Needs Some Work !

Well where to begin ? I have been to cuba many times and was very happy ,but this time was not so good the starfish resort was not up to par ! We stayed here for 7 days and was only able to shower 3 times (2 of them cold) due to the lack of running water it got so bad that we and many of the other guests had to pail water from the pool to our room to flush our toilets using the room garbage can liners. Some people were even bathing in the pool with soap at night so gross. Due to the lack of run [... read more]ning water they closed all the public wash rooms on the resort many times through out our stay and we never seen them vaccum the pool once during our stay which is not good since there was a lot of sand in it from people washing the beach sand off of their feet . Also we had to ask for an exchange of our coffee cups / glasses and silver ware many times at the buffet because they were still dirty. We talked to people at the resort and found out the water problem was at other resorts in the area aswell, but starfish seemed to be the worst . On a good note the staff and workers are awesome and friendly . We managed to make the best of the week, but wish it was more like a vacation not a chore. Well with that all said you may want to do research on the resorts in the area to see if the water problem is resolved before you book your trip !

Pleasantly surprised!

The Starfish is a resort we had visited before when it was called Barcelo. I remembered the lobby and the second part of the hotel, the second lobby and the beautiful beach. This time, what surprised me so pleasantly is that the food was quite good and that some changes had been made to offer more healthy choices to the visitor. The pool grill is also very enticing with the cooks grilling large quantities of fish and chicken so that people don't have to wait so long. I stayed away from ice cre [... read more]am again, because I don't think anyone but a member of the staff should be allowed to touch it... The room was cleaned every day, all the plants were in bloom and it only rained on the 14th day of our stay. All in all, it was a wonderful 2 weeks in the sun, sand and sea and I would recommend it to snow birds of all ages.

What makes a 4 star resort??

We had not gone south for a number of reasons since 2012 so our week of sun was long overdue. Starfish was suggested to us so we booked in. First of all, Cayo Santa Maria is MINIMUM 2 hours from the airport. Not 'just over and hour' or 'about an hour and a half'. A light rain when we arrived extended our trip to 2 hours 45 min. Check in was a mess. What would it hurt to have some lanes set up and a structured service arrangement. Oh well, Cuba. The question of what makes a 4 star resort  [... read more]is so subjective it's almost impossible to believe the online resort ratings. Starfish Cayo Santa Maria is listed as a 4 star and 9 years ago when it opened it probably was. But the struggle for all Cuban resorts is availability of stuff. And quality of maintenance. Both suffer greatly when trying to operate under a corrupt and ignorant government. The pools were great. The grounds were very well kept- lots of flowers, no trash, butts, etc. And of course the beach. Truly amazing. This is why a country would take 10 years to build a causeway to it. Well, that and they pay slave wages but that's another story... The buffet food made me very ill. I finally figured out that I had to eat the fresh cooked meat from the grill and only have rice and a vegetable from the steam tables. Which was fine except I ate chicken and tilapia every night thereafter. We paid for a lobster dinner twice. Worth the 15 pesos (19.00 Can) And the seafood ala carte was ok but we could only have it once. We skipped the Cuban ala carte after talking to others on the resort. Beds were ok. Housekeeping pretty good- towels a minor issue. Beach towels- same ones all week. Never had replacements available at the sports center. Never offered to launder our beach towels. So, this causeway / island thing is a non starter for me in such a poorly run country. 3 times during our stay there was no water in our room, no water in the lobby area or no water on the resort. So, no toilet, no shower, no laundry, no water for the kitchens. This was a huge 'I'm never coming back here' for me. On our check out day, we were out of our room at 11:30. Now we're relying on the lobby washrooms. Locked. No water. Get the picture? Then we got on our bus. No washroom. See? Anyway, like I said we were 4 years overdue so it would take more than this to ruin this trip. I would never go back to or suggest to anyone to go to Cayo Santa Maria though. This country cannot handle the infrastructure necessary to make it sustainable.

Amazing Experience

The hotel was amazing and the staff was very helpful. The beach was awesome and the hotel was very clean and had everything you needed and if things were missing they got them to you right away. I can't wait to go back

Awesome Resort

The food was fantastic for Cuba, lots of variety everyday (pasta bar, pizza bar, fresh shrimp and fish grilled in front of you, chicken and beef grilled to your liking). Pool is phenomenal, largest pool I have ever seen, and cleaned daily by the staff. The ocean was beautiful, and the grounds were kept neat and tidy. The staff was unbelievable, Elizabeth in the kids club was amazing, Servers were fabulous, friendly and efficient. This is by far my favourite Cuba vacation. The only downfall is th [... read more]e 1 1/2 bus ride from the airport..but if it is during the day you get to see lots of stuff.

SUch a beautiful time!

resort was beautiful. beach was unreal. drinks were good. food was okay. rooms were clean but beds were hard. overall great time. customer service was great. the resort lobby was beautiful. the staff were friendly

Excellence AND Value

The Grounds are nothing short of breathtaking , a tropical botanical garden meticulously maintained by extremely hard working gentlemen.The hummingbirds, pelicans and newts are a wonder to behold. It isn't a "New" resort but it absolutely has the spirit of one. The staff is incredibly attentive and the food is good. There is ALWAYS something to eat. We very much look forward to our next stay. We have visited newer and far more expensive resorts On " The Cayo " but not ONE made you feel more at h [... read more]ome than this one. Believe me when I say that Starfish has THE best beach. Walking the entire length of ALL the resorts is a testament to this. The Beach is Wide and the sand is fine and powdery, comparable to the former Eurostar Hotels beach. There are no cliffs to watch out for , no sandy hills to climb, no coral to navigate, On some of the beaches the sand is the consistency of brown sugar and difficult to walk on , the Royalton's beach was completely underwhelming , The Melia Las Dunas Beach was very narrow. Renovations are ongoing at Starfish but we certainly weren't there to judge a little plaster missing here and there and honestly, neither should you. If you want Sand , Sun , Drink , Relaxation and most of all Fun, then this is the place for you. Leave your first world problems at home and expect to be treated as you would treat others, if not better. In other words please give these hard working people the respect they deserve and you will get it back twofold.. Very few of us, North of Forty would work Eighteen hour days for a negligible wage. Your Gratuities are very much appreciated and make a heck of a difference in the lives of these wonderful dedicated individuals.

A very relaxing vacation

Our stay at the Starfish was very good. The grounds were beautiful and the room was decent. The beach was great. There is not much to do in the area. The food was OK-too salty. We had a good stay.

Better than expected

Clean resort with many activities to do. Great resort for families as there is so much to do. Breakfast was always delicious with banana crepes or omelettes made fresh to your liking. The buffet was not the best but what I had expected for Cuba. The pizza was also good. The beach was beautiful as the water is turquoise and the white sand beach was soft and clean.

Great vacation

We just returned from a week vacation at Starfish. This is our third time at this resort. The hotel is clean with beautiful gardens. The room service was excellent. Our maid Yanet in block 10 was amazing. We loved talking with Tony at the sugar cane booth and having coconuts everyday. Everyday there something special going on at the lobby. Nice live music and great service. Food was ok and overall we had a great vacation. We also enjoyed eating at the restaurant by the pool and received great se [... read more]rvice from our waiter Evan. Overall we had a great week and enjoyed ourselves specially the foam party at the pool and the beach party. The animation team was great and we enjoyed meeting Shelly who was so warm and friendly. We will definitely return to this resort. The beach is absolutely beautiful and there was always chair and huts.

Very nice, clean Resort !!

Had a great time at Starfish !! Very well maintained, clean grounds. The rooms are clean. The beach is amazing. Pool is big and clean. The staff is very friendly. The food is ok, although very repetitive.

Good value for the money.

This was my first time staying at the Starfish hotel in Cuba and I had a good time. The food was fine. The hotel room was clean and spacious. The beach was beautiful and kept clean. However, the washrooms in the lobby and at various areas at the resort were never in working order during our stay. That seems to have been a common theme in the reviews. We literally had to either use the washroom close to the beach, which was closed in the evening, or walk back to our hotel room. That was inconven [... read more]ient when we were watching the evening show and our room was a 10 minute walk away! That would be frustrating for a couple with children and older people. Having working washrooms that are clean and not constantly flooding is a no brainer. So, you get what you pay for and since this resort was at a very good price...I tolerated it.

Amazing resort

Beautiful resort, very helpful staff, stunning beach! Food was good, typical Cuban style. Room was always clean and they are very spacious, best time to shower was early morning and later at night for hot water. A lot of walking! Pool are very nice and had some fun stuff for the kids. My teen girls loved to foam parties (day and night). They also had a beach party one night. Not very good entertainment at night if that's what you enjoy, most of the time it was unscheduled and a quick 10 mins and [... read more] they were off running to the resort next door. Never a shortage of booze. My only negative was the entertainment and TOO many rude French people (Montreal French not France) oh and the bathrooms were never working, they tried hard but their system cannot handle the amount of paper! If you needed the bathroom you were best to go to your room( which =a lot of walking) . The excursions were great! Highly recommend the "two colonial cities tour" and the "sugar,rum and cigar tour" and "swimming with the dolphins tour". Room 339 had a great view of the pool. And close to everything

Starfish Cayo santa maria

Grounds well kept and lush...everything in our room was new and very clean and lots of hot water ..staff very friendly and helpful .. .trouble with bathrooms in lobby. Closed a lot of the time...food is typical Cuba

Beautiful Resort

Starfish Cayo Santa Maria was beautiful. The beach was absolutely amazing. The pool, was cold but very nice. The bartenders at the pool bar and theatre were awesome!! (Kenny and Landry) The rooms were nice, big and clean but the bed was very hard and pillows were very flat. Unfortunately, we had no hot water two afternoons. Although it was quickly fixed it was rather frustrating as we needed to shower before dinner. The busboys were great at taking us to the market and back. Very efficient and e [... read more]ntertaining. The evening entertainment was ok but it was only at the theatre. We felt that there should have been music or something at the pool grill. It was not upbeat and therefore just sitting around in the lounge drinking got boring fast. The food was great. Lots to choose from. The crepes and omelets were the best. They had a fabulous Christmas dinner complete with a pig roast. So good!! Overall, it was a great time for our first time.

Hidden treasure!

We liked very much our vacation at Starfish! Hotel well maintained, staff friendly and professional, beaches and water fantastic. Buffet style meals gave us an opportunity to choose what we wanted. We will go there again and will recommend the hotel to our friends. Internet connection is handled by a different company . Be prepared and patient.

Great resort for the 2nd year

This was our second time at Starfish and this year was better than last year. The people/ food and beach all exceeded our expectations. We will be going back next year. This resort is great for people with families as everything is within a short walk and your room is always close.

Fifth Visit Cut Short ~ Unexpected & Unhappy

I booked the Starfish for my 5th stay and for my birthday week, based on past wonderful experiences! But, sadly after only 1 night all guests were told the resort was going to be closed for renovations and we were all being upgraded and moved to a 5 Star ~ Memories Paraiso. Well this was a huge disappointment as it was far from being an upgrade and the service was terrible. We felt as if we were a burden to them, and any sort of VIP status I once had at the Starfish was no longer. 😞

Good resort

The main lobby, hotel rooms, swimming pools and restaurants were nice and clean. The food was ok but not a lot of selection. My only complaint is the public restrooms. They were a disaster! The one in the lobby was out of order more often than not and the one closest to the pool had a stall broken stall door and a urinal on the ground.

Resort was pretty good!

Beach was beautiful! Sand was white powder, water was crystal clear and warm. Rooms were dated but clean. Housekeeping staff was very friendly. Food was ok. Not much variety. Not much food late at night. Staff on buffet and A lacarte were all friendly. We brought ketchup, BBQ sauce, Franks which helped add some flavour. Entertainment was only ok but is slow season so I am sure would be better if more people participating. The only real negatives were the public washrooms. They were [... read more] gross. The toilets didn't flush and the men's washrooms were closed almost the whole time so they used the women's. it was so nasty. The only other negative was they only stocked the fridge with water. Overall the resort was ok. There was a lot of people who were there forrepeat vacations. One person it was their 16th time there.