We spent an extremely enjoyable Christmas and New Year at las Americas and it proved, as promised, to be a fabulous holiday.
Almost all the staff were extremely helpful, tipping definitely helps but not always necessary.
What was nice, apart from it being child-free, was the different areas available to relax in - if we did not want to go to the beach with it's entertainment and activities there was always somewhere within the grounds that was quieter and more secluded, a refreshing choice, depending on our mood.
All the resaurants warranted visiting and all delivered better than expected results. We liked all of them for different reasons but we were lucky to book in to them all on our first full day, and then did not have to worry where to go for the rest of the holiday.
Because it was the Festive Season a classical quartet accompanied some of our evening meals as well as at breakfast on occassions and that was truely exquisite.
Now to the important stuff - which was the best bar? Too difficult to call, but Raul in La Cascada (Smokers' Bar) is the consumate professional and his "Special Mojitos" are to die for! Conversely Emilio and Leslie in the Piano/Lobby Bar also need mentioning as they ecouraged us to sample as many of their products as possible (and only one serious hangover - although it did last 10 days!) and conversations were always very interesting with an exciting mix of many other nationalities
Lastly I should mention Irmita, who popped up everywhere but especially in the seafood resaurant, she had such a magnificent smile! She was always very helpful and so cheerful, you couldn't help but smile in return.
Do visit the old Dupont Residence next door. Apart from being an unusual building the sunset from the cocktail at the top is spectacular.
All in all we had a great holiday - there was as much or as little to do as you wanted and the location couldn't have been better.
Thanks to everyone at Las Americas.

After a longer than expected journey from Havana to Varadero with interesting sights on the way we arrived in the hotel to be given rooms at each end of the hotel. The receptionist wasn't very helpful when we asked to be close to each other, told the hotel was full. We asked if they were sea view rooms and told no! We were disappointed as we had booked nearly twelve months ago and requested rooms close together,we were given rooms 4505 and 3205! We asked to look at an upgrade room but didn't feel it was worth the extra 40 pso per night. Decided to stay put. When the rep visited we asked why we were so far apart and he sighed and went to reception. He called us over and offered one of us a move. We asked why reception hadn't told us that another room would be available the next day;if they had we wouldn't have unpacked. My friend said she would stay where she was. He was very abrupt and said as he had dealt with our problem and we had refused the offer that was it; he had done his job! Didn't bother with our Virgin rep again!

4505 room was light and airy with a view of the golf course, entrance and sea! Not classed as a Sea View because thats looking at the beach/Sea?, confused, we were. The room was a bit noisy but ok if the window was shut. The bathroom was a little dated, shower over bath but there is a bidet! Our room was clean and the bed huge, if a little hard. The furniture is a bit dated, and has a bit of a damp aroma. Overall the hotel needs updating, painting, new drapes etc, but it is clean.

Food: We found this to be bland, and repetative, but good wholesome food. Salads were fresh but refilling was a bit slow. Go early, we ate late one night (9.00pm) in the Buffet bar ,not much choice and things had been there a while and looked it! Tables were being cleared away and we felt as though we had over stayed our time.
Breakfast eggs were good, not a great choice of fruit, bananas were very hit and miss. Grab them while you can! The usual vegatables were available, does anyone eat them at breakfast? Milk seems to be an problem, we had to ask for more all the time. Coffee is mild didn't bother with tea, perhaps a step too far. Staff were pleasant and helpful refilling cups frequently.
Al a Cart - only managed one visit, was booked up. Food was good but only warm and not much choice. We had the most expensive wine on the menu, recommended by the waiter! it was good! (Thank goodness).
Italian and Chinese - Ok, was good considering the availability of that type of food, but very bland.
The bar staff were friendly and generous with the drink, it got very busy at times and they struggled to serve everyone. The peanut machine kept disappearing, something to do with supply?
Wifi not widely available - only two computers upstairs in the foyer. Always a queue and it is very slow! Frustrating.

At the rear of the foyer is a sitting area used by Smokers, which to a non smoker is very annoying. You have to pass by this area to reach the beach, I know my tolerance of smokers has reduced since the smoking ban in England, why don't they move them elsewhere. Its a lovely place to sit and look at the beach in the shade, a pleasure we were denied. The beach is great, a few steps down from the hotel and you are there! We sat to the left of the hotel as to the right is the bar/cafe/ entertainment. This area gets very busy and noisy at times, we still enjoyed the music, but at a lower level.

Lots of golfers of course, but generally a good mix of older people. Even though the drink is free flowing, we didn't see any bad behaviour at all. One chap from the entertainment crew had us in stiches everyday with his antics. He wanders around in different dress chatting to everyone. He is entertaining and draws your attention to the evening show. We enjoyed the Beach party!

The shopping centre next to the hotel has tourist items a few clothing shops and a chemist with not much in it!

We enjoyed our stay in Varadero, we wanted a quiet relaxing holiday and felt thats what we had. Not a 4/5 star at all, but a good 3+ I would say!

(Dec19th to Dec26th 2011)
Cuban people are wonderful, friendly, fun & funny
(Especially when we get to talkin Spanish, I'm the show, them..amused audience).
BEACH Beautiful!
Compares with any I have lived on, partied on, been naked on, sun tanned on....
Been most of/ALL the way around Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Live on the West Coast of Canada, & visited Scenic Spectacular Oregon Coast (wrote article here about that beauty), lots to compare.
Only thing that differs is Beauty of each.

Read lots of Reviews(did my homework) before choosing Melia Las Americas.
Food Bland? BUFFET, Yup, I had some Cooked Beans that were bland, HOWEVER! Only because they weren't cooked with salt.
SO! grabbed the salt shaker, shook it on the Beans AND VOILA!!! WOW!! just like Canadian home cooked.
Food Boring? Yup, I ONLY chose particular things I just liked and stuck with'em.
SO! what a CHICKEN (OR worse, In Spanish, a Chiflado), there's SO MUCH Selection to try & ALL FRESH & HEALTHY LOOK'N, why then didn't I live on the food eating edge & attempt LOTS of those other delicious LOOK'N CHOICES?
Cuz I'm BORING & content, LOVED what I chose.
NEXT TIME @ Melia Las Americas (& they're will be a next time), I'm eating on the edge.

A LA CARTE (4 not 5, no steakhouse),
NEVER had a bad meal, some just more SCRUMPTOUS than others.
In Particular @ Gourmet, THE PORK Chutney (name???/Last course on menu/I tried them ALL) dish & the LOBSTER dish were Both my best Taste Experiences.
(Have tried Lobster frequently in Canada, Australia, USA to compare & always pretty good)
BUT THIS HIT that Food Fantasy SPOT > Tongue, Stomach & Brain (can't remember correct order, was too high on taste).
@ SeaFood Restaurant, Lobster/Tuna combo, crumbed prawns were delicious.

Hotel Staff did their jobs efficiently & were VERY Pleasant in doing so.
Never felt a TIP was expected, but sure was appreciated when given. Easy to give in Cuba.

WOW where am I? Not North America. Where they demand, expect, self award it & Employers selfishly prop wages with it.

A couple of things didn't work for us (my family, two young adults)
Introductory Scuba Diving Lesson/pool was advertised, but not available (DISAPPOINTED about that), Windsurfer was not available (Broken) & a scheduled water polo event, didn't happen either.
Didn't get a phone message(given to Hotel) from a friend visiting Cuba(same time) @ another Resort.

Arrival/Departure Customs
I had the impression(tidbits from reviews read) it might be niggly but nope, it was fine (rephrase VERY GOOD) .

Be Aware, local calls cost $4 Pesos, initially thought Resort making courtesy for me, but nope.
I heard 1 Mosquito, don't know where he/she went (missed me).
Window Open most of the 7 day stay. Never used repellant we took.
Cubans LOVE our Gum. Gave away lots of packs of Dentyne Ice Flavours.
??.....OF COURSE I Took Presents with me.
$5 Day Ticket(Hop on Hop off when you like) on Open Top Bus (Round Trip Varadero & Back to Resort were you started) - PickUp Stops generally every 30 minutes. Route Clockwise/CounterClockwise.

Old Havana Day Trip - Won't say much here, would Need a lot more time there before speaking.
(Self Excursion/purchased Ride Ticket Only@Resort (Cost $25pesos each) on scheduled Rd Trip tour bus/pick up Right From Resort to Havana)

1 negative - just need a snack?
Be aware food differences can be dramatic (coaxed into eatery by Young Gentlemen in Nice Suits) DID NOT LIKE the PIZZA.
Keep in mind, I ate it, no problems, only consisted of dough, bit of melted cheese, a few spam/ham cubelets on top ($3pesos).

1 positive - Restaurant along San Pedro Malecon headed away from Tunel de La Habana &
past King Neptune(Poseidon) Statue (probably at least 1km+) food was more familiar & setting (Not Fancy but OK) extended out over water/Havana Port.
Markets are further down along the water away from King Neptune Statue (2/3km approx) same direction your already going.

This is our second time staying at Melia Las Americas. Over all we enjoyed our stay. This hotel is ideal for golfers and individuals who want to relax. This hotel seemed to cater to an older crowd (50+) which is great for those of us that vacation to relax and not see how fast we can get drunk (but unfortunately, there are still some of those).

The hotel accommodations are 4 stars. Both visits, we’ve enjoyed a beautiful room. The room size is large enough for 2 people for a week or two. The cleaning staff is very thorough and make every attempt to ensure that your room and stay are pleasurable (restock the fridge everyday). We never had an issue with bed bugs as some have mentioned, but I did get bites from sand fleas from the beach.

The buffet provides a varied selection of food to satisfy anyone’s taste. That being said, it’s Cuba (not Mexico or DR)! They are limited to what they can access and do a very good job of providing the best with what they have. The buffet consists of a salad bar, a grill, a pasta bar as well as a main food bar which consists of hot dishes such as chicken and pork as well as 8-10 side dishes (mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, rice, pizza, etc). The choices vary between lunch and dinner. The only issue we had with the buffet is the dress code. A dress code is strictly enforced (for men only) during dinner. The dress code prohibits the wearing of shorts and sandals (at dinner time only). The issue we had is that the dress code is not enforced for women and the wearing Capri pants (3/4 length pants) for men is not permitted either. Last visit we had no issue wearing our Capri pants so we were surprised this year when we were not allowed to enter the buffet. We were forced to wear our jeans (which we arrived in) and the one pair of dress pants for dinner the entire week. Most visitors wore jeans and t-shirts (one gentlemen wore sweatpants the entire week). I would rather see someone in a nice shirt and Capri pants then jeans and t-shirt or sweatpants!! Women, you can wear whatever you want; even very high cut-off jeans.

As for the A la carte restaurants, we tried 2 restaurants out of 4 this time around (Italian and Grill). Both were disappointing. The menus are set so you have no choice in what you eat. The Italian is ok. After all, how can you go wrong with pasta but nothing to get excited over! The grill was very disappointing as everything was cold. In both cases we had a 4 course meal served in approximately 1 hour.

Overall we did enjoy our stay at the hotel. After all we don’t go to Cuba for the food. The hotel beach and pools are amazing. If you enjoy golf or a low key relaxing week, you’ll enjoy the Las Americas. If you are looking for a place to party down...this is not the place for you.