Rating:
"This is a great resort , very much enjoyed from check in to check out staff is great and food was excellent, very beautiful grounds and beach is great. rooms very good and all well located. This was our 15th trip to cuba and this was the best hotel yet."
Reviewer: reviewer892
Date: Apr. 17, 2012

Rating:
"countinuation of review,this is good things about the resort,pool grounds kept clean at all times.beach wide,lots of chairs for everyone.buffet was good good variety for cuba .a la carte restaurants were great, 6 diff. ones,we ate a la carte almost every night , 8 times i beleive,food and service excellent,bars well spaced out on resort,piano bar was our favorite ,i wish to thank escapes for booking our last 4 or 5 trips,for your professional ,friendly service ,will be doing it again in the future,im looking already at majestic colonial in punta cana as possible vacation for next february,someone i know ,just got back from there with good comments,they even had a big party set up for the super bowl,princessa del mar never heard about a super bowl,we tried to get a party going in the game room,about 20 of us surrounding a 27 in. tv.the biggest available on the resort.........lol,adios ,chau ,adieu,good bye."
Reviewer: reviewer9656
Date: Feb. 20, 2012

Rating:
"we booked a 10 day trip this time,since 7 days goes by too fast,unfortunately it rained last 2 days. .roundtrip flights with wesjet was great,on time and friendly service from all staff check in at the resort was quick and friendly, they shuddled us and our bags ,and my parents and their bags to our rooms inside of 10 minutes. rooms looked nice clean,but when i opened the drapes of patio doors,all i could see was a construction site,ihad read about the consruction site on trip advisor that it was a addition to the resort,since im not complainer i was willing to put up with the view knowing i dont spend much time in the room during the day anyway. the view didnt seem to bother my parents either. the problem started when we came to our rooms at night 9 pm,we could here jack hammers ,steel cutting saws,cement saws going on all at the same time,with the tv volume at the max,still could not here tv ,the noise was unbeleivable.when the noise was still going at 10 pm i called front desk and asked at what time construction ended at night,she replies 2 or 3 am,at that point i tell i work all year to pay my holidays and am not willing to put with this noise ,i am here to relax.i tell her i read on trip asdvisor that they were not booking the rooms facing constructions,she replies that they would change us rooms the next day,my parents room also.like she promised, they moved us in a building at the furthest point possible from the constuction site.the part that disturbs me is not the fact that we had to pack and unpack again,it is that they had people move into the rooms we had just left 5 minutes later,talking to people around the pool during the week ,people kept complaining kept moving around,i dont think this is good management,i know its peak time, they want to make as much money possible,but i think acting in this manner will only hurt them in the long run,they may have loss repeat customers,they may end up with negative reviews on trip advisor,i beleive a 5 star resort should no better ac stunk,strong smell when on,we had ours shut off at all times,mouldy smell."
Reviewer: reviewer3378
Date: Feb. 20, 2012

Rating:
""why you should choose this resort"

We just returned from the Paradisus Princesa Del Mar on Sat Jan 28th 2012 this was my 5th stay in Cuba and my third in Varadero (I spent 2 weeks at the 5 star Riu Varadero in Feb of 2011,I have also been to Mexico 8 times,Jamaica once Punta Cana 5 times also Florida 5-6 times,Colombia South America 8 times and France,Germany ,Switzerland)
So that being said I did not want to visit Cuba after last years stay at the Riu resort (bad experience and way too long a story but would not return there after last years experience the resorts are walking distance apart but worlds apart when it comes to food and the whole experience)
the Paradisus is the 1st 5 star resort that is truely a 5 star that I have ever stayed
in Cuba and I have stayed at 2 Princess resorts and 2 Riu Palace resorts in Mexico. the grounds are well maintained and groomed the Staff are second to none they are kind and cheerful from the Butler we had to the Grounds keeper that had a fresh flower for my
wife every morning (he would always say with your permission to me before presenting her a flower or grasshopper he had made from leaves that he had cut)The food was outstanding we ate at the international/Cuban,french,Japanese,and oriental
and 3 nights we ate Lobster at the buffet.... yes grilled Lobster, even the beach grill is Ala
carte and is a nice change from beach food that we are use to.The deep fried Calamari was
the best we have ever had.(and we are a group of 8 and we all agreed on that)
The beef must be imported because it was tender and flavorful deserts where wow and Spanish
coffee after dinner finished it off. 12 year old Glenlivet scotch while watching the nightly show followed by closing the disco nightly ask Yoel and the disco for a flaming Sambucca you will be surprised at what he will do with it. The nightly shows where fun Michael Jackson night was very cool. I cant think of a single negative thing to say about the food/staff/resort We met with the hotel director(we wanted to tell him what a great resort he was running We also met the food director ) I told them I would write a review that was worthy because its easier to write a crap review than it is to write a nice one Anyways would I recommend this resort YES would I return YES
I am looking to see if I can find a trip back late March/April of this year
So cheers everyone hope to meet you 1 day at the Paradisus Princesa Del Mar
Dave Newell
Ottawa Canada

Stayed January 2012, traveled with friends"
Reviewer: reviewer7334
Date: Feb. 05, 2012

Rating:
"This hotel is great by Cuban standards but keep in mind that this is not St Maarten, the Mayan or the like. We had a great trip but went in knowing that the food would be OK at best. If you are a real foodie and that will make or break your vacation then you probably shouldn't go to Cuba at all. If you are into Architecture and history then you will love Cuba! As far as some of the comments on the travel sites about the staff being less than helpful or friendly...I would have to agree. I was in Holguin in 1999 and at that time I would have said Cubans are some of the most helpful and friendly people. This trip I did not find that at all. We tipped regularly and I speak rudimentary spanish as it was my minor in University but neither seemed to help. In fact when I tried to speak spanish the reply often came in english anyways. Not sure what we did wrong but we found that the staff was barely efficient and nothing more. Varadero really is one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen but beware the sand fleas in the early morning and late afternoon. Havana is fantastic - it is a beautiful combination of Spain and the caribbean. It is a must see no matter where you stay in Cuba. I would highly recommend spending an evening or two in one of the hotels right in Havana as there is so much to see and do."
Reviewer: reviewer6053
Date: May. 06, 2011

Rating:
"The Resort was beautiful. Check in was a breeze as we were directed to sit and relax in the lobby and the key cards and room #'s were brought to us. This Resort did seem to have an older demographic vibe. I found it more laid back. At previous Resorts it was common to be "bugged" to play vollyball, do the spa, dance lessons etc. We had these options but no one was pressured to join in. Also we had amazing service at buffett and bars and I honestly did not feel pressure to tip. First time this has happened. There was one bad thing that really put a damper on the trip, Cockroaches. We spotted 2 in our room. The worst was the French restaurant. Other then this it truly was a week in paradise.
"
Reviewer: reviewer7644
Date: May. 03, 2011

Rating:
"My mom and I traveled to this resort on April 4, 2011. Our first time flying with Sunwing which was a very positive experience. Upon arrival at the resort, we were immediately greeted by the front desk staff who were smiling and efficient. We were able to check in to our room [Holguin Building -3rd floor] right away and it was only 8am. Perfect! The pool and grounds were very clean and beautiful. The room was nice, with 2 double beds, although I admit, they are dated and needing some TLC. The food was ok for Cuban standards. Not much variety and at times you waited in a long line at the grill for meats/seafood. The buffet restaurant is not enclosed and there is no air conditioning so it tends to get warm but the breeze does blow through it nicely. I used the spa they have at the resort and it was a nice treat! Now the most important part - the beach. Most spectacular, They keep the large sprawling area clean, and no rocks or seaweed. Alot of palapas to choose from to lounge under as well. The night life was perfectly balanced during the week with a great cuban jazz band! The internet cafe at the hotel is open 24 hours a day- $ 5.00 CUC for 30 minutes. Overall, a nice and smaller resort and would go there again!"
Reviewer: reviewer3762
Date: Apr. 15, 2011

Rating:
"This was our first trip to Cuba. We have travelled many times to Mexico as well as visiting Dominican, Aruba, Jamaica, Costa Rica. We had heard many negative things about Cuba and weren't sure what to expect. This was a last minute trip and was a good price so decided to give it a try. In comparison to other destinations, we found the resort to be not as clean or as well maintained. The grounds weren't as "lush" or as well manicured. We upgraded to the "palace" section which offered us a quieter secluded pool area which we enjoyed. It also enabled us to use the exclusive restaurant which we found was a little better food than the buffet and the staff there were very friendly and accomadating. We did find the food to be of little variety from day to day, and were disappointed with the lack of fresh fruit, but understand that is typical anywhere in Cuba.

The rooms were "surface clean". We found the floors weren't always cleaned and bathrooms weren't as well cleaned as they could have been. Unfortunately, I woke up on the second day with many bites, to discover later if was bed bugs! That put a damper on the remainder of our stay; they were extremely itchy and uncomfortable.

We always use the gym on vacation, this one was small, but did have equipment that worked as well as towels and bottled water available.

We weren't aware of the fact you can not use a credit card with any U.S. bank affiliation. We tried to use a Mastercard from a Canadian bank to obtain Cuban pesos. It was declined because it was somehow connected to a U.S. bank. That was frustrating and we spent most part of a morning on the phone to our bank finding a way to get pesos. Lesson learned, take Canadian cash to convert!

We enjoyed 4 days of beautiful weather by the pool at this resort. For the most part it was a good experience. We are glad we experienced Cuba, but likely wont return.
"
Reviewer: reviewer7294
Date: Jun. 23, 2010