Melia Internacional: Amazing vacation destination

I love Melia Internacional Varadero where I am treated like family as I have been there 10 times with my family members. Last time I was there there with my family was on April 17 for a week. Even though it's only 5 years old and still in good condition, the resort was undergoing major renovations. All the room numbers and direction signs were being replaced with new ones. Over 200 rooms were being renovated. All common areas were being painted. New suntan beds were received for the Level Adults [... read more] section on April 23. The food, the service, the cleanness were all top notch. I would like to offer a big thank you to all the staff and a special thank you to few of them as I am limited in space on this post and cannot name everyone. Thank you Dario for your great personality and amazing management style. I've seen how you operates in quiet times and under pressure and I was impressed. Thank you to all the management team whom I have interacted with daily especially Adriana and Roberto. Gerlad good luck on your new role. Thanks to the chefs and cooks especially Ariel. To all Mosaico staff especially Adriel who is always providing service with a smile. To all the servers at the Blue, Red and Sky bars especially: Yusvani, Suyen, Jessica and Danay. To the room maids especially Celia, Balkis and Marai. Last but not least the Adults Level beach service: Yamil, Yuri, Tomys and Yazel. As I said all the staff members I dealt with were amazing but I cannot name everyone. Thank you all.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Beautiful resort

This was the nicest resort I have stayed in in Cuba. Smaller resort with rooms with large sleeping area with living room attached. Beautiful bathroom. All buildings in centre of resort so right was to lobby, buffet and left close to pool and beach. Food was ok, only one day there was no eggs but always a large variety of food for every meal. Staff were very accommodating. Could always get a beach or pool chair any time of day. Adult only resort, found the majority of people 45-70 age grou [... read more]p. Would definitely go back!

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Sol Rio de Luna

As we have just returned from 21 days at Sol Luna I feel I can give a fair and honest assessment for this resort. This is our seventh trip to this resort and our 14th to Cuba.First of all the staff and grounds are one of the best in Cuba. There are some serious issues in Cuba surrounding shortages The poor staff do what they can to satisify but even their frustration shows at times. Examples are no bread for days, no eggs for days ,no bacon for days, limited watered down juice. no mixed drinks e [... read more]xcept rum punch. At the A La Carte restaurants it seems to be the same old products just renamed.Example soup in all pretty much the same but renamed in each.Water issues for a few days resulted in some frustration. 1 day no water for 8 hours 1 day no water for 4 hours 1 day no hot water... We feel that we are fair and try to understand the problems Cuba is having however as we are paying good money for the trip we don,t expect to have these ongoing problems.Conditions were much worse this year than 2023. I have no issues with Trip Central and certainly will be using Jenn Black in the future.Unless things improve in Cuba i would not recommend any resort in this country.

Sol Palmeras: Your BEST CHOICE!

Top Notch on everything ? Professionalism ? CLEANLINESS ?Beautiful Vibes ? Plenty of food choices during the day /evening ? Well set Entertainment for different types of group ages ? Magnificent beach ? ? Incredible employees ?Safety and care two main concerns of the management ?Great WiFi service ? Super comfortable beds The list can go on and on...

Melia Jardines del Rey: Nonstop Disappointment

Unfortunately my stay here for the week was nonstop disappointment. Our room wasn’t ready for check in until 6:30pm, when we entered our bed sheets had blood and semen stains and the pillows smelled like sweaty hair with mascara residue (clearly not washed). Our room phone was broken, we had to walk to the lobby and follow up 3x to change the sheets, we didn’t get clean sheets until 9:30pm, and our phone was never fixed. We only had 2 toilet paper replenished in our room throughout the we [... read more]ek, and you were lucky if there was ANY toilet paper in any of the other washrooms. It seemed they could only afford to deliver a limited amount of TP and water bottles on certain days. There were 2 days we were given no bottled water, so if you’re still convinced to go here pack your own toilet paper and water. There was no point walking over to the customer service office multiple times, they would lie in our face and say “it was just delivered” and we would walk back to the room to find nothing, then walked back and they would lie again, in a way to just get ride of our presence and not deal with the situation. In fact, the one day I asked for some TP to use in the lobby washroom, the manager laughed and said “no”. Very very rude staff, only nice staff were the gardeners (unless you pay the staff money they are friendlier). They did not replace our sheets or towels once throughout the week even when they were visibly dirty. Bed bugs as well, not surprising since clearly they don’t even change new sheets when a new guest arrives, my husband and I woke up to multiple bites. Internet went down frequently and is only available in the lobby. Don’t expect working internet. If it doesn’t cut out, a WhatsApp message takes about 5 minutes to send. It seems this specific resort has some sort of arrangement for the locals, about 50% of the guests were locals and staff would prioritize service for them. With the Cuban food shortage buffets would always run out, the locals would get to cut in line and typically took an entire bread basket or entire platter of meat and once the actual tourists were next the chefs said no more food. One day it took 1 hour to get a hotdog/ French fries at the grill while we watched a family of locals be served 2 replenishments of a PLATTER of hotdogs hand delivered by the manager. Even without the shortage lineups for food in general was ridiculous, this place used to have a pizza oven along the beach and you now need to wait in a half hour lineup at a restaurant, you can’t take it to go. Lineup for eggs took on average 30-45 minutes. Only one bar is opened after 10pm. They only had beer and rum available when they ran out which was frequent. Also note to bring your own beach towels, there was only 1 day they had clean beach towels to replace. Good things: Lots of friendly stray cats if you like cats

Paradisus Varadero: Wonderful (if you come prepared)

We stayed on the regular side (NOT the reserve) and glad that we did as the main area had a good vibe going on while the reserve side was far too quiet and remote. The overall feel of the resort is lovely although it need of repair and maintenance. The beach is INCREDIBLE and the pool area is enormous and plenty of space for all ages. The resort staff are nice and do what they can to make your stay enjoyable considering the limitations Cuba has on food and drinks. Our hotel room was OK (a l [... read more]ittle tired and in need of repair (broken lamp, no hot water the entire week, not REALLY enough space for 4 people, not enough blankets) BUT we spent most of our time outdoors poolside or at the beach. Although the food was limited to about 50 ingredients total the staff did their best to make it interesting. There was always enough and we always had clean water to drink. What I don't recommend is the a la carte restaurants...the food is better at the resorts...and you have to get in line early to get a place setting. I would just stick to the buffets and you'll find something you like. Cuba is experiencing a tough time at the moment with resource and food shortages so the resort did a good job accomodating guests considering all of this. We came prepared with condiments, salad dressing and some snacks and had a great time. I would come back but would be cautious in which friends to recommend the same to as you really have to be prepared for less comforts than you would get in Mexico. If you're easy going Cuba will be fine.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good

The grounds were under construction when we first arrived on Saturday and our rooms were not ready. The reception desk was a bit disorganized and seemed flustered at times. Food was a hit or miss but Out of the 3 restaurants that you could book the best one was the Japanese Al- cart. Very entertaining and food was hot. The buffets was ok but a little disappointing with limited selections. The staff did what they could do and always trying to please the guests. Our room was well kept cleaned b [... read more]ut we also left many small items and a tip for the maid everyday. By Monday you could start to see changes with the grounds, the food was improving and the pool area was starting to look cleaner. One issue that should be noted was a few quests felt it was there place to grab the pool side chairs very early with towels or books. As well as allowing guests to sit on top of the swim up bar when you are trying to be served a drink. No one ever asked them to get down. The entertainment was ok but nothing to brag about. I give credit to the performers who did their best and always had a smile on their faces. I would rate this 3.5 and on the upward swing to improving.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Big Warning!!!!!!

Having been to Cuba and especially to this resort numerous times since 2008 I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong! We are not just talking about some shortages but major shortage and big change in other areas too. From atmosphere to safety. While I was there, 2 couples left early due to safety issues. As always, the beach was beautiful and the pool is too. Rooms clean but no art, no love just a bare cell with 20 year old beds. I do not need bacon and eggs for breakfast, I am to [... read more]tally OK with toast, jam and coffee and fruit. But if there is no decent bread (flour shortage, no yeast) no butter, no jam, no yoghurt only fruit is watermelon and papaya, then it becomes an issue. Of course no eggs and bacon. No juice. Orange juice is Tang, the lemon juice and strawberry juice that is offered is not juice but the syrup mixture used for magaritas and strawberry magaritas. Lunch and Dinners: Next to the buffet there is only one restaurant at beach and the snackbar that doubles as Cuban restaurant sometimes and sometimes its the International restaurant. I was there for 7 day. Chicken and chicken. Fish is only Tilapi, why - there is an ocean out there. Same with the fruit, there are fruit vendors along road, but hotel only has water melon. Hamburge or hotdogs are served without condiments and bread or bun. Basically just a slice of burger with cheese and a slice of tomato. Hotdog had a big cracker that came with it. No potatoes, but mashed egg plant, mashed plantain, mashed banana, mashed pumpkin. A lot of mashed Salad bar: its defrosted vegtables and fresh cabbage but no dressing - no vinegar, no mayo etc. Hence its just dry piles of canned or previously frozen vegs. The brusselspouts were sitting there lonely the whole week. Cold brusselsprouts. Dessert station: Orange jello and mush again. Meaning there was rice pudding and choclate pudding. No pastries or lil cakes. They had something called donuts - however it was the same dense white flour dough, hard and dense, glazed with choclate or sugar. of course watermelon Atmosphere: Changed a lot too. Staff is tired and worn looking and acting. Front desk ignores customers and generally has no clue when asked a question - this is the young male staff. The older ladies were good. There were lots of American-Cubans this resulted in loud boombox music from different areas of pool. Rude and ill mannered. Lots of prostitution - young girls and old men. There were security incidences that were just scarry and people left. No police was called nor properly addressed. Water and electrical outages. Here and there for a couple of hours But also longer. Water was out one day for 12 hours during the day. Imagine the smell of the public restrooms. You werre unable to clean yourself, brush teeth or anything. I ended up getting myself a gallon of water and used it to clean myself. All in all. It was not worth the money at all. I am shocked at how much it has changed.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Resort was nice

Our vacation at this resort went as expected. Weather was great. Food was plentiful and had free bottles of water every day. Room was large and very clean. Shower had lots of hot water which was a pleasant surprise. The restaurants we went to were definitely the highlight of our meals. Unfortunately the resort seemed short staffed at times and there was no security to be found. Overall we enjoyed our week but would probably not go back.

Melia Cayo Coco: Amazing Resort

We were here from April 13-20, 2024. First time to Cuba. We arrived on an early flight from Moncton, and we weren't expected our room until check-in 4pm. We were very excited to get in our room a bit earlier than that. Also, so very happy to get our requested location (beautiful oceanview room 8521). Thanks, Gippsy! From the moment we arrived; to the time we left was amazing. All the staff, too many to list treated us like family. So many places to eat such as buffet, snack bar, and bea [... read more]ch area. We didn't try any A La Cartes...next year we will (promise). We really enjoyed the pizza and fries at the snack bar. I think we had it like 3 or 4 times. hahaha. The resort checked all our boxes in terms of what you expect of a five * resort in Cuba. We will definitely be returning in April 2025. Maybe even for 2 weeks as we found we were just getting settled in by day 4. We did walk a short distance to the three-level market 1.7 kms I believe. It was a lovely walk. Picked up a few things. Every morning, we loved to talk to the gardeners and pool staff. Everyone works so hard to keep this resort in tiptop shape. We met so many new friends in these short 7 days. Some from UK, and some even closer to home like Dalhousie and Miramichi. Hopefully see them next year. My husband loved to play pool volleyball. I played once and got so burnt but so worth the experience. lol Thanks for a wonderful vacation. See you next year!!!!

Melia Internacional: Amazing Resort

We lately heard lots of negative comments about vacations to Cuba but at the Meliá Internacional we had a great experience. Fairly new resort clean abundance of food and drinks and beautiful beach. However they could do better with their services regarding beach towels and more so shower towels. The hotel is 25 minutes from Varadero airport but don’t book with Hola-Sun because it will take over an hour on the bus to get there both ways.

Sol Palmeras: Sol Palmeras

We are so glad to spend our vacation in Sol palmeras. The hotel was kept nice and clean every single day the service was excellent the food was good and nice the area was nice and quiet the beach was clean water wonderful. Thank you for everything we can't wait to come back.

Sol Palmeras: Sol Palmeras

We are so glad to spend our vacation in Sol palmeras. The hotel was kept nice and clean every single day the service was excellent the food was good and nice the area was nice and quiet the beach was clean water wonderful. Thank you for everything we can't wait to come back.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Beautiful Resort

This was our eighth time visiting this resort, we were there from April 3 - 17th. Our room was nice and remodelled with a beautiful shower and the air conditioning worked very well. Food was good with only a few days without bread and eggs, we had fresh fruit every day. Every Friday is Cuban day, they roasted a pig and served it later in the afternoon. The beach is long and beautiful. There are lots of activities throughout the day and entertainment in the evenings, you will not get bored. As [... read more] always, the resort staff are amazing and the cleaning staff and gardeners keep the resort clean and beautiful, they all made our stay wonderful. We have no regrets and look forward to our next vacation to this resort.

Tryp Cayo Coco: Fantastic week at Tryp!

We had an excellent week at Tryp! This was our first time to Cuba and we definitely will be back. The staff at Tryp were wonderful and welcoming. The beach is beautiful with white sand and turquoise waters. Rooms were clean, staff was very attentive. The resort is in the process of renovation, lots of improvements happening. Can't wait to see it finished. We had plenty of food and drinks never ran out of anything. Overall great experience!!

Melia Varadero: Amazing resort

The resort was great clean and well kept. There was plenty of food and the staff were very helpful and pleasant. The weather was superb. Was great having the mall right next to resort and shorter from the beach little waves but water was so clear. I definitely would recommend and return.

Melia Marina Varadero: 4 out of 10

The worst food in all the resorts I have been. Very low quantity of food and don’t taste good I had to fight every day for bottles of water. The beach was amazing. I loved it. The people were nice.

Paradisus Los Cayos: Lovely, amazing, largest resort I have stayed at in Cuba, not that I need large

All good except washrooms need some taking care of. Washroom off entrance as you come in beside registration desk in dire need of repair. Door locks broken on all, no soap in any dispenser, and womens washroom beside large pool just past buffet, no soap, no toilet paper in 1, seat completely sliding of base in 1 of the toilets. Happy with Buffet, considering shortages country is having, lots of food, eggs n/a 1st 3 days, thats all. Some cultlery in buffet dirty, needed replacing a few times. Oth [... read more]er than that all good. People that work there amazing, friendly and personable. Our room was good. Unfortunately pool directly off back lobby out of service last 4 days we were there, as well as childrens pool out of service entire time we were there, and quite a few families with children. All in all great hotel, yes would recommend.

Melia Jardines del Rey: great resort need some work

It was 8 years ago when we first stay at the Melia Jardines del Rey so its a little dated the pools were nice and the beach was just as i remember. The people are great as always ..food breakfast was ok but lunch and dinner was great beach great bring water shoe for most of the beach .entertainment team was great high energy and friendly we were a group of 4 ladies and we felt real safe at all time thanks Melia for a great week

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Great experience!

I went in November of 2023, so things may have changed since. The beach was generally quite crowded and small, but if you're okay with walking a bit further along the beach away from the resort, it becomes significantly less crowded and is really beautiful. The sunsets from the resort are amazing too. Staff was very attentive and friendly. I actually really enjoyed the food. It's generally quite simple, but that suits my preference. Chicken and mint for mojitos(came back) were the only s [... read more]hortages I experienced but that doesn't bother me. The espressos you can get at the bars are phenomenal. Probably some of the best coffee I've ever had. Their ice cream is good quality too and if you like papaya, they had lots! The basic room is dated but spacious and clean. Cleaning staff comes in everyday. Toilet paper wasn't an issue. Water was sometimes only warm max, but really in that kind of weather I'm probably going to be fine with a cold shower anyways. The only thing that was in bad shape was the safe punch code mechanism. It did still work, which is the most important part. The grounds were well maintained. It's a fairly small but nice resort, with mostly outdoor eating and entertain(with overhead coverage). I was very happy with the value of the resort and enjoyed the trips through the surrounding countryside too. I would recommend the catamaran excursion.