We stayed at the Melia Cayo Coco from the 26th March 2007 for two weeks. We booked with First Choice and having had a fantastic holidy with them last year to Mexico, we were really looking forward to our trip to Cuba. We were unbelievably disappointed!

We had money stolen from our hotel safe and the management were incredibly rude and unhelpful at sorting the problem out. We couldn't believe the way they treated us and handled the situation, it was very upsetting. Another guest also had money taken so keep an eye on all your valuables.

The resort is more 3 star than 4 star plus. The rooms and bathrooms are dated and we have heard it is due for refurbishment later this year which says it all - it is now looking tired and is in need of an overhaul. We had to upgrade to a lagoon room when we arrived as our garden room was dark and gloomy with one dirty white chair on a concrete block as the outside space. The lagoon room was better but still not very modern or attractive.

The food was basic and dull. As a vegetarian, I had to survive on tomato pasta and salad for a fortnight - not what you'd expect from a large 4 star plus resort. When I asked for a vegetarian meal in the Cuban a la carte restaurant, even some vegetables, I was told no, the chef will not prepare you anything, so we had to leave! Very disappointing. My partner is a meat eater and he found all the meat and fish options to be very average. The food at the pool bar is greasy and basic.

The phone calls from the lobby are astronomical - we made a 10 minute call and a 14 minute call and it came to over £60!

The mini bar was hardly ever re-stocked, even though we kept phoning reception and asking for it to be re-filled. The room upgrade entitled us to sparkling wine, flowers, guaranteed dinner reservations, VIP mini bar etc. which we had to ask for and still never received.

There were many more problems we encountered, including a disastrous excursion to Havana with no coach booked for the trip and then no seats booked for us on the return flight to the resort so we were stranded in Havana airport for hours!

we took off from manchester on time with thomas cook,we arrived at hotel very soon after the airport.check in at hotel was great with plenty of champagne to great you we where allowcated our room s/cases followed on buggie 10 minuts after,our room very specious with a very large balcony.we where just behind the rooms on stilts had good views on the sunsets.

we started getting friendly with the staff on day two the main buffet in mornings was the best we have ever had for choice,food was good lunch&dinner,for that extra touch at night try the continental restaurant&italian but book them asap, on day two,

yes well olando&jose in the pool bar what a laugh we had with them there is 2pool tables in the bar i even got taught pool by mick from canada he was a laugh!.

the entertainments staff very good&very friendy,the beach was very clean also beach towel servise spot on,try the snorkling just down the beach great, nothing was to much trouble for any of the staff, even cabin crew &pilots stayed at the hotel that says a lot in our eyes,we also had a laugh with them.

I returned a week ago from a weeks visits to paradise known as the Melia Cayo Coco!. I traveled with two friends and we couldn't have been happier.

I had e-mailed the Melia prior to going to ask about traveler's cheques as several reports had said they could be a problem in Cuba. I was quickly responded to by Eduardo, head of reception, an assured that traveler's cheques were of no problem provided they were not in US funds, and currency could be exchange 24/7. We made a point of seeking Eduardo out and thanking him for responding to our requests and inquiries prior to our arrival.

We too had read many reports mostly positive but several negative as well. At first we found negative reports disheartening, but we decided our holiday would be what we made of it, so we went with a positive frame of mind. All i can think is that the negative reporters could NOT have stayed at the same resort as us!!

Everything was perfect. From being greeted upon arrival by the friendly reception staffers Alexis and Lester and the welcoming glass of champagne. Check in, and currency exchange were quickly and efficiently taken care of. We had a brief wait in the Lobby bar (Los Flamencos). Not a hardship at all, as we were treated to more champagne by the cheery Archimedes, who also gave me my first lessons in Spanish.

We were delivered safely with bags in tow, by a golf cart driven by Yoel, who also gave us a speedy tour of the resort, pointing out many of the locations we would soon come to frequent such as the Corumbola Bar (a must)

The resort itself is beautiful. Well maintained, spotless, and well designed. Though there are 50+ building with accommodations, the way they are spread out, you never feel crowded out by other travelers. In fact usually the only time you might encounter "crowds" would be at the pool. The beach is narrow, by many standards, but we found it a plus, we didn't have to go far from our beach lounges to the water. It was also cleaned and maintained daily. More people tended to gather in the vicinity of the beach bar area, but we traveled farther down the beach, for a little more elbow room and quiet, just the sound of the ocean instead of the beat of the music. We only spent one day by the pool and found it to be more crowded and a much hotter spot to be. The beach area always had a breeze and some days an actual wind, but it was a warm wind, this aided in keeping the beach area cool and refreshing, where as the pool area was more closed in so you felt the heat there more.

We never found eating to be a problem. There is something for everyone at every meal. Picky eaters should also be able to come away satisfied....I know we never starved!! Nor did we die of thirst!! We could pick up bottled water from the Lobby bar as well as having it delivered to our room. Water became the drink of choice for us on the beach, just a little more refreshing than the beverages offered up at the Beach Bar. Spirits, wine, beer, champagne were in abundance and not watered down. Try the Mojitos!! Orlando in the Corumbola bar does make the best ones, they became "my drink".

The staff are exceptional. Never did we pass staff with out a cheery HOLA! from them. We too were served by the twin brothers and were greeted warmly each morning by them as they served our mimosas. We had read a report or two that stated staff were rude. We did not find this to be the case at all, in fact the only rude people we encountered were other guests.

Beach/pool towel service is great. We were given a chit at check in for three towels, one a piece, and we could exchange them as often as we liked at the towel hut with Yanney or Raphael, two very friendly and helpful young men. The towels are super sized and thick, and are even well suited for the larger traveller, so leave yours at home. We could also borrow books and games from the towel hut, so no need to pack those either. Any books we had brought with us in our luggage when we finished them, we just donated them to the "library". Several activities could also be booked at the towel hut, and a daily schedule of events is posted there. Take advantage of some dance lessons, worth the giggle, and a bit of a workout in a short period of time. Enjoy a massage for a few extra pesos, well worth it.

We had wonderful weather. Rain only one evening while were asleep. We didn't find the mosquitoes too bad, as they fog twice a day, but I imagine the breeze also helped to keep them down,. Take some repellent though just to be sure.

Our room was well situated. Very clean and air conditioned. Our day maid Dayanna and turn down maids Olivia and Carla all took good care of us. Towels and bed coverings were twice daily turned into magical designs, from swans and elephants to boats and roses. We too were tidied up after, but then we tended to leave the odd bits strewn about, after all we are women and all had a least three pair of shoes!!

Two of us took advantage of one of the many excursions. Not wanting to come to Cuba and see nothing other than the resort. We elected to take the Colourful Cuba tour. We ended up in a small group in a mini van, which we found to be very suitable. It was, as our tour guide said, like being with a family...and it was. Any questions we asked were answered.

Be sure to visit the Corumbola Bar, we had such fun there, and do tell Orlando and Jose that the three Canadians say "Hola" and miss them. Enjoy the Grill bar and it's pizza. French fries are good too but if you are a Heinz ketchup person I suggest you take little packets of your own as Cuban ketchup, isn't what we call Ketchup, but salt and vinegar did the trick for me.

The Cubans are proud of their country and are eager to share it with all visitors. They are kind and have a lovely spirit.

Just got back from Melia Cayo Coco and had a great vacation, largely because we don't sweat the small stuff. This was our 8th trip to Cuba, our 3rd to Cayo Coco, and found this hotel to be a good value.

Food: Breakfast had everything we needed: Fresh OJ, Fruit shakes, Omelletes and eggs made-to-order and lotsa fruit and breads. We did lunches by the pool: Pizzas, burgers and sandwiches did the trick. There was a pig roast down by the beach each day as well. The Dinner buffet had a somewhat limited selection, with pretty much the same thing each day. We're more a-la-carte people, and they were very enjoyable. Try and wangle as many a-la-carte reservations as possible.

Rooms: We got upgraded to a lagoon room, which was great (Thanks to Violeta !) The room was a little tired: paint peeling, cracked tile, etc., but it was clean, and the upgrade more than made up for it.

Grounds: Very lush, tons of little gardens and shrubberies. I think the gardeners are the hardest workers at the resort.

Beach: Very narrow beach by the end of the day. This forced them to build a "sand" volleyball court off the beach by the activity center, which was disappointing (about 2" of gravel/sand, I wouldn't recommend diving). But who's kidding who, the sand...the sun...the ocean...it's the beach, that's why we went (oh, and add cold beer...the beach bar was handy as well).

Pool: Afternoon naps by the pool...it's all good. Washrooms by the pool were a little stinky, and service at the bar a little slow. Plan B - Just use the lobby washrooms and bar. No wait for either.

Nightlife: We're not really into the shows or the disco, so the Pub Bar with it's 2-Pool Tables was a great alternative. Plus we got to hang-out with all those crazy Brits, and listen to retro 80's tunes.

Staff: The activity staff were a lot of fun, they did a great job trying to motivate a pretty lazy bunch of vacationers. Lotsa fun playing volleyball, both on the sand court, and in the pool. And lotsa laughs around the pool. All the staff were pleasant, and did all that they could to ensure that you had a great vacation.

Well, we have just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at Melia Cayo Coco. Here is the review of our holiday, I hope it doesn’t get too long.

Flight – We flew out of Manchester UK with Thomas Cook Airlines. We had paid extra for the Premier Class seats (always worth it). The flight was good, excellent service from the crew, good meals and a reasonable choice of films to watch. We enjoyed Champagne about 6 hours into the flight to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We arrived safely at Jardines Del Rey at approx 4.30pm local time. Collected our baggage without any problems, changed our money at the exchange booth in the baggage collection hall and got straight onto the air conditioned coach.

On the coach we were given a slip to fill in to speed up check in at the hotel, along with our welcome letter etc. We made the short journey to the hotel – only about 10 mins away.

Check in – On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by the dancers and a glass of champagne, along with a cool flannel to freshen up. Check in was painless and prompt. The reception area is lovely and very well kept. Our first impression of the hotel was very good.

Room – We were lucky enough to get a free upgrade to a Lagoon Room, we were in room 3311 which is a ground floor room. The room was extremely clean and spacious with all the facilities you could need. CD player, minibar, TV, Iron & Board, Umbrella, Cosmetic pack, Safe, coffee maker etc. It was a lovely quiet room with a large balcony with table, chairs and sunloungers. We saw some beautiful sunrises from our room and we were popular with the fish in the lagoon as we could feed them from our balcony. Our lovely maid Dayami did a great job of making up the room, and we always had swans, flowers etc.. She even wrote a Happy Birthday message for my husband, as she had seen all his birthday cards in the room. The resort appears to be quite large, but from our room it was only a 2 minute walk to anywhere on the complex. We were thrilled with the location of our room.

Beach – This is were we spent most of our time… The beach is quite narrow, but beautifully clean. The staff are out there every morning collecting any seaweed etc.. and they get the sunloungers out for you and clean them up. There are plenty of palapas, and we never had a problem finding shade. The sea was gorgeous… crystal clear in the first week and it was so warm it was like getting into a bath. There are lots of fish to see just 1metre from the shore, and they often ate bananas straight from our hand. There is a beach bar and a diving centre with watersports equipment all included of course. There are showers located on the edge of the beach for cleaning off sand etc. There was a nice breeze at the beach which was definitely needed as the temp in the first week was 35 degrees. The gardeners would bring coconuts down to the beach and serve them with a bit of rum (of course), they didn’t expect a tip for this but we did always give them a couple of pesos.

Pool – About 3 weeks before travelling to cuba we received a letter stating that the pool would be closed for the first 3 days of our holiday. We were initially quite disappointed about this, but decided that we would still have the gorgeous beach. However, on the night of our arrival we were thrilled to see that the work was complete and the pool was already being refilled. So it did not affect us at all. We spent most morning on the beach, and afternoons by the pool. The pool is very clean, and the surrounding areas are constantly being tidied up. It isn’t a very deep pool, so swimming and diving isn’t really possible. This didn’t bother us as we only casually drift around to cool down, whilst sipping a cocktail.

There are plenty of sunbeds, but only a few areas of shade by the pool. There was absolutely no sunbed reserving going on, so finding a bed at any time of day was not a problem. This may be because the hotel was only about ½ full, but it was nice to not have to rush around to get a bed. Some days one of the staff would come round and hand out cool flannels, ice-cream or champagne. Which we thought was a lovely touch.

Food – There were 3 restaurants open during our stay. The Buffet, The Italian, and The International overlooking the lagoon.

We ate at all of them and can honestly say we always had great food. There was lots to choose from and the staff in the restaurants are very efficient. In the main buffet restaurant located next to the lobby, you could choose from prepared dishes, or pasta & meats/fish cooked to your liking in front of you. We never had a bad meal at this hotel.

The Italian was also good, particularly the Tomato Soup… delicious. The pizzas and pasta dishes were also very good.

We only ate in the International once, but again we could not fault the food or service we received.

There is also a snack bar located next to the pool, which serves sandwiches, pizza, fries etc. I think this is open 24 hours, but we only used it late afternoon for a snack.

There is also a beach grill, located just off the beach. We thoroughly enjoyed having our lunch here every day. You could choose from chicken, fish, pork, burgers, squid, tuna or just a salad. They were cooked fresh and brought to you by the chef. The waiters were excellent and there is a group of musicians who walk around and play/sing songs to everybody.

So all-in-all we thought the food was excellent, and always had plenty to choose from. I can’t believe anyone could find fault with it. Ok, so you probably won’t find a fillet steak like at home…. But you won’t find better fish dishes anywhere!

Bars – We had exceptional service at all the bars at the Hotel. But we spent a lot of time in the billiard bar. Hello to Orlando, the best cocktail maker. Lots of drinks to choose from. The wine was nice, as was the champagne, and Orlando made us different cocktails all the time. He is a lovely man, so pleasant and really takes pride in his job. There were some international brands included, but you had to pay extra for the likes of Jack Daniels etc.

Animation team - Now then, the Animation team. FABULOUS! We had such fun with them all, they are so talented and are great fun. We enjoyed the Archery, Volleyball, Dancing Lessons etc. The shows performed by the dancers were really good, they are the best dancers I’ve seen anywhere. They put so much time and effort into the performances. We had a great evening at the beach party, where they tried to teach my husband & I to dance, bless them they have so much patience, we’ve both got two left feet. But we had a great night, joining in the games. This team are a credit to the Hotel, and we came away feeling like had made friends for life with many of them. They came see to see us off when it was time to go home, and they genuinely wanted us to come back again. Thanks guys!

General stuff - Mozzies were about during our stay, the Hotel did fumigate the grounds morning and night but it was necessary to wear repellent. I suffered a few bites in the first couple of days, but after ditching my perfume for Deet – I didn’t suffer much after that.

The Thomas Cook rep Maria was lovely, we didn’t really need her at all during our stay but if we had she was always close at hand.

We feel that the best part of the holiday and the success of this hotel, is the staff. Everybody, and I mean everybody are so lovely and helpful. Always got a Happy smile, and nothing is too much trouble. The management are always wandering around the hotel, speaking to guests and generally mucking in. You can tell that this hotel is very well managed. The waiters are quick to clear tables and top up your drink, the gardeners are lovely and will make hats and birds for you. They keep the Gardens spotless and never stop working to keep the hotel so beautiful. The Reception staff are pleasant and helpful… I could go on and on… They are all absolute stars, every single one of them!

Would we return to this hotel…. Absolutely! It’s probably going to be a few years away though, because we need to make massive improvements to the house now. But I would recommend it to anyone!

Excursions
Speedboats –Via Thomas Cook Fabulous trip, only half a day. Situated just at the edge of Guillermo, we boarded the boats and went for a leisurely ride through the mangroves and then onto the location of the snorkelling. Here we saw many species of tropical fish, and spent about ½ hour feeding them. Then on the way back we let the boys drive, and thing got a little more speedy. Great Fun and good value for money. Just don’t drink too much the night before!!!

Pilar Beach – (On our own) We caught the local bus to Cayo Guillermo (5 pesos each return) and spent the morning at Melia Cayo Guillermo. We also popped up the beach to look at the Sol and then went back to MCG to have lunch in the beach grill. We had a lovely meal overlooking the beach. We then went back to reception and asked for a taxi to Pilar Beach (again 5 pesos each return). The driver took us the 10 minute ride to Pilar Beach and agreed a time to collect us. We walked over the sand dunes and through the little bar onto the breathtaking beach. WOW, what a gorgeous place this is. We went 100yards to the right and the beach was deserted apart from us. It was so idyllic, we spent a couple of hours on the beach and swimming in the crystal clear sea. The beach is true powder white sand, just like a picture postcard, unspoilt perfection. We had a drink in the bar before returning to meet the taxi who was already waiting for us 5 mins early.

So we then just spent ½ hour in the pool at MCG until the last bus arrived to take us back to Cayo Coco. It was a perfect day for very little cost. The Catamaran trip goes to Pilar Beach, but costs 89 pesos, and since my husband gets seasick doing it this way was ideal for us.

Dolphin Deluxe – We were picked up at 7.40am by great air conditioned coach. We travelled across the Causeway to Moron/Ciego De Avila where we stopped for breakfast (included). Then we travelled across country to Sancti Spiritus (hope that is spelt right) where we got 15 mins to have a look around the town and see the Colonial Buildings in the square, and have a quick look on the market. Then we went onto Trinidad, where we stopped to look at a local pottery then onto a restaurant for lunch (included). After this we travelled about 1 hour to Cienfuego where we went for a sail around the bay before going to the Hotel for the night. The Hotel is a 3 star, not the luxury of the Melia but clean and comfortable for one night.

The next day we were up for 7am to have breakfast and get to the Dolphinarium which is literally next door. Swimming with the Dolphins was an amazing experience that we will never forget. It made the long journey worthwhile. They are such gentle, intelligent creatures that clearly love the attention. We have some excellent pictures of us with the Dolphins, and they also did a show with 2 of them aswell as two sealions. It was very entertaining and we had a great time.

After a short return to the Hotel for lunch and shower, we were back on the coach to visit the Ernesto Che Guevara memorial and Musuem in Santa Clara. This was very interesting, and our guide taught us an awful lot about the history of cuba, the revolution, and the way of life for cubans living on the main island. We got back to the hotel at about 7pm, it was a long two days but well worth it.

Train Excursion – This is organised by the animation team at the hotel. It is 10 pesos each and the train takes you to the Wild Boar Caves, which is also a nightclub one night a week. Then we went to see the sand dunes over looking the “Forbidden Beach”, then we walked across the bay of “Flamenco Beach” to the bar at the other side. Here we had a drink and a sandwich (included) and the animation team sang us songs. Unfortunately by the time we got to the bar there was a big Storm so we didn’t get chance to spend time on the beach. We then got back on the train and back to the hotel for lunchtime. It is a nice little trip to spend half a day seeing the immediate surroundings of Cayo Coco.

We stayed here Feb 3-17th, this is our 3rd consecutive visit to this hotel, we felt very looked after here indeed!! and would certainly return again!!

ARRIVAL & ROOM
We flew Skyservice, and were able to book the bulkhead with a doctors note due to my husbands knee problem, it made quite a difference in the amount of legroom! When we arrived we were given my requested ground floor room in the 8600 block, I found out the next day that we could have requested the garden view rooms in the 90’s I wrongly thought these were suite rooms as on the map they were pictured differently from the others, when I talked customer relations she wondered, as well ,why I had not requested one of these, anyway a BIG thank-you to the front desk staff who changed us to 9211, it made a huge difference!!

The standard rooms here are in blocks of 2 level structures with 4-8 rooms each, the grounds are meticulously maintained

We have yet to stay in one of the lagoon rooms as we prefer to stay closer to the beach, they are quite a bit of extra money and we are hardly in our room anyway so to us it was not worth it, but others have said its fantastic to watch the sunsets and to feed barracuda and various fish off your porch if you are on the ground floor!

I’ll just add as well that this is a great resort to go to if you have any mobility problems!!

WEATHER:
Not good!! Quite cool and windy, but with a few nice days our first week but absolutely terrible our 2nd week, overcast, cold and windy, beach was getting quite eroded, several beach huts uprooted and on their sides!!, most damage to the Sol Club beach beside the MCC. There was even a cabin cruiser that became caught on the reef just out from the hotel, it completely broke up due to the rough seas so the beach was littered with all the debris

We have been going to Cayo Coco for 10 years always around the same time (first 2 weeks in Feb) and have always had fabulous weather but this is the 2nd year in a row we had a week of disappointing weather, so if we go again in Feb it will be for the mid or last 2 weeks!!

POOL
Beautiful, but shallow, no swim up bar but a few nice changes this year, there are now little shade huts around the pool all along the side where the gym and sauna are located, These are very pretty lit up at night, and must be great to lie under when the weather is hot!!

RESTAURANTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEACH GRILL: our favorite place to be!! Daily preparation of whole grilled red snapper ,shrimp or various meats of your choice right by the beach, as well you can order from the main menu, quite decent Spanish wines are served, loved having a glass of rose with my fish This turns into the Cuban restaurant at night, we went twice and quite enjoyed it

BUFFET: There are now more tables outside great for us as we prefer to sit there however this year for 4 days they brought the tables inside as it was just too cold!! also many people did not go the outdoor Cuban restaurant (beach grill by day) or the International again due to the weather, so the buffet was quite packed!! Food here quite good they are always grilling something different or will be carving ham, turkeys or fish, good salads made to order along with the usual buffet selections, several nights there were stacks of lobster tails!!

INTERNATIONAL: This is the one on the lagoon, I have seen many reports that people have been bothered by mosquitoes, but in the 3 years we have been going it has not been an issue, so Feb must be their off season!! Fabulous service and menu, with strolling classical musicians combined with the red sunsets over the lagoon make for a very memorable evening!!

ITALIAN: This is upstairs from the pool snack bar, beautiful view of the pool all lit up at night, menu fairly good here as well

You can now have romantic dinners on the hill overlooking the pool where the wedding gazebo is located, these have replaced dinners on top of the little tower by the billiard bar.

ENTERTAINMENT Shows every night at the open air theatre quite good but we did not watch many as were usually too tired as we are early risers, no disco here but you can go next door to the one at the Sol Club, it is only a few minutes walk, but again we have never been We were treated to some lovely classical music playing from the wedding gazebo overlooking the pool prior to the shows, we were disappointed that there were no longer any shows in the lobby , as last year we had fabulous singers after the main show was finished, however there was a pianist who played quite regularly in the lobby at night as well as during the day, there were a few new bands which toured to resort but we were glad to see the regulars Audaces de Hoy still there.

BARS:

BEACH: A little hut with several tables around it, great drinks, best Mojitos here along with almost any thing else, cold Cristal beer always available, great to go a few steps from your lounge chair to get a beverage

POOL: good bar here as well along with grilled sandwiches, thin crust pizza, hamburgers etc

LOBBY: quite enjoyable many tables and chairs, people would congregate here in the evening or through the day, good cappuccino here as well only thing missing is stools at the bar, you usually order your drinks from the strolling waiters

BILLIARD: This bar is located on the lagoon, it opens at 4 p.m. each day has a few tables inside as well as outside on the lagoon patio, there are 2 billiard tables here as well as a jukebox and video screen this is a great place to hang out after the show!!

DAY AROUND: For $5.CC you can take the 45 min bus ride to Cayo Guillermo where as guests of the MCC you have full use of the facilities of both the Melia and the Sol Club as well you can use the facilities at the Sol Club Cayo Coco right next door, and the Tryp which is a 15 min walk down the beach , you could also take a taxi or horse and buggy to the Tryp but walking is cheaper and better exercise! The day around only applies until 5 p.m. but there are no other restrictions, you just tell the front desk staff where you are going and they give you a temporary bracelet

STAFF & SERVICE:
Again, absolutely top notch!! management often approaching, asking if everything was o.k.,. all our waiters very attentive, but a special thank-you to our “regular” lunch time waiters Jesus and Manny who have looked after us at the beach grill for the second year in a row!!

We had the most positive experience at this resort that definately needs to be talked about. We were a little concerned with some of the latest reviews we have read but kept an open mind and had a fabulous time. My fiance and I went to the resort on Jan 15 and got married at the resort on Jan 18. It was a fairytale wedding and an amazing experience for all of our 35 guests. Here goes the Resort review :

Rooms: We stayed in a Suite on the Lagoon which we were a little nervous about after reading the review of the smell, but I have to tell you their was no odour and the view and peacefulness of being a little bit isolated in the resort was great. The room was clean, always something special designed by the wonderful maids who you could tell just went that extra mile to go make you feel special. We had robes, a hairdryer, fridge (fully stocked when requested with pop and beer), kitchen table and sink, extra king size bed and a beautiful set up of furniture. The water was always extra hot in our room and I know out of all of our guests only one had cold water in the shower. Not to worry they are redoing all of the plumbing so sometimes this might happen.

Food: The buffet was lovely with a fantastic pasta bar, a grill, and a person making salads to your liking. Their are three other restaurants on the Resort, the Cuban Restaurant which we didn't eat at except for lunch one day which was great (plus, my reception was there but we had a special menu). The International Restaurant which in my opinion was beautiful right on the Lagoon and I think they had the best food. Then their was the Italian Restaurant which I didn't really care for, if I had to say one negitive thing it would be that passing on the Italian Restaurant wouldn't be a complete loss.

Entertainment: Every night their was a show put on by the activities team. The dancers and singers were fabulous and entertaining every night, we didn't miss a show. The great thing is that during the day you get to know the activities team and then at night you feel connected to them in the show because they almost become your friends.

Activities: Lets just say we were never bored! We always were doing something, if we weren't lounging by the pool (which was great with no screaming kids around) we were having shooting contests or Canadian VS. Cuban ballhockey games or horse back riding or snorkeling or taking dance lessons and of course Drinking or Eating. Whether you wanted to do nothing or everything the resort was alway accomidating.

Tipping: You didn't ever feel like you had to tip however you almost couldn't help it because the staff was so accomidating and super nice everywhere. For example the gardner made lots of animals and character just from palm tree leaves every morning for some of my friends. We also stupidly tried to relive our adolesence and played a drinking game, well the bartender was bringing the beers over by the dozens and didn't care that it was 2:00am. Little things like that you want to tip for. Anything you ask the staff they will do with a smile on their face and a hand shake or hug to seal the deal.

Best Excursion: This wasn't actually an excursion with the Resort but we did rent scooters and they tell you that it is dangerour but I have to tell you their were 13 of us and if was a blast. It wasn't dangerous, we went out on our own and found caves an abandon part of the ocean with an amazing view and a bar in the middle of no where. Do it, it was exillerating and beautiful driving beside the ocean with an increadible view.

This was our first holiday without our children and we travelled from the UK for 1 week - long flight but worth it. It was my husbands 45th birthday treat. Had a great time. There have been some negative reviews but in our opinion they are not justified here. We feel the price you pay has somehow to reflect what you expect and we felt we had value for money. The people are genuinely friendly and make you feel very welcome

ROOMS
Spacious room, comfy bed, great view of palm trees and lake. Would be considered dated by 5 star standards in uk but this is not costing you £200+pp a night!

FOOD
Can understand some people who are very fussy eaters not being satisfied but you would defiantly not go hungry. Loved the fresh food station in the buffet, the pasta salads and cooked fish and meats. Wine was drinkable but not quality but who goes away to an all inclusive expecting that to be laid on in the price. At breakfast the selection was perfectly enjoyable. The restaurants where you could book to dine whilst we felt had a nice romantic atmosphere ,did not provide as wide a choice as the buffet restaurant. Most of the food we ate at these places were cold. After having eaten a full breakfast and huge lunch we weren't really that hungry and never found it a problem..

BEACH
Gorgeous! yes there was seaweed on the beach which they collected each day but we are talking the Atlantic sea so no surprises there. Nice beach side bar where you could sit and have a drink or two whilst you listened to the rolling sea - my idea of heaven. Long beach so for those who don't like sitting there was place for a nice stroll - horse riding is included - so trotting along the beach was nice (deserted part of the beach not where everybody sits!)

ENTERTAINMENT
Shows ever night, not really our scene - but those who went did enjoy them. The team all speak fluent English. Fidel Castero insists that they go to "school" for 3 years to learn the skills - means that most of them can speak several languages fluently. Have been Dominican Republic and biggest difference in the people is the Cubans are extremely well educated ,whilst a high percentage of the Dominicans are illiterate.

TIPPING
We never felt we had to tip to get service, but most of the time we did except when a blonde waitress came telling us a sob story about how poor they are and how they don't get paid for working in the hotels. This is not true. They work very long hours for very little pay - that is the communist system of working. However we feel tipping should be based on service received and not sob stories, although i think some of the other customers fell for it.

Just arrived back from a 1 week stay at the Melia Cayo Coco resort in Cuba. Before choosing resorts for our holidays we read the past reviews in this website which we feel are very helpful. This is a case where I wish I would've heeded the advice I read about. I thought that people were maybe too picky but I will actually agree with some of the previous complaints I read before booking our trip.

This was our fourth visit to Cuba, we have previously visited Varadero, Holguin and Cayo Santa Maria as well as traveled to Dominican Rep. and Mexico.

This resort has a relaxing and quiet atmosphere and is small. Which suited us fine for our holiday. At the beach and at the pool everyday there were always sunbeds and shade if you wanted it.

Rooms: We felt that the rooms were basic, nice, well kept, clean and with no bugs in sight.

Service: We found that tipping was almost essential at this resort compared to other places we have visited in Cuba. Whether the service was good or bad a tip was expected. Overall the staff was accommodating but there were a few times where we felt the staff couldn't be bothered or were not interested.

Food: The food was definitely a disappointment. The breakfast was good, especially the omelettes and pancakes. The buffet at lunch and dinner lacked variety. They have a good selection of fresh grilled meat but nothing to go with it. For example they had cold rice and plain pasta as a side dish everyday. Even mashed potatoes or french fries would've been good. The meal we had on New Year's Eve was amazing! It was the complete opposite of the days leading up to New Year's Eve. Lot's of variety, everything was hot and displayed wonderfully. If they would have put even 20% of the effort they did on New Year's Eve for the everyday buffet lunch and dinner we would have been satisfied with the buffet. We went to one a la carte restaurant - The Italian and it was good. The service here was excellent.

Beach: We had great weather but there were a lot of jellyfish in the water and washed up on the beach. No fault of the resort but something to think about if considering this resort at this time of the year. Snorkeling was good, maybe 30 feet from the water's edge, not far to go. We saw lots of colourful fish and wildlife. Unfortunately we could only go snorkeling for one day because the jellyfish were plentiful for the rest of our days. They have a great beach bar with chilled glasses for your beer which was refreshing.

Nightlife: The shows were entertaining but very basic. The lagoon bar was good and the bartender was very friendly. The lobby bar was boring just everyone sitting around and chatting with a piano playing in the background. They need to have a bar with a bit of atmosphere in it. It felt like the nightlife was missing something. The sister hotel next door has a disco but this did not get started until late at night.

My husband and I stayed at the Melia Cayo Coco from Dec 17-24, 2005. We are in our late 30s and our goal was to kick back and relax and we certainly accomplished that.

Tour operator
We booked about a month before travelling through Sunwing Vacations as it was a couple hundred dollars cheaper per person than Air Canada Vacations for the same date. We paid CAD$968 plus tax which was a decent price for what we got. My only concern with Sunwing was that they only started up their airline in November 2005 so we were guinea pigs. All turned out well, though. They served champagne for free on the flight, beer and and liquor for $5 and provided a meal each way. The flight probably left about an hour late and arrived an hour late so it ended up being around 3pm before we got to the resort. On the return, we were delayed about half an hour as one of people they had brought in on the morning flight wasn't being allowed through Cuban immigration. The pilot ended up signing something to guarantee that Sunwing would pick this guy up the next week and we were on our way and landed in Toronto on time. The rep was at the hotel most days for a couple of hours. There were only 3 Melia couples that had flown Sunwing so he didn't have much to do at our resort.

Hotel
The resort was about half full while we were staying there. The hotel room itself was pretty average but clean. The bathroom was a bit rundown, especially the bathtub which was only a half bath. I think we were in the oldest section of the resort, though, due to the discount price we paid; it was building 93 which is an 8-plex. We only changed and slept in the room, so we didn't really care what it was like. The air conditioner was fine once we figured out what temperature to maintain it at. The first 2 days, we had to call to stock the bar fridge; after that it was filled. You could go down to the lobby bar and pick up a bottle of water at anytime, though.
This resort is adult only so it was pleasant not having little kids running around screaming.

Weather
The weather was good. There was one day which was a bit windy and overcast but we still hung out on the beach.

Beach
The beach had beautiful white sand; we were usually on the beach by 9am and stayed there until 4 or 5. They raked and picked up the seaweed each morning. I was very surprised by the temperature of the water as it was a bit cold for me (and most people, I presume, as very few would venture out).

My husband had brought a shorty wetsuit and used it most days to go snorkeling around the resort area. He did not see much (except jelly fish) and there was almost no coral in the area. Once you went out a certain distance there was a seaweed bed.

Pool
We only sat there late in the day after it was too cold on the beach, but it looked nice.

Tipping
We tipped solely in Cuban convertible pesos as we were served throughout the day; the staff seemed pleased to get the pesos. We tipped the maid, for meal service and the bar. My husband would tip the beach bar 5 pesos at the beginning of the day and we would receive our drinks in glass instead of plastic.

Entertainment
We didn't go to the show so I can't comment on it but we usually sat in the lobby bar after supper as they had piano music. Alternatively, we went to the billiard bar which overlooked the lagoon. There is no disco on the resort but we talked to people who had walked next door to go to the disco as the next resort is owned by the same company.

Excursions
We went on only one: to Half Moon Island to snorkel. It's an all day excursion due to the way they have it set up even though the snorkelling only lasted about 45 minutes. The bus picks you up at your resort and takes you to Pilar Beach (named after Ernest Hemingway's boat) on Cayo Guillermo which is a very nice beach. Then we sat there for about an hour and a half (you had to pay if you wanted a lounge chair) while a motor boat took people across, eight at a time, to Half Moon Island. Then we snorkelled there for about 45 minutes; somehow the water seemed warmer here than on the main island. The fish were plentiful and there was a small wreck to look at. We had a lobster lunch on the island (you could have other meats if you wanted to) and then waited about 45 minutes for the motor boat to take us back to Pilar Beach. Then we waited another hour or more for the bus to come to take us back to the resort. Overall, it was a nice snorkel trip, just overpriced (around CAD$60 per person) for what essentially was a half day trip dragged out to a full day.

Food
As we are not picky eaters by any means we were satisfied with the food. The buffet had a grill cook who would grill you fish, chicken, beef or pork while you watched and there was a pasta bar. Service of drinks was fairly quick. The only thing I noticed was there was a lot less fruit than you would normally see in a tropical country but some fruit was always available. We ate lunch at the Barbecue restaurant near the beach: they had squid, fish and other meats which would be grilled for you. We did not try to book the specialty restaurants until mid-week which was a mistake as we couldn't get into the Cuban. The Italian was alright and the International was quite nice. The waiter at the International was quite talkative and pleasant.

Just returned from a week at The Melia Cayo Coco, December 20th to 27th, 2005.

I'll skip the details of our stay and instead provide a summary of our impressions. My wife and I have been travelling to the Caribbean for 10 years and have visited resorts in The Bahamas, Cuba (once previous to this visit), The Dominican Republic, St. Marten and Antigua. One needs to be mindful of the cost of holidaying in Cuba as compared to other countries in the Caribbean. It's among the least expensive places to visit (for most Canadians at least), and that is a point worth considering when setting your expectations. As with travel to most resorts in the region, the details of service delivery and business organization still seem to be evolving.

It is also worth bearing in mind that Cuba is unique in that it is governed under a communist system. Inevitably the culture and economy are influenced by this which can make a visit there that much more interesting. For instance, you will likely notice that Cuban Customs is very officious and somewhat less than welcoming of foreign visitors. This is in notable contrast to customs in other tourist desintations. They also get a little excited when they see people entering the country with high-end or advanced electronics (ever vigilant against spying). It also explains the apparent indifference one meets when shopping or eating in an "offcial" restaurant outside the resort areas.

Having said that, our general impression of Melia was very positive. The accommodation (superior room overlooking the lagoon) was clean, sufficiently spacious and in good repair (yes, toilet did run a little, but I'm on holiday). The fact that we had a coffee-maker in our room was worth at least a half a star to me, but obtaining regular coffee for it (as opposed to decaffinated) proved a bit of a comical challenge on occassion. I've learned from staying at other resorts that leaving a note each morning (with a small tip) making specific requests for items to be stocked in the mini-fridge that day ensures they are there and cold when you return in the afternoon.

The food ranged from good to very good, with the international restaurant providing the best meals and the grill at the buffet restaurant doing a very good job as well. The house wines are adequate, but not a fitting complement to a better meal, so we orderd from the wine menu and paid a supplement for something nicer when at the international restaurant.

We are now in the habit of taking with us our own thermal mugs when we travel to all-inclusive resorts. I know they idenfity us as hard-core drinkers, but really they keep the drinks cold and hold greater volume than flimsy 4 oz plastic bar glasses. At the end of our stay, we find an employee to give them to.

The beach was quite long and of varying widths depending on the tide, and raked of seaweed every morning. If the surf was too rough in front of the resort, a short walk down the beach away from the resorts brought you to a more sheltered piece.

As for tipping. This seems to be a North American practice (my experience in Europe is that a standard service charge is added to the bill, regardless of the service) and one that many believe to be out of place at an all-inclusive resort. However, we learned that the workers, many of whom are educated to work in other fields, choose to work in the tourist industry because in addition to a standard salary, they have the ability to earn extra income through tips. Once they become aware that you are likely to tip, you inevitably receive little extras without asking. It might be a communist country, but many of the people understand capitalist economics. My practice is to tip those with whom we have the most contact and who provide above average service to us.

While language was an impediment to a lengthy conversation with some of the staff, for most their command of English was more than adequate and put me to shame over my limited abilities with Spanish. This is no different than in other Spanish-speaking islands in the region.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CUBA:

Not in any particular order though

1)The one day trip to Cuba (£117.82 each - about $238 CAD?)
Booked via credit card (hence strange price), slightly dearer, but built in insurance if I booked via my credit card! - a fantastic, but tiring long day, whistle stop tour of the real Cuba. Heard nothing but bad reports about the two & three day Cuba trips so glad I did this one day one.

2) Being moved to a room on stilts in the lagoon - Room 3412 - but only for the last four days sadly, a lovely room with it's own sun beds etc - we moved the night before my wife's 30th birthday & so it was a real treat.

3) Our rep (Thomas Cook) called Fran (he was Cuban & had never been out of Cuba, which meant he'd never stayed in a quality hotel, but he really did his best to remedy the complaints of the Brits & seek improvement in the quality of the hotel - & we arrived in his first week at this hotel) - can't help thinking if Thomas Cook have a local rep purely because they would have to pay him a pittance compared to a UK one - what do you think?

4) Employee of the year goes to Eddie in the Italian restaurant at night & various bars during the day. The most fantastically hard working member of staff who really looks after his customers (if you go & want a picture of him to look out for him please email me).

WORST THINGS:

Not in any particular order though
1) The weather
Couldn't be helped obviously, but the back end of a hurricane resulted in no water sports (better than the week before when they spent four days 'grounded' in the lobby bar though!).

2) Not being able to find Serquey the water sports bloke - who we had been told is a great guy (but maybe due to the lack of water sports)

3) Poor service unless tipping
This is an English thing where we seek out the best members of staff at the end of the holiday & give them a healthy tip, rather than a little tip for each thing that is good. You couldn't do this here - if you didn't tip as you went along you were ignored in preference to Canadians who's custom is clearly to tip as they go along.

4) Cuban Service/Standards
Whilst we couldn't fault the actual food (Italian being the best, International middle & Cuban the poorest speciality restaurant & the buffet being very good) the service was very slow & not of the standard expected. I believe this part of Cuba has only had tourism for about eight years or so & so they need to learn from elsewhere in the Caribbean, especially the Dominican Republic which is cheaper but far superior in terms of quality & service. Examples include: consistently running out of towels, no wrist bands for sister hotels (ran out again) & therefore, despite assurances otherwise, being refused service when we got there, lobby bar in general (wet seats, plastic cups, slow service, never getting the order right), mini bar never stocked up, buffet breakfast (had to set own table on all but 3 days, never received coffee or orange juice), buffet restaurant (very slow service e.g. queue 20 minutes to have fresh pasta & beer served in very small wine glasses), Our 1st Room (Room 9221) (Bath had very large holes in it - though not right through obviously!!! & stuff was constantly breaking down & too near to 24 hour very noisy bar), Huge hole in ceiling near the lobby, Bars general (served drinks in glasses for the pool area during the day, but then in plastic in the lobby at night - because they had ran out of glasses - where is the logic?)

5) Very poor beach area - loads of seaweed & no chance of snorkelling (though probably largely due to the weather - so no fault of the hotel)

6) Airport Arrival
At the airport & the inquisition through customs is a nightmare as is spot checks on luggage & passports & spot check interviews once you've escaped customs. You are made to feel a criminal throughout!!! Internal flights e.g. from Cayo Coco to Havana are fine though

SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THINGS:
1) Open the bar near the entertainment all day (not just at 10 pm) & use as the pool bar with plastic cups (sensible idea around the pool)
2) Ban beach wear in lobby bar i.e. during the day (as you'd have a pool bar therefore wet seats & running out of glasses wouldn't be an issue)
3) Use machines for coffee in the morning (which would allow more of a selection of type of coffee e.g. latte, espresso etc as well as filter), hot water & orange juice etc which guests self serve & concentrate staff on ensuring tables are cleared & reset promptly.
4) Have it on the maids list of to do things to check & order re stocking of the mini bar & to check everything works ok - especially the flushing of the toilet!
5) Have more than one chef on the freshly cooked area of the buffet restaurant

OVERALL CONCLUSION:

Though it was worth visiting Cuba (especially Havana) before it becomes spoilt, we wouldn't rush back. This is partly because there is so much more of the world to see, but also because the quality is so poor compared to other areas of the Caribbean (especially Dominican Republic & Antigua - the former being far cheaper than Cuba also). Having looked around most of the hotels along the Cayo Coco 'strip' during our stay, all hotels appeared to be of a similar poor standard, with ours being slightly better than the rest i.e. ours would be a 3 star in Dom Rep or UK & the rest 2 stars not 5 star & 4 star respectively.

Hello All

I read this site a lot before we went so I thought I would add my own opinion!

From the minute we arrived we were surrounded by paradise! People at the airport were pretty friendly and as long as you kept a smile on your face they were more than welcoming! The airport ran smoothly and after about a 45 minutes everyone in our group was checked into the country and had bags in hand boarding the bus. Our tour guide was great on the way to our hotel.

When we arrived our we checked in with ease and our bags were promptly taken to our rooms and we were escorted as well with our hand luggage. Our room was VERY clean, and the designs on the bed out of towels and blankets everyday were fantastic! We did have a minor glitch with or toilet being a little tempermental but I, being a women of the 21st century, fixed it myself and ended the problem (the flushing device was stuck). We requested our bar be stocked the first day we were there and everyday after it full of water, pop and beer!

The pool was heaven! We spent hours lounging around in it and playing hours of volleyball with other guests. While lounging by the pool we were greated by staff who came bearing ice water and yummy run drinks served in coconuts! Always lots of free lounge chairs in sunbathing!

Now about the food, I have never ate so much! Everything was amazing! We loved the buffet restaurant as the selection was awesome! We ate at the Cuban traditional restaurant for their lunch buffet and a dinner and both times it was really good...excellant lobster. The italian restaurant wasn't too great but it was alright. The 24 hour snack and bar was FANTASTIC! They had the most amazing hamburgers and pizzas I have ever had! We ate there in between meals! The gift shop even kept a supply of Pringle chips for snacking on (which we depleted by the end of the week!) Overall I loved the food! the breads, cheese, seafood was to die for!

We went on 2 excursions while we were there. The first was the Cuban spectacular, which took us on a sugar plantation tour and train ride, to Moron, and another city, cuban cigar factory.....the list goes on! You definately got your moneys worth! The second trip was a speed boat for 2 and snorkel trip...AWESOME! water was calm and crystal clear.... excellant for using my under water camera for pics of the cool fish. We also went on the bottomless boat ride and snokelled at the coral reef which was amazing... the water was a little rough so a couple people were seasick but for my first time snokelling i loved it! We rented scooters and took a tour of the island and found a restaurant Playa Prohibita....the biggest lobster I have ever seen....it was the best seafood of the week!

We were there for a friends wedding which went off without a hitch! They did an amazing job of making their day so special with their great service and little added touches.

Well I can't wait to go back...

Hi there, thought I would let others know before they book a holiday at the Melia of our views of our honeymoon at the hotel.

Firstly we checked in and showed the reception staff our wedding certificate as told to by our travel company so that we could get room upgrade and special offers for honeymoon couples - well the receptionist muttered we had got a nice room anyway and shrugged his shoulders ( we had paid for a lagoon room, but if available could have been offered a suite). The hotel was very under occupied when we arrived, so I could not see any reason for not having the upgrade. We did not have a fruit basket or flowers in our room or the rum that is offered, but we did get a meal by the pool, which was the buffet served to us by a waiter... more about the food later.

The room was nice, but no point getting a room on the lagoon as you get bitten to death by nats when the light falls and they empty bath water into the lagoon that starts to smell somewhat. We waited 3 days to get a plug for our bath and to get our shower working properly.............. good honeymoon suite not.

The weather was good the first week and we were unfortunate the second due to hurricane Wilma, but that wasn't anything compared with the food poisoning my husband got on the 2nd week of our honeymoon. We hadn't ventured anywhere other than the hotel as we wanted a restful holiday and the trips on offer took days to travel to and we wanted to spend it in the luxury of the 4* plus hotel we had paid for (!!!!) We ate in the Italian which was nice and simple, the Cuban restaurant was very minimalist and you get eaten to death by nats, but the worst thing was that we walked by this restaurant the next day and they were cleaning out the kitchen, well it smelt like a sewer..... we stayed away from that. Most evening meals were in the buffet restaurant, best bit was where the fresh pasta and meat were cooked, but flies were always lingering around the food. The buffet was the same most nights and I was not appetising or very warm, the soup was cold, the ice cream was melted most nights and if you didn't get there early there was no choice.The International restaurant was closed for the 2 weeks we were there and opened two days before we left, everyone we spoke to said that the food was appalling.

Apparently Melia is awaiting a new chef........... my god they need one desperately.

Anyway to get back to the food poisoning, my husband went to the on site doctor and told him of his problems ie cramps sickness and diaorreah and he was asked if he had gone off site to eat, when the answer was no the doctor pulled a face and then gave him medication and injections for food poisoning and a £50 pasos bill. Husband still bad on arrival back home and GP confirmed food poisoning............... he has lost around one and a half stone.

And to top it all James the Thomas Cook rep was awful, he has a doesn't care attitude towards his guests and didn't help us at all until the Thomas Cook flight crew went and saw him ( they were brilliant). James was only worried about the hotels reputation and not my husbands well being.

We had the worst holiday we have ever had and it was our honeymoon, we had saved up good and hard for this holiday.The Melia is no way a 4* plus Hotel, the staff are rude - the motto was tip and you get a service, the food is diabolical.

The beach was nice and clean.

Good luck to anyone going there, do check that they have new chefs please.

hi, we are writing about our honeymoon trip taken from sept 25th to oct 2nd from toronto to the melia cayo coco cuba. well, upon doing tons of research on sites like this one which was a great help, we decided that for the money , this was definately the better one. i had been to cayo coco, 8 years ago, and remembered it was nice. ok, so , considering that my husband and i's last trp was to the GRAND ST LUCIAN in st lucia ( amazing!!!!!!!!!!, but very very expensive...) , we were only set up for disappointment. our flight on Cubana, was surprisingly pleasant! when we arrived, customs was a breeze, and the ride to the resort is very short. upon check in, ( no champagne ) we were told we DID get our lagoon room, but on the second floor. we weren't happy because we wanted a ground level one. oh well, so the porter escorts us to our room, and we ask him if there are any gorund levels availible, and he then stops a maid and asks her, and she points to one, and he sets us up in there! easy as that! this was not the last time we would be proven that the reception desk is a little slack and actually very non chalant to say the least. so we were pretty impressed with the room, as the lagoon view makes you feel as if you were by a lake, with a perfect view of the sunsetting.( rm 2212) once you get passed the swampy smell of the water, it is quite pleasant. tons of jellyfish, oh, and mosquitos! BRING REPELLANT!! We received a bottle of sparkling wine and some fruit as a honeymoon gift, but only realized on our last day that we were offered a private dinner for two!!! so remember, read all your info !!! we missed out on that one...!

we were expecting a FABULOUS beach... well, it was great i guess, but tons of seaweed, etc was in the water and washed ashore because we had arrived basically after a storm. there was only one or two days when the ocean was clear and calm. the other days, there was a lot of sea debris floating around. it rained like clockwork around noon, after watching the black clouds rolling in for about an hour, and continued to rain or drizzle for a little while. at night it rained all the time. some nghts there were fabulous lightning storms, which were great to watch from our deck.

now the food...... the buffet was soooo disappointing, but we were prepared for it as we had read many reviews stating this. about half way through the week you learn HOW to eat at the buffet. like, for breakfast, go immediatly to the guys making crepes , and eggs, any style. get some cheese and toast from the buffet and make an egg sandwich with some crepes on the side! the other 3 restaurants were actually good. the service was great, and the food was pretty good considering...! the pool tapas bar was our savior for the first few days, as we went for pizzas every lunch because the buffet was quite bad. i did have fun stealing sardines every lunch to bring to the little resident kittens just up from the buffet under their bush. they were soooo cute!

we hung out at the beach all the time and loved that it was quiet, and topless bathing is abundant, which suits me fine, as i hate tan lines!! hee hee. it was mostly british people there, and only a few canadians. we are anitisocial so we didint participate in any activities or even watch any entertainment. as it was cancelled often due to rain.

we brought a lot of candies and crayons and hair ties to give out to the staff, and would take our mini bar sof drinks and distribute them to the gardeners on our way to the beach every day. they really appreciated it. our maid made our bed up quite amusingly making swans out of our sheets and one time putting my sunglasses on the "eyes" of the swan. sometimes we tipped , and at the buffet we realized ( or coincidence??) that because we didnt tip often with money we wouldnt get any coffee, or drink service at our table!!!! (can you tell we werent happy with the buffet restaurant...?) But the staff were quite happy to recieve candies and stuff every day , and we realized that most people tip all the time, and that they must do pretty well, considering.... I just dont usually go to places where tipping is allowed or encouraged and i like that better, as the serice is more consistant that way, and you dont feel cheap because you dont have any change on you!!

the water sports were dissappointing. we werent aloud to take a hoby cat out on our own, and they were actually quite rude there we found. we took out a kayak for a few minutes.

lastly, DONT BUY SOUVENIRS AT THE RESORT!! we didnt know, and didnt want to risk it, so we bought all our cigars and booze and coffee at the shop, only to get to the airport to find the cigars and coffee much cheaper!!!!!

so, overall i know this sounds like a negative review, and i guess it isnt one of the best places i have been, and actually quite forgettable. but here are the things we did like: small resort, quiet, clean ( unlike the club med in turks and caicos where there were cocaroaches in our room!! but, the beach was AMAZING, so....), lagoon room worth it, the lagoon bar(pool tables) great service and the best pina coladas.., and the overall resort is nice, no luxury, but is well kept and romanitcally lit at night.

We just returned from this resort. We stayed in one of the superior rooms that overlook the lagoon.

The flight with Air Canada was fine, no problems. The move through Cayo Coco airport was quick and painless. The resort was approximately 20 minutes by bus. Check in was quick. Champagne was waiting.

The walk to our room was a bit troubling. We had a late arrival so it was very dark out. The lights were out on various sections of the pathways. We didn’t know where we were going. This wouldn’t have posed a problem if we were familiar with the resort, but this was our first visit. We were lost for a while but we made it to our room.

We then met as a group and went to the only place we could eat at that hour, the pool bar. It was after 1 am by this time. There were about a dozen guests there. We couldn’t get served or get a drink. Some of the guests were actually tending the bar. I don’t blame the staff at all. It was obviously a staffing level issue. This was a problem throughout our stay.

The beach was very nice. We had good to excellent weather throughout our stay. It was necessary to get to the beach early to get a lounge chair. It was very quiet on the beach. As others have said, this is a “getaway” resort, not a “fun” resort. The activities group tries hard, but I think they are given limitations by the management. They provide beach volleyball and aqua aerobics at the beach. We walked to the right on the beach a few times and went to the El Senador, which was beautiful. It is well worth the 15 minute walk. The El Senador does not use wristbands so there is no problem entering the complex and looking around.

The food was fine at the Melia. We ate at the Cuban and International a la carte restaurants. Both were nice. The buffet always had fresh food with a good selection. There was a staffing problem here to. It was not uncommon to wait at the grill for 15 minutes for a steak or chicken. The breads were really good.

The pool was relatively small, compared to other resorts we have been to. There is a Jacuzzi, but it is actually just a small area off center in the pool with some jets. There was no swim up bar. There were waiters occasionally patrolling the pool, but it was hard to get a drink. Again, this isn’t a shot at the staff, it’s a problem with the organization.

This resort doesn’t have a disco. You must go next door to the Sol. You need to get a ticket at the front desk of the Melia before you go. The disco was really quiet when we went, except for one night. That night it was great.

We did one excursion. We went deep sea fishing. The water was rough, but we managed. We ended up landing 5 barracuda and one King Fish. We got lots of nice pictures. It cost $210 CUC for ½ day which allowed 6 people to go. There were drinks onboard. The excursion was arranged through the Cubanacan office in the lobby.

We rented scooters for an hour and went to the other side of Cayo Coco. Again, we got lots of nice pictures. We didn’t take a map and we should have. Get directions before you go. We paid $15 CUC for 1 hour. We found out we could have paid $25 CUC for 8 hours. If we knew before hand we would have got the 8 hour rental and went to the Melia Cayo Guiermo for a visit.

The entertainment was fun. The performers are constantly rehearsing. It was different every night. We were to the entertainment 3 times.

We had no problems with the staff. They were all friendly. They tried their best to help us when we needed them.

We were to the El Dorado Royale A Spa Resort in Mexico last year which was a 4 1/2 – 5 * resort. The Melia is suppose to be a 4 ½ - 5 * also. We were to the Barcelo Solymar in Varadero in December, which is a 4*. In our opinion, the Melia doesn’t compare to either of these properties. The closest resort that we have been to that compares to the Melia is the Barcelo Ocean Village in Punta Cana that is a 3 ½*.

The reasoning we heard from the travel representative was that a 4 ½* in Cuba is different than a 4 ½* in Mexico or anywhere else. This was ridiculous. We were to the 4* in Varadero a few months earlier and it was nicer than this supposed 4 ½* in Cayo Coco.

This is our opinion. If staffing levels were better we might have a different opinion. There are several things thought that makes up a star rating, and that is restaurants and pools. Neither of these were to a 4 ½* level.

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Melia Cayo Coco from June 12 to 19, 2005. We were very pleased to see that the people at the resort were expecting us and they had everything prepared for us. We were greeted with a glass of champagne and checked in privately as promised. They then told us about all the extras we would get as honeymooners - we didn't even have to ask or remind them! They also told us that they gave us the best room in the whole resort and we found out that we got an even higher room upgrade than we were supposed to get.

The Room:
We walked to our room and were amazed at how clean and huge our suite was. There was a kitchen area, sink with fridge underneath, another lounging area, then 3 steps up to the bedroom with a massive king-size bed, another lounging area, dressing room and bathroom, plus a big screened-in porch and a wrap-around balcony. The room was in pristine condition, it was spotless and everything worked perfectly. The first thing we did was take a shower and there was plenty of hot water and water pressure was very good. In fact, we never ran out of hot water while showering the entire time.

The air conditioner worked beautifully. We actually had two separate A/C switches to control the temperature in the lower area and the bedroom area. We actually found that the A/C worked a little too well - we came back to the room on our first day and all the windows had condensation on them and the room was freezing cold! We had a bit of a laugh about that and kept the temperature more reasonable from then on.

On the first day, our fridge had bottles of water in it but no soft drinks or beer. Before leaving our room we called the number right beside the phone and asked for beer and soft drinks. We left one peso on top of the fridge and when we came back that day, the fridge was stocked with beer, more water, club soda, and soft drinks. From that day on, our fridge was replenished every day (we only left a tip the first day). If they see that you're drinking it, they'll re-stock it.

The Resort:
The resort was simply amazing. Our first day walking around was very surreal for us. We kept saying, "Are we really here? Is this for real?" The resort has many paths, lots of vegetation and palm and coconut trees all over the resort. The flowers are beautiful and the groundskeepers work very hard to maintain everything.

Walking down one of the beach paths through the trees, you can see little hermit crabs scuttling around (the big ones come out at night!) and lizards.

The people at the resort were so good to us the entire we were down there. Our first couple of days there we would give a peso the first time we were served by someone new at breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a nice gesture. This makes them happy; one peso goes a long way for these people and they rely on our tips to provide for their families back home. And when you think about it, if one peso means getting excellent service, making a new friend, and being treated like royalty, then it's really no big deal. After we had met most of the staff, we would only tip occasionally at lunch, but we would always tip at dinner, especially at the a-la-carte's.

The Food:
Well, I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that I enjoyed the food at the Melia. I found there was a huge selection of food and it was quite good. During our stay, I tried foods that I had never imagined I would ever eat - my husband was so impressed! Not only that, but neither of us got sick even once the entire time we were there and we were pretty adventurous with the food we ate. Even if you don't like cuban food or you are a picky eater, there is still pizza, lots of pastas, french fries, burgers, hot dogs, rice, and plenty of other food that we are familiar with.

The Beach/Pool:
We only went to the pool once because we are beach people. But I really enjoyed the pool, the water was very refreshing and the atmosphere at the pool was very relaxing and nice.

The beach was gorgeous. You can see the different shades of blue in the water as you look out. We were there somewhat off-season so it was very nice for us to hang out at the beach because it was pretty quiet. I can remember a few days, lying under our beach hut and all I could hear was birds and the ocean waves and there was no one else around. It felt like it was only us in the entire world - and after planning a wedding for a year, this de-stresser was much needed! Because the Melia is the end resort of the 8 on the island, you can walk to the right and just keep going and going and it is so nice and relaxing.

The water itself was very nice and the temperature was perfect. Nicely refreshing but not too cold - just perfect. We had a blast watching for the bone fish in the water. You can see the huge schools of bone fish in the water if you watch the water. You will suddenly see what looks like a shadow under the water. We were lucky enough to have brought our own snorkel gear (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) and we found ourselves in the middle of a school of bone fish. On our last full day there, we were swimming with thousands and thousands of them and it was truly amazing! We then saw 2 huge barricudas which were hunting the school of bone fish. I was a bit nervous but the barricudas were not interested in us at all! We followed it as it circled the school of bone fish and got to witness a real-live ocean hunting experience. It was truly amazing and I will never forget that as long as I live.

The Extras:
As honeymooners, we got several upgrades and extras. Our room was upgraded tremendously. We only paid for a standard room and wound up with the best room in the resort. We also got a vase of flowers one day with a bottle of champagne in our fridge. We then got a 1.4L bottle of white rum. We also got an invitation for a romantic dinner for 2 with a special menu. It was a very nice dinner. We also received a music CD with some romantic cuban music on it. Another really nice thing was that they had a cuban wedding for us. All the newlyweds were invited to Casa Cubana to attend a second wedding ceremony. We signed a certificate and even had to kiss in front of everyone again!

The Excursions:
We didn't get to go swimming with the dolphins because it was fully booked - so if you want to go swimming with the dolphins book it right away or you'll be out of luck! However we did do 3 other excursions:

Jungle Tour:

This is a half day trip. We got to drive our own speed boat through the mangroves (very fun!!!) and then docked to snorkel through the mangroves. It was very, very fun and the fish were great. Definitely be prepared and bring bread and bananas with you from the breakfast buffet.

Trip to Moron:
This was a very interesting trip which started out with a boat ride through the mangroves of a fresh water lake. We then came back and had a typical cuban meal - deep-fried Talapia (fish) which was delicious and our choice of drink (beer for us!).

We then travelled to the city of Moron. It was interesting to see all the houses and farms along the way. It was so different and we could definitely tell that we were in a country much more different from Canada. At times it felt like we had gone back 50 years in time. When we got to Moron we went on a buggy ride through the streets. Our tour guide had warned us that when we got to Moron, we would have kids come up to us begging for money, etc. We expected to see cute little kids. Well, these "kids" turned out to be guys who were teenagers and early-mid 20's. They followed the buggy on their bicycles or ran along-side it and gave me and the other woman flowers - but they wanted money from us! They were very polite though, calling us "miss and ma'am" and calling our husbands "sir".

We then had free time in Moron and our tour guide took us to a friend of his' house where they make and sell cuban souvenirs. The prices were very cheap and we bought some gorgeous souvenirs - all hand made and put together very well. Our tour guide then left the four of us on our own to do some sightseeing and shopping. To be honest, we were pretty nervous about this. The locals were walking beside us asking us for pesos (money) and one guy asked me if he could have my gold earrings. I told him "no", so he asked if I could give him one and he could have the other one. I had to say no again. While this was going on, another guy was asking my husband for his shirt! Then they tried to sell us things but we had to keep saying no to them. It was a bit frightening for us, but I don't regret going to Moron at all. It was the real Cuba and I got to see how these people live and what their lives are like. It was sad too, but it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the life that I have back at home. I recommend this trip to all first-timers vacationing in Cuba - it's a real eye-opener that everyone should experience.

Playa Pilar:
Our third excursion was probably my favourite. We took a bus to Cayo Guillermo (approx. 45 mins) where Pilar Beach is. We then took a catamaran to an island and got our snorkelling gear. We snorkelled off the island and it was amazing! There were so many tropical fish all around us. We saw "Dory" fish (from Finding Nemo) and lots of other tropical fish that I had only ever seen before on TV. We then had lunch on the island (the chicken is delicious!) and went back to Playa Pilar (Pilar Beach). I had heard that Pilar Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I have to agree with that. It's like something out of a movie or a magazine and you actually get to experience it for real! Words cannot describe what Pilar Beach is like. You have to experience it to truly understand the serenity and beauty of it. I recommend this to everyone. ---

So that about wraps up our honeymoon to Melia Cayo Coco. It was the best experience I have ever had in my life and I will never forget it. For the rest of our lives we will remember what a fantastic honeymoon we had and we'll always think back to it and smile.

My girlfriend and I have just returned from two weeks at this hotel in Cayo Coco, Cuba and have mixed feelings about the resort. I'll give you a little breakdown of the aspects we feel were important to our holiday:

Rooms:
We booked a standard room and was relatively pleased when we walked in - all looked very nice and comfortable. However, it soon came to our attention that the shower didn't work and the balcony hadn't been cleaned (allot of cigarette ash and what appeared to be nail clippings all over the floor!). Coupled with some problems we had on our flight, we felt justified in complaining to our Thomas Cook Rep. We were upgraded to a 'lagoon' room almost straight away (although I suspect this was only because they had no-where else to put us!). The rep made us aware that the difference in price between the standard and lagoon rooms was over £200 - this was not really justified at all. The only difference was obviously that the room over-looked the lagoon (which was very nice) and that you got a sun lounger on your balcony as opposed to just chairs. Was better, but difference in price not justified in our opinion. Room was cleaned daily to a good standard, but sometimes done a bit late in the day for our liking. Overall, we were quite pleased with our room.

Food:
This was a disappointment to be honest. We had read some reviews about the food before and therefore didn't expect too much. The buffet was ok at breakfast, plenty of choice and delicious fresh fruit juices available, panacakes also nice. Lunch was ok but was the same everyday. Dinner wasn't very nice at all, both in terms of quality and selection. The grill was the saving grace for the buffet where you could your meats freshly cooked. Overall the buffet was average. The 3 a la carte restaurants were quite nice but not fantastic:
1) International - Very nice, picture-esque setting and food nice, not great but nice enough. Open setting and we got bitten by mosquitoes non-stop in there.
2) Cuban - Nice, barbecued meats although choice very limited - a choice of two evening meals everynight! Lunch better than dinner.
3) Italian - Our favourite of the three. Romantic little restaurant and food quite nice. Indoors and air conditioned which made it even more appealing.

If you had these meals at a restaurant at home you would probably think it was average, but for the resort, the food was nicer in the a la carte restaurants. You eventually discover what you like and stick to it. Service good, waiters friendly. Very slow in buffet and in Cuban at times.

Bars:
Not many and quite small - ok though.

Beaches:
Absolutely beautiful, stunning. Pool area is very pleasing on the eye aswell.

Grounds:
Pretty and well laid out, gardens very nice but a little bare (this may just be the time of year though). Gardeners very nice and friendly, they always acknowledge you and say hello.

Room Service:
Very poor. A charge for the service of 10 pesos, food took over an hour to come and was stone cold when it arrived - looked horrible aswell to be perfectly honest. May have been an isolated incident... who knows.

We stayed at the melia cayo coco at the end of may for our honeymoon and were there two weeks.

The resort was beautiful, clean and well presented. We were lucky enough to stay in a suite on the lagoon which was amazing especially watching the sunset over the lagoon. we had two maids, one who came in every day to cleanetc and we also had a night maid who came and tidied up and did amazing things with our towels etc as well as putting flowers/petals on the bed. However we seemed to be one of only a few who recieved this service.

HAving read the reviews before going we armed ourselves with pens pencils, notepads and soaps to give as tips, only to be told by the rep that the staff do not appreciate/ need such things. However, all the staff we gave things to were more than grateful.

The food was lovely, wide selection every day in the buffet including a grill where meat and fish was cooked in front of you. Also the pancakes and french toast at breakfast were fab. There are also several speciality restaurants which are ok but be warned if you go to the international or cuban restaurant after 7.30pm wear lots of insect repellent and prepare to be joined by lots of mosquitos.

The entertainment was also good, evening shows were very impressive and staff obviously work hard to produce them.

The only down side for us was the lack of anything els to do on the island. No one lives there so there are no little villages etc to explore just hotels and more hotels.

We have found this site to be especially helpfully when preparing for our vacations south. Most people have highlighted the key aspects regarding this resort already but let us offer our views. We went near the end of march and returned April 2. We had fabulous weather each day.

Grounds
Well maintained and very clean. This is a small resort and is easy to find ones way around. We enjoyed the smallness of the resort as it enabled us to really get to know the workers.

Pool & Beach
Both are beautiful! We tended to favor the beach as you get the ocean breeze to cool off. The beach was nicer than El Senador; which is about a 15 minute walk from Melia. As in all resorts people tend to "reserve" a hut. My husband and I would take turns doing so to ensure we had a hut. One of us would head down around 7 and throw a beach bag on the chair and a towel. There is a man on the beach who will do this for you if you tip him. Although I enjoyed my days on the beach, I did think the beach in Punta Cana was much nicer!

Entertainment
Much to my disappointment I did not have the opportunity to attend the show each night. The shows I did take in were, in my opinion, professionally orchestrated. The dancers and performers would be practice early morning for hours and perform late evening. Their hard work and talent definitely shined through and I really enjoyed attending. There is no disco here but you can go next door to Sol (2 min walk). I would recommend going on Thursday as it is salsa night. Our group had a blast! Melia is definitely a quiet resort so if you are looking for a place to party this is not it.

Accommodations
You could have the choice of two options. One being the laguna; which is on the water and the other being the standard rooms. We stayed in the standard rooms and found them to be suffice. They were kept clean daily and had a well stocked mini fridge. My only suggestion would be to bring face clothes as there are none to be found.

Tipping
I really believe that tipping makes your time more rewarding. We tipped frequently; especially to people we got to know. Also, if you have items that you want to give away the people really do appreciate it. Some suggestions are old sneakers, shoes, shirts, jackets, etc... It is NOT true that Cubans are not allowed to receive gifts. We were a bit concerned about this as we warned that they can get in trouble for accepting gifts. This is merely a rumor.

Shopping
There are a few gift shops at the resort that offer the usual souveniers. A few days a week there are a few people who set up and sell their merchandise. The