Paradisus Varadero: Decent resort, ups and downs

Went here for a week. Lots of good and bad. Good was decent food for Cuba, nice pool and beach. Bad was the service. If you don’t go royal service, don’t expect anything special. The worst was the water shortage we experienced. Very had to get water for your room. The food was the fresh seafood and meat/chicken cooked on demand at the buffet. The restaurants were disappointing. Good if you want beach, bad if you want to be treated well.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Big disappointment

We were so excited about this trip but when we arrived it was one thing after the next. The rooms smelled real bad, our patio doors did not lock and we were on the ground floor. We had to practically beg for bottled water, they did not give face cloths unless we asked, the restaurant staff were cranky and would roll their eyes if we questioned our food, one waiter gave us shit because we wondered why it took 25 minutes to get our drinks, he said whats the rush...your on holidays! The food was [... read more] aweful to say the least. Our lobster dinner that we had to pay for came to us burned to a crisp, it was black and they said it was because the regular chef was not there! There were no designated areas for smoking so we were surrounded with cigarette and cigars at all times, there was no escaping it. This hotel should be rated 2 or 3 at best.

Sol Cayo Coco: Nice time in CAYO Coco

Just a nice size resort, not too big. Beach is beautiful and no problem finding a shelter or lounger at the beach. Resort was clean and no issues with the room. The staff are very friendly and go above and beyond. The food at 1st was just so so but they were in the middle of a make over so be the 4th day on it was great. They have done an amazing job considering there was a major hurricane in 2017

Melia Jardines del Rey: Melia Jardines Del Rey

It was my first trip to Cuba. The weather was beautiful, the beach was breathtaking, the grounds were amazing, the rooms were clean and comfortable. The staff were courteous and friendly and always said hello. The food was good. The only thing I would say was a problem was hot water. Sometimes there was none. Overall I had an awesome trip.

Melia Las Antillas: Great beach! Great staff!

I had been at this resort back in November 2018 and enjoyed myself so much I rebooked & returned April of 2019 and plan to return again. Staff was very gracious and helpful. Melia has continued to invest and improve the resort. A new Health Bar has been constructed, the entire boardwalks to the beach have been replaced and hand railings are being replaced on the balconies. I will be rebooking again to Melia Las Antillas!

Melia Marina Varadero: Fantastic Vacation

We stayed at the Melia Marina from March 31 to April 9. Our stay was one of the best visits so far. I have been to Cuba 7 times and this resort was one of our favourites. The people were very friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and bright. We had a classic room above the pool and the view was excellent. The food was very good for Cuban standards. Not a great variety at the buffet but enough that you would never starve. We will be returning to this resort for sure.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Outstanding beach

The resort bedrooms are a little dated. But everything is very clean and well cared for. I loved the layout of the two resorts merged into one. The staff was always friendly and helpful. The mini club was great! But the number one part of this resort is the beach, it is spectacular. Would go again for sure.

Sol Varadero Beach: Deceiving Pics of Hotel grounds and rooms!

April 1st 2019 trip I was initially excited to book at the Sol Sirenas Coral from seeing really nice pics of the hotel, grounds and rooms. Our flight was an early morning flight and we arrived at the hotel around 11:30am.From the moment we checked in I was disappointed and frustrated as we couldn't get settled into a room until 4:00pm. We had to hang out by the snack bar near the front lobby in our winter clothes and carry on bags. Our first food experience was at the snack bar where we waite [... read more]d for a room. Food there was not great, they served us a burger with french fries which were deep fried potato chips dripping in oil. Pretty grose! Close to the time to get our room, I had asked the front check-in lady to please try and give us either the first or second floor level as my partner can not go up stairs due to health issues. They immediately shut me down and said it has to be on the third floor. They do have elevators however they often stop working. The front desk personnel simply didn't have a care in the world of our situation. When we got to our room I was disappointed once again...the room was very old run down extremely old mattress, washroom doors didn't even close properly, all very dated. The only good thing from the room was the view from balcony overseeing the pool area and 3 hot showers with pressure for our 1 week stay. The pool area very nice from afar and probably the highlight of this hotel as it is surrounded by beautiful coconut and palm trees. Once walking through property you see that it was once a very nice hotel but unfortunately it is run down all over. One thing we couldn't understand was the food locations for the day. Breakfast was at the buffet by the lobby and lunch and dinner at beach bar/restaurant. I understand if lunch is there because it makes sense everyone is at the beach or pool but to walk back there for dinner close to the beach didn't makes sense. They should of made dinner at the buffet by the lobby.There is no point in dressing up for dinner as you will probably get dirty with sand again! Flip flops it is! And they can't use excuse of being understaffed as the staff for dinner was different then the one for breakfast and lunch. Everyday for a week it was the exact menu for all three meals, lunch and dinner chicken, pork, no fish, white rice, pasta, pasta, pasta and some veggies or salads same pastries and ice-cream fruits not too great. Breakfast eggs pancakes no fruits...No bananas!! On the upside beach was beautiful as always in Varadero and had great time spending the day there. I have been traveling to Cuba for the past 20 years and I love the Cuban people and history and I also speak the language so I get by easier, but on the last couple of trips but specially this one I found all staff from front desk personnel to waiters and housekeeping to be very nonchalant about everything and didn't seem they even wanted to be there working.... We took a tour to Habana and it was truly amazing experience, $100.00CAD p/person and 12Pesos p/person for a ride in a vintage 1950 to 1965 car, it's an hour car ride in Habana (part of the tour, they will mention it once your in the bus on the way there) I recommend it to anyone going to Varadero. And on your way to Habana make sure you stop at the Pina Colada Hut for the Best one in the world. It REALLY IS THE BEST!! Over all no high expectations for this hotel, I wish I had spend a couple hundred dollars more for us on a better hotel in Varadero. Safe travels!!

Hotel Camino del Mar: Disaster - do NOT go here

This resort is very 'tired' and is a state of disrepair. The room we were given was dirty, had broken tile, worn out tub and dirty linen. We ended up paying for an upgrade as this was the only way we were able to get our room changed. We heard from others as well that they were dissatisfied with their rooms. Lining on the pool was lifting and had creases - we were advised this was a result of last years hurricane and hadn't been repaired. Beach was very nice.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing vacation!

The hotel - the personnel is good. Food is good (am I am very picky). The rooms would need a bit of love, but its fine, its Cuba! Weather was amazing too. The resort is quiet. If you want to party, its definitely not the place! Beach is clean, pool is nice too but some tiles missing (its cleaned everyday). You need to pay for the wifi and there is only wifi in the hall. Overall, the hotel is very nice and i would go back!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Disappointment, Not a 4 Star Hotel

Stayed at Main Resort, not Royal Service Area. Room was clean, but very "tired". Bead spread looked like it has probably been there since the resort was built. Used hockey tape to plug holes at top of sliding door. That seemed to keep the mosquitos out of the room. No water delivered to room on two occasions. Calls to the front desk did not help. Left two bath towels in tub for exchange, one was finally replaced two days later after another call to the front desk. Always long line-ups fo [... read more]r sub-standard (even by Cuba standards) food in main dining area. The folks at the Snack Bar did the best they could with the limited supplies available to them (ran out of beer twice). For some reason, there were never Single Pesos available at the money exchange. The grounds were very well groomed, and the beach itself was excellent. However, if you weren't at the beach reserving a chair by 7:00 AM, you wouldn't necessarily get a good spot or a lounger that wasn't more of a hammock than a lounger. General attitude of staff was one of indifference. Did not feel overly welcome at any of the bars or serving areas. Have been to various other resorts in Cuba over the last 12 years, and this was by far my worst experience. For the money, it definitely was not worth it.

Paradisus Varadero: Had a good time!

Resort was beautiful. Beach was gorgeous! There was a variety of food to choose from and servers were courteous. Mosquitos in the room were not appreciated. My overall experience was great! I would recommend this resort to family and friends.

Hotel Camino del Mar: Absolutely beautiful and so relaxing!

I came here this past march with my mom and one of her good friends and we had a wonderful time! Cuba is known for how friendly the people are and this resort certainly lived up to that reputation. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and they made an effort to get to know us and make our stay as welcoming as possible. (Special shoutout to China and Mandy from the entertainment staff, Omar and Yandy at the snack bar, Ayanaldis, Yenisey, Malayena and Edel at the buffet, Eric at the lunch restaura [... read more]nt by the beach, all of the bellboys at the front desk, and Carlos, who is one of the managers I believe). First the good things: The beach was an absolute dream. If there is one thing I would go back for, it is for the beach. The water was beautiful and clear, the sand was kept nice and clean and there was always enough seating. The dock going out into the middle of the water was also stunning and even better than the pictures show. Incredible! The resort itself was also stunning. It was so well-kept and surrounded by so much greenery (this was one of the reasons we chose this resort!) All of the public spaces were very well maintained and consistently being cleaned. People would regularly come around the beach and pool area to serve drinks. Contrary to most of the warnings one receives on the food in Cuba, the food at this resort was fantastic! They had so much variety and everything tasted wonderful. We talked to some people at the neighbouring resorts who did not have the same experience, so that is a definite bonus for Melia! The nighttime à la carte's (international, cuban and mediterranean) were not very good, however. The food they served was overly salty for some reason; we ended up just going to the buffet afterward. Other than that, the food everywhere was lovely. Just a disclaimer: This resort tended to have an older crowd. Or people with very small children. It's definitely not the kind of place you want to go to have a wild week, it was very tame and is meant mostly for people who want to have a calm, relaxing week off. The resort is older and you could definitely tell, but that did not take away from the comfort of it. Our room was very nice and well-kept. It felt very clean and comfortable, as did the rest of the resort. The shows at night in the theatre were just spectacular. They were very well done and so entertaining to watch. Now for some things that could have been improved: The first thing we noticed when we entered the resort was that there was no music playing (unlike most other resorts that we have been to). We requested for there to be music played throughout the resort many times so I hope this is something they choose to implement soon. There was usually music playing along the beach and by the pools, but not in the lobby or restaurants. There were fairly good activities to participate in during the day, but the communication for when the activities and such would be held was very weak. There were zumba classes on the beach during the day and sometimes there would be games, but they really weren't advertised very much. We were lucky because we became friends with the entertainment staff who would let us know when and where stuff was going on but for anyone else the activities would just end up being random. Also, the resort was advertised as having a disco on site but it was closed every night that we were there and no one was ever encouraged to go in. There were discos outside of the resort that you had to pay to get in and that's where most of the entertainment staff and other guests would end up going. This was very unfortunate because we (along with many other people) just couldn't justify leaving the resort to have to pay for drinks and music when we had drinks as part of our package. This was just a minor problem, however, and if going to the disco is not something you are interested in then this won't be an issue. The nightly entertainment was definitely enough to make up for the lack of other nightlife on the resort. Another thing we noticed immediately when we arrived was the lack of towels, which was an unfortunate situation for which the resort could not have been to blame. There weren't enough clean beach towels throughout the week, we often had to use the ones we already had, and we noticed as well that the towels in our room which we would leave on the floor to be washed would just ended up folded right back onto the rack; no fresh towels. Again, this was an issue they were having with the towel company off-site, but it was an inconvenience. Also, because it was an older hotel the toilets tended to have issues most of the time. They wouldn't flush fully, so for the one in our room we ended up needing to dump a bucket of water straight into the bowl to make everything pass through. The problems we had with the hotel were mostly minor inconveniences, otherwise we had a truly pleasant stay, and particularly walking around outside and on the beach felt like paradise. We would definitely recommend this resort to anyone looking for a calm and relaxing vacation with an incredible beach. I have never felt so before with other resorts, but I would definitely go back.

Melia Las Dunas: Horrible

This hotel is as worse as it gets. Very old and dirty. ALWAYS out of everything. Food, such as fries. Calamari, buns for hot dogs and hamburgers ( which they still actually still serve you the hot dog and hamburgers with NOOOOO BREAD) no utensils left. No plates for cereal, No tables clean to sit down and eat. No towels at the pool. They said every single day that the machine is broken. No nothing. Dirty beach too. Which I was told Cuba has beautiful beaches. Well not here!!!! Sand had piles ove [... read more]r piles of sea weed.they give you only ONE BOTTLE of water in your little fridge for 4 people. And forget about asking for another. You will never get it. I asked for a bed cod for my 3 year old, and they gave me one bed spring box on top of another. I requested the second floor and got the main floor which the room had lots of insects, (really big thick spiders too)I have two kids, so by 5ish they are hungry. The buffet only opens at 7 pm. Ridiculous. At least open it at 6:00. I am extremely disappointed and it was lost vacation time and money. Very sad!!!

Melia Cayo Coco: Loved Melia Cayo Coco

Very much enjoyed our stay. Transfer from the airport was not too long - probably about 30 minutes. Check in was quick and smooth and, despite our early arrival at 12pm, our room was ready for us. The hotel was a full capacity but we rarely had to wait for anything. Food was very good (much better than expected) both at buffets and a la carte restaurants. Hotel was very clean including public areas and washrooms. Nice little touches such as fresh flowers in public areas. Both day time and  [... read more]evening entertainment were outstanding - particularly enjoyed the "White Party" and the aquatic show. Lots of live music throughout the day and evening too. The beach is gorgeous with plenty of chairs/palapas available. Staff are very friendly and accommodating. Hotel manager (Bernard) is often seen and very approachable. One of the things I liked best was the fact that the music in the public areas was pleasant and not too loud and no "overlapping" music. Grounds and landscaping were very lovely. Maid service was excellent with plenty of fresh towels daily and sheets changed upon request. We did the catamaran excursion which was a bit crowded but very enjoyable. Dive shop available at the Pullman hotel next door. Will definitely recommend and return.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Beautiful resort

Beautiful resort,amazing beach 🌊 Friendly staff.Amazing coffee. Food ...no bread,no fries,no fresh juice,one kind of cheese 🧀 cut in different shapes,no shrimp,no calamari.No night shows in theatre.They having problems with supplies of any food .Its really difficult to rate or recommend this resort to anyone because I'm regular guest at this resort and I'm sad 😭 what happened.

Paradisus Varadero: Amazing time

Went there a week ago with big group of friends and childrens for eight days. The resort and Beach are absolutely gorgeous. The People are super nice . hotel room is clean and roomy fit well for family of 4. Definitely recommend it!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: What a great time!

The hotel was great and the staff was very accommodating. We loved the area that was offered through the Royal Service and appreciated the ability to shuttle around the property. The beach and the pool were awesome!

Memories Cayo Largo: Only one Beach towel the whole day

The service is very bad no customer service – terrible only one beach towel the whole day all .the only things was nice and clean is the pool ,and the beach is so so for Cuba you The entertainment team was very bad

Melia Marina Varadero: Un hôtel surclassé et exécrable !

CET HÔTEL N'A ABSOLUMENT PAS LE STANDING D'UN 4.5 ETOILES COMME IL AIME À LE FAIRE CROIRE. Il n’en vaut pas plus que 2 étoiles J’ai fait plusieurs voyages depuis que je suis jeune (Floride, Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba, etc.) et c’est le pire voyage que je n’ai jamais fait. Lors de notre arrivée à l’hôtel notre studio n’était pas prêt. Il a fallu attendre tout près de 2 h avant d’obtenir notre studio, qui soi-disant, était en train de se faire nettoyer. Lorsque nous sommes  [... read more]arrivés au lobby du bâtiment abritant le studio, on s’est aperçu que l’ascenseur ne fonctionnait pas. Le porteur de bagage a dit qu’il était défectueux depuis la veille (on s’est rendu compte au courant de la semaine qu’il disait la même chose à tous les clients). On est donc arrivé au studio et on y est entré… et c’était une vraie scène d’horreur ! La salle de bain était extrêmement sale, le fond du bain était noir de crasse (qui partait soit dit en passant en frottant simplement avec du papier de toilette). La toilette portait un sceau disant qu’elle était propre alors que le dernier qui avait été chié avait encore sa trace dans le fond de la toilette et sur les côtés de la céramique, le miroir avait des d’égoutières de savon et j’en passe… rendu dans la chambre, quelqu’un avait échappé une pizza sur le couvre-pied et celui-ci n’avait été que retourné à l’envers, les draps portaient les traces de la dernière cliente qui s’était fait baiser dans le lit et le mur avait ses traces de pieds sales et le sol avait les gouttes de sperme par terre entre les traces de pied de la fille. (ce n’est pas des farces).... Bref une scène d’horreur ! On a dû rappeler le service de nettoyage pour qu’il refasse la chambre immédiatement… mais comme ils ne semblent pas savoir comment laver ! Les filles nettoyaient le bain avec du shampoing et une guenille plus sale que ce qu’un garagiste a pour s’essuyer les mains suite à un changement d’huile ! Ah oui j’oubliais, le moustiquaire de la porte-patio ne fermait pas et quand ma conjointe a réussi à le faire glisser, il s’est coincé et on devait le contourner pour avoir accès à la galerie. Le reste de la semaine, le ménage de la chambre fut malgré tout médiocre. On a même laissé volontairement des grains de sable sur un meuble et jamais en 7 jours ils ne furent retirés, ah oui, payé pas pour le studio, car on a eu la chance de visiter une chambre et il n’y a pas de différence notable. Aussi, notre présentoir à serviette dans la chambre a brisé et personne ne l’a réparé tout comme la porte patio... Côté nourriture, nous ne sommes pas difficiles, mais à cet hôtel, la nourriture était exécrable ! Le buffet est toujours trop froid malgré que l’aliment devrait être conservé au chaud, la nourriture est trop cuite ou pas assez. Tous les légumes étaient du congelé. Ne cassez-vous pas la tête pour un restaurant à la carte y sont toute pareille ! Portion trop petite vous laissant croire que ce sera succulent, mais dans les faits ce sont des mets congelés qu’il vous sert. Il y avait une soi-disant salade grecque et ce n’en était pas une, la soupe aux crevettes était en fait un bouillon de bÅ“uf aromatisé aux crevettes, au souper, les crevettes soi-disant géantes étaient en fait des crevettes a cocktail. Bref chaque soir où nous avons mangé à la carte on a été finir le souper au buffet en se trouvant de quoi de mangeable. Le vin rouge du tout inclus n’est pas buvable et le vin blanc goutait l’eau. Le 4 IIème jours, ils ont manqué de café. Le seul endroit où il y en avait était au bar pour mettre dans le café espagnol. Si vous cherché un des restaurants à la carte, ne vous fier pas au garde de sécurité sur place pour vous aider, ils ne savent pas où ils sont situés malgré qu’ils étaient justes devant. À chaque soir près de la marina, on aurait dit que l’hôtel évacuait ses eaux usées dans la mer, car ça sentait les égouts. Les spectacles étaient corrects, mais la chanteuse passait son temps à crier dans le micro pour chanter plutôt que de faire porter sa voix naturellement. À la plage, il y avait au minimum 50 % des chaises longues qui étaient brisés ou hors d’usage. La place n’était pas nettoyée malgré la présence de l’équipement motorisé pour pouvoir le faire. Nous ne sommes pas des clients hyper exigeants, mais quand il en vient au service ça nous teints à cÅ“ur et ça se doit d’être honnête. À part du service du bar de la plage et du bar de l’hôtel, il était vraiment ordinaire et en plus le gars qui était venu nous mener à notre chambre à l’arrivée nous a dit que nous devions payer pour la ride jusqu’à la plage (1 peso cubain chacun, car c’était une longue ride. C’était un gros et grand noir (en plus il conduit mal et trop vite sa voiturette électrique)mais je ne me souviens pas de son nom. On a découvert le lendemain que ce n’était pas vrai, wow un gros 5 min de marche ! Et aussi que c’était gratuit en prenant un autre chauffeur. Aussi le staff n’avait aucune prévoyance des besoins de la clientèle. Il fallait toujours leur demander plusieurs fois pour obtenir ce que nous voulions. C’était pareil autour de nous. Et la cerise sur le Sunday ! La veille de notre départ, nous avons reçu un message texte de WestJet nous avisant que nos vols étaient retardés à 20 h, mais l’hôtel était incapable de nous en informer. Au check-out le lendemain à midi, nous avons laissé nos bagages au concierge et il les a rangés dans un endroit prévu à cet effet. Il nous a alors informés que nous avions droit à une chambre de courtoisie pour que nous puissions prendre une douche avant notre départ à 18 h. on est retourné au check-out pour voir ce qui était vrai et la fille nous a dit que oui, mais que nous devions réserver ! On a réservé gratuitement, car au début elle disait qu’on devait payer 8 $/personne/heure et après discussion et un peu de pression on l’a eu gratuitement, et avant de nous y rendre, nous avons demandé s’il y avait des serviettes et la responsable du service a dit que oui… arrivé sur place… pas de serviette ! J’ai dû aller dans le corridor et exiger de la femme de ménage 2 serviettes propres… De plus, le représentant de WestJet (Israël) qui nous a fait le speach d’arrivé et qui était censé nous donner l’intérêt à faire des activités démontrait un désintérêt total de son job et de la clientèle. Il a dit son discours comme un robot et répondait difficilement aux questions de la clientèle. Bref, c’est un hôtel qui survit sur sa réputation du passé, mais qui est plus que dû pour des rénovations importantes partout, et qui devrait former son personnel a donné un meilleur service à la clientèle. Ne vous fier pas aux photos des sites web, elles datent de plus de 10 ans si j’en constate l’état des lieux. Je ne recommande pas cet hôtel à personne. Je crois sincèrement qu’un crédit de 50 % serait la moindre des choses à offrir pour compenser la piètre qualité de cet hôtel. Cet hôtel ne vaut pas plus que 600 $ max frais et taxes incluses. Point positif : Pas d’achalant ou de vendeur de cossins sur la plage. Plage très clame au niveau de sa fréquentation et très belle si on ne tient pas compte des algues échouées en bordure de celles-ci. Nous nous sommes beaucoup reposés malgré les désagréments