Quiet and Tranquil

Beach was amazing Staff were exceptional Entertainment was great Rooms were spacious Layout was very simple Concierge was attendant Room Service was outstanding Chefs were courteous Many other guests were horrible human beings and there should be screening standards implemented

Terrible

This is in no way even a two star resort. Room service did not answer phone. Did not fog for mosquitoes so impossible to enjoy anything. You could not leave room at night. Buffett had more flies than dead cow carcass.

Very Good Resort

I just returned from a trip at this resort (Aug 2023). The resort itself is in very good condition and clean and the grounds are in excellent condition. The resort is small and all the buildings are quite close. The beach is beautiful and there was never an issue getting a chair under an umbrella. Coffee and drinks were available in many different areas of the resort. The food was ok, better than I expected. There was a beach bbq everyday which was the best option. Breakfast was also good [... read more]. The swim out rooms are a nice bonus if you can get one of those rooms. The nightly entertainment was a lot of fun and the staff did their best to keep us entertained. I would definitely recommend this resort if you're looking for a simple budget getaway.

Beautiful resort

We were at this hotel for 14 days, the service vas very good, the room vas clean and cold, we enjoyed the beach and pools, the food-well it's Cuba, they did their best with what they had, we didn't miss anything, we would like to have more vegetables , but it vas not that bad, the drinks were good, we enjoyed the drinks made by Alfred at the cigar bar, also the drinks at the lobby bar and beach bar. Thanks to all the staff of Coral Level for the good service.

100% YES

We upgraded to Coral Level. We were celebrating our 30th anniversary. Loved that it was smaller. Roof top room was beautiful. Pool was great. Staff was fantastic. Beach was STUNNING! Will be planning a return trip. 1.25 hour ride from airport.

Wonderful vacation!

My husband and I stayed at Iberostar Coral Esmeralda for a week, July 25-August 1, and had a wonderful time. The staff was wonderful, very caring and proactive in anticipating our needs, especially Ariel and Juan Carlos (thanks again for making our stay so lovely!). The grounds are beautiful, our room was very clean and the bed was super comfortable. The food was tasty and plentiful, as were the drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The pig roast at the beach bar was fantastic and would  [... read more]highly recommend. The beach is gorgeous. 23 km of white sand and clear water. We spent hours in the water each day. People complain about the lack of variety in the food, however, I feel like we need to keep in mind that the political situation in Cuba is the worst it has ever been and locals barely have enough food to survive. Staff did a fantastic job with what supplies they had. If you have a complaint about the food, complain to upper levels, not the staff that are working 16 hour days (Yup - 16 hour days!) to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Also, while Cuba has a very good medical system, they are in dire need of supplies. If you can, bring some extra Tylenol and whatever else to leave for staff. Thanks again to the staff. We look forward to visiting again in the future.

Stunning resort and beach

The rooms are gorgeous. Brand new. Beds so comfortable and rooms ice cold. We had the rooftop. It was huge. The beach is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen. The people are so kind and the service is amazing It’s a place where you go to relax. Not much of a nightlife. Also there is a lack of food. We didn’t starve. But it’s not the same as it was preCovid. Not even close. Room fridge only has one bottle of water a day. There was a lot of shortages. No seafood at all. The f [... read more]ood situation needs a major improvement. NOW the travel, what a nightmare with SUNWING. Delay after delay after delay. There and back. Sunwing changed our travel times by 12 hour to go there and they added a stop in Holguin. On top of that we were delayed by the sunwing crew for 4 hrs. Coming home was another nightmare, our sunwing rep at the hotel made us waste our last day and sent us to the airport too soon, he didn’t get the delay notifications and argued that his supervisor didn’t inform him even though we showed him the multiple emails from sunwing all day long with delay notifications. We had to tell him. We got the airport before the staff was there and we had to wait outside in 40 degree weather fighting off the mosquitoes for a hour and a half. Never again sunwing. Ever.

Great time!

My room was beautiful. I especially loved the swim up room. So worth it! The grounds were very nice and the buildings with the rooms were very pretty. Now this is not the fault of Cuba or the resort, but the weather sucked, rainy and overcast. I made the best of it. I went to the beach which was really nice. No seaweed, no rocks and shallow. Lots of chairs and it wasn't to busy so no problem finding one. ***Bring lots of bug spray!!!!!!**** The mosquitos were brutal, especially at night and afte [... read more]r rain. I used the deet spray and that worked well. If you are looking to party this is not the resort. It's quiet and not a lot to do. This was fine with me as I just wanted to relax and swim. On the Thursday night their was a great dance show in the lobby. Their is a 24 hour bar here and you can get food their after 11pm. The food: People always say it's not great bit I found it good. Lots of fruit like watermelon, pineapple and mangos. A lot of pork dishes. Their was a lot of buns etc. You definitely won't go hungry. Anyway I enjoyed my time there though I wish it was a little busier and the weather was better

Some major sanitary conditions

Let me start by saying the beach was perfect, rooms were very nice, food was as varied as they could make it. Staff are super sweet ,very appreciative and hard working. Danny, I must commend..he took care of our every need. I however have to state that there was no hand soap at any time in the hotel bathrooms which are used frequently by both staff and clients. I checked both the men’s and women’s bathrooms and not a drop of soap could be found. ( nor was there any type of hand gels)Also som [... read more]e days there was no toilet paper. Especially being post Covid this is just not acceptable. Our last two days of 5 we also had no soap refilled to our room and we ran out of toilet paper. I also have to state that the dining room was full of flies everywhere. Lastly because this hotel did not spray for misquitos we were eaten alive especially in their open air lobby. We could not go to any of the evening shows that were held in the lobby so as a result we did not get to enjoy any of that. To say we had over 100 bites would not be a lie. Itchy bites that kept us up at night itching despite all the deet spray I brought and used! They did a smoke spray one evening however that did next to nothing. I imagine they should have been spraying nightly to get rid of the mosquitoes .They also ran out of bottles of water which Alex ,our SunWing rep strongly advised us to use for brushing our teeth not to mention for hydration.When we approached “Ariel” he had no suggestions for us except we spend our time trying to track down our maid to ask for bottles. Our maid btw was excellent and 100% she would have restocked our room with water, toilet paper etc if it was available. It appeared to us we were inconveniencing him by asking about getting bottles of water. Not courteous nor helpful. This is not the staffs fault that there are shortages…however you can no longer classify yourself as a 5 star resort when the very basics for health and safety cannot be provided. My sister and I both returned home very sick. It’s not hard to see how that happened when no one was able to adequately hand wash. I would not recommend this hotel until soap is provided in guest rooms and all lobby bathrooms, until they manage their fly and mosquito problems and are able to supply and replenish clients with bottled water.

Beautiful hotel

It was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen . The hotel had a great open air lobby with a piano player in the evening, unfortunately could not sit there for long due to the mosquitoes!!! They did not do enough to control that situation. I do understand it was mosquitoes season The food , well it is Cuba ..They ran out of lots of items daily , butter milk cheese “ect” Rooms were very nice and cleaned well. The worst for me unfortunately was they had no hand sanitizer or so [... read more]ap in most of all of the washrooms on the property . Being post Covid this is unacceptable hundreds of people sharing the serving spoons at the buffet. I’m also worried the staff and especially kitchen staff were unable to wash their hands as well ! They also ran out of bottled water the last 2 days we were there . Which created a problem because they did not suggest using tap water in the room to brush your teeth.

Wonderful new resort - Coral Level Iberostar

We stayed here for one week at beginning of April 2023. We flew out of Hamilton which was a real charm as this small airport is great and easy to get to from our home in Hamilton. Flights were good. We had a delay coming home but everything worked out fine. It's a long bus ride out to Cayo Cruz but it was at night, so we didn't mind. The airport at Cayo Coco, although a small airport, was a bit chaotic when we got through the gates at customs and 'lined up' at security to check our personal ba [... read more]gs. There didn't seem to be any way to figure out where to wait as we were all bunched up! Some people got upset that we weren't in the lineup! What lineup? The staff at the airport (at both customs and security) were more friendly and pleasant than in the past. It was a lovely new resort. The staff are all very attentive and friendly. Our room was huge! Our chambermaids (as they call them) were excellent. Betzy was the best maid! Every day we had fresh water, a fun decoration on our bed (butterflies, bows, hearts) and they were always there to help with anything we needed. We loved sitting in the Cigar Bar at night with the best bartender - Bryan! He was so friendly and great to chat with. Even though we don't smoke, we stayed there, because Bryan made us many different drinks to try! His 'Beautiful Girl' cocktails were delicious! The food was good in the buffet and in the A La Carte restaurants. Breakfast omelets and grilled cheese sandwiches on the grill were great breakfast treats! Our favourite was the banana appetizer in the Cuban Restaurant - delicious! The staff in the Lobby Bar were excellent as well, especially Diana and Michael. We loved having our cappucinos every morning there, relaxing and reading. We swapped out books in the small bookshelf in the lobby behind the Sunwing reps desk, so we didn't have to bring too many books with us. We had good pizzas one day at the Snack Bar and it was full for lunch! The staff at Customer Service were very helpful anytime we had a question or issue. Alex, our Sunwing rep was fantastic. He was always there to answer our questions and help us. We only went to the beach one day as it was pretty windy most of the time, but we saw the sun rise and it was lovely. The beach is narrow at high tide. The pools were nice. It was very hot when we were there and sunny every day! We visited the sister resort next door which is larger but we were glad to stay at the Coral Level where it was smaller and quieter. We brought many gifts for the Cuban staff and they were appreciative of everything. I brought nail polishes, lipsticks, macaroni, sandals, hair ties and ribbons, hats, candies, clothing, Tylenol and vitamins (which we gave to the doctor at the medical clinic), etc. We tipped with loonies, toonies and $1 American bills. Everything was accepted and we changed bills for change at the bar (for more tips) with them as they asked us. We met many other Canadians from across the country and that was fun! Overall we enjoyed our vacation and want to thank Kevin Dupuis at Sunwing/Trip Central for helping us plan our excellent trip!

Absolutely Beautiful Resort

The Coral Level Iberostar Selection Esmerelda far exceeded our expectations. Cayo Cruz is incredibly beautiful and has the most amazing beach with the softest white powdery sand, that you can walk for miles. Never an issue to find chairs and a palapa if you are at the Beach before 9am. A bit of a drive from the airport, 1.5 hours on bumpy roads, but you won't regret choosing this resort. Staff here are fantastic and go above and beyond. The food was exceptional, occasional minor shorta [... read more]ges but always an alternative. Food was not repetitive as we'd read, always lots to choose from, and fresh grilled beef, pork, chicken or fish cooked to your preference. Not many options for a salad, however always sliced tomato and cucumber, different fruits over the week and endless homemade sweets, rice pudding, ice cream, etc. Al a carts Mediterranean and Cuban were both delicious. Lunchtime has several meal options, there are dishes offered at the beach (kept warm on a barbeque), the snack bar close to the beach always has meal options, burgers/hotdogs with occasional days offering pizza and fries. No people brought their own butter and condiments but we were fine without. The Spanish red wine was lovely and a nice treat. The lobby offers an early evening entertainment option with Cuban show or local talent, ie different nights someone playing a guitar, piano, violin and the best was a young lady on a chelo...all were fantastic. We would definately consider this a 5 star for Cuba! Loved it and would return.

Great Week!

We travelled here on March 22 2023.It is approx.1hr 15 min from airport.The resort itself is very modern and well kept grounds Beach and staff are 5 star.Rooms are very clean.If you are looking for a small relaxing resort this is the place for you.Everything is very close .We did not ever have a hard time finding a chair by beach or pool.Dining is Cuban fair shortages at times but never left hungry.

Good resort

The rooms, the grounds, the beach, the pool, and the staff were amazing. The food was ok, but it would have been nice to have some soft drinks or juice where water was limited. Everyone does not drink alcohol all the time. Our room was very nice but we had no hot water at all. By day 6, we had hot water from one of the two bathroom sinks. We were dreading taking a shower every day after the beach before dinner.

Relaxing holiday

The hotel was very clean and the grounds were well kept. We brought our own hot sauce and peanut butter .The food was good .Every day there was a choice of beef, chicken,pork and fish as well as desserts and fruit. The staff were very accommodating . I didn't realize how far we were from everything though. We also ran into wind and rain for 3 days. Therefore swimming at the beach was impossible. I know you can't do anything about the weather. This was my 4th trip to Cuba.

Most amazing trip!

I won’t lie, I read reviews whether it’s from trip advisor or from fan Facebook pages. I will always do my research. I’ve been to Cuba 6 times and I have experienced the good, bad and the ugly. Coming into this trip, knowing how hard it is for them to receive stock for food, booze, and other items I knew to not expect much. When I tell you I was blown away.. this trip exceeded my expectations. From the grounds, the rooms, the staff, the beaches even the food .. I was surprised. I wen [... read more]t with a group of 4, This is a 5 star resort in Cuba. The staff go above and beyond to exceed your requirements. We came out with many friends who have kept in contact with us. The rooms are great. You either get a king bed or two doubles and you push them together it becomes a California king (amazing) yes you get a fridge no it’s not stocked so bring pop or coolers from home not the end of the world. They must give you a bottle of water every day. If we didn’t see it we went right to the butler and it was in your room by the time you got back. The buffet we ate for breakfast and dinner and we had breads, bacon, fresh egg omelettes, and fruits. If you like peanut butter, butter, maple syrup bring small packets no biggie. Dinner we didn’t think it was repetitive. You had your choice of fresh grilled beef, chicken, pork, fish, burgers or hot dogs. You had different side dish options all were great. For lunch we kept with the snack bar. We had wood oven margarita pizzas, or hamburger (with buns) or even pasta one day. It was all hot and amazing. The a la cartes we did the only two open Cuban and Mediterranean. We really enjoyed the Mediterranean. Drinks. Strong but you get used to it. Yes you have to think of things to have but I always asked for the bartender surprise or if you go to the snack bar ask for the Luis drink (gin lemonade). We didn’t notice shortages as they adapt to it. The entertainment at both resorts were great and hilarious. The day staff is the same as the night staff and they work hard to include everyone. Yes the bus ride from the airport to the hotel is about 1 hour and 30 minutes but it’s okay I didn’t mind it. we would recommend the VIP lounge in the airport on the way home if it’s a mid day flight or later. Had the air condition and inclusive booze and food. Big question would we go back…. 100% Luis, Uni, Yoem, Danny all the lobby bar workers and entertainment staff .. thank you for a memorable week.

Great resort

Very well kept resort, nice and quiet resort to soak up the sun and relax.Long beach for walks , pool is right by the rooms.no lineups. Food is great and the service is awesome. Staff is very friendly.

Great trip

Hotel was real nice, small and had friendly staff. We would end up at the amazing beach or larger pools next door, bars were close with ample amounts of beer, rum or vodka mixed drinks. Entertainment every night was nice in the main lobby. Food a la cart cordon bleau was great, Cuban night was also tasty with chicken lasagna and pulled pork rice etc. Every day for breakfast was bacon with ham and cheese omlettes. Cuban coffee was outstanding. Cigar bar had great coffe and canned beer. Ve [... read more]ry hard working and nice staff there too. My expectations of food were not high cause of the reviews. yes Cuban cooking is bland, but plenty to eat at the buffet or snack bar. I survived without any Doritos for the week, lol. Would go again just for the beauty of the beach!

Very Nice Holiday! Coral Level Iberostar

We were here last March. There are visible changes....not the fault of the resort, or the Cubans. The workers are always eager to help with what little they have. There were minor shortages. But not enough to complain about, who eats bacon every day at home anyway, chicken was missing for a few days, but made a comeback for the remainder of the week. We didn't go hungry. The beach is always beautiful....one of the nicest beaches in Cuba. The only downside that I was a little disappointe [... read more]d about was the lack of entertainment on the adult side. There is a piano, only used for very short time for one night. One other night was a short show by a local guitarist....not that good. The family side had the typical boom boom garbage. I go to the caribbean for the culture, and Cuba has some of the most talented musicians. More live music would go a long way in order for me to go back. Other than that, I probably won't be back for the lack of entertainment. Bedrooms are great, the beds are very comfortable. No supplies in the fridge, but the coral level is so small, you are a couple of minutes from your bars.

The best place to stay!

This resort is incredibly beautiful The staff are fantastic Our room was luxurious, the nicest hotel room I’ve ever encountered I can’t wait to book my next vacation I won’t stay anywhere else Thank you !