Melia Las Dunas: Beautiful Place

Beautiful resort lovely people from the landscape staff , bar staff buffet and a la Carte restaurants and everyone in between . The food was good for what is made available to them. Some people will find a reason to complain. We come to enjoy friendly people nice weather and the beautiful beach We will be returning Feb

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Very Run Down

This hotel has seen better days. The weather was beautiful, and the beaches were stunning. But every walkway, building and area is very run down. The rooms need a major update, as the beds are very small. Our room was double beds, but the beds seemed more like a twin size. The bedding is old, and the pillows are old. We didn't have enough pillows the first night, so I slept without one for the first night. We had no hot water in our room. Staff looked into it, and decided it was becaus [... read more]e the batteries for the water heater were dead. They didn't have replacements. Since our kids were also on our floor we declined being moved to another building and would shower in our other room. Our room was also very musty. The first desk staff are mostly rude and hurried. It took over an hour to get checked on the first day. They would also only give you one room key, as they are having supply issues with key cards. This made it hard for my family of 6. You are given free wifi, but after the time is up, you need to return to the front desk to ask for more. The front desk always seem annoyed when we asked for more time. The buffet was passable. It was the same food served all week long. Choices were very limited, but I think this is normal for Cuba. There were often no clean plates, so you had to wait for them to bring out more. Often the plates looked dirty. The staff serving the food were kind and polite. At the tables they didn't offer spoons, so each meal I would track down a spoon to feed my younger child that required a spoon. I think this is a suppy issue. they are running short on many things. The snack bar was not good. They offered french fries and plain hamburgers. Served from a very messy-looking area. No condiments, no toppings. Just a bun and meat. I was most disappointed with the entertainment. There were absolutely no activities for teens and children. There was a large chessboard, a ping pong table, and a pool table. There was no attempt by the staff to engage the children at all. they had a volleyball net at the beach, but they did not have a volleyball.

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: A lot of False advertisement!

It was very hard to book reservations for the good restaurants, the buffet food was terrible, alcohol drink were not drinkable. Hot tubs weren’t hot they were pool temperature with no gets. Disappointed ☹️ ⭐️⭐️

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Comfortable and Convenient

I stayed at the Starfish Cuatro Palmas Dec 14-21, 2022. I travelled alone and I chose this resort as I had been there April 2019 and I liked the atmosphere and location. I felt safe here, at the resort and the surrounding area. The location is perfect as you walk out the main entrance and can explore local markets, parks with no hassle from anyone. If you get tired you can hop in a cab, a coconut taxi or horse and carriage. You could tell the resort wasn't to capacity as there was a notice [... read more]able decrease in activity from my April 2019 stay. That was ok as there was never a shortage of loungers! The resort is a true 3.5 star. You will find plentiful staff keeping the main areas tidy and clean. Speaking of staff, everywhere I walked on the resort grounds all staff were friendly and welcoming. The food was good. I thoroughly enjoyed their pork, fish and chicken. Had a salad with every meal and natural yogurt each morning. Several of the ladies that worked the main buffet restaurant were so kind and sweet with me. (Special shout out to Isumi. Absolute sweetheart with a sharp sense of humour!) Pasta station, Egg station, sweets, breads, buns, beans, rice and chocolate ice cream. See - you won't go hungry. My room was on the second floor facing the street. To be honest, I didn't mind the nightly serenade, lol, from the bar directly across from my room. The balcony had 2 seats and would get several hours of direct sun, should you want some private time. The lady that cleaned my room was lovely. My towels were old and rough and as I was solo I was happy to reuse my towels; but, on a couple of occasions I placed towels to be switched out on the floor only to find they were refolded for reuse? I got brand new soft towels on my last night there haha. I used my blue beach towel the whole week as the kiosk that would normally switch out the towels was under construction. Then again, I could have asked. I was all good to reuse. The room needed a thorough cleaning - lampshades, closets and even the bathroom. The mini fridge worked perfect and I appreciated the daily bottle of water. The air conditioner was WONDERFUL and was programmable to as low as 16. Overall my room was basically clean and comfortable. The fitness room is topnotch! The picture the website shows is bang on. It is also monitored should you need assistance with your workout or just a friendly person to chat with! The beach. Spectacular. The activity staff were always on point to take resort visitors out on a catamaran ride or use the kayak. They monitor the safety of the wind/waves as there is a dedicated Starfish lifeguard constantly walking the beach. The pool and area was always clean and clear with plenty of loungers. I didn't do any excursions this time as I did a couple in 2019. I strongly recommed getting into Havana, whether by tour bus or private cab. The party catamaran excursion was fantastic. Do it! I took CDN funds and exchanged $100 for local currency. I didn't do my research to ensure I brought US funds. I tipped in CDN and local but when I return to Cuba, in April, I'll be bringing small US bills. Overall, I had a relaxing and enjoyable time at this resort/location and I wouldn't hesitate to return again. Have fun!

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Lovely Resort

The resort has beautiful grounds and is clean and well maintained. The rooms are comfortable and clean. The restaurants are easy to book and the food was very good. The buffet had a wide variety every day and the a la cartes had super service. There are tons of activities for singles, couples and families and the entertainment team was superb. The beach is, of course, the highlight of your stay here. Some negatives: There are not enough chairs at the beach and pools so it is difficult to get  [... read more]a chair when the resort is full. Also, beach towels often run out. The towels are not the resort's fault, but rather the fault of selfish guests.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: A new low!!!!

As always when we travel to Cuba we expect nothing, well this time we were shocked. At arrival we didn’t get our usual welcome to Cuba drink, okay not a big deal. The room has updated furnishing, bonus…nice big balcony, bonus….The pool area is very large and the pools are beautiful, bonus!!!! We met a few lovely people, bonus!!!! After check-in we headed to the buffet, it was after 8pm when we arrived. We grabbed something quick, cause we were tired. Well for the next week, the food w [... read more]as exactly the same 3 times a day…On our second day at dinner we noticed cockroaches running around and staff just didn’t even mind them. I got up and with a napkin did my best to kill them with my feet..I spoke with hospitality manger and he didn’t flinch and proceeded to tell me that Cubans called them American cockroaches because they just come out of no where….what???? I said to him..The fact is that if they were roaming around the dining room I could only imagine the kitchen…There were hardly any serving utensils, one set for each side of the hot table….chicken and fish being touched by same utensil…Napkins were only available the first day, second day we were given toilet paper and there after not even toilet paper was supplied. People eating fish and chicken and going back for seconds and hands not being wiped..At the bread station sometimes there were thongs, most days not, so people just reached into the baskets and grabbed bread with their hands, the same goes for the dessert area. I asked the manager if the what looked like pirogies, had meat, he went over to hot table, with is hands he reached in and took one, pulled apart and said not it’s pumpkin. Cold cuts and cheeses being served with same thongs. NOTE there aren’t any washrooms at the beach, at this resort. The specialty dining rooms were a joke. Only one was open and it served different food every night. I was told by people who ate there, that the same buffet food was served there in a different setting. Wi-fi is free but you’re given 10 hours and then you need to go back to main lobby to log off and ack on again, most times it didn’t even work in our room..One day there weren’t any bath towels, finally beach towels were given in their place. Wait staff refused Pesos as tips, asking for U.S. $ instead…They purposely keep only a few pool chairs out, maybe 20, so that you have to request and of course tip…never seen this before, only at the beach. This resort is not a 5*, it’s a 1*, I would hate for someone to spend their har working money on this resort and be disappointed….it’s absolutely horrendous. We have been to Cuba over 10 times…this was the end

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Très beau resort

j'ai adoré cet endroit c'était ma première fois au tainos. A proximité de tous pour les personnes qui n'aime pas marcher la bouffe rien a dire et le staff super gentil et serviable. Le seul chose se sont les chambre surtout les salles de bain qui aurait besoins de rénovations

Playa Pesquero: Nice place to stay

Gorgeous sandy beach with reefs nearby (pedal catamarans can be booked on site to get there). Clean rooms, friendly staff. Food is quite similar day to day, but tasty. Animation staff is doing a great job!

Paradisus Los Cayos: Great resort

Paradisus Los Cayos is a great resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. The hotel is relatively new, the beach is stunning and the people working there are so nice. The food is not bad [for Cuba]. We didn't spend any time in the pools or the kid's area. This is definitely a beach resort!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Less then 2 starts

Extremely late checking. Probably less the %30 Beach chairs available for all guess, not uses able to eat at fine dining, few times finished breakfast without coffee, through out the resort bathroom cleanness not up to standards for any one here.ps, ps, ps,

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Great trip

The staff there are fantastic, and make you feel so welcome. The beach was beautiful. The main pool is huge and there are 2 other pools that are shallow. Food was good and buffet had lots of choice. We will definitely return to this resort.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Amazing Place that needs minor improvements

We liked everything about the rooms and amenities. The staff were hardworking, nice and pleasant but I would like some improvements on the following:- 1. If there is no toilet paper in a public toilet then a note should be written to notify the public. The public toilets are many around the reception area so just redirect people. The reason is that as a lady it’s embarrassing to use the bathroom and realize half way there is no toilet paper. 2. Food hygiene should be number one priority. It [... read more] maybe hard due to the open buffet style but have a glass protector to prevent dirty hands and flies. 3. The Wi-Fi is very unreliable. The fact that you have to call the reception all the time to give you more hours that disconnects 5 min later. Most of the time no one handles the call at the reception for assistance. The username and password is very long and can’t be saved and you have to retype frequently to login. It is very exhausting when the network is very poor.

Melia Las Americas: A Special Resort

The Melia Las Americas is a special kind of place. It has been around a while (around 30 years) so it has seen better days. That said there are many reasons to overlook the surface wear and consider the experiences this hotel offers. Here are the top reasons we love this place: Golf; Beach; Entertainment; Heart. The hotel is right next to the Varadero Golf Club - and under most circumstances, for those staying at the Las Americas, green fees are included. Push carts or riding carts cost ext [... read more]ra (11 USD for push carts, and maximum cost 44$ USD per player for the new riding carts). If you bring your clubs, they can be stored at the golf shop for about 5$ USD for the week. The course is 18 holes, championship style, and a whole lot of fun to play. But don't expect pristine bunkers or bent grass greens. The course dates back to pre-revolutionary times and is very mature with several holes having spectacular views of the ocean. Pace of play is great (~4 hr playing time typically) so an early start can get you back at the beach by 11 or 12. Even with an afternoon arrival at the beach, there are plenty of lounge chairs and shade if you want it. The beach for this property is incredible and might well be the widest and longest on the peninsula. I can't say enough about how great the sand is, and how blue the water. The swimming pools are beautiful, well kept and clean. Regarding entertainment - there are the typical daytime events that get people moving out of their chairs. There are also catamaran rides and short snorkeling tours of the reef nearby (for $). The best thing about the hotel though is the entertainment each evening - every night there was a different artist playing an instrument or singing on the patio overlooking the grounds and beach. Just enormously enjoyable to have a drink and listen to the musicians invited to play for us before or after dinner - all very talented and professional. Finally, the people who work at the Las Americas: they are the best, and by nature very honest and caring about taking care of you during your stay at the hotel. Now here are some more nuanced comments - the rooms in the older part of the hotel are a bit worn. However, the showers are very good, with plenty of hot water and modern fixtures. The main building has the best views of the water and sunsets and is closest to the golf course, the dining rooms and bars. The newer part (The Level) is a quieter section of the resort, has large suites, huge bathrooms and living quarters, but these have mostly garden views. I should mention here that the resort is for adults only. The age range among guests is very broad - no single age group was left out or predominated. Regarding the food, there is a wide variety in the buffet hall, but 'foodies' won't be happy as Cuban food tends to be light on the spices - so maybe bring your Frank's hot sauce and pepper flakes in your luggage if 'heat' is important to you. Regarding alcohol, beer and rum are probably the best options - no off the shelf premium alcohol at the bars. In conclusion, although there are rough edges and small drawbacks, in my opinion, this resort shows great spirit and dedication to come back to life after the pandemic. I hope to return soon, if I can. Hasta luego, Melia Las Americas. PS I need to mention the quirky monetary situation in Cuba. Officially, you can buy Cuban pesos (CUP) at any bank, hotel or 'CADECA'; however you can't sell back unused Cuban pesos when you leave. So the best choice is to bring cash (eg USD, CDN, Euro) and exchange it 20$ at a time at the hotel 'CADECA' (currently, $20 USD = ~2200 CUP; $20 CDN =~ 1700 CUP). Tips (range from 100-500CUP depending on service) are highly welcome and appreciated. However, one should never, ever tip in foreign coin. The people cannot do anything with a toonie or loonie or other foreign coin as the banks in Cuba won't accept it for deposit nor can it be used to buy or trade in the street.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Loved it!

We travelled as 2 families over the Christmas holidays. We were very fortunate with Air Transit. 2 hour delay on the way there and half an hour on the way back but we got our luggage unlike West Jet and Sun Wing! I've been to this resort 3 times now. The grounds are beautiful and proximity to the pool and beach are real assets. We had a pool view room which was a great perk for booking early. Lots of choices for food. Always pork, fish, chicken and beef on the buffet line as well as at the gr [... read more]ills. We had omelettes everyday. 24 hour snack shack provided lots of ham and cheese sanwiches and fries. Ice cream stand was a nice daily treat too. 4 a la carte restaurants provided great service. Japanese is always a front runner followed by Italian, Romantico and Cuban. Delicious and nice to have table service. Bring a deck of cards as sometimes it's hard to fill the time in between dinner and the show. The lobby is spacious and grand and it carries out to a large, beautiful patio. We all enjoyed stretching on the beach, dance lessons, beach volleyball, ocean swims, ping pong, pickleball on the tennis courts (brought our own paddles).... Cuba's beach and ocean can't be beat. Turquoise water and white sand. The animation team works hard to get people involved in games and contests, but you can be as lazy or active as you want. Lots of shade available in the huts at the beach. Not much shade at pool area. Fun in the sun! Miss the palm trees and Pina Coladas already.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Magical Resort

We had a magical time at Paradisus Rio de Oro. The pools were lovely, the beach was amazing and all the staff were absolutely fantastic. We upgraded to Royal Service and it was 100% worth it. We definitely felt like Royalty. It was difficult to leave.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Very new hotel

The hotel is very new and facilities are perfect. Only the beach is not smooth enough, there are lots of rocks along the beach. But they are working on it now. The staff are friendly and nice, but English is not well spoken. Overall is 4 out of 5.

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Meh

In one word, I would have to say the resort experience here was underwhelming. I had never travelled to Cuba and though I was lowering my expectations, so to speak, from other all inclusive resorts, this resort was simply “okay”. Our room was clean enough and stocked with necessities (hand soap and toilet paper). The patio door did not lock though being on the third floor it wasn’t too much of a concern. Not enough loungers by the pool - many were “reserved” in the evenings by p [... read more]eople placing a towel and a rock on them. Pools were a generous size and the boardwalk/beach area was beautiful, though again, lacking in seating. You could walk out in the ocean quite a ways and it was definitely the highlight of the resort. Wifi available in the lobby only and this was very spotty at best. Food wasn’t labelled in the buffet, the variety of beverages was lacking and there were always constant lineups. Waited in line for everything! Only one food option available during the day - when the buffet was open the snack bar was closed and vice versa. Would often order food at the snack bar and after 20 mins or so, would still not have received our order. Constantly running out of food (fries and hot dogs). Very limited options at the snack bar. Again, a lot of waiting! Could never get a towel poolside…recommend you bring your own. Could only book one a la carte and the food quality was simply fine. The resort “shop” sold not much more than cigars and cigarettes, so pack your necessities and change of clothes/footwear in your carryon in case your luggage is lost/delayed. Playa Pillar beach was stunningly beautiful and a short walk away. While it was nice to get away from the frigid Canadian winter and spend time with the family, the resort services were just “meh”.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Needs some work

Just returned Jan 2023. Considering this resort only opened in 2018 I expected more. The online pictures are accuarate as they focus mainly on the outside and lounge. Check in/check out were painless and they accomodated 5 of us in 2 rooms side by side however in 1 room the shower leaked a lot all over the floor everytime it was used and in the other room the toilet rarely flushed and no one came to fix it even though the front desk was advised. We had to almost beg for new towels. The food a [... read more]t the a la carte was decent, the beach restaurant was really good however at the buffet some items could have been cooked longer. A lot of the items were either not labeled or mislabeled and not usually replaced with the same item which caused guests to hoard the more popular choices. The snack bar although 24 hours service was incredibly slow. Bars usually only had one person serving which resulted in very long line ups. The staff was basically pleasant if You greeted them first but most made no eye contact and spent a lot of time speaking amongst each other. Wi-Fi worked most places which was helpful and the night entertainment was nice. Some of the available services were advised of by other guests and not the staff (i.e. there was a customer service department away from the main lobby or you could have breakfast prepared in the snack bar) The beach was beautiful and the pools were well maintained however the public washrooms off the main lobby were disgusting and not cleaned often enough. After some minor improvements this resort could definitely be a true 4 star.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Not pleasant Playa Paraiso, Cayo Coco, Cuba

My wife and I have been on vacation in Cuba many times, we enjoyed it. This vacation was different. We spent almost two weeks in Playa Paradiso, Cayo Coco, Cuba around Christmas time. COVID19 limitations are very minimal, some people were voluntarily wearing masks on the plane and in the resort, (less than 5%), nobody on the beaches. Leaving Cuba there is a body temperature check before entering the airport. We were trying to keep distance from people coughing. The airport is very busy, [... read more] long waiting time but it is just formality to go through customs, staff is very friendly. On the positive note; landscape in the resort is beautiful, abundance of food, room was clean, ac worked, nice pool, hot and cold water, free WiFi in the lobby, gorgeous beaches, crystal clear and warm sea water, nice weather. Unfortunately there were many drawbacks. There were not welcome drink or greetings when we came to the resort. Servants and other staff in the hotel were apathetic and ignorant. It looked that we were standing on their way to have a nice, funny day, they were important in the hotel, not clients. Many unpleasant little things like; give a tip for better service or drink (all-inclusive vac), electric vehicle drivers would run you over-they never offered a ride or smile, beach towel exchange not available. In the lobby we were offered a drink or coffee only once over two week period. Bars were offering drinks only with cheap rum. On plaques at bar walls they listed many drinks but only a few were available. We never got Margarita, Mohito was available only for a couple of hours a day. Hotel was overcrowded, long lineups to get food in one only buffet, pizza shack or drinks in bars. Lobby was always crowded in the evenings. Catamaran or paddle boats were always booked solid and not available. Pineapple on the beach cost $5US. And many, many more. The entertainment at the pool was not too bad with a nice music. Shows in the theater were very low quality but very noisy. Both; theater and beach were using powerful speakers and were making lots of loud noise. Most of the time it was low bass, trembling modern music, not Cuban traditional music. Lobby was unbelievably noisy; pool and theater were competing who was louder, theater was winning, they were the loudest. Ear plugs would help to survive but they were not available. If you are looking for a nice quiet vacation to relax do not go to Playa Paradiso. My wife left in our room # 9308 in a drawer brand new, expensive lipstick ($65), it was stolen. The last but not the least was flags at the entrance to the hotel. There were three of them: Cuban, Canadian and Russian. We talked about the Russian flag to the Quality Manager. We complained that the Russian flag should not be proudly exposed in a hotel were people from many countries are coming. After Russia invaded Ukraine many people have died, Ukraine is ruined by racket attacks and many inhuman criminal crimes have been committed in Ukraine by Russia. Russia should be tried by international tribunal for war crimes and reparations to Ukraine, not proudly supported. After we discussed this with the Quality Manager one flag was removed, guess which one, you will never guess. They removed the Cuban flag, Russian and Canadian flags remained. Cuban convertible currency is not used anymore, they like Canadian and preferably the US dollars. When we purchased vacation the hotel was advertised as #4.5 stars. After our experience we say that Playa Paradiso should be re-rated to #3.5 stars. On our next vacation we will not go to Cuba until they figure out what they are doing, how to serve better vacationers and where the Cuban economy is heading, are they still sticking to Russia or changing direction to go along with the democratic world. We may go to Mexico or Costa Rica instead.

Melia Las Americas: Good and bad resort

Beautiful resort, wonderful grounds. Exceptionally well trained staff, very friendly, always smiling and ready to help. The buffet has a tight schedule and understaff. The food would be very good for a ticket price of $1000 per person. We paid $2500 per person and the expectations were higher. There is not enough entertainment for rainy days. We got 4 rainy, cold days and it was very boring. I got very sick with a respiratory virus the first day back in Canada. I don't know if I got the virus f [... read more]rom the resort or from the plane/airport. Our cellphones didn't work the last 2 days of our vacation -there was internet in the rooms, only in the lobby -they said that its a problem many customers have with the I phones. Overall was not a good vacation and we would not recommend this resort for the price we paid.