Great potential

While this is a 5* resort in modernness and beauty - the management still has issues to address that are solely due to shortage of staff and supplies . Even though I am fully aware these issues are temporary- I would go back !

3 Star***

Valentin perla blanca didn't live up to its name. Understaffed in every area. We felt bad for the staff who ran their butts off. Room was ok but never cleaned properly. Privilege package was non existent. No wrist bands to say who paid for privilege. The food was ok..Always line ups at the buffets. A la carts were always missing something on the menus. One good thing about this resort was the staff! They work hard to please you and always smiled. Would I go back? NO!

Wonderful hotel, Fantastic Staff!

This was our second time to this resort. We went in November when the first half opened, and enjoyed it so much, we came back to stay on the Paraiso side. First let me say that this is the most amazing beach! I have been to Cuba 14 times, and this resort has it all. The issues with the towels, aren't issues. The towels are changed in your room. If you want a new beach towel, simple leave it in your room and it will be changed. If people are really concerned about towels, bring a towel from home  [... read more]you can use! Food: the food was about average for Cuba. I will say it was better when we were there in November, but there are a lot more people now. We could always find something to eat. The grounds are beautiful, and the location is spectacular (love that it is the only resort on that section of beach). Animation shows are fun, enjoy them! The animation staff is there to make sure you have fun, so join in the events/games. Lobby Bar - greatest place to have a few drinks, any time of day, and the staff is amazing! What really, really makes this resort is the staff. They remembered us by name - this really meant a lot since I am sure they have seen several thousand people since then. Leidy, Yeri, Frank, Onidys, Randy, Pablo - at the beach bars made our day each and every day. If I have one suggestion, it's for the management to walk around more and introduce themselves to the clients. We saw the manager a few times, but didn't get to interact. It would be nice for them to hear positive feedback, and to also hear some suggestions. Hoping to get back again in the fall!

Beautiful Resort!!

The resort was amazing. Beautiful beaches, friendly people. The food wasn't always great but we always found something to eat. I recommend the Mexican a la carte. See Jeling, great server! Most of the staff were happy and helpful

Beautiful resort

very beautiful lots of food and drinks but no fresh fruit come on canned fruit on a tropical island come on it would of been nice to have clean towels also.we felt really bad for staff the were short handed most of the time they are not happy even when we tipped you didn't t get a smile would not go back to cuba

Resort will be fantastic

Firstly, let me just say that this resort is going to be amazing and likely more expensive as time goes on. The rooms are great. They don't have that musty smell that you sometimes get in older resorts. The rooms are spacious and the bathroom is wonderful. We did not see one big in our room. The service was great, the resort is huge and is somewhat under staffed but we never waited too long for a drink. The food at the buffet was not bad. I would say that it was one of the better buffets. The a  [... read more]la carte restaurants were not so good. The food was not very good and service was very slow.

Beautiful resort !

This hotel is quite beautiful and serene and the grounds are lovely. The pools are great and the rooms are very spacious. It would have been nice to have music playing at both pools, not just the main pool, as well as at the beach. The beach shoreline was a bit narrow and you must be mindful of the rocks that blend in the sand. Many people tripped or stubbed their toes. The water is a gorgeous turquoise and the view is breathtaking. Overall quite lovely, but because it is so new and staff lacks  [... read more]experience, there is room for improvement here. There were other issues, but all-in-all, our group (there were 10 of us), made the best of it and remained positive.

Fantastic resort

Fantastic vacation, more lounge chairs needed by the pool. The shows were amazing, the staff courteous & friendly. Our room was clean, we were never without clean towels. The location makes arrival/departure days long. (the 2hr bus ride)

Great beach

Amazing beach! Grounds were nice, however some accessiblity issues need to be worked on...saw a few guests fall. Management does not seem to be present, even when issues arise and they are requested. Food was not the best, did not get sick or go hungry but this is an area requiring improvement. They ran out of beer one day. Towels/laundry still an issue. I must say that staff make up for the negatives, friendly hard working staff! Would only recommend this resort later once the issues have been  [... read more]addressed.

Growing Pains

Just stayed at the Valentin Perla Blanca in Cayo Santa Maria, Feb 24 for 7 days. Resort layout, facility, pools are very accommodating, beautiful views as you walk in the lobby, awesome coffee bar, clean and spacious rooms. However the lack of supplies and the ability to deliver what is advertised is a drawback to staying at this resort. The lack of beach towel service and bath towels is a negative point, as well as the lack of variety at the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, shortage of staff [... read more] is another big drawback, as they cannot keep up and maintain dining area service, cleanliness and table settings. Bar service suffers from the same staff shortages. All this makes for a frustrated staff and is in turn a result of lower tipping by the guest, which complicates the situation further with unwilling staff to serve in timely matter. Mind you the staff tries very hard and most of them do the best they can under the circumstances, so it's not their fault. The beach and water is one of the best in Cayo Santa Maria, but again the lack of chairs and palapas makes it very difficult for everyone to enjoy. As far as the privilege club services virtually non existent. No dedicated staff for Privilege guest, small reserved seating areas at the beach area, pool area, and buffet, none of these areas are policed and enforced to compound the problem no bracelet were issued to Privilege members therefore anyone can remove their bracelet and no one would know the difference. The service should not be offered if it cannot be delivered as advertised. Overall we made the best of the situation knowing what to expect, however until things improve drastically soon it will be difficult for me to return or recommend this resort to friend and family.

Great Resort

The resort is relatively new and therefore the landscaping has not matured yet but will be fantastic. Rooms are spacious, bright and very comfortable. The main lobby is huge and a great place to hang out, relax, and listen to entertainment. Beach is unbelievable, best I have been to. No serious complaints. Also, Sunwing reps at hotel were great and there from 9:30 till 5 everyday. Pools were beautiful and lots of them.

Beautiful new resort

This resort was larger than expected and the rooms were spacious and bright. The rainforest shower head in the walk in shower was awesome! Checking in and out was quick. Lobby bar and coffee bar were often busy but the coffees were worth the wait.

Lots of room for improvement

This new resort although very nice to look at, needs lots of changes to make it a 5 star. The food was ok but more often then not cold service was ok but they really need to step it up. Rooms were nice and so was the pool areas new manger on ground and after speaking with him I think he has the right ideas but will take time to make all the changes needed!

Still needs work

We went with an open mind after reading horrible reviews on Trip Advisor. We had previously stayed at the Valentin Imperial Maya and it was incredible, which is why we booked this resort. We had a good time. We always have a good time and we believe that you make your vacation what it is. That said, there is still a lot of room for improvement before this could be considered a 5 star. Food was okay - I don't ever expect much from the food in Cuba. You can only attend 3 a la cartes per week. Fren [... read more]ch was excellent. Italian was average. Seafood was our worst experience. Service was atrocious. Horribly understaffed. They ran out of lobster by the time we ordered (restaurant opens at 6:00 and our reservations were at 6:30). They ran out of other entrees. They ran out of several desserts. I had to ask for menus after 20 minutes. My friend asked for a glass of wine 3 times and the server came to the table, poured me a glass of wine (mine wasn't empty) and left. I had to ask for bread that all of the other tables got as soon as they sat down. The four of us piled all of our plates up to see if anybody would actually clear them. We were there for more than two hours. Again, we laughed about the experience because it is really all you can do and in the grand scheme of things, we're on vacation so who cares. The beach and pool areas were fantastic. Scenery was spectacular. The service was hit and miss everywhere. Overall, has the potential to be great and I think they are working on it but I anticipate at least 1-2 years before it will get to where it needs to be if they want a 5 star rating.

Avoid!!

Can't find any fruit anywhere. They re-use food/products from previous meals. You may purchase Internet card but can't use it and there are no refunds. They will not book you a massage as the spots are being preserved for the "Privilege" people

So disappointed

Poor service, food was horrible and very understaffed. Paid for privilege and was treated worst than everyone else. Did not get anything that was promised to us for the upgrade. Never again. Make sure to bring your own towels as u will only get 1 all week.

AMAZING BEACH

WITH TIME IT WILL BE A NICE RESORT LOTS OF GROWING PAINS. THE STAFF WORKS VERY HARD AND UNDER STAFF. BOOKING THE A LA CARTES WAS A JOKE TWICE WE WENT AND THEY DIDNT HAVE OUR RESERVATIONS . PLUS WE BOOK THE PREVILAGE THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AT A 5 STAR RESORT.......................

Resort needs work!

Resort was brand new and rated 2 out of 11 when we booked. When we left on our trip it was rated 11 out of 11. Positive points: Beautiful resort, weather and people. Negative points: Food always cold at the buffet, line ups for everything ie: money exchange, booking a la cart restaurants, getting a drink at the bars, omlet station at buffet. Had to reserve chairs around the pool early or you were out of luck. We were never given beach towels the week we were there after requesting them.

Not ready to be open

Absolutely awful. From 2 hour check in to the bad food, no towels, dirty room and resort, empty bar fridge for 2 days, no shower water for 2 days, understaffed, undertrained, not managed, privilige areas not shown or respected. Never going there again. We have Cassandra from Trip Central working to get us some form of compensation from Sunwing.

No service no towels no stars

There is very little positive about or stay there. If they can not provide a minimal level of service to match a flea bag hotel then they should close. No clean bath towels, dirty buffet tables, poor food, to few staff, wait for everything. This is from a 5 time Cuba traveler. Simply put they are not ready to open.