Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A nice resort to stay for a week

Not really a five star resort as they say but comparable to the other ones we saw it is good. Staff are nice but expect to tip every time they help you with anything. Not that you shouldn’t tip but even if you ask a question, I feel like they expect for you to tip. Rooms are not exactly the same as pictures but nice and big enough. However, towels are old and has stains even when changed everyday. The sheets have a slight smell and the beds are not the most comfortable. Food was okay if youâ [... read more]€™re comparing resort food. Don’t bother making reservations to the restaurants, you’re better off at the buffet. If you want to make a reservation, the Japanese restaurant was the best. Staff was amazing and food too! The activities was good in the beach area. Pool area is a bunch of annoying uni kids that are obnoxious!

Sol Palmeras: Amazing resort to haver fun and relax.

I had the bungalow and it was great. King size bed with 2 TV's. Open concept shower was great!! Lots of choices for food and the staff is so friendly. Beach area was super clean and the water crystal clear.

Hotel Vigia: Great Resort, Would Go Back

The grounds were maintained well, it's an older property, but it was fine. Our rooms were clean and had good pressure, hot water. Our AC worked amazingly. They put a free bottle of water each day in your room. They had target shooting, tennis, paddle boats, and kayaks. WiFi is one peso for one hour in the lobby. The beach was fantastic! White sand, aquamarine water and free of seaweed. Chairs were clean and new, some shaded areas, and close to the BBQ grill and bar. Food was okay at the bu [... read more]ffet; two a la cartes were better, but still had limited ingredients and plates to choose from. There is a snack bar by the pool and a BBQ grill by the beach. They had a great selection of alcohol and all the bar staff was fast and efficient. We went to the sister hotel Sol Cayo Coco and tried their buffet food there and it seemed a bit better quality, but the property wasn't as nice. Staff was engaged and friendly. They had a really good night show each evening. They had some upper management always checking the standards around the property (shirt and tie guys). Overall, we had a great time in late August and we did not have any issues with the weather. It rained a couple of times early in the morning for about 15 min. Would go back.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: nice resort clean

the rooms were clean i cant complain but the first day air condioning the last day before leaving back to montreal no electricity someone chit in front of our door secondly we had problems with or door know knob and no one come to repair. thirdly we went to complain at the desk but didint seem to care i was very disapointed.my husnand and i dont think that we will go back.thankyou.

Paradisus Varadero: Depends on what matters to you!

I need to start with my tripcentral rep - Amanda Garlough was awesome. I highly recommend her to everyone! Now - the beach is amazing - but the resort has nothing to do with that...God created that so Paradisus can't take credit for it! You must upgrade, the rooms are worth it in the family concierge, though its a long trek (800 steps) to the beach and there are never any shuttles to take you there. But the rooms are some of the nicest I have seen in Cuba for a decent price. The food is  [... read more]meh...but thats to be expected in Cuba. I don't go for the food, so i didn't expect much to begin with. In general, the service is horrendous. Though before I go there, there are a few gems - a couple of the waiters/waitresses in the buffet on the family concierge staff, the bartender in the family concierge lobby (Franky) and the bartenders on the beach and at the family concierge pool. All great. Aside from that its like you are invisible...waiters/waitresses just walk past you. We could not get clean beach towels from the family concierge place for 4 days!!! no matter who we talked to it didn't matter. they kept saying they would launder them for us, but never happened no matter how many times i asked. Don't leave anything in the safe - we had money stolen from it! first time ever and we've been to many countries and we have never had anything stolen from us. Shocked us that cubans would do this considering tourism is a main source of income. Overall - loved the beach, so even if we go back to cuba, it won't be the Paradisus Varadero.

Melia Las Americas: First Time at an All Inclusive Resort.

Overall: For a 5 star resort, I have to say in Cuba this does feel like a 5 star. If the level of service was similar to what the north Americans are used to then this would only come to a 4 star in my opinion. Let it be known that this is the first time I have ever been to any all inclusive resorts and I have been to 2 cruises prior to this. My age is under 40 but over 35 and have another upcoming cruise in October. I personally enjoy cruising more than an all inclusive resort for the variety  [... read more]of things to do and different ports to see. Experience: I decided to book a resort for the first time and actually go on a 7 day vacation without our (6 year old) daughter for the first time ever. This allowed me to stay in a resort which is restricted to adults only. Let me say that as a first time experience this is a good way to enjoy a week at a resort. During our 7 day stay we went on 2 excursions in total. We did a 1 day trip to Havana & a 1/2 day trip to Matanza to explore the Cuevas de Bellamar (cave with Crystal formations). Both are guided tours and was a good experience to see. Havana would have been better if more time was spent, Matanza Cuevas de Bellamar was just a short trip which was just the right amount of time spent on it. Resort in General: Melia Las Americas is next to Melia Varadero. These 2 resorts are then surrounded by rock formations on either side making the beach mostly accessible by these two resorts only. That is a good thing because during the time that I went, it was not very busy at all. There was no trouble finding a sun chair to place our belongings to and spending time out in the ocean. Between the two resorts there is a shopping plaza and let's be honest the name brand products that are being sold there will not be better pricing than locally in Toronto or surrounding outlet malls. You can expect to get some pretty decent priced local made products though. The resort has a lot of swimming pool but there was one pool that was closed during our stay there and it is the one with the swim-up bar. All other pools were opened but we spent most of our time on the beach and in the ocean. The entertainment and activities at the resort are done by the same group of people each and every day. Their entertainment was interesting and fun, my wife and I were roped into doing a "couples" contest on our last night there which we got a prize for in the end, unfortunately we were unable to claim our prize (free massage session) as we were flying out the next morning so we gave it to the runner up couple. Our room & amenities: The room we had had an ocean view, it was clean and the A/C worked well. The only thing is that we weren't able to adjust the temperature to the room and it was either on or off. We ended up turning the fan off during the night as it was blowing wind right on me and I felt uncomfortable with the wind blowing on me directly all night. Luckily the rooms don't get warm during the nights so this was good enough for us. The toiletries that were provided are good for our use, the shampoo/conditioner was good for me to use but my wife brought her own personal products. The body wash was not bad as well but maybe I'm easy going and hotel products are sufficient to use for me. Those with sensitive skin would most likely opt to bring their own stuff. The bed sheets were typical. The fridge was nice and cold & the drinks were stocked daily. We received a 1.5L bottle of water each day with 2x cans of soda/pop (local branded, either Cola, Sprite or Orange flavoured equivalent to our Coke products) and 2x bottle of beer (which I don't drink so I never touched those). The towels were clean and I had no issues there at all, the hotel staff changed our towels for us mostly when we placed them into the tub but sometimes they changed them for us even when we didn't need them changed as well. Food & Drinks: Food was great for an all inclusive resort. I honestly went to Cuba with low expectation as I have read many reviews about how horrible food can be and this resort came nowhere close to what I am hearing from others. There was a variety at the buffet that's for sure. Each day there are a few items that are offered that they changed up so there was something new each day which was great! I am not a picky eater and for the items that I enjoyed eating I kept going back for seconds & thirds even. The drinks were served to you by the waiters/waitresses so we had to be waited on for that. There weren't a lot of options for those who are non-alcoholics and we basically stuck with their version of Coke/Sprite for the most part. We ordered plenty of their Virgin Pina Coladas, San Franciscos. They did not have Shirley Temple drinks even though it was on their menu. They didn't have any lamb that we were trying to order on some days but it was on the menu. I found that sometimes when I wanted certain things it was not available at the time and had to go with another option. In the end I would say generally the food was delicious and cooked well. Out of the 4 available a-la-carte restaurants we could have attended we ended up just going to 3 of them. Tip: On the first day that you arrive and get your room number, go to the desk where they book for restaurants and book all 4 right away to get the times that you want. We passed on one of them as we wanted to attend the entertainment activity and ate at the buffet instead. Beaches/Pool: The beaches are beautiful. The sands are nice and clean & the water is warm. The beach chairs were not hard to find. 1 of the pools at the resort was out of service at the time, it was the one near the bungalows and is also the one with the swim-up-bar but to me I didn't care for it too much as I would prefer to spend my time at the beaches as I could easily go to any pool back home but can't find such a beautiful beach at home that's for sure. There was a snorkeling activity out in the ocean with a guide and they took photos. They took in total about 10 photos of us underwater feeding food to the fish and it cost us $10 CUC per person for the photos and $20 CUC per person to sail us out to the ocean. Aside from the snorkeling, we were able to go out with a pedal boat free of cost. Summary: We ran into several members who are from the same geographical location as us (Toronto) who are staying at a different resort. (We were together on a same excursion to Matanza) They have noted to us that their experience with another resort they have experienced some tummy issues for the first 3 days. Thankfully my wife and I have no bad experience at this resort. I have to admit, I have a sensitive tummy to begin with and I was a bit worried to begin with but thankfully nothing happened at all. In fact, it was great for every day there and even better than some restaurants I experience in Toronto! Some things to consider, tipping goes a long way. The staff there will recognize you and remember you more especially when you are generous and offer to tip. $1 CUC to certain staff that you see daily will have them notice you more. Foreign exchange at the resort was $100 CAD for about $74 CUC during my stay, Aug 4-11, 2018. The entertainment is interesting, with a good laugh and a funny Cuban twist on things. The WiFi costs $1 CUC for 60 minute of use, you have to purchase a login card and it's based on usage so you can stop the wi-fi for a bit and re-log in after to resume. Be sure to look for your travel agency's binder located on the 2nd floor from the lobby where the excursions are. There you will find details about your shuttle/excursion/travel representative info who can assist you in any needs, other than that it was a great relaxing time at the resort.

Melia Jardines del Rey: 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....

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Run down

The hotel was nothing like the pictures on the website, not sure of the age of the hotel but it looked in some areas are in need of being fixed up. The wait staff was great but hotel management and checking staff are less helpful. Food was normal for Cuba but could really need some help, restaurant are not great, our group of 21 walk out of the BBQ restaurant cause the food was under cooked, and management couldn’t offer anything to rectify the issue. Towels where always late to the room as t [... read more]hey had a storage everyday. We had a premium drink package but saw nothing in the way of premium drinks. Overal it was not my best Cuba experience, but it is get what you pay for. Cuba has a very big opportunity to do very well with all the issues in Mexico, but if this is how they are going to handle to opportunity then they are not in good shape

Melia Las Americas: A piece of heaven!

This resort has the best beach! Very well maintained. Clean beach and white sand. Amazing! Everything is so close. I’ll return anytime. The rooms are clean but mine had a bit of mold smell. 20 mins away from the airport. The staff is very friendly and I felt like home.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Good resort with a bit of everything.

This is a big resort and it has a bit of everything. Mostly good, but a few things like the beach bars are only fair, and the beach is definitely the best thing going at this resort. I have to say beach is excellent. We go to Cuba to swim and snorkel and were very satisfied with this resort. The rooms on Luna side are dated. Air conditioner wasn't up to the job. For the price and the ocean view we didnt move but if we had paid top dollar it would have been unacceptable. All in all we got more th [... read more]an we paid for (ocean view rm, 2 weeks, about $1200pp). Stayed Jul/Aug 2018 and will be back if possible. Tripcentral included bonus excursion to the Arawak reconstructed settlement including dinner and show..and a night out at the movies awaits us on our return. Tripcentral gets 2 thumbs..excellent service.

Melia Cayo Coco: Excellent resort, excited to book for a third time for next year!

This was our second visit to MCC. Although they took at tremendous hit from Irma they have recovered amazingly. Some thing are better than before. The beach restaurant is up and running. (last year it was closed). You can see the beach from some of the rooms with a clear view as the vegetation was vastly destroyed and is regrowing providing a beautiful view of the ocean. The staff is this resort’s most precious asset. They are kind and caring and always working hard to provide you with e [... read more]xcellent customer service. We were so happy to get to see some of our friends on staff again this year! The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable. The food is good with a variety of selections daily. Unless you are difficult to please you will be able to enjoy many great food items. We had the lobster one evening for dinner and I would recommend paying the extra to enjoy it. It was delicious! The entertainment was excellent. Always something different wether it be dancing, local Cuban music or a DJ at the beach bash. Something for everyone. The beach is pristine! Very clean with many loungers available. MCC simply put is my little piece of heaven on earth!! To some standards it may not be a 5 star in comparison to others however, if you want a resort that offers excellent costumer service, clean spacious rooms, good food and a beautiful beach experience this is a wonderful choice. Don’t believe the negative reviews. My opinion is that the negative reviews come from people who are very difficult to please or who just see the glass half empty and choose to pick out every thing to complain about rather than focus on the positive. I would definitely recommend MCC for those who want a little piece of heaven on earth!!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Beautiful resort

The service was awesome. The pool bar staff were amazing in personality and in service. The lobby bar was peaceful, relaxing and the service was great. The beach was beautiful. Our room was spacious and we had an amazing ocean view; thanks to the wonderful check in staff. Everything was clean...very clean. The food was very good.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good value for your money

Nice hotel. Clean, people are extremely friendly and hard working trying to please you. Are room was nice. We have gone to this resort two years in a row. We Obviously enjoyed the resort the first time... but I must say that the food at the buffet in the evenings sometimes this year was not very good. Was a bit disappointed with that. On the other hand the restaurants were very good. One of my favourites is the Japanese and the Cuban at lunch time...they are wonderful there. Love the beach [... read more].

Melia Las Americas: A wonderful resort, exceeded our expectations.

The grounds are immaculately kept, public areas are very clean, our room was kept very clean by Odalys, dining was excellent the variety of food, juices dessert etc. very delicious and every day we looked forward to meet our waitress Rachel, she was such a delight. There is one negative situation we experienced there it was from the Concierge desk, Angela, was very rude to us she should be reminded the role she has there, she should be respectful to the visitors. Fortunately the other people  [... read more]we dealt with were very kind, helpful and fun to deal with. All in all the experience was very good.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Great resort, amazing people!

The hotel and Cuba in general was 100% better than I was expecting. As a first time traveler to Cuba I heard mixed reviews about the resorts and food and I am happy to say that everything exceeded my expectations. The hotel was beautiful! The beach sand was so white and the water was crystal clear. The hotel grounds were always clean and there was always something to do. The food was great! Every breakfast lunch and dinner buffet always had a great variety of food and it tasted fantastic. Our fa [... read more]vorite A La Carte was Japanese. The cook even brought me up to cook the food with him! The most important to us was how friendly everyone at the resort and city was. We always felt safe and anytime we had questions or concerns the people from the resort were there to help. I would recommend the Melia Peninsula Varadero to anyone going to Cuba.

Hotel Vigia: Beautiful beach, poor service quality

We really love the beach of this resort, but got disappointed with a few things. Over all, the food is not too bad, but so many flies covered the tables and the food that just made me lose my appetite. Not only that, the inconvenience of having to go to the bars to get my tea for my meals at the buffet is a bit annoying. Coffee is only served in the morning in the buffet restaurant, and not served at lunch or dinner. Also, they often ran out of things like ice to make drinks, or herbal tea, o [... read more]r mint to make mojitos. The food at Cuban restaurant is a bit better than International restaurant. The staff at the buffet were quite friendly, but the staff at Cuban Restaurant were terrible. For example, we made a reservation for 7:00 pm one night at Cuban restaurant, it was a really humid day. We were sitting at one table and found that there was no air circulation there. We decided to move to another table where there was a bit more of cool air conditioning. The head waiter, his name was Alexei told us that we could not move us to that table because somebody already reserved it for 8:00pm. The irony is that there were only 3 other couples in the restaurant so there were many empty tables. We stayed there after 8:00pm and didn't see anyone coming to sit at that table. We did bring this issue to customer service Angel, who was very nice and very professional. He was very caring and very helpful. He even went the extra mile to help us to buy roses for our Anniversary. He worked very hard to take care of the details during our stay. Angel is the one that made the difference during our stay. He made us feel Special. In regards to room quality, the first room we got was very far from everything and both the toilet and the shower didn't work properly. Also, there was no tap water at night time in that room. So we had to use our drinking water to rinse our hands. So we made a request for room change. After some negotiation, they did change us to another room which is much better and had a nice view.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Amazing resort

The hotel was very clean and the staff was amazing. The food was very delicious and fresh everyday. The bar staff was very knowledgeable in making differebt drinks especially Miri who was our favourite. Omar was a pure professional in the restaurant and Paula as well at the beach restaurant. The beach was exceptionally clean and couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing vacation.

Melia Jardines del Rey: 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

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Never again

This resort is Not a 5 star , we are very disappointed. From the first day we arrived I was not happy. My daughter and I , we got there after 10pm , we had to wait for everyone to check in so that the bell boy would take us all together to the buildings . We where in building # 1 (good location) on the second floor, the bell boy left us in front of the building, no help from him , he didn’t help anyone. The rooms was not what you see in the pictures, old beds and furniture, the air condition [... read more]er was only working on or off, no control over it. The towels where not always available. The food was not good, for a 5 star hotel was really bad. I go to Cuba almost every year, this was the worst ever. By the Beach no one came to ask you if would like a drink , There is a bar there but for 5 star they should come around and bring you drinks. By the pool area another upsetting thing. The beds are occupied by the workers with a book and towels until they get a good tip from someone. The pool chairs also have cushions but they want you to ask so that you can tip them . Not enough lights at night. I didn’t see a onion or tomato in one week, make sure you bring your ketchup , I only saw it two days. What you see on the menu most of the stuff they don’t have. The last day was also a big disappointment, we got a room to get ready and shower because our bus was for 6:30 pm. We got a room where the bathroom was disgusting, was dirty, no clean towels , dirty towels all over , the toilet was dirty with urine and stool. Just unbelievable, the manager apologized for that. Just a bad experience, the beach was beautiful.

Melia Jardines del Rey: 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.