Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Wonderful resort

I just came back from the 2 weeks vacation in this beautiful resort. First the grounds were exceptionally well maintained due to the hard work of many gardeners who are working there. The beach is beautiful, it does changes several times a day due to high and low tide, hence it’s difficult to predict the size of the sitting area. Beach sand is white and perfectly fine. Beach is also cleaned daily if any weeds come through the night. Food was good for Cuban standards and no issues at all findin [... read more]g something you like. Staff is exceptionally good and helpful anywhere in the resort. Front reception bar is top notch with premium alcohol served. Thanks to all of the bartenders and ladies working there. We had swim out suite and was definitely worth to have it. I will definitely come back to this hotel in the future.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Terrible conditions

I've been going to this resort for 25 plus years and I'm sorry to say I won't be back. In less than a year this resort has gone downhill big time. example grounds not kept up grass very long everywhere ,very little gardeners around to do the work. Pool not maintained couldn't swim in it last 2 days. Very short on staff. The people in the suites had the maid for he first day and did not have one for the rest of the week Towels in my room hung back up to use again because use there were no clean  [... read more]towels available. could no change beach towels because they had none for the whole week. When I first went into my room no sheets on bed but I was one of the lucky ones I got a sheet for my bed a lot of other guests weren't so lucky, that was ok because I don't change them at home every day. Food was what to be expected lots for rice dishes ,chicken some beef pork and fish .Guests who arrived on Saturday were put in rooms that weren't cleaned no sheets at all on the bed. The buffet cross contaminate because they don't have enough serving spoons for the food they put out. They are very short staffed. The best thing at this resort is the Beach. Sunwing I would expect that because it is one of the hotels connected to you that your firm would check it out to see that it was up to standards.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Good resort

The resort is situated on the beautiful beach with crystal water, it is great wing foiling and kiting. The beach stretches for several miles . Colorful villas with spacious rooms. Good service, the staff is very friendly, The food is good but not enough fresh vegetables.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Beautiful hotel, beware of bugs

This is a great hotel, rooms are clean and spacious with contemporary design. The music is not too loud you could always find quiet place to enjoy your time here on the beach. Except been attacked by million mosquitoes for the last day, we loved our stay. Overall it is a good resort with good staff, who are not properly trained but do the best they could. Bring bug spray and Keep your expectation in check, you will be fine.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Really enjoyable vacation

Love the pools! Staff was so friendly and helpful. Food was fresh and there is something everyone can eat. The room had some issues with the shower water getting on the floor but housekeeping kept the place very clean.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: IBEROSTAR SELECTION ESMERALDA

Our 2 week stay was from Oct. 28th to Nov. 11th, 2023. First of all, Iberostar Selection Esmeralda in Santa Cruz is a beautiful resort and the staff do their best to please all visitors. My wife and I stayed in a suite in building #5 which was fantastic. A bedroom with a spa, shower, bathroom, and a television. In the livingroom was a sofa, chairs coffee table, a second television, and another bathroom. There were patio doors leading from the bedroom and the livingroom which gave us private ac [... read more]cess to two balconies where we could sit and relax outdoors. The only problems that we encountered in our suite was we had to get them to change the batteries for the safe 3 times, unblock one of the toilets, and change a battery for one of the TV remotes. There were only two a la carte restaurants open, Cuban and Mediterranean. Both located at the same restaurant. We went once to each during our two weeks. The buffet is where we ate regularly. The first week there was a reasonably good choice of food, including fish at several meals. The second week the choice of food was not as good as week one. For the two weeks we were there, no eggs were served at breakfast. Also, a couple of times they had no bread or butter. In the buffet and at the lobby bar, they seldom had white wine. In the buffet, on one or two occasions, they had no white nor red wine. We would like to express our thanks to Reinier Baez a waiter who tried his best to take care of our needs. He does his best to serve his customers and to make everyone feel welcome. On a regular basis they were missing small bottles of cola (for rum and coke) and pineapple juice for pina colada. In the lobby, on one occasion Genny was able to get me two cans of Pepsi. At the small pool, Junior (the bartender) took care of our needs during our first several days and we would like to express our thanks to him. We stayed at the small pool for a part of our first week only. The chairs around the pool were not comfortable and I ended-up with a sore back from sitting in one. The chairs are of poor quality at the small pool. The chairs at the large pool were of better quality and seemed to be newer, so we spent a lot of time there. To the best of my knowledge, there were no excursions available there. Two of our friends. reservation no: 66132995 in the name Edith Bouchard and Ghislain Hainault, also went with us to Cuba. In addition to our problems, they had a few other problems. After one night in their room in building #4 near the large pool, they asked to change rooms due to the noise (music) late in the evening. The next day they were moved to the room across the hall from our suite. However, the air conditioner didn’t work and maintenance was unable to repair it . A lot of time was wasted waiting for air conditioner repairs. The next day they were moved a few rooms down the hall. The only problem that they had in that room was the necessity to have the batteries changed for the room safe. Our friends spent a lot of time relaxing at the beach. It took several days before a cleanup was done at the beach. We paid for a 5 Star resort, however we don’t feel that we got what we were entitled to, so we are asking you for a refund of $500.00 for each person or credits from Iberostar for future stays at their resorts in Mexico or Dominican Republic. You may contact us at the following email addresses: Fred Bean: fred.bean@sympatico.ca Monique Tremblay: mot.tremblay@gmail.com Edithe Bouchard: edithebou1949@gmail.com Ghislain Hainault: hainault1950@hotmail.com

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Disappointing vacation

While this resort may have had potential in the past it squandered its capital through neglect and lack of service . Rooms were dingy , towels dirty , food unappetizing lacking variety and we were served stale several days old bread . Poor visibility due to minimum amount of lights outdoors rendered navigating between units of resorts extremely difficult after sunset

Melia Costa Rey: Good resort

The grounds and property was looked after. The 2 Grills by the beach were great except for the fact they only did the same fish and chicken. It was boring after your second visit. Ala Cartesian were good. Buffet was good and could again use some variety. It's funny next to the Lobby bar the TV reflects on what Pullman offers. It only offers 60% of what is advertised.

Tryp Cayo Coco: A wonderfull resort

Some parts of the resort have just been renovated buffet has air conditioning know all new lobby furniture alot of the hotel has been painted alot of hot water for showers food was ok remember this is Cuba not Canada for food the staff go out of there way to make you happy and best beach with lots of chairs and shade thankyou to all the staff you are family will return soon

Hotel Playa Coco: Playa coco

Pools were great,staff very friendly always..smiling😁 & happy to help..My maid in building 6 was amazing!!💕entertainment staff were great to talk to💃🕺..only the food was alittle repetitive & eggs only sometimes. 😉

Melia Costa Rey: Great experience overall

Pros: 1. Food: I managed my expectations but was impressed with the variety of dishes that were offered. I enjoyed the local foods such as fish, guava, papaya, smoothies with local fruits. For dessert: I loved the white jello-like squares which paired up amazlingly with ice-cream. 2. Pools: very clean and large pools 3. Beach: lovely, white beaches; the water was warm and inviting. Perfect temperature 4. Boat house: because it was windy everyday, we were not able to enjoy the hobbie cat (wh [... read more]ich we really wanted to) except ....for the last day of our stay. The boat house staff were very understanding and accomodated us to enjoy the hobbie cat rides before we packed up to check out. Way to go! 5. Entertainment: good quality and variety of shows both during the day and in the evening. 6. Room: very spacious and clean. Cons: 1. Water supply: for 1st 3 days: the water was not warm enough for a nice shower. 2. Water supply: on the 4 day: there was no water supply between 1pm to 10pm... that was not a pleasant experience. 3. Room: the hair dryer can't run continuously on MAX setting; in spite of multiple requests to review this, nothing was done AND there was no feedback from the hotel staff. Overall, we had a very nice stay but would likely try another hotel when we go back to Cuba just because of the 'water cut' experience.

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Amazing resort

I went to Playa Paraiso inCayo Coco for one week in May .2023 I liked it so much that I returned for 2 weeks in October. The beach is white sand with plenty of lounger.I enjoyed the selection of cappuccino in the lobby bar. The food in the buffet is okay end the 2 grills cook great pork chicken and fish. Langusta lobster was served twice but you have to get early to get it beforehand running out. I definitely will be going back.

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Good Resort

The resort is good maintenance, very calm beach, room is OK , food is well cooked that I have no problem even I have very sensitive stomach. Staffs are very nice to help in need. The price for 7 days all inclusive is very resealable.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Splendid Resort

The resort was wonderful, quaint and easy to get around. The beach, rooms and grounds were very well kept. Tte people/staff were wonderful. I would recommend this resort. We went at low season and some of the restaurants were closed, but we could always find something to eat. There was an egg shortage throughout Cuba. So we had no eggs on day 3. The food was ok, it’s Cuba we don’t go for the food. The snack bar could have more options and more drink options throughout the resort, which  [... read more]I recommended to the CS Manager.

Melia Cayo Coco: Great resort

Very well maintained and clean hotel . Rooms were dated but extremely clean and very comfortable. Shortages in hot water and morning and evening time were noticeable. Hotel Staff was extremely accommodating and was doing the best to resolve any issues. The grounds were very well maintained . The food was very good considering all the food shortages in Cuba which was just recovering after pandemic. Special Thursday lobster and roasted pig lunch at the beach restaurant was a great food experi [... read more]ence. Daily activities and an evening entertainment were very enjoyable. Very relaxing clean resort with professional service .

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Beautiful Beach

The resort was beautiful for the exception of no hot water, no water pressure and minimal air conditioning. Staff was friendly. Pool and grounds are clean. Food was 7 out of 10. Beach 10 out 10. Would I return? Yes indeed for the beach⛱️.

Hotel Playa Coco: 3 rd time

Quiet resort. Just the way I like it. No shortages, plenty of hot water. The rooms were clean, although a little musty smelling. Kept the door open when I could to help with that. Staff super super friendly. Beach beautiful. A few rocks upon entering water. Definitely going back

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Yuri is the Best!

SUMMARY – we were there Oct. 26 – Nov. 9, 2023 and would readily return! Low season operating at 10 – 30% occupancy yet they kept almost everything open. When considering this review, we are mustard people, not Grey Poupon. Cuba, for us, offers exceptional value for the price. We have been to 4 Cuban resorts in the past 2 years. CHECK-IN – around noon which was super easy, and our room was ready! RESORT – new resort that celebrated their one-year anniversary while we there. Wel [... read more]l staffed and we were taken care of. ROOM – quite roomy and a nice layout. No issues to speak of. Lots of TV channels in English and other languages. STAFF – exceptional staff at this resort. Shoutouts to Yuri, Carla, Claudia, Yardier, and so many more throughout the resort. BEACH – one of the best we have been to which is something especially important when we research resorts. Most of the beach is powdery sand which extends way out into the ocean including sandbars. You can walk for miles along the beach. Beach chairs are new and in great shape. Tons of palapas. Seaweed is a non-issue and if there is any, it is raked and taken away. One issue – too much Celine Dion being played! More Spanish / Cuban music por favor. FOOD – for the most part, typical Cuban spread. We were impressed with the a la carte restaurants. Buffet had eggs 9/13 breakfasts, bacon 12/13, wine 12/13. Other resorts were also missing eggs – perhaps stockpiling for the upcoming holiday season? Pizza, french fries, poutine, hamburgers, churrios… CELIAC DISEASE – I have so no gluten for me. Yuri took care of me at one of the a la carte restaurants. We came across him at two other restaurants – he instantly remembered me and made sure I was taken care of. Best service I have ever had at a resort! WI-FI – excellent! We downloaded two movies from Netflix in a reasonable time. Login details were good for the duration of our stay! TIPPING – we live by the belief that Cuban people need some help and that if you take care of people, they take care of you. We bring lots of stuff to hand out and tip as well. We gave some deserving staff some old mobile phones we had. Do not bring coins. Buy coins from the staff, tip with the coins, and then buy the coins at the end of the stay. MISC. – negligible issues with mosquitoes and flies, inside and outside. We went for massages at the lighthouse - $55 USD CC or $65 CAD cash. Well worth it - we went twice!

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Not what we were excepting, but we had a great vacation

We spent a week at the Iberostar Coral Esmeralda, Oct31 to Nov7. This being our 6th trip to Cuba and first post Covid, we thought we had a pretty good idea of what to except, ….wonderful people, amazing beaches, so so food and accommodations that may have a deficiency or two. Things have changed. Cuban economy and infrastructure was hurting before Covid, it has now reached a crisis level. Shortages of most everything, there simply are not enough resources to go around. The Cubans needs  [... read more]tourism dollars to improve their living standards, .. tourists expect toilet paper and butter , so the Cuban residents do without. Catch 22 However the shortages have become so acute now the tourism product is suffering and the price for vacations reflects this with incredibly low prices for all inclusive stays that after the Canadian air carrier takes its cut there can’t possible be enough revenue to cover resort operators costs. It’s a downward spiral .. Now. The resort is beautiful, small , just two years old, very clean. Our roof top suite was spectacular, a huge wrap around balcony with ocean views all three sides , The room advertised as 1400 sq ft. had two bathrooms, jacuzzi tub, huge two person shower and a very comfortable king size bed. We had water issues the first 3 days, first no water, then cold water only , then hot water only , then a broken toilet hose while we out of the room resulting in a significant flood and finally no water pressure. So we moved on the third day to another roof top suite that had even a better ocean view. The maids kept our absolutely spotless . The food at the Al a Carte restaurants was very very good you are allowed to book 3 meals per stay and all 3 were excellent. During our week the buffet had severe shortages , no eggs, no fresh fruits or vegetables, no orange juice , excellent tasting breads but usually no butter and never and jam or jellies spreads. The thing I found most odd that was missing was there were no labels telling what the food on trays and tables was. Not 5 star by Canadian standards but we didn’t leave hungry. Cuba is know for amazing beaches and blue waters, that is primarily what we go for, the beach here was a disappointment. Actually there are two beaches here, a very nice low tide beach and a basically nonexistent high tide beach. Not sure if recent storms or wave action has pulled away a lot the beautiful soft white sand recently, as most of reviews were very good, but at the afternoon high tide the water comes right up the shade palapas and many of the chairs are actually in the water . I have never seen a Cuban beach or any resort beach like this before. Mother Nature may have been removing the sand from the beach but she has been very busy bringing sea grass and floating garbage on to the beach. The resort daily cleans SOME of the beach area but not all it . We don’t play the before breakfast towel game and don’t normally mind getting stuck out on the far ends of the resort beaches when we arrive at 9:30 looking for shade spot, unfortunately the ends of the beaches get little or no maintenance and sea grass and garbage it horrific . We spent a half hour or so a cleaned up a couple shade palapas as the one we cleaned the day before was often taken the next day so would clean another, I thought we did a pretty good job picking up the sea grass and garbage and piling it up in the vegetation zone behind our palapa . I know that keeping a beach clean is an endless job and resort staff try to do a good job in the centre part beach but they had to do the job with a broken rake and without even a wheelbarrow to put the collected material in , they put it in a tub and dragged it away, such is the shortages of tools and materials in Cuba. However the one thing that the resort can control is investing time and effort to keep the beach clean. Toilet paper , bring lots , although toilet in the rooms is supplied daily do not count it in any other public bathrooms anywhere, airports, restaurants, beach bars, anywhere. There are no hand sanitizing stations anywhere , bring your own. I could go on but it comes down you get what you pay for. Talking to other people at the airport all the resorts were more or less the same although ours seemed to the only one without eggs all week , perhaps the Cayo Cruz area, being small and somewhat isolated is a lower priority for supplies? All and all we had a good vacation, meet some great people but we wouldn’t go back.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Excellent Resort

First time to Cuba, overall it was better then I had ever expected. Food was very good, lots to choice from. Rooms where large and always cleaned. Staff was extremely friendly. I did notice that there was no hand soap for the washrooms. (would advise travelers to bring their own) Lots of mosquitos (I brought Skin so Soft bug spray by Avon, which really helped) (would also advise travelers to bring bug spray). Beautiful Beach