Melia Jardines del Rey: Great vacation overall

The beach, pools and the hotel area is probably the best thing to enjoy at this resort! The food is okay, service as well, but overall a great experience! Always nice to get away even for 4 days this was great

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Beautiful resort but lacking a lot

I have stayed in Cuba numerous times and this was the first time I was staying at Cayo Coco/Cayo Cruz. The resort was beautiful as it was fairly new, the beach great but the lack of food and lack of customer service was definitely a disappointment. I know Cuba has its shortcomings due to their situation, but I had never been this disappointed. Tips were expected with not much service given. I will wait several years before going back to Cuba.

Hotel Playa Coco: Beautiful Beach

This hotel was nice just the right size. A lot of shortages here at this present time. Would visit again in future when things improve. There was too many shortages to say. I come to Cuba for the beach.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: GREAT NEW HOTEL

Hotel is superb, all is new and clean. Staff is excellent. Spanish lessons with Carla and Sophia are very helpfull. Only problems are that lunchroom is sometimes overcrowded, and there are not enough beach chairs.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Cuba Hotels in crises

Having been to Cuba several times before, I notice a significant decline in quality. This hotel is in an isolated location and clients were treated to many shortages and rationing of products. (toilet paper, eggs, sugar, soap, butter, etc.) The service was poor and lacking refinement. Iberostar did not meet my expectation for quality since my last visit in early 2023. Many clients from hotels in this area complained and the same shortages. I will not return to Cuba until the overall situation im [... read more]proves. My dollar would be better spent elsewhere.

Melia Costa Rey: Amazing Resort

We had a wonderful time at the Gran Marena. The rooms were spotless, the beds were comfortable. The meals, whether at the buffet or a la cart were tasty. Food was plentiful and there was sufficient variety. The beach was amazing and the pools refreshing.

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: The surprise

So I have traveled to Cuba about 7 to 8 times and I have never had such a bad experience. The maids stole from us as well as they didn't really clean the room. There was even one day my door wouldn't lock. There were three staff members that were amazing. There were also some rude staff members. I am used to Cuba standards but my toilet wouldn't flush and in the room my boys had the shower would flood. I would not recommend going here.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Hotel

The hotel was supper clean and staff very nice and helpful! The food was not good! The beach was great but all the chairs were taken before anyone was there just towels on them to be saved the sunwing representative was not helpful at all!

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Amazing experience

The whole experience was incredible. Great staff, friendly people, beautiful weather. The ocean was majestic in its own right, sand and seashells for miles. Snack bars made you feel welcome and comfortable with cold drinks and delicious snacks while spending time at the beach. From arrival to departure and everything in between Hotel Playa Paraiso and staff are " knocking it out of the park"

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Great value for awesome beach!

We selected the "Diamond Club" option when planning our trip. For us it offered some privileges but not always. We arrived on the early flight out of Montreal and knew that the room would not be ready until 2 p.m. as stated in the perks of being a member of Diamond Club. That did not happen, people were in the room until after 2 p.m. and the room was only ready near 5 p.m. This meant that we could not book any of our " a la carte" restaurants since we were not officially in the computer system.  [... read more]We had packed our bathing suits, sandals and small towel in our carry on to enjoy the beach and there was no problem for us to eat. We did need to open our suitcases in the lobby to get our sunscreen. I preferred eating in the members only Diamond Club restaurant since it was air conditioned and did not require us to stand in long lines for our meals. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style but a much quieter atmosphere with servers offering drinks including wine. It is about the same food wherever you choose to eat and the beef was delicious! You need to enjoy eating a variety of vegetables and fruits. Salads are available even at breakfast with us choosing a protein such as pork, beef, chicken and fish. We are not fish eaters and for the most part the meats were delicious. Our only comment on the food is that you often have the same choices in the buffet or Diamond club. It is the atmosphere that is different so choose what you prefer. In the main buffet, "Selections" there is a lower buffet counter for children to independently choose their favorites like fries, chicken nuggets, or sandwiches. Ice cream line, spaghetti line are always long. Diamond Club does have a private beach area (there is a 12 " elevation from the tides) there are plenty of chairs and usually you do not have to get up early to go reserve chairs. (unless a group comes in) We were often there at 10 a.m. with plenty of chairs & palapas available. The resort has a beautiful two level pool, with music and activities for children & adults. Our room was in building #2 ground level facing the pool area, diagonal of the 24 hour snack bar/coffee bar. Great location. Building #1 &2 are the best for being near beach, pool and snack bar. The other buildings are on the other side and have paths leading to the beach. The gym only opens at 9 which we would of preferred earlier and is located at the opposite end with the spa and doctor clinic. We did not use any of these services. I forgot to mention that Diamond club has a private bar and snack bar on the beach which is very convenient. Great burgers on the first day and then depending on what they had, it could be chicken, fish, hotdogs. There is another snack bar on the beach offering "tacos" which are delicious but not what we think of tacos. Soft homemade little tortillas filled with grilled veggies. Delicious, a little greasy if you need to be careful but very tasty. Expect a line up when they start cooking these! What can you say about the beach, PERFECT! When you walk right of the private area for Diamond Club there is low flat rock formations to walk over but that did not seem to bother any of the people cause once in the water, it was beautiful. Left of Diamon C. private area is all soft sand, lots of shells to find and you can walk all the way down. Friends travelled with us and were disappointed with their room in poor condition with toilet not working, noisy air conditoner preventing a relaxed sleep but we had no complaints with our room. In Cuba if it is your first time, there are always problems with supplies, mainly toilet paper sometimes drinking water but generally it was always solved with patience. Cayo Coco is NOT near a town or shopping of any significance. So if you need those things, maybe this is not your resort. We needed relaxation, sunshine, beach and drinks and that is what we got!! P.S. Condiments such as peanut butter, jam, vinegar, salt, ketchup, mustard or relish are not available. On occasion they can run out of coffee.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing location

Clean and very spacious rooms Great comfort Amazing beach Short distances to everything Relaxing environment Good food Impeccable service Public washrooms always clean Plenty of drinks & coffee No noise or pollution

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Good resort and amazing people

This was my first time at this resort and I went as a group of 6, and we had a good time. The grounds were kept in great shape, if you needed something there was always someone around to help, and the a la carte meals were great. The buffet offered freshly grilled meats and pasta, and made to order omelets for breakfast. While the rest of the buffet was slightly bland and repetitive, it was on bar with what you get in Cuba. Personally I lived for the fresh bread and butter available at every mea [... read more]l. It was a treat not having that nasty chemical tasting crap they try to pass off for bread in Canada. Top thing about this resort was the staff 100 %. Everyone was so amazing, helpful, and friendly. They remembered your name, your drinks, and were always ready with a smile. Only staff member I had difficulties with was a lady in reception who was quite rude and was refusing to call us a taxi...insisting we take the bus. It took some harrassment on our part, but she finally relented. People that are at the face of your resort should be helpful and friendly....this woman was not. The beach was beautiful, and they made these amazing fried balls of goodness at the beach bar. I think they referred to them as beignettes, I'm unsure, but they had the perfect amount of flavour and weren't too greasy. Not a sweet, but something light to snack on. The staff at the pool bar were the best of the best. Carlos, Raoul, and Danielys (I apologize if I messed up your names). Thank you for making all of our vacations that much better. You are amazing people.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Grand muthu imperial

Very bad services ,no water running in the toilets, no toilet paper, 1 tower for the 7 days stay.food no good and customer service is very poor .I’m very disappointed with this trip,we went in the group, the agent booked us the flight together but put 3 of us different Hotels that is the biggest mistake

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Resort.

The food was absolutely disgusting. It ruined the whole trip. The portions in the restaurants are very small. The food choice for the Buffay is absolutely disgusting. nothing but scammers in the city. I purchased an excursion through an email that was sent from you guys trip Central the excursion did not include the dolphins which it indicated on your website that it did so that was a disappointment and a waste of a lot of money $300 to be exact I probably would never book with you guys again

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Beutiful resort that needs work.

This is a very new resort, beautiful structures, comfortable beds, but is already showing signs of neglect. Our room in building 5, had a partial ocean view, and being on the second floor, you could see the ocean on the other side of the island as well. The view was beautiful. The screen door on our balcony was already half torn off from who knows when. I am grateful there were no bugs, as I prefer the doors open for air than using the air conditioner. The shower valve would not isolate either r [... read more]ain shower head or hand held. So one or the other was always dribbling. The tub had the same issue with the hand-held wand as well. There were plenty of plugs to use for phones, they even had USB ports which is a huge plus!!! Some were loose and popped out when removing cords, so be careful. The rooms were spacious, the furnishings are nice. You get a couch and table and chairs as well. Our room was cleaned daily, but our maid was less than helpful. She made it seem that it was an inconvenience to supply something that was missed when she cleaned the room. For example, she left us with a quarter roll of toilet paper with no replacement. When asked for another roll because we were low, our reply was "later". No apology, just "later". There was a water leak dripping on the tiles in the hallway on the first level the entire week we were there. The entire resort ran out of sugar for two days, which blew my mind!!! There were many other shortages, ie. tonic water, eggs, sprite and other sodas, to name only just a few things. Some of the wait staff were fantastic servers, they were helpful and enthusiastic. While others couldn't be bothered. These were folks in the buffet and bar!! The food options were minimal. When things ran out there were no replacements on some things. So you had to wake up early for breakfast, or eat an early dinner if you wanted anything interesting. NOTHING at the buffet was labeled, you had to guess what was in the heating dishes, and fresh food brought out was lukewarm or cold. I was always able to find something to eat that I recognized. Personally, I hate wasting food and I don't want to take something that I may not eat. I find it very frustrating when I see others waste half plates of food. The bartenders are crafty enough to make interesting drinks when some of the ingredients were not available. And, as always the coffee is amazing. The girl in the reservation office was AMAZING. She arranged, at the request of my husband, a Japanese lobster dinner on a night that was not normally available to guests for my birthday. It took her a few days, but was able to pull it off. Dinner was entertaining and well done. The check in was very organized and efficient, as well as check out. The porters are attentive and polite. They even escorted us to the sister resort for one of our special dinners at the Mediterranean restaurant, which I recommend. Wifi was free the entire time of your stay, you are given a user name and password. Was speedy enough to do face-time with loved ones, so I got to chat with the grand-daughter. :) The beach in the morning was almost non existent as the tide was way up, in the afternoon it was huge as the tide was way down, and the white sand is perfect for long walks. The beach seems to go on forever. (over 5 miles) Because there are only a few resorts on this beach, there is a lot of plastic garbage that has washed up on the shore. I think as more resorts are built, the beaches will be better maintained. The pools were amazing, we came right after a colder few days, so the pools were a bit too chilly for my taste, but was able to go in the last three days. You can swim the entire length of all three buildings! The lower levels on the pool side have 'swim out' rooms with chaise lounges and umbrellas on their patio and steps to go down into the pool. Overall the stay was good. I could see for some people who are fussy about their food, having a harder time in the buffet. There are excursions to do in the area. Some are an hour bus ride away, a few are walking distance. We are not excursion people, we love to sun, walk on the beach and relax.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Absolutely amazing resort

This hotel is absolutely stunning both inside and out. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the resort is super clean. The rooms are tastefully decorated and pools were lovely, always lots of loungers available. I can’t say enough great things about the staff. They went above and beyond daily for us. Always stopping and asking if we needed anything and how things were. They booked us in at the a la cartes without having to wait in the line. Entertainment staff were amazing and had us part [... read more]icipating in all activities around the pool Daily and the beach party in the final night. Even the food was great. I am a picky eater and I could find something to eat at every meal, hot dogs , hamburgers , French fries, pasta, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon beads and pastries…

Gran Muthu Imperial: Terrible resort

This was by far the worst trip I’ve taken the staff were not very nice especially the management. They were too busy walking around drinking to care about guests and there were a lot of complaints. The housekeeper rehung dirty towels put dirty blood stained sheets and pillow cases on our bed. I went to ask for toilet paper and the guest service agent refused me even though there was a maintenance man there to get some she said it was impossible I was actually begging her to help me to get a roll [... read more] and she kept saying it was impossible. I said well doesn’t he go into rooms to fix things and she said yes but he’s not allowed to remove toilet paper.Disguisting service!!!Our room had a lot of bugs I took pictures and asked to be moved they said they were full.The hotel had maybe 50 guests at most I think the hotel can hold about 1000 so it was not busy. The pool was not cleaned even once during our 10 day trip there was debris all over the bottom of pool just lazy there were plenty of staff but most weren’t doing anything.The flies in the dining were gross there were hundreds maid it hard to eat the lady making eggs had dead fly’s in the liquid egg and continued to add them to the egg. Didn’t seem like anyone cared.You couldn’t get a mojito and we were in Cuba. There were a couple really nice staff and our Transat lady Lia was very nice but overall bad experience.I was very aware of shortages in Cuba we were prepared but no excuse for the staff and management very disappointed.The beach was beautiful!

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: One disappointment after another

We were so excited for our visit to Iberostar Coral Esmeralda, but from the moment we arrived we knew we made a mistake booking this hotel. I don't like to leave bad reviews but they really do need to know so they can improve. From the airport, we dropped travelers off to two different hotels. When they arrived at their resorts we could see they were greeted with warm welcomes, drinks and even a dance! When we finally arrived at our resort (almost 3 hours after sitting on the bus - was suppo [... read more]sed to be 75 minutes), we got nothing. Not help with our luggage, no greeting, nada. While waiting to check in, we were then brought a drink and given a little talk that they were overwhelmed with the 28 bookings they had that day (the most they've ever had). No one smiled, we did not feel welcome at all. We got to our room, although extremely nice and comfortable, it was not clean (beds were not made, bathroom and floors needed to be cleaned). Since we were starving we left to eat while they cleaned. The buffet was tiny and nothing was labelled. Since we don't eat pork we hardly ate anything because we didn't know what it was and no one understood when we asked. We had to ask the staff to clean a table so we could sit down. They did this very slowly and reluctantly. We then went back to the front to ask for Wifi details because they had not provided us with any at check in. They gave us the username and password for some other guests, which we pointed out to them. We had to wait for them to get us the right ones with them acting like they were doing us a favour. Once back to our room, the cleaners were still not done so we had to ask them to leave so we could use our room. We were lucky in that they had a sister hotel right beside them that we were able to use. For the rest of the days we ate most of our meals there. It was WAY bigger and better and sometimes had better service. The Asian restaurant food was unfortunately also disappointing, the food had way too much soya sauce. We could not eat it at all, so left and went to the sister hotel. The best place to eat at Esmeralda was the Snack Bar. They had burgers, hot dogs and pizza and for the most part the staff were nice although they often forgot about us and we had to reorder. They couldn't seem to cope with the amount of people. There were no activities or entertainment posted anywhere. Randomly they would have people at one of their very small pools teaching people to dance, playing bingo or doing yoga. These were nice but without notice we could not join. The night entertainment was done in the lobby where there isn't much seating room. Each day our beds were made, but our rooms would not be cleaned (i.e. hair and seaweed still in the shower). I don't know if this is their general practice. The best part of this resort is their beach. However, it was very windy for most of our stay so we could not enjoy it. In summary, this resort seems to have lots of staff, but they don't speak English and are not motivated to help anyone out or be friendly; even if you tip them well. I think this resort is better suited to older people who want to be left alone and have complete quiet.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Wonderful people!

The resort is beautiful and the people are wonderful, very accommodating and anxious to please. Due to supply constraints, the variety of food is limited; plenty of fish but a shortage of fresh fruit most days. Definitely take advantage of the spa - best massage ever from Alex. Thanks to Jackson for the Spanish lessons and to Ariel for the considerate attention to detail!

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Such a wonderful place!

I just made a "quick stop" here last week for 3 days, and being my second visit, nothing has changed since 2019. The buildings are dated, but WELL maintained. The food is amazing (repetitive, but amazing), the pools are clean, the staff is awesome, and the grounds are maintained to the tee! While there, I made arrangements to return in may :) Soooo many of the guests are returnees. And I even met a girl who was on her 11th visit in 13months! I can't wait to return in 7 weeks