Hotel Rancho Luna

For the price I dont know what else you could ask for. Beautiful beach with Great staff that are happy to take one out for a sale on a Hobicat. Comfortable bed to sleep in every night with a ductless split to keep one cool. Entertainment nightly. Good variety in the restaurant albeit a little heavy on the pork but delicious omelettes for breakfast. (hey its Cuba where they dont believe in spices so bring your favourite sauce and condiments, all the seasoned travellers do) The staff are friendly and helpful if they can help and all the refreshing Crystal lager you can drink so bring a travel mug for the beach. Free rum drinks at the bar and a great espresso coffee machine so if that is your thing bring your own coffee mug. Lots of Cubans and others from different Hispanic nations in the Caribean to interact with maybe even participate with in a fun competition. The average age of Canadians mostly from Ontario and Quebec does tend to lean to the older as the two of us are however there is always someone to talk to and enjoy the place with. Bring some books to read or a deck of cards. Cienfuegos the "Pearl of the South" is worth the trip in for a day trip or an evening of entertainment, take a taxi in and share it with friends.(there is often a 1952 Chevy parked outside or within calling distance and they will come and pick you up for your return or get a door person at a restaurant to call someone) Give the upper level of the Union a try you have to walk up the 5 floors but worth going up for a drink and view the sites at night. It is a good idea to bring a flashlight as the city does have intermittent blackouts for periods not the whole city but you might just happen to be in the neighbourhood that is off for a period. Please bring cash for tipping and be generous with beach staff, house staff, maids, everyone. The wages there are very low compared with ours (you would't be able to go there on what they make) $1 USD or larger $CAD Euros but not Loonies they cant change them easily or Cuban Pesos. USD are quoted for many things like cigars or rum some bring extra if you plan on purchasing them and the little convenience store at Rancho Luna only accepts $ or credit cards. You cant buy Cuban money outside of Cuba but people around the hotel or beach can help you get fair trade for your money.

Bottom line: Exceptional all-inclusive value. Lower your expectations, then lower them again. Keep in mind how little you paid and go with the flow. Get to know the staff, tip generously, laugh at the mess ups...and you will do what I am doing now: recommend to others. This is best for people who want a laid-back pure beach vacation. Or maybe divers using the nearby dive location. Or seniors looking for an extended stay. If you want to party or experience Cuban culture, look elsewhere. THE GOOD: - a very short drive from the Cienfuegos airport -＞＞＞ Super cheap. Also super cheap. Did I mention: super cheap? - Everything works! In the renovated rooms, brand new tiling, air conditioning and CNN-TV...plus hot water. No problem with towels - The staff TRIES to help, though often with limited English - 24/7 booze (stick to the rum) and often snacks at the pool bar - Great coffee in the lobby 24/7 THE BAD: - very isolated location and since so many guests are so old, very difficult to book group tours. You may need to book a taxi for an excursion - Food is not good, even by low Cuban standards. Make sure you bring condiments and maybe even cans of salmon and tuna. There were always eggs and salad and rice and beans...but the meat was heavy on pork. I never saw fish and chicken only once. Vegetarians and non-pork eaters would have a hard time. PRO TIP: - Make sure you get (or switch) to a ground-floor room with a terrace - Everyone is an independent entrepreneur. Don't count on the front desk to fix your problems or exchange money - International roaming now works in Cuba. Make arrangements in advance with your home provider. Don't count on the hotel WIFI.

If you like to stay in a hotel with a large pool, loud '70s style Cabaret evenings, cavernous echoing, souless buffet dining hall yet amazing Caribean beach at the bottom of the garden, stay here. If you want Cuban culture, local food, colonial french architecture and music stay in the nearby town of Cuinfagos (?) instead. This hotel is too far out of town to walk into the town for the evening. The reception desk was always too busy to sell me a wifi pass.

We enjoyed the stay. Food was avarage. Customer service was ok Location was great Beach was very nice You could always get a bargain tour and yet informative and helpful. Entertainment is a standing out item in this resort as it is every night and live along with an open air night club.

Completely outdated hotel that is dirty, the food is bad and the service is poor. You can't count on their services: WiFi didn't work, the snackbar never opened and the all inclusive liquor was clearly diluted buy extremely much. This hotel needs to redecorate and update. improve their food DRAMATICALLY and really become cleaner.

This was my first time in Cienfuegos and at this resort. I have been to Cuba many times. I went down solo to go scuba diving. I had a good vacation and would return. I would recommend this resort to people looking for a budget getaway. The good: Nice beach and great sunsets The room was in great shape and everything worked as it should. Great price. Very friendly and well behaved local dogs that hang out in the lobby. Friendly and helpful employees. The bad: Working girls and massage hags on the beach and the oily russians chasing them around all week. The meh: The food was mostly the same with some things unavailable like cheese, tomatoes or juice but it is what it is. 90 minute ride to the hotel with plenty of diesel fumes. Extra shout out to Luis at the lobby bar. Hard working young man who is great at his job. Also a shout out to Kale in the buffet restaurant. He worked the bar, cleared tables and would always set a table for me where I liked to sit. I will return soon because of the friendly staff and beautiful beach and water.

Stayed here for 3 nights, 4 female friends in separate rooms, 171-174. The location is perfect, a short taxi ride outside Cienfuegos and the hotel grounds are spacious and relaxing. The rooms were very run down, probably had not been decorated for many, many years, with scuff marks on the walls, doors and furniture. The beds, however, were comfortable, there was a safely box in the room, the shower and AC worked well and we slept undisturbed. The corridor outside the rooms looked more like a bad prison corridor - dark and gloomy. The staff were generally kind and friendly, but the female staff at Reception were the most unfriendly, discourteous, unhelpful ones that I have ever met. No "buen día" or any other kind of greeting, avoided eye contact for as long as possible, no smiles. I had an issue about Wifi with one of them and she had no interest at all in helping; luckily, Alex from Entertainments came along and went out of his way to help. Thank you, Alex. The noise in the bar and pool area was at times overwhelming. Why do games need to be so loud? Surely, not all guests want damaged ear drums? Would I stay here again? No - not until rooms are renovated - and not until they find polite, courteous Reception staff.

Another visit to this charming resort on the Carribean Sea. Upon arrival I discovered many of the rooms had been renovated and completed. The whole resort was clean, staff amazingly friendly and helpful as always. Big thanks to Lidaisy (Le) Barea, the Public Relations Specialist, Leonel Villegas Carvajal, (Hotel Manager), Anairelys RL, Security, my maid Dialemis Diaz Cordero, bar staff, grounds crew, front desk staff (amazing group). The food is 100% natural and healthy and tastes great. So healthy I didn't need my insulin as a Diabetic. The buffet has an amazing variety. Here Id rather eat a fresh tomato than an apple in Canada! Big thank you to Leonel, Hotel Manager for giving me permission to park my electric scooter and to charge it. Im back in Canada and am booking another trip already. Jeff