Valentin Perla Blanca: Wonderful resort!

This is a very large hotel that offers just about anything to a wide range of people and activities. There is always something going on in every spot within the resort to occupy you. The beach is by far the best beach I have ever seen before. One thing that really impressed me was that there was never any pestering of any sort to buy time-shares or local goods. No locals wandering the beach asking you to buy things. Even at the local market there was never any pressure to buy things, just respec [... read more]tful vendors ready to offer any explanations of their wares. The service at this resort was commendable! Someone always ready to get you anything you need and always checking if you needed anything, drinks, etc. We had a lovely lady named Mercedes who served us first at an A La carte restaurant and then every night she served drinks in the theater. She was a wonderful caring lady who we looked forward to seeing and talking to every night.The resort is so large but does offer rides on the little carts to farther away spots within the resort for people who need it. The young adults had nightlife all night long at the pool areas and special events and seemed to have an awesome time! Oh I wish I had been young again to enjoy with them but after long hot days would often go to bed by 11. The room was only fair in my opinion though. The beds are not very comfortable and lack of good pillows and padding on bed made it a less comfortable sleep. The patio door handle was broken but did offer a good locking mechanism just the same which made me feel safe. All in all, we loved the resort and plan to return with our young adult children in the near future so they can enjoy as well.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: nice resort, beautiful beach

Great things: the amazing friendly staff, the beautiful white sand beach Good things: the room was nice, really modern for Cuba Ok things: food was ok but we found it limited. Loved the hot dogs on the beach, and the pizza (although we didn't find this until our last day!). It would be nice to offer more vegetarian options. We often decided to go to the resort next door for buffet or restaurants instead. It would also be great to eliminate the timed seating at dinner. The resort is suppose [... read more]d to be reservation free, however, the butlers give you your dinner reservations when you arrive. Needs work: the pools do not have any shaded areas to relax in except for the bali beds. However, all the beds were "taken" by people's towels by 7:30am or earlier. We almost never saw people using them, only saving them. It was really disappointing as we couldn't use the pool all week even though we really wanted to. To solve this it would be great to remove people's towels when they leave, or add more shade with some umbrellas. Then more guests might be able to enjoy the pools. It would be great to add a small store into the resort to buy items like sunscreen, toiletries (if you forget any), food etc. Overall we liked this resort and thought the staff were the nicest we've ever encountered!

Valentin Perla Blanca: wonderful memories

we found this to be a wonderful resort...very NICE ATMOSPHERE ,WELCOMING,HELPFUL STAFF..food was so so,entertainment was amazing...I would go back in a heartbeat ..we loved Santa Maria...did not enjoy a 2 hour bus ride to and from we were not advised of this by our agent

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Cuba 3*

Had a great vacation, for the money its good value. But you are getting what you pay for. The beach is the highlight and the entertainment is good, but everything else is sub par. The rooms were all outdated and had multiple issues. The food was hit and miss as stuff like cheese was available some days and not available others. The A la carts are very hit and miss and usually worse than the buffet. Drinks are good but multiple times the keg ran out and cans of Mayabe were poured into small plast [... read more]ic cups. If your taking the morning airtransat flight home it says the bus arrives at 6:10am, ours showed up at 7:10 which was disappointing. In a addition the buffet doesnt open until 730. In addition the club in the middle of the two resorts is not included and they will pressure you to buy drinks or they will "call the police". Overall its alittle too bad the small things that other resorts due to make your vacation memorable are not done here. It is a very nice area but would recommend a newer resort.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Cuban Discovery in a Warm Resort

The personnel more than make up for the few shortcomings in amenities; and even those are acceptable given the location and climate; many will fear the availability and quality of the food; but after a few days you come to know where to find what; and the result is absolutely wonderful for personal relationships; I suggest you travel with your friends, there is more fun by the numbers; bring your dancing feet as the music will send you to the floor assuredly; the evening shows right in the main  [... read more]lodge are of top quality but the beaches, clear as your running water, free of weeds with soothing waves will overwhelm you. But it's the warmth of the cuban employees that will compel you to return year after year; seeing them embrace each other at the start of each day is a sure sign you will have a wonderful day yourself....

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: I love this resort

Let me preface this review by saying I've been to the Caribbean about 15 times, stayed in Mexico, Antigua, Jamaica, Bahamas, St Lucia, Dominican Republic and Cuba, and the Iberostar Ensenachos is the resort I would recommend the highest, having been there 5 times now. We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids, although on this most recent trip, our kids were considered adults). What I like about the resort: - It is on an isolated part of Cayo Santa Maria (actually its own island called Cay [... read more]o Ensenachos), so there are no neighbouring resorts - i.e., no one comes onto your beach! - It has 2 beaches: one is one of the 3 most beautiful natural beaches in Cuba (according to the tour guide), and the other beach is protected by a large reef, resulting in little-to-no wave action. - snorkeling can be done right at the beach - the scenery is beautiful - never seems to crowded - it is *not* a teenage party place Bad things about the resort: - it is a long (90 minute) drive from the airport - it's Cuba, so the food is not great. However, the food is better at the Ensenachos than other resorts I've visited in Cuba - the entertainment is not great (everything is singing and dancing...so if you like that, then good)

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Excellent Service

This resort had by far the best service I have encountered in Cuba. The buffet was excellent, always had a great assortment of food and the workers bent over backwards to ensure you were happy. A-La-Cartes were all great as well. Rooms were clean and well serviced as well, beach was fantastic. The night band featuring a fiddle player and guitar player was awesome, have never seen this in 10 trips to Cuba. Only complaint really was that it was hard to get small change without going to the bank re [... read more]gularly (which was fairly quick and easy).

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Perfect week!

Just returned from ocean casa Del mar. Travelled with my husband and 15 year old daughter. We had a room close to the pool and close to the walkway to the beach. Staff was wonderful the whole stay. Buffett was good lots of selection out and the staff were very attentive. Would definitely go back!

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Terrible resort would not recommend

This hotel is lovely on the outside in the common areas but lacks customer service and common amenities. When we got there it took almost an hour to get checked in as there was only one woman working. We were taken to our rooms.....what a disappointment!! The beds were hard as hell, there were no pillows, no towels, half a roll of toilet paper, the tv converter didn't work, the air conditioning kept cutting off, the balcony door didn't lock and we were on the ground floor, there was no lighti [... read more]ng in the hallways outside the rooms, and the fridge was empty and warm. I spoke with the manager the following day after waiting for her for over 4 hours and she was no help at all. She made excuses for every issue I raised and did nothing to rectify anything. Miguel at customer service, however, did everything he could to improve our comfort. The food here was atrocious!! No variety and poorly prepared. We made reservations at the Italian restaurant and when they finally opened 15 minutes late, we were advised that they had no Italian food, only salmon and chicken. Disappointed, we went down to the buffet. There I found a long, coarse grey hair in my food and when I brought it to the waiter's attention he took it from me, threw it on the floor and asked me if I wanted something else. To say we were bitterly disappointed is an understatement. I broke a glass in the lobby and the shards of glass remained there for more than 2 hours before someone came and cleaned it up. The flight down to Santa Maria aboard Sunwing was a nightmare too as only the 2 bathrooms at the back of the plane were working. This must have been the same plane I flew in to Mexico in February as that plane had the same issue with only the rear bathrooms functioning. This is my 3rd trip to Cuba and will be my last!!! Perhaps someone from tripcentral should actually go to this resort and check it out before promoting it. Terrible....couldn't wait to get home....never again!!!!

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: 5th time to Ensenachos

This was our 5th trip to the Ensenachos resort. We were not disappointed. Check in was fantastic. Our request for room location was fulfilled. The staff are the very best. Friendly, attentive, hard working. I found the buffet food to be a little more lacking than in previous years but none of us went hungry 😊. We had 2 a la cartes..Italian was ok, Mediterranean was phenomenal... best meal of the week.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Mediocre

This resort is mediocre. Would I stay there again.....probably not. I wasn’t impressed when someone stole my brand new bathing suit off my balcony. I wasn’t the only person to have stuff stolen. From electronics to someone’s whole carry on gone missing with no resolution or investigation what so ever. Extremely disappointing and won’t be back.

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Nice Resort!

We had a restful, relaxing vacation at Playa Vista Mar the week of April 18-25. Room was clean, staff was great, and food was acceptable. The resort was at very low capacity so it was really quiet; not a place to go if you’re looking for entertainment. The beach is on a sheltered bay which provided a different experience from the wind-swept, white-sand vistas of Cayo Santa Maria, but it was still very lovely in its own right. Great value for the price point.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Very nice resort

Quite large resort and most suitable for people that have no mobility issues. The buildings are well maintained and rooms nice, large with separate bathroom, shower, toilet, entrance and storage areas. Service mostly excellent. Buffet good variety with lots of fruit, dairy and all regular food items. Bars have limited choice of international drinks. Beaches are probably some of the nicest in the Caribbean, snorkelling very limited. There was always a shortage of shaded areas at the beaches un [... read more]less you go there after 4 pm. Gym has good variety of equipment. Extensive grounds, very well kept, lots of trees, plants and flowers. Overall we like this resort a lot.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Excelent vacation

This was our 4th vacation at Starfish. We got a room we requested (through Tripcentral- Karol). It was clean and comfortable. We appreciated a bottle of water every day and a free safety box. Atmosphere was friendly and relaxing. We found out that a habit of tipping is more profound now. As repeated visitors we got a special dinner - but not a lobster- and a bottle of rum. We will be back.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Disappointment!!!

We 've been having vacation at Santa Maria "Iberostar Ensenachos " since opening.It was named then "Royal Hideaway". We could see every our visit that quality and service is getting worse but was kind of satisfying. Our last vacation in April 2019 was very unpleasant. The room service is super poor, we didn't have towels for shower, beach towels weren't changed for 3-4 days until we brought up complaints, bed linen wasn't changed for whole week, after room " cleaning" still sand on the floor.An [... read more]d you feel it due no usual sleepers into room. Food quality and variety poor as well.We 've never seen in 5 stars resort complete absence of butter.Instead we were offered some unknown substance which even doesn't melt in mouth...And the last and the most inoying -moskitoes bites. Everyone whom we met there was covered from head to toe. So, our conclusion- not going there anymore . There are tons of options to spend $4 K for one week vacation!!! THANKS

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Needs allot of work

The grounds of this hotel are in rough shape, loose wires hanging from outlets, man covers holes but only have covered!! Dangerous Beach was stunning but not hardly any huts to get out of sun as it was very hot. Lots of chairs at the pool Kids club was awful, this was a family vacay with young kids, so dissatisfied that there was no kids club. It was closed, weeds everywhere, dirty, fence starting to rot, paint peeling of fence and hut. None of fountains were working, no water in them at al [... read more]l, the boardwalk to the beach was not safe at all, there were lots of loose boards, broken boards, loose railing, and some spots no railing This resort was a joke, def not a 4.5*, more like a 2.5* Talked to lots of people who go to this place every year and said it really went downhill in a year and they were very disappointed as well. The pool food bar was discussing as they had litterly 2-3 items to pick from. Always never had anything on the menu, always said they were sold out but twice we were the first ones served!!!!!!! We watched a wedding on the beach which was beautiful but they put the chairs to close to the ocean and the waves had the chairs all wet but can you believe this, the shuttle forgot to pick them up to take them back to the reception. They had to walk all the way back in the heat and their gowns and heels!!!!!!! Shuttles were always broke down. Lucky to even get one Stay far away from this place. So sad cause we took our kids and theirs on this vacation and it was their Christmas present so very unhappy

Valentin Perla Blanca: Loved it

Enjoyed the beach n ocean the most. The entertainment in evenings was surprising first rate. Loved them all. Some staff were exceptional. At times some food ran out, n other times lacking. But overall great time.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Ok

The grounds and beach were beautiful! Most of the staff was very welcoming and pleasant. We only had two issues. First, the front desk took forever to talk to someone. Our room key didn’t work while we were there, and one time I stood at the desk for over 30 minutes for a task that took 30 seconds to rectify, while my 8 month baby needed food that was locked in the room. Each time it didn’t work we had to walk from our building back to the lobby (a bit of a hike), then back to the buildin [... read more]g, only to find out the card didn’t work again.... then back to the lobby.... then back to the building. Only one of the front desk girls was pleasant and helpful. The others could have cared less. We repeated this probably once a day for a total of 4 days of our trip. Second was the food. Nothing made us sick, which was good. And we aren’t picky eaters by any means.... but the resort is full of guests who are. So they find a good item that everyone likes (like bacon at breakfast) and pile their plate high, leaving nothing for the rest of the guests coming after. And there isn’t enough to restock for the rest of the buffet. So my husband I learned really fast that for breakfast/lunch/dinner buffets if you don’t get there for opening, you get the scraps. A la cartes were very small portions, and rushed through (although mostly tasty). On the bus home there were people from other resorts praising the food selection, so if food is a big point for you then maybe this isn’t the best place. But it wasn’t bad food by any means... just not the fancy gourmet level that you’d expect at an all inclusive. But it’s better than most of the country eats, so it’s about perspective. BUT THE BEACHES! Get the ocean view if you can afford it... you won’t be disappointed. Everything was very clean and well kept. And the bar tenders and buffet staff were so friendly.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Okay resort

The resort itself was beautiful. The room was just okay, nothing spectacular but the beds were hard and not very comfortable. The pool selection was great and the beach was nice and clean and amazing. The food was not very good and did not have much of a variety. It was the same options for every meal, everyday. Howeve, all the staff seemed nice, friendly and approachable.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Golden Tulip Aquas Claras Resort

I loved the resort and everything about it . Of course the beautiful weather contributed to my 5 star assessment! The workers there were so nice. The pools and beach were amazing. You will have a good holiday there!