Paradisus Cancun: Wonderful place

Very clean, smells amazing, wonderful waiters and waitresses and butlers. Beautiful beach. Need to replace pool chairs but otherwise amazing. Bali beds are a great feature and royal side is so enjoyable bei g adult only.

Melia Las Americas: First tirip to Cuba

Overall, we enjoyed our 7 day stay at the hotel. The only blemish was experienced at arrival, when we arrived at the resort at 11:30 am and there was no room available for us. We were very tired (awake for over 24 hours) and just wanted to settle in. The front desk staff were distracted by constant phone calls and seemed uninterested in dealing with us. Fortunately a shift change at the desk brought a very helpful employee who tried her best to get us settle in a satisfactory room. After two les [... read more]s than satisfactory rooms (worn out bathroom tiles, tub, etc.), we were put into a great oceanview room on the fourth floor. I realize that it is hard to guarantee one's preferences but when a tour operator brings their flight into Cuba early in the day, you just want a room to settle into! Our chambermaid Julita "Julia" was very cheerful and welcoming. Our room was always kept clean and well-stocked. The grounds are well-kept and pleasant to go for walks. The resort is well-layed out and is close to the beautiful beach and the nearby Plaza America. We enjoyed the entertainment and the animation staff went out of their way to try and encourage guests to engage in fun activities. In general, the food was good with plenty of choices in the buffet. The a-la-carte restaurants were excellent with wonderful service. The adult-only atmosphere was relaxing. Guests ranged in ages from young adults to elderly, which made for a nice mix.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Lovely, Warm and Just What the Doctor Ordered

My husband and I chose the Melia Peninsula Varadero for our holiday in Cuba last week, March 20-27 because we wanted to be close enough to take a day trip into Havana. I almost booked another property but as I perused this one, I found I liked the architecture and landscaping a lot better. It's actually very important to me, that I always enjoy the view no matter where I am on the resort. Unsurprisingly, this Melia was originally a Tryp: I had travelled to the Tryp Cayo Coco twice a number of ye [... read more]ars ago, and enjoyed it very much both times. Our room at Peninsula was comfortable and clean, the tub and shower and walk-in closet were in good order and most welcome. The bed was not the softest, but it is Cuba and the beds are quite standard:no sagging springs, but you won't get memory foam and pocket coils. The TV, fridge and coffee maker worked fine, but it was lucky I brought a plug converter to fit the North American plug shape to the Caribbean outlet, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make coffee in the room! (would have had to resort to the outlet on the hair dryer in the bathroom). Décor was pleasant, nice to have the fridge restocked mostly daily with water/beer (had to remind them about the water a few times), and the welcome bottle of rum for our Junior suite was very much enjoyed. The food was good quality, lots of variety in the buffet and the fresh grills for eggs, fish, and meat were all wonderful ( big shout out to Hicel (?) , The Omelette God. Personable, fast, and an egg whisperer if there ever was one.) The A la cartes we dined in were enjoyed both for the service and the fare - the Japanese was a Benihana style show and most entertaining. Overall, the staff were lovely and helpful: our toilet was fixed very promptly when we found the water low, our sink plug fixed also in very short order when it got stuck, and when lost coming in at night my husband got help to find his way back to our room. I advised the lady booking the a la cartes for us, I was gluten intolerant, and no problem, all the a la carte servers knew I was coming and assisted me with my food orders. The pool was very nice, swim up bar and bar service were attentive and the setting most relaxing. The beach was just gorgeous, white sand with always a lounger available, and the water was very comfortable after getting used to it. We did not use the recreational facilities, save the gym - good, basic, and air conditioned - and we did not attend any shows - we were always too tired after dinner! Generally it was a little bar time and then to bed. The day trip to Havana was very educational and great value, but bring water, it is very expensive to buy at the rest stop on the way. What I enjoyed the most about our time here was at almost every turn, a staff member was being helpful and warm. Alex the gardener, Felipe at the poolside snack bar, Jade our housekeeping maid, all the main lobby bar staff, were great. A big shout out especially to Philippe, our Air Transat rep, who was the best, very helpful and an encyclopedia of info and tips. We are looking forward to coming back soon!

Melia Las Americas: Gorgeous Resort - Been there 7 times

Just got back on the 31st. Melia Las Americas is smaller size resort, (320 rooms) which suits me best. As an adults only resort, I find that I am in my element. It has a great beach, very close to main building's rear patio. 30 - 40 ft to the beach. The staff are amazing. I am remembered year after year and addressed by name. I'm barely through the front door before the hugging begins. It is well staffed for the number of guests. I find the food to be good. The quality and flavour of the food ha [... read more]s increased year by year. It is located next to the best golf course in Varadero. There is an extensive entertainment department at Melia Las Americas and all that I have encountered are skilled and beautiful performers. I do go there for the warmth and the beach, but I get so much more for my $'s. For me, when I want it to be, it is a totally peaceful experience, yet with a lot of flavour.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Perfect getaway!

We had an amazing week at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria! The resort was very well kept and clean, the staff was amazing and the beach was magnificent! There were many excursions offered and lots of events around the resort. The food was great, especially the a la carts offered for dinner! I would recommend this location to friends and family!

Tryp Cayo Coco: Excellent Value!

Excellent value for what we paid. Beach is amazing! Very old but nice resort, rooms were clean and comfortable. Food was good, lots of fresh fish and meats every day. Restaurant at the beach has good food and good service. Would go back again!

Sol Cayo Coco: Liked it a lot and will return next year

Grounds were beautiful and room and hotel were very clean and well kept. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Staff at the front desk were not as friendly or helpful. We purchased the Premium package and were very disappointed that we paid the extra money but did not receive all the perks we should have. When we return, we will just book an ordinary room.

Melia Las Dunas: First time to Cuba and my last.

Sorry but I have to start with the bad. In fairness, because I didn't care for the food, others found it quite good. The buffet had plenty of dishes I've never heard of but scarce on much North American fair. The a la cartes were good (my husband liked them) but don't expect white meat which I prefer. Chicken dishes are legs and thighs. Pork, not sure. As we both had some tummy issues throughout the week, I was very careful our last day and only ate what I thought was safe. However, I became ve [... read more]ry ill my last night there, had to go to a clinic in the middle of the night, and went immediately to emerg when I arrived home. Four others on our flight home were also ill. My husband and I are still ill after being home 4 days now. The rooms, tired, old. Some mold in the bathroom. And one small cockroach visited just once. Liveable for sure but, they did not change the bath towels!!!! After five days I put the towels on the bed with a note (2nd request), left a larger tip and an arrow pointing to the towels. We got 1 new towel. The beds were, lets say adequate. It is Cuba after all. My husband had (has) small red bumps on both his elbows, some on his arms and legs. They formed a circle and no, we have no idea what they are. Beach towels at the pool. Not to be had. We had brought our own....best advice I can give! Last day it rained and I went to get a couple of towels (ours were soaked) and finally! A large stack of beach towels! May I have 2 please? No, apparently I didn't bring my map. That's right. My map??????? The one day excursion we went on was a very reasonable price. (Although don't be fooled thinking it a bonus you can take Canadian and change it right into pesos. Make sure you understand CUC vs CUP before you go. Exchange rate higher than Cdn to U.S.) I had never been on a catamaran and it was quite fun. Our lobster lunch was very good, and the rest of the day quite nice. But....sorry to have a negative here, the 8 hour day is too long!!!! It was very hot and while moving it was fine but they spent time just coasting to use up time. No breeze, you can't jump in the water, and for some, no shade. Luckily we had shade but I still came back with mild heat stroke. And now the good! The lobby bar. Fun, lively and served name brand alcohol. A lovely way to end an evening with a glass of wine or Kalua on ice. And the coffee was excellent. The pools themselves, perfect! Two adult only pools, one with activities and swim up bar and the other, my fav, huge, quiet, clean warm water. And number 1...The beach! Glorious, gorgeous, breathtaking. Clear turquoise water, perfect for swimming and a long sand beach for walking. I don't know if Melia Las Dunas was the problem or I'm just someone who should not visit Cuba, but suffice to say, I won't be back.

Tryp Cayo Coco: 3rd time at the Tryp and it never disappoints.

Cayo Coco is my favourite area in Cuba. The Tryp has the best food, great variety. The people are wonderful. The hotel is set up for beautiful views and lovely breezes. Rooms are tired but clean and any problems are quickly checked out.

Melia Las Americas: Great Resort!

We traveled to Melia Las Americas the week of March 23-30th 2015 upon a friend's recommendation and there were four of us. Resort was kept very clean. It was small and easy to get around and the grounds were amazing!. For those who want action there was a theater to entertain guests in the evening. We had paid for ocean view room and upon our arrival we were disappointed with the size and location of our room on the second floor facing roof tops. We brought to the front desk attention and had to [... read more] wait until 4:30pm to get another room. As our flight was early and had no sleep the night before, it made this very tiring. Our second room was worth it however, as it was on the fourth floor and had a great view. Rooms were kept clean and beds changed daily. I found the mattresses quite firm, but bearable.The resort is trying to accommodate all guests, but there were a lot of people-some being there more then once-so it must be challenging to please all. The weather was great the first five days and then we got a thunderstorm at night, therefore there was a lot of wind and we were not allowed to swim in the ocean. The food was amazing and we all loved it!

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Simply a Wonderful Peaceful Resort

First of all the Staff are AMAZING! Frankly we have never stayed at a Resort with such wonderful, fun loving staff. The staff get an awesome 5 star class and go over and beyond their duties. The grounds are beautiful, We stayed one week at the main resort and one week at the Royal. We enjoyed both. The Royal is very peaceful. We didn't enjoy the Royal Restaurant as much as the Main Buffet, but the Main Buffet is a two minute ride from the Royal. We really enjoyed the Main Buffet with so many cho [... read more]ices of food being cooked right in front of you. The Ocean and Beach are breathtaking. I know why so many people just keep coming back to this resort. It is one in a million!

Hotel Camino del Mar: Melia Cayo Guillermo - Nice Resort!

Just returned from this resort after a weeks stay with my daughter and grandson. We did a lot of research before deciding on this resort, and it was well worth the effort! It is a beautiful property with an awesome beach! The resort itself needs a lot of TLC, and the pier that is pictured is now closed off (even though people used it!), as it is unsafe, and does not look like the picture...this was VERY disappointing! I myself had no complaints with the food...lots of variety and very good! The  [... read more]room was looked after very well, and the staff were very friendly! All in all, it was a very nice, relaxing vacation.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Sadly disappointed.

1. understaffed- from reception staff to serving staff 2. had to complain the first day regarding unwashed, smelly, and stained towels and bed linens. 3. shortage of beach towels, and towels that were provided were worn and had holes. 4. exchange rate on C$ started at 25%, and was 30% by midweek!! I thought Canadians were their bread and butter? 5. rooms were dirty (dustballs along baseboards and under the bed and furniture), shower stalls were badly installed, leaking onto floor, pooling aroung [... read more] the toilet. 6. toilet flush valve broke twice- saving grace was that the service person was very efficient 7. plumbing fixtures and faucets were worn and dated, shower heads came off in my hand, and fixture drains backed up at all times- didn't bother calling this in to the receptionist 8. ceramic tiles, hand railings needed repairs 9. buffet facilities dishes were badly chipped, tables were not cleaned properly 10. supplies for bar drinks were often out of stock, bottles of water were not available, as they suggested that you bring the empty bottle to the bar staff for refilling. 11. stairwell lighting to our room did not work, and remained like that, although we relayed this to the staff. The extras that were included with the Elegance option were not available when we arrived, they made it up to us by treating us to a lobster with the bbq dinner. This was our 4th trip to Cuba, with our previous trips being a very positive experience, but this will probably be our last trip. 12. I noticed more garbage on the beach at this resort than the previous resorts that we stayed at. The positives; the weather, beach, and ocean waters.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Tropical Paradise

The entire resort is a tropical paradise with beautifully landscaped grounds. Food was much better than previous Dom. Rep. experience. What moved my rating from 4 star to 5star was the staff. Marvelous friendly people who seem genuinely happy.

Tryp Cayo Coco: Great resort!

Tryp Cayo Coco is a great place to go for a nice relaxing holiday with family or friends. The rooms area bit dated, although, throughout our stay they gave us a floor lamp, new curtains, a kettle and an iron & ironing board. So they are doing things as the items become available. The service of their staff is second to none, and always aim to please you!

Melia Marina Varadero: 5 Star Accomodations!!

The Melia Marina Aparttments are beautifully designed and built. They are spacious and upscale to this area. You need to be resourceful for meals in and a little creative win the one pot and one pan thT is supplied to you! There are no starter packs of dish soap or dish washer detergent let alone a dish cloth or anything to wash dishes with. No facecloths either. The unit is not supplies with a broom. The unit is across the street and a walk past another hotel to get to the beach and the golf ca [... read more]rt ride is not always available. The bus ride into town is very enjoyable and I recommend on taking i to the far end and loop back just to see the sights. A very enjoyable vacation.

Melia Caribe Beach Resort: Good time

Lots of fun, resort is huge! Beaches were great. Food was so so. Amazing time with friends. Many things to do on and of resort. Would recommend to try this place out. Weather was great all week, really hot!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Good for new resort

The hotel grounds were well maintained, beautiful landscaping. The hotel was kept clean always people picking up things that were left behind glasses, cups, papers on the floor. The rooms lovely, the room service came in daily so always fresh water for brushing teeth for drinking. The maids did a good job although maybe more staff needed. I think that the towel & laundry delay should be explained to visitors as there were times we waited til after 7 & had to use beach towels. The dining area ser [... read more]vice wonderful especially our morning & lunch servers. They went above & beyond to assist us. The dining area clean the only main issue was the days they did not spray & many mosquitos. The beach was nice although water shoes needed to get into ocean once in no problem. The beach was clean, there were many chairs available great service at beach bar, daily activities for children and adults one recommendation to entice people to participate possible offer a give away maybe a souvenir a bottle to winners other resorts in Cuba do so. The pool was excellent daily activities there too. The towel service was excellent always fresh towels. The pool had enough chairs, the pool bar good as well. The evening entertainment needs some improvement in a two week stay we saw maybe 4 excellent shows. The other nights there seemed to be not much variety same dancers & band & music selection. They did have dancing afterwards but at a certain enough is enough & DJ killed good party by putting mellow music. The entertainment team that ran activities had individual talents they should have put a show together utilizing their own talents. The biggest pet peeve was no toilet paper in the public bathrooms. No need to really try the restaurants nothing special buffet was phenominal with variety & service!!!!!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Tired Resort

My first time to Cuba and went with an open mind, this particular resort was recommended to us and we went for it. Our 1st day was eventful when after unpacking we found out the patio door did not lock. We packed up and changed rooms, very similar problems as others low water pressure and yes, no water for several hours one day. The food in the buffet was acceptable, no food issues for us . . . use your head when making your selections we did not choose food that was obviously sitting in warming [... read more] trays for long periods of time. The staff was more than willing to try a please but maybe some training should be given for regularly cleaning the inside of the windows in the buffet room and wiping tables down between settings. I am surprised there is not more mentioned of the roaming cats at this resort. I am not a cat lover and was totally disturbed by the amount of cats that are roaming around this resort. We were in the Elegance group and had an invite to a BBQ dinner at the Beach BBQ restaurant one evening, sitting there having a very nice dinner and a cat is walking around in the restaurant startling guests as it showed up at different tables. Walking through the pool area meowing startling people relaxing in their chairs, not to mention the cats mating which was going on outside our patio. I have travelled to the Dominican and Mexico and there always seems to be issues with the lounge chairs and having to go out early in the morning to reserve chairs. But, there seemed to be a real problem with chairs around the pools and one thing I did notice was people were being very inconsiderate. Going to the pool placing a towel on the lounge chair and flipping the back of the chair down, then disappearing for the rest of the day because they have gone to the beach. Coming back to the pool around 4 in the afternoon and low and behold their chairs are waiting for them. It only takes a few to ruin it for everyone. This resort has a staff that will bend over backwards to accommodate you but they can only do so much, the resort is getting tired and must be maintained. It certainly is not a write off but they have to start paying attention to all the little details that require attention now. Good luck

Melia Buenavista: Best Trip Ever

Beautiful resort! Soooo much choice (especially for such an intimate resort) with 3 beaches and 2 pools to choose from. Three great restaurants and a wonderful poolside bbq and pizza oven. Best food I've had in Cuba. VERY service oriented staff from our wonderful butler (yay Jorge!), the bartenders (Lester, Osmany and Laily), the grounds crew and the maids. The most wonderful snorkelling right at the resort. Nice to have the option of the free shuttle to the two other Melia properties. The room  [... read more]was spacious, well appointed with the BEST outdoor shower!