Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Ok

The hotel itself is nice and clean however the grounds are not so much. There was broken glass on one of the pathways off to the side and it never got cleaned up, there were cups and utensils all over the resort, the pathways the beaches etc that were there for a few days. There was next to no entertainment. A couple of days at the pool didn’t even have music playing. Obviously problems with staffing and last night we were there there was obvious drama with the entertainment staff on stage.  [... read more]The manager herself ran off and didn’t stay for the last dance with everyone and the same for one other dancer. Overall it was ok the worst thing I can comment on is the rude staff. I have never gone somewhere where the staff were Soo rude and unhelpful. In the dining hall we got ignored every single night, we had to get up and approach someone to get water. Service was terrible.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Lovely

This was a lovely adults only resort. The quiet pools were quiet, except when certain guests decided to crank their own music! We had to ask them to turn it off. Would have preferred if staff would have done this. The housekeepers were amazing, the bar staff was good, although I never had a pina colada made the same way twice! (Each was good, though). I always asked for no alcohol, but twice was given it. Beach was beautiful. There is a sign that says “no reserving chairs” but everyone did. On [... read more]ce I saw a couple reserve their chairs, but didn’t tip and then the chair guy gave their chairs to someone else. Also, same chair guy said he didn’t have $5 change for a $10 bill when I had just seen him take $5 from someone. All other chair guys were honest. Food was subpar, but we expected that with the food shortages. Didn’t know from day to day what they would or wouldn’t have! Take your own condiments and snacks!! We were there for the beach and adults only quiet pools, so the lack of a variety of food didn’t really bother us. Gardeners were out all day, everyday, so the grounds were lovely. They always stopped to give ladies flowers and bananas if they had picked any that day. Not sure if “lifeguards” were actually trained, but they would gladly find an umbrella or chair for you at the pools. A la carte restaurants: The food is the same basically as the buffet, except they were made fresh instead of being in a warming tray. We didn’t get a chance for the “Asian” so not sure what would have been served. Staff were overjoyed with donations of dolls and toys. Overall, we very much enjoyed our stay!

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: I loved Iberostar Daquari

I enjoyed staying at the Daquari and I would recommend it to my friends for sure. The food was very good, the staff were amazing, and the beach and hotel and pool were outstanding. I WILL COME BACK~ It was my first visit to Cuba!

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Family friendly resort

Friendly staff work hard to help you enjoy your stay in this gorgeous resort. Enter from the open air lobby, through pillared walkways, down winding paths surrounded by lush vegetation, into airy immaculate rooms and massive pool area, we were wowwed. The beach was also wide and lovely, and the waters fun to body surf through. There is food for every taste, and options from buffet and open air seating, to more formal dining rooms. Be sure to try some side excursions to learn more about Mexic [... read more]o!

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Amazing resort

Little bit outdated resort. Everything was exceptional: great, well maintained grounds, clean rooms made every day, great selection of the food and drinks. Every day enogh drinkable water supplied every day in the rooms. Smooth and seamless check in and check out. Something that makes this resort really exceptional is the staff, great people in the restaurants, bars, grounds, maids. We stayed in many resorts in Cuba but never experienced such great service. Beach is amazing, good packed send a [... read more]llowed to run along 5 km of the beach.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Absolute Disappointment

The rooms are clean, food is terrible, water is scarce to come by, bottled water must be asked for or bought, towels are non existent, no sodaand zero mixed drink options really other than rum, we literally had zero a la carts, no eggs, booked the spa and was cancelled stating that closed till fixed, everything was cancelled when management showed up No dinner reservations or a la carts No condiments, mustard, relish, ketchup, only mayo - none, not even vinegar Daily No white or red wine No [... read more] liquors , No coffee No eggs the entire time we were there other than powdered Very limited bread, buns & French fries- just depended on the day No hand towels, toilet paper, no face clothes, zero beer in fridges in the room for the entire stay, nor did anyone in the resort No bottled water- house cleaner, room service, bar tenders, there was water available but highly chlorinated to point of making me sick No facial tissues& no napkins/silverware at times Ceiling issues, water issues, running toilets Old in shower ceilings, No pop or soda daily, vermouth, no potatoes, no fresh fruit only canned peaches & pineapple Zero beer or drinks in our room No 24 hour food at snack Bar, no beach grill -the communication, scheduling & supervision at this resort was an absolute nightmare There was a couple days where there was cheese available

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Amazing Resort

1 - Great choice of restaurants 2 - 3 pools (deep one, walkable one and a kiddie pool 3 - Nice clean beach The location is perfect if you like long walks along the beach. The only thing I didn't like is you couldn't put the room access cards anywhere near your cell phone or it would get demagnetized. Free WiFi is available throughout the resort.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: We had a great time!

Gorgeous beaches, beautiful grounds, fantastic pools, clean and spacious room. Family friendly. If you stick with the Cuban food it is good; the western food could use some improvement. Friendly staff but not always responsive to requests, e.g. asked for pillows for all 4 of us but they never came. Overall, I would go back.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Beautiful resort; great time!

This was our 4th time at this resort and once again, we had a fabulous time. There are now 3 dedicated routes for transportation, one for each resort, (green, blue and purple) where golf cart drivers will pick you up while walking on the path. My only recommendation for this is that during breakfast and dinner there should be more carts available which would mean shorter wait times. Also, a bench at the side lobby on Del Mar would be very helpful while waiting for a cart to arrive. The grou [... read more]nds are beautiful and well maintained as are the buildings and rooms. Everything is very clean and the staff are very pleasant and helpful. The pools are incredible; also very clean and well maintained. Lots of comfortable loungers are available around the pools and at the beach. The food in the buffet was excellent with a large selection. The restaurants we dined in were also excellent except for the Smoke House (didn't care too much for that). The food and service in the Mediterranean and Italian was excellent. The entertainment in the theatre this time was great. We noticed an improvement in the productions. We especially enjoyed the Mexican show; it was beautiful. The entertainment team does a great job in providing lots of things to do. However, we found the music at the "party pool" to be very loud every day, especially when they had the "Pool Party" on Tuesday. We had to leave that area because of the extreme noise. Even people in building 19 (near the front of the resort) complained about the intense noise.A not so positive change in the resort is that the previous "quiet area" has been changed to "members only" area. This is unfortunate because, as previously mentioned, the music in the pool area can be pretty loud, so this was a nice area to go...not anymore. It would be great if dancing after 8 was offered. "Dance lessons" is posted almost nightly but many times we were disappointed because staff didn't show up. These lessons were mostly Salsa, Merenge, etc. No need for constant lessons, just put on the music (any music) and encourage people to dance. We especially enjoyed the daily Zumba class at 3 pm with Jesus. He was great. The beach is gorgeous; long and wide with white powder sand and lots of loungers under the palapas. All in all, the vacation was great and would definately recommend this resort. We plan to be back next year.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing resort

The resort was small, clean, and the staff was helpful and friendly. The food was ok but everything else about the resort was exceptional. I would definitely go again. We had one of the swim up rooms and now I’m spoiled for any other trips I want to take.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Review if Iberostar Selections Esmeralda Cayo coco

Resort listed as 5 star, trip was all inclusive; after being there for 9 days, I feel it certainly isn’t 5 Star. We did not receive basic items such as toilet paper, bottled water, bed coverings, clean towels or linen changes for the entire stay. Food was limited but not terrible, alcohol drinks were very limited in selection, no soda to mix with drinks. Customer Service office was very welcoming and would write notes of what we needed, telling us they would look after right away. They would n [... read more]ot do anything one you left their office. Sign up for a la cart meals was scheduled to begin 9 am each day for the evening meal but some how the list would be full by the time we signed up at 9. Then when I complained I was advised the rules changed and people could book all their a la carts upon arrival. However this was never made public to those already at the resort. Very poor signage of events, times, schedules to occur over the week.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Several Issues, but an excellent time

Some issues but overall an excellent time. There were some management issues towards the end of my trip which may be more impactful for the next wave of guests, but only made a small impact on my stay. The story I heard was that half the staff was fired ~2 days prior to the end of my stay, this resulted in the a la carte's being closed, the spa being closed (inspection issue?) and a noticeable decrease in house keeping Biggest concerns: Supply issues... mainly regarding water bottles in m [... read more]y 7 day stay I only received 2 water bottles... which, as someone who has abstained from alcohol for years was quite troubling.. but it was fine... I slummed it with beer and Rum and had a time of it The ongoing supply issues were exacerbated by the lip service of hotel staff, "oh no, we'll get that sorted right away sir." ... it never was.. and repeated complaints always yielded the same lip service. I understand the problem with supply issues, and was quite patient in that regard, but I really could have done without the lip service that never yielded results. Food: I don't recall having a bad meal, very good overall. At the start of my trip they had no eggs, they were using pre-prepared presumably powdered eggs, which was fine. I tried it once and had no real complaints.. but stuck with the cereal option for breakfast -A la carte's were a pain... booking was only done in the morning for the same day (unless you pulled some strings with the management), and even then it filled up VERY fast. This was also a major issue in regards to the management problem mentioned above, the last two days there were no a la carte due to staffing problems. The a la carte's themselves were quite unimpressive... very limited selection and VERY slow service. In the two I tried it took ~1 hour for the food to arrive, luckily I had a book with me. The food wasn't of much higher quality than the buffet, which was quite annoying considering the time taken to prepare. Would not recommend. Beach: Fantastic, easily the highlight of any Cuban vacation, especially in the Cayo regions ..... the only complaint would be the other guests... specifically the fact they do not clean up after themselves. I would often find bottles, glasses, cigarette butts, etc littering the beach. Room: Small but functional, which suited me just fine, I'd rather not spend my time in my room. I opted for an Oceanview room and was VERY pleased with the result. The walls seemed quite thick as I did not hear my neighbors... very nice. Housekeeping staff were extremely pleasant and a personal highlight, as my housekeeper was the one who went out of her way to provide me with my much sought after water. I didn't see her on my last day, I hope she is still employed there. I haven't travelled to Cuba since just before Covid struck, and was quite surprised by the extensive free Wi-Fi coverage. A very unexpected and welcome bonus. .... though personally it was a little soured at the end... the Wi-Fi control is apparently automated elsewhere, so when it was time to check out, I was kicked off the service. Normally this wouldn't have been a large issue, but I was in the middle of trying to resolve a problem and was quite urked by the sudden loss of internet.... to make matters worse, my check-out was the standard 1200.. while my departure from the hotel was at 1930 ( delayed to 2030) .. supposedly the hotel had an arrangement with Sunwing to circumvent this problem... but... no... hopefully they resolve that in the future.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: The resort was good.

The resort was good. It could be made better by paying attention to the aesthetics of rooms. Staff was very nice and co-operative. The option for vegetarian food can be enhanced to support vegetarian tourists.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing resort! Loved it!

This resort was fantastic. It was quiet, lots of chairs at the beach and pool. It was never busy and overcrowded even thought the resort was fully booked. Never had to reserve a spot at the beach, pool, and buffet no matter the time of day. The food was good and did run out. The service was excellent and the rooms were clean, large and very comfortable. If you like the nightlife, it is not the place to go. By 11 pm everyone is in their rooms. If you want a beautiful beach and quiet area to re [... read more]lax, this is the place for you.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Iberostar Selection Ensenachos

We took our 3-year-old son for his first all-inclusive trip. The resort, staff and all-around experience was great and one we will not forget. However, our travel day home was a nightmare. Our Sunwing flight was delayed 3 hours forcing us to sit at the Cuban airport for 5+ hours before boarding. Once landed we were told to wait onboard the plane for another 40 minutes before allowing us to clear customs. Travelling home with a small child made for a stressful & unpleasant travel day home. We are [... read more] aware flight delays are out of the control of Trip Central but wanted to express some kind of frustration.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Absolutely fabulous resort

This was the very best resort I have ever stayed at. The room was simply amazing. The Lobby entertainment was great. The bar staff were fabulous especially Dan. He was the best. Great mixologist and kept the mood very high at all times. The beach was gorgeous and the sand was like flour under your feet. All the staff went out of their way to accommodate you. Definitely will visit again next year. Can’t wait.

Iberostar Waves Cozumel: nice resort

Resort is small, very rustic, a lot of vegetation around buildings. Rooms are clean, they have 3 restaurants and you don't need reservations for them. Entertainment team great. Beach is nice but small, you can do a bit of snorkeling. The only inconvenience is that you cannot get into the sea without water shoes because of the rocks.

Iberostar Coral Ensenachos: Beautiful resort

Beautiful very clean rooms, pool lobby and dining room. Staff were amazing and very friendly and helpful. Beach was lovely. Special evenings like dining in the beach and by the pool were wonderful and it’s because of the hard work of the staff. They are to be commended.

Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus: Great resort. Will definitely go back.

Stayed at Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus at end of Feb. We have only complements for the resort. First and foremost, all workers and staff were friendly and attentive to serving guests. Our room was super clean and mini bar kept stocked. The bathroom had been renovated and featured walk in shower booth. The grounds well kept and clean. The beach was the nicest for quite a stretch on either side of the resort. There were plenty of palapas on the beach as well as around the main pool  [... read more]throughout the day. The water at the beach was clear and fairly shallow for quite a way from shore. If you like water sports, take out a kayak or Hobie Cat. Take in water exercise class each day before noon. We ate most meals an the main buffet restaurant. Every night had a dinner theme ie Italian, Mexican, Dominican etc. Quality was excellent and plenty of variety. We stuck to light lunches at the Spiaggia seaside grill. Enough said. We have been to other Iberostar resorts in past and have always enjoyed our stay Hacienda Dominicus adds another check mark on our list.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Good value

This was definitely not a 5 star resort but we def had a 5 star experience! Beach is absolutely stunning, much work needed to clean up a lot of the rubbish washed up from storms just beyond the resort. There were toilet paper and bottled water shortages but we didn't let that get to us, many guests were very upset about this. We went with our 8 month old baby and the staff provided us with crib and high chair in our room (no cost). They also made sure to set aside water for our baby. My husba [... read more]nd and I drank the treated water on the resort with no issues. Food was really tasty, always fresh fish for the grill, steak or pork freshly grilled as well, rice, pancakes and eggs for breakfast, lovely breads, desserts, salad bar, cheeses, guava, papaya, bananas and more (a baby's feast)! The hospitality of this resort was impeccable! Guest services were amazing, wait staff, maids also incredible! Rooms are really nice with sexy showers and our room overlooked the stunning crystal blue ocean. 3 pools were very nice also, a couple nights the music did get to us very late (finishing around midnight, pack your earplugs), as a tired Mom and Dad that was a bit frustrating but again that is also expected on a resort vacation. We would have gladly been down there too enjoying the night if we were baby-free. Overall we loved Cayo Cruz and the remote experience of this resort, it was exactly what we needed for some much needed rest and relaxation, highly recommend for families, we met so many friendly Canadians and Cubans!