Iberostar Waves Quetzal: Yes it is amazing

First of all, thanks to Linda for all she has done for us to make this trip a success. Everything at the Hotel is wonderful , the food is excellent so is the service, the grounds, the pool and the beach. We also enjoyed all the animals roaming free. We highly recommend this place. I must warn you about 5th Av. in Carmen, stay away from any Jewelry shops, those peoples are mainly CROOKS, besides that you can not walk 10 ft. without being harassed . After 20 min. we went back to the hotel

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Decent stay for the money

We spent 2 weeks at this resort in December. The first room we were assigned wasn't great as it was in a building that hasn't been renovated. After a couple of rainy nights bathroom ceiling started leaking. We got moved to a renovated room closer to the beach, but also very close to the restaurant with its constantly running fans and noisy delivery carts in the morning and evening. This wasn't a huge issue in the middle of the night, but forget about sleeping in if you get an ocean view room in [... read more] building 6. The "upgrade" came with a price of attending their sales presentation and contrary to what most people would say about those, it was actually worth attending. (Bare with me for a minute). Those time share/members clubs are generally a scam, but you just have to play it smart. The islander seem to take their time with everything, but if you play it smart you can be done with it within 2 hours. Just keep mentioning that you need to be spending time at the beach right now and even better if you go in with kids. You can always blame lack of time on them ;) obviously don't sign anything, as the offers were outrageous, but be firm yet polite about it. In the end you will get resort credits (in our case we got $70, as we refused to give our credit cards "to enter into a draw" to get more $) on top of whatever credits you already have. We ended up spending them all on gifts at the gift shop without paying a cent. Now the food: generally it was the same main fare each day (especially for breakfast) with some theme nights providing bit more variety. Most dishes were ok, but lacked seasoning, which is understandable in a place catering to so many guests. HOWEVER each night you could find something good tasting. There was no room service, but food was available almost 24hrs a day. We tried only 1 restaurant a la carte thinking it would be like our other trips when they were a waste of time but we were pleasantly surprised with their Mexican restaurant. The food was absolutely amazing, even if service was bit lacking. Beach grill was open only every other day or so and they would usually run out of food after 10 minutes. Pool: it was bit disappointing to see only 1 pool that also had a swim up bar, which was actually next to the kid's area of the pool. :/ Beach: great for the first week with small waves and no seaweed. Second week, it was full of seaweed and bigger waves, which made it unsuitable for swimming. However there was enough room under the palapas or the palm trees for everybody just to enjoy being close to water. Entertainment: having been to grand sirenis in Mexico we were expecting a lot more. Most nights the entertainment was disappointing. However the daytime animation crew was doing a good job with games at the pool and beach area. Trips: we only took 1 trip when we hired a driver to Puerto Plata as recommended by our server, Nelson (lovely man, if you get him. He took a good care of us during meals). However most of that trip was spent being dragged from a store to a store in order to buy things from his friends or being passed onto local "guides" who not only didn't know much, but were expecting money for their lousy services. The only good part was the cable car ride and visiting the fort in the city, which we did on our own. Overall I would give the experience 3 out of 5 stars.

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Amazing Resort!

This was my second time going to Cuba but my first time in Cayo Coco. I loved it! The Iberostar had amazing service and is such a beautiful resort! My favourite part was the Dock on the beach! Drinks were amazing & food was good especially at the grill in the snackbar ! On our last day we had to checkout at 12 but our bus didn't pick us up until 7, the front desk gave us somewhere to hold our luggages safely and a place to shower as we spent the whole day on the beach. I will definitely be going [... read more] back there every year!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Had a good holiday at this resort

We recently got back from our 7 days of vacation at this resort. We enjoyed most of our time at the beach. My husband took part in dancing and beach volleyball with his friend. I enjoyed the special dance performance by the locals and the children playing musical instruments at the beach one afternoon. By the time we left, there was a lot of new shelters being built around the shoreline. I find that there are a lot of seashells which can hurt your feet when walking if you don't have water shoes [... read more] on at the beach close to the lobby, or it could be that I have sensitive feet lol. The room was spacious and the hotel grounds are always clean and kept well by the gardeners. Our maid made sure our room was clean and that we had enough towels and she also wrote sweet note for us the night before we left. I had brought a full suitcase of items to giveaway randomly to staff members along the way to share with others what I could. The food was okay I could always find something to eat at the buffet, beach restaurant or the snack bar. The service was great because when I had problems the hotel staff was able to help me in a timely manner. The waiters and waitresses in the restaurants were very helpful and attentive to our needs. I bought a headlight to use in the darker areas when I took those long walks to put our toddler to sleep. I had some mosquito bites but it wasn't so bad. Overall, it was a good trip for us and our two-and-a-half-year-old toddler and we became friends with another couple and their two boys which made our stay more memorable at this resort.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful beach

Beach: amazing Staff: very courteous, friendly and helpful Grounds: beautiful, clean, well maintained Rooms: unrenovated section of the resort: rooms were scary, no closet doors, broken tiles, broken shower head Rooms: renovated section : were ok, clean, bed sheets only changed upon request Food: no a la cartes available first week. Second week went to Japanesse: excellent and Italian: good Remainder of a la cartes were closed because hotel was at half capacity Buffet: found something to  [... read more]eat every meal that was good. Not much variety or selection. Foods were not labelled so was unsure types of fish or if meat was beef or pork.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: It was a Amazing resort

Everything was perfect. Location was awesome! Food was great and a lot of choices! I would recommend this to everyone and enjoy their stay there! Service was on point and last but not least we enjoyed our stay

JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Paradise. That is all.

So this was my first time going to a tropical destination and resort. And I must say, we were spoiled! First of all, we got a complimentary upgrade to our room as soon as we checked in. The staff handed us mimosas and took our luggage just after stepping off the bus. AND a cool towel. Talk about service! All the staff had smiling faces the ENTIRE time we were there. We were always greeted in friendly manner. We had a butler check on us twice a day for “anything and everything”. The food was  [... read more]to DIE for. The buffets were definitely the star of the show, especially the lunch buffet. We are counting down the days until we go back. Beaches are amazing and the pools...literally a paradise. Book now. You will not regret it!

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Beautiful beach

This resort is very small and cosy. Some rooms are update some are not. The food is ok Very little selection of veggies and fruit. The beaches are amazing. Alcohol selection is not good. The main bar had better vodka for one day. (Absolut). The CUBAN people are so friendly. Customer service elien. Probably spelled name wrong was super nice. Overall we enjoyed our stay

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing resort, stunning beach and beautiful staff!

We enjoyed everything about this resort! Very clean rooms, good food and amazing service. Quiet when you want quiet. Excellent entertainment every evening! The a la carte restaurants were good, the Japanese one was the best! We will definitely go back!

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Amazing resort!

The complex was big but never hard to navigate around. The food was the best I’ve ever had at a resort, I recommend booking steak house and Japanese al a cartes. they have a good variety for liquor and lots of pools if your a pool person. Always something to do at this resort for all age groups!

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Amazing resort!

This hotel wants to please you. Honestly the Iberostar staff want you to have the trip of your lifetime. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. Nice pool area with tons of lounge chairs. Beach with great drink service, umbrellas and loungers. Can't say enough good things. It is also very kid friendly. You are one hour out of Puerto Vallarta but just make sure your trip includes transfers, as it can get pricey to get there. The rooms are very clean, and have great showers with comfortable [... read more] beds. The have the star kids club if your kids enjoy that kind of thing. Our son was shy, so we would just drop by to check out the activities with him. The food at the resort was amazing. They have a great snack bar by the pool with fries, hot dogs, burgers, salads, quesadillas and icecream. Special shout out to Valeria our concierge, and Gloria who does quilling by the ping pong tables.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: 10th visit but a little disappointed this time

I recently vacationed at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Riviera Maya. This was my 10th time visiting this resort. I have always returned to this hotel mainly because it is accessible, but also for its great value, amenities, food and service. But, on this last trip in November I was a little disappointed. When we tried to make our 3 a-la-carte restaurant reservations on the first day, we were told that the hotel was completely booked and had difficulty getting any restaurant reservation. Howe [... read more]ver, each night throughout the week, we witnessed at least 2 of the 8 restaurants we had to choose from were closed. If your hotel is full, why would you close restaurants and not let your guests know? Also, as a returning guest, I was continually harassed to join the Iberostar Club and book directly with the hotel on future visits. Once I decline, the hotel concierge staff should not pursue the matter. Otherwise the trip was very enjoyable. Regarding the accessibility, it would be great if the hotel could add a few more wheelchair accessible spots on the beach in addition to the existing two. These spots are in high demand, so a couple more spots would be greatly appreciated.

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!

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.

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

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

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Lovely stay at Bella Vista

I enjoyed this hotel very much. The service was very good. The room was clean and large. The grounds and each restaurant was well kept. The lobby was the best place to sit and relax. The logistics of this hotel made it easy to move around. I like that the pool was close to the beach. The beach is beautiful especially for swimming. The food was okay but understandably its Cuba and no fault of the staff.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Fantastic Resort - Will be back!

Rooms were exceptionally clean, the grounds were beautifully manicured, the public washrooms were fully functional and very clean. The beach was very clean and lots of shade areas if you needed it. The staff were very attentive and always eager to please. Even though there is no night entertainment (theatre) they did provide great house bands in the lobby bar every night as well as a fashion show and an aquatic show in the pool area. Will definitely return.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Good times!

This is our 4th visit to Iberostar Laguana Azul and hopefully not the last. Love the proximity of everything. Beach is beautiful. All staff are lovely and helpful. Hotel could use some renos and hand sanitizer!

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites: Just go !

Great place , pool , beach , amazing food , nicest hosts in the world ! Is it perfect nope ! Will I go back ? Hell ya ! will I tell anyone who asks how great this place is , absolutely ! Just GO !!!!