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Paradisus Rio de Oro 12/14/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Paradisus Rio de Oro, Holguin
November 29 to December 6 2003
With Signature Vacations from Montreal (Mirabel)
Plenty of excellent reviews were written on this resort recently. Bev and Steveís in particular helped make our trip extra special. We donít have much to add but in the spirit of ìgiving back to the forumî, we are happy to share our impressions and answer any questions.
Background
My husband and I, both in our mid-30s, have been to Cuba several times. Weíve visited Cienfuegos (Playa Ancon), Varadero(Paradisus), Cayo Coco (El Senador) and Cayo Largo(Sol Cayo Largo). Weíve also been to the Republic Dominican.
Over the years, we have become big Sol Melia fans! We find this Spanish chain offers outstanding service, accommodation and food.
We always travel in the Spring (March/April) with our son so this adult-only/November trip was new to us.
Getting There
We flew Skyservice from Mirabel. Flight was on time. As reportedÖno leg room, uncomfortable seats, cold boxed dinner and pay bar.
The Holguin airport is clean and efficient. We got through customs quickly but it took a while to get our bags. A couple of airport employees were removing suitcases from the belt and lining them up on the floor. Seemed to create more confusion than being helpful! J
We found our Signature rep easily ñ they wear bright pink shirts ñ and were directed to our mini-bus along with 6 other travellers. No big bus means no bathroom and no bar service so you might want to use the facilities and buy a beer before you exit the airport.
The airport parking/arrival area was packed! We were surprised to find out that there are now flights to Miami from Cuba. Families and friends were on hand to greet the returning travellers.
The bus ride to the hotel took about 45-50 minutes. We had to drop people at other resorts on the way.
Check-in was done in seconds.
Weather
We knew November was riskyÖ After a nice partly sunny day, we were hit with 36 straight hours of rain. It was almost funny how mildly intoxicated adults could look at the sky and convince themselves that the weather was about the clear up!!! A few days later, the rumour of a fast approaching hurricane started spreading around the resortÖ Of course no one at the hotel could confirm or deny it. People went on-line and called home. Finally, we found out that tropical storm Odette had turned and was heading for the Dominican Republic. As a result, the Cuban sky cleared and our last couple of days were sunny and hot.
Accommodation
Based on the resort map and a savvy recommendation J we requested and received room 3418. It really is the perfect room and the perfect location. Itís a short walk to the lobby but very close to the pool and beach. As previously described, itís a second-floor corner room with a wrap-around balcony. Our only complaint would be a slight sewage smell in the bathroom for the first couple of days. We covered the floor drain with a towel and put some fresh flowers in the bathroom.
Because of the heavy rain, water started leaking from the low ceiling in the bathroom/entrance portion of the room. By the end of the day, it got so bad that we mentioned it to the front desk. They offered to give us another room but told us that they were having problems with many second-floor rooms and that the hotel was pretty full so the choices were limited. This was quite disappointing because we couldnít imagine finding a better room. To make a long story short, with only 2 days left, we decided to upgrade to a superior room.
We ended up in room 4631 and other that the 2 double beds, we absolutely loved it! I never quite got all the fuss over the outdoor showerÖuntil now. You actually have to see it to appreciate it. By the way, earlier in the week we went to Public Relations and asked to visit a superior room and the garden villas. A porter took us to a couple of superior rooms later that day and we were asked to sign up at the activity centre for the garden villa visit. They do it on Thursdays. Itís nice to see how the rich and famous live!!! J Back to the showerÖ itís actually a little courtyard off of the bathroom which you access through a glass door. It has the shower (lots of pressure and hot water at all times), a bench, a wooden ladder to hang your towels and bathing suits. It also has trees and flowers and nice little stones. We were hooked. Never used the indoor shower once.
The room itself is exactly the same as the regular room but instead of a balcony, you have a nice covered porch with 2 chairs and an actual backyard (facing the mountains) with a hammock. I would highly recommend requesting blocks 45-51 for superior rooms as they get the afternoon sun. All of the other rooms are ìin the woodsî and donít seem to get much sun. They have a real cottage feel to them.
Food
We found the food good to excellent but a bit repetitive. I should mention that both my husband and I had an upset stomach on and off all week, which might explain our unusual lack of appreciation for the variety of food offered.
La Ceiba Buffet
Similar to other Melia hotels. Excellent variety of fresh breads, cheeses, cold cuts and desserts. Small non-smoking sections right at the entrance.
Breakfast ñ exactly the same everyday. Same fruits, juices, milkshakes, sausages and eggs. You can also get an omelette or grilled cheese sandwich made to order. I love guava juice but it was not offered. Our waitress said she would ask the chef and sure enough, we had big tall glasses on our table the next morning. What a treat!
Lunch ñ Excellent! Huge variety and no waiting as most people go to the pool grill or beach restaurant for lunch. Smoked salmon is to die for. Fresh homemade soups served with croutons and cheese are great starters.
Dinner ñ Very Good. Not busy until 7:30 or 8 PM. No problem getting a table. Very good bruscetta. Great mini filet mignons on the grill. Interesting rice combinations. And of courseÖ flambee bananas and pancakes.
La Laguna Pool Snack Bar
Only went twice. Had the buffet the first time. It was late and choices were limited. Asked for the menu the second time and really enjoyed the pizza.
Santa Maria Rancho Beach Restaurant
Our favourite spot. We enjoyed the shrimp salad (not on the menu), the burgers con queso, the fried fish Orly style and the calamari. For dessert, you canít beat the ice cream with a nice big bowl of cappuccino.
On our last day, Roberto the manager saved us a table right on the beach and brought us a feastÖ just about one of everything on the menu. I hope heís the same person others were referring to because I told him people were saying how great he was on the Internet. He was so proud. He couldnít believe it.
Specialty Restaurants
Tsuru ñ Japanese: Best sushi ever! Great tempura. Loved the beef dish. Fun evening.
El Bohio ñ Creole: Good service. Nice music. Food good but nothing special.
El Patio ñ International: Amazing service. Great shrimp and lobster cocktail. Nice veal. I was sick that night so skipped dessert.
Mediterranean: Our favourite. Tasty gaspacho. Great salmon. Really enjoyed the risotto. For the main course, we couldnít decide between the beef tenderloin and the lobster/scallop brochette so they gave us bothÖ our very own surf and turf. J If you go with a group, request the ìprivate roomî at the back. Itís lovely.
Drinks
As others mentioned, the drinks never quite taste the sameÖ Generally, they were better at the lobby bar. We enjoyed different kinds of beer, wine as well as the usual cocktails. I did try a ìSex on the Barî which turned out to be green and funny tasting.
Manuel, our favourite server at the lobby bar did create a few interesting cocktails for us and was always very generous with the rum!!!
My all-time favourite cocktail of the week was the Sangria. It was amazing: sugar, lime juice, orange juice, soda water, brandy, triple sec and red wine. At the lobby bar, they also added fresh fruits.
We also discover a nice Spanish wine at the specialty restaurant: Joan Sarda.
Entertainment
We only saw a couple of shows. We quite enjoyed the Disco show ñ good music and nice dancing. The resort runs a 14-day schedule so you donít get bored if you stay for 2 weeks. So we didnít see the fashion show.
Excursions
Only went swimming with the dolphins. It was a blast. We wanted a souvenir for our son so we paid the extra $25 for a video. Small issue, when we got back home, we realized it was taped in a European format we canít view here. L
Pool & Beach
We spent most of our time reading and sleeping by the pool ñ on the lower, quieter side. We did go to the beach one afternoon but missed the comfort of the padded chairs J plus I developed a bit of a rash on my legs ñ maybe sand bugs.
We also walked to the little caleticas. They were nice and not too busy. There was an incident on dayÖ a lady went swimming and someone took her beach bag. The hotel said it had never happened before and security was immediately increased.
The pool water was a bit cold but we managed. J There was always a bottle of champagne set-up next to the Jacuzzis. We figured it was incentive to get in the ìcold tubî.
Crowd
The resort was full the day we arrived. They had a large group of Spanish travel agents visiting and they were going all out for them. We were treated to live music for breakfast one morning. A few days later we noticed a difference and were told it would pick up again on the Friday night.
We always managed to find a spot at the pool and never had to wait too long to get a drink at the bar.
We met a few fellow Canadians as well as people from Germany, England and Switzerland. We didnít encounter any rude people.
Overall Impressions
We would highly recommend this resort for a classy relaxing vacation. We intend to return with our son next March.
The new general manager used to manage the Sol Cayo Largo so you can expect even greater service and food in the coming months. They are already building a full service spa ñ which should open late Summer.
Please feel free to post any questions.
Jennifer in Ottawa
Jennifer in Ottawa
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