Two heavenly weeks at the Paradisus Rio de Oro, Holguin June 2-16. 2007.

The beach restaurant is done now. It is on the second floor with the beach bar below it. The old location has been turned into an outdoor patio for drinks. Fabulous lunches and musical accompaniment at each one, not to mention the excellent service. Have to try the red snapper!

The spa is world class, and very in line price wise if not cheaper than you get at home. We did a spa day on our anniversary and it was great. v Both having massages overlooking the ocean for an hour. Then to the pool , hot tub or private beaches for as long as you wished.

We booked all our ala cartes online before we went, which saves lining up the day after arrival. Pablo has them all ready, you pick them up and if there is any they can't accomodate you work out a better time. Very efficient. The Cuban restaurant has improved 100 % in our opinion from the last time. Service and food were impeccable. El Patio is top notch, once again, impeccable. We had our anniversary there with rose petals on the table and a cake, it was lovely. The Mediterranean is a treat too ,with again , great Cuban musicians. Wonderful meals both times. Don't forget to do tepanyaki at Tsuru, the Japanese restaurant, it is so much fun and you make great friends with your international dinner mates. Once again, impeccable service and food. mmm Sake!

We were treated to an appreciation dinner for repeat guests, meeting first at the Mediterranean for champagne, enjoying a cappella group , which were amazing. Taken by trolley down to the beach for a magical dinner in the sand under torch light.

Serenaded by musicians, served delicious food, Argentine sirloin, cooked the way you wanted, ocean rolling in beside you, feet in the sand.. it was perfection.

It was a fantastic way to show they really care about our coming back .

Meeting with our tour rep was a bit disappointing. We had known in advance, scuba diving is all inclusive now at the Paradisus... but were not told that. We went to an employee who arranged it all for us through the animation club. Two dives per day for certified divers, and free lessons in the pool for beginners, A very significant deal in our books.

This trip we upgraded to a superior junior suite, since it was our anniversary, I have to say the outdoor shower is wonderful! We never used the indoor one at all! The room was spectacular with a view of the mountains and lush gardens. Had welcoming flowers, champagne and fruit plate.

We have never been unhappy with the junior rooms, but this was a nice change.

The gardens are especially stunning, and we loved seeing all the different growth, and watching the gardeners at work.They are a treasure.

We may be a bit biased, but to us , the staff at every place we were at , are absolutely priceless to the PRDO. From the friendly greetings at breakfast every morning, the guys at the pool, the service staff, the maids, the bar staff...the disco staff , PR staff, porters.,,,, It is the people who make this resort the place it is. We value their friendship and their warmth whenever we visit.

Travel:
Sunwing - 1st time with them. Champagne toast to start your vacation. Nice touch.Complimentary wine with the meal. Immigration was painless. Very quick & friendly - yes had a smile. Luggage came quick .

Check in & Room:
Quick & painless. I was on the 2nd floor building 34 which is close to the pool area. The room is big and clean. No clock (usually bring my alarm clock ) . The beach towels are found in your room & you can exchange as often as you wish. You leave them in the room upon check-out. I think this is great. No searching for the towel booth upon arrival or waiting for it to open. Nice touch to the room is robes & incense to burn. I loved this.

Grounds:
Spectacular. If you enjoy nature & walking ...this is the place for you. Lots of shady areas to relax. The views are spectacular from the gazebos overlooking the beach. Watch sunsets from there too.

Beach :
Playa Esmeralda is as beautiful as always. Shared with Sol Lunas & Mares. Many papalas. Although hotel was totally booked you can find a spot. Snorkeling right off the beach. You can’t miss the fish. Just swim straight out & you will come across some beauties.

Food:
Great! I mean great. Not just edible or "this is Cuba". The buffet kept it’s food covered & warm. Great selections. Did El Patio & Mediterranean a la cartes. Both were great. Food awesome and restaurants are beautiful. Service excellent. I did have reservations for the Japanese but the buffet was so good, decided I will just have to come back to try the other a la cartes. The coffee was great at the lobby bar. Discovered this my last day unfortunately.

Activities:
For a hotel that is considered laid back, there is quite a lot to do.
Spa , fitness centre, daily activities - organized excursions from the hotel ie. bicycle tour or snorkeling. 1 hour horseback riding next door, mini zoo near by, Las Guanas - nature tour $6CUC - next to Sol Lunas and of course Guadalavaca is not far - $5 CUC cab or $12CUC bu horse & buggy.

Holguin tour $44CUC- was nice to see the city. Lunch included from a hilltop restaurant,.

Catamaran tour $69 CUC - stopped at 2 reefs. Directly in front of Brisas & Paradisus. I had read this prior to going but you would be amazed at how close there is great snorkeling at these 2 spots. There is also the catamaran tour with 1 reef & a dolphin swim - not sure of that price.

I couldn’t go to Santiago de Cuba by helicopter due to maintenance issues. Hmmm?? Broken helicopter.

The best is the private beaches right next to the spa. Early morning no a sole. I love this. You could hear a bit of construction from time to time. They are building a 50 room VIP area there. Hopefully these secluded beaches will not be exclusive for these rooms. It’s the best part of the hotel. There is coral not far & the most amazing fish within a few feet. Really.... a few feet away is a snorkeling paradise. You’d never believe it until you get in the water. The 2 catamaran trips stop here. I am not a confident swimmer and was snorkeling solo... I swam half way to the catamaran without even realizing it. Many different species too. I spent every morning here once I discovered it. There is a lifeguard & security not far but no drinks unless you are signed up for the spa.

We were with Air Canada vactions from Victoria BC
We are a couple in our early 40s

The flights were on time. The domestic flight service was poor, no meals, no peanuts, nothing other than pop and juice! On the international leg service was very good.
The bus ride to the resort was 1.5 hours both ways in a nice new bus. Check in at the resort was fast, and the champagne flowed before we even got to our room.

We just booked the standard room and it was larger than any 5 star resort rooms we have had previously. Lots of storage and hanger space.

What a beautiful resort..This resort was only half full when we were there. We never had trouble finding a lounger. There was lots of shade available.

Activities:
Scuba diving was all inclusive here so that is why we booked. I did 4 dives and my husband did 6 The equiptment was in very good shape, and they were very safe to dive with. The deep dives were very good.. The snorkelling in front of the resort was AS GOOD as the shallow dives. We did the hike up the mountain offered free and it was very good. I would have liked to do more of these resort offered activities but it was in the morning the same time as the diving.
They take you out on the catamaran and that was good, they will take you for a wild ride if you so wish.
I did the horseback riding 3 times..I was the only person one day so there was lots of galloping and trotting. The other days the speed of the ride was to the least experienced rider so it was just walking. The horses were well trained and they provided riding helmets for safety. I had a look inside the gym at the cardio equiptment, it was brand new. The best gym I have seen at a resort.

Food- Buffet
It was Very good. Not as extensive as some resorts. There was beef pork chicken, and several different kinds of fish/prawns to choose from, they would grill it for you. There were lots of other dishes as well as a pasta bar. The breads and pastries were excellent, and don't miss the mini donuts made fresh for breakfast..they are awesome! This is the first all inclusive where they have a choice of wines with dinner or lunch..They have an excellent wine list.

Lunch was usually at the beach restaurant..a great setting. Good food such as burgers calamari or grilled chicken, pork, beef or prawns. The new beach restaurant was not yet open, but looked very nice.

A la Cartes
The international was our favorite, great atmosphere with a violin player, the food was excellent.
Second choice was mediterranean, then japanese and cuban.
The food and wines were very good.

Bar/Pool service was very good. Lots of imported stuff to choose from.. They do need to standardize how they make the mixed drinks, some bars made things differently so you never really knew if it was going to be good or not. The champagne flowed freely. The coffee served at the resort is very good.

The shows were very good, and only topped by the shows that we have seen at the Riu Tequila

I would definately return to this resort...BUT I will contact them to see if they have resumed their mosquito spraying program.. The mosquitos were BAD I got eaten alive the first night at the show and we could not sit on our balcony at night I did bring bug stuff ( Deet) that probably helped somewhat. I was told by other visitors that had been there in years past that they used to have a spray program but the cost increased so they dropped it.

Just spent a week at the Paradisus Rio de Oro (our second stay there) and it is just as wonderful as it was in 2005, with the added bonus of the new spa section, nicely built on the seashore with seawater pool and private sandy cove. Everything in this property was, and still is, top-notch: accomodations (go for the superior rooms if you can, nicely tucked in a well-preserved seashore tropical forest, and ask for a sea-view room); food (varied, always excellent and more than plentiful) both at the buffet and the four specialty restaurants, particularly the Japanese one; cleanliness (everything is spotless); service, always smiling, attentive and ever-present to answer your every needs (a special thanks to the Food and Beverage Director, Senor Fernandez Barredo, who makes sure that everything is up to par and who can be seen, constantly checking and re-checking, from 7 a.m to 9 p.m., every day.

We just got back from a wonderful week at this exceptional resort. We're a couple in our late 50's and were looking for a clean, comfortable resort with good food and a great beach and we got all that and more at the PRDO. The resort is spotless and the landscaping is beautifully lush. We can't say enough about the wonderful staff who made our stay particularly enjoyable. Rooms were large and well appointed with quiet air conditioning. A mini fridge is stocked daily with a liter of bottled water, 3 kinds of soft drinks and 2 beer. Coffee maker, iron, ironing board and hair dryer is supplied in all the rooms. Soap, shampoo and shower gel are also supplied in the bathroom, but no facecloths, which is typical in Cuba.

The pool is quite large and built on two levels with a large pool bar which was very popular. The lounge chairs by the pool have thick rubbery mattresses which also double as floaters - great idea! Pool was cleaned every day and so were the 3 jacuzzis. The beach is short because it is cut off to the right by a coral cliff. The water is clear and warm but there is quite a bit of coral when you enter, so its a good idea to wear water shoes. Guests at PRDO can also use the beach at Sol Luna y Mares which has less coral. Great snorkelling to be had right in front of PRDO, in fact the big catamaran tours stop there for an hour as part of their tour.

The food - we've never eaten so well in all our trips! A lot of choice in the buffet and the a la cartes are exceptional for AI resorts. Lots of seafood - lobster, large shrimp, calamar, red snapper - well presented and tasty. Four a la cartes made our vacation a real pleasure. We ate at the Mediterranean, Japanese and International. The Japanese was our favorite - the beef tenderloin was very tender and tasty. They put a lot of care in the decoration of the a la cartes and the wait staff were very friendly and attentive. The wines were quite good and the champagne flowed at every meal, even on the beach. I had to try champagne on the beach! First time and it was great!

Nightly shows were very good - professional and very colourful. We had 2 or 3 evenings where audience participation was de rigeur and people seemed to enjoy it. I didn't stay for too many of the evening shows because it was wicked hot and humid when we went, last week of October, and I had to flee to the A/C in our room. The lobby also had different entertainment before the shows. Mostly piano and a few nights a Cuban trio livened up the place. The resort was only half full when we went and it was a bit quiet in the evenings. The lobby bar also makes great espresso coffee.

Loads of reasonably priced tours are available and the animation team also gives mini tours each morning. We took the bus tour with the animator to Boca de Sama. We had been before and went back with more supplies for the school and clinic there. This tour is a must-do. It only takes 3 hours but you get to see the beautiful countryside in an A/C bus, visit the fishing village of Boca de Sama and stop over at the Mercado in Guadalavaca - and it only cost $6! You can also take a $15 caleche ride to Guadalavaca.

Asides from the food and the location, the PRDO's biggest asset is the staff. Polite, friendly and very efficient. We had a big rainstorm while we were there which knocked out a bridge to Holguin. Many of the evening shift couldn't make it in to work and the day shift had to stay on until evening and take the long way home late at night - but they were still professional and smiling. Tips were gratefully accepted and appreciated but not expected. We brought down gifts, childrens clothes and shoes which brought many smiles and hugs. Everything is appreciated no matter how small. We would return to PRDO in a heartbeat.

From November 20th to the 27th we stayed at the Paradisio in Cuba. We had read the reviews on your site which were most helpful. We had a really nice time. The staff was extremely helpful and courteous. Mostly everyone spoke English. The resort was meticulous & quiet. No blasting music or loud speakers going. We ate at the Japanese, Mediterranean and International restaurant. All were good, Caribbean style. It is never how you would expect it to be North American style so if you don’t have that expectation then you won’t be disappointed. We didn’t have any sickness which we were happy about. We spent most of our days at the pool side as the beach looked crowded and many days had a lot of seaweed and garbage due to the surf. We did snorkel however again due to the rough waters we had limited success. We did take a horse and buggy ride to Guadalavaca which was money well spent and a little tour of the town and surrounding area. The nightly entertainment was okay on a couple of the nights but the rest of the weeks we left for bed as it was not very entertaining. All liqueur is included except for premium alcohol like specific brandy’s etc. We only felt the need to order wine on some occasions when we ate at the restaurants.

My only complaint was about the bed that we had. We were in a king size bed in a superior room. The room was afforded with an outdoor shower which was unique and we enjoyed. The bed was as hard as a rock. We stayed in room 2632 so unless there is a bed change I will not stay there again. But, how does one find out this info. No one at your site complained of the bed so I am thinking it is not a common complaint.

My name is Lisa and my husband and I traveled to Cuba to get married the week of Oct.17-24th. We stayed at the Paradisus Rio de Oro with 12 family members and friends to say our vows. It truly was a wonderful experience. This was my first vacation at an all inclusive resort although some of the people that came with us have traveled quite a bit to such places.

All of us agreed that the Paradisus was absolutely beautiful. The smaller buildings and lush surroundings made this resort feel very personable, unlike those resorts with huge buildings that have 1000 rooms in them. While our guests stayed in the junior suites, we were upgraded to the junior superior due to getting married. Our room was located on the opposite side of the resort from the ocean, which was fine with us because apparently there are less critters there. If you don't like bugs, ask for a room that starts with a higher number. We specifically were in 4532. The extra cost for the junior superior suite is definetely worth it for the outdoor shower alone. We also got a private hammock outside our room which I enjoyed when taking my afternoon siestas. Unfortunately we did have some problems with the air conditioning breaking down and our phone did not work. We had to inform the front desk a few times of these problems before they were resolved, but being the laid back people we are, it certainly didn't come close to ruining the vacation.

Unlike what we had previously heard about the food in Cuba, the Paradisus did a wonderful job with it's cuisine. We usually ate breakfast at the buffet, lunch at the restaurant by the pool (La Laguna) and dinner at either the buffet or one of the a la carte restaurants. All were delicious. We were fortunate enough to get into all of the a la cartes, our favourite being the Japanese one. I had the beef dish and it was so tender and juicy I felt like I was at the Keg! Out of all four, this one is a must to go to. The fanciest was the El Patio, where we had our wedding dinner. The staff at all of the restaurants are great and you will see them working at more than one location. They make an effort to get to know you if they see you frequently. At La Laguna, whenever a certain waitress worked I could count on my drink of choice being served to me before I ordered it.

As far as excursions go we visited Holguin and Guardalavarca. Holguin was the cheapest of organized tours, costing $44 US. Well worth it though. Our tour included visiting a cross on a mountain above the city of Holguin that gives you a breath taking view. We also got a tour of the cigar factory, art gallery, and museum. As a special treat we saw a show on African dancing and were able to walk around the square and old market of the city. Lunch was provided at a restaurant in the country side. Again the food was delicious. We had a few hagglers, but according to stories of other travellers Cuba is actually quite respectful as far as the locals go. It is really frowned upon for them to haggle tourists and our guide was very helpful whenever they would approach us. Just keep in mind that the average worker makes about 250 pesos a month which is equivalent to only $10 US, not even! Our second excursion was into Guardalavarca. We just took a horse and buggy to get there and walked around the market. It is a great place to buy your souvenirs and is a cheap to get to (only $15 US round trip for the buggy).

As I have mentioned, my husband and I were in Cuba for a very special reason ... to get married. Words cannot begin to describe how beautiful our wedding was. The resort only allows one wedding per day, so you truly are the guests of honour. The wedding coordinator took care of everything, from the flowers to the photography and videography, to booking our dinner for us at El Patio. There is a hairdresser on the resort who did a wonderful job on mine and my bridesmaid hair. She even got one of the gardeners to pick flowers to put in my hair since I didn't have a veil. After getting ready we were picked up at my parents' room by horse and buggy and taken to the ceremony which took place on a gazebo overlooking the ocean. Our pictures are gorgeous and everyone we show them to is very envious. If you are thinking of a destination wedding, then this is the place. One thing to note, however, is that in Cuba, family members cannot be witnesses. For our wedding night the resort did our room up extra special with roses, champagne a drawn bath, the works. It was very romantic. The next morning we got breakfast delivered to our room and received even more champagne, wine and chocolates. The special treatment we received was out of this world.

My husband and I got married in this resort on the 10th June 2005 and I felt I should write a review about this beautiful resort. Firstly any bad comments you might read about this resort I would take with a pinch of salt, We are frequent travellers to the Caribbean and have visit three different parts of Cuba and I can guarantee that you wont find anywhere better than this hotel. The staff are very very friendly and will make you feel very welcome from the moment you arrive until you leave, the grounds are very well kept and the rooms are extremely spacious and clean. I will try to keep this very brief so here are a few bullet points that I would like to tell you about.

Restaurants: There is an Buffet restaurant that has a wide variety of food and I can honestly say that even the fussiest of eaters will find something they enjoy. Then there are Four a la carte restaurants at the resort as well my favourite has to be the Japanese restaurant we had our wedding reception and it was out of this world.

Getting Married at the resort: Well what can I say every girl wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day and I was treated like royalty, Oldays the wedding co coordinator took care of everything for us we had a brief meeting with her on arrival to discuss the flowers etc and she came up trumps with everything. I would recommend that you pay a visit to the masseur before the ceremony as it was fantastic, also the hairdresser is wonderful she done all our bridal parties hair including mine which took her 1 hour and manicures for the two mums, my bridesmaid, my auntie and myself. What can I say she is a talented women she done the lot by herself and no one was disappointed. Should you go and see her though I would say that if you have any nail varnish that you don't really use give it to her as she will always find a use for it.
Now moving onto the ceremony its self it is very short and takes about 10 mins from start to finish the notaire will speak in Spanish and you have a translator there as well they are lovely and put you at ease in fact all you have to say is I DO! After the ceremony we took the horse and cart around the resort then had some photos taken by their photographer who I would recommend he is very good at this job and we had the photos back with in two days.

My wife and I have been to the Caribbean several times and twice to Cuba. We've always had a great time. Like you I've read all the reviews. Rio De Oro was highly rated. I have a friend who has been there 3 times ! Based on all the good reports, we booked our annual vacation, for Rio De Oro for the end of May. Good price, good resort. We were really looking forward to a relaxing holiday on the beach.

The SkyService flight was good and on time. The knowledgeable, local rep met us and accompanied our group by bus to the hotel. About 1 hour drive. There were 6 of us in the Rio De Oro group from Toronto, Canada. We arrived at the hotel, a lush green oasis in the middle of a brown, dusty, poverty stricken, farming area. Upon arriving at the hotel, the hotel's salesman greeted us.

The hotel was over-booked. They had no rooms for us for 2 days. This affect all 6 in our group. We were told we could stay at their "sister" hotel, just beside Rio. Not nearly as nice and questionable even for a 4 star. We booked the 5 star Rio De Oro. They had no trouble taking our money. That's were we wanted to stay.

The salesman at Rio apologized and told us we could use all the facilities, the beach front, the dining rooms, bars, etc. at Rio. We just had to stay next door. Getting back and forth was difficult. A 15 to 20 minute walk. Not bad but man! It was hot out. Or a 1 minute taxiride that Rio was offered to pay for. Except the staff incharge of paying for the Taxi didn't know about it. So every cab ride involved a lengthy explanation. We tried to use the facilities and we were always asked for our room number - which we wouldn't have for 2 days. More lengthy explanations. It turned out to be a big hassle.

The front lobby of Rio is open and beautiful. When we did finally check in to Rio, we were offered (without asking for) compensation. We though, maybe an upgraded roon or a small refund. Well...they offered my wife a manicure and me a snorkel trip. Nice but not really. All we wanted was to relax on the beach that we had read so much about. We were not interested in day trips.

Our second storey room was clean and nice. The a/c worked well. We even had a small balcony with a view of the pump house. The pump house was noisy and seemed to run constantly. So you couldn't really sit out on the balcony. Room service was good. We had champagne several times. We tipped the maid and the serviceman each day. We also brought crayons and colouring books to give away.

We didn't expect great food from the dining room and we weren't disappointed. The food was O.K. and there was lots of it. The pile of lobster tails was an unexpected treat. I recommend the restaurants. Make your reservations as soon as you arrive if you want to get your times. We had great service in the Mediterranean restaurant. Ask for Ghitzy, she was excellent.

The beach was very nice. Not as big as in Veradero. As an avid sailor, I looked forward to using the sailboats and windsurfers. Many of the watercraft were broken and in poor repair. This limited the number of times you could get out. When I did manage to get out, the water was beautiful.
Tip: Bring your own snorkel mask & fins. The snorkeling right off shore is good. Although tempting - don't feed the fish. They will come to you even with out food.

Our local rep disappeared and hotel salesman never seemed to be around. There was no manager available to speak to us. All we wanted to know was what were the terms of the "compensation" that they offered. To make a long storey short; it took until the last day of our stay until this was sorted out. A refund of about 10% of our package price was offered. Not generous considering we lost 2 of 7 days. (About 30%). The worst part was, this situation dragged on for the entire week. And we didn't receive the refund for 3 months. In general, the people were nice. Except the decision makers were elusive. We had to communicate through notes slid under the door.

We tried real hard to be positive and look on the bright side and enjoy all that Rio De Oro had to offer. I could go on about the pool (crowded) or the private beaches that our friends told us we could walk to (closed for construction). If I sound like I'm whining, maybe I am. But, you know when you are looking forward to what should be a great trip and you pay out good money, it's very disappointing when the goods come up short, as they did here.

My husband and I stayed at the Paradisus for our honeymoon from July 30-August 6, 2005. We would recommend it for couples looking to relax and unwind. Here are our observations.

FLIGHT: We flew with Skyservice out of Toronto. We had decent departure times, but they cram you into those planes like sardines. Everyone was processed quickly at the Holguin airport and then on to the tour buses. There were many depending on which hotels you were going to, but most seemed to be making two or three stops.

HOTEL: Having seen a few other front lobbies, the Paradisus was by far the nicest. The staff was well organized and expecting us. Cool fruit drinks were waiting and the line was processed. Because we arrived at noon, some rooms were not ready but people were told to go have lunch and come back in an hour. I don’t know if it was because it was our honeymoon (we had emailed the resort in advance to reserve restaurants and mentioned this) but we were given a room immediately. You can email the hotel in advance of your trip to book restaurants – DO THIS! It will save you time and they replied to me (two different staffers, actually) with confirmation – I printed it just in case but it wasn’t needed.

The grounds are beautiful and workers are constantly ensuring things look perfect, including spraying to keep bugs down. I know other people have mentioned bugs – we didn’t encounter a lot. We never put bug spray on and I only got two bites – that was from walking around the grounds well after dark. A little afterbite on them and they were fine. The resort is laid out as mostly two storey, eight-unit buildings with some single story, two-unit superior junior suites. We had a standard junior suite, which was more than enough room (although the outdoor shower and hammock that come with superior would have been nice). If possible, ask for a corner unit – the balcony wraps around and juts out, so you have more room space.

ROOM: The room was clean, in good condition, and functional. A/C stays on all the time (no room key needed) which is nice. We had a king-size bed, sofa, chaise longue and desk. The toilet, tub/shower and bidet are enclosed in one room while the sink/vanity and dresser are outside – this was nice. Lots of wooden hangers were provided, as were an umbrella, iron, and ironing board. The mattress was a bit thin by Canadian standards, and has a tucked-in flat sheet rather than fitted (over a plastic mattress cover) but was comfortable – the pillows are thin, though. The room isn’t what we’d consider five star in Canada but was very clean and comfortable. TV had HBO and other US pay channels, some Spanish channels, CNN, etc – about 20 channels in all, 10 of them English (some had Spanish subtitles).

FOOD: We ate at the buffet restaurant (La Ceiba) for breakfast daily, lunch most days, and three nights at dinner. The food at breakfast didn’t rotate much, but it was very good. The usual stuff: bacon, eggs, pancakes, French toast, a made-to-order omelette station, lots of fruits, milkshakes made with guava, banana, or papaya, breads and buns, sausages, and so forth. And (wait for it) they have real maple syrup every day! Service was slow on some mornings but if you get the whole way through breakfast and no one brings coffee around, you can always grab one in the lobby bar on your way out. The lunch at the buffet was the weakest – mostly because it didn’t rotate a lot. There was the same grilled meats and fish available daily (steak, pork chops, chicken breast, mahi mahi, etc), some salads, hot dishes, and so forth. It was good but not everyday – try the beach grill or pool grill on alternating days instead.

Dinner at the buffet was great – they had filet mignon every night we were there, and lobster tails one night. Smoked salmon was available every night, and the selection of meat dishes, salads, and desserts was changed on a regular basis. There’s something for everyone, but be warned that the food can be a little bland so if you are a spice fiend (I’m not) you may want to take a little bottle of your favourite seasoning blend or Tabasco sauce. Service at the dinners was very quick.

El Patio (International a la carte): This was the second weakest a la carte restaurant. It’s beautifully decorated and has A/C but the food was a bit lacking in comparison to the excellent Japanese and Mediterranean restaurants. The main course was overcooked and the desserts were so-so.

Tsuru (Japanese): Truly great dining. Most seating is Teppanyaki but there are standard tables as well (not being used while we were there). The sushi is amazing – very fresh and comparable to what you’d find in Ottawa. Our chef was from Japan and spoke extremely limited English (pretty much to confirm who had chicken and who had beef) so he wasn’t really getting people acquainted as some other chefs were. The food (you can choose from beef, chicken, assorted seafood, or veggie and tofu) was delicious – you could even have sake (watch out, they serve it boiling hot!)

El Mediterraneo – Another terrific restaurant. The staff had decorated our table especially for our honeymoon with tulle and silk roses and even brought out a cake. The food was delicious (mmm, steak!) and the two classical guitarists playing throughout dinner were excellent.

El Bohio (Cuban): the weakest restaurant, and the only one we truly didn’t enjoy. For starters, it was very hot and humid, and it has no A/C. Inexplicably, the ceiling fans weren’t on. Also, the kitchen (grill, soup pots etc) is in the dining room (like McDonalds, almost) which raised the temperature and wasn’t the most romantic. Finally, the flies were quite bad (not mosquitoes so much as house flies) and that combined with the stifling heat drove us out early.

ENTERTAINMENT: For the most part the shows were very good. They weren’t the weak audience-participation contests and games you see at some places: these were singing and dancing revues. There was a Disney musical number night, a disco night, a Cuban dance night, and so on. The musicians and dancers are talented and work very hard: not Vegas quality, but don’t go to nitpick! They are entertaining and fun to watch. The 60s and 70s cover band, though….man. The lead singer looks like an even more overweight and worn out Gene Simmons in skintight jeans and a wifebeating, phonetically “crooning” out “Easy Like Sunday Morning.” We headed back to the bar after that number.

POOL: There is one large pool with two levels and a very small children (toddler’s) pool. There are signs posted about not using towels to reserve chairs, but this is not enforced, so either do it yourself or don’t count on getting a chair past 10 a.m. as there are 200 towels out but only 30 swimmers. The water temperature was comfortable and the chlorine was present, but not overpowering and aggravating. The floating mats you can take from your beach chair into the pool are a great touch. Staff circulate around regularly taking drink orders and there’s also a swim-up bar. One note to parents: please keep an eye on your children. We saw many children from 6 or 7 through their late teens behaving in risky ways: running very quickly on the dividers between pool sections, cannonballing from the high to the low section of the pool, diving into water that’s less than a metre deep. I cringed watching some of this and the resort staff can only do so much to make sure your kids stay safe. On that same topic: we saw a lot of (mostly British) teenagers there. This isn’t really a resort for kids: the clientele seems to be either twentysomething couples who have no kids or empty nesters. The activities for teens (short of diving into shallow pools) are pretty limited.

BEACH: Again with the towel reservation notes. There are plenty of palapas to shade you if you get there early enough to reserve a spot. The breeze off the ocean is lovely. The beach in front of PRdO does have some serious rocks – you may prefer to walk towards Luna y Mares if you want a more clear beach. There are lots of nonmotorized watercraft such as Hobie cats and windsurfing – just make sure to check on times – our last day they closed an hour earlier than posted so no Hobie cat for us.

LAS CALETICAS: The resort also owns three small coves that you can normally access by walking. However, construction of the spa has blocked walking access. Instead, the hotel pays for a minivan taxi to ferry guests hourly to Las Caleticas (less than 10 minutes). Definitely bring snorkeling gear and check this area out! The water is beautiful and clear and there are lots of fish (including pufferfish!) to be seen. Make sure to bring an underwater camera as well.

OVERALL SERVICE: Everyone we met was pleasant and professional; most people were friendly and outgoing. William at the lobby bar (short with buzz cut hair) will remember you and shake your hand each time you see him, and Guillermo at the swim up bar with make you a killer drink if you ask for a recommendation. Our maid did a good job every day (we tipped larger amounts every few days and also brought some presents like colouring books and crayons). There was no one who was rude or put a damper on our experience. We tipped regularly but it’s hard to say whether this affected our service.

I stayed one week at the paradisus rio de oro, with family and friends, all of us attending a wedding. Everyone thought they were in paradise. Everything great thing that is mentionned in other reviews is absolutely true....

Restaurants : must reserve right away in the lobby. Email reservation, which we did a few weeks prior to our trip, did not work. But we had an automatic in with the wedding party. All of them have great food, remarkable service, a nice atmosphere!!!

Beach and pool : Awesome. Very refreshing!!! There are comfy floating mats for chairs and pool...great slush drinks....and Michael who is one the pool grounds keepers, will make you a grasshopper out of palm leaves and get you a fresh coconut to eat and drink.

Rooms : a little musty...bring an air freshner and you won't notice it. Some friendly critters made it into the rooms of certain people from our party, but it wasn't a major problem. Very spacious, very nice bathroom, ironing board, iron, hair dryer, umbrella, cd player, tv...all of which work very well. No need to bring your own.

Baby friendly : We travelled with 2 kids (1 and 3 years of age). Everybody catered to our every need and didn't have to worry about a thing. There are high chairs in the buffet area. If you are in an a la carte restaurant, they will go get a chair for you.
-There is plenty of kid-friendly food...french fries, chicken, pizza, canned peaches and pears, cereals, breads, cheese...I was not afraid of letting my kids eat whatever. I did however make them cook eggs and meat a bit longer.
-There is plenty of juice and water, all bottled.
-For under 10$, you can purchase water toys, floaties and sand toys in the gift shop. No need to bring any.
-A crib was supplied for us. It was not very big...more like a large bassinet. But, my 1 year old slept soundly.
-There is a bit of shade here and there...

Service : The people that work at the Paradisus are what make it such a great place. Leandro and Raphael...and the great golf cart rides. They would stop on their way somewhere and pick us up and drive us to our room and them come back and pick us up to go for dinner. They were great!!!
-Michael and his crafty palm leaves. He doesn't speak much english....but a big smile and a hello, he will understand.
-Roybert in the Japanese restaurant...what an entertainer!!!
-Ronald, Eddie, Rosa-Maria, Ronaldo, Kenia and many more....waiters and bartenders that made our stay so pleasant...they would pick up my 1 year old's sippie cup before I even noticed it was dropped. Freeman got a chocolate cake made up when he found out it was our 3 year old's birthday. I could not have asked for better!!!!

Tipping : We tipped freely. I mean, if I can afford to go on a trip, I can spare a couple of pesos here and there. We tipped drivers, waiters, bartenders, maid...but especially security guards, gardeners who don't get much. Trust me, they make very little and they appreciate anything. We even gave a couple of cans of pop or a pack of gum to nearby workers,guards and gardeners when nobody was watching. You should see them smile!!! And if you can, bring clothes to give away...t-shirts, sandals, baby clothes (many staff members have toddlers and young children), watches, baseballs, baseball caps....all things they will LOVE!!!

My wife, daughter and I went to the Paradisus for a week in July.

Before chosen this resort, I read many of the reviews on this site, and I must say that the comments made were realistic and very helpful. The Paradisus is a very nice resort. Do not hesitate. Just go!

The staff: So charming. THEY MADE THE DIFFERENCE. They want to do everything they can to make you trip a great experience. People from Cuba are very nice and welcoming. We have travelled many times to Mexico, Dominican Republic and we never experienced the same. Example: When we arrived in our room, we thought it was too far away from the pool (our daughter is 2 yrs old…). We called the front desk, and within 15 minutes we where unpacking in our new room (the best one – 5031). This room is a superior junior suite. We paid a little extra, but wow!!!!

Restaurant: Mostly very good.

The pool: Not the nicest I have seen, but we heard it will be renovated in September 05.

The beach: Very nice. Many chairs available. Not too crouded. Nice clear water. 8 out of 10 for the snorkling just in front of the resort.

Do not go there if you want to party all week long. This resort is mainly for honeymooners, families and older people. But the Paradisus is a great place to relax. Do not get me wrong, you will have fun (good shows, full of activities, ….), but not the place to go out to the disco till 3:00.

We will probably go back in the next years. We thought we would never say that after going to a resort.

The Paradisus is the ULTIMATE Cuban getway.

Let me make this short and sweet. The food is tremendous. My girlfriend is VERY picky. She adored their buffet meals, and felt like a princess everytime she sat down. Quality is generally outstanding. The a la cartes are even better. Your eating in a first class environment, with people treating you in a first class manner. If you see a fly or 2 around the pinnaple, rest assured, its NOT a big deal.

The beach: DO NOT be worried about the rocky corel reef. If you walk about 200 feet away from the paradisus - a 50 second walk, literally - your in untainted, PERFECT turquoise water. I am SOOOOO happy that paradisus had corel at the beach immediately in front of it. That's where you do fun stuff like snorkling. A minute walk takes you to the perfect beach.. TRUST ME on this.

The staff was excellent, and insist on doing things to make you happy. 2 guys that are super spectacular are Carlos, and Leandro, although all the people we dealt with left positive marks. Both of these 2 guys drive carts that escort you around the resort. If you try to make friends with the people that work here, they'll open up and talk to you as little or as much as you like. I became so friendly with the staff that they even refused my tips, saying that the friendship my girlfriend and I had given them is more than enough (and no, they didn't end up taking the money, even after offering it 3 times and practically putting it in their hand). If you want to learn how to smoke a Cuban the real Cuban way, you ask for Carlos De La Cruz. He'll give you the 411, and you'll have a friend for life. Trust me.

The view: absolutely stunning in all respects. You've got to trust me on this. My expectations were VERY high, and I felt sure I was setting myself up for dissapointment planning the ultimate romantic getaway. The resort exceeded my expecations on all levels. Yes, I had a very happy girlfriend.

The room: spacious, elegant, yet traditional and authentic. Its not a donald trump building thats for sure. If it looked like that, it woudn't have the magic it does. They are cozy, comfortable, quiet, and really cool. Air conditioner works well.garden view rooms have nicer views than ocean views. The vegetation is stunning. To see the ocean in ocean views, you have to look through a shrubbed area. Its still beautiful but its not really a 'true' ocean view you might expect.

By the way, the pool was awesome. I'd wager you won't be dissapointed.

Penny & Janne (British & Finnish – currently both living in the UK), ages 33 and 29

We stayed at the Paradisus Rio de Oro from 2-23 March 2005 and had the most wonderful wedding with 3 weeks in paradise. I would thoroughly recommend getting married abroad to anyone and definitely getting married here as you could not wish for anything more than all you have when you are married at the Paradisus!

There were 22 of us in total, 20 of us flew with First Choice (First Choice Airways) from London Gatwick and the remaining 2 flew the day after with Thomas Cook. Both suffered delays of 5 and 9 hours respectively which was a great shame as that meant we lost those hours not being in lovely Cuba! Anyway, enough on delays. For us, the flight itself and the airline was a pleasant surprise – FCA planes have been upgraded and now have a 33” seat pitch for economy passengers, an improved menu throughout and entertainment screens on the back of each chair with multi-options to keep everyone happy. Janne and I really enjoyed this flight and didn’t even notice it was 10 hours long! We would definitely fly with them again.

Once at Holguin, we went through immigration seamlessly with the exception of my father-in-law who had his Finnish passport scrutinised to the letter, probably because he travels so much with work. The only problem was that the Immigration Officer was a bit heavy handed and actually broke his passport resulting in all the pages falling apart! Luckily, they wrote a note to say that this had been damaged by the Cuban Immigration Authority, otherwise there could have been further problems, but everything was ok in the end.

All of our family & friends were staying at the Sol Rio de Luna y Mares resort and travelled to their hotel in a separate coach. The journey for both coaches took approximately 1 hour as both complexes are situated alongside each other in Guardalavaca, sharing the same beach ‘Playa Esmeralda’.

Check in for us was very efficient and we were greeted by such friendly staff there who gave us ‘welcome’ flowers from the Wedding Co-ordinator. We were soon whisked off in a golf cart to Room 2215 and were advised by reception that, as our flight was delayed, they had kept the buffet restaurant open in case we were hungry, which I thought was really good of them.

The Wedding
For those getting married at the Paradisus, you will meet with the wedding co-ordinator (Odalys) the day after you arrive to go over the order of the day and any extras that you might want for your wedding. Extras include flowers for bridesmaids @ 12CUC each (£6.38), photo options, including 10 free photos plus extra ones at 2CUC each (£1.06) and a video of the ceremony at 100CUC (£53.17). We had all three of these options and all were great! Please be specific if you want certain flowers and it always helps if you could provide Odalys with a picture of a certain flower type or colour. I chose pink roses and was delighted as that’s exactly what I received. We weren’t sure what to expect with how the video would turn out when we watched it back home, but it is so fantastic that I have watched it everyday since I got back (and cried!), much to my husband’s amusement! I also brought from the UK some pink tea lights, wedding favour bags (with a mini love-hearts tube, fortune cookie and mints inside each) and pink & silver table confetti to decorate the table and also a cake topper for the wedding cake. I gave these to Public Relations the day before and they were only too happy to accommodate our request.

On the wedding day our guests came to our hotel from the Sol Rio de Luna y Mares via horse & cart and we had paid for their day passes which cost 80CUC (£42.54) if they wanted to arrive after 11am (to enjoy the hotel’s facilities), or 45CUC (£23.92) if they wanted to arrive after 3pm. We had these passes charged to the room and then settled up at the end of our stay.

We were married on March 8th at 4pm and the day was wonderfully warm with clear skies and a gentle breeze. The ceremony, which is excerpts from the Cuban Code of Family Law, lasts 20 or so minutes and is conducted in Spanish with an English translation. After the ceremony had finished and we were married, we were congratulated by snorkelers in the sea clapping for us just below the wedding gazebo, which I thought was lovely! We then had a champagne toast after the ceremony and then Janne & I were whisked away in the horse & cart with the photographer to have photos taken in the grounds and then our guests were taken back by golf buggies to the Lobby Bar. After the photos were taken, we all relaxed together with drinks in the lovely Lobby area until 7pm when we were booked into El Patio for our wedding meal. As there were so many of us, they had screened half of the restaurant off and gave us one long table and a top table. We were able to have our speeches in there too, which was great!

After the wedding meal and as it was around 10:30pm, we headed into the Congo Fun Pub which is open until 2am. We gave the DJ a CD to play our first dance which he was more than happy to play. Some of the music in there can be a bit cheesy (cheesy is great sometimes you know!) but if he has something you’d like to hear, you can request it and he’ll put it on for you straight away.

To sum up, everything about the wedding was so perfect, the staff there made us feel so very special. I just wish we could do the whole day again as it went so fast! There were 6 weddings which took place that week but Odalys always gives 100% attention to each wedding she co-ordinates so your day is absolutely ‘perfect’ regardless.

The Paradisus
OMG – what a lovely place! We had booked our trip 12 months ago and this gave us plenty of time to do our research on the hotel. We’ve read all the reviews on here and had some really useful feedback from the Cuba Forum too (thanks everyone!). I know most things have been repeated over and over but I’m still going to add my ‘little bit’ as it’s the least I can do.

Room
As I said before, we stayed in Room 2215, which is one of the second rows of blocks away from the ocean. This was a junior-suite room and was perfect for us. When you have a wedding at the Paradisus, you are meant to have an upgrade on your room (subject to availability) but as the Paradisus is so popular, this wasn’t possible, but it really didn’t matter. You won’t get an ocean view as such where we were but if you are booked into the suites on the front (suites 21-33), you do have a glimpse of the ocean, but it is shaded somewhat by all the trees. We really wanted to have one of the Garden Villas for our wedding night but Odalys said they have closed all bookings while they are doing the building work for the new Spa that is expected to open at the end of the year. Please note: the hotel has also closed all access to the 3 private ‘Caletica’ beaches while the work to the Spa is going on, at least for the time being. When we were there, the workman appeared to be doing the digging and preparations for the foundations so not sure exactly when the whole project will be complete (though I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic once it is open). There is little noise from the works though and what noise we did hear didn’t impact on our trip whatsoever, so please do not be concerned about this.

Anyway, back to the room…there is an iron/ironing board in the room and there’s also a hairdryer which was very handy to have! There’s also a mini fridge, which was fully stocked with 3 small cans of beer, 1 bottle of water and 3 or 4 cans of soft drinks (cola, lemonade & lime, orangeade), we tipped the delivery guys every other day and left the money in the fridge. We also tipped the maid every other day (our preference to do it this way) and left her money hidden on the bed, so the delivery guys didn’t think it was for them!

Restaurants
These were all very wonderful, each in their own right – I’ll summarise as short and best as I can below.

El Patio – International Restaurant which was simply exquisite. We had our wedding meal in there and also were there for one of their ‘romantic’ nights so had set meals on both occasions which were lovely! Would have loved to have been there on a night where we could choose our own dishes though as the menu looked wonderful but we were happy with the sumptuous feast that we did get nevertheless! This consisted of fresh lobster, succulent pork, marinated veal, lush strawberries and other exotic fruit, the list is endless! Wonderful violinist playing in the background contributes to the elegance of the restaurant.

El Bohio – Cuban Restaurant was very very charming. This was our first visit to one of the a la cartes and we felt they treated us like royalty as we were due to get married a few days later, it was lovely! Also they booked us one of the little islands so we could have more privacy! We had lovely prawn salads here with succulent chicken for main course and flambéed bananas for dessert.

Tsuru – The Japanese Restaurant which was one of our favourite restaurants had several tables for 8 persons where the chef cooks the food in front of you, or you could have more privacy at tables for 2 or four elsewhere. The show that the chef puts on though is really good and it was great to chat to some of the other guests who sat with us. The food was excellent. On the 2 occasions we visited there, I had the Tempura Prawns and the Beef Tepenyaki as it was so delicious. Janne had the breaded pork to start and he loved it.

El Mediterraneo – The Mediterranean Restaurant – was another favourite of ours. We had four or five courses with bread & olive oil/balsamic vinegar as a pre-appetiser followed by the ‘restaurant appetiser’, then our starter which I think was a goat’s cheese salad, followed by steak as a main. The desserts were lovely too and we had a white/dark chocolate dessert that was divine. Mercedes, our waitress, was preparing her first ever flambé banana dessert that night and they looked absolutely scrummy, so a shame we didn’t have room to have one of those too! You have to walk through the Salon Habana first, to get to the Mediterranean restaurant. Salon Habana is a lovely seating area with sofas for you to relax, smoke a cigar and help yourself to a drink from the drinks trolley.

La Ceiba – The Buffet Restaurant had to be the best buffet restaurant I have ever been to and I have been to quite a few! There is everything you could possibly want here, even for the fussiest of eaters. In the evenings you can choose from salads, salmon, fresh steaks/fish – all cooked while you wait, and there’s also a pizza/lasagne/pasta station. There’s a choice of potatoes, paella, cheeses, a variety of hot other hot dishes – oh the list is endless. I really loved our breakfasts here too as you can have a choice from cereals, toasts, fruit, pastries, milkshakes & juices and of course the hot selection and I think I might have eaten Cuba out of chorizo because I couldn’t get enough of it!

La Laguna – A must for lunch! We came here most days for our lunch and initially we went for the Pizza Margaritas and the Pizza Quatro Quesos as they are so good and you can even have them as a ‘take out’ served to you in the famous ‘Paradisus purple’ pizza boxes. Soon however, we became hooked on their sandwiches calientes - ‘lomo de cerdo con pimiento’ (loin of pork with red pepper sandwich) and I’m salivating as I’m typing this! Loved their mojitos and chocolate milkshakes too…yum yum yum.

La Santa Maria – Beach Restaurant – Great food, great service, great setting right on the beach – what more could you ask for?!! They served lovely fresh fish here and we enjoyed the Red Snapper Orly Style, the Ensalada Paradisus (with an abundance of shrimp) and even loved the fresh burgers they made. All served with a smile, more often than not from Roberto who served us on most occasions. On the morning of our wedding, he wished us well and predicted that we have 2 children one day – not sure how he can have these intuitions but we’ll see!!!

The Beach
All I can say is WOW!! It truly is a wonderful beach with soft white powdery sand and although the beach is shared with the Sol Rio de Luna y Mares Resort, one could never say this was a ‘crowded’ beach. There are activities for those who want them from using the pedaloes, going out on the Hobie Cats, snorkelling (which is a must!) and I think you could even go out on the though I think this was quite expensive. If your sun loungers were close enough to the beach restaurant, Roberto would come out and serve drinks, which was very welcome!

The Pool
We spent the last 2 weeks of our honeymoon at the pool during the day and we thoroughly enjoyed our swim & lazy sunbathe days here. At the start, it was fairly tranquil and relaxing, but then I think we were there when the Canadian kids had their Spring Break so there were more kids than normal. Now I love kids so don’t get me wrong, but there were quite a few teenagers who all hung around together and they made quite a noise in the pool with all their pool & ball games. I’m certainly not complaining in any way but I had kind of gotten used to the peace at the beginning of the week! Still, we had a great time here though and the kids were never troublesome.

The only thing that did ‘get my goat’ during our stay was the saving of the pool beds! Aaaaargh, I could scream at how many people do this, despite there being a sign which does ask guests to respect the other guests by not reserving the beds, but they all still do it! I probably wouldn’t have got so annoyed if it wasn’t for a woman coming up and accusing my husband and I of taking ‘her beds’ and saying she had reserved them! That morning, we arrived there at 9am for our daily sunbathe, found 2 free loungers and about an hour later a woman came from nowhere and said “My family and I had specifically reserved the loungers you have taken as one of them had a waterproof cushion. Now we can let this go just this once but we may come and take the waterproof cushion from you later as we will need it for the pool”. I stared in disbelief at her, as there was nothing left on our beds to even indicate that someone had ‘reserved’ them. I informed her that we had taken the waterproof cushion from an empty bed on the other side of the pool, as there was none available nearby. I don’t think she quite believed me so I had to also point out that she shouldn’t reserve the beds, especially if it means her going off to breakfast or elsewhere for a few hours before actually coming to use the beds. In the end, I had to politely ask “please leave us alone as we are a quiet couple, minding our own business and trying to enjoy our honeymoon in peace”, to which she sniggered and walked back to her husband who then preceded to share whatever the joke was. Grrrrr some people!!

Miscellaneous
1. Watch all the shows in the evening! They start at approx. 21:45 and are very professional. We loved the band ‘Zenda’, though be warned that if you by the CD of their music after the show, it might not contain the same music you heard that evening. Still a great CD though.
2. Go out and explore Cuba. Hire bicycles or take a horse & cart into Guardalavaca to the little market they have there. Make sure you do a trip to Havana and try and do the Overnight one instead of the 1-day otherwise you’ll feel hungry and exhausted by the time you arrive back at the hotel at midnight (though you could always order Room Service). We also did a trip to Holguin and the Jungle Adventure trip – both we thought were great!
3. If you have a long gap between your check out and your flight home, you can always ask the hotel to make you up a packed lunch though try and be specific about what you want in your lunch bag, otherwise you’ll have too much to carry! So pleased they could do this for us though!

Summary
I know this review is quite lengthy but I guess it’s just a reflection on how we feel about the Paradisus Rio de Oro and about Cuba itself! To us, the whole 3 weeks was simply not enough. This is a wonderful hotel, with amazingly attentive staff and we would thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering a holiday to Cuba. As we were leaving, one of the reception staff gave me a hug and said she would see us when we come back for our anniversary, and do you know what..…..I guarantee it.

I found this website so helpful in making my decision to go to this particular 5* resort, that I decided to add to it now that we have returned home from our fabulous week in Cuba.

We had gone to Veradero two years ago, to a Club Med that was about to close (we did not know that when we chose it) and although we loved our Cuban experience there, in particular our salsa dancing and our trip to Havana, I was far from happy with most of the resort itself. By comparison, at Paradisus Rio de Oro, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

Reading this website and the many helpful comments posted by other guests helped me to decide to book all the a la carte restaurants, and the massage in the hut with the glass floor before leaving, and I was glad I had done that. I simply went to the table set up in the lobby and within a few moments had the little paper slips for all the restaurants and our fabulous massages in the glass-floored hut, in hand...no wait at all.

We arrived at 3:00 a.m. (people in the Canadian Maritimes always leave Canada and arrive at their resorts at odd times!) and we were met immediately by a wonderful, polite, good-looking man and whisked in a marvellous little cart through the fragrant darkness to our glorious room (#1414)!! It was not the room # written on our little card, but a better one, quieter, the man said, and more comfortable. How any room could have been more comfortable than ours I don't know....it was simply wonderful. We fell into bed and when we awoke a few hours later, and made our way through the beautiful grounds to the main buffet, we knew we were in for a terrific week!

There is no need to repeat the descriptions already on this web site which are so eloquently worded. The long beach shared with the next door resort is absolutely to die for. I have been at many resorts in the Carribean, in the Bahamas, in St. Lucia, at the Algarve in Portugal, all over California, and in Cuba, and I must say that my week at Paradisus Rio de Oro was the all-round best! The colour of the water in this particular place is not that marvellous shade of turquoise that you find in the Bahamas or Bermuda, but a light, sparkling, emerald green! Entering the water felt like walking into a precious gem! The water temperature was coolish, so was refreshing to swim in after soaking up the hot sun on the fine, powdery white sand beach.

We got a paddle boat, took ourselves down the coast and got a great look at the three little coves and their pretty beaches which are part of the resort but which were unfortunately closed to us while we were there. The resort is building a large spa, and the site of the build is on a coral cliff overlooking those three coves. That first morning we were there we walked down the wooded pathway and through the building site to the first little coral cove, and we thought "Wow!! This looks incredible!" We planned to return there to snorkel, and to check out the two little coves further on. The next day, however, to our sorrow, that path was closed and we were never able to access it or the little coral beaches again. Fortunately we are not avid snorkelers so we were ok with this, but I know some people were very upset, understandably, about that unannounced closure. We are swimmers, so we would probably have spent most of our time on the long swimming beach at the other side of the resort, anyhow! When the spa is finished it will greatly enhance the resort. The sauna, the jacuzzis, plus all sorts of therapies, massages, the gym, and so on, will all be housed there, and it will be really spectacular!

We had read in our national newspaper before leaving that tips given to individuals such as the room maids, gardeners, guards, waiters and such would now have to be turned over to "the bosses". This did not appear to us to be the case. We tipped liberally individuals in Cuban convertible pesos and we also brought a lot of stuff from Canada to leave for the maid who I am sure found recipients for it! We exchanged our Canadian dollars at the front desk, easily, and at a great rate. We happened to be there on the last day that metal pesos will be used...now that currency is in light bills.

I am a professional musician and I have to say that one of the pianists