Melia Jardines del Rey: Worst resort out of my 27 visits to Cuba !

I've been in Cuba 27 times, stayed at many chain hotels (including other Melias) , private homes, hostels, Cuban hotels and this has by far been my worst experience in terms of hospitality, service and food. The room had roaches, AC didn't work properly, the hot water didn't work and the cleaning lady made the bed but didn't clean the the sink, toilet, floor or shower. I didn't get served any drinks at the breakfast or dinner buffets. Lunch buffet at the beach staff were the exception. I sat at  [... read more]an a la carte for 20 minutes and not one person approached me to offer a drink or even to say hello so I walked out. The other a la cartes I ordered chicken and got the exact same chicken drumsticks mashed potatoes and rice at Mexican, international and Mediterranean. The only exception was the Mexican rice had cut up hot dogs in it. Yuck! Paid extra for elegance club which they didn't have in their computer so after much arguing and having to prove that I paid for this I finally got the internet cards and reservations at restaurants but never got a beach towel the entire time I was at the resort. First time ever staying at a chain hotel in Cuba and not getting a beach towel. Ridiculous. There were positives: close to the airport and the beach was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect for walking for hours. In saying that there are two other hotels on this stretch of beach which I highly recommend as opposed to this one.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Awful resort

Suggestions to travel’ agents! Do not book anyone to this resort. 24 hrs snacks place,,no more foods at 10 pm. First day, toilet was broken. Waited 3 hours to move. Sewage smells in bedroom and outside balcony. Toilets paper always run out in resort. Beach towels run out at 9 am at hour open. I was carried my own role of toilet paper. Everyone who worked in this resort, they done good job. They can’t provide the better service Because, resort have no organized.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Lack of logistics in the reception of tourists

tourists have come a long way before arrival and the first thing they need is to get to their room and relax as soon as possible. Especially if they arrived late at night. They should not be collected like sheep in rooms and explain something for a long time. Each room should have a memo about the rules. That's all. This happens in all hotels in the world. On vacation, especially.A tourist should not run to the reception and ask: where is the outlet and what is your voltage. This is written in t [... read more]he memo! Of course, the service must be in English, the international language. The word " no " in the service should not sound

Gran Muthu Imperial: Great friendly environment with no kids!

Great staff!! Security should be more vigilant, however beautiful place! Will return for sure :) thank you to Ernesto the bar tender at the snack bar for being the best!! And most amid thank you to Mernie

Tryp Cayo Coco: Friendly Cuban Staff

The walkways were uneven and the best to walk in bare feet. We found cockroaches in the room and others had feces come up in their bathtub. The room was tired and old. The staff however were excellent and the food was very good with some good variety.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Awsome hotel

Amasing hotel room and service was gréât pool is hot and service for réservation. Is perfect food and drink are good tanks for all my plaeser to Anjoy tuant think merci beaucoup pour le service les chambre et l hôtel parfait service pour la réservation

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Thumbs up!

Thanks Karol. You were a total star throughout the entire process and ALL my questions. This was my third trip to this hotel since May 2019. New management have really improved the place. All buildings have been painted, foods better. Animation team are outstanding. Amazing people.

Hotel Playa Coco: Decent Resort

This was a quick get away for 2 friends who needed a break from husbands and kids ;). We got the week away for under $750 - so bear that in mind. If you're looking for a 5* resort with lots of amenities and gourmet food - look elsewhere. But! If you're looking for a small resort with an AMAZING beach, cold drinks, decent food (the best we've had in Cuba) and with easy access to pools, restaurants, etc. then this is the resort for you. It is very quiet and a good place to relax and unwind.  [... read more] The Cuban people are what make this resort from the ladies working in the lobby, to the bartenders (Julio), to the gardeners (Luis) to (Jorge) who looked after us at the buffet. We had an issue with our patio door (ground floor room) and maintenance came right away and fixed it. My only complaint would be that the swim up bar never had a bartender tending to it. Not a big deal but may have added a little to the atmosphere.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Beautiful Resort!

I have been to Cuba many times and know what to expect but this resort really surprised me. I was impressed from the moment I walked through the lobby, it was breathtaking. The vibe is very high end, breezy casual and super cozy with massive lounge chairs spread out the lobby with a clear picturesque view of the ocean. This would be my favourite spot for the next week to come. Mid- January, mild overcast but mostly sunny, the waters were too rough to get in and pretty chilly but the beach was st [... read more]ill lovely and the pools did the job. There was a lot of wind, windy every day all day but it kept the bugs away so I was happy about that. The resort was not at capacity but the sister resort next door was so if you needed more action it was a 2 min. walk away. We were situated in building 9, ground floor with a walk out looking at the ocean, right next to the infinity pool and 24 snack bar, It was perfect. The rooms were very clean, bright and airy. I packed a candle with a light beach scent which did a fantastic job giving the room a little freshness. (I highly recommend this) we had a king bed which was comfy enough. There is 1 main buffet which is simple but does the job, I was able to have great meals every time. There were days I was quite impressed with the food selection, fresh seafood, delicious simmered pork and very flavourful chicken pollo. I was pleased to find manchego cheese, buttery prosciutto and fresh breads, 1 night there was even a Parm Reggiano cheese wheel! there are also 3 ala carte restaurants which have the same food portioned smaller but a more formal atmosphere so worth it to have a more intimate romantic setting. I would also highly recommend enjoying the coffee specials in the main lobby, I had at least 3 cappuccinos daily! (stayed away from regular coffee in the buffet hall). The staff was friendly and helpful, the crowd was a good mix of ages and pretty classy, no drunken whinos stumbling around (we did notice this at other resorts) basically, we loved this place and would highly recommend this adult resort. I also heard people loved the sister family resort. When I was booking my vacation I was debating with between Gran Mathu or the Pullman (went to the Pullman for the day to compare) and was sooooo happy I choose the Gran Mathu Imperial. The only thing that I would say was a minus is the resort beach is quite small but satisfactory and there is access to the sister resort beach. The resort also offers day trips to Pillar beach which is highly recommended- get the lobster and shrimp lunch package ** definitely coming back to this resort !

Sol Cayo Coco: Good value, but underwhelming

Lovely staff, rooms are average and have a fridge which is nice but bed is a little uncomfortable. Food is severely lacking and repetitive and disappointing BUT not gross and I never got sick. Pool is good and beach is nice. Day trips are meh. For value, it’s a good resort.

Sol Cayo Coco: Overall a good vacation but training lacking in kitchen

Wonderful Beach, Pool very good for different ages Site of hotel wonderful, Good attitudes from all categories of personnel, Rooms clean -comfortable, Dining Room well-decorated pleasant furnishing Quality of food ok but chefs lack cooking skills & require improvement. Air transat flight was supposed to leave at 3:50 pm and arrive Montreal 7:30 pm. No advice from anyone as to cause of delay no agent at hotel from Hola. Our flight left at 11 pm with arrival at 3 am .Customs &Baggage took almos [... read more]t one hour to receive ! Quite a day We received boarding passes by e mail but no information from anyone except a notice posted by hotel ! incredible treatment probably because passengers had no alternatives & had already paid. Not acceptable treatment !

Melia Jardines del Rey: Resort has gone down

The food was HORRIBLE at this resort, much worse than when I went two years ago. Shower was not working for three days, toilet in room took 24 hours until fixed. Pools were nice, but could use to be cleaned more frequently. Couldn’t get anything put pop, wine, beer or water in restaurants. Al le carte restaurants didn’t have everything on the menu available, every one I attended. Lifeguards were drinking booze and smoking while on duty. Had to move and get chairs off stacks by myself at the  [... read more]pool. Sunwing stewardess screamed on the plane to me and fellow passengers. Threatened me and belittled passengers. Our human rights were violated.

Sol Cayo Coco: Other than the beach - disappointing!

My 11th time in Cuba and my first and last time at Sol Cayo Coco. By the 3rd day we transferred to Melia Jardines Del Ray and couldn't be happier. Sol Cayo Coco could be a true 3+ or 4* with some much needed upgrades throughout all areas. There seemed to be such a lack of care with the appearance and services at this resort. The lobby bland in color and lacking comfortable seating, no background music, no beautiful plants, no tropical vibe. Staff was kind and friendly and the beach one [... read more] of the most beautiful I have ever seen!! That's about it, unfortunately the friendliness of the staff and beautiful beach will not have me returning. Our check in was fast and friendly, but we had to carry our own luggage up two flights of stairs, no one offered to help. The room: clean but outdated with broken tiles in the bathroom, no hot water for 2 days and day 3 no water at all. Our bathroom towels were not changed, they were picked up off the floor damp with make up and sunblock residue, folded and placed back in the bathroom dirty. Beach towels were non existent for the time we were there. Everyday we were given the excuse that they didn't have any because they don't have onsite facilities to wash them. The food is not what I travel to Cuba for, having been to Cuba 11 times now I know what to expect BUT the food at this resort was unacceptable by any standards. Buffet so small there was not enough food for the quests, and it was no where near capacity. The choices as slim as you can imagine and the quality was very poor. There was no variety of greens or fruits and of the salad that was available we found a slug in it and it was apparent that it had not been washed. The snack bar by the pool had a large menu posted on the wall but of all the items listed the only items available was chicken sandwich and fries and if lucky maybe pizza. The chicken portion was so small that it was almost like just eating a bun with a few shreds of cheese in it. On our second day we asked for coffee and mugs for our room so that we could make our own coffee in the morning. We were told that it was not part of our package because we booked a standard room and if we wanted coffee we could go to the lobby store and buy it (EXCUSE ME? WHAT?!) I am at an all inclusive resort....first time I have ever heard of such a ridiculous policy. I love Cuba and the people but the management at this resort needs to step up and take care of the issues that are below standards for any traveler. I do not like writing negative reviews but I cannot recommend this resort.

Hotel Playa Coco: Amazing beach, rooms stink

Overall we were very happy with our stay. The beach is amazing here. We took walks for over an hour in each direction. If you go early in the morning or late at night you will be completely alone with just the sound of the waves and amazing creatures washed up on the beach. It is absolutely perfect for kids and even though it was very windy when we were there, the wind apparently is stronger everywhere else on the island as this beach is in a bit sheltered. For that same reason even with the str [... read more]ong winds the ocean was kid friendly every day - with some waves but nothing that a 3 year old could not safely play in. Plenty of beach chairs so never had to worry about that. Bring water shoes to explore the small rocky area on the low tide - lots of sea life to see. There is a kids club which turned out to be supervised time for kids to be left. It was open some times and closed others - completely unpredictable. There was also a games room that our kids really enjoyed. Pool, foosball, table tennis, checkers, dominos. Also a large chess set that was a huge hit. Staff are polite and pleasant. The food was amazing during the week we stayed there. We also stayed at this resort 6 years ago and fresh fruit/vegetables were hard to come by. In comparison and overall the food this time around was awesome and on the salty side. Lot's of different choices - salads and vegetables (bring your own favorite dressing to make the most of it as the buffet offers mostly various oils).My husband eats gluten-free and dairy free and he had no trouble finding things he loved and enjoyed. Me and my sons loved the Cuban bread and cheese. There was a pancake, omelette and smoothie stations in the morning supplemented with buffet with meats, potatoes, rice etc. Lunch and dinner offered pasta, meat and fish stations. Always plenty of fruit (papaya, guava, watermelon, pineapple and grapefruit most often), fresh juice and choices for hot foods. Maybe we just got lucky and there was some kind of inspection at the resort at that time but we loved the food. Our biggest disappointment came on our last day when the hotel insisted we pay for 4 beach towels which we had never received. The maid insisted that she had left them for us even though we never got any beach towels. We never inquired after them since we had brought our own towels and did not want to waste time on anything that was not absolutely necessary. So if you go, I suggest to count everything in the room and get your maid to sign it or make sure this is acknowledged in some way. As it was my husband spent over 2 hours trying to check out, was threatened by security, basically was told that we are lying and have stolen towels and will not be leaving until we pay for them (and acknowledge that we stole them)! Nothing seemed to help. Public relations rep had good grasp on english and broke into tears at one point. She kept going to see her manager and coming back with "I understand sir, but you have to pay" I got involved and there was by now another family with a similar issue. We had two other families who had been on the beach with us numerous times testify that we never ever had blue towels. But maid kept saying that we got them and she even went as far as to say that she saw them drying around our room! I do not know why she was lying. We did leave tips every day and a bigger tip for the last two days. Next time I might consider not giving any tips until the last day - just to make sure there is no such scam happening. Long story short - for whatever reason they have no system to account for things like beach towels and you do not want to be in our position on your last day. Air Canada Rep just said "You would be surprised how many tourists steal towels" Really?! The other things to consider - very slow check-in process (took over an hour for less than 10 families to check in) and excruciatingly long lineups at the Cayo Coco airport (took us almost 2 hours to drop off our bags and go through the security). The Toronto airport in comparison took 15-25 minutes both ways! Our room was in Bungalow 6 and it is a good location: reduced noise from entertainment as it is behind the main stage and very close to the beach, also play ground and the kids pool is visible from the room. Room was large with 2 double beds and 1 sofabed. Air conditioner and safe were in working order. So lot's of positives. However very strong overpowering smell of mold and/or mildew. From other families who did complain we understood that resort had no free rooms to switch to and only option was to switch resorts which we were not willing to consider and just made do. There was a water leak from the ceiling and no one came to fix it that we know of. The leak stopped after a day. The toilets apparently overflow occasionally on the main floor but we were fine on the second floor. The maid made our beds every day with the same linens and there was only one day when we came to a beautifully arranged blanket in our room. In comparison 6 years ago every day there was a pleasant surprise - a swan made out of fresh set of sheets etc. Often we had sand on our "freshly made" sheets. We only saw entertainment 3 of the nights and it was good. There were a few mosquitoes but nothing to complain about. Overall - if the beach time is more important to you than the room cleanliness, if your kids are happy to entertain themselves and you are looking for a safe resort I would still recommend Playa Coco as a good choice. Bring your own pillows so you do not have to sleep on the mildew and make sure you do not fall for the towel extortion experience.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Quiet week

We stayed in a wooden bungalow with a nice view of the ocean. The resort was half empty during our stay so it was very quiet. The food was typical Cuban fare but there was a decent selection so we never went hungry. The staff were excellent and the check in check out process was painless. Our flight arrived a bit late and they kept the buffet open so we could eat when we arrived.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Gran Muthu Imperial Apples to Apples

We arrived Dec 25, 2019 for a 10 day stay leaving January 4, 2020. We had spent the same time period the last 5 years at a 4.5 star adults only resort in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. We compared the resorts to each other. The Cuban staff are friendly no matter where you travel to. At the Imperial the grounds are well kept, the staff friendly, fresh coconuts (delicious) from the gardeners when available. Though short on towels a few days the room was spacious and kept clean. The infinity pool was [... read more] breathtaking and enjoyed the morning stretches by the pool. The beach cannot be highly rated when compared to other beaches in Cuba due to rocks in the water and undergrowth. There were not enough lounge chaise on the beach despite the resort not being at capacity. We would go to another resort to use their facilities. The beach bar did run out of cups 1 day so bring your own just in case. The sailing was enjoyed, the nightly entertainment was amazing as was our trip to Moron. The International and especially the Seafood restaurants were upscale with their service. A good selection at the buffet as well. Any criticism we have is directed at the management who organized the New Year eve buffet dinner. We arrived at the 8:30 pm 2 nd sitting. With no one to seat us we wandered around the room looking for a vacant table. All were full. We were ready to leave when a staff member recognized us and found a vacant table. The table cloth was full of food stains and no cutlery. This was promptly remedied. The buffet food stations were 1 /2 empty of food and it looked like a food fight had taken place. We hadn't experienced such chaos in the last 5 years. The last evening of 2019 was a disappointment. If management was professional, and organized, this chaotic scene would not have happened. New Year's Eve comes on the same date every year so it should not be a surprise. Would we return ? Perhaps. You only have 1 chance to make a good first impression.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Great resort

The rooms were spacious and the beds were comfy. The resort is quiet which is fabulous. Lots of loungers and beach beds around the pool. The food is decent. Always something to eat and enjoy. I would return. Only complaint would be the a la cartes were empty most of the time and no reservations were available.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Beautiful Resort!

Melia Jardines Del Ray In Cayo Coco was absolutely beautiful. I went in a group of four girls and felt extremely safe. Staff was excellent, beach was beautiful, and the drinks were strong! Great vacation spot!

Muthu Colonial Hotel: A Great Holiday

Another great holiday at The Colonial! Whether you enjoy the music and main "hub" area or a quiet place to read a book you can find it here! There's a great fresh water pool with a great shallow pool for the kids and an amazing salt water pool that runs throughout one end of the resort; it has a great swim-up bar area + some quieter areas to lay back and relax. The beach is amazing and you can stroll forever enjoying the soft sand and the beauty. The main lobby area and courtyard  [... read more]is a great place to enjoy a drink in the afternoon or nightly entertainment after dinner. The layout of this resort is amazing and the staff are incredible!

Gran Muthu Imperial: Amazing resort!!

The resort was well maintained and staffed. All the staff were amazing and friendly. Their entertainment team worked really hard and had lots of various activities each day. The pools were really clean and there were lots of lounge chairs. The food was great and lots of variety. The week we were there it was very windy and whistled outside our room making it fairly noisy. We just left the sliding door open most nights and let the breeze come in as it was perfect weather for this. We would absolu [... read more]tely return to this resort again!