Amazing Beach!!! Resort a disappointment.

This resort is huge. Looks nice ..but so understaffed. 1st the Good: The beach is AMAZING!! Best beach is in Santa Maria. Water / weather was beautiful. Never went to pool since beach was the place to be. We stayed in building 20. Poolside room. Ice cold a/c great maids there. Privilege booking is worth skipping the line for booking a la carte with the concierge, a la carte breakfast, the premium alcohol in the privilege lounge, free 30 minute massage and a quite tasty Privilege lobster dinner n [... read more]ite. However that was it. Beach privilege section/service @ beach was a joke!! To list the disappointments: check in for priority to privilege non existent. NO WATER after 3am..no communication about this EVER!! Gosh forbid you're sick needing to washroom. 1st hotel to have scolding hot showers. Lack of cold water???? Don't leave your room without a flashlight. Walkway lighting non existent in some areas of resort, someone lost their footing and broke a walkway planter. Whole week we were there ..Never saw grounds keeper to fix/tidy that up. 1st 3 nights the stench of raw sewage overflowing down the walkway on each side of huge resort Not a place to walk barefoot watching carts splash through. 4th day garbage stench. Seeing garbage on the ground the whole week @ theater. Floors were always mopped.. But what about wiping the disgusting railways at theater. Of all resorts this was best theater for space and airflow. More attention to washroom fresh ups/supplies in evening Needed. No bacon all week.. There was always something unavailable. Disappointing to hear @ a la cartes.. Dish unavailable due to it not being ready. Really???? 1 buffet open for such a large resort. Communication about the "renos" seemed to only have been disclosed to certain guests. Had we known we would've NOT stayed. Valentin has great potential however.. Just not enough staff to keep this. Having said all the cons we still stayed the week and never complained. Pretty disappointed @ the resort. Wouldn't wish this experience on anybody.

Was not what I expected

Check-in was very long. Within 2 hours of arriving I fell on a poorly lit walkway and damaged my knee and hands, I fell over what seemed to be supposedly a water fall from the main lobby down to the resort level that was not filled with water or lighting to suggest the hole (trough) was there. They had planters 4 feet apart so it looked like a walk-through, it kind of put a damper on the whole week as I became quite immobile and had to spend the whole week with my feet up at the pool, and  [... read more]after telling a few people, not one person had the decency to follow up with me at all to see how I was doing. I didn't really get a chance to explore the resort and had to stick around the one area closest to our building We were privilege guests, but at the time we checked in after 11 p.m. we had to check in with every one, the line ups were horrendous. Apparently there were 100 rooms being checked in that evening and no line ups for Privilege. We finally got our room and were hungry and had to go to the other side of the resort to the 24 hour snack restaurant and that is when I fell going past the main building. The lighting is sooooo bad, bring flashlights people. We did not get a chance to use any of our privilege perks as everything was on the other side. the A-la-cartes for Breakfast and lunch and the privilege lounge. Besides that the food was tasty but very lacking on some items, We did not see any Bacon, Ham or Sausage the entire week we were there. No Toast! No White wine some nights, and many items on the menus. We were at this resort 4 years ago, and I do not remember it being so lacking. It has the potential to be a 5 star, but Management really has to get involved. We asked for a coffee maker which we got, but could never get any coffee for it, the privilege lounge concierge gave us some ground coffee from the coffee restaurant in a plastic bag, which did last the week, but we never did get any cups which I asked for numerous times. Thank Goodness we brought our own coffee cups. Out of the 7 days we were there, the coffee machine was cleaned only once. Only exchange money that you need, cause they will make you exchange it back before you leave Cuba Would I recommend the resort as it sits now? No absolutely not, but maybe I am a little bitter because of my fall and how my vacation was ruined 2 hours in, but if you don't care about not having alot of stock then you should be fine. Hopefully things will resolve themselves.

Valentin Perla Blanca - Mediocre Resort

Day to day cleanliness was good, staff was very friendly. Food was passable, lots of pork, fish and french fries served. Resort needs a lot of structural work and general maintenance. Resort was 1h 45m away from the closest airport.

Great Resort

Hotel was good, beach was great. Lots of pools, chairs, etc. Food was good, buffet was hit or miss, always seemed to be busy, all the snack shacks and a la carte restaurants were great. Hotel is getting a little run down, nothing serious just general upkeep. Staff were great, rooms and resort were clean. Shows were good, beach party was fun.

Mostly trash

Room and resort were not very clean, food was awful mostly pork and overcooked vegetables, bar staff were unfriendly but restaurant and cleaning staff were great, very loud all hours of the day into the night, my sink leaked and toilet broke 2 days in and they were slow to fix, would never recommend to anybody

Spacious Resort

Friendly staff. Plenty of beach to wander and find your own piece of paradise. We really enjoyed our meals at the French a la carte Oh La La! Our basic Garden View room was very spacious. The food was simple, but varied enough that we were never bored of it.

Very good resort

My wife and I had a great time when the weather allowed.The food was good about 75% of the time. A couple disappointments - I called for maintenance service twice and the front desk said they would send someone but no one came, I had to fix one problem myself. Other than that everything else was great.

Terrible resort

Right from the start it was terrible. We arrived late and the rooms were not ready. After 2 hours we finally demanded a room. The room was sufficient but no privacy as the bathroom had a glass wall that you could see everything that went on in it. We go to the snack bar hoping for a bite and was told they had no bread or buns so I had a hamburg patty. The buffet was very bad as the lines were long and very slow moving. We were told that we could change our beach towels every day. That did [... read more]n't happen as every time I went to change them no one was there. We also only got 1 change of bath towels the whole week. By the time we left they had a problem with their waste system and there was raw sewage draining from the sewer.

Very Disappointing

Hotel rooms good.....Food or lack there of was ridiculous! Privlege package was good that gave priority check in and the seperate lounge area was a plus but their concierge response left a lot to be desired with the issues we did have. Would not recommend this resort to anyone.

NICE RESOTR

This hotel is nice modearn one ,the garden is awesome . GROUNDS and public is very take care .Rooms was cleane every day. Service withe dining was good ,food need more variety some area .People working are great...very helpfull...thanks them for that .WE thinking back at the features.

Needs Some Work on Ameneties

I want to start by saying that the resort staff are a 10 out of 10, they were fantastic to speak to and get service. This said, I do have some negative things that occurred during our stay Jan 10-17; we had our water turned off nightly in our room and the last 2 nights had our toilet water turned off. There was no soap in the public toilets and the hand dryer was only working in the main lobby ladies washroom. We encountered no toilet paper in the public toilets, but twice had it in the main l [... read more]obby washroom. We came prepared and brought our own, but what about those that are not aware of this inconvenience? The beach was beautiful and there was someone there helping to place our loungers for us, which was very much appreciated. The pool and main lobby area was two of the best places I've seen in hotels anywhere. The multi-level pools were awesome, something for everyone which included shade areas with trees and wooden shade structures. We only saw the towel guy one day and he was opened for about 2 hours. The bartenders were knowledgeable and made the drinks as you wanted them i.e. more or less rum. There was a problem with ripped balcony screens in the room which caused a frog and gecko to be in our room at night...caught and released outside by us...ugh. There were black spots on our décor cushions and the bed pillows smelled terrible (mildew). The bus ride to the hotel and back to the airport were good, water and beer could be purchased but be prepared as there are no washrooms on the bus, but he will stop to allow passengers to go into the bush as needed. The food was edible, the last few days was terrible with limited choices and very long lineups for food. We attended the specialty restaurants 4 times and was very disappointed every time i.e. food overcooked and salty, charred hot dog buns for bread in the French Restaurant, no white wine at all in the resort (unless you want to pay $$ for it). We did hear on the last day that there was a fuel shortage in Cuba and that there were limited transportation trucks delivering food. The outdoor lighting at night was hard to see, I would suggest bringing a flashlight as some lightbulbs are out. Some of the lights in the room are also needing replaced. One of the disability bathrooms were screwed shut and the other one had a floor to ceiling window beside the toilet...no privacy in that one. There are long lineups for exchanging money and each transaction took quite a long time. The main lobby entertainment was very very good and could be loud at times but worth it. Overall.... I would not stay in this resort unless they have the food/fuel situation rectified. It appears that other hotels had great food i.e. hamburgers, pizza...we had it on the menu but not available to order. As I said in the beginning....great service staff.....

Breath-taking resort

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

Very nice resort

Everything was on par to our expectations.Staff are the best.Rooms were clean.Food good for Cuba . Bartenders were always there.Shows and live music was also very good.Hotel was secluded for privacy.Gardens were well groomed.

Excellent time

We stayed at the Valentin from Dec 15 -25. This was my 5th stay and the 3rd for my brother. This resort again did not disappoint! The grounds are immaculately kept and flowers were in full bloom. Our rooms were cleaned to perfection each day and were done by 2pm. Alyis and Yorlado in the Privilege Club took care of any questions or concerns that we had. They were amazing we thank you! We were notified days before our departure that there would be construction going on and that 1/2 the resor [... read more]t would be closed and the evening shows would be held in the lobby. Aside from the acoustics being poor for the music in the lobby and it being on the loud side it was fine and you never heard any construction at all. The Christmas Eve show with a full orchestra was absolutely amazing and so well done! Bravo! Parts of the resort is starting to show a little age but they are maintaining and fixing bit by bit. Now for the food, as you all know with the embargo things are hard to get in Cuba. If you think your going to get a huge variety of food each and every day, each and evey meal at any resort then your kidding yourself. I do not eat any red meats at all and have many food restrictions and I never went away hungry. There is a lack of salads and some fresh vegetables on certain days. They make do with what they have and most certainly have very talented chefs. In your specialized restaurants if they did not have one of the dishes on the menu that particular night the gave you a choice of a differsnt dish. I suggest you take advantage of the restaurants these meals were awesome and beautifully done. The lobster/beef dinner for the privilege club was delicious as usual and the get together for repeat customers was very enjoyable again hats off to the chef!!

Had a nice relaxing time

Grounds and gardens were well kept. The walkways at night are very dark as many lights were not working so take a flashlight or your phone to be able to see. The resort was very clean. Beds were fairly comfortable could use better pillows and food was better than I had expected. Ocean is stunning. Food on the beach is amazing. The staff are great and very happy and helpful. Service was great. I was surprised to see that we had drink service around the pool. There were plenty of chairs poolside a [... read more]nd on the beach. They will even bring you cushions for your chairs if you ask. We gave the staff a couple pasos each day for the cushions for the chairs. We would recommend this resort.

It is ok , 3 star rate

Reception area - good Bar service - excellent Room service- not good ( towel quality so bad, we had to keep asking for water bottle, we had a all inclusive package but they provide only shampoo and shower gel. No conditioner or body lotion. No facial tissue box.No free wi fi) Restaurant-always something out of stock For two days no tea French fry was provided but no ketchup Pizza- never got , always one answer-sorry we don’t have Main problem so many mosquitoes

Beautiful resort!

The hotel was very clean and welcoming. Good service, staff very friendly and helpful. The pool was very clean. Rooms are big! Food was ok! The snack bar was good! The drinks we’re good! Would go back!

Need a Re Do!!

Hard to review this hotel as second night there I broke my ankle, and was unable to see the beach nor swim in the ocean nor pool, nor engage in any of the daily activities. My daily activities were simply reading by the snack bar/pool until evening where I enjoyed the entertainment in the lobby from the comfort of my rickety old wheelchair ! I will absolutely go back with two healthy working legs next year and will provide a more thorough review at that time. I can say however that the food w [... read more]as very good at the A la cartes, and the entertainment was excellent!

Fourth time visiting!! Dec 7-14 2019

My boyfriend and I traveled to Valentin for the first time in April 2018. Weve been back 3 more times since then! This hotel is BEAUTIFUL and the pools are gorgeous and clean! One side of the resort is considered the "quiet" side where there aren't many activities and no loud music. Beautiful relaxing pool on this side, with a great bartenders, Ariel and Yoel (also sometimes at the beach bar) The other side of the resort is considered the "party" side, where they do activities by the pool in the [... read more] afternoon and play music all day! It's a riot. So whether you're looking to go relax OR party, you can do either at this resort and that's why we love it. The party pool bartenders Amauri and Dunier are the BEST. They are honestly the reason my boyfriend and I return to this hotel, we have grown so close with them and consider them family. The staff at this hotel go above and beyond to make your vacation the best possible. Calixto in the buffet and Roli in the privilege lounge were also amazing and have become great friends. The beach at this resort is absolutely stunning.....if you're a beach bum, this hotel is 100% for you. The staff at the beach were obviously amazing too, Freddie and Daniel at the beach bar, amazing guys! The food has improved quite a bit since our last visits, some of the best food in Cuba! The worst thing I could say about this resort is that its almost a 2 hour ride from the airport. But lots of cold drinks on the bus! And you get to see the beautiful Cuban towns. We will be returning for a fifth time :)

Paradise found!

We have just returned from our 5th vacation at Valentin Perla Blanca ... we were married on the beach during our 3rd stay, and then returned with our adult children (27 &25, who also fell in love with this resort and want to return), and have spent the past 2 weeks for our anniversary. With the only natural sand beach remaining in Santa Maria after hurricane Irma, the beach is by far above the highest expectations! The hotel is well kept with noticable ongoing maintenance, which leads to improve [... read more]ments seen with each return visit. The à la carte restaurants have very appealing and tasty choices, and the buffet is vast with something for even the pickiest of eaters. The amazing entertainment crew shine with a barrage of activities throughout the day and night. By far, however, it is the staff at this resort that keep us coming back. The beautiful friendships we have made will continue to keep us coming back. TRUST ME ... THIS TRULY IS PARADISE FOUND 🇨🇺❤