Minor adjustments would go a long way.

'll start with the negatives first. We travelled in July 2016 as a couple. The "Classic Room" was spacious and everything was working (AC, coffee maker etc.). However, for all 4 nights, the bedsheets, pillows and blankets smelled like stale sweat. Usually, 5 star hotels don't have this problem. For the most part, the lunch and dinner buffet was disappointing. I'm a big meat eater, and here I was avoiding everything except for the chicken. The beef and lamb was difficult to chew as it was  [... read more]overdone, and had absolutely no flavour. Several pieces of pork still had cooked hairs on them. The smoked meats, cheese trays and breakfast (abundance of croissants, fresh sausage, bacon) were excellent though. If you're ordering cocktails, the bartenders are poor mixers. As well, low quality ingredients are used. For example, I ordered a "Mohita" and got a sugary concoction with a soft drink version of lime juice added in. We enjoyed the scenery around the hotel and the interiors were consistently clean. We have no gripes with that. The access point to the beach was convenient.

Great get away

Had a great time, loved the beach. Only stayed 5 days but enjoyed the resort greatly.Nice room, enjoyed the 3-5 minute walk to the beach every morning. We realy like the night time entertainment, real musicians, great talent.

Stay away!!

I've been maybe 20 times down south and never been disappointed more that this hotel. Shortage of everything from towels to bottled water and long 15 minutes lines just to get into the buffet for dinner in steamy hot non air-conditioned facilities. The towel truck didn't arrive for 3 days. The better drinks were kept under the counter. Moved to be visible when some hot shot director came. "Mint" for mojitos - come back latter. Once you made it to the buffet long lines to get an omelet or a  [... read more]piece of grilled meat. Elevators were unsafe lights were not working and they were randomly stopping at floors. There is a service car that takes you to the beach.. I've waited with my daughter 15 minutes and it didn't show up. The advice from them was to "Take it easy is Cuba..." hard with a 2 years old daughter. No tennis or soccer or billiard or anything... Please do yourself a favor and stay away of this hotel especially because of the blatant lie of the 5 start rating. Every single employee of the hotel has a "scheme" where you have to pay them. I am not cheap on tips I spend $250 on this hotel just to survive and attempt to save my vacation. Smelly toilets the tables were not cleaned for hours... I'm done complaining. If you are an idiot spend your money here... So sorry to see Cuba became a nation of beggars.

Resort for real optimists.

My wife and have stayed in Melia Marina for a week in July 2016. At very first day I hated this hotel so much so I started to negotiate for exchange. Then we decided to make a final decision on next day. Then another one. Now I put firm 4 stars for them and recommend for anyone. No, nothing was really changed. The broken shelf and shower, spotted towels and dirty room still were there. It wasn't a matter for us anymore. Look what we found there: 1. The ride from airport takes 45 minut [... read more]es. The resort locates at big marina filled by dozens of identical (government?) yachts. It has more "city" than "orchard" style. The concrete is everywhere, no place to sit outside under tree. Lot of people use this place for intermediate, 2-3 days stay during cross-Cuban travels.  It cause a momentary inflation of inhabitants followed by long lines. More than half of guests were from South and Latin Americas. We stayed in remote "apartments" building, room 3106. It had a small kitchen inside. 2. Beach. Absolutely the best place of resort, period. It locates within 10-minutes (under sun) walk  or 3 minutes  ride on electric shuttle. Awesome shallow turquoise water,  no rocks or/and weeds under feet. Very safe for kids. In July the water temperature reaches level of human body. I felt as to be a fetus again.  However it is really small. Beach workers doesn't enforce "no person – no spot" policy. As a result all chairs in the shadow after 8.30 am are marked as "occupied" by sandals, baseball caps or towels. Beach activity are volleyball and aerobic. Nice Latinos music sounds almost all of the day. Free kayaking and catamaran rides. Bar and restaurant with decent food right here. 3. The personnel. Some visitors call local stuff "friendly" but in my opinion they are just bothersome and tedious. They don't feel the distance between amiability and discourtesy (imho) / For example, our room cleaning lady were bombing us daily with written messages instead of simple performing her duties like removing dust from tables and hairs from previous guests. On the fourth day my wife did the complete room cleaning (and left a traditional dollar on the bed which was taken). On another night when we were sitting in buffet's terrace the waiter approached, calling us "amigos" then made a 20-minutes speech about her hard life in Cuba finishing it with demonstration of her family photos. Probably, I should response with story of my life with 48-60 hours work in metal stamping environment. We would cry together then; but no CNN reporters where there. Hotel has a lot of work force. Real worker are always busy and invisible. But we've seen lot of them who look very relaxed doing nothing and hiding from supervisors.   Meanwhile the lines were everywhere for 3 days. To check-in. To check-out. For lunch or dinner. To exchange a currency (there is a special person in separate office which has two breaks, 90 minutes each) 4. Wi-Fi is available only at lobby. Each night I saw at least 30 people trying to get a network connection which is really slow and costs 2 US for an hour. You have to buy a special card which is not always in stock. Also, the lack of outlets to charge the dying phone or tablet. 5 The pool. I didn't stay there even a second. In my opinion the idea to spend a Carribean vacation at the chlorine water pool is silly (at least). 6. The room. As soon as we step into we felt the smell of mold. 5 minutes later we found a falling towel's shelf and bleeding shower hose. Three times I called to customer service and got only promises. The shower hose is only 4 feet long, and attached to the bath. Any person higher than 5 ft need to knee to take a shower (while holding ruptured place with palm). One peace of soap. Two bath towels. No shower caps. No light above bath. Body wash was not refilled. 7. The food. Not bad. Not delicious. No complaints.  And very good cheeses, mango and spanish jamon on breakfasts. 8.  The bar. One of the best I visited in my 15 Caribbean vacations. I left 50 US as the tips there. Real cocktails. Real coffee. Real scotch. 9. Vicinity. You can take taxi or hop-on/hop-off bus ( 40 minutes and 5 CUC) to travel to Varadero. If you have forgotten the smell of exhaust gases  from 70s, or gonna see the classic cars from 1956 BC (Before Castro), or need to renew old Che Guevara portrait, that place for you. 10. Entertainment. There is no permanent place like theater there. Dancer have to use occasional spots to change and perform on concrete (very cruel!). However we see a lot of good artists, especially who perform in lobby during dinner hours. And the water show was amazing (I suspect   It was the Olympic team who kept away from Rio). Optimistic conclusion: in spite of all above-mentioned, the hotel is still a good choice for not-so-picky travelers. And as long they will keep price 20% lower then more comfortable resorts around (Royal Hicacos, for example) they will attract people.

Fantastic vacation, surpassed expectations!

We really enjoyed our vacation to Melia Marina in July 2016. The rooms were very nice, cleaned spotless, and prompt housekeeping support when needed. The food was above our expectations and we enjoyed 3 restaurants "a la carte". The French restaurant was our preferred choice. Staff was very friendly and professional in all areas of the resort. The beach was AMAZING, crystal clear water and white sand! The beach bar is close by as well as a lunch restaurant. The quick 5 minutes walk or shuttle to [... read more] the beach is not a big deal, well worth the short distance to get there. On the other side is the marina, seeing fishing boats and catamarans in and out each day. The pool was very clean, daily entertainment for everyone. Evenings were nice with a variety of bands, dance shows, DJ music or just a quiet time in the main lobby lounge. We definitely recommend this hotel to family and friends.

Melia Marina, beyond expectations!

In general, everything was excellent! Service was very good and so was the food. I loved how at night there were guards when walking around the pool and at the marina. We felt safe which made our vacation great. One little complain is the smell of mould in the rooms.

Superbe vacances

très bon hotel , propre , calme ,chambre très vaste,nurriture parfait et varie, deplacements facile les personelles tres acceillants, plage superbe,un petit problème de connection à l'internet, sortie avec la guide à Havane à ne pas rater

Unbelievable

Everything was what I imagined staff was amazing the people were very friendly it was exactly what I needed after 4months of working. In a factory and frankly anyone needs a getaway I would say this is the place to be . Thankyou to all the staff and organizers

Fantastic resort, surpassed expectations!

Our first time to a "hotel style" resort and we were very pleased with our choice. Staff works hard to keep the grounds clean, hotel common areas are well maintained, our room was very nice and the housekeeping staff did a fantastic job on keeping it clean and delivering special requests in a very prompt delay. The 3 restaurants "a la carte" were great, staff are very polite and professional, food was delicious. We enjoyed the French restaurant the most out of the 3. The main buffet area was nic [... read more]e, busy at times but a lot of staff to support everyone, a lot of different food selections, we ate very well during the week and were surprised we had the chance to eat tacos one night! The pool area was very nice, room for everyone. The beach, what else to say but AMAZING. Crystal clear water and white sand! Beach bar is close by and the restaurant was very nice too, good food! The quick 5 minute walk is worth it or the valet shuttle is readily available to bring you to the beach. The marina side of the hotel is very nice as well. Seeing the catamarans and fishing boats leave and return everyday, variety of dance shows and bands every night to entertain the vacationers. We would return to this hotel for sure. Great vacation!

Wonderful and relaxing holiday!

My friend and I stayed at the Melia Marina Varadero in May 2016 for 10 days. I highly recommend this hotel. It was a wonderful; and relaxing holiday, beautiful beach, nice and clean rooms, excellent service from room maids. The room was always cleaned by the lunch time. Food was very good and the selection here was better compared to other resorts (we were in Cuba before several times to different hotels). We visited three “a la carte” restaurants and were very impressed with all of them. T [... read more]he beach is really nice. It is lovely if you want to walk along it. The only thing is that the hotel is located not directly next to the beach, so you can take a cart ride or walk for 5 minutes to get there. Special thanks to resort’s driver Noel Bosch. He always was so professional and pleasant with people. Melia Marina is lucky to have Noel Bosch on their team. The beach area was filled with lots of loungers and shades that we never had any difficulty securing the place. The evening entertainment was very good with live music and shows. Staff members were generally always friendly and willing to assist to ensure we were having a great holiday. We will definitely return to Cuba again and stay at Melia Marina Varadero!!! Luda

Great hotel

rooms very clean , service was prompt and courteous, ala cartes were great, evening shows were good ,especially the animal show for the children. the stores and shops nearby were easily accessible with an excellent cigar bar

Melia peninsula Veredaro

Nice people, 3star room, food was ok but wife got sick. I started to feel uncomfortable due to hearing of too many people getting sick. But all in all we made good memories and had fun. But would not return to Melia.

Good resort...for the right price

March break prices are always high, but when you book a 5 star then the amenities and service should be no less than perfect, especially for the amount paid during peak times. No beach towels provided in our room (called reception daily!) and therefore couldn't get one at the pool as its exchange only. Food was good, especially at a la carte restaurants, while there should be more locations/options for buffet rather than the one lobby location where there was a line up each night. Being on the [... read more] Marina and having the restaurants, bars, markets and shopping is a unique experience and makes the resort feel upscale. Pool and beach restaurants were good as well. Staff was helpful and courteous throughout the resort, while nobody is in any sort of hurry to serve. Again, based on a 5 star rating and price paid and age of hotel, I expected rooms, common areas and pool area to be cleaner. I wouldn't describe it as a kid friendly resort (limited activities etc), but the kids club staff were excellent and there were a few good days of activities for them. Had a great time as the weather was excellent, beach was beautiful and drinks cold... just as we had hoped for, so no complaints but wouldn't rush back either especially at March break prices.

Great beach, Good resort and Food gets better

Took us about an hour from the airport because of pick ups and drop offs at other resorts, which is still reasonable. Good: The beach that is a 5 minute walk is awesome. We spent everyday there. If you don't want to walk, they do take you on the golf cart from the pool area to the beach. The buffet has some misses but a good amount of hits to keep you fed during all meals. The best of the buffet would be the freshly grilled food they have which includes Lobster, Shrimps, Fish, Calamari and oth [... read more]er options. The line can be a bit long at times but it's worth it. To get the best food for you taste, try out a small portion before fulling your plate. The lobby area is a nice place to hang out, it's also where the bar is. It's designed to let in air flow from the marina and is nice to sit and enjoy some drinks at night. The gym is sufficient, the marina in the back is a beauty to see and walk about. The resort is large enough for evening strolls. We liked the "Casa Burguete" a la carte, the food was delicious. Bad: The snack bar near the pool is awful. The sandwiches they offer were just gross. The fries were ok but not good enough to make us visit twice. Also, do not eat the ketchup, it does not taste anything like ketchup. The beds are a bit hard and you can wake up feeling a bit sore. The pool is ok but I spent all my time at the beach because it's gorgeous. If you like swimming in the pool, you might not like that they shut it down quite early in the evening, around 8pm. The bank in the hotel was not helpful in giving 1s which we wanted to help with tipping because not everyone deserves 3s or 5s. "Don Ernesto" and "Bana" a la cartes were gross and we ended up going to the buffet after. Overall The hotel is a good place to stay as the food is not as bad as you hear about in Cuba. The accommodations are pretty with some hick ups and having the beach 5 minutes away is a big bonus if you're going to Cuba for the beach. If you want perfection, this would not suit your needs.

Great Location well planned Hotel Complex

April 1st,2016 We want to thank Eliana for making the arrangements for our Cuban trip a great vacation. Our weather was mostly sunny and hot....even at nights when we watching the entertainment out side beside the marina side of the complex. It was beautiful at night with all the lights around the harbour and the building lights changing colours. Just to let you know the Melia Marina Varadero hotel complex was in a great location and we highly recommend this resort. The six story building that [... read more] we stayed in was fairly new about three years old with a great layout and was super clean with friendly hard working staff. Remember we wanted a harbour view but we were glad we didn't get one. We had two great location pool view rooms and we were also able to see the ocean in the back ground. We were on the third floor rooms #1302 and #1303. Our rooms were ready when we arrived at 11:00 am . The rooms were large attractively layed out with a large bathroom with a bathtub, toilet room and large walk-in shower and a good size balcony. Our room thank goodness was in the shade most of the hot days. The marina view rooms were mostly in the hot sun most of the day and that was where the entertainment played late at night. The hotel entertainment was different each night and was very professional and entertaining. Our attractive buffet dining room was on the second floor over looking the marina and most of the time we ate out on the balcony. We found the food good with plenty of variety ...our only complaint was the beef was a bit tough ...plenty of different types of fish selection and seafood dishes ...cooked on the grills, also breakfast grills and pasta grills and a variety of meats grills. There were five restaurants but we could only go to three and the food and service was great. There is also a bowling alley on the site and many stores along the marina board walks. There is plenty of a variety of places to walk The beach was super with a beach bar and plenty of beach lounging chairs. There was a beach lunch restaurant on a small hill with a beachy view .The pool area and pool bar are well planned out ...however could use more shaded areas. It was only a short walk over a walking bridge to the beach from the swimming pool area. There was also shuttle to take people to the beach if they did not want to walk over the walking/ shuttle bridge or because it was too hot . We highly recommend this resort

Great resort for the price

My husband and I went with my parents to this resort last week. We paid approximately $1,300 per person for 7 days. The food was great and the resort employees were very nice. The rooms could have been a little cleaner, as both our room and my parents had mildew in the bathrooms and both faucets had debris (I am guessing food) under the handles. Besides that, the resort was fantastic for the price. The guests on the other hand - Although many were considerate and decent, the behaviour we witnes [... read more]sed from some was unbelievable. We live in a big city and travel often, and I can say that I have never encountered such ignorant oblivious people in my life. The worst was in the buffet - pack your patience. We would wait until 30 minutes before it closed in order to avoid having to deal with the barbarians. This obviously does not reflect the resort, only society - Please and thank you go a long way.

Beautiful resirt

Beautiful pools, beach was amazing. Our room was clean and we had a great view of Marina. Staff are friendly food was ok nothing special. The weather was wonderful. We had lots of fun. I would recommend this resort

Best in Cuba

Well travelled and regulars in Cuba, this is the best in Varadero and the Best value. Try the Level, you cant go wrong!! The marina is beautiful and the staff accommodating and friendly. Price is out, you wont be disappointed

It is not same resort

When I booked this hotel, I couldn't get the information about 'Melia Marina Varadero Apartment'. It was different condo. It also good. Nice view, pool. But, Cooking facillity was too simple, heating machine was bad

Melia marina apartments veradero cuba

Great view of the marina facing the hotel and can view ocean. Room 6406 (all rooms start with 6) great friendly staff. Suggestions for buying your food: make a trip to veradero as food/beer etc half price. There is a grocery store on sight, fresh baguettes to purchase a cafe, and fruit/veggie stand along boardwalk on site. Found a great food spot around the corner from one of the main shopping complexes in veradero that had the best food for 2 peso! Would definately go back but bring condiments, [... read more] milk powder etc. Our trip was dirt cheap for a 5 star. You can also purchase a bracelet at the hotel resort for $42 cdn for all inclusive from 7:30 am until 6 pm. ($55 cdn until midnight)