We were at Iberostar Ensenachos for 2 weeks from January 22nd, 2012. I will give you the good points, and then the bad.

GOOD: The people are amazing, the facilities, rooms, pool areas, lounges are all beautiful and immaculate. If you like the beach, though, it was too far away so you had to take a golf cart ride to it. They did have a bathroom and bar at one end of the beach but if you wanted food, back to the resort with a golf cart. We also found the water too calm and way too shallow. Great for kids and non-swimmers so we stayed at the pool and were more than satisfied with that.

BAD: The food was TERRIBLE. At the buffet, they served the same food every day both for lunch and dinner. The food was usually overcooked, and everything was cold. Breakfasts too were not very appetizing. The bacon was usually almost raw and no variety whatsoever. We were not impressed with the A la carte restaurants either. We also did not appreciate all the smoking (both cigarettes and cigars) in the lounge area where people sit after dinner.

We will not be returning and suggest you give it a pass too.

Ok folks listen up , we stayed here Jan 27-Feb 3 2012 , flight down on the big A330 airbus via air transat was smooth and easy easy on easy off , bus ride to the resort is 1hr and 40 mins so if ya need to pee geter done ,if ya got kids make them go , bus on way there had a washroom that worked , bus on way back did not so beware , bus ride was very senic as it takes you directly into the hearts of the small towns , to my suprise every single house leaves there front door wide open i was a little shocked at that but theres no crime even tho some parts look like the getto , anyways we got to the hotel about ten pm ish and was escourted to the lobby were you are welcomed with a glass of champange (nice welcome) we then get our keys to our spa room 2704 ground level and are asked if we are hungry and shown were the buffet is to eat , im not sure why people say the cuban food has no flavor ,let me tell you this is not the case here the food was great so we ate there all week long,(no sickness) , waiters are awesome and have a great memory everyday of how you like things for example i like ketchup in the morning with my eggs so everyday apon my entrance the waiter would have my ketchup ,coffee and orange juice ready on the table ,fresh omlettes everyday made by ivonna were the best as she is truly one of a kind and knows how to put a smile on your face every morning with some sort of a wise crack comment (tip her well she is great) ,
The beaches : we spent most of our days at megano beach a bit of a walk from the hotel lobby but no big deal as it helped me work off breakfast , when you get to the beach there are beach attendants that ask you were you would like to sit and get your lounge chair out and ask if you preffer sun or shade and clean your chair and place your towels on them ,agian this is great service for that extra touch of class ,the beaches are top notch with turquios waters and sand like flour between your toes,i did snorkle off the beach a saw starfish and many other fish ,oh ya and drink service to your beach chair (again great service)It is true there are currently no washrooms or snack bars on the beaches but they are very close to fixing this within days by the looks of things as the buildings are so close to completion ( so pee in the ocean and suck it up you cry babys whom cant handle it )
Spa rooms :the spa rooms are wonderful with private balcony or terrace depending if your on the ground floor or not (ask for top level if you want to see above the jungle) king size beds , fully stocked mini bar w flat screen tv , stand up glass shower with a huge tub to the side, very clean room that was cleaned twice a day with clean beach towels daily , the spa section is very nice and private i must say and close to the main pool w swim up bar , the grounds are very well kept daily , large tennis courts and basketball court that are well kept up along with a half decent gym and full spa if u wish to get that special treatment,construction almost done as well on the kids water park ,there are no party type bars here were ya can get your drink on unfort, if you wanted to that is , they have a cigar bar with cuban fresh cigars and piano bar after 10 pm the night life was toast, they also have a make shift disco bar down stairs but it was very quiet with one or two people there at night max , they did have a a band near the lobby one night which was ok (attention stefano : people love to dance under the stars to great music and the band was just ok but a dj would do the trick maybe twice a week with some really good music) also to mention if you want to keep in touch with family back home it is rather dificult as there is no wifi at this resort available to the guests but there is a business center (aka computer room )were u are required to purchase a internet card from front reception for 6 cuc pesos for 30 mins , but let me tell you its dial up and slow as molases and your 30 mins goes real fast. Hey stefano open up the wifi to the guests and charge twenty bucks a week for anyone that wants it and put a password on the wifi and change it once a week , you will actually make money at it as a suggestion .i will recomend you book a villa suite from your travel agent or upgrade when you get there for 100 cuc based on 2 ppl per night as we upgraded to a villa on or last day and omg im glad we did we moved to villa 6601 at the very tip ocean facing with full kitchen (not sure why i guess back in the day they would come make you dinner in your room perhaps is the rumor)full living room and dining room , humungus bedroom , massive bathroom with huge soaker tub and glass shower , best part of all was the beach lounge chairs and jaccuzi tub on the deck outside overlooking the ocean and stars at nite (villa suites are the only rooms with outside jaccuzis , make sure you take my advise and take the walking trail beside room 6601 to watch the sunset at the farthest point of the resort a very special spot ,next time i go i will book a villa as its super private with alot of comfort with your own butler , the villas are very close to ensanachos beach , that beach is incredible and makes you feel like its your own deserted beach as its away from everything , so dont be cheap and get the villa , i have tried to touch on everything i can recall , tip the staff as much as possible they work six days a week and do it very well with really long hours and are great people that can really use the extra cash in there pockets that you can spare , my first time to cuba and wont be my last to the iberostar as its getting better daily and to that i bring my review to a end and thank the kind cuban people for everything they do with the limited means they have to bring such great service to us Canadians ,i have also added many photos so you can see this is truly a great resort see you soon S&J

For all of you who can’t decide where to go on your next holidays… I will make it simple for you! Go to Iberostar Ensenachos. This is simply one amazing resort all around.

Smooth plane ride and smooth transfer to the hotel. We arrived at the resort on 20 January, pretty late at night and were welcomed with a glass of champagne. We were whisked away to our villa and the magic began.

The villas – well worth it, are gorgeous! We had a two bedroom villa and there were two huge bedrooms complete with reading area and full entertainment unit, two complete bathrooms, one powder room, a small kitchen, a large dining area and nice living room with another entertainment unit. Our villa also included a veranda with a Jacuzzi. The villa was immaculate, the beds extremely comfortable with duvet comforter, the bathrooms had separate bath and shower and the water was super hot with great pressure. The tranquility was amazing - there was not a sound at night. This is one of the best night sleeps I’ve ever had!

As our group had different taste, some wanted peace and quiet and the others wanted to have some good old fun and participate in the activities, we decided to split our days to please everyone. This is the prefect resort to do this as it caters to all tastes.

The resort is more or less split in two. You have the Megano section that has the activities and the Ensenachos that is just soothing for the soul. Same concept is applied for the pools. Bear in mind that we are not talking about Mickey Mouse beaches here … these are huge and absolutely gorgeous. These are some of the best beaches I’ve ever seen anywhere and I’ve seen plenty! The sand is like powdered sugar, the water is turquoise… all is super clean. It’s like you are entering one of those postcards that makes you drool!

The animation team was great (Lionel and company… thanks for the great laughs) and we had great fun doing stretching sessions on the beach, water aerobics and even a bit of dancing. There is a well maintained volleyball court adjacent the beach.

Our afternoons were spent in the Ensenachos beach. It’s a bit further from the main building but if you want your stress level to drop instantly this is exactly what the doctor ordered. You can just sit there and you will forget all your worries.

I have to admit that I was a bit worried for the food as I am quite demanding when it comes to that. Well I was pleasantly surprised as everything was delicious, prepared as you liked and well seasoned. The Gourmet restaurant in the villa section serves the best langoustine tails and shrimps in garlicky butter – absolutely divine. We also ate at the buffet, the seafood (great surf and turf) and Japanese restaurants. Everywhere we went we ate extremely well!

Finally, I don’t really know how to express my profound gratitude to Stefano and the amazing staff at the Iberostar Ensenachos! From our majordomos Diego, Yandry and Marichal, to the gardeners Felix and Mario, to the cart drivers, Roberto, Angel and Jesus, to the kitchen and cleaning staff… just to name a few, you made our stay unforgettable. Everyone, and I mean everyone, went over and above great customer service. And they do it with such warmth that you truly feel special and pampered. Of course the hotel and its ground are spectacular, the food is amazing but what makes your trip truly unforgettable is the way all these elements, combined with this amazing team, make you feel.

Going to the Ritz is grand but you feel like a number… here you have the chance to experience the best nature can offer and the best of the human spirit.

I never wrote a review as I never felt the urge to publicize (or criticize) a resort. In this case, I felt the need to do so. Go – you will not be disappointed and please give back in any way you can for they are so generous in ways that are indescribable. They never ask for anything but they truly give a lot from their heart as well as ensuring that your vacation is one you will never forget.

Martine
Montreal, Canada

Let me start by saying that I am not that "picky" person who thrives on tearing apart any resort because they dont bring perfection, so please dont let me put you off from this resort.

The resort is beautiful, and very large, honestly though i would say that in its current condtion it isnt 5 star quality, my wife and I stayed last year at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria down the street and we were assuming that because we paid quite a bit more to stay at the Iberostar we would expect to see some type of upgrades with this property, we paid $400+ per person more so we were naturally assuming that we would see some differences ??? Unfortunatly not, we both said we wished we had of picked the Melia again, sorry Iberostar :(

There are so many great things about the property please dont assume that its not nice, it is but again comparing the premium we paid we just felt it didnt make the cut, however i can see that they are in the process of bringing the property up to 5 star quality but they are still a few months away for doing so.
So, you might ask why i say this? Firstly the fact that the resort has no washrooms near the beach was very dissapointing, its a far walk back to the property to use the bathroom, this was really dissapointing as the beach is stunning and we spent almost everyday on the beach. They also dont have a proper beach bar or snack bar on the beach .... again a real dissapointment in my opinion .... with a beach that beautiful i cant see why anyone would not want to spend all their time there? So honestly that was a pretty big dissapointment, and thats what some others said to us down there as well ... they are building now but again tthey didnt have it when we were there.

Secondly, there was a previous comment on here about the front desk staff being not so friendly, i totally agree .... i had a broken iron in our room and i called 4 times to get a replacement, finally i had to walk to the front desk to change it .... when i got there they werent very sorry that no one came out .... not 5 star service for sure.

Lastly i had to go to the hospital for a serious eye issue .... my wife called down to the front desk to get some help, the problem was that no one understood English enough to send help ... i would think your key people at the front desk should be able to understand the basics in any type of emergency situation .... that was very frustrating .... what if something serious happened .. we would have been out of luck ?????

Anyway we still enjoyed our trip there .... would we go back, no, it just wasnt worth the extra money to stay there ..... sorry i hate to say that, but having been down the road at another resort we totally knew what we should have expected and we were sadly let down :(

The beaches are the nicest i have ever seen and the room was great ... so there are lots of great things here but you can also get that elsewhere for less $$$

Turns out the Iberostar is 4 Star quality at 5 Star price :(