I travelled with my husband and 2 other couples and this was our first visit to Paradisus Princesa del Mar. Only one two of us had ever been to Cuba prior to this trip.

Not knowing what to expect, and a bit leery from reading some of the other reviews, I can honestly say we all were shocked at the beauty, hospitality and grandeur of this resort.

There is nothing that we disliked. We all had the best vacation!

We got to know the staff who catered to us every day, each meal, every drink, with a smile.

The Cuban people are friendly, funny, and always smiling. They do not take tourists for granted, however a small tip is very appreciated. (We figured that we tip at home, so of course we tipped in Cuba also).

Every morning we left pesos for our house maid, and she left us suprises; sometimes flowers on the bed and in the bathroom, and even a small Cuban souvenir to bring home with us.

EVERY ONE OF THE STAFF from the gardeners, to the pool men, to the beach staff, to the bar staff, were tipped by us. each day... sometimes a peso, sometimes more... but every tip was a true gift to them. EACH one of them, greeted us happily every day.
Some of the gardeners even made us little animals made of palm leaves to bring home with us. They would open coconuts for us, and show us how to eat them, drink them, etc.

The rooms were clean and spacious, and were cleaned each day. The fridge was stocked daily (but even more when we tipped large), and clean towels replaced also. If anything, I would say the air conditioner could be a bit cooler, but other than that, it was just fine.

If you are suffering from leg or hip disability or pain, request the first floor, as we did. The bell-boys are very courteous and help with bags and show you how to work your lights, and safe etc.
You are given 2 beach towels that can be exchanged for clean ones, throughout the day, every day. YOU MUST LEAVE THEM IN YOUR ROOM WHEN YOU CHECK OUT and not lose them, as they may charge you for them.

I was afraid to eat when I first got there, as every trip I have made to the Carribean has left me missing 2 days because of illness. I don't travel well, or at least, my stomach doesn't, so I am careful.
I had a pepto- bismol one hour before each meal, and I didnt even have cramps for one minute, the whole trip.

The a'la carte restaurants really didn't thrill us, but it was nice to be waited on now and then. My friends didn't like the fish/ shrimp/ lobster at the French restaurant, but I had the red meat, so I was fine.
We REALLY enjoyed the Japanese restaurant though, and I would recomend that one as the top on the list. Again, I stuck to the stir-fried meats, but my friend had the fish, and like that.

THE BUFFET IS AMAZING! I stuck to the fresh grilled sections mostly and they have the BEST PIZZA in the world. TRUE authentic Italian pizza (the pizza chef is Italian). He also has pasta ready to go... so you just request the sauce you want, and he makes up hot and delicious every time! He even made me a beautiful paper rose one night!

The only disapointment was the coffee in the buffet room... so we waited and got cappucinos or regular coffees from the bar in the lobby or the 24 hour bar right next door. DELICIOUS.

So, all in all... stick to the buffet if you want many choices, and good, hot, food.



Some members of my group suffered misquito bites on their ankles, and legs, but my husband and I didn't which led me to believe that creams with any kind of perfumes might attract the bugs?? I didn't get one bite the whole 7 days. I say if you are prone to them, bring some spray with you, or listerine, to dab around your chair.


The nightly entertainment is wonderful! We saw them all and really loved the acrobatic show and the water ballet. The magic show was in the disco, and it was okay, but very smokey down there. Make sure to take advantage of the free paddleboats, sailboats, snorkelling, and kayaking! We also did all of those, and we kept moving all day with water arobics, and volleyball both in the pool and on the beach. if they ask you to take part in making Cuban drinks, or being taught Salsa dancing, just do it... it makes the trip so much fun!

We really loved the CUBAN DAY... at the pool. Have your camera ready!

We liked to relax on the beach or float around in the pool, but there is so much to do also, during the day at the resort. You never have to leave (unless you want to go shopping as there is really nothing much to buy at the resort and its a bit pricey).
I suggest taking a cab to the small market nearby... we got all of our suvenirs there.

We were a bit suprised that our dollar is worth LESS than Cuban CONVERTABLE dollars... so be prepared for that. Make sure you convert and get lots of small change,(tips) and if you have anything like makeup, pantyhose, purses, or large golf shirts for the garderners, cabin maids, they appreciate those too.

Set aside $25.00 per person for AIRPORT TAX in Convertable Pesos and make sure the girl in airport looks at the money, looks at you, as she kept asking us, "Did you pay?" after she took our money.



So... overall... I give the hotel a huge thumbs up!!
We are already planning to book next year!

L.
Toronto, Canada

first time in cuba and was told that a 5 star in cuba wasn't the same as in north america. with that in mind we were extremely suprised at the state of the resort. COMPLETELY AWESOME!!. the staff were awesome, the grounds were beautiful, and had the most relaxing time there.on the second day there we had already planned on returning. we didnt travel from the resort as others did, no need too, actually. we just went there to relax and enjoy the sun and spend time with each other.the food we found was very good,sure we have had better,but just remember where you are.the japanese resturaunt was a blast. a must for everyone to go to! and after dinner the court with the band playing was very romantic.i must say that living on cuba time was an ultimate experience.we seem to show up at the buffet as the end of the meal was nearing, the best part was that there was still plenty of good food to pick from ,and the staff there got to know us from are tardiness.lol.the people that work there have a real passion for life,dispite the hardships they must have ,they were very friendly and willing to show us the life thay are proud to have.i felt a real sence of calm there,and must admit that it really played on us. never been sooooooo relaxed!!!the pool was very warm and the pool bar was a great place to socialize with all of the world travelers that were there.we did take a walk out to the royal area to see what the difference was, and from what we seen we would rather stay in the junior suite area that we had.seem to dead of an area for us,and yes the laggon has its drawback too!! if you want to pampered with attention then this is the area to go to.we were in the 1000 block right near the beach. the room was very spacious and was cleaned every day.we ended leaving all our stuff for the girl when we left as well as a good tip.the racket club bar was a big hit for breakfast and lunch too.the jacussi beside it was a VERY BIG hit as well. we spent a few nights laying in it with a bottle of wine from the girl at the bar which she brought to us without asking.i guess from all the people that we talked to, and all the reviews that we have read from here, you have to go there with an attitude to relax and enjoy yourself. for all the world travellers out there that have experienced the real 5 star life, yes this isn't it.but for us new to travel this 5 star was incredible to say the least!!

We stayed at the princesa del mar from Feb 29 to March 8th. Because we were there to get married we booked the Royal service.
We flew down with Sunwing which was pleasant , thankful we payed the extra to have more legroom even then it was a little snug but bearable.
We arrived at the reception 12:30 at night , we were immediately wisked away to the hilltop reception where we had a very warm welcome and were quickly shown our room.

Room
Our suite was a welcome sight , very clean , bar fridge full with pop, beer, wine , champagne as well as full bottles of rum, vodka, gin, rye. The room had 1 and a half bath with a separate sitting area. The balconey was large with a table, chair 2 loungers and a JACUZZI. Very nice. It overlooked the lagoon(which we didn't smell at all)and the ocean.
One small problem we encountered was getting our bar fridge replenished everyday, not a huge issue as we could just go to the bar and get what we wanted. Our maid was very efficient, on our wedding night she made our room up with bathtub full of flowers, towel art with flowers on the bed and other romantic touches. Every night we also had turn down service where they brought us new beach towels, daily news letters , new bath towels.

Property
The resort is nicely laid out. It wasn't a problem finding anything. Most of the restaurants were situated near the square. The grounds are lanscaped very nice with lots of flowers which the gardeners always seem hard at work.

Restaurants
Our 2 favourites were the hilltop and the japanese. As we were royal service guest we never had an issue getting reservations as our butler would happily book them. Our second favourite was the italian followed by the bamboo restaurant(which ran out of springrolls and we were told they wouldn't have for a month??) For breakfast we enjoyed sitting on the hilltop balcony overlooking the ocean sipping orange juice and champagne. Lunches were enjoyed at the Port Royal where you could find a small buffet or order off the menu, service was always quick and with a smile.

Beach
The resort has quite a large area for the beach. I've read many people complain about the sheel on the beach trust me there isn't any problem walking in them actually it's fun looking for different shells. Royal sevice has a private beach which also has its own bar. We were well taken care of by Pepe, Ana and Jose. All you had to do was raise your hand and they were there with another drink. They also provided cusions and towels. The nautical staff took us snorkelling about 3 km out which was ok, not much coral to see but the fish were fun to swim with.

Wedding
Our wedding was organized by Yanet who did a fabulous job. We had the ceremony on the beach which they decorated very nicely and had our reception in one of the gardens also decorated nicely. After the ceremony we took an old car tour of Varadero where we had pictures taken in Joscoone park, Al Capone's house and the Varadero golf club house. It was a dream come true everything went off without a hitch. Everyday we were given a treat 1 day chocolates, 2 day cheese plate, 3rd fruit /wine, 5th day salmon canapes 6th day chocolate/bottle of rum.

Entertainment.
We were able to see the water ballet, the acrobat show and the magic show. All were very good, even the magic show which we thought would be hokey was impressive for cuban standards.

Staff
We were treated very well by all the staff. Our butler Kenia was very attentive even finding us on the beach one day to answer a question about a tour we had given her. She also made sure our jacuzzi was decorated with flowers, candles and lavender bath salts for some romantic evenings. All of the wait staff were very effiicient and friendly except in the buffet where we found they were too busy to chat.(or give us coffee ). The hilltop concierge were always very helpful as well. The person who filled our barfridge was the only one who didn't seem very consistent in his daily tasks.


Departure
Our scheduled departure from the hotel was 7:00pm we were allowed to keep our room until then (they said because we were the wedding couple whether that was to make us feel good or they do it for everyone?).When 7:00 arrived our Sunwing rep came and told us there was a flight delay due to bad weather in Ottawa and our new time was 2:00am. He asked the front desk to find another room for us. After an hour we were given a hospitality room which was filthy, dirty towels in the tub and it smelled very musty. A far cry from our previous room. We didn't say anything as we weren't there for very long and found ourselves out of the room walking around to stay awake. At 2:00 we went to the lobbey where we thought we were to wait for the bus but we ended up getting a private transfer to the airport. Still not sure who paid for that the hotel or sunwing but it was better than the bus.


All in all we had a great time and look forward to going back for our 1st anniversary.

My wife and i have been to alot of places.This resort has it down pretty well as far as service ,food entertainment,activities,beautiful grounds,ect,ect .We enjoyed this place so much we will bring other friends and do highly rec this resort...Class A all around.

The Cuban people are the most friendly we have encountered,they are warm,honest,and happy with what they have yet,you can see the struggle of day to day life as it is very hard for most Cuban.

Dont hesitate to stay here,u won"t be sorry