Sol Rio De Luna y Mares

I went to Cuba from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10, 2004 with my boyfriend and a couple of friends. We loved it, there were minor issues, but all in all, the resort was great and I'll definitely try to go again. The Luna is really only half of the resort of Luna et Mares. The Mares itself looks newer and perhaps more well kept, but staying at Luna was nice too. The rooms were great, we stayed on 3rd floor and the rooms had really high ceilings that made it seem so big. The view from our balcony was an obstructed view of the ocean, but it mattered not, since there was a landing about 10 meters down the hall which gave us full, panaromic view of the ocean, sky and water. We checked in at about midnight so we just went to sleep. (The bed was spacious and very comfy.) Woke up the next morning and practically ran to look at the ocean, and it was beautiful. We spent the week participating in various vacation activities. We went snorkelling, took out pedal boats, tried to learn how to windsurf, went to a dolphin show, went horseback riding, went skydiving, laid on the beach, rented mopeds and went to town etc. I have some concerns and tips which I will address here. The food: Mares has better food, better environment. The snack bars were better, the service was better. We had a couple of a-la-carte meals which were included in the Air Transat package, those were not great, i actually enjoyed the buffet at Mares more simply because of the selection. The quality of the food was alright. It was great, but it wasn't inedible either. The dolphin show: it was nice to swim with the dolphins for 20 minutes, they had trainers who gave them commands like clapping or giving the guests kisses. for 90 bucks USD, it was a little steep. it came with a sea lion show (meh) and a dolphin show which you could easily catch at any aquarium. i think swimming with the dolphins had to be done, just that perhaps it was a little expensive for the experience. The mopeds: i live in Toronto, where you have to have a license to drive mopeds, so of course we had to rent mopeds when we were in cuba. We drove them to Guardalavaca where the Aimgo hotels are and they had little stalls set to sell tourist souvenirs and whatnot. The mopeds were cheap to rent. The smoke: As i've mentioned, i live in T.O, where smoking is banned from restaurants and bars. So i was quite used to a clean-air environment. People smoked EVERYWHERE in Cuba, even in the airport. The nite sky: If you staying at these resorts, you MUST GO WALK ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT. it's so bright because of the sand and the bright moon that you can practically read without any articfical light. My boyfriend and I went out on the beach one night before the moon came up and after the sun went down and the sky was just FILLED with stars. it was like a sparkly top that spanned over the sky. completely beautiful. (mind you, i dun see stars in t.o because of the light pollution, so maybe this isn't such a big deal to some). Skydiving: it cost us 150 USD each, they don't take visa, so make sure you have enough cash. all four of us went skydiving and it was a great end to our trip. we paid an extra 45 USD (for the whole group) and a photograhper went with us to take a roll of pictures and developed for us. They also gave us the negatives so we could make duplicates ourselves. Watch out for the male skydivers, they tend to get a little too friendly and ask you if they can kiss you when you are flying down. (it's disgusting, but that's what they do. and trust me, they don't mean kissing you on the cheek.) That about all the things i can think of right now, if you have any specific questions, email me and i'll be happy to answer you.

I was married in Sol Rio De Mares a couple of years ago and can't wait to get back there. We made alot of friends of the staff and they were all really great. The food was a little bland, but still not too bad. The rooms were very clean and there was alot to do (excursions etc.) for a very cheap price. To swim with dolphins anywhere else in the world it is at least $100 american, but here it was $35 american and it included and sealion and dolphin show as well. The tour guides were great as well....great sense of humour. We were also told that the pool closed at 6pm to be chloinated,but if you wanted to go for a quiet swim later....no one would bother you....however...we were hooting and hollering in the pool at 3am and getting our own drinks from the pool bar and all the security guard said was a friendly "Ola!". We had the time of our lives...not too busy, always could get a seat by the pool or for a show.....the resort itself was the most beautiful 4* i've ever seen.....i would recommend it to anyone.

Wow. that's all I can say. Everything about this vacation was more than i expected. My family and have been to cuba 3 times before but this was our first time staying in Sol Luna y Mares. We stayed on the Mares side from February 20 to the 27th 2004, which i can say was probably a bit more active than the Luna side. We were fortunate enough to get an ocean view room with a huge balcony which was great to wake up in the morning to. The food was excellent. The buffet in the Mares side called "Colon" had great food, a huge selection so there was something for everyone. They had the best icecream, really good beef and rice and beans. The service was great, the people were always so friendly and even friendlier if you gave them a $1 tip. If you go to this hotel, try and tip as much as possible because then you get really great service and you are guaranteed a good time. The bars were great, I'd recommend a mojito, cuba libre and sex on the beach. ask for Alexis if he's working at the lobby bar or Amaury because they make the best drinks. The nightlife was, well, interesting. it wasn't bad though. there were nightly shows, i liked the moulin rouge one or the disco night. they had a stage and there were dancers who were REALLY good, like, realllly good, a lot of thongs and skimpy costumes. they had good bodies though. The disco was ok, there weren't a lot of young people there, my sister is 20 and i'm 18. We were persuaded by two men who worked there who were part of the people who organized entertainment to go to the disco with them...hahahahahah let's just say we had a few too many drinks...it was a fun time though, they were unbelievable dancers which was a plus so it was fun to dance with them. I just wish a few more people had shown up. The beach was gorgeous, white soft sand, clear blue water, the snorkelling wasn't all that bad, you just had to go far from the shore to see some fish. We took a catamaran tour which you can ask to go on if you talk to some of the organizers there to different coral reefs. It was pretty amazing, take an underwater camera with you, it's well worth it. the people who went on it with us....like, 40+ people were getting hammered at the free bar and going crazy which was pretty funny, our guide was great, marizio, he asked if i was single and kept on calling my mom and dad mother-in-law and father-in-law. they served lobster for lunch which was excellent and let us go on sea-doos in this little bay. On the way back though, we were on a school bus which was really fun. make sure to drink a lot of water so you don't get heat stroke and wear SUNSCREEN. oh yeah and go in january or february or any other month besides october to december to get great sunny weather cuz from october to december is hurricane season. all in all, Sol Rio de Mares is a great hotel, everyone is friendly and is really accomodating. I'd recommend it to anyone. I'm going back next year!

Just returned from Cuba Feb 20th and we had a great time. Cuba itself is so much more than we expected and would reccommend everyone to go. However we were not all that thrilled with the resort. Sol Luna Mares definitely has an amazing beach and the water is gorgeous but we found the rooms were outdated and the bed, actually it was two beds pushed together, they were really uncomfortable. We found the buffet restaurant at Luna was much better than the one at Mares. It was so busy there was line ups to eat at the buffet restaruants, and the food was often cold with very little selection. We have been to Dominican and Mexico and we preferred the resorts there but as for the different Countries we much preferred Cuba. The people are great and the beach is by far the best. Everyone must go to Cuba, just recommend a different resort.

I just booked another week at Luna. I have been spending one week each year and staying at the Luna. This will be my sixth year at the Luna and I cannot say enough about the staff. They are the best. I made sure that I stay at the Luna and even changed travel holiday providers so that I could stay there. Every year there is improvement as far as renovations. I love it there. The beach is fantastic, the best beach around. The food is great and there is always a variety so no one can go hungry. I have never had a problem in all my years of travelling to Cuba in terms of getting sick etc. I would recommend this hotel to anyone and I do!!!! Suzanne Niagara Falls

This was our first trip to Cuba and we loved it. The island still retains it's culture and hasn't been commercialized. We loved the Sol Luna. It was very comfortable and the beach was unbelievable. Snow white beaches and clean, warm water. A piece of advice though...bring a travel mug as the bars get very busy and the cups are very small.

My wife and I have recently returned from the Sol Rio de Luna. I would rate the hotel as a 3 star by European standards, but that is not to say that we didn't have a great holiday. It is situated on a wonderful beach, that has all the amenities that you could wish for, but it is isolated - if you are looking to see the real Cuba then maybe this hotel is not for you. To reach Havana from here requires a plane trip, although Santiago de Cuba is relatively near public transport is non existant so to visit requires an excursion to be booked with your travel representative. The rooms are kept very clean, although there were some damp patches in our room, which is hardly surprising because the island does get a lot of rain. The staff in general were wonderful and extremely welcoming, in particular the customer relations staff who you need to visit to make reservations for the four a la carte restaurants. It was my wife's 50th birthday whilst we were there and having mentioned it to the lady we were thrilled to find that when we visited one restaurant a birthday cake had been prepared and cava served to us. But that was not all - the following night we received an invitation to the beach restaurant for a romantic dinner for two. The setting was exquisite, with just 12 tables and all candlelit. A sax player adding to the wonderful atmosphere! If you have a special occasion whilst on holiday my advice is to mention it!! The entertainment provided is not to all tastes, in the daytime there is plenty to do providing it is dry, but if it rains everything just gets cancelled, which is probably when you most need entertaining. The evening shows reallly are quite poor, but to be fair the participants are very enthusiastic, if limited in talent. The food is generally of a good standard with a reasonable choice, however i don't recall seeing anyone eat the cauliflower or peas on the breakfast buffet!! In conclusion i would rate the holiday as good value for money compared to other Carribean destinations, this was our first visit to Cuba so it is impossible for me to compare it to other Cuban locations, but one day we might return, its just that there are so many places of similar standard much closer to home.

Stayed at Rio de Mares. Nice hotel, spotless room, not a bug of any kind to be found! Beach was very nice, but surf a little rough at the time I was there (mid-November) but it was the end of the rainy season. Staff friendly... but some of the bar service was very slow and seemed uninterested in serving us. I was on the 4th floor so had an excellent view of the ocean and pool, but paid for the ocean view , which once I got there I had to really fight to get it! Asked for a "courtesy" room when leaving just so I could have a quick shower, got a roomo on first floor. Really tacky decorated and shabby curtains - very musty smelling, so when you book, be sure to ask for 2nd floor or higher. Only bad thing really was the food. It was a general concensus that the food was bland, not labeled properly (one dish listed as "flesh" - it turned out to be one of the best dishes, bbq ribs). Considering its a 4star, the food was really bad. I have stayed at 3 stars and had the best food, so as far as ratings go, just because its a 4 or 5 star doesn't mean the food will be good. Thank goodness for Immodium! If you do go, the catamaran trip and the dolphins are excursions you should take in. The dolphins are great, they are going to be moving to larger digs later in the year. They don't take credit cards, so take lots of cash if you want pictures taken or souveniers (not a great gift shop and certainly not dolphin themed). All in all, a nice resort, safe, clean, and if you can handle the lack of cooking skills, you'll have a great time! Would I go back to this hotel? No, only because of the food..... if they improved the food it would be my absolute favourite place.

Just came back from a short stay at the Luna Mares resort, and I have to say, I really did try to like this hotel if only for 2 reasons, the beach and the Cuban people. Honestly, the beach is beautiful, probably one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to swim in. The people of Cuba, outside of my resort, will go out of there way to accommodate thier guests. But, that is where it ends. I had a room in the Luna section, my A/C did not work, and when there is a bug problem, believe me, you want your A/C to work. (On that note, don't forget your bug spary!) I was never able to have a warm shower, let alone a hot one. The shower itself had to be hand held, the attachement was hanging on by a thread, not very convenient. The room was in dire need of a major cleaning. The whole room just gave you that kind of feeling. The food, and service at the pool buffet restaraunt at the Luna, was sub-par, I'm still feeling the effects...The buffet restraunt at the Mares, was much better, but there was always cats running around at your feet begging for food! Gross! The al a carte at Luna was a nicer, for lunch, but don't be in a hurry. The paths leading from the pool, to the 2 hotels, to the rooms, are very poorly lit, and there are so many stairs, definatley not for the physically challenged, or if you have any sort of vision problem . All in all, I have to say, that the resort is not a 4 star, even for Cuba standards, for example the Breezes Costa Verde is a 4 star, and is much nicer, and has better food. But, if your looking for a cheap, get a way, and want a nice beach, this is your hotel. Oh, and I tried the tipping thing, it didn't work, and I don't know about you, but I hate having to tip to get a room that at least should be functional and clean.

Me and my girlfriend just returned from a two weeks holiday in Cuba including one week in the Sol Rio De Mares at Playa Esmeralda. First of all: We loved it!The beach is the most beautiful we´ve seen so far with white clean powder sand and nice and warm sea which makes it perfect to relax. Included in the All Inclusive package numerous activities are offered at the beach, e.g. beach volleyball, catamaran sailing, pedal boats, windsurfing, snorkeling. Besides that there´s a diving center which offers several trips around the house reef just in front of the bay. Furthermore there are two bars at the beach the La Nina (Hey Reynaldo!) and the La Pinta. Both of them are snack bars during the day and the La Pinta hosts the weekly beach party and daily disco at night.Coming to the hotel: The complex contains of two separate hotels the Luna and the Mares both all inclusive. The Mares is a nice and clean with a big pool situated right in the center as well as the stage where the nightly shows take place.The rooms are okay. You´ll find a fridge, CD player, satellite TV, kingsize beds, air condition and huge balcony. The rooms are clean and in good condition, however they could be maintained a little bit better, but what do you expect? Hey we´re talking about Cuba and we´ve seen different hotels during our trip, believe me. Anyway The Mares offers good standard rooms.Coming to food supply: You have the choice between the regular buffet restaurant where they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, various snackbars for lunch and speciality restaurants for dinner including Mexican, Italian, Mediterranian and Cuban Food. However I´d recommend to reserve a table early enough. The food at the Mares is awesome with a great quality and variety. We never had the same dish twice during our week there.The bars are good with a lot of choices. Although the lobby bar was pretty crowded at some time we got our drinks in a reasonable time.Coming to service. The staff is always very friendly and eager to help you but that´s also some Cuban phenomenon. I´d recommend to acknowledge their work with some tip from time to time. It will make the service for you even better. The room maids for example would fill up the fridge with a second bottle of mineral water and at the barmen will mix your Cuba Libre even stiffer than it already is. Same with the service personnel at the restaurants.At the time we were there, most of the other guests were from Switzerland, GB, Italy and Canada. So it´s a real "international" atmosphere.Resume: The Rio De Mares is a real dream vacation. There are no real issues around it which would make me say: Don´t go there. There´s only one remark: If you´re looking for discos/clubs and going out, we´d rather recommend to go to Varadero. You won´t find any possibilites outsight the hotel at Guardalavaca. The Mares is really a jolly good deal for the money you spend!!