Varadero, Coralia Club Playa de Oro Review

Overall Rating

Excellent Beach
Lots of sun!
Great Pool
Friendly workers
Cleanliness is a major strong point!

No bottled water in rooms
Front desk staff not overly friendly/helpful
Food is definitely different but plentiful

Just got back from Coralia Club Playa de Oro yesterday 4 of us (gals) flew to Cuba on March 2nd for one week. We had a great time in the sun! This was my first trip to the Caribbean and I will definitely be going back.

We booked with LeGrows Travel and flew with Air Transat We decided to upgrade to 1st class and it was definitely worth the extra $$$. We were treated to sparkling wine the minute the plane leveled off and from then until we landed in Cuba the food and drink just kept coming We were first off the plane and went through customs very quickly ahead of the rest of the 200+ that were flying with us. That is definitely a bonus.

The Signature rep was waiting for us at the airport and the bus took us to the resort. By the time we arrived it was 1:30 A. M. and since only the 4 of us were staying at the Coralia, check in time was very quick. The bellboys took us to our rooms on the 4th floor We had problems with the safes in both our rooms but when we went to the front desk they sent someone to help us immediately and things were worked out.

One problem we had was the lack of bottled water in our rooms. We thought that would be provided but found out it was not and we could not purchase any until the next morning at the gift shop so if you are arriving after 8 P. M. be certain to bring at least one bottle with you. We were told that we could safely use the tap water for brushing our teeth and even to drink if you could tolerate the chlorine but we were not comfortable doing it so we purchased bottled water the next day. Eventually, some of us did use it to brush our teeth but not to drink. Many people did and they did not get sick from it.

The rooms were clean and comfortable and the maid did a great job of keeping it that way lots of clean towels every day. We left her gifts and pesos everyday. I have not visited resorts of this type before but a couple of the other girls with us has been to several in Cuba and the Dominican and they said they would class it as a 3.5 rather than a 4 star but I heard some of the other visitors at the airport talk about the 3.5 they stayed at and ours was much better.

The resort is beautiful with an awesome swimming pool that we did not use a lot because we spent most of our time on the amazing beach! We had sunshine for 7 days it rained a couple of times in the night but as long as the sun was shining in the day that was not a problem. We had strong winds and tides (Only two days with the green flags out) that did not make for good ocean swimming but playing in the huge waves was totally fun!

The beach is beyond description you have to experience it to truly understand how awesome it is. The sun shining off the sugary white sand and reflecting back in the water which was an amazing aquamarine color was mind boggling! You could walk barefoot for miles on the hard packed sand near the water's edge and barely see your footprints in the sand! There were lots of lounge chairs to use and we would get up early in the morning and go to the beach and place our towels on 4 chairs and put them under the huts so we would have some shade for later in the day. As long as the towel is on the chair no one will take them even if you are not there. We would leave all our gear under the hut with our chairs and go to lunch there was never a problem with things being left on the beach.

The best part of our trip was meeting a great group of people from Ottawa (Actually, they are from the Atlantic Canada but are all living and working in Ottawa) I want to say ola and a great big Newfoundland THANK YOU to Sam (Newfoundland), Trevor (Nova Scotia), Ricky, Ralph, Stephen, Cory, and Dave (P. E. I.). Who loves you Ricky??? for making our vacation so much fun. Sam kept us entertained with his guitar and great songs on the beach and everyone kept us in stitches laughing at their antics and jokes, especially Ricky!

We met friendly and interesting people from other parts of the world as well some fun loving gals from Ottawa 3 Scottish lasses who were in the room next to us we "hung out" with them on the balcony a few times and saw them at the beach. Hi to Neil and Sue from Essex, England and Neil there really are Iceberg Cowboys in Newfoundland! Visit http://www.thediscoverytrail.org/hikediscovery/ice bergs.html to see an article that tells you a little about it I am still looking for the article that was published in Downhomer magazine about Iceberg Cowboys and how it is used in making Iceberg vodka.

The food what can I say there were lots of it but definitely not what we are used to. A lot of fried foods (even the bacon is deep fried) but you can find something to eat and with the heat our appetites were not that big. The ice cream is delicious and there is lots of fresh fruits but be careful with fruit I ate a little too much of it the first few days I was there and it caused me to lose one day of my vacation I spent all one day in bed not feeling too well but the other 3 girls were fine and the only thing we did different was the fruit. The breads/rolls are superb! Try the rolls toasted in the morning with a boiled egg or two that was the best breakfast that we found there plus the fresh omelets that are made while you wait. We had reservations for the a la carte (International 1887) restaurant on Saturday night and the food/service there was good. If you order from the entr e don't order the salmon unless you like it raw the shrimp entr e is good if you like shrimp the chicken from the main menu was very tasty. We did not go to the other a la carte restaurant available it had Cuban food on the menu and was not to our taste. There are hotdogs, fries, sandwiches available all day at the pool bar and most days that is where we ate lunch you can also get lunch at the beach restaurant they serve barbecued pork, chicken, and fish as well as salads, pastas, deserts and other dishes that we did not recognize.

The main drinks served at the bars are rum based but you can also get vodka, beer, red/white wine, sprite and cola. They have a lobby bar that is open 24 hours a day, a pool bar that is open until 11, and a beach bar that is open until 7 (I think). The lobby bar (say hi to Carlos if you are there ) is the place to hang out at night if you are not planning to go to any of the local clubs in Varadeo the International Club in Varadeo is a great place to dance but I did not go outside the resort at night some of our new friends did and enjoyed it We went to the disco on the resort one night but there were not a lot of people there but we returned with a large group another night and had a lot of fun dancing to the music I suggest that if you want to take in the disco to be sure you have a large group with you and make your own fun!

Dress code: Anything goes mainly bathing suits, wraps and shorts. If you reserve the a la carte restaurants you are expected to dress a little more formal we usually dressed up a little (skorts, skirts, sun dresses) after we got back from the beach but lots of people wore shorts and t-shirts the nights were a little cooler than normal and you may need to take a sweater and long pants if you find it chilly we all over packed and when I go again I will not take as much clothes just more bikinis so I get a great tan.

We found out at the last minute before we left for Cuba that US $$$ are no longer accepted take Canadian money and exchange it for Cuban Pesos either at the airport in Cuba or at the resort you can exchange it back to Canadian again before you leave if you did not spend all of it. The exchange rate is better at the airport than at the resort.

Our Signature Rep (Ossie) was very helpful and made suggestions in regard to trips (we booked for the catarman trip but had to cancel because that was the day I spent in bed). We did not have any problems getting our money back even though we cancelled at the last minute. He also had tips on visiting Varadeo and the outdoor flea market that we did. We took a taxi to Varadeo (for 10 pesos) and spent a couple of hours exploring the many booths at the market we bought some great items and spent a little while walking around the main part of town don't go off the main street and you should not have any problems.

Our flight back to St. John's, Newfoundland got cancelled due to fog in Newfoundland the last night we were there. Instead of leaving the hotel at 7:30 P. M. we left at 6
A. M. but we enjoyed an additional few hours having dinner at the buffet restaurant and sitting around the lobby bar with our new friends. We had not experienced the torrential rainfall that can happen in Cuba but due to our extended stay we witnessed a thunder and lightening storm that lit up the sky. Everything happens for a reason, right Tracy??? (e-nuckles)

Overall it was a fantastic 7 days in the sun and we came home with lots of great memories, a super suntan and plans to return again!