I found a deal online that was just too good to pass up so for $167+taxes (less than $450 per person all in) I came ro tripadvisor expecting the worst and since the reviews were mostly pretty good I decided to taks a chance and I am very happy I did!

Airport and customs was quick and soon enough we were on our way for a 90 minute bus ride to the coast with a bag of "celabration beers" from the nice locals and on arival there was a band waiting to greet us with a welcome drink. Before we could drink it we were thru check-in and someone had our luggage and taking us to the room.

We were in room #346 in building 3 and it was pretty small but the bed was big and the AC worked well so for what I paid that was all I was expecting. We only slept, showered and kept the stuff we were not using in there anyways so it was more than good enough. There were some bug issues but but not all that bad and its to be expected with the windows open so often. Nothing we could not deal with. Housekeeping was very good and part way thru our trip they took delivery of hundreds of mini fridges and we all got one in every room. Not sure if this will always be there because other resorts charge for this but ours was free so that was a nice suprise.

This was a small resort so there were not lots of people around and that suited me just fine. The ones that were there for the most part was friendly enough and you got to know lots of them over the course of the week. The pool was NEVER more than half full (the lounge chairs that is) so we did not feel crowded. The water was a bit cold but after laying in the sun thats not so bad and once you are in there for a bit its just perfect! They charge you $15 pesos per person to use their towels but you get it all back when you return them. You need $25 pesos to leave the country anyways so its like money in the bank so no big deal.

The buffet is actually pretty good. In fact the best I had in Cuba and my other experience was a 4 star in Veradaro. Always good options and they change it up a bit each day with constient staples always there. Pizza was good, pasta was great, and all in all this was my biggest worry going in and I was very happy with the food. There is also a 24 hour snak bar by the pool so we never went hungry. I asked some questions in the forum because there was talk about going to other resorts and it really seemed to be a popular topic and here is the deal. If you want to try another resort get the front desk to give you a slip and go ahead and give it a try! If you want to go visit another resort go ahead and do it and feel free to have a drink if you wanna hang out for a bit but think of it as a guest in another persons house. Dont take advantage and stay all day but feel free to check it out. Offer a tip to the server and be on your way. It is not encouraged but not discouraged either. Thats the bottom line on that topic.

The pool bar is great with awesome service. LOTS of options and even a menu so you can ask for those fruity drinks everyone seems to like on vacation but the beer worked nicely for me. The beach bar is beautiful and again, lots of options. We brought 52 ounce "BUBBA's" so we did not have to go back and forth so much and most people were jealous of them! I highly suggest you bring something like this with you. I'll never go to a resort without these again!! The disco is kinda a joke but the bar is open till 2am so if you want a drink thats where you go. I'm sure with a different crowd it could be much better but I'd say the average age of a guest my week was easily over 55 and not disco people. If nightlife is a draw for you there is a good one right next door that I will address in a bit.

If I had to pick a disappointment it would be the beach. the sand was OK but could have been better taken care of like they did down the was at other resorts. As reported the water is VERY rocky. I read other reports saying bring water shoes and I laughed at those people and didnt bother but they were right and I was wrong! Without water shoes the beach is not a great place to be. It was much more windy at the beach and thats not so bad on a really hot day but we decided to spend most of out time at the pool. The water activities are free and seemed fun but we never tried it. I wish we had looking back but we just did not. There were some locals selling cigars and stuff but not many and a simple no was good enough. Was never an issue at all.

There is lots of things to do around the resort and here is my experience with them. We did the catamaran out to the coral reef and a seafood lunch. The cost is up to $69 pesos per person and was a good day. There is a lobster diner at nearby coco beach that we never got to but heard from our new friends was a good time for $35 pesos per person. Lots of horse and buggys around to take you up and down this small strip of land but we never did that either. It was on my list but we never got around to it. Right beside the resort is a disco that was really jumping every night till 5am. We stopped by our first night and there were lots of people there and seemed like a fun time but we were tired and never got back there. If I had to offer my "dont miss" would be a stop at a small pizza place. Out the resort to the right and maybe a 4 minute walk across the street is a few shops and a small residental area wehre lots of the workers live. Its worth the walk just to see this and learn to be thankful for everything we have and take advantage of. Turn left past the store then first left again and there is this little pizza shed where the guy will make you a pizza in a ting "oil drum" looking wood burning stove. It costs $1 peso per pizza and he folds it over and hands it to you in a small piece of cardboard so not to hurt your fingers and it is SO GOOD! Across the street from him is 4cent (ya, super cheap) cigars! They are locals and dont come in a tube or fance box. I dont smoke so didnt care about this but if thats your kind of thing why go anywhere else?? This walk was one of my favorite parts of the week! We hit the other resorts to look around and they were MUCH bigger and had fun things like swim up bars, more al-a-cart restaurants and other bells and whistles so if thatsw your thing go stay there. It was WAY to big for my liking and I was happy to get back to our little property :)

Thats about it but feel free to message me with any questions. I had lots of help before I left and will be happy to pay it forward now that I have been there.

I would easily return to the resort and will recomend it to my friends and family so if you are on the fence weither or not to book here I recomend you take advantage of a good deal and enjoy your trip!

after reading all the reciews here I was geared up to face the worse, but having just returned from my holiday there I would like to say that I was surprised at the wonderful staff pleasent surroundings and good value for the buck, of course if one seeks the best then there are more expensive hotels you could choose to go to, but critising broadly isnt fare ill rate my experience here at an 8 thanks to all the hard working staff!

PLEASE PEOPLE..... you know your not going to a five star in Paris so quit complaining about stupid things. It's a cheap trip to Cuba and at the Mayanabo is totally Cuba. The little things you may want to complain about are overshadowed by the super friendly staff and their willingness to do anything for you. And I thought the food was great!!! If you don't like what the buffet offers, there's a chef at the end of the restaurant who will cook to order whatever you want. With a smile.

just returned from a trip that could of been a nightmare. On arrival at Mayanabo, my daughter and I were completely shocked! I have always figured that you could have a great vacation as long as you had a nice pool and a nice beach....WRONG!!! This place has a great pool and a great beach but everything else was horrible.
The place was empty except for creepy old men with their young Cuban "companions" and stray cats.
When we arrived we were told that we had to wait for our room to be ready...the place was empty so I don't understand that...but whatever. While we waited we looked around and were not impressed.
We went to have lunch and their were about 8 selections that were all gross and the dining room had a horrible odor.....oh yeah...you had to fight your way through about 25 cats to even get in the place.
Anyway, I am not a picky traveller at all...and I would never recommend this place to anyone other than someone who is on vacation for the sole reason of spending time with prostitutes....(not judging..just saying)
We talked to the front desk and were moved down to Brisas within two or three hours, at the cost of 50 bucks each, which we were happy to pay.
We did ride a bike back down to the Mayanabo a couple days later to see if it was as bad as we first thought...and YES IT WAS!
I have a very hard time believing the positive reviews about this place...a very hard time!
Please think twice and do your research before you book a trip here..Take my advice and book elsewhere.
By the way...Brisas was great!