It was OKAY

We knew what we were getting into when we opted for the European Plan and expected to cook up a storm...however, the grocery "supermarket" had minimal stock (no eggs, no fresh vegetables, and questionable frozen meats). It was more of a variety store which helped sustain our liquid diet of beer and mixers. If you opt to stay in the apartments, like we did, make sure to do research on where to find your groceries beforehand. BECAUSE, my one other complaint is that that concierge where (for the mo [... read more]st part) very unhelpful and gave misinformation. The beach, though a bit of a trek (7 min walk) was beautiful. The water was clear and the sand was white. It was well kept, with more then enough lounge chairs to go around. The rooms were also very nice: spacious, facing the marina with the morning sun filtering in. The kitchenette came well stocked with pots, knives, dishware, and cutlery. The washrooms were clean and modern...and very big. Also, the maid on our floor was super helpful and sweet. She let us in when our key wasn't working (don't swim with them in your pocket). So, like I said it was an okay experience. I am not sure if I would stay here again...having to find food (and sometimes we didn't) was a bit of a hassle.

Great view, excellent staff, 5/5

Room was spotless. Staff were friendly and always cheerful. Buffet food was very good. A la carte restaurants werr tasteful and interesting. We really enjoyed the marina setting. Pool was nice. Not a party resort but that's what we wanted. Will go back for sure.

Newer resort. One of the better resorts in Cuba

Service and staff were great. Resort well kept and very clean. This was amazing food for Cuba. The beach was across the street, but staff were always available to shuttle guests back and forth. We upgraded to "The Level", and it was worth every dime!

Deceptive location

Quite disappointed to find out i was 20 to 23 km. away from the actual varadero beach strip.Paid approx 15-16 dollars for 12 small bottles of water, from their onsite overpriced store .took several taxi rides to vradero at 20 to 25 cuban pesos equal to american dollars.8-10 taxi trips.Construction noise when sitting on balcony..wish i stayed home.Checked in at about 6am feb 7..went to havana for 2 days to escape this prison compound. when i came back friday evening feb.13,at 9pm..Desk clerk told [... read more] me i should of checked out at 12 noon that day?What happened to my 7 nights?..he should me the hotel policy which states one is to vacate by 12 noon THE DAY of departure.well my day of departure was the next morning. Sat feb.14 at 5 am? They also tried to charge me for each hour i was late.!!..He finally settled on offering me to stay til midnight?..i said whats the point, i'll just pack and leave to the airport.Asked what cab to airport is.?he said ill have him take you there for 50$..however when taxi arrived and desk clerk had left..cab driver wanted 60?.cab made it halfway to airport and broke down.Waited for another cab.arrived approx 11:30pm at airport. Virtually no seats ..only a few with people snoozing on them..my flight was leaving at 5:15 am..ended up sleeping on floor with suitcase as pillow.Other issues were hand held shower nozzle, which fluctuated hot/cold on it's ownA/C which operates with sliding door fully closed.This was a chore with faulty door. Upon landing was notified 75 pieces of luggage were removed due to weight etc. and would be in edmontontook ages to wait through all luggage, find out mine wasnt there, then line up to fill out form to an address i could not provide, because i am working in canmore, and recently rented new place. was told bags would be shipped within 3 days.Address of my place was on phone which was stolen while i left it for a few min. in my secured resort at melia marina.talked to agent and explained i need items from that bag.i even said i would pay for express delivery to calgary. i called baggage info number at 6:30pm..fellow said luggage was delivered and should be there.I was exhausted, and said great i will pick it up in am.Got hotel for the night..He was wrong, it had not arrived , i found out next morning..Good thing i didnt go try to retrieve it that night!..i would have probably had an assault charge.Finally spoke to supervisor, who brought me to her office where a couple bags had been delivered. Thank god 1 was mine....Anyway..few other things not mentioned, but if this ideal getaway sounds appealing it can be had for about 3000$..oh and no meals or drinks included.

Planning our Return already!

It my our first trip with our 2 year old. Of course, we were worried about everything. This is my 4th time in Cuba and I know all about expectations and limitations. Melia was absolutely beyond any expectations. It blew us away - the facilities, the rooms, the food, the service and the sheer beauty of the Marina itself. I won't even mention the beach - everyone knows how amazing those are in Varadero. I am very grateful to the hotel for making our first family trip an absolute dream come true. W [... read more]e have started planning our return trip already!

Great for families!

As a family of five, we're always challenged to find all-inclusive resorts that can house all of us in one room. The Melia Marina was a perfect compromise. We spent a week in the Melia Marina Apartments (about 5-10 minutes' walk from the hotel/resort), and were upgraded from a 2-bedroom to a 3-bedroom on arrival - without even asking. It had three full bathrooms, was every bit as bright and lovely as it appears in pictures, and was larger than the main floor of our house! Apartments vs hotel: W [... read more]anting the no-hassle experience of an all-inclusive, we opted to buy day pass wristbands for the hotel, which gives you access to unlimited food and drinks at the hotel (not the apartments), the hotel pool, beach, kids program and gym. I should note that you can't get a weekly pass; you need to go down each morning for a new wristband, so expect it to take 5-10 minutes each morning. They're pleasant, but not quick! Also for 2 adults and 3 children under 12, budget an extra 150 USD per day for this. Food: Everyone talks about food in Cuba, so here's our take. It was our third time in Cuba, so we were expecting basic fare. It was definitely the usual assortment, but we were surprised by the quality and quantity at the buffet. Good selection of everything, and the made-for-you pasta station was exceptional. (Sometimes a long line, but delicious.) The kids also learned to ask for banana pancakes at the griddle in the morning. Delicious... but, again, expect to wait in line. Kids program: We've never bothered with the kids program at other resorts, because they seem very isolated from the action. Not so at the Melia Marina. On day three, the kids program staff actually came to the pool to 'recruit' kids, and the kids' facilities are just off the pool area, so they can pretty much come and go as they please. It also provides indoor space to do crafts or play games out of the sun. They take the kids to the buffet for lunch (there's also a poolside outdoor cafe that's great), host a mini-disco for them many evenings, and even have one night when they host a kids dinner - giving parents a nice evening for quiet dinner alone. If you're a worrier, you may find their approach a bit lax, but we're fairly laid back, so it worked for us. All in all, if you don't mind a bit of walk from your room to the pool/beach, you like a relaxed family-friendly atmosphere, and you're just looking for a week to chill out in the sun, this is a perfect spot. We had a great week!

Good

Clean spacious and beautiful landscape , beatiful sandy beach,good. a la card restaurants, delicious grilled fish daily. And rooms well maintain. The covers and the beach chairs need to be replaced and keep clean. The patting covers are ripped and dirty and I sanitized.

Good resort

Wanted a swimming pool not just a wading pool Beach windy most days Snack bar restaurant greatly needs improvement Tired of cafeteria style meals Staff mostly friendly and helpful Hospitality room offered when waiting for a flight was disgusting Better not to offer anything than a dirty room with a broken bed and filthy shower

OK Resort

The Hotel was built in 2013 - it is still nice and clean - only one pool, only one tennis court, only 3 A LA Carte restaurants included and one was not available Food was OK for Cuba, the beach is far away, from the hotel, but you can catch a hotel golf cart to take you there

A little taste of Heaven

The Melia Marina is beautiful. The rooms are clean, the staff are wonderful, the food (for Cuba) hit the spot. The beach is absolutely gorgeous and the hotel being only a few years old is the nicest we saw. I would return again and again.

VERY PLEASED

This is our third time in Varadeo, Cuba. The Melia Marine was well beyond our exceptions. Hotel was very clean and well kept and organized. The Hotel was fully booked and you didn't feel crowed. Reception was fast and very accommodating. Hotel was very modern and offered many facilities and daily entertainment. Pool area was fantastic, many many chairs, didn't have to reserve a chair, first time in a resort. I loved the beach, even though the hotel is not on the beach. A little walk over the bri [... read more]dge brings you a whole new experience. Snack restaurant and bar waiting for you. Hotel buffet was way beyond average, great selection and aways fresh. Three a la carts were outstanding, great selection. Great entertainment inside and outside the hotel during the evening. We had pool side room, but if you wanted music and watch the boats than take the marina side. Overall a wonderful vacation. You will not be disappointed. I also give Trip Central a thank you, great service, you made it quick and simple. Also Canjet was outstanding, everything on time no waits and the Canjet representative was very nice and professional. Thanks for giving us a wonderful week of sun/water and feeling very satisfied.

Nice Resort, Very Understaffed

This is a very new resort in Cuba that has good food for the Cuba area. The resort seems very unstaffed compared to the resorts I have stayed at in the past. Nothing wrong with anything other than the longer wait times for staff

Happily surprised

Just got back from a lovely week at the Melia Marina in Varadero. I didn't know what to expect since the last time I was in Cuba was over ten years ago. Was happily surprised. The resort is new and very nice. The rooms are small but well designed and unless you are planning to be in your room all day, it's not that importan. We had some difficulty in getting extra towels and better pillows but we learned to deal with it. Everyone was very nice and tried to help . The food was abundant and they h [... read more]ad everything for every taste.the salads and cheeses were yummy. The entertainment was the best I have seen in any resort ( and we have been to many) the variety was great, from Opera to water aerobics . Plenty of room at the pool and the beach was very nice. I'm not a great swimmer and the water was just right, we could walk for miters before we reached the deep end. The resort is not right on the beach but if you don't mind a little walk it's just across the street. We had the pool view and if you get a high floor you can also see the ocean. The view was nice. I would recommend this resort to everyone ( not the best for wheelchairs )

Very nice resort

We had a very nice time at this resort. There were 4 of us in 2 rooms (not adjoining). The pool area had lots of chairs available whenever we were looking as well as on the beach. The rooms were always clean and while the minibar fridge did not have a lot in it, except for one day, it was always refilled. The one day it was not refilled, we called and someone came right away. There was an issue with our pillows and pillow cases one day also and once again, we just called and someone came right a [... read more]way and replaced everything. The food was good at the buffet and the three a la carte restaurants we attended. We were also there to celebrate two birthdays. Once we were checked in and settled, we both received a bottle of champagne in our rooms. We also received a birthday cake at one of the a la carte restaurants. The service was always great and the people were all very friendly. The shows that we attended in the evenings were fabulous, great performances and very entertaining. We did one excursion, the Jeep/Safari tour. It was a very long day with a lot of events packed into the day. We got to see a lot of the countryside of Cuba, a farm, swam in a cave and while we couldn't snorkel (the weather didn't permit it that day-too windy and the water was too rough), the entire day was a lot of fun and very informative. Our Guide was fabulous also!

Great Resort Overall

I just returned from a quick four night stay at the Melia Marina Varadero and I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a Cuban getaway! Check In/Out: Very good. We had a bit of a wait at check in but a group of over 20 had arrived just before us and they seemed to move them along as quickly as possible. Check out took only a minute. Our flight left in the evening so we were able to arrange a late check out of 5pm. This is an option depending on availability on the day of your [... read more] check out (can't prearrange) and costs 8 pesos an hour past your stated check out time (ours was 12pm). We thought this was a good deal and allowed us to soak up as much beach time on our last day as possible and still be cleaned up and comfortable for the trip home. Bus trip seemed short and we had cheerful hosts on both trips. Room: We had room 1003 on the ground floor. Took us a few days to figure out the room numbering system as we assumed all rooms starting with a 1 were on our floor - turns out its the second digit that indicates floor - made us feel a bit dumb! We thought our room was the best possible location. Only two flights up the beautiful round staircase to get to the lobby for the buffet, WiFi and the Lobby bar and direct access to the poor and the Marina side from our floor. We never had to use an elevator except for coming and going with our luggage - bonus! We were on the pool side and could actually walk out of our patio door and head directly for the pool - which would have been awesome except you can't lock your door from that side! Although, you also can't lock yourself out so it makes sense. I thought the room was a good size and was very modern for Cuba including a Flat Screen TV and decent air conditioning. The bathrooms are a good size as well and include a nice big tub and a large open concept shower - never once had a problem with hot water. The bathroom has french doors above the tub that can be opened into the bedroom. Great for relaxing in the tub and watching a movie - not so great if you are sharing a room with someone where you would like more privacy. Wasn't an issue with my friend and I at all, but I didn't notice while standing in the shower that I could see her wandering around the room through the clear glass part at the top of the French Doors. Mini Bar had a large bottle of water, two cokes and two beer, which were replenished every day. My friend and I were of extremely different opinion on the beds. I like a firm mattress and found the bed to be very comfortable and slept very well. My friend, on the other hand, found the mattress unbearably hard. Food: I won't spend too much time on this as I'm not picky with food. Our biggest disappointment was that when we asked about A La Cart restaurants the first day we were told no reservations were available for our entire trip - which sucks, as we went promptly the first morning and didn't dilly dally. I understand that by nature resorts don't have capacity for all guests to have all the a la cart reservations they are 'entitled ' to (note the use quotes) too but it was still a downer for us nonetheless. So Buffet? I found lots of things to eat everytime, and more importantly so did my friend who suffers from Celiac Disease (zero gluten). I thought enough items seemed to switch up every day that I never got bored of the selection or struggled to find something to eat. Pool Bar/Beach Restaurant - Both good, pretty basic offerings but we enjoyed our meals there. Also one day the Beach restaurant was closed for seemingly no reason and without warning. In general I enjoyed what I ate, but again I am so easy going with Food I'd look elsewhere for more detailed feedback. Beach/Pool: Both Lovely. I've been to Cuba before but only to Santa Maria and thought the beach wasn't as nice in Varadero - but 'not as nice' needs to be bell curved as Cuban beaches are beautiful. The pools were great but a bit cool. We did't have the greatest weather which also kept us out of the pools. We never struggled to find chairs at the pool or beach, but shade is minimally available at both so keep that in mind. Also, the walk from the resort to the Beach? Seriously, its less than five minutes. We never bothered with the shuttle but it seemed readily available for anyone that wasn't up to the walk. Bars: All good. I'm a beer drinker and my friend doesn't drink, so no comments on the cocktails. I found the service to be relatively good, although very busy and therefore slow in the lobby bar at night. It would be nice if there was more table service available, or if there were ANY beach or poolside service, but that is a premium service in my opinion and wasn't expected. To note, there is no disco on the resort itself. There is one next door (in the Marina, you can see its flashing lights from the lobby), but it was always empty and you have to pay for drinks. We went into Varadero one night to Havana Club and had an absolute blast - although why the DJ felt the need to sing along to all the tracks and add in his own rap here and there is beyond me (but a hilarious memory nonetheless). WiFi: Available! In Cuba?! We bought a few cards and it was nice to be able to check in with home and post the odd mean 'I'm not in the snow' photo on social media. When it was working it was great, when it wasn't.. go to the pool and forget about it. One small helpful note: Of the three cards (1 hour) we bought, only one person mentioned the log out procedures and she only mentioned PART of the steps. You need to enter the website 1.1.1.1 AND THEN click the button on the right that looks like it says cancel or something. We missed that second part and the log out screen shows a big check mark so we thought we were done - the check mark means you're still online. So really, we only need one card oh well. Overall: Its a great resort with friendly staff, comfortable rooms, plentiful food and drink and lots to do. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

1st time to cuba

Being our first time to Cuba we were a bit hesitant with all of the negatives that you hear about this destination. However we were pleasantly surprised!! The resort was exceptionally clean and well cared for - not one critter or bug seen at the hotel. There was never a lack of food - yes a bit on the bland side but good variety and lots of fresh grilled items. From the buffet to the a la cartes and the beach restaurant we were never disappointed - i did bring my own ketchup and peanut butter wh [... read more]ich im glad i did because the cuban versions are not the same. The rooms were nice, spacious and clean - the maids were excellent!! Our room was pool view which was nice as it was quiet once the pool shutdown for the day at 6. Overall the only "complaints" we had would be the slushy drinks were not very good/slushy (beer was delish and so was the coffe from lobby bar) and some people had little bites from the beach sand. Otherwise no one got sick, hotel staff was great and we got a great tan.

Amazing

Overall good experience !!! We stayed in a one bedroom apartment because of my 19 months old daughter was with us and I have needed a kitchen. So, apartment was nice as shown in pictures. Beach was beautiful. It was amazing to travel in a double decor open bus.

Just ok

We were expecting a lot more for a 1.5 year old resort. It is quite shocking that the rooms have not been maintained well considering it is so new. We were disappointed with the a la carte restaurants. This resort has a lot of potential. The outside grounds and location are beautiful. We liked the short walk to the beach. Had a great time despite our disappointment in the resort.

It didn't 'wow' us!

We traveled to this hotel during the Christmas holiday in 2014. The hotel was very clean, the staff was friendly and hospitable. Our housekeeper 'Elaine' was great and ensured we were comfortable at all time. The hotel itself is beautiful and the surroundings lovely. However; we felt the hotel overall was lacking. You were only allowed to attend to two a la carte restaurants during your stay, the main buffet offered the same selection almost everyday. Our Christmas eve dinner was exquisite - the [... read more] presentation was remarkable, there was an array of options and the food tasted great so we knew the hotel was aware of what great food, service and presentation should look like but they choose not to show it on the other 6 days. The entertainment was pitiful - there wasn't a designated area for the night entertainment show so when it rained, you were left with nothing and the actual performers were terrible. The daytime activities were also disengaging and poorly executed. We've been to other all inclusive resorts in Cuba - all 5 Stars and we feel this resort was the most disappointing. We had great expectations about this hotel and were sadly disappointed.

Awesome Place to Stay

My wife, two young children (3 and 5 years old), and I stayed at Melia Marina Varadero for 1 week around Christmas and it was just what the doctor ordered. We got a room facing the pool and it was clean, quite, and well kept. The beds were comfortable (we had 1 king and a sofa bed) and the four of us did just fine. We were surprised by the TV! We got Disney Junior, a couple Chinese channels, as well as CTV (a Canadian channel). Even though the TV was pretty good, we were too busy outside of the  [... read more]room to watch a lot. I will note: it would have been nice to have more in the mini fridge. We only had 2 pop and 2 beer, but it is understandable as the bar in the lobby was always available and we could get anything we wanted there. The cleaning staff was very attentive and even made some "figures" out of our towels. The room was great for what we needed. The beach was beautiful! Not too deep, the kids went in and had a great time. The beach was clean and well kept. The bar next to the beach kept us cool. Our son spend about 4 hours digging a hole! My wife did some beach side exercises and yoga. It was a great idea! She liked it and took part when we were there. We even had coconuts opened for us near the beach. We really had a relaxing time at the beach. Just FYI the trip to the beach, either cart or by foot, is not too long and is not taxing. Although our kids didn't stay alone in the kids area, we did visit it at different times, and were welcome. The kids enjoyed the sand, playground, and the people there for the kids were kind and pleasant. They cared for the children in their care and always had activities lined up. Our son and daughter were happy and played with others when they were there. For food, we tried the pool side snack bar, buffet, the oriental and latino restaurants. The snack bar was the only one that wasn't very good. The food was bland and so-so. The staff was nice, but the food could be better. The buffet was great. There was variety everyday. The fruit was always fresh, by the end my family was eating guava everyday! With 2 kids, the buffet was a staple and we were happy with it. The oriental restaurant was pretty good. The food tasted good and the servers were pleasant, but the food was a bit slow for a family with small kids. The latino restaurant was really good. They kept up with the kids better and my wife and I enjoyed a good meal (even though the server mixed up my order) the food was really good !! Oh yeah, since we were there for Christmas, the resort did a great dinner in the buffet room on Christmas Eve. The resort and staff went all out. It was really good and there was a lot of fresh seafood, meats, pasta, and even chocolate figures. We were told to bring ketchup, mustard, and relish since these aren't always easy to get in Cuba, but we did fine with these. There was only a couple times I couldn't get ketchup, but that didn't affect our meals. Having said that there were a couple downers. Our bathtub was broken, and although the staff said they would fix it; it was still broken when we left. The shower worked well, but it is hard to shower two little ones. Also, one time when we requested toilet paper it took 3 hours to get it. We had to call to the front desk twice, but we eventually got it. Just something to keep in mind. Regarding our tour company, Canjet, their representative was hard to get in touch with during our stay. We set up a trip to Havana with the tour agent in the lobby, because our Canjet tour agent was only around for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. I mention this because our Canjet agent told us to work through her to set these things up. In addition, it would have been nice to have a better book store as well: I wanted a copy of a local English paper (really just for something to read), but all I could find were papers that were 2 or 3 months old. I know there were books available, but when you have 2 young kids a newspaper is better. Overall, we had a great time at Melia Marina Varadero. We needed a family vacation to relax and unwind, and yes even with kids we were able to do it. Even with a week there were a couple activities we didn't get around to, so yes we are already planning and looking forward to another trip to Cuba at the end of 2015. And yes we are going to go back to Melia Marina Varadero. It is a great place for families with young children. The staff was pleasant. The food was good as well. Thanks Melia Marina, you did a great job.