Rating:
"Half the resort was closed, only 2 pools not 4. They fed us white buns, and rice the entire week. No fruit, no veggies, no protein!!! 3 hour wait between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner. People at resort asked for money or clothing everywhere you went. If you did not tip bar tenders or waitresses they would not serve you. Only had rum and one type of beer; vodka cost extra on an all inclusive. I have been to a 3 and 3.5 star resort before in cuba but this one did not compare. For the high price i paid i got ripped off. Would never go back, even if i won a free trip here, far too stressful :("
Reviewer: reviewer3359
Date: Jun. 02, 2011

Rating:
"My cousin and I just came back from a fabulous week at Carisol Los Corales in Santiago de Cuba. I had done my research - lots of fabulous info on the forum and from the Destination Expert Coral Queen. I like staying in 3 star resorts so you learn to expect the unexpected. I am glad to report that everything ran smoothly...not a hitch....the weather was fabulous, basically 38 up to feels like 40 everyday! not a cloud in the sky and usually a warm breeze. We did have a couple of days that were quite windy but that was just perfect to go out on the hobby cat! Captain Frank is AMAZING!! he's really a one man show! They do have two catamarans but unfortunately only one is operational. Imagine how amazing it would be if both were working?! I spent my last day on it - 5 rides in a row! FABULOUS! the different colors of the sea depending on the depth is really something one has to experience first hand.

We arrived in Cuba via Cubana Airlines with a stop over in Holguin. We had a short stop there and were back on within 30 minutes to finally get to our destination. Customs went smoothly - certainly faster than Varadero. Finally onto the bus after a bit of confusion. The drive in is something else - curvy, narrow roads...just added to the excitement!

We were booked at Los Corales but switched to Carisol because a couple of tourists were insistent on getting into Los Corales and would not get off the bus. We decided that we would not let anything get to us and go with the flow and not blow a gasket...so after the 15 minute standoff I stood up and decided to give these two broads our room. Whatever. I did inform them that they should try to relax and enjoy their stay as usually you don't live in your room on vacation. After that we were showed to our room and it was very nice, two double beds, nice clean bathroom and large shower. The beds were great - we slept like babies! (could of been the mojitos ). The Balcony looked over the Carisol pool and path and since we were on the second floor we also had lots of birds singing away and if you kept your patio door open they would fly in and serenade us! Tip - the Carisol patio doors lock once closed so be careful not to lock yourself out! it happened to someone already during our stay.

We spent most of our time at Los Corales - for the buffet, the pool and the 24 hr bar. The beach is accessible via paths from either of the hotels. We spent a good portion of our time with Coral Queen and her husband....can't get better guides than those two. They are well known and well loved by all the staff.

We ate twice at the grill and the rest of the week our breakfast and dinners were at the buffet and the lunch would alternate between the Piazza and the beach Ranchon. the Piazza served a vegetable thin crust pizza and with or without the pasta in a tomato sauce. It was very good...worth the wait - it opens at 12:30pm and it's first come first serve. The Beach Ranchon was very good as well. The fries were delicious! and the hotdog and fried chicken was very good too. There was also vegetables and pineapples at a self serve mini buffet on the left.

We had breakfast at Los Corales - they seemed to be the only place with fresh squeezed orange juice where Carisol seemed to serve a Tang like fruit juice. Breakfast was good - french toast, pancakes, plantains, pineapples, honey dew melon (not always ripe though) hard boiled eggs, omlettes etc. Breakfast is always good and the expresso or capuchino at the 24hr bar by the pool was the best!

Like you always hear - you don't go to Cuba to eat but my cousin being braver than myself tried everything and said it was all very tasty - especially the meat. I stuck to fish and chicken.

The resort is very well kept. I love to walk so staying at the Carisol and walking to Los Corales was right up my alley! I must of walked back and forth about 6 times a day. One thing though, the walkway is uneven and you really need to watch where you are walking - which one tourist found out when she went flying and landed flat on her face! Lucky for her she didn't even have a scratch! don't know how she pulled that off lol. They were working on the Villas the whole week when we were there. They are really going to be very nice once done.

Swim shoes are highly recommended - I am allergic to latex and had issue with my cheap swim shoes from Zellers...don't know if something got in when i was walking through the sea grass but I had quite the rash on both feet. i just washed out the shoes and gave them to the Nautical hut. I will be going to a dive shop to purchase better quality shoes.

Overall we had a fantastic holiday and I must say one week was certainly not enough! We will be returning absolutely next year for 2 weeks. One thing I have to say is that after meeting so many return guests who have been returning for 10 - 15 and 20 years the hotel must be doing something right and i believe it's the combination of the wonderful staff and the lovely returning guests who really love this place as much as we did. It does cater to older guests.there were a total of 8 kids spread out throughout the two resorts. They stayed mostly at the Carisol pool - they are hoping to advertise the Carisol as the young happening Hotel.

I would certainly recommend this resort to anyone who wants total rest and relaxation and fabulous weather. I am missing it already and wished I had booked two weeks!

See you soon!! "
Reviewer: pinamimi
Date: Feb. 16, 2011