Best beach I’ve been to in the Caribbean

The hotel Melia was very nice. The beach was the best I’ve been to in the Caribbean by far. The water was crystal clear with no sargassum at all. The building and rooms were clean and modern. The ice cream shop was awesome until they ran out of banana ice cream. Some nights the food at the buffet was great. While other nights it missed the mark. The Cuban people were fantastic. We felt really safe there and I can’t say that for other countries we have visited. We didn’t even book at any of [... read more] the restaurants because they were booked solid. My advice would be book those early in your stay and bring hot sauces and spices to add flavour. My suggestion for the hotel would be to provide French fries and chicken nuggets for kids.

Good resort

The infrastructure is very good beautiful But Needs more attention to the maintenance Some fixture are broken The cleaner are very good The food is good But the services at the restaurant the waiters are not friendly and a lack of clutery

Plenty of Potential

Hotel building is practically brand new. Staff will do all they can to cater to our needs. Special thanks to Kandy, guest services, for making sure our stay was as pleasant as possible. Challenge is the supplies in Cuba. No premium alcohol, only local rum available. Same with food selection. If they solve the supply-chain problem, this hotel could easy take the 5 star title!

Plenty of Potential

Hotel building is practically brand new. Staff will do all they can to cater to our needs. Special thanks to Kandy, guest services, for making sure our stay was as pleasant as possible. Challenge is the supplies in Cuba. No premium alcohol, only local rum available. Same with food selection. If they solve the supply-chain problem, this hotel could easy take the 5 star title!

A happy stay

Beautiful lobby area. Beautiful pool area. Beautiful beach. Nice rooms and bathroom, very spacious and clean. Lots of sun chairs and umbrellas. The Cuban people we encountered were all friendly and helpful.

Beautiful resort!

This hotel was amazing from the beautiful pools to the white sand beaches. The rooms were large and clean and with daily maid services, it was super. There was an assortment of restaurants and staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. The grounds were meticulously maintained and always free of debris. The entertainment, from the very lively pool-side hosts that got everyone moving and shaking to the solo musical artists on the top decks. It was all fantastic!! Many bars/discos throughout t [... read more]he hotel meant an abundance of choices to have fun in. We were there for a wedding, held on the beach, and even this was well organized, with lovely flowers and comfortable seating, a great feat on the sand! The wedding organizers were super. I would not hesitate to recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a 5 star getaway. In fact, whenever we are thinking of a southern vacation destination, Melia will be foremost in our mind.

Hotel Post-Covid

The resort and hotel are huge. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Due to current world affairs, Cuba is lacking in supplies. The Melia International Varadero was short on wine, both red and white, mint for mojitos and daiquiri/Pina colada juice. We were luckier than some resorts further down the beach who were lacking wine, butter, toilet paper and kleenex. The beach at the Melia is absolutely stunning, the best beach I have ever seen/been to. The pool area is lacking proper swim-up bar se [... read more]rvice and shade. But honestly, those are the only "cons" (if you can call them that) that I could find about the place.

One of the Better Resorts in Varadero

We have been to Cuba almost 20 times and we have stayed at many hotels and casa particulars. We feel we appreciate what a 4 or 5 star hotel in Cuba is compared to elsewhere. There is a difference. If you've never been, expect a different quality of food, due largely to the US embargo. But as far as hotels in the area goes, this place is probably one of the better ones. Service was good and overall the hotel was clean. Sensum restaurant was one of the better restaurants for our liking. Overall th [... read more]e vast majority of the staff were very friendly and accomodating. We stayed in the Level which is a slight notch above regular and it comes with a few perks such as access to a slightly quieter area of the beach, a concierge and a few lounges and restaurants. The Level loung is a nice spot for a quick drink or snacks. Two negatives. There is an outdoor restaurant for the Level patrons for breakfast and lunch named Criollo. Although the food and coffee was great, it was the only area that we found the staff to be unfriendly, even grumpy. And, secondly if your room faces the ocean view of the beach it is a spectacular view; however, you will hear loud bar music until about 1am. We like to try new places, but we would not hestitate to go back to the Melia International.

Very nice resort - some observations of note

Here are a few observations from my recent trip at the end of March 2023 - WIFI - was spotty, keeps dropping as you move around, and fastest speed I saw was 15MPS - not very reliable or fast - Coffee - the usual fulsome Cuban coffee of the past is no more - seems watered down - Food - Meh. I am not a foodie at all and can eat most anything - but the buffet selection became a bit tiresome. Lucky the restaurants broke the repetition. - The restaurants all offer on-screen menus as you enter - y [... read more]ou take a picture and order from your phone image. Good way to save paper for menus. - Cuban cigars are available at a deep discount to shop prices...ask around but only if you are comfortable taking a bit of risk - Resort is a bit 2-Tier - if you are a "Level" guest you have access to certain restaurants, a quiet pool, prime beach chairs, etc; I paid enough that I didn't want to be reminded of this daily - would be better if Level guests had their own private area that was not interspersed - While we were there, there was entertainment every night not just during the 945pm big show advertised, but also (unadvertised) were very good smaller acts (guitar, sax, singers, etc) at the red or blue bars nightly - 630pm to about 930pm - Hotel is walking distance to the edge of Varadero town - can walk all the way to the artisan market leisurely in about an hour, then a cab or 3-wheeler back to the hotel - Was pleased to see that entertainment was more Cuban/Spanish than earlier visits to Cuba where there was too much "Western" influence - ie hated seeing talented Cubans doing Michael Jackson impressions - Instead of bus pickup to the airport 4 hours before the flight, we took a cab 2 hours before and got there in plenty of time to check in and clear customs - Hotel rooms had full body pillows - loved them!

Above expectations

Beautiful resort, only 3 yrs old It is massive so if you are looking for intimacy this is not the resort for you. The place is immaculate as evidenced by the public washrooms Buffets and bars have outdoor seating so you can enjoy the warm climate. All rooms have ocean views so you needn't pay the extra premium for ocean views. Sitting on a narrow peninsula rooms on the so called garden views actually have views of the ocean on the other side of the peninsula. Smokers will be thrilled as s [... read more]moking is allowed virtually everywhere ie outdoor patios and balconies. Suspect this is done to promote Cuban cigars. All currencies are acceptable ie Canadian, American and Cuban Pesos. There is a bank on site where you can purchase all of them. Suggest you avoid pesos, you can't sell them and the rate fluctuates depending on who you are buying from Beach is beautiful, clean, you can walk for miles in either direction and the ocean bottom is sandy and firm. Water is warm.

Amazing resort and staff

There are no words that can explain the experience we had at this resort. It was my fiancé first time to Cuba and my 9th time and it could not have been any better. From the grounds to the pool to the service we received was beyond words. We stayed on the level adults only and were treated with respect and we lacked nothing. This is my first time to this resort and believe me this was the best food I have ever had in Cuba. The beach was clean and lots of place to sit and relax. We had the [... read more] beach bar bartender bring us some drinks once in a while. At the capri bar the bartender was just amazing. If they keep up with this kind of service they will be the number one spot for me to return to each year. We ate at 6 restaurants on the resort and everyone of them was amazing but my favourite was texmex Maria was amazing.

The beach!!!

Cuba is the place to go for a beautiful beach! It is truly breathtaking. If you love to eat, Cuba is not the place for you. They are offering what they can given the supply chain issues. The resort is only 3years old but looks more like it is 10years old. There are many things in the room that did not work well like the shower and the sink drain… For our family, these inconveniences did not bother us. We go to Cuba for the beach, the sun, the relaxation at a reasonable cost. The pool [... read more]s are very clean and well maintained. The gym is small but most equipment is in good working order. It only took about 40mins to get from the airport to the resort. We loved the kayaks and pedal boats. The pedal boats are huge, you can sit about 6 adults in it. You can jump off and snorkel right from the boat. We would go again if we are looking for an inexpensive trip.

Good

Hotel was good , the beach was very good food not very good service at bar fair, not a lot choice of fruit or lettuce ,coffee not very good, the same drink everyday was different, overall was fair,I won't going back.

Extremely Disappointing. Do not recommend.

We had an extremely disappointing and frustrating experience during our one-week stay at the Melia Internacional. We made our concerns known to the staff, but the issues persisted, and we were ultimately unable to enjoy our vacation. This was not the "modern resort with premium amenities" advertised. Our recommendation to anyone considering staying at this hotel would be to consider another option. Check-in - My husband and I travelled with our adult son. I have a medical condition and use a  [... read more]rollator because I tire easily when walking and experience balance issues. I explained this during check-in and requested a centrally located room (given the large size of the resort) and asked that our room be close to our son's room (so he could assist us as needed). We were given a room at one of the furthest ends of the resort, with a tub I could not safely get into. Our son's room was located all the way on the other side of the resort (and had a walk-in shower). After making several calls and going back and forth to the front desk, we were finally told we could stay in our son's room, and our son was assigned a room a few doors away from us. It was a long, frustrating and physically exhausting process, which took so much time away from our first day. Room - The condition and cleanliness of our room was disgusting. The hotel claims to follow "very strict programs of hygiene and quality . . . ", but we can honestly say we witnessed a huge shortcoming by the hotel in meeting those standards. We have photos we'd like to share with you. - dirty, damaged mattress pad - dirty telephone cord on bed night table - bird poop on lamp shade - disgusting stains on door frame to toilet room - disgusting stain on door handle to toilet room - disgusting stains on throw carpet beside bed - dirty sheets - dirty glass door to toilet room - residue and scum on shower floor, with musty odor - stains on floor, especially in toilet room - rusted, damaged furniture and bathroom mirror In addition, the door to our room did not close properly and the air conditioning in our son's room did not work for the first two days. The "modern" light switches didn't always work and we found ourselves having to contend with pink neon lights (even in the bathroom). There were a lot of ants and our son had to put his sneakers on the table after finding many ants in them. Towels - We had two bath towels and two hand towels in our room on the first day of our stay. We included our hand towels with the bath towels to be replaced with clean ones, but they never replenished our hand towels again. We repeatedly asked for hand towels and we were told someone would be bringing some to our room, but they never did. When we asked why, we were told the hotel had run out of hand towels. Most of the towels were not in great condition and had stains on them. Food and Drinks - the food at the buffet is limited and repetitive. The food at the snack bar left a lot to be desired - there were four options and none of them were good. No french fries! The pizza never seemed to be available and the wait time could vary from 20 minutes to "later", even over lunch hours - we came across a few rude staff members, who refused to make eye contact or acknowledge our questions. We found ourselves ordering several drinks at a time because they often would not come back to the table, no matter how long we were there - drinks at the pool and beach area bars come in small plastic cups, requiring several trips to get a decent amount to drink. Options were very limited because there seemed to be shortages of ingredients and mostly rum based. Vodka and tequila were not available. - the resort's "ice cream shop" had only one flavour of ice cream available (chocolate)! - the mini bar in the room was empty and there were was a coffee machine, but no coffee Wi-Fi - Getting on the Wi-Fi could take many many many attempts, sometimes with no success. The connectivity was very poor and it would regularly kick you off your connected device for no apparent reason. Hotel - We read that this hotel was built in 2018, but we experienced issues that one would expect in an older hotel. I found it especially frustrating that I could not get in and out of the elevator without having to lift my rollator over the transition in and out of the elevator. The main buffet had several chairs with broken arm rests and tables with damaged, stained surfaces. Some of the walkway concrete was damaged, as were the stairs from the lobby to the ground floor. Room Upgrade - We paid to upgrade both our rooms to "Classic Room Oceanview". Our room had the ocean view shown in the website's room description. However, our son's room had only a partial sea view, which is considered a Classic Room. The fee our son paid for his upgrade needs to be refunded please. We understand things are challenging, but our experience at this hotel was unacceptable. We hope to enjoy the beautiful beach in Varadero again one day, but it will never be at a Melia hotel.

Hotel and property was nice

The hotel was nice and the staff was great. The food was so so but came as no surprise. Selection is tough to get in Cuba. Not the hotels fault. The only issue we had was when we tried to eat outside the hotel. You run out of cash quickly and there is no restaurants in town that will take any credit cards.

Perfection!

The Melia Internacional Varadero is a newish property. Rooms are modern bright and spotlessly clean.Our room bar fridge was stocked daily with beer, cola, bottled water and even cava at our request. The staff are impeccably trained and all are friendly and lovely.Please tip these hardworking people generously. We felt extremely safe everywhere. The pools are meticulously kept. There are several pools to choose from with the main pool hosting a daily activity program- it's fun but loud. A quieter [... read more] pool was separated for 18+ level guests.. The beach is simply stunning with lots of loungers. There are 3 levels of service at this hotel and we booked the highest- "The level 18+ adults". It had its own section of beach with Bali beds and drink service on the beach. There was concierge available 24hrs for The Level guests- they took care of every reservation. They say you don't go to Cuba for the food and there are indeed supply chain issues however there is a noticeable difference between the buffet restaurants and food available to Level 18+ guests. We are one breakfast at the buffet just "to see". It was just ok. We were able to book all nights in the a la carte restaurants based on our booking level however it was limited to 3 nights for regular guests. Quality of the a la carte higher than the buffet but the menu choices are limited. The restaurant in the adults only building was outstanding. Sit down service in a quiet space beside the pool with a delicious menu. Alcohol availability also varies by what bar you were in. Rum readily available everywhere but tequila could only be found at the adult only roof top bar. The roof top spa is outstanding. We had facials and massages. This gives you access to the thermal plunge pools, sauna and steam room- not to be missed. The property is within walking distance to "downtown" Varadero if you're inclined to walk in to putter about.

Lived up to expectations

The staff were exceptional ; well run. Well appointed rooms. The only complaint was the internet.. Loved the ribs and the omelettes. The snorkelling and the catamarans trips were exceptional for us.

Disappointing

Beautiful property, many things didn’t work in our room, horrible food, no communication, no vodka or tequila or gin or white wine. Sunwing because of ANOTHER “mechanical” breakdown cost us 1 day of our vacation (flight delayed by a day) and again, NO communication from Sunwing either. Last time we book with any of these entities.

Good resort overall but could use some improvements

Melia International Varadero has great amenities, the rooms are spacious and sufficiently furnished and it's in a good location that is within walking distance to the town of Varadero. There is free Wi-Fi but it is not fully available in many areas of the hotel grounds and it can be frustrating as it drops off often and requires frequent log-ins. During check-in no information is provided regarding hotel amenities, restaurant operating hours, how to book A La Carte restaurants, etc. You are told [... read more] that you will receive an email with all the necessary information. When you do finally receive the email (a couple of hours in our case), the information is short on details and contains old or incorrect information. Additionally, the information provided on the room TV is not that useful as it is more of a fancy hotel advertisement. The front desk staff and the restaurant servers could be more attentive to guest needs and requests. As well, housekeeping staff could be more thorough in their room cleaning duties. A mini-bar is available in the room but it is mostly for decoration. It was empty when we checked in and never restocked unless you got on the phone and made a request, in our case, water. In a separate hotel survey, I have provided hotel management with detailed information regarding guest service issues. In terms of Covid-19 preventative measures, I saw no evidence of any preventative processes at the hotel. This does not necessarily mean that there are no procedures in place, I just didn't see any. At a very minimum, hand sanitizing stations should of been available at all restaurant entrances. Although there are a few areas that could use improvement, they are by no means a reason not to stay at this resort. With a little extra effort in the area of customer service, this hotel can truly become a top-rated, 5-star Cuba destination.

Thoroughly enjoyed

We went from December 20th to the 27th and had a blast. The staff is very friendly, the beach was what you would expect from Varadero, FANTASTIC. We've been fortunate to visit many beach all over the world yet there's nothing quite like this beach. Moreover, you always here people talking about the food in Cuba, at Melia Internacional we had zero complaints about food. We would return for sure.