Melia Las Dunas: This resort needs a lot of love

It was my third time at the Melia las Dunas. The weather was wonderful and the staff amazing! Viktor, at the animation team is a nice guy and he always remember our name. The staff at the pool bar and the restaurant on the adult side are wonderful. The hotel itself is not like it was before. No chair anymore at the adult side beach no bar and not too much chairs on the other side. The chairs are old and uncomfortable. On a positive point our room was cleaned every day. As you know, Cuba is  [... read more]short of almost everything so if you are going in Cuba in general, don’t think that you will have the best food. They are doing what they can with the less they have. You will always find something to eat. But if you want to meet amazing people and lay down on the most beautiful beaches, that’s the place to go.

Sol Palmeras: Nice Resort and wonderful staff

I just came back form a 2 week stay at Sol Palmeras, Varadero, Cuba. The beach is beautiful, the weather was sunny and hot everyday. Plenty of chairs, no need to get up early and reserve. The pool area was well kept, and lots of entertainment. I stayed in a superior room with balcony, a nice view of Cardenas bay. It was comfortable, hot water, toilet function and AC all good. Marta, the camarera, did a good job. The food at the buffet was adequate and varied, fish, chicken, pork and beef. Pizza [... read more] (not so good), pasta, different kinds of vegetables and sometimes fresh green lettuce. The breakfast Omelette were vey good, Xavier, at the grill does an excellent job. Supper efficient and keeps the line up moving with such skill and always in good spirits while manning a hot grill. I cannot say the same for the drinks at the Cubbita bar - cannot make a decent pina collada, or a proper daiquiri cocktail. The coffee was also mediocre. The staff in buffett restaurant were wonderful and very accommodating. Layada was exceptional in her customer service. The other 4 restaurants by reservation were also good, my favorite was the Latin food where I enjoyed a nice fish and a delicious flan desert as well as the impeccable service. The not so good... the noise of hammers to concrete at 08:00 am due to the hotel,s current renovations. Staff worthy of mention: Maria at the customer service office, Heydi Lopez - Animacion Mini Club, Alexis - beach towel station, Jose Carlos - beach and pool animation. The WIFI was available most of the time. All in all I had a good experience and I would recommend this resort.

Villa Lindamar: Villa Lindamar Cayo Largo

I loved this resort. The cabins were a good size and very bright and clean. The staff was amazing. Very freindly, helpful and welcoming. I was impressed how hard they tried to handle the food shortage, every meal was well presented and they did the best they could with the little they had. It would not stop me from returning, in fact I hope to visit again at Christmas with my husband

Selectum Family Resort Varadero: Decent resort

Just returned from this resort - March 11-18, 2024. Overall this was a nice resort. It is newer so buildings and grounds are in good repair. Pools were nice, pool bar was good. Some shortages, which seems standard in Cuba the past couple years. Bars and public areas were good. Service was good. Entertainment was ok - nothing stellar Service was good. Rooms cleaned daily, maid was very pleasant. My biggest complaint was food. Pork, chicken, seafood grilled daily lunch and dinner, however [... read more] side dishes were not plentiful and very repetitive. Basically lunch and dinner in buffet was always the same. We never saw bacon or "sausage" for breakfast. Sometimes cut up hamburgers or hot dogs - not really a preference for breakfast. There was always food available - just quite repetitive.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Beach is great

Beach is great People where very nice Grounds where great Pool never went to Food was ok .But it’s Cuba so expect nothing fancy Room was very musty, but ok. Public bathrooms were awful, and things broken. Expect nothing fancy then you’ll have a great time!!

Selectum Family Resort Varadero: Horrendous experience

Here’s an honest review from March 15th at Selectum Family Resort Varadero. I’ve been to Varadero over 4 times and this has been by far the worst experience. Here we go: Thefts: several guests experienced a theft in their room (we heard them complaining at guest services). Safes don’t work. So lock up items in your baggage. The staff will steal anything (I mean it…anything). Buffet: for breakfast (730am-10am) there are 2 omelet making stations with real eggs with long lineups. A panini pr [... read more]ess, but act fast because the toast bread is gone fast and not replenished. There’s donuts but you barely see them after 9am-they also don’t taste like much. Also, the staff are more focused on cleaning up fast so they don’t have to do it later rather than getting you water/drinks. For lunch (1pm-3pm) and dinner (630pm-10pm) it’s the same selection. They make 5 pizzas for lunch (another 5 for dinner), but that’s it-so it goes fast (under 30’). Meat selection is pork, chicken, beef and lineups are about 30’ unless you go towards the end and get the leftovers which are raw (not edible). Muscles are non existent (one day they had them and ran out in 30’). Some clams, one time we got squid. There was a soft white fish that was good. There are no potatoes (no chips, no fries). The pasta making section is better than the old ready pasta they have on the side. Ice cream section is good for dessert, the other desserts don’t taste like anything. No pepper. They offer you salt that comes on a plate and has finger marks because they pass it around guests that put their fingers in the salt-no one cares. There’s no syrup/honey/jam like other resorts. 24-hour Snack Bar: not a 24-hour snack bar (only open when buffet is closed or whenever they feel like it because even when the buffet is closed they refuse to take your order sometimes saying “the buffet opens soon”). Only has tuna sandwiches, hot dogs, and burgers. There’s watered down mustard and ketchup (can’t even taste it). No fries. No drinks. Nothing else. You must sit down first and wait for the waiter to get your order-don’t go up to the counter as they won’t serve you, but they’ll serve the resort staff immediately. Beach bar: works from 11am-6pm and it only serves drinks. Don’t expect food. Overall Staff: not good or bad-just completely uninterested with no customer service skills. Buffet staff: where do I start…As mentioned they only make 5 pizzas per lunch/dinner. However, they steal slices for themselves, bake 2-3 pizzas (cheese and pepperoni) for the staff in the back and when a guest asks about those they say “sorry not for you.” I don’t understand how this is acceptable. It was a daily occurrence btw (every day for 7 days this took place). The waitresses didn’t care about you or your drink, they cared about cleaning the place up as fast as possible so they could leave. Snack bar staff: clueless, lazy, more concerned around gossiping between in each other. Bellboy/service staff horrible customer service and no manners. Room cleaners/water service: if you don’t leave a tip for one day, that’s it-nothing is getting done (no towels, no water, no organization, no garbage disposal, not even the cover of the bed on the bed as it was folded on the chair). Water boy is rude and indifferent. You ask him for water and he looks at you and says “5 minutes” but never comes. Their managers are entitled men with 0 empathy and desire to help-they’re there just to tell you “I am the boss” and that’s if they decide to come out of their hiding spot in the back offices (as they tell the girls on the phone to pass on a message). Resort guests: the other reviews are accurate. Certain groups of people don’t have manners nor do they know what a line up means. Rude, no pleasantries-seems like everything is a race and you have to rush (makes it more frustrating than an enjoyable vacation). Bar: there is one bar area open till 2am and the lineups get really long. What no one knows is about the jazz bar right beside (open till 10pm) that serves drinks as well. No cola so no Cuba libre. Wi-fi: the positive? It works in the room. However, you have to disconnect and reconnect every time you close your phone as it won’t work. Also any area you change, you have to disconnect and reconnect again as it jumps from router to another router. Very spotty. Very slow. Rooms: I thought since it was a new resort the rooms would be clean and based on some reviews I thought this would be the case-the biggest reason we booked this hotel-It is not. There is a dirty rug in every room-don’t step on it. The toilet seat has stains soaked in. No comforter cover. The sheets and towels do not get changed during your stay. I had to beg the front desk person to give me a towel. One of our rooms didn’t even have towels-only 2 beach towels. Theres no hand towels or smaller towels (in the rooms that they put towels, you get 2 for showering-that’s it). Rooms smell moldy. The pillows smell like BO. There’s hair, old blood, and debri on the bedsheets as well. Bring shampoo/conditioner/body soap as it’s scarce and they don’t offer conditioner. Suggestion: bring your own pillow cases, hand towels, towels, comforter cover. Water: they don’t bring water to your room. For 2 days, I got 0 water in one of the rooms. Nothing. Had to beg front desk again, for water this time where she turned to me and said “we only give water when you arrive to the resort but here you go.” 1. I never received water when I arrived and 2. Don’t act like you’re doing me any favours since you’ve neglected a basic life necessity-the audacity of the staff baffles me. Buffet and restaurants give you filtered water-not from a bottle. Phones in rooms: don’t even bother. No one answers from the front desk of guest services. Especially if you need water after 2 days of no water. Beach: the reviews about the rocks in the water are right hence why they don’t present any beach/water pics. It’s impossible to get in without special shoes. Super dangerous for children. Bring peroxide as getting cut is almost unavoidable. If you walk in front of the other resort (about 15’ walk), you’ll find a clear patch. This was a relief, however many people go into that small little patch. Pool Cabanas/huts: good luck getting one. They are taken with towels on them since 6am. It’s impossible to get any as there are no rules as to how long someone can reserve them for. Families take over 2 cabanas and 2 huts for the whole day by putting their towels there at 6am and then go back to bed until they wake up/want to use them. The pool boys attest to this and the guest services staff are aware as well, but no one does anything. No one cares. (And no they were not VIP guests-green bracelet) Pools: they don’t clean them (for our entire stay they never cleaned them). There is so much sand at the bottom of the pools. There was a mother encouraging (making sounds) to her child to urinate at the pool. There is garbage everywhere. It was a disaster. I hope you decide to spend your well-earned money somewhere else. I’ve been to other resorts that are so much better and in the same price range. Good luck!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Holguin: A Beautiful Slice of Paradise

The hotel is absolutely stunning and we learned it's relatively new, built only 3 years ago. Currently it's the only hotel in the area with a beautiful white sand beach. You can walk in either direction, quite rocky if you walk left but it was definitely a shell hunter's dream with conch shells filling the sandy areas. If you walk right, you can walk far through the bay area and you pretty much have the beach line to yourself. The grounds of the hotel are well kept and the landscaping is bea [... read more]utiful and clean. The staff was very friendly and go above and beyond to take care of you and ensure you have a positive experience. We celebrated our anniversary and after dinner we retured to our room decorated with rose petals and a bottle of wine with 2 glasses to enjoy on our own. Although Cuba has been experiencing their struggles, we had a fantastic stay. There were a few power outages, the air conditioning and hot water was in and out but it was tolerable and nothing compared to what the locals have to endure. In regards to the food shortages, they really make due with what they have available. For the first part of our stay we had powdered eggs for breakfast, and eggs were available when their food shipment arrived. Each night at the al a cart restaurants they voiced a menu of what was available that evening and every meal was delicious and presented meticulously. You were never guaranteed the same meal twice, but the food was always good, we even got lobster offered on our last night. I would definitely go back.

Melia Las Americas: Golf Vacation!

We upgraded this time to the Level. Nice room which was significantly larger than the classic room. It also gave us access to one more dinner and breakfasts and lunches at one of the restaurants. Food was good at all the restaurants, but not quite as good at the buffet, particularly breakfast as it was in the past. Eggs were limited, but still plenty of good food to eat. We love the golf course, especially in March when snowy at home! Greens were very slow, but held well. Fairways were hard and  [... read more]dry. Lots of roll! They were stricter with tee times this year, so book your times online before you go. Definitely hope to go back next year!

Selectum Family Resort Varadero: Amazing Resort to stay.

Very clean and good staffs overall. Friendly warm welcoming environment. They can improve the food. Staffs are very nice and hard working with good attitude. Room service staffs are very good. Dining area staffs ate very nice and efficient. Management can improve the food section by keeping more varieties of food instead of same items in every meals specially the main courses. Meat and eggs line are sometime too long to wait. Overall the qualities of food and cooking was ok. There is n [... read more]o laundry facilities yet in this property for guest, it would be great if added. Cleaner of our room was very nice lady.

Memories Cayo Largo: Would we go again? Yes!

Detailed review of Memories, if you're interested.....thanks to others who have posted helpful posts in the past. ? We went to Memories Cayo Largo – week of March 9th/2024 Background – we’ve been to Cuba before (Holguin) as well as Dominican, Mexico etc. First time in Cayo Largo. Would we go again? Yes. Would we recommend it? Only to those who can roll with things and aren’t picky. Airport – Quick flight from Ottawa. Tiny airport in Cayo Largo. Less than 10 minutes to the resort – am [... read more]azing! Check in – Super quick, even though we arrived at 11am the room was ready. Not a lot of info at check in was given (we did later meet as a group around 4pm with the Sunwing rep who told us a bit more). Towels – Card given at check in for 2 beach towels. Lose the towels, $10 each. We were able to replace daily. Need to bring towels to check out desk, when leaving. Wifi – They don’t tell you at check in, but you can ask and they’ll give you a ticket with a login and password for 35 hours of wifi. You have to log in every time you want to use it. Quality was decent around lobby/pools. At our room it was hit and miss (building 18). Beaches – Beach at the resort is quite rough/choppy. There’s a narrow area of beach, beautiful coloured water, but rough. We took the train/trolley to Sirena Beach twice. It leaves from the lobby at certain times (check the front desk sign for times). It’s first come, first served for getting on the trolley. The ride is almost 30 minutes….free….but can be very rough/bumpy. Otherwise you can take a cab (not expensive). Trolley returns from beach at set times as well. Sirena Beach is GORGEOUS. If you walk to the right and down the beach to the end area – lots of starfish. Beautiful! There are sun loungers there (lots) and umbrellas. There’s an area you can go buy a beer if you want (not sure about food, we brought snacks) and rent some boats to go out on. Food – We didn’t go hungry. We ate a lot of the same types of things every day. Some days some items were there, the next they might not be (ie – pasta station – sometimes lots of options for toppings, some days barely any). Most nights we had a mini pizza from the pizza/pasta station. If you’re a picky eater or quickly tire of the same things – you might struggle. We brought sauces (mustard, ketchup etc) never used any of it, except we made ourselves the odd peanut butter sandwich to go to the beach, for something different. We brought some snacks & had a few, but didn’t need them. We did the a-la-carte once (which is what we were allowed, not being Diamond Club) and it was fine. A little different than the buffet, which was nice. Didn’t seem to be a dress code in general. Are there flies around the food? Some, yes. Bars – No wine, always had beer (when we were there). Other drinks – some days they had things, some days they didn’t. Room – The room itself was fine. Basic. Comfortable beds etc. The bathroom – the sink was fine – the tub was in ROUGH shape. Stains on it, kinda falling apart. Ceiling area in rough shape. Could we manage? Yes. Was the bathroom nice? No. Room also has a safe in it – you need to tap it with your room card to activate it, then put in a 5 digit code (again things they didn’t tell you at check in and had to ask). Staff – WONDERFUL. Lovely, kind. Pools – Both of them were in older shape for sure. The one with the swim up bar seemed like it was in a bit rougher shape (was always kind of a green colour) as opposed to the other pool that was nice, bright blue. Shows – There was something every night. Entertaining for an hour or so. Bugs – I got quite a few itchy bites. My husband got none. Pretty typical for when we’re down south. For it being March Break for Ontario, we were very surprised how quiet it was. Lots of days around the pool there were very few people there. Clothing optional – As you walked down from Memories to the Starfish area of the beach you saw the “clothing optional” sign. There were some nude folks there and on Sirena Beach. Mostly men. Other items? For our time there – we always had two new bottles of water in our room daily. Never ran out of toilet paper (we brought some with us just in case). Fortunately, we were never sick, a huge bonus. I think that’s always hit and miss. Friends just got back from Dominican, they were sick there, not when they were in Cuba a few months ago. You never know. Good to bring meds just in case, of course. So again, would we return? Yes. We know what we’re getting – beautiful weather, beaches, kind staff, food that we won’t go hungry. If you’re wanting something fancy and higher end this isn’t for you. For the price we paid we were happy with the week we had for sure. You have to be able to roll with things & not have the mentality of “I had a Pina Colada yesterday they HAVE to be available today?!”. If that’s the type of person you are, you’ll be disappointed. We had a great week!

Hotel Playa Coco: Hotel plays coco

The resort was very clean. Very good beach. Great maid service. The food was typical Cuban Only a couple shows were good. Staff are friendly. I suggest using the grilling stations when dining. Take US $1 bills for tipping or consider purchasing Canadian coins from the staff. Overall a great stay.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Reaort

The beach was amazing! The staff was superb! Only thing I would negatively state is no shows in the evening! Very clean and grounds were kept immaculate. Drinks were served and always with a smile. There were people to book excursions almost everyday.

Melia Costa Rey: Awesome resort

The hotel is ok but certainly in need of a lot of repairs, the staff was always very kind to everyone they are your best asset, the food is very difficult to deal with if you are not used to it, it is very repetitive, every meal was the same thing, certain items for breakfast, lunch, and diner always repeated, I understand that you do your best with what you have so we deal with this as best we can, all this said I would not hesitate to return to your resort, I am hopeful that things will be muc [... read more]h improved next March as we are hoping to bring our entire family, have a good day

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Love it here!

Congratulations Iberstar Daiqui on your 25th Anniversary! We stayed from March 9th to the 16th and loved every minute. No problem from the Aéroport, to the bus, to the resort and through check in. Lovely welcome with a refreshing drink at the lobby and safety room for our luggage until our room was ready. Looks like there was a refresh in the lobby furniture and the buildings had been painted. Full complement of staff and it was so nice to be recognized by familiar faces. As repeat custom [... read more]ers we were given some special treatment and it was appreciated: thank you Iberostar, great idea. Food and drink were plentiful...LOL...no shortage of white wine here! There was a problem with flies in the main dining room last year but not this year. Beaches were immaculate, grounds were lush and in full bloom and our room was always clean and well supplied (thank you Ladies of the Varodaro building). Seems like all excursions were up and running; entertainment both in the lobby and at the entertainment building were in full swing and games and activities at the beach and pool were going strong. Great fun! We have always recommended the Daiqui to our fellow Canadians and our stay this year has just re-enforced our support. Thanx to all the staff for a wonderful week in the sun! Hope to see you next year.

Villa Lindamar: A special place

This lovely resort is perfect for me. The rooms are individual cabins, all facing the ocean (some with veiws, others blocked by sand dunes). They are clean and bright. The pool is well maintained and has plenty of shade. The beach is unpridictable (as anyone who travel to Cayo Largo knows), but when it is there, it's wonderful! The food is as good as it can get with the shortages. The staff are exceptional. And of course, working with Nicole Deforest from tripcentral is always easy and a  [... read more]pleasure. I am hoping to return again before the end of the year.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Clean and Staff work hard

There were some deficiencies around the resort but the rooms, although a bit outdated, were clean and staff worked hard. Food is bland, bringing your own Salt, pepper, hot sauce. No eggs for 6 of 7 days.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Very good

My teenage daughter and I stayed in March 2024. The resort was excellent by Cuba Standards. Reception was amazing. Perfect well kept grounds. No shortages of food, water, anything. Food was what we expected: lots of fish, cheese, cold meats, pastries, pork etc. Obviously after a few days, it gets redundant but they do an amazing job with the supply they have. The beach is in my opinion, the best section of the strip - absolutely perfect. This is why we came. Gym and tennis court were good. A [... read more]te at one a la carte restaurant and it was excellent service and very good food, again for Cuba. The lobby bar has best cellular and wifi so we would go there once per day to catch up as our room didn’t have strong service. Had one little issue with toilet handle but fixed immediately. Room was nice- building 14, a bit removed. If you are going to Varadero, Im not sure you can do better than this in a family resort. I have travelled to Cuba 4 times now and have also travelled to more developed tropical Destinations (Turcs, Bahamas, curaçao. DR, Mexico ) and this is a very safe bet, if you go there with an understanding of the island.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: 2nd Time - Loved it!

This was our second time to Club Amigo. We were so surprised that the staff remembered us and happily welcomed us back. We had a smaller room this time but it was fine. The resort is typical for Cuba but it is the staff that make it a super time. I can't name every single staff member but they were fantastic! See Yorlan the Entertainer, he's super and can provide information on different activities etc. We went on an hour long horseback ride through the village, the absolute highlight of our tr [... read more]ip! We will definitely be back! :)

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Just O.K

> The staff was very friendly, the room was clean and shower amazing with lots of hot water. The beds , 2 stuck together not the best. The beds were hard with flat pillows. The wifi not the best. The beach was perfect. The food, a good variety , very disappointingly cold. Same menu lunch and supper. My husband and I got sick with diarrhea the last 2 days and last 4 days in total. Sorry to say but we would not go back to this resort.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Grand Aston- a balanced review

Our family has been to Cuba many times. We are a family of 4, 2 older teens. We were at the Iberostar Selection in Varadero last year (great), but decided to come back to Cayo Coco and try this new hotel. I feel that when we booked it, the hotel was at a reduced capacity. As our trip drew closer, the reviews started to go downhill and were consistently very negative. We know that some people will complain about small things, but it seemed worse than that. We attempted to switch resorts bef [... read more]orehand but could not do so as it was too close to the trip, and we had not purchased any insurance. So, we set off with an open mind and hoped that the reviews were overstating things. There are elements of that being the case, but unfortunately many of the negative comments are accurate. I would not return here until the resort addresses some of the more major concerns. I will try to provide a fair and balanced review here either for experienced travellers to Cuba, or newbies. Flight - 2.5 hour delay due to weather over Florida. No one to blame, but it did kick things off on a negative note. Then Air Transat left one of our suitcases in Toronto, but it arrived the following morning - not a huge deal. I was not given the $50 daily spend credit however, as it did not pass the required 24 hour period. Again, not a deal breaker - I borrowed some of my 17 year old son's clothes! Check in - we arrived at 1am, and had to wait approximately 20 minutes in line. Otherwise it went smoothly. Room - we had upgraded to an ocean view, and were in building 7 - nice view, clean and modern room. Worth the upgrade for the view, and being in a quieter location, especially given the evening entertainment which would go on until 1030-11. Strong a/c. However, no top sheets until we requested these, and then not until day 3. They also have this strange approach of putting the top sheet on top of the duvet...They provide you with one long uni-pillow, which some people might not like. Lukewarm water 2 of the 7 days, at peak time before dinner - hot at all other times. Only bottled water was replenished and that didn't start until day 3. 2 beers in fridge upon arrival. Towels not changed unless you leave them on the bed. I don't think the linens were replaced at any point. Beach - amazing. This is why we come to Cuba, in addition to the friendly people. Warm water with sandy bottom, at low tide these sand bars emerge further out from shore, and are nice to walk along. The main beach downside - people are up as of 5am reserving chairs. We went down at 8am before breakfast and lucked out with chairs under palapas most days, but missed out on day 5. So day 6 and 7 we went at 630-7am and had more selection. The hotel is not discouraging this practice. We did not sit by the pool but I assume it was the same there. People clear out by mid afternoon so you can move around. Beach bar had lineups at times. The churros line was ridiculous and very slow - like 1 hour minimum. The closest bathroom is at the snack bar by the beach which is a bit of a hike, but you get some steps in. You can walk for long distances in either direction on the beach and it feels completely safe. Restaurants - here's where things really go downhill. The buffet is simply way too small for the number of guests. There is heavy traffic, narrow and congested lanes, long lines for toaster, grill, egg or pasta stations, etc. The food options were repetitive, even in one sitting - e.g. multiple bowls of cabbage or shredded pumpkin, no other veggies at times. Things were there some days and not others - cucumbers, tomatoes. The grill stations only had pork or fish, I saw chicken on one day only, and beef 2 days. No fresh eggs as others have commented. Very limited options overall - and this is not coming from a family of foodies. Unfortunately another negative aspect was some of the guests - butting in line, using hands to grab bread, pouncing on new trays of food and filling their plates with a huge amount of a scarce commodity like pancakes (only seen on 2 days). Many people were respectful and polite, but there was an undercurrent of fend for yourself. Cuba is known for bland and "meh" food relative to other destinations, but this was on a different level. Friends were at the Pullman the same week, and had many items that we did not (eggs, bacon, hash browns, more meat options, more veggies, more fruit). We clearly survived but gravitated to bread, rice, pasta, veggies, and ice cream. Watermelon, pineapple, guava and papaya were plentiful. It's the first time we brought things like peanut butter, salt and pepper, and other snack foods. Also - bring spoons! They could not provide those most meals. There was not enough staff to clear plates or offer drinks the majority of the time. The coffee was lukewarm in the morning - we defaulted to the lobby bar. A la cartes - we booked them the morning after we arrived. Having read about the lineups, we arrived at 930am for a 10am opening, and were 3rd in line. The only options we were given were on nights 5 and 6, and only 2 restaurants had availability for an 815pm time. At the time of booking, we were told we could go to 3 a la cartes, but the resort insisted only 2 were permitted. The Brazilian one was OK - the soup was very good, and it was the first time we had beef or chicken. The Asian one was not as good. I can't comment on the others. Bars - lobby bar frequently quite busy. Best coffee in the resort. No juices anywhere (with the exception of mango some days), only sugary punch. No gin, and I only saw tequila on the last day. Plenty of rum, vodka, beer, wine. All bar staff were friendly and tried their best to be creative with drinks. Same issue with some people cutting in line, but people were generally respectful. They had a couple of servers roaming the lobby in the evenings, and taking drink orders. They often ran out of glassware and resorted to plastic cups in the lobby bar. The comments about the pizza lineups are bang on - I waited 1.5 hours on day 2, and said no more. The pizza was good, but not that good. They need a system where you get a number and can come back, versus standing on concrete in the sun for ages. They also need another pizza oven, or to create a more efficient system. They should also put per person limits - you get close to the front and then someone asks for 8 pizzas ahead of you, or a friend joins them and places another order. People in line were generally friendly. The sandwiches at the other snack bar were quicker. Apparently there were crepes at one of the pool bar grills, but we did not try those. The grounds are beautiful, the resort is very clean, bathrooms were all well cleaned. Shortages of toilet paper in many of the women's bathrooms however. No paper towel - they were using toilet paper in the paper towel dispensers. Overall, the resort feels understaffed, and not able to accommodate the number of guests who were there. The shortages are noticeable, and the lineups really detract from a relaxing week away. The same friends at the Pullman had inquired about switching to our resort to spend part of the week with us, and were told emphatically by their travel rep to avoid the Grand Aston, for the reasons I have outlined. The hotel needs to reduce the number of bookings, and/or hire more staff and expand the buffet. There was an entire American grill next to the main pool with a large covered seating area which was not even in operation, and looked as if it had never been used. If you are considering this resort, I would look elsewhere until this situation improves. I don't say this lightly, as we tend to find positives in most places we stay. But unfortunately, we were all looking forward to coming home this time - and not the nostalgic or bittersweet feeling you normally get at the end of a trip. I would not book here again at this point.