Southern Hospitality Cuban Style

The resort was suitable and rooms were adequate for the price. Since Hurricane Sandy the resort appears to be run down and weathered but staff on the resort at all levels were very friendly and showed why Canadians love coming back to the Cuban hospitality. Resort staff make up for the shortfalls. Although isolated from Santiago De Cuba had a number of excursions worth checking out. If you don't mind horses checking the outback is well worth your money. Its like travelling back in time to the w [... read more]ild wild west. The tour guide didn't speak much English but very hospitable showing us the countryside and a glimpse of his family life. Keep in mind some of the excursions are contingent to weather conditions. If its a windy day you may not set sail on the Catamaran or if touring the Mountain may encounter clouds blocking your view of the country but still very beautiful. If you are a sun worshiper and enjoy the beach experience the resort has a secluded beach and beach bar to enjoy. The beaches and area are a bit rockier but still enjoyable. A hidden secret most tourists don't know about is the public beach adjacent to the resort. The beach is beautiful and the snokelling is alot better with aqua green water and better clarity. Opportunities to see wide variety of fish species, octopus and different corale.There are two friendly life guards there employed by the government to assist just ask for Andy. Keep in mind if you wander off the resort to the public beach you may be approached by the friendly locals begging for money, clothes or food. Typical for caribbean islands. As with many spots in Cuba bug spray may be a good idea before heading to the beach to prevent bites from smaller sand ticks or misquitos. Listorine is also a good deterent for little critters. Because the resort is isolated from city life they do a good job of keep their guests entertained with a variety of shows and entertainers. The water show syncronized swimming is spectacular worth watching. If you are younger and looking for a disco tech the resort definintely lacks in this department. After the shows the night life is on the quiet side, keep in mind the resort caters to an older middle age crowd. By chance came upon a new restaurant and bar across the road from the resort which just opened up, owners will walk you back to the resort at night. Had a very fun time. Locals were amazing. Food on the resort was okay. If in doubt don't eat. Safe to say roast beef, chicken and fish were among my favorites. The grill cook is probably a better bet but you will have to patiently wait. The water is safe to drink at the dining room and bar area but would not recommend it outside the resort unless bottled. On the whole the resort met my satisfaction. If you go there with high expectations you will be disappointed. This is a fair resort with a fair price. A vacation is what you make it. Reminder tipping goes a long way to make your experience a better one from room staff to your servers. Get your money at the airport. The hotel exchanges but sometimes they run out of money. Enjoy your Cuban experience at this friendly resort.

OK

This is a very basic property, Great pool and nice grounds. We found the staff very friendly and engaging. The food is very bland, but you will always find something to eat, Bread must be baked there, it is always so fresh. If you looking to relax in the sun and not spend a lot of money...This is the place. Face it, It's way better there on a bad day, then here any time this winter.

Awesome resort!!

Just got back from a week at Los Corales. My boyfriend and I had an absolutely amazing time. Nice size resort, not too big, not too small. We met tons of super nice people, guests and staff. We enjoyed the snorkelling right off the beach. The view of the mountains from the beach was beautiful. We had a big 2nd floor room in the 500 block that was always kept tidy. We felt safe going over to the other resort to check it out many times. William was a blast on our catamaran tour, we also caught a 2 [... read more]5-30 lb barracuda....very cool to see!! We could always find something to eat at the buffets although the fresh pizza and pasta bar for lunch was my favourite! We met many people who were return customers year after year so that says a lot for this resort. We enjoyed the comedy and aqua shows the best :) overall a great experience and would definitely recommend it!

Lose creles

3 stars hotel good swimming pool good food good Service people good weather and climate very clean good location nice city we had wonderful time specially kids had lots of fun again the dolphins show.

Love the weather and people.

Absolutely perfect weather...30+ and sunshine with a welcoming breeze off the Caribbean. Rooms are clean and functional although decor is dated. Food in the buffet restaurants is pretty basic but okay. A little better in the a la cartes. After the weather, the best thing about Carisol Los Corales is the people. Almost without exception, the staff are warm and friendly and as helpful as possible.

Nothing special

The resort is at least an hour away from Santiago on a long and windy road. If you get motion sickness then take some Gravel. The resort itself is dated. The rooms were substandard. The beds are very hard and you will need to bring your own pillow. The pillows on the bed are paper thin. The one bed had no proper support and you had to balance yourself. The buffet is typical Cuba. The a al carte restaurants were good. The staff really make the resort enjoyable. The pool bar opens at 10 am to 5 p [... read more]m. After which you will have to go to the lobby bar for any drinks. The pool bar opens again at 9 pm to 11 pm. At 11 pm the lobby bar becomes the disco. After that closes, you can get your drinks at the pool bar again. Eliam and Dennis at the pool bar were great. Make sure to tip and/or bring down items to give away. One big issue at the bars, they kept running out of or didn't have any red wine. We just bought our red wine at the store and had that during the night (only 5 pesos). The beach is okay and the water is dark. We did a trip into Santiago and that was a 40 pesos ride one way (about $50 Cdn). Santiago is very busy and we were constantly being hounded to give "gifts" to the locals. That was very annoying. We did find an amazing restaurant to have a late lunch at and I would highly recommend it - Paladar La Caribena. Very good food and good prices. The duty free at the airport is not good. Buy your alcohol at the store at the resort. The store had really good prices. Overall I didn't pay a lot for my trip (under $600 Cdn) so I can't complain much. I would not go to this resort. Pay a little more and go somewhere nicer and closer to a town.

You get what you pay for.

Average room, food below average, service poor, not enough serving people to handle it all, beach combination of sand with sharp stones, a lot of sea weeds in the sea, annoying birds flying in the dining area pooping down on the tourists and eating food from buffet tables. Swimming pool area is nice, hard to find lounge chair though. Do not take "free" trip to Santiago de Cuba. It is a rip off. Tip the staff otherwise you will be ignored. Missed food on the beach, you need to go for lunch to the [... read more] restaurant. The only gorgeous thing I never forget was weather.

Dublin01

Terrible. Afraid to eat any food that wasn't cooked as there were flies over all the food. Grounds were not cleaned and garbage bins on the resort were only emptied once a week so they were always overflowing. When we arrived at the resort we were not registered at either resort. They managed to find us a room, but it was not in the resort we booked. Bathroom had a leak and there was black mold on the ceiling and walls. Our safe wouldn't work properly and we had to get someone to try to fix the  [... read more]lock, which looked like part of it had been broken off. They ran out of white wine and orange juice after 3 days. Pizza restaurant took approx. 1-1/2 hours to serve pizza to the customers in the restaurant, yet they were delivering pizzas to the people on the beach first. Fridge in room didn't work. They ran out of change for tips so we couldn't tip anyone. Food on the grill at the buffet was never cooked enough. Wouldn't eat it as it looked half raw. The public washrooms in the resort were filthy and disgusting, sometimes you couldn't flush them and there was never any toilet paper. Some of the staff were very rude, and some were very helpful. The man unloading the suitcases at the airport on our return trip, would not unload the cases until he got tipped. I've never seen that happen anywhere in Cuba and I've been there approx. 20 times. The service at the buffet was terrible. The waitresses and waiters would walk right past you and ignore you. If you were Cuban, you got served first. It was very obvious. Also, the place was full of old men and young Cuban women. They should close up this resort and condemn it. It's not worth going to even if you get a cheap last minute deal. I would never go back there and am sorry that we wasted our money when we could have been a nice resort. We love Cuba but this has made us think twice about ever going back there.

Value for the money

As always in Cuba, there are wonderful things and things that need money invested. Some areas of the country have money invested more often than other areas. This resort is in the extreme south east of the country about 1 hour from Santiago de Cuba, and very rural in feel. It does not get the attention that Veradero gets. The wonderful things - good weather guaranteed, even in December,- snorkeling off the beach is very easy. The whole resort, however, needs investment into repairs - walkways an [... read more]d stairs, new furniture in the rooms etc. There were new loungers throughout the resort this year. Corales section at this resort is nicely designed and landscaped. Beautiful view off our balcony into the palms. There are also lots of shady spots in which to sit. The pool is one my favourite-- large, curvy with swim up bar and waterfall. Good aqua gym class as well. The food can be somewhat bland and routine. Bring hot sauce . Breakfast is the best meal. Again, they do their best with what their supplies will allow. You will not go hungry. The entertainment at dinner is always good. . Lots of talent in the area. There are some interesting excursions to take as well. The resort is a place to chill, somewhat like being at the cottage with the rustic vibe that comes with it. There are many longer stay and return customers and my guess the reasons are the low cost and the most wonder thing of all: the Cubans themselves.

Quiet and friendly

"Amigos Carisol - los Corales" these are two hotels for the price of one that share the beach area. One is able to use the two hotels' facilities and walks are accessible between the two resorts from the inside (making it safe) or from the outside road. It is located inside of a National Park, giving the opportunity to hike, bike, walk or horseback ride. We were there in February and the soil was very dry as it had not rain, therefore, it did not look lush or pleasant to the eye, which was ok!.  [... read more]The mountains are on one side and the Sea on the other side of your peripheral view. The rooms are kept very clean, the grounds are maintain, ensure to bring water shoes due to corals and stones on the beach. All of their employees are friendly and work hard, people enjoyed their presence. The food was good and had a variety of choices, the dining rooms and lobby areas are clean. Not able to comment on the nightly shows that are share between the two hotels (e.g. one night at Carisol and the other at Los Corales) because we retired early at nights. Due to the fact that it is located on a National Park and at the border of Guantanamo, there is no night life or markets around it, the nearest city is Santiago de Cuba at approx. one hour. There are a lot of retired couples and singles that are repeated customers, some have visited for the last three and some for up to ten years and stay from one up to three months to enjoy the sun, they all know and enjoy each other, nice to see! Unfortunately, the resort is open only from November to March or May after that they close for the rest of the year. This is a place for the person(s) that wish to rejuvenate and gaze at the sky full of stars at night, it is not for everybody, take the experience and enjoy it as it is, Cuba! This was our first visit to this resort in Santiago de Cuba, we certainly enjoyed it and were pleased with the service and location of this three star resort that it does make you say: I will come back!

Hotel So So, Weather Great

Just returned from our second trip to this hotel, last time we stayed on the Los Corales side, this time on the Carisol side. Both are similar. The hotel is in need of repair, especially walkways and lighting (take a flashlight). Don’t go here if you want a 4 or 5 star hotel, but if you want great weather, friendly staff, ok food and drinks for a cheap price then this place is for you. Lots of retired people go here for a month. The pools on either side of the hotel are clean and nice, but th [... read more]e tiles and concrete around the pools could use repair just like the walkways. There is a Kids club building beside the pool that is used for washrooms and towel distribution, however not much activities for the kids. The beach is beautiful and the water was warm. Lots of shade and lounge chairs. There is a lot of coral rock in the water so you will need water shoes. There used to be a lunch snack bar at the beach when we were there in 2012 but hurricane Sandy destroyed it. The 1st week they had a little grill that served hamburgers and hot dogs but they closed it and had a wonderful girl named Suramy delivering hamburgers and hot dogs from the restaurant. There is a bar at the beach (open 10am to 4pm) so you don’t need to walk far to get a drink. Water sports include kayaks and peddle boats that you just take out anytime they are available. The hobby cat rides are free but you need to book in the morning at about 9:30. There is also snorkeling equipment included. You can book diving trips ($) that go out morning and afternoon. You can walk the beach for quite a distance, but once you leave the hotel area there are many locals that are asking for clothes, soaps and food. This area was hit hard by Sandy so if you have any clothes in your closet that you don’t want anymore take them with you to give away. The rooms are old but clean and an OK size for sleeping (hard beds). The bungalows are twice the size and I recommend them if you are travelling as a family. You can book one for 10 pesos a night depending on availability. The room safe is 2 pesos a day. We got one because the patio door only had a bathroom passage lock on it which we discovered when we locked ourselves out of the room and the maintenance guy just stuck a piece of wire in the patio door lock and opened the door. The closets in the rooms are OK, but take hangers with you ore you will be living out or your suit case for your stay, which is OK for 1 week but not 2. There is only 1 small desk / dresser other than the closet, which only has enough space for 1 person to put shorts and T-shirts etc. Our AC worked great, however a lot of other people complained about theirs. Our bathroom was small, clean, functional, good water pressure and lots of hot water. Rooms are hit and miss though, some have a musty smell, mold, AC’s don’t work and sewage smells in the bathroom, so it’s hit and miss. Go back to the front desk ASAP and request to change. The food is for the most part good, you won’t starve however you need to get to the buffet within a half hour after opening or you might miss the good stuff. A note about the bread, it is to die for my hats off to the baker as there is a good variety and lots of it. For breakfast you can always get eggs , omelettes and bacon from the grill. The pizza at the pizza restaurant is good. They wait your table, no takeout which is too bad. The ala carte restaurants in the evening are OK however we only went to the seafood restaurant as it was on the Carisol side and the Cuban is over on the Los Corales side which is a bit of a hike in the evening. You can only book the restaurants for that evening in the lobby from 10:30 am to 11:30 am and you have to decide what you want to eat when booking. We were always at the beach at that time so it wasn't very good for booking. The staff are all friendly and for the most part try to go out of their way for you. Some that are fantastic and need to be mentioned are Suramy who worked in the pizza restaurant, lobby bar and delivered food to the beach, Maiby at the pool, David at the buffet restaurant, Francisco at beach bar, Ranaldo at the lobby bar and Mida in house cleaning. The cleaning around the hotel pools, walkways, public washrooms, grounds, beach and lobby is poor at best. Garbage cans, floors etc should be cleaned a couple of times a day instead of every 2 or 3 days. Also someone should clean the animal poop off the walkways as it is a hazard in the dark or if you’re not watching out for it. There are a few excursions to on but good luck to finding someone to book them with. Hit and miss. A must do is swim with the dolphins it is good and only 35 pesos. Oh and if you like to bicycle this is the place as the bikes are in decent condition and the roads are almost traffic free and scenic. To wrap up if you want fantastic warm weather (30 day 20+ at night), no bugs (take spray anyway) and go with the expectations of a 2 star hotel then you will have a great time. For the money you won’t go wrong. As a side note don’t book at the Costa Morena down the road pay a little more, as we met a couple that spent a week there and a week at Carisol and they said this hotel is like a 5 star compared to that one. We had a great time and ill go back in February or March again. Enjoy!

Not bad

Good weather and a fun cat cruise. Breakfasts were good. Stick to the grill for lunch and dinners. Some dishes otherwise not kept hot. Really good coffee. I would return for the right price only.Thanx

Very nice resort

This place is beautifull, I stayed in a bungalow by the beach. Well kept and clean and very quiet. The grounds are well maintained, but dry as not much rainfall. There are animals roaming around at night, mules and horses, and some dogs. The beach is nice and the snorkeling is great , saw some nice colorfull fish. I did not go in the pool, but looked very nice and clean. The meals were good. but you had to get there in time as the food went fast. In some areas such as the grill for eggs and pizz [... read more]a, needs more staff, as there are line ups. Only one complaint is trying to change money at desk, very hard to get. I complained to the manager that no one would get tips. He understood. All in all ,would return.

Retirement home

The hotel is filled with old Italians from Toronto and Montreal. They hog all the orange juice in morning, they cut in line for morning omlettes & bacon (the only really good food there) many of them are very rude. The resort is run down its 30 years old and farm animlas roam freely. 70 year old Italians (men and woman) flaunt there rental cuban brides quite shamelessly. Some of the bartenders will not serve you if they suspect you will not tip. The coffee is fantastic and there are ripe coconu [... read more]ts everywhere I drank 5 a day. The snorkelling is amazing around the restort, they have good flippers but there masks and breathing tubes are pretty cheap. If you want to eat fresh seafood ask any lifeguard and they will sell you fish, lobster or octopus. The swimming pool is spring fed and amazing. Its also supposedly the sunniest hottest spot in cuba 5 to 10 degree s hotter than varadero at all times in the winter. I would recomend this resort to people who are avid scuba divers or to people who want peace and tranquility with no night life.

Nice and relaxing

I have been to a lot of resorts and i have to say the grounds on this one was clean and beautiful. The staff for most part were very friendly and always willing to help. The rooms were small but hey, all you are doing is sleeping anyways. The pool was a good size so you are not bumping into people. The food was ok, better than I expected. Adonis was awesome cooking very delicious pizzas and spaghetti. The ocean is just a two minute walk away and the beach is clean and sandy. We do not drink alco [... read more]hol and it was no problem getting a virgin drink or coffee or soda. One thing I would do next time is change my money at the airport as the resort kept running out. Other than that my wife and I loved this resort and hope to go back again soon.

Mosquito's in the room!

Pros: Food was great, a large selection for vegetarians. For a 3 start hotel, the food was indeed delicious; a variety of potatoes and great Cuban food. Raul the bartender at Carisol pool side was very personable and friendly. Felip was great service at Los Corales at the reception. Cuban cappuccino <3.. I need not say more. Oh.. and the bucanaro beer.. heavenly. Toured Santiago city via the worker bus. ;) Cons: Mosquito's in the room! Really!? We stayed on the second floor of one of the buildi [... read more]ngs.. but during the night we got bit by either bed bugs or mosquito's, even with bug repellent applied! Grrr! The beach was a bit rocky, but if you walked along further towards the mountains one would find an area with a lot less rocks. Lots of pestering in and out of the resort :s. I feel sorry for the country. Maybe our business is profitable to the communist regime and not the actual citizens! Will still travel there because I made some great Cubans friends. But may not stay at a resort even thought it's reasonably priced.

Tranquility base

Fabulous large pools great service great cuban coffee on an oceanside beach ideal for long hiked in the Sierra maestro mountain range.best of all you are only minutes away from the vibrant city of Santiago De Cuba

Ok resort

Food was terrible. Poor sanitation, but better than off the resort. Grounds were clean. Staff very friendly and most able to communicate in English. Pool and pool area super. Swim up bar great. Bars were awesome.

You get what you pay for

I just got back from Club Amigo; this would be my second time going to this resort. I had a wonderful time the first time, the staff was wonderful, the room was great and the food was mediocre (don't go to Cuba for the food lol) This time I went there was a mix up on which side we were booked at, we had to go back and forth to Carisol and Los Coroals. We got moved to three different rooms before we finally got in, which cost us a whole day. The reception staff were not helpful for the most part; [... read more] several managers were rude and did nothing for us for the inconvenience. Very unprofessional experience to say the least!!! On a positive note, the bartenders, maids and entertainment staff were wonderful! They definitely go above and beyond to make sure you have a good time at the resort. The food was better this time around but I am guessing its the time of year because it was busier. All and all the resort is a good place to have a good time with friends, not a fancy place and don't expect much from this place, you get what you pay for.

Very nice resort

Clean and nicely kept .That was our fifth times in these hotels.See was varm and clean Wee use to goo in water 8.30-9.oo am .You can stay in a hour with no problem. For food you find something you like .