| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Cazzholly from Milton Keynes travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2007 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: My husband and I stayed at the Paradisus Rio de Oro for 7 nights at the end of October 2007. This was our first trip to Cuba; we usually go to Mexico at this time of year. Having read promising reviews, we were hoping we had made a good choice with the PRDO. We could find little to complain about - our room was exactly as they appear in the brochures and had recently been refurbished. The bathroom, however, was very dated and tired with cracked tiles and mouldy shower curtain. If we had been staying longer, we would have asked to be moved but we decided we could live with it! The grounds were attractive and well kept, pool area was a little tired but ample beds, buffet restaurant was very good and we loved the Mediterranean, Japanese and International a la carte restaurants. As we were staying for our anniversary, we had emailed in advance and made our restaurant reservations - we chose the International (El Patio) for our anniversary and were greeted with a decorated table, champagne and a fabulous cake in lieu of dessert! The only restaurant we were disappointed with was the Cuban - the food here was poor and we wished we had gone to the buffet instead. The evening entertainment was in short supply and not very entertaining.
We had no problems with mosquitos but my husband had hundreds of bites on his lower legs which meant he had to be hospitalised on our return to the UK. We were told they were sand flea bites. Overall an enjoyable holiday - we probably wouldn't return as there are other places we would like to visit and hubby is somewhat cautious about the sand fleas!
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Owen from Sudbury travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Well we've never ever said that we would return to a hotel, however after our recent trip to the Paradisus we have decided to return in two years for our 10th wedding anniversary.
Great hotel, outstanding people and fantastic food.
To top it all off the scuba dives that I had been quoted for in November (£200+ for 16 dives), was now all inclusive!
well worth the money
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David Twiby from New Marske travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
Eclipse Direct
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Staying in this hotel was like staying in paradise! We really felt pampered. Where all the people were was a mystery because we hardly ever saw anyone walking around the grounds.
The pool was fantastic and NEVER crowded. Our rooms were superb, extremely spacious and comfortable. The view from the room was scenic and peaceful, we loved to sit on our terrace, enjoying a quiet drink.
In reply to the comment on there not being AC in the main bar and buffet restaurant, there would have been no point as they were almost in the open.
We found the food to be of a high quality, especially in the El Patio restaurant,and there was a great selection for everyone. The service was excellent, a constant supply of drinks was on hand.(We did notice several people tipping every time and felt this was unnecessary. After all, the cost of the holiday was high and the service should reflect this without the necessity of tipping.)
The entertainment, although very professional, was repetitive and boring. There is definitely a need for more variety. For children there was absolutely nothing to do after 6pm. This was the one criticism we had.
I really don't know where we could go to match this hotel(never mind beat it). Highly recommended for a fabulous, relaxing holiday.
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Barbara from Scotland travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I fail to see how anyone can not have a good holiday at this hotel.
There are only two negatives -
1.We were a little disappointed with our room allocation. We had e mailed ahead requesting certain blocks, but were not allocated anywhere near this. The reason given was there were allot of rooms closed due to the air conditioning being broken ( which ours did for about 24 hours), we had also requested second floor which we also did not get.
Our room was in block 22 which overlooked the woods, probably one of the worst outlooks you can get. It also did smell a bit muggy, but my husband mentioned this to the rep and an air freshener appeared in the room which did help.
Some blocks are most definitely better than others, if you can get in one these then your laughing. For all the time we spent in the room it wasn't something we were that worried about.
2.I do agree with the previous review, the public toilets could have been a little cleaner.
Other than that everything else was most definitely positive.
Restaurants
We emailed in advance our diner reservations, this i would definitely
recommend. We went to see the lady just before 9 on our first day, there was already a Que, we were fifth and it took us over an hour to be seen. All reservations had been made and tickets completed so this did save some time, but she still went over every reservation while we were there. If you go to see her later in the day there is usually no Que.
The a la carte restaurants are fab. The patio (international) was our favourite. You step into the International and the Mediterranean restaurants and feel you are in a country house hotel restaurant somewhere in the UK. The settings were fab and totally unexpected. The food was also great. We managed to get us a third visit to the patio as we liked i so much (tip the wine waiter and he will sort it for you)
The Japanese is great fun. The Cuban was OK. The buffet had a great choice, but like any buffet anywhere in the world could have been a bit warmer.
There is a choice of meats/fish cooked to order, and pasta with various sauces.
The food at the pool is great, pizza's, burgers, pasta etc the beach bar is also good more fish on the menu there. One word or warning - prepare to out on weight.
The swim up bar is great fun. It can get a little busy late afternoon, especially over the weekend. Lots of Canadians tend to come for a long weekend. Try the Bahama Mama's. The Mojitos are not all they are cracked up to be - very sour.
Staff
The staff are fab and work very hard, some do 16 hour shifts and they have an hours bus journey each way to and from the hotel. It is true if you tip they are falling over you to help. You don't need to tip much and it doesn't have to be every time, but it does help get you priority service.
Entertainment
There is a show every night at 2145. Usually singing and dancing with some spectacular costumes. Everything is over by 2300 then its on to the Karaoke bar/disco for those that want to or a quite drink in the lobby bar.
The animation team are great fun. Your can do nothing at all or take part in rifle shooting, archery, horse riding as well as the usual pool aerobics or volleyball.
Be sure to go out on a catamaran, its great fun and all included.
Although It is classed as a 5*, you have to remember this is a package holiday 5*, which in my experience are no where near the 5* properties in the UK. Bear that in mind and you cant go wrong. i would definitely recommend it for fantastic food,people and value for money.
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Linda Fowler from Abingdon, Oxon. travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2006 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Having read all the reports regarding this hotel and having been recommended it, we were really looking forward to our holiday. When we arrived for check in at Reception soft drinks were passed around as we queued. Unfortunately they had not prepared enough so we missed out.
The hotel is in need of refurbishment especially the bathrooms - nothing has been redecorated since it was built in 1999 and it is beginning to appear shabby.
Please note that the Spa, as at June 2006, is not finished so no sauna or steam room, just pool, jacuzi and treatments.
There is very little mobile phone reception around the hotel and beach area so be warned.
There are loads of mosquitoes so take plenty of protection.
A few days after arriving my husband got locked into the gents down by the pool restaurant and had to climb over to the next cubicle. This was never repaired so presumably cleaning of these toilets is not on a regular basis, most toilets around the hotel could have been cleaner.
After about a week my husband turned over in bed and a leg caught his bedside table and three legs fell off it. It was obvious that the table had been repaired many times. Unfortunately the lamp on the table fell off and broke. We were told that "it was not our fault that the table broke" but we would have to pay for the lamp. Obviously the table was once again repairable but the lamp was not. We pointed out that the lamp broke because the table was faulty but were told everything in Cuba had to be accounted for as it is owned by the Government and if we did not pay up for the lamp the maid would have to pay for it. She only earned 25 US dollars a month and it was obviously not her fault the lamp broke so BEWARE dont break anything. We paid up for the lamp but the maid stole some money from a drawer on the last day which was a pity because we had tipped her and the man stocking the fridge every day - so we did not leave her a tip on the last day. We tipped everyone all the time but most people did not bother at all and did not get any worse service than us.
Trips - we went on the Dolphin trip - take more money with you than the basic cost - once you are there the trainers want 10 peso's for the dolphin to drag you round holding their fins and another 10 peso's for the dolphins to lift you up out of the water (1 peso is about 67p).
Speedboat trip was fantastic - well worth the money.
Day trip to Santiago - three hours each way in coach as roads were so bad that the coach practically crawled through the potholes. We visited a castle (beware of the castle staff begging for money) we had an awful included lunch and then visited a cemetery and then had about an hour in Santiago. If you go in the shops be prepared to be searched on your way out. This trip was not good value but if you dont leave the Hotel you do not get a true view of the proverty that these people endure all the time.
The food at the hotel was excellent in all Restaurants - although lobster and Italian wine was sometimes "off". I cannot praise the food enough. The pool area was amazing and there were plenty of sunbeds etc. etc. The beach is quite something too.
Evening entertainment was the same dancers performing different routines each night. We were recommended to try the Majito Cocktail but it was never available as they could not grow any mint!
Would we go back - no - too many other places in the world for us as we are reaching retirement and want to visit other countries.
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David & Maralyn Reynolds from Cheltenham travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
Eclipse
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2006 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Wonderful hotel set in fabulous landscaped grounds and right by a fantastic bay.
We found all the staff very friendly particulary in the outdoor restaurant near the huge pool.
If you are into big-band music you won't be disappointed as a 12 piece band played most nights and a team of dancers hit the stage every night with great "gusto".
The rooms were spacious and modern, and even had a CD player.
Really this hotel is a "5 Star" resort of exceptional quality - we intend another visit very soon!
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Mullins from York travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2006 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Not going to add much more to the previous reports, just to say that this is probably one of the best hotels in Cuba and with a little bit of effort, could be one of the best in the Caribbean.
However, if you are one of those who believe in tipping only when you get good service then you will have to get your own drinks at the bar or remind staff in the restaurants that you are waiting. The tippers are always get looked after. Shame really beacause the quality of the food was very very good and really was 5 star.
Small beach also, when busy a bit crowded.
Don't get me wrong we still loved it and the overnight trip to Havana is superb, not to be missed.
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Scott & Sunny from Milton Keynes travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Second trip to Paradisus.
This hotel was so good last year we decided to go again at the same time of year.
The hotel is on a nice peninsula in lush grounds extremely well maintained. All the accomodation is either in 2 storey blocks or separate 2 room bungalows.
The bungalows have a nice secluded outside shower and I would recommend the ones on the lagoon side of the resort.
We stayed in block 38 (same as last year) due to its central location to pool and restaraunts and had a corner ground floor room which we requested by email before arrival.
This is a quiet relaxing resort, the entertainment (animation) staff will leave you alone if you want but they have great little organised activities such as free local tours for the non-lazy.
The rooms are nice & large most with queen size bed A/C that does work and a fridge-bar.
The Fridge bar was my only very small complaint (same as last year) as they only had two small beers , can of coke & bottle of water (although they do restock daily). Compared to the competition in Mexico where you get a fully stocked fridge + optics this could be improved.
Room Service menu is included in the price of the holiday and for those arriving late or needing that snack at 3am this is a superb.
Lobby Bar
Open 24hrs with a huge variety of proper branded drinks , not the cheap copies as you see in other resorts. Waiter/Waitress service is extremely swift and very friendly, they get to know your drinks very quickly and most times I did not have to ask for the drink or refills !.
In the evenings the piano player is in full swing although you may hear "Girl from Impanina" once or twice during your stay.
Fun Pub/Disco
Open from around 10pm to late. A/C can make the place seem like the polar ice-cap and a bit small.
Pool Bar
Open from 10am to around 6pm . This is a great combined swimup & dry bar with the sun on the bar all day for those who like to bake'n'drink.
Say hello to John & Luis who always had my drink ready on the bar as I struggled through the water.
Pool Restaurant
Open 10am to around 5pm .This is a sit down affair for those who want it however they do a fantasitic pizza which you can take away and eat by the pool.
A big hi to Judith & Maria for fantastic service at this restaurant.
Beach Restaurant & Bar
Open 12 to 5pm . Again an open air sit down restaurant facing the sea , superb location and great fish on the menu.
Main Buffet.
This is open 1pm to 3pm and then for the evening from around 6:30 to 10pm. Dress Code for men applies in the evenings long pants no shorts. It is open air but we never felt too hot as there was a nice breeze in the evenings.
The food is fantastic here, great choice & the presentation is top notch.
The Grill had regular choice of Steak ,Pork, Chicken with at least 3 different fish types such as Talapia, Red Snapper , Calamaries & Tiger Prawns.
A side Cavery with two meat choices.
Huge array of side dishes, a pasta chef to cook up your own pasta and a large pizza selection made to order.
For dessert there are a wide range of pastries , ice-cream and of course a Crepe Chef to put together a mouth watering Crepe that must not be missed.
All Ala Carte restaurants have to be pre-booked and I would recommend that you either do this via email or as soon as you arrive to ensure you can get the right times.
El Patio
This is located close to the lobby area and serves a wide choice of Spanish & Italian style foods. This year they had a pair of Dancers doing latin & waltz in the middle of the restaurant as the entertainment.
Japanese
This is an entertaining night out sitting around a tepanyaki table watching your meal cooked in front of you. Very friendly cooks with a few cheesy jokes to keep everything light and easy.
Mediterranean
This was our favorite, a huge entrance brings you into a small cosy restarant with a pair of excellent guitarists as the entertainment. Here you felt like one of the family with a superb choice of dishes and great choice of good quality Spanish Wines.
Cuban
We visited this last year but decided to give it a miss this time . The menu for vegi's is really limited and is the only open-air ala carte restaurant so it can get a bit sticky as it does not have the cooling breeze like the buffet.
Pool
This is nice & large with plenty of sun beds to go around without the annoying 6am reservation escapades.
The blue foam tops on the beds serve as really nice floats so you can drag one into the pool and float around dropping into the pool bar every now and then for a top-up.
Beach
The beach is shared with two sister hotels and the better part of the beach is opposite these hotels. Dont forget that you can use all the facilities of the other hotels so take advantage and take a walk to the other end of the beach , grab a drink at each of the two the beach bars on the way.
Evening Entertainment.
Very sedate entertainment and not the usual audience participation. Good quality band with the nice mix of local & internation flavours. Unfortunately there is no-where to go outside the hotel in the evening.
Staff & Tipping.
All the staff were extremely friendly and always had a smile & "ola" for you.
While tipping is not necessary we felt that one or two peso CUC now and again made quite a difference.
We would recommend that you bring small gifts to give out to the staff. We brought some childrens crayons & colouring books , soaps toothbrushes etc. Take a look on the forums for idea's.
Weather
Travelling in Dec (Cuban Winter) the weather was a little variable from blistering hot one day to torrential rain the next.
Things not to miss:-
A meal in the Mediterranean Restaurant
Sweet Crepes in the Buffet
Cheesy Jokes in the Japanese
Local trips organized by the entertainment staff.
Take a look a the other hotels on the beach and realize you paid the extra for good reason
Get the guys to take you out in a Hobbie Cat (Free but tip well)
Snorkel near the massage hut.
Take a horse & cart to Guadalavaca around 12CUC and far more fun than the usual hot & sticky taxi ride.
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Taylor Family from Derbyshire travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed in the PRDO during the tail end of Wilma and unfortunately the first 4 days weather was somewhat hit and miss.
The hotel is situated next to a lagoon and because of the amount of rain within a short space of time, the lagoon was breached by the sea. This meant that throughout our holiday the sea was sometimes cloudy in the area of the lagoon and we were a little concerned for our health and stayed out of the sea when it was particularly bad.
On the good days the beach was fantastic with excellent snorkeling, especially near the wedding gazebo. This is a 100yds swim but well worth it and is relatively shallow. If you take a pedallo out past the gazebo and keep going, you come to a lovely private, little beach.
Rooms: We e-mailed the hotel and requested a particular room on the 2nd floor with a room next door for our teenage sons. When we arrived it would seem that our requests had been totally ignored. The rooms were, one on the ground floor and one on the 1st floor. They came back with 2 rooms on the ground floor but we held out for 2 rooms on the 1st floor as originally requested. Please dont think we were being awkward but after paying the amount we had for this holiday and sending e-mails ahead with our request, we were determined to get what we had asked for.
We have travelled around the world and my advice to anyone, please check your room before leaving the check-in desk. If the rooms are wrong, do not leave the desk until it has been put right. We have spent other holidays being fobbed off for a number of days before eventually moving rooms.
Food: We had a few minor problems in the first few days. The main restaurant has a good selection of foods, although lunch time choice is not particularly good. We ate there once at lunch time and had to complain to the Restaurant Manager because a chef had freshly cooked chicken on the grill which was still raw. I caught my son eating this and grabbed it from him. A number of other people had also complained of this. The trick is to ask for it to be cooked not just well done but burned. If you are not happy tell him to keep cooking it!
Apart from here there is a restaurant at the pool serving pastas, pizzas, sandwiches/fries, and a restaurant at the beach serving fish, burgers and similar. Both these are waiter service so be prepared for a wait (remember your on holiday - whats the rush?) My main disappointment about the holiday was that the beach bar did not open at night for a drink and a small snack, being able to listen to the waves lapping on the beach! (bliss - but alas!)
The speciality restaurants were good, our favourite being the Japanese. On our visit to the Japanese our chef was (I swear) a Japanese Elvis lookalike called Pavel and he swore that this was most definitely his first night on the grill. He was very funny and allowed our 14 year old son to help him, or as he insisted to show him what to do!
We had also e-mailed the hotel to reserve the Japanese restaurant on one particular night for a special occasion. When we arrived we were told we could eat there at 6.30pm and not 8.30pm as we had requested. When we asked why (having sent an e-mail several weeks earlier), we were told that other people had booked all their allocations for the entirity of their holiday in one e-mail. This made it very difficult for people just arriving and trying to book the restaurants.
Also it didn't help that in our first week there were 8 wedding parties, who obviously take precedence, (and of course they should).
Staff: Fantastic. The best we have come across. Even the garden staff are lovely. We took plenty of gifts with us such as pens, pencils, note books etc and the staff really appreciated them. We gave our friend the gardener (Juan Angel) a football top and an unused pair of England flip-flops and a small amount of money. He was absolutely over the moon, as were the maid and the mini-bar guy. We also tipped the bar people and waitresses in the restaurants.
We were never under pressure to tip but they worked so hard and were always so polite that any small amount (on top of their meagre wage) was always greatly appreciated. If I were to go back to this hotel it would be because of the great staff. Some to mention -in the main bar, William (head bar man)looks about 15 years of age, Manuel and Yaniellis (or smiler as we nicknamed her). Mickel from the entertainment was great and spoke in a cuban/cockney accent. He and his pal Michael (Will Smith lookalike) loved to play pool with the boys at night. Delia (waitress) was lovely. Juan Carlos was the security guard at the beach who loved his banter when my husband and boys went fishing at dusk.
Entertainment: For our teenage sons 14 + 16 it was poor. There were 2 pool tables near to the main bar, but these would usually be quite busy. There was another entertainment area which had giant chess etc but this was for the daytime activities as at night it would be in darkness.
The disco was a refreshing retreat. The main bar and entertainment area were not air conditioned or even had fans and could become unbearably hot. It was nice to retreat into the disco which was air conditioned. I would definitely recommend taking a small hand held battery fan (it was a godsend).
Pool: This was superb and there were always spaces available. We particularly liked the mattresses on the sunbeds as you were able to take them into the pool to lie on. They were also extremely comfortable. We also liked the poolside cabanas, which were also a good form of shade for when the sun did come out. Another plus was the jacuzzi overlooking the beach. This is highly reccommended, especially when the sun is setting and the bar man will bring over a bottle of champagne. More romantic when its just you and your partner (Absolute bliss)!
My one big gripe with this hotel was the lack of lighting. On our 1st night we had a wander around the grounds but the lighting was very poor. It did not light up the pathways adequately and we stumbled across 4 giant crabs on our first evening. These could definitely have done some damage to unsuspecting toes. After this I refused to go out at night without taking my phone which has a torch. I would most certainly advise you to take a small torch. The lighting on the stairways of each block also came on when it was already dark. This was extremely dangerous as we were walking up and down stairs in the pitch black. This was sorted out in the last few days of our holiday, when it was changed for the lights to come on earlier before it got dark.
I would say that with a little tweaking, this hotel could be well worth its 5 Star grading. Just little things like some over-head fans in the bar and entertainment area, open the beach bar in the evenings and also the pool restaurant which could serve self-service snacks until late. Also improve the lighting around the complex, so that you may see where you are walking.
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Christopher Blackburn from West Yorkshire travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
Holiday Place
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We visited the PRDO from the 26th October to the 5th November 2005. A lot of the reviews cover everything about this wonderful hotel but here are a few points that I’d like to add.
We flew from Gatwick on the Air Atlanta 747 (Jumbo) that Cubana lease. We managed to upgrade to business class which was on the upper deck over the plane, the best £100 pp I have ever spent.
On arrival at the PRDO we were blown away, not only did they have all my restaurant bookings (e-mail request) ready and waiting but they had also put me in room 3428, which had been recommended to be on another Forum.
The 24 Hour golf cart took us to our hotel room and the staff took complete control of taking our bags to the room as well as giving us a guided tour of the room and how everything worked. One thing I wasn’t aware of which was a nice surprise is that room service is 24hrs and all included.
The Pool is massive and not once did we have a problem getting a bed. They were always plenty to choose from. Remember to tell the staff at the swim up bar if your going in the Jacuzzi they’ll bring over the champagne (Fantastic!!!)
The Restaurants – The only one we didn’t go to was the Cuban. For me it was a toss up between the Med and the Japanese for top spot but all were great. You can request to eat in the restaurants again but don’t ask customer relations it’s amazing how 5 pesos will get you in.
There’s nothing more I can say about the hotel that hasn’t already been said except to say I stay in Hotel’s on a weekly basis and have travelled to the Caribbean several times. This hotel is FANTASTIC the best I’ve stayed in we were treat like King’s and queen’s for 10 days. The service standards are amazing.
We loved it so much were going back to get married there.
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linda from Devon travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just returned two days ago from a fantastic two weeks at PRDO, the hotel was just wonderful everyone was so friendly, most staff speak wonderful english and they are very friendly people considering they have so little. and work so hard.
I had read reports before going and did have some concernes but there seemed to be minimal disruption from the building works going on in fact i was not disturbed al all.
The spa that is currently available is not good hence thats why they are building a new one, the jacuzzy X2 where not really worth useing but thats the only negative I could find.
Access to the private beach is currently only available by useing a bus provided by hotel, I cant comment on it as I didnt go I used the other beach that was very easy to access, and the beach restaurant was great for lunch.
The speciality resturants for dinner, I did hear some people complaining they could not get reservations but I booked befor going via e mail so this may be a good idea for any future travellers.
For me my favourite was the El Patio resturant the food and service was great.The bar service is great there is only one to use in the evening unless you want to go to the club which i did a few times, the great thing about the club is that is air conditioned.
Air con is a must it was just wonderful to go to my room after the heat and humidity, outside on one day we recorded the outside temperature on the beach at 40 degrees, thats hot I can tell you.
The best place for me was at the pool you can swim up to the pool bar and drink your heart out,just the place to cool down.
The food was excellent something for everyone even picky eaters, I just adored the shrimp and red snapper.
There was only one thing I missed HP sauce lucky for me someone had brought a bottle with them however I didnt find out until week two, but it was great to share and if you ever read this report thanks for the sauce.
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linda from Devon travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just returned two days ago from a fantastic two weeks at PRDO, the hotel was just wonderful everyone was so friendly, most staff speak wonderful english and they are very friendly people considering they have so little. and work so hard.
I had read reports befor going and did have some concernes but there seemed to be minimal disruption from the building works going on in fact I was not disturbed al all.
The spa that is currently available is not good hence thats why they are building a new one, the jacuzzi X2 where not really worth using but thats the only negative I could find.
Access to the private beach is currently only available by useing a bus provided by hotel, I cant comment on it as I didnt go I used the other beach that was very easy to access, and the beach restaurant was great for lunch.
The speciality resturants for dinner, I did hear some people complaining they could not get reservations but I booked befor going via e mail so this may be a good idea for any future travellers.
For me my favourite was the El Patio resturant the food and service was great.The bar service is great there is only one to use in the evening unless you want to go to the club which I did a few times, the great thing about the club is that is air conditioned.
Air con is a must it was just wonderful to go to my room after the heat and humidity, outside on one day we recorded the outside temperature on the beach at 40 degrees, thats hot I can tell you.
The best place for me was at the pool you can swim up to the pool bar and drink your heart out,just the place to cool down.
The food was excellent something for everyone even picky eaters, I just adored the shrimp and red snapper.
There was only one thing I missed HP sauce lucky for me someone had brought a bottle with them however I didnt find out untill week two, but it was great to share and if you ever read this report thanks for the sauce.
Well your not going to find a great deal going on outside the hotel, in fact theres nothing after dark, you would even struggle to take a walk unless you wanted to walk around the hotel grounds, the entertainment is hotel bassed and theres a show every night,it was very well presented, great dancing. and only one night did they ask for ordience participation , which was a great bonus for me.
During the day theres plenty to do if you want it, Horse riding catamarans pedalos water arobics vollyball need I go on.
One small reminder if your going soon dont worry about the hurricanes they mostly miss this area.
Trips I would recommend are Havana swimming with dolphins and Santiaga de Cuba, if you dont plan on doing anything you need not take much money as there is nothing to buy there are no english cigarets to be found so take plenty if you smoke, and remeber to bring back some bacardi rum its £3 a litre and great, Cigars are obviously plentiful but watch the street traders as you could get ripped off.
Make sure your passport photo looks very much like you as the authorities are very strict.
Im sure you wouldn't try to take anything illegal with you but in case you where considering it dont bother the sniffer dogs are at the airport and if your cought you cant even get in so its a quick trip back home on the next plane.
On that note have a great holiday and I would go back tomorrow if I could, Please remember that the Cuban people have very little they desperatly need soap toothpaste and razers the children are greatful for pens and paper clothes are also very welcome I left a lot of my things behind and gave soap and razers to people in the streets as the hotel workers are given quite a lot.
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Clare & John Griffin from Luton travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Well what can I say..... The hotel is out of this world, everything is thought out to a high standard to make sure your stay with them is top class.
The staff treated me like I was a celebrity. There are a few people who you have to meet when you get there and you will know what I'm talking about once you meet them they are:- Yanalis (she does the best foot massages you could ever have by the pool and always has a smile to great you with). Michael (he is in entertainment and if you have any problems he is the man to help you, he likes to say phrases from Bo Selecta, he is very funny) and last of all there is Manuel (he works in the main bar and will memorise all drinks for you every night. Put it this way there was 8 people in our group and he never forgot).
The food in this hotel is fabulous, I could of eaten in buffet every night it was that good. There is so much selection you can never get bored and as for the desserts I don't even want to get on them scales now I'm home. The best restaurant for me was the Japanese my only advise to you is if your going to go there make sure you book the "show table" because you will never see anything like that again.
There is not one bad comment I can make about my stay with this hotel. Put it this way its not called "Paradisus" for no reason because believe me it is pure paradise through and through.
I can't wait to go back next year as it is a place you definitely have to visit.
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keith willis from havant travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
eclipse
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Our stay at the Rio de Oro was magnificent,the staff
the food the surroundings,the service,no complaints whasosever.
Apart from getting into Cuba, and being charged Seventy Pounds excess baggage getting out,I left with less than I arrived with,having given lots of stuff away. This is the only AI holiday I have ever been on that includes, safe, room service 24/7, mini bar,porterage to the room.
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patricia downey from northamptonshire travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
thomas cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel is the most beautiful hotel we have ever stayed in. we were tols that this is the best hotel in Cuba and they are right.
It is paradise. the hotel itself is very clean in all areas and staff very helpful and friendly. They make your stay so nice we did not want to leave. The food is good.
The themed restaurants are not to be missed. The buffet restaurant is good,plenty of choice. Restaurant staff look after you very well. Pool very nice,plenty of sunbeds.the beach is stunning.we spent alot of time on the beach.the beach restaurant is a must for lunch.
Entertainment was most enjoyable. Bar staff very nice people and drinks good especially champers. Room was nice and clean. We had a relaxing 2 weeks.
Would I visit this hotel again most definitely would.
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Julie & Andy Morgan from Caerphilly, South Wales travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Absolutely fantastic. This is the only way you can describe this hotel. We were automatically upgraded to a bungalow without asking as it was our silver wedding anniversary and the room was beautiful. We even had an outside shower and our own hammock.
The food was excellent with plenty of choice. There would be something there even for the most 'picky' eater.
The hotel has the most beautiful grounds and it was a pleasure to take a stroll either to the beach, the pool or the main complex. You never had the feeling of being with lots of other people. It was just paradise.
The staff can not do enough to help you if you need anything and are always smiling. You will get superb service without tipping, but if you did it was greatly appreciated.
We only managed to get away for a week this time but we have decided that we are definitely going back next year for two weeks minimum, and we can't wait.
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mr & mrs ward from dartford kent travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Paradisus RIO DE ORA for two weeks for our honeymoon. The name speaks for itself PARADISE!!!!!!!!!!!!
The choice of food from buffet was excellent, as well as a choice of 4 a-la carte restaurants, a beach restaurant and a pool-side restaurant. The service was magnificent, always someone around to serve you.
The bar staff were just as pleasant although you had to wait a minute or two occasionally.
The staff all round did a fantastic job, entertainment was fab, and the dancers in the evening shows were out of this world!
We are planning another trip there next August to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. Can't wait.
All round the honeymoon was 110% can't fault it.
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Steve & Donna from Herne Bay travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2004 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have stayed here 3 times and soon to be 4.
It is a fantastic resort with everthing you could wish for.
The staff from the gardeners to the barmen the maids to the chefs are great and cant do enough for you.
Top quality all through the resort and a fantastic place to holiday.
A quick mention to William at the bar he is superb, just supports man u but i will soon make him see the errors of his ways and turn him to a Millwall fan other than that he is a superb barman and a good friend.
Steve
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Kath from Sheffield travelled to Paradisus Rio de Ora with
The Holiday Place
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2003 |
rated the Paradisus Rio de Ora as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We really could not fault this hotel. Everything about it was fab. The food, staff, rooms and location.
The pool and beaches were beautiful. Cant wait to go again.
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