Wonderful Resort

We returned from Iberostar Coral Esmeralda 2 days ago (Feb 7th)and had a fantastic, relaxing vacation. The resort was was quiet, had beautiful gardens, friendly staff and plenty of food including bread. There was always something good to eat at the buffet, we also had the option to eat at the Section Resort which was next door. The room was clean and the bed super comfy. The beach was beautiful! Soft white sand and crystal blue water. Loungers and shady spots were always available. The evening e [... read more]ntertainment was good.We got a 750ml bottle of water daily in our room fridge, I brought my own water bottle from home and refilled it at the buffet or bar. Bugs were not an issue, so I didn’t have to use bug spray ( bring it just incase though). Tip with American or Canadian bills ( no coins). The Wi-Fi was annoying, it worked but I had to re-log in several times a day ( no big deal).It was great to safely walk off the resort and explore. I highly recommend this resort and would definitely return!

Good option for Cuba!

We went for a 4 day getaway last week. Weather was cool. Hotel was nice. Check in very delayed. Didn’t get our room until 5:40pm. Room was nice. No issues. Drinks at all the bars had great options. Great cappuccinos. Staff were all very kind and friendly. Food options were actually pretty good. This was our 7th trip to Cuba. So our expectations are realistic. I would come back. Lots of seaweed on the beach which they try to clean up by hand. Beaches past the hotels were FULL of garbage and [... read more] so disappointing to see it never gets cleaned up as it’s the only place to walk. The other hotels on either side had more activities happening down on the beach. Coral side could use a bigger pool and a little more music it was very quiet. Selection side was almost too loud but a more fun option if you’re staying at the coral side and want a little action. Overall a good stay

Viva Cuba

We loved the hotel, small and very quiet and quaint, with such an amazing and attentive staff. The beach is beautiful, you can walk for hours and see practically no one! Big shout out to Dairon at the Buffet and Armando who works the snack bar and the À la carte restaurant. We will be back!

Worth every penny!

Immaculately kept! The staff are always busy and engaged. They try hard to ensure your enjoyment. And a great holiday. A TRUE International selection of alcohol and foods. This resort gives great value for your dollar.

Disappointing!!

Not a 4/5 star resort, dirty hotel room, mold, stains, drywall damage, damaged paint, non working safe, locks broken on doors, worn furniture. Black mold and all other issues reported to hotel but nothing was addressed.

A Cuban Gem!

This resort exceeded our expectations. The swim up rooms were wonderful. The pool spotless. The food was good. And as usual, the staff members were pleasant and helpful. Always willing to do more. The butler service (Carlos and Ariel) went above and beyond to accomodate our every wish. The beach was clean, thanks to all the hard work of the beach staff. The gardens were lovely and well cared for, again by staff members. And the calm and quiet was extremely welcoming. We believe this was one [... read more] of our best Cuban holidays, and we've travelled to Cuba probably 15 to 20 times over the last 10 years. And of course, Nicole Deforest from tripcentral.ca ensured we had a seamless holiday, from our luggage to our seating on the airplane and the location of our rooms.

Dream Vacation

We booked for our anniversary and had a dream vacation. Swim up pool room is a must and Iberostar Coral Esmeralda will be our forever resort ! The staff from back of house to the front were amazing!! The food was great and the resort is very clean, quiet and felt like we were family! Trip central helped us long the way and we will book with them from now on! Thank you !!!

Good Resort

This is my 2nd time at the resort in the same year.The food and drinks were just as good.Unfortunately the ocean was cold and a lot of seaweed because of the hurricane.They have more entertainment in the eve, a dance troupe also the pianist and singer.the rooms are really nice also the staff are very friendly.Would return.

A long and honest review!

We have just returned (Nov 2025) after a week in Paradise! Cuba is definitely Paradise in our eyes, and this resort delivers with relaxation, friendliness of the staff and quality for the price…everyone needs to remember that you can’t have a weekend away at home for the price you pay for a week in the sun! The food didn’t disappoint, we ate at 3 of the a-la-cartes, Gourmet, International and Italian. You are only allowed 3 meals a-la-carte with a 7 day stay. Variety of food is fine, you always  [... read more]found enough to eat, they lack fresh fruit, lots of canned peaches, pears and fruit cocktail though! We have stayed in other resorts with Butler Service, this hotel didn’t come up to par with others. The Butlers were there, but not as visible. If help was needed you needed to ask. Management was always present, very visible and checking in at every turn. Grounds were always being worked on, areas were being painted, public bathrooms clean (although lacked toilet tissue, carry Kleenex at all times..lol). Rooms clean, water pressure great…we were on second floor, you needed to run the sink faucet and shower for a couple of minutes to have hot water, but at times you actually had to turn it down, otherwise the water was too hot! Bugs are abundant, but what can you expect when you’re in this part of the world! I had bites on my legs and arms that needed attention when returning home, unfortunately bug spray and After Bite didn’t cut it. Take Benadryl and something for itch relief with you, as you won’t be able to get it while there. Our room was ocean view in building 6, so relaxing to watch the sunrise every morning. The room was clean and we had plenty of towels and necessities at all times. Lots of bottled water, the room fridge had juice, beer and pop, but the pop froze and burst in ours. To summarize - yes, we would recommend, definitely a couples resort, everything requested was looked after, tipping was appreciated, please NOT loonies and toonies, they cannot be exchanged in Cuba, take US $1 bills and Canadian $5 and $10 bills ( no rips, staples or bills that have been written on, or mutilated in any way - This is nothing new, every country and island is like this! )Lots of stairs, NO elevators, so if a ground floor is needed please request. Above all, relax, forget work and have fun!

Great Adult Vacation Spot

Room options offers include huge rooftop suites, ground floor swimout suites, pool views on 2nd floor or rooms facing mangroves. We opted for swim out (first time) and loved it. There a 7 x 3 story buildings and the grounds and walkways were well maintained. From the Adult Coral resort you have full access to the adjacent family resort with its various pool and restaurant features. This way you can opt for the excitement of The Esmeralda or the relative tranquility of The Coral. The overa [... read more]ll experience with food and beverage was good. Not much in the way of salad or fresh fruit the week we were there but whatever they have is yours. The staff were all amazing; the genuine friendliness of the Cuban people is second to none and the professional demeanor of most every staff member was a treat.. Ariel, our butler was truly awesome. He made a la carte reservations look easy and was the go-to guy for any and every detail. Can't say enough good things. Caesar was the food and beverage team lead and again, can't say enough about the fabulous effort to engage every guest. The entire team made our stay wonderful. Dairon, Armando, Lady, Axanay, Leonel, Yari, Yas Nier, Jimmy and Joseph the piano man. OMG, there are more... sadly too many to mention everyone who made our stay outstanding.

Amazing relaxing resort

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda was a quiet, well appointed resort with wonderful attentive staff, managed daily by a “Professional Butler” named Ariel. The food was typically Cuban with enough variety to feed a normal appetite. Our swim up unit was close to all amenities and minutes away from the larger family orientated Esmeralda next door. Highly recommended. Ask for building number 3, swim up room. Note, that it is 75+ km east from Cayo Coco airport on a somewhat rock & roll road across the caus [... read more]eway’s, but well worth the trip.

A simplistic magical place

This was our second visit to this resort. The second time there was a shortage of some alcohols and food. But not the fault of the people or the hotel. However the beauty and the wonderful staff were so unbelievably family like I can see this almost as a second home. We are surely going back Beach is great - we had the swim up room which really makes a difference. Make sure to tip the staff as they really depend on our generosity- The absolutely love Canadians This is an adults only place  [... read more]and it is so peaceful but yet great guests to chat and laugh with A true gem of a place.

Beautiful resort

This was second trip in 6 months to this resort! We loved it so much and made some new friendships with some staff members. All the staff that work at this resort are absolutely by far the kindest people we’ve ever met. I can’t say enough about the staff at Ibero star Esmeralda Coral. The rooms are beautiful and very clean and fully stocked daily. The swim up rooms are absolutely amazing to be able to sit on your patio and step into the water is so convenient and so lovely. Our butler was [... read more] Carlos both visits to this resort he is the kindest young man and very professional. I would always prefer to stay at the Esmeralda Coral as it is almost a retreat feel it is quiet, and just the perfect place for a relaxing getaway. And if you do feel like having a little more action you have full access to the selection more of a family resort. I would definitely recommend the Ibero star Esmeralda Coral for your next vacation and I definitely will be returning for the third visit!

Amazing Resort

Public area, Dining Rooms, Restuarants area Excellent Grounds could take some upgrades. Wonderfuul pleasant staff all over the property. My one and only bad encounter was with the lady in the Money exchange booth, she was rude, aloft and very condescending. She has ablsolutely no customer Service qualities.

Pictureque

Grounds were okay could take a bit of an upgrade Staff is wonderful... all staff The lady in the money Exchange is not a pleasant lady that was my one and only sourface approach and she was very rude

Very nice and clean resort

We had very very good time in Coral Iberostar adults only section.Hotel is very very nice.Service excellent food and room very good.We had room with swim out so it was perfect for us.Beach was so nice with turquoise ocean.I really recommend this resort.

Amazing hotel

Very nice hotel . I would recommend the hotel to anyone who wants to go to Cuba The beach is beautiful . The staff are amazing Food and drinks are great . Restaurants are great. We had a very good time. We will be back soon.

Great Place To Relax!

Great hotel if looking to relax. Rooms were good but a bit run down compared to photos. Staff was amazing but food selection was not good and a lot of flies always on the food. Drink selection was okay but not as good as other resorts I’ve stayed at. Beach was a 5/5 but beach bar closed at 4 pm also No swim up pool. Would not consider this hotel a 5 star,

Most relaxing stay ever!!

This small resort was ideal to get away and relax. We had a swim-out room which allowed us to leave our room only for food and drinks if we wanted. Nothing was far,, staff were excellent, atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, food and drinks were good. No complaints at all! We rarely visit the same resort twice but we would return to the Iberostar Coral Esmeralda. Great place to recharge. We met a couple that were there for their 5th time in 4 years. If you are looking for an active nig [... read more]htlife and big entertainment productions, this is probably not the resort for you.

Best resort in Cayo Coco!

Absolutely beautiful resort, with lovely pools and main areas. The food was good, and the mangoes on the beach were incredibly delicious! Staff were so kind and friendly, and always had a smile on their faces. Water was warm, and the sand was perfect. Not too hot, so fine it was almost soft, and we enjoyed taking strolls down the lovely beach during the day and night. We went during seaweed season, so there was a bit of seaweed on the beach, but there was always someone picking it up trying to  [... read more]keep it at bay. We went on a few excursions to go snorkeling and on the catamarans, and when we were on the bus going past the other resorts, we were so glad to have chosen the one we did, because it definitely looked and felt the most beautiful and premium of all the ones we saw.