Great Resort!

We had an amazing family vacation! The hotel is wonderful and staff are super friendly. We went when the hotel was only half capacity so some things took longer than usual to get but other than that we have no regrets!

2 star resort

I was not empressed with the advertising its literally not a 5 star Hotel.Not a recommended resort to anybody very disappointing.We got bed bug,toilets making wild noise every time you flush.Booked for a restaurant the same food they serve you in a buffet

Beautiful port view

It’s a building close to the port with beautiful view, but I don’t think it’s a 5 star hotel. The room toilet couldn’t be flushed properly, towel holder is broken. Sometimes out of toilet paper. Food is clean, there were many nice salads. Never felt any stomach uncomfortable or diarrhea. Desert type is less than I expected. Sometimes no coffee or water in the whole hotel, which I couldn’t believe. There was no stage in the hotel. The night show wasn’t attractive.

Mediocre resort

The resort itself is beautiful. However some of the outdoor fountains were dry. The staff were mostly friendly and professional however barely spoke English. The bars indoor and outside always ran out of certain alcohol or cups. The cockroaches were terrible, they were in the rooms, dining room, lobby bathroom. The resort never had change, therefore we didn't tip as much as we would have liked to.

Great Beach & Weather

This was our 3rd stay at the MMV since 2017. We were upgraded to a two bedroom suite in the Condominium buildings overlooking the marina which was absolutely beautiful. Everything worked in our room except the patio door lock which wasn't an issue as we weren't on the ground floor. We had refills on water and beer daily. No issues with unwanted bugs! We stayed in Condo building 4 which is the furthest away from the hotel and beach. When we didn't feel like walking, we simply called for a golf ca [... read more]rt to pick us up. The lounge chairs at the beach were the white plastics ones. Most of the loungers were cracked down the middle. If your back gets tender sitting on a hard surface, bring a blow up cushion. It wasn't an issue to get a palapa (thatched roof for shade) early in the morning. The beach bartenders were quick and friendly. No beach service this year (cut backs?). The beach restaurant is open from 12:30 to 4:00. They changed from being able to order from a menu to a buffet style of veggies and a meat grill. The main hotel pool is plenty big with lots of shade. Bartenders were excellent at the pool bar. The service at the snack bar was very slow and the options for food was measly. We only went there once for lunch. Buffet food was repetitive but that's the norm at every resort. The food quality improved at the a la carte restaurants which was the only place to get served red wine in your all inclusive package. Yes, that right! The resort no longer serves red wine at the buffet or the lobby bar...lots of white wine though. You can only get red wine in an a la carte or if you want to pay for it in the new Tapas lounge. We typically book Melia resorts which in our opinion have really scaled down on the nice things. Because of the cut backs, we'll be booking other branded resorts in the future. Our agent, Carol Webber, took good care of us as usual. Thanks Carol.

Excellent Hotel

The hotel exceeded our expectation. The hotel was in excellent condition, its staff was very pleasant, foot was first class, including service. The beach was good, and so was the swimming pool. We highly recommend this resort.

Disappointing resort

The room was very modest, but still was OK. It's more a question of slow/non-existent service, lack of availability and poor food. - There was no juice or milk on the resort, even at the restaurants. They had only Fanta; which is just sugar and water. We have two kids and they drank water the whole time. There was mango juice at the buffet the last two days. - The lobby bar, the beach bar and the snack bar all ran out of Cola for three full days... really?! We're in Cuba. A Cuba Libre (rhum & [... read more] coke) without cola is just rhum. - The pre-prepared food at the buffet was cold at all the meals, not sure it was very safe. - The service was exceptionally slow (and we were tipping, so we had much better service than most travelers there who weren't tipping) and pride of service was lacking (except for a few people who provided good service) - The resort labels itself as the Melia Marina, but as soon as you step outside on the Marina side, nothing there is included in your stay. We quickly found out when we sat down for an ice-cream and had to pay out of pocket, it would have been nice for the hotel to state this when we checked-in or mention it in the booking. - We also had a few episodes of some staff members trying to make money off of us with their sad stories, only to find out the next day that these stories were rehearsed and they used the same thing again with us the next day (not remembering they had approached us the prior day). Our flight ended-up being delayed severely and we were given a room at the Melia Peninsula for one night, that resort was much more impressive. The staff at check in was fast and helpful, while we were at the buffet, the manager came to introduce himself and ask if everything was enjoyable; we had no towels in our room as our stay was last minute, he made a quick call in front of us and within 5 min, we had towels in our rooms. The bar tenders were extremely productive and you didn't wait much. I would not stay at the Melia Marina again, and it made me reconsider ever going back to cuba at all. But our short experience at the Melia Peninsula is making me reconsider as I could consider trying it for a longer stay.

Good

The people at the hotel were welcoming from the first moment from our arrival. The room was very clean and the room service was very fast and we get back a phone call to reassure that we got what we want. The buffet we had lots of variety everyday and the waiters were very polite and friendly. The beach was so clean and many activity there and another buffet close by for the people on the beach. The night show was so beautiful and entertaining. There was no disco for the people who are looking f [... read more]or that kind of entertainment.

Melissa Marina Varadero

The hotel was nice, clean, with efficient helpful staff which made the stay highly enjoyable. It was my son’s first all inclusive resort and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. He cannot wait to go back!! The food was average to good, however there was always an abundance of options and the staff was efficient at accommodating special requests and ensuring the meal was cooked to the wellness desired. We both loved the restaurant overlooking the Ocean and were present for lunch opening ever [... read more]y day. The cold pasta salads were especially good! How can you beat the views?

Amazing Beach

We are bringing back the beach with us. How wonderful to see your toes in the water up to your shoulders. Aqua water with white sand. ❤️❤️❤️ The food is ok but over expect. The staff is excellent don’t forget to tip 😉

Amazing Overall Experience

Hotel met our expectations, food and drinks were so good, pools and beach is absolutely amazing. Except for the overly late waiting for our room, we will still recommend this property to all our friends, families and colleagues.

Not good

Everything was in poor condition. Cracked tiles on grounds. Food didn't seem to be replenished during meals when they were empty. Specialty restaurants had very slow service. A lot of things on the menu were not available. Seemed to have run out of wine late in the week. Coffee in room was only replaced once and there was no sugar or milk. I have been to Cuba a number of times and this was the worst resort I have stayed at.

Good but not great

Firstly, I will say that the hotel was OK for the price we paid. That said, there were many basics lacking, and I don’t know if they were a result of Cuba embargoes or the hotel management. For example, the buffet never had enough dishes, cutlery, fruit or even water to serve the guests. The staff seem to be in a mad scramble to find clean cups to bring guests. Water was very hard to come by, and if you wanted to be served a drink at the buffet - good luck! There were also never enough clean t [... read more]owels - either at the pool or even in room service. The staff were friendly enough, but was clear they did not have the tools needed to do their job. Food was decent (for Cuba), but lacking in variety. (Buffet has the same offerings every day for lunch AND dinner). I would recommend only if you are looking for an affordable getaway with great beach... but not if looking for an exceptional experience.

Horrified Experience

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. No towels, no cups, raw chicken served to us, service was horrible, staff were so rude, the beach wasn’t maintained, hotel managers avoided you like the plague, wifi only in the lobby which you need to pay for. Honestly everything that could have went wrong went wrong. Please do not go here. I’ve never been so dissatisfied with a vacation. By day two all 5 of us wanted to come home.

Room for improvement

As this was our first trip to Cuba, the service at the resort needed work and the proximity and accessibility to the Beach was disappointing. The condo was wonderful and the service improved as the week progressed; however, they had a significant amount of trainees and often times language barriers.

Great Stay!

We had a one week Sunday to Sunday trip booked in Feb at the Melia Marina Varadero hotel. We also decided to travel and stay in Havana Tuesday to Thursday. Upon arriving at the hotel, check in was easy, although our room was not ready for another hour since we were early for check in. We stored our bags and were able to grab a sandwich from the snack bar by the pool. The hotel is large and clean. Everyone was courteous and attentive. It is at the very end of the peninsula so you will be the las [... read more]t ones to get dropped off, and first ones to get picked up on any shuttles. Our room was large and although somewhat dated, was maintained clean. The bed and pillows were really not comfortable but you get used to it. Our toilet ran, which meant you had to flush it twice (I only mention this because others complained about it...) Between Sunday to Tuesday we felt that the hotel was actually quite empty, with an older Canadian crowd. When we came back from Havana, the hotel was full of Cuban families and couples and the vibe was much more lively. Turns out they had a promotion for Valentine’s day. Because of this, there were some lines to eat at the buffet, which we were able to skip by making reservations for the Hotel restaurants. The food at the buffet had enough variety to keep us happy. Our favourite was the snack bar by the beach for lunch as they had great vegetable options and a charcoal BBQ. The Hotel restaurants were okay, the service was great, but I think I prefer the options at the buffet. The process to book the restaurants was easy, and could be done in advance – I booked on Tuesday for Thursday, and on the same day for Valentine’s day. The pools are huge, and even when the hotel was full, were never crowded. There are aquafit classes and Zumba classes throughout the day, that after a few drinks are quite fun to participate in. The bars can get crowded but all the bartenders do a great job at multi-tasking. The drinks are generous pours and delicious. White wine sometimes ran out but you could always get more for $2 CUC at the tapas bar under the main staircase. The beach is a short walk away, as the hotel is on the marina side, with a convenient shuttle that takes you back and forth if you need it. We never struggled to find chairs on the beach (although many were broken). There is some seaweed, but really the beach is quite magical. The only con I really had was with fellow Canadians who were not on their best behaviour, and I am not talking about kids on spring break. We heard complaints about food not being made fast enough (it is literally being bbq'd in front of you), about not all staff being fluent in English (you would never expect the same if someone travelled to Canada), and just an overall level of arrogance and impatience that was really embarrassing! Yes, you are on vacation! In someone else's home country! Take a chill pill and relax,have a mojito and enjoy the beach. I would stay again and recommend it to my friends and family

Very disappointing

Bought tickets on tripcentral to Melia marina Varadero for Valentines weekend 13-17 Feb 2020 at a pretty hefty price.Arrived there close to midnight instead of 8:30 pm due to a late Sunwing departure from Toronto Checked in room 4103 which was a quite nice apartment style with a nice king size bed,two full bathrooms,full kitchen and a nice marina view balcony.So far all good rested well and was looking forward for a nice coming Valentine day Went to breakfast and was very disappointing with t [... read more]he poor variety of food and most important the poor service and cleaning less of the buffet room No juices or whatever they had were warm Asked for orange juice at 9;00 am and was told they're out of it Finally after a looooong walk to the beach got to see a decent beach with nice sand and good water to swim Decided to go for lunch at the snack bar by the beach Got there and was wondering where all the snack food would be Found out it was around the corner on the grill Well grill was empty and there was some grilled full fish in a tray that was 50% burned and dry They had some veggies and no fries or potatoes whatsoever had 2 fish and waited one hour for two chicken legs For dinner we decided to go to Don Ernesto restaurant and try our luck since we didn't have a reservation made:) We got lucky and they accepted us to have dinner ( which we enjoyed.)... otherwise we probably wouldn't be able to have anything to eat due to the overbooked hotel with the local people At the buffet restaurant was a line up of people waiting a minimum of 1 1/2 hrs to get in Unacceptable!!!! Absolutely nothing related to Valentine,s day around the whole resort Beer was OK but all other drinks including wine white or red were disgusting gross tasting No sparkling wine unless you buy your own Coffee at main lobby was good As for food next day was a carbon copy of first day Loooong line up and the snack bar with absolutely no food variety other than grilled chicken and veggies that took over one hour to get All the staff was sitting by the bar counter having a chat and ignoring all the messy tables and all their valuable customers They seem to forget that is because of us that they have a job and that we work as hard to be able to go keep them in business Third day we decided to go on a catamaran trip which proved to be the best choice to get out of that mess and ignorance at the resort We went snorkelling then to an island were they had a nice bar and buffet with all kinds of seafood and a large variety of great food all included in 69$ us per person !! A special treat... we loved it and thanks to Pedro the animation guy on the catamaran we had a great time during this trip We arrived back to the resort around 4:30 pm and because the weather was great we decided to stop by the beautiful swimming pool they have and go to the in water pool bar for a drink While we were in the water someone had stolen my girlfriend's little Coach pouch in which she had $40 Canadian 30 cuc and her Iphone 7 ....That was a bad experience and ruined the night for us Her especially Well for dinner we went to Don Pepperoni and had another a la carte dinner which was enjoyable Next morning we left the resort to go back home , checked in to the Varadero airport My girlfriend had locked her luggage.... I didn't and sure enough when i got back home to Cambridge my 2 perfumes i had with me were gone Someone at Varadero airport had helped themselves Just my luck :( Anyways....overall it was a trip we want to forget asap and delete of our future destinations Sorry!!

Needs improvement

The resort was not new. Needs alot of work. Not a 5 star. TV only got Spanish channels when it worked which was only 1 day. The staff was friendly and the beach was amazing. The food was good for Cuba.

Not bad

Not a 5 stars definitely Personal very lazy Short of everything food alcohol No brandy no whiskey open late Close early We been in Cuba many times Varadero its worst Sorry to say that Varadero 5 stars anywhere else in Cuba 4

Disappointing resort

Hello, just sending an email about the horrible experience we had at our stay at the Melia Marina Varadero. We arrived on Feb 7 late at night due to the flight being delayed. When we woke up the next morning to go for breakfast it was terrible there were a bunch of servers standing around not one individual approached us to ask if we wanted a drink or anything so we left and went out to get our own drink outside. So we attempted the lunch hour and dinner hour in the buffet area the same thing [... read more] no approach by anyone for a drink I think its completely wrong that we pay for an all inclusive resort and get this kind of customer service. Very disappointed with every night with the same kind of experience. The rooms weren't cleaned properly we had no clean towels no water replenished in the room had to go down to the customer service area and ask for clean towels and water in the room. We had issues with the room card went to customer service things weren't handled properly we got sent back to the room and had to wait for someone to come and fix the door for us we waited about 25 minutes for someone to come and open the door. My boyfriend had gone downstairs to complain to the front and asked to speak to a manager because we were both fed up at this point with how things were handled and they literally did nothing for us we even told them we would pack up our stuff and go to a different hotel as how they handle situations. Alot of other people were complaining and the way they spoke and handled situations were disgusting. My boyfriend was offered from them a bottle of rum to the room the next day we had nothing. The room Stuart wasn't on top of the room cleanliness. Over all the WORSE experience definitely not a 5 star hotel. On the night before we were leaving we figured we would enjoy and make the best of what was left, we had gone for dinner no service once again, we had gone to the piano bar for drinks the line up was so long and the wait was long. We sat outside to have drinks and watch the entertainment not a single sever approached us I had to go get my own drinks in which i had to waste half the time just standing at the bar waiting to be served almost half and hour waited for drinks, they screwed up on all the drinks had people in behind the bar that had no clue what they were doing and didn't speak a word of English. The entertainment guy had come outside and sat with a couple ladies and had full service while we were sitting there and not getting any drinks. I want a reimbursement for this terrible experience and I will never go back to this resort ever again and wont recommend it to anyone to go. Very terrible service and not the rating that they say it is. If someone can please email me back with a compromise or something. I hadn't been to cuba since 2009 and this was the worse to the point I don't think I would go back there ever again. Also want to add we went to the buffet where they had made the chicken in front of you and when we took it to the table it was red blood coming out that was so discussing to see it turned us away from it and we wouldn’t touch any meat. As well as they gave us a complementary room to use after we had checked out of the hotel on Feb 14 the room was so dirty piss all over the toilet there were used towels all over the floor I had to go back to the front desk and ask them for fresh towels for the room and not to mention we only had a half an hour to use the room and we had to wait for them to bring us towels as time was wasting. I don’t think I’d ever go back to this resort after all this terrible experience. They may want to reconsider there star rating as well.