Hotel review

Workers friendly, resort clean pool lovely, ocean awsome. Rooms had water and toilet paper, however washrooms around resort very often didnot have toilet paper, soap or paper towel. I know people don't go to Cuba for the food but they do go with the expectation of being feed and some variety. Food supply was very low and not sufficient to always get a proper meal. The alacarte resturants did not have what was offered on the menu and most if the service was very poor. I have been here  [... read more]before and it was a wonderful resort, i don't believe anywhere in cuba has food supplies right now

Beach was Amazing

The beaches never disappoint in Cuba. Resort is a bit dated and needs a fresh update. Chairs had no cushions in lobby so a bit uncomfortable. Toilet paper and paper towels we scarce in main washrooms. Our room was located on the beach and there was a strong smell of sewer outside the building.

Perfect vacation

When we arrived at hotel 1030 pm we were checked right into our rooms, we were driven to room by hotel staff . Room was clean, we had drinks water towels toilet paper etc. We did not have to wait for drinks at pool beach or lobby bar, wide variety of foods for breakfast lunch dinner. Fresh beach towels daily. Amazing staff always pleasant . Resort grounds were clean and well taken care of.

Lovely resort

This resort was well kept. Considering the damage after a hurricane and the economy going for a dive from Covid the place was really fixed up good. Our room was clean, but towels and face clothes not plentiful. If you use faceclothes bring your own. We also brought our own beach towels. They run out quickly. Water and beer was restocked in the room each day. We asked for two water bottles daily and we got it. The people are very friendly and eager to help with everything you may need. (Reme [... read more]mber to tip) The food wasn’t the best but they try hard. Supplies are hard to come by for them. The pools were awesome! The beach just fabulous. In spite of shortages etc we had a great time. If your priority is sun and beach this place is wonderful.

Lack lustre and food not great!

The grounds are beautiful but beware of the beach! Bring water shoes for sure as there are sharp rocks, coral and shells that protrude the shoreline. The accommodations are simple and clean but the resort buildings as a whole need attention as they are a bit run down. The food at the buffet was not very good and the variety was lacking. Lots of flys on food as well. The restaurants are a lot better then eating at the buffet but still under par. They also ran out of food choices a lot during ou [... read more]r stay. The pools are large but again run down and lots of broken pool tiles so wear water shoes! The alcoholic drinks lack variety. At other Caribbean resorts/destinations you can order lots of neat blended drinks like margaritas, daiquiris and chunky monkeys but definitely not at this resort. If you are coming here just to relax and have a cheap getaway and are not picky about food then I would recommend.

Pleasant Stay

The room was nice. Always had water and hot water for showers. The towels were never changed out for the week we stayed. The lobby was nice and clean with friendly staff to accommodate you. The public bathrooms were kept clean but periodically ran out of toilet paper. Beautiful gardens were well kept. The pool did have some algae on sides. There were food shortages in Cuba and it shows but they did the best with what they had. Overall it was a pleasant stay.

Long way to go

The hotel needs a ton of work and supply shortages were obvious. I’ve travelled Cuba many times and I know what to expect unfortunately things are much worse. No toilet paper, no soap or paper towel to wash your hands in bathrooms. Food, well they did the best with what they had. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I did see staff cleaning non stop but if they don’t have supplies, not much they can do. Rooms, I heard many complaints, no hot water, toilets not working, locks on do [... read more]ors broken. Our room was ok. Walking in the dark is a challenge due to lack of lighting, missing bulbs and broken fixtures. I will not go back to this resort and most likely Cuba vacations no more.

Another Great Vacation @ MJDR!

Jan 13th - 20th *Sorry it's a long review but almost everything you need to know is in this! *Please note, this hotel only reopened a couple of months ago after being closed due to covid. It is not at full capacity as of yet. Some blocks are still closed and the second large buffet is not open yet. After reading some negative reviews before we came we really wondered what was happening. We were just there at the end of November and we just couldn't see how things could have changed so f [... read more]ast. We had talked amongst our selves and assured each other that it was just "those people". You know the people that yell at the gentleman holding the door open at the buffet because they didn't get towels..... yes those people. Needless to say we were correct! We had a fantastic time! I have said it in many of my travel reviews that my biggest complaint has been the actions of others. I'm going to leave it at that but seriously some people really need to think before doing. We flew air transat and have never had a problem. We walked off the plane @8:54pm and we were drinking beer in our room by 10:15pm. Yes we were through customs, got our luggage, got on the shuttle bus, checked in and walked to our room in beautiful block 19 and we were drinking the cold beer out of our fridge in under an hour and a half! This is one of the major reasons I choose Cayo Coco over Cayo Santa Maria after traveling to Cuba many times. The Room. Our room was very nice and super clean. Bed was a king and it was comfortable. The air was ice cold and so was the fridge. Our toilet flushed perfectly, the toilet seat was a little loose but no problems. One day we had no water for long enough to figure out we didn't have water only to realize we had water again lol. Hot water, I only had two "cooler" showers all week and they were at prime time. Water was always very hot just before or just after 5pm. Our towels we used until mid week and then placed on the floor. We had clean towels later that afternoon. Two beer and 1 large bottle of water were brought to our room everyday except the first day. (We did arrive just the night before so we weren't worried) The fridge restockers are separate then the maid. Feel free to leave them a little tip. Snack Bar; I am a snacker so I loved this place! One day however we decided to eat late and they were out of food. When we went to the other buffets they were closing and pizza bar just finished. 100% bad timing for us lol. We always bring some snacks so we were not bothered too bad. About an hour and a half later we saw people walking by us with Fries and sandwiches at the pool. Needless to say they were not out for long so please don't take it out on the workers, they don't need your attitude. They are doing what they can. 99% of the time; Ham and Cheese Sandwich 60% of the time; Chicken, Tuna, Ham and Cheese sandwiches and Fries. 40% of the time; All listed sandwiches above and fries and Hot dogs. Pizza Bar; A BUSY PLACE! The Pizza is very very good. I do believe they need to increase the time this is open if possible to take the rush and pressure off of it. It is said to be open from 12-3pm as it was when we were there in November but we found out that "last chance" for Pizza is at 1:30. We tried @2:30, then 2:00 then 1:47 and finally successfull by arriving @1:30. It is not fast, we seen some people eating 2 and 3 pizzas each! Also many people taking 6-9 pizzas to go! I thought maybe putting a limit to 1 per seated person would be a good idea but that will just get people angry so perhaps longer hours like 11-4?. Not sure the answer there. Either way it was well worth the wait as it was delicious! We ordered at 1:35pm and were done eating at 2:20pm Buffets, I recorded all my times in lines and such because people were saying they were waiting an hour and such for food. As I expected, not the case; our longest wait in a line for FRESH COOKED food was 26mins. If you don't want to wait in a line to get in to the buffet then don't go when it opens! We found 8pm to be super nice for dinner and breakfast we always went around 9am. We were never in the buffet for an hour total from in to out. Did they run out of plates? Yes. How long until more Plates? 2 mins and 47 secs on one timed occasion. I seen multiple times where the plate stack was empty. I would get in line and watch people frantically running around looking for plates instead of relaxing a bit and waiting just a few minutes for them to be restocked. My wife would bring me a plate or I would excuse myself from the line for a moment to grab one. If you are wondering why they may be low on plates, it is probably because guests feel the need to leave them everywhere on the resort. On the beach, on lights on garbage cans, you get the idea. Please just return your plates and other dishes to a table somewhere! Favorite Buffet foods were; Breakfast; Fresh omelette with extra cheese from cheese bar, Bacon and Toast. Waffles were delicious as well. Lunch; Fresh cooked chicken, curry chicken and rice. Dinner; Gnocchi Pasta hands down best ever! Also had fresh Chicken and such but that pasta was amazing. A La Cartes ; Oh my! We had some very good meals. To book the A la Cartes you have to wait in line at the lobby in the morning. I may suggest one person gets in line and the other grabs some cappuccinos to help the time pass. Favorites in order; 1) International, by a landslide. Amazing meal! And A++ service! The Cream Cheese soup was sooo good, I got more lol. Thank you Yenni and Denaris. Not sure on spelling and I do not know the other girls names but the crew that work here is amazing. 2) Italian, very good and had to get some extra Lasagna! 3) Mediterranean, Rice pudding dessert here was very very good. I drank a lot of the rose wine lol and the wife drank the white wine. Red was good as well but the rose and the white were out preferred wines. Pool; Party pool behind snack bar. Pool is big and clean and Papa and his crew of fantastic women make it a fun place to be in the afternoon. Games take place pool side at 4pm and are a blast even to just watch if you don't want to participate. Fashion shows also take place at this pool. Miguel will be happy to grab you chairs, treat him well ;). Quiet pool; It's big, it's quiet and we don't go there. It is a good place for you to go if you feel that music is "obnoxious" lol. Yes someone said that to me lol. Ice cream bar: Very good Pack a washable plastic spoon in your beach bag as they don't always have Spoons. The plastic knives worked fine but why not bring your own. **NEW Coffee and ice cream bar just outside the lobby. Never got to go there as they were just finishing it. It looks amazing! Beach; Beautiful! Lots of winds the first 2 days brought in a lot of seaweed and they brought in a tractor and got it all cleaned up on Day 3. Left of the beach bar soft sandy entrance and you can walk a long ways out on the sand bars. Right of the beach bar some spots to go out but more rocks, water shoes recommended. Far right of the beach bar tonnes of sand to walk on or out to the sand bars. Beach Bar; Lots of drink options including pina coladas. Ran by some amazing guys, Joel, Omelio and Yosley. Keep coming, Keep coming! See you in 5 minutes! Lobby; Spacious and clean with some fun thrown in there at night. Lobby Bar; Mornings, Cappuccino is a must! Evenings, many drink options and Cappuccino and Spanish coffees. Please see our amazing friends there!. Yuniel (the Tiger) Yarelis (the Tigress) Vladimir (the Cheetah) Mojito Bar; (just off the lobby) Amazing drinks made by the one and only Reny! Nautical Center; Book a Catamaran for snorkeling! It is amazing! Super people that work there! Excursions; We usually always book the catamaran and snorkeling seafood lunch trip (210$ cnd charged to card for 2 of us in Nov 22) . We did not this time but highly recommend it. Market; There is a market right beside the resort. Stores, outdoor vendors bowling ally and a Japanese restaurant. We went to the restaurant in 2018 and 2019 and it was delicious. We have not gone back as the price has doubled there per person. Tips to make your stay great; We always pack our own towel, cup, pillow (who doesn't like an extra pillow anyway), a roll of tp and condiments such as Peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup and ketchup. Small bottles can be found at many stores then we leave what's left for a worker if they want it. For medication type things, tums, benadryl, advil, Tylenol, Hydro cortisone cream (I find if used right away on noseum bites it reduces the itch to only 3 days) to back that up we bring a anti itch cream) they only ever bite me not my wife lol. Bring a converter! They are cheap and if you always travel with it you never need to wonder about plugging stuff in. Last but probably not least we bought a luggage scale (12$) to make sure our suitcases are not over. Damp clothes and such can add a lot of wieght even if you brought tonnes of stuff to give out. I hope this helps. As far as gifts to bring for workers, if you use it they need it! Any thing else above and beyond is truly appreciated. Also a subject that is beat to death. Please stop taking coins! You don't need to! People say it's to much to tip with 5s etc. You can always bring some american 1$ for small tips. You can also just tip less often with 5$ bills if you like. Or you can buy change off of almost any worker when you get there! If you want to take some to start maybe take like 10$ then just keep buying more to use. At the end buy at least double you came with. That would be a reasonable start!. I hope this helps! Big thanks to Lisbet, Juan Carlos and Yosvany and everyone else that made our stay so great! We miss you all already. I am so sorry to those names I forgot. I will never forget your faces. Can't wait to return!

Great resort, book it today!

I been to Cuba many, many, times and to differently places/resorts. This resort by far was the best place for food and drinks. We were nervous because we had friends returning from various locations in Cuba and they said there was a daily shortage of food and drinks. This wasn't the case for this resort. You could always find something to eat and drink. There is a pizza restaurant, fries-hotdogs-sandwiches restaurant and 2 buffets. There is a lobby bar, pool swim up bar- that always had daily  [... read more]entertainment, beach bar- that the workers even came around while your relaxing on the beach to bring you drinks. Areas were always clean, room was very nice (we were in building #2), great water pressure in the shower. Staff very helpful, friendly and they never once asked us for $, items or to purchase things from them. It's a large resort therefore your walking a distance from the lobby to the beach but I took it that you are getting your daily steps in lol. During our vacation we were told there were approx 1200 people there and it can house up to 2500. Bring Canadian money, $20can = 5pesco exchanged at the front desk. You can either tipped in pesco or Canadian. We exchanged ( for the workers ) Canadian coin for bills because they cannot by anything with coin or even take it to the bank to exchange. They truly appreciate any tips no matter the amount or currency. We did not do any excursions but if you want to they must be paid by credit card. Went to the spa for massage (it was great) you can pay in Can.$ I do not like using my credit card in Cuba because it's charged in American $ along with an additional credit card fee. The only downside had nothing to do with the resort was our Sunwing rep. did not have a Sunwing information binder in the lobby with information regarding our departure from the hotel timings. All other travel reps had the information either in a binder or letter posted won their information board. I highly recommend to bring water socks because when you first get in the water it's rocky with lots of dead coral that are sharp. I love to see coral because it's great for snorkeling, if you enjoy snorkeling bring your equipment. The beach is beautiful. I highly recommend this resort to anyone, we will for sure return. I also highly recommend our travel agent Carol Webber, she is our go to Girl, Ext 7209

Recommended but would not return

Long story short; You get what you pay for. This is a nice resort with some updated features and a beautiful beach to walk. More details: Before leaving for Cayo Coco Melia Jardines del Rey I read many of the reviews and noticed that they were either 0-1 or 4-5 star reviews with not a lot of middle ground. After visiting I realize that the 0-1 reviewers were focusing too much on just one aspect of their stay and experience. My suggestion to you the reader (and the previous reviewers), if you [... read more] read in here that there is a lack of something (i.e. towel or toilet paper) pack it in your suitcase and bring it from home. Simple solution. As for the 4-5 star reviews, yes the resort is nice and clean. The staff work very hard. The food is decent and the restaurant have a good enough variety for the week. My main issue staying on the resort was not the resort itself (the building, staff, beach or food), it was the other people (guests) staying there. Many of them are rude, they but in lines, empty baby carriages full of food on the floor for the staff to clean up - they are busy enough they do not need to clean up after grown adults. Have some respect for yourself and for the staff, help clean and keep the place tidy. Stop cutting in lines and ask the person in front of you if they have already ordered. As for the maintenance; one pool was not swimmable. It was covered in green algae and did not look inviting to swim in. I suggest the beach instead. Bring a snorkel and mask to view the fish along the beach shore. I would recommend water shoes as there as many spots covered in coral. Be prepared for shortages of wine or other liquors besides rum. Bring the things from home that would make your trip more enjoyable and be kind to one another.

Won’t return to this resort

Room was in a good location but not enough towels we booked 3 people and usually got one towel had to keep asking. Toilet leaks they finally sent maintenance on 5th day. Never had beach towels till 3 rd day . No water in our room for one day then no hot water at all . Beach was good not enough lounges but entertainment was great . Buffett had plenty of food very clean. Line up to get in was way too long and it didn’t open till 7:00 pm so not good for people with young children. Evening enter [... read more]tainment wasn’t great but you can mingle meet people! In my opinion they way over booked it and left the staff to deal with to much . Management was absolutely awful and not helpful at all .

Resort has seen better days

Lobby is nice and open but the seating area is in desperate need of new cushions and more chairs. The fountain areas have no guard rails or lighting amd people would fall which is very dangerous. The pool chairs are old and saggy and lots of mold. The bottom of the pools tiles are broken causing bleeding feet to adults and children. Only had 1 buffet open for hundreds of people resulting in long line ups to even get in. Due to lack of staff, Public bathrooms were closed most times and when they  [... read more]were open no toilet paper. So you had to go back to your room to use the bathroom. Food was horrible but then again we expected that in Cuba. Very limited choices but the bread was fresh and great. The beach is very far from the resort and very rocky and you needed water shoes to go in. Would never go back to this resort and would not recommend it. Definitely NOT a 5-star

Great 1st time Caribbean all inclusive

Great value nice room. Staff were nice and helpful.Food buffet was a bit of a mess at times and one of sit down restaurants was overwhelmed and under serviced. Overall was impressed for 1st time experience

Beautiful beaches

My husband and I just stayed a week at this hotel, Overall we were happy with everything and had a great time. The staff are great at this resort ! The food was typical Cuban resort food. They do have a lunch time pizza restaurant that is so so so good ! The beach is beautiful but lots of shells, if you walk down a little to the resort next door it’s beautiful soft sand to get in and out of the ocean. We switched our Canadian $ to Cuban currency and we found this wasn’t the best idea. Th [... read more]e local bus only takes Canadian. All the venders at the market want Canadian. The bowling Allie on the resort was $5 Canadian … and so on. Our biggest complaint is the lack of music during the day. It was so quiet ! They only played music at the beach for about an hour around noon and then at the pool from 3-5. Everyone we met was on the same page, that we were looking for somewhere to congratulate , socialize and listen to good Caribbean music.! Other then that we really enjoyed this hotel. We love Cuba and their beautiful people.

Awesome Trip!

I spent the last week at this resort. The people who work there are awesome. They go above and beyond to accommodate all of your needs. The food was ok, not the best, but it was ok. The beach was wonderful other than the coral that had come up on the shoreline from the Hurricanes that they have had. The water was warm and refreshing. Always music playing on the beach, and the beach guys were amazing at getting chairs for you and sweeping them off. Overall I would rate this resort a 7/ [... read more]10. All but the food was amazing. The waitress Dayma was excellent. She knew exactly what we drank and saw us coming and brought it over just as we sat down at the tables. The bartender was wonderful. Very polite and well-mannered individuals. The resort is massive size and our room was down in the back corner of the resort, so everything seemed so far to walk. I have bad back and hips, so if I go the next time I will ask for a room closer to the lobby as this is where the buffet and pretty much everything is going on except for the beach.

Great time!

The hotel was nice, the grounds are well taken care of and the staff is extremely nice. Will definitely go again with my kids. The Beach is amazing and pools are very nice. Not many options in food selection or bar drinks. Lots of Rum though!

Beautiful resort

The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The pool entertainment were awesome. Giselle was so friendly and energetic. The grounds were preparing for the winter season. By the time we left, they had everything looking great. The beach was beautiful. We snorkeled right out from shore. The catamaran crew at the beach are amazing.There seemed to be quite a bit of coral so water shoes are recommended. Delicious omelettes every morning. There was always a variety of pork, fish and chicken. No p [... read more]roblem finding food. Make sure you bring bug spray. The bugs seemed to be biting pretty bad.

Melia Jardines Del Rey

Hotel was in a great location, rooms are spacious, clean and bright. Booked ocean view and it was worth the extra to be close to the beach. Also puts you close to the lunch buffet. Beach is nice and long for walking, and you could be far out in the ocean without it getting deep. Water shoes might be good for some people as there is some coral along the shoreline. Pool area is really nice, with a snack bar right there. At this time the a Al carte restaurants weren’t all opened but being r [... read more]otated. Really preferred the buffet though. Food was good, although repetitive, but I went for the 5star beach not the food. Wifi in the lobby works pretty good. Not ideal for anyone in a wheelchair because the paths aren’t level, although ground floor rooms would be fine for people with mobility issues. No elevators. Coffee bar was popular in the mornings. Small market right there was convenient to walk to for purchasing souvenirs.

💯 % employees and management

The employee management was Superior awesome people but the resort fails at a zero for me because the food was horrible and missing a lot of items and running out of food constantly I rate the food part a zero but it was nobody's fault as they did not have the supplies

Stay AWAY

Melia Jardens del ray should have stayed closed. It was not prepared to open. Starting from malfunctioning toilets, showers, lighting, unclean pools…there’s no end. We went for days with no bath towels, no beach towels, no napkins. They used toilet paper as napkins in the dining rooms, how gross 🤮 And, the toilet paper was recycled, it had brown spots throughout. Severe food shortages. Obviously they are going through hard times, but they should have waited until they were read [... read more]y. The only good thing was the people. They were wonderful.