Melia Internacional

Hotel is nice and clean...But at certain times, lack of certain beverages, like no rum, no water bottles, FLAT beer on tap so no beer in bottles or cans. Tried to pass me brandy when i wanted a rum. Coffee espresso was very bitter. No beef just chicken, pork and fish. No wine at the buffet. [Details]

Me and my girlfriend had a great stay and will definitely be returning in the future, most of the staff were very friendly and helpful while only a small handful of staff were not and a bit rude but we didn't let that bother us, food was OK not the best food in the world for sure, could definitely use some seasoning, the drinks were good I mostly drank beer but if you want a mixed drink they are pretty strong. Water is some what easy to come by but if you run out in the night it can be a bit tricky to get some more, the music was pretty cool and entertaining for the first couple of days but got old pretty quick and a bit annoying, would be nice if there was some quiet time every now and then. Overall all though we had a great time and would definitely consider returning to this resort again [Details]

Spent a great 11 days at this hotel. Took “The Level” upgrade which gave us an oceanview room and access to exclusive restaurants and a less-crowded beach section.

Beach: exquisite. Beautiful fine white sand and turquoise waters. Clean. Lifeguards on patrol. We had one windy day and they put up a red flag to warn of extreme waves. Paddle boats to borrow. No seaweed

Food: With The Level upgrade, you get reservations in a different restaurant every night. Try the Cuban beef in the Creole restaurant. We had heard that the food in Cuba was terrible but we liked the food here. There is a full pig on a rotisserie cooking by the beach. The buffet has a grilled fish station and rotissierie chicken carving station. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. The buffet had made to order stations for smoothies, omlettes and pan fried donuts. The a-la-carte restaurants had good variety. The drinks at The Level bars tasted better than at regular bars. Room mini bar was stocked with either local beer,Moosehead Beer from Canada, or beer from France.

Staff: The staff at the kids club were really special. I felt like I was leaving my daughter with her trusted aunts Angela, Anelys and Gelsys. We went to the kids evening shows daily (dance party, talent show, magician or clown). Angela was always genuinely excited to see my daughter and gave her lots of hugs. My daughter was sad to say goodbye on the last day. The kids club staff alone is a reason for us to come back on next year's vacation.

The beach umbrella worker on The Level side was lovely to speak to every morning. My Spanish is basic, but we always had a nice convo. I wish I got his name. The waiters always kept your drinks topped up. Bartenders friendly. Cleaning staffer Jeniffer was friendly and efficient. I told the manager at the Japanese restaurant that it was my husband's birthday and there was a cake waiting when we got back to our room. A lovely surprise. Estela our Level concierge booked all restaurants for us in advance so we never had to wait in lines. My daughter needed a doctor and the doctors came to our room and came back about an hour later to deliver the prescription. They were very lovely ladies who saw her a few days later and cared enough to ask how she was doing. The staff at this resort took good care of us.

Entertainment: The beachside entertainment staff did funny water aerobics and beachside salsa lessons daily. The magic show on Friday evening was incredible. The acrobats in the pool were amazing. The earlier night shows for kids included a really great clown who rolled with the punches of unpredictable kids and got some parent participation. On Saturday they had a parade with Cuban music, costumes and dance party, along with a classic car and motorcycle on display

Shortages: The Melia Internacional had fresh fried eggs at The Level restaurant every day for breakfast except one. We heard people on a tour bus complaining that other hotels lacked eggs or yogurt or other basic items but we didn't have any issues with food. I noticed the first few days that we were at the Melia Internacional that the outdoor bathrooms had bar soap instead of liquid soap. Later on in our stay, the liquid pumps were all refilled. The batteries to the swipe card lock of our room door died at one point and the technician came in about 10 minutes. We didn't have any other issues the rest of the time there [Details]

This hotel is amazing! The beach is gorgeous and the food is great! We really enjoyed Aqua gym that was held by Rafael! It is refreshing to see such an amazing entertainer enjoy his job! We will be recommending this hotel based on our great experience. Thanks Rafael! Hopefully we see you again soon! [Details]

MELIA INTERNACIONAL

Absolutely beautiful. Super clean, very large.

We had booked The Level, adults 18 which put us in building 9 which was a separate building from the main block of buildings.
It had its own private check in desk, private restaurant, lobby bar, pool, and a beautiful top floor bar with indoor and outdoor seating.
Building 9 was very quiet and not a busy area, but great for anyone wanting to relax and have quiet time.

We had access to all the restaurants, pools, and bars as well as a separate area on the beach. The beach was probably the best beach in Varadero we have been on. Large, soft sand, and an abundance of lounge chairs with umbrellas.
There wasn't any need to rush to the beach to save chairs. However, it would fill up by around 10 am, so if you wanted a good spot arriving earlier would be recommended.
A note about the beach, safest we have been on. Life Guards, usually 3 patrolled the beach all day. We had heavy waves for a few days and they were strict with the people for their own safety. They were aware and alert, a thank you shout out to them.
There was a very nice kids area, with play stations and pool area.

Restaurants were all great. We used our private restaurant in the morning. Food was plentiful, real eggs every morning. With our 18 Adult category in building 9 we had unlimited access to bottled water and non-alcohol drinks.
A La Cartes in the evening were great. Food was very good. They worked hard on presentation.
They had BBQ's during the day on the grounds, there was food service around the whole resort during the day. We did go to 1 of the 2 buffet once at noon and it was good.

Bars, there everywhere. They had evening entertainment usually in 3 different locations, so you had a choice and then the later 9:45 shows were in there theater.

The Staff……

Super great, very tentative, truly happy to see you and genially grateful you were there. Grounds workers kept the grounds spotless and very tidy.

In a nutshell, Melia Internacional would be an excellent resort for family's and adults. The Adult 18 would be great for the more senior guests. Being a large resort it never seemed crowded.

Would we return, absolutely. Would we recommend this resort, absolutely. It is a bit higher priced then most of the resorts in Varadero but worth it.

If you want to know more please let us know, I am sure we could add to this.

Sincerely
Eric and Tara [Details]

It was an excellent experience. We stayed in room 5060 and we went to the buffet most of the nights but we went to Hacienda on our final evening and had an excellent time.

The tapas were great. They had chicken nuggets for my children and they ate a personal pasta that we requested. Everything was great and we walked out very happy. [Details]

This was the best holiday I've had in my entire life this hotel is super clean and super comfortable and the staff are amazing they are so friendly and welcoming and they are always there for you,many thanks especially for the big Bossss,Amado,that was so much helpful to us. And I can't wait to go back there again. [Details]

Was very impressed by this resort. Hands down definitely I would recommend it and go back myself. Very clean resort. [Details]

Cuba is struggling with supplies right now however this resort had decent supplies. Yes, things were missing but I didn't starve and was never without a drink. Was quite pleased to see Canadian beer in my fridge a few times. One of the best beaches I have visited! [Details]

The Level Adult Only [Details]

We were greeted with big smiles and super friendly and professional staff. Check in was quick, efficient, with great communication about the resort.

We were then escorted up to our room with Laura our concierge for the week.
Our room view was absolutely amazing overlooking the ocean and the pools. The modern design is wonderful with a super comfortable non motion bed. I did not feel my husband move around at all. Air conditioner worked very well. Modern technology for lights etc. Lots of T.V. channels that were all clear. I was impressed to see a kettle in our room as the past few years traveling to Cuba after the pandemic we didn't see them anymore. Amazing Wi-Fi everywhere on the property from inside the room, lobby, bars, pool and beach. Our room was situated right beside the elevators and not once did we hear anything. The rooms are very well built and insulated from noise coming from the hallway.

Never any problems with the elevators in the hotel. Always working and what a view when in them as they face the ocean.

Everything was so clean and constantly seeing staff cleaning and washing the lobby area, outdoor red and blue bars. The lobby washroom was immaculate and always smelling like fresh flowers. No issues with any toilet paper, water bottles etc.

Food was very good with lots of variety from hot to cold food. Absolutely no complaints in the buffet or a la carte restaurants as we tried them. The staff in the buffet and restaurants were very attentive, friendly, polite and professional.

The pool…wowzers! Super clean, with lots of comfortable clean pool chairs and moveable umbrellas. Huge pool bar that you can order from inside the pool, or the patio.

The beach…oh my oh my, stunning clean beach that you can walk for hours and hours with soft white sand, clear turquoise blue water that is shallow and soft on your feet. Super comfortable chairs and plenty of parasols.

A very huge thank you to Kandy from Guest Services for her amazing professionalism, high energy, super friendly and always available to assist clients. Very quick to reply to our emails was outstanding
Laura from the Level side...your sunny disposition, great attention to detail, professional and caring about the comfort and and contentment throughout our stay was truly appreciated.
Thanking Giovani and Guajiro at the Level beach side for an amazing beach stay. Super friendly and very attentive to the guests upon arrival at the beach to get set up with the chairs and umbrellas.
As for animation team...a big thank you to Bebe who we saw on the last 2 days of our trip as she was away on vacation at the beginning of our trip. Amazing animator who gets the guests really involved at the pool.

Kindly note that we want to thank all the staff at the Melia International for their outstanding service, smiles and attention to detail whether in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes, the grills in the buffet, keeping everything well stocked and organized, clean floors, tables, chairs etc. The housekeeping throughout the hotel from lobby, rooms, restaurants, bars, beach, gardens, pool areas. Security guards were very attentive everywhere we went and greeted us with smiles and great conversation with them as we always like to try and speak with as many personnel as possible. They made us feel welcomed and safe.

To all the staff that work behind the scenes that guests do not see while on vacation….thank you for all your hard work. We definitely appreciate all that they do.

We can't wait to return!

Once again thank you to everyone for a Great Job and wonderful, professional, and friendly service! [Details]

I'm very sad to say that this was our worst trip. The only thing which was pleasant was the ocean which is not related to this hotel only. Nothing good about the hotel; NOTHING. Terrible a la carte Restaurants. Repeated food in buffet. Poor Hygiene. No Disco. Poor service for a 5 star hotel. Bad Wifi. Terrible Shampoo in the rooms. Even one elevator was out of service. We didn't enjoy this stay at all. I give 1 star because there is no option for ZERO. I recommend this hotel for No One but on the form I have to choose something to be able to submit my review. [Details]

We were very impressed with the service, quality, beach and food. We had a great rest! All service staff are friendly and ready to help you out. Beach was clean and easy to access. Spa service was great too. Just wanted to have more entertainment at night.
Thank you! [Details]

I am not sure if it's the after effect of the pandemic. Two buffet restaurants that serve the same food everytime. Each buffet restaurant also serve the same food in our entire week of our stay. Not much seafood, Same shrimps, same fish. The specialty restaurants are always fully booked. They serve drinks in small glasses in the restaurants. Not enough dining staff. very difficult to get assistance. They have two huts called sunrise grill and sunset grill but do not serve any food items. They should change the name to storage hut. If staying by the pool or beach they serve drinks in small tiny plastic cups. They dont have Tequila as well! I am very disappointed.

I will not recommend the place.
Dirty cutlery. dirty plates, small cockroaches on walls and in our rooms.

Room service takes forever to come. Front desk aren't too friendly infact I am afrad to ask something. [Details]

The beach was great in every respect.
The food was the same every day. Mostly cold. No variety at all.
The bars had very very very limited choices.
The room had ants in it and not much was done. We had to ask several times to get soap for the bathroom. [Details]

First the good news...the resort and the people were great! Truly enjoyable. However, the food was very disappointing. Every meal (except 2) consisted of pureed pumpkin and rice and a protein. When you are in a resort for 20 meals and 18 meals have pureed pumpkin as a veggie, well...try imagining how you'd feel about that. [Details]

Wonderful experience. The room was clean and spacious. The staff was constantly cleaning the hotel. The staff was friendly and very courteous. I would recommend this hotel. [Details]

We enjoyed our stay at this resort, the staff was friendly and helpful and the beach was crystal clear. [Details]

I travelled to the Melia International April 29 to May 6. It was my first time at this resort, and definitely will not be my last, as I have already booked again for two weeks June 15-29. I knew while I was on resort I would be booking another trip right away when I got home.

The resort is very modern with a cosmopolitan feel. It is well laid out with all of the restaurants except one and the same area on the ground floor and all the shops are also located on the ground floor.

My room was on the sixth floor with a fabulous ocean front view. The room was large and very comfortable. The bed and the pillows provided a great nights sleep. The shower is large and has two rain showers. One on each end. There is a hairdryer and amenities in the bathroom.

Thanks so much to the staff from sales office Nelido Casay and Mari the Community Manager that helped witj everything and assisted in my requests and suggestions as well as worried about my stay every day which made it exceptional in every way. I celebrated my birthday there and they made it unforgettable for me!!

I ate at two of the a La carte restaurants in and both of them were fantastic. Sensum would be my favourite and they made my birthday dinner amazing. At the end of my meal they even had a flambé cake for me. The other restaurant was Casa Nostra the Italian restaurant. The pumpkin risotto and the chicken Parmesan were wonderful. There was also plenty of Prosecco in both restaurants. Many people are speaking of shortages on the resorts, but there was nothing that stood out to me while I was there.

The pools are very clean and I was always able to find a chair. There are also two snack bars on either end of the pools. The beach is only a short walk with a great composite boardwalk. I have been to Cuba more than 25 times and I have never been on a beach as beautiful as the one at this hotel. It is a shallow walk out with white sand and very clear water. There is no shortage of beach chairs, and Palapas even when the resort is full to capacity.

Anyone going to the Melia International will definitely not be disappointed. Great food, large clean rooms, helpful staff, fantastic entertainment, and generally just one of the best resorts in Varadero. Four weeks to my next visit and the countdown is on. [Details]

I have been to many places in carribean including a sandals ochi and melia international is by far the best for beach rooms and service i have ever had!!!! I would go back here in a minute..Best value for your money! [Details]

My experience was the greatest holiday I have ever had. The staff made is all happen. Resort was clean and had lots of things to do. No problems at all, perfect vacation. [Details]

I was at Melia international resort for a week which I met 3 nice staff over there.their name was Emanuel, William blanco and Lindsay.at first night they welcomed us at the nice party and invited us to their table and the following day Emanule made us the best Sangria which I had in my life at the buffet. They were welcoming, kind professional and knowledgeable about everything.I never forget my experience at Melia international resort .because they made it an exceptional experience for us. [Details]

The hotel is beautiful. The ocean is wonderfull. The food was ok but basically chicken, pork, mahi-mahi, rice, potatoes. No beef what so ever even if it's on the menu. They had shrimp but ran out after a couple if days, no other seafood. A la carte restaurants, same as buffet and only served just red wine, just beer, or just cola??? No white wine, no gin tonic no champagne ect..at the restaurants. Not to mention the unbelievably lack of toilet paper and hand soap around the resort. A la carte restaurants as well. NOT KIDDING. Guests were stuck in the bathroom until there spouse found toilet paper at some other bathroom. We carried a roll with us just in case, and glad we did. We stayed at the Level-Familly. Room had ants. Fridge was never restocked, was frustrating had to call everyday. One roll of toilet paper in room. You figure they would add a second roll once the first one was more than half way gone, but no. Coffee machine in room, but no coffee, suger, spoon and cups. The day before we left, they added the coffee cups but nothing else. Pool was nice, but again, no tropicaly drinks. Couldn't believe it. No strawberry, mango, banana daiquiris. Just lime until they ran out of that. No pina colada's. The icecream shop never had spoons, they gave instead a pointed plastic knife? Staff was friendly. But no matter how much you complain at the front desk, no matter what it is, was pointless. Some reservations were not respected, even if we had proof of confirmation. They just cannot or will not accommodate. Wifi was bad. [Details]

Our hotel stay for 2022 was the second time we visited the resort, the first was in 2020. The hotel was initially opened in 2019 and when we first visited in 2020 we were blown away with the experience and were upgraded to the "Level". Our 2022 visit we booked the "Level" expecting the same level of quality, much to our disappointment we did not.

Hotel Room 2020- FIVE STAR *****
Hotel Room 2022- FIVE STAR *****

Food Quality/ Choice 2020- FIVE STAR *****
Food Quality/ Choice 2022- TWO STAR **

Staff (friendliness/ attentiveness) 2020- FIVE STAR *****
Staff (friendliness/ attentiveness) 2022- THREE STAR ***

It appears as though the Melia Corporation has "come out of the gate" strong with the initial opening but has lost it's desire to stand above the other Cuba hotels on the peninsula. Based on the quality of the food I would strongly recommend AGAINST upgrading to the level, it is not worth the extra $$.

Overall the hotel still stands above the other Cuban resorts we have visited but it has got too comfortable and doesn't feel they need to "try" anymore. [Details]

TL;DR: would recommend, plan to return

CONTEXT
We recently returned from a one week vacation at Melia Internacional Varadero. As a family, we've been to Cuba more than half a dozen times, but have not been since before the start of the pandemic.

THE HOTEL:
This was our 1st visit to Melia Internacional. This is an older hotel that was purchased by Melia and renovated in the last couple of years. As a result there is a mix of new & old/established.
The hotel is huge with over 900 rooms.
3 main pools as well as a kids pool with pirate theme and slide, great for young kids. There's also a small wading pool for infants as part of the playground near the Cubamigos kids' club.
In addition there's another pool for the adults only (cannot speak to as we were not in level or adult).
The rooms are great with awesome view regardless of which way you're facing. Unfortunately there is a mold problem in the bathrooms, especially those equipped with bathtubs. This is in part due to the fact that the hotels were closed for so long during the pandemic. A proper treatment of the mold should be undertaken and it is truly the only thing that needs improvement in my opinion.
Did not get too check out spa this time.

THE FOOD:
The main buffet Merkado always had a decent variety of options and had the main stations: fish, meat/chicken, and pasta. We had exceptional service from two wait staff: Aidi and Alicia! And Yaime on the fish station was very attentive!
We had three a la carte réservations but only went to two of them.
HACIENDA (Mexican): the mini burrito appetizers and the nachos were AMAZING! I was content with the main and the service by the staff was great!
CASA NOSTRA (Italian): in my opinion, this a la carte is a must go! The food and the service was amazing! The hostess who seated us was also very attentive and considerate (unfortunately don't remember her name, visited on May 31). The pizza, the pasta and the seafood were all incredible. Even the picky eaters enjoyed it. The tiramisu was delicious, even better than some I've had in Canada.
We also went to a restaurant in town which was only a short walk but due to the rain we took a taxi.
Overall, we did not go hungry and we did not get sick from any of the food. No complaints at all.

THE ENTERTAINMENT:
DAYTIME:
The entertainment staff are always a pleasure and make the trip truly worthwhile.
We participated in Aqua gym, trivia, dancing lesson, and have contests. All were lots of fun!
Exceptional staff is definitely Yosbel! He has so much energy and really gets you excited about participating.
Bebe also got my kid dancing which was great.
David, Daniel, and Rosalba also were good entertainers!
EVENINGS:
We did not attend much of the evening entertainment but what we did attend we enjoyed. Whether it's a trio band at the Blue Sky Bar or an entire dance party in the Red Bar, or a solo singer. There was also amazing musicians serenading the entire resort from the Gaia bar by the pools (one time it was a clarinet player, another it was a flute player).
Overall entertainment was great, caught a glimpse of the kids evening and daytime entertainment and it was also excellent and fun.

CLUB HOUSE: towel exchange with Yoel; always a smile and pleasant service.

POOL BAR:
Amazing attentive staff with two absolute favourites are Claudia and Sergio. We also had good service from Heidi. Drinks were great and delicious.

FRONT DESK:
All the staff are always willing to help but Alicia often went above and beyond. Truly grateful to her!

BELLHOP: Osdany went above and beyond and we also received great service on departure but I don't remember the name of the fellow (lanky/tall/glasses).

ROOM CLEANING STAFF:
We had amazing experience with Yalennys; making fun designs with the towels and leaving a thoughtful note.

RESTAURANT BOOKING: Rosemarie helped us so much with booking our restaurant reservations absolutely fantastic customer service skills!

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Kandy was pleasant via email and resourceful when we needed some assistance. [Details]

Great trip, lovely hotel but the food was like McDonald's every day [Details]

This hotel is fabulous! This being our second time at this hotel, first time was pre-covid, we did find some things that were slightly different than the first time. We found less selection in food choices, or rather less variety. The first time they offered different theme nights and variety like outdoor bbq choices. It is noticeable that every day there were improvements in and around the hotel.
Covid protocols are very good. We felt that the restaurant as well as the front desk and customer service staff were all very friendly and helpful.
We will be back, hopefully soon! [Details]

Very, very clean facilities! Congratulations and big Thank You for all of the people that are involved in keeping hotel and surroundings neat and clean.
Great food selection. Very good drinks selection including high quality domestic drinks and some international as well. Guests are allowed to use hotel after their check out (noon time) until the scheduled airport bus pick up. This does not include hotel rooms which are charged $29 USD/hour!!! [Details]

I had the chance to stay at this wonderful resort for a second time, this time I stayed in the Level Adult section. This trip was also amazing, great hotel, great food and all the personal is very friendly.

Arrival: upon arrival I was greeted by the management which was a great way to start the trip. Lisset, the Level Adult manager, made sure to make me feel welcome and helped me to get organised.

Concierge service: Andy and the rest of the team was just amazing, every time I needed something he would get on it right away, great service!

Food: The food was unreal, sooooo good! The service I received at the restaurent was very professional, efficient and the staff always had a big smile. They even taught me Spanish during my vacation. Julio and Ernesto were amazing and very nice, I developed a strong friendship with them, fell like I knew them for years.

Cigar: The cigar lounge is very nice, they offer great cigars and rhum. The staff is very knowledgeable, it was very nice to discuss cigars and rhum with Yaniris, she's an expert in cigar and rhum!

Animation: Bébé is sooooo good at her job at animation, she's very funny and very nice. Her catch phrase is Ciao Ciao Mickey Mouse and it cracks me up everything I hear it.

Entertainment: The entertainment at the Melia is perfect. The shows are very classy and fun. The talent displayed by the entertainment artist was simply amazing. You would pay money to go see artists of that caliber in Canada.

Rooms: the rooms are very modern and nice, if fact they are perfect!

To conclude, I would like to thank the Melia staff for a wonderful vacation.

Thank you,

Stef [Details]

Overall, the hotel is new and clean. Staff is friendly and generally things are great. The only issue is the cross-contamination with food. My daughter has fish allergies and she had a reaction to plain pasta sauce and chickpeas because cooks use the same spoon for the fish sauce as they do for regular sauce. There doesn't seem to be any consideration for people with food allergies as everything is mixed and it's not clear. For instance some pizza would have tuna but it's not marked and it's right beside the plain cheese pizza. She was very limited in terms of what she could eat because the hotel does not do a good job separating allergens from the rest of the food. If you don't have food allergies then I say this place is great to visit. The beach is breathtaking. [Details]