Melia Marina Varadero: Nice resort bad service

The hotel was 5 min walk to the beach, we had nice weather in August (it only rained twice out of 7 days during the afternoon). The food was ok cheese tilapia & mango were delicious and the omelette was good.. Stay away from the Asian and Latin restaurants.. The French one was the best for their service and food. The service at the resort was mediocre, poor towel service, horrible pillows (bring your own) and Internet works only at the lobby. No entertainment at night. The resort was 2.5 hours f [... read more]rom Havana by bus so it was worth to go outside of the resort and see all the classic cars and Spanish architecture.

Memories Cayo Largo: Awesome Experience

The rooms were clean and comfortable, staff was friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious. The beach was beautiful, we had an excellent experience and would definitely consider returning for future trips. The releasing of baby sea turtles on the hotel beach was an amazing experience we will never forget.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Not what I expected

Not A five star when it came to the food. The lack of spice garlic and onion along with The same food at the buffet every day really lacked quality and flavor. The beds were also very hard in the room. 😩 The grounds were perfect and the service was very good, also the shows were extremely professional but much work is needed in the food department before they can call that five star

Melia Jardines del Rey: Huge Hotel

We stay here from July 31st to Aug 7th. This hotel is huge!! Lots of walking, the rooms are beautiful and clean, people are very friendly with the exception of some of the front desk clerk# let's just say tips go along way with them. Buffet is very raw in scent, food wasn't good there. The food was ok at the snack bars however there are too much bird poops on the table/chairs this made me and a few other guest disgusted! We tried 3 al la carte restaurants the bistro and Aqua were Amazing!!! Howe [... read more]ver the Mediterranean was nasty it has small bugs crawling over the table and the food was horrible. The pools looked beautiful( I didn't go in them) the beach is quite the walk but it's beautiful(just bring water shoes and you' ll be ok). Nightly activities are also really nice just a bit repetitive. Lastly the lobby linens needs to be cleaned they are practically black from all the dirt and that takes away from its beauty.

Melia Las Dunas: Best for your money

Beautiful resort, amazing beach, top pick for your dollar. I am a 3rd time visitor (I was actually in the first group that went to this resort) and I am glad that it's still up there. I define try recommend it.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Resort to be avoided

I had to go to their customer service every day to get what I was entitled to + we had food poisoning as well on top of that. For those in the customer service office, I was a real nightmare. In the end, they apologized me in writing and gave me a bottle of Cuban rum. The resort is inundated with mosquitoes and no one seemed to care much about that. WiFi prepaid cards - sold for 2 CUC per hour, but in reality you can use it 15-20 min only. The exchange office is ripping tourists off. They gi [... read more]ve you 65 CUC for 100 CAD instead of giving you 78 CAD as per official exchange rate. The rooms and resort are new, well maintained and look nice and clean. The restaurant staff is polite, courteous and helpful. The beach and water are excellent. I wouldn't recommend this resort to anyone as a 5-star category, because it just isn't- taking everything into consideration and anything paid more than 700 CAD per person is a waste of money. All Inclusive is just a slogan; in reality, it's too far away from that.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Great

The resort was overall very great. Food, beach, pool, and service was exceptional. However the only complaint would be about the cleanliness of the washrooms, but other then that the resort was great. Would definently recommend it!

Melia Marina Varadero: great escape

Had a really good time at Melia Marina.Enjoyed our short walk to the beach every morning. Great beach. Enjoyed the nigh time entertainment, great musicians, real talent. Our room was overlooking the pool and we could see the beach as well.

Melia Marina Varadero: Minor adjustments would go a long way.

'll start with the negatives first. We travelled in July 2016 as a couple. The "Classic Room" was spacious and everything was working (AC, coffee maker etc.). However, for all 4 nights, the bedsheets, pillows and blankets smelled like stale sweat. Usually, 5 star hotels don't have this problem. For the most part, the lunch and dinner buffet was disappointing. I'm a big meat eater, and here I was avoiding everything except for the chicken. The beef and lamb was difficult to chew as it was  [... read more]overdone, and had absolutely no flavour. Several pieces of pork still had cooked hairs on them. The smoked meats, cheese trays and breakfast (abundance of croissants, fresh sausage, bacon) were excellent though. If you're ordering cocktails, the bartenders are poor mixers. As well, low quality ingredients are used. For example, I ordered a "Mohita" and got a sugary concoction with a soft drink version of lime juice added in. We enjoyed the scenery around the hotel and the interiors were consistently clean. We have no gripes with that. The access point to the beach was convenient.

Melia Marina Varadero: great get away

Had a great time, loved the beach. Only stayed 5 days but enjoyed the resort greatly.Nice room, enjoyed the 3-5 minute walk to the beach every morning. We realy like the night time entertainment, real musicians, great talent.

Memories Cayo Largo: Beautiful and relaxing as always!

The Sol Cayo Largo resort was like in our memory great!... We think the beach is the most beautiful of Cuba to our taste. We appreciated the little attentions as returning guests. Noel was very intertaining on the night of the repeat guests diner. The employees are in general very nice. Thanks to our maid, she really made our stay comfortable. Food was ok. It's Cuba.... We appreciated the climatised section of the buffet, it kept most of the bugs out and it was so hot while we where there [... read more] I don't think I could have eaten without sitting there. Bring your bug repellent! I wish I could remember the Pasta guy's name.... He went out of his way to make my birthday pasta special, he was really sweat! ;-) Gracias me amigo! :P We will return, that is for sure! Can't wait! Monique et Sylvain :-)

Melia Las Antillas: Average

The food was average, the cleanliness as expected but they never cleaned the bathtub or sink the whole time I was there. Grounds were fabulous, pool outstanding, too far to the beach. The beach however was amazing as were the activities on the beach.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Good Resort

Hotel lobby - fabulous, large lots of seating available. Good bar. Hotel Rooms - great. Only negative would be the coffee/tea/beer not replaced everyday Food - needs some improvement, although there are choices, not enough green veggies or even lettuce for salads. Hotel Concierge - very helpful when i contacted them directly to assist with my Mum's wheelchair and hotel room requests. Pool - enjoyed Pool Restaurant - food was very good and made a change from the buffet Restaurant Reservat [... read more]ions - limited to 3 only. Long line ups and times not great. Food a little better. Beach - too many rocks, so hard to walk out into the sea. heard from bartender that a Dutch firm is being brought in to add tons of sand. which will cover the rocks and make the sand/beach itself extremely more wider. Close to the airport which is a bonus.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Good Vacation!

Pools and Room was great. Food was ok. Beach is a fail. Too many rocks, and there was a stink smell in the air (sewer, swamp?). Didn't stock the room with water or beers (we really just wanted water) until we complained twice. They ran out of beach towels a few times so we had none. I had arranged for a cake for my kids birthday a week before leaving and was told yes they would be happy to provide a cake (I was willing to pay $). That did not happen and the lady was rude and didn't seem t [... read more]o care that she promised this, once I showed the Facebook chat to another employee he did his best and got us the cake. Btw, $5.00 to visit the market is a rip off they're just taking you to a souvenir shop. The hotel souvenir market was better and cheaper. The pool entertainers will pay no attention to you unless you're female and you're young. Many of the kids wanted the balls to play volleyball but it seems they would only lend the balls if the young ladies were involved, and only wanted to do activities where they could get close to the young ladies. Many of the people we met there had the same comments. We spent most of our time in the pool, and had fun despite all of the issues.

Melia Las Antillas: Sunwing Supersaver Room

I just returned from Melia Las Antillas,stayed week of July 25 to August 1st. My first response to this hotel was just average. After a day, it didnt seem that bad. Grounds were very nice, great pool, sparkling clean. Staff were always cleaning everywhere. The stafff were amazing, very friendly, always smiling and helpful at all times.The beach is a 10! Food was good for Cuba, we had Lobster a few days, shrimp. pork, chicken and beef. There is an outdoor grill outside of the buffet res [... read more]taurant. Again 1st day I was not impressed, but felt better about the food as the week went on. Check in was very good, only 1 bus arriving at 8pm, quite organized. Exchanged currency then at front desk, 100cad gave me 70CUC. There is also a currency desk opened the following morning.Tips are shared between waiters and dish washers.. I enjoyed leaving nail polish, jewellery items, also gave dis razors, bandads, hairbands, ect., bungee cords and duck tape for the chair guy at the beach. I flew with Sunwing, all good, actually left 40 min early on return flight. My room with Sunwing was a supersaver suite, had king bed as requested and 2nd floor. I was travelling as a solo female, had room not far from lobby, close to al acartes and buffett.. Short walk to pool and beach. The room was very basic, clean, great AC. The view was non exsistant, looked over lower level buffett restaurant and entertainment terrace off lobby. but the live music was only before dinner and ended about 9pm. Upgrades to bungalow or 4 or 5th floor were costly, did not feel it was worth it. People said the extra services were nonexistant, just newer rooms with view because you were higher, you could see the ocean. but pool and ocean were quite distant, so view was not that great. All in all, I found initially this resort did not impress me, but after a day or so, not that bad. I booked late and prices had just increased by 200 the day before I booked( due to only 6 seats left on flight). As single, I paid 1665cad for the week. so this was quite high, compared to other places I have stayed 5* for less $$, but this was due to not booking earlier, and I wanted to try Cuba again.

Melia Marina Varadero: Stay away!!

I've been maybe 20 times down south and never been disappointed more that this hotel. Shortage of everything from towels to bottled water and long 15 minutes lines just to get into the buffet for dinner in steamy hot non air-conditioned facilities. The towel truck didn't arrive for 3 days. The better drinks were kept under the counter. Moved to be visible when some hot shot director came. "Mint" for mojitos - come back latter. Once you made it to the buffet long lines to get an omelet or a  [... read more]piece of grilled meat. Elevators were unsafe lights were not working and they were randomly stopping at floors. There is a service car that takes you to the beach.. I've waited with my daughter 15 minutes and it didn't show up. The advice from them was to "Take it easy is Cuba..." hard with a 2 years old daughter. No tennis or soccer or billiard or anything... Please do yourself a favor and stay away of this hotel especially because of the blatant lie of the 5 start rating. Every single employee of the hotel has a "scheme" where you have to pay them. I am not cheap on tips I spend $250 on this hotel just to survive and attempt to save my vacation. Smelly toilets the tables were not cleaned for hours... I'm done complaining. If you are an idiot spend your money here... So sorry to see Cuba became a nation of beggars.

Melia Marina Varadero: Resort for real optimists.

My wife and have stayed in Melia Marina for a week in July 2016. At very first day I hated this hotel so much so I started to negotiate for exchange. Then we decided to make a final decision on next day. Then another one. Now I put firm 4 stars for them and recommend for anyone. No, nothing was really changed. The broken shelf and shower, spotted towels and dirty room still were there. It wasn't a matter for us anymore. Look what we found there: 1. The ride from airport takes 45 minut [... read more]es. The resort locates at big marina filled by dozens of identical (government?) yachts. It has more "city" than "orchard" style. The concrete is everywhere, no place to sit outside under tree. Lot of people use this place for intermediate, 2-3 days stay during cross-Cuban travels.  It cause a momentary inflation of inhabitants followed by long lines. More than half of guests were from South and Latin Americas. We stayed in remote "apartments" building, room 3106. It had a small kitchen inside. 2. Beach. Absolutely the best place of resort, period. It locates within 10-minutes (under sun) walk  or 3 minutes  ride on electric shuttle. Awesome shallow turquoise water,  no rocks or/and weeds under feet. Very safe for kids. In July the water temperature reaches level of human body. I felt as to be a fetus again.  However it is really small. Beach workers doesn't enforce "no person – no spot" policy. As a result all chairs in the shadow after 8.30 am are marked as "occupied" by sandals, baseball caps or towels. Beach activity are volleyball and aerobic. Nice Latinos music sounds almost all of the day. Free kayaking and catamaran rides. Bar and restaurant with decent food right here. 3. The personnel. Some visitors call local stuff "friendly" but in my opinion they are just bothersome and tedious. They don't feel the distance between amiability and discourtesy (imho) / For example, our room cleaning lady were bombing us daily with written messages instead of simple performing her duties like removing dust from tables and hairs from previous guests. On the fourth day my wife did the complete room cleaning (and left a traditional dollar on the bed which was taken). On another night when we were sitting in buffet's terrace the waiter approached, calling us "amigos" then made a 20-minutes speech about her hard life in Cuba finishing it with demonstration of her family photos. Probably, I should response with story of my life with 48-60 hours work in metal stamping environment. We would cry together then; but no CNN reporters where there. Hotel has a lot of work force. Real worker are always busy and invisible. But we've seen lot of them who look very relaxed doing nothing and hiding from supervisors.   Meanwhile the lines were everywhere for 3 days. To check-in. To check-out. For lunch or dinner. To exchange a currency (there is a special person in separate office which has two breaks, 90 minutes each) 4. Wi-Fi is available only at lobby. Each night I saw at least 30 people trying to get a network connection which is really slow and costs 2 US for an hour. You have to buy a special card which is not always in stock. Also, the lack of outlets to charge the dying phone or tablet. 5 The pool. I didn't stay there even a second. In my opinion the idea to spend a Carribean vacation at the chlorine water pool is silly (at least). 6. The room. As soon as we step into we felt the smell of mold. 5 minutes later we found a falling towel's shelf and bleeding shower hose. Three times I called to customer service and got only promises. The shower hose is only 4 feet long, and attached to the bath. Any person higher than 5 ft need to knee to take a shower (while holding ruptured place with palm). One peace of soap. Two bath towels. No shower caps. No light above bath. Body wash was not refilled. 7. The food. Not bad. Not delicious. No complaints.  And very good cheeses, mango and spanish jamon on breakfasts. 8.  The bar. One of the best I visited in my 15 Caribbean vacations. I left 50 US as the tips there. Real cocktails. Real coffee. Real scotch. 9. Vicinity. You can take taxi or hop-on/hop-off bus ( 40 minutes and 5 CUC) to travel to Varadero. If you have forgotten the smell of exhaust gases  from 70s, or gonna see the classic cars from 1956 BC (Before Castro), or need to renew old Che Guevara portrait, that place for you. 10. Entertainment. There is no permanent place like theater there. Dancer have to use occasional spots to change and perform on concrete (very cruel!). However we see a lot of good artists, especially who perform in lobby during dinner hours. And the water show was amazing (I suspect   It was the Olympic team who kept away from Rio). Optimistic conclusion: in spite of all above-mentioned, the hotel is still a good choice for not-so-picky travelers. And as long they will keep price 20% lower then more comfortable resorts around (Royal Hicacos, for example) they will attract people.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Paradise (Except the food)

The hotel is beautiful, clean, and very classy. Well organized, we had our room key and was ready to roll witching 15 minutes of arriving at the hotel. The highlight of this trip was the beech. Crystal clear water and white sand. I have a chronic pain condition and have never felt better in my life, I have to believe that saltwater has many therapeutic properties. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The pool is very nice but I didn't use it because I can go to a pool anytime so  [... read more]I would only swim in the beech while there. This hotel is not for partying, it's pretty quite and older mature clientele which was fine for me but if you're looking to party hard this is not the place. They do advertise wifi but be advised that wifi is not available in the rooms only at the front lobby to which you will have to purchase a wifi card for 2CUC for one hour. And the wifi will not work with Samsung devises, iPhones work fine. The big downfall to the trip was the food. I found most of the food unedable, ate mostly fries and fruit the whole week. Eating the meat offered is like rolling the dice. Not sure what the meat was and food safety practices found here in Canada do not apply there. The person running the grill only has one pare of tongs and will pick up your cooked 'meat' to put on your plate seconds after using the same tongs to pick up raw meat to grill for another guest. I didn't eat the meat but my wife did and had stomach issues most of the week. I would recommend bringing some snacks as you will not be able to find any there. I don't blame this hotel particularly for the food as they are just working with what they can get and after going though the town and also speaking to other people at other resorts it's all the same, they just don't have access to good products. My goal was to get away and relax and I accomplished that so the bad food didn't ruin my vacation. Staff do appreciate tips although I found they appreciate items more. The country is very supressed as to what they have access to and even if you give them money they don't have many options on what they can buy, so they really appreciate everyday items that we take for granted. I gave a nice guy a pair of adidas saddles and I can't explain how appreciative he was. the Cuban people are very nice and I would say Cuba is one of the safest places in the world you can go. You can go anywhere anytime without worrying. All and all very nice vacation.

Memories Cayo Largo: Great resort

Overall for the price this is a great resort. Beach is fantastic. Only real criticism is at the main desk they should have someone that can speak English as well. We'll definitely be coming back sometime in the future. .

Melia Las Dunas: Great resort

The grounds were kept up. Lots of walking. There needs to be more air conditioned areas especially when you visit during Cuba's summer. Beach is outstanding! Pool area needs to be monitored, lot of disrespectful tourists eating in the pool garbage all over the deck! I didn't take my family there because we went for the ocean not the pool! The bbq lunch was the best place to eat and our waiter Jante should be promoted. Could not of asked for a nicer hard working employee! The service overall was  [... read more]good. Lobby bar had the most unhappy employees.