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Maria La Gorda
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Maria La Gorda

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Maria La Gorda
3.5
What people are saying
Miosoti
By Miosoti
“Not worth the drive”
Jun 2022
Know before you go: As many pointed out, it is very remote. Not a lot of options. Hotel is state run, so the accommodations are mediocre at best. Food was some of the worst. Lots of sand fleas- an infestation. Everyone in our tour group returned covered in bites from the waist down. The beach is beautiful but the travel time, bad hotel and food offsets the beach. We couldn't get on a boat because our tour guide needed government clearance in order to get on a boat (it is Cuba, after all). All in all, You can find better, more accessible beaches in other parts of the Caribbean.
“Stay away from this place!”
Nov 2022
Stay away from this place!the food is horrible and expensive. the normal exchange rate is 120 pesos for 1 euro. There 24 pesos. calculate in pesos but oblige to pay in euros. Now boat, now diving! we went there specifically for diving and way out of the direction of our trip. hotel is outdated and poorly maintained.
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The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1 within 3 miles
Restaurante Villa Azul
380 ft££££ • Caribbean • Cuban
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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3.5
186 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
58
Average
42
Poor
20
Terrible
11
Miosoti
Frisco, TX109 contributions
Not worth the drive
Jun 2022 • Couples
Know before you go: As many pointed out, it is very remote. Not a lot of options. Hotel is state run, so the accommodations are mediocre at best. Food was some of the worst. Lots of sand fleas- an infestation. Everyone in our tour group returned covered in bites from the waist down. The beach is beautiful but the travel time, bad hotel and food offsets the beach. We couldn't get on a boat because our tour guide needed government clearance in order to get on a boat (it is Cuba, after all). All in all, You can find better, more accessible beaches in other parts of the Caribbean.
Written 18 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
687iwand
4 contributions
Stay away from this place!
Nov 2022 • Couples
Stay away from this place!the food is horrible and expensive.

the normal exchange rate is 120 pesos for 1 euro. There 24 pesos. calculate in pesos but oblige to pay in euros.

Now boat, now diving!

we went there specifically for diving and way out of the direction of our trip.

hotel is outdated and poorly maintained.
Written 29 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FionaBoter
Nieuw-Vennep, The Netherlands57 contributions
Great diving center, diving site a little dissappointing.
Jan 2020
We left with a group at 11 and I made two dives. One dive at 25 mtrs and 1 dive at 15-20 mtrs. The instructors were professional. The only downside was that I did not really see something interesting. Maybe another side next time?!
Written 21 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karol Misiuda
Kielce, Poland4 contributions
If you don’t scuba diving, it is waste of time.
Jan 2020 • Couples
Nice place, beautiful beach.
You need to have own car to go there, we took taxi and it was very expensive.

The hotel looks like old hotels in soviet block, like in Bulgaria, Ukraine or Poland. Nice experience from Western Europe.

Food is poor, restaurant is below the average.

A lot of cats :) In the middle of January there was 20 tourist and around 15 staff. We did know each other after few days, the situation was similar to popular drama televisions series “Lost” :)
Written 18 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Felice
2 contributions
The best of Cuba
Aug 2018 • Couples
This place was the best we visited in Cuba. Awesome landscapes, wonderful people and fantastic meals. We were guided by a local guy and he made his best to make us feel like at home. I love Cuba and his people!
Written 14 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Crystal B
Havana, Cuba17 contributions
Most beautiful sunset in all of Cuba
Feb 2019 • Friends
This place is totally worth the long and difficult drive...the road in is really brutal and filled with pot holes, but upon arrival you find a single hotel on the beach. It’s so refreshing to find a place that is still so remote feeling and you can really feel like you have found an escape from the world. The dive instructors are amazing and helpful, and they really want you have the best experience possible (Yander is fantastic!) and the deep sea fishing is spectacular (thanks to Plane and Vladimir). I caught so many fish that I lost count. Bring your own food if you can because the restaurant is a bit sparse. Insect repellant is a must as well. All in all, having visited many place in Cuba over the last 13 years, I strongly recommend María la Gorda, especially if you are looking to really get away.
Written 20 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
edlew2019
14 contributions
The only option; unfortunately
Jan 2019 • Couples
The place is remote located and it takes several hours on bad roads driving from Vienales as most travelers are arriving from. Maria la Gorda is definitely a place for divers sailing out 2 times a day. But also a place for snorkelers – as it is possible to enjoy the corals with colorful fish directly from the beach. We only snorkeled from the beach as we were hit by stomach infection and had to stay close to the bathroom during our stay.
The beach is nice and sandy and the water is easy to access in between the corals. Unfortunately there are too many annoying sand flies biting especially at sunset due to the seaweed that could have been cleaned on a daily basis but was not.
We had paid for full pension – meaning all meals to be eaten in the dining house. It’s hard to make a cozy atmosphere in a house like this – more like an eastern European/Russian Cantina from 1970’s. Food was not anything to remember except for the home made yogurt at breakfast. The staff did their best to make it worth dining there though. Thumbs up for that!
Maria la Gorda is a state run resort and it really feels like a reminiscence from a world before service was invented. We paid extra to stay in a house close to the beach - the alternative was a bad smelling humid apartment. As a guest you don’t really feel welcome rather tolerated. Consider seriously if this is your diving destination number 1 in Cuba – there are other places to choose.
Written 28 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Flyer1371
1 contribution
Would not Recommend
Dec 2018 • Family
We rented a car and drove arriving in the dark. Not recommended! The last few miles the road was full of pot holes, animal, people waling and riding bikes. The resort if you want to call it that was filthy. The all-inclusive dinning was in a mess hall and in the morning the staff ate right at 7:30 so many times there was no eggs because the staff got them first. The coffee pot was rusted and the choices of other foods was treible. Recommended if you want to loss weight. The night we arrived 8:30 the food was aready cold even though they were open til 10pm. We requested our room recleaned and then moved due to something biting us to the point I could not sleep. I got more then 100 bits. A cluster of small black ants were living on the curtains. For the price we paid I would not even go back if were free. If I could say one possitive thing....The beer was cold most of the time and there were tons of cats that liked the buffet food. My girls enjoyed feeding them and my gils lived on pino coladas and bread. The weathere was bas so we didn't even get to dive in the water
Written 30 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helene
Oslo, Norway39 contributions
Beautiful beach
Nov 2018
Fantastic natural beach, perfect for getting a little peace and quite. Waters are crystal clear. We were here in low season (november) so there was very few people. We stayed in the diving resort which was ok. Recommend getting a beachfront room, so worth it! Lots of cats there to cuddle with. There are three places to eat which serves ok food. Bring mosquito repellent!!
Written 26 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DHO
Hertfordshire, UK23 contributions
Visit the national park .
Aug 2018
We hired a car to visit Maria la Gorda but you can get a cheap taxi to the nature reserve. It’s amazing, they speak English and do tours that aren’t expensive. I know you on,y came here for the diving and the beach but you mustn’t miss this unique opportunity. Iguanas, himmung birds lizards crocodiles to name just a few of what you’ll see. Take mosquito repellent or cover your ams and legs. We had a night drive to a beach and sat looking at the amazing stars waiting for the titles to hatch. Unfortunately we didn’t see the turtles but you can’t rush nature!
Written 16 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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MARIA LA GORDA: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)