Sol Sirenas Coral

Just got back from a fabulous week at the Sol Sirenas Coral. We had read some of the reviews for this hotel and were frankly a little apprehensive about our choice.
However I am please to say that any worries we had were soon forgotten once we arrived.
At check in we were greeted by a very friendly receptionist who dealt with us quickly and efficiently and we were in our room within 10 minutes of arrival.
We arrived in late evening after a long flight from Gatwick which had a stop off in Holguin before going to Varadero and so we were a little jaded by the time we got to our room.
To be honest at first glance we were a little disappointed and thought the room was a bit dated and lacking in ambience. However once we had unpacked and had a meal and settled in properly, our opinion changed somewhat.
Yes the room was a little dated but it was spacious and clean and was more than sufficient for our requirements.
The room was cleaned everyday and there was clean towels provided daily often made into shapes of swans, hearts and boats. We left gifts and tips for the maid on a daily basis which may or may not have had something to do with the excellent service we received.
The hotel was a good 3 to 4 star but no more or no less, you have to remember that this is Cuba and not UK.
The staff in the hotel were all very polite and friendly and were always willing to help.
We were staying in the Coral side of the hotel and the staff in the main bar were fabulous, especially Raul, Roger, Theresa and Arasay.
It’s important to remember that this is a third world country and the people are poorly paid, it is therefore important to ensure you leave tips for the staff where possible. It doesn't need to be a vast amount of money but a little does go a long way and seems to make everything tick along nicely.
We had read reports before we went that the staff were quite rude. This was certainly not something we noticed however I have always been a believer that you should treat people as you would want them to treat you.
So if you smile and are polite, say please and thank-you then you will receive the same in return!! After all manners cost nothing.
The hotel is actually two hotels joined together by gardens and pathways. As I said we stayed at the Coral side but often used the Sirenas side through the day. Therefore I can't really comment about the rooms etc on the Sirenas side.
There are 3 outdoor swimming pools, a large freeform pool at the Coral a similar one at the Sirenas and a small oblong pool along one of the path ways going toward the beach. We used all of them, they were all lovely.
The pathways and gardens are all kept in pristine condition and you often see gardeners and grounds men going about their work.
There are any number of places to eat. I had read one report where it had said someone was starving for the whole time she was there! I really don't know what to say about that, there are 2 buffets which serve just about as much food as you can imagine.
In the mornings there is an egg chef who will make omelette and fried eggs for you while you wait, next to him is the chef that makes fresh do-nuts and pancakes.
It’s the same at lunch time or the evening there are freshly made steaks or fish or pasta dishes. There is also 3 or 4 Al la Carte choices but you need to book a table in the morning, we only went to the Oriental one which was okay but the portions were a bit small.
We preferred not to have to book a table in advance and therefore were happy to use the buffets. There is also a burger bar right next to the pool at the Sirenas side which is open 24 hours and provided us with lunch a couple of times.
There is a Biergarden which does sandwiches. There is also the 24 hour coffee corner which does lovely warm drinks and toasted sandwiches. Really there is no reason to be hungry and there is something for everyone I'm sure.
The beach and the sea are fantastic. It really is white sand and turquoise warm waters.
General tips about Cuba, there are very few shops so it is vital to take anything you will need with you. Headache tablets or tampons may be difficult to find. Also you will need a good insect repellent because they do have mozzies.
I will go to Cuba again someday and I would recommend the Sol Sirenas Coral to anyone but if you want 5 star luxuries then book another more expensive hotel. We got what we paid for and were very happy with it.
We didn't want to come home actually!!

Hotel overall very clean. Food very bland and very repetitive but the Chinese restaurant fantastic when you could actually get booked in.
Staff are very friendly if you take the time to get know them. One recommendation take vitamin B tablets as the mosquitoes are very bad and nothing seems to works (we tried) apart from these.
Another let down of the holiday was our towels being pinched from the side of the pool, the hotel were not interested and said there was nothing they could do. Even though we had spoken to quite a few people who this had happened to.
Havana overnight trip fantastic only recommendation of the holiday.

My husband and I have just returned from Cuba having been on a twin centre holiday. We spent 4 days in Havana and 10 in Varadero at the Sol Sirenas Coral.
On arriving at the Sol Sirenas we had problems with our room due to a recent storm on returning to reception we were instantly given an upgrade to a junior suite with no extra charge without any problems. The restaurants were all great with plenty of choice in all the best was the oriental.
The staff were very nice and rooms were cleaned daily and fresh towels daily, the beach was only a stones throw from our room and was like a little bit of paradise especially while sipping a Pina Colada which were excellent, best beers were in the beirgarden where the glasses were big and came straight from the fridge. The only moan I have was that the evening entertainment was not very good.

The hotel is on a joint complex with its sister hotel, and they share some of the facilities, which is why there are five a la carte restaurants to eat at. Our favourite was the Chinese, which had a limited menu, but they were happy to alter things slightly for me a strict vegetarian. The buffet restaurant had a vast choice, with a grill section which cooked a different variety of meat and fish every night.
The service in some of the restaurants was not fantastic, mainly due to a lack of English being spoken. 24 hours a day you can get a toasted sandwich from the Tea Corner as well some other small snacks. Food is easy to obtain at all times of the day which is not the case in all all inclusives.
Drinks were all local brands, including “tukola” instead of Coke, which was a pretty good imitation of Coke! The beer was very good I was told, with three different Cuban brands available. Cocktails were made with lots and lots of rum, so occasionally we asked for cocktails with just a little alcohol. Glasses were slightly small, which was annoying with beer, but you could get big beer glasses from the beer garden which all the other bars were happy to fill! The biggest disappointment drink wise was the fact that they didn’t stock diet cola, but I found hardly anywhere in Cuba did.
The pool is lovely at Coral, with plenty of greenery and shade available. The beach is fantastic extremely wide, and when we were there very quiet and relaxing, with shade and a bar. Water sports that were included were good, but there was hardly any motorized water sports around. We did do the Thomson jungle tour trip which was two hours on Jet Ski’s and them a walk round a small zoo.
The room was a bit basic, but perfectly useable and the view from the balcony was great. Sunsets were lovely. The evening entertainment wasn't great, probably the most disappointing thing, involving lots of Spanish dancing which wasn’t our scene. We were there for the world cup and they opened a special bar for every match with plasma screen and snacks which was great.
Make sure your banks aren’t America owned or you won’t be able to use your cards anywhere in Cuba (even for the tour operator trips) and they have no switch facilities in the country. Also you have to buy a visa before going and pay exit tax.
We went on the Havana Overnight trip, which gave us time alone to explore the second day, we found it great value for around £105 it included three meals, a night in what was the Hilton before the revolution, the entrance to the Tropicana show and a guide for two days.

The accommodation was of a very reasonable standard for the price. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was of a very reasonable standard, but could be a bit bland at times. Of the four a la carte restaurants (Italian, Mediterranean, Creole), I tried 3 having been warned off the Chinese.
The three I tried were excellent. There were a lot of birds coming in to the buffet restaurant on the Coral side of the hotel, but this was not a problem on the Sirenas side. The Coral side is very open. It was not off putting for us, but others may find it so. The coffee in the 24 hour Tea Corner was excellent. The one drawbacks was the size of the plastic cups that alcohol was served in, but this was only if you went out to the pool area or on the beach which is understandable.
If you took your own drinks container, however, the staff were happy to fill that for you. In the evenings at the bar, the drinks were served in glasses by the efficient, friendly bar staff. All in all, probably the best holiday we have had in the Caribbean. The beach was excellent, wide and sandy and the free water sports provided were well run (catamaran, yacht, kayak, pedalo).
A very relaxing and stress free holiday at this hotel complex.

This is not a travel company I would ever want to travel with again, we were delayed 6 hours at Manchester which we could cope with but then the in-flight staff were extremely rude.
We done a twin stay in Havana for 3 days which I would not recommend as gets extremely boring and expensive.
For any Scottish travellers remember to swap your Scottish notes to English as they will not accept Scottish notes, luckily we had bank cards with us
The hotel in Varadero was appalling, would never go back, we were on our Honeymoon and had two single beds and when we asked to change rooms the reception pleaded ignorant and pretended not to speak English although we heard her speaking it fluently later.
Although the rooms were clean and bright the bathrooms needed completely refurbishing and the maids had a tendency to leave one towel between the two of us.
There was always a collection of cockroach like bugs gathered on the stairways late at night. Also at meal times there was a large selection of birds flying in the restaurant pecking at the bread that was not covered, they would also land on your plate if you left it unattended, (please note that the restaurant is NOT open air).
Luckily we met a couple at the airport who were staying at Solymar Bercelo who managed to get us in their hotel which was absolutely amazing, had it not been for that couple who we are now best of friends with and are going to the Dominican Republic with in 2006, we would have had an awful time.

Flight not bad but plane very small. Once arrived at hotel very pleased with accommodation.
Our rep was fantastic and very helpful as were all the Cuban people we met and we met a lot. Food was ok not a la carte but for just 800 pounds for a 2 week all inclusive holiday it was fine. Hotel was clean and tidy and to be honest it was one of the best holidays we've ever had.
My uncle lost a gold bracelet in his room and with correspondence to the hotel manager on our return this was later returned by courier safe and sound. Anyone thinking of booking to stay here do I’m sure you’ll have no complaints as we didn't.

Flight with Monarch atrocious, 2 hours to check in Manchester, nothing on flight other than more ways to make money. TV screens down centre could not be seen by short passengers.
At hotel all food luke warm, many items on menu not available, entertainment very poor and sports facilities lacking, i.e. 3 tennis racquets between 4 tennis courts. Health and safety lacking, broken grids around swimming pool.
Surroundings lovely and room ok.