GREAT Resort

We stayed at Carisol los Corales from December 25 to January 1. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised how clean and tidy the resort looked and felt. Staff was very friendly, the beach amazing, food was quite good as well! I loved the views- you are surrounded by mountains!!! I loved the fact that kids were able to roam free (as the resort is small) and we were not worrying about their safety at all! no matter where you stayed (cafeteria or your room) everything was literally few minutes wal [... read more]king distance! A la carte were great as well (my favorite dish- fish in a curry sauce!) delicious! I thought the resort was greatly situated and I would definitely recommend to those that want to get a feel of "real" Cuba! I actually loved the fact that you have dogs and cats, sheep and horses roaming the property! Our boys were so occupied with the animals (both 6 years old and one 9 year old) The only negative aspect were the rooms. Don't get me wrong-they were VERY clean and spacious and no smell of moisture or mold whatsoever!! BUT they are so outdated to the point that some fixtures and renovations would be recommended! the grouting job in the bathroom was very bad..LOL... Generally I would recommend this resort greatly! For a 3 star resort I must say that you get everything-the views, the beach, the food....

Beautiful beach

The resort is outdated and needs TLC big time! My room was decent, but more like a two star room. Definitely bring your own pillows as the ones provided are tiny:( also I would recommend to bring your own hand soap and kleenexes. The food was ok, plenty of meat and starchy foods but no much of veggies except for cucumbers, white and red cabbage and carrots and peas...so don't expect variety, same for fruits...grapefruits, pineapples very little of papaya. The staff were friendly and helpful. The [... read more] beach is beautiful with mountain view, great for relaxing, snorkelling and kayaking (no extra fee) I would suggest to bring water shoes as the shore and water is rocky and full of urchins.

Summer camp style

The hotel grounds were well maintained (keeping in mind that there was a hurricane there recently) and the bungalow we stayed in was clean and we always had hot showers. Instead of Oceanview, we had parking lot view with idling buses. Since it was during Christmas holidays they were fully booked and could not offer us another room. The food was very basic. We had either a custom omelette or hard boiled eggs, toast and coffee. If any fruit was put out it was quickly absconded by whoever was  [... read more]there first. For lunch we often had a mini pizza in the Italian restaurant next to the main food hall. Dinner was pretty much always the same. Cucumbers, cabbage, lots of white rice or curried rice with a variety of stewed meats to put over the rice. There was often pork and fish being grilled if you were willing to wait in line. We had a la carte twice ( both times there was no seafood available.). They tried hard to give a good service but they just don't understand efficiency. Ie. Bring bottle to the table to refill wine glasses!! No, the waitress has to carry them to behind the counter, refill them and then try to remember whose glass it was! Desserts looked okay and the ice cream was very popular. We were disappointed with the lack of fresh fruit, and were told that the fruit trees were damaged and that they could only serve up what was delivered to them. 3* Cuba..understandable. We had to go reserve our chaises at 7:00 am orelse there would not be enough. Luckily people respected our towels to reserve. Our neighbours had a blue towel stolen and were charged $35 to replace it, even though they had been tipping excessively throughout the week. The resort was full of Cubans, and we felt that they got preferential treatment. (We were told that there was no shrimp at the Cubana a la carte). The Cubans at the next table not only had shrimp, but they had a lot of it. That's blatant discrimination...if you say there's no shrimp, there should be none on other tables!

Nice resort

Nice hotel with a nice beach. Many small things that need improving but overall pleasant place to stay. Activities are scheduled every day however only few are played. Stray dogs and cats in the restaurants I don't think are appropriate. No Wi-Fi on premises a big minus. Staff is friendly.

Great value: clean and comfortable

Have stayed here before; it seems spruced up. Clean and comfortable. Activities good. Mario, my Cuban guide/friend, joined us. Rental car was available to go over the mountains to Baracoa and Alejandro de Humboldt National Park. My 86- and 75-year-old lady friends also loved it.

Never again.

No soap in the bathrooms or toilet paper. Dishes in the dining room were dirty. The food was greasy and the poorest cuts of meat. The dive boat was not there as the papers had not been signed, no catamaran. The room was clean. The staff is helpful and friendly.

Well worth the money

stayed several times at this hotel, and find it the same every time, very enjoyable and the staff is so friendly, they do everything they can to accommodate you for whatever reason..the food could be better, cold most of the time, so eat from the grill.... ..the recreation staff is great, they try to get you involved in games and pool activities. will go back again

Great beach, great weather

A great value for a three star hotel. My husband and I go twice a year, in November and March, mainly for the location. Majority of the people there, at the times we go, are retirees. The weather is always good, and It hardly ever rains. The beach is great, the water is warm and there are no waves. The clean room for us is imperative so we tip domestic 3 CUC every morning. The food is okay; nothing special. Bring your own spices if you like spicy food. We don’t go for the food, and we donâ [... read more]€™t drink. We drink wine or beer at lunch and diner time. If you like to drink be prepared to tip if you want a speedy service at the bars. There is a great program every night. Basically, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect five star treatment in a three star hotel. We are planing to go again.

Nice resort

The resort was nice , the room was clean and the shower had lots of hot water . the food was OK at the buffet most of the time ( do not show up late , slim pickings ) . day time activity fun and nightly shows are great .

Incredible time

The whole experience was exactly what I was looking for. The staff was amazing and the resort itself was beautiful clean and relaxing. I would definitely go back. the pool and the entertainment was great. Everything was what I wanted and surpassed my expectations

Good resort and great location!

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Los Corales. The location is great as it is an hour to the city centre and close to the aquarium where we swam with dolphins. As we both speak Spanish, we were able to immerse ourselves with the locals and enjoy some evenings in the barrio dancing with them. We also visited the lagoon by foot. As for the hotel, the room we were given was in need of updating. There were no other rooms available to move to so we had to settle. The service was below average in t [... read more]he buffet restaurant with the exception of 3 servers. Most likely because we are both Latin and they thought we would not tip. The Management was overseeing the restaurant one day and that was when we actually received service promptly. The Entertainment staff, especially my girl Yilen whom offered dance and exercise classes, were on point. The only problem were the guests as most times they were not interested to participate. I would give this resort a 3 star review based on overall experience.

Love this place!

Still needs a bit of TLC, after hurricane Sandy... But they are well on the way. I found this gem through friend 3 years ago, and I've been back year after year. Staff are amazing! It's clean and has all the basics.. Don't go in with high standards, because u will only let urself down. Cuba isn't Canada, and u will only get out what u invest into ur experience.

Carisol los Corales

We had checked before going about having diet pop and they have it but not the same as ours-but no they didn't have it at all-Pedro at the hotel tried for 2 days to get us some from in Santiagio and on the second day did find some limited amounts for us-we were so grateful to him and his hard work .. The room was good-the food was Cuban,with some liking it others not-but a good variety-the soups were really good too (just take your own soda biscuits/crackers)-bread is deicious-lots of pork an [... read more]d chicken at meals-pizza very good.They do not have pepper there at all ..just salt The pools were really nice and a swim up bar..entertainment was great-lots of bars-the beach not great for swimming-but the water is so warm there and there were plenty of chairs.. I cooked with one of the chefs and we made some pickles which I took the spices for-it was just wonderful and new for them.. We took the horse and buggy ride to Bacanao (for 5 pesos) to a school and took them some supplies of paper,markers,pencils,Canadian flags and more-they were so happy and welcomed us-it was good for them and good for us.. We went out of the resort to a restaurant now far-but the food was not good at all there..met some local people and gave them some baby clothes that were so happy to have.. Now there are tile floors for the sidewalks and we had a heavy rain which made the tiles slippery..there were 3 of us that I know of that had fallen ..so be careful of this..the nurses in the infirmery were totally awesome when I had my fall. All of the staff are so pleasant,friendly and helpful in every way..our stay there and adventures were so good and enjoyable..

Good Value For The Money

I got what was expected for a 3 star hotel. A mistake in the room we were given was corrected the next day and our room was adequate. AC was cold, water hot, bathroom spacious. Pool was nice and never too crowded. You were assured a lounge chair either at the beach or pool. Beach is on the small side and sand is mostly gravelly. Not a whole lot of room to swim as the water is very shallow with seaweed except for a 30 ft wide area that is deeper and sand covered that leads out to the coral. Ex [... read more]perienced snorkels will be disappointed here with the lack of variety of sea life and limited coral. Still, I had a great time on the beach. Lots of chairs , shade, and even some hammocks. The entertainment was good and popular with most of the guests. All the employees we encountered were respectful and seemed genually happy The food at the buffet was good there was always something for everybody. Bread was baked fresh everyday. My expectations for food in Cuba are on the lower side so I was satisfied . Surroundings are very nice with mountains to look at. Considering what I payed for this vacation , I was happy with this hotel.

Poor resort

The hotel wasnt great, bugs, smelly bathroom nowhere to swim shallow beach, food was very poor. I would not recommend to go there for anyone. It was a bad experience never had this bad experience ever.

One of the worst

Room was well kept and clean but was missing phone and fridge and was noisy being beside pool and entertainment area. The grounds were nothing to write home about neither was the beach no fish to see when snorkeling nor could one swim as it was mostly covered by sea weeds. Good shaded and sunny areas to sit around and look out with a good enough beach bar. Food was very basic and boring, no taste, no variety basically the same thing over and over. Entertainment was okay and staff were mostly [... read more] friendly. The bar seemed to only have beer and cheap rum, no vodka , or whisky. I had trouble getting a bottle of water running around to different bars to a point that it seemed there was a water shortage. Two days there was no red wine with meals. Hamburgers were under cooked so was concerned about food poisoning. Often, there were no bowls for soup or ice cream and the soup was the same every day. I will not return to this resort as I found it one of the worst in the context of Cuban resorts.

Best buy for the buck!

We had a wonderful time at Los Corales! The staff were friendly and helpful, the resort itself is beautiful even with some signs of aging. The food was more than adequate.We took two excursions which I will comment on. The dolphin show at the aquarium was fabulous and if you want a really memorable experience add the "swim with the dolphins" too. If you want to save money, just rent a horse and buggy and only do the aquarium instead of taking the package. We also did the Catamaran tour to Santia [... read more]go. The ride is a long one but very beautiful; but bring lots of sun screen and be prepared to just relax in the sun. You only have an hour in the city which was just enough time to take out more cash and walk down to the cathedral. If you like to shop, Cuba is not the place. There's not much in the stores except basics for Cubans. The best souvenirs you will find on the beach! So, you will save money there. The free excursion in the horse and buggy was fun and we even saw the wild dolphins in the lagoon, but you can't be guaranteed of that. The beach is a mixture of sand and broken coral so bring water shoes especially if you'd like to play volleyball! Even though there is a lot of sea grass in the water if you venture out a little beyond it there are lots of tropical fish. The coral is not live as it was killed by hurricanes. Also, bring your own snorkel set because most of the ones they have there leak. My daughter went scuba diving and you got to train in the pool until you're ready. Even though they are not certified by North American standards, they did a good job and were very safety conscious. There are paddle boats and you can go out on a small catamaran with a skipper for a tip. There are two masseurs on the beach so for $10 you can have a great 1/2 hour massage with the sound of ocean waves, birds and goats in your ears! Just a word about beach etiquette: the more seasoned guests go out and claim their lawn chairs first thing in the morning, leaving a shirt or something to let you know that it's taken. I don't think it is kind but don't try changing it. If you can't get out early enough to stake your claim just wait until one's available or pick a place on the sand or a hammock or go later in the day when the others have gone in. Bikes are free so you can ride down to where the road ends and see beautiful wild beaches. But they aren't speed bikes so you will have to work on your way back! I got a good one but I was told that some aren't so good and you may get a flat tire. Check it over carefully before taking it out. Also, if you have any dietary concerns, talk to the chef and they will be more than willing to accommodate you. If you're gluten free just bring along some of your own pasta and bread. I am vegetarian and had I known how accommodating they would be, I would have spoken up sooner. There is lots of meat and vegetables, only pineapple, papaya and one other tropical fruit which I am not familiar with for fruit, and only white bread.There is no WiFi but internet is available for a small fee. I liked that because my daughter was not on her phone all the time and it was nice to just visit with other people and enjoy all the activities. If you have a heart for the poor, bring a check in with give away stuff; you'll find ample opportunity to do so and you will be rewarded with seeing happy, appreciative recipients who will try the best to give you something in return. You will be entertained with lovely Cuban music at every meal with live entertainers. There are always dogs standing around the outdoor tables but they are all very mannerly and you will probably have your favourites. To me it was homey. Bring an umbrella for occasional rain. Would I go back? Most definitely!

Great weather and people.

Just got back from a 4 week stay at my favourite resort near Santiago de Cuba This was my 9th time there; my reason for being a repeater is .It's the devil I know, not the devil I don't. This resort is a 3 star Cuban rating a lot of people pay for a 3 star and want a 5 star. The weather is always 27 to 32 this time of the year; the food is good and you will not starve and the staff are friendly and always willing to help without having their hand out as on the north of the island.

The staff was great, very helpful, very friendly.

The room was ok. I was not happy with the fact that when you went to the beach there was never enough sun beds; also at night when they offered the entertainment there was never enough chairs for the guest. At the pool there also was not enough sun beds. The food was not bad. The beach is not as good as other places in Cuba.

Adequate

Grounds - good for our taste. We were four of us: our son with his wife, my wife and myself. The rooms were not bad. Once because of some strong wind the resort left without water but they managed to fix the problem pretty soon. Except that day the water supply ran O'K. Caution! The hot water is really HOT. The beach isn't bad though not excellent. The view from the beach to the East is amazing. The water is limprid (clear). Our children used to snorkel a lot and with a great pleasure telling [... read more] us that there were many beautiful fish out (down) there. The water was pretty warm all our two weeks the passed January. Apparently nothing unusual as it is the South Coast of the Island. Two trips. To the city. We liked it. The guide was VERY good and interesting fellow. The price fare. Another trip to dolphinarium - nothing but amazing especially for us as we had never seen anything like that before. The daughter in law swam with them - UNBELIEVABLE! We didn't regret the additional price for that pleasure. Then they (not dolphins but the guide and the bus driver) brought us to the Lagoon, then to a private restaurant - the LOBSTERS were cooked perfectly!!! Though the food in the resort was just adequate. We tried two a la carte. "Italian"... As usual pasta - nothing else. But "Creole" was nice. Meat and sea food kebabs. And yet there was another good thing - we could eat after midnight and we liked eat - good hamburgers and hot dogs in the grill bar at the discotheque. ALCOHOL and BEVERAGES were very POOR. I like GIN but even a domestic one was not every day to say nothing about "Beefeater". No TONIC WATER ever, no SUGAR FREE Coke. At least there was sugar substitute for coffee and tea. Adequate... The staff was good. Typical for the kind Cubans. The price for two weeks is fair.