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Melia Rio de Oro 06/18/02
Reviewers Rating:  Great
We stayed at this resort from June 9 ñ16, 2002. Room We stayed in Block 36 near the pool. We were somewhat disappointed with our room as we had seen it on a virtual tour on the Melia website: http://www.solmeliacuba.com/index.php?ref=hotel&codhot=11 Looked very tired and in need of a lick of paint, plus the air conditioning never worked properly (outside temp was 34C) and it smelt musty, plus our bedding and clothing were always damp. However it was cleaned every day with the option of fresh sheets if we wanted. We found three cockroaches during our stay ñ one in my soda drink beside our bed ñ good thing I didnít get thirsty during night and take a swig! Pool and grounds and beach What can I say but delightful ñ absolutely stunning ñ a pure tropical paradise. One thing we found strange was that we werenít able to get a Mojito ñ bar staff kept saying that they didnít have any mint ñ ah well. The snorkeling was the best ever for us ñ wonderful reefs; there are also three small beaches in addition to the main beach ñ simply beautiful. Entertainment Very good ñ animacion crew were fabulous. Food Very average ñ would recommend the main buffet; did not like the a la carte restaurants at all. Apparently their head chef departed recently and standards, according to the staff, had gone down dramatically. However, as it is low season and we didnít pay top dollars to stay there, we were okay with what was served. You could always find something on the buffet to suit your taste buds. However, be warned that this resort does cater to European tastes, so if youíre looking for breakfast sausage, you wonít find it ñ wieners with onions - and their pancakes are like rubber. On the plus side if you like pizza and pasta dishes, you wonít be disappointed. Their bread is made fresh daily and is delightful ñ plus the milk is very creamy and delicious (homogenized). Summary Overall I would recommend this resort. However, donít go there thinking you are going to get gourmet food ñ I would overall give this resort a four star rating ñ it would have to improve the food quality a lot to get five stars. Maybe this will happen when it becomes a Paradisus resort ñ they are building two new restaurants, a Japanese and a Mediterranean one. I also heard that the rooms are being upgraded / repainted by November (not soon enough for me). The resort workers were very friendly ñ however I took little gifts as people had recommended but nothing worked as well as the sight of the USD. We went on an excursion to a village, organized by the resort, where we saw a school, a doctorís office, a Cuban home and a farm; we felt that it was all very ëorchestratedí and that we saw what we were supposed to see. I left some supplies with the school but did not see the same gratitude which others had discussed on the Cuba forum ñ I guess with people passing through each week they get more than enough ñ next time I will try to share with other schools who are more needy.
Kate
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