Best beach but not a 5 star resort

We just returned from our 9 day vacation at Coral Esmeralda. I must say this is Defiantly not a 5 star resort as you indicated. We were very disappointed with the description listed in your site and with one staff member there. The good. - Beast beach I have ever been to. White fine sand on beach and in the ocean. No need for water shoes here - Our room was huge and beautiful. We had the roof top suite - Massage at the spa are perfect. Great service and prices. Keylin and Ernesto are amaz [... read more]ing. - Lunch at the beach BBQ and the snack bar where the best meals on the resort. Freshly cooked and cooked to perfection - Waiters, cooks and bartenders are always friendly. Even if you don’t tip The Bad. - On the second day Ariel the butler manager made a racial gesture to my wife 3 times even after telling him the first time it was offensive. This set a negative tone for the rest of our stay and really spoiled our trip - Beach has no washrooms and you have to walk over 3 minutes to get to one - Lack of supplies (that’s all Cuba) - Told there was turn down service when checked in but never happened (had to go change beach towels every day to the non-Coral side) - No VIP Dinner at the resort's best spot as stated when we checked in - A la carte dinners are pre made that always come out warm not hot. Better off at the buffet - No Complimentary hydrotherapy access as stated when we checked in and according to the booking agreement - Butler service was not really there as we have had at other resorts. - House keeping was really bad (shortage of towels every day, room not made a few days until after 5pm) - Shower for the pool and ocean to wash up were mostly broken (non on the beach worked) - Maintenance at this resort are slacking with multiple items not working - Room towels are old, non-absorbent, and smell like feet

Awesome resort

The grounds were very well maintained and the staff were very courteous, food was very good and top shelf drinks the rooms were clean and the adult section was absolutely peasefull which os what we were looking for ,we will definitely be back.

Nice resort

Me and my husband went to this resort from Nov 29 to Dec 6 and overall we liked our stay.Our suite on the level side was amazing very large with ocean view block 7.Our cleaning lady was amazing always have our room clean and well decorated.All the employees that we have contact to were very friendly and helpful.The entertainment team was amazing especially Brian always making us feel welcome. The beach is very nice beautiful colour.The lobby bar and piscina bar very nice and friendly,but the bea [... read more]ch was very poor and the staff it wasn’t friendly not even a smile.The downside was the food no variety very poor at least the wine/drinks were good.One week was enough ! The hotel have to improve on their meals/food otherwise is going to lose customers because you one but next time won’t go back,just beach,rooms and friendly staff is not enough everything was to balance.

Swim up is wonderful

It was a beautiful resort. We saw groundskeepers every morning taking care of the property. In 7 days we went to the beach 3 days and after the beach, the swim up outside our room. I think that was our favourite part, which was why we spent all the other days at the swim up. The staff were all helpful, amazingly friendly and kind. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Water pressure was challenging sometimes, but it was only for a short period of time and then back to normal. The rooms w [... read more]ere clean and quite large. Lots of room to move around. We probably could have had a dance party. The food was fine. Several guests brought condiments from home, like peanut butter, jam, ketchup as they aren’t usual items that are available in Cuba. Crazy thing….cigars were not available at the cigar bar. There were none. The gift shop was independently run and the person that ran it was never there. Sometimes the light was on, the sign said open and the door was locked. The resort has no input regarding the gift shop, so if you needed anything, you could go to the market down the road a few minutes and see if you could find what you needed there. Overall, I would absolutely go back on another trip to Cuba

Simply Amazing !!

I can’t say enough about this place . You will eat,drink,dance,laugh,cry.. and meet all the people who makes the resort a JEM !! Ariel you are by far the most amazing concierge!! Cuba is Cuba ….go for the Beach!! Open your eyes look at the sky and enjoy ❤️

Great Time But......

We have been to Iberostar's in Cozumel and Punta Cana and these resorts are one of our favourites. We were fully aware of the situation in Cuba and have no complaints about the staff who worked tirelessly to ensure we had a great vacation. The restaurant staff, bar staff and entertainment were amazing. We found the food repetitive but we knew that before going and were never hungry. Bring your own condiments!! There were days we ran out of bread, wine, mixes for the drinks and no buns for the h [... read more]amburgers and only had eggs three days. Hamburgers were on the grill for breakfast lunch and dinner. The grounds were nice but severely needed water. Lots of walking to the beach, pools and restaurants . The staff at the beach always found us a chair, swept it off and brought us tables. The management was not accommodating for early arrivals and late check outs. Through they proudly display late check outs. It didn't happen. We were out of our rooms at noon with a 6-pm pickup to the airport. This resort is very remote, there's nothing around it and an hour from the airport and on the way back it was an hour and a half as we had so many pickups at other resorts. For some reason we were given the Assessability Room. Very different from the regular suites. We were not impressed. There was no tub, the closet and safe was in the bathroom beside the toilet and the sink had no room to even put your toothbrush. There wasn't a hair dryer I did request one from Guest Services but never got one. Thankfully we brought our own toilet paper as there were days we didn't get any.The view from our room was terrible, piles of dirt. If booking I would highly recommend the swim up suites. This Iberostar Coral Esmeralda was definitely not a 5 star. The swim bar and daily activities were at the Selection side but there was not enough chairs or shade around the pool. Lots of mosquitos and sand fleas, OFF did not work. I came home with so many bites. Wifi was hit or miss, always had to sign every time we used it. On the last day they disconnected the WIFI at noon.. And many Canadians gave loonies and toonies as tips which is worthless to them. Many times we exchanged the coins for bills to help out the staff. The beach and water were stunning.... I would not go back to this resort, too far the airport, too many bugs and the view from the room was the worst we had. Would we go back to Cuba yes!

Really great time

As long as you have realistic expectations with what Cuba is going through you will have a great time. We went in with rock bottom expectations since this was our first time ever going to Cuba and we heard about all the shortages. That being said, we had an amazing time. The pools were great. The beach was great and the service I don’t think could have been better. even the food with their shortages really wasn’t that bad. There was lots of food every day and lots of options to choose from it ju [... read more]st might be tough if you’re really picky eater. I would recommend this resort to anybody and I think we had a much better time than I thought we were gonna have since everything exceeded our expectations. the only thing I would say is that this is a very quiet and relaxing resort, which is exactly what we were looking for. However, if you’re looking for loud music and everybody drinking all day and a big party probably isn’t the right resort.

Cayo Cruz

Just back rom 2 weeks at the Iberostar Coral adult only resort. Beach was much less wide than expected at high tide. Photos from the resort were taken at low tide. When low tide nice to walk. Unfortunately during our stay there was a lot of wind which brought in weeds which the resort was very slow to clean up. The palapas are very close together with 4 to a palapa so if you are just 2 it isn't private at all. We spent the majority of the time at the pool which was quite nice and much more  [... read more]private. As we are both swimmers the long 8 foot wide section connecting the buildings and 2 larger pools is perfect for doing lengths without bothering anybody. Water was crystal clear and zero garbage around. As the resort is fairly new the foliage is in the majority not yet mature but the gardeners do a great job keeping it nice and cleaned. Ate once at a restaurant but as we hate following a schedule on holidays we didn't repeat it. The buffet always had lots of food and the chefs did a good job in trying to change things up with what they had to work with. Have been to Cuba over 25 times so I know not to be a picky eater. The lobby bar was well stocked with more choice than the snack bar bar. The beach bar has no ice, never, go figure? No footwashing station when you come up from the beach and if you don't like wearing your sandals with lots of sand it is a long hot walk to the nearest station. Very little entertainment and no blaring music so we slept great. Bed very comfortable and bathroom nice and clean. Drive from airport longer than expected. 2 hours minimum. All in all we would go back.

Great resort and staff

The beach was amazing, the private pool was nice. Room were clean and maintained, comfortable beds Staff were all very friendly and helpful if you needed anything. There is a food shortage and supplies are low, but it did not have an effect on the trip. No fault of the resort either Lots of mixed drinks and they were made very well About 1 hour from the airport, the beaches make it worth it

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda

We really enjoyed our stay .Our room was amazing & well kept during our stay. The food was plentiful & fresh. Staff was very friendly & courteous. The beach was beautiful & relaxing. We also spent time at the pool which was also relaxing. We really enjoyed the quite, relaxing atmosphere of this adult only resort. The lobby was nice place to sit and have a drink, thank you Daniel. Oh and lots of cold beer too. cheers

Lovely

This was a lovely adults only resort. The quiet pools were quiet, except when certain guests decided to crank their own music! We had to ask them to turn it off. Would have preferred if staff would have done this. The housekeepers were amazing, the bar staff was good, although I never had a pina colada made the same way twice! (Each was good, though). I always asked for no alcohol, but twice was given it. Beach was beautiful. There is a sign that says “no reserving chairs” but everyone did. On [... read more]ce I saw a couple reserve their chairs, but didn’t tip and then the chair guy gave their chairs to someone else. Also, same chair guy said he didn’t have $5 change for a $10 bill when I had just seen him take $5 from someone. All other chair guys were honest. Food was subpar, but we expected that with the food shortages. Didn’t know from day to day what they would or wouldn’t have! Take your own condiments and snacks!! We were there for the beach and adults only quiet pools, so the lack of a variety of food didn’t really bother us. Gardeners were out all day, everyday, so the grounds were lovely. They always stopped to give ladies flowers and bananas if they had picked any that day. Not sure if “lifeguards” were actually trained, but they would gladly find an umbrella or chair for you at the pools. A la carte restaurants: The food is the same basically as the buffet, except they were made fresh instead of being in a warming tray. We didn’t get a chance for the “Asian” so not sure what would have been served. Staff were overjoyed with donations of dolls and toys. Overall, we very much enjoyed our stay!

Absolute Disappointment

The rooms are clean, food is terrible, water is scarce to come by, bottled water must be asked for or bought, towels are non existent, no sodaand zero mixed drink options really other than rum, we literally had zero a la carts, no eggs, booked the spa and was cancelled stating that closed till fixed, everything was cancelled when management showed up No dinner reservations or a la carts No condiments, mustard, relish, ketchup, only mayo - none, not even vinegar Daily No white or red wine No [... read more] liquors , No coffee No eggs the entire time we were there other than powdered Very limited bread, buns & French fries- just depended on the day No hand towels, toilet paper, no face clothes, zero beer in fridges in the room for the entire stay, nor did anyone in the resort No bottled water- house cleaner, room service, bar tenders, there was water available but highly chlorinated to point of making me sick No facial tissues& no napkins/silverware at times Ceiling issues, water issues, running toilets Old in shower ceilings, No pop or soda daily, vermouth, no potatoes, no fresh fruit only canned peaches & pineapple Zero beer or drinks in our room No 24 hour food at snack Bar, no beach grill -the communication, scheduling & supervision at this resort was an absolute nightmare There was a couple days where there was cheese available

Amazing resort

The resort was small, clean, and the staff was helpful and friendly. The food was ok but everything else about the resort was exceptional. I would definitely go again. We had one of the swim up rooms and now I’m spoiled for any other trips I want to take.

Amazing resort! Loved it!

This resort was fantastic. It was quiet, lots of chairs at the beach and pool. It was never busy and overcrowded even thought the resort was fully booked. Never had to reserve a spot at the beach, pool, and buffet no matter the time of day. The food was good and did run out. The service was excellent and the rooms were clean, large and very comfortable. If you like the nightlife, it is not the place to go. By 11 pm everyone is in their rooms. If you want a beautiful beach and quiet area to re [... read more]lax, this is the place for you.

Absolutely fabulous resort

This was the very best resort I have ever stayed at. The room was simply amazing. The Lobby entertainment was great. The bar staff were fabulous especially Dan. He was the best. Great mixologist and kept the mood very high at all times. The beach was gorgeous and the sand was like flour under your feet. All the staff went out of their way to accommodate you. Definitely will visit again next year. Can’t wait.

Amazing Resort

We had an amazing time! The rooms were modern and comfortable. The staff was pleasant and friendly. The beach was amazing everyday. The food of course is more on the bland side but there was much variety in the buffet area. The traveller's were also very friendly. The entertainment was beautiful and interactive. I look forward to my return.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda

Overall trip was great, fairly new resort and was clean and well kept. Food was ok considering the shortage of supplies alone with booze and amenities. The beach is great for long walks. Entertainment was good Joseph and crews were very entertaining, would like to see a board displaying events for the day. I wish they would put no Smoking in lobby . There is plenty of locations for the smoking . The staff working on resort were very good. We would definitely return to same resort.

Disappointing Week

We booked our week at the Coral Esmeralda because it was listed as a 5 star resort, and because it was a smaller, adults-only resort. It had some positive aspects. Since it was small and adults-only, we enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with a number of people during the week. The entertainment each evening was very good -- talented dancers, singers and musicians.The beach was beautiful, as was the pool area. We especially appreciated Denny and Roberto, the lifeguards. Some of the staf [... read more]f were friendly and helpful, at all the venues, including the buffet restaurant, and the lobby and pool bars. The gardeners, especially, greeted us cheerfully every day. Others, not so much. Some of the management level staff seemed disinterested. Although water was supposed to be delivered to our room daily, it did not always appear. We reported this, and nothing happened. Toilet paper was in short supply, and often the dispensers in the washrooms in the lobby and at the pool bar were empty. The supply of toilet paper in our room was very limited. We could have bought some at the small store near the lobby, but didn't feel that should have been necessary. . Currency was a significant issue throughout the week. We had Canadian currency, but staff wanted US dollars for tips. Since Canadian tourists contribute significantly to the Cuban economy, we were were very confused by this. They also were not interested in receiving Cuban pesos. There was enough food, but little variety, and it would have helped if it had been labelled. Both the menu and venue of the a-la-carte restaurants were disappointing.

Don’t waste your money!

Have been to Cuba many times, in many different areas, so we can honestly say this is the worst hotel we have stayed at in Cuba. The only positives were the nice guests we met at the resort and the weather. Our room,1107, did not have hot water for the entire week of our stay. Maintenance came twice but did not fix the problem. Management refused to move us to another room, stating the hotel was full. With guests coming and going everyday, this request should not have been an issue. Dinin [... read more]g room tables were not cleaned promptly, not enough plates in the dining room for the amount of guests. White wine was very hard to come by. Food choices were limited. Chairs were stained. Staff attitudes in the dining room were less than desirable when you asked for something. Public washrooms were not cleaned properly, no toilet paper, no hand soap, for the duration of our 1 week stay. Lounge chairs were stained, umbrellas for lounge chairs were broken. Puddles of water in the hotel hallways due to faulty plumbing. Clearly, there are major issues with this hotel. The hotel is mismanaged. More like a 2 star. Do yourself a favour and go elsewhere. This was our first and last time at an Iberostar resort!

Good resort

Hotel is nice. Buffet is good. A la carte restaurants were not good. The beach is nice but not enough chairs. The rooms are nice. The snack bar was good with fresh pizza and other snacks. The bartenders are great!