Sanctuary White Sands

We had a good break from our winter at this resort. The hotel is only open for one year as of March 1...relatively new so the staff are are still learning but doing their best with the language barriers.
Food assortment was satisfactory for most days... the supply chain in Cuba has special issues not related to the resort staff... they did very well!
Transfer from CCC airport was more than an hour.
Great beach for walking but our week was quite windy with whitecaps.
The morning race for a shade chair is not for us.
Best entertainment for us was the pianist in the Lobby and the Neil Diamond tribute... did not do the 9PM shows.
The beach and pool music was too loud for people who want a quiet vacation.
Room was cleaned daily.
We were not aware of the two classes for guests when booking... regular and premium... this should be removed IMO.
Our ratings are based on experience across many resorts in five countries. [Details]

The beach is so beautiful; water is different shade of turquoise and the sand is white! Weather was amazing! Crowd is older and no activity after 11 pm. If you want to relax, read, sleep and do nothing this is for you! Lacking choice of alcohol, food is ok! Some employees were incredible and others lacked a smile! Trully enjoyed my week there! ❤️ [Details]

Hello we really enjoyed this hotel. Loved the food al a carte restaurants. The rooms were very modern and spacious. [Details]

The resort was beautiful, clean, friendly and helpful staff. The food was very good too. The music and dancing at night were excellent.
We liked to play pool but the pool cues were damaged, when mentioned at the sport bar they had no replacements.
More indoor activities were needed, example….maybe a chess tournament, or backgammon game, yoga, dance lessons, there was nothing out of the sun in the afternoon and the chairs were all taken with towels so you had no place to sit. There should be a time limit on how long you can reserve a chair by the pool or ocean.
I would return, it was lovely, just needed more activities out of the hot sun. [Details]

Nous sommes arrivés juste avant tempête au Québec
Nous avons pu ressentir, que les directeurs,et employés du site on du réviser leur semaine avec moins de personnel, et les activités ont du être moindre. Très beau site ,bien aménagé et très bien situé. Cela fait 1 an que s'est en opération, et beaucoup de jeunes aux personnels , qui cependant ont de très belle activités
Les chambres sont magnifiques,cependant le ménage est fait les coins ronds
Pour ce qui est du frigo, n'ont pas respecté, leur engagement de l'eau de temps à autre et c'est tout ! La nourriture nous n'avons manqué de rien [Details]

The hotel is advertised as being brand new but there are signs of wear and tear . So much as that the boardwalk to the beach was worn, the taps / faucets in the lobby and pool area looked like they were 10 years old. [Details]

My wife and I really enjoyed our stay at Sanctuary. It was exactly what we were hoping for as it was our first time to Cuba. The greeting at 11pm was perfect and seamless. We were premium and the extra attention was lovely. Our room has the perfect view of the ocean, we would definitely book that room again!
The restaurant staff, particularly Yancarlo Zapata was amazing. Yancarlo was very attentive to our table and we enjoyed talking to him through the week He works very hard! The beach was beautiful, we didn't spend too much time sitting there due to the wind, but we enjoyed walking it everyday.
Entertainment was enjoyable too! [Details]

We stayed at the resort from Dec 23-30, 2025. The hotel itself looks just beautiful, from the long infinity pools and boardwalk to the beach area, where it led to powder-like white sands leading to stunning turquoise waters. I wished the boardwalk was extended a little further so someone with an accessibility issue could get down to the water easier as the sand was so soft.

Because the hotel has only been open for 8 months, there are some learning curves to work through, but the management staff are committed to making it right. For example, the hotel is out of the way, and is hard to get staff, and we experienced a day, where the bus that brings the staff in from an hour away, broke down and couldn't get the staff in. So they made the necessary arrangements to troubleshoot and did their best. This committment is appreciated.

We stayed in the accessible room. The bed was extremely comfortable, pillows were soft, but on our first day, the linens and towels were dirty (not used, but had dirt streaks through them as they were not quality checked after being laundered). We informed the management, and they had the linens changed and towels brought in immediately to make it right. Additionally, the accessible room has an open bathroom, while the accessibililty is amazing, the shower could have had a shower curtain as well as towel racks/hooks. Without the shower curtain, water splashed area, so when we informed them, we were given extra towels to help dry the floor. We could have moved to another room, however, the accessibility was more important and we made due, which we were fine with.

Everyone says you don't go to Cuba for the food, but you go for the beaches and ocean. While we could always get something we could eat, the options were limited. Pork and seafood are staples, but having food allergies to them, I was still able to find something enjoyable.

We had premium service, and I expected the butler service to be more available and attentive, and frankly be available, but the butler service was minimal, and non-existant, until having to hunt them down. But when we did, we got what we asked for. I believe the training on butler service needs to be worked on for the premium guests. As well, the premium guests were not treated much better or different. Not sure I got the value out of it, or the special treatment, with the exception of the one night of premium dinner in one of the restaurants.

What I did not understand was it is an all inclusive resort, but the restaurants limited the items we could have, for example only 1 appetizer, 1 entree and 1 dessert. But at times, I wanted 2 appetizers, and was not allowed 2, so I ordered an entree, and did not eat it (due to food allergies) and then went into the buffet to eat.

The Italian restaurant offered the best meal, in my opinion. The hours of the breakfast close at 10, and they were hard fast that no one was allowed in at or after 10am. But lunch started at 1pm. There was a snack bar that could order food 24 hours, but the service was very slow. Management had to work there a couple of days due to lack of staff.

We were there over Christmas, and they had a lovely Christmas Eve celebration, and Christmas Day festivities, with small gifts for everyone. Santa even made a visit. This made us feel quick special.

So....overall, while there were some issues, the management always did their best to make it right, which again we appreciated. The resort itself is beautiful and accessible. The cappucino's in the lobby bar were exceptional. Jose Rey worked very hard at the lobby bar from morning till night and was outstanding!

I want to thank the management staff for always being available and listened to our requests (which were not unusal or many). They took the time to get to know their guests, which was lovely, and always made a point of saying hello and checking in. [Details]

When we were there, the property had only been open for 7 months, so most of the equipment and floors and rooms were well kept and maintained, as long as they keep up the maintenance of the equipment and rooms it should be a good property to visit. There are things beyond the maintenance and cleaners control but if they look into the rooms especially near the ac units there has been insects build ups, which may lead to further issues later, also sheets when bloodied cannot be washed to get rid of the stains should be replaced. [Details]

My second time at this hotel. Saw improvements in food and service. Still room for improvement with the wait staff, but should come with experience. Entertainment staff are amazing. Bar tenders are great. Rooms are modern and clean. Beach is truly beautiful! [Details]

We just got back from a great week at Sanctuary White Sands. It is a new hotel and everything is fresh and lovely. The resort is well laid out and everything is close by. Met some wonderful staff at the pool bar (Yai), lobby bar (Fortun and the gang!) and in customer service (Mary). Also, the bartender in the sports bar was great. Overall I would recommend this resort. [Details]

We stayed hear March 27- April 3
The resort is brand new on one of the best beaches in Cuba.
Yes there were shortages but nothing one couldn't handle.
Would recommend! [Details]