We returned from Iberostar Coral Esmeralda 2 days ago (Feb 7th)and had a fantastic, relaxing vacation. The resort was was quiet, had beautiful gardens, friendly staff and plenty of food including bread. There was always something good to eat at the buffet, we also had the option to eat at the Section Resort which was next door. The room was clean and the bed super comfy. The beach was beautiful! Soft white sand and crystal blue water. Loungers and shady spots were always available. The evening entertainment was good.We got a 750ml bottle of water daily in our room fridge, I brought my own water bottle from home and refilled it at the buffet or bar. Bugs were not an issue, so I didn’t have to use bug spray ( bring it just incase though). Tip with American or Canadian bills ( no coins). The Wi-Fi was annoying, it worked but I had to re-log in several times a day ( no big deal).It was great to safely walk off the resort and explore. I highly recommend this resort and would definitely return!

We went for a 4 day getaway last week. Weather was cool. Hotel was nice. Check in very delayed. Didn’t get our room until 5:40pm. Room was nice. No issues. Drinks at all the bars had great options. Great cappuccinos. Staff were all very kind and friendly. Food options were actually pretty good. This was our 7th trip to Cuba. So our expectations are realistic. I would come back. Lots of seaweed on the beach which they try to clean up by hand. Beaches past the hotels were FULL of garbage and so disappointing to see it never gets cleaned up as it’s the only place to walk. The other hotels on either side had more activities happening down on the beach. Coral side could use a bigger pool and a little more music it was very quiet. Selection side was almost too loud but a more fun option if you’re staying at the coral side and want a little action. Overall a good stay

We loved the hotel, small and very quiet and quaint, with such an amazing and attentive staff. The beach is beautiful, you can walk for hours and see practically no one! Big shout out to Dairon at the Buffet and Armando who works the snack bar and the À la carte restaurant. We will be back!

Immaculately kept! The staff are always busy and engaged. They try hard to ensure your enjoyment. And a great holiday. A TRUE International selection of alcohol and foods. This resort gives great value for your dollar.

Not a 4/5 star resort, dirty hotel room, mold, stains, drywall damage, damaged paint, non working safe, locks broken on doors, worn furniture. Black mold and all other issues reported to hotel but nothing was addressed.

This resort exceeded our expectations. The swim up rooms were wonderful. The pool spotless. The food was good. And as usual, the staff members were pleasant and helpful. Always willing to do more. The butler service (Carlos and Ariel) went above and beyond to accomodate our every wish. The beach was clean, thanks to all the hard work of the beach staff. The gardens were lovely and well cared for, again by staff members. And the calm and quiet was extremely welcoming. We believe this was one of our best Cuban holidays, and we've travelled to Cuba probably 15 to 20 times over the last 10 years. And of course, Nicole Deforest from tripcentral.ca ensured we had a seamless holiday, from our luggage to our seating on the airplane and the location of our rooms.

We booked for our anniversary and had a dream vacation. Swim up pool room is a must and Iberostar Coral Esmeralda will be our forever resort ! The staff from back of house to the front were amazing!! The food was great and the resort is very clean, quiet and felt like we were family! Trip central helped us long the way and we will book with them from now on! Thank you !!!

This is my 2nd time at the resort in the same year.The food and drinks were just as good.Unfortunately the ocean was cold and a lot of seaweed because of the hurricane.They have more entertainment in the eve, a dance troupe also the pianist and singer.the rooms are really nice also the staff are very friendly.Would return.

We have just returned (Nov 2025) after a week in Paradise! Cuba is definitely Paradise in our eyes, and this resort delivers with relaxation, friendliness of the staff and quality for the price…everyone needs to remember that you can’t have a weekend away at home for the price you pay for a week in the sun! The food didn’t disappoint, we ate at 3 of the a-la-cartes, Gourmet, International and Italian. You are only allowed 3 meals a-la-carte with a 7 day stay. Variety of food is fine, you always found enough to eat, they lack fresh fruit, lots of canned peaches, pears and fruit cocktail though! We have stayed in other resorts with Butler Service, this hotel didn’t come up to par with others. The Butlers were there, but not as visible. If help was needed you needed to ask. Management was always present, very visible and checking in at every turn. Grounds were always being worked on, areas were being painted, public bathrooms clean (although lacked toilet tissue, carry Kleenex at all times..lol). Rooms clean, water pressure great…we were on second floor, you needed to run the sink faucet and shower for a couple of minutes to have hot water, but at times you actually had to turn it down, otherwise the water was too hot! Bugs are abundant, but what can you expect when you’re in this part of the world! I had bites on my legs and arms that needed attention when returning home, unfortunately bug spray and After Bite didn’t cut it. Take Benadryl and something for itch relief with you, as you won’t be able to get it while there. Our room was ocean view in building 6, so relaxing to watch the sunrise every morning. The room was clean and we had plenty of towels and necessities at all times. Lots of bottled water, the room fridge had juice, beer and pop, but the pop froze and burst in ours. To summarize - yes, we would recommend, definitely a couples resort, everything requested was looked after, tipping was appreciated, please NOT loonies and toonies, they cannot be exchanged in Cuba, take US $1 bills and Canadian $5 and $10 bills ( no rips, staples or bills that have been written on, or mutilated in any way - This is nothing new, every country and island is like this! )Lots of stairs, NO elevators, so if a ground floor is needed please request. Above all, relax, forget work and have fun!

Room options offers include huge rooftop suites, ground floor swimout suites, pool views on 2nd floor or rooms facing mangroves. We opted for swim out (first time) and loved it. There a 7 x 3 story buildings and the grounds and walkways were well maintained. From the Adult Coral resort you have full access to the adjacent family resort with its various pool and restaurant features. This way you can opt for the excitement of The Esmeralda or the relative tranquility of The Coral. The overall experience with food and beverage was good. Not much in the way of salad or fresh fruit the week we were there but whatever they have is yours. The staff were all amazing; the genuine friendliness of the Cuban people is second to none and the professional demeanor of most every staff member was a treat.. Ariel, our butler was truly awesome. He made a la carte reservations look easy and was the go-to guy for any and every detail. Can't say enough good things. Caesar was the food and beverage team lead and again, can't say enough about the fabulous effort to engage every guest. The entire team made our stay wonderful. Dairon, Armando, Lady, Axanay, Leonel, Yari, Yas Nier, Jimmy and Joseph the piano man. OMG, there are more... sadly too many to mention everyone who made our stay outstanding.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda was a quiet, well appointed resort with wonderful attentive staff, managed daily by a “Professional Butler” named Ariel. The food was typically Cuban with enough variety to feed a normal appetite. Our swim up unit was close to all amenities and minutes away from the larger family orientated Esmeralda next door. Highly recommended. Ask for building number 3, swim up room. Note, that it is 75+ km east from Cayo Coco airport on a somewhat rock & roll road across the causeway’s, but well worth the trip.

This was our second visit to this resort. The second time there was a shortage of some alcohols and food. But not the fault of the people or the hotel. However the beauty and the wonderful staff were so unbelievably family like I can see this almost as a second home. We are surely going back Beach is great - we had the swim up room which really makes a difference. Make sure to tip the staff as they really depend on our generosity- The absolutely love Canadians This is an adults only place and it is so peaceful but yet great guests to chat and laugh with A true gem of a place.

This was second trip in 6 months to this resort! We loved it so much and made some new friendships with some staff members. All the staff that work at this resort are absolutely by far the kindest people we’ve ever met. I can’t say enough about the staff at Ibero star Esmeralda Coral. The rooms are beautiful and very clean and fully stocked daily. The swim up rooms are absolutely amazing to be able to sit on your patio and step into the water is so convenient and so lovely. Our butler was Carlos both visits to this resort he is the kindest young man and very professional. I would always prefer to stay at the Esmeralda Coral as it is almost a retreat feel it is quiet, and just the perfect place for a relaxing getaway. And if you do feel like having a little more action you have full access to the selection more of a family resort. I would definitely recommend the Ibero star Esmeralda Coral for your next vacation and I definitely will be returning for the third visit!

Public area, Dining Rooms, Restuarants area Excellent Grounds could take some upgrades. Wonderfuul pleasant staff all over the property. My one and only bad encounter was with the lady in the Money exchange booth, she was rude, aloft and very condescending. She has ablsolutely no customer Service qualities.

Grounds were okay could take a bit of an upgrade Staff is wonderful... all staff The lady in the money Exchange is not a pleasant lady that was my one and only sourface approach and she was very rude

We had very very good time in Coral Iberostar adults only section.Hotel is very very nice.Service excellent food and room very good.We had room with swim out so it was perfect for us.Beach was so nice with turquoise ocean.I really recommend this resort.

Very nice hotel . I would recommend the hotel to anyone who wants to go to Cuba The beach is beautiful . The staff are amazing Food and drinks are great . Restaurants are great. We had a very good time. We will be back soon.

Great hotel if looking to relax. Rooms were good but a bit run down compared to photos. Staff was amazing but food selection was not good and a lot of flies always on the food. Drink selection was okay but not as good as other resorts I’ve stayed at. Beach was a 5/5 but beach bar closed at 4 pm also No swim up pool. Would not consider this hotel a 5 star,

This small resort was ideal to get away and relax. We had a swim-out room which allowed us to leave our room only for food and drinks if we wanted. Nothing was far,, staff were excellent, atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, food and drinks were good. No complaints at all! We rarely visit the same resort twice but we would return to the Iberostar Coral Esmeralda. Great place to recharge. We met a couple that were there for their 5th time in 4 years. If you are looking for an active nightlife and big entertainment productions, this is probably not the resort for you.

Absolutely beautiful resort, with lovely pools and main areas. The food was good, and the mangoes on the beach were incredibly delicious! Staff were so kind and friendly, and always had a smile on their faces. Water was warm, and the sand was perfect. Not too hot, so fine it was almost soft, and we enjoyed taking strolls down the lovely beach during the day and night. We went during seaweed season, so there was a bit of seaweed on the beach, but there was always someone picking it up trying to keep it at bay. We went on a few excursions to go snorkeling and on the catamarans, and when we were on the bus going past the other resorts, we were so glad to have chosen the one we did, because it definitely looked and felt the most beautiful and premium of all the ones we saw.

Everything was perfect food , pool, room, staff all friendly, and helpful.One thing I would say maybe have more water in the fridge , and change the pool towels everyday. Besides that resort was wonderful.

This review is mostly focused on the 18+ side. The grounds were very well kept. The room was amazing along with the view from the large balcony that was attached. Staff was very friendly and helpful. I had no complaints about the internet access, but I did not try any streaming. I was never disappointed at any of the restaurants, they all had good food and service. The buffet was very good as well. The food at the snack bar was also good. The pools were clean and always had available seating. The beach was wonderful as well. Overall, I would come back here on my next trip. I would also like to give a special thanks to Alembert.

Coral Esmeralda is a quiet adult resort that we enjoyed so much. Our first time to Cuba and we were a bit hesitant given talk of shortages etc. This resort was clean, well-stocked with very good food, drinks (lots of alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices), necessities like tp, soap, clean bath and beach towels. We loved having cappuccinos on the breezy lobby. Well appointed, lovely grounds, excellent service, great entertainment, reliable wifi everywhere except the beach. Beach was beautiful but when we were there it was very windy and lots of seaweed churned onto the shoreline by the waves. There didn’t seem to be a system for cleaning it up 100%. Coral clients have access to the larger sister resort right beside (Iberostar Selection) which has very nice pools. Coral has a 24 hour snack bar for food and drinks. Highly recommend this resort!!

This resort was such a surprise to us - it was quiet - wonderful staff - so pleasant !!! and helpful- the food was top notch - great presentations at sit down dinners - The drinks were so good - not watered down like at other resorts. Beach was unbelievable powder white sand. We had a swim up room - this was decadent - and Carlos our personal Butler was always around checking in on us providing us with beach towels drinks, making our dinner reservations as soon as we arrived - no line ups no frustration - it was simply GLORIOUS !!!- They love us Canadians - be sure to always tip - they depend on us for their liveleyhood. We are planning on returning end of September to see our friends again. You must visit this resort ?

First class service from the moment we stepped off the bus. Greeted with hot towels to freshen up and lovely iced beverage. Our butler for the week introduced himself”Carlos” and took us on a tour of the resort then led us to our suite. He took us inside the suite and explained all we needed to know. Shortly after discovering our private swim up the phone rings and it’s Carlos wanting to book our weeks dinner reservations! So…. Every night the beds are turned down so pretty and every morning fresh sheets, all fresh towels, and bath mats toilet paper provided every day. Fresh bottled water every night placed on the desk. It was just unbelievable how pampered we were. The food was really nice. Everything was cooked in light oils nothing too heavy fresh fish, pork beef. Everything was so flavorful There’s a lovely little lunch place on your way out to the oceanfront that we would have lunch at every day and the menu changes every day. The drinks are really good there and then right on down towards the beach, there’s another little bar! I have to say the best espresso martinis ever are made at The lobby bar Entertainment most nights in the lobby bar area. . Got to know quite a few staff members by name over the week and every one of them are so happy to be there and are just kindhearted lovely people! The Cuban people that work in these resorts, don’t make a lot of money and they really do depend on your tips so please when you go to these places, be sure to be generous. We are definitely going back again this year!

The facility is well kept and maintained even though it’s not high season the staff were consistent with the up keep. I love how they have both hot and cold water and no issue with adjusting the AC from hot to cold or vice versa. I would stay on the same room again I love how I’m in the corner. I also enjoyed my dining experience. Their buffet area is enclosed which is perfect from keeping the flies and stray cats out. The hostess, bar tender are all professional and courteous.

My wife and I visited Iberostar Esmeralda Coral and loved it. Everything was great and exceeded my expectations. Food was very good service was excellent and the people made you feel welcome to be there . We enjoyed the vibe of the smaller Adult side Coral and the swim out we had. The beach was amazing as it was a while since I’ve been to Cuba and it is their best asset . I would definitely return to this resort and recommend

lovely small resort. Perfect for quiet relaxation Stunning beach ,could use more palapas,sadly the seaweed piles up and there is one poor guy raking and removing by hand. A slow process but they do what they can Food was better than a lot of Cuban resorts and though the buffet here is small we never felt we couldn't find something to enjoy. Beef ,chicken,fish and pork available on the grill every night . No shortage of eggs at breakfast. Thin crust pizza at the snack bar was very good and always available. Excellent coffee available especially at the cigar bar, Best cappachino and baileys and espresso martinis !! Wine was very good and never unavailable. We never noticed any real shortages here ! Our swim up room was awesome!! we were in building 4 which was central to the beach and the lobby/buffet area. Staff that we interacted with were wonderful and willing to accomodate our requests if possible. All in all I was very pleased with our stay at The Iberostar Coral Esmeralda !!

We stayed on the coral side. It was perfect! The people working were the best ! Everyone was so helpful and happy. We had everything we needed in our rooms and they were cleaned to perfection everyday. The buffet was the best I’ve had in Cuba and the snack bar was an extra bonus! We spent many afternoons at the snack bar and were pleasantly surprised with the food options and drinks. The beach was amazing! Lots of chairs and shade if needed.

We booked for a week at the Coral side. I recommend Coral to selection side if you are not going with kids.. Excellent service, great food (which was a surprise for Cuba), drinks and very good arrangements for evening entertainment! Rooms were nice and clean with ample bottled water available all around the resort. The only thing lingering not so nice in my mind is that while booking we were shown that we would be eligible for room upgrade subject to availability at the time of check in.. However, when we told them at the check in counter of the resort they had no idea and neither checked anything to. As if no communication. It would be even better with a better room Neverthrless, we got a very good deal and had a great time. Would recommend and if you book the Coral side you can roam around and enjoy the selection side as and when you want which was an added bonus Recommended

This can be a wonderful place to go to, but we felt that it lacked personnel. The beach was a 5 star!! The rooms are very nice…but the towels need to be replaced, so does the pool chairs and umbrellas. Not enough staff on all levels!!! We have been to other Coral resorts, but would not return to this one.

We booked this trip based on the reviews and partly because of the potential honeymoon upgrade. Unfortunately, there was no upgrade or discussion of such but did request to see our marriage certificate and said they would send a "special surprise." Instead of a room upgrade, they sent sparkling wine to our room. It was a beautiful beach but the resort itself doesn't look like it's 5 years new. We had mold spores in our bathroom, everything in our room was damp from the toilet paper to the pillows and bedding. I would not recommend this resort to others. Guests are only given 500 mLs of water per day, understanding there are shortages but this became increasingly difficult during our stay. The flight landed around 6:15, we didn't get to our hotel until 8:30. When we arrived, there were dance performances right in the lobby where we needed to walk through to get checked in. This was very cumbersome and not helpful to entering guests just trying to get to their rooms after a long day of travel. I think five stars for this resort is incredibly generous, I wouldn't say it's more than three stars at maximum. We had great in flight experiences with airtransat and would definitely fly with them in future.

Quiet, small resort, very clean, long gorgeous beach, you can walk for miles, no loud music on the beach ( the way we like). The stuff are very friendly, welcoming,always with the smile ( thank you “Capitano” and your team) helpful management, available all the time. The food; the best I had in Cuba and more; all kind of cheese, meat, very good Spanish wine, you can eat at the special restaurants or in the dining room ( if you don’t like what is ready make you can as chef to prepare fresh fish, chicken, pork, sometimes beef or seafood. We really enjoyed entertainment every night after supper; all the artists, musicians are very talented. Thank you for the amazing time, we will be back

Stayed on the Coral side in a swim up room. Resort is very clean, staff is wonderful. Janner at the cigar bar makes the best Mojitos, Dairon at the buffet will make sure you are well looked after, Helen in the lobby bar is a sweetheart and makes sure your drink is full. Anything else you need then Ariel and Carlos are the go to in the lobby office. Housekeeping staff is top notch! Beach bar has the best Margaritas! Pools are clean and beach is absolutely beautiful. Had a great week but it went by way too fast

This is a very excellent resort , clean grounds great pools good food and drinks. The staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable. Very quiet surroundings beach was nice and easily accessible. Snack bar was good a la cart restaurants were very good

I had an incident the first night I arrived at this hotel. Two men were pounding on my door and speaking in Spanish and I didn’t understand what they were saying. I had been lying in bed as it was 8:20 pm and walked to the door to hear the door lock open (I had the bolt on too). I met these two men as they were trying to enter my room and they asked me if my cable was working. The one man had two towels under his arm. I said there was nothing wrong with my cable and I closed the door. I immediately called the desk and was told they would speak to the maintenance men. I then got dressed and headed over to the desk to speak to management. I met the two men standing and talking to a third man in the area just outside my room. As I passed the one man said ‘Can I talk to you? I said ‘no and stay out of my room’. When I got to the desk and spoke to the staff they told me that the manager wasn’t available. A minute later one of the ‘maintenance’ men appeared at the desk and I said that’s the guy who was just at my room. They guy at the desk said that he was the manager. I said tell him to stay out of my room. I was then told that he wasn’t able to tell him to stay out of my room as he was the manager and that he had the right to go into my room! I then proceeded to tell the man behind the desk that I didn’t feel safe and didn’t want anyone, including housekeeping to come into my room. I was uncomfortable as I was travelling alone to this resort. I was uneasy and slept with a table against my door that night. The next morning I spoke to the Air Transat representative for the hotel. She spoke to the manager and he claimed that there was a complaint previous to my visit about the cable. I told her that I didn’t want anyone including housekeeping to enter my room. There was evidence that someone was in my room as a piece of paper was left on the table and not under the door. Also I had a housekeeper enter my room when I was in the glass shower that is right by the door and if someone was passing by in the hallway I would have been in full view. I had said repeatedly not to enter as I was in the shower. I was lucky to meet four other women who were travelling together who befriended me and looked out for me that week, otherwise it would have been a very stressful vacation of trying to feel safe at this location. I posted on the Facebook page for this resort my experience and it was removed, as were other posts about incidents with young women. If you’re a single woman travelling alone I wouldn’t recommend this resort.

It was very well laid out with several pools to accommodate each building. The Cuban people were pleasant and helpful. The food was good but not great but they did their best. The weather was consistent and very windy for the first several days. Beautiful ocean colour! Worth it.

We really enjoyed our stay. The resort was clean, the food was good, and the staff is truly typical of the Cubans: welcoming and friendly. The performers in the evening shows were just amazing. Some of the best shows I’ve seen in all inclusive resorts.

Excellent location. Nice layout and good for seniors. Food Ok but not noteworthy. Would return. Enjoyed peacefulness and sun. Great price. Ariel provided great Bultler service. All staff were great and very friendly.

We found this hotel to be as advertised. The whole facility was new feeling, from the rooms to the public areas. Cleanliness was very good. The food was good for Cuba. No real serious shortages that we noticed. The staff very friendly as you would expect in Cuba. One of the main reasons we continue to travel to Cuba. The beach was great as is usual in Cuba. This small adults only had a boutique feel and low keyed which we loved.Our only real issue was food temperature. The food was fine but not very hot in the buffet. Generally a great week without food shortages and power outages that have been prominent in the news.

We just returned from our 9 day vacation at Coral Esmeralda. I must say this is Defiantly not a 5 star resort as you indicated. We were very disappointed with the description listed in your site and with one staff member there. The good. - Beast beach I have ever been to. White fine sand on beach and in the ocean. No need for water shoes here - Our room was huge and beautiful. We had the roof top suite - Massage at the spa are perfect. Great service and prices. Keylin and Ernesto are amazing. - Lunch at the beach BBQ and the snack bar where the best meals on the resort. Freshly cooked and cooked to perfection - Waiters, cooks and bartenders are always friendly. Even if you don’t tip The Bad. - On the second day Ariel the butler manager made a racial gesture to my wife 3 times even after telling him the first time it was offensive. This set a negative tone for the rest of our stay and really spoiled our trip - Beach has no washrooms and you have to walk over 3 minutes to get to one - Lack of supplies (that’s all Cuba) - Told there was turn down service when checked in but never happened (had to go change beach towels every day to the non-Coral side) - No VIP Dinner at the resort's best spot as stated when we checked in - A la carte dinners are pre made that always come out warm not hot. Better off at the buffet - No Complimentary hydrotherapy access as stated when we checked in and according to the booking agreement - Butler service was not really there as we have had at other resorts. - House keeping was really bad (shortage of towels every day, room not made a few days until after 5pm) - Shower for the pool and ocean to wash up were mostly broken (non on the beach worked) - Maintenance at this resort are slacking with multiple items not working - Room towels are old, non-absorbent, and smell like feet

The grounds were very well maintained and the staff were very courteous, food was very good and top shelf drinks the rooms were clean and the adult section was absolutely peasefull which os what we were looking for ,we will definitely be back.

Me and my husband went to this resort from Nov 29 to Dec 6 and overall we liked our stay.Our suite on the level side was amazing very large with ocean view block 7.Our cleaning lady was amazing always have our room clean and well decorated.All the employees that we have contact to were very friendly and helpful.The entertainment team was amazing especially Brian always making us feel welcome. The beach is very nice beautiful colour.The lobby bar and piscina bar very nice and friendly,but the beach was very poor and the staff it wasn’t friendly not even a smile.The downside was the food no variety very poor at least the wine/drinks were good.One week was enough ! The hotel have to improve on their meals/food otherwise is going to lose customers because you one but next time won’t go back,just beach,rooms and friendly staff is not enough everything was to balance.

It was a beautiful resort. We saw groundskeepers every morning taking care of the property. In 7 days we went to the beach 3 days and after the beach, the swim up outside our room. I think that was our favourite part, which was why we spent all the other days at the swim up. The staff were all helpful, amazingly friendly and kind. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Water pressure was challenging sometimes, but it was only for a short period of time and then back to normal. The rooms were clean and quite large. Lots of room to move around. We probably could have had a dance party. The food was fine. Several guests brought condiments from home, like peanut butter, jam, ketchup as they aren’t usual items that are available in Cuba. Crazy thing….cigars were not available at the cigar bar. There were none. The gift shop was independently run and the person that ran it was never there. Sometimes the light was on, the sign said open and the door was locked. The resort has no input regarding the gift shop, so if you needed anything, you could go to the market down the road a few minutes and see if you could find what you needed there. Overall, I would absolutely go back on another trip to Cuba

I can’t say enough about this place . You will eat,drink,dance,laugh,cry.. and meet all the people who makes the resort a JEM !! Ariel you are by far the most amazing concierge!! Cuba is Cuba ….go for the Beach!! Open your eyes look at the sky and enjoy ❤️

We have been to Iberostar's in Cozumel and Punta Cana and these resorts are one of our favourites. We were fully aware of the situation in Cuba and have no complaints about the staff who worked tirelessly to ensure we had a great vacation. The restaurant staff, bar staff and entertainment were amazing. We found the food repetitive but we knew that before going and were never hungry. Bring your own condiments!! There were days we ran out of bread, wine, mixes for the drinks and no buns for the hamburgers and only had eggs three days. Hamburgers were on the grill for breakfast lunch and dinner. The grounds were nice but severely needed water. Lots of walking to the beach, pools and restaurants . The staff at the beach always found us a chair, swept it off and brought us tables. The management was not accommodating for early arrivals and late check outs. Through they proudly display late check outs. It didn't happen. We were out of our rooms at noon with a 6-pm pickup to the airport. This resort is very remote, there's nothing around it and an hour from the airport and on the way back it was an hour and a half as we had so many pickups at other resorts. For some reason we were given the Assessability Room. Very different from the regular suites. We were not impressed. There was no tub, the closet and safe was in the bathroom beside the toilet and the sink had no room to even put your toothbrush. There wasn't a hair dryer I did request one from Guest Services but never got one. Thankfully we brought our own toilet paper as there were days we didn't get any.The view from our room was terrible, piles of dirt. If booking I would highly recommend the swim up suites. This Iberostar Coral Esmeralda was definitely not a 5 star. The swim bar and daily activities were at the Selection side but there was not enough chairs or shade around the pool. Lots of mosquitos and sand fleas, OFF did not work. I came home with so many bites. Wifi was hit or miss, always had to sign every time we used it. On the last day they disconnected the WIFI at noon.. And many Canadians gave loonies and toonies as tips which is worthless to them. Many times we exchanged the coins for bills to help out the staff. The beach and water were stunning.... I would not go back to this resort, too far the airport, too many bugs and the view from the room was the worst we had. Would we go back to Cuba yes!

As long as you have realistic expectations with what Cuba is going through you will have a great time. We went in with rock bottom expectations since this was our first time ever going to Cuba and we heard about all the shortages. That being said, we had an amazing time. The pools were great. The beach was great and the service I don’t think could have been better. even the food with their shortages really wasn’t that bad. There was lots of food every day and lots of options to choose from it just might be tough if you’re really picky eater. I would recommend this resort to anybody and I think we had a much better time than I thought we were gonna have since everything exceeded our expectations. the only thing I would say is that this is a very quiet and relaxing resort, which is exactly what we were looking for. However, if you’re looking for loud music and everybody drinking all day and a big party probably isn’t the right resort.

Just back rom 2 weeks at the Iberostar Coral adult only resort. Beach was much less wide than expected at high tide. Photos from the resort were taken at low tide. When low tide nice to walk. Unfortunately during our stay there was a lot of wind which brought in weeds which the resort was very slow to clean up. The palapas are very close together with 4 to a palapa so if you are just 2 it isn't private at all. We spent the majority of the time at the pool which was quite nice and much more private. As we are both swimmers the long 8 foot wide section connecting the buildings and 2 larger pools is perfect for doing lengths without bothering anybody. Water was crystal clear and zero garbage around. As the resort is fairly new the foliage is in the majority not yet mature but the gardeners do a great job keeping it nice and cleaned. Ate once at a restaurant but as we hate following a schedule on holidays we didn't repeat it. The buffet always had lots of food and the chefs did a good job in trying to change things up with what they had to work with. Have been to Cuba over 25 times so I know not to be a picky eater. The lobby bar was well stocked with more choice than the snack bar bar. The beach bar has no ice, never, go figure? No footwashing station when you come up from the beach and if you don't like wearing your sandals with lots of sand it is a long hot walk to the nearest station. Very little entertainment and no blaring music so we slept great. Bed very comfortable and bathroom nice and clean. Drive from airport longer than expected. 2 hours minimum. All in all we would go back.

The beach was amazing, the private pool was nice. Room were clean and maintained, comfortable beds Staff were all very friendly and helpful if you needed anything. There is a food shortage and supplies are low, but it did not have an effect on the trip. No fault of the resort either Lots of mixed drinks and they were made very well About 1 hour from the airport, the beaches make it worth it

We really enjoyed our stay .Our room was amazing & well kept during our stay. The food was plentiful & fresh. Staff was very friendly & courteous. The beach was beautiful & relaxing. We also spent time at the pool which was also relaxing. We really enjoyed the quite, relaxing atmosphere of this adult only resort. The lobby was nice place to sit and have a drink, thank you Daniel. Oh and lots of cold beer too. cheers

This was a lovely adults only resort. The quiet pools were quiet, except when certain guests decided to crank their own music! We had to ask them to turn it off. Would have preferred if staff would have done this. The housekeepers were amazing, the bar staff was good, although I never had a pina colada made the same way twice! (Each was good, though). I always asked for no alcohol, but twice was given it. Beach was beautiful. There is a sign that says “no reserving chairs” but everyone did. Once I saw a couple reserve their chairs, but didn’t tip and then the chair guy gave their chairs to someone else. Also, same chair guy said he didn’t have $5 change for a $10 bill when I had just seen him take $5 from someone. All other chair guys were honest. Food was subpar, but we expected that with the food shortages. Didn’t know from day to day what they would or wouldn’t have! Take your own condiments and snacks!! We were there for the beach and adults only quiet pools, so the lack of a variety of food didn’t really bother us. Gardeners were out all day, everyday, so the grounds were lovely. They always stopped to give ladies flowers and bananas if they had picked any that day. Not sure if “lifeguards” were actually trained, but they would gladly find an umbrella or chair for you at the pools. A la carte restaurants: The food is the same basically as the buffet, except they were made fresh instead of being in a warming tray. We didn’t get a chance for the “Asian” so not sure what would have been served. Staff were overjoyed with donations of dolls and toys. Overall, we very much enjoyed our stay!

The rooms are clean, food is terrible, water is scarce to come by, bottled water must be asked for or bought, towels are non existent, no sodaand zero mixed drink options really other than rum, we literally had zero a la carts, no eggs, booked the spa and was cancelled stating that closed till fixed, everything was cancelled when management showed up No dinner reservations or a la carts No condiments, mustard, relish, ketchup, only mayo - none, not even vinegar Daily No white or red wine No liquors , No coffee No eggs the entire time we were there other than powdered Very limited bread, buns & French fries- just depended on the day No hand towels, toilet paper, no face clothes, zero beer in fridges in the room for the entire stay, nor did anyone in the resort No bottled water- house cleaner, room service, bar tenders, there was water available but highly chlorinated to point of making me sick No facial tissues& no napkins/silverware at times Ceiling issues, water issues, running toilets Old in shower ceilings, No pop or soda daily, vermouth, no potatoes, no fresh fruit only canned peaches & pineapple Zero beer or drinks in our room No 24 hour food at snack Bar, no beach grill -the communication, scheduling & supervision at this resort was an absolute nightmare There was a couple days where there was cheese available

The resort was small, clean, and the staff was helpful and friendly. The food was ok but everything else about the resort was exceptional. I would definitely go again. We had one of the swim up rooms and now I’m spoiled for any other trips I want to take.

This resort was fantastic. It was quiet, lots of chairs at the beach and pool. It was never busy and overcrowded even thought the resort was fully booked. Never had to reserve a spot at the beach, pool, and buffet no matter the time of day. The food was good and did run out. The service was excellent and the rooms were clean, large and very comfortable. If you like the nightlife, it is not the place to go. By 11 pm everyone is in their rooms. If you want a beautiful beach and quiet area to relax, this is the place for you.

This was the very best resort I have ever stayed at. The room was simply amazing. The Lobby entertainment was great. The bar staff were fabulous especially Dan. He was the best. Great mixologist and kept the mood very high at all times. The beach was gorgeous and the sand was like flour under your feet. All the staff went out of their way to accommodate you. Definitely will visit again next year. Can’t wait.

We had an amazing time! The rooms were modern and comfortable. The staff was pleasant and friendly. The beach was amazing everyday. The food of course is more on the bland side but there was much variety in the buffet area. The traveller's were also very friendly. The entertainment was beautiful and interactive. I look forward to my return.

Overall trip was great, fairly new resort and was clean and well kept. Food was ok considering the shortage of supplies alone with booze and amenities. The beach is great for long walks. Entertainment was good Joseph and crews were very entertaining, would like to see a board displaying events for the day. I wish they would put no Smoking in lobby . There is plenty of locations for the smoking . The staff working on resort were very good. We would definitely return to same resort.

We booked our week at the Coral Esmeralda because it was listed as a 5 star resort, and because it was a smaller, adults-only resort. It had some positive aspects. Since it was small and adults-only, we enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with a number of people during the week. The entertainment each evening was very good -- talented dancers, singers and musicians.The beach was beautiful, as was the pool area. We especially appreciated Denny and Roberto, the lifeguards. Some of the staff were friendly and helpful, at all the venues, including the buffet restaurant, and the lobby and pool bars. The gardeners, especially, greeted us cheerfully every day. Others, not so much. Some of the management level staff seemed disinterested. Although water was supposed to be delivered to our room daily, it did not always appear. We reported this, and nothing happened. Toilet paper was in short supply, and often the dispensers in the washrooms in the lobby and at the pool bar were empty. The supply of toilet paper in our room was very limited. We could have bought some at the small store near the lobby, but didn't feel that should have been necessary. . Currency was a significant issue throughout the week. We had Canadian currency, but staff wanted US dollars for tips. Since Canadian tourists contribute significantly to the Cuban economy, we were were very confused by this. They also were not interested in receiving Cuban pesos. There was enough food, but little variety, and it would have helped if it had been labelled. Both the menu and venue of the a-la-carte restaurants were disappointing.

Have been to Cuba many times, in many different areas, so we can honestly say this is the worst hotel we have stayed at in Cuba. The only positives were the nice guests we met at the resort and the weather. Our room,1107, did not have hot water for the entire week of our stay. Maintenance came twice but did not fix the problem. Management refused to move us to another room, stating the hotel was full. With guests coming and going everyday, this request should not have been an issue. Dining room tables were not cleaned promptly, not enough plates in the dining room for the amount of guests. White wine was very hard to come by. Food choices were limited. Chairs were stained. Staff attitudes in the dining room were less than desirable when you asked for something. Public washrooms were not cleaned properly, no toilet paper, no hand soap, for the duration of our 1 week stay. Lounge chairs were stained, umbrellas for lounge chairs were broken. Puddles of water in the hotel hallways due to faulty plumbing. Clearly, there are major issues with this hotel. The hotel is mismanaged. More like a 2 star. Do yourself a favour and go elsewhere. This was our first and last time at an Iberostar resort!

Hotel is nice. Buffet is good. A la carte restaurants were not good. The beach is nice but not enough chairs. The rooms are nice. The snack bar was good with fresh pizza and other snacks. The bartenders are great!

We spent 7 days at Coral Esmeralda and don't have any complaints. If you've been to Cuba before, you come with lower expectations than other countries. They have limited supplies and resources, but we never felt like we were missing anything. We brought our own condiments for meals and although there was not a lot of variety, we never went hungry. The lunch pizzas were quite good but normally a bit of a wait. The buffet restaurant could be improved as you often eat at tables that have not been cleaned and do not have cutlery. No music around the beach or pools so it's not very lively, but you do have the option to go over to the sister resort for more action. Beach is absolutely perfect. Entertainment is extremely limited. If you are going for a quiet, affordable beach vacation, this might be a great spot.

Having been to Cuba several times before, I notice a significant decline in quality. This hotel is in an isolated location and clients were treated to many shortages and rationing of products. (toilet paper, eggs, sugar, soap, butter, etc.) The service was poor and lacking refinement. Iberostar did not meet my expectation for quality since my last visit in early 2023. Many clients from hotels in this area complained and the same shortages. I will not return to Cuba until the overall situation improves. My dollar would be better spent elsewhere.

Clean and very spacious rooms Great comfort Amazing beach Short distances to everything Relaxing environment Good food Impeccable service Public washrooms always clean Plenty of drinks & coffee No noise or pollution

This is a very new resort, beautiful structures, comfortable beds, but is already showing signs of neglect. Our room in building 5, had a partial ocean view, and being on the second floor, you could see the ocean on the other side of the island as well. The view was beautiful. The screen door on our balcony was already half torn off from who knows when. I am grateful there were no bugs, as I prefer the doors open for air than using the air conditioner. The shower valve would not isolate either rain shower head or hand held. So one or the other was always dribbling. The tub had the same issue with the hand-held wand as well. There were plenty of plugs to use for phones, they even had USB ports which is a huge plus!!! Some were loose and popped out when removing cords, so be careful. The rooms were spacious, the furnishings are nice. You get a couch and table and chairs as well. Our room was cleaned daily, but our maid was less than helpful. She made it seem that it was an inconvenience to supply something that was missed when she cleaned the room. For example, she left us with a quarter roll of toilet paper with no replacement. When asked for another roll because we were low, our reply was "later". No apology, just "later". There was a water leak dripping on the tiles in the hallway on the first level the entire week we were there. The entire resort ran out of sugar for two days, which blew my mind!!! There were many other shortages, ie. tonic water, eggs, sprite and other sodas, to name only just a few things. Some of the wait staff were fantastic servers, they were helpful and enthusiastic. While others couldn't be bothered. These were folks in the buffet and bar!! The food options were minimal. When things ran out there were no replacements on some things. So you had to wake up early for breakfast, or eat an early dinner if you wanted anything interesting. NOTHING at the buffet was labeled, you had to guess what was in the heating dishes, and fresh food brought out was lukewarm or cold. I was always able to find something to eat that I recognized. Personally, I hate wasting food and I don't want to take something that I may not eat. I find it very frustrating when I see others waste half plates of food. The bartenders are crafty enough to make interesting drinks when some of the ingredients were not available. And, as always the coffee is amazing. The girl in the reservation office was AMAZING. She arranged, at the request of my husband, a Japanese lobster dinner on a night that was not normally available to guests for my birthday. It took her a few days, but was able to pull it off. Dinner was entertaining and well done. The check in was very organized and efficient, as well as check out. The porters are attentive and polite. They even escorted us to the sister resort for one of our special dinners at the Mediterranean restaurant, which I recommend. Wifi was free the entire time of your stay, you are given a user name and password. Was speedy enough to do face-time with loved ones, so I got to chat with the grand-daughter. :) The beach in the morning was almost non existent as the tide was way up, in the afternoon it was huge as the tide was way down, and the white sand is perfect for long walks. The beach seems to go on forever. (over 5 miles) Because there are only a few resorts on this beach, there is a lot of plastic garbage that has washed up on the shore. I think as more resorts are built, the beaches will be better maintained. The pools were amazing, we came right after a colder few days, so the pools were a bit too chilly for my taste, but was able to go in the last three days. You can swim the entire length of all three buildings! The lower levels on the pool side have 'swim out' rooms with chaise lounges and umbrellas on their patio and steps to go down into the pool. Overall the stay was good. I could see for some people who are fussy about their food, having a harder time in the buffet. There are excursions to do in the area. Some are an hour bus ride away, a few are walking distance. We are not excursion people, we love to sun, walk on the beach and relax.

We were so excited for our visit to Iberostar Coral Esmeralda, but from the moment we arrived we knew we made a mistake booking this hotel. I don't like to leave bad reviews but they really do need to know so they can improve. From the airport, we dropped travelers off to two different hotels. When they arrived at their resorts we could see they were greeted with warm welcomes, drinks and even a dance! When we finally arrived at our resort (almost 3 hours after sitting on the bus - was supposed to be 75 minutes), we got nothing. Not help with our luggage, no greeting, nada. While waiting to check in, we were then brought a drink and given a little talk that they were overwhelmed with the 28 bookings they had that day (the most they've ever had). No one smiled, we did not feel welcome at all. We got to our room, although extremely nice and comfortable, it was not clean (beds were not made, bathroom and floors needed to be cleaned). Since we were starving we left to eat while they cleaned. The buffet was tiny and nothing was labelled. Since we don't eat pork we hardly ate anything because we didn't know what it was and no one understood when we asked. We had to ask the staff to clean a table so we could sit down. They did this very slowly and reluctantly. We then went back to the front to ask for Wifi details because they had not provided us with any at check in. They gave us the username and password for some other guests, which we pointed out to them. We had to wait for them to get us the right ones with them acting like they were doing us a favour. Once back to our room, the cleaners were still not done so we had to ask them to leave so we could use our room. We were lucky in that they had a sister hotel right beside them that we were able to use. For the rest of the days we ate most of our meals there. It was WAY bigger and better and sometimes had better service. The Asian restaurant food was unfortunately also disappointing, the food had way too much soya sauce. We could not eat it at all, so left and went to the sister hotel. The best place to eat at Esmeralda was the Snack Bar. They had burgers, hot dogs and pizza and for the most part the staff were nice although they often forgot about us and we had to reorder. They couldn't seem to cope with the amount of people. There were no activities or entertainment posted anywhere. Randomly they would have people at one of their very small pools teaching people to dance, playing bingo or doing yoga. These were nice but without notice we could not join. The night entertainment was done in the lobby where there isn't much seating room. Each day our beds were made, but our rooms would not be cleaned (i.e. hair and seaweed still in the shower). I don't know if this is their general practice. The best part of this resort is their beach. However, it was very windy for most of our stay so we could not enjoy it. In summary, this resort seems to have lots of staff, but they don't speak English and are not motivated to help anyone out or be friendly; even if you tip them well. I think this resort is better suited to older people who want to be left alone and have complete quiet.

The resort is beautiful and the people are wonderful, very accommodating and anxious to please. Due to supply constraints, the variety of food is limited; plenty of fish but a shortage of fresh fruit most days. Definitely take advantage of the spa - best massage ever from Alex. Thanks to Jackson for the Spanish lessons and to Ariel for the considerate attention to detail!

Comfortable clean hotel. Great variety of food. Wonderful staff, ready to help in any situation. Great entertainment. It could do better with a little bit more maintenance on the property especially furniture and curtains.

Excellent facility, 1st class staff, lots of food choices, lovely beach. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I spent 11 days (Jan 9-20) in the Coral section and I was ready to leave by the 2nd day. I do not recommend the Coral section unless you're specifically looking to be left alone and like quietness. You do not get additional services, the buffet and a-la cart restaurants serve same food across both sides. Grounds - well maintained, the gardeners work hard and are very friendly. The layout is pretty easy to maneuver around once you know your way around. They were happy and surprised that we acknowledged and chatted with them. We speak a little Spanish but shouldn't matter a simple "Hola" goes along way for them. Room - I asked for an ocean view room, well, I can't say I didn't get see to a glimpse of the ocean (that's all it was). They are having alot of issues with house keeping. My shower was not cleaned the whole 11 days. Depending on who you get, you will get floor mats as hand towels (I got it twice as the regular person was on a day off). Come on, that's not acceptable. empty fridge, 2 (500 ml) bottes of water. Exchanging of towels we had to call Public Relations and they would deliver to the room. Dining Rooms - Coral side is 2 years old and the dinning chairs look like they have been around for longer, they are dirty and a lot of stains, very disgusting. The first 9 days, we were given a very thin ply paper towel for napkins, unacceptable for a 5 star. Depending who is servicing, you get what you get for service (some great friendly staff and others, they look and treat you like we are disturbing them). A-la cart restaurants, not worth it, they pretty much serve what is on the buffet. I understand that the Country might be struggling with resources, but customer service, cleanliness and service need a lot of work, this is not a lack of resources it comes down from the Top "Management issues". They need to lower their rating because they are not working at a 5 star level. I have stayed at other 5 star in Cuba so I can compare. I have also stayed at 3 star in Cuba and had better service and amenities. Common area bathrooms, were a hit and miss (more of a miss) with having toilet paper, so I was always carrying it with me and lacked cleanliness with not working toilets. Again, definitely not a 5 star rating. All, my issues I'm expressing here were discussed with their Public Relations representative (Ariel) and his response was, here is a bottle of water, your towels (pretty much shutting us up) and the hand towel situation was addressed immediately. We were locked out of our room on two occasions (7th day - opps mistake, come to the front desk for assistance, again on the 10th day - oops - again come the front desk. We spoke to Ariel regarding a late check out and he said it's 11/hr. I'm like anyway you can compensate us for all the inconveniences we have been experiencing, he had the nerve to say "what inconveniences" and went on to say this is a Socialist Country and we do not negotiate, that is the price. We did not lower our head and walk away this time, we exchanged some words with him and walked away, but nothing rude. Staff / Guests - we met some wonderful people both staff and guests. They were the ones that made our stay better. I want to say thank you and a few shout outs to Yari and Mi (Taca Taca - they know what I mean) for their friendly smile and tried very had to keep guests engaged. Joseph (singer/pianist) what a great guy, it shows he loves what he does and that is entertaining and engaging with the guests. Some bartenders were awesome (hard to give shout outs by name, as they don't have name tags). Beach - absolutely amazing, calm, warm and crystal clear to the exception of a few days. Once my feet touched the sand, I forgot about all the issues that were behind me. The beach boys, were very nice shout out to Humberto, very friendly and engaging. But take this as you may, this was our experience in the 11 days there, maybe things just happened to us, but I would have a hard time believing it was just us.

My husband and I spent a week at this resort, with a swim up room...We were in Building 6 and it was perfect. The service at this resort is by far the best I've seen in Cuba, and have been numerous times over the past 20 years. The food was delicious and plentiful. The grounds are lush and maintained just lovely. The bar service best around... Pools and Beach spectacular !

The people were so unfriendly. The resort itself was nice but just couldn’t get over how the staff was. Just to ask a simple question it felt like you were putting them out. Not the Cuba I have experienced in the past. I would not go back if someone paid me. Such an unwelcoming miserable staff.

What a wonderful experience we had at Coral Esmeralda. We visited the resort late November 2023. Despite some shortages we had wonderful time. The young staff at the resort are great people and they will go out of the way to make your stay memorable. Thank you Jose Louis for the great entertainment, Darion and Ramses for the great service at the main buffet, Jessica at one of A La carts, all the staff at the lobby bar, Kayle at the spa, staff at the snack bar and the beach bar, very attentive staff at the beach. Also need to mention great customer service staff. Alway there to help and chat. Thank you Coral Esmeralda, till next time.

We had the fortune to spend 9 days at the Iberostar Coral Esmeralda. The rooms were clean, spacious, and comfy. The food was fantastic (especially the buffets). The staff was extraordinary, friendly, and thoughtful. We were lucky to enjoy the Christmas dinner and it was the best food we have ever had. The surf and turf were cooked to perfection. It was quiet which we needed. There are not many rooms and you can relax at the pool without blasting music! The beach was cleaned every morning. We love it there!

The hotel, grounds, absolutely beautiful beach and staff was awesome. The food, well its Cuba so the choices was minimal and limited, never hot. The food was warm at best and salty. The snack bar The same. Fyi don't expect to get fries. ?. The drink was awesome.

Everything was as expected for the price EXCEPT the food. I'm the world's least picky eater and it was just BAD. Constant shortages of basic items (eggs, potatoes, toilet paper, Coke). Avoid Cuba rn!!

Having just returned from a wonderful vacation here, I can report that by far, the good far out weighed anything negative. The ride from the airport is long (about one and a half hours+-) and that can be a turn off for some. It went by quickly with a great guide on the bus. The rooms were nice, clean, quiet...the grounds were well maintained, the beach was fabulous - the water warm and beach cleaned daily of any seaweed that may have been washed ashore overnight. The food (after reading lots of negative comments about the food in Cuba) was surprisingly very good. I always laugh about the comments that the food is repetitive. Sure, if you are inclined to eat 3 kinds of fish, 3 kinds of pork, beef, various salads, vegetables, pastas, ice cream and so many pastries EVERY DAY and every meal at home...lol. Well, you might find it "repetitive". But reasonable people, respectful to the food shortages in the country and the sincere desire to satisfy their beloved tourists, will be pleasantly surprised and I guarantee that you will not lose weight! Drinks...well, yes, they had a day or two of no Cola but that was about it. Any kind of liquor you wanted was available. Spanish Coffee...amazing Cappuccino (complete with the Starbucks style foam artistry), cold beer at every bar...no problems whatsoever with quality or quantity. The resort itself is new (two years this month I believe) and I would say it is of the more modern style. We generally prefer traditional resorts and find the newer modern ones cold, I didn't feel that way about this place. Modern but warmer than most. We had a second floor ocean view room that we paid extra for and I am not sure I would do that again. We did have a view of the ocean and a nice sunrise view but it was reasonably far away from the beach and probably not worth it for the most part. I did not see the top floor mega suites in person but, they looked really nice and only two per building..either facing the sunrise/ocean view or, to the inside of the resort. If you need a giant suite..go for it - it looked really nice. The low floor step into the pool rooms were very nice too. I am not sure how much extra. None were available when we booked. You lack perhaps a bit of privacy since most can be seen from the sidewalks but, you can step out of your room into your private area pool which are all connected to the main pools. Very cool and I think most people who had those enjoyed them. I think you can't go wrong with any of the rooms. When you are at the Coral level, you can freely go to and enjoy the many amenities of the attached Esmeralda main family hotel. It has a great lobby...huge pool, and other features not available in the smaller Coral level. We went a couple of times and enjoyed it (much louder and full) but were happy to be on our more peaceful and smaller Coral Level side. It was nice to be able to experience both whenever you wanted. Other 'stuff' to do. Well, there is a small 'village' for shopping within a 10 minute walk but many of the stores were closed and those that were open had the usual tourist trinkets, booze store, small grocery store (with crazy high prices), a nice spa and not much more. It made for a nice short excursion. There is also a very nice and newly built (not yet fully opened) Dolphinarium but no dolphins there yet. You can walk (or ask the hotel to drive you in one of their electric carts) there to see it for free right now. It is not yet open but they will let you walk around and see some huge turtles, rays etc. now. We did not take any outside excursions so I cannot comment on those. There is a deserted beach in that area too (a bit farther from the Dolphin area) for those so inclined too. Best of all for last...the staff are incredible....ALL of them...if I started to name names, I would fill the page...from the wonderful people at the buffet, the grounds keepers, the bar tenders at all of the bars, the life guards and staff on the beach, the front desk staff, management, the spa staff, the chefs and cooks, the amazing entertainers especially Jose Luis who entertained us nightly and often through the day in the lobby with great sing alongs etc. .... I KNOW I missed some and that's why I said 'ALL'....I did not find anyone who wasn't genuinely friendly and fun. Awesome people! Overall...we loved the week and had a great time. We would recommend this resort to others without hesitation if you like the amenities as described. We do like the Iberostar brand and this one does not disappoint (us at least). In all of Cuba, go with an open mind and slightly lower expectations remembering how much you paid. Trip Central and our rep, Tammy Beamish were great and thorough with reminders and email updates. Also, if you enjoy the staff and connect, you will be blessed with meeting and learning from awesome people. If you are the type who goes on vacation to snap fingers at people, demand and look only for the negative and not the overwhelming positive...well, you should probably stay home (from everywhere lol). Enjoy life.

I just came back from the 2 weeks vacation in this beautiful resort. First the grounds were exceptionally well maintained due to the hard work of many gardeners who are working there. The beach is beautiful, it does changes several times a day due to high and low tide, hence it’s difficult to predict the size of the sitting area. Beach sand is white and perfectly fine. Beach is also cleaned daily if any weeds come through the night. Food was good for Cuban standards and no issues at all finding something you like. Staff is exceptionally good and helpful anywhere in the resort. Front reception bar is top notch with premium alcohol served. Thanks to all of the bartenders and ladies working there. We had swim out suite and was definitely worth to have it. I will definitely come back to this hotel in the future.

We spent a week at the Iberostar Coral Esmeralda, Oct31 to Nov7. This being our 6th trip to Cuba and first post Covid, we thought we had a pretty good idea of what to except, ….wonderful people, amazing beaches, so so food and accommodations that may have a deficiency or two. Things have changed. Cuban economy and infrastructure was hurting before Covid, it has now reached a crisis level. Shortages of most everything, there simply are not enough resources to go around. The Cubans needs tourism dollars to improve their living standards, .. tourists expect toilet paper and butter , so the Cuban residents do without. Catch 22 However the shortages have become so acute now the tourism product is suffering and the price for vacations reflects this with incredibly low prices for all inclusive stays that after the Canadian air carrier takes its cut there can’t possible be enough revenue to cover resort operators costs. It’s a downward spiral .. Now. The resort is beautiful, small , just two years old, very clean. Our roof top suite was spectacular, a huge wrap around balcony with ocean views all three sides , The room advertised as 1400 sq ft. had two bathrooms, jacuzzi tub, huge two person shower and a very comfortable king size bed. We had water issues the first 3 days, first no water, then cold water only , then hot water only , then a broken toilet hose while we out of the room resulting in a significant flood and finally no water pressure. So we moved on the third day to another roof top suite that had even a better ocean view. The maids kept our absolutely spotless . The food at the Al a Carte restaurants was very very good you are allowed to book 3 meals per stay and all 3 were excellent. During our week the buffet had severe shortages , no eggs, no fresh fruits or vegetables, no orange juice , excellent tasting breads but usually no butter and never and jam or jellies spreads. The thing I found most odd that was missing was there were no labels telling what the food on trays and tables was. Not 5 star by Canadian standards but we didn’t leave hungry. Cuba is know for amazing beaches and blue waters, that is primarily what we go for, the beach here was a disappointment. Actually there are two beaches here, a very nice low tide beach and a basically nonexistent high tide beach. Not sure if recent storms or wave action has pulled away a lot the beautiful soft white sand recently, as most of reviews were very good, but at the afternoon high tide the water comes right up the shade palapas and many of the chairs are actually in the water . I have never seen a Cuban beach or any resort beach like this before. Mother Nature may have been removing the sand from the beach but she has been very busy bringing sea grass and floating garbage on to the beach. The resort daily cleans SOME of the beach area but not all it . We don’t play the before breakfast towel game and don’t normally mind getting stuck out on the far ends of the resort beaches when we arrive at 9:30 looking for shade spot, unfortunately the ends of the beaches get little or no maintenance and sea grass and garbage it horrific . We spent a half hour or so a cleaned up a couple shade palapas as the one we cleaned the day before was often taken the next day so would clean another, I thought we did a pretty good job picking up the sea grass and garbage and piling it up in the vegetation zone behind our palapa . I know that keeping a beach clean is an endless job and resort staff try to do a good job in the centre part beach but they had to do the job with a broken rake and without even a wheelbarrow to put the collected material in , they put it in a tub and dragged it away, such is the shortages of tools and materials in Cuba. However the one thing that the resort can control is investing time and effort to keep the beach clean. Toilet paper , bring lots , although toilet in the rooms is supplied daily do not count it in any other public bathrooms anywhere, airports, restaurants, beach bars, anywhere. There are no hand sanitizing stations anywhere , bring your own. I could go on but it comes down you get what you pay for. Talking to other people at the airport all the resorts were more or less the same although ours seemed to the only one without eggs all week , perhaps the Cayo Cruz area, being small and somewhat isolated is a lower priority for supplies? All and all we had a good vacation, meet some great people but we wouldn’t go back.

First I want to start by saying that I rarely leave bad reviews based on a one week stay at any resort but this must be said. If you want to go on a vacation and drink good beer and good rum, vodka. This place is for you. The adult only side is quiet and beautiful. Unfortunately there are more negative things to say than positive. The level side of the resort(kid friendly) is much larger and has more staff to attend to your needs. The buffet is larger and has more options, although those options are sad at best. The entertainment was good but inconsistent. Some nights they did not have any sort of entertainment. And when they did sometimes they started way later than planned. Now I will talk about the food. If you can survive off of toast and canned fruit then great, unfortunately not everyone can. The meat was extremely inconsistent and some nights you could tell it was old or from the day before. There was rarely no fresh fruit and NO fresh vegetables. My girlfriend and myself got some sort of food poisoning from the buffet, in fact I may even have a parasite. Travel to and from the airport was fairly long and boring. There were some pink flamingos on the way but nothing noteworthy. All in all I do not recommend this resort. Pros: Large modern rooms, comfy beds, amazing beach and beautiful water. Cons: Absolutely terrible food(food poisoning possible), lack of toilet paper, lack of fruity beverages.

The resort was amazing. We had a little difficulty with wifi first couple of days but they fixed it up. Everything was very clean, the food was good and the staff was amazing. We had a swim out room which made our stay that much better.

Beach was amazing Staff were exceptional Entertainment was great Rooms were spacious Layout was very simple Concierge was attendant Room Service was outstanding Chefs were courteous Many other guests were horrible human beings and there should be screening standards implemented

This is in no way even a two star resort. Room service did not answer phone. Did not fog for mosquitoes so impossible to enjoy anything. You could not leave room at night. Buffett had more flies than dead cow carcass.

I just returned from a trip at this resort (Aug 2023). The resort itself is in very good condition and clean and the grounds are in excellent condition. The resort is small and all the buildings are quite close. The beach is beautiful and there was never an issue getting a chair under an umbrella. Coffee and drinks were available in many different areas of the resort. The food was ok, better than I expected. There was a beach bbq everyday which was the best option. Breakfast was also good. The swim out rooms are a nice bonus if you can get one of those rooms. The nightly entertainment was a lot of fun and the staff did their best to keep us entertained. I would definitely recommend this resort if you're looking for a simple budget getaway.

We were at this hotel for 14 days, the service vas very good, the room vas clean and cold, we enjoyed the beach and pools, the food-well it's Cuba, they did their best with what they had, we didn't miss anything, we would like to have more vegetables , but it vas not that bad, the drinks were good, we enjoyed the drinks made by Alfred at the cigar bar, also the drinks at the lobby bar and beach bar. Thanks to all the staff of Coral Level for the good service.

We upgraded to Coral Level. We were celebrating our 30th anniversary. Loved that it was smaller. Roof top room was beautiful. Pool was great. Staff was fantastic. Beach was STUNNING! Will be planning a return trip. 1.25 hour ride from airport.

My husband and I stayed at Iberostar Coral Esmeralda for a week, July 25-August 1, and had a wonderful time. The staff was wonderful, very caring and proactive in anticipating our needs, especially Ariel and Juan Carlos (thanks again for making our stay so lovely!). The grounds are beautiful, our room was very clean and the bed was super comfortable. The food was tasty and plentiful, as were the drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The pig roast at the beach bar was fantastic and would highly recommend. The beach is gorgeous. 23 km of white sand and clear water. We spent hours in the water each day. People complain about the lack of variety in the food, however, I feel like we need to keep in mind that the political situation in Cuba is the worst it has ever been and locals barely have enough food to survive. Staff did a fantastic job with what supplies they had. If you have a complaint about the food, complain to upper levels, not the staff that are working 16 hour days (Yup - 16 hour days!) to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Also, while Cuba has a very good medical system, they are in dire need of supplies. If you can, bring some extra Tylenol and whatever else to leave for staff. Thanks again to the staff. We look forward to visiting again in the future.

The rooms are gorgeous. Brand new. Beds so comfortable and rooms ice cold. We had the rooftop. It was huge. The beach is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen. The people are so kind and the service is amazing It’s a place where you go to relax. Not much of a nightlife. Also there is a lack of food. We didn’t starve. But it’s not the same as it was preCovid. Not even close. Room fridge only has one bottle of water a day. There was a lot of shortages. No seafood at all. The food situation needs a major improvement. NOW the travel, what a nightmare with SUNWING. Delay after delay after delay. There and back. Sunwing changed our travel times by 12 hour to go there and they added a stop in Holguin. On top of that we were delayed by the sunwing crew for 4 hrs. Coming home was another nightmare, our sunwing rep at the hotel made us waste our last day and sent us to the airport too soon, he didn’t get the delay notifications and argued that his supervisor didn’t inform him even though we showed him the multiple emails from sunwing all day long with delay notifications. We had to tell him. We got the airport before the staff was there and we had to wait outside in 40 degree weather fighting off the mosquitoes for a hour and a half. Never again sunwing. Ever.

My room was beautiful. I especially loved the swim up room. So worth it! The grounds were very nice and the buildings with the rooms were very pretty. Now this is not the fault of Cuba or the resort, but the weather sucked, rainy and overcast. I made the best of it. I went to the beach which was really nice. No seaweed, no rocks and shallow. Lots of chairs and it wasn't to busy so no problem finding one. ***Bring lots of bug spray!!!!!!**** The mosquitos were brutal, especially at night and after rain. I used the deet spray and that worked well. If you are looking to party this is not the resort. It's quiet and not a lot to do. This was fine with me as I just wanted to relax and swim. On the Thursday night their was a great dance show in the lobby. Their is a 24 hour bar here and you can get food their after 11pm. The food: People always say it's not great bit I found it good. Lots of fruit like watermelon, pineapple and mangos. A lot of pork dishes. Their was a lot of buns etc. You definitely won't go hungry. Anyway I enjoyed my time there though I wish it was a little busier and the weather was better

Let me start by saying the beach was perfect, rooms were very nice, food was as varied as they could make it. Staff are super sweet ,very appreciative and hard working. Danny, I must commend..he took care of our every need. I however have to state that there was no hand soap at any time in the hotel bathrooms which are used frequently by both staff and clients. I checked both the men’s and women’s bathrooms and not a drop of soap could be found. ( nor was there any type of hand gels)Also some days there was no toilet paper. Especially being post Covid this is just not acceptable. Our last two days of 5 we also had no soap refilled to our room and we ran out of toilet paper. I also have to state that the dining room was full of flies everywhere. Lastly because this hotel did not spray for misquitos we were eaten alive especially in their open air lobby. We could not go to any of the evening shows that were held in the lobby so as a result we did not get to enjoy any of that. To say we had over 100 bites would not be a lie. Itchy bites that kept us up at night itching despite all the deet spray I brought and used! They did a smoke spray one evening however that did next to nothing. I imagine they should have been spraying nightly to get rid of the mosquitoes .They also ran out of bottles of water which Alex ,our SunWing rep strongly advised us to use for brushing our teeth not to mention for hydration.When we approached “Ariel” he had no suggestions for us except we spend our time trying to track down our maid to ask for bottles. Our maid btw was excellent and 100% she would have restocked our room with water, toilet paper etc if it was available. It appeared to us we were inconveniencing him by asking about getting bottles of water. Not courteous nor helpful. This is not the staffs fault that there are shortages…however you can no longer classify yourself as a 5 star resort when the very basics for health and safety cannot be provided. My sister and I both returned home very sick. It’s not hard to see how that happened when no one was able to adequately hand wash. I would not recommend this hotel until soap is provided in guest rooms and all lobby bathrooms, until they manage their fly and mosquito problems and are able to supply and replenish clients with bottled water.

It was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen . The hotel had a great open air lobby with a piano player in the evening, unfortunately could not sit there for long due to the mosquitoes!!! They did not do enough to control that situation. I do understand it was mosquitoes season The food , well it is Cuba ..They ran out of lots of items daily , butter milk cheese “ect” Rooms were very nice and cleaned well. The worst for me unfortunately was they had no hand sanitizer or soap in most of all of the washrooms on the property . Being post Covid this is unacceptable hundreds of people sharing the serving spoons at the buffet. I’m also worried the staff and especially kitchen staff were unable to wash their hands as well ! They also ran out of bottled water the last 2 days we were there . Which created a problem because they did not suggest using tap water in the room to brush your teeth.

We stayed here for one week at beginning of April 2023. We flew out of Hamilton which was a real charm as this small airport is great and easy to get to from our home in Hamilton. Flights were good. We had a delay coming home but everything worked out fine. It's a long bus ride out to Cayo Cruz but it was at night, so we didn't mind. The airport at Cayo Coco, although a small airport, was a bit chaotic when we got through the gates at customs and 'lined up' at security to check our personal bags. There didn't seem to be any way to figure out where to wait as we were all bunched up! Some people got upset that we weren't in the lineup! What lineup? The staff at the airport (at both customs and security) were more friendly and pleasant than in the past. It was a lovely new resort. The staff are all very attentive and friendly. Our room was huge! Our chambermaids (as they call them) were excellent. Betzy was the best maid! Every day we had fresh water, a fun decoration on our bed (butterflies, bows, hearts) and they were always there to help with anything we needed. We loved sitting in the Cigar Bar at night with the best bartender - Bryan! He was so friendly and great to chat with. Even though we don't smoke, we stayed there, because Bryan made us many different drinks to try! His 'Beautiful Girl' cocktails were delicious! The food was good in the buffet and in the A La Carte restaurants. Breakfast omelets and grilled cheese sandwiches on the grill were great breakfast treats! Our favourite was the banana appetizer in the Cuban Restaurant - delicious! The staff in the Lobby Bar were excellent as well, especially Diana and Michael. We loved having our cappucinos every morning there, relaxing and reading. We swapped out books in the small bookshelf in the lobby behind the Sunwing reps desk, so we didn't have to bring too many books with us. We had good pizzas one day at the Snack Bar and it was full for lunch! The staff at Customer Service were very helpful anytime we had a question or issue. Alex, our Sunwing rep was fantastic. He was always there to answer our questions and help us. We only went to the beach one day as it was pretty windy most of the time, but we saw the sun rise and it was lovely. The beach is narrow at high tide. The pools were nice. It was very hot when we were there and sunny every day! We visited the sister resort next door which is larger but we were glad to stay at the Coral Level where it was smaller and quieter. We brought many gifts for the Cuban staff and they were appreciative of everything. I brought nail polishes, lipsticks, macaroni, sandals, hair ties and ribbons, hats, candies, clothing, Tylenol and vitamins (which we gave to the doctor at the medical clinic), etc. We tipped with loonies, toonies and $1 American bills. Everything was accepted and we changed bills for change at the bar (for more tips) with them as they asked us. We met many other Canadians from across the country and that was fun! Overall we enjoyed our vacation and want to thank Kevin Dupuis at Sunwing/Trip Central for helping us plan our excellent trip!

The Coral Level Iberostar Selection Esmerelda far exceeded our expectations. Cayo Cruz is incredibly beautiful and has the most amazing beach with the softest white powdery sand, that you can walk for miles. Never an issue to find chairs and a palapa if you are at the Beach before 9am. A bit of a drive from the airport, 1.5 hours on bumpy roads, but you won't regret choosing this resort. Staff here are fantastic and go above and beyond. The food was exceptional, occasional minor shortages but always an alternative. Food was not repetitive as we'd read, always lots to choose from, and fresh grilled beef, pork, chicken or fish cooked to your preference. Not many options for a salad, however always sliced tomato and cucumber, different fruits over the week and endless homemade sweets, rice pudding, ice cream, etc. Al a carts Mediterranean and Cuban were both delicious. Lunchtime has several meal options, there are dishes offered at the beach (kept warm on a barbeque), the snack bar close to the beach always has meal options, burgers/hotdogs with occasional days offering pizza and fries. No people brought their own butter and condiments but we were fine without. The Spanish red wine was lovely and a nice treat. The lobby offers an early evening entertainment option with Cuban show or local talent, ie different nights someone playing a guitar, piano, violin and the best was a young lady on a chelo...all were fantastic. We would definately consider this a 5 star for Cuba! Loved it and would return.

We travelled here on March 22 2023.It is approx.1hr 15 min from airport.The resort itself is very modern and well kept grounds Beach and staff are 5 star.Rooms are very clean.If you are looking for a small relaxing resort this is the place for you.Everything is very close .We did not ever have a hard time finding a chair by beach or pool.Dining is Cuban fair shortages at times but never left hungry.

The rooms, the grounds, the beach, the pool, and the staff were amazing. The food was ok, but it would have been nice to have some soft drinks or juice where water was limited. Everyone does not drink alcohol all the time. Our room was very nice but we had no hot water at all. By day 6, we had hot water from one of the two bathroom sinks. We were dreading taking a shower every day after the beach before dinner.

The hotel was very clean and the grounds were well kept. We brought our own hot sauce and peanut butter .The food was good .Every day there was a choice of beef, chicken,pork and fish as well as desserts and fruit. The staff were very accommodating . I didn't realize how far we were from everything though. We also ran into wind and rain for 3 days. Therefore swimming at the beach was impossible. I know you can't do anything about the weather. This was my 4th trip to Cuba.

I won’t lie, I read reviews whether it’s from trip advisor or from fan Facebook pages. I will always do my research. I’ve been to Cuba 6 times and I have experienced the good, bad and the ugly. Coming into this trip, knowing how hard it is for them to receive stock for food, booze, and other items I knew to not expect much. When I tell you I was blown away.. this trip exceeded my expectations. From the grounds, the rooms, the staff, the beaches even the food .. I was surprised. I went with a group of 4, This is a 5 star resort in Cuba. The staff go above and beyond to exceed your requirements. We came out with many friends who have kept in contact with us. The rooms are great. You either get a king bed or two doubles and you push them together it becomes a California king (amazing) yes you get a fridge no it’s not stocked so bring pop or coolers from home not the end of the world. They must give you a bottle of water every day. If we didn’t see it we went right to the butler and it was in your room by the time you got back. The buffet we ate for breakfast and dinner and we had breads, bacon, fresh egg omelettes, and fruits. If you like peanut butter, butter, maple syrup bring small packets no biggie. Dinner we didn’t think it was repetitive. You had your choice of fresh grilled beef, chicken, pork, fish, burgers or hot dogs. You had different side dish options all were great. For lunch we kept with the snack bar. We had wood oven margarita pizzas, or hamburger (with buns) or even pasta one day. It was all hot and amazing. The a la cartes we did the only two open Cuban and Mediterranean. We really enjoyed the Mediterranean. Drinks. Strong but you get used to it. Yes you have to think of things to have but I always asked for the bartender surprise or if you go to the snack bar ask for the Luis drink (gin lemonade). We didn’t notice shortages as they adapt to it. The entertainment at both resorts were great and hilarious. The day staff is the same as the night staff and they work hard to include everyone. Yes the bus ride from the airport to the hotel is about 1 hour and 30 minutes but it’s okay I didn’t mind it. we would recommend the VIP lounge in the airport on the way home if it’s a mid day flight or later. Had the air condition and inclusive booze and food. Big question would we go back…. 100% Luis, Uni, Yoem, Danny all the lobby bar workers and entertainment staff .. thank you for a memorable week.

Very well kept resort, nice and quiet resort to soak up the sun and relax.Long beach for walks , pool is right by the rooms.no lineups. Food is great and the service is awesome. Staff is very friendly.

Hotel was real nice, small and had friendly staff. We would end up at the amazing beach or larger pools next door, bars were close with ample amounts of beer, rum or vodka mixed drinks. Entertainment every night was nice in the main lobby. Food a la cart cordon bleau was great, Cuban night was also tasty with chicken lasagna and pulled pork rice etc. Every day for breakfast was bacon with ham and cheese omlettes. Cuban coffee was outstanding. Cigar bar had great coffe and canned beer. Very hard working and nice staff there too. My expectations of food were not high cause of the reviews. yes Cuban cooking is bland, but plenty to eat at the buffet or snack bar. I survived without any Doritos for the week, lol. Would go again just for the beauty of the beach!

We were here last March. There are visible changes....not the fault of the resort, or the Cubans. The workers are always eager to help with what little they have. There were minor shortages. But not enough to complain about, who eats bacon every day at home anyway, chicken was missing for a few days, but made a comeback for the remainder of the week. We didn't go hungry. The beach is always beautiful....one of the nicest beaches in Cuba. The only downside that I was a little disappointed about was the lack of entertainment on the adult side. There is a piano, only used for very short time for one night. One other night was a short show by a local guitarist....not that good. The family side had the typical boom boom garbage. I go to the caribbean for the culture, and Cuba has some of the most talented musicians. More live music would go a long way in order for me to go back. Other than that, I probably won't be back for the lack of entertainment. Bedrooms are great, the beds are very comfortable. No supplies in the fridge, but the coral level is so small, you are a couple of minutes from your bars.

This resort is incredibly beautiful The staff are fantastic Our room was luxurious, the nicest hotel room I’ve ever encountered I can’t wait to book my next vacation I won’t stay anywhere else Thank you !