Melia Las Americas: A Special Resort

The Melia Las Americas is a special kind of place. It has been around a while (around 30 years) so it has seen better days. That said there are many reasons to overlook the surface wear and consider the experiences this hotel offers. Here are the top reasons we love this place: Golf; Beach; Entertainment; Heart. The hotel is right next to the Varadero Golf Club - and under most circumstances, for those staying at the Las Americas, green fees are included. Push carts or riding carts cost ext [... read more]ra (11 USD for push carts, and maximum cost 44$ USD per player for the new riding carts). If you bring your clubs, they can be stored at the golf shop for about 5$ USD for the week. The course is 18 holes, championship style, and a whole lot of fun to play. But don't expect pristine bunkers or bent grass greens. The course dates back to pre-revolutionary times and is very mature with several holes having spectacular views of the ocean. Pace of play is great (~4 hr playing time typically) so an early start can get you back at the beach by 11 or 12. Even with an afternoon arrival at the beach, there are plenty of lounge chairs and shade if you want it. The beach for this property is incredible and might well be the widest and longest on the peninsula. I can't say enough about how great the sand is, and how blue the water. The swimming pools are beautiful, well kept and clean. Regarding entertainment - there are the typical daytime events that get people moving out of their chairs. There are also catamaran rides and short snorkeling tours of the reef nearby (for $). The best thing about the hotel though is the entertainment each evening - every night there was a different artist playing an instrument or singing on the patio overlooking the grounds and beach. Just enormously enjoyable to have a drink and listen to the musicians invited to play for us before or after dinner - all very talented and professional. Finally, the people who work at the Las Americas: they are the best, and by nature very honest and caring about taking care of you during your stay at the hotel. Now here are some more nuanced comments - the rooms in the older part of the hotel are a bit worn. However, the showers are very good, with plenty of hot water and modern fixtures. The main building has the best views of the water and sunsets and is closest to the golf course, the dining rooms and bars. The newer part (The Level) is a quieter section of the resort, has large suites, huge bathrooms and living quarters, but these have mostly garden views. I should mention here that the resort is for adults only. The age range among guests is very broad - no single age group was left out or predominated. Regarding the food, there is a wide variety in the buffet hall, but 'foodies' won't be happy as Cuban food tends to be light on the spices - so maybe bring your Frank's hot sauce and pepper flakes in your luggage if 'heat' is important to you. Regarding alcohol, beer and rum are probably the best options - no off the shelf premium alcohol at the bars. In conclusion, although there are rough edges and small drawbacks, in my opinion, this resort shows great spirit and dedication to come back to life after the pandemic. I hope to return soon, if I can. Hasta luego, Melia Las Americas. PS I need to mention the quirky monetary situation in Cuba. Officially, you can buy Cuban pesos (CUP) at any bank, hotel or 'CADECA'; however you can't sell back unused Cuban pesos when you leave. So the best choice is to bring cash (eg USD, CDN, Euro) and exchange it 20$ at a time at the hotel 'CADECA' (currently, $20 USD = ~2200 CUP; $20 CDN =~ 1700 CUP). Tips (range from 100-500CUP depending on service) are highly welcome and appreciated. However, one should never, ever tip in foreign coin. The people cannot do anything with a toonie or loonie or other foreign coin as the banks in Cuba won't accept it for deposit nor can it be used to buy or trade in the street.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Magical Resort

We had a magical time at Paradisus Rio de Oro. The pools were lovely, the beach was amazing and all the staff were absolutely fantastic. We upgraded to Royal Service and it was 100% worth it. We definitely felt like Royalty. It was difficult to leave.

Melia Las Americas: Good and bad resort

Beautiful resort, wonderful grounds. Exceptionally well trained staff, very friendly, always smiling and ready to help. The buffet has a tight schedule and understaff. The food would be very good for a ticket price of $1000 per person. We paid $2500 per person and the expectations were higher. There is not enough entertainment for rainy days. We got 4 rainy, cold days and it was very boring. I got very sick with a respiratory virus the first day back in Canada. I don't know if I got the virus f [... read more]rom the resort or from the plane/airport. Our cellphones didn't work the last 2 days of our vacation -there was internet in the rooms, only in the lobby -they said that its a problem many customers have with the I phones. Overall was not a good vacation and we would not recommend this resort for the price we paid.

Paradisus Varadero: Not worth the money

While I loved dealing with Louise this resort was way less satisfying than we expected. Starting with our room…curtains falling off, shower head spraying all over, cold water for showering , had to slam door to shut it, smell of sewer for two days, bedding was horrible and no heat. The hall…. Half the lighting was out and doors all broken off and sewer pipes all exposed. Cleanliness was satisfactory in room. Resort itself….hot tubes didn’t work, some pubs were closed, entertainment was  [... read more]same dancers every night accept one night there was a horrible magic show. Pools closed at like 7 when I’m on vacation if I want to swim after supper I should be able to. They did have a few great singers. Food….could get into dinners we wanted, couldn’t get food if we had an early excursion, my husband is an early riser and had a hard time getting coffee due to broken machines, plates were absolutely disgustingly dirty all the time, toaster didn’t toast unless pressed 5 times. Food was Cuban and expected but breaking fillings because rice not cooked properly was not! Staff were polite and curious and did their best. Loved visiting a different culture but won’t ever go back to this resort ever!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Assuming it’s beautiful

I had no opportunity to check out your resort as the East Coast was in a turmoil due to the weather conditions. It would have been up to trip central travel agent to contact you about me not able to take my vacation as there were days with flight cancellations .

Paradisus Varadero: Disappointing trip

The hotel has a stunning view of the ocean and a welcoming staff, however the facilities are old and often broken. There was no hot water shower at the beginning, we couldn't use the coffee machine, toilet was not flushing, the door key card was not working etc. Food is not good as well, people simply didn't know how to cook and also there were not much varieties, we were fed up towards the end and had to go out to dine. All in all, we would have expected more from a 5-star hotel, but it's reall [... read more]y disappointing!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Won’t return to this resort

Room was in a good location but not enough towels we booked 3 people and usually got one towel had to keep asking. Toilet leaks they finally sent maintenance on 5th day. Never had beach towels till 3 rd day . No water in our room for one day then no hot water at all . Beach was good not enough lounges but entertainment was great . Buffett had plenty of food very clean. Line up to get in was way too long and it didn’t open till 7:00 pm so not good for people with young children. Evening enter [... read more]tainment wasn’t great but you can mingle meet people! In my opinion they way over booked it and left the staff to deal with to much . Management was absolutely awful and not helpful at all .

Tryp Cayo Coco: third trip to Tryp

do love this place! they took a big hit to thier supply chain with Covid. unfortunate considering it has always been an issue. wonderful staff. we (6) were there dec.9-18 with 200 other guests and only one alcarte an evening was open.Tryp was definately filling up by the time we had to go home. beautiful weather. Thanks for the Bottle gift for return guests. be back in Dec.again, possibly Feb.

Melia Marina Varadero: 2 star resort

I was not empressed with the advertising its literally not a 5 star Hotel.Not a recommended resort to anybody very disappointing.We got bed bug,toilets making wild noise every time you flush.Booked for a restaurant the same food they serve you in a buffet

Melia Internacional: Thoroughly enjoyed

We went from December 20th to the 27th and had a blast. The staff is very friendly, the beach was what you would expect from Varadero, FANTASTIC. We've been fortunate to visit many beach all over the world yet there's nothing quite like this beach. Moreover, you always here people talking about the food in Cuba, at Melia Internacional we had zero complaints about food. We would return for sure.

Melia Cayo Coco: Lovely resort great staff

Pool area is lovely lots of sunbeds and shade little cabanas around the pool. Activities yoga water aerobics painting hobbies cat to go snorkeling. Lots of loungers at beach shade or sun. Plenty of restaurants keep in mind the food is not the same as Canada but fine. Staff is appreciative of any gifts Left my husband's t shirts brought shampoo toothpaste tooth brushes deodetant feminine hygiene products. Best part are the people so friendly caring

Melia Cayo Coco: Lovely resort great staff

Pool area is lovely lots of sunbeds and shade little cabanas around the pool. Activities yoga water aerobics painting hobbies cat to go snorkeling. Lots of loungers at beach shade or sun. Plenty of restaurants keep in mind the food is not the same as Canada but fine. Staff is appreciative of any gifts Left my husband's t shirts brought shampoo toothpaste tooth brushes deodetant feminine hygiene products. Best part are the people so friendly caring

Tryp Cayo Coco: Repeat visit, always incredible

Location location! Beaches, night life and incredible staff always make our trips incredible! You can always find new friends, great foods and beverages are a great mixture of options! Until next time!

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful port view

It’s a building close to the port with beautiful view, but I don’t think it’s a 5 star hotel. The room toilet couldn’t be flushed properly, towel holder is broken. Sometimes out of toilet paper. Food is clean, there were many nice salads. Never felt any stomach uncomfortable or diarrhea. Desert type is less than I expected. Sometimes no coffee or water in the whole hotel, which I couldn’t believe. There was no stage in the hotel. The night show wasn’t attractive.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Resort has seen better days

Lobby is nice and open but the seating area is in desperate need of new cushions and more chairs. The fountain areas have no guard rails or lighting amd people would fall which is very dangerous. The pool chairs are old and saggy and lots of mold. The bottom of the pools tiles are broken causing bleeding feet to adults and children. Only had 1 buffet open for hundreds of people resulting in long line ups to even get in. Due to lack of staff, Public bathrooms were closed most times and when they  [... read more]were open no toilet paper. So you had to go back to your room to use the bathroom. Food was horrible but then again we expected that in Cuba. Very limited choices but the bread was fresh and great. The beach is very far from the resort and very rocky and you needed water shoes to go in. Would never go back to this resort and would not recommend it. Definitely NOT a 5-star

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Nice resort!

Just spent a week at this hotel and we’re very pleased with everything! Booked the vacation with uncertain expectations due to Covid and supply shortages in Cuba. The beach was exceptionally nice and clean. The hotel and grounds were well maintained and clean. The rooms could use a little upgrading ( bathroom and showers amazing). The staff were very outgoing and friendly and seemed to go the extra mile to make our vacation great. This resort had all the condiments that’s my teenagers love!

Melia Jardines del Rey: Great 1st time Caribbean all inclusive

Great value nice room. Staff were nice and helpful.Food buffet was a bit of a mess at times and one of sit down restaurants was overwhelmed and under serviced. Overall was impressed for 1st time experience

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: Still good for the returning customers but maybe not quite as good for the first comers

As serial returning customers, we still find this resort very good: awesome beach, great service, clean pool, newly renovated rooms on Mares side (Luna side is closed). Access to coral reef near Rio de Oro for snorkeling is hard due to the exposed rocks. It appears that Rio de Oro dumps sewage into that small lake between the resorts. Sewage also can be smelled in the Mares lobby between the bar and the coffee island. People should know about the absence of some basic things like napkins [... read more], potatoes, ketchup and shortages of things like juices, pina colada, fruits, fish etc. Hopefully things will get better but as of December 2022 this is the situation.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good Beach Resort

The service was good but there was no service for drinks on the beach. The rooms were run down and did not look like the pictures. The lighting in the room was bad, it was very dark at night, even with all the lights turned on. There were sheets on the bed but no blankets. We had to use old ones that were stored in the closet. The food was decent. The coffee in the lobby bar and the snack bar was good. The beach was nice but there was a lot of seaweed on the shore. They didn’t clear it  [... read more]off so the beach looked quite messy but the water was amazing. This was rated as a 5-Star resort. I would rate it as 4.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Fantastic resort

Nice staff, beautiful beach and plenty of foods.There is one restaurant near swimming pool to provide 24 hours of food service. Free Wi-Fi is also fast enough for us to keep in touch with friends and relatives outside of cuba.