Excellent customer service

Review of Playa Paraiso - Cayo Coco Beach Resort Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile Back again, including my June trip when I celebrated my birthday here. The June and this August trips both suffered from similar problems that plague the rest of Cuba. Shortages are a fact of life in Cuba that also impact clients at the resorts. All levels of the staff do their utmost best and will explain apologetically when your request cannot be met because the item, food product or beverage are not available. S [... read more]upply problems notwithstanding it's a great resort, good value for the price. BTW the kitchen did a beautiful job on my fiance's birthday cake. Date of stay: August 2022

Resort is dated but has an amazing beach

Selected this resort as we knew a staff member who had moved here from a different resort. The day started with us having no rooms when we arrived. If they know our plane lands at 10:30 am and we will be at the resort by 12 pm why not have our rooms ready for us! The previous guests must have vacated the room by 8 am like we did on out last day. A staff member whom we knew had to intervene and we got our room at around 3 pm. The building we stayed in didn't have lights in the common areas like s [... read more]taircase and hallways for 2 nights. Had to complain to customer service as most of the building guests especially kids and females were scared to stay out during the night. The magnetic keys needed to be changed 2 to 3 times a day. They simply would stop working for no rhyme or reason. . All the guests were getting tired of this. Been to Cuba multiple times and am used to food there but this resort would rank at the bottom. Same repetitive food every day. Being frequent visitors to Cayo Coco and Cuba we went prepared with Indian spices and sauces so please bring some masalas with you. Drinks too diluted and no Crystal or Buccaneer beer. Staff was hit or miss. Some were amazingly great but others like the ones at the 24 hr food stand were pathetic. Staff at the Pool bar, beach bar and lobby bar were amongst the best. Saw guests standing an hour at the pizza stand near the beach. Went there twice but both times didn't get Churros. Please also be beware of paid services: Confirm it multiple times as words have no meaning once you pay for the services. When it comes to the room, it was dated with uncomfortable beds. Mold and broken pipes. Flooding of toilets in our building was common. Luckily didn't happen to us. Please also take plenty of bug sprays. As this resort was built on marsh land you will be bitten alive. The resort doesn't have it sprayed as much as they should. Best part about the resort- Beach is one of the best. Even if you don't get to go to Pillar, this beach will be enough. Secondly 50% of the staff are amazing. If I ever go again it will be for the beach and some staff who really pour their heart into their work. Last best part was the local Cuban guests. They were very cooperative and social. If you understand and respect their culture they will shower you with love.

Ok but wouldn't return

I wouldn't go back. Pool and beaches were clean and beautiful but they are not cheerful unless you tip very well and they cut costs wherever possible. Christmas music in July in their buffet area and no air conditioning or fans so you better eat quickly and get out! Very disorganized and disappointing. All day snack area is gross and always out of everything so it's really not 24 hours.

Great place, except for reception & check in/out times

Here are the facts: -We paid for Jr. suite with a sofa but there was no sofa -Our connecting door (for shared rooms option) wasn’t locked so a stranger walked into our room at 2am!!! -Reception says to change money to Cuban, Canadian or US dollars but all excursions are paid with Visa or Mastercard only -The store people had no change so gave us masks instead -Tables and chairs were NEVER cleaned/disinfected (except for stage area) -We arrived at 10:00am but check in is 4:00pm… we ha [... read more]d zero sleep and were hungry, we wanted to shower (flight with coughing passengers), hit by the heat (duh, it’s Cuba) We had to wait until 4 to do all the above -Soap is 75% water (no lather) -Buffet had no barriers or cleaning of shared serving utensils -Tables we’re “washed” with a VERY watered down soap spray (no scent) -Bugs in all corners of floor -Headboard was dusty and had spider webs -Only visible cooks wore masks -Get “take away” plastic cups at bar and buffet because dishes aren’t cleaned properly -Hand sanitizer empty and only a few pumps available

Good enough resort

Good things: excelent wide beach, a lot of palapases, no need to secure your tent and beach chairs from early morning, they are available any time, a lot of them. No lines to the main buffet, a lot of tables inside. Good room service, all is done in due time. There are a lot of trees , bushes and flowers, very green and clean resort. The pool is fine, I am not very interested in the pool when there is a great ocean very close to the bungalow. Good service in the lobby and all bars, coffee machi [... read more]nes are working in two bars, coffee is good. Mango fruit is the best in menu. Bad things: food could be better in terms of both varieties and taste. A lot of local people who tried to avoid the line for the food preparation station, very often getting more attention from the personell than the foreign tourists. It was a weird and new experience after 2.5 years not being in Cuba due COVID-19. The excursion on the catamaran was good except a lunch, they promised very good sea food lunch, but when we arrived in the restaurant, they brought one lobster tail for 5 people, one table spoon of rice, and tiny portion of fries that looked was prepared at least 3 days ago. The price for the excursion was pretty high, $USD 110/ person, and having nothing to eat after taking a breakfast at 7 am and 3 snorkeling stops plus delfinarium- it was really bad experience! A lot of mosquitoes also did not add a good feelings but it is this time of the year to claim I assume.

Great Week April 29 - May 7

Myself and my daughter visited this resort April 29th to May 7. What an amazing week we had. We met so many great people from visitors like ourselves and staff. Can’t say enough about the staff, friendly helpful kind …the list goes on. Drinks were great food was fine, we don’t go to cuba for the food we go for the awesome people and beaches amd this beach is just gorgeous, lots chairs no need to get up early. Entertainment was on par, always something happening day and evening. It’s a sm [... read more]all resort so easy access to everything thing. Only thing that could use some upgrading is the A/C in the buffet, it’s hot in there, can’t imagine what the staff feels like cooking and serving. Other then that we really enjoyed our stay. 3 years past due. Thank for a great week away! We will likely go back.

Playa Fun

Please educate yourself about Cuba prior to traveling. Our resort was limited on handing out water bottles, sometimes you had to take the back off the toilet to flush, food was ok, no beer in your room fridge. These are issues consistent with traveling to Cuba. Otherwise, you get an amazing beach, moderate facilities, and an amazing trip. The staff may be interpreted as stand-off'sh, but once you show them that your not an idiot, they are awesome.

Nice Resort, just a few issues

The grounds were beautiful and well kept. The resort was very clean and staff were friendly. The food was okay, typical for Cuba. I saw a few cockroaches in the buffet which I didn't like. There was not much in the line of entertainment at night and there really were no quiet spots or sitting areas if you wanted to get away from the noise but that really didn't bother me. They did their best in regards to COVID but not all guests complied and had to be told to put on a mask. The one thing t [... read more]hat really bothered me was the night we arrived before midnight there was no one to help with our luggage which was okay but were just told what block our room was. We had no idea where we were going and it was totally in darkness, all the lamps on the walk ways were off and the big lights on the buildings were off. It was so dark we were getting disoriented.We finally found our room after roaming around for at least an half hour, we lugged our luggage up four flights of steps and the hallway where our room was also dark. I'm not usually one to complain and I'm sure there must be shortages of staff due to COVID but the no lights the night of arrival was very upsetting. Regards, Brenda

Relaxing Vacation

I enjoyed my vacation to Hotel Playa Paraiso. The grounds were beautiful, the rooms were incredibly clean. I had no problems finding food to eat (with the current situation in Cuba taken into account) The beverages were plentiful. I enjoyed my catamaran excursion. However, we arrived late on a Friday evening. After check in we inquired about the location of our room. We were given a map with no further instruction. There was no one available to help with our luggage, or show us the way. Had t [... read more]his been during the day time, it would have been ok. However, it was late at night and dark. The lights on the pathways throughout the resort were turned off. It was extremely dark. We had no idea where to go and wandered around, carrying heavy luggage for a long time. We had a very difficult time finding our room block. When we finally arrived at block 4, we had to drag our luggage up 4 flights of stairs. This was difficult for me (female 40) but even more difficult for my 65 year old mother. To make it worse, there was no light in the hallways so it was again, extremely dark. We had a difficult time finding our room. After a long day of travel (including a delayed flight) this was distressing. It was a horrible beginning to what would end up being a very nice vacation. I would suggest that perhaps there could be overnight staff available to assist travellers who may be arriving late due to flight delays etc.

I would never return, even if it was free

This was my first trip to Cuba and want to start by saying the beach was absolutely beautiful. The only good thing about this resort. The food was horrendous (and completely unavailable at times). Cockroaches in the buffet and most food was inedible. The service for the most part was non-existent. I was told "no lady" multiple times a day. At one point there was no bread at the snack bar which was the only area open for food. Stale cold fries were the only food in the resort for 3 hours. As for  [... read more]the drinks, we were welcomed our first night with warm mix and beer. Asked for tequila and was told no lady. Our room was dingy to say the least. Only a top and bottom sheet were provided. Our toilet wouldn't flush properly and it was never fixed. Housekeeping needed to be chased down for water almost daily. The shower doubles as a bath tub and the three foot step down made it difficult to get in and out. The shower was like a pressure washer. The nightly entertainment was sub par most evenings. By the end of the week I was accustomed to being told no and not at all surprised when I was. I would give this resort 1 star and that was only for the beautiful beach. Most people that I spoke to at the resort shared our opinion, that it was dirty, poorly run and unsanitary. I wouldn't return even if it was free.

First trip post COVID

I was pleasantly surprised as I kind of expected less. After hotel closure for almost two years and very little tourist traffic, everything was operational, and safety precautions taken to very reasonable extend (not overdone, not underdone). We had a good stay, perfect weather and water and beach and Pina Colada. Works for me.

The beach is amazing

The beach was amazing, clear water, perfect for swimming. Cons: bad drinking water, have to ask for a bottle of water each time and explain why you drank the bottle of water which was given to you yesterday. And it was one bottle for three people. Dirty dishes, some were not even when with traces of food leftovers. Rooms are not cleaned, only Hart shaped towels. Wifi is only at the lobby and you have to request your access every day

Beautiful Resort

We loved this resort and all the staff. Rooms were clean and the view we had was fabulous. Beach was amazing! Our only complaint would be the store was small and didn’t have to much variety. But overall a fantastic resort!

Amazing Beach

I was honestly disappointed. I was really excited to go back to Cuba for my 4th time but it wasn’t how I remembered Cuba. I found at the resort you had to literally flag waiters down to order food or to get water at the buffet. The pool guys would take the empty pool chairs and stack them so that you had to ask them for a chair and tip them. I just found the staff completely ignored you. I waited and waited for the internet staff and I ended up giving up because no one even acknowledged us. On [... read more] top of this we had barely any hot water and then only scorching hot water the next day. I normally am not one to complain especially because I knew what to expect but this just felt like we were a bother to the staff. Lastly we purchased a beach excursion that was supposed to be the nicest beach in Cuba and they served you lunch. I had asked before purchasing if chicken was an option (as I do not eat Lobster) the sunwing rep told me that I could for sure swap it for chicken which made me decide to purchase. When we got to the beach it didn’t look any nicer than our beach at the resort and you had to pay $5 per beach chair. When we had to pick what we wanted for lunch chicken was not an option it was either lobster or pork. (Which again I don’t eat) so overall was disappointing. The beach at the resort 100% made up for everything. But next time I will be looking for a resort with more than 1 pool as this one blasted music so loud and talked the entire day. It’s not relaxing at all. We ended up at the beach after lunch everyday.

Terrible customer service, moldy room and mosquitos bites.

My experience here was a very bad one. I was assigned an moldy room and had to live in few days before moving to another. Second room was on the third floor and we did not have shower water during pick time. We were bitten by the sand fly or mosquitos and it turned out I was allergic but as the medic at the resort said "Cuba pharmacy is poor, no medication". For $20 I was applied a cream from an opened bottle, to release the itch, and let go. Everything in other places you get , here was gold. Y [... read more]ou had to go to the reception to get water in the room and towels. At the buffet you had to ask for a glass of water, wine or coffee. Seconds, were very hard to get. The meet was hard like an shoe's sole even at "A la carte". Cockroach were marching freely in the kitchen and everyone were touching the plates in a search for a clean one. All this put Cuba last on the list of vacation's destination.

Impressive resort

We arrived in Cayo Coco after dark and not much to see on the way to the resort. Arrival at hotel was an impressive delight, beautiful lobby area, were served a welcome cocktail during an efficient check-in, all staff encountered masked. Transfered with luggage to our low rise by electric vehicle. Our first floor room was similar to the all-inclusive we use in Varadero, a clean room, reasonably comfortable king bed, three piece bathroom,tiled floor through out, patio door leads to a generous bal [... read more]cony. First view to the grounds, loved it, well kept lawns between trees, shrubs and other plantings. In morning walk to lobby area and have an espresso or two and then onto to the buffet. An ample dining area, well spaced tables. Our habitis to find a table, greet, the server, request coffee or what ever drink, and then onto the buffet. Relatively standard offerings, well prepared should be something for most, I don't know about accomodations for dietary issues. The best thing about the buffet was that there were servers, something that should continue even after the Covid era, nothing worse than seeing people "pawing over" the food items. Beach is beautiful, sandy, with coral and seashell bits, recommend water shoes for sensitive feet. Rock is visible just off the beach into to the blue water, sand covers it out into the water with sand bars rising and falling as you go out. Not many people when we were there so no problem finding beach chairs and shade. I'm closing just to say it's Cuba temper your expectations, Cubans can only do with what theyhave to work with, so enjoy the sun and the universally pleasent hotel staff. We'll be back.

In paradise at Paraiso

Public areas, dinners, rooms, clean and well maintained. Loved the long walks on the beach and the beautiful view at the Mirador. Customer service outstanding. Special thanks to all the people from the dinners and bars who served and spoiled us with love and care ❤. Good entertainment day and night This was our third time at this hotel.

Wonderful Vacation🌞🌴🍹❤

Beautiful resort! Greatfood! Wonderful staff! Beach is amazing, soft white sand and ocean is beautiful shades of turquoise. Pool is pristine and very big. Animators are wonderful and kept us dancing all week. Lobby has free internet and great drinks. Try the spanish coffee! Snackbar is open 24 hrs. and has delicious hamburgers, fries and sandwiches. Rooms are dated but very clean. I needed to change mine because of shower issues. For great customer service see Obi! Staff wear masks at all tim [... read more]es and are vigilant about covid rules, serving guests at the buffet and sanitizing tables carefully after guests leave. I will definitely return! Muchas gracias a todos!🇨🇦🥰🇨🇺

Resort so so

Friendly staff - food not the best. We had to change our rooms 3 times - rooms smelled like Mold and musty. Maid service was Terrible. Beautiful beach but had to be there by 6 to reserve shade area. Not very accommodated for disabled

Fabulously friendly staff!

This is a smaller resort with everything in close proximity which was nice. The beach of course is perfect with lots of shade. The pool is huge and cleaned every day. The Portuguese restaurant was excellent and the manager Billeby was so kind and attentive to all our needs. What a wonderful employee! As well beautiful Jennifer in the lobby was lovely and made our trips to the lobby bar always so much fun. Two wonderful employees. We went to the Italian restaurant at 6:30 and didn't get our m [... read more]eal until 8:10. It was undercooked so we went to the buffet which had every kind of food you could possibly want. The rooms were fine, the bathtub has a very tall wall and the tub floor is extremely slippery. If you have mobility issues, this will be tough to manage. Honestly i would suggest going to a dollar store and getting some anti slip decals. I wish I had had some! The shower was mostly good although we had a few cold showers. The hotel has mostly french canadians so not too much english spoken. The entertainment was mostly in french so we did not know what a lot of the games were about. If you have small children,this is the place for you. The entertainment staff for the kids was excellent, the kiddies had a ball. The churros beside the entertainment stage in the evening were delicious. There are plenty of tables and chairs in the lobby, no need to rush to get a seat after dinner. There is a little market on the road to the left of the resort, about a five minute walk where you can get all kinds of souvenirs for cheaper than at the hotel. All in all I would recommend this resort as the staff are among the friendliest you will ever meet. Sending our great appreciation to Jennifer and Billeby.