Carisol los Corales: Best buy for the buck!

We had a wonderful time at Los Corales! The staff were friendly and helpful, the resort itself is beautiful even with some signs of aging. The food was more than adequate.We took two excursions which I will comment on. The dolphin show at the aquarium was fabulous and if you want a really memorable experience add the "swim with the dolphins" too. If you want to save money, just rent a horse and buggy and only do the aquarium instead of taking the package. We also did the Catamaran tour to Santia [... read more]go. The ride is a long one but very beautiful; but bring lots of sun screen and be prepared to just relax in the sun. You only have an hour in the city which was just enough time to take out more cash and walk down to the cathedral. If you like to shop, Cuba is not the place. There's not much in the stores except basics for Cubans. The best souvenirs you will find on the beach! So, you will save money there. The free excursion in the horse and buggy was fun and we even saw the wild dolphins in the lagoon, but you can't be guaranteed of that. The beach is a mixture of sand and broken coral so bring water shoes especially if you'd like to play volleyball! Even though there is a lot of sea grass in the water if you venture out a little beyond it there are lots of tropical fish. The coral is not live as it was killed by hurricanes. Also, bring your own snorkel set because most of the ones they have there leak. My daughter went scuba diving and you got to train in the pool until you're ready. Even though they are not certified by North American standards, they did a good job and were very safety conscious. There are paddle boats and you can go out on a small catamaran with a skipper for a tip. There are two masseurs on the beach so for $10 you can have a great 1/2 hour massage with the sound of ocean waves, birds and goats in your ears! Just a word about beach etiquette: the more seasoned guests go out and claim their lawn chairs first thing in the morning, leaving a shirt or something to let you know that it's taken. I don't think it is kind but don't try changing it. If you can't get out early enough to stake your claim just wait until one's available or pick a place on the sand or a hammock or go later in the day when the others have gone in. Bikes are free so you can ride down to where the road ends and see beautiful wild beaches. But they aren't speed bikes so you will have to work on your way back! I got a good one but I was told that some aren't so good and you may get a flat tire. Check it over carefully before taking it out. Also, if you have any dietary concerns, talk to the chef and they will be more than willing to accommodate you. If you're gluten free just bring along some of your own pasta and bread. I am vegetarian and had I known how accommodating they would be, I would have spoken up sooner. There is lots of meat and vegetables, only pineapple, papaya and one other tropical fruit which I am not familiar with for fruit, and only white bread.There is no WiFi but internet is available for a small fee. I liked that because my daughter was not on her phone all the time and it was nice to just visit with other people and enjoy all the activities. If you have a heart for the poor, bring a check in with give away stuff; you'll find ample opportunity to do so and you will be rewarded with seeing happy, appreciative recipients who will try the best to give you something in return. You will be entertained with lovely Cuban music at every meal with live entertainers. There are always dogs standing around the outdoor tables but they are all very mannerly and you will probably have your favourites. To me it was homey. Bring an umbrella for occasional rain. Would I go back? Most definitely!

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Another great vacation to Club Amigo

Every year for the last 7 I see improvements to this great vacation resort. Food is better, beaches are great, people are amazing. Bungalow area had a big over hall with a new swim-up bar ready to open very soon and new landscaping all around the pool. Ongoing improvement everywhere...will be back next year.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Home away from home!

Our return trip to this resort did not disappoint. The hotel is continually working on improvements to make the stay memorable. The staff from check in to check out are friendly and accomodating. The beach is one of the best and the coral offers a spectacular snorkeling experience with the beautiful fish! The recreation staff are loads of fun! There are many beautiful pools and there are plenty of lounge chairs to choose from.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Greet trip greet place

At Club Amigo for the third time it was great to be back. The best part is getting hugs from the staff who know who you are from past visit's. We had an issue with our bathroom in our first room, and in 1 hour we were in a new room.Staff is just great they can not do enough for you.That's why we keep going back. Can't to see them all again.

Carisol los Corales: Great weather and people.

Just got back from a 4 week stay at my favourite resort near Santiago de Cuba This was my 9th time there; my reason for being a repeater is .It's the devil I know, not the devil I don't. This resort is a 3 star Cuban rating a lot of people pay for a 3 star and want a 5 star. The weather is always 27 to 32 this time of the year; the food is good and you will not starve and the staff are friendly and always willing to help without having their hand out as on the north of the island.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Great Beach!

This was our fourth time at Club Amigo. We were in a gardenview room. The room was clean and housekeeping was good. The gardenview buildings are quite old but it appears they are beginning to refresh them. If you book the gardenview, the bottom floor rooms are larger. The buildings are 2 floors. We didn't have any issues with the room other than wanting extra pillows. They were delivered promptly. The food was good. We ate a few a'lacarte dinners which were great. The buffets are al [... read more]so good with a fresh fried meat at each meal. There is a water purifier in the main lobby where you can get water, a thermos was supplied. The beach is awesome! There is 1 large beach and 2 smaller less busy beaches. Shade trees and palapas are abundant, beach chairs are supplied. There are areas of coral between the beach sections. The entertainment was ok. The water balet is definitely worth seeing. Some of the other shows were too loud to enjoy. People with hearing sensitivities will want to be at the back or off to the side, but you won't see nearly as much. The same problem at some areas on the beach during the day, music blaring. The trip to and from the airport takes about 1 hour. I suggest mosquito repellent for the evenings. Our legs got bitten up while sitting outside. We had a great week and would consider making a fifth visit some time.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Great value

Beautiful Area great beach Good value for the money always good weather at this end of the island bungalows are the preferred room. Main hotel is too noisy. Food is reasonable ,this is our 10 Th time there. It Has an 80 percent return rate . We keep running into the same people year after year

Carisol los Corales: The staff was great, very helpful, very friendly.

The room was ok. I was not happy with the fact that when you went to the beach there was never enough sun beds; also at night when they offered the entertainment there was never enough chairs for the guest. At the pool there also was not enough sun beds. The food was not bad. The beach is not as good as other places in Cuba.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: A good deal for the price

I found a deal on TripCentral for $700 (inc. taxes) for the week of Jan. 31 - Feb.7 I did a lot of TripAdvisor research before booking. We have never stayed at a 3 star before, but decided to take a flyer on a cheap winter get away. We went with reasonable expectations - i.e. this is not a 4, 4.5 or 5 star, so adjust your expectations accordingly! First the good - the staff were all great and we found the service to be very good. Our A/C started dripping on day 3 and they immediately offered  [... read more]us another room. We declined because we were too lazy to move. They fixed the A/C right away! We were supposed to stay in the dreaded "barracks", but for some unknown reason, we ended up in the "Tropical" section which is the main hotel (Atlantico). The room was basic - did not include a bar fridge, coffee maker or safe. You could rent one for an xtra cost per day. Although the room was basic - it met all our needs - clean, comfortable bed, working A/C and the maids did a great job cleaning the room every day.. The main downside were the thin walls - the hotel is very noisy - loud guests and music from the pool. However, I always wear earplugs to sleep, so it didn't really bother me too much. On the upside - literally everything happens at the hotel - main buffet, bars, coffee bars, pool, very close to the beach - so it is convenient. The drinks were good and definitely not watered down - in fact, I found them a bit boozy. The grounds of the resort are kept pretty clean. I absolutely loved the cobblestone walkway from Club Amigo to Brisas....very picturesque. We walked it many times. Food: pretty bad! As others have mentioned - breakfast is the best meal of the day and I recommend Benny More and the Gaietano (?) snack bar - both in the Villas section. There are 2 main buffets - I found the one in the Guardalavaca (barracks) section to be smaller, more civilized and less frantic. The A la Cartes weren't much of an improvement over the buffets. Of the 3 a la cartes, El Fuerte was the best. BTW - if you have trouble getting reservations - go back every day to the reservation desk: spots open up. The main issues with the buffet food are the presentation, the re-use of the same foods (re-configured into "new" dishes and the sameness). The beaches are great with some lovely photo opportunities at the very end of the public beach near the restaurant on top of the cliff. There are 2 smaller beaches plus the larger public beach. We had no trouble finding shade under the trees at the beach. I had to laugh at some of the TripAdvisor complaints about Cubans using their OWN beach - hello people, it's their country! The free kayaks, peddle boats and catamaran rides are a plus (just make sure you tip the Catamaran guy!) Favorite bar: the pirate bar - seemed to have drinks that weren't available elsewhere. Went to two of the shows - both good. One was a fun black light show, the other cuban musicians One of the things that did bother me (no fault of the hotel!) was the constant smoking - cigarette smoke is everywhere and you can't escape it. This hotel has a very loyal following of regulars - they come back multiple times/year over many years. They've developed friendships with a number of staff and locals. I enjoyed my time - whether I'd return, not sure? Maybe if the price was right.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Vacation

This is the best vacation eaver food was so nice and people my God so friendly and the hotel staff so friendly that have beach party pool party disco club in side resort roasted pig on the pool side every other day thank so much windy who made it possible

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Great Holiday

Rooms were great, 3 pools to chose from ( one with swim up bar ) 2- 24 hr snack and drink bars, one garden cafe, large and small beach areas and lots of extra activities to partake of. Two large main dining rooms ( buffet ) and a couple of a la cart restaurants Our 10th stay and we will be back!

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Almost an ideal place

In January 2017 we stayed for two weeks in a villa at Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca for a fifth time. It became our favourite destination because of the nice nature and the big swimming pool where we can swim if it is windy or late in the evening when it is dark. Everything is clean, the gardens are well maintained, the staff is friendly (if you are friendly). This year we were pleasantly surprised - the gym was virtually resupplied with new pieces of equipment. There were only two th [... read more]ings that prevented us from saying that this is the ideal place for us. First, the constant problem during our five visits there with the cooks in the main restaurant - they kept ignoring our request to do what is normal and self-evident - to provide correct food labels (e.g., a label reads "Vegetarian", but there is meat in the food); this year, when the restaurant Guardalavaca opened, initially we observed the same problem, but when we talked to the cooks they immediately corrected the errors (unfortunately, their colleagues in the main restaurant continued with their irresponsible stubbornness). Second, the internet access is a constant problem there (we guess many people do not need it anyway, but there are also people who do need it and in all hotels that is provided). What was good this year was that WiFi was finally available, but.... not always working. For example, the last three days of our stay there there was no WiFi and we think it was not due to a real problem, but rather due to the infamous "mañana" (so we purchased a WiFi card but could not use it at all since we left). We would also like to add that we will try to avoid travelling with Sunwing - we travel a lot but we have never seen such bad service - you have to pay for your meal and they are constantly asking you to buy things and at the end of the flight asked for donation (we overheard other frustrated travellers calling the company Shopwing). This company tries to destroy a well-established tradition (the meal is included in the ticket price) but we will not be surprised if the tradition destroys this company.

Club Amigo Mayanabo: A peaceful and very friendly place

We've been to Cuba more than 30 times in the past 30 years. We were North, South, just about everywhere on the island. This was our 7th time at Club Amigo Mayanabo, next to Caracol where we've been 5 times. If you want fancy meals and luxury rooms, you better go to Riviera Maya or Dominican Republic where it will cost you about double the price. At Mayanabo, the rooms are clean and the meals adequate. The PLUS is with the employees who are extremely serviable and friendly. Nothing is impossib [... read more]le. They bend backwards to make your stay pleasant. You will also find on the grounds many places where you can relax, alone... read a book of simply rest. Of course, this is my evaluation according to our liking. Many people differ.

Carisol los Corales: Adequate

Grounds - good for our taste. We were four of us: our son with his wife, my wife and myself. The rooms were not bad. Once because of some strong wind the resort left without water but they managed to fix the problem pretty soon. Except that day the water supply ran O'K. Caution! The hot water is really HOT. The beach isn't bad though not excellent. The view from the beach to the East is amazing. The water is limprid (clear). Our children used to snorkel a lot and with a great pleasure telling [... read more] us that there were many beautiful fish out (down) there. The water was pretty warm all our two weeks the passed January. Apparently nothing unusual as it is the South Coast of the Island. Two trips. To the city. We liked it. The guide was VERY good and interesting fellow. The price fare. Another trip to dolphinarium - nothing but amazing especially for us as we had never seen anything like that before. The daughter in law swam with them - UNBELIEVABLE! We didn't regret the additional price for that pleasure. Then they (not dolphins but the guide and the bus driver) brought us to the Lagoon, then to a private restaurant - the LOBSTERS were cooked perfectly!!! Though the food in the resort was just adequate. We tried two a la carte. "Italian"... As usual pasta - nothing else. But "Creole" was nice. Meat and sea food kebabs. And yet there was another good thing - we could eat after midnight and we liked eat - good hamburgers and hot dogs in the grill bar at the discotheque. ALCOHOL and BEVERAGES were very POOR. I like GIN but even a domestic one was not every day to say nothing about "Beefeater". No TONIC WATER ever, no SUGAR FREE Coke. At least there was sugar substitute for coffee and tea. Adequate... The staff was good. Typical for the kind Cubans. The price for two weeks is fair.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Pattiecakes

This was great value for the money.there have been some improvements since my stay 4 years ago.room selection is important as sound travels espescially in the main building.I will back next year.great beach.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Second home

Once again a wonderful trip. It was unfortunate a lot of the beach washed away with bad winds and rain. Very apparent upgrades happening all over the resorts. I hate to say but only Benny,s was a good place to eat other then the buffets. Having turkey was like being at home. Lots of fruits and lettuce. Syrup like our own in Canada. We went on the tour to the waterfalls . Sunwing representative neglected to tell us they wanted us to drive the jeep(did not) had a driver that spoke only spanish . [... read more] Went to Fidel Castro home again not advised we had to pay 10 cu to take pictures. The lunch provided was fantastic. Did not have time to explore the resort. Onto the falls where again no one told us what a long walk down to the falls and back up. Stopped at a farm on the way down the mountain. Running shoes covered in red earth very hard to get off. Left the hotel at 7:45 and were told would return by 5:30 . Got back to the hotel at 7:30. The roads were so rough even the driver said his arms were hurting as continuing had to go around or over the very deep holes in the road. Much more education needed when booking a trip away from club amingo.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: NIce Resort!

Once we got into the 2nd room in the 400 section it was good (first night in 500 we had water leak all over bathroom floor). Each day our maid did a great job cleaning our room. Loved having breakfast & sitting in the 24 hour bar overlooking the ocean! Good food, drink & entertainment!

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Good place to stay

Third time at this very old resort and still love it. If you go to a resort to sleep in your room then don't go, its very basic, but livable. The beach and views are as good as anywhere in Cuba and I can honestly say for the first time, "I'' was happy with most of the food. I have to say, both flights in and out were pretty rough landings but the in flight service was good. Don't purchase anything other than Rum at the Duty Free as it is half the price on the plane.

Club Amigo Mayanabo: Very good conditions!

The hotel was very nice and the portion where we were staying at was newly renovated. The food was not the best we tried in Cuba but the desert was great and with a lot of choices. The show wasn't also very good ... and nothing much else to do after.. no disco on site. Mostly a quite, family resort.

Club Amigo Mayanabo: Wouldn't go there again.

Officially 3 star MOTEL. In reality 2 stars tops. .........................................................................................................................................................................