Head scratching vacation

First of all I want say we went with our best friends a had so much fun. However, our room was beyond hilarious. Apparently our bathroom door broke(who knows when) so the hotel replaced it with a shower curtain. Our toilet whistled when we flushed it. Our shower leaked every where. We had little lights as it was not the bulbs but the sockets were burned out. No fix according to the staff. Our thermostat never worked so we had cold 24 hours a day. You can not drink the tap water however you h [... read more]ave to beg for bottled water. We had none so I went to the snack bar for water and he would not give us a bottle. He said it was a different department. I have never seen so many people doing so much and getting nothing done. Their banking system is like exchanging real money for Monopoly money for a premium. Their money is useless off the Island however they charge Canadians at US rates. What a rip off. Plus make sure you have your Passport to get pesos, get an attitude and all you want to do is get money to tip the workers. Their airports are so backward it is head scratching. It took us an hour and and half just to check our luggage. The people are great however they have no chance as they work long hours, make little money, have no resources to solve our problems and have no hope. Will never go back. Kissed the ground when we arrived in cold Canada.

Better than ever!

This is a true 5 star resort in Cuba, the best hotel we have stayed at in Cuba. The food is amazing, the grounds are beautiful, the spa is a great! We will be back for sure. They have great service and good entertainment.

Nice resort

the resort required repair do to the age ! and poor maitenance over the years. they should not charge for lobster dinner! the lobster is local the carabian. the internet should be open ! no password required.

Excellent Resort with amazing staff.

This was our second trip to this beautiful resort this year. We first visited in April 2019 and returned in Nov 2019 with 4 other couples to celebrate 4, 60th Birthdays. Food accomodations and service were excellent. The resort staff went to great lengths to ensure that we had a wonderful 60,th birthday party dinner, which was greatly appreciated by all. Our group was impressed with the kindness, laughter and fun the resort staff provided. We were amazed at how many staff remembered us from ou [... read more]r visit in April. Hats off to all of you for providing great customer service!!! The weather unfortunately was not the best with many rainy days and a lot of erosion to the beach. On the days we could we enjoyed snorkeling right in front of the hotel. Our only complaint would be that we booked this trip as a group but upon arrival at the hotel we were randomly placed in all corners of the resort no where near each other??? Those with mobility issues were placed furthest away from facilities which was the opposite to the request. Also just an FYI -Holguin airport will no longer accepts Cuban convertible pesos. Be prepared to pay in American dollars at the duty free when leaving Cuba. Also if you need a wheelchair at the Holguin airport make sure you have a traveller to assist you. The airport staff and flight crew (Air Transat) do not assist you to the plane. They also changed our seats when we checked in at the airport, even though we already had electronic boarding passes. Some passengers who had paid for extra legroom were denied their designated seats. That was unfortunate and there will be many following up with Air Transat. In conclusion we look forward to returning to this resort in the future.

Relaxing resort

Stayed in a suite, lovely but almost dated. Very clean. Beautiful mature grounds and plantings, zen like. friendly staff, excellent al la cartes, buffet dining a little repetitive. Beach is close with snorkeling and scuba diving close buy. Large pool. Overall, beautiful and relaxing hotel.

Beautiful resort, feels like paradise

The Royal Service area was wonderful. We enjoyed the villa we were in. It was surrounded by lush gardens and had a pond area at the patio. The villa was spacious, beautiful decor and the outside shower was amazing. All the grounds very beautiful and the private beach area was lovely. The staff were so nice, they aim to please, lovely people. They make the holiday. The food was excellent, presented very well. We enjoyed the Mediterranean, Japanese, Beach bar restaurants. They had a pig [... read more] roast one day which was nice for lunch. Horse back riding and a sail on the hobbit cat were fun. The service at the Royal was wonderful. We were a group of six and they accommodated us with no problems. I highly recommend this place for a very relaxing holiday.

Exceptional Resort

This is our first time visiting Cuba as our destination. Generally we stay at 4-5 Star Adult Only resorts throughout the Caribbean. Our friends talked us into this trip and I have to say, my impressions have changed. We chose Paradisus Rio De Oro simply because it was Adult only and it was a return destination for our friends and are glad we did. I’ll try to simplify my review. Food - Fantastic The Buffet was of corse like many but the food was without a doubt perfect. Alacarte’s - as [... read more] they would be at any 4+ Star - Remember, your in Cuba , so the tastes are a slight different, but all great and awesome presentations. Rooms - Dated - comfortable, Beds were wonderful, clean, good Air Conditioners. well maintained by the housekeepers. Pool - Crystal clear and very nice to swim in. Beach - Wasn’t impressed. We are beach people, but because of 2018 hurricanes, they lost a lot of it and left the coral and lava rock behind. Very hard to enter the water. There is a small area that is still sandy, we did swim there, it was wonderful and very warm. Grounds - need some maintenance, though understandably , they just had 3 to 4 weeks of drought, so the grasses. were green but long. It is a big resort, lots of walking depending where your room was. Big issue, the path and stair lighting is very poor. Watch your step. They need to put more lighting. Nightly entertainment - It’s going to be hard for some of the entertainment to be beat, wonderful. Liquor was limited, as they don’t have the large variety, but all in all, again, it’s Cuba. People - so friendly, they made you feel welcome and went way out of their way , on the most part to help with your needs. There’s so much more , you have to go there. As a post script, My wife and I have traveled for the past 15 years at least 2 to 4 weeks a year. We said that we probably wouldn’t go to Cuba, for many reasons. Our friends convinced us to go, we chose this resort. Now, were planning another trip there, same resort for Nov. 2020, and this time it’ll be for 10 days, we didn’t get enough and are planning for more throughout the future.

Quiet Cuban Getaway

We've visited this resort many times and the location is lovely. Unfortunately, this time we noticed a decline in the resort and to sum it up, it looks tired. The pool chairs are in need of replacement, and in several places the lighting on the grounds is not working, especially on the steep stairs up from the beach. The food was better than in the past but typical of Cuba - some days you have lettuce, some days you don't. The one thing that makes up for a great deal is the relations [... read more]hips that we have formed with the staff at the resort. They are amazing and always offer a kind word and help with anything we need. To be honest, I don't think we will be going back there as the value for money isn't as good as it was in the past and the resort is showing it's age. Time to look for another piece of paradise elsewhere!

Amazing Resort

Had Very Relaxing and Fantastic Time on this Resort! Beautiful Vegetation,Amazing Spa,People Are So Kind And Friendly love them! Service was Fantastic,Beach and Pool were So Beautiful! We Our Going Back!

Great resort

Everything was amazing. Costumer service was exceptional. In room service was included. Definetely the best resort I've ever been to. Beach has place for sweaming and snorkling. Restaurants were really good

Paradisus Rio De Oro

Very well maintained property, friendly staff, spacious and clean rooms, although somewhat dated. The hotel is situated on a large property, a lot of trees between the two storey buildings, numerous shaded areas to get away from the noise and relax with a book in hand. We would highly recommend the a la carte restaurants, the food is well prepared and exquisitely presented. Excellent experience!

Beautiful setting

The hotel’s setting is secluded and natural with a good beach and coral reefs nearby. Just want we wanted. You need to remember this is Cuba and there are shortages on some items. However it does not make sense that calamari at the beach restaurant has a 90% chance of not being available. Also out of the three bars around the pool/ beach area you are lucky if only one has fresh mint to make a mojito. This should be easy local fixes. We also learned that because of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy st [... read more]aff were laid off temporarily. You need to be patient for the moment as they are stretching things to recover. All you can do is have a chuckle, lay back, be patient and enjoy. If you like to spice up the menu bring your own hot sauce is a good idea and we came prepared.

Great time

This was our 3rd time returning to this resort and it was as wonderful as always. The staff can’t do enough for you, the restaurants and buffet were very good, wide verity cuisine. Although our suite was nice and freshly renovated the resort didn’t meet our request for room location on the resort and bed type which was made when we booked at the travel agent. The wasn’t as nice as it has been in the past due to storms the past season.

A place worth coming back to

A place worth coming back to. We have been to this resort many times and we have many great memories. Yes, one could compare it to very modern looking, multi story resorts sitting on top of beaches with picture perfect white sand. One has to look beyond the food we eat, the size of the rooms or the paint on the walls. One has to look at how we relax and if we were satisfied at the end of our stay. I have to admit that this hotel offers that perfect getaway nestled in nature, with many fine peop [... read more]le around you, both employees and guests. The food and service are great. Most of the people that we met this time around were repeat customers, and that says something very special about the resort. It’s worth the experience.

Quiet and relaxing

We have been here many times before, and booked again because there was a great deal available. It felt as if we had the whole resort to ourselves- there were much fewer guests because of the Thomas Cook travel issues from the UK, so it was truly quiet. The weather was good, hot and humid, but the ocean and pools were warm. The beach was very clean, and waves were minimal. This time, there were many mosquitoes and bugs in the evening, and even repellant did not help, but that cannot be controlle [... read more]d. There were a few issues with our initial room, but these were satisfactorily resolved. We spent a few days at the main resort and the balance at Royal Service. We found the food quality was improved overall, and there was always something fresh that one could choose from. The live musicians still perform at the beach restaurant, and are as great as ever. Snorkelers were happy with the clear ocean and wealth of fish and coral to see on the reef directly accessible from the resort. In general, the resort needs some updates and reno work, but for the price, beautiful scenery and good service from the personnel, it was well worth coming here. In comparison with other places in Cuba, and even with some of the new resorts, we still prefer this one. There is a large area for walking, no high-rise buildings, scenery and landscaping, ocean and pool, spa services (incidentally, prices are now more reasonable! And the salt water pool and private beach are lovely), with an excellent staff rresort-wide. These are our main requirements, and thus, we look forward to our next visit!

Wonderful Resort

this hotel is well looked after, the grounds are beautiful, some of the furniture is uncomfortable / too large and low / some things are in need of repair the food is good - you'll always find something to eat the service is good - sometimes it's inconsistent - one day a server came by very regularly the next day was very sporadic we know that it's hard to get all foods all the time but if you don't have something just let us know - we ordered a caesar salad and didn't get anything t [... read more]hat resembled one - we could have ordered something else if we were told that they didn't have Caesar salad overall - it is a great resort with wonderful staff - I would go back

Excellent

This was our fourth time in Cuba, first time in Holguin. It was the best spot in Cuba, thus far, and the best hotel in Cuba we have been to. It is a mountainous region, lush, with lots of great things to do very close to the hotel. The beach is beautiful, slightly rocky right in front but sandy spot a few seconds down to get in. The water is very warm and the snorkelling is quite impressive right off the beach, better than all the snorkelling we have done in Cuba. The pool was cool and refreshin [... read more]g, clean all day,everyday. The food was very good, and a nice variety. Of course the drinks are plentiful, and the staff are mature, professional and very polite. The resort itself feels magical, with lots of trees and vegetation. The nature park is very close with hiking, horseback riding and reef fishing, ask for Orlando to take you out. Great morning out on the reef. We are not normally travellers that return to the same place, but we definitely will be back to this resort. Hot water in the shower, every. Time. !!!

Beautiful resort

Upon arrival we were greeted with cold drinks warm wash cloths and lots of smiles. Front desk got us checked in and to our rooms in 15 minutes. The resort was very clean. All staff members were beyond friendly. They went out of their way to do things for you. It was one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever done. I will definitely be going back

Wonderful Resort

The rooms were wonderful. The steps going up to the room though needed more light at night. Staff was wonderful even though they are going through rough schedules due to what’s happening in Cuba right now

This is our home!

We’ve been here, my husband and I,4 Times now. My parents somewhere in the 20’s. This is the place to go in cuba to feel like you are part of the family. The grounds are always well kept (just remember you’re in cuba and not a 5 star hotel in Toronto-supplies are different, but I can tell you the people put in way more effort then they are praised for.) The drinks and food is are always perfect- exactly what we are looking for. Rooms: some a little outdated in style compared to what we  [... read more]are used to back home, but they are charming and always clean and maintained. The outdoor showers in the single stores villas are to die for- not once did I use the indoor shower. Beach- zero complaints, it’s the ocean and the sun and the vibe of being in paradise. Huge and loving shout out to our Cuban family members who have always gone above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and loved. Jorge, Judith, Roberto, Yulenis, Alien, Misladys, Lisbeth, Yemmy, Chang, Nessie and her husband Dickson, Ozmany, Juan Carlos, Pablo, Tamara- I’m forgetting people I know! I’m sorry but we love you! We will be returning next year and again and again. We’ve been to Varadero, Santa Clara and this place is always our golden standard. Thank you time and time again for being lovely hosts to our Family and making us feel like Paradisus is our second home.