Melia Peninsula Varadero

absolutely awesome resort. Only issue was the room key gave us problems a few times and we had to get it reprogrammed but it was not a big deal to us. There was tons of food and the staff were super friendly and helpful. Everything is close and did not have to walk far to get to anything. Beach was gorgeous. Everything was so clean in room and on the grounds. Everyone works hard and makes your stay very comfortable. Can't wait to go back! [Details]

This was my first vacation in 6 years,and my first time in Cuba and at a Melia. I went for 5 nights. Not a place for 'foodies'. The rooms were fine, but issues with locks existing/working. Wifi spotty; don't bother bringing your laptop. Overall, felt safe [Details]

Visited Cuba for the first time. Will not be going back. [Details]

Nice beach and good beer at the bar
Food was okay. People are very friendly.
Outside of the resort, you have to tip every time you use the public washroom. Someone is always following you if you're going into the washroom so that's something to consider.
Room was not up to standard. Toilet was leaking all the time. Room has a strong odor. Beds are very hard to lay on.
The souvenir shop is selling some items very expensive. A small plastic comb was for $20 USD. [Details]

For our first time visit I would say it was excellent. The staff very helpful and warm to help us when needed. At the buffet Daniela, was warm and always checked to see if needed anything. Daniel at the pool bar was funny and very pleasant to talk with.
My husband had a fall at the pool and had to get 8 stitches Thomas who drove us to the other doctor was very compassionate for what happen. The rest of the week the doctor and nurse on the resort was very warm and comfortable. [Details]

Friendly staff
Poor internet experience
Food was good but limited variety
Fun nightly entertainment [Details]

My first visit to Melia Peninsula Varadero was in the Christmas 2022. I am blessed to be able to make myself stayed in this same beach resort again. Water fountain, trees, flowers, and swimming pools are being well maintained. The room itself has wear and tear rapidly over this 9-month period of time. The water sewer in the bathroom was leaked but not to a point to being flooded. The national power outage for the entire country needs to be respected. Regardless of these flaws, the Cubans and their amazing beach are very impressive always. [Details]

If you want trouble in your vacation, that's the place to go. we've been robbed in our room. the safe wasn't working. we told them many times and they came 3 days later. the manager and the inspector didn't believe us. the room was so dirty, bottle of water was hard to get, same thing with toilet papers... i wrote many times to Melia, but they don't care as they just don't believe they robbed jewels in our room. funny thing is, we went there for the anniversary of our daughter..that was her gift. we talked to a lot of people, and it was the same problem; safe wasn't working..some people we're robbed too. and Melia told me, it,s impossible, it never happen. well, let me tell you, never again Melia Penensula. 5 stars??? not at all...2 stars max... [Details]

This was our first time to Cuba. This resort seems to be suffering from poor maintenance and upgrading, which I understand is common in Cuba. But beyond this, the overall experience was pretty good.

When we checked in, we were given a room that had a non-functioning key-card lock on the door, the safe had no battery, and the toilet did not flush. They immediately gave us a new room, which was good. However, this sort of thing is completely avoidable and should never happen to a guest on check in.

Our room's AC stopped functioning after the first three days. We didn't think it was worth lodging a complaint because we spent so little time in the room.

Given this is Cuba, which has all kinds of economic challenges, it was not surprising that the resort generally, and especially the room, had furnishings that were old and falling apart. That said, the staff kept things pretty clean. They are doing the best they can without much to work with.

The food was a lot better than we expected (based on negative reviews). There was always plenty of choice at the buffet and we were generally satisfied. HOWEVER, the a la carte restaurants were not really worth the time. For example, the main course at the "Japanese restaurant" was chicken fried rice.

The resort's beach operation was fantastic. There were plenty of beach lounge chairs for everyone, and the chair attendant was very competent. On a good weather day, we were able to ride a resort catamaran from the beach to a small reef about 500 m offshore for some snorkeling. It was a wonderful experience for only $20 per person (this was not included in the booking, but a great value nonetheless).

Evening entertainment consisted of things like dancing shows and a magic show. These were all good quality and a lot of fun. [Details]

Don't write many reviews but here goes. No beef, bacon or butter. You could only get french fries at the snack bar and only once in a while. The pool cleaner was on a power trip as no one was allowed in the pool until he was done cleaning it. One day it was past 1:00pm. No entertainment during the day. [Details]

We have stayed at this resort 8 times now. We love the staff they are so friendly and welcoming. Our rooms are always clean. The resort is beautiful. Yes ther are shortages within the resort but that is uncontrolable and can be overlooked. All the resorts have shortages right now. [Details]

The staff is so friendly. Great service! The best entertainment/animation team in the morning on the beach, by the pool in the afternoon, and at night for the shows. The professional dancers are back at the Teatro. Beautiful, talented dancers in the shows! Great singers! Lots of nightly live music at the Lobby, (indoors or outdoors depending on the weather). Love the violins, the saxophone, the Cuban bands with Cuban musica! Loved the beach parties at night with the professional singers/ musicians and DJs and the Animation team keeps us dancing! Such talent and energy! The food was fabulous! Fun at the Japanese restaurant. Safety protocols were in place and I always felt safe. My room was beautiful. The coffee ladies and the bartenders always remember what I like!!! 5 star beach! I will be back! [Details]

The hotel was amazing and super clean. The rooms were all maintained perfectly, cleaned and sanitized daily. [Details]

This is a large resort - it took me days to find a quick way to the beach! There were no maps to help. Pools were good, beach was beautiful, room was good. Food was poor. Staff were good. [Details]

This was my first time in Cuba so I have no other hotel to compare this one to. The food was the same pretty much every single day. They had no ketchup, i think there was only one day i got ketchup. Fries were always gone fast. Staff were friendly, rooms were clean I had no issues with the rooms at all. Free wifi. Good grounds for walking. Entertainment was lacking.. it was boring in the evenings. Pool water was really cold. All the a la cartes were closed except oje day we go to go to the japanese one which was nice. Not many activities to do during the day. [Details]

My daily schedule:
Delicious Cuban coffee by the pool with the sunrise. Buffet - point and served. Stretching class at the beach in the sunshine. Dance class at the Beach. Lunch at the Ranchon Restaurant with a BBQ. Dance class by the pool in the afternoon. Lobby bar for drinks then dinner at the Buffet. Show at night and dance parties. Safe! Clean! Beautiful rooms! Friendly staff! Beautiful gardens and surroundings!
The BEST ANIMATION TEAM ever! Lily, Lena, Joannis, Luis, Rico, Elio, Carmen, Aly, Luis-Angel... Equipo de animación de Exellent!!!
Great food! Great therapeutic massages with Gina. It's my happy place!!! We were treated to a show with professional dancers. I never left the resort. I felt safe. I wore a mask indoors always and as needed. [Details]

I booked this trip last minute for my daughter and myself. The resort was lovely, pool and beach were fantastic, and the staff very friendly and helpful. We had to have a Covid test before leaving and the process that was in place by the hotel was smooth and staff was great. My only complaint about our trip is the food. Now I know not to have high expectations regarding food when in Cuba, but this is my sixth time to Cuba and by far the worst food I have had. I am not a picky eater but it was bad. No selection and the food was the exact same for every meal, every day. Honestly it made for a long week. [Details]

We've been to the Melia Peninsula Varadero four times and love it there. The rooms are very nice. Beds are comfortable. We spent every evening on our balcony relaxing. There's a snack bar that has fries, burgers, sandwiches near the pool that's open late if you're hungry. The landscaping of the resort is beautiful - a tropical paradise. Varadero beach is beautiful. It's a very short walk from your room. There is entertainment at the beach and you can always hear great music. We love spending time at the pool bar. It's the best pool bar we've been to (we travel a lot). Vladimir is friendly. We spent our time going from the beach to the pool since we love both. The good at the buffet is great - lots of choices. I'm a picky eater and I found lots of choices. Isel makes the best omelets. I love the pasta bar too. There's a second location for the buffet that's close to the beach. The food is great there too. There's a variety of à la carte restaurants - Roberto at Sakura is very good at putting on a show but my favorite is the Italian a la carte. This resort has a few specialty drinks which I highly recommend - tryp peninsula and a San Francisco with pineapple rum. Yum!! They make great mojitos, Pina colada and serve Crystal beer. There's activities by the pool and the nightly entertainment is great. The night time entertainment are very skilled and very good at what they do. We never missed a show every time we went. There's lots to do at the resort so you can be as busy or as relaxed as you want. There's even a place where you can get a massage. We keep going back because of our experiences there. It's very clean, rooms are beautiful, we love the pool bar, beach, food is great and service is exceptional.

You can contact me if you want to ask more questions or see more pics. [Details]

I loved the resort as soon as we walked into the front entrance. It's bright with a high ceiling and fresh air flowing gently through. I loved the gardens, fresh flower arrangements, multiple varieties of palms, etc. that made the resort feel earthy. The indoor public spaces are high and bright in general, making them feel quiet, cool and relaxed. In calm weather, the beach was the most gorgeous I'd ever seen, like a massive extended pool with a sand bar 20'-30' or so off the shore that made it possible for our trustworthy 8yo to roam safely from the beach chairs to the sandbar without close supervision as long as he was within sight. The water is gloriously turquoise! We had some windy weather for a few days as well, though, and although body surfing is fun the sand gets in the swimsuit pretty quickly in the tumultuous water. The guys who run dance/pool aquazumba/stretching on the beach/etc. were fantastic, keeping up a steady pace of fun activities throughout the week. I appreciated how they respectfully came around and individually invited people around the pool, across the beach, and as they passed through the resort. The kids activities were pretty great, too, including a magician, a night of dancing on the theater stage, and an animal show.

The only issue was the food. Some of the staff seemed to be embarrassed at how many choices on the menus were not available during our stay. If all the choices had been there, it would have been much easier. But there were no more than 5 types of fresh veggies (cucumber, green pepper, onion, tomato, cabbage) the whole week. Every restaurant creatively repackaged the fresh veg according to their style (Mexican, French, Japanese, etc.). Beef was very tough unless it was well done. Pastries at breakfast are hard and dissatisfying UNLESS you heat them up––toaster or grill. Then they're delicious. I did very much enjoy the deep-fried plantain and the fresh coconuts with a straw available at particular times at the entrance to the beach. The limited menu was most challenging once we got sick after dinner the second night and couldn't stomach much more than yogurt and fruit at breakfasts thereafter, and fresh veg. I had wished for more flavour at first, but after getting sick I sincerely appreciated plain rice and butter! As we knew in advance, there's not a lot of variety in flavour on the resort. I hear restaurants off the resort are a different matter, but we didn't make it out anywhere else after getting sick.

We also made great use of the tennis courts (there was purportedly only one tennis ball, so we had a grand hunt for the ball when it went over a fence) and the big checkers board.

I really appreciated there being the little souvenir shops right on the resort. We were able to bring a few small things back without needing to go out shopping.

The room is very basic, and the beds are firm. However, after a lot of sun and lots of activity, sleep comes more easily! I loved the sliding glass door to the bathroom: classy! There is no bath, just a roomy shower with a seat that turned out to be better suited than a bath to the daily post-pool/beach showering and rinsing out of clothing.

Wifi is available for purchase, or our package included 1 hour per day of stay. We had to be right in the lounge to access it, but it's a pleasant place to hang out. [Details]

I have stayed twice at this awesome resort. Our first experience was New Year's Eve. The grounds are very well kept and our room was clean and located close to everything. The food displays were absolutely gorgeous and tasted even better. There was always lots of choices even for my fussy friends. We loved both the Japanese and the Mexican Al a carte restaurants. The staff as in every where in Cuba make the difference. All of the servers were definitely 5 star. But of course we tipped the same as we do in Canada....good service equals good tips. The waitstaff was attentive and our glasses always topped up. I was happy to see the food was hot. I do suggest you bring your own reusable beer glasses as all resorts just have those little plastic glasses and people go thru them so fast. Can't wait to return to our happy place in the sun! [Details]

Règle générale, nous avons passé de belles vacances en famille (2 adultes, 2 jeunes enfants, 4 grands-parents) et l'hôtel était bien. Chapeau à Air Transat, c'est un transporteur de premier plan ! Jeux pour enfants à l'aéroport, A330 récent, propre, système de divertissement, personnel sympathique et grignotines gratuites pour les enfants à bord.
Le Mélià Peninsula était bien pour Cuba. Le personnel était sympathique, l'hôtel approprié pour les enfants et la plage était belle. Voici mes commentaires détaillés. Je suis relativement critique, mais je suis bien conscient que les standards nord-américains ne prévalent pas dans les Antilles, surtout pas à Cuba !
Employés
Les employés de l'hôtel étaient, en général, très sympathiques et avenants. Le service était très bon, nous donnions du pourboire. Lorsque quelqu'un dans notre groupe a perdu sa serviette, je suis allé au service et ils l'ont ‘'retrouvé'', pas de frais.
Installations
L'hôtel date de plusieurs années et certaines installations sont vétustes et manquent d'entretien. Barrières brisées, peinture défraîchie, trous dans les planchers pas bouchés, douches à pied défectueuses... Par contre, les piscines pour enfants sont bien situées et aménagées. Inondations à certains endroits et déchets non ramassés. Les terrains de sport sont en mauvais état. Les bâtiments principaux sont loin de la plage (beaucoup de marche). Les navettes roulent vite et n'avertissent pas toujours, il faut surveiller les enfants.
Chambres
La taille des chambres est bien et les lits d'enfants que nous avions demandés étaient présents à notre arrivée. Peu de surfaces pour mettre les articles. Air climatisé avec moisissures. Salles de bain avec de beaux matériaux mais mal conçues (l'eau reste au centre de la douche…). Le nettoyage des chambres est sommaire (beaucoup de poussières, saletés au sol, toilette et lavabo mal lavés, moisissures dans douche). La 1ere chambre avait des petites fourmis. On a eu une coquerelle gigantesque (un monstre !) un matin, je l'ai sorti dehors, elle est revenue, on l'a perdue. J'ai appelé pour changer de chambre et le processus s'est fait facilement. On n'a pas revu de coquerelle. Les dessous de portes d'entrée ne sont pas étanches et laissent passer les intrus, malgré le dépôt d'une serviette de plage comme barrière.
Nourriture
La nourriture était décevante. Tous les items du buffet sont répétitifs et de piètre qualités, souvent tiède. Tout est très salé et gras. Peu de frais. Les cuissons sont mauvaises. Les restos à la carte ne sont guère mieux. Les meilleurs items sur le menu ne sont pas disponibles et des repas se répètent entre les restos à la carte. Par contre, le japonais était bien et ça a amusé les enfants (chef qui cuisine devant nous). Nourriture très limitée au snack bar 24 hrs. Options végé rares. Les portes du buffet sont toujours ouvertes et les oiseaux sont nombreux à l'intérieur et tolérés par le personnel. Les oiseaux mangent dans les assiettes laissées aux tables vides, brisent les sachets de sucre et jonchent les poutres. Une dame a reçu un caca d'oiseau sur elle près de nous en mangeant. Le café au buffet est mauvais, mais il est bon au lobby (espresso). Finalement, une seule bouteille d'eau 1.5 L par jour, si on fait faire la chambre seulement. Sinon, ni le lobby, ni les bars, ni le service à la clientèle en donnent. Les bars peuvent remplir nos gourdes. Le buffet ouvre à 7h30 le matin, 13h le midi et 19h pour le souper, c'est tard pour les enfants. La nourriture au snack 24 hrs est limitée.
Alcool
Le menu d'alcool est immense, mais on ne peut que commander une petite partie de ceux-ci. Il est arrivé souvent que des alcools de base soient manquant, même dans les bars principaux comme le 24hrs du lobby (pas de gin, pas de téquila par moment…). Alcool cheap, vin blanc ok, vin rouge à éviter.
Plage
La plage est belle. Lorsqu'il n'y avait pas de vagues, l'eau était claire. On a fait de l'apnée et vu des poissons. Les chaises sont vieilles et usées, mais il y en avait toujours assez. Il y avait assez de parasols et d'ombre. Seulement une poubelle peu visible, ce qui entraîne des déchets et items parfois dangereux sur la plage (mais c'est plus la faute des clients que du personnel). Embarcations accessibles et en bonne condition, équipements de flottaison pour enfants sans attache. Quelques vendeurs sur la plage, mais vu qu'on est au bout de la péninsule, pas en continu et ils n'étaient pas achalant. Pas trop de musique forte, relativement calme.
Spectacles et animation
Je n'ai vu que 2 spectacles et c'était bien. La discothèque était fermée selon les dires des représentants Transat, mais on n'y serait pas allé de toute manière. Les animateurs sont venus nous voir pour nous expliquer les activités pour enfants sans insister. Animations à la piscine des adultes avec musique trop forte, mais sinon c'était bien correct. Il y avait des activités (danse, volleyball…).
Les clients étaient généralement des retraités. Quelques petites familles et couples. Peu de jeunes adultes venus faire le party. [Details]

We had our first Family Vacation and decided to choose Cuba, My wife and I and our 12yr old son. After speaking with our travel agent ( Hilma ) which i must take a moment to say she was absolutely amazing in every sense of the word. We decided to choose Melia Peninsula Varadero Resort, from the location to the staff the grounds pool Beach and service it was nothing short of incredable. we enjoyed every moment of our vacation and the only down side was having to return home after our vacation was over and having to listen to our 12 yr old asking on a consent basis when are we going back??
The food the choices were great and resort was clean and well maintained the beaches where top notch the rooms where clean and well appointed, we had everything we needed and the staff where awesome. if you have kids and still want to travel to cuba and stay in a higher end resort this is the one for you hands down. Melia Peninsula Varadero made our first family vacation amazing!! Thank you!! [Details]

We were suppose to go to the Sol Sirenas Coral, but it was closed. Very nice place, but did not like the bungalow style. Very hard to get more than 2 rooms close together! [Details]

Loved the resort. [Details]

hotel room upgrade to elegance club
1, waste of money, offered welcome drink and a cold towel upon arrival never happened . took 3.5 hrs to book us in from 1130 pm until 3 am to service to drive to room for 1 hr later. next gift in room wine and room nothing, water beer in fridge daily no hit miss.
2. managers cocktail party .never happened
3. some one to meet us at lobby upon arrival did not happen
4.bbq beach party never happened . food terrible do not attend ala carte meals awful. managers sit down
5.managers sit down meal start time 630 pm nothing until 9 then came cold and uneatable the meat especially
6. direct transfer from air port to hotel no on shuttle all stops
7. offered 4 a la carte only offered 3

desk service hit or miss and maintenance call no one shows up such as tv took 2.5 days to have someone come it took our house keeping maid to call , she was awesome good care from her.
8. deck chairs are pool if you are not out at the pool by 7am no deck lounger chairs left people put towels out and do not show up so pool use is out of the question
9. beach sand full of cigar and cigarette butts no one cleans up
10. they painted bar with teak color paint got on my shirt i was there 7 days paint still wait and spread everywhere , bar walls, bar telephone
11. no meals for kids and lack of chairs for kids [Details]

We had a wonderful time at this resort. The staff were friendly and very helpful. The grounds we well kept and easy to get around, although in the evening some light bulbs were burnt out making some areas a little too dark. The meals were excellent is all of the buffet, snack bar and ala carte restaurants. Our room was clean and the maid service everyday was exceptional! The tennis courts were having new fencing put up the court we used was in good shape although the net poles need replacement or welding. [Details]

Nous voulions une petite semaine dans le sud pour pas cher mais ne voulions pas dormir avec les cafards! Nous avons donc choisi le Melia Peninsula et nous avons passé une belle semaine. La plage est belle, la nourriture est surprenante pour Cuba et le Resort est bien entretenu. Seuls hic....la femme de chambre passait à 16h00...ça fait tard et rationnait le papier de toilette...quand t'as la turista, c'est pas plaisant. Les heures du buffet seraient peut-être à revoir, mais j'imagine que ça va avec le personnel disponible... Bref, on a passé une belle semaine. A noter que c'est un hôtel très familial. [Details]

Myself and my whole family went. We very much enjoyed the stay. Ask about what is available for food and locations. The place was under construction but it ever bothered us and grounds were beautiful.Grounds were very nice. Rooms were clean but basic. Bathrooms were new and very nice. [Details]

Construction all day lomg from 8am untill 8pm. Never again [Details]

My experience was good! My boyfriend and I had a good time staying at the Melia Peninsula. We opted for the elegance package which included a free WiFi card for each day, extra al la carts, and a gift (a beach bag). The resort was beautiful, but there were many renovations happening which made it hard to sleep in. The beach was nice, but you had to get there early to get a spot with shade. The staff was incredible, very friendly and attentive. Food was pretty good for Cuba, the Japanese a la cart was amazing! The entertainment seemed good for the children, but the adult was poor. The theater is still being repaired so the shows were in the lobby which made it hard to find a good spot to see. There weren't very many activities being done at the pool/beach, but I think that's because the crowd seemed to be older adults and families. Overall this is a good hotel for relaxing, not so much for activities. [Details]