Pullman Cayo Coco

excellent room, excellent location, unacceptable food

Trip.com books through a third party. I had a real problem with my booking once I tried to check in. I prepaid on line, but on check out day they wouldn’t let me leave until I paid again.

I went with 5 other members, friends & family. We had a great time together. When we originally booked, it was known as 'The Pullman', after which, had been bought out by another company, and is now known as 'The Grand Marena '. We arrived on Thurs. April 4, (for 10 days) before 10am that morning and had to wait till after 4pm for our room, EXHAUSTING! The hotel and rooms were slightly dated, but some of the rooms had been freshened up and made more modern. All of our rooms were done, which was nice. Coffee maker didn't work in the room, for us a little disappointing but we survived. lol Bottled water was delivered daily, and 2 beer in the fridge. My room was on the 2nd floor, which was really the 3rd floor as floors are #'d 0,1,2. Amazing view from the hotel lobby, overlooking the pools and the ocean. I hope you like kitties (I do, so didn't bother me), and chickens, with chicks, cause there's lots!! They even have a Nanny Goat!!! Awsome! The staff, all around the resort are happy to have us there. They'd stop whatever they were doing to speak with you. Gardeners, Maids, Waiters/Waitresses, Bartenders, Front Desk staff. So, so helpful when navigating for the 1st couple of days. The bartendars were awsome! Always making suggestions for drinks we might like. Daniella, the coffee steward, always singing...beautiful!! Wait staff ready to show you to your seat, offering water and drinks. All day entertainment at the pools. In the evenings, there was always a singer in the lobby and a show later on in the night, around 9:30pm. Some excursions have been canceled, but the good ones are still available... the catamaran, spectacular, jeep tour etc. We had the Japenese a-la-carte, very good. (We were moved before we got the others.) We always found plenty to eat. Breads and cheeses are amazing and offered at all meals. I had a fresh made omlett everyday. A nice variety of fresh fruits were available daily, Guava, Papya, Watermelon, Pineapple. Lots of veggies, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes etc, & meats, Pork, Beef and Chicken but no fish. A variety of pastas with sauces. Coffee was offered in the morning but not for lunch or dinner in the buffet, no big deal, we got a cappacino at the bar afterwards mmm lol. You've got to try their After settling in and accustomizing to the hotel & facilities, by Thurs. April 11, All guests were moved to different hotels for the duration of their holiday. The reason was because of some major renovations they were making. Although, up to then, the renos they were doing were'nt bothering anybody, but I guess they wanted to do some real hardcore renos, so, we were all moved. Too bad, so sad. My group was sent to the Gran Muthu, beautiful Lobby, nice rooms. Some staff were not as nice, and way, way too much walking up and down hills. Washrooms closest to the beach were at the snack bar, a good 10 min walk from the beach...totally unexceptable!!! At least now I know where not to go. But... I can't wait to go bac

On March 11th, I booked a vacation package to travel to Cayo Coco, Cuba, staying at the Gran Marena Cayo Coco resort. Unfortunately, my experience at the Gran Marena Cayo Coco fell significantly short of expectations due to several issues encountered during my stay. Two days prior to my departure, on March 28th, I received an email from Sunwing informing me of major construction taking place at the hotel. Concerned about potential disruptions to my vacation, I contacted Sunwing to inquire about any potential interruptions. During this conversation, I was assured that there would be no interruptions to my vacation due to the construction, with a guarantee of uninterrupted enjoyment of my stay. This conversation was recorded by both parties and is on file. Upon my arrival at the Gran Marena Cayo Coco on the evening of April 1st, I encountered several significant issues. Firstly, there was no hot water available in my hotel room, necessitating showers with cold water. Although this issue was rectified the following day, the entire hotel experienced a 12-hour water outage, leaving guests unable to access water for basic needs, including bathing. The presence of ongoing construction activities, including loud grinding and hammering throughout the hotel and beach areas, coupled with the pervasive smell of paint, further detracted from the overall experience. Additionally, the absence of working showers in the beach and pool areas compounded the inconvenience faced by guests. Despite raising these concerns with Sunwing representatives at the hotel, including Mr. Jose and Ms. Dayline, satisfactory resolutions were not provided. On the third day of my stay, the hotel ran out of ice, further adding to the dissatisfaction experienced. Although Ms. Dayline offered the option to transfer to a lower-grade accommodation, this solution was unacceptable, as it required additional payment. Furthermore, I experienced a breach of privacy on multiple occasions, with contractors entering my room without prior notice or permission to paint the balcony walls. This lack of consideration for guest privacy is unacceptable and contributed to the overall negative experience. I have documented these issues through photographs and videos, providing evidence of the substandard conditions endured during my stay at the Gran Marena Cayo Coco. As a loyal customer who has previously visited Cayo Coco on multiple occasions, this experience was deeply disappointing and has tarnished my perception of Sunwing Vacations. In light of the significant inconvenience, discomfort, and dissatisfaction experienced during my stay, I am requesting full compensation from Sunwing Vacations for the entirety of my vacation package.

Great week at this resort with our new friend Randy. The food was good. The French restaurant was our favourite. Great service from the all the staff. The beaches are beautiful. The resort will look amazing once all the renovations are complete.

The first time at this resort. A lot of construction and maintenance going on during the time we were there. The resort and rooms are very clean. The Cuban people are the best, they are very friendly and willing to help. We are aware of the food shortages they are going through but we were always able to find something to eat.The Japanese ala carte was the best. You dont go to cuba for the food, if it is food you like go on a cruise. The beach is unbelieveable with lots of huts to keep you out of the sun. The entertainment was good up at the loby as well as the room down stairs. I think next year you will see a great difference in this resort with all the construction going on this year. For us it is simple, we want a clean resort, entertainment, and a beautiful beach. This resort met our expectations. We would go back.

We really enjoyed our two week vacation Feb. March on the family side of this resort. We did not enjoy having to find our own way at night to our room then wait for an hour and a half for our luggage to be delivered to us after a long travel day. HINT take your own luggage with you IF you have to find your own way. Our TV did not work because we needed new AAA batteries in the remote. Thankfully we had fresh batteries in our little flashlight that we used because new batteries were scarce there. HINT bring AAA batteries and if you do not need them kindly donate them. Despite being without any water in our room one day and without hot water another day we had a great vacation. There were repairs happening thru the resort and some more are needed but Everything Does Not Have To Be Perfect To Enjoy A Wonderful Vacation!! The food was good, spouse loved the tasty BBQ at the beach bar, food and drink were plentiful while we were there, the pools were clean and the shallow ocean and the beach (cleaned early every morning) were beautiful. Yes you had to go down very early in the morning and clip your towels to your desired beach chairs in shade but the sunrises on the beach are worth getting up early for. There were no extra cups for the self serve tea or coffee at the buffet so learn to always bring your own travel coffee mug which is also handy for your early morning coffee at the lobby or snack bar. Most of us had either a Bubba or a Yeti for our drinks. The staff there were very nice to us and alot spoke English. Occasionally the WiFi did not work for very short time frames but usually it was good. The gift shops only take credit cards not cash and charge in US dollars but the Cubans with tables set up some days will take Canadian paper money In Good Condition. HINT bring crisp new five and ten dollar bills to exchange for loonies and toonies from staff so appreciated. Also really appreciated by staff but not expected for good service were our gifts of medical or hygiene items (toothbrushes were supplied along with toiletries in rooms). HINT bring a fly swatter if flies really bother you. If sand and grass fleas like you bring anti-itch cream along with bug spray. Would we return to (Pullman) Gran Marena resort in Cayo Coco in the future YES we enjoyed our two weeks vacationing there.

I am putting up a review which I don't normally do because I don't want anyone else to feel like they have to endure rather than enjoy their vacation. We stayed here for two weeks in March and by the end we could not wait to get home. I have been to Cuba twice before and it was great. Now I will never go back. There are some positives, the beach is definitely beautiful and the weather is amazing. The staff are mostly friendly, but you are expected to tip for EVERYTHING. I don't know why I paid more than 6 grand to have to tip every time someone does their job. I understand the situation in Cuba is bad right now and so we were accommodating, gave plenty of tips and brought gifts of medicine and toiletries for the staff as well, but it is a bit out of control. When we arrived we had to lug all of our stuff to our room by ourselves (on the third floor) as well as all of the luggage of our elderly parents, since there was no one in the lobby to take our bags. The room was clean, but the bedding was threadbare with holes in it, there was mildew on the curtains and the lampshades, and little bugs stuck to the light fixtures. There is no laundry service at the hotel. They say the machines are broken. We only packed enough clothes for a week so we ended up wearing dirty clothes or washing things ourselves. There is nowhere on the balcony to hang laundry or swim gear/towels unless you bring your own line (luckily we did). The pool was ok, but several times during our stay the main pool was closed for cleaning for 6 hours during the best/hottest part of the day. Is it not possible to do this early in the morning or at night when the pool is closed anyway? Also the broken tiles are everywhere, my daughter cut her foot in two places. The music/entertainment was ridiculously loud as well. The pool bars had very little to drink, usually no mix except koolaid or orange tang, occasionally sprite, but you are out of luck unless you like beer. No pina coladas here! They charge a dollar for a bag of popcorn and it comes in a sanitary napkin disposal bag. Also, bring your own cup because the disposable plastic ones they use for drinks are flimsy and tiny. I did have a cup but it was stolen from our poolside spot on our second to last day. The pool snack bar "El Carey" ran out of things constantly. If you were lucky enough to get a hamburger, it was undercooked, and most days they had no buns. They had fries on the last 2 days we were there, but nothing for the first 11 days. Also, they had food at the poolside buffet a few times, but near the end of the trip there was nothing there at all. Moving on to the buffet. If you enjoy having the same food over and over, it is fine at first. Until they don't have even the basics. We had bread for the first week, but none at all the second week. If you want to wait in line for 10+ mins for an egg or omelet it gets old quickly, especially when that is the only option. Fruit at the buffet was