Melia Internacional: Very nice stay

Good resort with Very nice beach! We were surprised by the food choices availability(scallops, salmon, beef etc.) as we expected for less. Poor wifi and limited night shows. One thing to mention that Air transit told us the return bus to air port pick up time was 5pm, it came at 6:15pm., wasting time at the hotel lobby

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Cuba is in a bad place

Nicest hotel I’ve stayed at in Cuba but the lack of stock was unreal. Most fruits and veggies were out 80% of the time. No steak or chicken. No eggs. No mix. (Used prune juice with rum) They were actually refrying the fries from the buffet for the a la cartes, due to shortages. The tour guides stated the government puts tourism on the back burner. Public transit is minimal the locals are starving. Under no circumstances will I return to Cuba.

Hotel Marques De Cardenas De Montehermoso: Great Location

Nice Hotel. However dont' book a basic room. It has no windows and pales by comparison to the rooms at the front of the building. Also contrary to some information this Hotel does not have a pool or any other amenities geared to fitness or lounging, nor does it have 110v outlets. That being said the location is very good, easily with-in walking distance of many decent cafes, restaurants and entertainment. No issues with elevators, hotwater or airconditioning. Just remember...Your not in Kansas D [... read more]orthy, you are in Cuba where the finer things in life may not be available. Relax and Enjoy the beautiful city for what it is.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Mixed feelings

Unfortunately the hotel has deteriorated somewhat. The absence of basics such as eggs and bread on numerous days was aggravating. The Cuban people are more desperate now and mercenary at times. This of course is overcome by the stunning geography and natural warmth of its people. Canadians could learn from them. Overall disappointing in some areas but still an incredible piece of the world.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Resort was dated

The grounds were beautiful the beach was amazing! Never had soda the whole week , food was hit and miss , spent everyday at the front desk trying to get my key card fixed! I mean everyday and mostly every night , either the door didn’t lock or the keycard didn’t work! Moved two times before our last room and then the locks didn’t work , even when we left the door still didn’t lock!!

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Beautiful Resort

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Grand Aston. The resort is big and beautiful, and very clean. The beach is beautiful and offers lots of shade options. The pools are also large and beautiful but seem to be lacking an adequate number of lounge chairs. Our only complaint was that the food available in the Cuban keys is quite limited with lots of shortages compared to our last two visits to Cuba a few years ago.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Drank the Kool-Aid

My wife and I have just returned from Memories Flamenco Beach Resort in Cayo Coco Cuba. Over the last 30 years we have been to Cuba more than a dozen times and we have gravitated towards Cayo Coco for the quality of the beaches. For this trip we drank the Kool-Aid and booked the Junior Suite Diamond Club Ocean View upgrade. While the view from our balcony was spectacular, do not expect to have access to the upgrades on a consistent basis or in some cases at all. Here is what we found: Check-in: [... read more] there is no complimentary early check-in. We arrived at the resort at 10:00 AM and just like everyone else we could not get into our room until 4:00 PM. That is a good chunk of our first day eaten up with just passing the time. Our room: we had asked for a room with either a double bed or two queen-size beds. What we ended up getting was a room with three single beds. We were told that we could not move rooms for at least two days, so we settled in with what we were given. Exclusive beach option: while this does exist, there is no guarantee of a beach chair. Just like every other resort you will find yourself going down to the beach at 7:00 AM to secure a spot. There is also no dedicated waiter service to your chairs. A waiter came to us once during our stay and served drinks for about an hour. Drinks: do not expect to get the alcohol you ask for. There was a lack of choices including rum amazingly enough and a lack of pop for mixes. There was also a lack of coffee in the mornings and when it was available it was certainly not up to Cuban standards. Food: everyone will tell you that the lack of quality food in Cuba is endemic for the entire island. That applies to this resort and to the Diamond Club restaurant. Mini bar: It was not stocked daily. The fridge was only big enough to hold a couple of cans of beer or pop. More often than not we had to ask to have it filled. Exclusive lunch at one a la carte restaurant: didn't happen. One dinner show per week: didn't happen Diamond club restaurant: this was a nice feature and certainly better than eating at the more public restaurant. The variety on the menu is quite restricted however. Beach: the beach is beautiful and is why my wife and I chose to go to this particular resort. It should be noted that in front of the diamond club chairs there is a fair bit of coral, and you will need water shoes if you want to take a dip in the ocean. If you move down the beach a bit however you will not need the shoes. Staff: overall they were very friendly and accommodating. Having said all of the above, my wife and I are very experienced travelers, and we are very familiar with the problems Cuba is having at the moment and so none of the items above concerned us a great deal. Because we are beach bums, believe it or not, we will likely return to the same resort. It is not going to be any better anywhere else in the foreseeable future.

Melia Cayo Coco: We'll be back!

We were at the Melia Cayo Coco for our 4th stay from March 12 to March 19, 2024. We stayed in building 83 as it was close to the beach, the pool and the buffet. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived but that was ok. We came prepared and had packed our beach clothing and sandals in our carry-on bags. When we went back to the lobby counter around 3:00, our room was ready. The lobby staff will provide you with the Wi-Fi info. Each guest has access to 10 hours of FREE internet and if you use it all, [... read more] you can go back to the lobby desk to have it reset. There was an employee readily available to grab our luggage and to drive us to our building via a golf cart. We had two heavy suitcases which he easily carried up to the top floor. Don’t forget to have some bills in your pocket to tip the transfer bus driver and the bellboy. FOOD: Everything was absolutely fantastic! We didn’t book any à la carte meals as we were very pleased with the selections in the buffet and we wanted to control what was being added to our food such as sugary sauces, seed oils and spices that we don’t eat. We typically sat in the first section at the entrance of the buffet as we felt it was cooler than sitting in the other areas. Yoandra, Hector, Lea and Miladis took great care of us for breakfast/lunch and Eddy, Joel and Omar spoiled us at dinnertime. We ordered Mimosas at breakfast along with plenty of coffee for my husband and hot water for my tea. Our wine glasses were continually filled up at lunch and dinner. We were never informed of any shortage of water, wine, beer or champagne. If you’re going to say yes to water or any other beverage, please be sure to drink it all. The same goes for whatever food you’re putting on your plate. Please don’t be wasteful. We went to the chef to the far right (meat station) to have our eggs cooked as Charles typically had a long line. Don’t forget to tip the chefs as they work hard and endure hot temperatures during their shifts. I missed having fresh shrimp but I can understand how expensive it can be for the fishermen to take their shrimp boats out. Lobster tail pieces were served on Thursday at the beach restaurant for their Cuban Day celebration. Be sure to check it out. There’s typically a long line up for the outdoor grill station on Thursday. EMPLOYEES: We were happy to see a lot of employees that we had recognized and interacted with from our previous stays. Some employees actually remembered us even though our last time there was 9 years ago. The gardeners were very pleasant to talk with especially Felipe. He hasn’t changed a bit. We often gave them treats from home on our way to the buffet for breakfast. There was always a fist bump or a hug in appreciation. Next time we’ll be bringing them some gardening gloves. BEACH: We missed this beach so much. There’s definitely not a shortage of soft white sand. The ocean was absolutely gorgeous. We had a few somewhat windy days (gusting around 25 to 30 kms) but we were still able to swim and float in the ocean. There’s a fresh water shower along the wooden walkway near the beach restaurant. Please be sure to rinse quickly and to shut the tap off when you’re done. We saw a man walk away with the water still running, uggh. Water is a precious resource in Cuba. Please respect this when you’re washing your hands and having your shower. There’s nothing wrong with temporarily shutting off the water when you’re washing your hair, washing your body and rinsing out your hair conditioner. Save the long hanky panky shower sessions for when you’re home. The water sports club is on the beach to the left between the MCC and The Sol. You can take out a kayak or a peddle boat for free and you’re entitled to a free 30-minute sail on a Hobie cat (skipper provided). Although this is free, please tip your Hobie cat skipper. You can book snorkeling at a cost of $25 Cdn per person which is a 2-hour excursion I believe. The towel exchange hut was open from 8am to 4pm and is located between the pool and the evening show area. We only exchanged our towels once as there’s really no need to exchange them every day which is such a waste of their resources (water, soap, transporting). We always travel with a set of our own colourful towels which we use to reserve our loungers in the morning. If someone steals our personal towels, so be it however if your hotel towel is stolen, you’re on the hook $$ for it. Don’t leave your towel or anything else on the lounger overnight as it’ll be taken. Bring some rope and clothespins to hang up your towels to dry. The classic rooms have open metal gates between each room so you can easily hang up a clothesline. There’s plenty of palapas for shade. There’s a long row of palapas for non-smoking (to the right of the beach bar walkway) and another long row for smoking (to the left of the beach bar walkway). The palapas are marked with non-smoking and smoking signs. If someone is smoking in the non-smoking section, mention it to the beach bartender. Dariel and Jesus took great care of us at the beach bar. We tipped them with kids clothing, shavers, deodorant and money. MONEY: It’s not necessary to convert your Cdn or US money to the Cuban peso (CUP) as they gladly accept Cdn and US bills at the resort, the markets and the airport. The bills must be in pristine condition, no tears or marks. We brought a lot of products with us to give as tips along with US cash. You can give them cash all you want however products are hard for the locals to purchase. Bring shavers, clothing, footwear, medical supplies, children’s and adults toothbrushes/paste, pantyhose, women’s sanitary products, sunblock, bug repellent and bite treatment, laundry pods, clothespins, laundry rope, work gloves, milk powder, AAA batteries, candles, lighters, etc. EXCURSIONS: We didn’t do any excursions however if we would have been there for 2 weeks, we would have ventured out to Pilar Beach via the local bus. It’s beautiful there! There was a guy walking the beach looking for people to book parachuting. We saw the parachuters once a day, pretty cool to see. MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT: there’s plenty of very talented musicians in the lobby and at the beach restaurant. It’s quite obvious that they love their musical culture. We purchased a CD (55 songs) from the ‘Son del Rio’ band. They often play at the beach restaurant and we heard that they were also playing in the lobby at times. There’s another great band that play at the beach restaurant. We don’t know the name of this band but the female (lead singer) has an amazing voice. ROOMS: the classic rooms that haven’t been refurbed are slightly showing their age but shouldn’t hold you back as you’re barely in your room. The sliding mirror doors are a bit of a pain as they’re so heavy and sometimes don’t slide easily. In our opinion, remove the sliding doors as they’re not needed. Our room was very quiet. We had to cover the LED display on the mini split with black electrical tape as it was extremely bright which interrupted our sleep for the first few nights. COULD IMPROVE ON: Water pressure – if we showered between 5pm and 6pm, the pressure seemed ok. If we showered after 6pm, the pressure was sketchy. There were times that my husband had to hold the converter button in in order for the water to flow out of the showerhead so I could rinse off shampoo, conditioner and body soap. Toilet paper – there were a few times after 5pm at the beach restaurant that there was no toilet paper in the ladies’ bathroom. After the 1st time this happened to me, I saved our barely used napkins and put them in my beach bag to be prepared. The ladies’ bathroom off the lobby often ran out of toilet paper once the staff had left for the night. AIRPORT ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE: OMG the arrival was extremely hot and painful as there were hundreds of people lined up to go through customs in an unconditioned section on the lower level of the airport with no clear layout of where the lines are to line up. Once we made it through customs and security, we waited a very long time for our luggage. There was only one washroom that was shared between men and women. From the time we got off the plane to getting on the bus, it took approx. 2 ½ hours. The departure wasn’t as long but we still had to stand in a long line up when the bus dropped us off. It took an hour to drop off our luggage at check in, go through customs and security. Side note: I recently found a great site for more info on Cuba and its culture: https://havana-guide.com/

Selectum Family Resort Varadero: Great vacation!

Hotel is fairly new so amenities are nice. Food was ample. Beach/pool loungers were always available. There was only 1 day where they couldn’t change our beach towels, but otherwise, always available. Staff were nice. Only bath towels in rooms.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing

Clean room Amazing internment Nice management Good drink Nice beach and awesome Music Very good weather Perfect for march break we had very good vacation my daughter had fun and amazing time with other children She enjoy with food and tatoo and cotton candy

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Great resort and staff

The beach was amazing, the private pool was nice. Room were clean and maintained, comfortable beds Staff were all very friendly and helpful if you needed anything. There is a food shortage and supplies are low, but it did not have an effect on the trip. No fault of the resort either Lots of mixed drinks and they were made very well About 1 hour from the airport, the beaches make it worth it

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Amazing Staff

Well folks, can’t understand the negative reviews, yes it maybe a little dated but the room had power, running water, hot water, toilet that flushed, air conditioning (that worked great), comfy bed, extra pillows, blankets, bar fridge( that worked great), water, safe, TV,(not sure if it worked never tried it), the resort itself has great landscaping, bars had alcohol, lots of places to get food, beaches awesome, pools great, to all the complainers about the food, you are fussy, there is plenty t [... read more]o eat always pork, chicken, seafood, rice, potatoes, beef roast, all the veggies, bread, and desserts including ice cream and donuts made in front of you, and the staff was absolutely amazing, the best butlers I have ever had, Richard Diaz Peralta and Odlanier Urquiola, tip these guys and they will go out of there way and get you whatever you need, please watch out for sand flies early in the morning and evenings, you really don’t realize till you get home how bad it itches, take bug spray, other than that you will have a great time

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Pretty good resort

Overall, not a bad resort. Staff very friendly. Food was good. No shortages on anything. Was disappointed that it was advertised resort had a disco but there wasn’t one.Would have liked more of a night life. The nightly shows were decent

Brisas Guardalavaca: Will not return to this resort

we had some good food in the la carts. The buffet was just eatable. The food was never hot when it should be The staff caters to the return guests. We will take a break from Cuba The weather was one factor in not returning

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Nice resort

Good service and staff very helpful and fun they kept me entertained Beautiful rocky beach and lots of sun I drank water and slushy drinks no sickness Food was ok Near a gas/oil pipeline so you will smell Sulphur

Vila Gale Cayo Paredon: Modern resort

Need more personnel in the main lobby bar, same at coffee station in the lobby . Food was decent knowing in what situation complete Cuba is. Very happy with beach, swimming pools, gim is very nice and well equipped. Beach chair guys are annoying, somehow you feel obligated to have them to help you and to tip them. In general staff is friendly and helpful.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Iberostar Selection Holguin

Beautiful resort. Grounds are well kept, beaches are stunning, food was great and they are very accommodating of allergies/preferences. The rooms were comfortable and spacious. Above all the people are so warm and welcoming, working so hard and always smiling!

Melia Jardines del Rey: 8/10

The grounds were neat and tidy. The staff were for the most part were absolutely great. They were short towels and toilet paper so suggest taking your own to be safe. The food was good for the most part. Always had chicken, pasta and pork. There is a lot of walking involved to get from point a to b. There were 24/7 places to eat. The pizza place made the best chicken wings. There were very few shortages of food during our 14 day stay. The entertainment was great. If going there they really need [... read more] medicine, first aid supplies, soap, toothpaste, band aids. The pools and ocean were fabulous. The ocean in some areas had a lot of rocks so water shoes would be a great idea. If you walk down the beach a bit it is fine. We found star fish, needle point fish, little white fish etc all near the shore.

Playa Pesquero: Heat wave

We had a great time. Huge resort, great beach, great pool, the people were amazing. There are shortages in Cuba so don’t expect everything and you will have a great time. We will come back here again.

Playa Pesquero: Far from a 5 Star resort even for Cuba, but still enjoyable!

Positives: The beach is stunning with clear blue waters and awesome water sports. Paddle boats, kayaks, and windsails are available. The soft, white sand beach is perfect for long walks. Despite needing repairs, the pools are still enjoyable. The boulevard with its Beer Garden, shops, and restaurants is well-kept. Entertainment options are decent. Negatives: Rooms are run-down with moldy bathrooms, broken doors, and stained fixtures. Cleanliness is lacking, with towels and sheets showing wear [... read more] and stains. Getting poolside seats requires early morning trips to the pool or beach. Travel Tips: Pack essentials like condiments, snacks, and bathroom supplies. Bring sunscreen and medication as local pharmacies might only have leftover meds. Use clean bills for tipping, as marked ones are unusable. Consider exchanging new bills for Canadian or Euro coins as a thoughtful gesture. Far from a 5 Star resort even for Cuba, but still enjoyable!