Nice hotel,decent service,bad food(even for Cuba)

Nice hotel, excellent clean rooms, and the staff for the most part worked hard to make your stay enjoyable. Beach was beautiful but crowed at Christmas. Pool was large and clean and very user friendly. Excellent gym although on several occasions there were no towels. Entertainment was good especially the band Cuba Libre on New years eve. Drinks are so so and served in tiny, flimsy, wasteful plastic cups. Our biggest disappointment was the food. We have travelled to Cuba before so we knew not too [... read more] expect much, but in this instance it was just no acceptable given the price and ratings The Level restaurant had the best food but ironically the slowest service....several time we walked out after waiting 10 or more minutes without anyone acknowledging us. The buffet was the worst with heaps of luke warm over cooked stuff. The fresh prepared stations were marginally better but the line ups were ridiculous. There was very little fresh fruit(unripe pineapple, seedy watermelon, and gross papaya...one day they had tiny bananas that were not too bad)) or vegetables and what there was, was on short supply and regularly ran out...so eat early.The ala carte restaurants were not much better. They need to do better in this regard if they want to continue to command 5 stars and the fees they charge. Hiding behind old Cuban stereotypes is not going to work and will relegate this property to a 3 star budget experience($1000 a week per person vs. $2500 they charge now) where the food quality won't be as big an issue. Overall we had a nice Christmas break on a beautiful beach with perfect weather and on the bright side we all dropped a few pounds.

Lovely Resort

Resort was beautiful , Staff were pleasant and helpful . Food was plentiful, some things better than others but you could always find something to enjoy. The dining rooms again some were better than others . Our favorite was the French . The pool was very nice. The grounds were lovely.

Wonderful hotel and staff

I really enjoyed staying at this resort. I was in the studio apartments (not the main building) and had access to another pool as well. I found that all the staff was pleasant and friendly, from the restaurants to the entertainers. The beach was gorgeous and not far at all. I would certainly recommend this resort. My mom and I only had one issue with our room and the problem was quickly remedied. Only downside is this resort is the furthest away from the airport and the town of Varadero. But it' [... read more]s worth it!

Melia marina varadero cuba

maid With purple acrylic nails never even showed up to clean - had to call main desk :/ but the buffet staff - all of the! were excellent and Alberto the bellboy was lovely! Beach is great, and pool too

Wonderful time!!

The resort is new and beautiful. Staff was friendly and wonderful. Small problems with the room were addressed quickly. Enough food and a la carte options that even the pickiest of eaters shouldn't starve. Staff is amazing. My second time in Cuba, my boyfriends first time. We will come back again and again. Thank you for the wonderful memories!

Only one word to describe it - amazing!

Our stay at Melia Marina Varadero was wonderful! Our room was spotless and modern. We were on the 4th floor overlooking the marina - a perfect location for sitting on our glassed in balcony, viewing the nightly entertainment when we were too tired to actually attend the festivities below. The employees of the resort were fabulous - always courteous and kind. Customer service was priority one - from Barbara who took care of our room, Rubier (Rootbeer) at the pool, Vanietta (Vanna) at the bar (jus [... read more]t to name a few). All staff greeted you with a smile and would do what they could to make our vacation special - they succeeded. The food was amazing - not something you usually hear from people who have vacationed in Cuba. The 3 ala cartes, the buffet, pool restaurant and beach restaurant all had different menus and the food was superb. The resort is very well maintained (thank you to the gardeners and the maintenance staff for all of their hard work). This is a new resort and we were pleasantly surprised that there was nothing that needed refining. Melia Marina should be a "must go" location if you are thinking of vacationing in Cuba - we plan to go back within the year!

Good Hotel

Overall, we had a great time at Melia Marina Varadero. We were upgraded to the apartment with a Marina view which was awesome, although our room was not cleaned very well throughout our stay (basically they just made the bed & changed the shower towels- the floors were dirty when we arrived and didn't appear to be cleaned the whole time). We thought this was a bit weird for a 5 star hotel, but it wasn't a huge deal since we didn't spend much time in the room anyways. The food at the buffet was p [... read more]retty good on the days that we arrived at the start. On the days we arrived around 7pm, everything my fiancé and I tried from the buffet was cold. We liked the salad, make your own pasta, and fish stations though. The a la carte restaurants were also pretty good. We tried the Latin and the French restaurants. We liked the 24 hour pool restaurant for breakfast or late night snack. We really liked the beach bbq station. It would be nice if it was opened every day. For the most part, the service was good and the staff were friendly. The evening entertainment was good.. we especially liked the Michael Jackson night and the Ideal Couple night. The pool was great, but we received pool towels when we arrived, traded them in for towel cards at the end of the day when they were wet (cards because they were out of towels)... they were also "out of towels" for the rest of the week until the day we were leaving. Not a huge deal, but kind of annoying. The beach was amazing and it was nice that there were plenty of beach chairs, regardless of the time. Overall, we were happy with the resort and would consider staying again.

Great stay!

Beautiful hotel, lovely people, okay buffet and delicious a la carte. I would definitely go back again. Cuba is a wonderful country to visit. Varadero feels very safe, even at night. Definitely the perfect hotel for a relaxing vacation.

As good as the first time...

Our second visit in the last year. The change we noticed is that all the boutiques are now open and the place looks complete. Same staff as last year. We were upgraded because it was our second visit. All the a-la-carte were improved service wise. All amenities worked as they should so we had no bad surprises. Do not be concerned about the beach location (over the bridge) because you can walk or take the frequent golf carts. The beach is physically closer to your room than other resorts that are [... read more] large.

Nice resort!

This was first time going to Cuba so I wasn't sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by how nice the hotel was when we arrived. The hotel was very clean and well maintained with a modern design, which we liked. The room was nice. The only thing I didn't like was the beachy, damp smell in our room. Otherwise, the staff was great! No luck with getting water or any fridge items replenished in the room even after calling the front desk and being promised numerous times that someone was on  [... read more]the way with the items we requested. The buffet items got a little repetitive, but the a la carte restaurants offered some variety. Overall, can't complain too much. Definitely one of the better looking hotels in Varadero.

New Resort average service/food superb apartments

Food selection was limited only 1 buffet and same foods typically most days. nothing too spectaular, did not make great coffee or latte's like the princess del mar, apartments were 2 bedrooms, washer, granite and stainless steel very nice, service was not great we had 1 or 2 amazing servers most of bartenders were not engaged and rude, alot of cubians (locals) stayed at this resort not many canadians, did not cater to us that was for sure....we were 6 people i expected better service, everything [... read more] belonged to the marina no pool table or things for teens to do was geared to locals and babies, entertainment was NOT engaging no one particiapted. i will be going to iberostar varadero when i return to cuba, the only amazing thing about this report was the apartment suits...was disapointed.....was not on beach had to walk or get a drive...

Amazing trip!!!

This was my second visit to this hotel. I would highly recommend this hotel the property is beautiful. I stayed in a standard room facing the marina, great view. Last time my room faced the pool and beach which is also very nice. The staff here are amazing especially at the pool and lobby bar. Always taken care of never had to wait for a cocktail. The staff in the buffet restaurant were also fantastic and there was a great selection of items to make everyone happy. Breakfast was my favourite as  [... read more]the omelette station was fantastic. My favourite part of the trip was the spa where I booked a massage they have an infinity pool on the roof with to jetted hot tubs and loungers to relax and hang out before your massage. You can also just book a visit for the roof top pool for 30 pesos. Beautiful view of the marina . The beach is less than 5 minutes walking distance from the pool and is very nice with a restaurant and a tiki bar as well. You can also catch a ride as golf style carts also leave every couple of minutes from pool bar. I will definately visit this resort again.

Great getaway!!

This Hotel was amazing - service was top notch - the pool by the apartments were the best - Dounia was simply the sweetest most loving lady we met! She took amazing care of us and always had a smile,- even cut fruit for us. Just her alone would bring us back to this resort!! Joel the cart driver was a pleasant man - always asking how our day was and always being there to take us back and forth from the lobby to our rooms. We have no complaints at all about this resort. Thanks for a great time!!!

Beautiful resort and beach

The hotel was clean and staff were friendly and helpful. There was always something going on at the beach or pool or after dinner entertainment! The food was plentiful but a little plain. Great massage at the spa! The lobby was a great place to gather later in the evening. There was usually a group of musicians playing...quite enjoyable.

Melia Marina exceeded my expectations!

Amazing, speedy service from the most friendly and helpful staff! This was my second trip to Cuba and my first stay at Melia Marina and I honestly won't be going anywhere else. The resort was safe, clean, and modern. The rooms have every comfort you could possibly imagine and the resort has a lot of extras (nightly shows, bowling, stores, fishing, night clubs, bars etc) to keep you busy for the entire trip! With an amazing view from either side of the hotel, you won't be disappointed! I didn't l [... read more]ike the food on my first trip to Cuba, so I didn't expect much better this time...but I was mistaken. The food at Melia Marina was delicious and they had a large variety to choose from! I can't wait to return. The pictures on their website don't even do the resort justice, it's a must see!

Amazing new resort!

Great new resort. Was there with my wife first 2 weeks of August. Everyone was friendly and enjoyable to be around with some of the staff. Made new friends. The beach was very lovely with crystal clear ocean. The food was good - no complains, you need to choose what you like and let them know how to prepare it . Nice variety of food in the buffet for everyone's taste. We had the opportunity to dine in all the 3, plus the level, reservation restaurants. All were good. My 2 best restaurants were:  [... read more]the Latin ( Ernesto) & Level . Overall all was amazing, except for our first room ( AC was working very strong - was like sleeping in a freezer- if this happens to anyone, please inform the customer service lady -,where she was very helpful ( after our 12th day stay) sending a repairman to see the room & making us change rooms - do not inform the lobby ( on our fourth day we tried explain the front desk how cold and wet our room was - only telling us the humidity comes with Cuba and not doing anything about it - little disappointing), after our 12th day- customer service went around the buffet tables - asking about our stay ( we told her about our room) without any questions she offered us to change rooms - we were able to change room to the 6th level.....Very comfortable room with all upgrades for our last 2 nights....We thought the entire hotel had the same cold rooms, until we changed room to comfort! This will definitely make us return back!! One advise, all rooms should have the same upgrades like the level- best bath /beach towels.....very clean.

Beautiful resort

This hotel is beautiful, the grounds, the rooms, the dining well kept and clean. Very impressed. The only thing i would like to see changed is the buffet it seems a bit repetative. Different menus would be nice.

Best Cuba experience thus far.

Very nice surroundings. Grounds were still under development. Room was clean, comfortable and adequately furnished. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Food as good and wait staff were very efficient.

Beautiful resort

The hotel was amazing. The staff very friendly. The food at the buffet needs some improvement. Overall i enjoyed my stay. The rooms were always clean and spacious. I stayed towards the end if the marina.

Oceanview, clean and good service

Rooms facing the waterfront, beautiful view and friendly staffs. The hotel is chic and modern, designed with a nautical feel. It feels new and stylish and you would be hard pressed to find another hotel comparable to this one in scale and design in Cuba. The terrace just past the lobby has wicker furniture where you can enjoy a drink, and a balcony for breakfast or lunch offers a nice view of the marina. The other side offers views of the pool and ocean. Indeed a great place to spend vacations.