Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Good resort

The hotel over all was more than I expected. Pools and beach area nice. Drinks were all good. This is Cuba, the food was ok always something to eat. The al cart restaurants were very good. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Can't really say anything bad about this resort. We have been to cuba several times and would not hesitate to go back to this resort.

Villa Bacuranao: Great Experience!

I was at the Villa Bacuranao and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a off-resort experience. While the hotel is modest and offers only the basics, it's main advantage is proximity to Havana (15.8 km from hotel to El Capitolio according to Google maps). I rode on a local bus for something like 10 cents per ride, but there is a shuttle every 30 min for 5$ and your ticket is good for the whole day. The ambiance at the hotel is great, the locals and tourists alike enjoy the swimming poo [... read more]l and bar, there is great music and it is easy to make friends. NOTE: if you're looking for comfort, this place may be a bit of a challenge for you. Food is not greatest, beds are not the most comfortable, on occasion there is no hot water, lol. I didn't mind any of that. There is great food to be found nearby for cheap, there is also a convenience store where you can stock up on some basic stuff like water, alcohol, dry food, some cosmetic products etc. Anyway, I enjoyed it so much I am planing to go back very soon. Cheers!

Melia Marina Varadero: Resort knew better times

To much complains, but most of them to Cuba itself. Food not tasty at all, and you need “to hunt” for it. Stuff corrupted. One time experience-is Ok. But really don’t understand why people come back here?

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Resort and amenities getting tired

Resort and amenities getting tired... If travelling with young kids don't expect much from kids club - it was not opened most mornings, closed completely some days, and no staff interaction with children. No activities, no sign-in/sign-out, it was almost like dropping your kids off at a park and walking away... In terms of resort and services, we had no beach towels for first two days and no hot water and the activity staff around pool was very quiet with not much going on. If you wante [... read more]d a quiet resort this may be good but if looking to play games and hear music maybe not. We also had mice in the room that nibbled through a few non-food items (as we did not have food in our room but they were probably looking for some). Other items were ok and as expected. The only pool (other is for privilege only) was nice, beach entry, pool bar, pool restaurant, etc all you'd expect. Beach was very nice with a nearby beach bar & restaurant. Access to the a-la carte restaurants was easy and we went most nights - this food was great (esp for Cuba). The nightly entertainment was pretty good especially in the lounge bar (i.e. musical guests).

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: good resort

the beach was good and the pool area was very good and clean. The rooms were kept very clean.As to the food for cuba was not bad at the buffet. We went to the french restaurant and the food was very good. We also went to the japanese restaurant and found the food and show they put on was excellent.

Melia Las Americas: Golf Heaven

The Hotel was more modern than I had originally thought. The food was abundant and varied, and the staff were fantastic, warm and friendly. The ala carte restaurants were also a nice change away from the buffet. Ping pong volleyball, and well the golf was outstanding.

Sol Cayo Coco: Other than the beach - disappointing!

My 11th time in Cuba and my first and last time at Sol Cayo Coco. By the 3rd day we transferred to Melia Jardines Del Ray and couldn't be happier. Sol Cayo Coco could be a true 3+ or 4* with some much needed upgrades throughout all areas. There seemed to be such a lack of care with the appearance and services at this resort. The lobby bland in color and lacking comfortable seating, no background music, no beautiful plants, no tropical vibe. Staff was kind and friendly and the beach one [... read more] of the most beautiful I have ever seen!! That's about it, unfortunately the friendliness of the staff and beautiful beach will not have me returning. Our check in was fast and friendly, but we had to carry our own luggage up two flights of stairs, no one offered to help. The room: clean but outdated with broken tiles in the bathroom, no hot water for 2 days and day 3 no water at all. Our bathroom towels were not changed, they were picked up off the floor damp with make up and sunblock residue, folded and placed back in the bathroom dirty. Beach towels were non existent for the time we were there. Everyday we were given the excuse that they didn't have any because they don't have onsite facilities to wash them. The food is not what I travel to Cuba for, having been to Cuba 11 times now I know what to expect BUT the food at this resort was unacceptable by any standards. Buffet so small there was not enough food for the quests, and it was no where near capacity. The choices as slim as you can imagine and the quality was very poor. There was no variety of greens or fruits and of the salad that was available we found a slug in it and it was apparent that it had not been washed. The snack bar by the pool had a large menu posted on the wall but of all the items listed the only items available was chicken sandwich and fries and if lucky maybe pizza. The chicken portion was so small that it was almost like just eating a bun with a few shreds of cheese in it. On our second day we asked for coffee and mugs for our room so that we could make our own coffee in the morning. We were told that it was not part of our package because we booked a standard room and if we wanted coffee we could go to the lobby store and buy it (EXCUSE ME? WHAT?!) I am at an all inclusive resort....first time I have ever heard of such a ridiculous policy. I love Cuba and the people but the management at this resort needs to step up and take care of the issues that are below standards for any traveler. I do not like writing negative reviews but I cannot recommend this resort.

Playa Vista Azul: Very good resort

I loved the hotel and the pools. Food was ok. Customer service at lobby was very poor.Rooms are renovated and very clean, the only issue was the bed cover and cushions, they were dirty. Entertainment was very good. Music at the main pool was very loud.Ladies! Please take hair conditioner with you the hotel does not provide it.

Marazul Hotel: NEVER AGAIN

I stayed in this resort.for 1 week in Janurary.it was my worst stay i had in my life.The elevator was broken every other day. Food was terrible . dinner was the same reheated food we had for lunch.thr hotel was dirty and tge would never clean it. Puddles and water floods all over the resort that was never mopped.Security let some girls in to our hotel .they went to a clients room and stole phone and other western products. AND more problems i will save to tell the vacation package company to ma [... read more]ke a serious claim. IF you wanna visit havana get a casa particular instead of EVER STAYING HERE!.

Hotel Playa Coco: Amazing beach, rooms stink

Overall we were very happy with our stay. The beach is amazing here. We took walks for over an hour in each direction. If you go early in the morning or late at night you will be completely alone with just the sound of the waves and amazing creatures washed up on the beach. It is absolutely perfect for kids and even though it was very windy when we were there, the wind apparently is stronger everywhere else on the island as this beach is in a bit sheltered. For that same reason even with the str [... read more]ong winds the ocean was kid friendly every day - with some waves but nothing that a 3 year old could not safely play in. Plenty of beach chairs so never had to worry about that. Bring water shoes to explore the small rocky area on the low tide - lots of sea life to see. There is a kids club which turned out to be supervised time for kids to be left. It was open some times and closed others - completely unpredictable. There was also a games room that our kids really enjoyed. Pool, foosball, table tennis, checkers, dominos. Also a large chess set that was a huge hit. Staff are polite and pleasant. The food was amazing during the week we stayed there. We also stayed at this resort 6 years ago and fresh fruit/vegetables were hard to come by. In comparison and overall the food this time around was awesome and on the salty side. Lot's of different choices - salads and vegetables (bring your own favorite dressing to make the most of it as the buffet offers mostly various oils).My husband eats gluten-free and dairy free and he had no trouble finding things he loved and enjoyed. Me and my sons loved the Cuban bread and cheese. There was a pancake, omelette and smoothie stations in the morning supplemented with buffet with meats, potatoes, rice etc. Lunch and dinner offered pasta, meat and fish stations. Always plenty of fruit (papaya, guava, watermelon, pineapple and grapefruit most often), fresh juice and choices for hot foods. Maybe we just got lucky and there was some kind of inspection at the resort at that time but we loved the food. Our biggest disappointment came on our last day when the hotel insisted we pay for 4 beach towels which we had never received. The maid insisted that she had left them for us even though we never got any beach towels. We never inquired after them since we had brought our own towels and did not want to waste time on anything that was not absolutely necessary. So if you go, I suggest to count everything in the room and get your maid to sign it or make sure this is acknowledged in some way. As it was my husband spent over 2 hours trying to check out, was threatened by security, basically was told that we are lying and have stolen towels and will not be leaving until we pay for them (and acknowledge that we stole them)! Nothing seemed to help. Public relations rep had good grasp on english and broke into tears at one point. She kept going to see her manager and coming back with "I understand sir, but you have to pay" I got involved and there was by now another family with a similar issue. We had two other families who had been on the beach with us numerous times testify that we never ever had blue towels. But maid kept saying that we got them and she even went as far as to say that she saw them drying around our room! I do not know why she was lying. We did leave tips every day and a bigger tip for the last two days. Next time I might consider not giving any tips until the last day - just to make sure there is no such scam happening. Long story short - for whatever reason they have no system to account for things like beach towels and you do not want to be in our position on your last day. Air Canada Rep just said "You would be surprised how many tourists steal towels" Really?! The other things to consider - very slow check-in process (took over an hour for less than 10 families to check in) and excruciatingly long lineups at the Cayo Coco airport (took us almost 2 hours to drop off our bags and go through the security). The Toronto airport in comparison took 15-25 minutes both ways! Our room was in Bungalow 6 and it is a good location: reduced noise from entertainment as it is behind the main stage and very close to the beach, also play ground and the kids pool is visible from the room. Room was large with 2 double beds and 1 sofabed. Air conditioner and safe were in working order. So lot's of positives. However very strong overpowering smell of mold and/or mildew. From other families who did complain we understood that resort had no free rooms to switch to and only option was to switch resorts which we were not willing to consider and just made do. There was a water leak from the ceiling and no one came to fix it that we know of. The leak stopped after a day. The toilets apparently overflow occasionally on the main floor but we were fine on the second floor. The maid made our beds every day with the same linens and there was only one day when we came to a beautifully arranged blanket in our room. In comparison 6 years ago every day there was a pleasant surprise - a swan made out of fresh set of sheets etc. Often we had sand on our "freshly made" sheets. We only saw entertainment 3 of the nights and it was good. There were a few mosquitoes but nothing to complain about. Overall - if the beach time is more important to you than the room cleanliness, if your kids are happy to entertain themselves and you are looking for a safe resort I would still recommend Playa Coco as a good choice. Bring your own pillows so you do not have to sleep on the mildew and make sure you do not fall for the towel extortion experience.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Loved the resort!

I really enjoyed our stay at the resort, I didn't want to leave and I stayed for two weeks! The resort was clean and nice fun activities, a gym with an instructor everyone was so nice and friendly great service. Very kid friendly they have lots of activities for kids, my kids had a great time! The food wasn't amazing but was good compared to Cuba(and I am very picky). I am definetly planing anither trip there.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Best resort I have stayed at in Cuba

The resort is very clean , functions and waterfall working ... some minor repairs are needed and lights replaced for nite stools. Food is the best .. fresh and the bread is wonderful. Pizza cooked to order, bbq hotdogs are wonderful and they have French fries...bring ketchup. And the ice cream stand is open most days. And the distance from the pools ...yes there are lots of pools to choose from...to the beach is maybe 100meters

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Wonderful!

Hotel grounds were amazing. Our first room was fine other than the tub didn’t have a working shower sprayer. Resort took days to move us to a new room. As a result my friend slipped and fell and injured herself. That finally got us a new room. Our second room had a shower which was much better. Other than that we had a great time and enjoyed every minute. Beautiful resort, great food surprisingly and friendly staff.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Pack food!

Two things to remember in Cuba: pack extra cash for tips or you will be ignored ...and secondly, bring your own food, I am not a picky eater and I had a hard time eating what was offered. The staff will pretend you aren’t there or take 30 mins to get you a second drink or coffee.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Muthu Playa Varadero

Having been to the resort before we knew what to expect. You can tell they are spending money on some things around the resort like pool chairs, new beach bar, the lobby was refreshed. Wish they could keep the food warmer on the buffet, but decent selection. For the price of the resort, you can’t go wrong really. Beach is beautiful. There was a group of people who made it their mission to stay up making noise from 2-4am every night which was annoying, but that’s hard to control. Other than t [... read more]hat no real complaints. Would go again most likely as the beach really is perfect and couldn’t beat the price.

Palma Real: Palm real

So I found staying at the palm Real location to be okay ... I really like the fact I was close to downtown where I got to experience meeting the locals. How they lived . There was couple different clubs that play live music such as the Beatles club 62 and Havana club I found these to be Incredibly entertaining...there are great shops like chocolate Shop The pottery shop and of course to Tobacco shop that was very close to the resort....The beach was two blocks down From my resorts (4 min walk) n [... read more]o one told me when I first arrived that there is a beach house were I could change and get drinks. they didn’t really show me around the place very well I found my room was missing a remote control key that was supposed to be towards my lockbox the AC stopped working the second day. They did offer me to switch rooms but I didn’t like the view or vibe I got from the room they wanted me to change to so I stayed in the i original had ...none of my clothes could dry because of the humidity I found every day was different with my cleaner one day I’d walk in and there’d be a flower with a beautiful towel set up then the next day there would be nothing I found it very hard to have water replaced in my refrigerator every day I’m a non-alcoholic drinker so having the bottles of water was really important for me they never restocked my mini fridge with any beer for people who came over I actually at the end of the stay had to go back and return my beach towels from my room I found that the service at the front desk be bit off The pool area was really great there was a lot of live music the men who hosted the pool Entertainment did a great Job. really know how to get the crowd Engaged and ready to party. I found most of the people staying at palm real Were younger generation from early 20s to late 20s there were a couple kids but not many at all. I was a little disappointed they had no Special dinners that where supposed be to different then normal three meals a day it was Included in my package, they told me they stoped doing the dinnerS that way. I was told to complaints to aircanada or booking agent. The servers for mealtime were absolutely amazing and very accommodating ... front desk bar and cleaner for the room was not the best I found ... I found the Havana Excursion to be great informational but very restrictive to what you actually like got to see and do. I learned a lot about the economy about the government about Cuba itself and its people overall it was a great experience I would rate my overall experience a 6.5 out of 10 For the resort itself But the actual trip all the people I met since I traveled solo was 10/10 I felt pretty self as well !

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Amazing Beach... Bad food

So let’s start with the good... The Beach and the ocean - our of this world, the water is crystal clear with soothing waves and the beach is soft with plenty of cabanas, umbrellas and loungers The staff (except the front desk staff) - but our housekeeper David was so nice and friendly and made fun towel sculptures using the kids’ hats and shoes to make them laugh! The kids club staff are so kind and warm and truly love children! The waitstaff at the resort are so upbeat and friendly and re [... read more]ally go out of their way to help and accommodate! Now for the not so good... The food... the Italian restaurant Limoncello is pretty decent, but the buffet.... I don’t know why the food is soooo bad - they have the ingredients but their menu needs work - the best food though is the BBQ at the beach everyday at lunch The front desk staff - not good! Every single one of them was rude and standoffish during our stay - about everything - we asked for directions to a restaurant at the resort and got an eye roll, my husband asked for change and got told off as to why he didn’t get change when the bank was open earlier in the day... The key to enjoying this resort is adjusted expectations- it is NOT a 5 star resort but it is a nice place to spend a vacation on a budget - also it is a VERY long ride from/ to the airport, so make sure you use the bathroom before getting on the bus ;) PS bring bug spray for mosquitoes and if you like to sit on the balcony at night a citronella candle couldn’t hurt!

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Quiet week

We stayed in a wooden bungalow with a nice view of the ocean. The resort was half empty during our stay so it was very quiet. The food was typical Cuban fare but there was a decent selection so we never went hungry. The staff were excellent and the check in check out process was painless. Our flight arrived a bit late and they kept the buffet open so we could eat when we arrived.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Breath-taking resort

Amazing staff, even if your spanish wasn't good. Great beach. Good room location. Only issue was the fact our fridge wasn't working but not as much of a big deal. This was a good first time experience in cayo santa maria with my boyfriend and we enjoyed the excursion that we did. Thank you so much for assuring our stay was a 5* experience.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Excellent resort!

Simply excellent, from the resort to the staff everything was excellent! What to say about the beach simply flawless it was a very memorable experience. A special thanks to staff Jessica, William and Ivan thank you