Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Needs updating

The Beaches in Cayo Coco are the best, unfortunately the hotel, food, alcohol choices & most staff did not meet my expectations, which when going to Cuba are not the highest to begin with. The entertainment was lacking and the line ups long.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: I can't wait to go back!!

I have been to Cuba many times before, and I have to say my week here was the best ever! The resort itself is stunning, very clean with awesome rooms. No matter what time of day or night (we arrived very late), the staff was friendly and helpful. The bartenders were excellent! No shortages stop them as they can get quite creative if you tell them what you like! They also tell some pretty good jokes LOL! The service staff was very good; our room was cleaned from top to bottom daily, with plenty [... read more] of towels, toilet tissue, and plenty of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, hand soap and lotion. The food was good and there was plenty of it. I have no complaints about the food. Now let's talk about our Butler Extraordinaire, Junior Perez! I don't have the words to tell you how great he made our trip. It was like all you had to do was think about something, and you turn around and there is Junior making it happen, always smiling and helpful! Junior and the staff turned a great vacation into an awesome one! In all my trips to Cuba, I have never booked a resort twice, but I am already booking another stay here in April, and probably again next January.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: A 4 star it’s not.

Grounds were nice. Staff was very friendly and tried their very best. Food was very low grade and room was in bad need of repair. No water for showers for 3 days. Toilets didn’t flush properly in any of the washrooms, including our room, sliding door in our room didn’t lock properly. Internet was almost nonexistent. Had to kill 2 🪳 roach in my room. Very disappointed.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort for the price

The resort is absolutely beautiful. It is clean and has many amenities. There is lots to do for everyone. The entertainment is awesome! We especially liked Enrique who took my family snorkeling and got us fresh coconuts. There was an awesome bartender at the tiki bar who took great care of us (forget his name). The food was just okay, but apparently the best in most of Cuba (we are a bit fussy. We would definitely go again!

Brisas Del Caribe: Not as tall as represented

We booked in all inclusive trip from Toronto to veridara Cuba at this Resort needless to say it was not all inclusive if we wanted anything extra we had to pay for it everyday for breakfast dinner lunch it was rice and beans Meats vegetables or fruit the food handling practices were atrocious there is always a shortage of dishes glasses and cups or silverware a lot of the time there was no toilet paper in our room or in the public bathrooms he had to chase the maids down to get water the elevato [... read more]r was broken a couple of times my friends is diabetic and was unable to get snacks when required the snack bar only provided dried out stale sandwiches the first room we were put into was at the back of the resort right close to the pool and entertainment area very noisy very windy mold in the bathroom .toilet wouldn't flush properly .bugs in tub and sink . main door wouldn't lock we were switched to another room which was much nicer I must say the staff were beautiful but I would never stay there again

Memories Cayo Largo: Amazing Resort, amazing staff ! Will come back for sure!

I would like to share my amazing vacation experience after staying at the Cayo Largo Memories resort. I was travelling alone, but honestly, I was not feeling this way because, at the resort, you are immersed in a family-like and super friendly atmosphere. The animation team is amazing: dynamic, positive, and energetic! At the snack bar, tourists can get a daily bachata and salsa experience. Marcos Antonio Mendoza Martinez, who is a part of the animation team, is an awesome person and [... read more] dancer and will offer you a hand while teaching you the steps of the dance. It would be great if, in addition to the public dancing, there could be private lessons for tourists who are interested in sharpening their dance experience for a reasonable price. I am pretty sure there will be a line of bachata and salsa funs for it!!! ALL - resort, clients and the animation group members would get some benefits from this service. I would like to have a chance to say "hi" to all the amazing staff at the hotel—"you are the best!" I forgot to mention outstanding 3 beaches: at Memories, Sirena and Paradise ! It was an unforgettable experience! coming back for sure!

Melia Las Antillas: Some drawbacks

The grounds are massive and fairly well maintained for this resort. The pool was cold but clean. The resort itself is dated and could use some deep cleaning. The room had a comfy bed and was well kept by the cleaning staff. The door handle broke off in my hand but they were quick to fix it. The A/C is not very cold but it worked. The bathroom was dated with rust and broken tiles. The water pressure and temperature was good for Cuba. The food and drink selection was low supply (Likely Covid issue [... read more]) One day there was wine and Pina Colada’s , the next none. No milk for the coffees on one morning. However the staff made it all worth while, warm, friendly and as kind as ever. It’s the people that made this holiday hood. I would have to think twice about going to this resort again.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Overall Poor to Fair - but would not go back

I did not like this hotel at all - maybe it was the timing - post covid - but we had numerous issues with the hotel from toilet paper, toilets not working, no napkins to no heat in the room - and it was very cold down to 18 celsius at one point in our hotel room. I only give the resort an "OK" mention because it was a good deal financially, however, it was a disappointment and I had realized that saving a few extra bucks was really not worth it in the end. The people working at the resort were v [... read more]ery friendly, however, my daughter did get sick from the buffet, it was extremely loud and chaotic every mealtime in the buffet. The best thing at the resort for me was the entertainment every evening - it was a nice surprise. I feel badly for the people living in Cuba if this is the standard for tourists, but maybe it's just me.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Needs more time to recover from pandemic

Facility is nice, on the smaller side as a resort, and kept clean. Cleaning staff do a great job. However, asking for things like towels, toilet paper and water to drink was hit and miss. Admin staff - not so much. With most at the resort being Canadians and most of those speaking English, at the front desk there seemed to be lots of times they begged off a question with "No English"! Wait staff in the buffet were generally very good, but the meals suffered from lack of variety and amount. O [... read more]ne morning - sorry, no eggs. Stock would come out to the buffet, but in small quantities with long lines waiting for re-stocking, but very slow to accommodate. I would not recommend going here for some months until it gets settled down again. Beach is beautiful. Beach chairs a bit dated and several were broken. Pool is beautiful but not heated, so no one is actually in the water - just sitting around it. Information about the hotel for those who are on site is terrible. No maps, no explanations at check-in. Just left to yourself to figure it out. That is terrible service.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Another Great Vacation @ MJDR!

Jan 13th - 20th *Sorry it's a long review but almost everything you need to know is in this! *Please note, this hotel only reopened a couple of months ago after being closed due to covid. It is not at full capacity as of yet. Some blocks are still closed and the second large buffet is not open yet. After reading some negative reviews before we came we really wondered what was happening. We were just there at the end of November and we just couldn't see how things could have changed so f [... read more]ast. We had talked amongst our selves and assured each other that it was just "those people". You know the people that yell at the gentleman holding the door open at the buffet because they didn't get towels..... yes those people. Needless to say we were correct! We had a fantastic time! I have said it in many of my travel reviews that my biggest complaint has been the actions of others. I'm going to leave it at that but seriously some people really need to think before doing. We flew air transat and have never had a problem. We walked off the plane @8:54pm and we were drinking beer in our room by 10:15pm. Yes we were through customs, got our luggage, got on the shuttle bus, checked in and walked to our room in beautiful block 19 and we were drinking the cold beer out of our fridge in under an hour and a half! This is one of the major reasons I choose Cayo Coco over Cayo Santa Maria after traveling to Cuba many times. The Room. Our room was very nice and super clean. Bed was a king and it was comfortable. The air was ice cold and so was the fridge. Our toilet flushed perfectly, the toilet seat was a little loose but no problems. One day we had no water for long enough to figure out we didn't have water only to realize we had water again lol. Hot water, I only had two "cooler" showers all week and they were at prime time. Water was always very hot just before or just after 5pm. Our towels we used until mid week and then placed on the floor. We had clean towels later that afternoon. Two beer and 1 large bottle of water were brought to our room everyday except the first day. (We did arrive just the night before so we weren't worried) The fridge restockers are separate then the maid. Feel free to leave them a little tip. Snack Bar; I am a snacker so I loved this place! One day however we decided to eat late and they were out of food. When we went to the other buffets they were closing and pizza bar just finished. 100% bad timing for us lol. We always bring some snacks so we were not bothered too bad. About an hour and a half later we saw people walking by us with Fries and sandwiches at the pool. Needless to say they were not out for long so please don't take it out on the workers, they don't need your attitude. They are doing what they can. 99% of the time; Ham and Cheese Sandwich 60% of the time; Chicken, Tuna, Ham and Cheese sandwiches and Fries. 40% of the time; All listed sandwiches above and fries and Hot dogs. Pizza Bar; A BUSY PLACE! The Pizza is very very good. I do believe they need to increase the time this is open if possible to take the rush and pressure off of it. It is said to be open from 12-3pm as it was when we were there in November but we found out that "last chance" for Pizza is at 1:30. We tried @2:30, then 2:00 then 1:47 and finally successfull by arriving @1:30. It is not fast, we seen some people eating 2 and 3 pizzas each! Also many people taking 6-9 pizzas to go! I thought maybe putting a limit to 1 per seated person would be a good idea but that will just get people angry so perhaps longer hours like 11-4?. Not sure the answer there. Either way it was well worth the wait as it was delicious! We ordered at 1:35pm and were done eating at 2:20pm Buffets, I recorded all my times in lines and such because people were saying they were waiting an hour and such for food. As I expected, not the case; our longest wait in a line for FRESH COOKED food was 26mins. If you don't want to wait in a line to get in to the buffet then don't go when it opens! We found 8pm to be super nice for dinner and breakfast we always went around 9am. We were never in the buffet for an hour total from in to out. Did they run out of plates? Yes. How long until more Plates? 2 mins and 47 secs on one timed occasion. I seen multiple times where the plate stack was empty. I would get in line and watch people frantically running around looking for plates instead of relaxing a bit and waiting just a few minutes for them to be restocked. My wife would bring me a plate or I would excuse myself from the line for a moment to grab one. If you are wondering why they may be low on plates, it is probably because guests feel the need to leave them everywhere on the resort. On the beach, on lights on garbage cans, you get the idea. Please just return your plates and other dishes to a table somewhere! Favorite Buffet foods were; Breakfast; Fresh omelette with extra cheese from cheese bar, Bacon and Toast. Waffles were delicious as well. Lunch; Fresh cooked chicken, curry chicken and rice. Dinner; Gnocchi Pasta hands down best ever! Also had fresh Chicken and such but that pasta was amazing. A La Cartes ; Oh my! We had some very good meals. To book the A la Cartes you have to wait in line at the lobby in the morning. I may suggest one person gets in line and the other grabs some cappuccinos to help the time pass. Favorites in order; 1) International, by a landslide. Amazing meal! And A++ service! The Cream Cheese soup was sooo good, I got more lol. Thank you Yenni and Denaris. Not sure on spelling and I do not know the other girls names but the crew that work here is amazing. 2) Italian, very good and had to get some extra Lasagna! 3) Mediterranean, Rice pudding dessert here was very very good. I drank a lot of the rose wine lol and the wife drank the white wine. Red was good as well but the rose and the white were out preferred wines. Pool; Party pool behind snack bar. Pool is big and clean and Papa and his crew of fantastic women make it a fun place to be in the afternoon. Games take place pool side at 4pm and are a blast even to just watch if you don't want to participate. Fashion shows also take place at this pool. Miguel will be happy to grab you chairs, treat him well ;). Quiet pool; It's big, it's quiet and we don't go there. It is a good place for you to go if you feel that music is "obnoxious" lol. Yes someone said that to me lol. Ice cream bar: Very good Pack a washable plastic spoon in your beach bag as they don't always have Spoons. The plastic knives worked fine but why not bring your own. **NEW Coffee and ice cream bar just outside the lobby. Never got to go there as they were just finishing it. It looks amazing! Beach; Beautiful! Lots of winds the first 2 days brought in a lot of seaweed and they brought in a tractor and got it all cleaned up on Day 3. Left of the beach bar soft sandy entrance and you can walk a long ways out on the sand bars. Right of the beach bar some spots to go out but more rocks, water shoes recommended. Far right of the beach bar tonnes of sand to walk on or out to the sand bars. Beach Bar; Lots of drink options including pina coladas. Ran by some amazing guys, Joel, Omelio and Yosley. Keep coming, Keep coming! See you in 5 minutes! Lobby; Spacious and clean with some fun thrown in there at night. Lobby Bar; Mornings, Cappuccino is a must! Evenings, many drink options and Cappuccino and Spanish coffees. Please see our amazing friends there!. Yuniel (the Tiger) Yarelis (the Tigress) Vladimir (the Cheetah) Mojito Bar; (just off the lobby) Amazing drinks made by the one and only Reny! Nautical Center; Book a Catamaran for snorkeling! It is amazing! Super people that work there! Excursions; We usually always book the catamaran and snorkeling seafood lunch trip (210$ cnd charged to card for 2 of us in Nov 22) . We did not this time but highly recommend it. Market; There is a market right beside the resort. Stores, outdoor vendors bowling ally and a Japanese restaurant. We went to the restaurant in 2018 and 2019 and it was delicious. We have not gone back as the price has doubled there per person. Tips to make your stay great; We always pack our own towel, cup, pillow (who doesn't like an extra pillow anyway), a roll of tp and condiments such as Peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup and ketchup. Small bottles can be found at many stores then we leave what's left for a worker if they want it. For medication type things, tums, benadryl, advil, Tylenol, Hydro cortisone cream (I find if used right away on noseum bites it reduces the itch to only 3 days) to back that up we bring a anti itch cream) they only ever bite me not my wife lol. Bring a converter! They are cheap and if you always travel with it you never need to wonder about plugging stuff in. Last but probably not least we bought a luggage scale (12$) to make sure our suitcases are not over. Damp clothes and such can add a lot of wieght even if you brought tonnes of stuff to give out. I hope this helps. As far as gifts to bring for workers, if you use it they need it! Any thing else above and beyond is truly appreciated. Also a subject that is beat to death. Please stop taking coins! You don't need to! People say it's to much to tip with 5s etc. You can always bring some american 1$ for small tips. You can also just tip less often with 5$ bills if you like. Or you can buy change off of almost any worker when you get there! If you want to take some to start maybe take like 10$ then just keep buying more to use. At the end buy at least double you came with. That would be a reasonable start!. I hope this helps! Big thanks to Lisbet, Juan Carlos and Yosvany and everyone else that made our stay so great! We miss you all already. I am so sorry to those names I forgot. I will never forget your faces. Can't wait to return!

Melia Cayo Coco: Good resort for Cuba

The resort is very clean and the room was simple but nice. Comfortable bed and air conditioning works great. The main lounge is nice and if you like fancy cocktails they are available. Severe lack of seafood and buffet is redundant but there are supply issues in Cuba so you take what can get. Very happy with resort

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Had a Great Time

We travelled to Iberostar Selection Playa Pilar Jan 7th – 14th 2023. After 25+ trips to Cuba this was our 4th time to this beautiful resort and as always it didn’t disappoint!! With beautiful surroundings and genuine people! you cannot go wrong with choosing Playa Pilar to spend your vacation! Very nice accommodations, great ocean views from most rooms, a good selection of food to choose from and of course the weather is much nicer than Eastern Canada at this time of year! We found the eff [... read more]ects of COVID to be minimal during our time here, a couple of supply chain issues like what we have at home but not a deal breaker. With that in mind just come prepared with condiments you like such as ketchup, mustard, relish etc. Maybe pack some tissue, an extra beach towel and you are good to go. But as beautiful as this resort is it is the wonderful hard-working people there that make it a Gem in Cuba, folks such as Wilber, one of the bartenders at the Snack Bar, always a “Hola” and smile, quick with a special drink and a story. My friend Yadier on the front desk, funny, caring and always helpful to everyone. And of course, Yenia in customer service, she is one of the most caring persons you will have the pleasure of meeting here! A definite asset to the Iberostar Team and they are lucky to have such a person. We will be back!! Cheers!! Dapa81

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing Resort

For my first time in Cuba I was very pleased with this resort. The grounds are beautifully kept, the food was delicious and the staff was excellent. The entertainment was exceptional and they really keep the guests interacted with games at the poolside, exercises on the beach and music everywhere you go. I will definitely go again

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Not so great experience

Customer service especially receptionist are very rude. They only have one buffet restaurant, one international, Italian and Japanese restaurants. They only have one standard bar and don't go with website list as this is the reality.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Would not recommend: Jan 14-21, 2023

Our group of 4 had a great time together and loved the sand, sun and ocean but the "resort" itself leaves soooo much to be desired. It is one of the last resorts to get dropped off so if you don't want an hour and 1/2 drive after your flight, take a cab! From the shortage or lack of variety of food to the rundown(ness) of the resort, we were disappointed to say the least. The staff for the most part was friendly but a lot did not speak english or understand what we were trying to say or didn' [... read more]t bother at all. The lounge chairs on the beach have been around forever and were terrible to lay on for a week. We went for the ocean for sure, although the pools looked fabulous, but the water was so cold there were very few people swimming the whole week. The drinks were so sporadic and the taste of them was terrible, there was no snack bar on the beach at all and the snack bar that was on the resort ran out of buns (for the hotdogs) everyday and they had no more access to banana chips (which was the best tasting thing on their menu) about 1/2 way through our week.. The buffet had the same food all week long, no change ever and the only meat they served was pork (all week). The a la cart's were ok but again a lot of the same food there too. That being said, I know the pandemic has hit hard everywhere but there needs to be something done. One of the things we did like a lot was that you can use Canadian money at par and the Cuban people are mostly very warm and friendly!

Villa Tortuga: Greatest personal

Yes had a good time i left my ideas in the bathroom and email them three times to store them for me as I plan to return February and will pick them up but they are not returning a answer maybe you could contact them for me?? Gary

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Average!

Nice hotel and staff, food was poor, drinks had very limited selection, even coffee was poor at the coffee bar. If your looking for a cheap vacation with good accommodations and don't care about food then I would recommend.

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Happy with the resort!

We were very satisfied with the hotel. The staff were awesome... helpful, friendly... everyone from reception to gardeners. The food was not bad for Cuba... always fresh fruit, lots of veggies, chicken, pork, seafood etc. Beautiful beach, with another longer one just beyond the rocky point. Resort was about halfway along the peninsula... Varadero was easily accessible by the hop on hop off bus.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Great resort, book it today!

I been to Cuba many, many, times and to differently places/resorts. This resort by far was the best place for food and drinks. We were nervous because we had friends returning from various locations in Cuba and they said there was a daily shortage of food and drinks. This wasn't the case for this resort. You could always find something to eat and drink. There is a pizza restaurant, fries-hotdogs-sandwiches restaurant and 2 buffets. There is a lobby bar, pool swim up bar- that always had daily  [... read more]entertainment, beach bar- that the workers even came around while your relaxing on the beach to bring you drinks. Areas were always clean, room was very nice (we were in building #2), great water pressure in the shower. Staff very helpful, friendly and they never once asked us for $, items or to purchase things from them. It's a large resort therefore your walking a distance from the lobby to the beach but I took it that you are getting your daily steps in lol. During our vacation we were told there were approx 1200 people there and it can house up to 2500. Bring Canadian money, $20can = 5pesco exchanged at the front desk. You can either tipped in pesco or Canadian. We exchanged ( for the workers ) Canadian coin for bills because they cannot by anything with coin or even take it to the bank to exchange. They truly appreciate any tips no matter the amount or currency. We did not do any excursions but if you want to they must be paid by credit card. Went to the spa for massage (it was great) you can pay in Can.$ I do not like using my credit card in Cuba because it's charged in American $ along with an additional credit card fee. The only downside had nothing to do with the resort was our Sunwing rep. did not have a Sunwing information binder in the lobby with information regarding our departure from the hotel timings. All other travel reps had the information either in a binder or letter posted won their information board. I highly recommend to bring water socks because when you first get in the water it's rocky with lots of dead coral that are sharp. I love to see coral because it's great for snorkeling, if you enjoy snorkeling bring your equipment. The beach is beautiful. I highly recommend this resort to anyone, we will for sure return. I also highly recommend our travel agent Carol Webber, she is our go to Girl, Ext 7209

Hotel Rancho Luna: Rancho Luna Hotel: upgraded from 30 years ago

Rancho Luna has been obviously upgraded from our last visit about 30 years ago. It is basic, but clean, well-designed, and has excellent beach and pool. It is about 20 minutes by taxi to the interesting city of Cienfuegos, and also to the Cienfuegos Botanical Gardens, where we happened to see the tzuntzunjito (bee-hummingbird), the smallest bird in the world. Sorry that we did not have time to get back to Playa Jiron and the Cienaga de Zapata, the wonderful national park.