Sol Rio de Luna y Mares Vacations

I was here 7 times before but will never come back again.
Beautiful beach and pool.
No water, I use bottled to wash myself. 2 times while I'm here. Today, still no water at 10pm. Electricity is sketchy.
You.might not even land here due to no lights on runway. Some guests list 2 days being rerouted to Jamaica, missing sleep and Vaca days
Not just little food shortage but major shortage. No pop, no condiments no pastries or cake. No yeast so bread is hard white flowered bread. Hotdogs or hamburger arrive with no buns, or condiment. Just a burger with a slice of cheese.
Chicken and chicken, hence no eggs for breakfast since chickens are dead.
Rice and beans and beans again. Pasta and sauce. Desert buffet is orange jello rice pudding
Fruit...pfft, watermelon. No mango or such.
Asked for orange juice, got Tang.
No pop other than Fanta.
Everybody raves about staff. Staff has changed, worn, sluggish and very very tip oriented.
I tip but I am not trying to buy friends and tipping for every drink just to get ok service is not worth it.

It's a hotel and hospitality services are expecyed

Nice hotel, nice beach. Unfortunately no city nearby, food and drinks ok for Cuba. If you fly to Cuba you shouldn't expect a luxury hotel.

Everything was very good, especially the waitress Marle and the cleaning assistant Minerva.

Amazing location. Great beach. Friendly staff. Perfect spot to enjoy reading a book on a quiet white sand beach.

I was in this hotel from March 22 to March 27 with my partner, 5 stars is not enough for the rating of this beautiful hotel, I recommend it to spend a few days of rest with family or with your partner, a place with a unique breeze that combines the Cuban mountains with the beach, excellent cleanliness of the rooms and throughout the hotel, excellent food especially the beach restaurant, I congratulate all the hotel staff for being so friendly and professional from the reception staff to the girls who serve a delicious coffee at the looby bar, I can't help but mention and congratulate Lucy at the pool snack bar, Alina, who is so affectionate at the beach restaurant, Katy at the pool bar, people like them. that one wants to return to Cuba and stay in the same hotel, thank you all for so much love and welcome in my beloved Cuba, I will return soon…

Very nice hotel divided into 2 parts Luna and Mares, the Luna section is currently under renovation. Very nice beach, lots of palapas and chairs. Little entertainment at the beach and swimming pool, good shows in the evening. Quite far from the airport (1h15-1h30) by bus on bumpy dirt road. Staircase to get to the beach, section of 40 steps + section of 20 steps.

Disastrous food, many technical deficiencies and otherwise not remotely recommended.

Greetings, first of all, congratulations to the hotel team for their excellent service, the perfect rooms BUT THE TERRIBLE FOOD A REAL SHAME.

Wow. Not much more too say.

Wifi internet was bad, only in labby can use can’t reached at little far. Food pictures is right here

Beautiful beach. Hotel ok. Service friendly and helpful. Only the food is monotonous.

Been there a total of 4 times. The complex and the beach are beautiful, nothing fancy or hip, a place to feel good.

In 2024 the supply will be catastrophic, but this is not due to the hotel, but rather to the sanctions from the USA and a failed currency reform by the Cuban government. Food and everyday goods are scarce and expensive. One, let's call it basic care, is available and you shouldn't expect any big jumps. Everything is missing and many things that we take for granted do not exist or only rarely exist. In a two and a half week stay, we had real eggs twice, there was no butter for the last 5 days and French fries, for example, were only available in rations in the snack restaurant. What was actually available on a day at that point was written on a chalkboard.

Drinks were only available in limited quantities, rum was always available and sparkling water only in the first week, after which there was no more carbonation. Regardless of whether it is a 2, 3, 4 or 5 star facility, they all have the same problems. Juices were only available to a limited extent or mixed with syrup. Real orange juice was not available at all. The daily cocktails were presented at the bar in the morning (3-4 different ones depending on availability). At least there was always beer and coffee. We bought limes and other ripe fruit ourselves from local farmers.

Even though we were already clear about a few things beforehand, the actual situation shocked us a lot and if we as hotel guests have to make compromises like that, you can't even imagine how the normal population outside is doing. In order to have some variety in our food, we ate in private restaurants several times. In contrast to hotels, these can buy on the black market and are therefore better positioned.

The staff is super friendly and helpful, they try to do the best they can with what they have. Only the head chef is out of place. If he can't even teach his people how to cut beef correctly or do something neat and appealing for the guests with the products he has, then he has actually missed his job. He actually managed to ruin a suckling pig and actually pork is the Cubans' core competency. But there are also local chefs who, if you let them, can conjure up the greatest dishes with what little is available.

The management tries very hard to organize everything somehow and does its best to ensure a pleasant stay. If you want to make complaints, you should communicate them to the management and not to the tour guide, they don't pass it on and always tell the same fairy tales.

Speaking of on-site tour guides: This time we were there without an organizer and Eider from TUI is the best, we have known him for a very long time now. He helps and makes excursions and services possible where others say "they don't exist" or "everything is fully booked". So if you happen to be there, look for the man in the blue shirt, no matter which organizer you're there with, go to him and you won't be disappointed.

Anyone who is still reading now, despite all the circumstances in the country, is worth the trip. You fall in love with the country and its people, that's the reason why we've been there for the fourth time. The staff become friends and you get to know the country and everything in a completely different way.

If you book the hotel directly through Melia and pay on site with a credit/debit card, you can save a lot of money.

Very nice, smaller hotel in a quiet location with super friendly staff & great beach in the northeast of the island!

Unfortunately, we cannot share the enthusiasm of previous recessions. We stayed at Sol Rio Luna y Mares for 14 nights, which were intended to be relaxing. In our room the cleanliness and air quality left a lot to be desired! The mattresses were sagging and the associated mattress protectors clearly had yellow borders. The water in the hotel was turned off frequently and for long periods of time, which in turn meant that it was impossible to shower, wash your hands or use the toilet flush during this time (not to mention that there are no toilet brushes). The service staff can sometimes only be motivated with generous tips. The food on offer and the taste is a complete disaster. Embargo or not, when you rely so much on tourism, you can expect a little more effort. The hotel lobby also serves as an entertainment stage in the evenings, at which point quiet conversation is no longer possible. The hotel only scored points for us with the fantastic beach. It's actually like something out of a picture book...

They feed a bit poorly.

Excellent resort because of the excellent service provided. Many call this resort their second home! Beautiful beach too!

Certain supply problems with food, butter, fruit, fish, seafood

We went for 2 days and the second day there was no air conditioning, I couldn't sleep all night because of the heat, I couldn't wait for dawn to leave and I called the reception to ask about the air conditioning and they smilingly told me that it was broken, the The food, what to tell you, there was only chicken, bread and cheese, there wasn't much variety and the drinks still didn't have anything to prepare a cocktail with, beer or rum and cola was obligatory, the show was poor and short, I never saw the entertainment, anyway, no. I would return to this Hotel again it was a disappointment.

Beach: 10/10
Staff: 8.5/10
Food: 5/10
Cleanliness: 8.5/10
Hotel: 7/10
Cuba political climate: 3/10
Air Transat: 10/10

Summary of our comments:
-Transport and guide (airport and hotel with Luis) Air Transat very professional
-superb beach
-very friendly staff even in survival of the political climate of Cuba which controls with coupons for their food and the missing CUP currency. They must use the money from CAN and US tips to open a credit card at the bank and pay their items with it. So they expect tips...
-Food: redundant, well-stocked buffet but no eggs in the morning (2-3 times in 15 days), no pancakes (even less syrup or marmalade), nor omelettes or a mixture of substitute powder with vegetables, fruits: always the same (papaya, pineapple, watermelons), only 2 à la carte restaurants and not 7 as advertised, including La Pinta and the snack bar (24 hours) which always serve the same menus: hot dogs, tuna salad, chicken, Cuban soup, pizza for lunch. They make an effort with reservations for a theme: Cuban, international, Caribbean, Italian. Very little grilled fish or pork. Once a week on Friday: pork barbecue on the spit. Once lobster for Caribbean dinner and Valentine's Day.
-Drinks: rum, white wine, red wine. No margaritas, pina coladas or mojitos (once at the special Caribbean dinner). Tasty coffees.
The most expensive excursion is to visit the Castro's home ($120 CAN), a long drive but very informative.
We visited this eco-archaeological mountain walking trail US$3/person right next to the hotel explaining the aborigines who lived 10,000 years ago; very interesting.
The Luna section is under renovation but far from finished: not before 2025. The La Nina restaurant next to the Club House; the piles are placed but when will construction start? hum... The bride and groom's gazebo is blocked, the floor is all smashed...
-Hotel: very clean, water cuts 3 times in 15 days (for the toilets, not great, nor the coffee)... The patio door difficult to open and no exterior handle.
Brief; a resilient and resourceful people to compensate for the lack of infrastructure and supply of food, water and electricity.

This was our second year in a row staying at this resort, and during this visit, we noticed a definite difference in the experience. First - we understand the challenges the resort, and Cuba in general, are facing regarding the supply chain issues. However, compared to last year, prices went up and quality went down. The issues that led to our dissatisfaction were: 1) Food choices in the main restaurant were very limited, with a lack of fresh vegetables, and a reliance upon chicken fish, and hot dogs (which were sausages at breakfast, hot dogs at lunch). Real eggs disappeared after day two and we were left with only powdered eggs and toast as main food options for breakfast; 2) Drink choices were limited, with no mix for pina coladas, margaritas, or even (Cuba's national drink) mojitos; 3) During two days, we lost all water and were unable to take showers or flush toilets, or even wash our hands for several hours. Again, we understand these are infrastructure issues beyond the control of the hotel, but affect the guest experience. Now, there were several positives: 1) The staff continue to be the hotel's strength. Special kudos to Jorge, Vladamir, Noralda, & Oscar, but also many others whose names we forget did excellent work; 2) The beach is our highlight and it didn't disappoint; 3) Our best meals were the lunches and dinners at the beach restaurant (La Pinta), where the food quality and service were excellent. Dinner at the Snack Bar for Cuban night was disappointing (and sadly our last dinner/night there). Of the two meals we ate at the main restaurant, the choices, quality, and service did not meet our expectations based on last year. The Internet had spotty reception, with the signal often dropping in the middle of being online. It was difficult to initially set it up (and I'm experienced in technology) and there was poor coverage overall. Regarding our room, we chose to upgrade to a Superior Ocean View room this year, and the view from the 4th floor was spectacular; however, the balcony door was exceptionally heavy to slide and there was no external handle. The rooms were basic, but clean and we found the beds comfortable for us (side sleepers). As a superior room, we had two bottles of rum but no mix (e.g., cola) to mix it with. The only choices in the small fridge were some juice boxes (I think that is what they were) and two beers daily. The entertainment is limited but the staff do their best. Our issue was with one drunk guest who took over the karaoke one night and staggered around yelling and swearing profanities (with children in the audience) and the staff did not intervene. He was disruptive on other occasions as well and we felt it could have been handled better by staff. Overall, the hotel does their best and the beach is fantastic, but the supply chain management, Russian/Ukraine situation, and USA policies have really hurt the island economy. For my hard earned dollars, we’ll be looking elsewhere next year – if you want basic and a great beach, this could be the place for you.