Coralia Club Playa De Oro

I went to Coralia Club for two weeks in Sept 08. Was really unhappy with the accommodation. The food was crap - more like old school dinners. Most times the meat was not cooked properly. The drinks were all rubish, and not much to choose from. Not even the real deal such as Bacardi! eh what does it say on the bottle (made in Cuba) To top it off Hurricane Ike hit our resort like mad. Our foors were soaking wet, windows shaking etc. I was really scared. The hotel entertainment was only on for one hour per night. The nightclub which was part of the complex was closed during the duration of the holiday. I was dying to get back home! There was nothing near the hotel. The only good thing about the holiday was the lovely beach. The best trip out was swimming with the dolphins, which was the highlight of my holiday. The 24 hour bar in the complex was small and round. They ran out of drinks 3 times within the week. The lighting outside outside our room and along the corridor did not work. The floor was wet and could have easily slipped. We paid £890 each for this holiday and was really angry at the standards. I complained to our rep by filling out the complaints form, who paid us £70 compensation at the airport on the way home. I would have been better off at work. Totally not worth it, trust me.

we spent 2 weeks at the playa de oro in february , we had a fantastic holiday , the food was very good , entertainment great , we are into salsa dancing and the resident band were fantastic the entertainment team were great always trying to get people up to dance . they did a great job . the only downside for us was the beach got a little crowded. overall though great holiday ,we are going back in september .

Flight outbound:
We flew from Manchester with ThomsonFly, which I believe are ex-Britannia planes. The flight was comfortable, with spacious leather seats and although there was more leg room than other aircraft, it is pretty tight if you have long legs! We paid for in flight meals which was definitely worth paying the extra for- they were very good in comparison with previous experiences with other companies. The crew were very efficient and accommodating, which is always a bonus on a ten hour flight!
Arrival: having read numerous poor reviews in relation to Varadero airport, we were pleasantly surprised on arrival. we were through passport and visa control and baggage reclaim within half an hour and on the bus being served rum and 'Cuban cola'! (It wasn't free though, but it was a typical example of Cuban Hospitality)
Checking In: no problems in checking in, although the girl at reception wasn't particularly friendly.
Room: The first thing we noticed was the enormous bed! The room was a good size and was clean and well maintained throughout our stay. Every morning the maid left us with a towel shaped as a flower or swan etc. which was a nice gesture. The balcony was a good size. My only issue was that on two occasions we found a mini lizard in the room, which must have got through the air con pipes. This was a bit strange as we were on the second floor and assumed we would be bug/ reptile free in the room! I think we were unlucky as no other guests we spoke to had this problem!
Hotel: Playa de Oro is set in lovely grounds with the most beautiful beach right at it's doorstep. The pool was enormous and clean, although one gripe is that there was a need for maintenance in places, tiles a bit chipped etc. The poolside bar and the indoor bar are both in pretty good nick. The indoor bar, which is actually under a massive canapé is very hot at all times, sometimes unbearingly so.
Entertainment: Playa De Oro is a very cosmopolitan hotel, with many other nationalities holidaying there other than Brits. This wasn't really a problem but it did limit the quality of entertainment available due to language barriers. We are sociable and are happy entertaining ourselves, but if you want to go away for a top entertainment package, then I wouldn't recommend the Playa de Oro. we went to the entertainment on four or five occasions and the dancing was good, but the comedy and magician wasn't really for our taste.
Every day, there is a variety of activities available, aqua gym, salsa classes, stretching, tennis and numerous water sports such as hiring pedalos and snorkeling gear.
Food: Cuba is not renowned for its culinary delights, it is a communist developing country which only has basic food ingredients to play around with. I can't complain about the food, the a la carte restaurant was delicious, with excellent service. The main buffet restaurant has a lot to offer, although slightly repetitive should you be there for a two week stay. We found that the breakfasts were lovely, the omlettes made to order were beautiful. The bread in Cuba is lovely and plentiful, as is the cheese and ice-cream. The main courses were sometimes excellent, but as I said before you can't complain if the food isn't as good as in the UK as Cuba is a developing country. Most days we had a hotdog or burger from the snack bar which were delicious.
Drink: Unlimited drink, rum, pina colada, mojito and orange juice and Cuban cola to name a few. The measures were generous but sometimes it took a while to queue to get the drinks!
Service: The service on the whole was not the best we have received on holiday, but it was mainly very good, with the staff working very hard. As with all Cubans, their rate of pay is not good, which is why they rely on tips. Despite the hotel being all inclusive we had the view that if we got good service, we would tip the waiter. In the second week we were served continually by a lovely waitress who really went beyond to ensure that we were satisfied. The bar was pretty much the same. There were bar men who exceeded our expectations and who were very friendly and there were others who seemed to be demotivated. If you tip the bar man once in the day though, the chances are they will look after you all evening and make sure you get served quickly. The entertainment team were very friendly and would readily talk about Cuban life which we found very interesting.
Excursions: Visit Havana! It is well worth the money. Our tour guide was superb and she was open to questions and very knowledgeable. Havana has stunning architecture and a lot of history and gives you a real taste of Cuba. You do see a lot of poverty and is a culture shock, but don't use this as an excuse not to go. Our hotel we stayed at for the night was superb, as was the Club Tropicana club that we visited in the evening as part of the package.
The other trip we opted for was the Seafari, which was to be honest a bit of a rip off. There were too many people cramped onto the catamaran for us to relax. The snorkeling was excellent however, we were able to snorkel for 45 minutes by a reef. We went to a tropical island which was close to paradise. Only gripe is that the food was really not very appealing at all. On the way back, we saw some dolphins which was nice. it wasn't a bad experience, just very expensive for what we actually got!
Resort: Varadero is set on a very long spit and therefore the town centre is actually quite a distance. The park is absolutely beautiful and well worth a look. The best way to see Varadero is to get a horse and carriage, which is relatively inexpensive and a relaxing experience. Some of the horses look very malnourished though, so I would wait until you find a healthy looking horse which looks as though it is well kept.
Trip back: Varadero airport departure check in was chaotic, we had to wait hours to check in. once through customs, it is ok though, as there are duty free shops and stalls where you can use up your Cuban pesos and even Euros.
Overall: Cuba is a stunning country and we would definitely go back again. We would also return to the Playa De Oro as we felt we received great value for money there.
Tips:

1. Don't buy your cigars from the hotel shops as they are much more expensive than anywhere else. Instead get them from Havana or Varadero shops.
2. Always take toilet paper or tissue with you as you will have to pay for toilet paper in most restrooms!
3. Be patient- very important as Cubans are very laid back
4. Keep loose change with you at all times, you may want to tip when you receive good service.

We really enjoyed our stay at the CCPDO.
It’s rated as 3.5 or 4 stars depending where you look - we’d say 3.5 was more accurate, although for cleanliness and the beach - 4 stars!
The food - well if you’ve done your research you’ll know that Cuba is not the place for gourmet holidays. It was basic, or at least, made with a small range of basic ingredients - the chefs were inventive and there was always plenty to eat. The bread was lovely and fresh, and the omelettes at breakfast time are delicious! Oh and the pancakes... Seriously you won’t go hungry
The weather in May was amazing. We spent loads of time by the pool just relaxing. Our room was clean, spacious, very very basic furnishings. There was a fridge - no drinks in it, but the barmen are great, they will fill your water bottles for you with filtered water whenever you want.
The animation team was so lively, there were fun things happening all day, dancing lessons, scuba lessons, aquaerobics, water polo ... Allsorts, but they get the message when you’re not interested, you don’t get badgered too much.
All in all we loved this place and would go back at the right price maybe in the future