Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Another wonderful holiday!

Just returned from the Paradisus Princesa del Mar in Varadero. Weather was fabulous, best mango daiquiri ever in the Piano Bar and best show cooking ever in the Japanese restaurant. This hotel and staff have such amazing spirit and are very welcoming towards Canadians, the Canada night spread was marvelous. We will definitely be returning to this hotel, and we thank Tammy from TripCentral for helping us organize our trip so well, as she always does.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: 6th Time...Home Away From Home

This was our 6th trip to Rio de Oro, the first in 2016 and the last was July 2025 and it will always be our choice for our vacation. Why would we go anywhere else. We were greeted by many of the staff, some of which have become great friends who welcome us every time with smiles. The resort itself is amazing but the staff are what makes our stays there the best. Check-in was smooth and easy and our room always kept clean and supplied with clean towels daily. The food at the resort is still gr [... read more]eat even with the shortages. Our recommendations for 1st timers are the Japanese a la carte, the pizza at the pool restaurant and everything served at the beach restaurant especially the fries. Of course the buffet has so many choices...this year we loved the pasta bar as well as the freshly grilled fish and chicken. As far as entertainment goes, one three piece Cuban band with guitars and bongos stand out as we enjoyed their performances on our past two trips. Their rendition of Oh Darling by The Beatles is something to be heard. We became friends with both DJ's last trip who are both very receptive to our requests at the pool bar and in the disco. We can't say enough about the lobby bar staff who served us our cappuccinos and other coffees each morning to start our day, and the evening staff who mixed us great cocktails with a smile. Though we spend a lot of time at the main pool, we always take a nice walk down the beautiful beach with many pictures taken. We now call PRDO "our resort" as it just feels like home every trip. We met many new friends this year, some who have never been to the resort and the concensus is much like ours...why go anywhere else?

Melia Cayo Coco: Great week again

Our 2nd time back to this resort, Will definitely be back next year for 2weeks. Amazing staff made us feel like family. Great food, especially at the new Italian restaurant. Loved the Churros wagon and beautiful beach and lovely pool area. Entertainment was amazing! Loved the saxophone, flutist and live bands playing Cuban music from morning to night.

Melia Cayo Coco: Nice Resort

Overall a nice resort for Cuba and not overcrowded due to its size. Most staff were good but some not as friendly as we have experienced in the past. Rooms were smaller but generally good for Cuba. The accommodations and service not as good as Royalton (Sandals) we stayed a few times but it may have changed from years ago.

Melia Cayo Coco: Nice Resort

Overall a nice resort for Cuba and not overcrowded due to its size. Most staff were good but some not as friendly as we have experienced in the past. Rooms were smaller but generally good for Cuba. The accommodations and service not as good as Royalton (Sandals) we stayed a few times but it may have changed from years ago.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Worst resort ever!

Only positive is service was good and rooms were clean The food was horrible and there were major shortages. No it’s not a Cuba thing as other resorts had plenty of food. No bread or flour products for 4 days. No rice for 2 days. No juice, yogurt etc etc. rooms are dated to the point of the bathroom door rotting off 1/4 of the way up. Mold in tub area. Drinks were limited and no pina colada’s. Like really?????

Melia Las Americas: Great resort

We came back from this resort last week. It was our first time in Melia Las Americas, and our impression of this resort was good. We booked The Level. Grounds of this resort look very nice. The ocean is absolutely amazing, crystal clear and warm but a bit wavy. The beach is good. We were spending all mornings at the beach, and afternoons at the swimming pool. The swimming pool areas have been well-maintained, and pools are clean and look great. There were not that many people at the resort, and  [... read more]we never felt crowded by people. We could always find launches, and staff at the beach was bringing us launch cushions as soon as we were coming. Our room was very spacious and practically looked like an apartment. Beds were comfortable, and bed linens clean. Room cleaning service was not bad, but in our opinion, cleaning personnel should do a better job. Food and drinks and their selection at the resort were just okay (which was expected and didn't affect our impression of the vacation); however, pizza at Limoncello for lunch was outstanding :) We very rarely eat pizza in general, but we really enjoyed it at Limoncello and highly recommend to try it. Customer service at the resort is decent but has room for improvement. Will we return? Probably, yes. Melia Las Americas is a beautiful place to stay if you need a nice and tranquil getaway at the ocean.

Paradisus Los Cayos: Beautiful resort great staff

The grounds were very well kept restaurants for decent. The japanese is the best, like every resort definitely recommend staff, very attentive.The rooms were very clean as well.........................

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Deteriorating Buffet

This is a lovely hotel with an intimate, shady beach, which unfortunately seems to be subject to gale-strength winds virtually every day. I had a really nice room that faced a quiet, private garden. I saw a Cuban pygmy owl in the tree in front of my balcony. It stayed there for a couple of hours! However, compared to my stay last year, the food has deteriorated markedly. I found it pretty much inedible, except for the black beans and rice and salad. There was, however, plenty of chocolate ice cr [... read more]eam always available, and there were always eggs and containers of yoghurt for breakfast. Some days, there was no bread. There were no hamburgers on any day at the snack bar, only hot dogs. The fried banana chips at the snack bar were great! And the two a la carte meals I had (one Cuban and one Italian) were delicious, and showed what the chefs are capable of when they are given the right ingredients. I found it sad that the buffet was so bad, and for that reason, I will not be returning to this hotel.

Sol Cayo Coco: frequent traveler

Sol Cayo Coco is an older family resort... Everything is close at hand, restaurants, lobby, pool area, beach.. etc. plenty of food, very well presented and very good. The staff is amazing and caring. My room was very clean, very comfortable bed and lovely chamber lady whom I met. Beach is great for long walks . The only negative is they play excercise music between the hours of 4 pm and 6pm which is much too loud, not a healthy volume.. I had requested to turn in down as it was impossi [... read more]ble to rest / have a nap before diner . it was done only once. .

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Great things: customer service, cleanliness, rooms, beach/snorkeling, coffees.

Barely passable: alcohol drinks (many ingredients are missing, never seen at the resort mojitos or conchancharas, for example; “orange juice” that is used for mimosas makes them undrinkable). Beer, gin/tonic, wines were always available though. Barely passable: food. Exactly one meat type available (chicken, sometimes pork) and one fish type (mackerel). Fruits - most days papaya, sometimes banana or guava. That’s it for fruits! Never seen oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, pineapples etc. The egg [... read more] situation was good, no shortages and that is a big plus. No bacon at all though. One edible ham, the other one looking like a flavoured carton box fibers is inedible, little wieners the same, but finer carton fibers :). One time there was no bread. Side dishes: sweet potato, two types of rice always there, sometimes potato, sauteed chard/vegetables, beans. They also have a special station that makes fried rice with vegetables. Salad ingredients are mostly good: tomato, cucumber, swiss chard, lettuce, sweet peppers, onion, cabbage. Watch out sometimes for not very fresh tomatoes though. Catchup, olive oil, sweets, ice cream are always available. Waiters/waitresses are very attentive and friendly. Beach loungers guys are treating distribution of loungers like their private enterprise. It becomes annoying if you come to the beach the second time in early afternoon and they make sure there are no loungers available so they can collect tips again. They should lay off a bit. There were constant scheduled blackouts outside the resort, but the resort itself didn’t experience it except for a couple of surges that didn’t affect anything. Entertainment was mediocre except the daytime Cuban band that plays on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They’re awesome! There is a new thing: they bring returning customers from all the nearby resorts to a special dinner at Plaza Pesquero (it’s not on Pesquero beach, it’s literally a plaza away from the resorts). They even had mojitos there! A couple of bands were playing, food/drinks were ok. Overall I wouldn’t go there a second time. Basically you are taken away for the whole evening and buses return to the resort closer to 10pm. I’m not sure why they do this, maybe due to a lack of entertainment options on the resorts? The returning guest dinner at the resort was just a failure. We were redirected from La Pinta beach restaurant to the snack back and there was nothing special about the dinner except the wait and the mosquitoes :) We were trying to get a paid lobster dinner but to no avail. It looks like you can buy a lobster dinner only outside the resorts now. Similarly, the situation with cigars is almost dire: SRLM shops had very limited selection of single cigars for sale, Almirante doesn’t sell cigars at all(!) and the specialized cigar shop next to Almirante had a couple of types only. Clientele: about 30% Germans, 30% Quebecois, 20% Cubans, 10% Ontarians, 10% Canadian Eastern Europeans. Overall I would still recommend this resort if you can handle limited and repetitive food/drinks.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Another Amazing Trip to PRDO

This was our 7th time to Paradisus Rio De Oro and, as usual, it was amazing. What sets this resort apart from most in Cuba is the fact it is an adult only, quiet resort with phenomenal staff. Very friendly and helpful. They treat you like family here. Staff like Yamlet (Jami) make you feel like you are part of the resort. The resort was highly unoccupied during our stay. I was happy as you never had to wait for anything. At times it felt like the resort was just for you, but I felt bad for the s [... read more]taff. There is a "Royal" section to the resort but we have never stayed there. Many people who do stay in that section generally come to the main section to eat and play as they find it VERY quiet there. We stayed in a Junior Suite. Sure, the rooms are a bit outdated but they are spacious and kept very clean. The bathrooms in this section have all been updated over the last 4-5 years. There is a safe, small bar fridge that is stocked daily, and we had a king size bed that was very comfortable. The grounds are kept immaculate here and everything is sufficiently lighted at night. Because occupancy was so low, a couple of the a la carte restaurants were closed for a few days but there was sufficient food and a good variety at the main buffet, and it is good! If you go hungry here, you are far too picky. No, the food is not like you would get in Jamaica, Mexico, Turks, etc but it is good. We didn't notice any food shortages and for those concerned about power outages ... there were none. PRDO is absolutely one of our favorite places to stay in the Caribbean and we cannot wait to go back next year!

Sol Palmeras: Our Home Away From Home

We love Sol Palmeras! This was our 17th visit there and it's like being with family and friends, which is why we keep returning. The premises keep getting better and better. All of the guest rooms in the main hotel have been completed renovated. Constant improvements to the grounds keep it modern. A new bar is currently being built, scheduled to be completed later this year, and is going to be awesome. A new children's play area is nearly completed. The pool areas and pools are constantly bei [... read more]ng kept clean. The spectacular beach is not to be missed. There are several wonderful places to eat with very varied nd delicious choices of foods. All locations are kept very clean and pleasant. But, above all, the staff are all top notch! Friendly, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable and very kind. We had the honour of being married at Sol Palmeras several years ago and, because we still love it so much there, continue to return every year to celebrate our anniversary.

Melia Cayo Coco: Simply Amazing

Hotel is so welcoming! Spotlessly clean. The al a carte restaurants offer an incredible menu. Buffet has so many choices. Beach is beyond belief. Staff treat you like family. So many repeat guests each year.

Sol Palmeras: Our home away from home

The Hotel has done a lot of upgrades over the last 4 years. All the rooms have been updated and are very nice. The food was varied and plentiful. The grounds and beach was wonderful. The staff is excellent

Melia Internacional: A decent resort

Nice beach, red flag most of our week. Food not great, no pizza bar , minimal French fries, a la carts not the best, booze would be a 3 star. Lots of food, just not great food. No need to upgrade to level. Save yourself the $$

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Average resort

Not going to write a big text but to sum up, the value does not match the price I paid. Terrible service, bad rooms with broken doors, toilet and windows. No one speaks basic english there and they dont even care because I had many issues and had a hard time getting help. Food was average but we know it is Cuba. Dont recommend this resort unless you pay around 500 per person...felt more like a 3 star than a 5 star

Melia Cayo Coco: fantastic resort

we had a great time resort is beautiful, lots of loungers at pool and beach available, lots of great food choices and drinks, everything is very clean and maintained beautifully. It is a quiet resort which we love. The only complaint we really have is the bed mattress wasn’t very comfortable, it was to hard.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Our home away from home!

This five star resort continues to live up to our expectations and the people (Cuban staff) are second to none in ensuring the clients have an enjoyable and fun filled experience during their stay. The “reservation restaurants “ are excellent and the food very nicely presented to the clients. There were very few shortages of food selections in the buffet with white onions lacking for my western omelette each morning prepared by Analiset, and on two occasions she brought some from her own home  [... read more]to satisfy my craving ??????!! We, my wife and I, would HIGHLY recommend staying at this resort and its name truly exemplifies the stay as…in paradise!!???

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Our home away from home!

This five star resort continues to live up to our expectations and the people (Cuban staff) are second to none in ensuring the clients have an enjoyable and fun filled experience during their stay. The “reservation restaurants “ are excellent and the food very nicely presented to the clients. There were very few shortages of food selections in the buffet with white onions lacking for my western omelette each morning prepared by Analiset, and on two occasions she brought some from her own home  [... read more]to satisfy my craving ??????!! We, my wife and I, would HIGHLY recommend staying at this resort and its name truly exemplifies the stay as…in paradise!!???