Pretty Good

A pretty nice resort for Cuba. Good selection of food, resort was clean and well kept. Pools especially the kids section was great. Beautiful beach!! Some things here and there could be changed but overall decent place.

Melia penninsula varadero

We were happy to find ourselves at this 5 star resort. Our room was large with a king size bed, but best of all was the walk in shower with a rain head. It was wonderful. Also we were only about 500 yards from the beach, easy walking. The food was good and we experienced all the different restaurants - Italian, French, Cuban and Japanese. We enjoyed sitting down go a well laid table with china, glasses for wine and water, and to be waited on. We found the resort well laid out and would r [... read more]ecommend this to all.

Fun in the sun!

Here are some pointers for first time visitors to Cuba. The weather was perfect every day as expected. The people are just as nice. Polite and so helpful. Expect line ups at customs but other than that travel is normal. The shuttle buses back and forth are convenient. No need for taxis. Our resort would rank between 3.5 out of 5 as compared to a standard North American stay. Our room was clean and well maintained and staff were excellent. Expect service to be slow at times as the pace of life in [... read more] Cuba is not so rushed. Just chill out people! As you may have heard the food can be suspect. Well it was! Pick your poison and stick with it! Make sure you see your resort rep to give you all the resort info and tours available and suggestions for fun the sun. The only other thing we would mention is access to the beach and water. Our party had a disabled member and was unable to make it into the water. Although we were able to access the beach and loungers there were no stairs or ramp to get to the water. The beach was two tiered with a four foot drop so seniors or disabled be warned. So enjoy the sun, heat and all you can drink and don't forget your sun screen. we're still peeling! Cheers!!!

Unforgettable trip!

We absolutely loved our stay at this resort. The rooms and the grounds were clean. The staff was friendly and always ready to help. There were fun activities to do during the day and at night. Oh, and the beach was beautiful!

Good & not so good...

This was a perfectly typical Cuban experience.... The physical plant as a unit was impressive. The buildings and grounds were well kept....but the devil was in the details. Our unit [21] had outdoor stairs. The main lights in the stairwells remained unlit for the entire week, being illuminated [thankfully] by emergency lights. I reported this asap and upon encountering a group of maintenance people on scene....I pointed...yelled and did everything I could to communicate the situation with no  [... read more]results. Our room was spacious and clean with a minimum number of bugs...however! We couldn't turn on the heat. The room was quite chilly overnight. Big drawback was the beach itself. It was bisected by a steep bank which ran the entire length. Not a problem for the young and agile but we are not young and agile.We spent most of our 'sunning' time by a very nice swimming pool. There was no washroom readily available. We ended up peeing in the ocean! I'm sure we weren't the only ones! Staff were attentive and friendly. They get an 'A'. We tipped a ton and were happy to do it. The food gets a B. A final [minor] issue. Beach towels were not always available and management told us if we didn't return them they would grab our passports! Duh! Would we book again? No....the big issue being the beach. Next year....the big island! Cathy & David.....

Highly Recommended!

My husband and I travelled from Feb 8-15, 2017 and we were both very impressed for the entire trip. The resort was about 30 minutes from the airport and consisted of 2 and 3 story buildings, I believe they were 9 units per building. Big units, clean, extra large shower, (great pressure for the hot and cold water) and seemed extra wide balcony. The grounds were always clean. The food is always a concern when you go to Cuba but again, we were quite impressed. Lots of variety and always hot. I [... read more]f there was one complaint, this resort did not include theme nights at the buffet so unfortunately it was usually the same food every night, but still, quite a variety. Only a few times, they were not able to keep up with the demand. (Long line ups for scrambled eggs in the morning, and it took a while or them to fill up the orange juice.) We definitely didn't starve. Of course the beach was amazing! Crystal clear and you can walk for miles which Cuba is known for. Always chairs available and someone there to assist you setting them wherever you want. And the never were pushy for tips. The pool is quite large and usually a full crowd but the times we went to the pool was later in the afternoon so chairs were a little bit more difficult to find. Just to note, they actually have a totally different area for kids and families including their own shallow pool and play ground. We had fantastic weather the week we were there. We did the hop-on/hop-off double decker bus a couple times into Varadero for $5 (for the day) and always feeling safe. Absolutely no issues there. We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone and we would give this resort a 4 to 4.5 star rating. We were very happy with our vacation.

Terrific Resort!

We had a fantastic time at the Melia Peninsula Varadero! I accompanied my Mum (91 years young) as she really wanted to go on a holiday. Everything and everyone couldn't have been more helpful to making that happen for her! It is a very friendly wheelchair, environment so we could get around the whole resort for her to see, and do. Our room was wheelchair friendly and spacious. All of the staff were so friendly, always with bright smiles, and remembering her needs and wants, whether be it [... read more] housekeeping, wait staff, the cooks and front lobby staff. We had a great choice of restaurants as well as the buffet with fresh cooked food and lots of fruit. Everywhere was greenery, and flowers. The entertainment, shows, and activities were plentiful and we even got my mum in the pool several times! The 1959 pink convertible Caddy the staff organized, for us to take her on a two hour tour was fantastic and the icing on the cake, along with other tours available. You couldn't want a friendlier place to visit, with such happy people. I would highly recommend this resort!

Great Resort

Everything at the resort was good, food, room, grounds, facilities and beach. Had a few minor hick-ups that were not a big deal and were taken care of in Cuba time. The staff were great. Wouldn't hesitate to go back.

Very Nice

This resort was excellent value for the money. Everything was very clean but a few maintenance issues. Understaffed for the amount of guests. if they would have cleaned the beach of seaweed it would have been that much nicer.

Clean but needs improving

This hotel is advertised as a 5 star however I would rate it a 3 star. Clean overall, booked Elegance package and our room certainly was not the junior suite you see online. Major issues: poor lighting on the resort walkways at night and the buffet service was extremely slow and lackluster. Difficult to find a clean table with cutlery and servers very inefficient and non existent. Expect to sit for 2 hours at the A la cartes. Beach great however can be dangerous if you don't go down the slope sl [... read more]owly. I have stayed at Melia resorts before and this one is definitely sub par. Used to be Tryp peninsula and those signs still exist on the resort grounds. Hotel is old and needs a major overhaul and makeover.

Couldn't have asked for more!

The grounds were perfectly manicured and lovely. The pool locations were well set up. Plenty of locations to get a drink. Abundant chaise lounges by the pool and on the beach with many thatched sun umbrellas available. Entertainment in the lobby, lobby deck and theatre...always engaging. Food was abundant also with lots of choices and locations. Buffet was options plus. Service was amenable and efficient. Rooms and site clean. And finally, the beach was spectacular.

Nice Family Resort

Melia Peninsula is a really nice resort to stay at, although our unit was in need of maintenance. There is a great pool / play area for kids. The beach is the highlight with the calm Caribbean waters. Paddle boats are free to use. Catamarans are available with a guide and will take you out to the reef on the horizon for a snorkel for 20 pesos per person. I would recommend this over the half day snorkel trip by bus. Scooters are also a available to rent at the resort, and we had a lot of  [... read more]fun with them. Air Transat reps at the hotel were highly knowledgeable and extremely helpful The food is not great, but that is more a function of availability of product.

Just ok.

we paid for a family jr suite and it took a few days to get enough beds and pillows (yup. Zero pillows). The pools were dead-nobody around. Non existent kids club-no staff there. No activities. Mostly French guests which is fine but signs are in french and staff speak mostly french. Buffet was not good although a la carted were ok. Thank goodness for lots of Cristal beer. Beach was amazing, warm water and lots of sun beds.

Good resort for price

Rooms were a little old but clean. everything worked .Staff were friendly over all .Grounds were clean although out side light fixture could be fixed. Definite lack of lighting.food was good . I think you have to drop your standards a little. If you are going for food your going for the Wrong reasons. I would think that if you were going for sun and Beach it is Great. Drinks are OK . much better if you can get Premium Liquor . They do drive too quick with golf carts. I think they should offer o [... read more]lder people rides when are going by. Over all I was happy with this resort.

Best Hotel on the Beach!

We've been coming to the Melia Tryp Peninsula for 7 years, and each year it gets better- welcoming staff, beautiful grounds, and plantation-style accommodation in 2-3 story buildings surrounded by palms, a few steps from the ocean.

Beautiful resort

I was at Melia Peninsula from Oct 7 to 14 2016. The resort was spoteless, beautiful and with one of the nicest staff I have ever met. The beaches was not the nicest since there a bank of sand, I much rather have flat beaches. The food was excellent, but a bit of the same everyday but never the less very good!! One thing kinda bother me on my last day..as I was checking out at noon on Friday, I ask to keep my beach towel til maybe 3:30- 4:00pm to use the pool since I wasn't being pick up at the  [... read more]hotel before 6:30....but to be able to keep my towel I had to surrender my passeport to the front desk..i was surprise the hotel would have such policy..you NEVER surrender your passport and any time. I was disappointed by the event! I hope one day to return to the Melia Peninsula!! Thank you for a nice vacation week!! Harvey!

Loved this Resort

This was my 2nd time in Varadero but my 1st time at this resort. I will definitely return as the hotel was far beyond my expectations. I loved the layout of the resort, all amenities were easily accessable. The staff were so friendly and go out of your way to help in any way they can. The food is usually not what people go to Cuba for but I thoroughly enjoyed the food there. The Cuban and Japanese restaurants were excellent. Book early because they fill up fast. I don't know the name of the cook [... read more] who made omelettes at the buffet but he made the best ones I've ever had. We loved both the beach & the pool areas. The snack bar right above the pool make excellent thin crust pizzas. Overall, I was impressed. I am already planning a trip to go back.

Not what was Expected

The hotel pictures and the description of our room was not what was given or what was told or by our travel agent. The photos showed a room with a separate sleeping area -- by way of a separate room.....referred to as a Jr. suite. We received a hotel like room with a sofa beside the bed. This is Not a suite but a room. Pictures showed the rooms with upgraded TVs - we had an ancient old TV - no dresser or drawers to put clothing but a desk and shelving. There was construction going on all day fo [... read more]r the newer rooms. Usually a resort under construction this is mentioned and you get a cheaper rate. This was not the case. The first room given was all mold and stinky smelling (either from being closed up or a moldy dirty mop) The second room was better however, again it was not was was represented to us. As a 4* plus this was less than par for that rating. The dinning areas and common areas did not even have fans to accommodate when air conditioning was not working or present. Flies on the food, food out on buffet in 90 degree weather with no ice chillers or fans. (put up bug tape-- and fans) Cock roaches behind buffet climbing on the sink that did not drain - near the grill and kitchen area. The grounds were beautiful the grass could have used cutting to prevent the presence of the snake we saw in the long grass (this is when we stayed on lighted the paths only) The nightly shows were less than sub par. It was a huge disappointment for us as we have been to Varadero, Cuba 6 times (booking with tripcentral) previously and we are looking on getting married in Cuba 2017- this is why we chose to visit this resort this time as a 4* and get wedding info -- otherwise we usually stay at another resort when we visit Varadero. We thought this was a 4* or more......in my opinion NO it is not. The food, the grounds, the pools (2) and the rooms are no better or even worse than some of the 3 * we usually stay in ..... you lost me on first impressions as the advertisement had more visual up scale than was actually present at the resort. We were expected to be wow'd this didn't happen and at the end of the day we paid about 300$ more per person than we usually pay to get nothing better --and as i said some worse. Our stay was made pleasurable because of the sun, vacation time, and friendly staff. But if i had to rate this resort it would be a 2-3 star maximum. Our usual resort is only rated a 3 and had more amenities and actual suites/and bungalows near the beach, the food was just as good or even better and the cleanliness was there throughout.....now the only difference was a thicker mattress was that worth the extra 300$ per person? NO ----would we be back....YES we LOVE Varadero, CUBA --- to this resort -- No not unless it was priced at 600$ per person because the comparatives at 700$ were showing better -- star status or not. Sorry, it was an expensive 1000$ per person for a let down to scout out our wedding destination. Back to the drawing board.

Good resort in Cuba

Overall, it was a nice resort. Employees were friendly. Food was good but it was almost the same for the whole week. The resort is old and there were some problems in my room.First the TV was not working,and also if you want beach towels you have to go early if you because they will run out. The toilet wasn't working and it always gets stuck

Beautiful Grounds with very nice staff.

Overall we had quite a pleasant experience! Beautiful grounds and a fabulous beach. The staff were pleasant and generally helpful. The food was average but as expected. Second time visitors to the resort.