Fantastic staff. Helpful, friendly, funny, caring.....simply BEAUTIFUL people!!! This was my first trip to Cuba and I am now a huge Fan. I was invited to join a large group of friends from Jan 18th to the 25th and i'm so happy I did. We will be returning every year to this resort. Not for the food, not for the accommodations, not for the stunning scenery but for the amazing staff. My friends and I have never been treated so well. Every person, from the Kitchen Staff to the Bartenders to the Chambermaids to the Gardeners were so friendly and generous. Many thanks to Jorge and Kenia for making the Catamaran excursion to Santiago the highlight of my trip. Can't wait to see them all again next year. This is my new "home away from home". A helpful hint to all who are planning a trip to this resort...If you are a miserable [--] please stay away....these wonderful people don't deserve your crap!!!

We spent a wonderful week at Club Bucanero in Santiago de Cuba over this past New Year. All in all we really loved the place - the only drawback for me, was the extremely tiny beach and rocky entrance into the water. That being said, I was aware of those conditions before we booked, so I should not have been surprised - DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE WATER SHOES!

The resort is located in an absolutely stunning area - I am a geographer and love the physical aspects of the land. Here I was not disappointed - the rock was gorgeous, beautiful colour striatians and very rugged! Tons of fossils! And though the beach was very tiny, once you were out in the bay - oh my goodness - amazing snorkeling! Beautiful, clean water, tons of fish and lots of coral! Oh, and did I mention how warm the water was? To the back of the beach is an amazing cut (canyon) into the limestone/lava? rock! Really spectacular! And the many iguanas (and curly tailed lizards) who inhabit the rock will keep you entertained while you read, sunbathe, or even have lunch! They are a hoot to watch! Against the rock, the bouganvilla was gorgeous! Like I said, the landscape is better than best!

The food at the resort was very good (we have been to many resorts in Cuba), probably as good as any we have had before, maybe not the variety, but certainly the quality! And the staff - well, they certainly lived up to our expectations (which are high due to past experiences!). Just a few: Martha (our maid) kept our room spotless and left all kinds of towel art for us to admire; Eloy, Bersu and Eusebio - great bartenders at the pool bar!; Sulemi - I hope someone tells her this - she is just the sweetest - works in the buffet, often slicing meat - she has the greatest smile!: Amore (not spelled correctly) grilled us wonderful fish at the beach snack bar every day; Maibe - beautiful and funny entertainer!; Kenya and Frank were the Sunwing reps - we had more time with Frank - he was really awesome! And Joel - one of the entertainers - took us on a crazy hike and then ended up saving a dog! Joel, not only are you a really accomplished artist - you rock!!! I know I am missing many people - they were all lovely, from the reception to the store to the gardeners and all of the entertainers ... it could go on and on!

We took the catamaran trip into Santiago - great - however, the snorkelling was much better at the resort! Santiago is a beautiful city - I would love to go back!

Stuff to bring: all the usual (especially children's vitamins!) things to give as gifts to the Cubans. You might also want to bring a bottle of ketchup (my husband was very happy I remembered!) and maybe some hot spice for yourself.

Would I recommend this resort - for a million reasons, YES! However, be warned, there truly is no beach to speak of so if that is important to you then you might want to rethink going there!

One more thing - the extras at this resort are much cheaper than any other place in Cuba I have been - i.e. massage was CUC 15 - and everyone I spoke with thought the excursions were extremely well priced!

And I also must say a Hello and I hope you are well to Theresa and Josie! It was a hoot meeting you both!

This was our second visit to the resort and we returned largely due to the wonderful and helpful staff. We were surprised at how many of the staff not only recognized us but also knew us by name. We were treated so well by everyone and certainly must give thanks to Julio,Alex,Pedro,Juana,Josepa.

We travelled in a large group this visit and Kenia our sunwing rep, made booking excursions for larger groups painless and fun. She also set us up in the a la carte so that our group could enjoy it all together even though our group was larger than their normal capacity.Thank you Kenia! Travelling in a large group and keeping everyone happy has to be seen as a huge help and she was even able to help smaller groups do things when that's what we were looking for.

One of the highlights of our trip was the catamaran trip Kenia booked for us which almost our whole group took.The guide, Jorje was as entertaining as the trip itself. He kept us entertained as well as informed, paying special attention to the children. I would absolutely recommend this excursion to everyone. You get snorkeling, a meal and a small tour of Santiago all wrapped into one excursion kept rolling along by Jorje's magnetic personality.

We travelled with a number of small children who the entertainment staff were more than happy to keep busy. At times it was like they had adopted our kids - many thanks!

We noticed a considerable number of change s in the resort as they continue to clean up hurricane damage. There are more ashtrays and bicycles available and even plumbing issues seem to be taken care of and one whole block of rooms has been renovated. The staff seems aware that change is necessary and encourage suggestions by the tourists.

The landscape surrounding the resort is magnificent and the weather is amazing but it is the staff that will bring us back.

This was our second year in a row to Bucanero, we just didn't have enough time to all we wanted last year. We left Toronto at 3:30 Sunday and arrived to the hotel 8:30 and had a nice meal waiting for us with all the rum punch we could drink at the check-in. For Bonnie and Jerry it was their first trip to Cuba and I was not sure if they would like it.(Silly Me) They enjoyed the dinner and with glass in had went out to the stage area to watch the entertainment, and very entertaining. Monday was a rock climbing and a hike, with a tour around the hotel grounds. Lunch was served at the beach side bar if fresh fish . Then a afternoon of snorkeling and lounging on the beach with a bar close by. For My wife and Me we spent every morning doing two dives each and Jerry joining in when he could along with a few night dives.
With free use of kayaks, paddle boats, cycles and small cats for sailing along with the diving, it leaves you with very little time to go explore. But explore we did. Off into Santiago we went $2.00 per person for the bus made some grate friends who worked at the hotel and offered to show us around the city. The four of us can not thank Surrie and Maria enough! For all you motor-heads the city is a step in the past with all the pre 59 Chevs, Fords and Mopars. The cab ride home was a bit scary in a 80's Russian made Mostovitch watching the engine light flicker on in the beginning of the ride and stay on longer and longer but we made it. If I could only bring home a Cuban mechanic, I would still be driving my first car. Oh and yes you can get a ride in any of these classics. Another way into town is by scooter from the hotel$7.00/hr or by the day or even week. a great way to get around. There is so much there to do. At the end of it all Bonnie and Jerry's last words to us was "One of the Best trip Ever". Oh PS. Don't be afraid to call your airline and bring a humanitarian bag along to help out the needy !