TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Believe the bad reviews! I'm completely shocked to read the reviews that rave about how great this resort is. I've traveled to Cuba many times and this resort was hands down the worst. NO PHONE in the rooms, no room service, no a la carte restaurants were open, swim up bar was closed, beach bar was closed, no entertainment, the list goes on and on. I attached pics of the "beautiful beach" they advertise, full of man I wars which are highly toxic and can sting long after they are dead. Staff never cleaned them up so more and more kept coming. Total waste of a vacation and money. Go literally any place else! The only good thing that I can say about this resort is that we had an amazing maid, Tanya. She was fantastic!

This resort was amazing if you are traveling to Cuba I highly recommend there is food. every morning there’s an omelet station, toast, cereal , fruit and other options lunch was amazing I had fried chicken, hamburger, hotdogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, loads of options there always the snack bar if you don’t like what’s at the buffet. Supper was always good they had two station where they cook the food for you they had a seafood station and then a pork and chicken station and they had other sections. At the beef and pork station they also make fried rice so good!!! The rooms were so clean and well kept! The snack bar was indeed open 24hours. Also the resort is beautiful. Now the staff is wonderful so polite and lovely the staff truly does care about your experience and try to make sure you have a blast . There’s always drinks that are always cold. The bartenders are so amazing. At night there’s always entertainment either someone playing and instrument or dancing it was always a blast. I had a blast at this resort I would 100% return I enjoyed this resort so so so much!!!!!

Just returned from a one week stay with a friend to this supposedly 5 star resort. This is not a 5 star resort. At best I would give it a 3.0* and a 2* compared to other carribean destinations. The food was awful and very scarce, no french fries, no hot dog buns, fruits were limited, powdered juices . There are no phones in the room and lobby is quite far. Just imagine if there is a medical emergency in the room. Lobby washroom were not very clean. Rooms are pretty tired out, patio door does not lock, key lock often does not work. This property looks like it was a 5 star hotel but there is a major problem here now. The resort was at 20% capacity. The daily activities were non existent. I would highly suggested not going there. I had a feeling by the reviews that things where not right before going. I should have changed.

We were there the third week in January 2025, it is not as portrayed, it is not a 5 star Resort. We arrived at the resort at 8pm after travelling all day, there was no place to eat, no buffet and no restaurants were open, snack bar was closed, beach bar was closed, luckily we has extra snacks packed in our book bag. We had opted for Alegance when we booked our trip, when we arrived the Alegance restuarant was closed the entire time we were there, the buffet was the only option for breakfast and we were all told what restaurant to attend for lunch and supper waiting up to 2 1/2 hours to receive your meal. Food was minimal and repetitive, we were hungry, bring lots of snacks. No hot water in our Alegance room for 3 days. No bellboy as carts were broken, this was not an issue for us but it was for our neighbors with mobility issues, having to haul their luggage to their rooms by themselves. The lights at night were almost non existent, bring a flashlight, we had to help an elderly couple from Austria with their luggage to find there room in the dark. There was no night time entertainment. The attendance at the Resort for the week we were there was 50 to 60 people. The pools are in need of repair and definitely a cleaning, the pools definitely need some attention. We were at this resort last year and it was amazing, that is why we had chosen it again this year. We will definitely not be attending this resort again until major changes are made. We did meet the new management, they have alot of work ahead of them to gain tourists trust again in this Resort. We had many discussions with fellow tourists, they will not be attending this resort again until major changes are completed. Now for the positive points, Cuba has the most amazing beaches and people. Blanca, Amellia and Tamara you are some of the kindest people we have ever met, we will miss you, God bless you.

We wanted to share some important feedback regarding our stay at El Patriarca Valentin, which is rated as a 5-star resort, at least what is advertised in the lobby! Having visited Cuba at least ten times, we are fully aware of the ongoing challenges with food supplies and occasional power outages. We always set realistic expectations, but unfortunately, our experience at this resort was far below what should be acceptable, even considering the current situation. We are sorry for the lovely staff whom themselves complained about the lack of food and services ! Here are some of the main issues we encountered: • There was no bread available for the entire 8-day stay. Even hamburgers and hotdogs were served without bread. • The buffet was mostly empty, with several food stations covered because there was no food. • Three restaurants, including the snack bar, were closed, and the one that was open served extremely poor-quality food. • We received conflicting information regarding restaurant reservations—some staff said reservations weren’t needed, while we later found out they were required. By the time we learned this, it was often too late, as everything was already fully booked by 9 AM. • In the buffet, chicken and pork were available only twice in eight days. Most meals consisted of omelets for breakfast and cold, dry rice with the same wilted salad from the previous day. While we had low expectations regarding food quality, we never anticipated it would be this bad. We met several guests from 4-star resorts or less, who had all basic necessities, including bread, and a variety of food choices at the buffet. In fact, I personally stayed at Princessa del Mar (4-star resort) this past February and had a significantly better dining experience. It’s clear that El Patriarca is poorly managed and lacks even the most basic food, this is completely unacceptable. We feel it is our responsibility to share this feedback so future travelers can make an informed decision and avoid the disappointing experience we had! Best regards, Silvia & Rob