Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Fantastic time

We were given a room overlooking the Relax pool where we spent a lot of time. The staff was incredibly friendly. After being home for a week, we've already booked a trip here for next April. Can't wait to go back.

Melia Buenavista: A Beautiful Retreat

Overall Resort Score: 7/10 -older more mature guests, a few young couples here and there (including my husband and I), quiet and is more of a retreat. If you are looking to party and for a resort with activities, this is not the resort for you. -giant blue crabs start crawling and running about the resort right when the sun sets. Very scary and unpleasant for someone who is scared of bugs/spiders/crabs. I was surprised the resort did not catch them and serve them to guests. -the resort fumi [... read more]gates to help control the mosquito population. They even do it when guests are around. Given that it is a pesticide and Cuba has different health and environmental regulations who really knows if there are any long term side effects to breathing this stuff in. -every morning at breakfast your assigned butler will greet you before you go in to discuss any concerns you have and make your dinner reservation -neatly manicured grounds with beautiful flowers, palms and shrubs -the best coffee -mixed drinks are overly sweet and taste artificial. Ex. If you order a pina colada you are not getting one with fresh pineapple, its alcohol + a pina colada drink mix. -pools are clean. They had two pools, one was more lively and the other was more quiet. -learned that a doctor and nurse live on the resort on rotation; that's good -nightly entertainment in the form of live music and singing -everyone gets 5 hours of Wifi access daily. If you run out you need to go to the front desk to get a new login -the resort generates it's own electricity so you will not be affected by the daily blackouts local residents experience for hours every day. Beach: 10/10 -pristine, white sand, clean beaches. There are 3 access points for the beach at this resort -little to no seaweed -shallow water access, schools of fish even come to the shallow end -lots of beach chairs available any time of day, everyone is spread out -attentive butler service at the beach for drinks -daily yoga by the water in the morning Food: 6/10 -definitely not a 5 star spread. Cuba is a struggling country and it is clear in the food that they serve. If you are looking for a gourmet culinary experience this resort will not provide that nor am I sure any resort in Cuba will. Please come here with the understanding that you are visiting a 3rd world country who imports more than they export and has major economic issues. -need to book a reservation for dinner and not all restaurants were open/available -the resort ran out of flour 2/7 days of our stay and so they were serving hamburgers and hot dogs without the buns and did not have pizza available. If you don't eat beef and pork no snacks for you...not even fries. -asking for seconds or more dinner rolls at dinner seems frowned upon. You could definitely lose weight here lol. Staff: 7/10 -most of the staff are friendly -encountered a few rude staff members -highly motivated by tips and tips are expected for every little thing they do for you -most of the staff really try their best to give you great service Room: 6/10 -not very clean, good thing I brought a huge container of Lysol wipes -floors were not very clean -furniture was dusty -outdoor showers. Note: around the time the sun sets and into the night there is no hot/warm water coming from the shower head. So take a shower before the sun sets -called for new towels mid-way through our stay, we asked for two towels and only got 1 because the housekeeper said they don't have anymore available. What?! -extra hand towels we asked for did not look that clean -mini fridge with non-alcoholic drinks are not restocked unless you request it -sink faucet head is too low you are almost touching the sink, that's gross.... -bedding was never changed during our stay -little red ants in the room -you can order food and drinks to your room but regarding food it will only be the three snack items available pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs -furniture is old and dated Spa: 8/10 -the massage itself was 10/10 we did an aromatherapy couples massage and it was excellent -sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy also a must -one of the spa staff members, looked like a manager was a little moody. Everyone else was really nice -easy to book a reservation, lots of time slots available -clean but the change room had a urinal the overflowed which was pretty gross and the showers had a little mold So if you are thinking of coming to this resort, you are coming for the beach and for a quieter resort that is more like retreat. Hands down the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. I would actually come back just for the beach. At the end of my stay I did feel refreshed.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: You get what you pay for

Mostly nice staff including server Gereni, our maid Yanet and bartender Santos plus more. There were a couple rude and in non-accommodating staff members. A few things went wrong such as cold shower and broken safe but was fixed. Due to the humidity, the sheets and pillows always smelled of mildew. They fumigate for mosquitos daily, but it doesn’t work because my husband and I got eaten alive by them. The mosquitos were the worst part of the trip by far. The food isn’t the worst I’ve had [... read more] in cuba but not too great either. Buffet not the best. Found plastic baked into bread and hair on other items. The buffet serving utensils were managed poorly. The dessert is mostly wet cake and unripened fruit. The grill stations are your best bet. The beach is great. Overall you get what you pay for so I can’t even complain. Would recommend for a money saving option. Bring lots of bug spray and spices for your food.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: MooMoo & MeeMee love The Royalton!

This is a very long but thorough review! This was our experience at The Royalton! Depending on what time of day you read this review of our recent stay at The Royalton, you'll need to put aside some time.....hopefully it'll convince you to give serious consideration to booking your next holiday at The Royalton in Cayo Santa Maria! So grab a coffee, or some popcorn or a glass of wine! Because you don't want to miss this! This posting is going to include our review, as well as some important [... read more] information regarding the use of different currencies, and what you might consider bringing as Thank You gifts to the employees while on vacation in Cuba. This will be helpful to both you and be greatly appreciated by the exceptional staff who work at The Royalton. As you read this, read it with an open heart and an open mind. If you are fortunate enough to visit The Royalton, be sure to treat the staff as if they were your family....because that is exactly how they will treat you. Like family! Here we go! In the middle of September 2022 we booked a last minute 7 day vacation to The Royalton. This was our second time visiting this resort. We did look at other Cayo Santa Maria resorts to do a comparison before booking. Our decision was very easy to ONLY select The Royalton. Nothing compares! We went back to The Royalton because we knew we would have 7 days of relaxation in paradise. We came back to The Royalton for both the scenic beauty and the most amazing hospitality! The Beach You won't find a more stunning beach anywhere in Cuba! And dare I say in any other part of the world! The sand is so white! The beach is kept clean every single day! And this gorgeous beach leads into some of the most spectacular Blue colors in the world! The ocean waters are calm most of the time. Plenty of beach chairs, all under palapas. When you arrive at the beach, one of the beach staff may follow you to make sure your chairs are well cleaned off from sand and they'll place your beach towels on your chairs. There's a Bar & Grill at the entrance to the beach. You can take your drinks and food "To Go", grab a seat to eat lunch, or a stool at the bar. Pools There are 2 pools at The Royalton. One just outside the lobby and the larger Party Pool is down the central pathway. Both of them are so blue and beautiful! Always clean and a perfect temperature. They both have bars! The larger Party Pool closer to the beach has a few more Pool Beds, providing more shade from the Sun. The way the resort is positioned on the island provides you with gorgeous sunshine....from morning to late afternoon! When I describe the larger pool as the "Party Pool", I mean that around 4:00PM music starts and then there's some entertainment, to get you exercising. Some games and great DJ music! Start to finish is about 1 hour plus. Accommodations We stayed in a room on the second floor of Block 6! Rooms are spacious, comfortable and very clean! Everything you need is in these rooms! Comfortable bed, closet and storage space, a bench to place your luggage, TV, fridge, safe and living room area. And yes....the AC works very well! If you are fortunate enough to be placed in a second floor room...you will have access to a balcony that overlooks the ocean, where you can see the gorgeous horizon! I may be a little biased but I think Blocks 5 and 6 (Second Floor) are the very best in accommodations! Blocks 5 and 6 are so incredibly close to the large pool. A direct line to the main path which leads to the Main building, and the path that leads straight to the beach. The Food (Keep an open mind - this is Cuba.) The food at The Royalton is really quite delicious. As you're reading this from your home or office in Canada, keep in mind that Cuba is restricted to many things, especially after Covid. With what they have on hand, you'll enjoy pastas, pork, fish, chicken, beef and quite a bit more. The Chef and his team put together tasty meals every evening! You will not be hungry! Eggcellence & Senses The Royalton has several places where you can eat. Near the lobby are their 2 main restaurants: Eggcellence and Senses. Eggcellence is the restaurant that serves breakfast from I believe 7AM to 10:30AM, as well as lunch. The pastries and fresh breads are so delicious! There's a small buffet with a variety of meats, cheeses, different fruits and other selections! I had omelettes made to order. They were perfect for me. They didn't have Orange Juice, but they do have Mango Juice and Grapefruit Juice?! Eggcellence and Senses are also the 2 main restaurants where your Butler will make reservations for your dinners. You have the options to eat inside the restaurant or outside on a patio. Both restaurants serve tasty, A la Carte meals. Your waiter/waitress will offer you a selection of about 5 different options each night. The Sunset The Sunset is the Restaurant right beside the larger pool. We enjoyed their pasta as well as their cheeseburgers. They'll make it as you like it! There's also a BBQ Station beside The Sunset, open from 1:00PM to 3:00PM daily. Different meats, fish with rice and a variety of vegetables! The Sunset is open 24 hours so if you need something to eat outside restaurant hours, you can always head to the The Sunset or Room Service will bring you whatever you'd like to have. The Lobby Bar has coffees, teas, pastries in the mornings and of course a full bar! If you find it too hot outside, you can always cool off with a drink in the Cool Lounge! The Grounds & Gardens The property is simply stunning. Gardeners are constantly working to maintain gorgeous grounds and gardens. Beautiful flowers and palm trees. You'll admire the dedication that these gardeners demonstrate while you walk throughout the property. The Staff As I mentioned, we stayed in Block 6. We were taken care of by our butlers, Alexis and Ketia. They work tirelessly and enthusiastically to make sure that you are well taken care of. Always with a smile and making sure that you are enjoying your room, activities, and arrangements for dinner reservations and special requests. Alexis and Ketia take great pride in their work and making sure that you are truly enjoying your vacation at The Royalton. "Alexis & Ketia, thank you so much for everything you did for us while we were on vacation! You are so kind, wonderful and remarkable at your jobs. Our vacation was not only spectacular because we were in paradise....but because you went beyond expectations to make sure we were delighted with everything that we could ever need or want. We consider you friends and we thank you very much!" While we stayed in Block 6, our room was always lovingly cleaned and maintained by our room attendant Jenilet. She was always smiling, caring and understanding if we needed something additional, were missing something or needed a little privacy, so we could sleep in! "Jenilet, thank you very much for taking care of our room, while we enjoyed the Royalton. It was truly appreciated how hard you worked to make sure our room was comfortable, clean and stocked with what we needed." The staff at the reception are always available. There's always someone at the front desk to assist with resetting your access for the WI-FI, exchanging currency and answering any and all questions! Always polite, friendly and willing to help with whatever you need. As soon as you arrive at the resort you are greeted by welcoming staff and those friendly faces are there to greet you throughout your entire visit at The Royalton! A very special thank you to Dania, Denis and Daisoris at the Front Desk! "You guys are amazing and so friendly and helpful! Thank you so much for welcoming us and always available to answer our questions and assist us with little requests!" As I mentioned earlier, there is entertainment at the larger pool for about an hour every afternoon. There are 3 women and a DJ named Anibal who keep the party going for some fun and exercise in the pool! DJ Anibal plays some great Dance Music, some that you may not have heard of! He's always willing to share with you the names of the music artists and names of the songs...PLUS if you have any favorites that you'd like to hear, Anibal will try his best to find and play your favorite song, as he did for us! "Anibal, thank you for playing great music every day! You made the afternoons so much fun at the pool! And to the 3 women whose names I don't know (Sorry!), except one that addressed the losers of the Pool Games with 'Ciao Ciao Mickey Mow!'...you know who you are....you made the afternoons at the pool a lot of fun! Thank you very much for making us smile and laugh every afternoon!" Lobby entertainment offers a different performance every evening! There was one night where there was an acoustic guitarist, playing modern, current songs! He was AMAZING! Really talented! For the first time ever in our travels to a resort, we saw daily, the Director of the resort! The Royalton is under the careful care and watch of Alejandro. You will see him daily, either when you're having dinner, or in the lobby. Alejandro has an 'Old World' charm about him. It shows in how he interacts with the Royalton guests, and his staff. He will approach you personally to ask about your day at the resort, "Do you have everything?", "Are you enjoying your stay?", "What can we do to improve?!" We've never seen this before. Anywhere! He takes your enjoyment personally. "Alejandro, thank you so much for your kindness, attention to detail and taking great pride in The Royalton.... as if you're welcoming us to your personal home. The resort is stunning and beautiful! But what truly draws us back to Cuba, Cayo Santa Maria and The Royalton, is your friendly, dedicated staff! It really shows in their interactions with the guests. Although we don't know or remember the names of every single staff member that we interacted with, we truly appreciated every thing the Royalton staff did for us! Will you please thank everyone for us?! Congratulations Alejandro on providing a magnificent paradise at The Royalton! Once more Alejandro, the service that you and your staff provide are exceptional!" Thank You Gifts Canadians are always treasured by Cuban people for their generosity and thoughtfulness. Clothing items, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sunscreen, bug spray, even over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Antihistamines, DOVE Soap, Body Wash, Deodorant and school supplies are just some of the things you might bring down to leave for the Royalton staff. Just like everywhere else in the world, Cuba has been affected greatly by shortages. Money/Currency 1) Before you leave Canada, prepare to go to the bank and exchange money for your trip for such things as tipping and "Thank-Yous" 2) There are two currencies that the staff appreciate and that you can exchange at the Lobby for Cuban Pesos....US Dollars and Canadian Dollars. 3) At the Lobby/Front Desk you can only exchange Canadian or US Dollars for Cuban Pesos. Dollar bills only. Please don't bring Loonies or Toonies. Cuban citizens aren't able to use Loonies or Toonies in their personal lives when they make purchases. Bring with you dollar bills in US or Canadian currencies. 4) At the Lobby you will get a better exchange rate when you convert US Dollars into Cuban Pesos. At the time of our vacation, we received 100 pesos for 1 US Dollar. When we converted Canadian currency we received 92 pesos for 1 Canadian Dollar. 5) The Lobby doesn't have a Credit Card terminal for you to purchase Cuban Pesos. So, you can only convert paper money for Cuban pesos. 6) There's a Bank at the Market next door to the resort. They are open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. Bring your passport. You can use your credit card to exchange to Cuban pesos. 7) During Covid, Cuba stopped issuing and using the Cuban Convertible Pesos that tourists were issued during transactions. If you have them...you can no longer use them. Don't bring them with you as the currency no longer exists. Important Note If I can offer some humble recommendations regarding tipping, tip graciously whenever possible, preferably in US or Canadian currency. Before leaving Canada, consider estimating the dollar amount that you would like to bring for tips and "Thank-Yous", go to the bank and prepare your money. With US currency you can tip with $1 dollar bills....the smallest Canadian denomination is a $5 dollar bill. While you can still tip in Cuban Pesos, it is much more appreciated and useful to tip in Canadian and US currencies, as the Royalton staff can shop in their personal lives, at local, Cuban town stores where they can buy what they need, using US or Canadian money. Please remember that as you prepare your currencies for tipping to the Royalton staff. That's it! Hope it helps with your decision to visit and love The Royalton! Thank you!

Melia Buenavista: Amazing resort

Awesome place, super clean grounds, nicely kept, Staff extremely pleasant, all of them, chambermaid name Judy is the best we ever dealt with ( we travel 3 times a year for last 10 years) Buttler name Joan Martinez Ariosa —- we couldn’t ask for the better one as well. We will return to that hotel for sure ( group of 8 people).

Melia Buenavista: Amazing resort

Awesome place, super clean grounds, nicely kept, Staff extremely pleasant, all of them, chambermaid name Judy is the best we ever dealt with ( we travel 3 times a year for last 10 years) Buttler name Joan Martinez Ariosa —- we couldn’t ask for the better one as well. We will return to that hotel for sure ( group of 8 people).

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Nice Resort

This is our first time to Cuba just one day after IAN Horicon In general resort is new only one year before Covid time Rooms are very nice and clean , daily room service Food is acceptable compared to what was expecting Beach was OK first two days after that Sea weeds began to appear on the water (which was annoying some how) and the beach One swimming pool was in service due to low capacity Two dinners were AL a cart to all gust (no much option in the menu ) Be prepared for mosq [... read more]uitoes

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Place

The resort was beautiful, the grounds very well kept, gardeners working extremely hard from early morning to evening. Couldn't fault the staff at all throughout the resort, took great care of the tourists staying here, and went out of their way to please and make your stay really wonderful. The beach was also beautiful. I was there by myself but never felt lonely or left out of anything, I had a wonderful time from the moment I got on the transfer bus to the time I got back to the airport. I  [... read more]especially want to mention Elvis and all the entertainment staff, who all did an amazing job of keeping people involved in the activities, and I only wish I could have joined in, they made everything so much fun! The food was really good, had grilled chicken, beef and turkey every day and more than enough choice even for the picky eater., I loved it and had an amazing much needed vacation, the pool was sloped so very safe for all.

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas hotel Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

Hotel is very nice and well positioned.Great bar, pool, beach access and restaurant facility .Lots of staff does not speak English well, little trouble with communication .Also level of friendliness drops significantly since changes with Cuban currency so people don't tip them as usual .But since hotels is nice and the beach I will definitively come back again.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Our experience in Playa Cayo Santa Maria

Fourth time to be there. Previous times were acceptable although the food quality and services was not match a 4 star hotel.But this time almost every thing was horrible! Almost no eatable food(my sons survived on fruits whole week!),many drinks were not available and we found 3 times insects in our coffee and drinks!The complementary drinks in our fridge(like coke, beer,..) had been reduced to one bottle of water for 2 person per day! They served ice cream cup without spoon and told us squish i [... read more]t to eat it as they were in shortage of everything! Our room had a bad smell I guess because the wall was wet is some parts!They told us because we came on Wednesday,there is no special party for returning guests like you as we missed it on Wednesday! Finally after on week of poor services and shortage on every thing ,all family got Corona as a result of poor sanitation and all of us are badly sick and off work now. Truly it was a wasting of time and money!

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: The resort is clean

The housekeeping Maids don’t do a good job cleaning. The bed sheets are pulled tightly and neatly and look very good with the swans and different things they make with the towels. However, the maids don’t take the time to actually CLEAN the shower, toilets, sinks and the floors.they just make it look nice on the surface. The cheap fish was the same kind every meal. No different kind of fish. Very boring food. No Wifi and internet poor connection. No evening shows. One night they promise [... read more]d a water show but then it was cancelled. It is a clean well maintained resort. Beautiful layout beautiful flowers and gardening !! The beach is very close to everything. Workers very friendly and the place is very clean and spotless. I would definitely go back if they change the couple things I mentioned about.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Lots of potential

The hotel itself is newer and looks qnice and our room was always kept clean. The stairwells and hallways could have used some regular sweeping. The grounds were kept fairly well, but we saw the same chicken bone on the walkway the whole week and although the pool was kept well, the area around the pool deck could use a bit more help. Of course some of the negligent tourists are to blame by leaving their cups and garbage. I’m sure in a few more years, the rest of the grounds will develop nicel [... read more]y. There is still much to work on but lots of potential. The beach is gorgeous and the water is crystal clear. We spent most of our time in the water. The pedal bots and Hobie cars were in excellent shape and plentiful. The guys were helpful and they were heroes. They rescued and revived a drowning snorkeller when were were there. The mosquitos or whatever was biting us from day one were ridiculous! Even with regular application of our high-deet bug spray, we got eaten alive and are still itchy several days after our return. We saw that the Hotel fogged for mosquitoes, in fact we were quite upset that they did this during times when people walked along the paths. It happened to us three times, when all of a sudden a horrid-smelling smoke shot out of a big canister from the back of a pick-up truck. I complained to the front desk but they didn’t seem to care. Why can’t they do this later at night? It sure didn’t seem to help by doing it at 7 pm and goodness knows what we breathed in. The food! Oh dear. I had low expectations but it was far worse than I imagined. Unless you got something from the grill, it was room temperature at best. And never mind the poor selection and repetition. I understand that they simply don’t have the supply, but geez. Boiled potatoes three ways - sliced, wedges and cubes - but no fries? No lettuce, no pizza, no burgers. Cut up hot dogs for breakfast sausage. I could go on. We didn’t go hungry but the food was disappointing. Since we rarely felt compelled to hit the buffet, we spent more time swimming so that was good for us. Lol We we’re thankful for the man at the grill cooking our eggs and pancakes in the morning and the girl who made smoothies. Toast and butter were good too but often crowded even with low occupancy rate. The bar staff was great, especially Yireni at the Lobby Bar. She was such a lovely person. Coffee was great and yummy iced coffee was always being churned. That was a bonus.The only bartender that was unfriendly and unwelcoming was the young woman who also took the restaurant reservations in the mornings. She was always eager to get on her phone and let other bartenders do the work. I didn’t catch her name because they don’t wear name tags.

Melia Las Dunas: Dissaponted

This was my 14th stay at the Melia Las Dunas Resort. I regret to say that I was extremely disappointed this visit. The each was the highlight as usual, however, the hotel has become very run down. My girlfriend had to change her rooms 2 times. The first water was coming in through the light fixture on the ceiling from heavy rain then the second room the AC as not functioning. The housekeeping was excellent in our rooms but there was graffiti on the front of our building from local guests that [... read more] were staying on the resort which brings me to the point of a broader complaint. There were only a handful of Canadian guests and another handful of international guests leaving the rest to other Cubans travelling from other parts of the country. Don't get me wrong, I love the Cuban culture and people I have met over the years and is the reason for my return multiple times. The majority of the guests were rude and quite disrespectful to the resort leaving their garbage everywhere on the beach and around the pool. Let's talk about the pool next. I was disgusted for the first time with the pool. After the rainfall, I visited the pool and noticed debris floating at the bottom thinking it was twigs from the trees but everywhere in the pool was loose black grout. This was there the entire stay! I can't imagine the bacteria festering in that once beautiful pool. I understand low season forces the hotel to close one side, leaving only the family side open but children in the pool with diapers also in unacceptable. The staff was as usual very kind and polite and have always maintained a professional repour. I am sad to say that will be my last visit to this resort but not my last to Cuba,

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Excellent Vacation

Great first trip after the Covid shutdown. Starting from the airport, YYZ and plane still wearing masks but no lines or issues. Plane was only 3/4 full so we had empty seat beside us. Cuba and SNU, masks not required. Bus ride to the hotel was about 1.25 hours with great commentary and lots to see. Check-in at hotel Dhawa was fast as only 8 people got off the bus. Lobby was large and very clean, and they brought us a welcoming cocktail, everyone was friendly and courteous. Being low season and r [... read more]ecovering from the covid lull, the hotel only using 2 of the 11 buildings on the property. So, I figured 20% capacity, we were taken to our room in building 3, beautiful, large, bright and very clean on 2nd floor with a perfect balcony view of the ocean. The hotel was maintained, and everything was close by. The pool was beautiful, large, 2 levels, crystal clear and warm with a swim up bar. The beach was spectacular, about a 1/2 kilometer long to the Angsana hotel. The water was clear calm and warm, and the beach was clean. never issues with lounge chairs or palapas. Now being low occupancy, it was a wonderful time to get to know the staff as they were not overly busy. This is where this hotel really excels, all of the staff are wonderful, helpful and make a real effort to chat and get to know you. They are all very good at what they do, and they made this vacation very special for us. There are no covid restrictions at the hotel, but the remanence of covid still remains. They still have had issues getting certain items, lending to shortages in food, alcohol/wine and mix, each day would be different. What they did have was decent, as you could always find something to eat or drink as they made the best of what was available. All in all, we had a wonderful time and would go back to this hotel. the area is spectacular (also if you like to walk there is an adjacent Salinas beach which extends about 3 kl to the Villa Los Brujas and marina)

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Wonderful resort

The resort is a wonderful holiday destination, I have been on holidays a couple of times but my trip to Playo cayo Santa Maria stood out for me. From the wonderful food and drinks to the cleanliness of the resort. The staff are also courteous people. This is a great value for money and I can’t wait to visit again

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Awesome Resort

The hotel was beautiful, very nice staff. The massage I received at the Spa was the best massage of my life, the pools and beach was top notch. I enjoyed every moment, lots of food and drink. The best

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Not as expected!

1-We had heard that Megano beach is the best in the world. That is not correct. It is the worst from two beaches the resort has, not comparing it with Cayo Santa Maria beach. Starting from the color of the sea, it is not blue and clear. There are sewed in the depth that make the color dark, but there are some even in the shallow part where the floor of the sea is like dusty, not firm. Esenachos beach is beautiful, but far from the rooms that were mostly in use, so you should rely in the golf car [... read more]ts to go there. Resort was very big from one side to another, including Coral Village. It was a long way from lobby to Megano beach, that was was over some dirty smelly water that maybe was the "home" of mosquitos. 2-Grounds are nice looking but a lot of mosquitos and small bugs that made everyone itching their skins all the time. That was a big trouble for us. Even though they were spaying twice a day, that spray didn't do any change. 3-The food was basic, there were some varieties but the cleanness needs to be greatly improved. This is regarding buffet(where there were lots of flies, but we realized even cockroaches in the cold salad area in the center). The restaurant close to the beach was dirty as well, flies were covering the cold food, salads. Other restaurants were a waste of time. There were two dinners organized outside, the food in those had much more variety, but considering the fact that mosquitos, bugs and flies were there all the time, weren't enjoyable. God helped us giving no big problem for the health as a result of bad hygiene in food especially. Also it is a shame to have napkins cut in four for saving in buffet. Is this Iberostar standard?!!!! 4-Rooms were big, the air conditioning was not enough to create good environment comparing to the heat that was outside. Different issues in the room during 1 week stay, people that were supposed to repair them were fixing one issue and creating other ones. There was no hot water in the bathroom for days. 5-We were happy to see that there was a washroom close to the beach, in fact we later realized that there was not toilet paper and soap most of the time there. One of women's washroom did not even have the lock for the door. 6- Bottled waters in the rooms were given without the "seal" that showed that it was not previously open, and we realized a big problem with hygiene of the plastic, not one time used caps for water or other drinks in the beach. 7-Esenachos resort is supposed to have 5 stars, we would give them max 2 stars, and we are not going back there any more.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: We feel deceived and let down by Sunwing

Website description not accurate, no privileges other than lobby bar at other 2 near by Memories resorts as they are closed, including all extra dining. There is no 24hr snack bar and you have to beg for late night snacks (stale ham sandwiches). Only given 1 bottle of water a day/room. Majority of the food was not fresh, very limited choices. Only alcohol that was available at all bars was rum, real vodka hard to find. All beer taps ran dry, bottled beer was harsh, no cola or club soda for mix,  [... read more]just orange pop/lime pop. Most staff great but look exhausted and are too pushy on last day looking for tips. Beach was phenomenal. Best part of the trip by far. Will not return as we had multiple issues with Sunwing that remain unresolved and feel deceived, and paid extra $100 for 2x Elite Plus seating return and were bumped to regular with no refund or explanation.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: High's and low's

Let me start off this review with We have been to Cuba 7 times, all over the island. Varedero, Cayo coco, Cayo Santa Maria, Jibicoa and now Cayo Ensenachos. We know the standard for Cuba and have a good idea of what we were getting ourselves into. We had also been told the pandemic had hit Cuba hard, this can not be overstated. This was the first time we went to Cuba with our 2 kids ages 4 & 2. I'll start off with the resort its self, I'm sure when this place was built new it was gorgeous, I [... read more]'m not sure they have done much to keep it up since. Overall it is a beautiful place but once you start to look a little closer it requires improvement. The first thing that stood out was the kids pool, The plaster around the bottom of the waterslides have cracked and fallen off so there is about a 6-inch gap of sharp exposed rusted rebar protruding from the sides of the water slides. Also on the top of the boat where a sail must of been broken off there was just an exposed channel sticking out of the ground a couple inches. All of this is easily fixable but a cause for concern at the same time. The boardwalks out to the beach definitely need attention as multiple railing posts have fallen over and laying on the ground, a hand full of boards are completely rotten, enough our 4 year old was pointing them out and telling us not to step on them. Also the elevator does not work, if you have mobility issues or a stroller this will effect you. In our room our phone did not work (no one's did in our building) are safe didn't work and the air conditioning well we can say it did its best but definitely needs some TLC. I will say that this is the first time in all our trips that we had issues with the staff. Not just one but were met with some of the most arrogant people we have met. Also the lack of bell boys/golf carts is what really got us. First upon check in no bell boy to help us unload all our luggage, check in was fine and smooth. We had 2 children sleeping and their luggage and our luggage and other guests were helping us none of their staff. after a 30 min wait, a golf cart showed up to take us to our room. He was great and extremely helpful. upon going into our room our safe didn't work, phone didn't work, light didn't work in the bathroom, toilet wouldn't flush, and one key card didn't work. I couldn't call the front desk so started the 15 min hike back down and let them know and was told someone will come down to fix it. No one showed, then went to their 24 hr snack bar. FYI their 24hr snack bar is only open after 3pm. Went to the lobby every morning and told them we fixed the toilet but would just like a working safe for the passports cash etc. no one ever came. One morning in our trip my wife went down to the buffet with our 2 year old in the stroller. With no elevator she had to do 3 flights of stairs with our daughter in the stroller. Which is completely fine and we didn't expect anyone to help her as we have manged all week.( I will say that for the most part if they saw one of us with the stroller doing the stair someone offer to help which was great) What she didn't expect was the SPA staff which were standing at the top of the stairs watch her do them all with beach bags, stroller and a 2 year old. Laughing at her then when she reached the top of the stairs the said looks like you could use a massage how about purchasing a spa package. We were mocked in Spanish by the Omellete chef as there was a misunderstanding due to translation, we had another chef once we located lunch which was moved to the beach. Told the waitress, myself and my 4 year old to get our own food. walked away with a plate of food they cooked for themselves and left to join their friends behind the building eating. The waitress was yelling at them and trying to help but my son and i ended up walking back to the buffet at the main building. Even though we talked to the front desk and had the pool bar order/call for the bell boy to come with a golf cart when we were leaving they never showed. I was stuck carrying 4 suitcases and stroller, 4 carry ons's and a beach back all the way back to the main building including the 3 flights of stairs in 36 degree heat. Other guests rushed to help us once they saw the struggle. The hotel staff sat back and offered more massage packages. The golf cart was sitting at the front of the resort with its driver just chatting with the landscape crew. One thing you need to be prepared for is that the meals are moved to different locations throughout the resort daily. We weren't the only one mentioning this, no one ever knew where the next meal was. This resort is massive and we had talked to several couples that didn't eat lunch simply because they couldn't find where they were serving lunch that day. (our solution every morning we went to the front desk and asked where all the meals were that day, you would be surprised that half the time they didn't even know) The shade structures around the pool we were at were all removed there was not a single shade structure to be used. I want to say that this resort has so much potential and should be a 5 star resort (For cuba) but it keeps getting in its own way. The beaches are incredible, most of the staff is great. the resort is nice, the pools are nice even for lack of shade. Some staff members are absolutely incredible and some are terrible just like any other work force. One last thing if your expecting to find snacks anywhere in cuba in the stores/markets etc like pringles, coca cola or cookies or anything there is nothing. Not a big deal we brought a lot of our own. Overall we enjoyed our vacation but the resort is dated, huge and with no golf carts to drive people around it can be challenging to get around as one of the beaches is only accessible by golf cart. We would still rate this 3.5-4 stars even with the issues we encountered just keep in mind how hard this country has been hit and there is definitely a shortage of materials and workers. If you keep everything in perspective you will have a great trip there, we enjoyed it and the kids had a blast we just left wanting a bit more as the property definitely has the potential to offer it.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Marvellous

This is our first time in Royalton but not last time for sure! Everything is spotless clean in and out in this resort. Service quality was excellent, personnel works tirelessly from top to down. Especially Hotel Manager Alejandro take cares of everyone personally, makes sure all the guests feels welcomed liked their own place. Javier, Maria, Maruis, Tony, Lilien and many others - can’t remember names of all - greets everyone with genius smile and greetings every morning. I have been in Cuba mo [... read more]re than times including Royal services in similar resort, Royalton is the best one so far. I highly recommend everyone this friendly place.