Visited El Senador September 18th with the following comments. I will be as objective as possible.

FOOD: I thought the food was fine, no problems with it thought they need to get in some "real steaks". We also didnt know we could get food late at night until FRIDAY - they should let you know.

ROOMS: We were in the 2100 block, 2nd floor - maid service very good, room very clean, and maintenance staff quite fast for us.

BEACH: Beach great, water even better though watch for rocks - not any but enough to wreck your week if you stumble.

BARS: Drinks were strong, no problems.

ENTERTAINMENT

Contrary to the comments I have read, I found the Animation team very friendly and spend ALOT of time with the guests. Shows were the ususal. I also found the bar staff and others very accomodating and friendly.

My greatest grief was the lack of nite life - there was no club open and we had to go with the Animation team to Sol Caya Coco (whatever) to party and that place was hot. If you like to party and dance a lot, I am not sure El Senador is the right resort.

OVERALL,

I liked the resort but the low season combined with hurricanes left us with less than about 100 people at the whole resort - and that does have an impact on your experience depending on what you like.

we just returned from our honeymoon, what a great time,the el senador is massive, half the resort was closed down due to it being low season, but there was still plenty to do, the food was great, i have traveled to cuba many times i can honestly say it was the best food i have had, we had the villa over the lagoon, we loved it, our maid catered to our evey need, althougt it was low season, all but 1 restaurant was open, we found a great spot not far from the hotel,playa prohibida, a $12.00 cab ride[ return] the best cuban lobster tail i have ever eaten, $ 12.50 with rice, hugh shrimp, and bananna chips, you must visit, go before it gets to dark, the bugs bite. the animation staff did there best to keep everybody entertained, if you did not feel like walking there was always some one to drive you any where you wanted to go, [ golf carts] i did find some of the guests to be very rude, why not put your garbage in the bins provided, also on the beach, people would leave there chairs way out in the water, is it so hard to return them to the beach?
complaints
so few, i did find the beds a little worn, but we put 2 mattress on top of another, great sleep, i would like to thank the doctor and nurse on the resort, my husband droped his insulin, they were there to help, came every morning to give him his shot, thank you you were great. we will be returning to el senador next year, thanks all

El Senador definitely needs room for improvement. we spent one week, July 23 - 30, and let me tell you it was enough. The food is not anything great but then again one does not go to Cuba to eat fine cuisine. What I mean is that the resort service is lacking big time. We had to wait 2 days to get our room changed. (Try to avoid main floor rooms, lots of ants and bugs!!!) Most of the staff does not speak a word of english. The animators are busy playing pool amongst themselves, not doing anything to entertain the guests. There isn't anything to do at night. Everything you touch has a film on it, not very clean. If you plan on going before the month of November, half the resort is closed (pools, restaurants) all closed. Pretty nasty considering we paid to have full service. Oh yeah and please try to avoid the laguna huts.......(Man does it stink!!!) One good thing, THE BEACH IS TO DYE FOR!!!

My husband & I just returned from El Senador on our honeymoon & we couldn`t have been more pleased ... we wish we could`ve stayed an extra week!!! And we definitely plan on returning!!!

RESORT: The resort itself is a massive property. Since we travelled in off-season, half of it was closed down, but we still explored it anyways. The buildings are well maintained, clean and nice. The furnishings are pleasant. Towels & bathrobes were clean & well supplied. Beach towel availability was appreciated. If you feel lazy the staff are happy to transport you in their little golf carts. : )

FOOD: I could go on forever about the food, but it was just delicious! I am a VERY picky eater (at one resort I lived on rice & salsa for a week!!!) & I had my fill at El Senador every single night!!! Fresh fruit! An omelette bar at breakfast buffet! The lobster bisque in the seafood restaurant - to die for! The gala dinner on Thursday - amazing! The poutine & pizza by the pool - what a treat!

ROOMS: We were fortunate to get a villa on the lagoon... and we loved it! Our own sitting room, private balcony overlooking a lagoon filled with sea creatures. A chambermaid who decorated our bed or towels differently each day. A mini bar with beer, pop & water......what more could we ask for???

THE BEACH: Pristine. Powder white sand. Turquoise waters. Shallow sandbars perfect for children. Bring a snorkel & mask... wherever there are rocks under the surface (only waist deep water!!!) you can see a variety of harmless but beautiful fish. Bring a roll from breakfast and feed them & watch the fish swarm around you. Unbelievable! Plus the bar on the beach - terrific idea! There is a guy who comes along the beach in an ATV with fresh coconut, which he`ll split open, & fill with rum & pop (and REFILL repeatedly)... for $2.50!!! Delicious!

ACTIVITIES: The Animation Staff will keep you hopping with beach & pool volleyball, water polo, dance lessons, aerobics, hockey even!!! You can rent a sea kayak or paddle boat FREE and explore the beach. Catamaran rides - also free! Bikes - also free, but not much to see off the resort & it can get very hot & tiring (trust us!). We went for a snorkelling tour via catamaran for a small fee for an hour to much farther away reef & were blown away by the variety of fish & corals!

THE PEOPLE: The staff was fantastic! It is worth getting to know the people at the resort. I did not find tipping was expected as many say. When we did it, it was GREATLY appreciated, but it did not impact our level of service in any way. We also brought loads of gifts (toiletries, gum & candy, hats, t-shirts, school supplies, toys), which were FAR more appreciated than the tips! Staff to watch for, who we REALLY appreciated... Gabriel (swim up bar), Divnitsa (our maid), Erdwin & Adrian (Animation Staff)... they went out of their way to make our trip special.

NIGHLY SHOWS: Fun, wide variety of styles of shows & the staff are very talented.

COMPLAINTS: So small, so few! There were a lot of smokers and I found they were not always considerate where they were smoking (in the pool, beach, near kids)... but rather than complain, we`d avoid them. It`d be nice if they had designated smoking areas. And there were a few parents on our trip that allowed their kids to run wild unsupervised, verbally abuse the staff & really act up. It was to the point I found myself putting sunblock on some of them as they were getting burned in the pool... while their parents were on the beach!!! But then I reminded myself I was on my honeymoon & they were not my problem. Lastly, some people were very piggish with their litter (drink cups). It doesn`t take much effort to return your empties to the bar or put in the garbage. I know you`re on vacation, but wow! Don`t be lazy!

TRAVELLER TIPS: We were told to bring large plastic cups to save on trips to the bar... fantastic idea & we were the envy of many. We just grabbed 2 large heavy-duty Slurpee cups at 7-11! There is an AMAZING lobster shack 15 mins away via moped (can rent for $12/hour) on Playa Prohibida. we visited it 2x during our stay because it was so amazing. A fresh 4lb approx. lobster tail, a dozen grilled fresh shrimp, rice, banana chips... for $12 USD. Beer - $1 USD. I was blown away by the size, the freshness... the taste... I took photos to prove it! A lot of people we met at El Senador were repeat visitors & with good reason. We plan on being repeat visitors ourselves! WE LOVED IT THERE!

If you want any extra information, advice, etc. - feel free to email me! lornalane@hotmail.com