GREAT NEW HOTEL

Hotel is superb, all is new and clean. Staff is excellent. Spanish lessons with Carla and Sophia are very helpfull. Only problems are that lunchroom is sometimes overcrowded, and there are not enough beach chairs.

Hotel

The hotel was supper clean and staff very nice and helpful! The food was not good! The beach was great but all the chairs were taken before anyone was there just towels on them to be saved the sunwing representative was not helpful at all!

Grand Aston = good times

We are an experienced group of visitors to the Cayos and Cuba in general, and this was our first time on Paredon. Being so new, all the rooms, furnishings, and grounds were all in great shape: The shower in the room had excellent pressure, the beds were comfortable, everything worked. I had a minor electrical issue that was promptly addressed by the front desk staff, who where very helpful every time I had a request (internet access, swapping rooms, general information, keeping my towel past che [... read more]ck out, etc). The lounges are nice, there is ample seating in the buffet and snack bars, and on the beach and around the pools. You may have to compete for shade but if you just want to sit down there is always a spot or a member of the staff willing to help you find enough seats. Our big group sat together all the time with ease. The resort design means the pools are often sheltered from the winds that might be stronger on the beach. There is a concrete pad between the beach and the resort that was a bit exposed and makes for a rougher walk, but it's minor, otherwise the beach is nice. It has a big sandbar right in front. We were impressed by the skills of the beach crew, they were making sure everyone could enjoy how they desired. There is an absolutely incredible beautiful natural beach if you walk to the east/right for a while. The food was fine, we often found a few stand out items and there were staples that we could depend on at the buffet (the omelet/meat station was my safe place). You might want to bring some hot sauce if you like that. The beach bar has a mini buffet that usually had some great lunch dishes and of course, the pizza for those willing to wait. We noticed the family section had a good selection of kids food too. There were occasional shortages here and there but nothing disastrous (I was getting worried about the espresso situation, but it was resolved by day 3). The a la carte dining was tough to book and based on the one I attended, a dubious use of your beach time to be waiting in line for. If you don't mind dining later, see if there are any missed appointments you can hop in for instead. Diner later was generally the best way to deal with crowds, there was always fresh stuff being brought out. Of course, the service was a highlight everywhere we went. The front, the bars, the buffet, our rooms, on the grounds, the pool and beach crew, even the airport staff ended up going above and beyond for us (a whole other story...). Some great musical talent on the entertainment crew as well. We quickly felt among friends anywhere we spent enough time, in no small part thanks especially to Yoelbis and Roberto(Terry) in the main lounge!

14 days at Grand Ashton Paradiso

This is our seventh trip to Cayo Coco so we are well aware of what to expect and fully understand the shortages Cuba is experiencing. We always bring our own salt/pepper, salad dressing, condiments, a kettle and coffee and even a steripen to sterilize our own water should the need arise. Boy were we thankful for that! Coffee was unavailable for our entire first week. Water in our room was unavailable for almost the entire 2nd week. It was not available at customer service or even at the bars. Wi [... read more]ne was completely unavailable even for purchase during the entire 2-week stay. We did manage to get some at 3 of our 6 a la cartes which was quite disappointing since we are wine drinkers. What I was surprised at this resort was the lack of creativity in cooking the food that was readily available. As usual, the bread, cheese, and cold cuts were readily available. The bread and cheese were delicious and the cold cuts were basically six plates of mortadella-like meat and sometimes one plate of cooked ham. Cooked pumpkin, cabbage dishes, and hot dogs were plentiful. In fact at our last dinner I took pictures of the buffet which was typical of our entire stay. The kids bar consisted of one tray of hot dogs cut in 1/8" slices with a few chunks of green pepper sprinkled in, one tray of hot dogs cut in 1" pieces and one tray of deep fried dough balls. There were an additional 5 trays of cut up hot dogs sitting in boiled water on the adult bar but no other meat/fish. If you lined up for 20 minutes at one end of the bar area you could get a dried up basa/tilapia fillet grilled for you and if you lined up at the other end you could get a thin piece of pork or beef but both were non-marinated tough cuts that curled up as soon as they hit the hot surface. Usually there was an additional one or two trays of flavourless rice and one tray of beans. So here is my question: If flour is so readily available, why can't the the hot dogs be served as sausage rolls? or barbecued or roasted and served whole on a bun? A piece of hot dog could even be put inside one of the disgusting dough balls:) Cabbage and rice could become cabbage rolls. Rice could become sushi when wrapped in seaweed. We could have cold slaw, sauerkraut salad or even sauerkraut and hot dogs. What about French toast or grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids? Instead of seven serving trays of boiled pumpkin cubes there could be pumpkin custard, pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie. We could have tortilla pinwheels made of the mortadella/cheese slices. Instead, when the unappetizing food was not eaten it was mixed together to form pumpkin/cabbage/hot dog dishes that resembled an overcooked version of the original fare. I even saw one of the workers pour a litre of water into the one bean dish turning it into a flavourless soup. At the a la carte restaurants it was clear we were forced to eat the leftovers that had not been eaten at the buffet. We had sauerkraut tacos and pumpkin puree fajitas?? That being said, the resort is only a few years old the rooms were the best we have experienced so far in Cuba. They were decorated beautifully and we had no problems with hot water, air conditioning or toilet paper. Apparently, coffee pods, soap, shampoo and conditioner are a one time gift on arrival. The coffee maker is aesthetic only unless you bring your own Nespresso pods. The only issue we had was the door on our closet. It would not open unless full body weight was put into opening it. Then it would SLAM as it reached the other side. There is no way anyone older than us (50's) would be able to manoeuvre it. The beach was absolutely stunning. Beautiful turquoise water, white sand and small easily visible rocky areas where you could observe fish close to shore. The pelicans are a special sight-diving to catch fish and not caring how close to humans they came. Would we go back? I don't think so. The food was sooo very bad!!

Long lines

The hotel over-all was nice, however we had booked (and paid for) an oceanview room, we looked out on a construction site. I realize tge hotel was fully booked, however we met many people who had paid considerably less, basic room, and were si happy they got an oceanview. We were not willing to wait in the customer service line for 2 hours to complain, it just soured our view of the resort. There were 1 yo 2 hour lineups every day for French fries and pizza as well as one hour lines for church's [... read more] on the beach.

Great resort, nice people.

We loved the hotel. We would give it five Stars, especially the work the cleaning lady named Yanet was doing every day at our room, she decorated our room with fowers and everything was always cleaned. All the personal was great, nice people. Beach is amazing. The food was okay, although needs a bit of improvements. There were huge lines during breakfast for omletes and we had to wait 1 hour every day to get pizza. There was no wine and not good choice of desserts.

Lovely new resort!

Absolutely amazing beach! Shallow water with dunes. You can wade out quite a way and still only be waist deep. White soft sand with only a few small areas of rock. Crystal clear water. If you follow the beach to the left there are 2 more hotels and an ancient lighthouse. To the right there is one more hotel and then you can follow the beach for over an hour. Pelicans and seabirds are currently co habitating with the tourist invasion. The hotel is just over a year old. The rooms are spacious wi [... read more]th a mini fridge and nespresso machine. There is a huge walk in shower with a rain forest nozzle as well as a hand held shower. The bed was king sized and quite comfortable. My balcony had a great view of the beach. Housekeeping staff were excellent. There was always plenty of food to eat, but not the variety you would see at home. Fresh grilled fish and a meat option were offered at lunch and dinner,there was also a pasta station in addition to rice, potatoes, pumpkin, and mixed dishes on the buffet. Fresh papaya, watermelon, starfruit, pineapple and grapefruit were available at each meal. Omelettes are the breakfast staple as well as a type of back bacon. The a la cartes were ok. I enjoyed the tex mex restaurant.Had to wait in line for over an hour to book the a la cartes though. Only one person taking reservations. Waitstaff, bartenders, entertainment crew, were all very friendly and went out of their way to make things good. There were times when the surge of people in the buffet was difficult for staff to keep up with, but mostly good. The entertainment seemed to start very late. The kids mini disco started at 830 at night, although it was well attended and the kids seemed to love it, it just seemed way past bedtime for the 3-5 year olds. The adult entertainment often started at 930 pm, so I did not see much of it, although I did watch the dancers rehearsing down by the beach late afternoon and they were very talented. All in all, an absolutely amazing vacation! Thanks to trip central's Eliana Anton for helping us book this lovely resort!

Amazing Resort

The resort was beautiful , spread out so nothing seemed busy or crowded. Everything was very clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms were very spacious. The beach was amazing! Lots of huts for shade and bar/snacks right on the beach.

Amazing resort and staff!

My sister and I were there for new years and the staff did and amazing job. We had a delicious turkey dinner to start off the evening along with lobsters, crabs etc. There was an outside stage with music and large screen for videos and the count down. Resort grounds and room was clean and spacious. Very comforting. Ac in the rooms was easy to control and always cold. Mini fridge was stocked daily with water. Staff was friendly, always smiling and so polite. Very relaxing atmosphere if you are lo [... read more]oking for a R&R vacation. Food was good especially for Cuba. If something wasn’t available there was always something else in its place. Chirros on the beach were a nice treat. Beach was breath taking. The pools were clean and not crowded. There were lots of chairs at the beach and pool. Everything about this resort was perfect. Everyone knows you don’t go to Cuba for the food you go for the friendly Cubans and the beaches. The food at this resort was a pleasant surprise and a bonus. You won’t regret booking your vacation at this resort.

Very nice Resort

Second visit. Still a new resort. Very clean and modern rooms with great showers and good water pressure. Beach is excellent! Can walk out in the water 200 feet and still only waist high. Food is challenging. Don’t expect a great variety. Staff very accommodating and pleasant.

New resort, almost there!

Being a new simplistic resort, it doesn't have a wow factor. Its small and easy to get around. Most staff are great and they do a lot of things right, and some they are greatly lacking. The beach was very nice with coral and fish, they kept the seaweed picked up. Only had bugs our last morning, and they were horrific. Hot water ran out between 4 and 7 every day, so shower accordingly. Had to fight for water bottles, then began delivering them in the evening. No coffee pods in rooms, but m [... read more]ade great expresso at bars. Excellent a'la cartes, wonderful service. No booze selection at all, just mostly hard crap alcohol and only had wine at dinner half the time. Very clean reaort. Cold pools and very windy most of the time. Felt very safe and alot of nice people with families with no drunkenness, as everytbing was watered down and the pool bar was empty because the pool was freezing. We had a great time despite shortages in Cuba still...they were pretty minor compared to other resorts. We will not be returning to Cuba when it is just as expensive as other places with constant lack of basic supplies. Great small resort!

Très bel hotel

Hôtel récent, propre, avec de nombreuses piscines spacieuses et des spectacles divertissants. La nourriture par contre reste de qualité médiocre, malgré que ce soit un 5 étoiles c’est Cuba donc peu varié et très redondant.

Great resort

Resort is very nice, clean, comfortable,. Beach is amazing. Food and beverages not good at all. I was expecting food being not great, but it was much worse than I thought. But overall value of this resort is good.

Nice resort

Hotel is new, kept clean. Pools are also nice and clean, beach fantastic. If you don’t go there for food I would highly recommend it. Refreshments available at the beach and by the pools. Very good value for the money.

Club Oceanview

The Club Section was a wonderful experience. We have been to many resorts in Cuba and the food was exceptional best we have experienced as well as the service from Carlos he could not do enough for you. Separate dining room for all meals and poolside service. We arrived at 11am and our room was ready late check is 2pm. Beautiful infinty pool close to the beach. I would definitely return.

Beautiful time at Grand Aston

The rooms were quite nice being a new build everything was quite nice. The beach was great and the staff kind and attentive. We had a tough time with food the first few days we were there but found some great food at the beach bar. They have a nice paella. And often have fresh fish which helped.so having a good lunch helped. The coffee from the bar and the little cafe were very good. They were having a hard time getting thing in like eggs and such. If you’re not a picky eater you’ll fi [... read more]nd something. Often times toilet paper in the front lobby was lacking so we just carried some with us. The pools were very nice the action team tried very hard! The circus show was quite good other wise the entertainment was ok. If you want a relaxing low keyed vacation this is a good resort. If you want great meals and lots of action perhaps not this place. Over all a good vacation

Beautiful hotel, beware of bugs

This is a great hotel, rooms are clean and spacious with contemporary design. The music is not too loud you could always find quiet place to enjoy your time here on the beach. Except been attacked by million mosquitoes for the last day, we loved our stay. Overall it is a good resort with good staff, who are not properly trained but do the best they could. Bring bug spray and Keep your expectation in check, you will be fine.

Splendid Resort

The resort was wonderful, quaint and easy to get around. The beach, rooms and grounds were very well kept. Tte people/staff were wonderful. I would recommend this resort. We went at low season and some of the restaurants were closed, but we could always find something to eat. There was an egg shortage throughout Cuba. So we had no eggs on day 3. The food was ok, it’s Cuba we don’t go for the food. The snack bar could have more options and more drink options throughout the resort, which  [... read more]I recommended to the CS Manager.

Yuri is the Best!

SUMMARY – we were there Oct. 26 – Nov. 9, 2023 and would readily return! Low season operating at 10 – 30% occupancy yet they kept almost everything open. When considering this review, we are mustard people, not Grey Poupon. Cuba, for us, offers exceptional value for the price. We have been to 4 Cuban resorts in the past 2 years. CHECK-IN – around noon which was super easy, and our room was ready! RESORT – new resort that celebrated their one-year anniversary while we there. Wel [... read more]l staffed and we were taken care of. ROOM – quite roomy and a nice layout. No issues to speak of. Lots of TV channels in English and other languages. STAFF – exceptional staff at this resort. Shoutouts to Yuri, Carla, Claudia, Yardier, and so many more throughout the resort. BEACH – one of the best we have been to which is something especially important when we research resorts. Most of the beach is powdery sand which extends way out into the ocean including sandbars. You can walk for miles along the beach. Beach chairs are new and in great shape. Tons of palapas. Seaweed is a non-issue and if there is any, it is raked and taken away. One issue – too much Celine Dion being played! More Spanish / Cuban music por favor. FOOD – for the most part, typical Cuban spread. We were impressed with the a la carte restaurants. Buffet had eggs 9/13 breakfasts, bacon 12/13, wine 12/13. Other resorts were also missing eggs – perhaps stockpiling for the upcoming holiday season? Pizza, french fries, poutine, hamburgers, churrios… CELIAC DISEASE – I have so no gluten for me. Yuri took care of me at one of the a la carte restaurants. We came across him at two other restaurants – he instantly remembered me and made sure I was taken care of. Best service I have ever had at a resort! WI-FI – excellent! We downloaded two movies from Netflix in a reasonable time. Login details were good for the duration of our stay! TIPPING – we live by the belief that Cuban people need some help and that if you take care of people, they take care of you. We bring lots of stuff to hand out and tip as well. We gave some deserving staff some old mobile phones we had. Do not bring coins. Buy coins from the staff, tip with the coins, and then buy the coins at the end of the stay. MISC. – negligible issues with mosquitoes and flies, inside and outside. We went for massages at the lighthouse - $55 USD CC or $65 CAD cash. Well worth it - we went twice!

Grand Aston Review

Hotel room was a good size with some must haves that are sometimes lacking at other Cuban resorts- lots of hot water, good water pressure in the shower, coffee machine, good air conditioning, bar fridge, iron and board, scale. Beach and water outstanding. Service at Tex Max restaurant was very slow the night we were there- only opportunity we found. Italian restaurant was excellent. Lots of staff and all were very very friendly!