Paradisus Rio De Oro: Amazing Resort & People!!

Food was really good, not spicy but fresh! Beach was rocky so a bit disappointing! Employees like all Cuban people were fabulous! Watch out for bank within the resort they took funds out of my account twice - Travellers beware!

Melia Las Americas: Very relaxing!

Our room was a little dated needs new curtains and the bathtub needs to be replaced. It was stained had a piece of the finish missing which is rusted. That was all that I can fault. The food was good, staff was good and the ocean was perfect. I would stay here again with an upgraded room.

Sol Cayo Coco: Resort is very nice and everything is close,room,beach,buffet restaurant.

Beach is beautiful ,white send and clear water. Lots of shades on beach. Was not problem to find spot under shade and all the time staff helped to set up chairs under it. Food was not very great. All food tested same. We went to the " Italian restaurant " It was joke . it was beside pool where drinks are served . This "restaurant" was segregated with chairs At least they could use little imagination as Italian tablecloth, Italian music, e.t.c.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Outstanding Resort

The resort facilities are beautiful. The beach is amazing with the beautiful ocean at its doorstep. The buffet restaurant has a good variety of food types but the a la carte restaurants on site are so much better quality of food and surroundings. Be sure to reserve for the a la carte restaurants well ahead of time though!! Overall I would recommend this resort to my friends and hope to return!!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Relaxing in the summer

This is Cuba, so come with expectations based on it being a country cut off from its closest geographic logical trading partner, the US. That said, most of the time everything was in pretty good supply, aside from one time they ran out of fries. But not their fault, that's just circumstances. The buffet food was just okay with a few hidden gems and a few stinkers. I really enjoyed the stewed rabbit, my wife enjoyed the burgers. Any fried food that isn't really fresh will get soggy from the hum [... read more]idity. We went to the Hilltop, French and Oriental restaurants which were absolutely fabulous. Make sure you book your restaurants for the week as soon as you get in, as they will fill up and they are fantastic. Drinks at the bars are strong and delicious. I wish I could review them more in depth but the number I had made it harder to remember them individually. Excellent Pina Coladas and Lime Daiquiris. Service was okay, wearing a smile on our faces tended to show people we were easy going and they were kinder with us. Tipping is also important. Tip with your first drink when you arrive at a bar. Tip consistently for your room cleaners. Cushioned beds around the pool were claimed at around 6:45 am. So if you're not up at that point you're not really getting one. The pool doesn't get deeper than an adult can stand up in. That might be a safety standard for the swim up bar. But don't expect to be doing laps. My wife had a massage and absolutely loved it. The beach was absolutely fantastic, and the bartenders there were the friendliest we saw. There were drop in shows and activities scheduled throughout the week, and we were there in the slow time so it was lovely to see that was still being done. There was a bit of wear and tear around, but this is an older resort, and Cuba has a harder time with replacements for things like floor tiles. Made for a very pleasant honeymoon.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: fantastic resort!

The grounds and beach were beautiful. Staff was so kind and attentive. it was our first trip and it set the mark very high for our following trips but we will be back at this resort for sure in the near future !

Paradisus Varadero: Family Concierge: Good hotel, fantastic beach!

We stayed at the Paradisus Family Concierge. Paradisus has 3 hotels (Main, Family Concierge and Royal -adult only). Highly recommend that you upgrade to Family Concierge bc of the room conditions. Also, dont wait to upgrade when you get there bc itll be more expensive. They charged another couple (who were very unhappy w their room at the main -no AC, smelly, etc- about $800 and that would have been for only 4 days). We heard a lot of pple complaining about their room condition at the main. Al [... read more]though its not beach front, our hotel was newly built and the rooms were beautiful (clean, AC -self controlled), restaurants were air conditioned as well, so food was not sitting out. Each villa has its own swimup pool which all who live in it are welcome to use (so dont waste your money on the swim-up upgrade). Its a 3-4 min walk to the main hotel and beach. They have carts that can take you there (we preferred walking, its super close). The grounds at the main hotel are BEAUTIFUL (just like the photos) and in my opinion way better than the Family Concierge. Bc Family Concierge is newer, its lacking the mature palmtrees. We spent most of our time at the main hotel/beach (if you upgrade to Family concierge, you are allowed to use all their facilities and restaurants, they cant use yours). Food was good, lots of options (pasta bar, omelette bar, etc) our favorite was the grill on the beach (main hotel) which we didnt discover til a few days into our stay. A la carte restaurants were ok.. men dont have to wear pants and closed toe shoes. Dressy shorts, dressy sandals and golf shirt is fine. (May help when you pack). Its hot but not unbearable. I didnt have to use my sweater at night. Ladies, dresses are fine. Entertainment was great. They have stuff for kids and adults (dif shows every night) Bars were great. Lots of choices. We stuck to beer, mojitos, pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris....but they have a wide range. You have unlimited internet. They have 1 hr wifi cards that you grab from the lobby. Connection was fine from our room. Negatives for us: our concierge was non-existent (and we tipped him very well on the first day), he rarely followed through when we asked for things (and we didnt ask for much). For example, we asked him to ensure that we would get bfast delivered to our room for our departure day (we left at 6 am and restaurants dont open til 7 ish). The bfast never arrived. Very disappointing especially for our kids. We heard that some pple had fantastic concierge, unfortunately, we were just very unlucky. Room service is also non-existent (its either busy or they dont bring it to you) so make sure you eat and drink well outside your room. Also, drinks (you get choice of 4 bottles) dont arrive until the next day so dont expect to have alcohol in your room the first night. Dont expect to get checked in as soon as you get there. Good idea to bring your bathing suit and change and start your vacation b4 your check-in. There were couples who arrived at 2 and didnt get checked in til 7 ish. Expect to see some bugs (even cockroaches-its not that its dirty, they come from outside so make sure you put a towel at the main door to block). But overall, mosquitoes weren't bad on the resort (they have trucks that smoke/fume the perimeter of the resort). We didnt need to use our bug spray. Speaking of sprays, bring cream not spray for sunblock..itll work better. And bring sunblock!!! Its about 30-40 bucks to buy it there. Also, if you like chips, bring them. Again, very expensive to purchase there. We did two excursions: dolphins and safari/farm/horses. Both were great. May be cheaper if you pre purchase at home. Bring lots of tip money. Especially if you choose to do excursions. I also brought a full suitcase full of gifts (toiletries, toys for kids etc) for the maid. I would leave her things daily and she was extremely grateful. If you do the safari tour excursion, you will drive through town so make sure to bring little things for the locals (ie. bubble gum for the kids, flip flops, tshirts, toiletries, etc). Kids will be outside their homes waving at you. They dont have much, so anything you can leave they will be so happy. Overall, great vacation! If we go back to Varadero (for the beach) I would only stay at Paradisus (fam concierge or royal) or Iberostar Varadero. In my opinion and from what i heard and seen, best resorts in Varadero. If you're reading this, hope it helps :)

Melia Las Americas: Beautiful clear beach!

This was our first time going to Cuba, I was amazed of the service and staff being so friendly. The hotel is kept very clean. The food was great, and I had a lovely time in Cuba. The beach was phenomenal only steps going there from the hotel. The scenery was so beautiful and the grounds was well kept with beautiful flowers. The General Manager of the hotel was welcoming especially when our flight was delayed, he was always there to greet us with a smile and check how we are. Definitely will visi [... read more]t Melia Las Americas again soon, my husband and I loved it.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Exquisite beach, nice resort but poor service

We were surprised that the employees at this resort were not at all friendly compared to what we usually see in Cuba. Room supplies (shampoo, water, etc.) were not restocked unless you asked multiple times, same thing with fixing a small mechanical issue in our room. Bartenders were a bit slow and inefficient. That being said, the beach and resort itself were beautiful and it was in a great location for daytrips to downtown Varadero and Havana.

Melia Cayo Coco: Amazing resort

Hotel was wonderful, beaches fantastic, rooms great, hospitality wonderful. Will be returning. The people from the resort make it what it is. Nightly entertainment was fantastic . Premium lagoon upgrade is very worthwhile

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Disappointed

The hotel room was great but for anyone with mobility issues the beach is inaccessible as well there was very little entertainment day or night . The vibe of the hotel was sleepy and even the entertainers appeared bored

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Return Guests

We have been coming to this resort for several years. It was like a home away from home, staff friendly and always ready to please. Yes the rooms are in need of renovations not just painting the pools need some serious maintenance the buffet tables and chairs need a good scrubbing but that does not keep me away. On the weekends starting on Friday there is an influx of Cuban Locals and this is what has made me decide not to return. They take over the resort in hundreds, the pools the beach [... read more] the bar and the buffet. Food is hoarded at the buffet leaving very little if you arrive 30 minutes after opening, they are rude and push ahead in line or speak over you when ordering at the bar. They litter and pool required shock treatment after 8 hours of their arrival. Tourists from Canada and the Uk etc. Have been the bread and butter of Cuba but if this is allowed to continue our tourism dollars will be spent elsewhere and the Cubans will suffer because of a few who have not learned how to act responsibly and respectfully. Yaisel in Customer Service, I would like to commend she made our stay bearable she is an excellent addition to the staff and should be cherished as a fine jewel.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Not great impressions

Was recommended this resort by a travel agent but won’t be returning. Waited 7 hours for a room without a place to leave luggage and was faced with extremely rude check in staff. There were 2 pools that were swampy green due to filters being broken. They managed to clean one of the pools so that it was usable for 4 days of the trip. Beach was beautiful. Food was a hit or miss. Chicken was never fully cooked. Burgers at the snack bar were barely cooked, they were a slimy pink when cut op [... read more]en. Dinner was the only meal you were guaranteed to get a decent meal. The bartender Miguel at the pool bar was by far the nicest and the only server that seemed to want to refill your cup. I know it was Cuba but for the star rating on this resort I expected better. If you go don’t go based on star rating and pack lots of snacks and bug spray!

Sol Palmeras: Beautiful Resort!

The hotel is clean, the staff is friendly, the grounds are well maintained and very clean. The room are cleaned very well. The buffet has a wide variety of cold and hot food. The entertainment is great every night! This was our second time at Sol Palmeras and we will go back next year.

Memories Cayo Largo: 5th time - Great vacation as always

Sol is an old but clean resort. The grounds are well kept. A lot of renovations were done, and a lot as still to be done. The food is always Cuba, you don’t go to Cuba for it you go for the sea! That being said you wont starve you can always find something, pizza and pasta often do the trick. Also the fish at the international restaurant on premises. We went for a catamaran tour it was awesome! If you go, ask for Betty for Capitan she is a sweetheart! We also rented a quad went to the marina t [... read more]o shop for souvenirs, went to the others beaches, and to see the oldest tree of Cuba the Yunna tree, fun times! Will certainly go for a 6th time even if it’s not perfect it’s still where it’s closest to paradise for us!

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Sol rio de luna y mares

Hotels needs renovation. Food was good. Rooms are clean. Location is excellent. Services are good. Bars need some music. Did not like locals during weekend's in a dining room they made mess and don't care about other guest.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Very disappointing

I took my family to this resort from June 22 to June 29th to celebrate my daughters 3rd birthday and my sons 13th birthday. Upon arrival, I found the check in to be very disorganized. It took long to get our rooms and even longer to get a driver to take us to our room. The buffet - It was freezing everyday. Thank goodness that we were able to sit outside otherwise I would of froze eating my food. The flies are everywhere in the buffet. We found ourselves swatting flies every 10secs to the po [... read more]int where we just eat our food fast and left. The buffet at the beach has better quality food however it is smaller and the line ups for food are long. I waited 20mins to get fish from the grill. The room - the maid did an amazing job of cleaning the room everyday. the only fault I found was that the mini fridge was not restocked daily, the shower was always filled with sand and the toilet barely flushed. The pool - it was filthy. You could see the griminess of the pool before entering. The resort has 2 pool areas. They closed one pool on our second day there to clean it can never reopened it. Im guessing they wanted to keep it clean for the new group of people arriving the following week. the pool that was open was absolutely disgusting. filled with rust, algae, and dirt. beyond nasty. we did not even go in because of how nasty it was. the kids pool was so dirty that the water looked greenish brown. The staff was disgruntled and very rude. They made us feel unwanted and like we were bothering them when we asked for something. Only Pol and Malva were pleasant. I was very surprised at the lack of service this resort provided. 90% of the staff were rude. Very unacceptable and it made us very uncomfortable which took away from our vacation experience. The only high point about this resort is the beach. It is breathtaking. If it was not for the beach, we would of went to another resort after the 1st day...which is what alot of the people who came there did. I would not return to this resort and not recommend any one going unless they dont mind rude employees and mediocre cleanliness. we could not enjoy the night entertainment because of all the bugs eating us alive.

Melia Marina Varadero: Not what we expected - needs maintenance work.

Room was not as expected. Sink in bathroom was cracked. Food was not what we would expect from a resort of this category. It left a lot to be desired. Location might be good, but not the best. Staff was not as welcoming as other places we have been, so bad that we requested a transfer from Air Canada Vacations personnel.

Melia Las Antillas: 26th time, always feels like home

this is for us the best hotel and people in all of Cuba. food amazing and everyone is so friendly, some becoming part of our "family". if you want a home away from home, this is the place..... ......

Melia Las Antillas: great vacation

Staff are nice, food was good, they have freshly made bakery, enough variety of fruit and vegetable, Grilled food was satisfying and loved coffee. The beach and pool, both were clean. I liked live music in the bar and almost all performances. I will be back soon!