Worst vacation ever

It was definitely our worst ever vacation. The resort is still repairing the damage from hurricane Sandy so we knew the rooms would not be great and paid the additional price to upgrade to a bungalow. BIG MISTAKE. There are feral dogs running loose on the grounds and we had a bitch with four pups living under our bungalow. They barked and howled constantly through the night resulting in very little sleep for us. The dogs roam around the resort even into the open air dining areas. They all suffer [... read more] from mange, are flea infested and wormy. I complained to the manager about the dogs every day and was assured things would be corrected. STILL WAITING. The food in the buffet was the worst we've seen, even for Cuba. Food normally served hot was cold and the cold cuts , cheese, fruit etc was not chilled. Food hygene was non existent. The food handlers did not wear gloves and the food was not covered so the numerous flies were free to crawl on it. The beach was stony as there is a coral reef just offshore and had only a small area suitable for swimming. On the upside the staff were great, doing their best with the little they had available to meet your needs. All told we would not recommend the Carisol to any one

Great people, great vacation.

We just come back from our vacation in Carisol Los Corales. It was 6 times in this hotel. We love all the great people who work in the hotel. Rooms are clean, food is cuban(simple, but good), beach is nice, I really like beautiful view on the mountain and Caribbean See. Bartenders are very nice and will make great drinks, including cappuccino. Weather in this area is always beautiful. We enjoyed are walk to the village, and talking to locals. We are definitely coming back next Christmas. Thank y [... read more]ou Carisol Los Corales for having us!!!

Disspointed. Very.

Where do I start? First night we got there, it was a long line to sign in. Only 2 guys at the reception, but only one was working. His name was Felipe, and he was very nice to us, I can't complain. But man, we waited more than 1 hour to be signed in. In this time, our child's stroller was stolen from right there, in the lobby. Of course, by the time we realized, it was too late. They said maybe it was left in the bus, but we knew we had it when in the lobby, and it was confirmed the next day by  [... read more]the bus driver and the tour guide, that nothing was left in the bus. I followed up at reception (even with the manager Alejandro) on a daily basis, but they didn't seem impressed, or offered us anything as reimbursement...a better room or a voucher for next trip...not that they would ever see me there again. Now I feel like I should have asked to open a police investigation, perhaps then they would have cared a bit...fe days after my son's lifesaver was stolen right by the pool. Again, nobody gives a damn. They raise their shoulders and carry on. Anyways, the rooms. That night, we were assigned two rooms in Carisol, but guess what? Carisol side was closed. No service. So how, I ask, did they assign us the rooms, and didn't tell the Trip Central agent that they were in the side of the hotel which is closed? We walked with two kids so far away, from Los Corales to Carisol, until we got to a part which didn't even have lights, we were like in one of those horror movies, where you can expect anything. And then, when we opened the rooms, aside from the fact they looked awful and worn down, they were occupied! I mean, men's booths and tshirts on the chair, beds unmade...of course, we walked all the way back, and then spent close to 2 hours in the lobby, while the guy at the reception made calls after calls to see in which rooms we could be placed, because they had no available rooms, were booked to full capacity at Los Corales. Unbelievable. But after a long trip with 2 small kids, we were finally in our rooms at 11PM. We were placed in one of the junior suites, which was the only thing they had, and in their opinion was the best. While it certainly looked better then the first set of rooms, it was still bad. Broken windows, toilet worked, showed didn't. It did next morning, with cold water. And it was still far away from Los Corales. Far away from everything. We asked to be moved as soon as the next available rooms in Los Corales were vacated. And so we moved the next day. The room was also bad, but something we would live with. Fridge not working, A/C working on and off, big cockroach coming out of a hole in the bathroom night #1 and night #2 (we solved this problem by placing a heavy towel on top of it after first few nights)...but what can I say? At least we were back in civilization...next to the pool, close to the restaurant. So we tried to make the best of it. The people are nice, but they don't go crazy to serve you. They are overworked, because of the Carisol side being closed, the Corales side is booked to full capacity, and they don't have enough staff. I can tell you that I've been to Cuba many times before, and I know not to expect luxury, but this was the worst Cuba experience I had. And the prostitution that goes on, right there in plain view, it's absolutely disgusting. What explanations you think I could find for my kids who were wondering what 20-year olds were doing with 70-80-year olds? Never again will I go to this resort, and I would not recommend. I am not sure they should even be allowed to be open, because it is full of hazards. Open cable laying around, holes in the ground, they would never pass an inspection back here. The people are nice, what can I say? The lady who cleaned my room, Milo, was lovely. Same with the staff in the kitchen, at the bars, the night entertainment, I'll give them that, they are all beautiful truly nice cuban people. But it doesn't make up for the terrible experience we've had. We couldn't wait to get out of there and go home. And for me, a Cuba lover, to say that, believe me, it must have been bad!

Great place to stay

No rain only sunshine for two weeks. If you like it hot this is the warmest area in Cuba. Room and food adequate. Staff wonderful!!!. Relaxing place to stay. Free bus to city for the day a great bonus. Great bartenders. Lots of activities around the pool every day.

Good resort

Good price, very nice beach , warm clear water and always beautiful weather. The food was OK - there is always something to eat. We were very disappointed by the beach restaurant - many people got sick after having a 'pig' lunch there. The resort is definitely for older people.

Poor buffet in November

The bungalow was good, very clean, new AC units, upgraded bathroom. The entertainment was good for 6 of 7 nights, The grounds were very clean and bright. The public bathrooms had toilet paper. The snorkeling right off the beach at the reef if great! As always the egg grill was great. Now the bad points. The shower handle would turn on the water and regulate warm/cold but fell off when you try to turn the water off. It took 2 days to get hot water. You could not pay for excursions with  [... read more]any credit or debit cards. There was no bank to withdraw any money from, only in Santiago an hour away. The office would only exchange money. They often did not have any. The small gift shop would take MasterCard when it worked. The beach was quite rocky/sandy outside of the small cleared area. The food selection was very limited. I suspect it is because of the time where little is available locally. Much cabbage and carrots, no potatoes or tomatoes but you will not go hungry. If you are coming here make sure the price is right. There was no wifi, OK. They had 2 computers you could rent time on for 1Peso/30 min. You need a card like a pay as you go phone. They were out of them for 2 days. The keyboards look the same but to get the @ symbol you had to hold both the control and shift keys. That does not work for the brackets though (9 and 0).

AMAZING TRIP

This is our third trip to Cuba and must confess that we are in Love with Santiago. The hotel in in a very lovely location away from all the hustle and bustle. There is not a lot of traffic . The hotel is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The area is great for walk and driving. Getting to the Town of Santigo is accessible by Taxi. The layout of the hotel is Fantastic, staff very friendly and helpful. The entertainment was always interesting. The food was good and fresh . We watched the Hot [... read more]el staff roast a whole pig which took about 4 hours. It is a very interesting process. We were able to visit the locals who live in the same area of the hotel . We had the opportunity to ride horses which was a first for us. The entire area is Clean, safe and quiet. There is a Lagoon about 3 km from the hotels for those who like to walk. At the Lagoon you can go fishing or just go around the Lagoon by boat. Highlight of the trip was our visit to Grand Piedra which is the 2nd highest Peak in Cuba. The ride and walk up the peak was scary but when we got to the top it took our breath away. The view is breathtaking . The beach is not white Sands but it was still very enjoyable. Overall this was good value for the money and -one of most enjoyable trip

Very nice resort

not to much place to swim.most off the sea around beautiful beach was covered with sea grass.Food was OK,but lot of flays around the food area,sometimes even on the food.Evening program was very good,resort has very nice style with nice pool.Personal at the resort are really friendly.Rom where for 3 star resort OK. because for me is important the sea and who like to swim at the sea i do not recommend that resort,who like to swim at the pool I recommend that resort.

Great servise of sell rep and great time in cuba

the whole transaction with sell rep was smooth and great- love it. as of resort itself, it was my 3d time going there. this time we had bungalow with great terrace on 2 floor. the terrace was about 300 sq feet large and we pool out the beds to sleep outside. beach was great, although inside of water you have to watch out for not to step on sea animal spikes. service great but the choice of cocktails could be better, food ok. but if you want you can go to the village next to resort to eat langost [... read more]as, if the group over 10 people you can negotiate about 15-12$ per person. it a shame its a bit far from santiago, i would go party there every day (as i did at bucanero, before it got destroyed). but the entertainment was still nice inside of resort. overall- i enjoyed it very much.

Very nice resort

I love this resort. I have stayed @ Los Corales several times. The staff are very friendly, the food is good. I always have a great vacation when I go to Santiago. The snorkeling is amazing. There is always something to do like aqua fit, bingo, dance lessons etc.

Great Time

We had visited Corales in 2008 and we pleased with its condition and service when we returned in March 2016. Corales is in a remote location and our main interest, snorkelling, is mediocre. We managed to make it work, however. We rented a scooter and rode in and out of Santiago. We hiked the roads inland from the resort. We scuba dived. All excellent experiences. The staff at this hotel are great. The food is plentiful and nutritious. We found the entertainment enjoyable. We regretted having to  [... read more]leave after two weeks. We will try to return.

Three star resort in good location

We spent 2 weeks in the end of March in Club Amigo Carisol Los Corales. The Carisol part was closed due to the end of the season and we stayed in the Los Corales part. The good: - the weather was great; - the hotel is located in the Bucanao natural park and there are lots of places around to walk and visit; The bad: - when we arrived there was luck of dishes in the buffet, but later on they brought some; - people were complaining of missing towels and personal belongings left on the beach or in  [... read more]a room balcony. The beach was ok, not great. The food was so-so, but we always were able to find something for us, I would say it's acceptable except for a long lineups for the grill during the lunch and the dinner, omelets in the morning, fruits, etc, that are not supplied freely. The tap water is from the mountains and is drinkable and very tasty, we never had any stomach issues. The quality of the entertainment was not consistent. There were really great performers, like water ballet team, Angel the magician, but some other performances looked like an elementary school party.

A Piece of Paradise

We have just returned from a resort where every day is just another day in paradise. Now don't be fooled, this resort is not our idea of a three star. As everyone knows, no one goes to Cuba for the food. However, the pizza and spaghetti at lunch was amazing. The lady who creates this delicious food works tirelessly never lossing her humour. Many of the staff there are warm and friendly even as they are constantly understaffed in the dining area. I would advise exchanging your money at the airpor [... read more]t, as often they did not have enough at front desk . We love to go snorkeling in search of different fish. This beach fit the bill perfectly. If you enjoy going into the water with a sandy bottom, this is not the beach for you. You will find a very small area with sand, while the rest is filled with grasses and rocks. One aspect of this resort we particularly enjoyed was all the animals sharing the space with us. You will find horses donkeys and cows chewing the grasses outside your room at times. And dogs that have the sweetest disposition joining you for a drink. Lol Please do not forget the local people in the area. This is one of the poorest regions in Cuba. Bring toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and shoes if possible. These are some the the basics they do not have, and we certainly take for granted. This resort offers it all. A peaceful vacation, if desired. Or a bike ride in the country side, excursions , and a disco at night. It's your choice. Our choice would be to definitely return!

A good value, in a real Cuban setting.

We have been to Corales/Carousel four times now, usually for a three week stay. An endless sandy beach or 'American' style food is of little interest to us. But the location is good for us with nearby fishing and farming villages, providing a real slice of real Cuba, away from the Varadero type complexes. The weather is always reliably hot. No, not everything is 'perfect', but it's a great, relaxing and economical resort!

Good value

The beach and pools were great, staff awesome and the weather was perfect. I found that room 114 at Carousel was quiet and the amenities satisfactory. On the downside the food was reportedly down in quality and selection from years previous. Liver was cooked up at the grill station twice along with chicken or pork, not my thing. Ice cream was available on two days. I suggest a quicker way of getting toast or through the grill area as there were certain groups that were quite rude tourists. I fel [... read more]t sorry for the staff having to deal with them, but the staff were professional. All in all, it is what it is, an inexpensive holiday in a beautiful country.

Ok

Weather was beautiful pool area nice as far as the rest i would not recommend it. Food was horrible met people who have travelled to this location before and they brought there own can food. They returned to this resort only because of the weather.

Dont have too high expections, then you wont be di

poor beach, food below standard. Rooms good ,staff good, grounds good, service good, alcoholic drinks good. The temperature is generally around 30 degrees. Free trip to Santiago is very nice. The erea is safe to explore.

So, so

Smallish resort, somewhat rundown. Friendly staff. Oceanview upper level bungalow had it's own sundeck! Food terrible. Small beach, need water shoes for the stones. No tequila or brandy. Still, a quaint comfortable feel. Many dogs.

If you want to live a real "Cuban" experience...

If you want to live a real "Cuban" experience that's the place to go. Staff are always pleasant and try to help you. Be ready to see different little problems every day... Electricity stops sometime, the toaster might be defective for few days, the resort might experience a shortage of fruit juice or the front destroy are running out of CUC money... But all these are part of your "real" experience. If you want a perfect sandy beach, go to Varadéro but if you like to to skin diving in a nice cor [... read more]al reaf with a variety of marine life, comes to the Corales!!!

Fantastic vacation!

A lovely resort, small but quaint with staff that go above and beyond to meet your needs. The snorkeling available at your fingertips made this one of our best vacations we've taken in Cuba. When not in the water, the view alone made it worth it. Our room, and the resort itself were spotless and very functional.