Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria

I had a really fun time and would certainly return again.

All staff at the resort were genuinely kind and happy people. For the entire duration of my stay, everyone seemed very passionate about their work, and eager to ensure that everyone's experience at the resort was as enjoyable as possible.

Despite the low-season and a national economic crisis, everything I would expect of an all-inclusive was there, primed and polished. Live music and dancing, authentic cuisine, and careful attention to detail. [Details]

The staff was very friendly, positive, entertaining, and welcoming. Our view from the room was beautiful, looking over the ocean. The beaches left me speechless, they are crystal clear. The food and drinks were delicious. Everything was fresh and clean. Awesome place for relaxing while also having fun. Lots of entertainment with lovely people. I am definitely coming back to this place! Highly recommend to everyone. [Details]

Since the moment I've arrived in this resort, I felt so welcomed. I have no enough words to describe this amazing place. Beautiful views, beautiful beaches and beautiful pool. The staff was so kind and helpful. Also, my room was large, clean and excellent with a stunning ocean view. I would highly recommend this resort and I will keep coming back! [Details]

Since the moment I've arrived in this resort, I felt so welcomed. I have no enough words to describe this amazing place. Beautiful views, beautiful beaches and beautiful pool. The staff was so kind and helpful. Also, my room was large, clean and excellent with a stunning ocean view. I would highly recommend this resort and I will keep coming back! [Details]

We've just come home from another great stay at Gran Muthu (previously be live collection). As usual the place looks amazing and feels like paradise. The friendly staff is always happy to see us back again for a small visit that ends way to quickly. [Details]

Excellent service staff very friendly and helpful.
Restaurant service was good.
Room cleaning was good.

I got lot of musquitos bites on my hands legs not sure if you have in market calamine lotion and Benadryl for itchy..I came home with pain, now treating my body.

I had pinecolada full of ice I got stomach pain vomiting diarrhea you should discontinue serve pinacolada.

Beer alcohol liquor coffee were ok.

I gave good tips for many staff members.

Thank you [Details]

Staff, beach, safety, cleanliness was amazing!
We are a family of 5 (9 yo, 7yo, 5 yo) and the kids had a blast. Beach was amazing/picture perfect!

Food, options, entertainment was not amazing.
This resort had 75 people there and because of this, not much was open. Only 1 place to eat.

Overall, we had a good time but wish there was more for the kids [Details]

A very nice resort with a lovely landscape. There were palm trees, flowers and vegetation everywhere. There were a variety of pools and golf carts to take you around the resort as it is quite large. Our room had a garden view, however we were fortunate to still see the ocean as well. Our only complaint is that one day my hubby rushed out of the room quickly so the maid could clean and forgot to leave a tip. When we came back our room was not cleaned. Only the beds were made...towels, toilet, sink, bathtub, floors not cleaned/changed. You get 1 hour of free internet per day. So if you are there 7 days, they give you 7 hours up front to use as you see fit. I have to say the food was not bad at all. I've had better in other Caribbean vacation countries, but I will still happy with the food! It is also a bit of a drive from the airport, 1.5 hrs. [Details]

We had an overall lovely time in Cuba, but there were some issues with our hotel and some poor planning that were deeply inconveiant. [Details]

I will start off by letting you know that I have been to Cuba 4 times now and know what to expect when visiting the island. Generally, I don't mind the food and can deal with the quality issues at the resort (based on my budget for each trip). Having said that, I will try to give an honest review for those thinking of booking at this resort, primarily for a family vacation with a toddler.

We flew with (name removed) and have nothing bad to say about their staff (I will bring them up again below though). I won't blame them but as a heads up, make sure you register your kids for the Kids Club. I thought it was automatic but found out just before we left so my daughter's registration package didn't arrive until well after our trip had ended. Thankfully, the flight crew took care of her and she got many of the same perks the other kids did.

In case you are not aware, the bus ride from the airport to Cayo Santa Maria is about 90 minutes. The buses are comfortable with air conditioning but there are not always bathrooms on the bus. They make one bathroom stop on the way but it isn't always enough for those who have a few beers at the airport and some on the bus. We packed plenty of snacks and drinks in advance so our daughter was content the whole way there.

On arrival, the hotel staff was great BUT I quickly found out that for some reason, they did not have our reservation on file! After about an hour of standing around with no real communication, they had a room prepared for us. I am happy it was resolved but it was a shock and very frustrating. I spoke to the onsite rep and she said she would look into it but I never heard back from her. I was happy that I had all of my reservation information printed off so do yourself a favour and do the same in case this happens to you when travelling.

The Premium Gardenview room was pretty much as expected but there were only a couple of drawers and hangers for our clothes so we spent the majority of our 9 days living out of our suitcases. There were a few minor inconveniences like no remote for the tv but the staff hooked us up with everything we needed by dinner time. The one thing I would say though is make sure you know what is included in your package and make sure you ask for it right away. If you delay on asking for it, they may run out of that particular thing (like beach towels or additional a la carte reservations).

MAJOR ISSUE – The one and only major issue that we had was that our door lock didn't work. After accessing the room once or twice, the electronic lock stopped working and you could just turn the handle and walk in, even if the extra lock inside the room was engaged. I asked them to fix it and it quickly broke again. I asked a second time and if quickly broke again. Now after having to walk back and forth from the room to the front desk each time it broke to ask them to fix it and then making the same walk back and forth after it was fixed because fixing the lock voids your current key and they have to reset your keys for you, I was not happy with their ability to solve the problem. I politely explained to the lady at the front desk that I was most concerned about the safety of my wife and child and she literally shrugged her shoulders and said “what do you want me to do about it”. Long story short, I spoke to the customer service manager and they had a repair team replace the lock on our door and it worked fine the rest of the trip. The very next night, a guest tried to enter our room at about 2am but thankfully, couldn't get in.

Overall the food was decent but there were a couple of very bad days at the buffet. You know it is going to be a bad day when there are 5 different trays of wieners and the only difference is how they are sliced. That being said, the Christmas Eve dinner was spectacular! There was no lobster or shrimp but they had everything from sushi to various fresh baked breads and desserts. Definitely something special for Cuba. If you are travelling with kids, you may want to pack some of their favourites like ketchup and peanut butter as that stuff is scarce down there.

Tipping can have a great impact at some resorts but it didn't do much at this one. The people were friendly but spending more didn't really pay off service wise. By the end, we were just walking up to the bar to order as the servers didn't seem motivated to serve you which may be because they all pool their tips (including the bartenders). One infuriating moment came when our server at an a la carte followed my wife out to confront her about the tip that I had left. She did not like that I left it in Canadian currency and instead of asking me, she basically begged my wife to give her the same tip in Cuban currency. I explained that the banking area was closed and that was all I had besides 2 Pesos. She carried on and I finally said look, either take the 2 Pesos or the Canadian money and convert it yourself for MORE Pesos but this is all I have. Of course she kept the Canadian money and wandered off. I don't think I am the most generous tipper in the world but I spent approximately $200 in tips in 9 days so it wasn't like I was being cheap.

Make sure you know your prices before you spend money. I used to be able to get rum for reasonable prices in Cuba but on this trip, it was usually more expensive than it is in Canada. Havana Club 15 is about $150 in Canada and the cheapest I found it was about $130 (depending on the exchange rate for that day). The same bottle was usually $150US to $175US. This was the same for the lower end brands as well.

Airport – make sure you spend all of your Cuban money or exchange it before you get to the airport as they do not accept it there (when buying stuff) and you cannot leave the country with it. Oh and check out this scam they have going at the airport…prices are in USD and they only accept USD if they take 10% off the top. So you pay for your unbelievably overpriced snack in CAD at the daily USD exchange rate so you lose 30% right there. Then, your change comes in USD. So now, you have a pocket full of quarters and fifty cent pieces that you can either take home with you or buy more stuff after they take 10% off the top. Plan ahead if you can.

After all that, I would say the hotel is worth visiting again. It was “kid friendly” which is why we booked here and the nightly entertainment for the kids was very engaging. Nightlife is limited and the a la cartes are basic so you'll have to figure the value of that out on your own. [Details]

No phone in the rooms at all, you can not call the lobby or room service, or between rooms the phones are just a decor, food is very bad no taste cold no variety, line up always, not clean, smells,
Even in the 24 hours restaurant there is nothing to eat, only u can have cheese and bread or fries, no pizza just on certain times, rooms are not clean with lots of mosquitoes that eats you every day and night, because they never spray the resort at all, Iit was a week of hell we came back sick, my husband was sick I couldn't call the lobby to call the doctor, plus there is no doctor or a clinic, very bad resort no service at all no room service no coffee in the room just coffee maker to look at, bugs is everywhere, very dirty resort, wast of money and time, it was a week of hell. Oh and I forgot to mention the shell fish that is on the beach and in the water, no intertaimnt all what they want is to advertise to take you to the dissco outside the resort to pay an extra money, worse vacation I ever had..... [Details]

I have stayed here before and I have enjoyed it so much! The beaches are beautiful, the staff are wonderful and very attentive and the atmosphere is something I just love. The food is okay, but trust me, you don't go to Cuba for the food. You go for the beaches and the people! So amazing!!!!! Will return again and again if I have anything to do about it. I highly recommend! [Details]

Food

Beer - The only Cristal you can get at the resort is draft in the lobby bar or the main beach bar. Everywhere else is Buccanero. Forget about cans unless you buy them on the tour bus or at 3 pesos a can at the nearest market.

Mixed drinks appear much more promising, if that's what you enjoy.

Coffee at the lobby bar is exceptional!!

The buffet - I'm pretty open minded as a seasoned traveller to not only Cuba but most parts of the Caribbean and I dismissed most reviews about bad food - but this resort truly is awful!
I lived off of overseasoned dry (almost dry jerky type) beef chunks, hot dogs & cheese for a week. Unless you waited for the grill, nothing is even warm. At the grill, stick to beef. Nothing is cooked thoroughly.
A la cartes were just okay - the international had decent food.

Lunch snack bars
Beach - super busy, extremely aggressive wait staff, cold food, undercooked meats on the grill.

Near pool/lobby - BEST food at this resort. The grill guy and wait staff are top notch. This was the food highlight of our holiday. Food was cooked thoroughly and actually hot. Pizza was greasy but decent.

The room
We recieved a free upgrade to a semi oceanview - neighbours with regular reservations had a better view.
The maids seem to run a scam to get extra tips by placing broken TVs, coffee makers and missing towels in the rooms - in hopes of getting more tips. I fell for it and heard my neighbours did too. Our maid is laughing all the way to the bank.

We didn't tip one day mid way through our holiday & the maid decided not to clean our room (the bed was made but that was it.) Dirty cups, no garbage changed, dirty towels left on the floor - such a huge disappointment.

Toilet broke on Tuesday, we told the maid but it wasn't fixed so we had to walk to the main building whenever we needed to use the washroom. We tried talking to the front desk and concierge, they don't seem to care one way or another. Is a working toilet no longer part of the all inclusive experience?
I found that to be completely unacceptable. Some of the staff just won't help unless you flash the cash FIRST.
I'll be contacting our provider when we arrive home. If I wanted to go camping, I wouldn't have paid that much money!

Bed was firm but comfortable. Pillows were flat and smelled like old man butt. They're definitely never washed - we bring our own pillows when we travel for this reason. The blankets smelled terrible as well - clearly NEVER washed.
Washroom was beautiful but the rogue- spray everywhere - busted up shower head made showering difficult.
The floors were never swept. The room seemed clean though and our sheets were changed until we didn't tip. Towel art was amazing even if I had to spend 30 minutes cleaning random flower petals off the bed after some elaborate art. I'm sure she is good intentions but I didn't go on vacation to have to clean my own room. I tipped 3 pesos a day until midway. One day I didn't - no service. No towels. No clean sheets or even coffee cups.
Can't even get a working toilet!

The pools
This is where this resort truly shines! Immaculately kept and stunning. I'm usually a beach person but this area stole my heart! I didn't see any tiles missing & the water was pristine.
Tip the gardeners & pool guy - they do an excellent job and work harder than anyone else at the resort.

The beach was a bit of a disappointment to me personally. Mainly because of the obscene amount of litter from the other guests- truly disappointed in my fellow resort guests.
Water was shallow and gorgeous- typical Cuban beach. Lots of sea weed though.

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, even with lowered Cuban expectations. 3 days of having to walk to the main building (from about 1/2K away) to use a working toilet is just ridiculous!
It's a shame because there are a few staff sprinkled within the resort that do try to be helpful and kind. But the majority won't even look at you unless you tip upfront. This is not the behavior I am used to or the reason I fell in love with Cuba and it's people. I still felt safe off the resort but everything is very far. This resort is super secluded. [Details]

Stayed at this hotel late November, 2019.

This hotel was the last stop on the bus ride that took 3-hours from the airport. Yes, 3-hours, but that is really the only really bad thing about our trip.

This resort is not anywhere near at capacity because some of the buildings are needing repair from wind damage. The pools are huge and no one is really using them.

Staff were always helpful. I am guessing not many other guests were tipping at this hotel, as I was given preferential treatment to other guests without asking for it nor expecting it on days 5, 6, & 7. All good though...

Front desk staff placed us in a lower floor room with many problems upon arrival but promised to move us to a better room the next day. They knew I would want a different room and they were right. Their promise was kept the next day and we were placed in a very nice room for the rest of our stay.

Katy was our cleaning lady and wow did she do a great job for us. New towels everyday and everything sparkled after she was done with the room. The mini-bar was stocked daily.

Pool bar was low key, as not many people went there. The beach is where everyone hung-out. try to get a room near the beach if possible.

Drink mix, specifically their orange juice, was not very good. Orange juice was like Tang (google what Tang is you youngsters!) The frozen drinks were good. I switched my drink to margaritas. They make them good and strong!

I would say the food was better than I expected. Always lots of it but it did repeat. Not a problem for me and my family as we visited Cuba for the beach & sun, not the food and drinks.

We also loved the wild cats at the resort. We fed them some sardines from the buffet. A highlight of our trip for my young teenage daughter.

First time having internet access in Cuba. 7-hours for free which was more than enough even for my teenager.

Would I return? Yes I would. We had a great time.

The Cuban people and the experience was really good. They made our vacation! No one had a bad attitude.

The bugs do bite in the late evening hours - 9 pm onward in the lobby bar but not in the day. [Details]

Bad food, lack of everything. No beer, no coke, no mint, etc. This place needs a good manager and a serious upgrade. [Details]

We had an amazing vacation at this drinks. I was very worried and almost changed my mind as the reviews were brutal. We were greeted promptly with cold drinks when we arrived and check in was fast! A bellman quickly took our bags and drove us to our room on a golf cart. He told us where the beach was, where to have lunch, showed us everything in our room and was able to answer questions! Our room was in building 19, beside the tennis courts, beside the lobby. We overlooked the mangrove and water in the back. Beautiful! Our room did NOT smell like mold and nor did any of the blankets. The water main was broken for 1 or 2 days but ko big deal. Maids were in the bathrooms with water to flush for you. Bring some sanitizer. We didn't wash our hair one day as the water was so cold but whatever. I never checked if our patio door locked. We were on the 3rd floor... I didn't really care to be honest. No, we weren't given any sort of map, but within 15-20 mins of exploring we knew where everything was. Any other questions we had like when are shows and restaurants were lindly answered by our Transat rep the next day or by servers. We only tipped 1 CUC for things and we had amazing service! Maybe because we were greatful and smiled? Excellent excellent service. We brought our own towels as reviews said there were none. We saw the towel shack open one morning but like I said, we didnt need towels. We only used them to dry our faces after the ocean so they were fine. The food was fine!! There was plently and it was NOT the same every day. Lunch was served by the beach and they had different grilled things every day. The last day they did a bbq huge bbq! There was lots of bread as well. People seem to forget this is Cuba and right now they are rationing food... So be greatful. There were cold meats, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, loads of veggies, fish, pork, lamb, potatoes, pasta, omlets, rolls, desserts. Lots of alcohol. Someone saidbthey had no vodka... But there was lots anytime we went up. We really liked this resort and 100% would come again! [Details]

Overall the hotel was very clean. Tons of seating on the beach and pools. Food was not the greatest, served same thing every day. Staff was friendly as long as you were tipping well, and last full day there maid took her tip and made the beds, but did not clean garbage, bathroom or leave clean towels. [Details]

I'm sorry it's long, but I wanted to be honest. There needs to be a forum where travellers can talk and ask questions. This can go a couple ways. It's Cuba. You'll either love it if only for the sun, the oceans crystal clear water,and white sand. Or you'll hate it; because at this RESORT, that's all that will impress you. The resort boasts 4 stars.. In my opinion Not true. Maybe a 2 star resort at best. I would also not pay more than 1000-1200pp and that's pushing it. I wanted a cheap vacation and Cuba is usually it. You can get a great all around experience for under 1200 but if you're going pay that or more to stay at the Golden Tulip, you may as well spend 1200-1800pp and have a nice time anywhere else. Again, I know it's Cuba, and I went with lowered expectations, but was very disappointed. I had stayed a few years ago (10 years ago, I'm now 40) at what was then a new resort, and is now a memories, and had a great time. I even went to the Memories resort while staying at the Golden Tulip resort and had better, friendlier, cleaner, fresher, more flavorful service. Back to Grand Tulip. We paid a little extra for the junior suit, which was to include turndown service, in room beach towels, a bottle of rum and a full mini bar, and a fourth a la carte on arrival. We got there and the room did not have any of the above. It also didn't have a locking balcony door. Even when they fixed it you could still push the door up in the track and out of lock. It took hovering, asking for management, threatening to call our travel agent, and about two hours, but finally they added a block and screw up top, to correct it. It's funny to think, We were the fortunate ones, as some peoples front doors could be opened with anyones keycard or even without using a card and just simply turning the handle. At this point, our room was also finally stocked. We asked for turn down service our last night, it never happened nor did the wake up call for our departure. The rooms were dingy. I'm not too fussy, but
The room smelled like a mix of b.o and mold. I wrapped my pillow case in one of my t shirts to hide the smell. The furniture covers were stained. I convered them with a beach towel when I got one. The lampshades were either rusting and dripping down the white shades, or were just that dirty. The extra blankets smelled like they had not been washed in months and like faded vomit. (sorry) the mattresses need replacing, springs are all but popping through. Phone didn't work (rang when called but you couldn't talk back) hot water was intermittent even in off peak shower times (breakfast, lunch and dinner) I tried having one at 4 am because I left the ac on and was cold and the water was Luke warm at best. The ac, tv, lights, shower drain worked. The resort itself needs desperate repair. Exposed wires, lose pool tiles everywhere. The buffet was the same recycled food from the night before right down to reheating French fries from the day before. Cutlery is hard to get, drinks are hard to get food safety and handling is over looked, right down to the raw meats over Iceless trays, sometimes I caught used coffee cups being wiped out with a napkin and used for the next guest. People using their fingers to get food and cut bread, kids that used the serving spoons to sample the buffet food right on its plate or serving tray three or four times and then leaving the spoon there for someone to use and collect their germs. You tell the staff this happened, and 20 minutes later it's taken away. (probably served again to us the next day or in the a la carte) now, the Staff.... Don't expect anything to happen at a respectable pace.. You will wait a long time, unless you get the same server you tipped the day before, and only if they are in a good mood after working 12-14 hours straight for 4 days, or if you pre tip a fair bit. It's like the staff, for the most part, had better things to do. If you were Spanish, you were seen and heard.. If you were tipping like you didn't pay to be there you were acknowledged. Other than that... You want a golf cart lift to a second place and you didn't tip the first time, you were ignored the second. And if you did tip and it was seemingly too little, you got the stink eye. When we visited memories on this trip, a good cart stopped, and asked if we wanted a ride. We asked to go to the pool. He all but drove into the pool to get us there. When we tried to tip, he said later lady, I'm here all day. Wow... That's the service I was hoping for at the supposed 4 star Golden Tulip. They would claim to run out of beach towels and hide them. They seemed to learned rather quickly that if someone asked and they said shh, and went into another room and had them... They'd be tipped again, and not just for towels.. Clean cutlery, blankets, golf cart rides, butter, just everyday things. We had a handful of people that seemed dedicated. We had an excellent dinner buffet waiter who was so fast, and responsive, with a great memory (I wish I caught his name he has a two kids one, a beautiful baby girl) that gave great service before we tiped him. So if course we tiped him generously a night. He worked hard for the 12 of us, and deserved every 1$ of what we'd leave him. I can't say the same for the others. This resort is not good..other than for the beach and even that isn't as calm as the memories side. The Golden Tulip seems to be in a cove that is not as tranquil. I'm not sure where others have stayed before to say this is a good resort. I don't care what other reviews say.. Please spend your hard earned money else where.. I get, that if you want dedicated one on one service, bottle of champagne and a fancy dinner, you'll pay for that. But, If money is no object and you like having to throw money around to get what we all paid for with our all inclusive, ie a table to be cleaned and re set for you to eat at, water, pop, beer, fresh beach towels when requested, and like being treated like crap and paying twice for everything you should already be getting stay at the Golden Tulip. I've always dreamed about having the guts to turn in my return ticket and stay and live where I've traveled. At this resort, while I loved the warmth and the ocean, I couldn't wait to get home. Golden Tulip please don't thank me for this review, you don't care, you won't change, you got my money...that's all that matters to you. I won't be back, unless significant and documented changes are made. Though this claims to be a 4*, which is false advertising, abs while I'm normally careful with how I spend my money, in this case, I'd spend the extra and hopefully have piece of mind. Good luck. [Details]

We were pleasantly surprised at the size of this resort. It's quite large. Only downfall to that is it's quite a walk if your in building 1-6 and want to go to the busy part of the beach where the non motorized sports and lunch buffet are. We found lots of seating around the beautiful big pools and loved the white sand beaches and crystal clear water! [Details]

Despite a rocky start to our vacation, my daughter and I had a most wonderful time for our week long escape. We did not get our beach towels till the third day of our vacation, turned out to not be such a big deal. Plus the lack of directions, instructions and signage around the hotel led to a lot of wasted time to find our way around.....all solved by the third day. The most important thing on any vacation is the food (for most people) and that was amazing......for meat eaters, which my daughter was. For me as a vegetarian, not so much, but I'm accustomed to that on vacations. The staff was amazing. The hotel was clean. What else can a vacationer want? [Details]

After reading some reviews we were reluctant to book at this resort, however, so glad we went! The resort was well maintained, beach was amazing (only complaint was that there was a lot of cigarette butts in the sand) buffet had enough choices and staff were wonderful! [Details]

This was our fifth visit to the hotel and second time this year. We had a blast! Staff as always was attentive, polite and helpful. We didn't need to ask for a thing. The food was hit or miss, with little variety but that is to be expected. I wish the hotel would serve more actual Cuban food at the buffet.
Rooms were comfortable and all are a short walk from amenities. [Details]

I had a great experience at this resort. The beach was so beautiful, I could stay there all day long. The bartenders were always very friendly. The buffet servers were so great to us! The room was always clean, however the public washrooms could use more cleaning. The food was not great, however the beach made up for anything negative we experienced. The beach and the bartenders were so amazing, and what really made our vacation special. We got to meet great people and have amazing conversations over our weeks stay. [Details]

This resort is pretty dissent per your money. They have excellent beach. Depends on the wind you can find some jellyfishes. Rooms are recently renovated and looks like new. Do not take low level rooms. They have a lot of small biting bugs.Kitchen is just OK. They have pretty good fitness room. When I was there they do not have ping pong table. They claimed that they scrapped old one and ordered a replacement. They have a pool table, but in a cigar bar.Entertainment in the evening is not bad. I got a good deal on this resort and consider that I got what I payed for. [Details]

I just came back for 1 week vacation with my family and I would like to share my impressions.

The hotel is well maintained, the people are very nice, all friendly and extremely helpful.

Golden Tulip is a medium sized resort on a beautiful stretch of beach approx. 2 hours from the Santa Clara airport. I think for the cost of this resort the value is quite good.

Here are some main points:

Beach - was stunning. Beautiful water, and white sands. No bugs, crabs or jelly fish.
Sand is so soft and beautiful. Water is clearer than a swimming pool. The various colors of the water are amazing.

Drinks- loved the Cuban or Spanish coffee (with Bailey's) and cappuccino's served in the lobby bar. The drinks were above average with premium alcohol available at the lobby bar and some other bars. I enjoyed the champagne, Kir Royale cocktail is very good, also many other cocktails.

Wifi- worked well in the room and for the lobby better in the morning and late at night (there are usually many tourists in the lobby and it's a shared connection so it's slow at some times), cost was 1 peoso per hour. You buy a card at the desk by the hour and can sign in and out as you like. There are several wifi networks so if don't work on the lobby try one of the other ones that you might find across the resort. When you succeed to comnnect Internet is slow but good enough to chat on FB messenger, post photos or send emails.

Entertainment and kids- the kids show starts at 8:30 and the nightly entertainment 9:30. Great resort for couples and families with small children. The kids club offers many activities: pirate day, birthday party, etc. The 3 girls there are very nice and the kids love them: Maday, Jailys and Janhna.
But there is much more entertainment in one of the 3 markets (plaza or pueblos) on the island: Plaza La Estrella, Plaza Las Terrazas, Plaza Las Dunas. There is disco every night (newer disco is in Plaza Las Terrazas) and some days there are shows or Carnivals in Plaza La Estrella. Ask one of the animators and he will organize a small group and come with you. You can go by bus or taxi to each of them, the bus pass every hour during the day and at night until 2am. The market (pueblo) La Estrella is very close, only a few minutes by cab or bus. It cost 2 Cuban peso per person or the double decker bus or 5 cuc with taxi . The Carnival/foam party is every Thursday (25 cuc all drinks included, ask the animators)

Food- I've been many times to Cuba and probably they have one of the best food I've had yet. There was always clean place to sit and service was good in the buffet.
Breakfast was tasty: fresh made donuts every morning, fruits, custom omelets,

There is a little pizza place (kind of hidden away) just behind building 9. It opens around 12:30 and it runs out quickly, but the pizza is amazing! Also the pizza in Plaza La Estrella is excellent!

Room - was clean and we didn't want for anything the bar fridge was restocked daily. Comfortable room's with patio area. Lots of pools so you never feel crowded, swim up bar and good drinks that weren't watered down.

One special note for people. All staff is hard working people making sure your stay will be great. They travel daily 1.5-2h each way and they work hard and long shifts but they still keep their smiles when they provide the tourists with an amazing service.
I had the privilege to meet and to learn a little bit about some of them and they are amazing. I'd like to say thank you to the people working hard “behind the scene” that tourists will not see, as Danay, Yanis , Nabil, Eduardo, Yusnaiky, Danae, Yailin but also the people in the front line as: Lex (making omlets in the buffet), the lady making the donuts, Osvaldo at the buffet, the waiters Gabriel, Roxanne and Alejandra, the nice and educated bellboy Yusef, the people working at the lobby bar like Lauren, Patry and Carlos and the others, , Liss Barbara and Yeni Dumenigo at the reception, Rogelio, (great guy with perfect English), Maday, Janhna and Jailys at the kids club (taking good care of our small treasures), to the people on the animation team like Dayan, Massiel and the twins Adrian and Ariel and to all the others doing their best to offer an excellent service. [Details]

This hotel is recovering from the Hurricane and there have been great improvements but there are quite a few issues. The washroom in my room requires a complete overhaul. The first morning getting in the tub the assistant handle came off the wall in my 82 year old mothers hand. The shower head was completely broken. The toilet seat was broken you had to be very careful that you didn't fall. The towels were grey. They need to use bleach. I did make the acting manager aware of the issues before I checked out. [Details]

Our whole experience at the hotel was a pleasant surprise. The staff were all so friendly and helpful. We arrived shortly before the supper buffet was finished. Was expecting remnants, but was fully stocked and well presented. 2 pool areas - the main pool for party people, the other for others liking down time. 7 bars including 1 at each end of the resort. Always close to a cold beer. [Details]

My best friend and I visited the Golden Tulip for a girls trip and were absolutely blown away. The resort was absolutely beautiful, the food was amazing and the staff was outstanding. Everything was well kept and we had no issues whatsoever during our stay. We were actually thinking of returning due to our experience! I wasn't expecting much for Cuba, but this resort blew my mind! [Details]

Me and my wife and 2 of out kids Had wonderful time at this resort. All the staff is so friendly and always ready to help you when you need any help with anything. Dihana from the kids club is such a wonderful women our kids loved her and couldn't wait to go and see her in the morning . We are going next year again to this lovely resort [Details]

I've been to Cuba four times already, and I wasn't too crazy about this hotel [Details]