Amazing Review

Everything was perfect food , pool, room, staff all friendly, and helpful.One thing I would say maybe have more water in the fridge , and change the pool towels everyday. Besides that resort was wonderful.

Very enjoyable time at this resort!

This review is mostly focused on the 18+ side. The grounds were very well kept. The room was amazing along with the view from the large balcony that was attached. Staff was very friendly and helpful. I had no complaints about the internet access, but I did not try any streaming. I was never disappointed at any of the restaurants, they all had good food and service. The buffet was very good as well. The food at the snack bar was also good. The pools were clean and always had available seating. Th [... read more]e beach was wonderful as well. Overall, I would come back here on my next trip. I would also like to give a special thanks to Alembert.

Highly recommend

Coral Esmeralda is a quiet adult resort that we enjoyed so much. Our first time to Cuba and we were a bit hesitant given talk of shortages etc. This resort was clean, well-stocked with very good food, drinks (lots of alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices), necessities like tp, soap, clean bath and beach towels. We loved having cappuccinos on the breezy lobby. Well appointed, lovely grounds, excellent service, great entertainment, reliable wifi everywhere except the beach. Beach was beautiful but w [... read more]hen we were there it was very windy and lots of seaweed churned onto the shoreline by the waves. There didn’t seem to be a system for cleaning it up 100%. Coral clients have access to the larger sister resort right beside (Iberostar Selection) which has very nice pools. Coral has a 24 hour snack bar for food and drinks. Highly recommend this resort!!

The perfect private club !!!

This resort was such a surprise to us - it was quiet - wonderful staff - so pleasant !!! and helpful- the food was top notch - great presentations at sit down dinners - The drinks were so good - not watered down like at other resorts. Beach was unbelievable powder white sand. We had a swim up room - this was decadent - and Carlos our personal Butler was always around checking in on us providing us with beach towels drinks, making our dinner reservations as soon as we arrived - no line ups no fr [... read more]ustration - it was simply GLORIOUS !!!- They love us Canadians - be sure to always tip - they depend on us for their liveleyhood. We are planning on returning end of September to see our friends again. You must visit this resort ?

Top notch resort!

First class service from the moment we stepped off the bus. Greeted with hot towels to freshen up and lovely iced beverage. Our butler for the week introduced himself”Carlos” and took us on a tour of the resort then led us to our suite. He took us inside the suite and explained all we needed to know. Shortly after discovering our private swim up the phone rings and it’s Carlos wanting to book our weeks dinner reservations! So…. Every night the beds are turned down so pretty and every mornin [... read more]g fresh sheets, all fresh towels, and bath mats toilet paper provided every day. Fresh bottled water every night placed on the desk. It was just unbelievable how pampered we were. The food was really nice. Everything was cooked in light oils nothing too heavy fresh fish, pork beef. Everything was so flavorful There’s a lovely little lunch place on your way out to the oceanfront that we would have lunch at every day and the menu changes every day. The drinks are really good there and then right on down towards the beach, there’s another little bar! I have to say the best espresso martinis ever are made at The lobby bar Entertainment most nights in the lobby bar area. . Got to know quite a few staff members by name over the week and every one of them are so happy to be there and are just kindhearted lovely people! The Cuban people that work in these resorts, don’t make a lot of money and they really do depend on your tips so please when you go to these places, be sure to be generous. We are definitely going back again this year!

Amazing Resort

The facility is well kept and maintained even though it’s not high season the staff were consistent with the up keep. I love how they have both hot and cold water and no issue with adjusting the AC from hot to cold or vice versa. I would stay on the same room again I love how I’m in the corner. I also enjoyed my dining experience. Their buffet area is enclosed which is perfect from keeping the flies and stray cats out. The hostess, bar tender are all professional and courteous.

Great vacation in Cayo Cruz

My wife and I visited Iberostar Esmeralda Coral and loved it. Everything was great and exceeded my expectations. Food was very good service was excellent and the people made you feel welcome to be there . We enjoyed the vibe of the smaller Adult side Coral and the swim out we had. The beach was amazing as it was a while since I’ve been to Cuba and it is their best asset . I would definitely return to this resort and recommend

A great week

lovely small resort. Perfect for quiet relaxation Stunning beach ,could use more palapas,sadly the seaweed piles up and there is one poor guy raking and removing by hand. A slow process but they do what they can Food was better than a lot of Cuban resorts and though the buffet here is small we never felt we couldn't find something to enjoy. Beef ,chicken,fish and pork available on the grill every night . No shortage of eggs at breakfast. Thin crust pizza at the snack bar was very good and alwa [... read more]ys available. Excellent coffee available especially at the cigar bar, Best cappachino and baileys and espresso martinis !! Wine was very good and never unavailable. We never noticed any real shortages here ! Our swim up room was awesome!! we were in building 4 which was central to the beach and the lobby/buffet area. Staff that we interacted with were wonderful and willing to accomodate our requests if possible. All in all I was very pleased with our stay at The Iberostar Coral Esmeralda !!

The perfect vacation spot

We stayed on the coral side. It was perfect! The people working were the best ! Everyone was so helpful and happy. We had everything we needed in our rooms and they were cleaned to perfection everyday. The buffet was the best I’ve had in Cuba and the snack bar was an extra bonus! We spent many afternoons at the snack bar and were pleasantly surprised with the food options and drinks. The beach was amazing! Lots of chairs and shade if needed.

Great service and food !

We booked for a week at the Coral side. I recommend Coral to selection side if you are not going with kids.. Excellent service, great food (which was a surprise for Cuba), drinks and very good arrangements for evening entertainment! Rooms were nice and clean with ample bottled water available all around the resort. The only thing lingering not so nice in my mind is that while booking we were shown that we would be eligible for room upgrade subject to availability at the time of check in.. Howev [... read more]er, when we told them at the check in counter of the resort they had no idea and neither checked anything to. As if no communication. It would be even better with a better room Neverthrless, we got a very good deal and had a great time. Would recommend and if you book the Coral side you can roam around and enjoy the selection side as and when you want which was an added bonus Recommended

Beautiful beach…but!!

This can be a wonderful place to go to, but we felt that it lacked personnel. The beach was a 5 star!! The rooms are very nice…but the towels need to be replaced, so does the pool chairs and umbrellas. Not enough staff on all levels!!! We have been to other Coral resorts, but would not return to this one.

Meh

We booked this trip based on the reviews and partly because of the potential honeymoon upgrade. Unfortunately, there was no upgrade or discussion of such but did request to see our marriage certificate and said they would send a "special surprise." Instead of a room upgrade, they sent sparkling wine to our room. It was a beautiful beach but the resort itself doesn't look like it's 5 years new. We had mold spores in our bathroom, everything in our room was damp from the toilet paper to the pillow [... read more]s and bedding. I would not recommend this resort to others. Guests are only given 500 mLs of water per day, understanding there are shortages but this became increasingly difficult during our stay. The flight landed around 6:15, we didn't get to our hotel until 8:30. When we arrived, there were dance performances right in the lobby where we needed to walk through to get checked in. This was very cumbersome and not helpful to entering guests just trying to get to their rooms after a long day of travel. I think five stars for this resort is incredibly generous, I wouldn't say it's more than three stars at maximum. We had great in flight experiences with airtransat and would definitely fly with them in future.

Paradise

Quiet, small resort, very clean, long gorgeous beach, you can walk for miles, no loud music on the beach ( the way we like). The stuff are very friendly, welcoming,always with the smile ( thank you “Capitano” and your team) helpful management, available all the time. The food; the best I had in Cuba and more; all kind of cheese, meat, very good Spanish wine, you can eat at the special restaurants or in the dining room ( if you don’t like what is ready make you can as chef to prepare fresh fish,  [... read more]chicken, pork, sometimes beef or seafood. We really enjoyed entertainment every night after supper; all the artists, musicians are very talented. Thank you for the amazing time, we will be back

Fabulous Resort

Stayed on the Coral side in a swim up room. Resort is very clean, staff is wonderful. Janner at the cigar bar makes the best Mojitos, Dairon at the buffet will make sure you are well looked after, Helen in the lobby bar is a sweetheart and makes sure your drink is full. Anything else you need then Ariel and Carlos are the go to in the lobby office. Housekeeping staff is top notch! Beach bar has the best Margaritas! Pools are clean and beach is absolutely beautiful. Had a great week but it went b [... read more]y way too fast

Excellent resort

This is a very excellent resort , clean grounds great pools good food and drinks. The staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable. Very quiet surroundings beach was nice and easily accessible. Snack bar was good a la cart restaurants were very good

First and last visit

I had an incident the first night I arrived at this hotel. Two men were pounding on my door and speaking in Spanish and I didn’t understand what they were saying. I had been lying in bed as it was 8:20 pm and walked to the door to hear the door lock open (I had the bolt on too). I met these two men as they were trying to enter my room and they asked me if my cable was working. The one man had two towels under his arm. I said there was nothing wrong with my cable and I closed the door. I immediat [... read more]ely called the desk and was told they would speak to the maintenance men. I then got dressed and headed over to the desk to speak to management. I met the two men standing and talking to a third man in the area just outside my room. As I passed the one man said ‘Can I talk to you? I said ‘no and stay out of my room’. When I got to the desk and spoke to the staff they told me that the manager wasn’t available. A minute later one of the ‘maintenance’ men appeared at the desk and I said that’s the guy who was just at my room. They guy at the desk said that he was the manager. I said tell him to stay out of my room. I was then told that he wasn’t able to tell him to stay out of my room as he was the manager and that he had the right to go into my room! I then proceeded to tell the man behind the desk that I didn’t feel safe and didn’t want anyone, including housekeeping to come into my room. I was uncomfortable as I was travelling alone to this resort. I was uneasy and slept with a table against my door that night. The next morning I spoke to the Air Transat representative for the hotel. She spoke to the manager and he claimed that there was a complaint previous to my visit about the cable. I told her that I didn’t want anyone including housekeeping to enter my room. There was evidence that someone was in my room as a piece of paper was left on the table and not under the door. Also I had a housekeeper enter my room when I was in the glass shower that is right by the door and if someone was passing by in the hallway I would have been in full view. I had said repeatedly not to enter as I was in the shower. I was lucky to meet four other women who were travelling together who befriended me and looked out for me that week, otherwise it would have been a very stressful vacation of trying to feel safe at this location. I posted on the Facebook page for this resort my experience and it was removed, as were other posts about incidents with young women. If you’re a single woman travelling alone I wouldn’t recommend this resort.

Very Unique Resort

It was very well laid out with several pools to accommodate each building. The Cuban people were pleasant and helpful. The food was good but not great but they did their best. The weather was consistent and very windy for the first several days. Beautiful ocean colour! Worth it.

Great resort!

We really enjoyed our stay. The resort was clean, the food was good, and the staff is truly typical of the Cubans: welcoming and friendly. The performers in the evening shows were just amazing. Some of the best shows I’ve seen in all inclusive resorts.

Very good resort.

Excellent location. Nice layout and good for seniors. Food Ok but not noteworthy. Would return. Enjoyed peacefulness and sun. Great price. Ariel provided great Bultler service. All staff were great and very friendly.

Very Satisfied!

We found this hotel to be as advertised. The whole facility was new feeling, from the rooms to the public areas. Cleanliness was very good. The food was good for Cuba. No real serious shortages that we noticed. The staff very friendly as you would expect in Cuba. One of the main reasons we continue to travel to Cuba. The beach was great as is usual in Cuba. This small adults only had a boutique feel and low keyed which we loved.Our only real issue was food temperature. The food was fine but not  [... read more]very hot in the buffet. Generally a great week without food shortages and power outages that have been prominent in the news.