Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Disappointed

The hotel was nice unfortunately it has changed dramatically since my visit in 2020. The resort is to small and limited restaurants to incorporate a diamond club. We never had our mini fridge restocked after asking several times. Also wrote a bote and placed it in the fridge. We never had our pool towels changed and a limit on bath towels. We had issues with our safe also had a leak in our ceiling. We also asked to have our rooms beside each other before we arrived and were placed in separate bu [... read more]ildings. all the food had changed since 2020 and very repetitive. I know Cuba is known to have limited food but unless you were diamond club it seemed very limited for a five star hotel. Also seen favouritism amongst different people. Had to ask for everything nothing was offered. In the past everything was explained and clear as to what was included with our stay. This time it took two days of complaining to our butlers to get anything we wanted or needed. When I spoke to different people about the drastic change in the service since 2020 I was told the hotel was under new management. We had six in our party and we made the best of it. The beautiful beach and hard working staff did their best to make our stay a memorable one. I feel bad that I highly recommended this resort to my family because of My past experience only to be sadly disappointed.

Vila Gale Cayo Paredon: Amazing hotel with great staff!

This was my second visit to this hotel in 2 years and there is are plenty of reasons for it. The grounds are well kept and vast. The beach is beautiful and kept clean daily and there are plenty of palaps. The rooms are spacious and modern with free Wi-Fi. Most rooms have a view of the pools as well as the ocean. Electrical outlet is 220 so bring the converter to 110. The food is plentiful with plenty of variety. The restaurants offer great quality meals: Cuban, Portuguese and Internationa [... read more]l. There a 3 pools including a scenic infinity pool that is out of this world. Staff is always ready to help you in any which way. The only area of improvement would be that of Entertainment and activities. Yes, they do try to offer beach volleyball, beach activities but they need to stimulate the tourists in a different way for them to participate. Also, nightly shows are weak. They have no outdoor theater like other resorts but they do try to offer some form of show. Be aware that there are only 3 hotels on Cayo Paredon for the time being and because of this there is a lot of vegetation hence mosquitoes, so you do need bug spray with alot of deet. I have been to Cuba for 14 times and this is the only resort that I have returned twice. It will not be my last.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Mosquito Nightmare

I must say I was very disappointed with this hotel the staff & workers..we had many things not working & when we would complain to front desk they said would take care of it & never did numerous times..the grounds were impeccable & the beach was beautiful but the service was poor..it seems the staff didn't want to work without the promise of tips/money..also workers in washrooms & dining room acting as security without actually working..also they should be ashamed of themselves..they have tons o [... read more]f cats & kittens all over the resort & no one feeding them..very sad to see & heartbreaking..this is my 7th time going to Cuba & probably my last unfortunately

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Very good resort

Clean, good for family, very friendly great food beautiful sandy beach, wonderful service , I have been in that hotel before , big thanks for everything and everyone, love you ? hotel is located approximately 30 minutes from airport , I would recommend this hotel to a friend

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Wonderful staff and location

Beautiful resort. Grounds are lovely and well maintained. The size of the resort is great if you like small and short walks between amenities. It was quiet which was also our preference. The rooms are very nice and well looked after. Our room cleaner was amazing. Also, our butlers Javier and Maria were exceptional. Genuinely caring and helpful. Most of the staff were fantastic. The beach is absolutely spectacular. You cannot beat it. There were always plenty of chairs and help to get a spot/set  [... read more]it up. Massages on the beach were a treat! This resort would be perfection if not for the food. We had higher hopes for the Royalton. The food was not only often inedible but we got very sick on our return. I hope that this can be rectified - we would go back time and time again if we had more confidence in the food. Thank you to the engaged and helpful staff who made this beautiful resort a welcome and enjoyable stay.

Sanctuary White Sands: We Love This Resort

This resort was incredible! The beach was stunning, the food was delicious, and the service was beyond amazing. We had a wonderful stay and don’t have a single negative thing to say about our experience. We truly loved it and will definitely return. I highly recommend the butler service—it made our stay extra special. Our butler, Alex, went above and beyond to make our stay the best! I was also very impressed that the resort sprayed for mosquitos every night—something I’ve never experienced at a [... read more] resort in Cuba before. It truly made our stay even better, knowing we could enjoy the evenings comfortably

Grand Memories Holguin: Had a great time

This resort was fun to stay at. It offered pool bar, VIP bar, and they restocked my fridge with beer and water everyday. The staff were amazing and I loved how many crabs and cats roamed the area. The rooms were nice and clean. However, it unfortunately doesn’t fall in my top favourite resort. The lobby is on the second floor, so you have to use the stairs or lift every time. Upon arrival, it took 4 entire hours to get a card to be able to enter our rooms. I slept on the couch in the VIP lobby r [... read more]oom to wait after being awake for 39 hours of work and travel. Not sure why it took so long, and 5 of the staff were scrambling trying to figure out what to do. It was chaos. Majority of that day was wasted. Anyway, I’d also like to point out that the beach was a bit disappointing. Across the water at island Cayo Saetia, the water is crystal clear, absolutely breathtaking. At this resort it was constantly windy with big waves the entire trip. Someone actually passed away from drowning the week I was here. The water was murky, full of seaweed and rocky with chunks of shell hitting your feet. I brought goggles and found a handful of sea urchins so bring water shoes. I did find awesome shells and explored the tide pool rocks though. The food was actually great, wasn’t a fan of the buffet though. It smelt bad and had swarms of flies gathering on the food. The buffet outside by the Sanctuary is where I ate instead every day. They offered a variety of food. Pancakes, fried chicken, hot dogs, provolone, cheese, French toast, cappuccinos, fresh fried eggs to your liking, freshly blended mango smoothies, and more. Moving on, I’m not sure why but there were dead crabs everywhere. Possibly the resort workers kill them? Or people staying at the resort? I saw a crab huddle up in a corner at the bottom floor of my building, he was cute and minding his own business not bothering anyone. Then the next morning on my way outside I saw him crushed to death. It made me sad, so anytime I found a crab I shooed it away so it wouldn’t be killed. There was also no Michael Jackson in the theatre lol. The special dinners were also unbelievably delicious. Okay my review is done. Overall nice place, it was an amazing experience, and I’m glad I went, but it is not my all time favourite.

Blau Varadero: Blau Varadero - Stay August 22 - August 29, 2025

The hotel is showing signs of aging and is in need of updating/repairs. We had several issues: leaky air conditioner, cupboard doors were not working (stuck), patio doors that did not make contact which shut off the air conditioning (used a hanger to remedy this), coffee maker did not work. Most of these issues where rectified quickly when brought forward. House Keeping: not up to expectations (room not made up until 5:00 p.m when we are trying to get ready to go out and had the maid in [... read more] our room), had to call front desk for soap (none left), shampoo and body wash. The cleaning was minimal and not as thorough as we have had in other Varadero hotels. Huge mosquito infestation during first days of our vacation. I know this is environmental and beyond the hotels control but my concern was when they were doing th fumagation of the shrubs around the restaurants; right around the dinner hour when guests are going to dinner. This should be done in the early morning hours when there are less guests affected. Food - they don't seem to have this figured out. We spent so much time waiting in line for food, whether at the buffet or at the beach snack bar. There seems to be a lack of coordination when it comes to how the line's are coordinated (guests budding in front of other guests because of the lack of organization). They seem to prepare the minimum amount forcing the guests to wait in line (ie. cooking 6 burgers at a time when there are 20 people waiting in line) I don't think I would return to Blau Varadero as we have been to the Melia Internacional and Melia Las Americas and there is not comparison. Melia's have a much higher standard when it comes to food variety and volume, cleanliness of rooms and overall condition of the hotels. Also much better selection of restaurants and bars.

Vila Gale Cayo Paredon: Excellent Resort for families, groups and couples

Hotel is on isolated island where there is no villages or any sources of noise pollution. Local population does not vacation at this hotel except in very small numbers. After 2 years hotel still feels new and fresh. Air conditioning is impeccable and so are the bed and the shower. Internet works all right at the reception but off and on in rooms. One has to understand and forgive internet availability while in Cuba. We ate well, no shortage of meat and vegetables. Live music is play [... read more]ed in the dining room every night and rest of the program is modest but very nice and closes at 23:00 so guests can rest. The beach is spectacular.All employees are wonderful!!! Since food is important to my group, we were very grateful to cook Roland and his wonderful team grilling meat and fish on one side and preparing pasta on the other. Selection of deserts and fruits are limited but very nice and offered in abandoned. Mango and papaya in August tasted so well. We ate real eggs, had real milk and coffee and wine and beer . We had everything. Nautical Club is running perfectly. Entertainment team had aqua fitness in the ocean and some dancing and games on the beach. Activities are normally moved to the pool area in the afternoon. We all had very nice vacation.

Melia Cayo Coco: Beautiful beach !

Very quiet resort, older crowd. The entertainment is limited and apeals to more mature clients. Only choice of 2 restaurants. No Lobster or shrimps. The beach is great ans a lot of chairs available. The employees are very professional, Nice clean rooms.

Grand Memories Holguin: 3 on 5 at best

Went during off-season where the place was overrun by locals, which is fine…but they hoarded the food/alcohol and always cut the line when we were waiting for food. Also, we were CONSTANTLY harassed for our large denomination Canadian bills by the staff, it got really annoying after the second day. Rooms were clean, food was average. Beach was just ok as there was an abundance of seaweed washing up on the shore. Definately won’t try that resort again.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Terrible resort

There was hardly any fruit to eat. No lettuce or salad or any food for a vegan other than beans. 2 of the workers brought me fruit from their home town yet the resort had only papayas and once gave me a tiny plate of mangoes and underripe watermelon. Star fruit and Guava were very bitter. Orange juice tasted like powdered Tang with sugar and water…there were no smoothies or fresh juices available. Butler upgraded us to a diamond member for free which made absolutely no difference other than bein [... read more]g able to use the beach restaurant for breakfast and lunch and sitting on the right side of the beach. Maids could not provide clean towels, hand towels,floor mats or beach towels when requested as they said there was a shortage. Room service brought coffee in small plastic cups and said there was a mug shortage. The 24 hour restaurant ran out of fries and pizzas on a daily basis and seldom had any ketchup. Enclosed Restaurants were infested with flies all over the food and buffets. The mosquitos were really bad that my group bought some repellent at the market which was very expensive. The beach was awesome and the beds were comfortable and the sheets were changed daily. Expect to have a few large cockroaches sneak into the room along with geckos. The adjoining rooms can get very noisy depending on who your neighbours are. Entertainment was a hit and miss every evening although my 88 year old mother enjoyed watching them. The modelling show at the beginning of each show was to sell beach coverups which are more than half the price at the local market. The staff were all friendly and tried to help whenever they could but their hands were tied from shortages or late shipments….we weren’t sure of how or why there were no towels, or food shortages and mug shortages.

The One Gallery Hotel: Great hotel and staff

8 of us had an incredible stay at The One Gallery Hotel in Cuba! The hotel itself is fantastic, with beautiful rooms, amazing food, and an incredible beach that you can’t get enough of. What truly stood out, however, was the exceptional service from the staff. Special thanks to Jose Alberto and Yunior – the best butlers we could have asked for! Also, big kudos to the amazing cooks Barbaro and Jardano (spelling?), ladies preparing pancakes and fried rice and to the bartenders Yandriel, Luis Am [... read more]ado, his tall friend (sorry I forgot the name!), and of course Noel in the Sports Bar. The entertainment staff kept us engaged, the cleaning team kept everything clean, and the gardeners made the grounds look beautiful. You are all doing an amazing job, and we truly appreciate everything you did for us during our stay. We’ll definitely be back! Thank you The One Gallery!

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Paradise

This hotel and location was absolutely gorgeous! Perfect getaway in paradise. I’ve been to Cuba many times but it was my husband’s first time and he absolutely loved it. The staff were extremely accommodating and helpful. Husband was not loving the food which was expected but the hotel manager sat us down with the chef and let us know we can go ask him to cook whatever we want if we didn’t want anything in the buffet. He also gave us A la carte dinners for the entire week we were there. Greatly  [... read more]appreciated! The rooms were clean and comfortable. Pool, lobby, bars and beach were all clean and comfortable. It was big enough that it never got too busy or crowded in one area even with big families and their little ones around. We will be returning to the same location in the future.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Fabulous Resort

Visit: Aug 20-27 Reception: They really try to reduce the check in time and succeed at least in the low season. Rooms: Most rooms are in a good state of repair but some need attention Food: "Food is not good in Cuban Resorts" Forget yourself, this rivals places in Canada. I haven't had better steak at a la cartes anywhere and the buffet had an excellent quality selection. Staff: Friendly, prompt and courteous Biting Insects: They fog morning and night but you still need a good repellent Li [... read more]nens, Bed Cushions,Chair cushions: This area needs some attention. Towels weren't always replaced, the seat cushions and bed spreads need a cleaning/repair schedule, many are soiled and not changed all week. Shuttles: Electric vehicles that require charging. So. No excuse. Shuttles should be prompt especially in the low season. Area for improvement: the buffet could us some fly control, many flies. Try some fly paper or screen the hall at both ends of the buffet, Beach: White powder, beautiful sunrises, well maintained clean and raked every morning. Airport: Long ride, Cuban government please make the island airport international

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Good resort but had huge bugs in my room

The resort experience was overall good, the workers were very kind and hard working for the most part. However when we tried to book a date for a dinner we were lied to. We were given a false date to eat dinner at the Italian restaurant at the resort but in reality it was the buffet that was only open that day. Negative points for the workers that deal with the reservations, they were unkind and came off agressive after asking them to do their job which was to reserve us a spot at any day for an [... read more]y restaurant. The rooms were okay and the cleaners were very good always mopped the floors and made the beds. A big issue I had was I had 2 big and 2 medium sized bugs in my room. I woke up twice on two different occasions to two huge bugs. One time one was beside me head on the bed and the other time it was on the floor near my bed. Then there was a bug on my balcony covers and also one in my suitcase! I mean it’s crazy that I can’t even keep my suitcase open without a bug wandering its way inside of their. I wasn’t even able to kill it because it ran off from my suitcase into the bed covers once it popped off of one of my shirts. Room 5014 has some serious bug infestation.

Playa Vista Azul: Very Nice

Great service and very friendly staff. The food was ok and kind of expected as it is Cuba but we certainly never starved.. I love the cheese, the sweet potatoes , and the Italian restaurant was my favourite. The bread is also fresh and tastes the way bread is supposed to be . There is not a wide variety of alcohol, mainly rum, but the staff is excellent and will always accommodate any request they can.(and we know that Cuban rum is the best anyways! ) The coffee in the foyer is the best! Eve [... read more]ry morning was a highlight as the morning bar staff was incredible. The beaches are great, 1 rocky entry, 1 all smooth sand entry, very very clean, and the Pools are 100% relaxing. Only really bad thing was that they closed at 6pm . Nothing good to say about closing at 6pm .Hot tub was not working. Rooms were clean and expected. Some things didn’t work well, but you have to be realistic of their resources . The AC was super cold and I loved it . Bring a sweater and pants for sleeps Lots of tiny mosquitos in August so bring bug spray. They have some in the store if needed for $5 US. Bring extra toilet paper , and always check for toilet paper in the bathroom before you decide to go lol. Most toilets are missing the toilet seat outside of the rooms, but this is normal . If you go out of resort check out Havana. Look for Ricardo Luis on Facebook, (Private tour) we had a tour with him and it was the highlight of the trip for me . It was safe , affordable, and truly a wonderful experience. Private tour in old car was great, and I really got to see the real Cuba not just the vacation spot that some people only want you to see . Cuba is nice. Be understanding if the resource they have, and don’t set your expectations crazy high. Spend time tipping the people you really appreciate. Tips improve the quality of life and comes back full circle.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Disappointing!

When we arrived, our roomhad not been cleaned. There were stains on the lounging chair, the shower and sink had soap stains. The door to the room was coming undone. The handles in the bathroom were coming off. The linens did not smell fresh. No kleenex. There was a lot of garbage, beer cans on the roof outside our bedroom. Not enough barbage cans on the site. The locals beach next to the resort beach left their garbage in the water!

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Great Resort!

The Holguin airport needs some loving. On departure, the power went out 3 times. Not sure if it's the city trying to save on electricity. The same happen at our resort. Luckily the power came back on very quickly. The check-in was done very quickly and we were given a room with an ocean view on the 6 floor. That was amazing. The room was beautiful and clean just some minor breaks/loose fittings. Pools and kids pool were clean and nice. As you would expect from Cuba, the beach was gorgeous. Nigh [... read more]tly entertainment was ok not the greatest. As for the main buffet (breakfast, lunch and dinner), 95% the same thing everyday and the quality not that great compared to resorts in Mexico. The restaurants were all great except for the international which was not really international. Lol The resorts says it's a 5 star but I would rate it at 4.6 which is still pretty good for Cuba.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Amazing resort

Friendly staff good food for Cuba great beaches and infinity pool Would visit here again Friendly staff good food for Cuba great beaches and infinity pool Would visit here again Friendly staff good food for Cuba great beaches and infinity pool Would visit here again