Hotel Camino del Mar: Great Hotel

Good rooms and service very clean hotel food and beach are great! Will return and recommend to friends. Excursions and transportation are available for day trips scooters were not available at this hotel.We have been to Cuba on 8 vacations this one is best for service and food and drinks.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Amazing postcard view from our balcony

We have just returned from a week at the Sol Rio de Luna y Mares. This was my ninth vacation in Cuba and the people are just as welcoming as ever. Having spent vacations in other countries, it is the friendliness of the people that keeps drawing me back. We were located in building four on the fourth floor and had the convenience of the elevators to get to our room. The view from our balcony was spectacular. We enjoyed the nightly entertainment in the theatre, the lobby and the pool area. Our [... read more] room was cleaned daily and it was always spotless. The main lobby areas and washrooms were also kept tidy and clean. The buffet provided breakfast, lunch and dinner. You shouldn't go hungry with a good selection of food to choose from including pasta and fresh fish and meat grilled to your request. We enjoyed the four course dinners at the Italian, French, Mediterranean and Cuban restaurants where you had a variety of options to choose from. We were also treated to an evening for returning Melia guests where we enjoyed a Cuban band, champagne and a lovely lobster dinner served to us outside near the Lunes lobby. The beach is beautiful and you will find lots of beach chairs to lounge on. You can enjoy the shade of the trees or sit under the thatched umbrellas along the beach.

Melia Marina Varadero: Amazing Resort - Level Rooms a Must

The resort and people were great. The Level concierge team helped us make our vacation as easy as possible including doing a great job getting us tee of times when there were none available online. I will return!

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Awesome Stay

MY boyfriend and I loved it here. Food was pretty reasonable, atmosphere was super friendly, lots to do, excursions were fun! I highly recommend the Jeep Safari ride! Lots of stuff in the evening to do as well! Highly recommend this place. The beach was beautiful and it turned out to be a peaceful getaway!

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Best beach ever

Second stay at this Cuban resort. Best beach ever. Food has improved and is now acceptable. After changing rooms we were happy with accommodation. The only negative is that the resort is needing maintenance.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Cuban Charm

First time in Cuba so cannot compare to other Cuban resorts. Service was friendly and hotel was very clean. Beach was beautiful. The food was well presented but very bland and overcooked. The grounds such as steps and walkways could use some repair, and the rooms need updating.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Not a 4 star hotel

Stayed Mar 3 - 10, 2017, 2 couples. Check in: Slow and painful; we had paid extra for ocean view but this was ignored by the front desk until we pointed out the extra charges on the hard copy right in front of them. Room: Old and run down, bathrooms are shabby, curtains falling off the rods, light fixtures barely hanging on the wall, peeling paint. Our friends had to change rooms because the tub would not drain and the A/C was dripping water. Pool area: trip hazards on concrete, overflowing [... read more] garbage cans if you can find one Lobby; clean and modern but no bathroom on the Mares side, you had to go to the small bathroom way over on the other side of the pool by one of the restaurants Buffet: Typical Cuban, boring but you could find something to eat. A La Cartes: Italian and Cuban were good, French just OK Snack bars: very limited menus and not very good. Beach: beautiful with lots of chairs and shade Overall: With some major maintenance this could be a nice resort but we will not return anytime soon.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Good and Bad

The Grounds are well kept. Some patches of pathways had no lighting. But are neat and tidy. The food was better than I expected. I was not impressed with the room. It was old style like from 1970s. Beds were too hard. We had asked for queen size but got two single size beds. Not comfortable at all. Entertainment was okay, but nothing to write home about. PR was not great either. Beach was nice enough but not as clean as I would have hoped. Overall its one of those places that you can say 'Been  [... read more]there, Done that!!. But once is enough. The hotel is rated as 5 star but is really no more than 3 star. Overall rating is 3/5.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Very nice resort

This resort really exceeded my expectations. It's pretty new and very clean. The entertainment throughout the resort was fantastic. There was something for everyone. The food was good for Cuba. Always plenty to eat and better than I've had at other resorts in Cuba. Pools were amazing. Staff were so nice and always smiling. I would definitely return to this resort.

Melia Cayo Coco: the best yet

This was the best holiday yet in CUBA, we have been to Holguin Cayo Coco and Varadero. Clean friendly, good food and exceptional service. We will return soon. And of course the beach absolutely amazing. Laurie and Marc

Melia Jardines del Rey: very good resort

nothing wrong to say about this resort....nice beach,clean room,staff are very friendly,no line up at the buffet and always found something good to eat...amazing place we loved it.....................

Tryp Cayo Coco: Needs renovations big time

Pool area was good, room was very worn,only had 3 restaurants to eat at as the rest where closed. Paid extra to eat at all and could not. Very upset as was a lose of money for a upgrade that was not provided. Very upset and would not ever go again.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Past the best before date.

Spent 2 weeks there. Public area washrooms were pretty bad. Water supply was sporadic, when there was any it was usually cold. We had hot showers on the last day, so maybe things have improved. Beach was good, pool was excellent but not enough loungers until you figure out the system. The pool guys have a stack behind the washrooms, available on request. Pool towels were in the room, but only managed to exchange them once & that took some wheedling. Restaurant menus were frequently a list of wha [... read more]t MIGHT be available. Bar service was good. House keeping was fine

Melia Marina Varadero: Nothing special

Rather bland and institutional resort buildings. Buffet better than others by Cuban standards. Pool nice but disappointing very narrow and crowded beach. Little entertainment and no children activities at all despite it being spring break.

Melia Varadero: good for Cuba standards

The grounds were very nice and well kept, the staff was friendly. The pool wasn't heated but the beach was very nice with no vendors to bother you. The buffet had plenty to choose from although selection never changed. The food was nothing to write home about.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great vacation!

We just got back from a 7 day stay at the Melia Marina Varadero and we had a fabulous vacation. The hotel was very nice, a few area's are beginning to run down but overall a very nice clean hotel with fantastic service. The food at this resort was good compared to the previous experience we had in Cuba. The staff was very helpful and we had great service the entire week. We spent most of the week at the beach which is gorgeous the pool area is nice but small. We preferred the beach. We did a da [... read more]y trip into Havana through a private tour company (Trip compass) with Yeriel as our tour guide. We were very happy we went with the tour company. He was so knowledgeable and it was a very nice day. We would definitely return to this hotel and cant wait to book next years trip!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Unrealized potential

For context this was my third visit to Varadero, having visited two other properties, and my first to this particular property; We were disappointed by our resort experience on this recent occasion. The hotel itself, in terms of architecture and condition is adequate and typical of other properties in the area, however, the layout of the property itself was for us less than ideal; the only pool available to non-"royal plus" guests is at the foot of the lobby, surrounded by the properties  [... read more]primary dining complex and a spa, and several hundred metres away from the beach. Further, while nicely landscaped, the property was haphazardly littered with beach chairs throughout the gardens well beyond proximity to the pool, significantly diminishing the tranquility and aesthetic. The pool itself is shallow and offers a nice break from the heat, but the loud music and daily dance classes further diminish the ambience. There is a serene, quiet pool on the property but it is only available to "plus" guests. The beach itself is like most along the Varadero coast, a wide swath of sand void of any tropical vegetation fronted by beautiful turquois waters, although the sand is slightly more coarse with shell debris. If you're new to the area, note that because of the lack of vegetation the beach area can be quite windy. The rooms are extremely basic in design, décor and finishing and the bedding (at least ours) was well past it's usefulness with collapsed side supports and pressure depressions in the center and should have been thrown out years ago. Additionally, we had the misfortune of having bed bugs and the resultant tell tale bites literally from scalp to toe. The dining consists like virtually all area hotels, and most all inclusive resorts of a buffet and several reservation only internationally themed a la carte restaurants. Having stayed at tropical resorts from very high end (Bora Bora, Ladera in St. Lucia.....) and numerous mid-range and all inclusive resorts, the food wasn't frankly all that different. That is to say, it was what one should expect of an island resort with limited resources, different training, preparations and standards and was in that context was quite good (although proteins are greatly overcooked, but better safe than sorry on holiday). The a la carte dining includes Japanese, French, Italian, Cuban, all of which was fine; the only real criticism is that the buffet offered very little variety day to day for any of the meal times. Customer service was extraordinarily inefficient, e.g., four bartenders all serving only one side of pool bar which offers three counters for service, and much slower than you may be accustomed. Also, service was with only a few exceptions largely joyless in delivery whether you tip or not. There is a not uncommon noon check out policy, although their execution of the policy defies logic. We requested a later check out to accommodate our late flight and were first told that we could not keep our room and would have to leave our luggage in a safe room by the lobby and use an assigned courtesy room to change; then we were told we could keep our room as the assigned courtesy suite if we paid 10 peso per hour, but that we would still have to move our luggage to the safe room at noon (???); our simple request was finally accommodated after reasoning through the logic of their policy and pointing out that maid service hadn't visited our room once all week before 330pm anyway. Overall, the change of routine and scenery offered the break we needed, but the hotel can do much better at improving the service and ambiance of the property. If you're looking for an affordable getaway, you don't mind loud music and the clientele that may attract, average food and customer service, than this may be the property for you, otherwise you may wish to consider one of the other many properties sharing the same beautiful strip of ocean front.

Melia Cayo Coco: Enjoyable week at the Melia Cayo Coco

We traveled as a couple to Cuba March 1 - 8th, staying at the Melia Cayo Coco. Had a relaxing time despite some cooler weather, one day of heavy rains, and then high winds on the beach which made it impossible to do the beach thing for about 3 days. We were in one of the Lagoon rooms- which we recommend as the room was very comfortable, with a view and private balcony area with lounge chairs. Rooms were kept very clean and overall the resort was clean and well maintained. Mature tropical la [... read more]ndscaping provided atmosphere. The food was excellent, but after 5 days, felt the buffet was a bit repetitive. We enjoyed the restaurant meals, especially the Italian and International. The only negative was the crowded pool area - not the hotel's fault but due to the weather and winds on the beach, the one pool had to accommodate too many guests. We did two off site activities- a concert nearby by the Buena Vista Social Club, which was one of the highlights and an all-day jeep tour also a good way to get off the resort and see Cuban reality. Sunwing Nexus tours provided excellent service for both of these events. The evening entertainment in the Lobby bar area of the hotel was absolutely amazing -- many talented musicians were highlighted every night. Overall a positive experience and would recommend this "adults only" resort.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A very nice relaxing vacation resort. We had a great week.

The resort is fairly small, which was ok with us. Regardless of where your room is, it's just a short walk to the beach. This was our first time in Cuba and we found that we enjoyed the resort and the country very much. The staff that we met and spoke with were all very friendly, and you get the feeling that they all really like the Canadian tourists and genuinely appreciate that we have chosen Cuba as our vacation destination. The buffet food was good, and there was good choice & variety ,but [... read more] of course some food items were there at every meal, but I think you get that to a certain extent at all of the all-inclusives. We tried out the French, Italian, Cuban and Japanese restaurants. All were very good and we enjoyed the food in each. The restaurant staff were excellent. The property itself is very nice. We did notice that some things do need upgrading, and minor repairs. Nothing major, or anything that upset us, but some of the walkways need repair, lights on the pathways need to be replaced, plaster on the buildings need repair & paint in some spots. The room we stayed in was just fine & comfortable for the week, although I wouldn't call it luxurious. You would normally see some better quality furniture in a 5 star resort, and it had a few scrapes & scratches but again, it didn't bother us at all. We were there to enjoy the beach / weather and country, not to stare at the furniture. The patio door and screen door didn't function well, but who knows where they sourced them from. Beautiful beach, and a beach bar nice and close were both enjoyable features. Excellent entertainment. It seemed as if there was a live Cuban band or a show of some sort at every meal! And they are all very good performers, and have some lovely harmonies. We really enjoyed the music & shows.

Hotel Vigia: Just ok

Grounds are nice beach is clean hotel staff very rude Gardners very nice food is ok wait staff ok I would not go back it was very windy rain and wind hardly no smiles from hotel staff don't know what else I can say long bus ride from airport