Not so amazing

This is a newer resort and the rooms were great. Staff were very friendly. The beach was off to the end of the property so the oceanview rooms didn't see a sand beach but a rocky shore...no big deal. Beach was great. I was there in off season (Labour Day) and there was no problem getting a chair on the beach at any time. Food at the buffet was very disappointing. Poor quality and selection.

Its not five star I say its only Three star

food was very poor they put meat in every thing nothing for vegeterian also fruit was noo good in italian resturant they don't have any italian dish no tomatoes no onions no mushrooms no green chilies we were not satisfy for food

Wonderful Stay at the Dhawa!

Just return on August 22, beautiful resort! Resort was clean, except the public washrooms, they were often not clean and a little foul smelling. Rooms, beautiful and extremely clean and comfortable. The beach was beautiful, very clean, no sea weed, sand was white and warm! Lots of beach chairs! The pools were equally clean and fairly well maintained. The "a la cart" restaurants served excellent food and good service. There was only one isolated incident in the Italian restaurant were the ser [... read more]vice was actually poor. However, we were offered a return dinner and the service was excellent and the food as well. The Buffet was good, however, the "house" red wine was really not good, and it was extremely difficult to get any other kind, even when we offered to pay. Also, for some strange reason, there was a huge shortage of glasses and cutlery, in the buffet a little inconvenient. Also at the bar in the lobby, there was a shortage of glasses. We had to ask for a "glass". Also, it was the same "not so good" house wine. The staff was amazing! Helpful, friendly and caring. Of note, no mosquitoes at all! We really enjoyed our stay, the above notes of missing things were really not that significant. just made it a little inconvenient. We would definitely return to the Dhawa Coya Santa Maria! One suggestion, it would be nice to have a Cigar Lounge, with a wide selection of cigars to purchase.

Lovely hotel

Love the hotel very clean only problem was the beach not clean at all. And none of the staff at the hotel knew how to speak in English. If you wana just relax and stay in resort the whole time this is the best place

Awesome beach

Overall good value for the price we paid. Awesome beach and well-kept grounds. Check-in was quick. Staff was hard-working and, service, for the most part, was good. We did take issue when we felt ignored at the lobby bar, one night, for an extended period of time. We brought this to the attention of the guest services staff and our concern was promptly addressed. We were pleasantly surprised when they came looking for us in the entertainment theater to personally apologize and to do a little [... read more] something for us as a goodwill gesture. This was much appreciated. Staff, in general, is pretty awesome. One caveat though is the in-your-face expectation for tips by certain members. We are regular tippers but are really put off when we feel pressured to do so. For example, after we were brought to our rooms by the bell-boys (two of them) in golf-style carts, I overheard one tell the other in Spanish to ask me for cinco (five) dollars as tip. We had hardly slept the previous night (before our flight) and I just wanted to crash. So I paid and did just that. Another time, the safe in our room malfunctioned - for a second time - and we had to call in the repairman. After fixing the problem, the person kept hinting that we tip him. The food was hit and miss but we never had high expectations. What's important is that we were well-fed with no food poisoning. Overall, our stay was enjoyable. Thank you to all the staff members of the resort who made that happen for us.

Very nice resort.

The resort was beautiful. The flowers/shrubs/trees were amazing and very well maintained. The rooms were very nice and clean. Great A/C and the fridge was stocked daily. The staff were very attentive and friendly. The beach was very nice and lots of shade. Unfortunately the food was not that good. The pool bar food was always cold. The buffet restaurant was a disappointment. They were grilling meat and fish but they only had the pasta station one night and lunch time. With my wife being a vegeta [... read more]rian and my friend not eating fish the food was very limited. They seem to chop meat and put it in evey premade dish. That being said we didn't starve. The drinks were typically Cuban. The bus ride was long but we new that before we booked. They did say they are going to expand the airport on the island to take larger planes. We enjoyed the trip but wouldn't go back unless the food and bar drinks improved. P.S. Don't forget bug spary the bugs were horrible.

Beautiful Resort!

We just spent 8 days at this resort (end of May) we all loved this hotel, staff and all amenities! The rooms are very clean and comfortable, grounds are well maintained. The staff works so hard to keep all areas of the hotel very clean. We made friends from Canada, Mexico and Cuba, the atmosphere in the hotel is harmonious and friendly, the staff is so attentive and courteous. We tried the 3 restaurants and the one we liked the most was the "Fuego del Mar & Grill", the captain is amazing and  [... read more]also his staff, we fell in love with this restaurant, we came back 3 times, food and service is great! Saludos a Delvis y a la Rubia. The 24 hour Snack Bar is also very good. We went sailing 3 times, I am sorry that I can't remember the name of the staff member that took us in our trips, he took his time and gave us some history about the Cayos. The Habana Club Lounge (Lobby) is wonderful, the staff goes around quite often to ask if clients wish to have a fresh drink, very attentive! What amazed us was that the staff after working long hours and probably under pressure when they were short of staff due to bad weather, were able to keep their smile and be courteous and friendly hospitality! Special greetings to special people, Don Jose Luis (Director) and Don Gilberto (Manager) who are very caring and go out of their way to make sure that their guests are comfortable and happy at their hotel. I also want to mention Lachi, amazing, friendly and attentive fellow and Judy who works in the Buffet. We honestly felt so welcome at this resort, beautiful people, good food and the entertainment is also wonderful, maybe more activities for kids 12-15 years old, specially in rainy days! We will definitely be back! And last but not least, as a non-smoker I do not appreciate that most of the guests who are smokers do not respect the areas that specifically are “non-smoking” from time to time they are friendly reminded by some staff members and they paid no attention. Obviously, these guests show their ignorance and disrespect for others. Thank you Dhawa Resort for making our holidays amazing! Fernando, Olga and Natalia Medina (room 511) from Ottawa, Canada

The resort was Excelent I will recomended to any one travel to Cuba

Satisfied on how clean the Hotel and bedroom were, I love the concept of having 24/7 open bar and food. There is a chance to be improved the reinforce of non smoking area most of the people ignore the not smoking sing everywhere in the hotel that was the minus and also should be a most for the tourist transportation coming from the Airport to the Hotel to said in both languages French or English. We do not have to be ask. also one of the mayor fantasy that I have was to eat Lobster which I d [... read more]id not see anything like that in the buffeted or whole fry fish.

Really great resort

the landscaping was amazing, beach was awesome, staff were very friendly, food was very good, the buffet breakfast was great, I would recommend this resort to everyone, I would go back to this resort, the entertainment in the lounge bar was exellent

Amazing!

I travelled with my mom on a mother daughter trip to Dhawa and we couldn't have asked for anything better! The grounds were absolutely stunning with beautiful flowers encompassing the grounds, well taken care of by the staff. (Tipping the gardeners is a great idea to show appreciation for the hard work!) the food was great all you can eat buffets; as a vegetarian I wasn't without options, lots of rice, potatoes, veggies, pasta, delicious deserts. It's a buffet so of course the meals do get repli [... read more]cated but great service and friendly faces! The waiters will bring you coffee/wine/etc. Tipping is always a generous way to extend your thank you. 7-10 breakfast 1-3 lunch 7-10pm supper. Carlos is great!!There is also a 24 hr snack bar that has great veggie pizza you can order from 12-5, the rest of the options besides fries are meat based so just to keep that in mind! The pool is amazing, stunning for pictures. The beach was our favourite and where we spent most of our time; again great service. Ozzie and Roberto will be working at the bar and actually bring you drinks to where you are staying. Isney gets your beach chair ready and wipes down any sand and puts your towel on prior to lounging! They have great entertainment team and Gabriel is great, salsa and mirangue dancing on the beach and the pool, volleyball, fitness classes in the water, music isn't overpowering at the beach/pool. Stunning crystal clear water with fish to be seen, paddle bots, Catarmaran rides. Mind you, for being rain season from may-October the rain certainly doesn't last long... mostly summer days from our stay may3-may 10th. There is excursions to be done, dolphin seeing, jeep rides although we didn't do any. There's a air Canada representive or sun wing etc that you can meet with and they will explain the grounds/things to do/ where to meet for pick up etc. It was a 90 minute bus ride from Santa Clara airport, and check in was easy! They give you a drink upon arrival and take you to your room and help you with your luggage. Room was stunning and modern. We had the partial ocean view room. Beds were comfy, firm mattress, with a long body pillow. Clean, amazing rainhead shower with good water pressure. Blue beach towels that can be returned and exchanged daily right beside the pool. Our maid was great! If traveling with air Canada they also give you a complimentary bottle of rum. They fill up your mini fridge each day with a large bottle of water two beers and two pops. A tip we learned they only replace what's been taken. Entertainment at night, usually live music which is amazing. So much talent. Disco or live shows. Beach party got rained out but it happens every Sunday night on the beach. Coffee/expressos are so good at the main lobby bar! We also tried the iced coffee and baileys that we filled in our Bubbas that soon became the drink of the week. There is also a gym and tennis court to stay active if you choose too. Overall we had a wonderful time and would certainly return!!

Dhawa Experience

This is a beautiful hotel, very well kept and clean. The rooms are spacious and up to date. The food can be bland but we never starved and plus no one goes to Cuba for the food. The beach is huge and clean of rocks and debris, very beautiful. If you’re a fisherman this place is perfect. There’s a 1/4 mile stretch of coral right beside the beach that’s perfect for luring in barracuda. Some locals that also fish there have great advice so pay attention. I’d recommend this resort to people  [... read more]of all ages. We had a great time and would return!

Very nice resort!

Room was nice and clean! Hotel was very nice; enjoyed the entertainment in the lobby during the evening. Pool was beautiful and a great short walk to an awesome beach. Also enjoyed the activities throughout the day! Appreciated being able to use the paddle boats and hobby cats free of charge. Staff were very friendly. I would definitely go back to this resort!

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria

The hotel was very nice but some area's need a little improvement such as when you say you have a swim up pool bar, then there should be someone at the pool bar, you shouldn't have to get out of the water and go to the bar up on the pool deck. I had to wait 20 minutes before I had to get out of the pool to get a drink on the deck and the get back into the water for a drink. We had ask for a pin a colada drink and they told us that they didn't have the mix to make one, we had also ask for [... read more] a heinekin and were told they ran out of it. At the beach bar they ran out of crystal beer and didn't even know how to make a sex on the beach drink and to top it all off one of the bartenders didn't even know how to make a screw driver. They food for the first two days was they same and at the French a la carte they didn't know how to make French onion soup, the Italian one they ran out of spagehetti. We have been going to Cuba for over fifteen year and this was the worst food we have ever tasted.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria

Resort very good, professional staff in restaurants and bars. not terribly impressed with housekeeping (neglected to provide towels) but it was spotlessly clean. (towels were eventually provided). A suggestion: would be to have a coffee or tea pot in room so visitor could have a coffee or tea later in the evening or very early in the morning. I know I was up well before the breakfast was served. Restaurants were very good, and again staff in all departments were excellent.

Ah Dhawa

My wife and I traveled to the Dhawa from May 4-11, 2018. The resort is in a newly developed area of Cayo Santa Maria, known as Cayo Las Brujas. They currently have two resorts open in that area with a couple more to come on line in the near future. Please see the following summary of our experience of the different aspects of our stay at Dhawa. Grounds The grounds and resort overall is well kept and maintained, the staff and gardeners work tremendously hard to make sure everything is on poin [... read more]t. Those folks have done a great job, you wouldn't have known a major hurricane had impacted that resort a short 9 months before. Pool The pool is a large two tiered pool. The resort was not that busy when we traveled so the pool wasn't that busy as a result. The only recommendation I would have is a bartender be dedicated to the poolside bar, they were very scarce and most time you would have to do to the dry side of the bar to get a bevy. Eating The buffet had lots of options for breakfast, lunch and supper so don't worry you will not go hungry. If you like pizza or chicken fingers you must try the poolside snack bar they were fantastic. Rooms The rooms were well appointed, clean and they had the most comfortable beds of any resort we have stayed at in the past. Entertainment The entertainment in the lobby was fantastic. The only suggestion I would have is that they change it up, out of our 7 nights there we seem the same entertainers 4-5 times. I cannot speak to the nightly shows as we were in bed most nights before they started. Beach The beach was simply beautiful, wide and had plenty of palapas and chairs for all guests. There was great snorkeling right from our beach with many different fish there for you to enjoy. Overall we really enjoyed Dhawa and would definitely recommend this resort and return without hesitation in the future.

A solid 4 stars

Loved everything about this hotel, the rooms are well appointed, the food was very good and the beach, wow. Turquoise blue water, soft white sand and enough palapas for everyone. I would not hesitate to return. I also noted that it was wheelchair friendly and that everything is close enough for people with mobility issues.

Wonderful resort!

The best resort we've stayed at in Cuba. Rooms were great and clean. Lots of hot water. Food was very good at the buffet and the al a cartes were very good. Very nice private beach. We were never without a great location on the beach and pool. Staff were all very friendly and the entertainment was very good. Some mixed results at the snack bar. We will come back to this resort and area for sure. Only real complaint is the pesticide trick that went around the resort aro [... read more]und dinner time each night. This may be due to the time f year with the start of the rainy season when the bugs start to breed a little more. Overall great resort and we had a great time. I would rate the Dhawa as a 4.5 to 5 easily

Wonderful resort, great staff

My family & I just stayed at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria for a week and it was wonderful. The layout of the resort is fantastic - everything connected in the middle of the grounds. We stayed in block 5 and we were literally a short walk across the pavement to the lobby/lobby bar and then on to the a-la-carte restaurants and then the buffet. The rooms were clean and spacious. The pool was clean and there was plenty of sun-loungers available. The staff were wonderfully welcoming. We will be sure to [... read more] recommend this resort to our friends and re-visit in the future.

Great resort

Beautiful. Staff amazing and very helpful, the food was great, the grounds were very well kept , our room was wonderful and clean,, best of all the RainHead shower, in the walk-in shower. Would go back

Always amazing!

My third time to this resort and I must say the beach is even better than the last time, more opportunity for shade. The food at the buffet was amazing...enjoying grilled lobster and freshly made sushi as well as a huge variety of other food. The room, the pool, the grounds all great and well taken care of. My favourite part of this resort are the people who work there, from groundskeepers, chamber maids, wait staff, bartenders, entertainment crew and all the staff at the beach... [... read more]. everyone there makes you feel like your welcomed and that they are happy to have you there. I’ve heard from many repeat customers the number one reason they return is because of the people at this resort. Another memorable and special experience for me!