Beach need improvement

I was in Iberostar Ensenachos from April 12-19, 2019. I’d say that my overall experience was a good one. My only suggestion would be to add more umbrellas to the Megano beach front area. I had to wake up at 5:30 am to reserve a seat under an umbrella. I even witnessed a few patrons fighting on the beach for the shade. This is unacceptable. But the other parts were good.

Is not as good as it used to be

The beach is amazing, nice sand and clean water, but they do not have enough palapas, so you have to come very early in the morning like 6 am to book them. The room is also very nice, clean and spacious. The food was okay, not much variety. This hotel is officially 4.5 stars, but I would give not more then 3.5.

Beautiful resort

The resort and staff are wonderful. The people are very friendly and willing to help. The grounds are breath taking. Would highly recommend this resort for these reasons alone. The food was good not as good as previous years.

ONE OF THE BEST ALL INCLUSIVE'S I'VE EXPERIENCED

This has been my second experience staying at Iberostar Ensenachos. Both visits were fantastic. The rooms, maid service were excellent. The grounds are magnificent and very well maintained and the gardeners are very friendly. The foyer and gathering area before dinner was lovely and relaxing, and always had great entertainment (music) before dinner. The food was good in the dining room and my favorite a la cartes were the Mediterranean, Asian and Cuban. On the down side, it was difficult to g [... read more]et fresh towels for the beach, and also beach lounges were claimed very early in the morning-not a problem for me, as I like the sun, but for those who seek some shade from umbrellas it would be a bit more difficult. All in all, though ,a wonderful stay and the staff are very friendly, willing to help and certainly cater to their guests. I certainly would consider a" return visit". My thanks to all!!!

Beautiful Resort, Horrific food

Beautiful resort. Clean, spacious lobby. Reasonably maintained facilities and grounds. Some of the bathrooms did not have toilet paper or were not functioning. Also the water features were not functioning. Not a huge minus but it would certainly have been a positive addition to the ambiance. This is a big resort. If you are staying at the Grand Village compound you will need to take a shuttle to the Buffet. The Park compound is a fair walk as well. The beaches and pools are beautiful. The water  [... read more]is a beautiful aqua and fantastically clear. There is also a large fish just off shore that is incredibly tame. Most of the people we met were returnees and were familiar with the fish which they had taken to calling George. George will swim up to you expecting a handout. He likes ham chunks and eggs. The negative for me is that there is a limited number of palapas and umbrellas at the beaches and pools. The resort has posted that ‘reserving’ lounge chairs is not permitted but it is certainly not enforced. The giant negative for me was the food. I was told that the food last year was much better but there is a new chef. I can’t confirm that but the food I experienced was just horrific. Under done fish or over done meat. Frozen fries, not kidding, it looked like they dumped frozen fries under the heat lamps and expected them to cook that way. Gelatinous pasta at the Italian a la carte. Poor selection of breads and fruits. Not sure if this is because of location as this was not the situation at Iberostar Veradero. My experience there is what led me to come Iberostar Ensenachos. My absolute what the heck moment was watching one of the service staff at breakfast pour 3 different remnants of orange juice and one of ice from cleared tables together and then serve it to a guest. Stopped drinking the orange juice after that. It’s such a beautiful resort but I won’t be back.

Good Resort

We stayed for two weeks and were fairly pleased with the resort overall. The rooms were nice and spacious and clean, the hotel staff were friendly, the beaches were beautiful and the food was pretty good by Cuba standards. Most of the a la cartes were good. The only one we didn't really care for was the Italian one. The Mediterranean and Asian ones were very good. There were only two things that we found disappointing. Firstly, beach chairs were being reserved by placing towels on the chairs  [... read more] by people very early in the day (like at dawn) and then people would only show up hours later to actually use the chairs which made it extremely difficult to find a chair. There were not enough chairs for all of the guests. Secondly, over a two week period we were only able to get a clean beach towel TWICE as laundry services have been moved off site and the towels need to be trucked out and in every day and were scooped up pretty fast. There were not enough beach towels for the amount of guests. Having said all that, I wouldn't hesitate to go again.

Relaxing vacation

The grounds of the hotel are still lovely despite what they went through almost 2 years ago. We were here 3 years ago and We noticed a lot of the trees were gone from around the spa side pool. There is a definite need for palapa, pergolas for people who want shade which is pretty much everyone. It was next to impossible to find shaded areas. There was apparently a problem with laundry and the towels in our room were never changed and we had the same bath towels the whole week. No hand towels [... read more] either they were taken away on our first day and didn’t get any new ones. The food is definitely not the same as it was 3 years ago, that was a bit of a disappointment. Plus they need to be consistent with labelling the food. I have a seafood allergy and I never knew what was in some of the dishes that were offered. Other than those minor issues we still had a great time and we love Cuba! Warning: WATCH FOR FALLING COCONUTS!!!

Fabulous large clean resort!!!

The resort was very clean. The staff did their best to fix anything that was broken on a daily basis. Our room was very large, same with the bathroom. The groundskeepers were T outside every morning and would say hi (Hola!) with a huge smile to us every morning when we walked by. The beaches(Mégano and Ensenachos) were both amazing: one had a bit more coral and rock on one side so it was amazing to go snorkeling in, with tons of tropical fish. The other had a long white sandy beach and tons of [... read more] palapas that we used every day. The water was pristine and warm. The food was also very good with a pretty good variety on a daily basis. There were 4 À la carte restaurants(we tried every single one) and they were very different from one another and each had great tasting food, different from the buffet. Overall, we totally give it a 5 star as it was a big resort with nice mature palm trees, flowers, etc throughout. Oh and the drinks were... tropical and very tasty! :) Thank you!!! Mel & Mat

Great Resort!

Beaches were beautiful, would recommend the adult spa section rooms, very spacious, private and clean. Overall my sister and I had an amazing time to relax. I would suggest more entertainment with variety though...

Great first time vacation in Cuba

This is a great resort with awesome people and beaches. A lot of marine life to observe by snorkling right from the shore. The rooms and facilities (pool, lobby, restaurants) are perfect for families with just enough entertaiment and quietness. The food is alright as long as you don't expect eating fancy. I would recommend this resort to anyone who wants to relax and who does not seek night life and visits outside the resort. Overall, this is a really great value.

Still A Beautiful Resort

Awesome pools, lots of food choices, wonderful live entertainment and very clean. Our beds were comfortable and hotel staff very gracious. The beach is still super, however, water levels much higher since a couple years ago. Beach palapa got taken out after 2017 Hurricane Irma and many have not been replaced.

This resort was all I could ask.

My daughter and I stayed March 18 to 25 this year. We had a lovely room close to the central lobby in the spa section (no kids). The food was good not outstanding but quite good. The staff exceptional. I enjoyed the shows the beach was one of the best I've ever visited in Cuba. Been to Cuba more than 20 times. This place is my favorite so far.

Good experience

First would like to mention that booking through trip central was a very smooth experince . Monique did an amazing job explaining and assisting in every aspect. Sunwing airlines also did an excellent job, very cuerteous and crew and their representatives in Cuba were all professional and and honest and went out of their way to assist. Although the flight time was not the best in early morning and late night. The resort in Cuba Cayo Santa Maria , I iberosrar occupies one of the best locatio [... read more]n on the island and by the beach is one of the best in Cuba . The grounds and gardens and massive , the length is the resort is maybe 1km in length . Lot of walking and excellent for nature lovers . Super quiet beach and location . The rooms are huge and well laid out. Safety was excellent , the hotel property and gardens deserve 5 stars even by western standards . The rooms are clean , a bit dated but very well kept still . Wifi was available for 1 peso for one hour. I noticed the wifi time run fast . Maybe you get 4 hours of working time if you pay for 5 hours. The wifi fairly strong in the lobby and rooms , but did not work on the beach but who needed that anyways. Food was in abundance but average quality . Fruit quality was very good. Overall I would go again specially through trip central and Sunwing airlines. Take an excursion and be generous with the Cuban people . They are very nice, very friendly and very honest . No scams or gimmicks of any kinds . Thank you from a solo traveler .

Beautiful Resort!

My only complaint about this resort was the lack of entertainment in the evenings . Very quiet resort. The resort was so clean ! We stayed at the Spa Adults only area and our room was kept amazingly clean at all times. Everyone that worked there was so friendly , welcoming and very helpful. Drinks were great. We always had beer pop and water in our fridges everyday. Ala carte's had amazing food. Buffet was somewhat repetitive, but had great omlettes, and fish. The 24 snack bar needs mor [... read more]e variety besides sandwiches. We always found a chair by the pool and by the ocean. The beach was pure heaven! Would come and visit again and again and again!

Amazing resort but cleaning rooms must be improved

The resort is clean and nice. The service is excellent. My suggestion is for room or housekeeping , we saw the room maid emptying out the garbage plastic from our washroom/comfort room and without her washing her hands she proceeded on touching the clean bed sheets that she puts on our bed.

Great resort, relaxing vacation!

Hotel was lovely, clean Food was good Room was really nice Spa suite 2025, close to everything Beaches were beautiful! For 2 pesos you can take the tour bus to the Estella market or 10 pesos in a Cuban taxi. We had pizza at the little restaurant there for 4 pesos or so..it was very good. Very relaxing and quiet in Spa area +18. Would definitely go back!

Beautiful setting and gorgeous beaches

This was our 2nd visit to the resort and we chose it because of the beautiful setting and the gorgeous beaches. The property has beautiful, mature trees, shrubs and flowers and lots of birds, butterflies and geckos. There are lots of activities (e.g tennis, beach volleyball, water activities) and beautiful pools. The tennis facility is the best in the area with a fantastic pro (Renaud). There are number of beaches that can be accessed on the resort however the Ensenachos beach was our favourit [... read more]e. The water was shallow, warm, and crystal clear for snorkeling and watching/feeding the fish. The beach was generally quiet (a few times there was loud music) and it typically had enough chairs. The main building is beautiful and has a lovely area to lounge, use the internet ($), listen to music, drink at the bar, etc. There is entertainment each night. The buffet (main restaurant) offers a lot of selection of meat, fish, vegetables, bread, salads, cured meats, cheese + french fries, hot dogs, burgers, pasta, and pizza. The food is good quality but not exceptional (when compared to Canadian standards). But we don't go to Cuba for exceptional food, we go for exceptional ambience and beaches. There are also a la carte restaurants for dinner however we preferred the selection of the buffet. The staff is fantastic. They are friendly, attentive and clearly take pride in their work. In advance of arriving, we needed the help of the hotel customer service staff and they provided us exceptional service. The resort is very large with 3 sections: luxury, adults-only and family section. The family section is the only section that has wheelchair accessible rooms. Each section is organized in clusters of buildings with approximately 20 rooms per building. The room we stayed in had a large accessible washroom with wheel in shower (be aware the toilet is much higher than you'd find in Canada) and a large living/bedroom with a beautiful patio. It definitely could use a facelift with new linens plus more bath and hand towels would be helpful. The resort provides a beach towel exchange program for your stay. As an active, manual, wheelchair user, I love this resort as there are lots of places to wheel and feel like you are getting a workout. The paths are generally even with hills in some sections. For less active wheelchair users and other individuals with mobility disabilities, you may find the resort too big and feel it requires too much effort to get around. When we were there, the elevator in the main building was out of order. The building was still accessible but required traveling a greater distance to an alternate entrance. There are carts to transport people from to place but a wheelchair user would have to transfer out of their wheelchair to board the cart.

Nice Resort

This resort has a lovely beach, a well kept hotel and grounds. But maintenance is an issue. Light bulbs are not replaced when burnt out along the walkways. Lock on our washroom door didn't work. Shower door had a gap, so water sprayed out onto the floor. Bathroom towels were dingy grey with spots on them. There were no fresh beach towels all week. We waited 2 days for Tonic water to arrive for our Gin & Tonic drinks. The food was basic cafeteria style, not what you'd expect out of a large ho [... read more]tel. Sorry to say but, this hotel has gone downhill. I've been there 4 times over the years and this year was the worst yet. I don't expect to go back to this place sometime soon. Nor do I want to visit any other Hotel in Cuba as I heard other hotels are even worse.

Agree! This used to be an amazing resort

Love this hotel, it's architecture, and beautiful design which seams to complement the green gardens and blends in with the serenity of this heavenly area. Over the years my husband and I have seen most of the Caribbean islands and so far have decided to settle for our holidays at Ibero Star Cayo Ensenachos mainly because of the gentle beach , beautiful surroundings and very friendly staff. On Feb. 22,2019 was our tenth visit to this place. Unfortunately we found the place rather disappointi [... read more]ng in comparison to our previous visits and our last on March 2018. Te quality of food in the dinning room dropped at least 40%, same dishes were served for lunch and dinner, soups were cold and watery on many occasions and there was hardly any variety in the meat department.. There were never fresh pool towels for exchange in the morning, mid day or in the evening. The walkways to the bungalows were dark since numerous bulbs were broken and not replaced,or the light stands were driven over by the carts. In order to get a palapa for shade on the beach you had to personally be there by at least 0630 to reserve it. The maintenance and the management definitely does no give enough attention at this beautiful hotel.

Probably the best in Cayo Santa Maria but!!!!!!

Beautiful resort, beach, mature plants and trees and a very friendly helpful staff. The entire infrastructure is excellent but from what we heard from staff and repeat customers and seen ourselves is that everything is going downhill. The a/c stopped working in our building and other buildings including the dining room. It took a couple of sleepless nights because of the heat and humidity before ours was fixed but the dining room buffet area still wasn't fixed. Light bulbs burned out that never  [... read more]got replaced, general maintenance items need to be done. The buffet food is of good quality but the same food almost every meal every day and never any lobster or steak like it says in the ads. Cheap quality drinks at the bars. Example: menu says Baileys but its a cheap substandard Cuban brand. Even the beer, Kristal beer is Cuban and an excellent beer but they try hard to always give you Buccanaro beer. The staff will even tell you that they are concerned about the cutbacks and quality down-slide in the last three years, especially in the last 6 months. It's a shame that this is happening because the place is beautiful and it wouldn't take too much to make it a great resort. On the positive side the problems at this resort are small compared to the issues that guests experienced at other resorts in Cayo Santa Maria from the stories that we heard at the airport on our way home. Over the years we hear things like this is Cuba, this is good for Cuba etc. Those are lame excuses and I would hope that the owners/managers of these resorts would realize that travelers have many other excellent options to go to on vacation other than Cuba.