Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: A PIECE OF PARADISE

Visited March 24-31, our second time since November 2022. A great go to for an inexpensive vacation. Can't do better than the beaches at Cayo Guillermo. While the hotel was full, the food was not as good as in Nov, when the hotel was only 1/3 full. More choices this time but lacked quality. Flies in buffet made for quick meals. No wine at all. Purchased a bottle in the store and more when we went to Moron. No Cristal one day, Moosehead cans served. Rooms are dated but comfortable and clean. [... read more] Staff is amazing, very friendly. A la cartes are delicious, a nice break from the flies!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Excellent experience, good value for money

I was very happy with my overall stay. My room had been well maintained and there were no issues. The only thing I noticed but did not let it affect my overall experience was that the cleaning staff did not clean the room daily. It appeared as if they just made the beds. There had been hair - my hair, that was never swept for the 4 days I was there. There was some dirt in between the bed and the couch which said that they did not really clean the room. Towels were not changed for clean on [... read more]es. When you go to Cuba, you do not go with high expectation of standards and you will be happy. Food was really not that bad but for Cuban standards. The place was always happening with lots of activities/ entertainment during the day and night. Great place if you want to party and enjoy loud music. I was actually looking for something quieter but I was happy to get the sun, sea and sand! Pools were amazing, beach was heavenly, except that many of the beach beds were broken. Service was excellent !!! overall facilities were the best!

Hotel Bella Costa: Nice resort

We had a great few days at the Iberostar. We stayed on the 5th floor in an ocean front suite. We knew going into the vacation that the hotel was going to be out dated. We came prepared with extras like wash clothes, beach towel, extra toilet paper, hot sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, chips, candies, chocolate... lol The sheets were not fitted or white but we didn't care as long as they were clean. The beach is beautiful and the staff here were very friendly and helpful. The food was fine here [... read more]. We liked the daily barbeque of chicken, pork or beef for lunch. A lot of the same food presented at each buffet but or hot sauce spiced it up. :) Just keep in mind that Cubans do not make very much money for all the hours they work so tipping and bringing little gifts go a long way. We would go back here in the future. We like the smaller not so busy resorts plus this one is the closest one to the beach. We stayed at the Melia Internacional in January. The resort is beautiful and the rooms are new and lovely but they ran out of so many basic things. It's a much larger resort with hundreds of people. We would much rather stay here any day. Just keep in mind this is not Barbados so don't expect things to be any where near a vacation like that. We loved our 6 day trip here and would recommend this resort but please just keep an open mind. You are getting what you pay for. Enjoy!

JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Amazing Anniversary Vacation:)

Check in was smooth. Concierge brought us to an area to make dinner reservations. We arrived on a Thursday and were able to make reservations until Sunday. We were told the remaining reservations could be made through our butler, which we did on Saturday! The dinner buffet at the Grand is not open every night but they're able to tell you when it's open/closed so we enjoyed the buffet the nights it was open and ate in the a la carte's the other nights! The concierge explains that there's 170+ [... read more] Iberostar's across the globe and invited us to a breakfast. We understood this was a time share presentation and politely declined. It wasn't an issue and we were brought to the bell hop to get our bags and be escorted to our room. One of our butlers, Jaime, met us at the room and gave us a full tour and set us up with WhatsApp for the butlers. Every morning the morning butler introduced themselves with an itinerary of what restaurants were open, entertainment etc. via WhatsApp. The butlers checked in several times a day by both WhatsApp and in person! Our butlers were all fantastic: Taneil, Romell, Ralston, Travis & Jaime Iberostar has an app which we utilized to find out what activities were going on (aquafit, classes at the gym etc.). We ordered room service for breakfast twice and it was quick, accurate and delicious. We didn't have an issue getting reservations; we had a few 8pm/9pm reservation nights, but we rolled with it! We took the opportunity to hang out on our huge balcony early evening, order cheese/crackers, hummus etc. from room service, make a drink (room is fitted with customized mini bar and 2 bottles of your choice of liquor) and enjoy the tranquility of the space! There was amazing selection at all restaurants. I'm a vegetarian where my husband is not. We were both able to find amazing food choices; I can honestly say, the Iberostar does a fantastic job of offering a well-rounded menu at both the buffets and a la carte's. We participated in lots of activities; paddleboard yoga, aquafit, arts and crafts, kayaking, snorkeling etc. We went to the gym, played pickleball and walked the beach! We checked out the Iberostar Suites next door; enjoyed their lobby entertainment, a show in their theatre and buffet one evening. The lobby bar at the Grand was great; we spent a lot of evenings there before/after shows. Cassandra was an amazing hostess! The shows were enjoyable both in the theatre, on the beach and at the pool area. The Iberostar Resorts are on a public beach so there are vendors. It was a smidge annoying but honestly, not nearly as bad as I expected given reviews I'd read. I found the vendors in Dominican Republic on Bavaro Beach as well as in Nassau, Bahamas, much, much worse than this. A 'no thanks' worked, not to say the same vendor wouldn't ask you again in an hour, but again, a 'no thanks' and they were on their way. We had a fantastic vacation and would gladly recommend this resort to friends and family.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Wonderful Holiday

The hotel is dated, but you don’t go for the rooms. Everything is clean. Only issue with our room is that the patio door did not lock well. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Not all drinks available at all bars, so what. Take what’s available you will enjoy it. The pools are great, beach is great, weather is great, people are great. The buffet is ok, some days better than others, you won’t starve. They try their best with what they have available, which changes every day. Exc [... read more]ursions were fantastic ( Havana especial, Mantanza Yumuri and Guama Especial). We will go back soon, 9th time in Cuba. You feel welcome and safe wherever you go.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Hotel for Kitesurfing fan

Beautiful long beach/ Small hotel to relax for beach lover/ a lot of beach chairs and palapas/ very clean :washrooms and pool and on the site. very good room cleaning room service All hotels in Cayo Coco /Cayo Guillermo have shortages of Wine (red,rosé,white) since a few months,have to buy it at the tienda of the hotel (plan B)

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Great Week!

We travelled here on March 22 2023.It is approx.1hr 15 min from airport.The resort itself is very modern and well kept grounds Beach and staff are 5 star.Rooms are very clean.If you are looking for a small relaxing resort this is the place for you.Everything is very close .We did not ever have a hard time finding a chair by beach or pool.Dining is Cuban fair shortages at times but never left hungry.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Good resort

The rooms, the grounds, the beach, the pool, and the staff were amazing. The food was ok, but it would have been nice to have some soft drinks or juice where water was limited. Everyone does not drink alcohol all the time. Our room was very nice but we had no hot water at all. By day 6, we had hot water from one of the two bathroom sinks. We were dreading taking a shower every day after the beach before dinner.

Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus: Great resort!

The beach is amazing and beautiful. The entertainment team is also great. You will not get bored at night as there are shows and parties. There are also activities for kids. The hotel is green and clean.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing Resort

As first timers this was an amazing experience. The food was not great but we always found something to eat. Everything else was exceptional including the staff. Everyone was so welcoming. I will be back

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort

Everything great except they do not accept Cnd. money at their hotel currency exchange.!! Only U.S. and Euro's. Had to get taxi($60 U.S. return) to change money at City currency exchange. I believe you should highlight this when advising clients visiting this hotel to perhaps change at airport on arrival. Entertainment at night is pathetic, grade 5 school level. T.V. has NO shows in English for kids or adults. Surely they can afford U.S. cable stations??  [... read more] Will try somewhere else next year for these reasons..

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Relaxing holiday

The hotel was very clean and the grounds were well kept. We brought our own hot sauce and peanut butter .The food was good .Every day there was a choice of beef, chicken,pork and fish as well as desserts and fruit. The staff were very accommodating . I didn't realize how far we were from everything though. We also ran into wind and rain for 3 days. Therefore swimming at the beach was impossible. I know you can't do anything about the weather. This was my 4th trip to Cuba.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Just great vacation, Iberostar Bella Vista place to go.

I wish I could give more then 5 stars, this hotel should get 100+. Location, service, people that work there are just amazing, everything was just perfect. We are planning to go back in Nov or Dec with other family members and friends. Thank you Iberostar Bella Vista. :):)

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Better than expected

This was our 4th visit in 5 years and we were worried about all the negative reviews generally from all locations in Cuba so we were pleasantly surprised to find that Ensenachos hasn't changed a bit, in fact we thought that the buffet was quite good. Most of the week we enjoyed delicious (and expensive back home) all you can eat smoked salmon. The fresh fruit, veggies, bread and butter were excellent and in fact better than the fruit we can get shipped into Toronto. Most of the meat was challeng [... read more]ing but it's always been that way. We did sometimes find some edible beef, pork or chicken. The service was great. The lobby entertainment quality ranged from terrible (karaoke) to amazing (live Cuban trio). Everything worked: WiFi, Toilets, shower, hot water, TV, beach towels, no blackouts, etc. The (TWO) beaches are still amazing as is the swimming. Lots of lounge chairs as we suspect the resort is still nowhere near fully booked. Same with the (TWO) pools - very clean and not too crowded. One evening in the lobby, the no-see-ums bit us up pretty good so after that we wore bug spray and sat away from the outside and that seemed to solve it. One calm late afternoon at the beach we got bit up as well so bug spray is probably a good idea. Overall, the place could use a bit of paint, some lighting and door repairs, a few plumbing repairs, etc. but it's CUBA and so this is just the way it's been there for many years. Probably why it's half the price of other destinations. We just love the country, the beaches and the people and feel very safe and welcome there. I'm sure that we'll go back.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Perfect for our needs

Excellent treatment by staff, accessibility good for a woman of age. Elevator, stair options. Ground well kept. Food more than adequate. Pool very clean. Lots of lounges for number of people there. Specific smoking/ non smoking areas. Rooms very clean and well stocked. Only complaint, no coffee makers in rooms. I would have brought my own had I know.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: New resort/ not managed properly

This resort was new but not managed properly at all. Like running out of sugar at one bar while there is more elsewhere..running out of wine and beer at different bars while there’s some at other bars. This is just managed improperly. Absolutely no condiments. None. Spoke to several people i met at the airport and those 3 resorts had all condiments. Why not iberostar Esmeralda? The a la Cartes are the same food as buffets..buffets usually had pork and chicken some pasta and rice . Some thin [... read more]gs i cannot describe as nothing had descriptions on them and looked foreign to us and not appetizing. Fruit….pineapple every day. Saw grapes one day and guava here and there..breakfast were the hardest to eat. Not a lot of variety. The yogurts don’t look right. The milk looked like the yogurts. Bread but no butter or any condiments as mentioned . They make great rice pudding! The furniture in the lobby is terribly uncomfortable as are the loungers but 2 of the pools. Like cannot lay in them uncomfortabe. Not sure what happened there. The loungers by the kids pool are comfy enough but the pool is 2 feet deep so we didn’t stay there. The mosquitoes are out in full force in the lobby. The sea weed was cleaned up daily but piles elsewhere..should have just taken away. Biggest issue was the actual booking with trip central. Be very careful while looking are resorts.. its deceiving. We booked what i thought was the iberostar Esmeralda Cayo Coco and that’s what it says in the actual heading when looking at resorts. But after booking realizing it was actually cayo cruz was not impressed. Talking to a few people there they made the same mistake;. Cayo Cruz in 1 hour and 45 minutes from the time you leave the airport to arriving at Esmeralda. Our bus stopped and one other resort which I’m sure adds 20 min to the drive.. the actual tour guide first said its 1 hour and 45 minutes long. That Esmeralda is way out there..and it was . The trip central girl said it as 1 hour…wrong. Worse i thought it was cayo coco which is only half hour away which is what we thought we booked again because of the headline under the iberostar Esmeralda .. wrong its cayo Cruz. So overall not impressed and will not return or book through trip central . One last thing big shout out to Christian at the buffet who has the nicest smile, very helpful and attentive.. many waiters and waitresses wouldn’t even make eye contact with people. The tables are not cleaned quickly enough and certainly not cleaned properly. They need to actually remove the placemats and clean under them after every customer ..the plates are not cleaned properly either and have grease residue..

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Beautiful All-Inclusive

We just returned March 24th, 2023 from a two week stay. We were there last year and loved it so much we decided to go back again this year.The resort is absolutely beautiful in every way. It is immaculately kept inside and out. The pools are wonderful and the beach second to none. The grounds are beautiful. The rooms are on the older side but wonderfully kept. The staff for the most part are great, so friendly. This is a 5 Star all-inclusive in every way. Now, the small negatives. This is  [... read more]an all-inclusive and they advertise 'no tipping'. However, we felt pressured and stressed over tipping everybody. When we go to an all-inclusive we seldom take much money. Now, you don't have to tip but you feel the pressure. In one instance a bar server came and put coasters in front of us and asked for a tip! We hadn't even ordered drinks.Iberostar needs to clean this up. Charge a little more but prohibit tipping, similar to Sandals. Everyone gets a butler, like it or not. How much do you tip these guys? They typically just make your dinner reservations and ensure the fridge is loaded with your preferences but you're in for $100 a week. The second issue is the food. We found the night buffet and the lunch buffet place had little to our particular tastes. Lots of weird choices. Their fries and pizza are great but you can't live on that. We were very disappointed in the dinner selections at the night buffet. No roast beef, no turkey, no homemade burgers, no Mac n cheese. The service in the buffets has gone down since last year. It would take 20 minutes to get a coffee in the morning. The reservation restaurants are great with excellent service but alternate choices to beef were not to our liking. The beef is fantastic. They need to expand their menu choices! Lastly, the place lacks a coffee, sweets, ice cream snack place. I suggest getting rid of the wine store which no one goes in and get a fun coffee & sweets place. Most all-inclusive have these. Finally, the Punta Cana airport is your worst nightmare and for that reason alone we doubt we'll go back to DR. Two hours in a row it has taken us to check-in to leave. You stand in line with seemingly thousands of people and barely move and we pay extra for Elite level. Just horrible. On top of that Sunwing was 1 1/2 hours late departing for no known reason.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing resort!!

From the moment we arrived at 2:30am, we were treated like family, the staff was phenomal. The resort was beautiful, the grounds were impressive and well taken care of. There was an abundance of food and activities by the pool during the day. I was concerned about travelling to Cuba considering all the comments that you hear about the lack of food but this resort did not disappoint, the three daily buffets were always well stocked and the 24 hour snack bar always had good food, hot dogs, fren [... read more]ch fries, chicken, etc. Their food was a little bland but we brought salt, pepper and hot sauce and that made it taste like home. There were lots of Canadians at the resort as well, which made it feel even more like home. I would definitely return to this resort. Thank you for making my first experience in Cuba memorable.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Great experience!

What can I say? Iberostar Selection delivered in all aspects 1-Room was very clean and maid service was great, we got clean towels every day and water bottles refill every day 2- beach was fantastic and the water was a beautiful blue color, fantastic location 3- entertainment was good and drinks were plenty, never ran out of anything 4- food...you don't go to Cuba for the food but we found something to eat every day, especially the bbq fish and hamburgers were great, lots of fruits 5- Booki [... read more]ng with tripcentral and airtransat service was top notch 👌

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Not a 5 star resort

It was a beautiful resort. The rooms were great. The beach was beautiful but if you want for a walk there was some garbage. We found that the entertainment staff was lacking. Not alot of things to do as we are so far away. The service was lacking as well. We already new about food shortage but we were able to find food to eat