Valentin Perla Blanca: 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!!

Memories Paraiso: Overall great experience

Clean pool well kept, lacking balls to play with and chairs at times, clean beach, lacking lawn chairs at times, room cleaned daily. Everything you could possibly want for a cheap sunny vaction. Bar service ran on Cuban time at times. Friendly staff. 24 hr pizza :) wooohooooo

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great hotel - too many people!

Stayed @ Casa Del Mar for 7 days for NewYear 2019. Needs a bit of tlc but overall, we were very satisfied (as per Cuba standards). Grounds were impeccable and room was clean and absolutely no mouldy smell (as requested, we were on the 3rd floor). The biggest complain is that because the hotel was fully booked, line ups (buffet, reservation, front desk, etc...) were awful... 30 minutes for an omelet isn't acceptable; even for Cuba standards. In my opinion, the hotel doesn't have the necess [... read more]ary facilities to accomodate the amount of ppl when it's fully booked. Food... could always find something but no variety and few fruits and fresh veggies however, excellent lobster dinner on NewYearsEve and restaurants were much better. Overall, a very pleasant stay!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: GREAT RESORT

THE HOTEL IS NICE POOL ARE GREAT AND THE BEACH IS THE BEST BUT THE FOOD NEEDS IMPROVEMENT STAFF IS VERY FRIENDLY ENTERTAINMENT WAS AWESOME.DON'T THINK I WOULD GO BACK BUT I DO LIKE CUBA WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED I WEEK IN THE SUN.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing trip!!

My husband and I have traveled to Cuba in the past but had gone to Varadero. We thought that beach was nice. Then we recently (last week) stayed at the Royalton Cayo Santa Maria and omg...the beach is GORGEOUS!!! We had a fabulous stay. We upgrade to ocean view room (so worth the money). We have traveled to many places and this was by far, the best vacation. The resort is likely the best in the area. The staff are very friendly and while the restaurants are few on site (3), they always has good  [... read more](and heathy) options along with great service. The bbq near the beach serves delicious fajitas for lunch! The manager (Luigi) is very hands on and genuinely wants to ensure the guests have an enjoyable vacation. With two pools (one quiet and one with more action) gives great options for your mood. The bartender at at quiet bar (Dorian) is awesome!! Great guy. Housekeeping staff is very friendly and they do a fabulous job. We are definitely returning and can’t wait to do so!

Valentin Perla Blanca: 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.

Paradisus Los Cayos: Best Seven Days Ever

I spent a week over Christmas and the time there was amazing. Rafael at the tiki hut was so friendly and helpful. He was quick to help us out with a fishing trip and my usual drink was ready whenever I arrived. His smiling face and energetic dance behind the bar was a great source of fun. Madelin was a treasure. Quick to come to my rescue when my poor phone landed in the ocean with me. A bag of rice was snagged in minutes and my phone dropped in. She always had a smile and hug waiting for me. [... read more] Dèivy was wonderful. He was always making sure I had everything I wanted. His consideration and admirable personality made me feel like someone special.

Valentin Perla Blanca: 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

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Good

The resort and the beaches BEAUTIFUL and CLEAN. The food was ok. The staff, some of them friendly some rude and indifferent. Need to improve transportation from beaches to the lobby. Entertainment 0.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good: The beach is beautiful. Crystal clear water and powder white sand. There are many lovely staff at the resort who are helpful and hardworking. The lobby is nice and Mike's Coffee is great! There are classic cars willing to take you around and a flea market in walking distance. The evening shows are entertaining The Bad: Cuba has gotten worse in regards to resources and imports. The food is worse than before: the same thing each day, canned vegetables and tasteless meals. The a la ca [... read more]rtes serve the same thing as the buffet! The Ugly: The resort overbooked and there were never any chairs at the beach or pool. We had to lay on the ground. The buffet was like the Hunger Games as people lined up and ran for the food. We had an issue with cockroaches in our room, no water bottles, dirty towels and my ring went missing. We both got ill and even after begging for a change and getting an upgrade, none of our issues were actually resolved. I'm so disappointed in this vacation and I'm never one to complain. This is not a 4.5 star. I've been to many all inclusives. This is 3 star at best

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Highly overrated

1. Rooms are okay. Mattresses, pillows and bedding is old and poor quality. Walls, shower are old has small breaks and defects. 2. Food was a poor quality overall. The had no flavor at all. Al a cart were good except for Asian. Italian was the best. Ice cream is available all day. Fruits are only tasteless white watermelon, pineapple, guava and papaya. 3. Grounds are poorly kept with garbage such as cans and plastic cups all over. Only cleaned in early morning. Vegetation is not kept and looks [... read more] deserted. 4. Beachfront is nice and relatively clean, beach chairs are available all the time. 5. Many locals staying in making it load. 6. At the pool sun glasses were stolen on one occasion and a bag with a book and few other items on another. Overall no more than 3 stars.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Exceed Expectations!

We have stayed at multiple resorts in Cuba and this is the best by far! Santa Maria beach is perfect with the powdery white sand and crystal clear calm waters. We were there Dec. 27- Jan. 3 at peak time and never had to search for a chair at the beach or the pool, even if we didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m. In fact, there were always extra chairs around throughout the day. You have your own butler who makes all of your dinner reservations and will get you whatever you need. It's an awesome service [... read more]! Yes, the food is repetitive, but we found some really delicious options: eggs made to order for breakfast, quesadillas at the beach, hamburgers and BBQ grill at the pool for lunch, thick freshly made daiquiris (pineapple and lime were yummy!) at the upper pool, cappuccinos and cocktails at the lobby bar...I definitely wasn't starving. Dinner at the a la cartes were edible. I didn't miss waiting in line at a buffet or eating out of food that's been sitting around for hours. The rooms were clean, beds were comfortable, and we always had hot water. Can't complain. We will return for sure!

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Fabulous Vacation at Playa Cayo Santa Maria

We’ve been to Cuba many times. The reviews we read on this resort before hand were great and were all true. The grounds are manicured very very well. Our room in building 11 was very clean. A Modern bathroom and a balcony overlooking one Of the many gardens. The pathways were all clean and decorated for Christmas as we went Boxing Day over New Years. The service was most excellent from our maid to the buffet and the bars. The beach is stunning as we knew going back to Cayo Santa Maria. Clear c [... read more]lear water and soft sand! BBQ on the beach was nice surprise with multiple options. Ice cream was available too which was a first I’ve seen in Cuba. We loved our holiday and had lots of help when needed. We would go back anytime!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Absolutely no hesitation going back

For those of you that have been to Cuba, the constant complaints are food. This is not the case with this hotel. Now I should point out that we stayed one week at the hotel from December 26 – January 2. We had two rooms and people per room. Being that this was peak, there where lines for the egg station, pancake station and waffle station. At lunch and diner, we also had lines. But why the rush? You are on vacation. In addition, for lunch you could also eat at the beach. One beach bar  [... read more]offered Paella with whole BBQ fish, the other offered Chicken, pork and fried fish. Both where excellent. The staff was great. They really worked hard to keep you happy. The rooms where clean. The location is private; no vendors on the beach. The entertainment was fantastic. They could improve on the number of beach and pool chairs but isn’t that the case with every hotel you have visited. Being we where at peak season, we expected that chairs would be limited. The beds could be softer. Finally to put it this review in context, I fly over 100,000 miles/year. Overall, we where very impressed.

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas - New Year's Eve horrible experience

Overall, the resort was good as it was big and well maintained. Our room was always nice and clean thanks to Betty! However, the resort was busy and doesn't seem to be well-staffed during the holiday season. As the price was obviously a premium, you would expect to have a very enjoyable experience. Every single meal we had to wait at least 20 minutes in line to get our food either at the buffet or beach house. Had to wait an hour to get our towel on the first day (Dec 27). Exchangin [... read more]g the towels also was hard as sometimes you didn't have any left. Getting drinks at the bar also required waiting about 10-15 minutes. Worse experience was New Year's Eve. Found out last minute that we had to book a reservation for the Buffet restaurant. Got a 9PM reservation and got there 20 min before so pretty much at the start of the line. People started coming and started to butt-in. The scene was like in a black friday sale where people tried to push each other and with me having two young kids 7 and 9 years old was a very traumatic experience. The buffet restaurant only opened one door which also delayed the process. They also never checked the reservation and was just letting people in because of the chaos. As soon as we got in, you still had to wait in line to get your food from the grill. Definitely, not worth paying a premium for the service we got.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Nice Resort - Adequate

The resort was overall nice. Beach was nice, saw a lot of jellyfish and gar-type fish in the water. The pool is beautiful. The buffet hours are not convenient. The 24/7 snack bar has very limited items and pizza only at weird times. Buffet was ok but not great. Rooms had ants. My friends room had a cockroach. The bottom floor seemed to have more critters. But I did have ants on the 3rd floor. Overall not a bad resort, but I have been to better in Cuba.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: OK Resort with a visit from a 2 inch cockroach

Pools on the resort are great, except for the swim-up bar pool; it was closed and it did not smell good in that area. Pizza snack bar opens only from 1pm to 2pm; pizza available only on 2 of the 7 nights! Lots of ants in the room and on one of the nights, a big 2 inch black cockroach just laying there beside my toothbrush. Food, well it's Cuba. Snack bar has good deep fried hot dogs and fries. Buffet, well again, it's Cuba. I always bring a squeeze bottle of Heinz Ketchup and Miracle Whip (salad [... read more] dressing) - great for the fries and hotdogs; and a jar of Jamaican Jerk spice for rice at the buffet. After 11 times in Cuba (Santa Maria, Cayo Coco, Varadero) - it's time to go elsewhere. I always find it odd that "they" think their currency is worth more than our Canadian dollar. On Dec 31, $100CA was equal to 74CUC.

Melia Las Dunas: Do not recommend

I travel twice a year from montreal. We just came back yesterday from this hotel. Worst trip ever and worst travel company. 12h to get there and 12h to come back. This trip should take 5h if you include the flight and the bus to the hotel.

Melia Las Dunas: Beautiful beach!

I’ll keep this review relatively short. The room was very large, enough to fit a king size bed, a double bed, and a crib comfortably. The cleaning staff is amazing, but the room is dated and had lots of ants each day in the bathroom. Gardening staff was always ready to cut open a coconut to either drink or eat, and made 2 grasshoppers out of palm leaves to my sons’ delight! Nightly entertainment was great, especially the kid’s show at 8:30pm where all the kids in the audience get to danc [... read more]e on stage. Pool is very large and the beach is incredibly beautiful. The ice cream parlour was open every day and the restaurants were very good. The buffet was lacking in options, and the lineups were long (Dec 2019) All in all, a great trip!

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Nice resort

Flight Travelled with Air Transat and flight was changed from 6 am to noon so we got to the hotel late at night. Sunwing same flight time and day kept their flight. Misleading when buying a package. Restaurants It’s three restaurants that they prearrange for you and it’s the same food. Food is hit or miss. There is a pool restaurant open 24hrs that serves minimal items. No buffets. Beach Beach was ice. Some days had jelly fish and the hotel posts warnings. Thoughtless people reser [... read more]ve cabanas and never show up or show up later in the day. Rooms We’re clean although we found a roach in ours and millipedes were seen daily. They load the mini fridge with two beers, soda and water. They do always provide water. Entertainment Most nights it was singers in the lobby. For New Years and the next night there was a water show with dancers, very good. Lots of mosquitoes! New Years We went for New Years and staff seemed more preoccupied with helping themselves to the party favours and serving management. There was a huge buffet that night but waiting at each station meant your food was cold by the time you returned to your table. There was Champaign served.