Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: The surprise

So I have traveled to Cuba about 7 to 8 times and I have never had such a bad experience. The maids stole from us as well as they didn't really clean the room. There was even one day my door wouldn't lock. There were three staff members that were amazing. There were also some rude staff members. I am used to Cuba standards but my toilet wouldn't flush and in the room my boys had the shower would flood. I would not recommend going here.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beautiful Resort

We arrived at the resort check in was smooth however our room wasn’t ready until four hours latter. However, it gives us time to become familiar with the resort and have lunch. We were one of the first stops after leaving the airport. First the good things about the resort there was sufficient amount of food in the buffets. They had roast pork, chicken, beef and salmon which was freshly cooked and it was warm. The pizzas were good and fresh. Plenty of bread and butter. The sweets were the best  [... read more]we every tasted at any of the resorts we been to before. The down side lot of stuff was reused and was often cold. The eggs where powdered eggs and the bacon was chopped up in cubes and placed under the heating lamps. The Mengano Beach snack bar was great grilled chicken, sausage’s, hotdogs, beef or chicken bulgers. They had soup and some salade items. I really enjoyed this place and the service was great. The Mengano Beach bar was great having a wide variety of drinks alcohol and non-alcohol. The Mengano Beach was the place where the activities occurred. The animation team could improve a little more if you are into these things. The lounger guy was on top of things finding you places on the beach in the shade. The Ensenacho Beach area is beautiful and you got to get there early it quickly fills up in the morning. Be prepared to stay the day it’s a bit of a walk to the main buffet. Also, the water appears to be a bit warmer. The bar has good service lots of alcohol but no power for the draft beer. They do take the beer down in water bottles. The snack bar is grilled just burgers and hotdogs. The la Carte restaurants were not bad they had hot food which was very good. The only choices we had was Cuban, Asian and Italian. The food was really good. The rooms were large with a walk-in closet. Large bathroom with both shower and tub. The beds were your normal Cuban mattresses. The resort grounds are beautiful and so nice to walk around. The resort is still in good shape but is showing her age a little. They appear to doing some work on the outside. The resort was at 30 per cent capacity when we arrived. The good thing about Cayo Santa Marie there wasn’t any Russians. The tour guide on the way in from the airport said Cayo Santa Maria area is usually 90 per cent Canadian Tourist. The staff work very hard and appear to a little older worker. The negatives the buffet items were cold, powdered eggs and no tonic water. But we couldn’t beat the price it like 2008 prices. Cuba is suffering and numerous times been told the they need the Canadians to return to their resorts. We were reminded how important we are to the Cuban tourism. The good thing we usual enjoy ourselves in Cuba. Just remember the price is half price of going to DR, Mexico or Jamicia. I would return to this resort again. Just a note some of the resorts in that area had run out of beer for a couple of days and had no eggs or butter. If you keep it in mind there are shortages and no fault of the workers you still will enjoy if you can't accept that go somewhere else.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing location

Clean and very spacious rooms Great comfort Amazing beach Short distances to everything Relaxing environment Good food Impeccable service Public washrooms always clean Plenty of drinks & coffee No noise or pollution

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Awesome resort!

This resort was morw than we expected, the rooms were very clean and tidy and elegant. The food was AMAZING, the buffet alone was enough let alone the side rearaurants that were delishes as well. The staff at the iberostar beach were spectacular, so friendly and courteous, went above and beyond our expectations. Shout out to Felicia our concierge who made our stay very enjoyable. Thanks again we will be back.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Great resort

The hotel was well kept and clean,the staff were very friendly helpful,and hardworking, we had no complaints about the food it was good.fresh juice every morning, omelettes, bacon,bread, no shortages.

Iberostar Waves Cozumel: Awesome diving resort!

The food is outstanding! There's something for everyone! The people that work there work very hard to keep the place clean and people moving. And the dive shop is exceptional! Saw some beautiful fish coral reef sharks spotted eagle rays!

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Great Resort

We enjoyed the beautiful grounds whether sitting by the pool or on the beach. You can walk for kms on the beautiful beach. The food was good, the staff were friendly and the room was very clean. All in all a great vacation. Thank you.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: A Wonderful Resort!

It was my first winter vacation and it was so great. The grounds were beautiful and clean, rooms had everything you needed, and the staff were kind and attentive. The buffet and restaurants that we attended had good food with lots to choose from!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Beautiful resort

Enjoyed another relaxing week at the Iberostar Costa Dorada. Our 7th time staying here did not disappoint. Kennedy, Carlos and Dulche took very good care of us for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The pool is huge and refreshing. Selection at breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet was more than generous. Ala Carte restaurants were also very good. Activity in the lobby area during the evening hours was very good with music, vendors and theme food nights going on every night. This is a solid 4 Star res [... read more]ort and we look forward to our next visit.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Beutiful resort that needs work.

This is a very new resort, beautiful structures, comfortable beds, but is already showing signs of neglect. Our room in building 5, had a partial ocean view, and being on the second floor, you could see the ocean on the other side of the island as well. The view was beautiful. The screen door on our balcony was already half torn off from who knows when. I am grateful there were no bugs, as I prefer the doors open for air than using the air conditioner. The shower valve would not isolate either r [... read more]ain shower head or hand held. So one or the other was always dribbling. The tub had the same issue with the hand-held wand as well. There were plenty of plugs to use for phones, they even had USB ports which is a huge plus!!! Some were loose and popped out when removing cords, so be careful. The rooms were spacious, the furnishings are nice. You get a couch and table and chairs as well. Our room was cleaned daily, but our maid was less than helpful. She made it seem that it was an inconvenience to supply something that was missed when she cleaned the room. For example, she left us with a quarter roll of toilet paper with no replacement. When asked for another roll because we were low, our reply was "later". No apology, just "later". There was a water leak dripping on the tiles in the hallway on the first level the entire week we were there. The entire resort ran out of sugar for two days, which blew my mind!!! There were many other shortages, ie. tonic water, eggs, sprite and other sodas, to name only just a few things. Some of the wait staff were fantastic servers, they were helpful and enthusiastic. While others couldn't be bothered. These were folks in the buffet and bar!! The food options were minimal. When things ran out there were no replacements on some things. So you had to wake up early for breakfast, or eat an early dinner if you wanted anything interesting. NOTHING at the buffet was labeled, you had to guess what was in the heating dishes, and fresh food brought out was lukewarm or cold. I was always able to find something to eat that I recognized. Personally, I hate wasting food and I don't want to take something that I may not eat. I find it very frustrating when I see others waste half plates of food. The bartenders are crafty enough to make interesting drinks when some of the ingredients were not available. And, as always the coffee is amazing. The girl in the reservation office was AMAZING. She arranged, at the request of my husband, a Japanese lobster dinner on a night that was not normally available to guests for my birthday. It took her a few days, but was able to pull it off. Dinner was entertaining and well done. The check in was very organized and efficient, as well as check out. The porters are attentive and polite. They even escorted us to the sister resort for one of our special dinners at the Mediterranean restaurant, which I recommend. Wifi was free the entire time of your stay, you are given a user name and password. Was speedy enough to do face-time with loved ones, so I got to chat with the grand-daughter. :) The beach in the morning was almost non existent as the tide was way up, in the afternoon it was huge as the tide was way down, and the white sand is perfect for long walks. The beach seems to go on forever. (over 5 miles) Because there are only a few resorts on this beach, there is a lot of plastic garbage that has washed up on the shore. I think as more resorts are built, the beaches will be better maintained. The pools were amazing, we came right after a colder few days, so the pools were a bit too chilly for my taste, but was able to go in the last three days. You can swim the entire length of all three buildings! The lower levels on the pool side have 'swim out' rooms with chaise lounges and umbrellas on their patio and steps to go down into the pool. Overall the stay was good. I could see for some people who are fussy about their food, having a harder time in the buffet. There are excursions to do in the area. Some are an hour bus ride away, a few are walking distance. We are not excursion people, we love to sun, walk on the beach and relax.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Absolutely amazing resort

This hotel is absolutely stunning both inside and out. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the resort is super clean. The rooms are tastefully decorated and pools were lovely, always lots of loungers available. I can’t say enough great things about the staff. They went above and beyond daily for us. Always stopping and asking if we needed anything and how things were. They booked us in at the a la cartes without having to wait in the line. Entertainment staff were amazing and had us part [... read more]icipating in all activities around the pool Daily and the beach party in the final night. Even the food was great. I am a picky eater and I could find something to eat at every meal, hot dogs , hamburgers , French fries, pasta, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon beads and pastries…

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Wonderful Stay

We experienced the absolute best service from Dean and Shannon at the lobby bar. The food was exceptional from local fruit to fresh sushi. There was no shortage of entertainment or activities to partake in. The only downfall was the excess seaweed due to the cold front and drastic change in weather.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Mixed feelings

Bad first impression as they assigned us to a room with one bed when we had requested two. Do not stay on the 2nd floor as the architecture provides a view of the concrete supports, not premium tropical view. The rooms are very small and plain. Beach has a "Blue Flag" designation with plenty of loungers there and at the pools. Staff are friendly and helpful. The French restaurant is amazing but the Smokehouse was awful. I had a bad reaction at the Asian restaurant so beware if you have allergies [... read more]. The buffets have a good variety though. Evening entertainment was nice enough. Daytime crew were energetic and fun.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: One disappointment after another

We were so excited for our visit to Iberostar Coral Esmeralda, but from the moment we arrived we knew we made a mistake booking this hotel. I don't like to leave bad reviews but they really do need to know so they can improve. From the airport, we dropped travelers off to two different hotels. When they arrived at their resorts we could see they were greeted with warm welcomes, drinks and even a dance! When we finally arrived at our resort (almost 3 hours after sitting on the bus - was suppo [... read more]sed to be 75 minutes), we got nothing. Not help with our luggage, no greeting, nada. While waiting to check in, we were then brought a drink and given a little talk that they were overwhelmed with the 28 bookings they had that day (the most they've ever had). No one smiled, we did not feel welcome at all. We got to our room, although extremely nice and comfortable, it was not clean (beds were not made, bathroom and floors needed to be cleaned). Since we were starving we left to eat while they cleaned. The buffet was tiny and nothing was labelled. Since we don't eat pork we hardly ate anything because we didn't know what it was and no one understood when we asked. We had to ask the staff to clean a table so we could sit down. They did this very slowly and reluctantly. We then went back to the front to ask for Wifi details because they had not provided us with any at check in. They gave us the username and password for some other guests, which we pointed out to them. We had to wait for them to get us the right ones with them acting like they were doing us a favour. Once back to our room, the cleaners were still not done so we had to ask them to leave so we could use our room. We were lucky in that they had a sister hotel right beside them that we were able to use. For the rest of the days we ate most of our meals there. It was WAY bigger and better and sometimes had better service. The Asian restaurant food was unfortunately also disappointing, the food had way too much soya sauce. We could not eat it at all, so left and went to the sister hotel. The best place to eat at Esmeralda was the Snack Bar. They had burgers, hot dogs and pizza and for the most part the staff were nice although they often forgot about us and we had to reorder. They couldn't seem to cope with the amount of people. There were no activities or entertainment posted anywhere. Randomly they would have people at one of their very small pools teaching people to dance, playing bingo or doing yoga. These were nice but without notice we could not join. The night entertainment was done in the lobby where there isn't much seating room. Each day our beds were made, but our rooms would not be cleaned (i.e. hair and seaweed still in the shower). I don't know if this is their general practice. The best part of this resort is their beach. However, it was very windy for most of our stay so we could not enjoy it. In summary, this resort seems to have lots of staff, but they don't speak English and are not motivated to help anyone out or be friendly; even if you tip them well. I think this resort is better suited to older people who want to be left alone and have complete quiet.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Wonderful people!

The resort is beautiful and the people are wonderful, very accommodating and anxious to please. Due to supply constraints, the variety of food is limited; plenty of fish but a shortage of fresh fruit most days. Definitely take advantage of the spa - best massage ever from Alex. Thanks to Jackson for the Spanish lessons and to Ariel for the considerate attention to detail!

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing staff

Comfortable clean hotel. Great variety of food. Wonderful staff, ready to help in any situation. Great entertainment. It could do better with a little bit more maintenance on the property especially furniture and curtains.

Iberostar Waves Punta Cana: Great resort

Perfect size, everything within 4-5 minutes walking distance. Nice pools and great beach front. Friendly staff, Maria the drinky drinky waitress was awesome. Nighttime entertainment was average. French cuisine was my personal favourite

Iberostar Origin Tainos: One of the Best !!

Jan 23-Feb 6/24***** 5 star in my opinion. Wow what a resort Tanios Varadero it was everything we were looking for, fun entertainment beach food and much much more. Our 2 weeks here was most enjoyable, Tanios delivered !. The food was delicious with a very large variety to choose from, fruits, veggies scrumptious fish chicken pork & beef dishes & deserts galore plus all the trimmings to please every pallet. THE STAFF WAS FABULOS !! FABULOS !! FABULOS !! The Lobby bar was the best for sitting aro [... read more]und chillin, people watching or enjoying a Cuban drink before dinner & that special morning cappuccino coffee to start your day. Just to mention a few who stood out in our awesome stay were our maid Elaine who kept our place fresh & clean during our 2 weeks. Also the pool bartenders, Julio & Mayelin, pool area rest. cooks, the Entertainment ( Elvis is entertainment himself....fun to watch LOL ) Dancers, Musicians and Singers were excellent morning day & night. The staff in the main cafeteria are also outstanding tending to all your needs. all the cooks & servers Beatrix Kania Edwin Louis to mention a few were helpful friendly and always with a beautiful smile . Then there is Jania, manager extraordinaire who runs the front desk. She is so helpful to answer questions info or any problems which may arise. Tanios Varadero is the smoothest most friendliest check-in & out resort we have experienced in our many years & miles of travel. We will definitely return to Tanios Varadero Cuba Thank you one & all

Iberostar Waves Punta Cana: very nice resort

The resort layout and facilities were very nice as were the rooms and the food. The staff was ready to help and the restaurants were fun with varied menus from Mexican to Asian. We were a group of 11 and staff still managed to seat us together. Added bonus in February of '24 there was virtually no seaweed along the beaches in the area. Golfed at the Iberostar Bavaro golf course on site and it was in very good condition, picturesque and playable. The only downside given the resorts price range [... read more] were first-world problems. Unaccompanied beach towels hoarded the majority of the chairs at the pool and beach which bothered the non-golfers in our group but the only real issue was the crowds at the buffet. While they built separate buffets for the Domenicana and the Punta Cana resorts, they have converted one into a restaurant leaving only one open. At prime time it was chaotic and not fun.You don't see this at other comparably priced resorts in the DR and they really should go back and operate as designed.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort

This hotel exceeded our expectations. Lots of food and variety at the buffets. We ate at the Italian and Japanese a lacarte restaurants they were both amazing. Top shelf liquor at the bars, all the staff were so happy and friendly. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The beach is clean and taken care of. Lots of lounge chairs both on the beach and at the pool.