Playa Pesquero: Big resort

Nice clean resort. Rooms were clean and big. Beautiful beach. Friendly staff. The only complaint I have is about the food. The choice of food is great it's the preparation of the food I had issues with. Mainly the cooking of the meat . Twice I had to stop the kids from eating their burger as it was not cooked properly. In fact I got sick and was in the room all day. So for the rest of the week we just ate pasta and french fries. I have been to many places in Cuba, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa [... read more] Maria and never had a problem. But in the past I have always stayed at a resort run by hotel chain from Spain and the playa pesquero is run by the Cuban government and unfortunately the difference is quite noticeable. All in all though we had a great time weather was great and resort is very nice. I will be going back to Cuba but to a different resort.

Playa Pesquero: Excellent value!

Lovely grounds and pools; excellent beach and room; drinks were plentiful; food was average, though you can improve your dining by focusing on the food stations: custom omelet/pasta/salad/steak/seafood, prepared just the way you like it!

Playa Pesquero: Not Bad

Overall this resort was ok. We arrived and were surprised to have our room upgraded and were checked in fairly quickly. There was a lengthy wait to get help to get to our room with our luggage. Once we arrived to our room, we had everything we needed. Nothing fancy but all the necessities. We did have an issue with our fridge but it was resolved fairly quickly. The beach was much less then expected for Cuba. It was over crowded, water was rocky and dropped of very quickly, Which for us was not  [... read more]ideal for our two young children. We spent most of our days at the pool, Which was never overly crowded and the kids enjoyed it. The food wasn't bad at first. Unfortunately, dinner wasn't served anywhere until 6:30 pm. This became extremely difficult with our young children that were exhausted from busy days in the sun. Needless to say our dinners were always rushed and full of cranky kids. We were not able to go to the included a la cartes because the timing was not child friendly. The food at the buffet was repetitive and by the end of the week the kids actually refused to eat because they were no longer enjoying it. That being said, no one had any issues with being ill from the food. The resort was very large which became troublesome for the kids as it was a lengthy walk to anywhere from our room. There were golf carts that drove around the resort for transportion but they were unpredictable and rarely available. Overall, we had a nice time but we made this choice because it was pitched as a great place for families and kids. There were a number of things that made it challenging for our family with young children (5 and 1yrs old). It may have been a different experience if our kids were older.

Playa Pesquero: Tired

Hotel was very tired. Needs to be cleaned and painted. Lots of fried food, if you like that. Very little in the way of fresh fruit and vegetables. Excellent coffee bar. Nice beach. Good weather and temperature.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort

Just returned from a 5 night stay to celebrate our shared birthday! We had a fantastic trip, from start to finish. Flight was on time and went off with no problems, bus ride is a little longer than some may like but the tour guide was great and pointed out areas of interest along the way. On arrival to the hotel we were greeted with a drink and check in went very quickly. From there, we had a great week with no concerns aside from AC not working for the first night that was fixed the next day. W [... read more]as leary about the food choices from numerous people who have visited Cuba, but one would have to be a VERY picky eater to go hungry at this resort. The evening entertainment could have been a little better, there were a few nights that didnt leave much to do, but we had packed cards, made friends and had some great laughs in the lobby over drinks. Overall our stay was fantastic and would definitely go back to the Starfish again!!

Playa Pesquero: Was an amazing resort

The restaurants were very nice, the grounds were amazing and the hotel staff wonderful! Loved the lobby area and to be able to get specialty coffee any time that we needed to! My daughter and I really loved the Mojito Bar and food there!!!!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Fabulous first time visit to Cuba

Great location. Our room was lovely and staff were excellent!!! Lovely People! The food was for the most part very good. We loved the Market and used the fitness facility there. Fabulous white sand beach and the ocean view is amazing.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Everything was up to my expectations

The flowers,vegetation and water features were very attractive. There were lots of choices in food and very attentive staff. in all areas. The evening entertainment was very professional except for a couple of night which used the guests doing crazy skits with one another.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort - Starfish Cayo Santa Maria

Went to Starfish Cayo Santa Maria Nov 29-Dec 6. This is a lovely resort, very clean and very lush gardens. The rooms are large and well appointed. Weather was beautiful 25-30 degrees. This is a large resort with 1400 plus rooms, but as this was still the slow season, only half of the resort was open with only one of the a la carte restaurants which rotated the set menus each day . The pools were large and immaculate and the beach was white sand gorgeous. The buffet was fine, a typical Cuban reso [... read more]rt buffet with lots of choice and a good fresh grill section. The beach was white sand gorgeous and we were impressed with all the beautiful architectural design features that have been incorporated throughout the resort. The shows with the dancers were the best I have seen in my 10 trips to Cuba. There were virtually no activities and I missed not having Yoga, Tai Chi, etc. available, but again, probably a full slate is available in the busier times. If you don't mind the 1 1/2 hour drive from the airport, I highly recommend this resort. as excellent value. Jenn Black at Trip Central was excellent and very helpful.

Playa Pesquero: Beautiful resort!

The staff was friendly starting at reception and with everyone we encountered throughout the resort. The "car" service was great. The pool was the largest we have seen in Cuba. Drinks were "heavenly"! Food was fantastic - especially the a la carte restaurants. Loved the 24 hour snack bar with tapas snacks!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Awesome beach

Beach is the star for starfish resort. Highly recommend for this time of year. Resort is very large but only half open during off peak season. Wonderful staff. Linens and towels changed daily. Food typical for Cuba. Great bread pasta and pizza omelettes. Staff are amazing Great value for the price

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Nice Place to Stay in Cuba

The resort is located on a very nice beach. The rooms are okay nothing spectacular. Room is outdated but clean. The staff is cordial. The food was good and offered variety. My toilet was not working properly when I arrived. (It would flush on occasion) Called to have it fixed. The service was timely however, the problem still persisted during my stay even after a part was replaced. The resort is a nice place to stay when visiting Cuba.

Playa Pesquero: Great resort

Hotel was clean, needs a little updating in certain areas, the staff and service were amazing, food was great needs a little work on the bathrooms thru out the resort, enjoyed my stay and we were a group of 32

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Excellent resort with amazing staff

Very clean and beautiful pool. Staff was super friendly and very accommodating. Appreciated that Cayo Santa Maria has a check point and locals cannot access the resorts unless they are working a shift.

Playa Pesquero: Not bad 5 day trip

Playa Pesquero I will start this review with the negatives which are few. I flew with Sunwing which at the time of booking was depart at 3:50 and arrive at 7:35 which was later changed to depart at 5:00 and arrive at 8:45. All this seems trivial but when I book a 7 day vacation that actually starts at 12:00 which is when I finally arrived at my resort and book out of my room at 6:00 am to depart for the airport at 11:00 then it actually seems like a 5 day vacation. We arrived Holguin only sligh [... read more]tly late which was not so good because Air Canada and Transat where both very late which left the airport overcrowded and the Shuttle service in rambles. One more little tidbit is I had paid for Elite which is supposed to get my luggage off first but mine was nowhere near first. About the resort it is huge and very nicely laid out, we never had a problem getting a lounge chair near the pool. The beach is a little different, very crowded and not the beautiful white limestone that I have become so accustomed to in Cuba but okay all the same. They had the most amazing coffee bar where served just about anything you could imagine. The bars were well stocked with premium liquor and all the drinks I had were good. The food also was no problem, we never used our a la carte’s because the buffets were always very good. Always plenty of stations cooking many varieties of food. Over all I would rate this Sunwing 5-day trip 7 out of 10. I had friends who flew from Sault Ste Marie with Air Canada for the same money to arrive earlier than me and depart almost 10 hours later.

Playa Pesquero: Good resort, excellent food for Cuban standards

Excellent food for Cuban standards and very good accommodations. Decent beach. Resort is pretty big, expect lot of walking. Nice size pool. Staff friendly and service is very good. Lobby and pool bars - good coffee.

Playa Pesquero: Amazing trip!!

I loved staying at Playa Pesquero. Upon our arrival to the resort, we were greeted with a cold drink and a warm meal. The staff at Playa Pesquero is very friendly and made our stay a great one! We had a wonderful room keeper (which by the way, the rooms were very spacious and had all the amenities you need for a great trip). We always had someone come and bring us beer and water everyday. The beach is fantastic, never had to go down early to reserve a hut. There is always someone on the beach br [... read more]inging you drinks and wiping down chairs for you. There are some great bars and a la carte restaurants (we got to pick from 4). The pool is very spacious, as is the resort. You never felt crowded. Plus there are always fun activities and shows going on at all times!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Wow!

Where to begin.... Well, this newer resort offers all one needs for utmost comfort and pleasure. The architecture was very pleasing and carries throughout the resort. The grounds keepers appear to never sleep as they are always on the run keeping the resort clean. Room cleaning was very well. We noticed they take the whole room apart between visitors; a full cleaning. Our room was a fair walk from the lobby but golf cart service was available if needed. The beach.... by far the nicest we've seen [... read more]! Clean and very wavy at times (we like that!) The only negative was the long causeway to get to the island resort, but we made the best of it. A MUST-try Cuban destination!

Playa Pesquero: Our first all inclusive resort set the bar high.

This was our first all inclusive resort and first real vacation someplace tropical. We found most people in Cuba friendly and welcoming. The people that were less than friendly and frowning were easily offset by the enthusiastic ones (and received more tips from us). The resort was fairly close to the excursions that we took. Guardalavaca was about 30 minutes away by tour bus or taxi and the market there offered artisans and other services. There was also a smaller market about a 10 minute walk  [... read more]from the resort (or very short horse and buggy ride) and the vendors there changed daily (probably alternating with the bigger market). The resort was surprisingly clean and extremely well maintained. The grounds keepers were always out after the brief rain storms and were tidying up. There are many restaurants to choose from and a fairly good variety. The "a la carte" restaurants were hit and miss, but your tastes may vary. The lobby has a coffee stand and 24/7 bar and was a meeting point for our large group. Don't expect a coffee machine in your room as we were told they are being phased out and are hard to come by. On the downside, the hot water in our room started turning progressively colder during our second week of the stay. We reported it 3 times but it seemed to be a common issue that affected many guests, not just us. By check out day the showers were luke-warm at best. The room was large and well laid-out. It has an iron, ironing board and hair dryer. All electrical outlets were 220 except for one 110 at the hair dryer. "Most" modern electronic devices like cameras and tablets have chargers that can handle the dual voltage automatically. (Look for the 110-240V label on the charger.) Curling irons and hair straighteners should be plugged in only at the 110 hair dryer outlet. If possible, I would suggest requesting a second floor room to help keep out the local crawling critters. You will also want to place a towel at the bottom of the door to close the gap. Overall our experience was very positive and we will definitely visit this resort and area again.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Great value for your $

I had a lot of fun. The entertainment team was amazing especially if you love to dance. The staff was very friendly. Service at all bars was amazing. The rooms were clean and the maids did a great job to keep rooms clean and were super friendly. The for was ok. The chefs at the buffet tried their best to custom make orders and to satisfy. The beach is a piece of paradise on earth.