Great experience

The hotel staff and facilities were excellent. Friendly, great service and overall a terrific vacation experience. Food was good except the beef - that was tough The only bad experience was the air carrier- Sunwing- I will never use them again

Resort was Fine

I think Melia Internacional in Varadero was a very nice looking hotel. The most amazing thing about it was definitely the rooms. The rooms were spacious, very clean and confortable. They also had a very nice design, lights and a lot of ammenities. However, the hotel in general was missing staff, and also was missing an ambiance. Music was not very present, only at the pool or at the beach during the time of activities. Cuba is known to be a very festive country, but it was not felt at the reso [... read more]rt. The music at the lobby was absent, and there were almost no show activities at night.

Wonderful vacation

The Melia Internacional is a beautiful, well-cared for hotel! The staff are all very friendly, well trained and professional! The buffet restaurants offered a lot of great options. I would highly recommend this property!

The best in Varadero hands down

Stayed in Varadero for a week with some friends & can't complain at all. We've been to Cuba before but this resort takes the cake. Staff are extremely helpful all around. Maids are friendly and take their time cleaning the rooms corner to corner. We're pretty picky when it comes to the cleanliness and condition of rooms but these ones exceeded our expectations. Everything is pretty much brand new, the bathrooms are pretty high end and beds are very comfortable. Only con with the rooms are the fa [... read more]ulty lights, some nights they turned on and off for no reason and were difficult to keep on. Food surpassed the regular Cuban cuisine and they have a great pizza bar + 24 hour snack bar. Night shows were entertaining and there are bars all over the resort; easy to grab drinks anywhere (super cool concept with the "blue" and "red" bar; made it easy to meet up at night with friends). Oh, and they don't cheap out on the alcohol.. All those drinks are strong! Beach is spotless as usual for Cuba. All in all, really good resort; would definitely stay here again.

Best in varadero

a north american style hotel with cuban cost. easy to get around, clean pool and buffet with something for everyone. short walking distance to town. great service and drinks. a pleasant surprise in an otherwise iffy country

Beautiful

Thanks to Heather she convinced me...Really enjoyed this hotel. The food was good lots to choose from but don't forget to bring your ketchup and hot sauce The beach was beautiful white sands well kept great service there's always someone on the beach to assist you with chairs or umbrella. Great place for kids and there babysitting that had to be booked in advance, don't have to travel with a stroller the hotel provides them at no cost If you're travelling with a baby you constantly have to ask [... read more] for extra bottle water but other wise I will definitely be going back to this hotel

100% beautiful resort

Rooms excellent, service friendly,hotel very clean, good selection of alcohol, plenty of beach chairs, large pools, helpful staff,good experience overall! Close to town, beautiful beaches! Nice spa. Service 24 hours!

Great resort!

Excellent grounds, well taken care off and laid out. We are beach people, and we were happy with the quality of the beach and water access, also plenty of beach chairs and great personalized umbrella service. The restaurants offer a good variation of menus - considering that generally Cuba is not known for it's food quality - we were pleased with the offering. The food area is not well laid out, as with a full resort (900+ rooms) there are a lot of people, and it's getting really busy and hard t [... read more]o access at times - but you learn and act accordingly. The so called Cuban theme restaurant close to the beach has grills going every day at lunch with all expected meats. Excellent bar scene, with individual shows every evening and good service. The rooms perfect, nice walk in showers, good access with plenty of working elevators and daily turn down and towel service. General amenities excellent. Overall we felt it was an great vacation.

Location and value are great!

Melia overall was a great experience. It has an amazing beach with a ton of chairs. The pool was decent but 2 of the 4 days there was a strong sewage like smell across the pool which made it next to impossible to be in. The food wasn't as bad as what I've heard other resorts in Cuba can be. The BBQ spot on the right side of the resort has great fresh meats. The resort is brand new and you can tell that they have really tried to go "modern" I would be interested to see if they can keep up [... read more] how new it looks in a few years. Overall the staff and entertainment were good for a family resort.

Good resort for cuba

The cigar and restaurant bartenders We’re the best, we left the beach just to get a drink from them, The lobby staff were not to friendly! Rooms were good. Not to far from town, could walk but taking a old car dab was the best!

Great resort

Great modern hotel ..amazing entertainment. Amazing beach. Wish there was a disco on the premises. Great food for cuba..so many good things that I would have loved to have finished eating except way too much salt. CUBAN resorts need to work on the food . Overall a great week

Beautiful resort terrible food

While the hotel grounds are beautiful and everything is extremely clean, the hotel lacks food quality and quantity. For a five star new resort I had higher expectations especially for the price I paid. Also, the private convention events being held in the common areas of the hotel were the reason that I will not return to this hotel again.

Horrible food

The hotel was nice , clean beautiful view but the food was really bad , we ate the same S*** food for 7 days and the food was placed at the same location as always never changed places . I will never come back to this hotel. The food was hard and bad flavor. I won’t recommend this hotel to anyone.

Amazing resort!

Brand new, very modern and stylish resort with its own beach. Really good service, friendly and very accommodating stuff, big-hearted dance & entertainment team. They became friends with our kids, taught them how to dance and showed how truly amazing Cubans are! Grounds are perfect, well situated and convenient to use, huge territory and lots of space to wonder around. Beach is clean, lots of umbrellas and chairs, great service there - they just run to you and with your wishes. 2 beach bars and  [... read more]their waiters are always at your service. Food really surprised as a good one having in mind it’s Cuba and it’s nowadays. Perhaps, vegans wouldn’t find the biggest variety of food options for them, but it’s really doable. Lots of meat, fish, pasta, rice, local seasonal only fruits and pastry. Veggies are the most expensive food in Cuba, so their selection is limited, but still is :) Bars are working just fine. Live music is with you from the morning to the late evening, at least few kinds of activities to choose from, evening entertainment is of few kinds and really enjoyable. It seems like they got the best bands, singers, gymnasts & dancers there! Way to go guys, you did everything above and beyond so we could really enjoyed our first trip ever to Varadero, Cuba! Definitely coming back!!

Probably the best resort in Cuba

I had a fun and relaxing time at the Melia Internacional with my buds. We found the bus at the airport pretty easily and there was beer available for the ride to the resort. This was my first resort experience and I'm told the resort itself is about a year old and it sure was extravagant, new and clean. The room was very clean, spacious, comfortable, with good lighting, and had a balcony with a pretty nice view of the water on both sides of the peninsula, as well as the service entrance to th [... read more]e resort. Rooms on the other side with the better view are probably out of my price range. The mini fridge had a couple beers and sodas in it which were restocked each day. The resort had many different bars, indoor or outdoor, with different ambiance, so we could always find a nice place to hang out where it was as quiet or loud as we wanted it to be. The drinks were usually good though they could be more consistent between the different bars. I had at least 4 very different pina coladas. There were a few great live music performances, and DJs later if you want to dance (not my scene). The buffet pleased me 90% of the time. Though most of the food was pretty basic, that's how I like to eat, especially when I know it's all grown on the island. I was happy to make a plate of rice, a bunch of different vegetables, fresh tropical fruit, and some meat or fish. Custom omelettes were a staple breakfast for me, but there were lots of choices at every meal. It's not super fancy but I felt nourished and didn't have any *digestive issues*, unlike my friends. I will note that the food was usually warm at best, but that might have been because I was usually late for the meals. Also some things were under or overcooked. Avoid the pizza. Servers were pretty attentive, keeping the water, wine, or coffee flowing with a smile. We also checked out a couple of the restaurants which you need to reserve a seat at, and I enjoyed my selections. The pools were huge and we never had trouble finding a space to sit near the poolside bar. You can drink in the pool -- how novel for me! And there was usually music though it was hit or miss for my tastes. The beach was spectacular. We had a day with huge waves which was a blast and I felt like a kid playing in them. The lifeguards were trying to herd swimmers into designated areas by whistling constantly, which was kind of annoying. Occasionally there were volleyball games, dance competitions, and other activities that I didn't care to participate in. On the nice days it was a bit challenging to get a place to sit with an umbrella, but we made it happen. They could have had more servers taking drink orders on the beach, but lets be honest, its not a big deal to walk to the bar. It kind of made me cringe to use so many plastic cups so if you care you could bring a reusable mug. Overall, this is probably one of the nicer resorts in Cuba, and 4 nights didn't feel like enough. However, you're not actually seeing Cuba if you stay at a resort in Varadero. If I go back, I would find a more low-key place to stay in Havana or another less touristy city. Which reminds me, we took a day trip to Havana and it's definitely a city to see. The tour was a bit too rigid for my liking, in hindsight I would rather just wander the streets where my feet take me, and maybe learn about historical buildings or events on my own. But it was an interesting tour with a meal included and a knowledgeable and friendly guide, and we saw a number of sights around the city. Check out the ecological reserve if it's not beach weather and you want to kill a few hours looking at strange plants and caves. Enough ranting from me.

Great Location

Very nice facilities and staff. Excellent stretch of beach. Close enough to the commercial area to walk easily and check out some touristy shopping and dining spots. Food at the buffet was reasonably good quality but preparation is lacking I.e. often overcooked or undercooked (potato and fish particularly most of the time). Al la cart dining was not a good experience, both times too salty to eat and the meal didn’t match the menu description very well. Drinks were mostly very good but a couple [... read more] tips - ask for Havana Club or whatever you prefer, otherwise you usually get the lower quality stuff by default. Mojitos made with lemon lime soda instead of real lime a couple of times, should be illegal in this country lol. Still most likely one of the best places to stay in Varadero.

Gorgeous, modern, well appointed resort!

I've travelled to several resorts across Cuba the last decade, often returning multiple times to one that raised the bar and offered a superior experices to past resorts. Melia Internacional was by far the best experience to-date! Spacious, clean, modern, with professional staff, great food, and plenty of space for all to dine, relax by the pool or beach, and enjoy some lounge time in one of the multiple lounges the hotel offers. The facility had multiple elevators making getting around v [... read more]ery easy for anyone with mobility restrictions, and all the restaurants were within the building, no walking long distances for any ammenities. The staff were courteous, friendly without being imposing, and helpful. Meals were great. The quality of the food was the best I've had yet (in Cuba). During and after my stay I commented that I didn't have a single thing to complain about...only postive remarks about a wonderful stay. Sadly that's rare when visiting Cuba, as different cultures have different expectations and something often isn't as expected, whether it's cleanliness of public washrooms, or supplying toiletries in the hotel rooms, sometimes its a small thing that can dampen an otherwise great epxerience. I'm happy to say that there was none of that on this past trip, unlike the other families I overheard complaining about their resorts at the airport...thank goodness we didn't stay where they did! All the positive things were wonderful and I offer this as some opportunities for further improvement: Promptness of check-in (30 minute wait was unnecessary, and sadly the longest I've experienced of any hotels in Cuba, yet this was a beautiful stay so that 30 minute wait was quickly forgotten); Limiting a la carte restaurants to a few times per week (unfortunate policy that IMHO take this resort from a solid 5 star (Cuban) to a 4.5 alone); Limited group exercise (acquafit, yoga, etc.). Didn't see much of that, which was fine but it's also a nice way to start your day in an active way. Again, wonderful vacation at a wonderful resort. Much appreicated and I look forward to returing in the near future.

Beautiful resort

Resort very beautiful,modern,clean,all new, excellent location, spacious beach,plenty of sun beds, umbrellas,pool very clean,staff very friendly and helpful,rooms very modern, beautiful,big, cleaning staff doing a very good job, always clean towels, bottled water in the room,food is mediocre, especially in the restorants, buffet is better,and humburger hut is good, entertainement very classy from 9 a.m.,all day long,elevators pretty slow,but very clean,I would give it 5 stars,except for food.

Beautiful resort okay service

stunning resort, very modern I wish the pool was bigger and cleaner. Customer service and entertainment needs a serious upgrade. Definitely book ocean view and join the level member ship. You’ll get access to everything!

Cuba Gem

Great resort with best beach location in Varadero. Close proximity and walking distance to Beatles Bar with live rock music and other cool places in town such as great shopping and music. Rooms are outstanding with superb style and comfort. Great variety of food choice and buffets and a la cartes are plenty and good. Resort is amazing !