Most hotels have more than the usual buffet. My personal experiences, i dont care for the buffets other than the fresh fruit, and a few slices of toast which you cant go wrong with, other than that the buffet was ok. Got to leave room for some Rum You are right about taking spices as the food can be rather bland. Pastas were usually pretty good. The other restuarants on site usually have better quality of food, the down side of the restaurants is that you have to make reservations in advance (try to make them the day you arrive), the menu is usually limited to about 5-10 items, and they dont open until 5-6pm. And there usually is the snack bar that serves the usual burgers, fries, and nachos till the wee hours of the morning. I also felt alot safer in Cuba than I did in the Mayan, maybe it was the resort.