Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Think twice if you are a beach person

The grounds are very pretty and well maintained. The food was quite good, with a varied menu and food stations of items made while you wait. You need to know that steak/meat on the grill is not a Cuban specialty, if that's what you're expecting. Fish and seafood was very good. Most of the staff were friendly and attentive. Rooms are fine/adequate for the amount of time you spend in your room. Our family had three rooms. The housekeeping was consistently very poor at refilling basics like toilet  [... read more]paper and clean towels. Daily we were searching out basic supplies. The nightly entertainment was excellent and varied. Now the beach... if you like to stay by the pool this resort is for you. If you are a beach person, find a different resort. The sand is lovely and once you get into the water it's beautiful. Getting into the water is a challenge, even with water shoes. There are sheets of very sharp rock/coral all along the entry to the water, some places extending 10-15 feet into the water. It's quite difficult in spots to walk over the rock. Once you get past the rock there is sand. We were not warned of the extent of this and it really put a damper on the beach/water experience. We will not go back or recommend this resort because of the poor beach conditions.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Great resort, few issues you can deal with.

The resort is beautiful. Lush gardens, great rooms and very friendly staff. The food was good for Cuban standards, always plenty available and actually had flavour. Biggest issue, no towels. I was aware of this before departure so brought my own therefore it was a non issues for me. Second issue is the bugs. You need insect repellent or you will suffer many many bites!!!! All in all I would visit this resort again.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Okay Resort

Overall, the vacation was good. Drinks were cold, sun was hot and beach was amazing. the food was horrible, usually at other resorts in Cuba you can always find something to eat, not at this resort. The rooms were kept clean, the chamber maids work very hard. The beds were beyond uncomfortable. All staff were very nice, and helpful. Would not return to this resort again though.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Enjoyable!

A beautifully laid out resort, delicious food and the best section of beach with turquoise water. Service was good, rooms kept nice and clean. Bring your own beach towels, ongoing shortage of those. And if you want to enjoy tennis and basketball bring your own balls and racquets, there are none supplied.

Melia Jardines del Rey: beautiful resort. bad beach

I absolutely love this hotel and the people who work it. Everyone was so friendly towards us and service was spectacular. The beach is rocky so bring water shoes and you'll be fine.. without them you may want to stick to the pools. The Nats were really bad so bringing spray wouldn't hurt if that will get rid of them. Other than that everything was great including the food. We upgraded to elegance club and I don't recommend it.. I didn't find we had anything special other than our a la cartes wer [... read more]e pre booked that was about it.

Hotel Playa Coco: Good First Visit

We found the Hotel Playa Coco very good. The beach is excellent with clean sand, lots of chairs and shade, clear, warm, calm water. The renovated rooms are nice and we were very comfortable. Food was good and the service is fast and friendly.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Memories Flamenco : pretty bad memories

Dear readers, Dear reader, We were guests of Memories Flamenco between Dec 23-Dec 30 2015. Transfer to hotel went smoothly, the room was already preassigned to us and the welcome package and bracelet given on the bus. Once at the hotel we filled out a form, handed over passes for photocopies and were basically checked in. The bus boy hauled our suitcases to the door and from here on things started to go downhill. Upon entering the room, we found a couple inside. Their pre-assigned room was  [... read more]a few doors away but, for reasons unknown to us, they were moved to our room. Eventually, they went back to their original room and their access key continued to be able to unlock both door locks, theirs and ours. Once they moved out, we quickly discovered the toilet in the bathroom was not working (not flushing). Tried to call customer service but the phone was not working. Went to the customer service to let them know about the non-working toilet. Despite our plea, no change of room was offered, no apologies, just the promise a technician will be sent to fix the toilet. When asking the person at customer service what will happen if the technician can’t fix it she replied “don’t worry, be happy”. The technician showed up ten minutes later and did some work, then announced it is fixed, we only need to wait a few minutes for the tank to get filled. Half an hour later the tank was still empty and the toilet was leaking and still not flushing. Went back to customer service desk and asked to be moved to a different room. None available, was the answer, come tomorrow. Day 2. Went to customer service again, this time talked to a different person. We will send a technician, was the answer, the best we have. The best was the same person who came on Day 1, only this time, after 2 hours of work he managed to fix it. By the end of the day, hot water was no longer available in the shower. Three days later, hot water came back for a day and then, you guessed, went away. One night, the whole building had no power. The room had a very powerful musty smell which I assume is one of the permanent tenants there, along with the bugs we discovered going around happily about their business. Not the occasional bug who may come from outside by accident, they looked like they were living there and prospered. We met a few of the bugs’ relatives and friends in the main buffet, on the wall near our dining table. Bon appetit ! BTW, the light in the main buffet is very dim, it gets depressing. The property has some really dark places at night, especially near building 6 & 7. The cooked food in the buffet is average at best but at least we were prepared for this. Most personnel is nice and tries to help, some are simply good natured, the one exception we met was the short lady waiter with yellow colored hair and thick dark eyebrows on the left side as you enter in the main buffet. She asked us if we want coffee or tea one morning, we told her what we would like to get, she did not appear to be listening what we said, off she went and never came back. Passed our table multiple times since but did not acknowledge our presence. I guess she has not noticed a peso at the ready (which we dispensed to others for good service), try to avoid her if you don’t tip just to get attention. The beach is mostly rocky but you will find a spot by the deck where you don’t need water shoes to get in the water. It is long, and one can walk for miles in either direction, some areas are very nice and look untouched by human activity. The entertainment by the pool seems to have some variety which people seem to enjoy. We tried some drinks (mojito and pina colada) in the lobby bar and were good, at the beach bar were awful, the red wine was pretty good too. If you know you attract mosquitoes, bring repelant, you will need it. Throughout our vacation we tried not to think at issues and enjoy the nature, weather and people we got in touch with and we succeeded with strong self-management but would have liked to relax instead, what are vacations for? Once arrived at home, we checked everything in our suitcases to make sure they were bug-free and promptly did the laundry. The hotel has issues. Yours to discover. We would not return to Memories Flamenco and would not recommend it to anyone. Would you ?

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Better then expected

Smaller hotel, close to beach.Service good and professional. Drinks are good...scotch, rum, tequila ,brandy, gin, vodka...decent red and white vine from Spain. Cappuccino is ok same as the espresso. Rooms are clean, if you dont have enough water just ask for refill in the buffet restaurant. Internet very slow, better get your own plan. 2 tennis courts, ok gym, cheap massage .Best ala cart the Cuban , second best Mexican...dont go to the Italian...

Melia Jardines del Rey: Not the best choice...

I was expecting more from Melia (I've been to Melia Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Guillermo before). Unfortunately I had an accident the very first day on my way to the beach, I slipped on a puddle of water (after a heavy rain the hotel did not clean the water) going down the stairs. Nobody seemed to care, I was called 2 days after(!!) to be asked if I was OK. I travelled alone and it was challenging to move around. The Cuban a la carte served me row fish (cooked from frozen), again no one [... read more] bothered to do anything. Because of my foot injury I had to eat lunch at the beach restaurant, the meat was not cooked properly and the other choices were overcooked pasta, rice and French fries...The first evening we were left on our own to find the bungalows...a good manager would've used the golf carts to drive the tourists to their rooms. There was a mini fridge in my room with beer and soft drinks but was not turned ON when I got there (11 pm) .First impression is important. The toilet in my washroom did not flush, I had to open the reservoir every time I was using it. Didn't bother to complain but I was wondering how the maid cleaned it??? I've been to Cuba 14 times, I will go again but never to Melia Jardines del Rey. The beach is full of rocks, so is the water. A few metres to the left there is a public beach, nice and clean....no rocks in the water.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Good family resort

Our suite suited our needs perfectly and we loved the huge balcony. The food at the resort Is just ok. We always found enough to eat but nothing tasted fabulous. The staff was very nice and the coffee and drinks were awesome. We ran out of diapers whIle we were there and we could not find any on the island. Luckily, another family helped us out. We had to be on top of the maid service in order to get towels and a bottle of water everyday. Beach towels we also difficult to come by. The pool was g [... read more]reat and worked out well for our toddler. Also, unless you are in the priority club you do not have anything in your bar fridge. Kind of annoying. Overall, wet had a relaxing, peaceful stay. Being so close to the airport was also an added bonus!

Hotel Playa Paraiso: It was an OK resort.

Just got back on January 03/15. The problem obviously with Cuba is the food. It is absolutely terrible. Only one bar open at night. Was there over New Years and there was only two bartenders on and wow are they slow! When you book into Pestana they give you one beach towel per person. You can exchange this daily but good luck trying to get it exchanged because they are always out! If you loose your towel it will cost you $30.00. The beach was absolutely amazing!!!!

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Fair Resort

The resort needs an update. It has 2 pools. Good beach. Staff was great. Food is sub-par (buffet and a la carts). NYE lobster dinner was excellent though. Rooms are decent. 1 hr ride from airport. Would not return.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: New Year's in Cuba

This was our first visit to Cuba and there were definitely positives and negatives. We would return for the Cayo Coco beach alone. Overall a positive experience but some areas could benefit from improvement.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great view, nice beach and good food!

This resort is well maintained, even though it is a bit outdated. The landscaping and grounds were well groomed; rooms and restaurants need some updates. The service and staff are happy to assist when needed. The management should improve their entertainment programs and availability for beverages.

Hotel Camino del Mar: Home away from home

I have visited this resort 4 times in the past 2 years.. the resort it's self needs a little TLC here and there, but if you go in with an open mind.. realizing that it is Cuba and not a 5 star Mexican resort you will love it. I'm a picky eater and have no problems with the food. The Beach is beautiful, pool is also a great place to be.. but the lining in some spots is coming up and needs to be fixed. The people who work at the resort go above and beyond to make sure you are happy and having the  [... read more]best time. I consider these people my second family and can't wait to go back!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Great Value

This resort has several positives, the biggest of which is the staff that is always very friendly and happy. The resort is clean, and the grounds very pretty when everything is in bloom. The beach is great, providing a good combination of areas where there is plenty of shade and areas where one can bask in the sun. The water is amazing but unfortunately coral located at the shoreline can make entry a bit difficult without water socks. The pool is very nice and 24 hr snack bar a great amenity. Th [... read more]e evening lounge is also a super place to hang out. Rooms are spacious but basic. The overall resort is getting a bit tired but upgrades seem to be happening. The food is average, so fussy eaters might have some difficulty. Quirks included no working phone in room, inability to get an extra cot, broken coffee maker, difficulty getting beach towels and having to use the same ones all week. But if you pay a good price, these are minor items that won't ruin what can be a tremendous and relaxing holiday.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Enjoyable vacation

Beach and pool areas were nice. Staff was friendly and overall service was good. Room was clean - no problems with hot water, towells, etc.. Buffets were good but a la cartes could have been better. Grounds were maintained.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Adequate resort

Had to grease pockets to actually get what I paid for through Trip Central. Lived out of suitcases (12 people) until our accommodations were available and 500 CUC's later!!!!! Very disappointed that Trip Central would recommend this as a destination. And....there were "ladies of the evening" in the lobby every night after 11 pm and picked up by their pimp by 10 am the next morning!

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Awesome two weeks at the Colonial!

It was our tenth trip to Cuba and first to Cayo Coco. After posting several questions on TA’s forums and doing further research, we selected the Hotel Colonial, as it appeared to be quite charming, was close to the beach and offered a variety of upper floor rooms. ARRIVAL Our carrier was Sunwing. When we arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, it turned out the baggage allowance had just been increased from 20 to 23 kg, yet the personnel was quite strict with the carry-on’s 5 kg limit and  [... read more]I had to transfer some of my belongings to the check-in luggage. For the first time my backpack was also weighed and I also had to remove some stuff from it and put it into the suitcase. The plane took off at on November 09, 2015 at 07:40 pm and after 3 hours and 19 minutes we landed at Cayo Coco. During the flight we had complimentary food/beverage choice including pizza, wine and coke. Cuban customs officers questioned Catherine’s supplements which were in hand, but eventually let her keep them. We got on the bus, which dropped off tourists at two other hotels before coming to the Colonial. It was a short, 20 minute ride. We were given room number 1609, on the lower level, despite having emailed the Hotel beforehand requesting a quiet upper level room. Unfortunately, we were told that there were no upper rooms available, but advised to check back in the morning. That very night we had dinner (served until 10:00 pm) and after wandering on the hotel property for a while, we went back to the room. It was a nice room, across from the pool, yet for us it was very important be on an upper floor, so the next day we went to the reception and managed to get another room (number 1836) on the second floor. HOTEL The Colonial was the first hotel built on Cayo Coco and was opened by Fidel Castro on November 12, 1993—during our stay it was celebrating its 22nd anniversary. It used to be called Guitart Cayo Coco, Blau and at one point was part of the adjoining Tryp Hotel. In 1994 and 1995 a Cuban exile group attacked the resort with machine guns, without causing any injuries. As it had been built by the Spanish, the architecture was very pretty, it was very cozy, had a character, atmosphere and style, resembling a small, colonial town. • The reception area was lovely, there was a fountain in the middle—and the reception staff was always friendly and helpful. I got two English issues of “The Granma”, one had an interesting article on the friendly and playful dogs used by Cuban customs officers at airports. • There were a number of swimming pools, including a large salt water pool, yet half of them were under construction/being renovated. • There were plenty of coconut trees on the property and it was possible with private arrangements to have fresh coconuts upon request. • The beach was narrow, but nice and sandy, with plenty of lounge chairs available. The width of the beach kept fluctuating (quite significantly, I must add) due to tides and it almost disappeared during high tides. For about 50 meters the water was very shallow. Much of the main beach was somewhat hand-raked daily for seaweed, yet manmade ocean debris and garbage was ignored which was a head-shaker. • There were several stores (‘tiendas’) across from the lobby building, selling cigars, beverages, beer, rum, souvenirs, clothes, etc. There was also a hairdresser as well as a dental clinic, offering various dental services at competitive prices. • There were plenty of big blue and Halloween crabs everywhere, especially in the morning and late afternoon. It was fun watching them emerge from the holes or even eating something. They were very shy though and scurried into their holes at the slightest sound. • Behind the Plaza buffet restaurant and the El Caribeno Restaurant (which was closed) there was a pond with a live flamingo. It had apparently arrived at the hotel several years ago with an injured wing and had been there since then, regularly fed by hotel employees with raw veggies/bread. The pond also had turtles and fish. • Beach towels were available from the Club House, after obtaining a voucher from the reception; there was a fee of 15 CUC for a lost towel. Supposedly tourists who lose them, steal from other tourists, so it is best to bring cheap towels from home and put them on the beach loungers to reserve them. • We spotted 4 black cats, usually hanging around the back of the main building. I think they were well fed by tourist as they were quite picky! We also some a couple of dogs sniffing around. The hotel’s staff was very friendly. We had several long conversations with Daniel, a travel rep (trained as a lawyer), who told us about many interesting places in Cuba (some of them we had already visited). Señor Prado (first name Andreas, I think), an engineer responsible for the hotel’s telecommunication (phones, television) is certainly the person to talk to if you encounter any problems with your phone or TV! Last, but not least, I would like to thank Viviana from Public Relations, a very charming lady, who was very helpful and always ready to resolve our problems. OUR ROOM # 1836 It was on the second floor, had a balcony with a view of the ocean (we had paid for an ocean view room) and plenty of coconut trees. It was the furthest building from the buffet and a bit of walk on cobblestone surface for those with mobility issues; the Tryp’s property was just several meters from it. The room had nice furnishing, safe (free!), bathtub, bidet, hair dryer, closet, one big, king size bed, small fridge and perfectly working air-conditioning. The HD TV was nice, but there was no English-language channel from Canada. We mainly watched CNN (the other main news channel, CCTV, was Chinese and as I had been able to determine in the past, quite biased and boring). I wish it had had a CBC and/or CTV channel. Although we do not have and do not watch TV back in Canada, we ended up watching the news a lot: it was during our stay, on Friday, November 13th, 2015, when the Paris attack took place. We did not notice any bugs in the room, just an occasional mosquito—quite often we turned off air-conditioning and kept the windows open and just drew the curtains. RESTAURANTS AND FOOD The main restaurant (Plaza) served buffet-style breakfast (from 7:00 to 10:00 am), Lunch (from 1:00 to 2:45 pm) and Dinner (from 6:00 to 10:00 pm). The servers were very polite, fast and efficient. Tables were indoors but supposedly in high season there was patio dining. Breakfast Two egg stations were preparing excellent omelets and fried eggs as well as there was a pancake station. Plenty of yogurt and juice was always available. Really good selection of fruits, vegetables, cooked sausages, meat, eggs, tomatoes, cheese, bread, buns, etc. Coffee was so-so, but at least servers brought the whole pot to the table so we did not have to get up to get a refill. Lunch I only had one lunch, otherwise we skipped it. I had a tasty hamburger with fries, tomatoes and beer. There was also beef and pork made to order. I think that the food was more-less similar to that served for dinner. Dinner We never had any problems with the variety of food. There were various kinds of meat (beef, pork, chicken) and fish, grilled by cooks, as well as shrimps (excellent!), rabbits, several salads, vegetables, desserts, ice cream and many others. One station was preparing ‘made-to-order’ pasta. Passable red wine (and good beer) was also served. Oftentimes bands were playing during dinner, some of them quite nicely, and they were never pushy. The La Placita snack bar, located in front of the La Fontanella, served drinks as well as very good sandwiches (we had tuna and ham sandwiches just before departure) as well as French fries. Several times we had very good Spanish coffee at the Lobby bar. Except for an occasional beer, we did not have any alcoholic drinks at the bars, so I cannot comment on them. We much preferred to purchase juice, coke, rum and liqueurs at the store and later enjoyed them while sitting at our room’s balcony. A’ LA CARTE RESTAURANT We had 5 a ’la carte dinners at the Fontanella Restaurant—which also had the live piano/flute/singing bar—every evening different performers were there. We went to the Italian, Cuban and Caribbean-style dinners, they were excellent! We had a choice of any starters and any main courses, plus a dessert. The presentation was outstanding and so was the service. They were served with Spanish red wine. After dinners we usually spent some time at the piano bar (located in the other part of the Fontanella restaurant). Several times Augusto was our waiter; he was very fast and worked like a ‘workhorse’! Incidentally, we met him during our visit to Morón. In fact, all the servers at that restaurant worked very hard and professionally, we did not have to wait long for the dishes to be served. And of course, kudos to the ‘invisible’ chef and the kitchen staff who did a wonderful job-THANK YOU! How to book the a ‘la carte restaurant: go to the Fontanella a ‘la carte restaurant, between 4:00 and 5:30 pm and make arrangements for which sitting and which menu—3 dinners per week are allowed. ENTERTAINMENT Each evening featured a different show. We only went to the Michael Jackson Tribute which was quite good, yet we found it too loud. Another night a band was playing in the lobby, but again, it was so loud that I just left. That was why I really enjoyed the Piano bar—that was my kind of music! CONCLUSION It was an excellent trip! The hotel was very good, the staff very friendly, pleasant and helpful, the food tasty and abundant. There were several rainy, cloudy and even cool days, but they did not spoil our vacation. We wish we could visit the hotel again in the future!

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Beautifull beach and amazing staff!

We returned from Memories Caribe a few weeks ago and all I can say is AMAZING! We had a great time and we enjoyed every minute of it! What made our vacation even better than we expected was the amazing staff that works at the hotel. They work so hard trying to please everyone and no matter what you need they’ll try to do their best to help you. The food was very good for Cuba and you can always find something to eat at this hotel, no matter what time is it. The beach is absolutely gorgeous and [... read more] with lots of shade; if you don’t get a palapa, you’ll get plenty of shade from the trees that are on the beach. Just relax and enjoy! Thank you to the amazing staff for a memorable time! Hopefully we’ll see you soon!