Playa Pesquero: Tired Resort

I found this resort lacking. Not enough bathrooms on site, broken toilet roll holders, poor air conditioning, cockroaches in rooms. The Buffet food was overcooked and the foodstaff need to be inserviced in proper food handling. Many times saw serving spoons rinsed in water and wiped dry with hands. Servers were not happy and needed to be asked for water every time we dined. (The weather was 38 degrees and we sat in the same location each day to try an establish a relationship with the server...u [... read more]nsuccessful) Specialty restaurants were OK. Liked the Italian Restaurant. Beach and Pool were lovely, great Animation staff and talented Entertainment team. 5th time to Cuba, this was the worst experience of them all.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Great Value with Amazing Staff!!

My husband and I just returned Sunday April 19th after a week’s stay. Our overall assessment of this resort is high even with the negative comments. We will not personally return but the resort and staff should still get the recognition they deserve. Positive • Grounds were maintained • Rooms were clean • Staff was friendly and helpful • Beach is stunning • Weather was amazing • A la Carte restaurants are pretty good; we tried the Mexican, International and Italian. (House wine w [... read more]as actually really good which was surprising) Negative • I was eaten alive by Cuba's equivalent to our Mosquito which I took to calling "Ninja's" as you didn’t see or hear them coming. I had Toonie sized welts. • Food handling, as well as lack of choices. I will say that they did try to add taste by adding, garlic, salt/pepper, wine, however my husband and I both ended up with food poisoning which as I said I believe is due to how the food is handled. • Lighting at night - bring flashlights (it's really really dark in some area's) • Transfer from airport to hotel is over an hour away. • KIDS!!! Parents allowing their kids to do anything they wanted. Not cleaning up after their kids! ** My husband and I were eating breakfast and a couple with their baby decided they were going to clean their kids diaper right there in the middle of the buffet!!!! Are you kidding me!!! • **People are disgusting** On the occasions I used the public restrooms I had a poor experience both times, which is why I took to using our rooms bathroom moving forward. - The first time was the by the pool by buildings, there was poop on the walls, on the counter, and mirror! - The second was in the main lobby there was poop smeared on the toilet paper roll. I feel bad for the cleaning staff; they should not half to clean up after people like that. Other • Towels are not always changed daily • Water pressure is great however water temperature varies by time of day. Mornings = Cold, and at night = HOT!! I like the water hot but for some this may unexpected. • If you’re looking for a quiet place to just relax, this is not the resort for you. Young kids drunk, loud music until 1am-2am most nights. • Resort is pretty big so be prepared for some walking. DON'T LOSE YOUR PASSPORT! I lost my passport when we landed in-between the airport and the bus ride. The hotel and our Canjet rep Hector were great, they did what was within their means to try and assist. Long story short you need to travel to the Canadian Embassy in Havana which is 4+ hours away in each direction and a cab fare of $350-$450 return. Once you get to the Embassy you will need to fill out paper work to apply for a whole new passport at a cost of another $200 (not including photos) **We had a difficult time actually speaking to anyone live at the Embassy > we kept receiving voice mail. We didn't want to travel all the way to Havana if there was another way or if they were closed on the day we traveled. We actually had to call back to Canada and speak with someone in Ottawa in order to get any answers. Good news was hours prior to leaving my passport was recovered :)

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: No complaints!

We arrived at nightcheck in was fast, our safe didn't work, maintenance was there in 10 mins! Hotel and grounds are kept very clean. Large resort! Lots of places to eat. Lots of entertainment. Great place for kids. Beautiful beach! Staff is friendly and helpful. The market is very close to the hotel. I would totally go back!

Playa Pesquero: Playa Pesquero - love this resort!

Returned 20 Apr 2015 from a 10-day stay at Playa Pesquero. This was our 5th visit to this resort, and we'll be going back! We have booked a Superior package every time we have gone there, so we don't know about the Standard rooms - but we didn't hear any complaints while we were there. Loved the people, the pools, the food, the room (we requested an upstairs room in advance and got it), the service, the beach (didn't do much there this trip, but it's gorgeous), ... just about everything. And des [... read more]pite the resort being fully booked, we never felt crowded. Here are some specifics: Food - Pesquero has made significant improvements to its buffets over the last couple of years, and it shows. Food that used to be lukewarm was served piping hot this year, and the variety of choices was always appealing. New this year was a sushi bar at every lunch and supper buffet; also, Saturday nights featured roast turkey! And for the record, it was lovely, not dried out at all - difficult to do in that setting. Fresh fruit and vegetables at every meal, lots of local offerings, as well as the ubiquitous French fries which were hot & crisp every time. You're guaranteed to find something you like, and there are plenty of chefs on hand to cook something fresh just for you. A special shout out to Melba at the breakfast juice bar, who made sure my papaya shakes were made fresh every morning! As for the a la carte restaurants, they were terrific. The Romantico & Gondola always get the most attention, being enclosed and air-conditioned, and having the higher-end dishes on the menu. They were lovely, as always. The Caribeno and Terra Antiqua restaurants deserve praise here as well: we were very pleased with the food at both (do try the black-bean soup, it's fabulous!). The Yareyal grill was also very good. Room - The hotel opened in 2003 and it is almost always full. Our room bore some evidence of that, with some wear and tear visible - cracks in the paint and minor stains on the mirror. But it was very clean and comfortable when we arrived, and housekeeping did everything they could to keep it that way. We let them know that we were missing a couple of facecloths when we got there... facecloths were delivered within 10 minutes! All of our (few) requests were managed promptly. Thank goodness for the air conditioning - it was really hot later on in our stay. And if anyone has ever smoked in that room, we couldn't tell. No smell in there whatsoever, for which we as non-smokers were very grateful. Lobby/pool/theatre: We went to Pesquero with the intent of doing as little as possible for the first few days of our vacation - we had a busy year and were looking forward to a chance to really relax. So, much of our time was spent poolside or in the main lobby area. The pool is lovely: it's kept as clean as possible, and resort staff were there throughout the day to make sure it stayed that way. Water depths range from 4 cm to 1.8 metres, so it was wonderful for swimmers of all ages. The munchkins were very entertaining! Again, this busy resort is showing signs of constant use: the pool has some broken tiles along the top edges and could use new grout in some places. However, there definitely wasn't anything that posed a danger to anyone, and the pool floor is in very good shape. Note: Pesquero is in the process of replacing its deck chairs - thank goodness, as the old ones are saggy and worn. There were lots of new chairs available, and we manage to snag a couple for ourselves every morning. Get out early, though - it gets busy by mid-morning! The lobby area, likewise, has some upgraded furniture, some new while other pieces have been refinished/repainted. The lobby bar is the best, and the coffee bar there is also excellent. Best lattes ever! It was hard to stay around the lobby area in the evenings for the shows - it was difficult to find a spot where smoke wasn't blowing in our faces. However, when we could stay, we really enjoyed the live entertainment. At other times of day, we had no problem finding a spot to sit and read smoke-free. Service - excellent, hands down. Several of the staff recognized us from previous visits, which was lovely, but no matter whether they knew us or not, everyone there was friendly and courteous. And if by chance we ran into someone who wasn't as cheerful, a friendly smile went a long way! We kept tipping to a minimum on this trip, but that didn't affect how we were treated at all. One tip we did give was very much appreciated: we brought some adhesives, line levels and other small tools for the gardeners, and they were delighted. Overall: I would recommend this resort to anyone who is looking for a comfortable, reliable, family-friendly vacation spot. Let me know if you have any questions - I'd be happy to help!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: amazing resort

Just got back on Thursday April 23 from Starfish Cayo Santa Maria and it was great trip resort and people were amazing. The beach was so nice. For Cuba the food was really good. We will go back for sure.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Amazing Beach

We had an amazing vacation at this resort. We would recommend this to anyone as the price can not be beat. The beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and the resort had huts all along the coast and beach bars as well. You could grab lunch at the beach bar if you wish. It is on an island with several other resorts side-by-side. You don't have a bracelet at any of the resorts, so you could go to each resort and eat lunch or dinner there and experience a 5-star meal which was much be [... read more]tter than the food at the buffet. A big down side to the vacation was that the resort was closing the next week. The servers and bartenders stopped caring about providing service and would often be rude and ignore you. They would carry on conversations between the staff in Spanish, drink & eat at the resort, and you would be left without help. We also found that getting bottled water was almost an impossible task. It took 2 days before we even had 1.5L of water, in 37C weather. It was my husband, my daughter (1 year) and myself, so you can imagine how important the water was for us. Service aside... we had a great vacation, and like I said, we recommend it to anyone who is looking for a getaway at a great price. *** No WIFI, and internet was SUPER slow at the resort... I recommend getting a travel data plan with your cellular provider. ***

Playa Pesquero: Amazing Resort and People

Our rooms were absolutely perfect. Spacious, comfortable and clean. Fridge was stocked daily with bottled water and local beer. Lobby was wonderful. We went to the lobby for cappuccino prior to breakfast (eggs to order, crepes cooked as you watched) and a glass of wine before dinner ( incredible pasta, lobster and shrimp). Pool was spectacular and the beach was picture perfect. The food was plentiful with lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Met some great people, visitors and staff, and had good be [... read more]lly laughs each day. Perfect :)

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Stay Away!!!

To begin you need to know that I am pretty easy going- I understood that the food in Cuba is less than deisrable ( from a tourist perspective) and that the star rating is not quite comparable to our North American standards...but there is no redemption for this resort. The sun and the beach were beautiful. The resort was reasonably clean and at least 3/7 nights of entertainment were quality and worth watching. What we didn't know when we booked this resort was that it is closing at the end of Ap [... read more]ril for some (obviously needed) upgrading. It was evident that the majority of staff had already "checked out". They were, for the most part, indifferent and ignorant. You contstantly given the run around. There was no butter, when we asked for salt and pepper we were given shakers that were missing the bottom cap and therefore obviously had nothing in them. We were told there was no towel exchange but rather housekeeping would put towels in our room- sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't- the day before our departure we were told there was a towel exchange. You had to almost fight staff for a bottle of water. When you went to the bar or the grill (where the rudest of the rude worked) they would almost roll their eyes at you if you ordered more than one item per person- i.e 2 hotdogs was clearly an inconvenience. But even if you got your hotdog you would probably have to eat it dry- no condiments whatsoever, "not today" became the popular catch phrase. Mid way through our stay I discovered how things mysteriously appeared if you offered up money- it was so incredulous that another vactioner wondered aloud if we'd have to tip the pilot in order to get home ( thankfully we did not :) So if I knew then, what I know now I would def. not have picked this resort. Thanks to Starfish and it's mostly ignornat staff I am done with Cuba- I'll take my tourist dollars elsewhere, thank you very much.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Beach but thats it

Beautiful beach.. HUGE resort, it was beautiful, rooms were nice but bathroom leaked everytime you showered and created a flood, the sink got clogged everytime you used it. towels were NOT changed at all, didnt received any bottled water had to hunt down the maid for it. no controler in our room for the tv. food was disgusting. it was all stale old food. not much to choose from.. beach and entertainment was the only thing that kept me going. not to mention its a 2 hour bus drive to the resort wh [... read more]at a killer

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Fantastic

Huge resort. Gorgeous Beach. Wonderful staff. Very clean. Amazing entertainment - Elvis was the best, super guy and great at his job. Food was quite good. Pool area, loads of fun. I would definitelt go back and of course recommend Starfish to others.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Enjoyable vacation

My husband and I had an enjoyable vacation at Starfish Cayo Santa Maria. We stayed in building 10 with close proximity to beach/pool/theatre/buffet and Lobby. We request 3rd floor with king bed which we received. Room was lovely with a view of the ocean. No coffee maker in room but great coffee at the Lobby bar. We enjoyed the theatre shows and music in the lobby was a nice touch. There were long line ups in the buffet at the grills with slow service so we ate from the prepared sections. We alwa [... read more]ys found something tasty to eat and enjoyed the red and white wines, plus the champagne. Our room was kept spotless by our maid who left us lovely towel and blanket art. Towels are still a problem on the Cayo so we took our own bath towels and beach towels and gave them all away to very appreciative staff when we left for home. The 90 minute bus ride has now become a 2 hour bus ride. Beer is sold on the bus and when they run out, they stop to buy more and then stop again just before the causeway so people can relieve themselves at the side of or behind the bus. There are no bathrooms on the Chinese buses. We have been to Cayo Santa Maria 5 times, staying at various hotels. We always enjoy our holidays on the wonderful white beach and enjoy the crystal clear water. Try it....I think you will like it.

Playa Pesquero: Another great visit!

This was the third time we went to Playa Pesquero. While the beds are getting old and worn-down, this is still a great place to go. The food is getting better, the people are great, the service is great, the beach is wonderful. The staff is also great when you have little children. They are very welcoming

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Great trip!!

I enjoyed my stay at the starfish. It was clean and very nice. The food was good and the employees went above and behond. All in all a great place! the beach is amazing and the pools were nice. The bubble machine made the pool party fun. Nat

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Amazing

Public areas excellent, rooms could be nicer, more clean or renovated. more entertainment would be good, the pool area is great and beach is very nice and should be cleaned regularly. Overall I was happy at that resort.

Playa Pesquero: Awesome Value

We had a wonderful time at the Playa Pesquero in Holguin. As a former travel agent, I can honestly say it is really good value. I recommend this for small families, young adults (bunch of friends, or young couples), or anyone on a budget. It's fun, cheap and cheerful. Here's the scoop: - Rooms - really outdated, but fine. Mini fridge in the room stocked with water, beer, pop and juice. The Jr suites are much better than standard rooms and we upgraded once we got there. I hear the Premium is fan [... read more]tastic. - Beach - Glorious!! Crystal clear blue water, some good snorkelling you can easily swim to straight from the beach (bring a bun of bread to see fish swarm you - pretty cool!), soft white sand. Water is very calm and great for little children as it is a gradual drop to deeper sea. This is my kinda beach, it has beautiful trees scattered and has two coves. Long enough to walk it and feel like you've had a proper walk, and pretty scenery. - Pool - One of the prettiest meandering pools I've ever seen. Beautifully landscaped and very large. Great for children as there are LOTS of shallow spots. Good amount of shade for both pool and beach. Yes, you still need to reserve your spot with towels, but we never had a problem getting loungers in the shade. - Food - I was pleasantly surprised for Cuba the food was good. Lots of variety. Could have had lobster every night if I wanted. Great calamari and seafood options. For those who don't eat fish, lots of alternate options. Fruit was great. Wish there were better veggie options though. Fresh fruit juices were yummy. Alcoholic drinks were hit or miss. Not made to our standards in North America for taste, but whatev's, I always found something I liked. Mohitos are good in the lobby bar. We also loved the icecream parlour and the beer garden. Had good experiences at both the buffet and the a la cartes. - Vibe / Entertainment - very good!!! They have a fantastic Cuban band who totally rocked. LOVE Cuban music. Cubans and their passion of the arts in general really makes my holiday every visit. There was a great pool party one evening complete with synchronized swimming, a rocking beach party one night, awesome acrobatics, the lobby was buzzing each evening. - Grounds - Large. Bring a stroller definitely if travelling with a toddler. I was a bit disappointed with the looks though... there are large empty spaces of arid land on this property. They were experiencing a drought too so the grass was burnt. But the landscaping around the pool and closer to restaurants etc were nice. - Tipping - goes a long way, as it always does in Cuba. It's appreciated and you do get better service for it.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful beach

The hotel is not bad at all, some needed upgrades to rooms might make it a 5 star, the food was very good especially the fresh grills, the cooks were wonderful, lobby was very helpful, the beach was beautiful, shows were also very good, bartenders need to learn to make mixed drinks, the hospitality at pool bar and main lobby needs to improve, the gardens were beautiful and overall it was a beautiful place to visit. The family had a great time!

Playa Pesquero: Very good resort

Rooms were big and very clean, everything worked well including great water pressure in shower. Nice balconies. 1 very large pool - seemed to have a quieter side one side of bridge, a little more lively on the swim up bar side. Very clean. Beach had great sand, long shallow walk out to deeper water, with some rock outcroppings at one end for some good snorkelling. Used the paddleboats and the Hobie Cat, both in great condition. Food was mostly good, ate at 3 a la carte's - Seafood restaurant dow [... read more]n by the beach was best. Also like the little pizza place beside it. Good burgers and dogs at the cafe by the pool. Buffets were good, if nothing else lots of choices and lots of seafood. Food at the Beer Garden - tapas - was not good except for the fries. They roast pigs on Caribbean day in the boulevard - best thing I ate there. Loved the mojito's at the Mojito bar. Very nice lobby - great coffee bar. Extremely friendly staff.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Really pleased!

Had a phenomenal trip. Went from April 4-11 2015. Not too sure what's up with the negative reviews for this hotel but I had a great time. Entertainment was great, beach was all I needed and was the best part of the resort. If you want to do the chicken or fish or seafood at dinner/lunch just go a bit later and you'll have no issues getting served. If you go peak times you're obviously going to wait. The pueblo near the resort is cool. There's another one near Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Melia a [... read more]rena doradas that they don't talk about but it's just as good. If not better. Spent the week in block 30 on the third floor. Had a partial ocean view. Was a good surprise. Good to be away from the noise of the colonial side of the resort. Didn't realize there was another bar open near our block until Thursday haha. Big resort. But awesome. Beds are really uncomfortable lol. My only qualm. Anyway. Enjoy!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Great Resort

The resort was great. We were there for 7 days and enjoyed every moment. The people were amazing. The food was good. There is a lot of walking so you need to expect to walk to go to places on the resort. We were in bungalow 10 with an ocean view.

Playa Pesquero: Great resort by Cuba standards

Staff was the best we have had at any resort. Food was very good by Cuban standards. Just bring some spices with you if you don't care for bland food. Resort was very clean; but we think there may have been bed-bugs in our room.Rooms were dated but well maintained. Pool very clean, water & beach was beautiful but sand needed to be combed. Tons of cigarette butts all in the sand. Shows were very good as well. Bars - they were very liberal with their alcohol.