Brisas Guardalavaca: Our Experience at Brisas

Not impressed with the level of service at reception. Seem to go about their business and don’t look up to greet you and you wait for 10 minutes while they chat with one another. Our room was not ready upon our arrival. Took over an hour and a half before we finally got it. Wow, paid for VIP too! So they knew we were coming. When booking a la Carts...the guy is sneaky. Originally he told us we were to get two dinners. I booked two. He said only 8:30 pm available! Next day receiv [... read more]ed a lobster 🦞 invite dinner invitation, booked for 6:30 pm. In speaking with others who had the VIP and same wrist band we should have received 3 plus the lobster dinner. We found out at the end of our trip but in enough time to capitalize on the third dinner. Went back to book and he said sorry nothing available. Funny, you get manager involved and suddenly his tone changed and we had choices of four different times! The service at the beach restaurant is amazing! Thank you Yasmin for making our week a special one. Beach was awesome and weather was hot and sunny all week! The only real thing I noticed was the Cubans that come and stay on the resort certainly got better food given to them and full service versus someone who paid VIP. Lastly, don’t expect your fridge stocked after initial day...everything is about the almighty dollar. Not keen on the resort. Playa Pesquero it is for us if we return to Cuba.

Playa Costa Verde: Beautiful beach, but a few things declining at the resort

This is our 2nd year in a row at the resort. The staff are great (we really liked Marcel-trainee, who worked the lounge in the evening). However, there seemed to be some food shortages.....no pasta, hit and miss with French fries at the 24 hour, 2nd toaster at the buffet broken for a number of days creating long line to for toast at breakfast, no soya sauce or garlic for a few days (the rice stir fry for lunch is great......as long as there is garlic and soya sauce). It seemed like there was [... read more] limited fresh fruit also. I would suggest they focus on improving the buffet.. (the Japanese a la cart is WONDERFUL).

Playa Pesquero: Amazing resort !!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best resort I've ever been in Cuba !!! Was officially opened by Fidel Castro in 2003. Awarded for excellency. There is a wall with all displayed awards. Service was beyond my expectations. The entire staff was extremely friendly, making sure that each and every guest is happy and taken care of. Food was excellent by all means!!! Lobster was served at each restaurant at no extra charge, not to mention it's preparation and presentation right in front of you. On fire!!! Employees a [... read more]re working very hard to keep this resort clean and unique. The long beach is sandy and beautiful. The design of landscape is beyond and above perfection. Huge pool is designed in a way that every day you feel like you are at different resort. You don't feel crowded at all. I recommend to take a private trip to discover best of historical Holguin by iconic taxis from 60th. Ernesto is a professional tour guide and will take you with his driver Lois to the heart of the city where you will learn a lot about Cuban history from it's discovery... very interesting and breathtaking ! Playa Pesquero is a true PARADISE ON EARTH !!! It is a perfect and affordable resort for families with children, couples, singles, groups of friends, cigar fricks, cappuccino lovers etc. There is everything for everyone!!! If you try once - you will be a returning tourist like myself and my husband. Just go there and you won't regret !

Paradisus Rio De Oro: nice resort

the resort required repair do to the age ! and poor maitenance over the years. they should not charge for lobster dinner! the lobster is local the carabian. the internet should be open ! no password required.

Playa Pesquero: Huge Resort

Everything about this resort is good or excellent except the food. The Seafood a la carte restaurant we didn't enjoy, but the Italian was very good. This is a huge resort so only book if you like to walk. The beach was fabulous, and the pools very nice. The entertainer at the pool was way too loud, you could hear her calling out the bingo numbers at the far end of the beach, near the new resort. There was no where to enjoy some peace and quiet while she was on the loose. The hot tubs weren [... read more]'t hot.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Great Resort

Amazing beautifully maintained grounds. Great staff. TV was poor. Diamond Club was a joke, need a lot of work,poorly set-up. Beach was great as always, but sad to see so much floating plastic compared to previous visits.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Returned for the eighth time.

Beautiful landscaping—flowers, shrubs, trees, walkways, all maintained daily by a phalanx of gardeners. The staff, though, are truly the crown jewel of Sol Rio. A walk on the beach will take you 10 minutes, end to end. Lounge chairs abound, beach staff will help you set up—a restaurant on the beach, a bar,volleyball, yoga, surf boarding, sailing, all available, all part of Sol Rio’s considerable amenities. The entrance breezeway, 1492 Bar, and coffee bar, patio (for smokers), pool and mor [... read more]ning, afternoon and evening entertainment is there for whatever pastime you wish to indulge in. And I could continue, but.....

Brisas Guardalavaca: Excellent resort for retirees

An average Cuban hotel, lots of things need attention (maintenance wise). Amazing people are working there, exceptional service. Resort recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, many people coming back every year. Recommended for retired people, very nice and quiet place. Amazing ocean and beach.

Playa Costa Verde: Amazing vacation,

I have absolutely nothing but goodness to say about this resort and the people who run it...from the moment I arrived until the day I left, I have never felt so appreciated and respected anywhere I have ever been. These people are so genuinely happy and excited to see us have the best time.

Brisas Guardalavaca: marvelous trip as always.Will be back soon.

Lovely hotel with impeccable grounds. The friendliest and most helpful staff you will ever meet.Gorgeous beach with lots of sunbeds.Rooms are spacious and well kept.Good variety of food .Book the a la cart restaurants as they are excellent.

Brisas Guardalavaca: Decent resort

the hotel was well maintained....there were times with no or little hot water but have had this happen in Canada. bed definitely not the most comfortable could feel all the springs, employees very friendly...not a huge assorted food daily but sufficient to find something to eat. beach was very nice and cleaned daily of sea weed and had few people selling on the beach

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Fiesta Americana Costa Verde, Holguin, Cuba, Hotel Review

All in all, it was a fantastic experience for our group of 6 people !! The staff was amazing, from the top down ---we even got to know, on a personal basis, the Director-General (Julian), the Operations-Director (Jorge), and the Restaurants and Bars Manager (Samuel) ------ Samuel even volunteered to personally make sandwiches/lunches for all of us for the plane trip back to Montreal ----- what a gentleman !! The beach was great (except for the sand-flies at times). The entertainment was fine. T [... read more]he fitness activities on land (such as, the Fitness Room, the Table Games Area, the Basketball Courts and the Tennis Court) need a little upgrading equipment-wise, but the water-activities were great !! The transportation vehicles were also great !! I, on behalf of my group, will HIGHLY RECOMMEND this vacation hotel to anyone !! (On the other hand, I would NOT recommend getting there with AIRTRANSAT, as we experienced a lot of problems getting to Cuba, but not on the way back home ---- such as, the 40 -- 50-something-years-old stewardess working on the Right-side, in the Economy-class, who was always surly, and refused to supply us with Immigration Forms for Cuba in English, as well as in other minor things !!!)

Iberostar Selection Holguin: New, Modern Hotel with Good Service, Good Food and Lively Entertainment

We travelled as a group of 7 – my husband and I, our 11yr old daughter, and 4 seniors. We’ve been to Cuba and the Costa Verde/Playa Pasquero area multiple times, but first time to Iberostar Selection Holguin. First off, I’d like to thank Eliana and Leandro for answering my countless questions, even prior to booking the trip! You both made the decision to book and the planning process for our group easy! Speaking of customer service, I’d been told that when the hotel opened, they on [... read more]ly hired experienced staff and it really shows. Everyone knows what they’re doing and a solid 95% have excellent English language skills. We also saw many familiar faces from previous trips to other hotels in the area! Check In: We arrived a bit late after some weather in Toronto caused a delay, but were greeted by all the entertainers and even “Starky” as we got off the bus. Check in itself went smoothly, even after needing to change one of our room assignments. Shuttles were ready and waiting, and we were in our room in no time. Upon arrival, our maid Yelenis came and introduced herself then gave us the extra towel for the new room (3 of us). Rooms: We stayed in room 25201 – just to the side of pool and kids area. A bit far from the main lobby and most restaurants, but not a bad walk if you cut through the pool. The room itself was fresh and modern. Careful in the shower – the floor tray is very shallow and it’s easy to flood the bathroom. TV stations are limited and seemed to change partway through the week. Just a heads up for parents - my daughter was watching Disney channel the first couple days while getting ready for bed…but then the next day (and then after) it had changed to a Spanish feed and we lost all but Showtime (had HBO earlier) and CNN for English channels. Around the Resort: This place is huge… all the buildings are very spread out so there is a lot of walking or calling the shuttle. Shuttles usually come quickly when called – we only had a couple times that they didn’t come within 5min. As others have mentioned, there are mosquitoes and other biting bugs – now, I’m not talking about swarms of them like you’re camping in the Muskoka wilderness, but the resort surrounded by natural brush and there are some naturalized areas in the middle of the resort as well so there are definitely going to be mosquitoes in the morning while it’s cool, and evening when the sun goes down. While we were there, they were mowing the overgrown lawn (was a good 1.5-2ft tall grass in some areas) so I would expect that will help, but I would recommend a dusting of bug spray before you head out at night for sure. By no means is this a ‘vacation spoiler’…just be aware, know that’ll you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors, and simply come prepared. Restaurants: The main buffet was good as expected... as I’ve said before, we don't expect 5 star gourmet selections, we are realistic. There was a good variety of food every day along with the ‘usual’ items so you can always find something. Every meal there are fresh cooking station – omelets, pancakes, French toast for breakfast, then lunch and dinner had meats and seafood, pasta and pizza. I was also nice to see Yanet (formerly of Blau/Fiesta Americana Costa Verde) on the omelet station in the morning! One word of caution… the coffee at breakfast is STRONG! I usually love the Cuban coffee at breakfast, but it was far too strong for me this time. My husband liked it, but the rest of us had Americano or lattes instead for breakfast. 24hr Snack Bar – Small menu, but definitely hits the spot for lunch or midnight snack. “Chicken Delights” aka fried chicken strips were a fan favourite with our group. I also enjoyed the pizza. Japanese – Dinner and a show! The chefs are great with the crowd. I enjoyed the vegetable tempura and teppanyaki selection. While not as flavorful as other teppan restaurants I’ve been to, was quite good. Steakhouse – like many have said, they don’t actually have steak on the menu. I had the pork and my daughter had the veal, which looked pretty much like steak anyway! Both were really good. One of our group had the “XL Hamburger”…not sure what the regular sized one looked like, but this one definitely wasn’t XL.. was just like you’d get at the snack bar, so skip that one. Gourmet – I would say this one was my favourite. I had the sirloin here, and even though they cautioned that it ‘wasn’t the best cut of meat’ it was actually really good! They also had a chocolate mousse for dessert that I highly recommend if you’re a fan of sweets Café – First Cuban resort that actually had iced tea on the menu! You can also get blended iced coffees in a variety of flavours and lots of other specialty coffees you’d find at certain major fancy coffee chains. Room service – we had to try it! Was easy to order and they came quickly (within about 25min). Food was fresh and a decent temperature as well. The driver brought it right in to our room table for us – proper plates and cutlery too. Fun and Entertainment: The entertainment staff – there are so many of them and there’s almost always something going on. My daughter loves taking part in all the activities around the pool, so we always take this into consideration when looking at places to go. The magic carpet is hilarious to watch and the kids love it! Special thanks to: Sol and Katy every morning at stretching and aqua Zumba. Charly, Lianetsy, Felix, Franklyn, Nairobis, Leonardo…and SO many more for all their energy with dancing lessons and various activities, day and night. …and a big shout out to Andreas – thank you for spending so much time playing ping pong and pool in the evenings! Beach party on Saturday night was fun – the only downside is the foam came out near the end and a lot of the little ones who would have really liked it had gone to bed already. My suggestion would be to have a kids foam party during the day, or have it earlier in the evening. We missed the bulk of Cuban Day while off the resort that day, but Friday they made the paella again by the pool! Massage Therapists: Rahillio and Yamila are both great, caring and professional – thanks for all your help in taking care of our family and making the trip much more comfortable, especially for one of our family members who would otherwise be in pain due to travelling and all the walking at the resort! I recommend taking the ‘promotional sample massage’ – you won’t be disappointed! Pools: We stayed at the main pool. Very rarely did I see anyone at all in the activity pool. Water temperature was a bit cool, but quite comfortable once you’re in on a sunny day. We spent most of our time around the pool during the day. Check out Giovanni’s juggling at the bar! Beach: I thought I would love the small beach at the hotel since it’s so shallow, but unfortunately we were only there for about 10 min when my daughter had her back covered in sand fleas. If you’re planning on being in the water, you have nothing to worry about… but unless you douse your kids in the saltwater first, be prepared for bites as they play in the sand :( We mentioned this to one of the hotel staff and they said they knew it was a problem, especially in the morning. We had no major bug issues in the evening at the beach. On the other hand… while a bit far, if you take the shuttle over to Pasquero Beach, it’s fantastic. Beautiful clear water, no seaweed, no bugs and soft sand. Now that’s a beach! Overall we had a great family getaway and will be back!

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Beautiful pools

The resort has beautiful pools. The actual buildings are run down. They do not do maintain them. There were several leaks. All they would do is put a bucket down. The ceiling in the main dining room has leaks. They just moved the tables so they didn’t get wet and put a mat on the floor to catch the drippings.the leaks were from the rooms above not from rain. The leaks could of been toilet or shower water. The foods in the a la cart was much fresher then the buffet. Cuban food is not for me. We [... read more] went with a group of 15. The buffet would accommodate us but the a la carte would not. They either split the tables into two different tables,or sometimes into three separate tables. The group we went with made this resort feel like a three star. If we wouldn’t of had so much fun together I would say it would get a rating of a 1star. Thanks Kelly B from Canada

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Very nice family resort

It’s a brand new resort with young energetic people working. Lots of open space between living and activity buildings and golf carts are always available to take you there if you find walking challenging. There are two beaches; the closest to resort has shallow water also some people were bitten by sand flies. But the further beach is quite nice. Cafeteria and specialty restaurants quite good for Cuba. Entertainment staff always kept my granddaughter quite busy. Wish they had a Canadian TV sta [... read more]tion given that there were three Chinese stations and no tourist from China. I would like to take this opportunity to warn potential traveler when booking Air Transat package through Tripcentral.ca. On Tripcentral.ca website this package was advertised for one price per person. But on second page it was summed up for two people. After agreeing to purchase the package I noticed the price being higher per person then advertised. When I brought this to Tripcentral.ca attention they informed me that the price is at the point of sale and cannot be changed or canceled. Misleading advertisement remained on their website even after being informed.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Typical Cuban resort

grounds beautiful, food-always found something good to eat, staff was great. We were there with a group of 15, older resort, rooms were clean but each room had an issue, out of the 8 rooms, no one had a patio door that locked, 2 of the safe's did not work. Overall it is what you should expect for the price, we had a great time!

Iberostar Selection Holguin: It was ok

The room and the food were excellent spread out over too large area. It was a long walk across a bridge to the large beach minimal beach bar no beach barbecue there is no spa the employees were very pleasant and polite small beach had a nice bar Henry was very good and lots of joking around

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great time

Staff was great as was the beach and pools. Hotel could use a freshening up but much better then others that I have been to that were rated 4 star. If enjoy walking lots of trails off the resort and the snorkeling near the resort was very good with lots of fish. Would consider going back

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Very classy

Top knotch facility located on many lush acres Lots of ambience Exceptionall well maintained Staff well trained, very courteous and work tirelessly to please Relaxing and accomodates all age groups

Playa Pesquero: Great resort

Almost perfect resort, especially in Low season. Great for kids, a lot of plants and trees. Lots of shade in the resort and the beach. Montecristo room is perfect size for a family with kids. There could be some minor improvements. Food can be improved but the variety is good.