This is my 7th time since 2002 and I am going back again for the holidays.

Built in 2001 by Serge Savard & al (Montreal Canadians) and known then as El Senador (best resort in Cuba then), It has retained the original staff (the best you will find in Cuba, very courteous, helpful and friendly).

It is in the process of being taken over by Ibero Star (a better company than NH Hoteles who has brought the quality of the resort down since 2006).

Beach is the nicest on the island: very fine sand easy to walk on (no sinking or slopes).

Great place to scuba dive as the scuba center is only a 5 minute walk to the next hotel (Tryp).

Food at the buffet or a la carte is really great.

This is my home away from home...

Carl V.

This was our first time to Cuba and I was incredibly impressed with La Laguna. This resort is freshly renovated, and it shows. The grounds are immaculately maintained by some of the friendliest groundkeepers and gardening staff I've ever met. The pools are beautiful and range from the small "quiet pool" (no music) to the main pool with swim-up bar, or quieter lower level pool. Beach chairs are easily accessible for sunbathing, and Cheecho (sp?) will make sure you are well taken care of for drinks while at any poolside.

We stayed in Block 18, and our one major complaint was the volume of the shows at night. From our room you could hear the entertainment, music and emcees as if they were standing outside your door. If we were 10 years younger we probably could have stayed up until 11 every night to catch the show, but sometimes you just need an early night and having the show directly beside your accomodations makes that tough going. We both agreed they could reduce the volume of the shows and still have them be incredibly enjoyable. Even sitting watching the shows after a long day in the sun can prove hard on the ears and head due to the loud music. The dancers are incredible considering they are a brand new troup who have only been together a short while.

The rooms were great. We heard a few complaints about birds, frogs and lizards in the rooms, but since this is the Caribbean I think most people thought of these chance encounters as funny anecdotes. The maids did an excellent job with the rooms (they even turn them down before bed if your room is vacant), and ours found creative ways to say thank you for the gifts we left her each morning.

Freddy, at the cigar lounge, and Wilber, at the disco, are both former flair bartending competitors, and it shows. Prepare to be amazed at these 2 for not only their impeccable presentation, but their huge repertoire of "something tasty" cocktails that can't be found on any drink menu on the resort. Highly recommended. If you tire of the Cuban/Caribbean music played in every other area of the resort and just feel like having some drinks to good old North American rock music, slip down to the cigar lounge and spend some time there. It's beautiful, the view of the lagoon is excellent, the fans keep the building nice and cool and Freddy is one of the best conversationalists I've met in Cuba. If I could bring him to Canada and open a bar with him, I would in a heartbeat -- the perfect bartender.

The animacion staff were great. I think most of the guests were a little hesitant to try anything new which definitely makes their job a lot more difficult, but the daily dance lessons poolside and the rousing game of "no rules" water polo were definitely highlights of my trip thanks to them.

The food was better than I expected. The grill is always a safe bet. My boyfriend had a freshly prepared omelette almost every morning for breakfast. I personally loved trying all the different things on the buffet, and when I tired of being curious, got creative at the pasta bar. You can ALWAYS find something to eat, even if you aren't into the beans and rice mainstays at the buffet. Simple grilled sandwiches are served all day/night at the snack bar, and their hamburgers and hotdogs exceeded my expectations for a small Caribbean country. I didn't catch the name of the server in the restaurant (he has blue eyes and is in his late thirties), but we always had amazing service when we were in his section. A few other servers weren't as attentive, but it was no big deal.

Drinks were excellent, and all the bar staff had fantastic memories for what you preferred.

The beach was BEAUTIFUL. Further down at the section fronting Tryp we saw a lot of seaweed that they hadn't troubled themselves to clear but from the section fronting our resort to Melia, the beach is one of the prettiest I've ever seen. In rougher waters the seaweed comes in quicker than it can be cleared, but regardless every morning I saw the groundskeepers in their tractors diligently trying to keep the beach as pristine as they could.

There were only around 200 guests during our stay which makes this immensely large resort seem even more enormous, but it had a very intimate feel which allowed us to get to know the other guests and the staff of the resort a lot better. Staff remembered your name after only meeting you one and were quick to come over to shake your head or give you a kiss on the cheek as a greeting each morning. You couldn't help but feel welcomed by everyone.

We had such a magical experience here that writing this review feels like a double edged sword for me -- it's beautiful and everyone should know it, but it's my fear it will soon gain the (unjust) popularity of nearby Tryp and become either much more expensive or much more crowded. The formerly NH Krystal truly is a gem among a coastline of resorts in Cayo Coco.

This was my 2nd trip to Cuba and first to Cayo Coco. We stayed at from Nov 12-19th. The resort was not full - I believe in part because of some confusion with if it's actually open or not.
It was like having our own private resort! They were still working on the grounds and painting etc.. nd the resort is really starting to take shape!

Check In: we arrived to the resort around noon and check in was a breeze. Cold drink waiting and we were shuttled to our room in block 19.

Room: our room was on the ground floor with a large sliding glass door and patio area. The room was large and clean. A tv was in the room - however we didn't turn it on once while there. We received clean towels every day with our housekeeper folding any clothing left lying on the floor. At night, the staff would return to either remake or turn down the bedding for the night. The water pressure was amazing and we didn't have a problem with hot water.

Pool: the pool area is quite large and was kept very clean. The staff working there are amazing. Alex, Amury and Felix took very good care of us.

Beach: I'm a beach girl and I was concerned on day 1 due to the amount of seaweed on the beach. The winds were quite strong and had pushed in a ton of the stuff. Turns out I didn't need to worry as they had a couple of tractors that worked to remove the seaweed from the beach and then the staff raked continually. The staff at the beach - Jose and Carlitos to name just a couple were exceedingly pleasant.

Entertainment: the Anamacion team at La Laguna are fantastic. A special thanks to Aly, Mandy, Gia and Adrian. The nightly shows are amazing beyond words - the best I have seen at any resort on any Island I have been to. The dancers are professionally trained and the shows are choreographed by Pepe who is very proud of his work. The house band is great too.

Food: even though the resort was not near capacity, there was plenty of food and something for everyone. The a la cartes were great (the steak tasted like steak) and the pasta station at the buffet was my favorite. We ate pizza and pork chops at the pool bar every day and were quite happy with those as well.

In all we had an amazing week and made many new friends along the way. I have been a firm believer that since there are so many places in the world to visit I would not go to the same place twice. This being said, La Laguna will be my home away from home and I will return as often as I can.

Just got back from my trip to Cayo Coco and it was great. This resort is now called "La Laguna" and is open after some renovations. My trip was from Nov 5th to Nov 12th. The weather was perfect, 25+ and sunny every day. The resort is very close to the airport, about a 10 minute drive on the bus. The resort is very clean, the staff is working on the grounds all day long and the maids actually come back later in the day to make sure your room is clean again for the night, great service! The food is good for Cuba, fresh fish, rice, vegetables, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, shrimp... The staff is the best I have ever had in Cuba (this was my 4th time to Cuba). Everyone speaks English well which makes communication easy. Everyone was so polite at the resort. And the bartenders are the best I have had anywhere! Two of the bartenders actually compete around the world so watching them flip bottles and turn drinks upside down without spilling a drop was great entertainment. I would go back to this resort for my next vacation!