Mar Del Sur

The beach was great, as always, but expect to bring your own towel and pay for a lounge chair. The staff were friendly and polite, as almost everyone in Cuba is. Still, this is the worst resort I've stayed at in my many trips around Cuba, the Caribbean, Canada, and the USA. It's outdated and worn out. Spend a little more and avoid substandard accommodation. I'm sorry for the people of Cuba, since this isn't their fault. The resort and Airline tour are at fault for having the audacity to sell Canadians this kind of vacation. We went in January and arrived at night. The receptionist was cold, as if she didn't care that guests had arrived. The buffet was already closed, so I went hungry to the snack bar and ordered a mojito. They had no mojito or pina colada, just the bare basics. I asked for food and got a toasted bread sandwich on a small plate with no napkin. It had something like egg or shredded chicken, tasted awful, and I forced myself to eat some. My girlfriend stayed hungry rather than risk getting sick after we arrived. Young adults were drinking and smoking by the bar entrance as if they were just hanging out on the street, with no regard for guests or professionalism. Our room was outside the complex, across another street. There was no hot water, so we both had cold showers for the whole stay. Nothing was ever repaired, and no other room was offered when we asked. I can imagine how that would be for people with children or a baby. The room was okay for the price, as I expected, but the blankets were old and worn, the mattress was cheap, and we only had two small towels. Paint and concrete around the closet were flaking and needed a lot of work, though that didn't affect me much. At breakfast the next morning, we hoped at least to get coffee, but there was never any in the dining area during our seven days. They said coffee was only at the coffee bar about 150 meters away by reception. There we found espresso and Americano, but no milk or cream during the whole visit, even when we asked and offered to pay extra. Another Canadian guest brought his own Coffee-mate and offered us some. At the main bar, there was never a mojito or other popular drink, just rum and cola, with no whiskey, scotch, or liqueurs. The food was mostly shredded cabbage, rice, and dishes that seemed like leftovers mixed with something new. Almost all the chicken and fish was shredded or minced, like cat food or canned tuna. There was no ice cream at all. The selection was basically the same at every meal, perhaps with a slight change from a different cook. Expect lots of steamed pumpkin chunks, shredded cabbage, and shredded chicken or fish. Breakfast also had no real juice, only something like orange Crush or Fanta every day. Lunch and dinner were mostly cabbage and rice dishes. The resort and tourism are an embarrassment and humiliation to Cuba. Airline tour sells this as a vacation, but I'd have been better off staying home, going to my local bar, and ordering the cheapest, most disgusting food I could find. At MAR DEL SUR, there are no basics: no milk or cream for coffee, no juice. Bring your own towel and plenty of snacks or food in case you want something other than the same dishes all day. When you're spending over $1,000 each on a vacation, there should at least be hot water to shower properly once during the week and coffee with milk at breakfast. It's a disgrace that Airline tour sells these substandard packages and guests only find out after arriving, when the money has already been charged.

The people in the restaurant and housekeeping worked hard, as did the staff running daytime bingo and games. The hotel was short of budget, so there wasn't a show apart from one synchronized swimming performance, which was quite good. The shows during my first visit in February 2022 had been good. I stayed here twice, in February 2022 and November 2023. We returned because the first visit had been fine, with plenty of food, a clean hotel, and great shows. Canada had warned people to skip Cuba because of food shortages, and they were right. There wasn't much choice, though the food was okay and Cuban. At our last dinner, the cook put chicken drumstick bones in the rice. It looked gross. On my final morning, there were no eggs, ham, or juice as usual, so breakfast was toast with margarine and water. There was no hot water in the rooms. When they tried to fix it, a pipe broke and flooded the whole building. Water ran down the stairways, and some guests found their rooms and passports wet. This hotel is for Cubans, not international travelers, so please avoid it. I was with my Cuban family and this is what we can afford. They thought it was great because they're used to the conditions on the island. It's sad what they go through, but if you're coming from Canada, choose another reputable international chain like Iberostar, Melisa, etc.

The staff were friendly, we felt safe, and we had a great time. You do need to arrive with an open mind. We heard from other Cubans who'd stayed at 5-star resorts that the food was really bad there, and much better at Mar del Sur. We were eight people from Feb 6 to 11 2023, staying in two large apartments. Ours had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen area, and a fridge, but no stove or microwave. The rooms had A/C and the mattresses were very good and comfortable. It was clean, and there was toilet paper and soap in the bathroom. I was surprised by how clean the hotel was. Bring shower curtains so water doesn't get onto the floor, though it was easy to dry and not a big deal. They cleaned the apartment once and changed towels and sheets. We weren't there all the time, so that was fine. There was a different show each night, and entertainment was good. The bar usually had fresh beer and pop, plus sandwiches or ice cream. The pool was nice and big. No beach or pool towels were provided, but it's a 2-star place, so you can't be too picky. The beach is about a six-minute walk outside the hotel, with chaise lounges and umbrellas, and a tiki bar nearby where you can get beer or rum. The food was Cuban: rice, beans, pork, chicken, soups, and salads. At breakfast they made eggs or omelettes, and had two kinds of bread to toast or eat as is. Fruit included guayaba, watermelon, and papaya. I saw Canadians bring bacon or sausages to be grilled by the person making omelettes. Some days featured hamburgers, sausages, chicken breast, or fish fillet. We brought a boiler jar, boiled water each night, and put it in the fridge for drinking the next day. There's a shop selling Pringles, souvenirs, rum, flip flops, towels, cigars, and other items at very low cost. The resort is popular with Cubans and French Canadians, some of whom stay for long periods. WiFi was available, but you need to buy a phone card at reception or the shop. The signal was quite slow and only worked in those areas, not at the beach, pool, or restaurant.

This was our first trip away, seven days in November 2023, and we chose the resort because it was still within the range of our credit from before Covid. It looked nothing like the pictures. All three rooms were down the street, not on the resort, and the doors didn't lock properly. We had to ask and wait a while for clean towels or sheets. Hot water worked for just one of the seven days, and the shower was so cold my legs turned purple. The food was horrible. I know food there isn't usually the greatest, but I wouldn't feed that stuff to my animals. It was the same slop for all three meals. We were charged for drinks at the resort's beach bar too. The location was far from everything, and we spent more on cabs and food than the trip itself cost. Service wasn't great, though a couple of people were amazing. Entertainment wasn't great either. There was one amazing show during our stay and nothing else for the other six nights. I would definitely never book here again.