Hotel Playa Paraíso

My experience is based at 630 CAD per person price for the week of December 11 - 17 2022. For other time or price my feedback may be different.

Fantastic location and beach. Service is ok for that price. Food is so so (typical for Cuba). Rooms are good, we liked them.

Overall it all depends on the price you pay and your expectations. We went purely for the beach, swimming etc. Not for the food.

For the price we paid it's hard to go wrong with this place. Fantastic value for those who love sun and water.

UPDATE : we enjoyed the first two vacations so much that we are going a third time in April 2024.

Original review:
This is our second time at Playa Paraiso. Wish we had booked 2 weeks instead of just 1. Everyone working at the hotel was great, 3 of the staff stood out above the rest.
---- First person is our house keeper Kisbel Armas Trujillo. She did an amazing job looking after us. The room was always perfect, she was friendly, polite, and professional, always making you feel right at home
----- The second Person is Elianys from the Captain's Snack Bar. Her Smile, and attention to detail was great. Her entire team that works with her do a amazing job of looking after the guests.
------ The third person is Dany (hope I got her name right) from reception/front office. We cannot thank her enough for looking after a special room request.
----- These women provide the kind of service that will create " Customers For Life" . My wife and I are already looking forward to our 3rd holiday at Hotel Playa Paraiso. Thanks for a great holiday!!!

The staff are amazing
Everyone was doing his/her best to make our stay as good as possible.

Also, thank you, Annalise ( customer service) for your great assistance 🙏

I LOVE HOTEL PLAYA PARAISO!!! Our first time visiting, loved it all and will be returning next time with the kiddies (they fly free with Sunwing!) I love sitting in the lobby!!! Sooooo nice!!!!!

I could break this down into a hundred paragraphs explaining how great it all was but like all great things in life you have to experience it for your self. I whole heartedly recommend your next vacation stay to be here!
We flew with Sunwing and everything went swimmingly.

You can live your life looking at all the negatives and what isn't right with something, or you can accept it for what it is and focus on the many many positives there already are. This applies to everything! Thank you for reading and God bless you.

Outstanding! Simply Outstanding!

I visited Cuba, Cayo Coco from the 19th of December until the 26th of December 2023, and stayed at Playa Paraiso. It was my first visit to the South and I am sure I will visit Cuba and Playa Paraiso many more times. My trip was very relaxing. I would even describe it as the best vacation I have ever had in my entire life.

Here is a bit of geography, history, and general knowledge before I dive deeper on why I consider the whole experience as exceeding by far my expectations.

Cuba is an island formed of the main island and more than 4000 smaller islands and cays. Its size is 109,884 km2 and it has a population of 11 million people. It is close to the Bahamas, Florida in the USA, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. It has 2 seasons: the dry season and the wet season, with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius all year long.

I heard that before communism, Cuba was a rich country. Nowadays - and following the United States' economic and trade embargo against Cuba, first imposed in 1960 - 88% of the population live in extreme poverty. Inflation is high, an economic crisis prevails, and more than 400,000 Cubans left Cuba in the last 2 years.

Cayo Coco is a tiny island near the main island. It has a series of resorts and beaches. It isn't inhabited by Cubans. The only Cubans who are on the island are the resorts' workers who come in the morning, work long shifts, and travel back to their villages at night. So in other words, tourists are the ones living on Cayo Coco for short periods of time.

Cayo Coco is fabulous nonetheless. The resorts are well maintained and beautifully managed. They are cleaned on a daily basis by motivated and hardworking individuals. The customer service officers do an amazing job in providing the best service they can within their capacities.

Playa Paraiso, the resort where I stayed while in Cayo Coco, has around 500 comfortable units of different sizes scattered in 11 buildings. It consists of a series of swimming pools of different depths, a kids club, a main lobby, a series of restaurants (Italian, Cuban, and Portuguese), a main dinning hall, bars, and small shacks that offer drinks, in addition to an entity that makes pizza. It also has a gym, a tennis field, a sports court, a theater, and full access to the beach. You can exchange money at the resort and you can also buy souvenirs and gifts.

Due to the inflation and the fluctuating exchange rates, I was advised not to exchange money but to use American dollars or Canadian dollars. This arrangement worked for me very well.

If you get the chance, take a bus to Pilar Beach which is about an hour away from Playa Paraiso. The ticket costs 5 USD and can be used for the whole day.

What I really liked about Playa Paraiso is Iosné's relaxing massages. Iosné is a young man with shining eyes who seems to look deeply and gently into your soul. He is extremely talented, and his passion for his work shows clearly on his face and in his manners. He is always smiling and he is deeply comfortable in his skin. (I am attaching his photo).

Please buy an all-inclusive package that covers your trip, your transportations, your stay, your food, your drinks, and full access to the swimming pools and beach. Air Transat offers such packages - which offer you peace of mind.

Please get a couple of massages as I am sure you won't regret them. The massage shack is on the beach where you can hear the waves, feel the wind on your skin, and enjoy every moment of your massage. Iosné is usually at the beach bar when he doesn't have massages. Seek him out. Ask for massages. Inquire at the reception in the main lobby at the resort's entrance. Inquire at the beach bar. Massages aren't included in the all-inclusive package but they are affordable and I highly recommend the services of Iosné.

Finally, please tip generously if you can. Tips aren't mandatory but they can help the hotel employees make ends meet as their salaries are too low and they work long shifts every other day.

Thank you! I wish you a splendid vacation!

Beautiful beach 🏖 love it I been in Cuba 🇨🇺 10 times it safe and affordable the resort is very clean short distance to all facilities
Room is clean
Food different varieties
Just masqitos is Very very bad so be careful

The staff are super kind and friendly. We've had a peaceful and beautiful stay there.

My daughter and I had great time here! Every resort staff was so friendly and treated us like family. No complains to my room (bungalow 4 first floor). Nice pools and well maintained gardens. Food was average but I was always full.

Tips: if you travel with little kids, make sure to bring more diapers and formulas. You aren’t gonna find them in any stores.

I was there beginning of November. First of all this is Cuba so if you come with high expectations you will be disappointed. They are doing their best with little they have. The staff at the bar, snack bar and restaurants were truly amazing, polite, friendly. One night a local band of young guys played top american songs from the 80s and 90s wow, wow wow it was great. Food wise it was just ok. Do not expect the vast variety of food you would find elsewhere outside Cuba. The beach in front of the hotel has many seashells and rocks. Better to take a small walk on the right side and you will find a beautiful beach. Rooms were clean. Cleaning staff and gardners regularly say hola to tourists to make them feel welcome. I personally was touched by the generosity and devotion from the staff. Imagining myself in their shoes with nothing and still able to give what little they have. I felt terrible seeing most of the tourists leave tons of uneaten food in their plates. Tourists should show at least a bit of compassion for the people of Cuba who have extremely limited resources to feed their families. I left with lots of admiration and respect for the staff at Hotel Playa Paraiso.

Everything is spectacular, the food is delicious, the activities are magnificent, in the pool, on the beach and in the theater, the entertainment guys are very good, especially Bruno and Breno, they are very funny, all the staff in general are very friendly, me and my family we are having a great time

This is our first time to Cuba. We found a decent deal through Air Transat that stayed at the Hotel Playa Paraiso. These are the pros and cons.

The good:
-The staff are mostly friendly. One in particular was telling us how hard life has become in Cuba during the pandemic. It was very interesting to hear, although difficult to listen to all the hardships
-The cleaning staff makes interesting towel art. My 5 year old daughter was always excited to see what would be done that day.
-The beach is excellent. We swam in the ocean most of the time we were here.
-The water and ice cubes don't make you sick. Apparently, there is no fresh water on the island. They need to pump the water in from the mainland or from the ocean. I was told by the Air Transat rep at the resort that they also filter the water before as well.
-If you choose to drink the bottled water, there is a mini fridge that will keep your water cold.
-They have many a la carte restaurants if you get sick of the buffet. You need to make reservations in advance.

The bad:
-There is a musky smell in the room we stayed in. Not sure if it's because it's always humid or if they are rationing cleaning supplies because of how hard it is to get supplies during the pandemic.
-We are supposed to get bottled water in the room each day. The cleaning staff seems to forget more often than not. You can either call customer service to get a bottle or go to reception to ask for one.
-You don't get new sheets or towels. If you leave wet towels on the floor, the cleaning staff just folds them and hangs it back up on the racks. Bed sheets don't appear to be changed daily (if at all). Be prepared to sleep in the same set of bed sheets during your stay.
-There is no air conditioning in the buffet area. I joked with my wife that they purposely make it uncomfortable for you so you eat and leave as fast as possible.
-The dishes for the buffet are not the cleanest. Sometimes you can still feel food particles on the dishes. I'm not just talking about a speck. More like blotches depending on your luck of the draw.
-Sometimes, there are also no dishes available in the buffet. Come early and you may need to reuse your dish.
-Some staff look so tired and don't want to help you. Not sure what happened there.
-No Wi-Fi, only at the main lobby.

However, despite the bad stuff we encountered, we did enjoy ourselves at the resort. Considering how hard the pandemic hit supply chains around the world, it's no surprise the resort cannot obtain many items in Cuba.

This is a tough one, but if I look at it compared to the real Cuba (we visited the city of Moron for a day excursion), this resort is extremely good. Could it be better? Yes. However, I do feel like they are trying their best given the circumstances. Just know what you are getting yourself into.

This is such an amazing hotel, staff are super friendly always willing to help. Rooms are clean, fresh beach towels available daily. You can always find something to eat, fresh pasta salads, grilled meat or fish. If you come here you will not be disappointed. We cannot wait to return to Hotel Playa Paraiso if you come here they will make you feel like you are part of their family and the name Paraiso is correct for this hotel it truly is paradise. A special thank you to Annelys you are truly amazing

Spectacular animation, many thanks to Bruno and Robe who made us have a lot of fun, the rooms are very comfortable, the Isco a is very large, the beautiful beach, the exquisite and well-prepared food, the night show called Paraiso is the best I've seen in my life , I loved

Very very good
I love it ❤

I give 5 stars for the beach, ocean, weather and my good time in Cuba! I chose not to focus on the negative things, I knew where I am going and lowered my expectations. However, I would come back for the beach massage. Iosney is a massage ARTIST to say the least. His therapeutic "dance" released all my pain and stress. All my family was enjoying his service on a daily basis. Thank you, Iosney!!! And thank you, Cuba!

FANTASTIC VACATION IN CUBA.
The beach is incredible and pools are great.
The staff was very friendly.
The food was great even though we were told it would not be good.
Lots of variety at the buffet. Even picky eaters should be able to find something they like. Takes about a day or two to get used to the different way they cook things)

WHAT TO BRING:
- A GOOD ATTITUDE (IT WILL BE MUCH EASIER FOR YOU TO OVERLOOK THINGS THAT ARENT THE WAY YOU EXPECTED. JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU ARE IN A DIFFERENT CULTURE AND THEY DONT DO THINGS EXACTLY AS YOU ARE USED TO)
- U.S. ONE DOLLAR BILLS FOR TIPPING
- CANADIAN CURRENCY BILLS (STAFF WILL COME TO YOU ASKING FOR CANADIAN BILLS IN EXCHANGE FOR CANADIAN COINS THEY HAVE RECEIVED FROM OTHER GUESTS. HELP THE CUBAN STAFF BY TAKING THEIR COINS HOME WITH YOU)
- COLOURING BOOKS, COLOURED PENCIL SETS, BALL CAPS, STUFF LIKE SOAPS, LOTIONS, TOOTH PASTE ETC. (LEAVE OR HAND OUT SOME FOR THE ROOM CLEANERS, GARDNERS AND OTHER STAFF)

WHAT NOT TO BRING:
- CUBAN CURRENCY (YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING WITH CANADIAN AND U.S CASH AND CREDIT CARD IN SOME PLACES)
- CANADIAN COINS (CUBANS CANNOT EXCHANGE COINS ANYWHERE IN CUBA, NOT EVEN IN THE BANK)

WE WOULD GO BACK TO HOTEL PLAYA PARAISO. WE PAID $680.CND/EACH. ALL INCLUSIVE WITH FLIGHTS.
WE RATED OUR VACATION AS A FIVE STAR EVEN THOUGH THE HOTEL RATING IS ONLY A FOUR STAR.

Eveything was perfect...I am going to come again♡

This was my first time in Cuba. This hotel was a great choice. The rooms were good, the food was tasty. The staff were very helpful and kind. What’s more the beach at this hotel was WONDERFUL! I’m sure that I will return again :)

Terrific resort. Food was good. Staff were very attentive to your needs. Friendly. Beach was amazing, lots of space for sitting on the beach. Chair guys brought your chair to you at the beach and pool. Can't wait to go back again . Family of 4, with 2 teenage boys. Ontario Canada visited Feb 3 till 11 2018

We had a great time as usual in Cuba. The hotel is very nice and the suites are amazing. It was extrange this time during Covid to have limited capacity in the buffet and dining area and being served at the buffet stations but totally understandable and appreciated.