Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Horrible experience

Before I begin, I'd just like to note that this was my third trip to Cuba, so I am aware that Cuba isn't up to par with other destination locations. Just returned from this nightmare of a "vacation". When we first arrived, there was no formal greetings, or drinks in hand welcoming us to the resort... we stood in what we thought was a line to be served at the reception desk, only to watch other people just walk up to the desk and be served ahead of us. Once we finally got to the desk, our dis [... read more]appointment continued, only to find out that our room wasn't ready, so they pointed us in the general direction and told us to go to the snack bar. It ended up taking us about 20 minutes to find this snack bar, as the direction they sent us had 6 buildings and about 6 different restaurants (all closed) and we finally found it after asking 4 different staff members. The Racquet Club (snack bar) was one of the better places to eat and the day staff were mostly attentive. On to day two, we went to a mostly useless orientation presentation through our travel group, that unless you've never traveled anywhere before, is mainly attempting to get you to purchase excursions. The buffet restaurant was one of the worst I've had in my life.... most nights there were some items better than others, but mostly it was just plain bad. The one time I actually had a beef burger, it was (under) cooked medium rare and after the first bite, I couldn't eat more. The staff there is hit and miss, as some of them were great and other times you were half done your meal before they came to ask if you'd like something to drink, all the while you've watched them serve 4 tables around you to people who barely sat down. All the restaurants/bars were constantly running out of everything - from hot dogs, sausages, long pasta (spaghetti), jam, beer, wine and everything in between.... It started to feel like the old skit from SNL - "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, No Coke, Pepsi!". To top everything off, my wife got sick from either the food, the water or the ice, completely unsure. Needless to say, that her pretty much being stuck on the toilet for 4 days and me for 2 put a big damper on the vacation. I also must say that I witnessed on more than one occasion, staff reaching their hands into the ice maker to grab ice... (thank you for contaminating all the ice). I found the entire resort to be poorly signed, and quite chaotic. There was constant trucks and golf carts speeding up and down the pathways, forcing the vacationers to step off the pathway and onto the grass. The trucks and golf carts would park directly in front of entrances, again making the visitors have to walk around them.... And at night, most of them didn't even had lights! There were 2 or 3 nights that a truck drove around spraying, for what I can only guess was mosquitoes, but it was loud and smelled aweful! So, in my final opinion, this resort should not get anything better 3 stars. At the moment, I'm not sure if I will return to Cuba, but I can say with 100% accuracy that I will NEVER return to this resort.

Melia Cayo Coco: AMAZING VACATION!!! JANUARY 2017!!

My husband & I vacationed at this resort last week (Jan 8 - Jan 15) & we had an amazing time! We have absolutely no complaints with this resort! We have travelled to a few different places (Mexico, Dominican & Cuba) & this was the best experience we have had out of all our trips down south. The people were so friendly & chatty! The food was delicious & the beach was breathtakingly beautiful! The only problem was mother nature - it was very windy so we could not actually swim in the ocean but we  [... read more]still hung out at the beach for a couple of afternoons - & the pool was very nice & sheltered from the wind. We stayed in one of the villas on the lagoon & it was definitely worth it as we had our own private oasis! This was a very relaxing trip for us! The entertainment was good as well - they had nightly entertainment & daily activities at the pool area. Another bonus was we were approx. 15 minutes from the airport so not a long bus drive to the resort - we never heard 1 plane take off or land so very quiet! We definitely will be returning to this resort again - hopefully very soon!! Thank-you Melia Cayo Coco for the wonderful vacation! - we hope to visit again soon!!

Melia Las Dunas: Beautiful Resort

The resort was beautiful and the grounds were kept clean and maintained. The staff is amazing, happy and very willing to please. I have never seen a beach as gorgeous as this. The sand was so soft and the water amazing in colour. The only downfall I would say to our trip in general was the food was not really that great. I am not sure that this downfall is confined to this resort though. I have heard that about Cuba travel in general. All in all I had a great time, and if Cuba is your des [... read more]tination I would recommend this resort.

Sol Varadero Beach: Ok Resort

Resort was clean there was a bit of disrepair. Over all a 3 out of 5. Food was bad not impressed with wait staff at all room was cleaned every day good service there location was good there was construction close by but not to noisy overall

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: First Time to Cuba - Paradisus Princesa Del Mar

This is our first trip to Cuba. Previously, we had been to Puerto Vallarta Mexico and Mayan Riviera Mexico (both times 4.5 stars) To compare, Mexico had better accommodations: bigger, in-suite premium drinks, better maintained, more swimming pools. PPDM had better entertainment and the bartenders did not water down the drinks. Food was good and we even had lobster on 3 nights. A la carte's were nice Japanese for entertainment but not the food and French was the best. They changed up the [... read more] buffet and lots of stations: Meats, Omelette, Fish, Pasta so things can be cooked to your task. Lots of sauces and condiments so no need to bring with you. The beds had no support and 1 day we had no hot water and the next day the repair was under way so the water was a trickle This is an Adult All Inclusive so people were older and courteous all around. If you have a late check out, recommend getting a courtesy suite. We took the bus around Varadero and this is one of the nicer resorts. Heard horror stories about some of the other resorts but this resort is great overall...just little things that will make it more like a Mexico 5.0 star vs Mexico 4.5 star.

Melia Jardines del Rey: ...

I will start with mentioning the positive aspects of my stay at this resort. The staff was extremely friendly and I believe they may have been short staffed the week we stayed there (or need to hire more people for the size of the resort), but they did their best to keep up with all the guests. The beach was beautiful and there was more than enough chairs to accommodate guests. The layout of the pools are great, and there is plenty of room for the guests at the resort. The negati [... read more]ves that happened during our stay at this resort. We arrived late on Saturday evening, and the power went out due to a storm in the area (not at all the resorts problem, they did have a generator that powered the main lobby) But once we got off the bus we were herded like cattle into a room where everyone from the large group that arrived had to check in all at once, with our names being screamed across the room. We then could not go to our rooms because the power was still out in all the buildings (again, not the resorts problem), late in the evening the lights came back on, so my husband and I were driven to our room with our luggage. As we proceeded up to our room we noticed the lights were not working on the entire third floor of the building. The man that drove us left us in the room and went to get help. he came back and was able to get the lights on- so he left. Not even 2 minutes later the lights went out (only on our floor) again. My husband then had to run to the front lobby (we were one of the furthest buildings from there) to get someone to turn them on again. The staff managed to get them on again, only for them to go out again not to long after. My husband then ran to the front again- this continued and happened several times. By approximately 6:30AM, the resort finally agreed to re locate us to another building. We were then brought to a room with 2 single beds. We had asked to be re located the next day to a room with a king size bed, but after several attempts with the staff, we ended up giving up and just stayed in the room we were given. Another aspect that we were not happy with was the buffet. We did not attempt to go to the a la carte restaurants, because they were booked solid for most of the week and we didn't want to wait in a long line to be told they were all booked. The buffet was too small to accommodate the size of the resort, it was like run of the bulls moving around in the area where you get food. The food was also always cold, whether it was never properly heated or their warming trays didn't work. The stands they have in the buffet area where you could make your own pasta or get meat cooked in front of you was located in a bad area where it blocked off parts of the buffet and with the massive lines made it difficult to get at certain foods. I also found that the food was almost never labelled properly; I do not have any allergies, but people do, and the labels should be a priority when setting out food. The resort also ran out of beach towels on a daily basis. We luckily brought our own, so it was not an issue for us, but people were constantly complaining about it. My final thoughts on our experience overall was that the resort is not equipped to manage all of the people it is made to hold. They need more staff, and need to take better steps to make sure there are enough supplies for all the guests.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Big resort but not enough staff to accomidate

Beach was nice but no water for 2 days can really send a negative vibe through out the resort, slow staff, only interested in tipping clients, poor food quality, Buffett always cold, front desk no help once so ever, I heard more "Sorry" from Cubans than Canadians. Both phones in our room did not work, had to change rooms 3 times because of no water or power, block 16301, and then was promised a new room the next day and then of course, "Sorry" we are over booked. They put my wife and I in a ro [... read more]om with 2 single beds. This trip was my anniversary and an absolute waste of money, I would have rather stayed home in the cold. I have never complained before on a site, but this is my one holiday a get a year and felt I was ripped off.

Sol Varadero Beach: Spend a little more...

We are not huge complainers, or picky travelers but this was by far the worst vacation we've undertaken. We just want a bed to pass out in a clean bed after fun days at the beach, by the pool or simply out and about. This was none of that, the maid changed out the bedding twice. After the second day, our only two long towels disappeared, so we had to use facecloths to dry ourselves. The pillow's undersides had some woman's makeup on them, and one of the larger pillows smelled so bad of ur [... read more]ine we had to keep it in the other room. Speaking with other vacationers, it seems our tepid, *read cold, water was as good as it comes, with most people having a trickle coming from the shower head at best. Bar tenders, although very nice and friendly, are inattentive at best. I was warned about the food in Cuba. The food tasted good, but make sure you bring baby wipes and creams/ointments if you plan to eat any proteins on resort. The people we met made our trip, and none of the people we spoke to would recommend this hotel or stay there again.

Melia Marina Varadero: Terrible resort

Melia Marina Varadero NEVER AGAIN! CUBA.....MAYBE IN FEW YEARS! ....PROBABLY 5...... Service VERY poor! Very dirty...in the room and outside! Hygiene=0 Very expencive!!! VERY LOW QUALITY! Disappointed!

Memories Cayo Largo: Sol Cayo Largo-A very nice resort!

Grounds were kept beautifully and was pretty lush considering the locale. Room was spacious and bright and the bed was firm but comfortable. Those over-wide pillows took a bit of getting used to. Washroom was a little run down, but I had no issues with the water pressure and the hot water was always available. Others had issue with pressure, but I lucked out. I was far enough away from the activity and my window faced towards the ocean, so didn't have any issues with the noise level [... read more] that some of the other people had who were closer to the main stage/bar and faced that way. The beach is beautiful and the sand was fine and white. We had a bit too much wind so the red flag was up almost everyday and swimming or snorkling from the beach was not in our cards, but playing in the surf and walking the beach was amazing. Only thing to be aware of is that there is a clothing-optional end of the beach where you may not want to take your kids. You can walk from one end to the other passing (and going into) the other resorts. The pool was cool, but once you get it, it was very refreshing and was super clean. Always tons of loungers both by the pool and at the beach so you don't have to send your husbands out too early to stake out the seats. The main bar was our hub where we met for coffee (best I've had in Cuba) and drinks before deciding where to next. The bartenders were super friendly and efficient!! Don't know how they do it. Never had to wait too long for a drink or two or three..... Food was quite good but pretty much the same each day with the exception of the main courses. There was lots of great fish grilled fresh to order and the cheese selection at dinner was really great! Their soup was always good so go for it. The lunch BBQ line up was a bit slow and often they ran out of chicken quickly, but worth the wait. Send your spouse and order for 2. The snack bar had the best drinks and those pork sandwiches...yum! Of course the fries are a must. I said I would only have it ones, but I managed to break that promise time and time again. We did the ala-carte twice. Once at the beach restaurant which was really good, and once at Las Trinas, which was okay. I would have preferred the buffet to Las Trinas, I enjoyed the atmosphere but the food wasn't that great. The massage at the spa was the real deal. You can ask for "hard" and they give you one exactly as you would get in Canada from a trained masseuse. They had all the right techniques and well worth the 25 cuc. We had 2 each. As usual, the staff was incredibly friendly and very helpful and engaging. We took the Super Reef Excursion and thoroughly enjoyed the day. The second reef was definitely better than the morning reef, so don't skip it. Lobster was delish. All in all, even though we didn't get to do much swimming at the beach, we had a great time and would definitely recommend this resort.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Nice grounds but there are some problems. I rank it 3 star.

The soviet mindset is still entrenched here. We arrived tired, thirsty and hungry. There were only 2 people at the front desk. They were overwhelmed by all the arrivals it appeared. We waited nearly an hour to have our room key given to us. No one offered us a drink or even gave us any special welcome. We had 3 days with no hot water to shower. When I mentioned it to the front desk they simply looked at me and did not respond. Even though I am a generous tipper the service in the cafeteri [... read more]a (buffet) was lack luster and no one approached you to refill a drink. The service at the beach bar was better. One of the restaurants served us under cooked pork. It was served raw inside. We sent it back and they did not say a word just brought back a very well overdone piece of pork. Some days there was no basic things at breakfast like yogurt or fresh milk. The vegetables all come frozen and the meat is imported and not aged. Nothing is cooked with any spices. The first day there was fresh fish grilled. The rest of the week the fish was frozen tilapia. Every meal comes with rice and frozen vegetables. Salads are tomatoes, shredded cabbage and no dressing in site anywhere. The resort is in itself well kept and pretty. The beach looks nice. They don't seem like a happy group of servers or entertainers. Perhaps they are going through a transition.

Melia Las Dunas: Very Nice resort!

Very clean resort, gorgeous architecture, beautiful lush landscaping. Huge pool, great food selection, friendly staff. Crystal clear breathtaking beach with white sand. The only downfall was the cold showers!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Wonderful vaccation

Hotel does not look like 5 star. Food is Ok, but have to line up for a while until you get a table at buffet. Restaurants are too small and I managed to get only three reservations for dinner while staying for 7 days. Long wait on line for reservations. Room smelled terrible when we first entered in. Smelt like never opened for several months. Coffee maker was not working. Couldn't get it fixed or replaced until we leave. Wi-Fi available only at the lobby. You have to walk into lobby every time  [... read more]you need to connect to internet. Still you have to pay for it. Services from Sunwing was good as promised. All services on time and friendly staff made it pleasant vacation for us. I would use tripcentral and sunwing again for sure, but never visit Paradius Princesa Del Mar again.

Memories Cayo Largo: It was OK.

The hotel itself was nice. Problems with water in the rooms, showers sometimes had no water and toilets not flushing. Food was good and lots of it if you weren't too fussy. Our travel rep was never available at the times she indicated she would be so we constantly had to track her down. Beaches are beautiful. Our one snorkeling excursion was wonderful, lobster lunch was delicious. Hotel grounds were nice. Hotel staff in restaurants and bars were very friendly and helpful. Would only reco [... read more]mmend to friends that were looking for a cheap vacation.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Resort is “ok”

My family and I had an opportunity to stay in this resort from January 6 to January 12, 2017. Positive side: great service and friendly and helpful staff, food wasn’t bad, but poor variety, repetitive every day. We enjoyed the night shows and entertainment. Negative side: tired looking rooms, needs a lots of upgrades, smell from washrooms was disgusting! Water never was warm enough, so we were having a quick shower especially on cool days (unfortunately we weren’t lucky with weather).

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas has Flopped

The review below is word for word what I submitted to Trip Advisor. It is interesting to note on TA that the general manager's reply is a stock reply that ha been copied as a response to many unfavourable reviews. As for the place and its problems having been resolved, far from it, and still ongoing as of our departure on Jan 12. I guess only a significant health situation as happened a few months back at Memories will open their eyes. " Arrived on Dec 29 with great expectations for our fourt [... read more]h visit to Melia Las Dunas and to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. Sunwing flight was uneventful, although a little late departing because of deicing and traffic. Arrivals area in Santa Clara was total chaos with what appeared to be a flight full of Cubans coming from USA to spend New Year with families in Cuba. Bags were scattered everywhere and finding our own was much more of a challenge than usual. Exiting the terminal was complicated because of the large number of people and a new system of customs where if you have nothing to declare, you supposedly can go directly through the "green lane" (explained on the Customs Declaration form); except that there is no indication where this green lane might be, and everybody congregates around the one exit door. The good part, there were not too many people leaving for our hotel so we were on our way without too much delay. Check in at the resort was quick and we were soon on our way to our room. Room was on second floor, close to the "quiet pool" as we had requested, and was clean and ready for our arrival. And then things went downhill! Because of ongoing renovations to the much larger International Buffet, the only area for buffet meals was the Buffet Criollo, a dark, dingy, and smelly place with very limited food preparation areas and even fewer ready food areas. Salad bar was void of oils and dressings although the bottles were there, but empty. The International Buffet, we were told, time and again, was going to open for New Year's dinner, as if that should make the current situation better. We were not informed about needing reservations for either the first or the second sitting, and found out only by chance when speaking to other guests. Even the "a la carte" reservations desk, where the reservations had to be made, did not let us know of this very important piece of information when I made reservations for the rest of our stay. Nevertheless, it did open as scheduled and the New Years Eve dinner was fantastic - one out 14 is disappointing and unacceptable. Food all other meals was average, not unexpected in Cuba, but the standards of cleanliness were appalling. Plates come from the kitchen still wet from the dishwashers (?) and still dirty with food from previous meals. There is no one overseeing that plates and cutlery are clean for reuse. After much complaining, there were meagre attempts to dry off some plates but that only lasted for one or two meal sittings and only in few areas. Prepared food at buffet stations is cold, even when people first enter the restaurant. On one particular occasion, I asked if there was more of a particular item, and an employee went into the kitchen to bring a full tray of food, but alas it was all cold, right out of the kitchen. Huge lineups prevailed at every station where meat or fish was being grilled, because the staff wait for individual orders before they prepare any food. Empty food trays abound because staff are dreadfully slow at refilling them. The new decor of the main buffet is very light and airy, with whites and greys, newly painted tables and chairs, grey and white place mats, but again cleanliness is not a priority; servers use a scrap of cloth to wipe off mats and tables, when they do. Serving staff try their hardest but they are overwhelmed by the number of guests and their requests. There are clearly not enough staff for the number of guests. Every day there were shortages, ice in particular baffles me. White wine and sparkling wine are served warm because of lack of ice, or just lack of thought to maybe put them on ice, BEFORE the restaurant opens. Sparkling mineral water was available some days, but not others. Food in the a la carte restaurants is similarly mediocre, although the atmosphere, level of cleanliness, and quality of service is far superior, most likely because the ratio of servers to clients is much higher than in the buffet restaurants. Public washrooms throughout the resort are in desperate need of attention, some with facilities out of service, lack of toilet seats, others never with hand soap, non operative hand dryers and no back up paper towel service. The ladies washroom behind the Beer Garden was entirely out of service for most of our stay, as was the Ladies Lobby washroom the last two days - men and women shared the men's room - interesting!! One nice touch, however was the use of incense burners and flower blossoms ringing the wash basins. Too bad the plumbing doesn't work. After so much negativity, the brighter side: the beach is fantastic, there were plenty of loungers on the beach and in the shade under "palapas", same for the pools, although people who place towels on chairs and disappear for the rest of the day spoil it for others. Bar service near the beach and at pools is friendly and quick. Lobby bar service is likewise friendly and efficient, except when the servers are overwhelmed at busy evening times and especially after shows in the adjacent theatre. Special people: in buffet restaurant are Amarily and Luis Rolando, in Lobby bar Yirka and Elizabeth, at beach bar Elaine and Andry, and Marleny, our room attendant in Bungalow 68, who always had a smile and sunny disposition, Javier at the beach was tireless to make sure everyone had loungers and that they were clean of sand - he never stopped all day looking after guests' needs. We invited friends to come join us for the second week of our stay and regretted that decision; I am sure they regretted listening to us. Melia las Dunas used to be a really nice place. Now it has become a place that I cannot recommend to anybody and will never visit again. Too bad; what could/should have been a special Anniversary vacation became something we just want to forget."

Melia Las Dunas: Would not recommend

I have been to Cuba at least 10 times to different hotels and this is the worst one that I have ever stayed at. First off as a large group we requested to be in same buildings and in the party side of the resort to which we were placed in the other side away From the amenities. Most of the rooms had issues, no hot water, no air conditioner, tubs and sinks would not drain and toilets not flushing and patio doors not locking (especially on main floors). My mom even had a hotel worker and a guest [... read more] come in her room at around ten at night, while she was sleeping and said it was this other guys room, like really? The food was not good at all and what was eatable was always cold. They always ran out of bread at breakfast and the choices were limited. We ate at the romantica and had the beef, which was okay for Cuban standards, the seafood, which was okay and the service was great, but again the lobster was pretty dry. We also ate at the Italian and I have nothing good to say about it and the waitress was rude. The conditions of the buffet was dirty and the tables were covered with flies at all times. We were lucky if we got utensils. I did not attend any shows, but the lobby bar entertainment was usually nice. The resort grounds are nice and the beach was great, but that's Cuba for you. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone and will not return. I have been to far nicer places for the same price. Again I have travelled t Cuba many times and have never liked everything at each hotel, but I expect that, this however was not good at all

Melia Las Dunas: Large Clean Resort

The Resort Layout resembles Playa Pesquero in Holguin, the grounds are maintained by many Friendly Gardeners. The Lobby area and front of property and all the walkways were great, all with ample locations for great pics. We were in contact with resort prior to our arrival to arrange A La carte Dining and request our Room requirements (5 adults/4 children/3 rooms) Sandra Alemán Alvarez was our contact name, Very .. Very nice to have so much assistance prior to arrival .... Sandra went above an [... read more]d beyond with all our needs ... unfortunately we never connected when we were there but this review will spread and hopefully help others. The things I was disappointed with was (1) air conditioning in the room was poor, even with windy cooler days it never did the job, was set as cool as possible from start to finish. (2) The buffet restaurant was big, busy, lineups and loud, this was the main area you realized you were staying at a Big Resort. (3) Pool area fills fast and travelling with children in a group you will have problems getting chairs together or chairs at all, first time we have had a chair stolen with our bag tied to it .... found bag later thrown aside! The good outweighs the couple things I mentioned .. on a beauty day that beach was perfect ...... Enjoy !!!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Amazing resort

beach was beautiful - lots of shade as well. Pools were also amazing. Staff were so friendly & helpful. A la cartes were so good & food at the resort was best I had in Cuba. Resort is very large - if you are going there with your family ask to be in a building further away from the Disco that is right beside he resort as they have foam parties outside that go late into the night and can be loud for the buildings beside it - There is also a bowling alley beside the disco that is 5 cucs per person [... read more]. I went with friends, but would like to go back with my family - would go back here again & again

Melia Jardines del Rey: Great resort but some hiccups along the way

The resort itself is beautiful! Good food and overall good service. We had a few hiccups along the road that made our stay difficult. To start we had no hot water during our stay so we had to take cold showers all week. On top of that a few days were spent with no water at all. The sewage outside our room had irrupted and there was water all over the sidewalk We had a bit of a confrontation with the towel worker, he was very rude and threaten to strangle us if we didnt bring our towels bac [... read more]k. He also made comments saying that he is working and we are on vacation which means we can afford to wait a few days to get towels. We spent the first 3 days without a towel and the rest of the stay with the same towel because he never had fresh ones ... On a good note we had a great relationship with the entertainment staff. A special thank you to Jorgito, Elier and Bombino for their amazing dancing and entertainment! Our trip wouldnt have been the same without them and they are the highlight of our trip. Would not recommend this resort for the above reasons but the staff is great !