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.

Needs a bit of help

The beach was amazing. Clean rooms but needs updating. Shower small, toilet didn't always flush, very dull lighting. Food was not great. Pretty much the same things for breakfast lunch and dinner. They ran out if another of things, napkins were toilet paper. Staff needs to stay on top of guests hoarding food in plastic bags. One morning 4 people from the same table took all the buns, cakes, squares and donuts!!! Wifi worked in our room the first 3 days then nothing.

Repeat guest

The people in Cuba have changed they expect huge tips and expansive brand name gifts if you don’t get if for them you will see a difference in service after 14 years going to Melia las Antillas spoke my mind and i got blocked from the website they will never get my business again. Sadly one of the employees swore at me and harassed me for 3 days. Hotel management ignored my complaint very disappointed

Amazing People + Beautiful Beach!!

My first time visiting Cuba and absolutely loved it!! The people are friendly and the beach is BEAUTIFUL. We decided to upgrade to the Junior Suite and were very happy we did!! It allowed us the privilege to meet and be greeted by Elizabeth (Concierge) who was absolutely amazing! We also had the opportunity to meet Naedelys (sp?) who was equally amazing! They take a lot of pride in their hotel :). They are always making sure your needs are being met, and that you are enjoying your vacation.  [... read more] The beach is incredible :) and the staff (Colon, Jorge, Luis and Yuniesky) are wonderful!! I met a few people who were vacationing that had left and came back within months!! Says a lot about their experience P.S. We had some yummy lobster at a little restaurant across the road from the hotel :).

Cuba and Cubanos are wonderful BUT

The Melia Las Antillas is a very nice property and resort! I think the four star rating is an accurate reflection for the most part. I will provide more detail. To qualify this review I will advise my wife and I have been travelling to Caribbean, Mexico, Venezuela, Honduras and other Central America for 40 plus years and approximately 50 trips. I will ensure that I compare apples to apples. This was our first trip to Cuba. The Melia Las Antillas in Varadero Cuba is a nice 4* resort with go [... read more]od facilities and a beautiful beach. The resort is starting to show some sign of age but is very clean and well kept. Entrance and lobby area are welcoming and present well. The staff at check in and check out were excellent and efficient. Most spoke English quite well so communication not an issue.. We stayed in a junior suite ocean view on fifth floor for a very reasonable price and this included a concierge service. Elizabeth was our concierge and did a remarkable job. She worked long hours and always went out of her way to assist us and offer her expertise and services. I know I am speaking for many who received Elizabeth's special service.. The room was clean with excellent maid service from Nuceris. Room nothing special but compares well with similar 4 * resort. Very clean, no bugs, comfortable bed with OK sitting area. Adequate washroom and shower. Small patio to sit out for two people only. The pool is quite large clean and well set up for some sports and activities. Music around the pool was reasonable with some variety and common sense. Night time entertainment shows were typical. Couple good with a couple not so much....only my opinion.....LOL Travelled in to Varadero and we felt safe and welcomed. taking a ride around in one of the old convertibles is a nice diversion. Currency issues have to be rectified. The official rate for C$ to CUP is 18.5 to 1. On the bus to resort "guide" is offering 30 to 1. In town 50 to 1 and I even heard 70 to 1 was being offered. American $ widely accepted and some stores only have their prices in Us $??? Most Cuban stores in Varadero do not accept CUP. CUP is Cuban peso official currency. This is frustrating and a pain when you are on vacation. Fix this! The beaches of Cuba are spectacular and even nice/ safe to swim in with soft white sand. The beach we were on Tainos Beach and Vardero beach are both spectacular with beautiful aquamarine colours. Cubanos (Cuban people) are very, very, very nice and I must admit comparatively the most genuinely friendly and accommodating of all the places I have visited. I don't like to generalize but I did feel the warmness. The food issue is real. Lack of variety and some quality issues ....again comparatively to other similar resorts in sunny south. Lack of fruit and salads for sure. Now we could always find something good to eat but a lot of chicken and pork every day. Seafood and fish not as good as I had hoped. When evaluating you have to keep in mind they are preparing food for Canadians, Cubans, Poland, Russia, Argentine, Greeks that we met and undoubtedly many other nationalities we did not meet. So many pallets to satisfy! Positive notes I ate lobster twice. They also hosted a wonderful outdoor lunch pig roast...and chicken of course at an outside area with live band entertainment that was greatly enjoyed by most. Received excellent dining and bar service from Robert, Elio, Dayli, Yordan at pool bar restaurant, omelet cooks and fresh grill cooks. The price comparing apples to apples is approximately $200. C$ per person less expensive in Cuba with the shorter flight time being a positive as well. Soooooo I hope this helps. We will probably not return ....only because the food is not to standard. Roberto y Victoria

Great resort

Staff are phenomenal, the buildings a bit dated but very functional, food is we have to remember is Cuban but they really tried. Very few resorts offer all you can eat lobster at the Buffet Restaurant but this one did on 2 or 3 occasions. Because of Covid and the lack of guests, some of the amenities that we normally have here were limited, as restrictions lift more and more have become available. Enjoyed the beautiful long sandy beach and clear ocean water. All staff wore masks and there  [... read more]was hand sanitizing stations everywhere. Enjoyed using the bicycles every morning, as well as the "Hop on and off" bus on the Varadero peninsula.

Absolutely amazing!

Beautiful resort!! Absolutely love the bungalow rooms, very nice clean rooms, amazing staff!! Lots of room around the big pool, tons of shows and activities to keep you busy, short walk to a gorgeous beach. Everything you need all on site, food was alot better then we had expected. Only 1 thing we didnt like and that was the strong sewage smell during some late nights. We may return in the future. I would rate this hotel a 4 star.

Great Vacation!

Not only was this our first trip to Cuba, it was our first vacation at a down south all inclusive in over 17 years. We were not disappointed. Everything we had heard and read about the friendliness of the Cuban people was true and more! The staff at the resort all go out of their way to make you feel special and welcome - Jorje, Colon, Clemente to name just a few, and our housemaid Aimee was a total delight. The resort is attractive and clean. The beach area is amazing. The pool is wonderf [... read more]ul, and the animation staff do a great job keeping everyone entertained. We especially enjoyed the live entertainment at the roof top patio before the main shows each evening. Loved the water ballet. Can't comment on the other main evening shows as we did not go to see them. We were pleasantly surprised by the food as we had heard so often that "the food isn't great but everything else is in Cuba." It certainly did not compare to the food on the Alaskan cruise we did last year, but we did not expect it to. But the food certainly did compare to what we would make and serve on a regular day at home as we certainly don't cook 5 star meals 7 days a week at home! The breads, cheeses and charcuterie were great. I had no problem building myself a nice salad with the fresh greens and vegetables on offer and there was always some fruit (though not the variety at home) and there was ice cream! The omelet station was great. There was decent variety in the meats, fish and sides (it helps that I really do like rice and beans and their typical cuban version is really good). The only negative I could say is that the "hot" items were sometimes just barely warm by the time we got to a table to sit down to eat. The spanish wines served at lunch and dinner were quite good. The buildings are nice, but not spectacular or particularly opulent. That suits us just fine. We loved the location of our room in one of the smaller buildings as our balconey was always in shade so we always had somewhere to go for an hour or so when we needed to get out of the sun. The room is large, with a nice sunken living area included. My only complaint would be that the bathroom is very dated and really needs to be refreshed with more modern fixtures and decor - it really felt like an old bathroom straight out of a 1940's roadside motel. We did two day trips, the Havana trip including dinner and show at the Tropicana, and the Jeep Safari tour. Both were great and allowed us to learn a lot about Cuba, it's history, and it's current way of life. We only wished we had taken along some items for the children on the Jeep tour as the kids ran to the roadside to wave at us as we drove through the small villages. Along that vein, yes, if you're going to Cuba by all means tip regularly with CUCs, but also bring along some of the goods that are in short supply there - they are very much appreciated. In all likelihood we will be back in Cuba someday, but probably at another resort, just because we prefer to not go to the same place twice. We did notice that many people do return over and over as evidenced by the hugs and greetings from staff when some new guests arrived. We did thoroughly enjoy our time at Melia Las Antillas and I'm sure you will too!

Very friendly people

Room nice pool great weather great service great food not so hot great location had no issues beach was beautiful bar very well stocked they were running out of food daily had to hit buffet early to get any half decent food service very good was able to pay 8 bucks to keep room for extra time which was nice it was my first time to Cuba will I go back absolutely not

Wrong resort

can you change the resort on this questionnaire we stayed at Melia International ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Very friendly and patient staff!

Staff :quick at answering our requests more water bottles and towels and fixing water leak near door..Room is spacious enough. Beds/mattresses comfy..Quiet, good for sleeping in..Bathroom clean. Eating areas very close and convenient. Food :ok, a bit monotonous, but not inedible. For me, best items on the menu were some tropical fruts guavas and papayas. The only other fruits were watermelon (pink and not very sweet) and pineapple (sour and a bit tough). Fresh fruit juices and flavored yog [... read more]hurt drinks were my second favorite foods. My roommate preferred the deserts (multiple choices of cakes!) Weather was great, but we were very very lucky.

Older but Nice Resort depending on room

We arrived late at night and will not fly that schedule again. We were given a "pretty horrible smoking room" and requested a move and given an upgrade. Had we stayed in a standard/no view shabby older room we would not have liked our stay. I would like to be able to book knowing the kind of room as pictures do not tell the story. I asked for ground level and the application was never received. The service and location at this hotel though was excellent and they made accommodations for health si [... read more]tuation.

Needs a very big Reno!!!

Food always cold, la cart restaurant alway served something not on the menu. Landed at night, no place to get food until 11:00pm, cook showed up Cuban time 11:30. Changed room 3 times and still had mild in the bathroom, with chips in the bath tub that were rusty. They did have SOME amazing staff. Listening to people on the bus, all felt that Cuba is going down hill. Not what it use to be Would NOT recommend!!!

Peaceful Cuba Vacation

Hotel and grounds beautiful. Nice layout. Don't forget to make a la carte reservations. Stayed for 5 days. Cannot wait to go again. Amazing hotel staff. Hotel is a little older but very clean. Great stay and great service.

Good Resort

everything was good but hotel is old and bathrooms are full of mold this was not a great experience asking for changing our room otherwise everything was great especially Beach service people friendly great entertainment at night

Amazing vacation

Great staff, good food and beautiful beaches. We felt safe leaving the resort and taking the bus to explore varadero. We went to craft market and local shopping center. I strongly suggest doing the Jeep Safari and Havana excursion.

A tired resort

The grounds were well cared for; the rooms not so much! I don't believe the rooms have been retro-fitted since the resort was built? 20yrs? The food was okay but just more of the same breakfast, lunch and dinner.Service was good, but unfortunately my wife was ill for most of our vacation. I needed ice for the water , which was all my wife consumed for the week. I had to walk from the hotel room to the lobby bar 3 times a day just so the ice bucket could be refilled; as there was no place to get  [... read more]ice unless you went to the bar. The beach was beautiful and clean. Our on call doctor Cecilia was wonderful, we could learn from Cuban medicine. This was our fourth time to Cuba, but unfortunately not our best vacation.

Gorgeous beach, hospitable accommodation, and friendly staff!

I had an amazing 4 nights, 5 day stay in Melia Las Antillas in August 2019. I felt really pampered and taken care of during my whole stay. Yoselin and Maria Y. were the receptionists who assisted me. The resort was clean, staff were always available for assistance, food selections were not bad and I found them really satisfying despite what everyone would say about Cuba having limited food options. The a la carte restaurant reservation line up though is a bit of a wait, so I suggest you line up  [... read more]early to get your time’s worth. I suggest you tip your servers whether in the restaurant, bar, alcohol service, reception area- they will be your friends as they’ll remember your name and presence and give you superb service! I stayed alone in this trip and I felt really safe and well taken care of;) The junior suite room I had was a “bit” outdated, but had the necessities I needed during the whole stay. I will definitely come back if given the chance. Every penny spent was worth it! 5/5 for me! All stars!

Great resort with absolutley wonderful staff

Amazing staff at the kids club,friendly hotel staff,clean rooms,good variety of food,minutes from the Ocean,clean pool & definitely a place to come back to. Would recommend it any time and can't wait to go back.

Adequate resort

The resort was a little out dated, but the staff was very friendly. The resort did have everything you need and at the end of the day it was adequate for a great trip. I would recommend this resort as the beach and staff were outstanding.