Awesome Resortt

Everything was excellent, cleanness, pleasant staff, beautiful beaches, great food.... Except one thing, water was an issue to order to our room, one bottle a day for two people is not enough with the heat. We recommend two bottles for sure!! Otherwise all was excellent!

Amazing beach but not the greatest resort

If you are looking for the most beautiful and amazing beach and ocean then pls go to this resort, however if you are looking for great food, nice rooms and fantastic entertainment then you should go elsewhere. The food was at best mediocre and the resort was dirty. The pools were not swimable due to discussion g and dirty water, it was murky and there were dirty cups flowing everywhere. The staff were not that friendly except for a few and the grounds were unkept. It’s very sad because the res [... read more]ort has potential and the beach and the ocean are just out of this world beautiful. If you have kids who are picky eaters pls stay awY from this resort. My son basically ate spaghetti and pizza squares( when they had it) the entire week..... overall, it was still a great vacation and it’s what you make out of it that counts....

Next please !!!!

July 27 to Aug 2 Swim up bar staff, entertainment staff and waitress Deni was awesome. Lots of Cuban attitudes and not willing to help. Pool and beach was awesome ! Resort in rough shape ! Food awful, no coffee in buffett

Good time

We had a good time at the resort. Check in was smooth and fast and efficient. The rooms we stayed were very good. The housekeeping staff that routinely takes care of building 20- 3rd floor needs a special mention - she did a good job. The beach is perfect for children and is very beautiful- only drawback is there are some sharp broken sea-shells or similar stones which may slightly hurt your legs occasionally. Food - buffet was average to above average. 24 hour snack bar needs more variety. [... read more] In general sea-food was a little less overall. ala-carte restaurant service needs to be faster and portion of food needs to be greater. Getting around the resort - It is a large resort - in hot and humid conditions it is a challenge to walk. There a small mobile golf carts rides available. Majority of the riding staff is quite courteous and very accommodative to give rides - a special mention to ernesto. Gym - there is a small space for gym but with sufficient equipment.Two thread mills and one weight training machine was broken throughout the entire week, Mosquitos at night - there are some mosquitos in open areas at night. In general the property will benefit from additional lighting at night in walkways and making sure all the water , fixing of some hydro coverings on the pathway (some are rusted and may break if people forcefully walk on it). Ambience in the hotel and property was great. Front office staff are very efficient but could be trained to be efficient whilst being courteous.

Not great impressions

Was recommended this resort by a travel agent but won’t be returning. Waited 7 hours for a room without a place to leave luggage and was faced with extremely rude check in staff. There were 2 pools that were swampy green due to filters being broken. They managed to clean one of the pools so that it was usable for 4 days of the trip. Beach was beautiful. Food was a hit or miss. Chicken was never fully cooked. Burgers at the snack bar were barely cooked, they were a slimy pink when cut op [... read more]en. Dinner was the only meal you were guaranteed to get a decent meal. The bartender Miguel at the pool bar was by far the nicest and the only server that seemed to want to refill your cup. I know it was Cuba but for the star rating on this resort I expected better. If you go don’t go based on star rating and pack lots of snacks and bug spray!

Very disappointing

I took my family to this resort from June 22 to June 29th to celebrate my daughters 3rd birthday and my sons 13th birthday. Upon arrival, I found the check in to be very disorganized. It took long to get our rooms and even longer to get a driver to take us to our room. The buffet - It was freezing everyday. Thank goodness that we were able to sit outside otherwise I would of froze eating my food. The flies are everywhere in the buffet. We found ourselves swatting flies every 10secs to the po [... read more]int where we just eat our food fast and left. The buffet at the beach has better quality food however it is smaller and the line ups for food are long. I waited 20mins to get fish from the grill. The room - the maid did an amazing job of cleaning the room everyday. the only fault I found was that the mini fridge was not restocked daily, the shower was always filled with sand and the toilet barely flushed. The pool - it was filthy. You could see the griminess of the pool before entering. The resort has 2 pool areas. They closed one pool on our second day there to clean it can never reopened it. Im guessing they wanted to keep it clean for the new group of people arriving the following week. the pool that was open was absolutely disgusting. filled with rust, algae, and dirt. beyond nasty. we did not even go in because of how nasty it was. the kids pool was so dirty that the water looked greenish brown. The staff was disgruntled and very rude. They made us feel unwanted and like we were bothering them when we asked for something. Only Pol and Malva were pleasant. I was very surprised at the lack of service this resort provided. 90% of the staff were rude. Very unacceptable and it made us very uncomfortable which took away from our vacation experience. The only high point about this resort is the beach. It is breathtaking. If it was not for the beach, we would of went to another resort after the 1st day...which is what alot of the people who came there did. I would not return to this resort and not recommend any one going unless they dont mind rude employees and mediocre cleanliness. we could not enjoy the night entertainment because of all the bugs eating us alive.

Above & Beyond!

Awesome resort! Very big resort but beautiful and modern! Beach amazing as always and staff were pleasant! Can’t expect too my from the food but there’s always a drink for everyone!! Definitely would go back!

Not as expected

The hotel itself was nice. Rooms were clean. Booked this hotel because of the good reviews on food. Disappointed as all meals food was cold and not much variety. Very little English spoken by staff. Little lighting along paths to rooms. Beach was kept clean. Pools no deeper than a metre. If you like to eat, don't recommend it.

Friendly people, 5th time to Cuba, 2nd to Melia

We returned three days ago (Jun 8). People were friendly. There was never a line up for a coffee or drink but there was for BBQ during lunch or dinner time. With this resort, I liked the option to take the Melia voucher and go check out other Melia hotels in Cayo Coco and Guilermo. So I recommend you do the same. We are in our midd 40’s so we didn’t like much the idea of having music in the lobby and on the beach, all the time. I think next time we’ll be going to Melia Cayo Coco for adult [... read more]s only. Food there was better, less people and very nice and quiet. You can truly read that book on the beach and fall asleep. What I found really surprising that most tourists are Canadians from Toronto and Montreal leaving so much garbage behind them on the beach (plastic cups, straws, plates). I even found crashed can of coke in the ocean. So sad. Please pick up your garbage behind you. The accommodations were fine. We had a nice ocean view. Since this is our 5th time to Cuba, we knew about food but I was expecting more from Melia. They have good burgers by the pool, omlets, and cheese. What I liked but they didn’t have it on a regular bases is lamb, calamari, beef stew, mahi-mahi fish, and bananas. We always had clean towels, beach towels, enough chairs to lay down on the beach or find the shade.

Very nice

The resort was top notch for Cuba also the food was top notch for Cuba. A good time for young and old. To be completely honest I may actually repeat this resort. Staff were good especially when you are good to them.

Wouldn’t go back

We felt the hotel was too big , not the personal touch and can’t get to know the staff. The concrete walkways with big gaps very dangerous. Night time shows not very good. Everyday the food was the same. No activities planned for rainy days which was everyday. Housekeeping not very good in our room. The drinks were awful. The beach was fantastic ‘

You get what you pay for!

The resort itself was beautiful and they have great live entertainment (kids and adults). Our room had an amazing view. However, when it rained we noticed our ceiling leaked in two areas. Also, our sink tap leaked. BRING WATER!! You get 1.5L once daily, even if there are 3 people in your room, and twice our room did not get stocked with water. We asked the bartenders for a bottle and they all told us no, glasses of water only.... The food was okay, but it’s Cuba- we did not expect top of the  [... read more]line food. The omelettes in the morning were great, and the pasta chef in the evening was pretty good. If you stick to what you know, you won’t be as disappointed. The Tex mex a le carte was phenomenal- AMAZING nachos. The international one was not even edible... As for the staff, most were friendly. However, I was with a large group of friends and one of the girls sunglasses were stolen and two girls had their shoes stolen from workers there in the lobby, so be mindful of your belongings when you’re out and about around the resort. Also, we were given attitude by the workers at the 24-hour snack bar when we wanted to order food later in the night after the disco. Bring your own ketchup as the snack bar ran out quite a few times, and the ketchup there is not even comparable to Heinz! Lastly, we did the all in one excursion. Be mindful that if it rains and the catamaran is canceled, you are only refunded 20 cuc per person, and you pay about 110 for the excursion. Also, Moron city was not a great experience. A lot of beggers (money and clothing items). Swimming with the dolphins was so much fun, and the people there were really sweet. There are also people on the beach that you can pay to take you out on a smaller catamaran to the coral reef to snorkel and the price is 1/3 of what you pay on the excursion...just a heads up if your catamaran gets canceled like ours did, that’s another option... Overall, we made the best of the trip regardless of the minor setbacks and would still recommend the resort!

Disappointed and Confused

I am confused because there were so many reviews that reported this as a 5 star resort with "clean rooms and great food". I am sorry to say that I experienced neither and that disappointed me. Without getting in to too much detail, I have travelled to close to 10 resorts in Cuba including Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria and now Cayo Coco and by far, this was the worst as far as food and room cleanliness goes. Many of the staff seem unhappy with their jobs. The beach was beautiful and they do  [... read more]a fantastic job with the entertainment in the evenings. Room: Dirty sheets and pillow cases with obvious stains, tub never got cleaned out as the sand in it from day one was still in the tub on day two. Sink never cleaned. Toilet did not work - would not flush and I became a plumber for a week and continually poured water in the back of the toilet the entire week. Did not receive any clean towels in room for entire week! They took our dirty towels (makeup was on them is how we knew) that we had hung on balcony and hung them back up in the bathroom. Phone never worked and Safe did not work for two days. And we upgraded to Elegance!! No beach towels in room as was suppose to be for upgrade. We got tired of taking the long walk from Bungalow 6 to the Lobby to report these issues. They did come and fix the safe after two days. We were given towel cards instead but had to wait two days to get towels as they did not have any. Food: You can always count on a good breakfast at a resort but not this one. I always enjoy a mimosa every morning but you cannot make mimosas if they have no orange juice or champagne/sparkling wine! If you did not want to wait in the line up for freshly made omelets or fried eggs then you were stuck with hard boiled eggs or scrambled eggs that did not look fit to eat. So we ate cold meat sandwiches for breakfast all week. Went to a restaurant the first evening - at the Beach, and they delivered my food to my table with a live bug on it. Thought it was a fly and I could just swish it away but no this bug did not fly. Bottom line, unfortunately the uncomfortable feeling I had with the lack of cleanliness in the room turned me off the food . I will say that the pizza on the beach was good when you could get it. They were always running out of food, etc., as well. So disappointing. This is not a 5 star resort and the elegance upgrade was not worth it. I would never go back to this resort. I would rate this resort as a 3.5 -4 based on my experience.

Amazing Beach!

The beach was the best part! Clean white sand! No rocks in the water. The hotel grounds could use some updating: paint jobs, rust maintenance, landscaping to prevent flooding when it rains. Rooms were clean and current. Great views. Bar fridge was stocked, although water restocking was missed a couple of times. Ran into towel shortages. Staff was great and most could speak English; they were pleasant and proffesional. Buffet food and buffet cleanliness could use some work--mediocre at best. Dead [... read more] birds in lighting fixtures.

Best beach ever

Well kept grounds and nice walkways for going for a walk. Spacious rooms. Very smooth check in. The entertainment was excellent. Food was of a good variety and plenty. Beach is best I’ve seen in Cuba. Pools are beautifull and clean. The people were friendly ,except the two waitresses in the buffet had a little bit of an attitude,which is not normal for Cuban people and I’ve been to a lot of places in Cuba.

Beautiful Resort

We've been to Cayo Coco 5 times now but this was our first stay at Melia Jardines Del Rey. The resort is beautiful and very clean. Our rooms were nice and kept very clean. Food was good for the most part. The pizza "hut" was delicious. I loved that they have a buffet lunch set up right at the beach. We only ate at the 24 hr snack bar once as the food was not great and our waitress was horrible. Main buffet dinner had amazing wait staff. By day 3 at our regular table our waitress would have o [... read more]ur drinks ready and waiting by the time we got back from the buffet without us even asking. The beach was fabulous. Had to get up early to get prime seating but there was always chairs and huts available. Pools looked nice alothough we never went there. Night time lounge was very popular (I didn't like the fact you could smoke everywhere however) Loved the Catamaran tour we did as well. All in all it was a great trip.

Resort

Grounds are quite nice, theatre not very attractive, drab. The shows were very short and only 4 new ones and too much dancing and not enough singing. Food pretty bad. Much better at the Iberostar last year near Varadaro. Some of the wait staff in dining room were not very friendly, which surprised me, but the young fellow doing the eggs in the morning was very fast and a sweetheart.. Room was not very clean. Beach was wonderful.

Beautiful beach

you come to this resort for the beach and the low price , the beach is long , sandy and very calm . It does have a couple of nice coral and grass sections to offer great waist deep snorkling, the price is right and its only a 15 min drive from the airport . the hotel itself is a typical Cuban hotel it has it problems and shortages if you are looking to find things wrong you will find them and ruin your vacation but with a positive attitude everthing is here to give you a great vacation

Beautiful Beach

The rooms were nice but make sure you have toilet paper and towels. Some staff we're amazing while others frustrated you, for example you asked for a drink and a half hour later tell another server you were waiting for a drink and she comes back that they don't have it. Why couldn't the first server tell you this?

Nova Scotia Crew

The grounds were put back together nicely especially knowing they are only a few months after Irma. The rooms were always cleaned well and the staff in lobby; buffet and most of the bars were great. There were times the pool bar staff could have been a little more attentive to folks. One A La Carte - Oriental was fine, the only thing I found is Pad Tai should be served hot not cold, and I didn't see mention it was Shrimp in it, could be a problem if you had an alergy. We were celebrating a bir [... read more]thday and the staff did a very nice job of this. All in all a good vacation, however there is room for improvement. We are return guests and were told that we would receive a nice bottle of rum and an invite to the Japanese Restaurant and although we mentioned neither of these things happened and went to Customer Service it didn't happen. One of the two people with us had some issues with their room and it took sometime to get this fixed up, however Alberto and his staff did go above and beyond to make things right, and it was really just a bump. The lunch time buffet by pool on left was wonderful and great food. We tried the "beach pizza" and it was also fantastic and a lot of folks enjoyed this. As far as line ups, it is to be expected when you go to a large resort however we didn't really seem to have a problem with this. Yes the odd time there was a line up, I have been to both large and small resorts and pretty much same wait times. The vegies in the main buffet always seemed cold which was disappointing - suggest a few microwaves where you can pop in food you really want hot and not cold. Might help with the problem. The main pool really really really needs to be cleaned better. The algae on the sides and cloudiness kept me out of this pool, the other pool by the towel drop off was very clean.