5 stars for sure

You always hear how you just go to Cuba for the beaches and Mexico for the food but honestly this resort is well worth it and is the exception. The beach was the most incredible of any Cuban resort we’ve been to, miles of white sand. And the food was better than any other 5 star Cuban resort we’ve been to pre pandemic which is really saying a lot right now because there’s a massive shortages in Cuba and all over the world. Loved the beach front bbq with good meats, rice with lots of spices [... read more] and the desserts and pastries were to die for and I usually don’t like them at other places. Oh and the fire roasted oven pizzas and the fact that the snack bar was open 24/7 but is actually good. Also they spared no expense on decor- I noticed because I’m into design and the mid century vibes were extremely modern and luxury/expensive. You can tell they really paid attention to all aspects of the resort and what people want. The Cuban staff are so so so sweet, as always. Wonderful amazing people.

Great Resort!

Beautiful location, clean, peaceful, I really enjoy it. The people who was there representing the Resort make everything amazing with their customer service, the food wasn't good enough but this people with their dedication profesionalism make up my vacations there...BIG YES! TO THEM!This are the persons who making this a great time in Cuba specifically at this resort: Dayana loby bar Yuliesker cigar bar Miguel spa Luis Miguel snach Jannette bar Dayana Beatriz torned Alejandro [... read more] respcion Yasniel Daniel very professionals willing to assist all the time Ismael migrado Jessica Keylin Orlando perez Daya. To all of them THANKS Iever had a great time like this! See you son!

Super

El lugar completo es increíble , limpio, muy organizado El l personal que trabaja en el lugar es súper amable y muy dedicados Dayana loby bar Yuliesker cigar bar Miguel spa Luis Miguel snach Jannette bar Dayana Beatriz torned Alejandro reception Yasniel Daniel Ismael migrado Jessica Keylin Orlando perez Daya

Beautiful resort!

The resort itself was beautiful, not too many activities so keep that in mind. I would say the service was decent, most employees were nice and welcoming. Though as a queer identifying person there were times I was by the beach bar and I would spot the workers snickering and laughing at me so it wasn’t the most comfortable and welcoming.

Nice brand New Modern Resort with free wifi, also pool and beach drink service

We stayed for a week in May/ 22 , had a Oceanview room , Best room we ever had in Cuba with with King bed, plus couch , table & 2 chairs, whirlpool tub & Separte standup shower. However If I would go again though, I would go for a ground level swim up room. Beach is pure white soft sand with no other resorts open on this separate Island, great for long beach walks. Resort workers are all freindly but there is some with very limited English language. Neagtives: Really small resort. The res [... read more]ort was only about 25% full. Food is ok, but we ate at the same restaurant almost everyday for our 3 meals a day. Food got to be reptitive but it was good and fresh.The beach bbq did not happen, Two of of the Ala Carte’s did not open. Remote location. It is a 1 hour drive from CayoCoco. No off resort Excursions available the whole week. This resort is so remote and new they don’t offer excursions at all except for once per week Catamaran snorkeling, except ours was canceled due to not enough people.So expect to stay the whole week on the resort. It is a really quiet resort , you could sleep or read at the pool or beach with no loud Cuban party music playing at all except on the Thursday Cuban Day. So It is great if you just want to rest and relax but can get to be boring if you need more excitement.

Lovely time

We enjoyed our time at the Esmeralda, the staff was lovely, they made a cake for my husband’s birthday and we’re so very kind and helpful. There were a few small issues that were quickly resolved. We enjoyed our Cuban night meal the most. The food was lovely, despite the challenges of supplies. I wouldn’t rate this as a North American 5 star but a solid 3.5which was lovely.

Great resort

Enjoyed our stay here. Rooms were lovely. Beach was soft white and went on forever. Staff was fabulous. Food was good for Cuba. Pastries were fantastic. Cigar lounge was fun. All in all a great trip. (tends to be windy here so be prepared)

Great resort!

Small beautiful resort ! Very nice beach . Impressive team from the gardener, servers up to general manager ( I met her at 6 am on the beach organizing beach chairs supplies when the hotel was full occupied) Excellent food and patisserie. I would return in a heartbeat!

Not quite 5-star yet!

In terms of Covid, there were no issues and we were quite impressed that all staff, even the gardner working on his own, was masked at all times. They were more strict than we are in Ontario. In terms of the resort, being brand new, everything was nice and shiny but some construction mistakes or issues were seen after a bit of rain (flooding). Heard of some water problems and plumbing problems in some rooms, but we had none. Pool was disappointing as it grew algae every day and was very [... read more] small. The beach was typical for Cuba and why we go there, but was very unkept for a 5-star. Seaweed was raked but left in big piles you had to jump over to get to the ocean. Food was very good but the same every day and no fruit, shrimp, lobster, or black tea.

Best Resort In All Of Cuba

The room was immaculate and everything was brand new. Our swim up room was lovely and the service was excellent. Our pool attendant would come over and move our umbrella to maximize the shade on our deck for us. The a la carte restaurants were great and the buffet had a small but great selection. The wine wasn't great at the start of the week but they got a new shipment midweek and it was significantly better. The grounds were very clean and safe. The snack bar had hand made pizzas to order that [... read more] were great. The staff were friendly and helpful. The only two things I would say negative about our experience is that the resort is an a hour and fifteen minutes from the airport and there is nothing around it and it might be helpful to download google translate or know some basic Spanish as most staff spoke very little English so it made it more difficult to communicate. The beach had beautiful white sand and brilliant turquoise water. We really enjoyed our stay. Jason the chef at the beach BBQ was amazing it was a nice touch so you did not have to walk up to the resort for lunch.

Amazing Hotel and Staff

Amazing week!!! This resort was all and more than we could have wished for. We arrived April 8th to the 15th . The staff here are the best. The beach is awesome...like no other. The food was made right in front of you and they do a great job. Omelette, bacon and fresh homemade bread every morning. We were first met by Ariel Morales who could not do enough for us ❤from taking us to our beautiful room, to show us a beautiful evening sunset , to checking in on us every day and our splendid engl [... read more]ish conversations daily. We miss you already our friend. Dayanelis Coria Pardillo is beautiful. She is the entertainment and is fabulous at her job. She works very hard to get us visitors involved in the activities. Ismael Morgafo at the buffet goes above and beyond to help you out. He is very humble. Lali and Alfredo Manuel Sanchez Barroso will keep your Spanish coffee coming. They take real pride in their job. Freddie in maintenance..if you get the pleasure to meet him it will make you smile. These are just a few of staff that we had the pleasure to spend time with. Thank you all for all you do. And we can't forget Joseph...the entertainer. You are very talented my friend. We can't go without saying how amazing all the staff is at this resort. It was also a bonus treat to meet our fellow Nova Scotians on vacation. Thanks to all for a very relaxing and much needed vacation at this beautiful resort. If anyone is heading there soon Ariel could really use an agenda book (daily planner book) and pens. All supplies are greatly appreciated.

New Resort with marvelous Beach!

The hotel has very friendly and helpful staff. The beach surrounding the hotel stretches along the coastline in both directions. The rooms are very spacious, I had the junior suite and it had a large bath area, with separate tub and shower, two double beds, table/2chairs, comfy chair and ottoman, small deck facing ocean. There are 3 specialty restaurants, all good. Buffet restaurant and a 24 hr snack bar with great pizzas anytime, and good lattes. Two pool areas line the accommodations with ea [... read more]sy access and comfy pool chairs/umbrellas.

Great Spot

We just came back from a week's vacation at this new resort. The rooms were spacious, very comfortable and well appointed. This resort is a great size if you're looking for an adults only quiet vacation on a small resort. The layout is perfect with all buildings within a short stroll to each other and to the beach. Most of the staff are quite young and are still learning some of the intricacies of the hospitality industry but are VERY polite and eager to please. They all wear masks and still pr [... read more]actice sound COVID protocols. We enjoyed the food and all the a-la-carte restaurants. We're already talking of a return trip.

Great resort

hotel was great grounds well maintained and room accommodations excellent, as were the pools. dining was typical cuban cuisine ...amazing staff. would recommend this property for total rest and relaxation.

Great vacation spot, lovely, warm people

We had a great stay here! it’s a small resort but very new and kept super clean - the beds and pillows are very comfy, and the rooms are giant compared to other resorts, which is actually a nice luxury should you want some time away from the sun. Wifi was available across the entire resort, and we even got a bar of signal on the beach - great if you’d like to stream some beach music Entertainment staff was nice and tried to get the party started, but given the size of the resort and  [... read more]the general demographic, the shows would start at 9:30pm and end by 10:30, so there’s no disco after. Lobby bar open 24/7. Food was really good considering it’s Cuba, and the buffet > a la carte restaurants, but it was nice to get a change of scenery. Beach has the softest white sand and the water is great, and they rake the seaweed on the beach. Honestly, The sea weed is not a big deal IMHO. Service was lovely and the staff was attentive - bring a couple of books and some games and you have a proper vacation ahead of you!

Iberostar needs to address supply issues

This hotel is brand new and very nice to look at. Rooms are lovely and the beach is great if you want to walk a long way. However, we encountered significant supply issues while we were there at the end of February. We were told on arrival we couldn't drink the water and yet there was not drinking water provided in the room and this problem persisted throughout our stay. Our room also had a half roll of bathroom tissue and this again was very difficult to get stocked, There were nice dispe [... read more]nsers for soap shampoo etc, but these were empty. Our room was finally stocked properly five days after we arrived (presumably when a shipment came in). I'm all for Iberostar trying to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles and this is a great initiative on their part, however the fact remains that guests do need access to the basics, including clean drinking water and they need to sort out how this will be achieved.

Wonderful all around!

Simply delightful all around. No complaints. Magnificent beach, resort, food and service. Strongly recommend. It’s a resort to relax. The staff were wonderful at all times. It’s all new and in good condition.

Wonderful Getaway!

This brand new, small, adults only hotel (opened Dec. 2021) is beautiful. The whole resort is made up of only 7 buildings containing 18 rooms each. The rooms are modern and spacious, beds are very comfortable and bathrooms are huge with a separate tub and large glass shower. Daily housekeeping was great and our room was always clean. For the difference in price, we recommend booking the ground floor swim up units as you get your own pool chairs and umbrellas while the other l seating and umbrell [... read more]as around the pools can be limited and the sun is very hot in the afternoons. However, the second floor ocean view rooms are also lovely and quieter as they face the back and ocean. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and will only get better as the plants grow and mature. The main buffet has a good variety of food at every meal and the service is always wonderful. There was only one of the three a la carte restaurant operating during our stay, alternating between the a la carte restaurant menus on different nights. This meant that we could only get 1 a la carte reservation during our week stay. Hopefully this will change as things continue to open up. While the food was good, with many options available, and you will never go hungry, do not expect the 5 star food creations you might be used to at resorts in other destinations. The snack bar is open 24/7 and you can get room service from their menu, comprised mostly of Americanized options such as burgers, pizzas and fried chicken. The cigar bar, although nice and staffed with the most wonderful people, did not yet have cigars (due to Covid and licensing delays). We wished this had been clear as we would have brought cigars with us. There is no where to buy cigars close to this resort. The daily/nightly entertainment team is wonderful and will motivate you to participate in dance lessons, bingo and trivia. The massages are well priced and very good, and the benefit with booking a massage is the ability to also stay at the spa for the day and use the jetted tub, sauna and steam room. The spa area can also be booked (free) for a private 2 hour period. The beaches in Cuba are stunning and this one is no exception. Different shades of blue in every direction. There are a good number of beach chairs and palapas available but if the resort is full, you may be stuck without a palapa. There is a beach bar and you can have drinks brought right to your chair. On calm days, they also offer free catamaran rides. The best kept secret of this beach is a small secret beach and lagoon! If you walk to the right, all the way to the end, you will reach the point where the ocean meets a lagoon with sandbars (when low tide). Depending on the tide, you may have to walk and climb on rock and it is imperative to bring foot wear and be solid on your feet in order to get there. The lagoon offers a shallow area where you can see, feed, swim and snorkel with various fish and crabs. We did not attempt to swim to the sandbar as the currents appeared strong and we did not have any life vests and are not the strongest swimmers. Must also keep in mind that this is far from the resort and no ability to get help/warn anyone if anything happens. It is however worth the trek there, even just to view it! We really enjoyed our week at this resort and feel it will only improve the longer they are open. If you are looking for a calm and relaxing vacation, this is a great option. It is a very secluded area and currently the only resort open in that area for the time being (others being built).