Husband, school-age son and myself stayed here for week in mid-January. We’ve been to a few other all inclusives in Mexico (east coast) and Dominican Republic but this was our first visit to Cuba. Cuba is certainly not as advanced technologically (internet costs $ and is sllloooowwww) or in customer service but all in all, we had a very pleasant stay.

Beach was amazing. Once you got past the rocky terrain, the sand was fine. The water was clear and beautiful, and warmer than the pool! It is a public beach, and crowded, but no problems to find a lounger chair. There are some vendors selling crochet dresses, knick-knacks and/or tours.

Pool area was not as crowded as the beach. Lots of chairs available. I had a massage in the hut by the water, near the pool, and it was AMAZING!!! I totally recommend it! And it cost less than the massage I had at the spa at the plaza next door, and it was 1000 times better.

Money exchange at the hotel and airport seemed to be around the same rate. Downfall of getting money converted at the airport when we first arrived is that the line up was rather long.

Room was adequate (functional)--- far from fancy or large, but we didn’t spend much time there. There was hardly any drawer space. There was a mini-fridge with 2 beers and a few pop. We left notes asking for 4 beers (and left sizeable tips) and our request was always filled. The TV was a small one --- smallest I’ve seen in a resort. We didn’t have any facecloths (and I didn’t ask for any) or even an alarm clock (it’s nice to easily find out the time in the middle of the night). However, there was a bidet in the bathroom. I should mention that the bed was very stiff --- I didn't mind but hubby did.

Buffet had much selection at every meal, and plenty of fresh juices. Cuba isn’t known for fine food and our opinion certainly didn’t change after our vacation. However, there is plenty of edible food, and lots of bread! You need to remember that it is a foreign country and items are different: milk, cheese, meats, spices, etc. Keep an open mind. We quickly learned that some servers where much better than others. We had great service in the section of a young enthusiastic server, and tipped her with pantyhose on a return visit. She was so very pleased and would have a breakfast table cleared for us as soon as we came in the restaurant!

I didn’t care for the food or service at the “snack bar/café” by the buffet. You need to be careful --- pineapple at the snack bar was covered with bugs, and my son got sick from the hot dog.

Service and food at the a la carte restaurants was generally good. For some reason, the service was poor at our lunch and dinner visit to the Trinidad --- but the lobster tail was very tasty! My husband thought the steak was really good at the Steakhouse and the International. We really enjoyed the food and the service at the Mexican restaurant. There was live music at the Trinidad, Steakhouse and International, and the musicians would approach you to purchase a CD of their music. Note that you have to make reservations for these restaurants. Line ups started before 9am and reservations were taken until noon each morning. Reservations for the Mexican restaurant could only be made the same day, but it seems you could book a day or two in advance for the others. I had asked about the Chinese restaurant that I read about in a previous review, but they don’t have that anymore.

The coffee was terrible!!! Very watered down. The other alternative was expresso and it was very strong. I had to settle for alcohol rather than caffeine that week!

Tipping – we regularily tipped servers (who provided good service), bartenders, maids, tour guide, etc. I brought lots of new colouring books, pencil crayons, stickers, drawing pads, toothpaste, toothbrushes, kids clothing, writing implements, and money. All gifts and tips were very appreciated.

Bars – great service overall. The service at the lobby bar was inexplicably slow a couple of times, but not the norm. Loved the real glasses at the lobby bar! The pool bar is not a swim up bar. The beach bar was nicely situated. The small plastic cups that the pool and beach bars used were ridiculous! We brought our own refillable mugs (Tim Hortons) and that worked out very well.

The grounds were maintained but not nearly as beautiful as some of the other destinations that we’ve been. However, the perfect weather and beautiful beach could not be surpassed.

One major annoyance for us was the presence and amount of smoking (cigars, cigarettes) everywhere. We’ve forgotten what it used to be like in Ontario a decade or two ago. However, our room was clean of smoke smell, and no one was allowed to smoke in the restaurants or buffet --- that we noticed.

Oh, and I must warn everyone to beware of any restrooms off the resort. Bring your own toilet paper/napkins for emergencies! And be aware, you’ll be lucky if you find a toilet with a seat or lid, or that can flush. Yucky…

I’m trying to be realistic and objective in this review to be helpful to others who are checking out this review. I hope I have provided you with some useful information!

Great value for money! Wonderful beach, friendly staff, great food and drinks - every spot clean. Rooms nice. Doctors office at the hotel, worked out very well by the way. Great entertainment and activities. Supermarket next door. Short trip to Varadero City.
No guests under 18 (great). What more can you ask for?
Based on Cubas short history of tourism (that is after the revolution) and the difficulties they face due to imports of food etc, its impressive how they manage to fullfill the tourists needs. Needless to say, some of the reviews here do surprise me a lot - did we go to the same hotel? But some people will never be satisfied I guess - or some of us are too spoiled compared to the Cuban people.

If I could, I would go back again tomorrow - in spite of a 11 hours flight (from Norway).

Loved it - loved it - loved it !

We recently stayed a week at this hotel and were very happy with the choice. We saw other hotels while in the area but none came close .. not to say there are others which are not equally as good. This hotel had 6 different restaurants, three of which were very good the others ordinary. That I think is a good split for a resort. The rooms were spacious and very clean. Keep in-mind you are in Cuba, so don't expect tissues or there to be replacement creamers for your morning coffee every day! The complaint on every restaurant was the wine selection was generally poor. Obviously not a wine country.

The hotel had an adjacent beach which was beautiful. There was never a problem getting cotts under a hut. Lots of space. The water and sand beautiful.

The staff were always friendly and never hesitated to help with your questions.

The main issue we had was the method they require to book your restaurants for the evening meals. These could only be booked 3 days in advance and the booking desk was only open from 9 - 12 daily. Which meant you should be prepared for a 30 - 60 minute wait a couple of times over a week's stay!! Then you would visit the restaurant that evening and see many empty tables ... but they would not seat you without having a prior reservation. A very frustrating and poor system. We found by day 3 that money given to the head waiter did however get you a table without a reservation. I guess not much changes throughout the world.

If you go to Havana take a private cab rather than a bus. We booked a great driver who spoke good English. His name was Misael Barroso and you can pre-book him via his e-mail at misael.barroso@yahoo.es. That said, remember internet is restricted in Cuba so you may have to call him when you arrive at 52955721. He is very reasonable and knowledgable. He toured us to Havana and several small villages and the underground cave over the following days.

Be careful on exchanging money in Cuba. They do not like American dollars and many places will not even take them. They prefer Canadian or the Euro. The hotel will give you a fair exchange rate. Don't cash in too much as you will find it difficult to change your Cubian Pesos back into Canadian or Euros. They also inflat the value of the "convertable peso" to be always above the US dollar so you do not get a good rate. The Canadian rate was above the US, so bring Canadian dollars. (when getting change from a purchase be careful not to accept the people's "Cuban peso" as it is basically worthless. They operate with two different currencies so ensure you get "convertable pesos" ... it is written directly on the note.

Overall, the trip was fantastic and my wife and myself, and both of our children (age 12 & 14) loved the region and people. We plan on going back but to a different region.

Just returned from Melia Varadero with my wife and 2 teenage daughters.
We enjoyed the newly renovated hotel rooms with fantastic ocean views.
Service was fantastic and really enjoyed new outdoor Mexican restaurant.
Like to thank Vladimir, who is the sales manager, for his special attention.
Will definately return agin next winter.