TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We were at El Patriarca May 14-May 21. We booked the Alegance upgrade because some of the reviews said it was a must. The check in was fast (after all it was only us and another couple). In the lobby the s...creens behind the check in desk were advertising all the benefits of having booked in the Alegance. It was around 8 pm when we arrived and we were supposed to get a welcome drink( we didn’t). In the room which was clean and we were supposed to find a welcome gift( we didn’t, we asked for it and got it the third day). But the most shocking of all was the food. It didn’t matter where you ate, it was the worst of the worst . We’ve been in Cuba many times and we always lower our expectations when it comes to food. We go there because of the beautiful beaches and hospitality, but this time the only food available was pasta, rice, pork everyday and twice we had chicken and above all a stinky, smelly black fish that nobody would eat , not even my husband who loves fish.No buffet, (it was closed) no bread, no butter, no vinegar or oil, very little or no fruit. When you asked for anything they would say that they didn’t have any and then they’ll bring some out. We gave up on the Alegance “offerings” and thought to try the breakfast served for the rest of people in the resort. If you were early enough for breakfast and lunch you would get some fruit. There was no beach bar, you had to walk to the snack bar to get a drink. The Alegance Bar had good choices, the pool on the other hand was dirty and slippery on the bottom. I almost fell when in the pool and after we complained they sort of cleaned it. The other pool didn’t have any use by the looks of it. There was nothing and nobody in that pool and of course the bar there was closed. The entertainment: they have a disco, it was not open during our stay. Entertainment only a couple of nights an a guitar guy for the third. Now someone might say that is because the situation in Cuba is not good right now and they have a lot of shortages, but asking the other people from the neighbouring resorts they said they had”repeatitive food but they had bbq, burgers, pizzas, fries and so on. So my guess would be this resort didn’t have a good planning in place and definitely a non existent management. When complaining to one of the girls at the consierge I pointed out that it looked like they weren’t wishing for people to come back to this resort because it looked like no effort was put into making this vacation an enjoyable one for people there. I would give a shout out to Ian, Lili and Rachele. Thank you! This resort is a 4.5 star on Air Transat website. Do not believe it! I don’t know how they grade the hotels but the most I would give is 2 stars and air Transat should downgrade this hotel based on the reviews of people that actually had been there. PLEASE DO NOT BELIEVE THE 4 or 5 STAR REVIEWS!!!

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 room...s, 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 resta...urants 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.