Riu Naiboa: Good for the price

I have stayed at the Riu Naiboa with my boyfriend from September 28- October 4, 2015. The weather was amazing, the beach was great, very clean, lots of palm shade, would have been better with palapas but I guess it's a Riu thing not to use those. Staff were dedicated and friendly. Food lacked variety, but was tasty. Drinks were weak. The bed was tiny and hard, however when my parents stayed at this resort they had a big soft bed so depends on the room you get. Also the drain cover, and door [... read more] handles on shower were broken off, we looked at 4 rooms before choosing this 'least broken' room. The pool bar is not swimup, and you actually have to go up a flight of stairs to get to it. On the weekends lots of locals with lots of kids being very very noisy, and the entertainment gears at them, not speaking Spanish made us feel very excluded. We walked through the other Rius, the difference is astronomical in pretty much everything, that being said the other Rius were also twice as expensive when we were booking so I feel that we got what we paid for. The beach and beach bar/snack bar is the same for all of the Rius in that complex and has great staff, yummy food, and the standard local drinks. Solid 3 stars.

Riu Santa Fe: Wonderful Trip!

We Love Cabo. Riu Santa Fe is great value. Travelled end of September. One day of rain and very hot. Resort was only 55% capacity. Plenty of chairs and restaurant reservations were easy. Would go back for sure!

Riu Guanacaste: Good resort

Nice resort, very clean, loved the room very spacious, room also had a nice sized balcony. The beach is nice, hardly anyone bothers you to buy stuff. Ocean was nice not rough at all. Staff very friendly. Good food.

Grand Memories Varadero: We had a great week!!!

My wife and I have never been to Cuba so we did not know what to expect. Everyone seems to complain about the food but we found it fresh and healthy. I think the lack of salt and preservatives throws everyone off :) The room was very nice, but we did not spend a lot of time in it. We tended to relax by the beach and pool most often. The beach was only steps from our room, block 33, and was beautiful and clean. The pool was very clean and warm. There was one section of the resort that was closed  [... read more]because it is considered "off" season when we went. The staff was very friendly, and even more friendly if you tip them :) Its not them, its the Country they live in. The drinks were plentiful, especially if you enjoy Rum. We booked 2 excursions. One was the Jeep excursion and the other was the Havana bus tour. The Jeep excursion was amazing. You get to drive a Suzuki Jeep all over Cuba for the day and it includes snorkelling, cave swimming, horse back riding, speed boats on a river and lunch. The Havana bus tour was good but be ready for a lot of travelling that day. All in all we really enjoyed it. We would definitely go back to that Resort.

Riu Palace Jamaica: Great vacation and already missing it

Few review points here: Property: very well maintained, rooms are clean and spacious. We loved the fact that we don't have to fight for chairs on the beach or by the pool. Everything is close, so no running back and forth between room, beach, pool, restaurants. We did venture to the next door as well, but just for walks and Jerk chicken. Most of time, we stayed on our side. Food:GREAT!!!! Loved the juice bar at breakfast. Jerk chicken hut next door IS THE BEST... we went over every day and pick [... read more]ed up two plates and came back and ate by the pool :) . All the a la carte restaurants are delicious, even the buffet was great (different themes for 3-4 nights per week). Even the 24 hour snack bar (Aqua bar) are fairly decent. Drink: I separated this item from food because I think it is worth mentioning. Drink selections are very good, you get premium drinks such as Martini's, premium rum (the $140/bottle one) , where we never got when travelled to DR last year. I am not a huge drinker, but they have a great variety of tasty cocktails Service: GREAT SERVICE... you always have drink/water in your hand. Staff are always greet you with a smile. I like it the room services are included 24/7. Beach: it is average beach as it is closed off. But the water is calm and warm, which was great for a late afternoon swim. Excursion: We went for a horse back riding tour...it was very interesting as it is not something we do here everyday, especially when we ride the horse and swim in the ocean. Overall it is a pleasant tour (guides are very nice). We also went for a shopping trip that cost US 25pp to go. This is the only thing I would not recommend. We went to 3 different designated gift shops which are all overpriced items. There is a mall across the road from hotel, which doesn't cost anything to walk over to check out.

Riu Playa Blanca: amazing resort

Very clean, friendly staff, food everyday different. pool really nice and clean. Wifi free. erery night different shows but as there are lots of tourist, suggesting that have to speak more English.Love the place.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Got To Have A Sense Of Humor

Grounds were vast. Very far to walk from rooms to common areas. The only a la carte restaurant that was decent was the Romanic. Buffet were often out of usual items, like no bacon, no juice, no potatoes...Prepare to lose weitght! Staff and maids were very very good. Rooms cleaned well but not stocked up real well. There was nearly no entertainment and what little there was, all shut down at 9pm. Then it was quiet. They fogged with pesticide every evening with absolutely no warning. Suddenly your [... read more] surounded by a massive cloud of chemicals and nowhere to run. We asked for a cesar salad to start and we recieved shredded lettuce with peanut sauce. haha We all lost weight. That was a bonus. Also, so many stairs because the resort is built on a hill. Not good for anyone not interested in a daily workout. Beds in rooms are rock hard. Little blankets or pillows.

Riu Palace Antillas: Trip was good....hotel needs work.

Sunwing had great service....flights on time. A little disappointed with the hotel....several floors under construction....would have thought it was further along or that they would have given us notice.

Riu Vallarta: October Getaway

Overall the hotel is very clean and comfortable, the grounds are well maintained and the food was very tasty. There were times when the Flamingo Restaurant had some difficulties with the soft ice cream machine and the cappucino maker, but they tried to fix it as quickly as possible. The downside was the volume level of the entertainment and the fact that the theatre was situated within the courtyard so that the sound had considerable reverb. The entertainment team was great. Just rather loud. Co [... read more]mpared to a different Riu, the beach was not as well kept/clean. Some guests were not as considerate to take their garbage away either.

Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas: Not bad but not a five star as advertised

The rooms were ok although you could hear every noise from rooms above and beside as well as the hallway. Very large cockroaches throughout the grounds. Not nearly enough washrooms on the resort and not well placed. Food was ok, Japanese restaurant was pretty good, Mexican was awful as was the French fusion. Buffet was probably the best choice. Beach was unusable due to the very bad undercurrent.

Riu Santa Fe: Fun time in Cabos!

Hotel was big and maintained. There was not a day when you didn't see an employee working. The resort was clean. The room was clean, although there were ants in the bathroom by the sink, which didn't really bother us. The fridge was stocked, and you were able to request for more drinks. My only complaint about the room was that the housekeeper didn't do towel arts. We didn't ask, but it should be done automatically. The entertainment by the pool was great. The infinity and quiet pool were nice a [... read more]lso. We had no choice but to use the pool, b/c the beach is not swimmable. There's an under tow that can pull you in. Food was ok, not the best. It was basically the same every day. They should change it up sometime. Staff were friendly. We really enjoyed this resort and for the price would definitely come back.

Riu Playa Blanca: Very Good Resort

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this resort. The rooms were spotlessly cleaned and maintained. The grounds were beautifully kept even with continuous changes and modifications going on. The speciality restaurants and the buffet were a delight!! So many different choices to please the pallet!! And the staff went above and beyond what was expected of them. We are planning on returning here in the very near future.

Grand Memories Varadero: Good Vacation with a few issues

We traveled with a group of 7 ranging from 7 months to 48 yrs. Check in was quick and luggage was at our room before we even got there. The 24 hour snack bar was much appreciated, as we arrive at the resort well after 10 p.m. The staff is fantastic and always eager to assist. Our room was in good condition and house keeping did a fantastic job everyday. Food was comparable to other resorts in Cuba. The staff in the main buffet and snack bars are great. A very special thank you to Tamara for br [... read more]inging us bananas from home for the baby. It was very strange not to find any bananas at the buffets. Our only real issue was with a sewage back up that the resort did not seem in any hurry to correct. Our room was in building 21. The main entrance to the building was directly across from the pool bar. Each morning we walked out to a view of the bar with over a foot of sewage water. The smell would wake you in the middle of the night. Being so strong in the room that it would actually cause you to choke. One night we had no water in the building which I am assuming was connected to the same issue. We avoided this pool completely and ventured either to the beach or the other pool on the opposite side of the resort. It is understandable that such issues do arise, but to not be in any rush to correct such a problem is crazy!

Grand Memories Varadero: Great vacation

This resort was beautiful, clean and well maintained. All the staff were amazing and some even knew us by name. The food was good for Cuba and the rooms were comfortable. The resort seemed to have a sewage issue while we were there. Our block of rooms did not have water one night and the rooms stunk of sewer gas the next morning we found that the dry area leading to the swim up bar had flooded with sewage water. The pool was still open but the bar was not. The flood did not get cleaned until lat [... read more]e that afternoon and the same thing happened the day before we left. For four days the swim up bar was closed at the main pool and they did not open the swim up bar at the other pool for two of the four days. Other than that was and all around great vacation

Grand Memories Varadero: Huge Resort

This is a fantastic resort. Great service, very clean, especially all adult section (Sanctuary). About 35 minutes from the airport. Bring bug spray because they do have the "no-see ems". Very easy booking on Tripcental website and thanks to Sunwing also for a great flight to Varadero and back home.

Grand Memories Varadero: Watch out!! This is an honest review

My recent experience with Grand Memories Varadero was an mixed experience. I should mention that i traveled with my wife and 5 month old Son I will start with the positives. Cuban food has a reputation of not being great. This resort did have a good buffet that I would compare to buffets at other 5 stars in other countries, the sit down, restaurants however are not as good. The Staff at all the restaurants are amazing. The place is very nice, the rooms are in good shape and the building are al [... read more]so very clean and well kept. The pool is beautiful Now to the other side. The first 2 days of house keeping service was ok at the best. She came very late and the maids spent most of the day yelling back and forth between balconies. On average they would spend 2-3 hours parked in front of a room with the door open but not cleaning. This to me was a security concern as i would often see the door open with cart in front and the maid on another level socializing. To get better service i decided to deliver a large tip directly to my house keeper. Well big mistake. I did not get ANY service at all for the next 2 days. You should have seen the pile of dirty diapers. The other issue we had with this was resort was, prior to booking we confirmed with out travel agent and I even have an email from a manager at the hotel confirming they have a Baby Club for infants that runs 9-5 everyday at no charge. This was the reason we booked this resort. Well we get to the resort and they do not have baby club anymore and have not had it for 2 years. This dramatically changed our vacation not being able to have at least a couple hours to ourselves. Entertainment SUCKS!!!! The Entertainment staff was nowhere to be found, till about the 3rd day when i found them all drinking for hours behind the Beach bar, that explained why we had no pool games and an unmanned DJ booth with music on shuffle. The Pool Bar was also closed for 5 of the 7 days. I know they had sewage problems (really gross but i know these kinds of things can happen) filling the bar for a couple days but the was fixed and then the pool bar was re-opened only to close the next day again. Last but not leased watch out for bait and switch and math errors. It happened a few times to us on the trip. We would go out for a meal in town and then the bill would be higher than it should. Did the math and they added a couple dollars, Same thing at the airport. The other problem was with the Hotel. My wife went for a $58 massage and they insisted it get charged to the room and we couldn't pay on the spot. Well they billed the room $62 an insisted that was the price of the massage at check out. It was 7:00 am at check out so the Spa was closed and we could not go back to them. Overall this was an honest review and i would stay away from this resort unless you are ok walking a mile for a drink, want no entertainment so you can sit and read all week, and your ok with cleaning your own room.

Grand Memories Varadero: has potential

Resort is in good condition, nice grounds, large clean rooms with cold A/C. Beach is decent, but after heavy rain, the ocean isn't very clean. Service at the swim up bar is great and the pool(s) is/are huge and sparkling clean. Food is OK for Cuba, but food safety is very cavalier. Hot holds have no heat and food is allowed to go to room temp. Raw chicken cooked alongside beef at grilling stations. Staff expects a tip in the buffet or zero service. The resort passed from RIU management to Mem [... read more]ories earlier this year.

Riu Playa Blanca: Great resort and staff

I went with my best friend, it was beautiful and fun. The weather was amazing and we spent most of our days by the pool meeting people and playing games during the day or at the shows and disco in the evening. The staff was amazing and maintenance was great. The only thing we didn't like was the beach but besides that it was a great place to stay.

Grand Memories Varadero: Fine resort well kept.

Friendly staff and prompt attention to requests.Public washrooms need fix up. Night snack restaurant may offer enhanced options.Add another night snack bar. Question to ask ......May be worded as " HOW YOUNG ARE YOU " ?

Sol Turquesa Beach: Disappointment Vacation

Was very unhappy with the hotel. Had to share a king size bed with my daughter, when we booked 3 months in advance and requested 2 double beds. The room was a disgrace. Curtains falling off rod. No blackout backing. No pictures on the wall. Coffee maker; no coffee. Ran out of toilet paper, asked the maid for some, she said there wasn't any. Thank god we had Kleenex. Was wi