Wonderful Vacation

This hotel had all the amenities to make our stay comfortable and relaxing. The hotel and the room were clean and there was a fantastic selection of food. We upgraded to the level which gave us access to a private restaurant where we had made to order breakfast each morning (eggs, bacon, hash browns as well as a buffet with fruit, yogurt and an assortment of breads and pastries). We visited the 5 alacarte restaurants and were pleased with the quality of food. Our favourite was the Italian. We ar [... read more]e beach people and enjoyed our time on the beach. There are plenty of chairs and shaded areas and we never had any problems getting one, however we are early risers. Overall we had a fantastic vacation and would definitely go back to the Melia Marina.

Very nice resort

THE FOOD AT A LA CARTE RESTAURENT, WAS VERY GOOD AND VERY WLL PRESENTED. AT THE BUFFET SOME NIGHT YOU HAVE TO BE SELECTIF WHAT YOU WANTED TO EAT ( SOME DISH DID NOT HAVE TAG ) THE BEACH WAS DISAPPONTING BECAUSE WE ARE BEACH PEOPLE. THE POOL COULD USE A SCRUBBING IN THE JOINT MOTAR ,YOU SEE GREEN MOLD . THE APPLIANCE ( COFFE MACHINE DID NOT WORK GOOD , TOOK A LONG TIME TO BREW THE COFFEE ). THE INTERNET DID NOT WORK MOST OF THE TIME . BUT THE STAFF VERY NICE AND FRENDLY.

Wonderful Resort

Friendly staff, clean, well kept grounds. The A la carte meals were well done. The buffet was not horrible (but as usual it's cafeteria style so don't be a picky/entitled tool expecting Gordon Ramsay made meals every night). Easy to get around and great beach with a few small reefs and areas to see tropical fish while snorkeling if it's calm enough winds. Nice gyms and a cool spa (Added cost for the spa even with all inclusive). Overall, I'm not a picky person, so it takes a lot for me to ha [... read more]te any experience like this. I would visit this resort again.

Good trip

Good location nice resort , food was good but items where missing in snack bar good service !the room could be updated but still nice all and all nice resort good time ! The hotel is situated at the marina good witch make for a nice view

Melia marina sweet spot

The hotel is nice right on the marina,the pool is nice and nice beach,good service at the bar . The buffet was good, you can alway find something to eat . The little snack bar where missing item often !

Great resort

We had a lovely suite at the resort, the grounds are really nice, as are the staff lots of friendly Canadians too We had a great week!! There is not a lot of entertainment though which makes it quieter or you need to find your own fun

Melia Marina Varadero - not 4 1/2 stars

We ( from Ontario) stayed Mar 2-9 2017. Check in was not very smooth. After waiting at the lobby check in desk we were told to go to the 7 th floor concierge to check in. There he said our room would be #1 priority but we never were given an approx. time. There was supposed to be a welcome drink. We did not get one. Finally got in after a few hours. We upgraded to THE LEVEL for an additional $200.00 / person. This option included a private a la carte restaurant, complimentary massage, top fl [... read more]oors in 5 or 6. Three days after arriving we got a list of all inclusions for THE LEVEL. We should have gotten this checking in.The complimentary massage which was comprised of 4 units only 2 were available, 1 piece of equipment was not working and 1 tub was not hot, so we passed. They offered nothing in it's place. The LEVEL food at dinner was very good, for sure a 4 1/2 star, except for the beef. The lobster and salmon, fantastic.Drinks also top shelf. However because of the limited menu, I would suggest they do a daily different evening special to add some variety. Breakfast was a different story. Omelettes not cooked, boiled eggs +1/2 hour, french toast (raw) not grilled, no sausage(it's on the menu), bacon cooked in clumps not strips, no brown bread or ketchup. We've had coffee and juice delivered twice and our order taken out to the balcony by mistake.There's more but you get the picture. Breakfast/lunch both need a new cook/chef. Servers need better overall training and pick up food faster when table ready. The room definitely was not luxurious. Poor amenities, no handle on the outside of the patio door from the balcony, sliding closet doors were very stiff to open and the safe failed 3x. A tech was called reset it each time. The room was dated and needs total renovation. Beds were comfortable and the TV was great. It's the first time CTV was available on a vacation south. In the bathroom here were no face cloths, no hand towels, no kleenex, no hooks at the shower and a very small shower rack to put in shampoo, soap etc. into. Maybe the size of 4" x 6"-8" tops. Tried the buffet a few times. Bacon the same as THE LEVEL only when put in large trays...a lot of bacon fat and not well cooked. Very slow coffee and tea water. Egg stations are a bit slow and more so at peak times, but the food is very good. Again no ketchup but was available our first time in the buffet. Did not do lunch or dinner at the buffet. The pool areas are nice but found the pool water colder than the ocean. My only complaint would be there are not many shaded areas, and what there was, filled up quickly. The GRILL food station had very good chicken and the other beach restaurant I did not enjoy. The hamburger was disgusting. We ate there only once. The beach is quite nice. Beautiful water colour, rolling waves, great sand to walk on, sea shells to pick up, very little sea weed and staff to help you get loungers. Staff however didn't come around very often for drink orders.

Amazing Resort - Level Rooms a Must

The resort and people were great. The Level concierge team helped us make our vacation as easy as possible including doing a great job getting us tee of times when there were none available online. I will return!

Nothing special

Rather bland and institutional resort buildings. Buffet better than others by Cuban standards. Pool nice but disappointing very narrow and crowded beach. Little entertainment and no children activities at all despite it being spring break.

Great vacation!

We just got back from a 7 day stay at the Melia Marina Varadero and we had a fabulous vacation. The hotel was very nice, a few area's are beginning to run down but overall a very nice clean hotel with fantastic service. The food at this resort was good compared to the previous experience we had in Cuba. The staff was very helpful and we had great service the entire week. We spent most of the week at the beach which is gorgeous the pool area is nice but small. We preferred the beach. We did a da [... read more]y trip into Havana through a private tour company (Trip compass) with Yeriel as our tour guide. We were very happy we went with the tour company. He was so knowledgeable and it was a very nice day. We would definitely return to this hotel and cant wait to book next years trip!

Highly Recommend!

This resort was above expectation. Our room had an amazing Marina view. We stayed in the (1) bedroom apartment. The room was extremely spacious and very clean and well kept. (2) huge bathrooms with showers! I was extremely surprised by the care to detail in customer service. Any request that was made was followed up shortly with a phone call to make sure that we were satisfied. The food was the best we have had in Cuba so far! They even had "heinz" ketchup!! I would highly recommend the Asian  [... read more]Al Acarte. The sushi was fresh and even better than some places back home. Over-all...very impressed, and will surely think about returning:)

Good not great

I just got home from the Meliá marina resort in varadero. I would first like to say that I was pleased with the hotel and felt that it was well worth the price. The hotel was very clean and the staff was friendly. The buffet was good but could have definetly had more theme nights for sure. The staff took time on many occasions to chat with myself and my daughter. I was impressed by their language skills to say the least. My room was always impeccably clean as well The negative things abou [... read more]t this resort were few and easy to fix if they see a need. The hot tub was never even warm. Everyday in paradise isn't sunshine and they should turn that up. There is also next to no shade by the pool. Coming from Canada I'm not ready to be in the steady sunshine. The lines in the lounge at the bar were often 10-15 mins. It adds up. They could easily have 2 more servers working there to at least bring you a drink. Especially when a weeks tips surely add up to more than a months wage. Lastly the internet. It was impossible for me to connect but I will chalk that up to being in cuba.

Great place for a vacation!

This is a fairly new resort that just started offering an all inclusive option. We stayed in a room on 'the level" (which is the upgraded room). If you can, pay for the level upgrade, It was worth it. The rooms were great and the beds quite comfortable. There was no door or curtain on the shower which was a little odd. The pool was great, however, there is no deep end. The food was very good considering it is a Cuban resort. I was not impressed with the Asian a la cart , but the F [... read more]rench restaurant was good. We ended up eating a lot at the level restaurant. The food was really good and the service staff were all excellent. We went to the buffet once as the lines at dinner were very long and the food was okay. The one downside for this resort was the beach. The beach itself is very beautiful, however, you had to walk about 5 minutes from the resort to get there (they do have shuttles). Unfortunately the section of the beach for this resort was too small for the number of people there. It was always crowded and finding chairs was always an issue. They did not have anyone there to help you find a place to sit. There is a small market attached to the resort with makes it easier to buy things if needed.

Apartment or Hotel?

To our surprise, not realizing what was booked, we were shuttled one kilometre away from the Hotel to an apartment time share. After complaining to the manager he gave us a room on the main floor at the actual Hotel, after which we were pleasantly surprised. Food , entertainment, hotel staff and accommodations were all 5 star. We had a blast! Great choice!!

Beautiful Resort

I visited in February 2017. Grounds, pools are well kept. Beach is not close to the resort but ok if you don't mind a walk. The studio apartment that I had was well maintained, clean and overlooked the marina which was lovely to wake up to the view of water and boats. The main food buffet had a couple of issues with waits to get in at meal time, sometimes plates would take a while to appear. Food was reasonable, there's always plenty. My main issue was not enough shade at the beach and at the po [... read more]ol. This resort is top notch, and the staff and people of Cuba are very friendly and always pleased to make your visit pleasant.

The Resort "grounds" of the Resort is fantastic. However, they should hire more English speaking Representatives to help their clients. Most of the workers speak Spanish, therefore, they tend to ignore English speaking guests. I see a lot of communication barrier, during my one week's stay.

The hotel is nice! The nightlife is not well coordinated. You have to be "fishing" for the nightlife location. The guests have to look for their own chairs during the night life shows. If you dress properly for the night shows, you could soil your nice cloths by sitting down on dirty objects or chairs.

Very nice facility, food and staff need a major overhaul

Very small beach with about half comfortable chairs and half old style plastic, get to the beach early if you want a good chair. The pool and entertainment are great! Food is very slow to be replaced in the buffet and was not good, I had heard Cuba lacked spices so the food is bland, That was not the problem, it was often under or overcooked and swimming in oil. The pizza station is solid if you talk to "the pizza guy" he will whip you up something edible for a reasonable tip. Buffet staff seem [... read more]ed disinterested in helping most days. Bars were solid and were not shy with the booze. The beds are ROCK hard. I would recommend Cuba if you like killer beaches but would find somewhere else to stay

Beautiful Resort

Just arrived from this Resort. Beautiful grounds, pools, and the beach is great. Plenty of chairs for everyone which is great. My room was on "The Level" floor, which includes Private check in, restaurant for Level customers which was awesome since we had to leave at 7:30 am and it was the only restaurant opened at that time. Breakfast food was great but could use a bit more food choices for the A la Carte Restaurants. The only thing I would like to mention to housekeeping is to concentrate  [... read more]more on the cleanliness of the rooms i.e. in our room the counters of the washrooms were not washed when we took the room and they never washed it during the 3 days we were there. The thermostat was very dirty and same thing with the telephone and the remote control. I always leave a tip for the Housekeeping people, I would like them to concentrate more on the cleaning than coming back to my room and finding Swans made with my bedspread. All the staff I dealt with were very gracious and helpful. I will definitely go back to this resort.

Good, but happy to go home after a week.

Having been my first visit to Cuba, I had only second hand information from numerous friends and colleagues to rely on when dreaming about what our vacation may bring. Some negative, some positive....but one thing was clear; it would be a mistake to compare the experience side by side with what a trip to say, Mexico, may be. As such, I decided not to have my experiences in other Carribean countries rub off my expectations. In order to ensure I mitigate any chance of the negative things I'd hea [... read more]rd from happening, I looked only at the top rated resorts in the area, and ultimately booked Melia Marina (Marina View). Positives and Negatives - Positives - The rooms were phenomenal. No question, the best I'd ever seen on a resort. Incredibly clean, equipped, and they looked stunning. The view from the balcony was something you'd see in a brochure, two wonderful bathrooms (including one in the bedroom) , a full kitchen, two televisions with several international television stations. Pools were very nice. Clean, plenty of room, plenty of available seating, large. No real complaints regarding the beach. Plenty of seating, well spaced so that you're never too close to other groups. The beach is somewhat close to the water, but that is not something the resort can control. Staff was helpful and friendly, but generally not as enthusiastic as I'd seen in other places. No real complaints, I had no issues. Negatives - As expected, the food was the big disappointment. I knew all too well prior to arriving that Cuban resorts are not known for their abundant buffets. The food variety was limited, but plentiful. There was no changes to the menu (other than deserts) at anytime. It was low quality deep fried foods, questionable vegetables, and some reasonably good plain meat. I generally resorted to chicken legs and rice most days, which got old quite fast. The snack food available at the 24h restaurant were not so good. Questionable boiled hot dogs, terrible hamburgers, and adequate ham and cheese sandwiches. The A la Cartes were decent, with the Italian one coming up on top as the best without question. Location. Due to the resorts location at the tip of the peninsula, you become very limited to a lot of off resort trips, as getting to town takes almost an hour each way on the bus due to all the stops. Overall, a good experience, but with the astronomical exchange rate we hadn't expected (approx. 30% for USD and CAD), we were only able to do 1 real excursion, instead of the two we had hoped to do. Because of this, we ran out of things to do after 4-5 days, and we were looking forward to going home. You really need to make your own fun, because other than sitting on the beach, you'll run out of things to do real quick if you stay on the resort most of your visit.

FANTASTIC RESORT!!

This is the second time I have been to Melia Marina resort in Veradero Cuba. The resort is beautiful and so very clean. The staff are friendly and helpful. I had a wonderful time...........again and would highly recommend trying it. I know everyone complains about the food in Cuba but it was good and there is always something to find that you will like. Walking over the bridge to go to the beach did not bother me in the least but if you are looking to be right on the beach this is not for y [... read more]ou. The drinks were great, the atmosphere awesome and I met some wonderful people. 5 stars!!