This ultra all-inclusive resort is all about the sea. You can see it from, I’m told, 95% of the property and while I didn’t measure, I was pleased to see the Caribbean cerulean almost every time I looked up from wherever I happened to be in the resort.
Paradisus Varadero is within the eco reserve in Varadero’s Rincon Francés zone, and has one of the best beaches on the peninsula. It’s also one of the only beaches in the area that has natural shade, from the tall coconut palms lining the soft sand. On the regular side of the resort is a wide crescent beach, gleaming white, lapped by calm waters. On the Royal Service side is a straighter sandy stretch ending in a rocky drop off which is better for snorkeling. In both directions you can walk seemingly forever
Families are central at Paradisus Varadero, particularly when the new Family Concierge section opens in November 2016. This resort-within-a-resort will offer all the Meliá Royal Service extras in an exclusive area designed especially for families. Kids will delight in the water park’s fountains, and with the indoor and outdoor play areas, and the bar and buffet just for them. Parents will love the luxurious surroundings, dining and services. Parents and kids might argue, however, over who gets the milk and cookies left with turn-down service!
Paradisus Varadero has an abundance of restaurants, bars, and places to play and relax. The resort boasts ten different pools, and some rooms and bungalows have a swim-up pool entrance. Greenery and flowers are everywhere, and whether you like a quiet area or a place in the action, you’ll find your ideal spot for both day and evening.
Often at all-inclusive beach resorts, the rooms can leave something to be desired. Not so at Paradisus Varadero. Rooms are large and well-furnished with a sophisticated colour scheme and decor. Bathrooms are meant for luxury, with big soaker tubs, separate showers, multiple sinks, and lots of counter and closet space. While families won’t feel crowded, junior suites, suites and connecting rooms are available too for additional space and privacy.
Once the new Family Concierge section opens, the gorgeous Royal Service section, nearer the ocean and the spa, will become adults-only.
Stays usually combined with airfare; consult your travel agent or MeliaCuba.com
– The only option for families to stay in luxury.
– You’re almost always in sight of the sea at this ultra all-inclusive five star resort.
– Great spa: I finally lost the knot in my shoulder!
– Some rooms are far from the beach, though the walk there is through pretty winding paths with fragrant frangipani trees.
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
Set in one of Dubai’s most vibrant and popular areas, the Intercontinental Dubai Marina is a cool, chic destination for leisure and business travellers alike. Positioned a block back from the beach and The Walk, a buzzing mile-long area of restaurants and shops, it’s served by a tram station just outside and a metro within walking distance when the weather allows.
The hotel’s 238 rooms are contemporary and sleek while still being welcoming and comfortable. My room had a side view over the Marina and the pool from the windows which filled one wall of the room. This, together with the glass wall between the bedroom and bathroom (with retractable privacy screens) gave the room a much appreciated feeling of light and space.
Rooms are thoughtfully designed with flat screen TVs, free wifi, well set up desk area, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities.
The second floor pool catches any breeze blowing over the Marina and has plenty of shade available if the Dubai sun gets too much. Pool staff will happily move the pool furniture around ’til you find the perfect spot.
The hotel offers nine bars and restaurants, including a gin bar, a deli and a fine dining restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, as well as the international restaurant, Accents, where the very good breakfast buffet is served. The outdoor bar, Urban Lounge, is the place to be in the cooler months, sipping an evening drink surrounded by the twinkling high rise towers of the Marina.
The hotel staff are amongst the friendliest and most natural in the city. A real pleasure to interact with, they help make the Intercontinental one of the best choices in the Marina area.
From US$170 without breakfast
– Beautiful sculptures and other original art pieces throughout the public areas
– A short walk to the happening beach-front area but away from the noise
– Excellent service and friendly staff
– ‘Hot’ dishes at the buffets were not kept warm
Steve and Candice
Review Team
Meliá’s best resorts are Paradisus resorts, and the best section of these is the Royal Service section. My stay in Paradisus Princesa del Mar’s Royal Service was fabulous.
Arriving in Varadero from a brief trip to Havana, I was taken via golf cart to the exclusive Royal Service reception area. They knew who I was when I arrived, and greeted me warmly with a cool towel and an even cooler drink. I was introduced to my butler, and escorted to my gorgeous junior suite.
Inside the large space, decorated with calm taupes, was an immense bed beckoning me for a nap and a huge jetted tub beckoning me for a soak. One look outside, though, and I knew the pool was going to win.
On my patio was my own Balinese bed, its white curtains floating in the slight breeze. Directly in front was the pool of the Royal Service section. I jumped in and enjoyed a lazy swim first to one end and then all the way to the other of this curving lagoon-style pool. While I was tempted to climb onto the Balinese bed for my much needed nap, I needed to check out the beach.
Walking across a pretty white bridge over the pool, I followed the boardwalk path toward the sound of the waves. Passing through a row of trees, I was immediately calmed by the stunning Cuban palate of the bright blue of the Caribbean Sea next to the white sand of Varadero. Pelicans flew by. A snorkeler peered up from the depths. A couple strolled by hand in hand. A woman napped on a bed under a palapa. And I jumped in the water for a salty swim.
There are several restaurants to choose from at Paradisus Princesa del Mar. Royal Service guests have two exclusive à la carte restaurants, as well as access to the resort’s other six restaurants. At the Hill Top Hideway, I enjoyed excellent ceviche and was torn between the tuna steak and the truffled lobster ravioli, and happily chatted with fellow Canadians over dinner. I ate most meals at the Bellamar restaurant, with its impressive selection of specialties and standards. Other resort restaurants serve Japanese, Asian, French, and Italian cuisine, as well as snacks and an international buffet.
Like all of Meliá Cuba’s Paradisus resorts, stays at Paradisus Princesa del Mar include a daily one-tank dive (a second dive is $50 CUC (= US$), and subsequent second dives during the rest of your stay are 20 CUC each). Leaving after breakfast, we took a quick bus ride across the highway to Meliá Marina where we were outfitted with all the necessary gear in great condition. A speedy boat ride over the blue sea and we were soon underwater looking at immense Caribbean lobster, moray eels, healthy corals and sponges surrounded by very friendly fish.
Paradisus Princesa del Mar’s Royal Service is ideal if you’re looking for an adults-only luxury stay in Varadero. I’d love to go back!
Stays usually combined with airfare; consult your travel agent or MeliaCuba.com
– Swim-up to your Royal Service room and relax on your own poolside Balinese bed
– Like at all Meliá Cuba Paradisus resorts, scuba diving is included
– Excellent Royal Service dining
– Need to move the dresser and unplug the lamp to charge your phone at bedside
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
One of the newer five star hotels in Dubai, the Four Seasons Dubai Jumeirah is a chic hotel offering beachside luxury to guests in its 237 rooms and suites.
The hotel has an imposing and attractive Mediterranean-style exterior while inside you’ll find marbled corridors with high arches and Arabian design touches. I stayed in a deluxe skyline room with a dreamily comfortable bed, a sofa for lounging on and a well designed desk area. The room also featured an ipad for access to hotel information and services, a flat screen TV with Bluetooth speakers, reliable free wifi, and a large walk-in closet.
The bathroom was extravagant, with a standalone tub from which you could view the TV embedded in the over-sink mirror, a rain drop shower and mosaic tiled wall. The roomy balcony was one of my favourite features of the room. It had a day bed along with two comfortable chairs and a table and a distant view, stunning at night, of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, and downtown Dubai. Other rooms are sea-facing with views over the Arabian Gulf.
Breakfast is an impressive and varied buffet in the Suq restaurant. Alongside the usual Western, Arabic and Indian fare were healthy options like green juice, chia bread, almond milk and homemade granola. Or a crepe and ice cream counter if you want a rather less healthy start to your day.
There are three pools: an indoor pool in the spa, and two large, palm-fringed outdoor pools. One is an active pool; the other a quiet adults-only pool. The 24 hour gym is very well equipped and includes a good selection of free weights, including heavy weights not usually found in hotels.
The hotel is the closest beach hotel to Dubai airport and also to Dubai Mall. It’s the ideal place to stay if you want to include some serious shopping on your luxury beach holiday.
From US$285 including breakfast
– The large and peaceful adults-only pool
– Excellent service and long hours at breakfast, with the buffet available ’til 11:30
– Free non-motorised watersports such kayaks and stand-up paddle boards
– Service around the pool was poor
– Used room service trays were often left in the corridors for many hours
Steve and Candice
Review Team