Melia Las Americas: Magnificent Resort - Won't Disappoint

We have been to this resort 2 years in a row so far. The food is good (and not just Cuba good), the beach of course is beautiful, and the staff are amazing! Especially Jorge Vizcaíno at the pool bar in The Level. We stayed in The Level both times. The rooms are clean, large and modern.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Not a 5 Star

There was no vodka, gin, tequila, pop. No pasta, no potatoes. Butler service was not what I expected. We had to chase them and they didn’t listen to what we were asking. They say it was a shortage in Cuba however we found out that other resorts had all that we did not.

Sol Palmeras: Awesome!

This was our fifth time in Cuba and fourth at Sol Palmeras. We absolutely love everything about this resort, which is why we keep coming back. An incredible, long beach that is exclusive to Sol Palmeras makes it an absolute jewel as there is always plenty of space, long chairs, and shade for everyone. As usual, the service was absolute top notch, as every staff member we met could not have been more friendly and helpful. Most people complain about the food in Cuba but we've never been disapp [... read more]ointed here with tons of options in the buffet, and the Italian, Chinese, Latino, and International restaurants, along with the snack bar, gave us huge, delicious variety for every single meal. The entertainment is always fantastic and the Fun Pub disco bar is the perfect place to let loose at the end of each amazing day. The pandemic has had an impact as there are a couple of things from previous visits that are no longer available, like the beach restaurant/bar, and the dry season produced a mint shortage so we were only able to have mojitos on one night, but the resort still has so much to offer that it's really difficult to ask for anymore. Just a fantastic time for us once again at Sol Palmeras.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing resort

Definitely a 5 star resort. My wife Beth and I have been there twice now in the last three years. Couldn't be happier with this resort. The people that work there are all so friendly and happy, eager to help the visitors. Especially the young lady at the Japanese restaurant, I believe her name is Yirenia, also the chef ( Rafael ). We had friends with us. We only came for 1 week, but next time will be 2 weeks. The only issue I had was the food, mostly pork and rice. I love pork and rice, just n [... read more]ot every day. I found out the problem was the resort trying to get food, which I understand is a result of Covid. I do not hold that against the resort. Anyone interested in taking a trip to Paradisus Princessa Del Mar, go for it, it will be well worth it. Also we book all our trips through Jenn Black at Trip Central, she is very helpful. Can't believe we will deal with anyone else.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Pleasant Stay

The room was nice. Always had water and hot water for showers. The towels were never changed out for the week we stayed. The lobby was nice and clean with friendly staff to accommodate you. The public bathrooms were kept clean but periodically ran out of toilet paper. Beautiful gardens were well kept. The pool did have some algae on sides. There were food shortages in Cuba and it shows but they did the best with what they had. Overall it was a pleasant stay.

Melia Las Americas: Most Amazing Lobby and Beach!

This lobby is one of the most impressive I have experienced staying at an all inclusive Its big and clean and had many options for places to sit and relax or take a nap! I absolutely loved it! The beach was fantastic and it's everything Varadero beaches promised! Most days, the water was calm and blue and easy to swim. The resort is never short on chairs or shaded areas at the beach The staff was also pretty good, including Luis, Yania and Tamara!

Melia Internacional: Good resort overall but could use some improvements

Melia International Varadero has great amenities, the rooms are spacious and sufficiently furnished and it's in a good location that is within walking distance to the town of Varadero. There is free Wi-Fi but it is not fully available in many areas of the hotel grounds and it can be frustrating as it drops off often and requires frequent log-ins. During check-in no information is provided regarding hotel amenities, restaurant operating hours, how to book A La Carte restaurants, etc. You are told [... read more] that you will receive an email with all the necessary information. When you do finally receive the email (a couple of hours in our case), the information is short on details and contains old or incorrect information. Additionally, the information provided on the room TV is not that useful as it is more of a fancy hotel advertisement. The front desk staff and the restaurant servers could be more attentive to guest needs and requests. As well, housekeeping staff could be more thorough in their room cleaning duties. A mini-bar is available in the room but it is mostly for decoration. It was empty when we checked in and never restocked unless you got on the phone and made a request, in our case, water. In a separate hotel survey, I have provided hotel management with detailed information regarding guest service issues. In terms of Covid-19 preventative measures, I saw no evidence of any preventative processes at the hotel. This does not necessarily mean that there are no procedures in place, I just didn't see any. At a very minimum, hand sanitizing stations should of been available at all restaurant entrances. Although there are a few areas that could use improvement, they are by no means a reason not to stay at this resort. With a little extra effort in the area of customer service, this hotel can truly become a top-rated, 5-star Cuba destination.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing stay at Paradisus Princesa Del Mar

This was our second stay at the resort and we will never go somewhere else when going to Cuba. Our butter Leo made sure we felt like we were in paradise. The staff is amazing like our little family, food, beach, room, entertainment- all was great. We can’t wait to be back again!!! Thank you Paradisus Princesa Del Mar.

Melia Las Americas: Really nice resort

Ive been at Las Americas before Covid 3 years ago and loved it then. There were 5 of us ladies, 2 in one room and 3 in another. I found the food acceptable, given the circumstances in Cuba at the present time. The grounds are beautiful, the beach amazing, and the staff at Las Americas very helpful and accommodating. I have no complaints, our rooms were very clean and there was a big bottle of fresh water every day .. The recreation team are amazing, Jordy, Ankis, Eteanne, kept us bush with Aq [... read more]ua Arobics and Dance lessons each day

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Not at all what we expected

Unfortunately not as advertised Staff was nice (not everyone, some of them looked annoyed when asked a question) and that’s about the only positive thing. Upon arrival we were told we would get an email about activities etc - never received, no maps brochures etc When asked or complained about something we get cold “ sorry nothing we can do” Food was so so - not on the 5 star level. Bar - no choices at all, rum and whiskey is all they had. Not even mineral water, soda - absolutely  [... read more]nothing to choose from. They got Tonic on our second last day. Booked dinner for 4 in Japanese restaurant - they said we only have room for 2 the other 2 can sit at the regular table . Resort is spacious but old and tired looking. Holes and broken tiles on pathways ( witnessed a lady falling by the pool as she stepped in the hole) Cockroaches in the room, birds and bird poop everywhere, beach lounge chairs filthy, tables in the lobby sticky, no warm water, poor water pressure, and list goes on For the money we paid - huge disappointment !!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Great spot

The hotel is very nice and you can tell it was a top spot before covid. The grounds were kept beautifully and people were always working to keep it clean. The food is cuba... we didn't starve but was repetitive and it didn't ruin the trip. The beach is beautiful and private as well so you could go anytime of day and not be in a heard of people. The evenings in the lobby were great and they had some of the most talented people I've seen perform. There was also a currency exchange on site and s [... read more]mall store (but not a lot due to supply issues) Things that could be improved: the drinks were terrible. There really wasn't anything to mix the drinks. Limited cola, no mint for mojitos, no slushy type drinks and I think the pina coladas were made from powdered milk. We finally found coke in Havana and paid $25 cdn for 6 cans but worth it .... it saved the trip. At night the wine and champange was good. Housekeeping was interesting... I'm not sure but they must have been told to not change the towels. The rooms overall were good and had no problems.... I didn't see any of these broken doors I saw on other reviews the building seemed to be taken care of. Overall they are struggling from Covid and sanctions etc but I do not regret going. If this is your first post pandemic trip you might want to reconsider because you may have different expectations and be disappointed.

Melia Las Antillas: Our Experience was Amazing as usual

We had an amazing trip. The weather was fantastic 7 days not one drop of rain. This is our 6th time at this resort. We were very surprised at how well they are doing after Covid. Of course, things have changed and its tough to get some supplies. But the people are absolutely amazing. We can't say enough about the staff here at this hotel. In our experience the staff (Thank you! Reiner, Insley, Willam, Marta and so many more to name) bent over backwards to make our trip most memorable. The buffe [... read more]t restaurant “Los Tainos” had so much to offer. Even an open grill outside. The bread and deserts are always sooo delicious. The Cuba Day was fantastic, a lot of food to choose from. The dancers and interactions with the people are wonderful. Our room was spotless and very clean every day (Thank you Betsy). The beach is clean and beautiful. One of the reasons we love Cuba. The Bar Playa La Dunas and Barbeque down by the beach is great! Jorge who made the best Pina Coladas!!!! With fantastic music and smile on his face! Thank you so much! Also a thank you shout out to the gentlemen who work down at the beach and set up the chairs for us to have a wonderful clean place in the sun and shade. Yaine that big bright smile, hugs and also Insley, Ana, Ramone (Many more of course) who work so hard at the Piano Bar to keep those drinks coming. You made us feel so special. thankyou! We had the pleasure of going to two of the Al la cart restaurants. The El Romantico and Don Peperone (Italian, Mediterranean) was amazingly delicious. We had great meals at both of them. The return guest reception was amazing and wonderful to meet the people who feel the same way as we do about the resort. We keep coming back. Everyone does a great job making us feel special. We had so much fun with the Pool Side games at 4 pm. I so wish I could remember her name. So much energy, entertainment and many laughs. Thankyou Yariel, great sense of humor, patience and energy, who teaches the exercises in the pool to keep us fit also dance classes. The entertainment was great! The water show is amazing. They are amazing people, so much talent in the arts and they are happy and proud to take the time to explain anything they do there. We did miss our lunches, pizza (panarottis, and so much more) with Insley at the Don Peperone (didn't have it starting back up yet. Hoping they will have it in the future). It was our secret delicious lunch place to go to. Unfortunately for them, there was a small shortage of milk & butter, perfectly understandable since Covid has taken its toll on a lot of things. As for the money it has changed and a little confusing sometimes, since they got rid of the CUC, But if you do your research before you go you will not have a problem. I suggest to talk to people who have gone in the last 6 months. We always bring our insulated mugs and facecloths, chocolate, little gifts for the staff. They certainly appreciate everything. Remember this is Cuba and its not like Canada. Our experience was great as usual. Looking forward to next year! What can we say, We love to visit Cuba.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Long way to go

The hotel needs a ton of work and supply shortages were obvious. I’ve travelled Cuba many times and I know what to expect unfortunately things are much worse. No toilet paper, no soap or paper towel to wash your hands in bathrooms. Food, well they did the best with what they had. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I did see staff cleaning non stop but if they don’t have supplies, not much they can do. Rooms, I heard many complaints, no hot water, toilets not working, locks on do [... read more]ors broken. Our room was ok. Walking in the dark is a challenge due to lack of lighting, missing bulbs and broken fixtures. I will not go back to this resort and most likely Cuba vacations no more.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: cuba , needs time to recover

i don't normally write reviews but i thought this may help other travelers. Lets start by saying the Cuba sun and beaches are the best , while this was our 3rd trip to Cuba ( first to this resort and first since covid ) i think we will give Cuba a couple years to see how they recover from the covid crisis and the war from Russia the food in Cuba has never been known to be good but i think it has reached a new low ,the buffet had very little variety , lots of rice and buns no potatoes very li [... read more]ttle fresh fruit ( a bit of pineapple a couple days )meat was very limited , most nights there was pork to put on the grill, 1 night there was beef , ham a couple nights , 1 night only a bit of ham and what looked like ham / spam canned for the grill, a few chicken wings in a pan 1 night but only a few there then they were gone lived off the grilled pork put on a bun most of the week , the 24 hour snack bar had fries but only the first 2 days , there were times the menu board at the snack bar was clear. The bar was very limited as well , no pini colatas , asked for a margarita 1 night was told they could only make them with rum ?????? . I understand they can only work with what they have but they didn't make the best of what was in their control , the 2 bath towels and 1 shower mat that we got ( no face cloths ) appeared to only be refolded each day for 7 days , i put a pen mark on a corner to confirm my suspicion , the room make up consisted of folding our towels and making the bed , empty tp wasn't replaced , the 24 our lobby bar closed every night from 2 till 7:00 , couldn't even get a coffee Ealy before an excursion or on am of check-out some bars / restraunts closed the entire trip , and none of the nice water fountains / water features in the resort had water in them

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Great resort!

The hotel was great. All the areas are clean and well maintained. The rooms are big and with all you need for a comfortable stay. Bars are restaurants are well stocked, food doesn't impress but also doesn't disappoint. Overall 4out of 5*

Paradisus Varadero: Great resort friendly people

The hotel was nice rooms were decent and staff was very polite and friendly had a great time relaxing and enjoying the beach! Food was ok I would recommend taking your own spices and hot sauce if you enjoy flavour! would recommend as soon as you get there to book al cart restaurants as they did book up! Although when we were there we only had two options Japanese and intercontinental (menu changed daily for intercontinental)and if you go after 2 pm you can get lucky and get a reservation for th [... read more]e reserve side al cart which has more options. Drinks were good bahama mama was our favourite! I would suggest taking items you no longer need as staff really appreciate that (baby items,shoes, creams, clothes) vs tips. Beach was beautiful, pools were good but cold water January they mentioned weather can be windy and cold one day and then super hot the next would recommend to pack a light jacket or sweater to have on those days! Overall nice place to visit friendly people all around felt safe going into the town.

Melia Las Antillas: Some drawbacks

The grounds are massive and fairly well maintained for this resort. The pool was cold but clean. The resort itself is dated and could use some deep cleaning. The room had a comfy bed and was well kept by the cleaning staff. The door handle broke off in my hand but they were quick to fix it. The A/C is not very cold but it worked. The bathroom was dated with rust and broken tiles. The water pressure and temperature was good for Cuba. The food and drink selection was low supply (Likely Covid issue [... read more]) One day there was wine and Pina Colada’s , the next none. No milk for the coffees on one morning. However the staff made it all worth while, warm, friendly and as kind as ever. It’s the people that made this holiday hood. I would have to think twice about going to this resort again.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Needs more time to recover from pandemic

Facility is nice, on the smaller side as a resort, and kept clean. Cleaning staff do a great job. However, asking for things like towels, toilet paper and water to drink was hit and miss. Admin staff - not so much. With most at the resort being Canadians and most of those speaking English, at the front desk there seemed to be lots of times they begged off a question with "No English"! Wait staff in the buffet were generally very good, but the meals suffered from lack of variety and amount. O [... read more]ne morning - sorry, no eggs. Stock would come out to the buffet, but in small quantities with long lines waiting for re-stocking, but very slow to accommodate. I would not recommend going here for some months until it gets settled down again. Beach is beautiful. Beach chairs a bit dated and several were broken. Pool is beautiful but not heated, so no one is actually in the water - just sitting around it. Information about the hotel for those who are on site is terrible. No maps, no explanations at check-in. Just left to yourself to figure it out. That is terrible service.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Another Great Vacation @ MJDR!

Jan 13th - 20th *Sorry it's a long review but almost everything you need to know is in this! *Please note, this hotel only reopened a couple of months ago after being closed due to covid. It is not at full capacity as of yet. Some blocks are still closed and the second large buffet is not open yet. After reading some negative reviews before we came we really wondered what was happening. We were just there at the end of November and we just couldn't see how things could have changed so f [... read more]ast. We had talked amongst our selves and assured each other that it was just "those people". You know the people that yell at the gentleman holding the door open at the buffet because they didn't get towels..... yes those people. Needless to say we were correct! We had a fantastic time! I have said it in many of my travel reviews that my biggest complaint has been the actions of others. I'm going to leave it at that but seriously some people really need to think before doing. We flew air transat and have never had a problem. We walked off the plane @8:54pm and we were drinking beer in our room by 10:15pm. Yes we were through customs, got our luggage, got on the shuttle bus, checked in and walked to our room in beautiful block 19 and we were drinking the cold beer out of our fridge in under an hour and a half! This is one of the major reasons I choose Cayo Coco over Cayo Santa Maria after traveling to Cuba many times. The Room. Our room was very nice and super clean. Bed was a king and it was comfortable. The air was ice cold and so was the fridge. Our toilet flushed perfectly, the toilet seat was a little loose but no problems. One day we had no water for long enough to figure out we didn't have water only to realize we had water again lol. Hot water, I only had two "cooler" showers all week and they were at prime time. Water was always very hot just before or just after 5pm. Our towels we used until mid week and then placed on the floor. We had clean towels later that afternoon. Two beer and 1 large bottle of water were brought to our room everyday except the first day. (We did arrive just the night before so we weren't worried) The fridge restockers are separate then the maid. Feel free to leave them a little tip. Snack Bar; I am a snacker so I loved this place! One day however we decided to eat late and they were out of food. When we went to the other buffets they were closing and pizza bar just finished. 100% bad timing for us lol. We always bring some snacks so we were not bothered too bad. About an hour and a half later we saw people walking by us with Fries and sandwiches at the pool. Needless to say they were not out for long so please don't take it out on the workers, they don't need your attitude. They are doing what they can. 99% of the time; Ham and Cheese Sandwich 60% of the time; Chicken, Tuna, Ham and Cheese sandwiches and Fries. 40% of the time; All listed sandwiches above and fries and Hot dogs. Pizza Bar; A BUSY PLACE! The Pizza is very very good. I do believe they need to increase the time this is open if possible to take the rush and pressure off of it. It is said to be open from 12-3pm as it was when we were there in November but we found out that "last chance" for Pizza is at 1:30. We tried @2:30, then 2:00 then 1:47 and finally successfull by arriving @1:30. It is not fast, we seen some people eating 2 and 3 pizzas each! Also many people taking 6-9 pizzas to go! I thought maybe putting a limit to 1 per seated person would be a good idea but that will just get people angry so perhaps longer hours like 11-4?. Not sure the answer there. Either way it was well worth the wait as it was delicious! We ordered at 1:35pm and were done eating at 2:20pm Buffets, I recorded all my times in lines and such because people were saying they were waiting an hour and such for food. As I expected, not the case; our longest wait in a line for FRESH COOKED food was 26mins. If you don't want to wait in a line to get in to the buffet then don't go when it opens! We found 8pm to be super nice for dinner and breakfast we always went around 9am. We were never in the buffet for an hour total from in to out. Did they run out of plates? Yes. How long until more Plates? 2 mins and 47 secs on one timed occasion. I seen multiple times where the plate stack was empty. I would get in line and watch people frantically running around looking for plates instead of relaxing a bit and waiting just a few minutes for them to be restocked. My wife would bring me a plate or I would excuse myself from the line for a moment to grab one. If you are wondering why they may be low on plates, it is probably because guests feel the need to leave them everywhere on the resort. On the beach, on lights on garbage cans, you get the idea. Please just return your plates and other dishes to a table somewhere! Favorite Buffet foods were; Breakfast; Fresh omelette with extra cheese from cheese bar, Bacon and Toast. Waffles were delicious as well. Lunch; Fresh cooked chicken, curry chicken and rice. Dinner; Gnocchi Pasta hands down best ever! Also had fresh Chicken and such but that pasta was amazing. A La Cartes ; Oh my! We had some very good meals. To book the A la Cartes you have to wait in line at the lobby in the morning. I may suggest one person gets in line and the other grabs some cappuccinos to help the time pass. Favorites in order; 1) International, by a landslide. Amazing meal! And A++ service! The Cream Cheese soup was sooo good, I got more lol. Thank you Yenni and Denaris. Not sure on spelling and I do not know the other girls names but the crew that work here is amazing. 2) Italian, very good and had to get some extra Lasagna! 3) Mediterranean, Rice pudding dessert here was very very good. I drank a lot of the rose wine lol and the wife drank the white wine. Red was good as well but the rose and the white were out preferred wines. Pool; Party pool behind snack bar. Pool is big and clean and Papa and his crew of fantastic women make it a fun place to be in the afternoon. Games take place pool side at 4pm and are a blast even to just watch if you don't want to participate. Fashion shows also take place at this pool. Miguel will be happy to grab you chairs, treat him well ;). Quiet pool; It's big, it's quiet and we don't go there. It is a good place for you to go if you feel that music is "obnoxious" lol. Yes someone said that to me lol. Ice cream bar: Very good Pack a washable plastic spoon in your beach bag as they don't always have Spoons. The plastic knives worked fine but why not bring your own. **NEW Coffee and ice cream bar just outside the lobby. Never got to go there as they were just finishing it. It looks amazing! Beach; Beautiful! Lots of winds the first 2 days brought in a lot of seaweed and they brought in a tractor and got it all cleaned up on Day 3. Left of the beach bar soft sandy entrance and you can walk a long ways out on the sand bars. Right of the beach bar some spots to go out but more rocks, water shoes recommended. Far right of the beach bar tonnes of sand to walk on or out to the sand bars. Beach Bar; Lots of drink options including pina coladas. Ran by some amazing guys, Joel, Omelio and Yosley. Keep coming, Keep coming! See you in 5 minutes! Lobby; Spacious and clean with some fun thrown in there at night. Lobby Bar; Mornings, Cappuccino is a must! Evenings, many drink options and Cappuccino and Spanish coffees. Please see our amazing friends there!. Yuniel (the Tiger) Yarelis (the Tigress) Vladimir (the Cheetah) Mojito Bar; (just off the lobby) Amazing drinks made by the one and only Reny! Nautical Center; Book a Catamaran for snorkeling! It is amazing! Super people that work there! Excursions; We usually always book the catamaran and snorkeling seafood lunch trip (210$ cnd charged to card for 2 of us in Nov 22) . We did not this time but highly recommend it. Market; There is a market right beside the resort. Stores, outdoor vendors bowling ally and a Japanese restaurant. We went to the restaurant in 2018 and 2019 and it was delicious. We have not gone back as the price has doubled there per person. Tips to make your stay great; We always pack our own towel, cup, pillow (who doesn't like an extra pillow anyway), a roll of tp and condiments such as Peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup and ketchup. Small bottles can be found at many stores then we leave what's left for a worker if they want it. For medication type things, tums, benadryl, advil, Tylenol, Hydro cortisone cream (I find if used right away on noseum bites it reduces the itch to only 3 days) to back that up we bring a anti itch cream) they only ever bite me not my wife lol. Bring a converter! They are cheap and if you always travel with it you never need to wonder about plugging stuff in. Last but probably not least we bought a luggage scale (12$) to make sure our suitcases are not over. Damp clothes and such can add a lot of wieght even if you brought tonnes of stuff to give out. I hope this helps. As far as gifts to bring for workers, if you use it they need it! Any thing else above and beyond is truly appreciated. Also a subject that is beat to death. Please stop taking coins! You don't need to! People say it's to much to tip with 5s etc. You can always bring some american 1$ for small tips. You can also just tip less often with 5$ bills if you like. Or you can buy change off of almost any worker when you get there! If you want to take some to start maybe take like 10$ then just keep buying more to use. At the end buy at least double you came with. That would be a reasonable start!. I hope this helps! Big thanks to Lisbet, Juan Carlos and Yosvany and everyone else that made our stay so great! We miss you all already. I am so sorry to those names I forgot. I will never forget your faces. Can't wait to return!

Melia Cayo Coco: Good resort for Cuba

The resort is very clean and the room was simple but nice. Comfortable bed and air conditioning works great. The main lounge is nice and if you like fancy cocktails they are available. Severe lack of seafood and buffet is redundant but there are supply issues in Cuba so you take what can get. Very happy with resort