Paradisus Rio de Oro - Guadalavaca, Cuba

This is actually a couple of years old. It is a review I did for trip advisor of probably the most overall enjoyable place we have stayed in our years of travel to the Caribbean. Figured I might as well have all these things in one place.

Paradisus Rio de Oro

April 15, 2008

Without a doubt this is the best overall "all inclusive " that Mary Lou and I have stayed including other five stars in Cuba, Mexico and Dominican Republic. The search for the perfect, or almost perfect, resort is over for us and we will return here. Often on our trips I will think what could they do better here; what changes could they make to improve the overall experience; how best do the parts fit together? The people at Sol Melia must have read my mind.

The Trip Down

We booked through TD Visa Travel for a Sunwing package, leaving Sunday 6th April. Prebooked our seats to sit up front. Although the flight was late taking off, it was a smooth check in. The meal was quite good, a pleasant surprise I must say. The movie as usual was for kids which never makes sense to me, so I just used the ipod. Nice landing, first off, first through customs, my bag was first off, so the plan worked perfectly and I would soon be out enjoying a beer while the rest of those suckers were in line. Then the wrinkle, Mary Lou's bag didn't make the trip. We were last out of the airport, thinking my she would have to wear my clothes for a few days, which would be tough as there is a six inch height and 80 pound weight difference. Not a good start to the trip, but hey, we were in Cuba so we left the bad attitude at the airport.

We eventually got her bag on Wednesday, minus about $400 worth of clothing and goods. We'll see how Sunwing comes through. (In the end. They did not come through. Wanted to see a reciept for everything that was taken. We ended up with $50 given to us at the resort)

First Impressions

Although we did not get in until after midnight, you could sense the place was special, and we and knew this was going to be a winner. Great staff, beautiful lobby and the disco was hopping. I had asked for a specific room in advance by email, and they came through. Not just close to where I asked, but exactly. We were on our way to the room in about 8 minutes with about a four minute walk.

Room

We had a superior junior suite, unit 4932. It was worth the extra dollars, big time. Our hammock out back got great use each night before happy our, and the "al fresco" shower made the entire room look bigger and brighter. The shower was basically in a 5' by 8 ' garden patio surrounded by 7' high concrete walls. Tastefully decorated and planted, and had what I like to call a "viewing bench". It will bring out the closet nudist in you. We did not use the bathroom shower once during the trip.

Some say the rooms are dated, but can't say we noticed. The only unusual thing was the lack of clothing drawers. The only time we had bugs was when we left the back door open. Even at 4:30 am I laid out back on the hammock, and was bitten once by a mosquito in 7 days.Track down the guy who restocks the fridge and he will make sure you have what you want. The option is to call room service and they will have someone do it.

I would recommend the upgrade to any one, and further suggest you select the lagoon side which gives you a large backyard and lots of sun. The ones on the ocean side looked quite dark to us, and had only a small area out back. Some had a shared hammock. I guess the partial view of the ocean is the bonus there. If you do pick the ocean side, stay away from the end units by the garden suites as the utility building was noisy whenever we walked by.

Layout

Although the resort has over 50 buildings, it is surprisingly compact and you can get around it quickly by foot. There is always a cart going by offering a lift if you have trouble walking. We also noticed they are adding 50 new rooms past the spa. Lots of trees, bushes and flowers and they seemed to have many gardeners working on it through the day. Very appealing. There were also a wide variety of statues around the resort, some of which were quite amorous. Great for setting the mood.

Pool

I am not a pool guy and can never understand those that stay there without touching the beach, but to each his own. Nice layout though, and we usually came up late afternoon for a swim and a few drinks. We found the raised covered chair areas (not sure what the proper term is) scattered around the pool amusing, as those who used them were on show all day.

One of the unique things on this resort is the transition area between the pool and the beach. The resort sits on the cliff overlooking the beach, and has a wooded area with loungers scattered between the pool and the stairs to the beach. You could sit and view both the ocean and the pool from here, and it provided refuge for the sun burned or from the late afternoon winds. We parked ourselves there on two days.

Beach

From a traditional view of the beach, I would have to say the one at Royal Hideaway was better. However, after a week of use I have changed my mind. There are many beaches in one at the Paradisus. Directly in front of the resort is a series of coral reefs that provide access to great snorkeling simply by stepping into the water. There are many brightly colored fish and I followed a barracuda around on one swim. The Paradisus palapays are spaced closely together, a problem for some, but not for us. If you want, head further down the beach towards the Luna y Mares where they are spaced further apart.Just past the Paradisus beach is a coarse coral sand with full access to the ocean. You still have to watch it here as there are some individual pockets of coral/rock, and my sister in law unfortunately took quite a hit on one toe. The water sports are in this area. Just down from here the beach changes again for a short section to some exposed rock, with a shells and coral great for the collector. Just past that the beach turns to a fine packed powder that fits many peoples definition of the perfect beach. Lots of chairs and palaypas, and you have full access to the Luna y Mares facilities so you can sit any where you please and get a quick drink. I found the Pinta beach grill at Luna to be worth a lunch stop. Great atmosphere. Total length of the beach is 743 metres, measured off of Google Earth.

Food

For us, and there were four of us, this was the best overall food experience yet. Mary Louwent from being able to find something to eat at the buffets in the previous resorts, to loving the food here. Food preference is always personal, but there is no doubt the food at the Paradisus is a cut above. There are lots of reviews on the a la cartes, so all I will say is that the Japanese night was fantastic, and get the Veal at the Mediterranean.

Food tips and comments:

• the worlds best orange juice, bacon and eggs.


• if the bacon is under cooked, as it often was, take it over to the egg grill and he will cook it to your liking.


• there was a neat breads area as you enter the buffet.


• I am a devout Heinz ketchup guy, but I will say there is no need to bring along your own as the ketchup they have is just fine. It's not Heinz, but neither is anything else.


• they make a great cappuccino at the lobby bar. Great place to have a pre breakfast cup and people watch.


• go to lunch at the beach grill. Great food and a three piece band playing Cuban music at lunch. They do a neat version of Hotel California.

Patrons

This is an older crowd with a large percentage 35 -65. Generally quiet but there is fun and activity to be had if you want, or places to hide if you want to be left alone. People will respect your wishes.We met a lot of people from different places including the Sault, Bracebridge, Yorkshire, Halifax and even some people that lived down the street from us. Most people are not only approachable, but look forward to talking to strangers. Great spot.

I was surprised to see how many of the Europeans smoked. Quite a large percentage.

The Canadian Olympic shouting team referred to in an earlier review on Trip Advisor did in fact show up the last couple of days of our stay. They were a much younger crew, from Northern Ontario I believe, who hung around the pool bar and swore a lot, and from what I could see drove away a number of the previous pool people.

All round, we were happy with the mix.

Excursions

We have always taken excursions in the past but decided to go our own way this time. Some suggestions:

• there is a bike tour every other day. The one we went into was the market at Guardelavaca. My suggest is if you are over 5' 10', don't do it. It is hot, hot , hot and you won't be able to bend your legs past 90 degrees as the bikes are too small. However, the bikes are in decent shape if you find one that fits.


• no matter what the tour guides say, take out the scooters. What a hoot. If you watch the road, and stop when you want to look at something on the side, you will have no problem. The Cuban drivers are very respectful to the tourists and will give you wide birth. We went out twice, once for an hour, and a second time to Boca de Sama when we met a lot of locals on the way, handed out gifts and shared coconut milk with them. We loved it.

Booze

Brand names, and even some premium names if you wanted to pay extra. No need to bring anything with you. My comments:

• beer was great, all of it.


• the Whitehorse scotch was a decent blended scotch. They have single malts for extra cost.


• seven year old Havana Club rum is the best. It is good enough to drink straight up. Ask for it in your mixed drinks if you like.


• try the Nazareno Merlot (black label) if you like a full bodied red. I would of liked to bring a case home with me.


• best blender drinks are in the lobby bar. The pool and beach pina coladas bars were not so good.


• mohitos were OK, but not great.


• had a nice cognac at the Mediterranean a la carte. Can't remember it's name.

Service

Second to none. They have plenty of staff on , and most wear a permanent smile. Friendly to talk to and many liked to crack jokes. As a bonus, at least for me, all of the ladies, and I mean all, had great legs to boot. Add a "y" to that if you like.

Service was almost instantaneous, sometimes before you even sat down. There were one or two times that we waited , but they were busy serving others. We were never ignored or neglected. I expect if it happens regularly to someone, they likely deserved it. We tipped small and regularly, because we wanted to, I'd say about $10-15 per day. We should get service this good in many Toronto restaurants.

Summary

The owners, management and staff have got it together. They continually improve the site, as an example the outdoor Cuban Street added just past the lobby bar, and the recent addition of the new beach grill. Best resort yet and I can't wait till next year.