Overall: Excellent, no problem, daily temperature plus 26 sun all day. No noticeable COVID restrictions. Some staff and tourist had masks. People in close distance.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Relaxing experience

We enjoyed our stay. The beach was great. I booked the trip online but then called to check for some clarification Carol at EXT 7259 was soo helpful. Her advice about what to bring along made a huge difference to our stay and experience.

Hotel Tuxpan: Wendy Van Zandwik

My travel agent has been beyond amazing. Everything was streamlined & very efficient. I highly recommend her to the fullest & will be revisiting, again in May. Wendy if you see this stellar review, please respond back to me via email :)

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: The best service at Angsana!

Spent one week at this amazing resort with my partner, from 28 November to 5 December 2022. I am used to travelling to Cuba and knew what to expect. This resort was super clean, well maintained and service from all staff members was 5 stars! Very relaxing adult only with a quiet private beach at one end of the resort + a long beautiful beach at the other end of the resort, for days where you prefer a little bit more activities and entertainment! The 3 à la carte restaurants were exceptional. We [... read more] also always found good things to eat at the buffet. A super experience at Angsana! Would visit again for sure! Gracias a todos por vuestro increíble servicio.