Nice Resort - really bad housekeeping that gives this place 3 Star

Beautiful Resort, Food was not bad, the beach was so nice hard to decide where to stay at the beach or by the pool, Unfortunately I had very bad experience with housekeeping in room. Now it might have been just my maid but here is story: She put back dirty linens on the bed. Had to goto management they apologized changed the sheets. I would have let that go but I notice even the extra blank and the top layer goes over the sheets were stained. The shower head was broken on our 6th day it floo [... read more]ded the bathroom, then went into our room then water flowed out the door to hallway. Which they came and cleaned up. Cheap with Towels and toilet paper not enough and no kleenex (don't think have there) so you use the toilet paper. Which they give you just one roll. If you use the complimentary toiletries like soap, they don't refill if you need more. I am sure if I had booked Royal Service this would not have happend. Oh ya the mattress had springs coming through we had to watch where we slept. So unless you do Royal Service or stay in another bulding then 1, I would not recommend this place.

Horrible experience

Before I begin, I'd just like to note that this was my third trip to Cuba, so I am aware that Cuba isn't up to par with other destination locations. Just returned from this nightmare of a "vacation". When we first arrived, there was no formal greetings, or drinks in hand welcoming us to the resort... we stood in what we thought was a line to be served at the reception desk, only to watch other people just walk up to the desk and be served ahead of us. Once we finally got to the desk, our dis [... read more]appointment continued, only to find out that our room wasn't ready, so they pointed us in the general direction and told us to go to the snack bar. It ended up taking us about 20 minutes to find this snack bar, as the direction they sent us had 6 buildings and about 6 different restaurants (all closed) and we finally found it after asking 4 different staff members. The Racquet Club (snack bar) was one of the better places to eat and the day staff were mostly attentive. On to day two, we went to a mostly useless orientation presentation through our travel group, that unless you've never traveled anywhere before, is mainly attempting to get you to purchase excursions. The buffet restaurant was one of the worst I've had in my life.... most nights there were some items better than others, but mostly it was just plain bad. The one time I actually had a beef burger, it was (under) cooked medium rare and after the first bite, I couldn't eat more. The staff there is hit and miss, as some of them were great and other times you were half done your meal before they came to ask if you'd like something to drink, all the while you've watched them serve 4 tables around you to people who barely sat down. All the restaurants/bars were constantly running out of everything - from hot dogs, sausages, long pasta (spaghetti), jam, beer, wine and everything in between.... It started to feel like the old skit from SNL - "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, No Coke, Pepsi!". To top everything off, my wife got sick from either the food, the water or the ice, completely unsure. Needless to say, that her pretty much being stuck on the toilet for 4 days and me for 2 put a big damper on the vacation. I also must say that I witnessed on more than one occasion, staff reaching their hands into the ice maker to grab ice... (thank you for contaminating all the ice). I found the entire resort to be poorly signed, and quite chaotic. There was constant trucks and golf carts speeding up and down the pathways, forcing the vacationers to step off the pathway and onto the grass. The trucks and golf carts would park directly in front of entrances, again making the visitors have to walk around them.... And at night, most of them didn't even had lights! There were 2 or 3 nights that a truck drove around spraying, for what I can only guess was mosquitoes, but it was loud and smelled aweful! So, in my final opinion, this resort should not get anything better 3 stars. At the moment, I'm not sure if I will return to Cuba, but I can say with 100% accuracy that I will NEVER return to this resort.

First Time to Cuba - Paradisus Princesa Del Mar

This is our first trip to Cuba. Previously, we had been to Puerto Vallarta Mexico and Mayan Riviera Mexico (both times 4.5 stars) To compare, Mexico had better accommodations: bigger, in-suite premium drinks, better maintained, more swimming pools. PPDM had better entertainment and the bartenders did not water down the drinks. Food was good and we even had lobster on 3 nights. A la carte's were nice Japanese for entertainment but not the food and French was the best. They changed up the [... read more] buffet and lots of stations: Meats, Omelette, Fish, Pasta so things can be cooked to your task. Lots of sauces and condiments so no need to bring with you. The beds had no support and 1 day we had no hot water and the next day the repair was under way so the water was a trickle This is an Adult All Inclusive so people were older and courteous all around. If you have a late check out, recommend getting a courtesy suite. We took the bus around Varadero and this is one of the nicer resorts. Heard horror stories about some of the other resorts but this resort is great overall...just little things that will make it more like a Mexico 5.0 star vs Mexico 4.5 star.

Nice grounds but there are some problems. I rank it 3 star.

The soviet mindset is still entrenched here. We arrived tired, thirsty and hungry. There were only 2 people at the front desk. They were overwhelmed by all the arrivals it appeared. We waited nearly an hour to have our room key given to us. No one offered us a drink or even gave us any special welcome. We had 3 days with no hot water to shower. When I mentioned it to the front desk they simply looked at me and did not respond. Even though I am a generous tipper the service in the cafeteri [... read more]a (buffet) was lack luster and no one approached you to refill a drink. The service at the beach bar was better. One of the restaurants served us under cooked pork. It was served raw inside. We sent it back and they did not say a word just brought back a very well overdone piece of pork. Some days there was no basic things at breakfast like yogurt or fresh milk. The vegetables all come frozen and the meat is imported and not aged. Nothing is cooked with any spices. The first day there was fresh fish grilled. The rest of the week the fish was frozen tilapia. Every meal comes with rice and frozen vegetables. Salads are tomatoes, shredded cabbage and no dressing in site anywhere. The resort is in itself well kept and pretty. The beach looks nice. They don't seem like a happy group of servers or entertainers. Perhaps they are going through a transition.

Wonderful vaccation

Hotel does not look like 5 star. Food is Ok, but have to line up for a while until you get a table at buffet. Restaurants are too small and I managed to get only three reservations for dinner while staying for 7 days. Long wait on line for reservations. Room smelled terrible when we first entered in. Smelt like never opened for several months. Coffee maker was not working. Couldn't get it fixed or replaced until we leave. Wi-Fi available only at the lobby. You have to walk into lobby every time  [... read more]you need to connect to internet. Still you have to pay for it. Services from Sunwing was good as promised. All services on time and friendly staff made it pleasant vacation for us. I would use tripcentral and sunwing again for sure, but never visit Paradius Princesa Del Mar again.

Great Resort

We were very pleased with all aspects of the resort. We had a lovely clean room, the food was decent and the staff was friendly and helpful. The local bus into Varedero made for an interesting little excursion. Overall, we would highly recommend this resort.

Good food and nice beach, but not a 5 stars hotel!!!

The resort is very clean and food is excellent. Service is ok, but animation is poor. Shows were good also. Rooms are very poor and old. Beds are NOT confortable. .bars were good with a good sélection of drinks and wine. ............................................

Almost perfect.

My first impression when I walked in the main lobby and looked out to where the pool area was pretty awesome looking, and the person who represented the hotel who gave us the ins and outs was actually pretty nice, now let's get to reviewing the rooms the food etc. now my room got to it nice size very clean could be a little more modernized but overall very nice that's on the plus side the one negative thing in the room had an issue with the sliding door leading out to my patio I was on the first [... read more] floor, when it came time to lock the door it would not lock now it did have a chain lock on the top but I feel more comfortable if it did work, call the front desk send somebody they did he told me how to fix it would lock work sometimes. Overall wasn't really that concerned very safe resort plus I also had a safe in my room so no worries. Now I went out in the evening went into the hallway the only lights on where it each entrance coming into the building the rest of the first floor totally black, call the front desk and told them the problem they sent somebody over problem seemed fixed a few hours later no lights in the hallway. Next two nights same issue but finally by the third night were staying on all night. The food , the buffet left a lot to be desired it all looked fresh but for me my first thought if this is an example of their food you'll be the first time I'd gone away and lost weight it's a good thing I tried some of the other restaurants the French restaurant there amazing the Italian very good to, the 24 hour restaurant near the tennis courts not bad. As far as the staff overall very good very friendly with the exception of a few. Now they had a convenient shop as well is a cigar bar in the cigar bar the staff was so-so it was funny that one day but a cigar for nine dollars the next day they wanted $9.50 for the same one in the BS line she used she said it had to do with the sizes cigar which was a load of crap because I bought the same cigar as the night before, I guess you want to pocket the extra $.50 cents. Overall I would probably go back but I think I like to try something else in your area.

Very Relaxing Holiday

The Hotel was clean with great service and friendly staff. Beach was always clean and organized. Restaurants were great especially Sakura(Japanese themed restaurant) and the buffet was great. The pool was always kept clean and there was lots to do.

Very Nice Resort

This hotel is very well maintained. The grounds are immaculate. The beach is expansive. The facilities are clean and well kept. The restaurants are well varied and the food is extremely good. However the beds and pillows were lacking in comfort.

Pleasant Surprise - 5 Star Resort

Overall a excellent resort with friendly well caring staff. All services were "best effort". Food is excellent on an international scale - if you like burgers and hot dogs you will be disappointed. Beef is not easily raised here. A La Carte restaurants were excellent - Hilltop service was better than New York, Paris, Toronto. Food at Italian and French were on par with any 5 Star Resort. General staff is good...formal rules with what they can and cannot do - ie wifi cards can only be boug [... read more]ht with local CUC and only when the teller is is there...no exceptions even in an emergency. Some aggressive tipping from the pick up bus driver and guide (Charlie Brown) - other than that no aggressive tipping requests.

Nice Resort!

I liked the beach and pools. The rooms and service were not that great but the food was good and the staff were friendly. I recommend this resort to anyone who wants to relax as it's a good value for the money you pay and a good relaxation after few months hard work.

A Wonderful Experience

We just returned from a week's stay at Princesa Del Mar. It's a lovely resort, wide open, with a magnificent beach, and friendly staff. The food is very good, and the tables outside the main dining room make eating outside a pleasure. The recliners, which previously were crammed in by the pool, have been scattered on the grass among the palm trees, giving plenty of shade. I had a couple of minor complaints. One was that our room was cleaned after 3:30, which interrupts an afternoon rest. T [... read more]he internet in the lobby was frustrating, going down three or four times in an hour. Also the bathroom had no built-in ventilation, and gave a musty smell to the room. A swimsuit had noi chance of drying in 24 hours. The water was nice and hot, and only once ran a little cool, at 3:30 in the afternoon. The Hilltop restaurant was spectacular, and the others quite good. The Japanese provided a spectacular show. All in all, 4 - 5 Cuban stars for this hotal.

Excellent Stay ... not sure about 5 star

First, we enjoyed our stay very much. The beach was one of the best on the island and the room was extremely clean and comfortable. We also enjoyed a wonderful day trip to Havana (well worth it as long as your tour guide walks you around) ... but it was a long day. The pool, grounds and hotel were very well kept and clean ... and being an adults only was very calming (not sure if younger adults would like the quiet). And the entertainment was first rate ... no cheesy Michael Jackson imperson [... read more]ators. On the negative side we found this hotel's food selection to be very limited (of all 4 resorts we stayed at in Cuba). Although the "a la carte" restaurants were good, the buffet was bland and lacked variety ... but very good fish. A little thing but the room towels seemed to repel water instead of absorb ... very odd; and there weren't enough beach towels to exchange. As for the staff, some were superb and others severely lacked enthusiasm. While some hustled and worked to make sure you had all you needed (and got tips to relfect this), others seemed to be very bored (despite all that needed doing) and uninterested (most of the lobby bar staff seemed to have this attitude). As for Transat, excellent reps at the resort (Mai-Ling and Margarita); and the transfers to the hotel and airport went without a hitch. The plane seats were very tight and the staff a little bored ... but it was only a 3 hour flight so not too much of an issue (except I am sure if you are tall). In conclusion, great weather, good solid resort, excellent entertainment but "hit and miss" staff and food. A solid four star but we question the five star rating.

Great resort

Overall the experience was great. I really like the Royal service feature. Rooms were big and very nice and clean , all the staff were friendly and accommodating , the pool and beach was also great , very happy that we chose this resort for our trip . Thanks also to our travel agent from trip central Ash, very good service

Amazing Resort and Stay

Was impressed with all the facilities. The staff were very pleasant and very helpful. Staying at this resort seven days isn't long enough to enjoy all the facilities. The pool area and activities held were well organized and put together very well. The night life and staff made our vacation by entertaining everyone and ensuring everyone left the evening with an enjoyable evening.

Amazing Resort

I would strongly recommend the Royal Service. The suite was very clean and spacious, our butler Ernesto took care of all of our needs and made our stay exceptional. I look forward to returning. The restaurants were very good especially the French restaurant.

Cuba trip *Paradissus Princepessa de mare

Hotel - ok needs a renovation broken tiles, lights were missing Food - ok some food served cold, limited assortment, Service - fine Beach - beautiful Night entertainment - great This is not considered a 5 star hotel.

Amazing hotel!!!

very beautiful hotel, all inclusive, pools are big - there is a bar inside the pool you can order drinks. there is a great beach that belong to the hotel with barband service, we had exercise inside the ocean with the crew members, and a pool party one day. the food is very good, there is a snack bar open 24/7 very nice. in our last day the bus arrive only at 19:00 to the air port, and we didnt feel so good so they give us a room that we can rest although we did check out before. to summary exce [... read more]lent hotel very recomnded!!!

Great Week in Cuba!!!

We travelled as a family of 5 and the resort was a true delight. Friendly staff, lot's to do and amazing entertainment. Missed the internet at first but quickly "logged into" the experience of being in Cuba. Wonderful day trip to Havanna with Jennifer in a classic 56 chevy!!!