Melia Las Dunas: Amazing beach

The beach is the best in Cuba but entertainment is horrible and the first time that we haven't felt welcome in a Cuban resort. Hopefully other resorts will reopen we love the beach but won't return to mld

Melia Las Americas: My winter oasis

I cannot say enough about this beautiful place. I’ve now been 8 times and will be making it 9 shortly. The staff is so kind and thoughtful. The grounds are beautiful. The hotel is fantastic and the food is perfect Having the golf course a hop skip and a jump away definitely helps too. This year it was great to meet a few more coupes who have frequented this resort 23 and 40 times I believe that says enough. A big thanks to Wendy van zandwyk from trip central for her help again

Melia Cayo Coco: Melia deserves its good reputation

We've been to 11 different resorts in 4 different areas of Cuba, and found this resort to be right at the top of our list for many reasons. You will not be disappointed by a visit to it, understanding that it is Cuba you are going to. Given the difficulties we have all experienced over the last almost 2 years (plus hurricane Ida), we were very happily surprised by the excellent condition of virtually all of the resort. The grounds are neat and well maintained, the rooms all were clean with s [... read more]trong, hot showers, and the beds comfortable. The lagoon rooms have nice sunrise/sunset views, and in the shallow water you can see some fish (look near the mangrove roots for 4 - 6 inch barracuda floating motionless), Whistling Ducks (endangered on the mainland where they are hunted), and some entertaining small jellyfish that mainly lie upside down on the bottom of the lagoon looking like algae. Except for a couple of visits to newly built resorts we haven't been to a better maintained resort in Cuba - a bit dated but in good repair. We were a bit concerned that we'd find food to be an issue given the supply difficulties that Cuba is experiencing, but I have to say that this was the best food experience that we've had in Cuba. One of us was vegetarian and had no difficulty finding a satisfying meal at any mealtime - the specialty restaurants (all 3 were quite good) each produced a special meal without hesitation when asked. The buffets were all well staffed because no one is allowed to serve themselves with only a couple of minor exceptions (yogurt in glasses for example). All staff wore masks all the time everywhere, and all visitors wore masks when approaching the staff at the buffets, bars, stores, reception desk etc. The resort manager meets every arrival and explains what they are doing for our safety, and asks that everyone respect the efforts being made by caring about others' well-being. He sets the tone at the resort - we found all of the staff welcoming and very responsive to any sort of request (that they could meet). The same was true (somewhat surprisingly) at the airport where the staff seemed less officious than in previous years and worked hard to keep things moving. There is an initial lineup on the way in while they inspect the online form that Cuba wants filled out before arrival. Masks are worn in the airport and on the bus, but are generally not worn on the resort except in close proximity to others indoors. COVID testing for return flight: It is well organised here. Your airline rep (Sunwing, Air Canada etc) will tell you what day to go for the test – the doctor waits between 8 and 11 am every morning in front of his office by the lobby. He fills out an official form, you sign, get nasal swab and are done in 5 minutes. You will pay $30US at reception by credit card at checkout time (or before if you want). The results will be delivered to reception the night before you leave probably around 8pm. This resort has had no cases among staff or guests to date. We know the Tryp had cases this week most likely due to the lax approach certain guests there took. The resort layout works well with everything a short walk away. There was a gentleman there in a wheelchair who told me that access was decent everywhere - a little rough in places but not restricting. The room was large enough, with one rocking chair, one dressing table stool and 2 plastic chairs on the balcony. The air conditioning worked well with a remote. We unplugged the fridge every night since the compressor can be loud. The water is very hot (after a minute or so, so be careful), and the pressure in all four rooms we had was strong throughout our stay. Closet includes 2 umbrellas and many wooden hangers. Currency: Cuban pesos are only good for tipping. 20 pesos is about $1 Cdn. $1US is the handiest bill (coins are useless of course). If you are going to use Cdn bills, try to bring new ones down - the Cuban banks reject bills with even the slightest blemishes - since they will have to take them to the bank to convert into useful money. All tours and all purchases in shops are purchased in US$ using credit (VISA, Mastercard on a Cdn bank - not Capital One, Citi, AmEx etc) or maybe debit if you have a US dollar account. Because our cards need a PIN there is no need to lug around passports anymore. The Gaviota Commercial Center (10 minutes walk from the resort) has a number of small retail stores that accept cash. Cigars: The shop at the resort has a reasonable selection, the shop at the Pullman has many more (to go there walk down the beach and ask the security folks to go to their shop. They will radio for permission and direct you to it. Prices are all the same. Once a week a man comes to the lobby and sells cigars that he rolls for significantly less (they looked fine to me but I'm no expert). The large store in the Colonial is now closed along with the resort. The shop in the airport was closed when we left in the middle of the day, so don't count on it. Birds: If you are interested in birds, get in touch with Paulino Delgado. He's great. There are a pair of Black Hawks that cruise the beach each morning, Cuban green and West Indian woodpeckers that visit, 10 different types of warblers nearby, Anis, Bullfinches, stripe-headed tanagers, 2 types of oriole, kingbirds etc. all easily found within a half kilometer. The sports bar has 2 small pool tables that are in good repair with decent cues, and 4 TVs that show various sports (and one music video channel). It has outside tables for smokers overlooking the lagoon. Speaking of which, we were never bothered by smoke as we have been at some resorts, and yet smokers are well accommodated for at all of the venues. Rooms are all non-smoking, but balconies are covered and have ash trays. The sports center was also relatively well equipped. They have one table tennis set with decent paddles, a reasonable tennis court, a fusball table, an air hockey table, and even an archery range with both left and right-handed bows and decent arrows. Pedro enjoys teaching boxing and knows what he is doing. He also is available for tennis or any of the other sports if you need a partner. He's a great person. We tried to scuba dive, but the Gaviota Dive boat failed on us so we missed out. And they didn't bother calling so we wasted half a morning. There are 2 other scuba places on the island, but we found out too late to switch. One is just down the beach in front of the Pullman resort (it also teaches kiteboarding - 3 hour lesson to start, or just rent the board). They pick divers up off the beach in a smallish boat and do 2 dives in the morning - deep then shallow. You can also go out with the shallow dive just to snorkel - reasonable price for one hour on the reef. We’ll try that next time. The other scuba place is on Cayo Guillermo which will send a bus for you. We'll probably try them next time. We tried snorkeling from the beach with little success because it was a bit too windy all week so the water wasn't clear enough and the reef is a long way out. There was a volleyball game on the beach most afternoons, and Jesus and Joel at the bar kept everyone happy. The bar has 5 or 6 tables under a roof, and there were lots of palapas on the beach. My guess was that the resort was about half full so there was no crowding anywhere and no waiting for drinks etc. Even if it had been full, though, I think that they have the capacity to serve everyone without much waiting. The last night we took music and drinks and watched the sunset from the ruins of the old Sol resort on the point at the west end of the beach. You get there either on the beach or on the road from the lobby. It gives you a nice view up the beach towards the Tryp resort (don't stay at it, it has changed for the worse). We had one problem that didn't really get resolved. On the third night a group of locals moved into 3 of the rooms in our building with one of them between 2 of ours. From about 2am until 3:30am when I finally got up and went to reception a few of them were shouting and banging on their doors and one of ours. Once I complained, reception called them and they quieted down. They left the building until 4:30am when they came back and woke us up again with loud talk. Customer Services called them the next day and so they were quiet for one night, but the next night at 3am we went through it again. Melia offered to change our rooms, but I decided not to - a mistake as it turned out, although I was pissed off that they weren't moved instead. So, if you encounter noisy neighbors jump on it right away with reception and make sure it is actually fixed. We ended up having to re-organize our rooms since our daughter was very uncomfortable (to say the least) having a couple of drunken 20 to 30 year old men banging on her door and shouting in Spanish in the middle of the night, not to mention losing the better part of 2 nights sleep. This was the only negative we encountered there, and I think it is not something that is normal there. But it was infuriating.

Melia Cayo Coco: What a gem!

First, the staff. They are amazing friendly people all around. The beach is amazing and probably the best in Cayo Coco. Service is amazing, rooms are comfortable albeit a little dated but really, who cares when you are in paradise. A la cartes were good. Buffet was ok but honestly, I’m not picky. All in all, great trip during pandemic. Bravo!

Melia Internacional: Cuba’s Best Resort

This relatively new resort does a lot of things correctly. The physical assets, including the rooms and public areas are in great shape and are well maintained. The beach is spectacular and the pool areas are large and very accommodating. The food is very good, particularly at the a la carte restaurants. The staff are friendly and anxious to serve. We would recommend.

Melia Cayo Coco: Nice stay at a small friendly all-inclusive resort

Grounds and public areas were well maintained and clean. Covid protocols were strictly adhered to by staff.I did come across a couple of items on the grounds that needed attention. While walking to the beach on the eastern most boardwalk over the dunes, I noticed a loose plank, which was a potential hazard to visitors. This was promptly fixed by maintenance after I pointed it out. There were also some exposed rebars extending from a wall entrance to the pool area (next to the boardwalk previousl [... read more]y mentioned), which looked dangerous if someone were to slip and fall against one. I did not point this out, but it should be obvious to hotel management and maintenance who pass it daily. We stayed in a ground floor classic room which was cleaned daily and felt comfortable. There were some minor issues which were an annoyance. Water on bathroom floor and plumbing disruption (no water during one day but back on by evening so not a big issue), old batteries which failed in the safe and door (needed to have maintenance replace). A sliding door that did not slide in the built in closet. I needed to lift and move it each time. The beach was nice and not too busy. It was blowing close to 40km/h wind gusts the week we stayed, but this can happen in Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, which are off the mainland and more exposed. However, it was mostly sunny with highs of 28c which felt comfortable and the wind helped keep any mosquitos away. This is an excellent area for kite surfing. The a la carte restaurants were very good for Cuba, especially the Mediterranean restaurant. My only complaint was entrance to that a la carte requires a stair climb (no elevator) which is problematic for people with walking disabilities (clientele skews older here so a potential issue for some). The buffet restaurant had a good selection of food and I very much appreciated that the staff served the food rather than having everyone use the same utensils to fill their plates (big Kudos to Melia Cayo Coco for this!!!). I felt service (coffee and drinks and sometimes place settings) was a little slow at times in the buffet. The staff numbers may have been lower than normal in the buffet for a hotel close to capacity. More supervision could have helped. The bars were good (especially the lobby bar). Excellent service and friendly staff. No issues getting served anytime of the day. The reception desk staff were also excellent. I went there frequently to change money (CAD to Cuban Pesos) for tips and they changed it without issue. They also dealt promptly with any issues such as the safe and door lock batteries. The medical staff on site were also excellent. We had our COVID pre return flight PCR test on the Thursday morning and received the results Friday evening before flying back on Saturday. The doctor personally handed out the test results at reception. He was on site all the time. I found the garden staff to be very friendly. It was a genuine friendliness. They went about their work happily with smiles on their faces every day to keep the gardens looking great. Kudos to them. The entertainment staff were also great. We enjoyed the shows, live music in the lobby, live cuban music at the beach restaurant daily. We think Cuba is one of the best places for entertainment in the caribbean. Their entertainers are all well trained (from a young age I think). We saw some excellent dancers and enjoyed some amazing singers while staying at this hotel!!! All in all, despite some of the minor issues, we had a very good stay at Melia Cayo Coco. We liked the small intimate feel of the hotel and the friendliness of the staff. If you enjoy beach walking (which I do) there were KMs of walking either side of the resort along the beach. Walking to the right takes you past the Pullman and the areas for kite surfing onto a virgin beach with virtually no-one and long stretches of flats out to the sea. Walking to the left takes you to the rocks at the end of the beach..walking from there to the left takes you to a lagoon and you can walk for KMs past a number of hotels (Iberostar Mojito etc) to the end. If you choose that walk, prepare for some tired legs from walking in the sand. Thoroughly enjoyable though. If you like to fly fish ( the salt water variety) Melia Cayo Coco is a good place to stay. There are a number of flats nearby that you can try for the elusive but famed bonefish that salt water fly fishers dream of. I did bring my rod but opted not to go this time. However, I noticed three fly fishers staying at the hotel. They seemed to go every day during our stay and looked quite happy. A great week to escape from the wall to wall news about Covid and enjoy life for a bit.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Good Value

The hotel was very Covid lax until someone tested positive then it was mask and sanitizer everyone panicking. Food decent but hotel not very clean. Staff are friendly One maid stole my sons epi pen I guess it’s expensive to obtain. Wish they would of asked I would of gave it to them.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Melia Peninsula review

Was very happy with the resort the people that work there are so kind and helpful. The resort property is clean and it’s beautiful to walk around. But when it comes to the food and drinks we weren’t to happy about the selection. They keep running out of different foods and you ask any they didn’t have anymore. The drinks were the same, they had only their brand of liquor. The second week was getting better for food and drinks. But overall I would go back to the resort. The service was exc [... read more]ellent and rooms were nice and big. The ocean was beautiful and sand.was clean.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Great staff!

The amenities on the resort were great from the volleyball courts, snorkelling, and paddle boats. A beautifully maintained beach, and pool area is where we spent most of our time. The food was really good for Cuba, never found ourselves going hungry. The best part was the staff they really went out of their way for us whenever they could and it truly made it the best stay possible! However, until all of the covid restrictions are lifted I will not be returning to Cuba, the PCR test you take on [... read more] the resort was very sketchy and they just give you a hand written note on a paper saying negative signed by a doctor. One of our friends tested “positive” and they wouldn’t retest her and wouldn’t let her partner stay in the hotel with her - they take you to a hotel in the city with no hot water where they try to sell you “medicine” so that you retest negative. They told her because they already swabbed her nose if they retested her it would come back negative because they removed all the bacteria - they stopped harassing her to buy medicine once the embassy was involved, the embassy retested her and she tested negative showing it was all just a money grab on the Cuban government’s part. Obviously this wasn’t the hotels fault tho, just beware when travelling to Cuba.

Melia Cayo Coco: Happy to have been there!

From start to finish it was a great stay. We got the same room as last time which we had asked for. The staff were great, very professioal, friendly and Covid safe. The Canadian government should take lessons from Cuba. Our intentions are to return in April 2022 so long as our government hasn't brought on a lockdown preventing us from doing so. The only drawback is I have come home to a driveway full of snow.

Melia Cayo Coco: Excellent Hotel and Resort

We stayed for 2 weeks, on our 14th visit to the Melia. As always the service from the staff was outstanding. Despite COVID precautions, the buffet and restaurants offered the usual excellent service and meals. We will be back in 2022

Melia Las Dunas: Amazing!

The resort is beautiful, the workers are even better! Lots of options for food, the beach was perfect and the customer service was great. They accommodated our family very well and will definitely be going back!

Melia Internacional: Not worth the money

Beach was beautiful. This that should have come with the premium level. Didn’t happen. Pool was not cleaned properly. Garbage floating in it. Staff overall were nice. Not a lot of beverage choices and the food was horrible. 3 out of 4 of us got sick. Will not go back. Also Varadero things shut down and closed over night. Nothing really available. Don’t buy their money. Can’t convert back. Over all just a bad experience. First time there.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Beautiful Resort Dec, 2021

Just returned from a 5 day stay. Nice hotel, nice grounds, good food and very nice and helpful Staff. They have a good gym, the beach was beautiful and good snorkeling to the right of the resort. The mattress was the best I’ve had in the 20 or more stays in Cuba

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Don't get the beach towel

We very much enjoyed the resort until checkout when we had suddenly to pay for a beach towel that was stolen from my son when he went to the pool for 5 minutes. His glasses were even on the towel. We were wondering who would steal the towel within the resort. It was very upsetting as we were not even told how much we had to pay before accepting the towels and that they seem to get stolen frequently. I would have given a good rating, but the way I was treated at the end nearly ruined my vacation.

Melia Cayo Coco: A lovely resort

The Melia Cayo Coco, Cuba is one of the older resorts in the area and it is starting to show its age. However, everything was clean and well taken care of. The staff were exceptional in their care and kindness to all of the guests. The food was very good at the buffet and it was exceptionally good at the 'a la carte' restaurants. A lovely beach and plenty of sun chairs and awnings. The animation team were energetic and worked very hard at getting everyone involved. There was a snaffoo o [... read more]n the final 'check-out' day. Many of us were not notified that the flight had been delayed 4 hours. Sunwing, the front desk at check-out or the Sunwing information board nor the Sunwing representatives at the hotel and airport did not give us the information which lead to a lot of confusion and missed time on the beach.

Melia Cayo Coco: Travel in COVID Times

This was a 3rd 1 week trip to this resort in the past year and I was impressed by how deligent the staff were to adapting to COVID restrictions. Staff always wore thier masks and politely asked guests to wear them in covered areas (ie buffet, restaurants and Front Desk) The required COVID test was admistered within the required 72hours by medical staff. The beaches are lovely and the resort is very clean. As an older resort they are keeping up the required maintenance and had no issues with t [... read more]he room (hot water and cold air conditioning). The daily replemishing of the fridge was welcomed. As a frequent guest to Cuba it never fails to amaze me as to the friendleness of the people and the geniune appreciation of the gifts you bring down (toiletries, school supplies, kid's toys, etc). The food choices were good and of course the drinks were great I am looking forward to my next trip

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Great Resort

I loved this hotel,so did my daughter who i travelled with for a one week stay.The rooms were very clean,every day the maid came.Our room was 4224 building #42 a short walk from the buffet, lobby, entertainment.The grounds were well kept,there was a lot of painting of the buildings that were not in use ,they did not distract from anyones holiday, they were very quiet,no loud banging,the painting looks wonderful and fresh.As for the restaurants,the buffet was open for breakfast daily,they lacked  [... read more]some things like mayo,pepper,onions,condiments(ketchup,vinigear,) no bacon or syrup for the pancakes.Only ham,sausage,tomato,cheese for the omelet.They are having difficulty getting some products.The supper in the buffet was not open ever day,we had our choice of the other restaurants on these nights.The food was good,but i did stay at this hotel 2 years ago,then the food was better.The pool area is lovely,Lorenzo is the pool bartender,he takes good care of you no matter where you are around the pool or in the pool,his Pina Colada's are the best,make sure you ask him to blend them in the blender.The beach is not the best at this hotel,it has a lot of rocky area,if you walk farther up the beach to Sol Rio De Luna,which is being renovated right now,no one is there,you can swim there.I will tell everyone,the beach is not cleaned every day,much to everyone's dismay,there is a lot of garbage(old sandals,plastic cups,old toothbrushes,etc.)on the beach.They should make sure it is cleaned,people love Cuba,the beach is visually stunning in this area,without the garbage. This hotel is not too large,easy to get around,lots of palm trees.Please make sure you have good covid insurance,plus optimal credit card coverage as someone did test positive for covid,the costs of staying longer were adding up for the lovely person and his wife.

Melia Cayo Coco: Best of Cuba

After traveling to Cuba for 25 years and staying in roughly 15 different hotels I still rate this the best. The staff make it what it is. But everything about the hotel is top notch. The food is outstanding. The cleanliness is impeccable. The grounds are spotless. Management goes out of there way to greet guests. It is and will remain to be my go to resort in Cuba. Being 15-20 from the airport is also a huge plus.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Fabulous resort and staff!

Visited November 17th for a week and stayed in a Royal suite to celebrate our honeymoon. The grounds, pools, spa, beaches, entertainment and service were all top notch. Highly recommend this resort. So much that we're heading back in January!!! Staff were very attentive and always wore face masks as required by covid procedures. Hand sanitizer stations and personnel were present at entrances to restaurants and common areas. Tables and chairs were sanitized after use. Although the resort w [... read more]as only operating at less than half capacity the selection of food and restaurants was very good. Beach offers a great combination of white sand areas, coral for snorkelling and shade for lounging. Pools were very nice, although the display of public affection by some of the younger visiting locals was a bit inappropriate at times. Highly recommend Paradisus Rio De Oro!