Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Never again

This is my review of this hotel. It was out 3rd visit and unfortunately for them it was the last. The hotel has gone downhill in the past years. Caters more to Cubans than to tourists. Most of them are disrespectful, cut in line , play loud music in the halls at all hours, drink all day and really don't think about anyone but themselves. Before people start telling me their opinion about this or that, I was married to a Cuban, have lived in Cuba for months so I know how life is outside of reso [... read more]rts...but this hotel does nothing for us Canadians compared to their own people. Positive points: The beach Rooms are comfortable Air conditioning works great and some staff members are real gems 1 bottle of water everyday No shortage of toilet paper Negative points: Buffet closed for 10 days out of the 14 we were there and when open little to no options. A la carte was offering the same food day after day Snack bar wait time was an hour + and they would serve Cubans before us even though we were there before. Younger girl at the snack bar needs to be fired for her lack of service and bad attitude Bar at the beach rarely had anything to drink..no beer, no rum, not even ice But on weekend when Cubans would arrive there was lots of options available and buffet would open. Towel hut to change your beach towels is closed for good so you have to find the maid and get fresh towels (when you could find her as they finish early) No white towels for 2 days Had to ask for sheets to be changed on the second week or else they wouldn't have done it. We understand it's low season but people like us paid alot of money to be forced to eat chicken and rice or spaghetti and sandwiches for lunch and supper. They should really close this hotel to tourists and cater only to Cubans as they seem to be kings even though they pay only 40 usd a night compared to us. people need to know the truth before they waste their money on this place.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great family getaway

We just returned from a week away to Iberostar Ensenachos where we had a great stay. The beach and water are amazing. The grounds are well maintained, the entertainment and animation team, the people we met at the reception, bar/buffet are all trying to please and engage with the clients. Yes, there are renovations and some time it seems there is a long walk to get to the lobby/buffet place, but we did not let this disturb our trip. This is a great place for people that fishing, swimming and sno [... read more]rkeling. Thanks Ensenachos Team

Paradisus Los Cayos: Amazing people and resort.

We had a wonderfull experience at Paradisus Los Cayos in Santa Maria Cuba. My kids loves the kids centre and specially Norma. She was so helpful in making our stay to Cuba memorable. Also I loved the service at the main Bar at the lobby from Yainel. He was so great. Another great bartender was the one at Sky Bar, he was very entertaining and helpful in finding our tastes with some amazing cocktails. Our batler Yasser was great too. He tried his best to make our stay pleasant and memorable. Tha [... read more]nk you to all of them that made our vacation to Cuba a great experience ?

Paradisus Los Cayos: Very good resort

Very good resort, friendly staff, rooms clean and pretty new,beach is stunning, beach umbrellas half broken, when i was there june 18-25 the resort wasn't busy so we had plenty of umbrellas to choose from,I don't know how is it when the resort is full, food what can I say,not the best but you won't die hungry ? anyway you don't go Cubs for the food,long bus ride from the airport 1h40 min,after all I will go back definitely to this resort.

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: The most beautiful beaches

The ranking of this resort is not considered to be a 4-5 star resort because it has been scaled back to appease the local tourism community. The first two days starting Saturday June 14-2025 were absolutely despicable. We had to Que to just get into the dining room, waiting for more than an hour each time and then once inside the dining room we had to wait in long slow lines and literally fight over scraps of food because the locals would have taken everything. By the second day this was still  [... read more]continuing and we were furious about the behavior of most of the people who were ignorantly taking advantage of the food availability and had zero consideration for anyone else except themselves.Taken into account that it was the last week this resort was open (closing until November apparently)and Father’s Day weekend. Added to the list was the lack of mosquito control. Everyone was getting eaten alive. Only after the weekend did they start to fog the property for mosquito control. The whole experience was just too much for us and we were tempted to leave the resort and transfer to another location. Now we always come prepared and we had brought a lot of food with us so we didn’t go hungry. Two days later the crowds had left the resort and the resort population had dropped significantly. By Tuesday we were able to move freely into the dining room and obtain food not scavenged by everyone else . This is the third time to this resort in three years and it was not acceptable the behavior of the locals. No enforcement was done in order to prevent the problem. Complaints were never made because we tried our utmost effort to refrain from actually contacting air Canada ??. Now we know many of the staff who are working there and they had all been extraordinary helpful and kind to us. Specially many of the kitchen staff, and the bar staff . Hayler , Toni , Elvis and the other bar staff were absolutely amazing and they went out of their way to make sure we were good. The front desk staff were very helpful especially upon arrival and they switched our room to an oceanview so we were very happy with that. We love the location of this resort because it has the best view and beaches anywhere in the world. While most of the locals were at the pool we had the beach mostly to ourselves and THIS is why we tolerated the poor behavior of the locals at all mealtimes the first three days. I would have given it a 5star rating but the first two days were not handled professionally. I can tell you that most foreigners like us would have not accepted the same treatment and would have left the resort on the first day. We have a lot of experience in Cuba so we toughed it out and we are glad we did. Big recommendation for our Agent Saskia Singh who has been our agent for many years now . Starfish Cayo Coco is one of our favorite places to go and I hope it will improve the next time we visit!!

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Had a great stay!

We had a great time here. There's 7 of us in total (5 adults, 2 kids). We travelled in the middle of June so there weren't many people at the hotel. The beach is amazing and it is very close to the hotel (100m from our room). I found the food was better than my past visits to Cuba. There was always something I liked. My parents are vegetarian and they always found something to eat. There was a lot of Cuban food (rice, beans, chickpeas, a lot of sweet potato). I also really liked the fried rice s [... read more]tation and the omlettes and crepe station in the mornings. There was a lot of choice in drinks. Mojitos were amazing as was the pina colada. Entertainment was really good even though there wasn't much, especially the Michael Jackson performance. It was truly as if Michael Jackson had come back from the dead and performed for us. Remember to bring an insulated cup with you, and also bring mosquito repellent especially if you're travelling during the rainy season. Also, reach out to Not Just Tourists to take medical supplies with you (you can book a private transfer on the way back to the airport so you can drop off the supplies at a clinic in Remedios or Santa Clara). We also gave them a suitcase of other things at the clinic (an old laptop, band aids, flash lights, baby clothes, a lot of stationary I wasn't using at home etc.). It's important that we all do our part to help. Try to give help to Cubans outside of the hotels in the cities if you can.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great value!

Stayed for 7 days in the end of sept of 2024. Sunny weather, rai at night almost every day, warm ocean. Food: Nice pastries, mango often, avocado, salmon once, chicken, turkey, local fish almost same every day. There is ac in the buffet which was very useful during hot days! Room: mold smell in room, ac worked but not good enough. Service: waiters are attentive. Each time eating ice cream had to ask for the spoon like those were treasures. Entertainment: every night new show at the theatre [... read more]. I liked it.

Iberostar Coral Ensenachos: May 2025 Stay. 2 weeks

!This was our second stray at the Coral, last was late May early June 2024 first visit since Covid. We use to stay on the, then called Spar section, which was adults only, for 25 total visits The resort is showing its age but renovations are under way on selection side, slow and steady. ' We found the Coral section accommodation excellent, comfortable and roomy. with hot tub which was clean and heated. Service was great and Butlers and all staff very considerate and helpful to us, same as [... read more] other vacationers staying at the resort - I have Parkinson’s and use a wheeled walker and walking stick. . Any problems you inform the butlers, We had a noisy ceiling fan in bedroom when we arrived, and it was repaired the next morning. The food was good and plenty full, some limited shortages but nothing you couldn’t miss. You don’t go to: Cuba for the food, it’s good though. And we gain weight on our stays. The beaches are second too none with many palapa’s, one for every room on Coral section. The Coral is very quiet and relaxing just as we like it, no children under 14. The main entertainment is on the Selection side, shuttle service via mini bus, max wait 10min. Coral vacationers have complete access to all facilities on the selection side. Overall - great resort, that we call our second home, we will be back to the Coral, health dependant, to savour the friendliness all the staff, beaches, weather .and other vacationers you meet.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great beach - Dated Resort

The resort is huge to begin with and has two beaches - Megano and Ensenachos; both which were some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. We regularly saw thousands of fish, stingrays and even starfish - just beautiful. The beaches were very quiet and felt like we had lots of privacy and spaces from others - perfect for relaxing. For the resort it’s self, it’s huge and a bit outdated but I didn’t really mind I still thought it was very nice. In terms of our room it was very big and spacio [... read more]us although it had a bit of a dirty feeling to it. First of all, we saw two small cockroaches in the room and lots of small ants near the toilet. Secondly. The toilet did not work. We regularly had to play around with the pipe to get it to flush and this was quite troubling since we got food posinoning. Besides that the room had a great balcony with lots of room to unwind and relax. For the food; the three “a la carte” restaurants were closed for renovations so we had to choose between the snack bar and main buffet. The main buffet regularly had lots to choose from with different options each day - it was indoors and felt very clean. The snack bar….. not so much. The night we got there we saw a giant cockroach hanging around the kitchen and the staff didn’t do anything. There were regularly birds flying in or around the food and thousands of flies. So would recommend the main buffet over the snack bar. As for the service - all of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I had amazing experiences with all of the staff around the resort and the night time shows were extremely entertaining. Nonetheless, we had a great trip here to Cayo Ensenachos and will never forget how beautiful the beaches here are.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: No Return

14x to Cuba coackroach infested rooms lobby. Room change second floor storm came door unlocked wind blew all bugs in room works on bed. Pillow had works during the night still. Very unsettling. Food repeat everyday night. Stale bread buns.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: We had a great time

It was just cool ! It was our third time and we like it more and more ! We hope to return for one more time. Electricity had no problems, Stuff was super friendly and food and coffee were tasty! Room is modern and big with a beautiful look out to the ocean. Two weeks in paradise. Just go over there !

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Royalton Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba – A Sunny Slice of Paradise

Travel Dates: May 17–24, 2025 Travelers: My husband and I “They say laughter is the best medicine—unless you’re at an all-inclusive, then it’s probably the piña coladas.” Resort Overview Royalton Cayo Santa Maria is a spacious, beautifully maintained resort with plenty of room to roam. From lush grounds to a beachside bar and a 24-hour snack shack, there’s no shortage of places to explore—or eat! Food & Drink • Buffet & À la Carte: Great variety—fish, chicken, lobster, meats, fresh v [... read more]eggies, fruit, yogurt, and juices. Presentation was top-notch. Hats off to the chefs! • Snack Bar: Open 24/7 with pizza, burgers, fries, hot dogs, and other quick bites. Perfect for a midday nibble or late-night craving. • Bars: Fully stocked with a wide selection of alcohol. No shortages here—cheers to that! Accommodations • Spacious ocean-view room with bathrobes and slippers—a classy touch! • Everything functioned well, though some furnishings could use a refresh. • Two large pools with bars, loungers, and cabanas made for perfect lazy afternoons. Beach & Activities • The beach is stunning—wide, clean, and perfect for sunbathing. • Daily activities included stretching, games, and surprise snacks like mini sandwiches and fruit salad served in spoons. A delightful way to stay energized! • Animator shout-outs: o Blanca – You rocked that dance party! o Yadian (hope we spelled that right!), Meliza, and Karelys and one more guy whose name we didn’t capture (sorry!) – Your energy could wake the dead. Seriously, you all were amazing! ? Diamond Club Perks As Diamond Club members, we were treated to butler service — and it was fantastic. • Javier – You’re basically a vacation ninja. One moment we’re wondering where to find something, and poof!—there you are, smiling, cracking a joke, and making it happen like magic. Your cheerful energy and sixth sense for guest needs made us feel like royalty (but with better cocktails!). • Maria Rosa – Thank you for your kindness, patience, and always being ready with a helpful answer and a warm smile. You made everything smoother and more enjoyable. Together, you two turned great service into something truly memorable. We felt so well cared for—and genuinely appreciated. Service - That Sparkled (and Folded!) Room service was prompt, courteous, and always on point—but one star shone extra bright: • Hayulis – You’re not just a housekeeping pro, you’re a towel origami artist! The adorable towel creatures you left in our room were so good, they practically needed their own Instagram account. (Seriously, one of them got more likes than my beach selfie. Rude, but fair.) • Staff across the resort were friendly and professional., and always ready with a smile. It felt like everyone was on a mission to make our stay unforgettable… and they succeeded! Final Thoughts This was our second stay at Royalton Cayo Santa Maria, and it won’t be our last. Despite Cuba’s economic challenges, the resort delivers a high-quality experience with charm, efficiency, and heart. Highly recommended for anyone looking to unwind, indulge, and maybe dance a little on the beach.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Back again

This was trip #6 for us to this resort and we are already thinking about our next one. Need to request a room with a bathtub. It's great when the pool is right outside your balcony. Great lobster dinner.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful resort

The resort is quite small which I like it. The services from butler’s, restaurants, bars, room attendants and beach personnel are amazing. They will do as much as they can to provide you and exceptional service.

The One Gallery Hotel: Beautiful Beach

We had a beautiful week of sunshine! My review will be based on our personal experience May 12-19th. Pros, Easy check in, nice rooms, food & drinks plentiful! The beach is absolutely beautiful! Our butler Roberto was very helpful, and reception was quick to solve any questions or problem, especially Beatrice. Cons, Public washrooms need better attention! Ridiculous line ups at lunch pizza station, some ordering 8 pizza's at a time. Same with morning egg station!...the problem was mostl [... read more]y with locals. The worst was the flies...so many flies in the lobby and food areas. Not sure if it was the time of year, but we've never seen anything like it..

Paradisus Los Cayos: I can’t wait to return! I miss the beach already

Can’t wait to go back! I had never gone to Cuba before I did not know what to expect. I wanted a beautiful beach. And knew the food would be ok. When we arrived we were upgraded and received concierge service. Our two concierges were amazing. Yasser and Ari. As they both were great. I found Ari exuded bright and positive energy. Made me feel I was part of her family. They make you feel welcome and show you around. Need anything they are there gave us their what’s app for easy communication G [... read more]ood: The beds and pillows. Wow. I must say I have never had that good of sleep in a hotel before usually takes a couple days to adjust. That was not needed Staff: all were so friendly and helpful we did have our favourites but all were amazing AMAZING: beach , water, and amazing options shade and beach experiences. They had all kinds of toys to borrow if you wanted activity there was yoga and dance etc. if you wanted rest there were so many options. The property was huge since we went in may at times we felt we had the resort to ourselves because there were so many options people spread out. I was wowed by the beauty of the clear water and white sand. Water was warm. I could have stayed there forever. Like all things there are things can be improved Food: knew was going to be limited but breakfast was always great. Snack bar pizzas were our go to lunch. Dinner was hit and miss. Did not find buffet great. My favorite was the Japanese restaurant. Some things need some updating but overall the resort is beautiful and well maintained. Maybe have a couple more bathrooms open Bus ride: it was long almost 2 hours but the remote location and beach more than made up for it Tips: Money; if Canadian. If tip coins offer to change back to bills for them. They can’t exchange the coins at bank. Also bring extra bills as staff appreciates if you can change coins they have Snacks: bring snacks maybe some peanut butter or easy to eat stuff to offset any times you need a little more I would recommend this hotel on the beach alone. I will be going back. Already planned which rooms we would like better and where on resort we want to stay!

Paradisus Los Cayos: Beautiful Resort But,

Upon arrival, the resort attempted to extort $250 from us for a swim-up room. However, we discovered that the swim-up pool is accessible to guests from the second and third floors. Throughout our stay, we were plagued by cockroaches, resulting in poor sleep and discomfort. Despite booking a room on the reserve side, we were denied access to a balcony bed, as advertised on the website. The bed sheets were never replaced, and the resort reused the same sheets. Furthermore, our daughter exper [... read more]ienced coughing fits due to the presence of mold in her room. The resort’s cleaning practices were inadequate, as they dumped dirty cleaning water into the swim-up pool. The resort lacks any entertainment options. We were forcibly removed from the disco after our daughter joined us, despite the fact that she was merely having fun dancing. After the shows, the resort appears to abandon its operations. I urge you to address these issues promptly to improve the quality of your services.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: We had an amazing time ☀️

We stayed at the is resort at the beginning of May 2025, the resort is beautiful but a little dated. Everything is clean and well maintained. All the employees work very try hard. Cuba as a country is in crisis and everyone is doing their best with what they have. When you arrive you will likely experience culture shock to some extent. Beach, ocean: The beach is beautiful, stunning, breathtaking. The white sand is soft, water sparkles in different shades of blue. Lots of fish and ocean [... read more] life accessible right from the beach, various sizes of alive conch. There is a shipwreck you can walk to. Lots of fish and coral by the rocks at Ensenachos beach. Take the catamaran from the small resort marina out into the reef for an hour of snorkeling, lots of live coral, starfish, sea urchins, colourful fish, turtles. The marina staff is super nice as well. Rooms, facilities: Everything is clean but dated, ac is in each room but might not be strong enough depending on individual preferences. Linen and towels were clean. Bathroom has a tub and shower. Expect some critters in your room (we had a gecko). Each room has a balcony. Daily cleaning service is very very good. Our bungalow was in the perfect location with a short walk to the beach, pool and kids water park, snack bar and swim up bar. Some shuttle service is available between the lobby, marina and big restaurant but we mostly walked. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained. The pool is clean. The kids water park is small and not all features are working but my kids had a great time. The kids club has limited hours and offers some activities and programs (I.e. mini chefs, yoga on the beach). There is a playground as well. There is lots of wildlife to see around the resort. Lizards, geckos, birds, crabs, hermit crabs, cats and kittens. Food: There is plenty of food available but most of the food is Cuban. We were very cautious with what we ate (hot food (rice, beans, some meats, some veggies), food fresh off the grill (omelette, chicken, fish, Cuban style pizza), freshly cut fruit (the mangoes are delicious) and pastries (muffins, cookies, small croissants)). Salt is available but you may want to bring ketchup and jam etc. We had some minor stomach troubles and most of the other travellers we spoke to had some sort of stomach troubles during their stay. Definitely bring gravol and pack lots of snacks if you are travelling with kids. You are not going to Cuba for the food. There is a 24 hr snack bar that also serves breakfast and lunch buffet style and is used as one of the restaurants for dinner. Lunch is served at the beach bar and was always fresh and hot. The large restaurant offers buffet for breakfast (lots of options), lunch and dinner. We did not eat at any of the restaurants, only buffet. There are flies at the buffet / restaurant. Also sometimes there are small biting insects in the evenings (bring big spray and afterbite). Drinks / water: You get 2 purified water bottles to your room each day (reusable glass bottles). This water felt safe to drink. Cold and hot drinks are available throughout the day, we were a little cautious of ice cubes. My kids loved the frozen lemonade. Welcome drinks are available at the evening buffet. Try to stay hydrated as much as you can. Cuban and British alcohol is available, I do not drink so don’t know the quality of the alcoholic drinks. Entertainment: The Michael Jackson show is a highlight, don't miss it. Theresa white party by the pool was the next most popular. Each night has an interactive kids show, the performers do their best to include everyone. Shows in the theatre feature different themes daily and performers are excellent and work very hard. Various entertainment throughout the day at the beach, the pool and the lobby. Things to keep in mind: Cubans are struggling, they have very little and live in conditions we cannot imagine. Anything you can bring for them (clothing, medical supplies etc.) is much appreciated. Tip if you can (USD or Canadian bills are preferred). Cubans make a basic salary, the tips really help them. Cubans work 6 out of 7 days and we saw many employees start work at 10am and work past midnight. Many depend on public transit and it takes them between 1 and 1.5 hours each way to get to and from work. Almost everyone speaks some English but it is nice to know some basics in Spanish. You can also download an offline translation app. We really enjoyed our stay ?☀️

Valentin Perla Blanca: Fantastic spot

Great beach , really good accommodations incredible staff, food was quite good , not amazing but very good, biggest disappointment was only 30-40 people there on our week but it did make for a very relaxing quiet week

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful resort, excellent service

We stayed at Dawa for a week in May. The service was excellent. The resort was beautiful. The grounds are amazing. The beach is beautiful. The pool was lovely. The negatives are there is zero animation, daytime, and nighttime. A couple shows here and there. We had very limited buffet in the morning. Lunch and supper were served in an à la carte restaurant. It had a small buffet. And the same three or four dishes offered at every meal. we would stay there for two weeks if the food was better as [... read more] in variety. It tasted fine. However, it got very boring at the end of the week. They ran out of white wine every day. There was no vodka most days, but everybody who worked there was lovely. The day we left there were many Cubans coming in for the Mother’s Day weekend, which was supposed to be a huge party. They had lots of vodka and lots of food, etc. available that weekend so that was a little disheartening because it wasn’t offered all week. I would not go back to Dawa only because of the very limited food choices with a resort just down the beach had had quite a few extras from what I’ve seen and heard. But loved loved loved the staff. Our cleaning lady Barbie. The pool bartender Hanny/Jorge. The beach bartender Mary. The beach lifeguard Pablo. They were all so amazing and many many many others were amazing in assisting us with our stay and making it wonderful.