Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Liked the Resort, Sunwing - a big dissapointment

Beautiful resort, staff do their best to make everyone happy, weather was amazing, beach is beautiful. And all this gets ruined by Sunwing. We confirmed with the rep there that on the day of departure, we are supposed to be in the lobby with our luggage at 5.50 (bus supposed to pick us up at 6 pm). We were waiting from 5.50 until 6.30, then I called Sunwing, they put me a hold, I waited for 15 min and I decided to stop waiting. We called a taxi and left for the airport at 6.45. Now I need two th [... read more]ings: 1. Where to send my taxi receipt for reimbursement 2. When I get the phone bill, who is reimbursing my call to Sunwing? And by the way, if we did not take a taxi, we could have missed the plain, the lineup for luggage checkin was 1h45m

Playa Vista Azul: Mix of good and bad

The people in Cuba are wonderful--friendly, relaxed, open. The beaches at the resort are fantastic! There's free opportunities to go on a catamaran, to use a kayak or pedal boat, or to participate in a class or activity--yoga, stretching, Cuban dancing, or beach volleyball. In the buffet hall there is often a musician playing. The BBQ lunch between the large beach and the hotel was great! Good food! The gym was horrible!! None of the electrical power machines worked--not the treadmills, the  [... read more]elliptical, or the bikes! They took up a lot of room, looked good, and were all broken!! There were no stretching mats and the floors were dirty. The rooms were nice enough. The cleaning lady did a great job and each day made a design (flowers, geese) out of towels or bedding to make your smile. The drawers weren't in great shape. The outsides were filthy and some were difficult to open. A towel rack was hanging from the screws and wasn't fixed the two weeks I stayed. The infinity pool was gorgeous overlooking the ocean. There were some tiles that needed to be replaced but only a few. The bar service in this and all area of the resort was excellent. I didn't participate in the pool activities near the restaurants but people seemed to be having fun. This seemed more for a hardcore party crowd. The food in the buffet was generally awful, even for teenagers! The fruit was often tasteless, the salads generally weren't good--either no dressing at all or only oil with no other seasoning. Unripened tomatoes, stews with tough meat. Eggs for breakfast were good as was the bread, but butter availability was inconsistent. We ate a lot of pasta, pizza, and bread with few veggies! Ice cream was good. I had heard food was bland in Cuba but this was just generally bad! We learned to take a tablespoon of something new so as not to waste, especially after hearing locals suffer a lot of food shortages!! I kept thinking of the movie, the Hunger Games, as I watched fellow tourists leave tons of food on their plates!! The food in the restaurants was a lot better. The service in the restaurants was really, really slow. This resort is outside of Varadero and NOT within walking distance. A local bus costs $5 and taxi's $15. Both have to be taken from outside the resort. I heard tourism is still really suffering in Cuba as the numbers of people that came pre-COVID haven't returned yet so that could be why some things physically haven't been fixed!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Amazing beach...BUT

We were told food/condiments/ toilet papers supplies are very limited at Cuba. But, my friends staying at Melia CAYO COCO the same week has no such issues at all. Our hotel (Melia Jardines Del Rey) supposed to provide one single-roll toilet paper and one 2-litre bottle drinking water daily per room (no matter how many people stays in one room). But they are not replenished on a timely/regular basis. Our room has been skipped daily supplies for at least 3 days. The worst day we had cal [... read more]led 4 times to their #700 Room service centre for help, but no action was taken by the hotel. We finally complained to their manager at Customer Service Centre to resolve one of the room service problems. Based on our experience of missing toilet paper and bottle water problem, we didn't even bother to raise the concern again for the other 2 days of missing supplies. Hygiene problem: The main buffet tables has a lot of flies hanging around. I noticed that the table mats are not cleaned properly before serving the next customers. Toilet paper supply is replenished daily regularly. Service : poor. Coffee corner service at the main lobby is horrible. One coffee server had sneezed at my coffee cup while he was preparing the coffee for me, He didn't even bother to make another cup and just handed over that coffee with his "big sneezing", to me. Limited food varieties at main buffet: Almost same kind of food and cookings are served on our 7 days of stay. No pure juice and only orange/pine-apple drinks are served. Limited supply of milk at breakfast. Exceptions of the week: There were only 2 meals of hot dish of pasta and 2 meals of fried rice. 2 meals with a small roast pig. One roasted ham served only for less than 20 minutes and the rest was returned to the kitchen. Our previous 3 times in other Cuba locations had been a wonderful time for our vacations. Melia Jardines Del Rey setting and environment is good, but the room service/supplies and food quality are not up to my expectation.

Melia Las Americas: Great Resort

Everything was well kept and very clean food was plentiful rooms were big and clean since I had to wait for a room they up graded us to a suite which was great on the part of the resort, just one small complaint the wait for drinks around the area where the entertainment was sometimes was very very slow.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Depends If you want to stay on your balcony and sit becauase you cant get a seat by pool or ocean or go to the pool with no shade or cover by the Sun must go to ocean around three pm to finally seat and see the ocean and breath like i sad i didnt go to be under a tree

This hotel was really new and great lobby and snack bar 24 hours .Has washrooms for disability people big deal where do they do stay in room or pool. This place had not enough chairs by the pool one pool no umbrellas or trees no shade hardly no one used. The other pool had big beds people took bed and chairs i had so much trouble getting chairs at pool and beach it was frustrating holiday we were very upset specially two week holiday. Your agency should look at the age of the clients lots of st [... read more]airs to go to beach were talking lots when its hot its terrible younger people got hurt missing steps when you get to the beach no seats reserved i didn't go to holiday to go under trees further away from the beach . Electric carts to pick up came and didn't come no phone to call for pick always an excuse i under stand Spanish. They said they would bring my sister in law to the beach who would call i would have to go all those stairs to ask someone to call . My poor sister in-law with a cane and metal in her knee had to struggle to get chair by pool and miss out for ocean water. I m in better shape i went to guess service to complain they don't care. The lobby at night not enough to seat to have a drink. they had to many people lots to improve. Food was good lots people were complaining no red wine but they were selling red wine to people that I couldn't figure out but VIPs got it some were using our pool too . There was no pasta for the two weeks that I was there were the Montrealer up set I'm Italian I didn't miss it. I wont return if they don't fix all the problems to bad it is an nice hotel and restaurants. Returning at Airport it was a night mare no seats we had to stand when I arrived there was no air transit or Ola sun to check in we had to wait I paid for option plus no service to go or plane. Tried to call to complain I paid 612.00 to go and come back . I feel air transit should return and refund me for my return flight that was hell never have I experience this I have been to Holguin before twice this is my third visit. I cant find a complaint depart for air transit I sent email no response and they got a reward. Sunwing people complain there service was better they had two lines to check in . They were at the Hotel everyday not Air transit or Hola Sun

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Another fantastic trip to Paradisis Ro de Oro

Just got back from the Rio de Oro for the 17th time and it was one of the best yet. The staff are like visiting old and new friends and accommodating in every way possible. They overcome any shortages, which are beyond their control, with innovation. The bathrooms in the rooms have been beautifully renovated and the grounds are beautiful inspite of the draught they had been suffering. Many of the guests are return customers who know a great vacation spot when we have found it.

Club Kawama: The friendliest resort

I very much enjoyed my time at Kawama. I have been to this resort over ten times and will keep returning. I have made so many friends and we continue to talk after the vacation is over. The staff are always amazing just like family. The food is average but they still has shortages like butter, condiments and cheese and certain items.Cuba has and is in difficult times but always greets you pleasantly with s smile. Leida always goes above and beyond with makng sure everything is perfect for your  [... read more]stay. The airline was horrible and disappointing, I would never fly Swoop again. I am a very loyal guest and I will continue to return to this resort. It was such a pleasure and the only changes I would make would be to entertainment. Changes would be to bring back the Rock bands, Karaoke and better entertainment in the day like games and events.Renovatios are in progress and I can't wait to see the completion. Thank you Kawama, I am a content and happy to enjoy the resort again. I am looking at the first two weeks of April 2024.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Nice, small resort

Small, quite hotel. Adults only Mostly 40+ Beautiful beach on the left, close to the neighboring hotel. Only one bottle of waters a day in the mini fridge in the room but you can get more in the bar. 2 restraints but we went twice in each (one is Italian) Simple food. You have to wait in line to get fish or scrambled eggs Good pizza in the swimming pool snack bar and good hamburgers/hotdogs in the snack bar on the beach. WiFi is ok if you are close to the Lobby WiFi expires every day s [... read more]o you have to ask to reset it One WiFi password per quest which will connect one device We went second week of April and there were no mosquitos

Barcelo Solymar: Barcelo Solomar

To be honest I would never go back or to Cuba...I would spend extra money and go to the Dominican or Costa rica..How Cuba can operate the way they are now is mind boggling worst vacation ever Sorry for being Honest.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Very nice and clean place

We had a room with double bed and it was big. We were only 2 but big enough to fit 4. Very clean everywhere. Nice staff. The food was good. The main pool very big never too crowded and has other pools on the side . The beach also clean. We enjoyed a lot our week there. We do recommend the hotel.

Memories Cayo Largo: Beautiful resort

The hotel was beautiful. The grounds are very well kept. Our butler, Ernesto was amazing. He is definitely an asset to this hotel. He even phoned our room when he knew we were a little under the weather. He also arranged all of our a-la-carts and anything else we needed! Luis Miguel in the dining room made the best omlettes and always with a smile!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Enjoyable

What I enjoyed the most about the resort was the layout. I enjoyed the main common area with restaurants, bars, pools and games. This was surrounded by palm trees and several smaller buildings which housed accomodations. Each building with rooms was three stories high and housed I am guessing twelve rooms each. It made for a nice quiet private relaxed setting which to me looked quite exotic. The food was on the plain side but good. There was plenty of variety, everything was fresh, th [... read more]ere were enought dishes that were flavourful that I was more than satisfied. The beach was nice, with soft sand and warm clear water. There was plenty of entertainment. While this is not a big thing for me it was good. Drinks were plentyful and generally good. My only complaint is I do like margaritias and thought I would be able to get a decent one in Cuba. Unfortunately this was not the case and the two that I did have were not great as there were no limes or margarita mix despite there being tequila.

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Overall okay resort!

Public Area = clean Restrooms, never any TP - no lights during day so hard to see Buffet= better food we’ve had in Cuba A la cartes - French and Italian (very delicious) Pools = need more cleaning (only saw them vacuum once all week) Loved the lobby at night, fun atmosphère. Night time shows, ok. Participate nights need to be a bit more kid friendly. Micheal Jackson show was amazing! Bring lots of familiar snacks to fill the gap between meals. Food varies day to day in each area ( [... read more]beach, snack bar and buffet) so ask staff about options. Beach was good but go over to the far left past the lifeguard stand to get some nice soft sand with no seaweed or rocks. Sun is powerful, bring a hat and lots of sunscreen plus a bubba to keep your water bottles cold to stay hydrated. Rooms = had adjoining room, can easily hear your neighbour. Did not feel private and very disruptive during the evenings when others arrive late. You can hear everything in their bathroom, not pleasant. Thank goodness for nature soundtracks at night as sound barrier. Wifi= pretty decent, get hotel to connect you automatically so you don’t have to keep remembering the log in details. Always the same, will simplify reconnection. Have fun, overall nice resort. Staff are friendly, accommodating if you respect them. I don’t think I want to go that far again for a while but would recommend it if you like the area.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great resort. AAA+++

Awesome place in paradise. Great staff, friendly, safe and fun place. Lots of amazing food for everyone. Will definitely be visiting again. The Cuban people are so helpful and hospitable. Highly recommend this resort as a destination vacation.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Fantastic service from all employees

Although this hotel is older, the amazing staff, from our butlers to the entertainment staff, made our stay so much fun! Cubans are such warm and friendly people with great smiles all the time. They are hard working and try to make your stay the best it can be. There was plenty of good food and a large variety. Of course, some days they ran out of some supplies, like milk, beer and vodka, but the next day it was back. Always fun at the pool! And the beach AMAZING, with bars and food huts a [... read more]vailable. Beautiful weather every day. The golf carts are great shuttles back and forth between hotels and the market. My first time in Cuba and I would definitely go back. No obvious effects of COVID at this hotel.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Not so great resort

This hotel is runned down! We where day for 1 week and the food was horrible! I know Cuba has a shortage of food but if you cant feed your people with quality food close your doors! Pool was dirty and service was not that great! There was lots of cubans and they where served first and they took over the resort! Staff had a big fight in lobby in front of everyone! Usually Cuba had the best service around but not here! I was speaking with returning guest and was told this place had gone down alot! [... read more] I would rate this place a 2 star!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Disappointed, 3 star resort at best

The Good: 1. Beach was beautiful and well kept 2. Pool was clean and great as well 3. Japanese restaurant was by far the best food and experience, wish we booked all 3 a la carts there! 3. Definitely book the private Havana tour, the tour guide was fantastic and the restaurant by the El Cristo statue was by far the best food. We had the surf and turf. 4. The singer for the lobby bar on Wednesday night was absolutely great The Ok: 1. Half the staff were friendly and warm, the other hal [... read more]f not so much 2. Gaviolta tour agent was helpful for excursions The Bad: Room: 1. Do not pay for ocean view... All shrubs and trees are over grown and block 98% of the view. 2. There was NO hot water for showers all week long. That was for all the guests we talked too as well. 3. Fridge was only stocked one time for the entire week we stayed. By stocked i mean... 2 beers and 1 orange pop total 4. The sink leaked all week and by the end of the trip the AC broke and also leaked from the ceiling. Entertainment: 5. Shows were very amateur and seemed dis organized. Shows at 5 star hotels are usually much better. 1 show had teenagers that at the end of the routine ripped of there clothes to there under garments which seemed inappropriate and unnecessary especially givin' there age. Food: 6. Most of the food was terrible even for Cuba standards. I've been to Cuba 3 times now and this was the first time by far I have experienced this. 7. They ran out of food on a couple occasions leaving the only options deli meat which was ... smoked ham, boiled ham, fried ham ... You get the picture 8. A la carts were a huge disappointment other than the Japanese. No options and portions were so small we always ended up at the buffet to try and fill he gap. 9. The main gym had a leak and was closed. There was minimal equipment and space in the aerobic room as a result. 10. Paid over $200 for a couples massage and it was a waste of money. The message was terrible, unprofessional and tables were extremely uncomfortable. Overall, it was a huge disappointment and would not recommend staying here. Experience was so bad that it will be the last time we come to Cuba.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Relaxing vacation

The resort itself was very nice, clean, bright, and well landscaped. The workers were all amazing. They all work very hard and always had a welcoming personality. Everything we left was appreciated. The beach is amazing, lots of broken shells but we managed to not cut our feet all week. No pestering venders on the beach, it was so relaxing. The drinks were ok, selection was limited but doable. We stuck with the one pool closest to the kids club. Seemed to be less busy at the bar, and we grew ve [... read more]ry fond the bar tender Vladimor. He was the most sweetest, happiest person we met there all week. He is amazing at what he does, and made our days fun at the pool. When we go back we plan to visit him for sure. Great person through and through. Our biggest issue was the food. We have been to Cuba a few times before and although the food is a bit bland that wasn’t our issue. It was the repetitiveness and small selection they offered that we struggle with, especially with kids. Thankfully I brought snacks and noodles for the kids. There was also a small market next door, depending on availability offered pizza, fries, burgers, pork and chicken pieces. If you take a 10 min bus or a taxi ride there is a much bigger plaza that offers much more food options. Including poutine, which was really good! We would return, once the food issue improves a bit. We would recommend this resort to family and friends. So thankful for this amazing country and the wonderfully humble Cubans that make it so great.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Worst long two weeks!

What can I say about Grand Murthu Cayo Guillermo? Arrived late at night, no one to help us to our room, went up and down three different floors and couldn’t find our room, no hot water first night, shortage of toilet paper, and towels, beds incomplete, buffet infested with flies and cockroaches, second week after many complaints from customers they started to spray. The smell was awful, we were bitten by mosquitoes . The staff is friendly and tried their best to accommodate us when possible.  [... read more]My complaint is directed towards the owners of the resort not the staff. Public Toilets not working, many were closed! Why aren’t they fixing and upgrading? 🤦🏻‍♀️ They call this a 5 star resort? Worst longest two weeks I don’t recommend this resort! I do love flying with air Transat! Best airline and I recommend flying with that airline!

Melia Las Antillas: A fine getaway

Visited in April 2023. I find that people have outsized expectations when a dollar is spent, but there is a reason that Cuba is a thousand dollar vacation and other islands and resorts are double and triple the cost. Flying out of London is brilliant and both the flight there and return were both bang on time and we even arrived early. A 2:50 flight to leave the cold and snow and find 30 degree temps is also brilliant. A mix-up at the airport waiting for someone who had a tough time in cu [... read more]stoms meant a delay in getting to the hotel but check-in was easy as was finding the way to a beverage, food, and the room itself. I did upgrade which included an extra night in a fancy restaurant, a lobster dinner, late checkout, a robe, a bottle of rum (500ml), and an ocean view. FYI, there are no ocean views- although you can kind of see it from the VIP Lounge on the 5th floor! I also received 70 hours of wi-fi and it actually worked the entoire week- the best wi-fi experience I have had in Cuba. The lobster dinner was also the extra night in the fancy which I do not think was explained well enough and was ambiguous at best. I also had to ask for both the rum and robe, but all good, the concierges were great. The other bonus was that all of the reservations for the fancy were made for me, and while I needed to change the times, that too was very simple. The lounge itself had snacks, drinks, books, and usually, someone hanging out. The beach was great as always, Varadero is known for it, and the ocean was warm and clear. We did have a red flag one day after what must have been an overnight storm that I did not hear- 5-foot rollers which were pretty cool, and the tide came up an extra 40 feet so there was some detritus on the beach for the next few days but it did make it easier to find shells if you like that! I walked down to Pardisus that day and saw how lucky Las Antillas was as we still had a beach to use- a few other resorts had water right up to the one row of loungers or their beach bars. While the lifeguards did not allow people to go in at our beach past the shins, further down it was fine as lifeguards were not present at other resorts. The music/fun could get a little loud if you stayed by the entrance to the beach, but if you moved down to the end, no issue at all. Volleyball every day at 11am but for one when only 2 of us showed up. It was the only extracurricular I participated in but the bocce was always full, paddle boats were going out, wind sailing, and of course, all those games around the pool. The restaurants; to me, the best was by the pool. The omelets in the morning, burgers in the afternoon and late evening (or early morning depending on how long you stayed at the disco/lobby bar). or the Cuban restaurant that needed reservations- which I did not find out until my last chit was used up, if I had known, I would have skipped Romantica and the Italian. I always found something at the buffet although I was surprised at the lack of choice of fruits. Breakfast was the usual- omelets or fresh cooked eggs if you wanted to wait, pancakes/french toast etc. Now that I write this, I realize that I did not go to the buffet for lunch at all! Desserts were always aplenty no matter the time of day, and even after the reservation restaurants, I went in to the buffet for desserts. One disappointment, in the Romantico...do NOT be tempted by the creme brulee. I do not think the French translates at all- no carmelized sugar, and the custard was just not good, more like a very cold flan than a brulee. The disco was so so- the dj was unspectacular and stuck on Mambo #5, Cher, and other 90s hits. It is only open from 11pm-1am. The lobby bar was great and open all night- a good view, excellent entertainment, and fast (for the islands) service. Same with the pool bar and the bar that was on the way to the beach but not on the beach. If you are looking for a party, this might not be the resort, although again, in my experience, Cuba might not be the place for that anyway. This was my fourth visit to Cuba and I will say that without exception, everywhere that I have been, the staff has always been great- Miguel at the disco, Yanet at the burger bar, etc...very nice people who will try their best. Overall, you could tell that the place had been closed during COVID- two years I was told, and they just reopened in November. Improvements are being made- paint, plantings, general maintenance, and they are even building a juice bar right by the pool. My shower had pressure, the bed actually made me want a new bed at home, the maid service was super as well. I would go back for sure as the price was definitely right (even with the single supplement). I know that people are talking about supply issues at the moment and I heard stories of places running out of beer and butter, but I did not see that at Las Antillas.