Melia Las Americas, Varadero

Hotel and rooms great for most part, beaches are great,staff is less than friendly/courteous for most part. Bar service ridiculously slow, (save on liquor) Buffet is mundane and watch out for food poisoning, which happened to 3 of us out of party of 6, one requiring medical attention. Having been in Cuba three times, will not ever go back, as we found the quality of food and service has slipped considerably and endangering your health is not worth the beach.

Melia Las Americas was built in the early 1990s. Dim lighting in lobby, hallways, outdoor walkways and stairs. Many steps to beach, golf course and restaurants -- great leg exercise but a problem if you need handicap access. Only two small elevators in main hotel. Location is a short walk to the Las Americas Shopping Mall and the Hop-on Hop-off double-decker bus. Rides cost $5 equivalent for all day and you can go to the end of the 21-kilometre long sand spit and into Veradero town to buy junky souvenirs at the flea markets. The Las Americas beach is small and blocked at each end by rock cliffs. Most upsetting is that you cannot walk on the beaches of nearby hotel Melia Varadero (even though it is the same chain) or the tourist police will demand you leave. Wrong color wrist band? Leave now. Real friendly move! This has nothing to do with security. It is just the Cuban government need to control people. So, choose a hotel with a long beach if you want to make long walks on the beach. The other problem is converting money into the Cuban tourist Monopoly money called CUC. The exchange rates in Cuba and at the hotel are a rip-off so try to make just one exchange while you are there. The food was plentiful and the local beer plus wines from Argentina were good. The hotel musicians at restaurants and night shows were good and, of course, all had CDs for sale in the $10-$20 range. The La Robleza poolside restaurant is a nice spot for lunch but stick with the regular plates. We waited an hour for the Las Americas version of paella which was a disappointing heap of rice, turmeric, one shrimp, one chicken chunk and a piece of shellfish. You cannot wear shorts and sandals into the buffet cafeteria-style main dining room -- and this is a beach resort? Sure, I get it for other more formal restaurants but a serve-yourself-squat-and-gobble eatery? The Las Americas lists itself as a 5-star hotel. No way. Try 3-star. A serviceable hotel but nothing special. A final cutie is the $25 equivalent Cuban departure tax (called "Tasa Aeroportuaria") each tourist must pay at the airport before they are allowed to leave. The Security Department guards in military uniform will not let you on your plane unless your boarding pass has a sticker indicating payment IN CASH.

First , read all the reviews before going on trip ? Never a shortage of great food any place you go . Lots of tomatoes and cucumbers etc. LOTS . Buffet ...great food everynight . Cannot believe what other people have written . Never shortage of water , phone service from room got 2 large bottles everytime , sent to room . Ask at the bar in lobby before going to beach , to small bottles , bars on beach side , tonic water , anything you what . Super great entertainment through trip . Nightly . Beach , and pools , places you dream about . Friend at work has gone twice , for sure my wife and i will be back , wakeup this is a great place , great !!

Four of us went for a week and we had a good time. The location was not too far from town and there was always a taxi around the hotel. The service was slow at times but most of the staff were very friendly. Hotel was very clean but needs a paint job on most exterior parts. Free room service and the different restaurants at the hotel served pretty good food and it was needed because the buffet was terrible! The pool was very cold and the jacuzzi was very small (no more than 4 ppl) and not much warmer than the pool either. They only had a limited number of sized beds so we ended up having a two single beds side by side which was pretty bad because they were on wheels and would move with even just a bit of movement. I would visit again but not for the price of $950 we paid all inclusive from Toronot.

I was married on June 1, 2006 and I have yet to receive my wedding certificate. I have been in contact with the wedding coordinator by email numerous times, and they have assured me that it was mailed quite some time ago. I feel that I am getting the run around as the couple that were married one day before us have already received their document in October! I am very displeased.

Been to a number of resorts in the Caribbean, and have to say this resort tops them all. The service was relaxed and casual; staff become more friendly with a cash tip. Resort was spotless! Late checkout was an option for 25cuc. If you check out at noon, you were permitted to use all facilities while you wait for your transportation to the airport. One word of advice... Don't loose your towel! Security and Public Relations will create a massive issue about a lost towel and charge you 10cuc. Buffet was good, but don't expect too many fresh vegetables. As for location: Semi-private beach with the Dupont Mansion to the West (Best meal ever $$) and the Las Americas Shopping Centre to the East. No hesitation about recommending this hotel to singles or couples without children. It�s a great place.

This hotel is not what it is cracked up to be. It should not be rated a 5 star. It should be rated 3.5 star. I have travelled to many places so I feel I am very experienced in this field. We got a great deal for this trip, so it was worth every penny we paid, which was $832.00 taxes from Sell Off Vacations. It included four rounds of golf also. This hotel is going for $1900.00 in March, there is no way in hell it is worth that kind of money. The food was very limited, there was always a shortage of diet coke, 1 bottle of water per room (1.5 litres), no yogurt, no salad, no tomotoes, no cucumbers. The beach was fantastic. The golf was great, except there was a tournament going on when we were there, and we could not get on the golf coarse until 1:30 p.m. It was a little too hot to golf then, but we had no choice. The rooms smelled of mold and mildew. It was always damp. The service at the lobby bar was very slow. Check in and check out were ridiclously slow. This may sould like a harsh review, but like I said at the beginning for what we paid it was worth every penny. But I would not pay a penny more for this resort.

I can't wait to get back to the Melia las Americas. I'm sure I remarked to my husband a hundred times or more that "I'm in heaven." The beach is truly beautiful, with the DuPont Mansion on the cliff at one end. I loved all the glass and marble and heavy wood furniture and plants -- my first sight of the beach right outside the lobby with the white sand and blue water was breathtaking. I thought it was very European, while some of the other resorts are more Disney-like and too commercial. I've read the other reviews here which talk about the service perhaps being not as good as might be expected but I think that is because it IS more European than Mexico and the lack of service seems right at home under that influence. I agree that the lobby bar is very good -- good service and good snacks, premium liquor, etc. Good wine is in short supply though. Lots of it, but pretty bland. The food in Cuba, it's true, can be monotonous, but you always find a few favourite things that get you through the week (or two.) For us, it was the pizza at the beach bar -- really quite tasty, and with a couple of Mojitos to wash it down, you have a balanced meal!!! Take thermos coffee mugs down to the bar to hold your drinks and keep them cold on the beach. Find a bartender to regularly fill it up and promise it to him when you leave --you'll get great service! Cubans seem to want THINGS rather than tip money -- I think they don't get to keep all that much of the tips, but they love the gifts you can bring them. The first year we went down, my husband had some $10 mini-speakers that he plugged into his Walkman while we were on the beach. One of the service managers spotted them and asked about them and my husband promised to leave them at the end of the week. When he did, the fellow gave my husband some cigars in return -- we don't smoke, but it was a genuine guesture of thanks. The people are very nice. Getting back to the food, go into the town for the occasional meal. It's not expensive and there are some very good restaurants there. We had delicious lobster in the little park. We, too, really enjoyed the Catamaran trip to Cayo Blanco and everybody was in a party mood -- maybe due to all the rum! We have decided that the Las Americas will be our 'take no chances' vacation and then we will go somewhere else that we haven't been before in another week. Too bad you can't buy timeshares there...loved it!

There isn't much not to like about this resort. The staff were very friendly and warm (special mentions go to Raul at the lobby bar, Irian and everyone at the La Robleza bar, and Tania and Mary who kept our room spotless!). If you approach them with a smile and tip accordingly, you will be well looked after. There were of course a few staff members that weren't the most attentive, but to complain about that considering everything else would be ridiculous. The resort itself was nothing short of stunning. Pristine beach, spotless pools, gorgeous architecture and surprisingly, great food, even at the buffet. I cannot wait to go back to Cuba, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be returning to Melia Las Americas. Thank you everyone! A beautiful beach and a gorgeous hotel are one thing, but the people we met working there are what really made it memorable. Oh, and you can't beat 24 hour room service either.

The beach is one of the best in all Varadero, the Hotel's Lobby, bars , and restaurants are quite nice too. About the rooms, pillows smell weird, but the overview of the room is excellent. Everybody is very polite, waiters are always willing to serve (and they greatly appreciate a small tip). The only point against is the service provided by the front desk. Checking in takes so long, not the same as check out, (20 mins after 12 your room's key won't be working). The staff at the front desk are not as polite as all others in the hotel. I highly recomend this hotel.