Nice resort, terrible food

Very nice resort, somewhat nice staff with terrible food. The majority of the staff were excellent very helpful and willing to go above and beyond. There were some instances where some of the waitresses made me feel like I was being a hassle for just ordering chicken wings from the snack bar. The food at the buffet was not good at all very plain, some nights there was some good dishes like egg rolls other nights it felt like they just used whatever they had and made bizarre dishes like rice with [... read more] beef and fried eggs ontop. The resort grounds weren't really maintained that well uncut grass with weeds. The main lobby bar was always stocked and ready, the pool is missing tiles in some areas by the bar in the main pool area and the pool drop off area. I would give this resort 2.5 stars it's definetely not a 4 star if your looking to go to Cayo Santa Maria do yourself a favour don't stay at Valentin perla Blanca stay at the Royalton.

Great time at Valentin Perla Blanca Paradisio

Ate at all resturants and they were very good; buffet had good selection and had sushi station; pasta station; meat grill; fish grill and all were very good. Some workmanship issues in the rooms and the pools but hopefully now it is the slow season; they will get those things fixed up before winter. We always had water, power; clean sheets & towels; never any issues with getting a pool spot or beach spot as the resort was not full. Could see some shade issues if the resort was fuller; so not sur [... read more]e how it would be in the busy season. The water was blue & crystal clear with a beautiful white sand beach; not a wide beach; but very long and beautiful. Always someone there to get you a beach chair and to sweep off the chairs. Staff were very friendly and happy; no issues with them at all. All in all had a fantastic vacation and really enjoyed the resort and would recommend it to anyone.

Overall Great Resort!

Found this resort to be in great condition with beautiful surrounding beaches. We were there from May 17 - 22nd during their low season. Service was great, we left tips daily, had our towels refreshed once, but not a concern as our stay was short and towels were air dried in time for next use. Bedding was changed upon request. Food was great, found some items (lobster dishes and calamari dishes) on the menus to not be available and thought perhaps a seasonal subsection on the menu would be the b [... read more]est way to avoid disappointment for guests looking forward to a particular meal. Staff was awesome, friendly and accommodating. Not a great selection in their very small gift shop, but just mins away by taxi to local outdoor shopping area with great eats (10 pesos for taxi each way). Unable to partake in excursions due to timing and not enough participating bodies to warrant chosen excursions - took the time to explore the expansive grounds, beaches and countless pools :).

Pleasantly surprised!

Better than expected because of some negative reviews. It was a nice resort, clean room, beautiful beach, nice pool, excellent staffs and food is what I expected it to be. Only concern is the mosquitoes so be prepared. Of course there are still room to improve as this is a new resort but nothing major complaints. Thank you Valentin and hope to visit you again soon.

Beautiful rooms and ocean was amazing

The grounds were still being worked on but still nice resort rooms very nice beaches are beautiful staff were very friendly and helpful always got what we wanted in mini bar just left note and peso no problem getting peso at resort Michael Jackson show was great it was my first time in Cuba and would go back

Amazing resort

Very good. rooms are exellent, food its Cuba. A la cart were very good.Service was exellent. Very beautiful Hotel. The bad comments on trip advisor were way off. Would go back there in a flash. Me and my wife realy enjoyed the week. Dont forget you are there to relax.

Nice resort

The grounds are coming along and the gardeners are doing an amazing job. The beach is its crown jewel. Absolutely beautiful. The staff were friendly and hard working. However, I found the front desk staff lacking. Your front line staff should be better informed and have the best communication skills. This was not always the case. The Sunwing rep and the Privilege Concierge were the most helpful. The resort must monitor the Privilege section better as many non Privilege patrons were taking those  [... read more]spots. That was frustrating for those who paid extra for the upgrades. More shade is needed especially on the beach. The food was inconsistent. Some hits and misses in the same meal. The beach bar restaurant never had some of the items on the menu. A better idea would be to make this place a buffet with a grilling section. The food preparation needs improvement. Also, the the dishes were not always very clean. This really needs to be address. Also, the water issue for this whole area needs to be addressed and fixed. It is frustrating not to have water to shower after a day at the beach. I still would recommend this resort because of the beach but with some reservation due to the problems mentioned.

Amazing Beach-Wonderful People

I spent a glorious 2 weeks at this resort. The staff there were awesome- especially when you consider that they had to deal with food shortages, water stoppage and even a short power outage. The buffet outclassed the A la Carte restos-except for the French a la carte and the Priviledge seafood dinner! The location and staff made up for any glitches.

Needs Work

This hotel needs new management. There was a shortage of everything( beer ,beach towels, bed linens, table napkins ) and very few activities at poolside or at the beach. The staff did everything they could to make up for these short comings but they had very little to work with.The beach bar was inadequate and the closest washroom to the beach was my own room. There was a great masseuse down by the beach, but he was the only highlight of the trip.

Fabulous Resort With Issues

Great new property, wonderful staff and breathtaking beach! This resort has all the potential to be a 5 star resort, however, it needs management to step up its game. The staff work hard to make up for the deficiencies, and often bear the brunt of guest frustration. The food is okay, if you can get it before the hotel runs out of it, same with water and money at the bank. A little planning would fix most issues. OverLl, we enjoyed our week.

Lots of Potential

The service at the Hotel was great,cubains dont have much to give but alot to offer ! The grounds need to mature to get better ( Grass and Flowers) . Food is OK,but if you are picky you might be disapointed. Rooms are spacious with original design,which d'osent give you the impression of being in CUBA when your in your room. The Beach area and the ocean is simply amazing,one of the best ive seen. If you take previlage you will be sure to have a Pallapas (Shade),if not you better get up early in [... read more] the morning.The week i was there (April 16 to 23) they received mucho chairs for the beach and pools,so there is no probleme getting chairs. There is Lots of Potential at this resort,the next few years will reveal if the administration is serious about making this resort a 5 Star Resort.

Nice Hotel and Grounds

We initially booked at the Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso,and after the ratings became more and more negative we changed over to the Playa Cayo Santa Maria.This Hotel was clean and beautiful, but the buffet food was either cold and not fresh. The lineups for cooked food were impossibly long. At times they had run out water ,ice, drinkmixes, straws.and hydro.Only a small percentage of the staff were helpful and friendly.We have vacationed at the Blau in Varadero for many years now and this has bee [... read more]n an altogether dissapointing expierience.

Beautiful resort with problems

problems- inconsistent water supply for showers etc - need more shade on beach and less loud music - food poor quality even for Cuba - bank never open to exchange money pros- resort is beautiful, rooms very nice, good maid service, good service in restaurants and bars, bar service on beach, fabulous nightly entertainment in lobby area, beautiful and long beach, clean and quiet pool on sunwing side

Enjoyable

Rooms very nice, grounds were not finished and very dry and brown. Staff very friendly, beautiful beach, lovely pools, great entertainment. Food was not that great but the Italian restaurant was excellent.

A fine Cuban resort

This resort is very good, the beach is pristine, the service is good, the rooms are very clean with new mattress. The food is a little sub-standard, but this is Cuba. Great value. I did not enjoy the hr. and a half bus rides to the airport and back.I would go back there just for the beautiful beach.

Huge resort

the grounds were nice, except for the newer part, still too new and not well landscaped. The territory is very large, a lot of buildings. I booked for Paraiso, but everybody kept telling me it is the same resort. There was "priviledged" part everywhere - nobody offered me to buy it. Food was OK for Cuba, but about the same every day. Staff was not always friendly or helpful - some of them explained it by the resort being so huge - 1000 in low season. It is pretty noisy in the afternoons - forget [... read more] about that siesta - the pool area is in the middle and there is always some miced activity there. I asked to be transferred to a quieter part, there was a very nice manager that day, who gave me a great room overlooking the wilderness, but one could still hear the activities in the pool. Prepare to walk a lot to get food or anything. The beach is great, you can walk for long distances. Not enough umbrellas for the shade for some reason - no umbrellas, just a few coverings, tented areas for 8 chairs or so. Hard to find a spot there. Rooms are new and clean but the stuff has strange ideas about cleaning - only the floor. The clean in the afternoon, when it is the hottest and ppl want to stay in the rooms, I felt, hoping to hear - don't clean - which I said a few times.

Discusting

Do you want to get up at 6 am to get a beach chair? Do you want cross contaminated food? Do you want confusion at the buffet? Do you want to see chicken in a wheel barrel in the sun? Do you want to drink bad rose wine? Do you want your waiter to first list the dishes that are unavailable first? Do you want to be eaten alive by the flies? Do you want the lowest quality of branded drinks? Do you want a contaminated pool? If so try the joint out. My suggestion to Sunwing is to jump ship or throw ma [... read more]nagement out the swinging doors.

It was fine, we had a good time.

The Hotel was fine, it is new, the grounds could be better but it is a new resort, the service was under staff, they would need more staff. In the morning the Breakfast we had to clean our table and go get utensils ourself.

Not as bad as reviews described

Check in was quick and efficient, we had booked privilege and were taken to a separate area for check in and at the same time booked our a la cartes as well had the opportunity to book our complimentary massages. Room was clean and beach towels were in room. Only comment about the room was that the towels were not changed all week, I don't expect fresh towels daily but at least once or twice would have been appreciated. Beach towels were not changed either. The food was good, buffet and a la car [... read more]tes. Long lines at service stations but I didn't mind waiting for the delicious items. Evening entertainment in the lobby was great every night, and don't miss the Michael Jackson show. Major suggestion to the hotel would be to obtain a lot more beach and pool chairs. When you pay for an all inclusive you expect to be able to get a chair at the beach or pool. Shouldn't have to get up at 6:30 am to reserve a beach chair and not much later for a pool chair. Even when you do set an alarm to get to the beach early, chairs will be probably taken when you go up for breakfast, very rude of fellow travellers. Some people would take pool chairs in the evening and put them on their balconies to ensure they would have a chair the next day. Beach bar did have no beer for a few days and the lobby bars ran out of white wine a couple of nights. Did have a fun time with our friends but probably would not return to this property.

Pretty good....but short staff and food issues

Pretty good vacation! Beach is amazing!! Pool was great on the Sunwing side. The resort needs more staff and more food (ran out of certain foods). Buffet is ok. Entertainment was very good....in the lobby and the theatre!