Ocean Riviera Paradise: Great vacation

We were impressed by this resort. So clean and easy to get around. The pools are amazing and the grounds were so well kept. The food always fresh and great selection was so surprised by the quality and the preparation. We will return and thank our Trip Central agent Miranda Mawdsley for suggesting she knew exactly what we were looking for.

Ocean Maya Royale: Nice resort but would not return.

The resort was small but nice. Very clean. Staff at the bar and in the restaurants friendly. Restaurants were a bit hit and miss. Did not like the buffet at all. Have traveled to Mexico many times and found the quality of the food to be poor in comparison to other resorts. The evening entertainment was good however during the day somewhat lacking. 2 days of our trip there was no entertainment staff at the pool at the all and non-existent at the beach for the entire trip. The beach area was small [... read more] but nice. We enjoyed our stay however I would not return this to resort.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: WITHOUT A DOUBT THE WORST EXPERIENCE IN 12 VISITS TO CUBA

THE HOTEL LOOKED FINE, IT SHOULD ITS NEW. STAFF AT FRONT DESK AND AT THE BARS THE ONLY THING GOOD. MY PHONE WAS STOLEN WITHIN 2 HRS OF BEING THERE FROM AROUND THE POOL. RITE OUT OF MY BAG, WITH SECURITY CAMERAS POINTED RITE WHERE MY BAG WAS. BUT THE MANAGES FELT IT NESSARY TO LIE AND TELL ME THERE WERE NO CAMERAS AT THE POOL. WHY???? THATS WHAT ID LIKE TO KNOW. SPENT THE NEXT 3 DAYS MEETING WITH STAFF MGMT AND SECURITY TO RETRIEVE MY PHONE. TOTAL INCOMPETENCE. ITHEY SUGGESTED THEIR SECURITY DEAL [... read more] WITH IT INSTEAD OF POLICE. WHY???? DAM GOOD QUESTION. THEN TO BE TOLD THAT THE CAMERA POINTING RITE AT MY BAG PICKED UP NOTHING AFTER 3 DAYS OF BS. NOT INPRESSED. AS FAR AS THE RESTAURANTS. 1/2 WERE CLOSED EVERY NIGHT. THEY HAD A BUFFET WITH THE EXACT SAME FOOD IN SAME SPOTS EVERY LUNCH AND DINNER. NOT A SHRIMP HOT OR COLD TO BE FOUND. IVE STAYED AT 2 1/2 STARS THAT HAVE SHRIMP EVERY DAY JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER HOTEL IN MY 12 PREVIOUS STAYS. THEN WAS EMERG EVACUATED OUT THURSDAT THE 7TH WITH 2 HRS NOTICE AT 2AM TO PACK AND GET TO THE BUS. OTHERE THERE WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO RIDE OUT THE STORM, WHY NOT GIVEN A CHOICE? WHO KNOWS. THE PLACE WAS A BAD JOKE FROM START TO FINISH.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Nice resort! but needs improvements for a 5 star hotel.

Nice new resort, clean and large facility. updated washrooms were nice. we had the ocean view, but i wouldn't pay extra again for a very far view of ocean. there are quite a few details that could be improved, and we found was lacking compared to even lower star rating hotels. great beach! specially on the west side of resort (oeste) we heard the east side is very rocky. AC is very weak, they have a ceiling fan, but does not help at all. Pillows are uncomfortable. Food was ok. nice variety [... read more], but flavour was lacking. Service at buffet was slow, had to ask for cutlery most of times. Lots of locals on the week we went. all good, except they are not very polite while lining up for buffet and left plastic cups around the pool. straws and cups made it to the pool. can be frustrating. beach towels were not available for two days, so we used same towels, but luckily we brought our own towels. definitely not a 5 star hotel. i would rate as 4 because of the nice building.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Great resort. Wonderful people but understaffed

Rooms: Good size rooms for families, comfortable bed, proper amount of towels provided, clean facilities. Restaurants: Adequate choice of restaurants. Things can get crowded at the A la Carte's if you get there a tad late and you will have to be patient to get in. Service is very good and they try and accommodate you as much as possible. Buffets also get crowded and servers get overwhelmed. As a result drinks may be served after you are done your meals. There is no way to get drinks on your o [... read more]wn. Food: There is plenty of variety to choose from whether it is at the buffet or the a la carte. The kids menu is limited as is the same across all restaurants. Pools: The hotel has 4 pools. There is something for everyone whether you like to party or enjoy some quiet. Beach: Great beach. Seaweed is a problem across the Mayan coast but it is very tolerable. Staff try and keep the beaches clean.

Ocean Maya Royale: Average Stay

We stayed at the Ocean Maya Royale, and had a relitvely good expierence. We noticed that the resort was very understaffed in all restaurants and bars. The beach was very Disappointing, there was little swimming areas, luckily the pool was right next to the beach. The food selection was poor in comparison to other resorts I've stayed at in the Mayan. I really enjoyed the no reservation policy at the a la carte restaurants, the Italian and romantic dining a la cartes were delicious. All and all it [... read more] was a pretty average stay. Nothing over the top, but nothing terrible either.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Stay away from this resort if possible

This resort is rated as a 5 star resort but that rating is inaccurate. We have been to Cuba 16 times and at best this is 3.5 stars. Staff is rude, facilities are worn and beach is far from hotel. They split our group up between buildings on other ends of the resort. The reception would not answer the phone and when you complained about something, it never got resolved. For example, one room was on the first floor and the sliding door to the room would not lock. There was no security to be seen a [... read more]t the resort. It took 2 days and 4 complaints to have someone look at it. Another room had their in room safe locked so they could not use it - took 5 complaints and 3 days before that was addressed.

Ocean Blue and Sand: Family get away

So first and foremost the staff was quite friendly and kind. Food was great, something for everyone. However the H10 representatives are constantly hustling you to attend meetings, which we did not want to attend but were guilted into attending. Waste of our time. The only other disappointment was the beach. Apparently vast amounts of seaweed is a common problem now. The beach looked awful and smelt terrible. They had a tractor that tried to clean it up daily, but this along with a helico [... read more]pter that would fly by every 45 minutes, did not make for a restful beach experience. They were also the only beach to have 10 very large "whale" looking humps in the water. They were apparently filled with sand in an attempt to prevent the seaweed from going on the beach????? My husband preferred the pool, which was well maintained and beautiful. However whether you choose the pool or the beach, you must wake early enough to play the towel/umbrella game! My first trip to Punta Cana, not sure that I would go back to this resort.

Playa Vista Azul: GREAT EXPERIENCE OVERALL

I have been to Cuba 6 times and this was the second best I have been to. The Pullman in Cayo Coco was probably the best. The Melia resorts are usually a good bet as well. LOCATION This hotel is half way up the Varadero strip which was a good location for taking the tourist bus into Varadero, getting to the airport, Dolphin tour, the Bellmar caves, day trip to Havana, Matanzas :) BEACHES The beaches left something to be desired. The small beach was closer to the washroom, food and rooms but was [... read more] a rocky ledge leading into the water, so we had to walk down the beach 100 yards to go swimming. It was picturesque though so that was nice and there was a sandy bottom once you are in the water. The other beach is more traditional, but the palapas were up near the bushes and quite a walk to the water's edge and there was no washroom or food near there, you had to walk back to the main resort. That was the beach for games so we went there a few times and couldn't find anywhere to sit as there weren't enough chairs. The smaller beach was better overall and you could walk to the next resorts on the left and a nice shopping plaza in about 15 minutes. HOTEL The hotel is less than 2 years old and was modern and clean. There were lots of areas to sit and relax with friends. The rooms were nice and our maid was great. There was no bathroom door really - it was a large sliding door only ours didn't close and the shower had a glass wall so people in the room could see the person showering so not the best rooms for 2 friends sharing. They only gave 2 bath towels per room, no hand towels or bath mats which I found strange. The bar fridge was always stocked and the safe was free. The beds were very hard, but I always bring my own foam topper! The pillows were really long and flat (I had to double mine up for a proper pillow) maybe bring your own! PREMIUM I would recommend upgrading to the premium club if you can afford it as there was an infinity pool, bar, 2 restaurants all exclusive use for premium guests. ENTERTAINMENT The lobby bar had quiet entertainment each evening (piano guy, saxophones, violin etc) while the main stage had much louder entertainment each night at 9:30 pm. We went in August, so can't say whether that was the regular entertainment, but it was just ok, mostly dancing and a bit of singing. You could see the dancers were very fit and tried to make a good show for you. I have been to other Cuban resorts where there was more variety in the types of shows and level of quality. There was no pool ballet show, no Michael Jackson show lol, there was one magic show which was good, but one night was just an audience participation show and was terrible. There is no disco on site so the shows are important in my mind. They did have a beach dance party one night from 11-12:30 and blew foam on everyone, that was pretty fun. FOOD This was probably the best food I have ever had in Cuba. The a la carte restaurants were just ok, very slow service, food was pretty much the same as buffet and you couldn't reserve, it was just walk in. We ended up eating at the buffet most of the time and that was actually pretty good. It was indoors and air conditioned which was nice. My only issue with the buffet was the service. If you arrived at the start times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, you had a very good experience. If you arrived towards the end of the buffet, there was hardly a clean table to find even though the restaurant was empty. I rarely had a waiter ask me what I wanted to drink, almost always had to find someone myself. Had to find my own cutlery a few times from other tables. PEOPLE The staff at this resort were hit and miss. I found if you made an effort to smile and say hello, they were very nice, otherwise they just walked past you. When we tipped for service, we found our experience vastly better. The maid Leysi was great and always smiling, the bartenders Victor, Adonai and Henry were quick servers and fun, the pool staff especially Norvi and Yonyi were very friendly and helpful, the front desk girls were very nice as well. OTHER We went with Cubana airlines and Hola Sun. The airplane was so basic it made me laugh, never mind no TV or movie, there was no plug in for music, no air sickness bags, no magazines, no pillow or blanket, cloth seats with no hygenic cover and and miserable staff. I guess you get what you pay for there. The Hola Sun reps were all nice and knowledgeable and had no issues with them. With Hola Sun you get a free excursion usually and our was to Matanzas and Caves and that was great! We also booked a mini-van tour to Havana and I would highly recommend that! The more private tour, the better. OVERALL I would definitely go back to this resort as the experience overall was great. I go to Cuba for the people, the weather, the cost (got a deal at $1067 as this place is usually much higher) and would recommend this hotel for sure :)

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great resort

This was our first trip to Cuba and definitely not our last. From check in to check out the staff were all very nice. We had a few staff who could not speak english at all, and would look at us and smile or point to another staff member who spoke english. My first night there, the shower head fell missing my head(it was a very big heavy shower head). Luckily, there was also a hand held shower head, because they did not come to fix it until the day before I left. We loved the swim up bar.  [... read more]It was great having the snack bar, that you could get something to eat any time of the night. I must say the food was not as bad as some of the reviews. Like every place in the world,you are going to encounter something(food) that you don't like, but you will never go hungry, you will definitely find something you like. You don't have to make reservations for any of the A La carte restaurants(which is great),but be prepared to stand in a line up, unless you go between 6 and 7. The grounds are clean,but sometimes the public washrooms had no toilet paper. We were totally entertained at the club,but it was about a five minute walk off the grounds, at the market place. You can get a drive there on the cart, but be prepared that sometimes the driver does not always comeback to pick you up. Sometimes there is also a cover charge at the club. Make sure you take the double decker bus to the other marketplace. The one thing the hotel needs to improve on is the towels in the room. They were all discoloured. Thank you to Yunie who did a great job on my room everyday and working hard getting me towels that were usable. The beach was great, but somedays you have to go early to get a spot in the shade.(there is a bar on the beach) The nighty entertainment was fantastic, especially the "Michael Jackson" tribute.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Good vacation

I have been to Cuba 6 times now and have to say that this hotel was one of the nicest. The room was modern and the beds and pillows comfortable. The beach as always was breathtaking. I will say that this hotels beach was the longest I've seen. If looking at the water, to the right was the busy section with music and entertainment. To the left, it was quiet. Also, the farther to the left you went the more coral there was. I like a sandy bottom and the small patches of coral did not bother me  [... read more]at all. I go for the beach at it was not a disappointment. The lobby had a quiet upstairs and a lower area where there was nightly live music before the show. The lobby patio was beautiful. The food was just fine! You will not starve. The service was hit and miss. Mike's coffee was fabulous for my speciality coffees and Yuel was very kind. I would like to note that although some of the staff seemed inattentive, I felt that some of the guest were down right rude and bossy. Also, if people want to go to a beautiful resort than do your best to keep it clean. So sad to see empty cups all over. You may be on vacation but it doesn't mean you have to be lazy! Overall, I would gladly go back to this resort.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Not so great

The lobby was pretty and plenty of seating. Actually, the entire resort had plenty of seating and very clean. The grounds were not very tropical, lack of flowers. The walk to the beach felt like I was in the desert rather then on a tropical island. The beach was beautiful and plenty of shade. There was free water sports but the catamaran rides were on first come first serve bases which meant you were just hanging around in the full sun waiting for your turn. Other resorts I have been to yo [... read more]u sign up for a time. The pathway to our building was very narrow so you had to walk single file could not walk beside someone. The buffet was terrible and I am not referring to the quality of the food but the quantity. We were told on our bus ride in that mangos were in season but yet it was almost impossible to get mango at the buffet. The mango tray was always empty so when it did come out people would take huge amounts that left nothing for the others. I felt like platters were always empty but plenty of rice. The service was terrible you had to track someone down to get you a drink while at the buffet dining (and I was tipping). When you did order a drink it would arrive when you pretty much had finished your meal. As far as the rooms they were very nice and spacious, the air conditioning was great no issues there, the showers were large and great water pressure again no issues there. My only complaint about the rooms is cleaning service was not so great. The bed was made, towels changed but beside that nothing else. The two glasses in the bathroom that you use to rinse your mouth when you brush your teeth were not changed once (again I left a trip every day). Sorry one more complaint, at the a la carte's you are offered dessert but yet you can't get a cup of coffee with it?

Playa Vista Azul: Good resort

Hotel grounds very well maintained and beautiful. Dining room facilities good. Excellent service. Food options vast albeit bland. Rooms clean and comfortable. Great beach and pool. Enjoyed the nightly entertainment.

Ocean Blue and Sand: An incredible experience for our family

This hotel was really great. The pool is huge with a well stocked swim-up bar, and they have good quality alcohol (brugal extra viejo anyone???). The buffet has excellent choices for all meals, and a la cartes don't require reservations except the japanese one. We ate at the American and Mexican restaurants and both were really good. The American restaurant had a huge menu. The a la cartes also have a kids menu which was handy. My kids went to the kids club a couple times and had fun. The [... read more]y were given free t-t-shirts the first day they went. One night they had dinner with the kids club and they offered supervised kids' activities afterwards giving us a couple hours to ourselves. We saw one show and it was well done. Bowling was fun, and there are pool tables and foosball tables in the bowling alley as well as a bar. The beach was not the greatest I've seen in the DR...lots of seaweed and some weird plastic barrel things in the water. We basically stayed at the pool. We used the resort photographer who was amazing and we got lots of great photos. I highly recommend this hotel and would definitely go back in the future.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Ok

Room was not what we thought, CHECK IN TO A DIRTY ROOM had to have room cleaned again. water stains ,water leaking through wall, shower water running into bathroom floor, drains clogged, hotel not kept up at all. A lot of unfinished areas throughout resort! Needs some TLC Second day lost power early in morning for 3 hrs and then noon time lost power again around 11am Oh yeah and bottle if rum that was promissed, did not receive it until last day , and to top it off it was a 300ML. Bottle Ve [... read more]ry disappointed! House keepers done their best Beach was amazing though

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Good experience!

Beautiful beach and pools, great staff and service, good food especially at the restaurants, good entertainment. My family had a pleasant experience. I would recommend this place to others. Would try privilege next time.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: Amazing New Resort

First of all Miranda with Tripcentral.ca was an amazing consultant. This resort was amazing. Our first all inclusive. Adults only section but fam friendly. Amazing staff and service. Go and enjoy.

Playa Vista Azul: Better than I expected.

Here a couple of things I enjoyed about the resort: The staff was really friendly and helpful The room was well kept The food although was not that great (not enough flavour or not warm enough) The resort should have more activities for young adults.

Ocean Coral Riviera Cancun: Fantastic Resort with a Teeny Tiny Bit of Beach Problems

Ocean Coral & Turquesa is a beautiful resort and their staff are very polite and approachable. The food was absolutely phenomenal (Blue Moon Restaurant in particular) and provides many options for individuals with dietary restrictions/preferences. They even give their guests a card which marks which restriction/preference they have and the guest presents this when they eat so the kitchen staff will accommodate their preference/restriction. The pools were great, minus the fact that they got v [... read more]ery warm by the end of the day which is understandable, because the sun and all the bodies swimming in it. Unfortunately, by no fault of it's own, the resort's beach (as well as many others along the same coastline) are experiencing an issue with seaweed. Most days there would be large mounds of seaweed washed up on shore and entering the water was uncomfortable because it would either be floating in the water or you would step on it. With that said, the resort is very good at controlling the seaweed problem by having members of their staff tasked at cleaning the beaches each day. The larger issue with the seaweed is that as less people use the beaches, the pools get crowded quite quickly. Make sure you get to them early if you want decent chairs. The room was great and very cool (thank you, air conditioning). The only issue we experienced with our room was that the water temperature from the shower was inconsistent so it was hard to have a shower without adjusting the temperature several times. Additionally, there was no door to our bathroom, just a curtain which although stylish and romantic, for those individuals who may enjoy more privacy in the bathroom this may prove to be a bit uncomfortable. Overall, our vacation was fantastic and despite the very minor issues which we encountered, we would definitely recommend the resort to friends/family. Ps. they have a wonderful entertainment team who are very engaging and fun and their dancers are absolutely phenomenal!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: VERY CLEAN NICE RESORT

We stayed at Ocean Casa Delma from July 14- July 21. Flying with Cubana air was very good experience. They are on time. The pilots are skillful we had smooth landings. Good services on flight, and they provided foods with sandwiches, salads, and little desserts with drinks. We found the foods and drink were good enough, better than other airlines. The planes are not new, but have extra legging. The bus ride to resort back and forth were good, with the pleasant tourguides gave us some int [... read more]eresting information and fun. We stayed at building 18, it was excellent location, close to 24 hr snack bar, swimming pool, and a little walk to lobby and buffet restaurant, also to the beach. We ate most of the times at the buffet. The foods were not really good on the first day, then getting better with very tasty caramel flan cake, mango fruits, guavas and salad, tomatoes...etc then on the last couple of days, it turned back to the not very good foods, just like they changed the chief cook or something. Foods were refilled fast, and have a lot. They said Cuba is the third world country, but I found they have enough meats like pork, chicken, beef, seafoods, veggie, garlic, onion...etc to make lots of good tasty meals, it is just the matter of skills of the cooks. They can make beef balls for pasta or good soups from a chewy beef, or ground pork can be made springrolls or other Asian dishes and soups...etc, just search the recipes on youtube or internet. The breakfast is always nice with lots of selections. Lunch and dinner are almost the same. They have a seafoods night with crabs, shrimps,and squids...that was nice. The shrimps were a good treat. We tried the Italian a la carte, as it was recommended. The service was so slow, we were there from 6 PM( walk-in, doesn't need appointment), then left at 8:30PM with the half empy stomach ! we just ordered the main dishes, the small portion of shrimps rice is unbelievable! too little, and the beef sirloin was chewy, chewy !! So we didn't bother to try other restaurants. Shout out to Victor, Danny and a nice girl, sorry I forgot her name at the buffet. They gave us very nice services. The room are very clean, the water pressure is excellent, the maid did good job. The entertainment were good, specially the Michael Jackson show, excellent. The Broadway show was also nice, with the two singers and very talented dancers. There was a disco and bowling at the market. You can walk there for 10 mins. or walk a few minutes to the right from the beach, where they are doing construction... The gardens need time to mature. The lobby is beautiful. The front desk provided good services, and good manner. My brother also mention the tennis handsome guy, who spent time to play with him every morning. The beach is beautiful, you can see fishes without snorkeling. a bit coral...again like other Cayo Santa Maria hotels, the beach is very narrow where there is not much sand. This hotel is a good choice, that 's why it is always crowded. We had good time. Thank you Ocean Casa Delma ! We would like to recommend it to family and friends.