Pleasant vacation resort

The grounds at Hotel Playa Coco were very well maintained even following a few heavy downpours. Our room was huge and modern with a large bathroom and a glass enclosed walk in shower (great water pressure). The resort is not huge but a very comfortable size and offers the option of a "quiet pool area". The beaches were outstanding and there were always lots of chairs at both the beach and the pools. Staff was friendly but at times seemed to cater to the locals. The food was good for a Cub [... read more]an resort. The a la carte restaurants were quite good. Would consider coming back.

Extremely disappointed

This was our 2nd visit and it's obvious to all that the staff aren't happy. The resort management did nothing in regards to our complaints about no air conditioning, water puddle in the bedroom, the room was never cleaned. It was sad. We were always assured that it was going to be taken care of, but all requests were ignored. We'll never be back. I've recommended this resort in the past, that won't ever happen again. The food was cold, and we were told that we couldn't have ice cream, shrimp or  [... read more]lobster unless we paid? Aren't we at an all inclusive? Didn't we already pay? They do nothing to make you feel welcome anymore and the rooms, interior and exterior are disgusting. We'll find a new resort next time and every time after that.

Great resort

We are back on Canadian soil after our rather hectic week in Caya Coco, Cuba. Cuba is a place Canadians love to visit and spend a relaxing time enjoying the sunshine, swimming in the pool or in the turquoise blue sea. The beaches here are just gorgeous, with their clean white sands, plentiful cabanas and recliners. Booze and snacks are free, of course and the snack bars on the beach were on a roll. Food was plentiful and served buffet style. The fares were a combination of European and Cuban. [... read more] Surprisingly though most of the items served were imported. The Playa Coco resort where we stayed at did have what they termed "ala carte" restaurants, like Seafood, Italian and Japanese, but the menus were pathetic at best, nothing like the relevant restaurants that the selection Toronto has. Entertainment was sparse though and many spent their time relaxing by the pools or enjoying copious drink choices. We took in trip into the town of Moron, enjoyed a Cuban lunch and visited a local farm. It was an interesting experience. Our rooms at the Playa Coco resort were quite large with a balcony. Air-conditioning was standard but I guess the unit was leakiing and everything smelt damp. Our flights were comfortable, but we had a few screaming kids who made our trips feel quite miserable. Air Canada should look into providing more amenities, like some food and entertainment like quite a few other airlines. Very cheap of them, I'd say, considering these are international flights. All said and done, Cuba is a great place to spend a few days to relax, enjoy the sunshine, warmth and ambiance and for a few days at least forget about the drudgery of the Canadian winters.

We’ll Spend a little extra and go elsewhere – An honest review

First, we are not picky or uptight people and when we travel to Cuba, we tend to stay in resorts that are either a 4* or 4+*. When we booked, this resort was listed as a 4* and I noticed that about 2 weeks before we left it was listed as a 3.5*. I read the reviews (good and bad), I joined the Facebook group for the hotel (there are 2), I prepared us for everything we could possibly need based on the reviews. We went with an open mind and low expectations. Also, keep in mind this was our e [... read more]xperience, it may or may not have been or will be yours. We arrived around 9:30 p.m. Friday night and received our room right away. We were in building 4, room 4302. It appeared to be a renovated room based on the beautiful walk in shower but it also looked like a rushed job based on the paint all over the tiles in the bathroom. The first things we noticed right away in the room was that there were no beach towels, there was not enough shower towels for all of us, the safe was locked and, the toilet leaked all over the bathroom floor! We called the front desk about the safe, and they sent someone right away to fix it and had shower towels brought to us and mopped up the floor. We went out to check out the resort and grab something to eat and noticed right away the resort looked empty. There is zero nightlife at this resort. Once the shows are over, everyone disappears so it’s pretty boring if you’re a night owl. By the time we got back to our room it was midnight. My husband went to pull back the covers on our bed and a 2.5” GIANT cockroach fell out of our blankets and there were no-see-ums all over the pillow and between the mattress and headboard of the bed. I realize this is NOT the resorts fault but this was a deal breaker for me. I was either moving rooms or sleeping standing up. He called the front desk and we were told they couldn’t do anything about it, there were no other rooms ready tonight. I wasn’t sleeping standing up so my daughter and I went to the front desk – and within 10 minutes they had us checking out a new room but were told that if we moved we would have to move ourselves as there was no one there to help. So we moved from building 4 (4302) to building 9 (9302) at 1:00 a.m. which was an upgrade as it was beach front. The room was fine. I’m not sure if it was completely renovated or not. It had a tub/shower combo, not a walk in shower which was completely fine either way. We woke up in the morning and our vacation was looking up. That is pretty much all of the major excitement for our week so I’ll touch on things we observed or experienced. A lot of the things wrong with this resort are quick fixes that management should definitely take seriously and fix them THE BEACH – AMAZING. The most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Zero complaints. Off to the left side (behind Building 4 & 5) there’s a small reef where you can do some snorkelling. You’ll see a blanket of white fish of all sizes and some little white fish with yellow and black stripes. My husband even seen a barracuda over there. ‘ The Buffet – Repetitive selections and not much flavour. I stuck to the chicken, potatoes & rice. Veggies were always over cooked and bring your own salad dressing if you wish to eat salad. Omelet station was great but when they ran out of eggs, that was it there were no more (no matter the time). There was also a smoothie station and crepe station but there were many days of our 7 that there was no syrup for them. The Japanese Restaurant – We went twice. It was delicious but better the 1st time – but still very good the 2nd time around. The Staff – Amazing!!! No complaints and always had pleasant interactions with the staff. The Seafood Restaurant – I don’t recommend ordering the Shrimp with Vegetables. The resort had water issues the day we went to this restaurant, although they used it as an excuse for the 2 hour wait (we were the 1st table in the restaurant), my daughter’s meal (the chicken) was served 30-40 minutes before ours and the sides were no different than what ours were. My husband had the salmon, he said it was good and the portion was generous. They also ran out of chicken almost immediately. Some people didn’t even get their meals. The Rooms – The beds were comfortable, an extra pillow would be nice. The pillows are long and you only get one (rooms with 2 beds) so if you’re sharing a bed, you’re sharing a pillow. Our room did smell a bit musty and was a bit damp at times. I brought room spray with me so that took care of the smell. Not much I could do about the dampness. The Beach Towel issue at this resort is a real struggle. Bring your own. Don’t 2nd guess it, it’s a bonus if you get them. We waited 4 days and were lucky. Some guests we spoke to didn’t get them at all. Toilet Paper is an issue all over the resort and even in your room. We had 3 maids in 3 days and I had to ask for a back up roll every time. No matter how much was left on the roll the maid wouldn’t’ leave a back up in the room. Once our regular maid (same from day one) returned from her 2 days off, she made sure we had a back up roll. . There were occasions that there was zero toilet paper in the common bathrooms (the one at the snack bar didn’t have any), the one by the buffet was hit or miss and the one in the lobby was out of service our whole trip and we were told to use the men’s. Internet cards - $1.00 each for 1 hour – Decent wifi service in the lobby and by the pool. Our excursions were perfect. We went horseback riding at Memories Flamenco on the beach. It was $15 per person for 1 hour. It was a beautiful experience. The horses were great and tame and knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going. You can book this excursion through your tour rep. You just have to ask them to set it up for you. We also did the 1/2 day catamaran tour on the Wednesday on the Intrepido ! The crew was amazing, you get one snorkel stop, a lobster (or chicken) lunch and stop at a sand bar for swim! The half day is really all you need unless you’re a huge snorkel person. It was a great day and we were back at the resort by 2:30. Entertainment – We can’t really comment on the Entertainment as we didn’t go to all of the shows – The quiz show was fun and interactive. Based on our experience, we will not return to this resort but I do see why people to return for the beach and the people.

It's Cuba!

As long as you manage your expectations about Cuba this was a good hotel. The beach was beautiful, the drinks were strong, the animation staff was great, as were the nightly shows. The food was repetitious and not much selection, but what they made was done well. The main issue was the sand fleas, we got eaten alive, it was my first time experiencing this, not pleasant as you want to scratch your skin off, be sure to bring a grease based insect repellent!

It's Cuba!

As long as you manage your expectations about Cuba this was a good hotel. The beach was beautiful, the drinks were strong, the animation staff was great, as were the nightly shows. The food was repetitious and not much selection, but what they made was done well. The main issue was the sand fleas, we got eaten alive, it was my first time experiencing this, not pleasant as you want to scratch your skin off, be sure to bring a grease based insect repellent!

What a great week at a wonderful resort

Our thanks to 'TripCentral' before I start. Flying out of Hamilton (sweet). We checked in late in the day and had cheeseburgers at the Snack Bar. Our room had daily housekeeping service with lots of bottled water. The food was quite acceptable, their breads in Cuba for some reason are always outstanding. We had grilled 'periwinkle' I think that what it was, one day and it was outstanding. They have two pools, we stayed at the quiet pool which was smaller, but did have a beverage area right [... read more] there. Our room was on the third floor in building nine, over looking the water. The beach was extremely clean and you could walk forever in the sand or the water. A nice plus is the latter check out at noon, not 10:00 that other places have been. This was our 11th time to Cuba and 3rd to this area. In closing, it was interesting that our housekeeping person left us a nice note on the last with beautiful 'cursive' writing something to do not see.

Improvement Needed

We originally arrived off the bus at about 11:00 pm. I was impressed with the lobby and the service. Then we were taken to the room and there was a horrible smell, and it looked like the room was not cleaned. There was no pillows or blankets, and the toilet did not flush and everything was sticky. We then went down to the front desk and the lady there said there was nothing she could do. The next day we got a new room which was better. there was still a gross smell. The service was okay, however [... read more] they are very friendly but slow. Most of the workers spoke little English and at the restaurants there was no menus.

Great resort

Best beaches. Japanese restaurant was an attraction. Food was excellent. 24 hour fish and chips, hot dog and burger place was also convenient place to spend your day. The buffet and pizza place on the beach were also very convenient and the pizzas were excellent.

Repeat Guest

As a repeat guest i highly recommend this resort to all travelers to Cuba. Very close to the beach and the most friendly staff in Cuba. I will be getting married this year at this resort. I will be returning hear this year in October.

Good but.....

The best beach in cayo coco resort is older and not without its problems! I had a beautiful ocean view room beds comfy clean however on day 3 of my 12 day vacation at this resort I had water leaking from the toilet that was heading toward the bedroom area for 3 days I was made to wade through water to use my bathroom, three times they came to “fix” it and was actually told all 3 times that it was fixed(it wasn’t). They offered me another room but the other room wasn’t available for three [... read more] days! I used all towels in my room to stop water from entering bedroom area and of course no towels replaced no beach towels. The restaurants were excellent buffet meh but didn’t go hungry. The pools clean beautiful. The grounds and recovering nicely after hurricane Irma. The staff the real reason I keep returning to this hotel!

It was Memories Flamenco we went too.

Worst vacation in 15 years booking threw trip central. Shortage of certain foods, beer. Basically no clean linens or beach towels for 2 weeks. why? Because there are shortages of certain goods in Cuba. There is a problem with the laundry facility in Cayo Coco and there is are issues with the Crystal beer supply. To ad the hotel is not equiped to handle full capacity. And there are some serious issues with the plumbing. Discusting public washrooms. Someone should be held accountable for not infor [... read more]ming people of the issues with shortages of goods in Cuba before we spend our hard earned money to these resorts. So what are booking agents for? Just to get your money?

Wonderful vacation

We just returned from a week at Hotel Playo Coco in Cayo Coco, Cuba. We had a wonderful time. Rooms were clean, beds very comfortable, we had no problems with hot water. Food was good a d I really liked the Japanese supper. A new beach restaurant has opened and it was great! Could sit and eat looking out over the ocean from either in or outside! Grounds were well kept. Service everywhere was excellent. I think it is the friendliest resort in Cuba! I have been 4 times and it just keeps getting be [... read more]tter.

Great holiday

Staff was very helpful and friendly. A la carte restaurant's were great. First visit going back next year. Beach was very good with many activities. Many off resort activities.

Disappointed

the beach and the water was beautiful, the wait staff great but the resort buildings were not good, mildew, water leaks , plumbing problems throughout the resort and the food was poor. The Italian restaurant was good but the seafood restaurant was not

Good Value Still

This was the fifth consecutive year that I visited Hotel Playa Coco in December, as I was there from December 2 > December 16, 2018. Overall, I would give it a favorable rating, although there are a few negative comments that I would make. Firstly, there are a lot of new staff members. The woman whom I previously dealt with in Public Relations is no longer there: hence my room request was not granted. Naturally, I was not too happy about such. Secondly, the gentleman who was hired in 2014 to  [... read more]be Manager of Food Services, is no longer there: the quality of food has declined somewhat, although it is still pretty good by Cuban standards. None of the bars had Cuban beer, and were serving Heineken instead. No one could explain why, but they did get some Buccanero draft beer in on December 15th. No Cristal, however. My room [2201] turned out to be very decent: lots of water pressure and warm water, and good AC. The maid, Yerina, was excellent. Most of the buildings have been renovated, and have new, quality mattresses, but the pillows are still of poor quality. The beach is still lovely, although the west end is rocky in spots, and there was a shortage of chairs at times. The two pools were kept fairly clean, but more lounge chairs are needed. Overall the food is pretty good: there is a new lunch restaurant by the beach. One side is a buffet, and the other serves pizza only. The servers were quite good, especially Yanelis and Emir. One annoying feature is the overly loud, repetitive music by the main pool and on the beach. You could hear the same from the resort nearby [Memories Caribe]. Why this practice continues, totally baffles me. For $1165, for 14 full days, the excursion was certainly good value. The Air Transat airbus was very spacious and comfortable, with free movies and TV programs, on your own personal screen. I'm quite happy to recommend Hotel Playa Coco, once again. Harley Whitlock, Brantford, Ontario

Not that good

All the washrooms were always out of toilet paper and not that clean and lacking of locks. I know I don't go to Cuba for the food but as seasoned traveler to Cuba the food at this hotel was terrible. The only good food was the Japanese alcarte and the chef Julio. The entertainment at night was ok..but should not have seen the same shows more than once in a weeks span. I personally will never return to this resort

Great Resort for the price

Great, good rooms good view clean, good food staff friendly, seafood restaurant needs work slow service and cold food. We really missed the old beach restaurant was really authentic to cuba. Went on catamaran trip it was excellent.

Very Nice Resort

Had a great time staff was very pleasant.Might be due to being the slow season but the resort was dead and not many opitions were available to the guests. Would return to this resort in the near future. Planning on getting married here in 2019.

Great return trip

Just returned from two wonderful weeks at this hotel, thanks to all the staff from the front desk to the waiters, bartenders, cooks, cleaning people, gardeners and everyone else that made our trip special. We have loved this Hotel since our first visit in 2004, no hot water a couple of days did not take away from its charm, rooms spacious and clean, food was good, the gardens are returning after the hurricane damage, the beach is beautiful, soft white sand and warm water, pools are clean. Can [... read more]'t wait to return. Thanks to Rick Lockhart at tripcentral for all your help.