Melia Las Antillas

Day 1 – July 21 My flight arrived late, but that doesn’t excuse what followed. When I got to the resort, not only was my room not ready—they couldn’t even locate my reservation. This made it nearly impossible to get dinner or access anything that night. I had to wait until they created a Wi-Fi account for me just so I could email them my own booking confirmation—something they should’ve had on file already. Day 2 – July 22 Upon check-in, they told me I’d receive two beers in the mini fridge daily, based on consumption. Spoiler: if you don’t hide or chug them immediately, don’t expect a refill. I reported the missing beers that day and again the next. Later, I learned from other guests that the maids often don’t restock them because they resell the drinks outside the hotel to make ends meet. So if you’re excited about the “amenities” they advertise—don’t be. Most of them are just empty promises. Day 3 – July 23 A day of stench and mosquitoes. The resort urgently needs pest control—the lake is covered in green sludge, reeks terribly, and is a full-on mosquito breeding ground. Even drenched in repellent, I got eaten alive. That night, I made the mistake of dining at the Italian specialty restaurant. If you’re Italian—or just someone with functioning taste buds—avoid it at all costs. The pasta was a disgrace, the pizza even worse, and they topped everything with a random mess of frozen vegetables that had absolutely nothing to do with Italian cuisine. It was a culinary insult wrapped in cheese and regret. Day 4 – July 24 I finally escaped the resort for an excursion and it was the best decision I could’ve made. I couldn’t stand another second in that place. Sometimes, self-care means booking an activity just to flee your own hotel! 😂 Sadly, I had to return—and was greeted by the rudest bartender at the pool bar. No name tag (probably for a reason), and I didn’t dare ask for his name because I didn’t want to end the night by telling him to go to hell. 🤣 Day 5 – July 25 It was my birthday, and I’ll give credit where it’s due: the small birthday gesture—a cider and a dinner reservation at the romantic restaurant—was appreciated. The food was okay, but the service was amazing. One of the rare highlights of my stay. Key Considerations About the Resort Rooms – What you see in the photos is not what you get. The HVAC system was broken and outdated. Water Outages – We had no running water—for showers or even brushing our teeth—for three days due to a broken pipe that wasn’t fixed at all during my stay. I’m writing this on July 28th… still no water. Cuban Staples? Forget it – Cuba is famous for coffee, tobacco, and rum. Out of those, the hotel only pretends to deliver. The coffee? Undrinkable. Especially in the buffet—more like dirty water than coffee. The rum? Watered down to absurdity. Bartenders ration it and secretly sell full bottles to locals, so guests are left with weak, sad cocktails. Staff – Reception and Guest Experience: kind, helpful, and professional. RAMÓN (Coffee Bar): One of the rudest servers I’ve encountered. Bad attitude, zero respect. Frankly, I hope he’s removed from guest service duties entirely. Food – Go early if you want a chance at proteins like ham, eggs, or cheese. Staff only display the good stuff at opening hours for show (in case supervisors walk by), and once it’s gone—it’s gone. I stayed near the staff entrance and witnessed them hiding food in their clothes as they left for the day. Snack Bar: Being outdoors, it’s a haven for pests. My burger had an extra crunchy topping courtesy of the cockroaches. I saw them crawling through the food. Hope no one ended up poisoned. Final Verdict Melia should seriously reconsider putting their name on this resort. It falls far below the quality and standards one would expect from the brand. Save your money, save your vacation, and save yourself the trauma—book literally anywhere else.

The rooms are outdated. Air conditioning very noisy or not stop working in the middle of night. Cleaning personnel without tips not doing their job. ( no soap,toilet paper, bath towels, water, mini bar not refill. ) Poor variety of food. Overall I don't recommend this resort. I appreciate all the help from Kenia from Guests experience office.

BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY! Leaving with 500 mosquito bites. Everyone complained even workers! Great hotel if not for mosquitoes. Great beach, good food, good bed, great pool. Shout out to waiters MIGUEL, FRANCISCO, and JUAN CARLOS. To watch them work is AMAZING! DENIS with entertainment, so fun! CLAUDIA & ANGELINE @ lobby bar. Special shootout to chef DUNIESKI at pool restaurant BEST CHICKEN AND POTATOES , amazing Chef! I specifically wrote these names down because our trip was great and THEY were great! Everyone actually! Would come again...with mosquitoes spray!

I was looking for a cheap beach vacation for my friend and I and settled on the Melia Las Antillas because of it's location, price and beach. It's low season so there wasn't many people there. If you've never been to Cuba - you go for the beaches, NOT the food. No lineups anywhere...it was awesome! Check in - was quick and we were assisted with our luggage to our rooms. I didn't need the front desk for anything else so I can't speak to their level of service. Beach - long and clean. The water was perfection. Rooms - comfortable and clean. There should be more storage but it worked for me since I was alone in my room. The bed and pillows were comfortable. The safe in my room didn't work so I just used the safe in my friends room. The water pressure wasn't great but it was hot so that was fine. The room was a little bit dark also due to a lightbulb being out. You can feel the rationing of supplies at the resort. Example; They may run out of pina coladas at the pool bar, but the beach bar has them. The next day the pool bar has another batch of them. (there is a pool bar but it is NOT swimup) The food options were limited as well but it didn't matter to me - I knew what to expect and I'm not a fussy eater. I found something to eat at every meal. - The pasta bar was great. I didn't get their names but the chefs cooking eggs at breakfast and the pasta were both great! The people are amazing! Yasmin and Aylen in the buffet restaurant are wonderful ladies. We loved seeing them every day for breakfast and lunch. They went above and beyond making sure we had what we needed for every meal. Denis from the entertainment crew was awesome also. Checking on us to make sure we were having a good time at the beach or around the pool. Shows - I only saw a little bit of the shows but they were good. Maintenance: 2 elevators in the lobby were both not working. the elevator down the wing to get to our rooms worked mostly but was sketchy at times. Money: we both had US and CDN dollars with us. They tell you not to buy Cuban pesos because you can't change them back. Here's some practical info: tipping: I chose to tip US dollars and I'm glad I did. The Cuban banks wont take coins so many of the workers on the resort would come to us asking if we could exchange bills for their loonies and twoonies. Also - US dollars in bad shape or ripped - the banks wont take them either. The money exchange booth at the resort is closed. Not sure if that was because it's slow season or if it's permanently closed. Excursions: are reasonably priced and I loved the excursions we did. Cayo Blanco and Cienga de Zapata. We also did snorkling at Coral Beach which was combined with a visit to a fresh water cenote. The resort also has catamarans on the beach and you can go out for a snorkle - $20 US. The snorkling was far better than I thought it would be.

Never disappoints. It is always such a pleasure to visit. A special thanks to concierge team Naidelys and Greter in the vip area. It is an older resort but the staff and food are always amazing. Book ocean front suite for the best experience. Thanks again for looking after my family!!