This is my review of this hotel. It was out 3rd visit and unfortunately for them it was the last. The hotel has gone downhill in the past years. Caters more to Cubans than to tourists. Most of them are disrespectful, cut in line , play loud music in the halls at all hours, drink all day and really don't think about anyone but themselves. Before people start telling me their opinion about this or that, I was married to a Cuban, have lived in Cuba for months so I know how life is outside of resorts...but this hotel does nothing for us Canadians compared to their own people. Positive points: The beach Rooms are comfortable Air conditioning works great and some staff members are real gems 1 bottle of water everyday No shortage of toilet paper Negative points: Buffet closed for 10 days out of the 14 we were there and when open little to no options. A la carte was offering the same food day after day Snack bar wait time was an hour + and they would serve Cubans before us even though we were there before. Younger girl at the snack bar needs to be fired for her lack of service and bad attitude Bar at the beach rarely had anything to drink..no beer, no rum, not even ice But on weekend when Cubans would arrive there was lots of options available and buffet would open. Towel hut to change your beach towels is closed for good so you have to find the maid and get fresh towels (when you could find her as they finish early) No white towels for 2 days Had to ask for sheets to be changed on the second week or else they wouldn't have done it. We understand it's low season but people like us paid alot of money to be forced to eat chicken and rice or spaghetti and sandwiches for lunch and supper. They should really close this hotel to tourists and cater only to Cubans as they seem to be kings even though they pay only 40 usd a night compared to us. people need to know the truth before they waste their money on this place.

We stayed at Dawa for a week in May. The service was excellent. The resort was beautiful. The grounds are amazing. The beach is beautiful. The pool was lovely. The negatives are there is zero animation, daytime, and nighttime. A couple shows here and there. We had very limited buffet in the morning. Lunch and supper were served in an à la carte restaurant. It had a small buffet. And the same three or four dishes offered at every meal. we would stay there for two weeks if the food was better as in variety. It tasted fine. However, it got very boring at the end of the week. They ran out of white wine every day. There was no vodka most days, but everybody who worked there was lovely. The day we left there were many Cubans coming in for the Mother’s Day weekend, which was supposed to be a huge party. They had lots of vodka and lots of food, etc. available that weekend so that was a little disheartening because it wasn’t offered all week. I would not go back to Dawa only because of the very limited food choices with a resort just down the beach had had quite a few extras from what I’ve seen and heard. But loved loved loved the staff. Our cleaning lady Barbie. The pool bartender Hanny/Jorge. The beach bartender Mary. The beach lifeguard Pablo. They were all so amazing and many many many others were amazing in assisting us with our stay and making it wonderful.

we where at dhawa last week and as we book last January grand sireninis 2 very different resorts dhawa we ate the same thing all week 1 a la carte and was the same options as the buffet and buffet was close that night as this was a first for some of our family was really upsetting since grand sirenis had much more to offer food wise and entertainment dhawa had no entertainment during the day and at night was a 20-30 minute show wich I understand with the number of people there stag was good pool bar was awesome lobby so so all in all we had a good week but don’t think we would go back and was disappointing for our first time travellers

This was our 3rd time at the Dhawa and probably our last unless major improvements occur. We are all aware of the food shortages in Cuba and went very well prepared with food and snacks. However, this time was beyond acceptable. We arrived on a Thursday and were about 100 guests. Friday morning the occupancy doubled as Cubans came to spend the weekend at the resort. The variety of food was nonexistent and the food would disappear immediately as locals would be taking portions big enough for five or six people. Now don’t get me wrong, we all know how difficult it is for them so it is very difficult to blame them for this, however the staff admitted to us that they were limiting the amount of food at the buffet for that reason but what about Canadians who paid good money to be there? It’s like the saying goes, they are biting the hand that feeds them. After the weekend, we were down to about 60 guests and they closed the buffet for dinner, only leaving the a la carte restaurant with 4-5 meal options. Due to the low level of occupancy, there was no entertainment during the day and for the 9 nights we were there, they had a couple of musicians in the evening for an hour but the rest of the time was simply a fashion show. The sad thing is that they don’t seem to realize that whether they have 60 guests or 500 guests, they should commit to still providing entertainment. The positive of this resort is the staff, the beach and the size of the hotel, as it’s very small and making it convenient to get from one place to the other

While we've been going to this resort for quite a few years, there is definitely a lack of many things this year. They ran out of eggs, chicken, toilet paper and even beer was running out by 1pm at the beach bar. This trip was way overpriced for what was included. Agencies selling these all-inclusive trips to Cuba need to warn clients about the extreme shortages at the resorts. We are so thankful for our amazing friends working there that brought us their own extras from home to make us feel more welcome. We love them!

This resort was truly lovely. Most of the staff was fantastic, especially Victor the activities coordinator. He is simply the BEST! The rooms were big and clean with plenty of hot water. The grounds were well kept and so gorgeous. They work so hard to keep this place spotless! They were only at about 20% capacity which was nice. It was quiet. We never had an issue getting chairs at the beach or around the pool. The food was not great but no one goes to Cuba for the food and the shortages are no fault of the resort itself. Would recommend bringing your own snacks and some peanut butter for your morning toast...the bread is always fresh! We had a really wonderful week at the Dhawa resort :)

First time returning to Cuba, after 2020, it was also first time in Cayo Santa Maria. The resort didn't disappoint, it was in quite decent condition. Room was clean and beds always freshly made. Had hot water at all the hours. The pool was well maintained and pretty inviting. Food was probably best I've had in Cuba as much as the situation allows it. The chef's were creative with the restrictions imposed on them. On a couple of occasions I very much enjoyed the burger at the snack bar by the pool, that was the culinary surprise of the trip. The beach is absolutely amazing and snorkeling was as interesting as it can be, making it the best possible experience of the trip. The staff was pleasant and I had the pleasure to go for a short catamaran trip around Cayo Espanola. Ask the guys at the beach for the experience, it will be interesting. If you're interested in an snorkeling experience, they can take you for a couple of hours trip by the reef which is supposed to be quite interesting for a small fee. Now the least pleasant part: The worst thing was the sandflies bites which became really difficult to bear by the end of the 2 week trip. These creatures are so tiny, it's almost impossible to see them but their bite is really unpleasant. Be prepared and bring bug repellent, it will be worth it's weight in gold! The small lagoon, between the resort and hotel is a wonderful part of the biosphere but the miasma emanating from it can be quite strong. All in all, this was a great experience for a winter getaway especially at the price that was purchased. There were quite a few tourists on the second week giving the feeling of a semi-private resort, somehow. Looking forward to go back as soon as possible

We were very pleased with our room (garden view). It was large, clean with a comfortable king bed, great rainfall showerhead, water pressure and water temp great. The pools and beach were very nice along with staff, water toys - pedalboats which we used often and the hobi cat rides. All the staff every where wanted to please and did so! Early in our stay, I had to use the medical post. They had to administer a muscle relaxant injectable for 3 days due back muscle spasms. I was so grateful for their care and so was hubby. Thank you Dhawa medical team. We travel to Cuba so we know about Cuba's economy, shortages and food situation so we keep our expectations in check. We found the food and desserts to be fine - hubby loved their rice pudding. The lobby bar served great spanish coffees, cappuccinos and cold beer, the staff were attentive and available making sure you had been served. The grounds are just beautiful, many guests commented on the immaculate grounds. We found a great deal and thought let's try 2 weeks and had an enjoyable stay. Dhawa did not disappoint.

Starting with good stuff, Gabriel at the lobby bar and Sunay in the buffet always went above and beyond whenever we saw them. Toilet wouldn’t fill had ti fill the back with the shower, and foods bad.

Overall staff very warm friendly helpful Life guards super nice warm friendly interactive informative Beach bar guys funny warm friendly Water sport main guy Danny not very friendly unless you tip a lot then become one of the favorites with special privileges to people who tip well so many restrictions about using paddle boats where u can go is small area and not fun - where other hotels give you a lot more freedom to explore - Danny yelled at me for going out of his site and was band from using paddle boats for rest of stay because we went around the corner to see the star fish opens at 10 am never ready until after 10:30 close at 4 pm Nice music on beach daily beach is amazing clear clean turquoise waters shallow for quite aways calm and great snorkelling and swimming saw star fish and many other species wait white sand Internet is very spotty and don’t get any in the rooms by the beach basically only main lobby is internet ret is spotty

Rooms are big and spacious. Air conditioning and ceiling fan work great. Refrigerator stocked with only a bottlr of water everyday. Beautiful grounds kept clean. Small resort where everything is within walking distance we were in block 5 which id right off the lobby. Loud music at night so if thats not your thing ask yo be put in block 7,8 or 9 which are closer to the beach. Beach is beautiful. Not long but really nice. Food was repetitive but aleays found something to eat. One of the biggest downfalls is the mosquitoes..really bad compared to varadero.

Clean charming, beautiful view and amazing maid. The airport Toronto lost my luggage but I didn't stress much. Every one at Resort where kind and helpful. I want to thank Barbara, Alex and my wonderful maid.

The grounds are well kept. Rooms spacious and immaculate. The Staff is wonderful, friendly and helpful. And the food was varied and plentiful. Overall, I had a beautiful time and highly recommend it.*

The staff are so nice and inviting making sure we were always topped up with drinks, the resort was great and food was good, the beach was so nice. Rooms were great amd so was the views. Definitely will be back.

This vacation could have been near perfect except for one aspect. The beach, friendly staff, room, room issues fixed same day, WIFI so-so, beautiful grounds, and so on were all positive. We met so many wonderful people from QC, NB, & NS. The deal breaker for us was that the indoor buffet was closed for most of our 10-day stay. I have never heard of a resort doing this. Arriving at the first week of low season, they decided to make renovations to two indoor eating locations which included the buffet. The result was a smaller buffet, and most importantly being outside, a buffet swarmed by flies. Eventually we stopped eating from the buffet and only ate what came out of the kitchen that we could order.

Small resort. Staff shortages noted pool bar was not staffed and only one a la carte in operation. Each night was a different cuisine Italian, French, or Cuban set in the same restaurant. The ladies working there were hard working and very friendly. We got there around 3 and the only place to get something to eat was at rhe snack bar which had a limited selection. We ordered a chicken sandwich and got two pieces of bread with a tablespoon of minced chicken. They also had a cheese sandwich. So we were hungry by the time the buffet opened at 7. The piano bar was very entertaining. They had a couple of different people play piano and also had a guy come in another night to play guitar. One night was karaoke which was fun to watch. Omar in the sports bar made a great pina colada. This was the only bar that made it. Drinks were limited. Seems the only drinks were made with Havana Club rum. All in all I went for the beach and beautiful weather which was great!!!

Just really bad..won’t return to Santa Maria..worst resort ! The food was bad, people sick, beach full of weeds, clean place nope ..I did enjoy the sun at least.will not return in Santa Maria not for a 1:45 bus drive to deceive

We stayed at Dhawa from March 11-18, 2023; resort/beach is good, the staff were nice as always in Cuba. BUT food was so bad, even though this is our 4th trip to Cuba and we have very low expectations for food, this time you can't ignore it. I understand that they may have supply shortage BUT that is not an excuse for example to not cook the rice well or a pumpkin... I got sick after couple days with diarrhea/fever and I heard other people had same problem as well. We never had seafood during our stay which you expect to see in the middle of the ocean. After I got sick, our breakfast/lunch/dinner was bread and cheese. A la carte restaurant, only 1 restaurant and rotate every day, from Cuban to French to Italian cuisine ... NOT good at all. I would definitely recommend changing the chef for Buffet and A la carte; they should have quality control for food as well.

Hotel and grounds are beautiful! Well kept grounds comfortable rooms clean and not dated. Food is another story buffet everyday didnt matter morning or afternoon same thing Yes you could get an omelette freshly cooked for you line ups long However you could find something Alacartes were aweful cold over cooked 3 people in our group of 8 got sick Yes its cuba Yes there are shortages But to serve cold food in an ala carte not acceptable Sunwing complaint Ordered duty free on the way down For my return Nothing but they charged me Also ordered VIP On sunwing app guaranteed lowest price well hotel sells it for 30 us we paid 50 canadian total rip off Connie Jean

Beach, pool and grounds were really nice. Service was great! Food was plenty full but would recommend more tongs and sanitizer for cleanliness. Saw mold on the bread, cockroaches around the food. Think they just rinsed the plastic cups to re-use them so bring your own cups for everything. Disappointed they didn’t have white wine or vodka. A few people got really sick while there from the food.

We found the grounds and staff to be very good. No complaints there. However for a “5* luxury resort” we thought it fell short in a few areas. Firstly, I had sent a mail weeks before our arrival. I received no response from the hotel. Our bathroom door and the patio door did not function well. Our shower drain was clogged and filled up with water during showers. (I later fixed) Seemed only 1 of 3 ala-cart restaurants were open which was near impossible to book. Booking for the week starts at 9am Sunday. We arrived tuesday afternoon. Only Sunday evening was available for us. Buffet was very average with long lines. Snack bars had very little selection beyond ham and cheese.

We understand that there is shortages especially to islands but if you are going to run a resort, make sure you have the supplies needed to keep people fed and clean. The buffet was a dream for a meat eater but for a tropical location, there was a lack of fruits and vegetables. Flies were everywhere. The staff work so hard and many of them are kind and sweet but there are a few that seem to resent the people going to the resort. It did not make us feel welcomed even though we tried to be as kind and loving towards them as possible. Omar and Yoandry were the best part of our stay! Truly kind and appreciative and even if they couldn’t accommodate a drink request, they got creative and made something delicious. I agree with the previous review about hand soap and toilet paper. Especially after going through the pandemic, it should be top priority that people have what they need to wash their hands to keep themselves healthy. No toilet paper is unacceptable, you cannot expect people to have nothing to wipe with. That not humane. As for the maids and gardeners, everyone was lovely and friendly. It was disappointing to see one of the maids sweep broken glass shards into the garden in the lobby where a little kitten had just come out. It’s not good for the garden and it’s especially sad if there is a family of cats living in those gardens. Use common sense. We have been home a week and a half and our guts are still recovering. We were extremely sick when we got home and we believe it is from the meat not being properly cooked or from all the flies sitting on the food in the buffet. All in all, the beach is beautiful and it is the reason to visit this resort but other than that, it’s disappointing. I hate to leave a review like this since I really feel for the people of Cuba but people who vacation there work hard for their money to go on these vacations and deserve much better treatment.

This was our first post-pandemic trip to my very favourite country to visit. We read lots of reviews before booking Dhawa. We have nothing to complain about really, other than supply issues which we have all heard about over and over and over. The staff are worn out trying to make the best of the situation and it shows in their morale. Some tourists are not so understanding. The beach was phenomenal and the pool was clean and warm, with lots of activity. A fun relaxing visit. The one thing I would like to pass on to management is that the Cuban servers, mostly at the bar, seem so stressed that they can appear to be uncaring or even rude at times. Other than that, it was fantastic.

Very Unorganized staff was very wasn't very helpful. Al A Carte food was worse then the buffer. There 1 week only I day had vodka, and that only lasted a few hours then out of it again. Everyday run out of gin, red and white wine. No crystal beer. Dirty rooms and last but not least cock roaches in the buffet area.

It was the worst experience ever. This hotel is filthy and very unsanitary, with no soap to wash hands, no toilet paper, despite asking over and over to supplie some. We are so disgusted. We came home with a horrible stomach virus. The food is so unsanitary, flies all over, they cross contaminate food, they wipe their hands on filty cloths and then touch the food. We will neverever go back to Cuba... we understand it's a poor country but, but then get vinegar or any type of cheap disinfected. They just don't care, I am beyond disgusted. We just are getting over a major pandemic, seriously. I don't think we will ever do an all inclusive again...I have so much more to say but really what's the point. The food was horrid.

Hotel is spacious, public areas clean, staff courteous and helpful. Bedroom is a good size, cleaning staff is mediocre. Dining room is large, but is infested with house flies that are on food, place settings, very few of the staff provide good service, all that is required of them is setting table serving liquids but it is hot and miss. Same menu for my 2 wk stay, overcooked ad mushy. Beach is nice, a lot of chairs are broken, will not return again.

That’s a nice resort with very friendly staff. The rooms are large and very clean. The landscape is very beautiful, the pool is very clean. The beach is amazing. It was great to be at the beach after the pandemic. There was missing a few things like pasta but we always had something to eat. I would go back!

What a nice place I used to go to Varadaro but the beach here is just as good and the hotels are newer . Excellent holiday! The food was good never had a problem . The atmosphere was priceless. I loved my stay at Dahaw. I would go back no problem. Excellent value for the money.

The hotel was neglected and dirty. The restaurant noisy, crowded, full of flies on dishes and tables. Empty desinfectant dispensers. Bad food, prepared without care. I was traveling with my husband. We both got covid at the resort.

Beautiful resort, gorgeous beaches, and amazing staff! Thanks to all for making our vacation one of the best. Special thanks to Julia who took care of our room, Handy and the folks at the lounge and Havana Bar and Barbara.

Nice hotel and staff, food was poor, drinks had very limited selection, even coffee was poor at the coffee bar. If your looking for a cheap vacation with good accommodations and don't care about food then I would recommend.

This resort exceeded our expectations for sure!! This was probably our 10th time traveling to Cuba but our first time staying at Dhawa and want to say I couldn't be more happy that we choose this resort!! We didn't have very high expectations(just because we knew that because of Covid lockdown we probably shouldn't expect much) but let me tell you, the expectations were very much met and more! Food was tasty(repetitive) but not blend, lots of options for sure at the buffet. If there was someone there saying they were starving or didn't have a choice, I would say they would be crazy!! Bar and drinks- everything you need, can say I have been to DR where they couldn't make me a gin&tonic as they didn't have tonic water but not at Dhawa!! The hotel grounds, absolutely very well kept and beautiful. I will end my review with saying the people made it all overall one of our best trips, everyone was so nice, friendly and always smiling. Thank you to everyone for making our vacation so special, we will definitely return soon.

I was really looking forward to this trip after reading the reviews but this was a rough, not so pleasant trip! To start off they are extremely short staffed. Check in took much longer than expected, getting a drink was tough since only 1 person was working. They know the amount of people checking in they should be better staffed. The 24 hour snack bar food was horrible!!! Cartilage in the burger, no condiments only mustard and ketchup if your lucky and no fries! Fries are the cheapest easiest thing and there were none, only got fries day 1. Then they started making banana fries, but if you ordered more they would NEVER bring it to you and would avoid you. The room was okay but not close to looking new, it has been well used. I was on the main floor not sure if the higher levels are in better shape. There were no new towels when housekeeping came. They dried the used towels that were on the floor, on the balcony!!! Gross!!! I had to get pool towels to ensure I had clean towels to dry myself off with. The selection at the buffet was just reused food from breakfast or lunch. So unappealing. The napkins were cut in half and hard to come by…. The washrooms never had toilet paper, you had to be sure to carry a roll with you. This is the first time tipping at the resort felt unappreciated by the staff. To end things off the drinks were DISGUSTING!!! No consistency and the coffee machine needs a cleaning so the coffee doesn’t taste like dirt!!! I am beyond disappointed, if the weather wasn’t as good as it was this trip would have been absolutely dreadful!! Save your money and don’t travel at this time to this hotel.

The staff in all areas were always cheerful, polite and friendly. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of food in the buffet which surpassed that in the “à la carte” restaurants. There appeared to be a shortage of staff though as the Seafood Restaurant and the beautiful outdoor eating area was closed. There was a shortage of serving utensils and paper napkins at the buffet. Not a major issue for me but the choice of drinks was quite limited at the beach and pool bars. One could only get a piña colado at the separate Havana Bar in the lobby area which opened late in the afternoon. The gardens are beautiful and well maintained and make for a lovely short walk to the great sandy beach where chairs were always plentiful. It is a good medium sized resort. The rooms are large and comfortable with screened doors and outdoor balconies. Be sure to take and use bug spray regularly as bug bites were common. Overall good value for money.

As always when we travel to Cuba we expect nothing, well this time we were shocked. At arrival we didn’t get our usual welcome to Cuba drink, okay not a big deal. The room has updated furnishing, bonus…nice big balcony, bonus….The pool area is very large and the pools are beautiful, bonus!!!! We met a few lovely people, bonus!!!! After check-in we headed to the buffet, it was after 8pm when we arrived. We grabbed something quick, cause we were tired. Well for the next week, the food was exactly the same 3 times a day…On our second day at dinner we noticed cockroaches running around and staff just didn’t even mind them. I got up and with a napkin did my best to kill them with my feet..I spoke with hospitality manger and he didn’t flinch and proceeded to tell me that Cubans called them American cockroaches because they just come out of no where….what???? I said to him..The fact is that if they were roaming around the dining room I could only imagine the kitchen…There were hardly any serving utensils, one set for each side of the hot table….chicken and fish being touched by same utensil…Napkins were only available the first day, second day we were given toilet paper and there after not even toilet paper was supplied. People eating fish and chicken and going back for seconds and hands not being wiped..At the bread station sometimes there were thongs, most days not, so people just reached into the baskets and grabbed bread with their hands, the same goes for the dessert area. I asked the manager if the what looked like pirogies, had meat, he went over to hot table, with is hands he reached in and took one, pulled apart and said not it’s pumpkin. Cold cuts and cheeses being served with same thongs. NOTE there aren’t any washrooms at the beach, at this resort. The specialty dining rooms were a joke. Only one was open and it served different food every night. I was told by people who ate there, that the same buffet food was served there in a different setting. Wi-fi is free but you’re given 10 hours and then you need to go back to main lobby to log off and ack on again, most times it didn’t even work in our room..One day there weren’t any bath towels, finally beach towels were given in their place. Wait staff refused Pesos as tips, asking for U.S. $ instead…They purposely keep only a few pool chairs out, maybe 20, so that you have to request and of course tip…never seen this before, only at the beach. This resort is not a 5*, it’s a 1*, I would hate for someone to spend their har working money on this resort and be disappointed….it’s absolutely horrendous. We have been to Cuba over 10 times…this was the end

The staff there are fantastic, and make you feel so welcome. The beach was beautiful. The main pool is huge and there are 2 other pools that are shallow. Food was good and buffet had lots of choice. We will definitely return to this resort.

Most of the staff are very courteous and go and above beyond. Room maintenance can definitely be paid attention to - towels, toilet paper, toiletries etc Some bedding do have a bit of stench Vegetarians pl pack extra additions to make your meal. Not much of choices and even rice needs to be cooked better. Non vegetarians have ample choices but may need some flavoring Amazing beach and grounds Entertainment is good too

The gardens were beautiful. The bartenders and wait staff were amazing. Pool was huge and clean. Food was decent. French seems to be just as fluent as Spanish there. Excursions were as expected with no surprises. I wish we would have known that they now accept Canadian money.

I would say this resort was just ok. Of course the staff were amazing. The beach was ok. Entertainment was minimal, very disappointing. Food was okay. Location is out of the way and far from anything. We did the Jeep safari and thought that was well done. The lobster dinner and sunset cruise was excellent. Highly recommend. The bugs were horrible. I came home plastered in bug bites.

Visited from Nov. 13 – 27. Don’t know where to begin to describe this lovely resort. We just loved everything about it! Beach – beautiful and sandy, second to none, with more-than-enough comfortable lounging chairs. Pool: Clear and huge. Although it looked so inviting, we still prefer the ocean to any pool. Hotel facilities: Well-appointed, easy to get around. Rooms are big, kept clean, and everything is in good working order. Love the screen door. enabling us to hear the ocean and get fresh air. Food: simply delicious. Large variety. Liked especially the food in the Cuban section. Also enjoyed the numerous decadent desserts, from cakes, to croissants, to Danishes, to ice cream, etc. Loved as well the roasted piglet on Cuban Day. Our hats off to Sergio, who is responsible for Food Services and is doing a super job, along with his fantastic chef and their staff. Cafeteria personnel spoiled us with their friendly and efficient service. Special thanks to Adianez, Dreidy, Diainnery, Gelen, Lianna, Lisandra, Evelyn, Jack (just to mention a few, as we cannot recall all your names). Bars: very good and quick service. Loved the Spanish coffee. Landscaping: a delight to behold. It’s like walking in a botanical garden. There are so many plants and flowers to admire. Gardeners are doing a fine job. Once again, a sincere “Thank you” to ALL you wonderful people: waiters, waitresses, cooks, bartenders, cleaners, gardeners, etc. Your hospitality goes above and beyond, making our stay at your resort a happy and memorable experience. Would we return? Definitely! The sooner, the better- God willing.

beautiful grounds all the staff were great to deal with, the cleaning staff did a good job on cleaning the rooms ,the food never changes typical Cuba fish and pork I would rate this 2 or at best a 3 small resort inexpensive therefore many Cubas use it for there holidays for 3 days we had 40 use the place for a conference ?there are much better places to stay in Santa Maria

Cubans are amazing people, and this is one of the reasons I go back to Cuba. I must have been to Cuba at least a dozen times in the last 20 years. I never put any expectations on food, but this time it was really bad. Cuba's hurting... If you are going for the beach, one week of relaxation, they it is still a good place to go for the price you pay. Just make sure there are many of you, as a group you will always have a good time!

Great first trip after the Covid shutdown. Starting from the airport, YYZ and plane still wearing masks but no lines or issues. Plane was only 3/4 full so we had empty seat beside us. Cuba and SNU, masks not required. Bus ride to the hotel was about 1.25 hours with great commentary and lots to see. Check-in at hotel Dhawa was fast as only 8 people got off the bus. Lobby was large and very clean, and they brought us a welcoming cocktail, everyone was friendly and courteous. Being low season and recovering from the covid lull, the hotel only using 2 of the 11 buildings on the property. So, I figured 20% capacity, we were taken to our room in building 3, beautiful, large, bright and very clean on 2nd floor with a perfect balcony view of the ocean. The hotel was maintained, and everything was close by. The pool was beautiful, large, 2 levels, crystal clear and warm with a swim up bar. The beach was spectacular, about a 1/2 kilometer long to the Angsana hotel. The water was clear calm and warm, and the beach was clean. never issues with lounge chairs or palapas. Now being low occupancy, it was a wonderful time to get to know the staff as they were not overly busy. This is where this hotel really excels, all of the staff are wonderful, helpful and make a real effort to chat and get to know you. They are all very good at what they do, and they made this vacation very special for us. There are no covid restrictions at the hotel, but the remanence of covid still remains. They still have had issues getting certain items, lending to shortages in food, alcohol/wine and mix, each day would be different. What they did have was decent, as you could always find something to eat or drink as they made the best of what was available. All in all, we had a wonderful time and would go back to this hotel. the area is spectacular (also if you like to walk there is an adjacent Salinas beach which extends about 3 kl to the Villa Los Brujas and marina)

We enjoyed our stay in Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria very much; white sand beach with crystal clear water, ocean view rooms and good foods and service. The night entertainments were mostly a very loud disco in the lobby which was annoying to us most of the time.

I am so glad we decided to go with Dhawa for our first trip to Cuba. The entire package was incredibly cost effective with absolutely everything planned and taken care of for us from our flights to our hotel transfer. We felt like celebrities being welcomed at the airport by our transport, and almost the entire way to the hotel on the bus our advisor provided useful information and some history of Cuba - it was like a free tour! The resort is absolutely beautiful and the staff in all the restaurants and bars and for all the amenities and activities were like family members welcoming us home; they couldn't have been nicer. The lobby staff seemed a bit more stressed and scattered, which is understandable as they get very busy sometimes. It is a newer resort so everything is absolutely gorgeous, but it does mean that they are still figuring out some of the amenities and activities - so take the entertainment with a pinch of salt, and be prepared for a whole lot of dancing! The gym is also a bit smaller, but there is a nice balance of cardio and strength based equipment and the staff are so friendly in there. The trip advisor was so very helpful with all of the tours that we wanted to do, and we saw some incredible things for such reasonable prices - I would recommend literally ever tour, and would suggest doing more than 1. The only minor inconvenience we had is that the wifi is done in units of hours, and is only available to "top-up" between 9am and 5pm. Sometimes after not using my phone for the day, I was still unable to connect to the wifi, making it a little difficult to contact friends at the resort to figure out when we were meeting for dinner and where. We just got good at having a schedule and sticking to it, and took it as a welcome break from our phones. The views really are stunning here, but I think the staff really made Dhawa the ultimate experience for us and would absolutely go again.

This resort was very clean, grounds were well taken care of. Handy at the 24 hr bar made me a special drink that was great, Richar at the Buffet always made sure I was always happy, very attentive. Thank you for a great week!

We liked the beach and beach activities, also the beach bar : Armando is excellent and speaks fluent English. Julio at catamarans is very good too. Pool area is big and beautiful. However, the beach is so perfect, we never went to the pool :) The rooms are spacious and mosquito net is very well protecting. The ocean view is amazing from 3 floor, 5 building. The food is ok. Could be boring for gourmands, but we were ok. Beautiful garden. Less entertaining than we expected, pity.

We’ve just returned from this hotel. We stayed there in June-July 2022. Beautiful place, really nice clean and wide beach. Clean turquoise water. Beautiful gardens. Clean well kept rooms. Great buffet with a decent choice of food. Very nice staff. People there don’t really show that they only want a tip from you. But of course, accept it with a gratitude. Surprisingly one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. Thank you!

The grounds are beautiful, mostly all staff was amazing except the ones at 24/hours snack bar was very rude and didn’t want to serve us. No entertainment! Food got better the last 2 days we were there. No entertainment at night if they was only fashion show. The resort was very clean. Rooms were very well cleaned and bed was comfortable. If you just want to have the beach and quiet this is very quiet resort not much to do. The resort was not busy so they closed most of the event’s beach party was canceled we had no idea where to eat, they keep changing where to open and not enough to choose from the menu either.

Most importantly the staff at Dhawa are amazing which made our trip memorable. The cleaners do an amazing job each day to ensure our rooms are spotless clean. I would definitely come back next year...

We have been travelling to Cuba for over 25 years and absolutely it. We knew with Covid we would experience some shortages, issues etc. and we did. However, having said that, it did not impact our vacation one little bit! The Good (1) The Staff. The staff here are amazing, from reception, to the restaurants, the maids, the gardeners and the beach. A shout out goes to Lissandra and Carlos in the Buffet restaurant, and Francisco and associates at the beach. (2) The beach. The beach is amazing – warm, crystal blue waters, white sand, lots of palapas and chairs. We walked it every morning. A shout out to Francisco for always setting us up on the beach. (3) The food. The majority of the food was delicious. We stayed with freshly grilled meats at the buffets and, although they have limited resources, they do an incredible job with preparations. There was always fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh breads and desserts – always something to eat. In terms of Covid, everyone wore masks and surfaces were constantly disinfected. All staff wore PPE and sprayed your hands as you walk into any restaurant (4) The resort was on the smaller side which was a huge pro. It was not a long walk to get anywhere (5) By far, the absolute best bar was the Havana Club Bar. Cocktails, service and atmosphere was always a treat. Huge kudos to the staff who work there, especially Zehnia. The Bad (1) While waiting at the bars, buffet lines etc., we were often overlooked and locals would just walk up and get served over us. Not looking for priority, but just for everyone to wait their turn. (2) There is NO bathroom at the beach. Not sure how they haven't done something about this yet. (3) There is NO snack bar at the beach either (Just a shack offering tacos) (4) The snack bar is by the main pool and the food was hit and miss. No food or drink menus at the pool snack bar. We had to just guess what they may or may not have. (5) The only thing cash is good for is .. tips! Everything else must be paid for by credit card. The Ugly (1) The resort sprays for mosquitos during busy hours, mostly right before dinner! Everyone has to run to get away from the fumes. I understand the need to spray, but how about when everyone is asleep!? (2) We were in Building #4 right across from the Lobby. I thought this would be a great location but … NOOOO! The disco was right in the lobby so music was blaring until 1am most nights! Who, in their right minds, would put the disco in the lobby?? (3) Always carry toilet paper with you as more often than not, there is no bathroom tissue. (4) The bathrooms in the lobby area had a horrible smell – avoid them if you can! (5) Very little concern for the Non-Smoking Signs or Sections. Everyone seemed to light-up wherever they felt like it. Thank goodness for the Havana Club as it was air-conditioned and no smoking allowed.

This was our 7th time at Dhawa. We tried many resorts in Cuba but now that we found this gem, we don't go anywhere else. Best service from all employees and great rooms, great beach with lots of chairs and shade and beautiful water. All employees make us feel like we are part of the big Dhawa family. The food this time was the best so far. No shortage here. Lots of drinks except no cans of beer available but tons on draught. The new rhum bar is a great addition with amazing drinks and service when you prefer a little quiet time away from the music in the lobby. The snack bar provides great snacks anytime of day or night but the best is Pizza served in the afternoon. Overall we had an amazing time once more. Looking forward to our next visit.

The hotel good layout ,clean ,great rooms . Food pretty good ,no bacon, drinks well done but no tonic water for my favourite drink gin and tonic.rooms well cleaned,supposed to have in your fridge each day water, 2colas and a beer,there wasn’t any beer during our 11day stay said no cans available! The beach and water was great lots of loungers,great service at beach bar and food there pretty good .all the staff in the hotel were the best I have seen in all my 20years in travelling around Cuba always willing to help with everything.things have changed with the currency new with one Canadian to 1.20 Cuba. Changing at the hotel better with doing it with the staff ,better deal getting a1.40 for exchange. They are now taking Canadian tips Loonies & toonies .Really like U. S. Dollars bring lots of ones for tipping ,they really need the tips to live. All the stores in area only take credit cards with all prices in U.S. !,most travellers didn’t want to use there card with what happens back in Canada when you get your statement!there was a lot of Cubas at the resort due to the cancellation of Russians not able to go ,so had deals for locals to come . The manager this was done so that the hotel stayed open so that the workers could get paid. Overal a good trip ,might go back when all of todays problem settle down.

We are very happy with our trip, the service was excellent and the workers were very friendly. The food was very good. The beach was excellent, beautiful water and sand. Be prepared to use a credit card for excursions and pay American exchange rate.

Modern, immaculate, wonderful food and beverage selections, especially in the gourmet French restaurant, Maison Gourmet, and the Italian restaurant, Portofino, friendly staff, beautiful grounds, crystal clear water, creative maids who left towels in the shape of a swan or a heart, gardeners who gave flowers to guests or bamboo birds, bilingual customer service personnel, as well as guides. My excursion to Remedios and Santa Clara was a treat as we rode a steam powered train, toured a former sugarcane factory and cigar factory, Che Guevara’s mausoleum and museum and dined where a pianist played songs by Edith Piaf, Leonard Cohen, the Beatles etc. Stay inside at dusk, however, to avoid mosquito bites. You will not feel them biting but will be scratching for days! The telephones did not work, but a faulty fire alarm did go off intermittently. Great selection of news channels from across the world in English, French, German, Italian etc.! You can walk to resorts on either side or straight ahead too. Bring bundles of $1. American notes for tips as staff cannot use Canadian coins and a $5. tip for every service such as a washroom at the airport is too much. I left big tips at the end of the week as I had no small notes.

The most that I liked about this resort is their beach. The sand is soft and clean, the sea water is of amazing emerald color and super welcoming, waves are very tender. The least that I liked is their food. At the same time, I would like to say that no one will remain hungry, the food selection is sufficient. There are different types of cheeses for example. However fresh veggies are totally tasteless and bread is stale. Deserts are practically nonexistent, there were some kind of white squirmishes with blue and pink decorations. I have not dared to try…. Ala carte restaurants have the same food as in the buffet, just individually served. However, I absolutely loved Havana Club Bar. Cocktails, service and atmosphere was always a treat. Big kudos to people who work there. In terms of Covid, everyone wore masks and surfaces were constantly disinfected. Many people were in this particular resort a few times. Overall, I enjoyed my trip. and consider returning next year.

Room was good staff amazing food not so good need to change the menu same stuff every day tough beef . The pools where very clean. One of the washrooms had a horrible smell. Other than that overall i would rate it a 3 an a half star.

Hotel was very clean workers were excellent. Food could have been a bit better considering it is covid not to many people there. Didn't like being bombarded with local cubins coming in but overall okay.

The grounds were beautiful and gardens work all day keeping it so. Attendants are at all bathrooms and they are kept clean. All staff wear PPE and spray your hands as you walk into a restaurant.it’s clean, inexpensive and the beach is beautiful. It’s probably a 3.5 star but the beach and staff make it worth it.

We recently stayed (6 Jan to 13 Jan) and it was the best trip we have been on. The grounds were clean and the beach was very nice. This was our second trip to Cuba. Randy and mariesly that work at the snack bar are simply the most amazing people we have met. Not only the service they provided but the attention to detail was outstanding. They went over and beyond for our group of four and provided us with true gourmet Cuban meals at the snack bar! The cook that was working there was also one of the best! He would create different items and bring them out to us for testing. We could not have asked for better service or food. We will definitely be going back to visit our new friends soon!

What we really liked at Dhaka Cayo Santa Maria is a lot of greenery and flowers on the grounds, beautiful white sand on the beach, amazingly clear and warm water even in December. The room was also modern, clean, and comfortable. Cubans are very friendly people. We really enjoyed our stay in December-January 2022! There were no cases of COVID-19, so we could enjoy a normal life finally.

The staff were lovely. The drinks were plentiful. The pool was big and clean. The beach is nice but very windy on this side of the island-we went across the street to use the other resort beach & it was calm. The food was beyond horrible! There was limited staff due to low occupancy so restaurants were very slow because they had to serve everything at buffet and specialty stations were not efficient. New Year was the big event for locals who were allowed to attend...food service for those 3 days obviously favoured the new guests.

This hotel provided an overall good experience for us, especially for the low price that we paid. (Beach/facility) The beach was gorgeous and the weather was wonderful every day we were there. The lawns and vegetation were well taken care of. The resort was on the smaller side which was a huge pro. It was not a long walk to get anywhere Ie/ it was a 2 minute walk from the room to the beach or the buffet. There was a small gym, tennis courts and soccer field. I very much enjoyed the gym during my stay. I might also add that there seemed to be ramps all over the resort, so I believe that it is relatively accessible if this is required for your needs. (Room) the room was very nice, my partner has been to Cuba 5 times, and he had indicated to me that this was the nicest room he has ever stayed in. Each room had a balcony and fresh flowers were put on the bed every day which was a nice touch. The room was also re stocked with water, beer and soda every day. (Food and drink) the bars were wonderful, though they sometimes ran out of things, the bar tenders were very kind and would recommend things based upon what we had been drinking. Though not available every day mojitos were amazing and I highly recommend them if you go to this resort. I did have a hard time with the food however. I am a vegetarian and found that there were not many options for me at the buffet as almost every food offered contained meat. There was a 24h snack bar and a beach hut that served grilled cheese, which I lived off of for the week. Additionally there is an omelet bar in the morning which was a fan favourite for my group. If I were to make one suggestion for this resort, I think that having more fruit and vegetables available would be beneficial, though I understand that there are supply chain issues at the moment which could prevent this. (Staff) is he staff were quite friendly, specifically a waitress named Rosy made our trip much more memorable. She was always willing to seat us outside on the balcony even though it was not open at the time we stayed there. She even had our table set up with a dinner setting and twinkle lights one night as she knew we were coming. Truly this woman is a sweet heart and deserves a raise! (COVID) COVID seemed to impact the food offered at the resort a bit as there were some restaurants that were closed when we visited. Masks had to be worn in the buffet, lobby and before we were seated at the a la carte. Also there was a staff member spraying sanitizer in our hands when we entered the restaurants and buffet. At the buffet the food was only served by staff members, and the tables were cleaned after each group left. As far as the covid test to re enter Canada, it went very smoothly. They organized for a doctor to come to the resort 72h before we left, and got our results the afternoon before we were set to depart.

Loved the resort, grounds and especially the beach with clean white sand. Hotel staff in general very obliging and friendly especially Carlos, Richar, Andalay who served us in the dining room. The mosquitos and sand fleas? were a real nuisance around 5:00 - 7:00 in the evening and 7:00 - 8:00 in the morning when we tried to go for a walk. All in all it was a pleasant experience at the Dhawa.

The hotel was very clean, the workers were nothing short of amazing! Particularly Osmel and Ernesto (entertainment staff). The food was fantastic. I have absolutely zero complaints. I have been to Cuba many times and this was one of my favourite stays!

i was in dhawa in january the complex is nice the room is convenient with all facility it wasn't very crowded we had a lot of plates with food but there were not tropical fruits and juice like in the past was some strawberry juice mostly water and baby banana only one day and more pink guava but i could n t eat were unripened i don t criticize i know they are poor just let you know I didn t have too much money in the credit card I took cash with me because my friend was there in decem and she told me to take cash but i couldn t take any trip because they asked only c card was the same problem to pay the vaccin with cc i had to ask people to pay and give them us money that i received from a barman in excange with canadian !! the exchange office was not open until one day before we go and they don t change foreign currencies between them a biig problem was with the personnel making jokes on the back of clients especially at the reception and in the dinning hall in the dinning they were playing with anti insect spray and also they knew how to throw insects toward clients and pinch them taking pict with client while eating without reason and not asked laughing all the time in the computer room we cannot use the internet because they blocked the pc daily while in the middle of writing a msg - including the person who was there for help and cients behind the door I tried to make a phone call but i couldn t have the connection nor talk and i had to pay 5 us I prefer not to be listed on internet if is the case have a good one Violeta

Quite the friendly staff. We where pampered because of a small group of tourist at the time. Resort had difficulty staying open because lock down and travel restrictions. It was about 2 to 1 staff and client ratio. Nice clean beach with snorkeling a few meter off shore. Food variety was limited due to sanctions but good quality. The a la carte restaurants were the best I have experienced so far in Cuba. Overall it's an excellent resort

This is my 4th time in 2 years at this resort. I love the staff. They are the absolute best. The grounds are lovely. The food is good with good variety. Nightly entertainment. Beautiful beach lots of pools. Very clean. Will be returning.

I will start by saying this is my first and last time going to anything less than 5 star. The resort ran out of multiple things including towels, pop, red wine and had a very limited selection of alcohol. On top of that I was there for two weeks and they never changed the bedding even once. I had to ask for soap even when they could clearly see I had none. I exercise in the form of long distance running... minimum 10 km every day and was only allowed 1 large water bottle per day and when i asked for two I was told no. The staff on this resort were very nice and capable workers but they were not managed properly. They spray with the DDT wagon during busy hours like breakfast rather than much earlier when people and their children have to either run to get away from it or ingest it not knowing the dangers. I get the kill the mosquitos part but come on... schedules!!! Check in was a nightmare and I have had very long check in processes before. They had 3 people behind the counter but only one could do the checkin and the others just kept pointing to her. I will say I had a fantastic time at the resort with all the people I met but the resort can not take credit for that. We made the best of it.

We had a great and relaxing week at Dhawa resort, its updated, modern and very clean. The staff were amazing, especially Carlos, Kevin, Leonardo, Mickey, Yalenia, and Yadiani. They were always so accomodating and so excited to see us around the resort. However, we went as a group of 10 girls on our university graduation trip and came to realize it is a resort for older folks or couples. There was no nightlife, nightclub or anything of that sort, but we still had a blast with the amount of people we were with. We tried playing music in the lobby bar but received dirty looks from the bar staff and other guests when trying to make it a bit more lively. The biggest complaint was the lack of available water. As many are aware, non-bottled water can make tourists very ill, when me and my roomate arrived we had nothing in our mini fridge and were dehydrated and parched from a long day of travelling. when we asked the front desk they said we had to speak to customer service that was not going to be there until 10 am the next morning. After that we only got 1 bottle of water a day between two people. We were dehydrated and parched. Secondly. we requested a room with 2 beds and walked in to one king size bed, it was not much of an issue for us, but we had heard from other guests that the same thing had happened to them. The maids are amazing and trustworthy, everything was very clean as well as the maintenance of the resort. The buffet was nothing special, but it wasnt terrible and the cooks are extremely friendly. The a la cartes were good, just not very big portions or a wide selection. (Marichelle - not sure how to spell it, was the best) In the lobby bar, you could be waiting 20 minutes for a drink before they look at you, so make sure u bring money to tip. THE EXCHANGE RATE FOR PESOS AT THE RESORT- PATHETIC. The snack bars pizza was very good, but on the weekends the service is very slow, as the local cubans come into the resort and practically take over. Overall, was a great resort and a great week, but if you are looking for partying and fun, this isnt the place for you.

There are some really good things about the Dhawa and some not so great. Ocean view room was beautiful and there was a screen door so we could hear the ocean at night. The shower was great and we always had good pressure and lots of hot water.The fixtures and furnishings were the best we've seen in our 7 trips to Cuba. 99% of the staff were so friendly. Housekeeping, the gardeners, reception and wait staff always had a smile for you. The grounds were well-maintained and very pretty. We never used the pool, but it was clean and very large. The beach is not overly long but there were always chairs and palapas available. The walk-in snorkeling directly from the beach was really good. There were Hobie cats, paddle boats and kayaks to use. We don't partake in the animation activities, but it didn't seem like there was alot going on in the day. Some of the evening entertainment was great like the Micheal Jackson show, the International show and the Aquatic show. There was nice entertainment in the lobby area but unfortunately it is set up in the smoking area which made it hard to get a seat and also not pleasant for non-smokers. The lobby is spacious with plenty of other seating away from the smoking area though. Not sure why but this trip we experienced the most shortages of food and drink. The food was good but you were never sure if what you liked one day would be available the next. We're pretty easy going and just tried something else. Also you had to ask for a spoon which isn't a big deal, but the buffet was understaffed so often people were getting up and looking for them at the wait station.The Italian a la carte was good and the seafood a la carte just so so for me. There was always wine at the a la cartes but at the buffet and the bars it was hard to get. It was usually a white sparkling that was available. The red and white when they had it was just okay. Overall we would go to the Dhawa again, but if the quality was any less the next time it would be our last time there.

This hotel was perfect for a relaxing get away. I went with a group of 10 girls and was surprised to see how well they could always accommodate my group. The staff were the best part, as they were all so friendly and helpful. The beach was beautiful, and was a great spot to hangout. We also enjoyed the pool, where they’re was entertainment and music daily. Drinking water was very hard to get, which was the only downside. Overall a nice spot to visit!

The resort and beach were beautiful! The ocean water was crystal clear and the beach had beautiful white sand. The beach was a small, only sharing the waterfront with one other resort which was nice if you are looking for a quieter relaxing vacation. If you are a young person however this might not be the place for you. The resort had mostly older folks and there was practically no nightlife. I went with a large group of girls so we still had a great time, however it was definitely an older crowd at this resort. This resort only gave you ONE bottle of water per room (that had to be shared between two people) for the ENTIRE DAY! And sometimes you wouldn't get your new bottle for the day until 4-6pm depending on when they came around to the rooms. If you wanted another bottle it was IMPOSSIBLE to get it. I would go to customer service to ask for water AND would even call the front desk to request water, they would say they are sending a bottle but it would never come.To say I was dehydrated is an understatement. You are not supposed to drink un-bottled water in Cuba, so knowing this the resort should provide access to water bottles for guests!

This hotel was very nice. It was clean for the most part, and the staff was very nice and friendly. Had a lot of fun. Good for families. However, getting bottled water was an issue. The staff were not very willing to give water, only got one 1L bottle of water for two people to share. When asking for another bottle, they would say they dont have one, or in the buffet they would fill an already used bottle of water with their tap water and try to serve it to us with a different cap on, or we would notice it was alredy opened. Otherwise, good resort.

So I had a rough time with the A.C. from the very night we arrived the a.c. would work fine until around 10:00 p.m. Then it would start with a very loud noise that would go on sporadically during the night and wake us several times. I went to the main desk 3 days in a row. The maintenance persons would come but communication was a problem because of them not knowing any English. Of course the noise would not occur during the day. After no luck I went and spoke to the Sun Wing rep Lilita who was not very friendly but she did finally have the work completed and all was good afterwards. The staff were all excellent and very friendly and helpful. The rooms were very clean and the food was great. The only other issue was that we could have used some place to eat breakfast on the morning of our departure, as our bus was picking us up to return to the airport at 7:00 and realised we could not buy anything to eat until we were on the plane. With 5 flights leaving to go to Canada within half an hour the line up was long and we stood for 2 hours in line to check our bags and go through the necessary process to leave Cuba.

We were at Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria for the 5th time in 14 months. We love this resort for the amazing service from all employees, they create an atmosphere of family with all guests. We really feel like we are part of the Dhawa family. We prefer smaller resorts and Dhawa fits the bill. No matter which bungalow you are in, you are no more than 2 minutes away from everything. We go to Cuba for the beaches and this hotel has a beautiful beach with lots of shade and chairs. Great drinks service too served right at your chair. Food is great and abundant choices for Cuba standards. Rooms are cleaned and equipped with a large shower no bathtub unless you request a suite. Management is very attentive to your needs and are seen on site everyday. There is also a bank opened 8:30 am to 8:30 pm on site to exchange money, which is very convenient. This is a quiet hotel, don't expect party like atmosphere all day long but this is what we prefer. We are really happy we discovered this gem and we will be back again for sure.

They call this a 5 star resort ? Well upon arrival in the room that was very clean, i opened the mini fridge and this was inside, 1 bottle of water, 1 can of pop, 1 can of beer, REALLY ? This was typical in all rooms ! We knew the beach would be amazing because its Cayo Santa Maria, some of the best beaches in the world. However i found the food a big problem, the buffet restaurant had limited selection for breakfast & dinner, we never ate lunch there. Breakfast was missing many items, orange juice, cereals, yogurt, and i dont know who eats green peppers and other strange things for breakfast. Something made me violently throw up from the buffet for dinner, there was so much oil in the food. The ala-carte restaurants had very small portions and not much selection, also this resort is not a complete all inclusive, half the main course menu was extra and you had pricing on the menu. There was no caned beer at any bars or restaurants until the resort let the LOCAL Cubans stay at the hotel for 2 days, they seemed to take over the resort at the expense of all the tourists making messes everywhere and making our waits for food & drinks longer. The hotel workers were great, nice people, some of the tourists were very rude, mainly the french Canadians.

The talk on the beach is "this is the best so far" Its my second time back in 7 trips to Cuba. The grounds are gorgeous and the Premium Ocean Front View, is exactly that . There are still beach chairs and umbrellas at 9:30 am. The staff, is courteous and engaging if you put in an effort. The fridges are stocked daily, and safe is included in the price. I would go back again. Having said that, the 2 things that I can say in the negative, is that I didnt get my king size bed as requested. Of course its the usual, come back at 9am tomorrow. I know from the past that, when you go back at 9am they tell you to come back again at noon then at 2pm....so I didnt want to ruin my first day there.,I wanted to be on the beach. The second is that our carry on bags were left behind in the lobby. They were the only suitcases in the lobby touching our checked bags. We were the only 2 people in the lobby waiting for our bus that was over an hour late. The checked bags made it on the bus, the 2 matching carry ons were left behind. No follow up plan to get them to us. Not the customer service like here in Canada. Im still waiting for customer service from Hola Sun and Air Transat to get them home to us.

We just got back from Cuba, the Dhawa Resort in Santa Maria Cuba. The weather was perfect except for a bit too much wind. Sun every day, Vitamin B has been topped up. The resort is a bit isolated from the real Cuba which for me is a bit of a negative. The only other negative was a shortage of drinking glasses, I suggest you bring your own insulated cup. Other than those two minor things the resort/the trip was great. Sun Wing got us there on time and unfortunately back home on time as well. 😂 The resort is beautiful, well landscaped. The room was large and spotless with a nice shower to get all that sand off. Speaking of sand, the beach was beautiful. Lots of shade “houses” never had to fight for one. You could take a kayak out, a paddle boat or a sail boat (escorted) all for free. No line ups either. The pool is enormous, a bit cold, lots of seating and again so clean. More shade there would be nice. Some of best staff were in the pool bar, hi ladies and gents who work there. Now to food! I have traveled world wide but this was my first time to Cuba. I was nervous about the food. It wasn’t fantastic but I have eaten much worse. There was always something to please most The fish was amazing, fresh fruit, good pizza, lots of fruit and a decent selection of meat. Entertainment is such a personal thing, I was not keen on what was there but others were definitely enjoying it. Last comment. I already spoke of the small issues. The big issue for me was the cigarette smoke, by the pool and in the best entertainment facility. Security really needs to clamp down on those inconsiderate people who smoke outside designated areas. The administration needs to assign a designated area at the pool and they need to stop smoking in the lobby music area. I can’t believe so many people still smoke. And finally to the cleaning staff, gardeners and dining staff. They were all wonderful, the whole resort is spotless. Our room staff were amazing. Thanks! The resort is 1.5 hours away from the airport but the bus was new, the driver and guide were funny so time flew by. Don't let the drive deter you. That is it!

The room was very clean. The food at the buffet was cold. The service was good, but sometimes slow. The hotel ran out of plastic cups at the pool bar. I'm sure they were just reusing the dirty plastic cups. We were told to wait two minutes until they could get more cups. We saw a staff member picking plastic cups out of the garbage bins and putting them in a black plastic bag just after we were told they had no more plastic cups.

Gardens are unbelievable, pools were very clean, rooms were beautiful and spacious, some staff were fantastic. Yet beach was very broken shell filled, food was very under par compared to other resorts I’ve visited.

Resort is well laid out, not too big, white sandy beach with lots of chairs and shade. Large pool area. Great staff & shows! They need designated smoking areas in the Lobby & Theatre... or enforce non smoking.

Resort was clean. Staff very friendly. Beach and pool was excellent. The only concern was not enough variety of food. Same food everyday in the buffet. Only booked a la cart 2 days in advance so was always booked up. Big shortage of spoons at the resort.

The grounds of the resort was very well kept. Rooms were well kept. The buffet dinning room was not as well kept. Chair cushions were dirty the place mates were dirty. There was a shortage of spoons really bad shortage. The menu at the buffet never change. Not enough variety. Staff was awesome. They displayed bottles of alcohol that they didn't have and never have.

The main thing I didn't like was no one was stopping people from smoking in the theatre. They should have someone stopping people from walking across when the show is going, and only walking across in-between the songs. Pool and beach was good. Food was good most of the time.

The grounds were great. Have never seen such beautiful foliage.So much care was taken every day with the gardens. One gardener took the time to give us a tour of his herb garden. He was so proud of his work and rightfully so. It just made our day.The public areas were clean. The rooms were clean. The food was fine. Some days our choices were limited but one would never ever go hungry. I don't have anything negative to say about the staff; all very pleasant and helpful. One lady in our group left her sun hat on a beach chair. The following day we were back on the beach when a member of the staff that had served us the previous day came up to us and gave the lady her hat. He had remembered her and had put it aside for her. Talk about service. We were quite impressed. My one negative comment was not a word of english was spoken on our trip from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport from our hotel.

The hotel was one of the best we stayed in Cuba, and we go once a year. It's very modern (opened in 2017), designer-style resort managed by a Singaporean company. They run it very smoothly, everything was on time and working well. The rooms are very spacious and nicely appointed, with a rain shower and other modern details. The grounds are luscious and immaculately maintained. The resort is if a perfect size, not too big, not too small. The beach is the main attraction, definitely one of the best beaches we've ever been at. The food was quite good, a hit and a miss as always in Cuba, but more hits than misses. The a la carte restaurants were all surprisingly good. Wi-Fi is 1 CUC an hour, and it's available in the rooms. There were some small misses like a puzzling lack of spoons in the buffet, a proper nightly show only every second night, poor selection at the snack bar (much of the menu was unavailable), no bacon for breakfast and a surprising lack of chicken at the live stations. But overall this did not take much from the overall positive experience.

The workers were all very wonderful happy to help in anything you need. They dont expect you to tip but they do appreciate it. They also have many activities, morning activities by the beach, afternoon by the pool and in the evening shows. The food is okay exactly what you would expect, the drinks are poured well, although they need to explain what's in it. One drink that I found was amazing was sweet baby, I had it made 5 different ways and each time was great. In the end great resort lots of things to do if u want to get involved from dancing to sailing all for free! The only down fall is the 1.5hr drive to and from the airport.

This resort is fantastic. The staff is amazing. The rooms were clean and rather modern. We had a "partial ocean view" which was pretty much full ocean view. It was so nice. The grounds are meticulously land scaled. The French a la carte was our favourite. The buffet was good. Always found something to eat. Lots of fresh fish and shrimp. Snack bar was good but alot of the times only certain stuff on menu was available. The chicken nuggets there were fantastic. The entertainment at night was great especially the Michael Jackson show. We will definitely return to this resort!

This is a perfect resort for a balance of relaxation and activity. There is no or a nominal single supplemental so it’s great if you’re going alone as it attracts singles . It’s not a criticism but there are a lot of French speaking guests. It would be much easier to meet people if you speak French, but then a lot of thankfully speak English. It’s far from the town so if you go here you are going to a resort and there are few realistic options to venture and see Cuba. The entertainment team keeps it lively and if you participate you’re going to meet people, which is what interests me. It’s not fancy at all in terms of the common area, rooms, bar food or any aspect. But it’s clean, comfortable and inexpensive. It would be nice if the airport wasn’t 1.75 hours away - but that’s how it is. Tripcentral staff was absolutely fabulous with this and my other bookings - is use them again too.

Dhawa Resort is truly amazing. I have to thank the following people, Jarod, Miquel Angel, both Carlos' (buffet and 24 hour snack bar), Rafael, Elisabet and finally Lachie (absolutely the best) were all so very beautiful, kind and loving employees who made sure my trip was extra special as I travelled solo and they ensured I had a great time. The grounds and rooms are absolutely fantastic, the buffet had a lot of selection for Cuba. I have decided that Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria is my go to Cuban resort. I'm already planning my return trip in May 2020. Thank you to Tripcentral and Shauna L. for becoming my travel agent and always being there when I have a ton of questions. If you're interested in excursions definitely check out swimming with the dolphins! The pools are great and the beach is so beautiful

The Resort was a nice, well laid out and the staff were friendly. The food could have been better. Would have been nice to have some potatoes. Room was clean and the cleaning staff were exceptional. The entertainment was excellent some of the best dancers I have seen on vacation. The Bus ride was a little long however it was a nice relaxing scenic ride. The pool waiters and waitresses made their rounds often and it was nice to have that service.

Front desk staff are not too friendly all the other staff are pretty good. Everything is centrally located. Rooms are excellent the views are outstanding. Beach is nothing to write home about. Kids cloud is great. Food is repetitive. Pools are great. Transfer time is way too long

This hotel is perfect only downfall is the transfer time and the beach is not the greatest. Food is the same but good. Majority of the staff is excellent. Great family resort not a lot of walking required to get to things

Attention Canadians trust me when I say do not go to this resort. Hotel looks older than 3 years old. Service is terrible. Food I wouldn’t even give to my dog. They ran out of beer, coke, sprite. No butter no bacon. All that is good is the beach and thank god the weather was good. Otherwise I would have booked a flight home the next day.

very good services and very warm atmosphere at the cafeteria, at the bar in the lobby. Good cleaning services, Not enough information. Sunday may not be a good day to arrive as the main desk seem to be understaffed and the waiting period was long and annoying after a long trip. Great evening shows.

Visited September 3 - 10, 2019 The resort was amazing, everything was fairly close to each other. The food was so-so. The beach was beautiful , the rooms were very nice, and the pools were fantastic. Would highly recommend this resort, the grounds were absolutely beautiful and everything was very clean. The staff were lovely and always wanting to help. Check-in was stress free. The only complaint I have and it has nothing to do with the resort, the mosquitoes were brutal but it could be because of the time of year. I travelled solo, and I had the best week in every long time.

Hotel not too impressive for 4 and 1/2 *. Food was excellent. Only a handful of staff members we're polite and courteous. The rest were annoying always standing around for tips. Two women clean the bathroom started telling us their sob story about how many children they have to take care of. Very annoying. Resort is very quiet and very minimal activities. It was simply not for us.

I had a wonderful time at Dhawa, the resort is well kept especially the grounds with lots of different flowers. The food is ok with different variety. The staff is very helpful and always with a smile.

The area was very well maintained. Very clean. Good service and food was as expected in Cuba. Rooms were ok. Messed up our room with one bed instead of two. Next room that we moved to had bed bugs. Beach was great and pools were good.