Melia Jardines del Rey: Overall good- have some tips for a better stay

First and foremost, the beautiful, white sand beach this resort is located on will compensate for whatever problems you might encounter during your trip. Lucky enough for my friend and I, we had great weather all week long and since we only came to relax and get some sun, this resort did just the trick. If you are however looking to party with friends, the nightlife is rather dull ( a couple great shows here and there, but there were only a minimum of things to do at night). I recommend this re [... read more]sort if you are looking to relax on the beach. The unlimited drinks were very good and the buffet was also good (perfect mix: the fish and the yellow rice!!!). Expect long waits for food. They had several activities during the day (yoga, latin dance class...) and on less windy days they had kayaking and pedal boating (both free, but make sure to reserve early in the day to not miss out). They also had catamaran. The staff was very friendly. The resort itself is nice: nice rooms, nice location on the beach, great pool. In our case, our trip had somehow gotten cancelled and so they did not have a room ready for us at our arrival. They first set us up in a non cleaned room which was a little bothering. However, we later got fixed up into a clean room. We were thankful they had space for us considering the mix up... but make sure your room is ok before settling in, we only noticed before going to bed that there was sand in the bed! Another problem I'd like to point out is the water! We had trouble getting it sent to our room at several occasions (you need to request extra water bottles for your room at the customer service in the lobby: if it does not come, ask again.) . Restaurant wise, ( on a standard plan, you have access to 3 à la carte restaurants and you need to reserve at the beginning of your stay... make sure of this because you might not get the time or the restaurant of your preference if you do not do it first thing in the morning), the BEST food was Oriental, the french was very good and we also enjoyed the seafood BUFFET (which counts as an à la carte restaurant.). No complaints about the restaurant food, all very satisfying. We did not have towels for our first day because they did not have any left by the time we had arrived at the towel drop off: make sure you do this first thing, like the restaurant reservations. All in all, we had a nice, sunny, relaxing stay. The beach was very nice and made the whole trip worth it-- i recommend walking to the right until you reach a more private beach (around a 20 min walk). Food was good, service was sometimes slow but to be expected considering the amount of guests, à la carte restaurants were very good (esp the ones we went to), good variety of unlimited drinks to choose from. Main problems: arrival--room issues, getting water bottles sent to room. Nightlife is so so, but not what we were looking for so we didn't mind. Seems like a good place for familys, couples, groups of friends... Although there were some ups and downs, we enjoyed our stay very much, mostly because of the beach and the weather. Overall good.

Melia Las Dunas: Beautiful Beaches, Great Staff

First comment is to remember that we are talking about Cuba. The Hotel itself is very pretty, but fairly large. Good for people who don't mind walking. The staff and especially Guest Services are wonderful to deal with. The food is OK by Cuban Standards, better if you have the time to wait for your food to be prepared in front of you rather than the items that are in the warming trays. Expect issues with water pressure and temperature if your unit is located away from the center of the resort. [... read more] Most days the water was only warm where we were. The pools are very nice and lots of activities by the family pool to keep the little ones happy. For the price and if you remember that no one goes to Cuba for the food, it is a good Hotel. We met many people/families who were returning customers. One thing to consider, it is at least 1 hr 45 min to the airport and most excursions mean that you are travelling a minimum of 2 hours each way.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Great Vacation!

The Melia Jardines Del Rey was a beautiful vacation resort that exceeded our expectation. This being our first all-inclusive resort vacation our hopes were pretty high and we were not disappointed. We especially enjoyed the pools, beach and the great staff. The room was great too, but we didn't spend much time there. The variety of entertainment was acceptional. The food was good, but not great; but we always enjoyed our meals.

Melia Las Dunas: Great Time

After reading other reviews on this resort I was pleasantly surprised. Our room was very clean and comfortable. There were lots of chairs at the beach and pool. Entertainment was also very pleasing. Always found lots of fresh food at all the various locations on the resort. Staff were pleasant and helpful. We returned from this resort Jan. 19/17

Tryp Cayo Coco: Family trip

We had a great family trip!! Weather was great, beach was awesome, and drinks were cold!! Great value for price! Nice and relaxing! its a 4 star in Cuba but if you went anywhere else it's more like a 3 star Not complaining... it was good and food was too... it's working on Getting upgraded.... my 2nd time going to that resort...3rd time in Cuba and I would go back!!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Better than expected. Can't wait to go back!

The beach is absolutely breathtaking—also very clean. We would go back to Cayo Coco for that reason alone. The service at Melia Jardines del Rey was terrific and everyone was very friendly.The food was as expected. People told us, "You don't go to Cuba for the food." True enough. But silver lining, we didn't gorge or gain weight. A vacation win in my opinion. LOL! My son had some digestive issues during our stay so we were grateful for the doctor on site who fixed him right up. For the pri [... read more]ce, this resort is excellent and we are already planning to go back again next year.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Excellent Value

Excellent facility. Recommended by a friend and we were not disappointed. Swimming pools ,sandy beach and great swimming in the warm clean clear sea water with a sandy bottom and no creatures under foot was great Room was clean, comfortable and modern. Food in cafeteria was plentiful and very good. Lots of variety, The specialty restaurants for a change of pace for your pallet were first class. The staff was very accommodating and made our two week stay a very pleasant experience. T [... read more]here are cafes available for eating and drinking 24hrs a day. We have spent the last eight years in a Condo in Florida to escape the winter for two months. We can say without exaggerating that the two weeks in Cuba was a better experience then Florida. We will return. Excellent value for the money. Flying from Hamilton also made our vacation hassle free. Gerrad Malcolmson Dundas Ont. Canada .

Melia Jardines del Rey: Could be better

Resort was clean, rooms were average, beach is amazing, food was good and everyone in family was able to find something to eat at all times. Best place for lunch was the snack bar by the leisure pool but was always busy and only open a couple hours a day. Went to the 24 hour snack bar one day for lunch and were given menus but no one ever came back to take out order, even when we asked to have our order taken. Buffet was good, pools were clean, hard to find chairs as all the entitled people like [... read more] to put towels on them then leave for the day. We made 4 requests prior to departure and received none of them despite there being very few people there when we arrived. One was to have rooms with double beds, got two king size to sleep the six of us. Another was to have a pool view, were given rooms at back of resort. Request three was that our rooms be beside one another, rooms were down the hall from each other and on opposing sides. Also requested a cot in one room and didn't receive one until late the first night after waiting in customer service for a while. The custome service room was a revolving door of people coming in about various issues but the staff were always friendly and as helpful as they could be. When we went to book for the a la cartes someone had used our room number to book already but was only for two people despite us being a group of six. Toilet paper ran out on day five and was not replaced by housekeeping. When we asked for more we were given a partial roll that only lasted a few hours and again housekeeping didn't replace until asked. All in all we had a wonderful time but I would not return to this resort.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A little surprised

A friend of mine and I thought the resort was quiet. The disco was out of commission. (Which is a definite for me when choosing a resort) Rooms were clean and great. We lucked out with an ocean view. The waitstaff were just "ok". I had to chase them down for coffee in the morning. The food was decent.( I did not go hungry.)The "Raquet Club" had delicious food and the waitstaff there were attentive and would smile at you. (especially dayleean) Pool bar ladies rocked as well. The beach was beaut [... read more]iful. The Weather contributed to a few negative factors but in reality I was really just happy to be there :) Havana for the night was AMAZING!!! (Airbnb) We hopped on a tour bus for $25 and took a taxi back.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Horrible resort

From the time we arrived till we left there were many many issues. Filthy buffet area. Cockroach in the pasta, filthy wipe rags used around food prep areas. Pool not cleaned once, green slime half way up the wall of the pool, garbage everywhere in pool. Black mould in shower, toilet leaked and flooded bathroom for 2 1/2 days. Dirty bedspread and blanket. Third coffee maker finally worked. No CUC's in $1.00 form! So much more!!! Don't go here!

Melia Marina Varadero: Awesome place!

The Melia Marina was an awesome place to stay! Loved every second of it except for the food. The buffet is quite limited with very similar options for lunch and dinner! Great beach, Modern and clean rooms!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Fantastic !!!!

On behalf of my husband and myself we were delighted with the resort. The staff were so kind and helpful, our room and the whole resort was clean, food was very good, and the music was so beautiful. Wish now we had come to Cuba and the resort a few years ago and will return. Well done to everyone. Thank you. Carol Jean Thomas

Sol Palmeras: Amazing Resort

Highly recommended. Had a wonderful family vacation. Amazing food, amazing people would go again in a heart beat. I would recommend you stay on the 4th floor. The rooms have been newly renovated and are worth the extra money. Thank you to O'Neil Graham from tripcentral.ca for all his help

Sol Palmeras: Excellent Resort

This resort is a true gem. The staff are so friendly, kind and considerate. The food is getting better and better in Cuba. So don't let the negative reviews fool you. I would recommend this resort highly I would also recommend using O'Neil Graham from tripcentral.ca. He was amazing to deal with.

Sol Cayo Coco: good time

when to resort to surprise my older brother and his wife, had good time but very windy, no rain but windy, food was good and bars good. best bartenders were yasmany and alfredo, very quite place not for party group, beaches are very long and nice soft white sands ,would go back if the price was right"

Melia Cayo Coco: Wonderful holiday, great resort

My mom and I stayed at Melia Cayo Coco from Jan. 10 - 17, 2017. This was my third time staying at this resort (fifth time in Cayo Coco, sixth in Cuba) and my mom's second time. It is a very short drive from the airport. The check-in process is always a bit slow, but not terrible, and they bring you welcome drinks. We arrived around 1 p.m. and our room was ready. The rooms are clean and spacious but are outdated and could use a refresh, especially the bathroom. Unfortunately, it was very  [... read more]windy the whole week, so we couldn't go to the beach, and the red flag was up, so there was no swimming in the ocean. Instead, we went to the pool every day. The beach is normally wonderful, though—well-maintained, sandy. They even widened the beach since our last time there. The pool and pool area are very nice and well-maintained. The staff at the pool bar/snack bar are hard-working and friendly. Staff come around the pool area to take your drink orders and are lovely. The animation/activities team really make the experience special. There are always activities you can choose to take part in by the pool: water aerobics, dancing lessons, painting, etc. The lobby bar is lovely and has a great atmosphere. There is musical entertainment in the evenings. We ate at the buffet for all meals. The service there is impeccable. We really appreciate the great salad bar, which includes beans, rice, veggies, potatoes, and lots of options for dressing. The pasta bar is great too. We would have liked to see more vegan options as well as gluten-free options. The "Vegetarian Corner" at lunch and dinner is poorly situated behind the raw meat and fish grilling station, and you have to get past the people waiting in line at the grill to access the vegetarian food. Also, you cannot trust that the vegetarian food is actually vegetarian—more than once I found pieces of meat or fish in a dish there, which is not okay. The front desk staff were good and were able to deal with multiple requests at a time. When we wanted to find out if the pharmacy at the market carried a product we needed, a staff member called to find out that they had it and then called us a cab to take us there. Overall, this resort is wonderful, the staff is outstanding, and we will certainly be back.

Sol Palmeras: Expected much more !

We went to the Sol Palmeras thinking it's a 4+star and so the service / accomidation / service would be 4+ but we were disappointed. We stayed in Bungalow 229, although we loved the rustic Cuban feel in staying in a Bungalow the ants that erupted in the washroom attracted to the toothpaste I suppose was not appreciated at all. We called the customer service and they sent someone to clean up immediately but the spray aerosol they used was not kid friendly at all! So we lived with ants for a week! [... read more] The hassle of being moved to another bungalow with 2 young kids was not feasible. Plus why should we need to - we paid for our place and it should be clean. Second dispointment was we had to line up to get a seat at the Buffet - how bizarre! You'd think the resort would have capacity in consensus with the no of guests. When we got in the hostess took us to the back of the dining room saying the stroller will be just in the way - not very welcoming at all! The beach was good, food as per Cuban standards nothing to write home about and the activities all average. Certainly will not be returning to the Melia Group if this is what their sister resorts have to offer. And we travel each year. So Melia is out for sure.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Nice Resort - really bad housekeeping that gives this place 3 Star

Beautiful Resort, Food was not bad, the beach was so nice hard to decide where to stay at the beach or by the pool, Unfortunately I had very bad experience with housekeeping in room. Now it might have been just my maid but here is story: She put back dirty linens on the bed. Had to goto management they apologized changed the sheets. I would have let that go but I notice even the extra blank and the top layer goes over the sheets were stained. The shower head was broken on our 6th day it floo [... read more]ded the bathroom, then went into our room then water flowed out the door to hallway. Which they came and cleaned up. Cheap with Towels and toilet paper not enough and no kleenex (don't think have there) so you use the toilet paper. Which they give you just one roll. If you use the complimentary toiletries like soap, they don't refill if you need more. I am sure if I had booked Royal Service this would not have happend. Oh ya the mattress had springs coming through we had to watch where we slept. So unless you do Royal Service or stay in another bulding then 1, I would not recommend this place.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great Resort

The Melia Marina Resort provided a great vacation hotel with a beautiful view of the marina. The lobby was very clean and provided an opportunity to have drinks and enjoy local entertainment. The ability to have the buffet close by was also an asset.

Sol Palmeras: Good resort

The grounds were clean. Food was better than expected. I have never been to Cuba before. We enjoyed the shows and access to the Varadero bus. Internet was always down which was upsetting because we really wanted to check in in the kids and grand parents. Front desk service was atrocious. Worst I've seen. I exchanged $300 cnd when we got. There and she gave me only $200 Cuc equivalent. Maybe an honest mistake.... I pointed it out and she corrected it. But the front desk was very slow for [... read more] money exchange, check in and check out. They only ever had one computer working and there was never am organized line. People cut in front and waited at the counter and got served first. It was very annoying.