Gran Muthu Rainbow Cayo Guillermo: 4th trip to Rainbow doesn’t disappoint

This was our fourth trip to the Rainbow and, we wouldn’t consider going anywhere else in Cuba. It’s like coming home… the staff remembers us and greets us like family. As returning guests were invited to a special dinner at the Indian a la Carre restaurant. For first timers wondering if this resort might be for them: 1. This is a gay resort. This means the guest vibe will be fun - almost all the couples we met were friendly and outgoing. 2. The rooms are superior - each is a mini  [... read more]suite- modern and well appointed. This is a small resort something like 230 rooms. It operates at about 40% capacity ( COVID and post COVID). Rainbow was built in 2019 - so it is pretty much new. 3. The pool is huge - a bit cool but January is the coldest month in Cuba . We never ever have to get up early to go reserve a lounger like almost every other resort. 4. There are 2 beaches - the one in front of the resort is not for swimming - although there is a place to enter if you bring your own snorkel gear. The main beach is between the Rainbow and the MGM Imperial - about a kilometre of white sand. 5. Sailing is good if you like Hobie Cats - but you won’t be allowed to sail solo - mostly because they don’t have a motor boat to go get you if something happens 6. The food is improving since 2021/2022. typical Cuban fare in the buffet and we are now able to serve ourselves again. I always take a bottle of hot sauce . Do not expect gourmet cuisine or Canadian food. you can get fries and cheeseburgers at the snack bar anytime. You will not go hungry - the old Maxim holds true “ you don’t go to Cuba for the food”… 7. The drinks are basic - and they really don’t have premium brands of anything but rum. You can get Havana Club 5 year old at the lobby bar but you have to ask. Cuba Libres are white rum and colas. A Cubata is a dark rum and cola . The Spanish coffees are good - available at the lobby bar and the snack bar at the far end of the pool. Don’t expect top shelf whisky/ gin/vodka/ 8. Tips and currency… Do Not buy CUP under any circumstances. The staff need CAD and the CUP(pesos) have become devalued in the post CUC era. You don’t need to tip for every meal/drink, but many do. Bring loonies and toonies and fives. Once you get to know the staff they will be happy to trade their CAD coins for CAD paper money. 9. Off resort activities …. We booked a cab and driver for the day and drove into Moron. You don’t need to book the offered excursions. But you will need a local guide. The bellmen (Andy or Eris) can help you with this - they are very trustworthy. Expect to pay about 160 CAD for full day with a driver in a modern Taxi. Note - you will need CUP in Moron if you go. Sugar cane factory and alligator farm are destinations. There are few restaurants in Moron to choose from. Don’t get exchange at hotel or a Cadeca ( bank). 10. Highly recommend COCO scuba diving. It is located about a 7 minute drive away in the Gran Caribe resort. They will arrange pick up and drop off at no charge. The front desk or customer service staff (Kitty or Jordan) will call for you. Prices are very good and it’s a safe operation and they provide gear in the price. 45USD for 1st dive if you are certified.

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Nice friendly resort

We spend 2 weeks beginning January this year and we were very pleased with our choice. Good services at all levels : reception, housekeeping, restaurants, bars, beach. Staff is attentive excellent client service and client oriented. We loved the Cuban party on Friday. Many thanks to Public relations staff how make sure every day that all is working well. We were impressed with the high manager how is very present every were Will definitely be back Danielle

Muthu Colonial Hotel: 7 Days in Hell

THE GOOD: The beach is beautiful. There are little wood huts for a bit of shade. The resort is only about 10 min drive from the airport. They make delicious bread for breakfast and dinner. As always, the staff were generally friendly and seemed to be trying their best. THE BAD: 1. The food. This was my 5th trip to Cuba, my husband's 10th and our 3rd visit to Cayo Coco. My husband stayed in the Colonial about 20 years ago and he enjoyed his stay. We know what to expect from Cuba wi [... read more]th regard to food, so our expectations were moderate. The Colonial has sunk to a new low. The cooks do not have an understanding of food safety. We were served chicken that was dangerously under-cooked on more than one occasion. Even rice and pasta were under-cooked and much of the fruit they served was under-ripe. Everything else was over-cooked and too dry to swallow, or not heated thoroughly. The only thing we could stomach was salad (made with cabbage because there was no lettuce until our last day), bread and cheese. That gets REALLY old after 7 days. 2. Coffee. I don't drink alcohol, and I like to drink coffee throughout the day and evening. You can only get coffee at breakfast time, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. After 10 there is espresso in the bar but it is so strong, dusty and bitter it hurt my mouth after the second day. 3. Shortages The bars run out of everything but rum early in the day. You can occasionally get juice but unless you like rum and coke or orange Fanta, you're out of luck. 4. LOUD music in the dining room at dinner time. They bring an amplifier and microphone into the dining hall at dinner time, and a singer screams off-key songs at high volume while walking from table table while people are trying to eat. 5. Sanitation. Most days there was no hand soap in the public bathrooms, there was never anything to use for drying your hands, and no toilet seats in the men's facilities. THE UGLY: 1. Bugs. Our first room was infested with mosquitoes that got in through massive gaps in the window and door frames. We were badly bitten throughout the evening and night. There were also red ants that crawled all over our beds and bit us while we slept. We complained and were moved to a room that was a little farther away from the river that runs around the resort (and is the likely source of the mosquitoes) where there were fewer mosquitoes but many more ants. My husband has more than100 bites and is now on high dose steroids and antihistamines for the next 20 days. 2. The beds: like sleeping on concrete. 3. This is the most disturbing part. The resort management knows that there is a mosquito infestation in the perimeter rooms, but still puts people in those rooms. The manager went so far as to explain to us that the perimeter rooms have mosquito problems while he was moving us to a building farther away from the "moat". Many other guests had welts from bites all over their bodies and one woman told us she needed to see a doctor for antibiotics. At the end of our stay, we were first on the bus that picked up people from 3 other resorts nearby. None of those guests had apparent bites, and most of them said they enjoyed their vacations. We suspect that their resorts sprayed for bugs and the Colonial did not.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Not 4••••

Staff was excellent. Very friendly and helpful. The rooms were in disrepair and needed some TLC. Beaches could have been so much more if only they had staff to clean seaweed. Seaweed was removed only once during 10 day stay

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Not 4••••

Staff was excellent. Very friendly and helpful. The rooms were in disrepair and needed some TLC. Beaches could have been so much more if only they had staff to clean seaweed. Seaweed was removed only once during 10 day stay

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Incredible staff

You will not get a better beach i promise you. The staff are always amazing. The food is perfectly fine. I have been to this same resort at least 6 times, i always have a great time. If you are looking for a good holiday at a great price, this is it. Side note. The airport is small and efficient. YYZ to a mohito on the beach will take roughly 5 hours.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Recommended but would not return

Long story short; You get what you pay for. This is a nice resort with some updated features and a beautiful beach to walk. More details: Before leaving for Cayo Coco Melia Jardines del Rey I read many of the reviews and noticed that they were either 0-1 or 4-5 star reviews with not a lot of middle ground. After visiting I realize that the 0-1 reviewers were focusing too much on just one aspect of their stay and experience. My suggestion to you the reader (and the previous reviewers), if you [... read more] read in here that there is a lack of something (i.e. towel or toilet paper) pack it in your suitcase and bring it from home. Simple solution. As for the 4-5 star reviews, yes the resort is nice and clean. The staff work very hard. The food is decent and the restaurant have a good enough variety for the week. My main issue staying on the resort was not the resort itself (the building, staff, beach or food), it was the other people (guests) staying there. Many of them are rude, they but in lines, empty baby carriages full of food on the floor for the staff to clean up - they are busy enough they do not need to clean up after grown adults. Have some respect for yourself and for the staff, help clean and keep the place tidy. Stop cutting in lines and ask the person in front of you if they have already ordered. As for the maintenance; one pool was not swimmable. It was covered in green algae and did not look inviting to swim in. I suggest the beach instead. Bring a snorkel and mask to view the fish along the beach shore. I would recommend water shoes as there as many spots covered in coral. Be prepared for shortages of wine or other liquors besides rum. Bring the things from home that would make your trip more enjoyable and be kind to one another.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Nice place

Great staff. Food was not so good. But then again Cuba never is good for dining. Rooms were clean very nice beach as well as grounds. Entertainment should cater more to crowd........ .........................

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Not Great

We went in with low expectations as it is Cuba and we didn't want to be too optimistic. However, we unfortunately would not recommend this hotel to anyone we know. We travelled with our 2 year old and requested a crib 4x before arriving - we did not get a crib the entire stay even though we asked every day we were there. Our room had a broken AC unit and we asked every single day until the 6th day we got a room change, FINALLY. Everything is pulling teeth. The front desk people must be ex [... read more]hausted from everyone complaining, but their attitude made us feel like they didn't care about our needs at all, and WE were a bother by asking for basic needs. The first night we got there after a long day of travel, we went to the buffet which was an absolute CHAOS, no tables available or plates for 20 minutes. When we finally got a table and I asked for spites for our table to drink and they laughed. No sprite. I was like okay do you have any juice for my 2 year old? Orange juice? No. Apple juice? no. Any juice? no. We found out they don't do any juice at night only at breakfast. YIKES. The food was okay, we were never hungry. But you do eat the same things every single day. The wifi is complete garbage but we expected that. The first night I went up to the front desk to ask if they could help me connect to the wifi because it wasn't working and again they laughed and said yeah it doesn't work sometimes. My husband and I got completely eaten alive by the bugs in the bed sheets. Not sure if they were bed bugs or sand fleas but it made sleeping impossible. Combined that with no working AC. We did not have a great time while in the room. I think that's completely unacceptable. Not once did they apologize or try to make things right. We always felt like we were an inconvenience or a burden for asking for help. Everyone we met at the resort said this is not a good hotel at all, we bonded over the suffering together. Everyone said the motto of Memories Flamenco is that the front desk will always tell you to come back at shift change, that way it's someone else's problem to deal with. Overall we made the best of a not great situation, but will not be returning to this hotel in the future. I would much rather pay a few hundred dollars a person more and go somewhere with better resources and customer service.

Melia Cayo Coco: Great Resort

Hotel was very clean. Staff always working to keep up. Great place. Food was very good especially for Cuba. Rooms a bit dated but clean. Staff amazing. Beautiful pool. Beach was amazing. Never had an issue finding seats. Would definitely go back.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Great time

Booze, warm weather, good staff, nice beach close by. What else do you need. ...........................................................................................................................

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great hotel

This was an amazing trip to Cuba. The hotel had plenty of food and was right near the beach. The beach was clear and you can see the fish. The service was amazing and staff were kind. The room was a bit dated. But it definitely worth the money and price.

Melia Cayo Coco: Amazing time!

We had a great time at the Melia Cayo Coco! The people, grounds, common areas were wonderful. There was always someone cleaning. The food was limited, but very good. The baked goods were spectacular! We would go back😁

Gran Muthu Rainbow Cayo Guillermo: Beautiful LGBTQ resort

Rainbow hotel was a wonderful experience. Beautiful space, pool, nice beach, great entertainment and staff. I could always find something to eat but food is typical for Cuba (subpar). Not too busy when we were there, mainly Canadians - 70% LGBTQ.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Amazing Resort poor service

The hotel is amazing everything from rooms to the pool to ground perfect the only problem was they need to check their service from front desk- kitchen all the managers wondering around doing nothing to fix the problem fix the service in general you have a amazing place

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Worst vacation ever

This vacation was horrible the hotel was over booked my ocean view was a building view before going to our room we tried to book some a la carts all of them were booked for our entire stay. We had water all over our bathroom and bedroom but no clue we’re it was coming from. No phone working toilet or shower for 3 days. The wifi barley worked and you had to get a new code every 14 hours.between 4pm and 7pm the water in the room didn’t turn on you could even flush so it smelled like an out hou [... read more]se. No daily made service they came every 2-3 days in the seven days did not put clean towels unless we asked and did not provide toilet paper we had to wipe with our towels and didn’t have any toilet paper in any public bathrooms either. The buffet was 30-45 minutes wait to get in and to get food that was horrible if they had anything left. The place to exchange beach towels was closed the entire stay. Cigar shop had no cigars. They did not fill our fridge daily we had 2 cans of beer and 1 bottle of water the day we arrived and when we asked for more they said only the first day the buffet was closed more hours then it was open. No games and or entertainment for my teens. Our door lock was broken we had to punch it several times for it to except our key cards and when you locked it from inside it could be opened anyway. The reception staff was very rude they did not send people up to fix thing and they would not provide toilet paper and when we asked to move to a functioning room they said NO. Furniture in lobby and other common spaces were falling apart. Overall this was the worst vacation we’ve ever had and I would not even recommend this hotel to my worst enemy.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Very Run Down

This hotel has seen better days. The weather was beautiful, and the beaches were stunning. But every walkway, building and area is very run down. The rooms need a major update, as the beds are very small. Our room was double beds, but the beds seemed more like a twin size. The bedding is old, and the pillows are old. We didn't have enough pillows the first night, so I slept without one for the first night. We had no hot water in our room. Staff looked into it, and decided it was becaus [... read more]e the batteries for the water heater were dead. They didn't have replacements. Since our kids were also on our floor we declined being moved to another building and would shower in our other room. Our room was also very musty. The first desk staff are mostly rude and hurried. It took over an hour to get checked on the first day. They would also only give you one room key, as they are having supply issues with key cards. This made it hard for my family of 6. You are given free wifi, but after the time is up, you need to return to the front desk to ask for more. The front desk always seem annoyed when we asked for more time. The buffet was passable. It was the same food served all week long. Choices were very limited, but I think this is normal for Cuba. There were often no clean plates, so you had to wait for them to bring out more. Often the plates looked dirty. The staff serving the food were kind and polite. At the tables they didn't offer spoons, so each meal I would track down a spoon to feed my younger child that required a spoon. I think this is a suppy issue. they are running short on many things. The snack bar was not good. They offered french fries and plain hamburgers. Served from a very messy-looking area. No condiments, no toppings. Just a bun and meat. I was most disappointed with the entertainment. There were absolutely no activities for teens and children. There was a large chessboard, a ping pong table, and a pool table. There was no attempt by the staff to engage the children at all. they had a volleyball net at the beach, but they did not have a volleyball.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Very new hotel

The hotel is very new and facilities are perfect. Only the beach is not smooth enough, there are lots of rocks along the beach. But they are working on it now. The staff are friendly and nice, but English is not well spoken. Overall is 4 out of 5.

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Meh

In one word, I would have to say the resort experience here was underwhelming. I had never travelled to Cuba and though I was lowering my expectations, so to speak, from other all inclusive resorts, this resort was simply “okay”. Our room was clean enough and stocked with necessities (hand soap and toilet paper). The patio door did not lock though being on the third floor it wasn’t too much of a concern. Not enough loungers by the pool - many were “reserved” in the evenings by p [... read more]eople placing a towel and a rock on them. Pools were a generous size and the boardwalk/beach area was beautiful, though again, lacking in seating. You could walk out in the ocean quite a ways and it was definitely the highlight of the resort. Wifi available in the lobby only and this was very spotty at best. Food wasn’t labelled in the buffet, the variety of beverages was lacking and there were always constant lineups. Waited in line for everything! Only one food option available during the day - when the buffet was open the snack bar was closed and vice versa. Would often order food at the snack bar and after 20 mins or so, would still not have received our order. Constantly running out of food (fries and hot dogs). Very limited options at the snack bar. Again, a lot of waiting! Could never get a towel poolside…recommend you bring your own. Could only book one a la carte and the food quality was simply fine. The resort “shop” sold not much more than cigars and cigarettes, so pack your necessities and change of clothes/footwear in your carryon in case your luggage is lost/delayed. Playa Pillar beach was stunningly beautiful and a short walk away. While it was nice to get away from the frigid Canadian winter and spend time with the family, the resort services were just “meh”.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Needs some work

Just returned Jan 2023. Considering this resort only opened in 2018 I expected more. The online pictures are accuarate as they focus mainly on the outside and lounge. Check in/check out were painless and they accomodated 5 of us in 2 rooms side by side however in 1 room the shower leaked a lot all over the floor everytime it was used and in the other room the toilet rarely flushed and no one came to fix it even though the front desk was advised. We had to almost beg for new towels. The food a [... read more]t the a la carte was decent, the beach restaurant was really good however at the buffet some items could have been cooked longer. A lot of the items were either not labeled or mislabeled and not usually replaced with the same item which caused guests to hoard the more popular choices. The snack bar although 24 hours service was incredibly slow. Bars usually only had one person serving which resulted in very long line ups. The staff was basically pleasant if You greeted them first but most made no eye contact and spent a lot of time speaking amongst each other. Wi-Fi worked most places which was helpful and the night entertainment was nice. Some of the available services were advised of by other guests and not the staff (i.e. there was a customer service department away from the main lobby or you could have breakfast prepared in the snack bar) The beach was beautiful and the pools were well maintained however the public washrooms off the main lobby were disgusting and not cleaned often enough. After some minor improvements this resort could definitely be a true 4 star.