My husband a I just spent 9 great days at the Melia Jardines del Rey in Cayo Coco. We loved every minute. We have no complaints. We liked the food. There was a big selection to choose from, fresh grilling stations of meat and fish, fresh pasta station, hot dishes, cold cut and cheese, fresh stir fry and even pizza occasionally on the night time buffet. We loved the baby octopus and mussels. The desserts were all delicious as was the ice cream. There is also an ice cream parlour half way to beach that is open until 4:30. In evening there were two churros stands -- one by the buffet and one by the coffee house. We really enjoyed the Al cartes especially the Barbeque one. We had lunch almost every day at the beach restaurant buffet which had a good variety of food and saved me walking to the main buffet. When I was at the noisy pools I enjoyed a nice hamburger and fries at the snack bar and when I was at the quiet pool I enjoyed a ham and cheese pizza at the pizza restaurant. The food was tasty and we loved it. I organized a special dinner for my husband's birthday and enjoyed surf and turf -- half a lobster and best tasting pork steak which was absolutely delicious. They also made him a birthday cake. I have read bad complaints about the food. I don't understand these people, yes the bread was smaller and they didn't survey bread at the Al cartes but that's because Cuba has had a shortage of flour. They are doing their best with what they have. One day they had boiled eggs on the buffet but the other days it was liquid eggs only for omelettes and my husband was fine with it. He buys liquid egg whites in a carton here and they use liquid eggs in most of the hotels that offer scrambled eggs for breakfast. There was so much food to choose from -- way more food than I ever have at my house. If you can't find something to eat you have a problem. For the price we paid I'm surprised that had so much. The fresh fruit was fantastic - papaya, guava, pineapple, watermelon and mango occasionally. |The drinks were wonderful -- some bars made them better than others. The first day we had no Pina coladas but after that we had them. Mojitos were wonderful - the last day they didn't have mint so I had lime daiquiri. There was always red, white and rose wine at the Al cartes but only white wine in the buffet. That was okay because there are many many times I have neither red or white wine at home. |The beach is absolutely wonderful -- yes there are big rocks and coral in front of resort. I heard it has changed -- six years ago it was different -- the hurricane changed it. If you walk to either side of the resort you can find a sandier entrances. We brought closed Crocs and there was no problem. The water is so clear and turquoise. There are sand dunes during low tide and you can see so so many starfish and big shell fish which are absolutely amazing. My husband loved the ocean as did I. The loungers are all new and in great shape. |The pools -- so many -- I believe six -- were all nice and they were working on removing the green algae on the side of the quiet pool. The loungers by the pool were also in good shape. They were constantly working on improving the resort. They strung lights along the main walkway the first couple of days we were there. They were taking apart a lot of the rooms and repainting the rooms in bungalow 15. They added all new lights in corridors so that they were nice and bright. They were painting the walls in the snack bar and the ice cream parlour. They were painting the cement on the concrete stage infront of the lobby. The last night we were there we noticed they had added new Neon lights in the lobby. The first day we arrived we saw several people in the water ponds in lobby cleaning the sides and painting the statues. The water fountains were put cleaned and were working half way during our stay. |In terms of the grounds -- the gardeners were constantly working -- trimming bushes, cleaning up coconut trees, planting new palm trees, planting perennials, and cutting the grass. |Our room was clean, no they don't change the sheets during your stay unless you ask because the laundry is done off the property. We got water and beer every day. We had enough toilet paper but towards our stay they must have been running out so I was given a roll of paper towel -- we had brought some of our own so we used them. That wasn't a big problem. The public bathrooms ran out of toilet paper in the late afternoon so I always carried my own or tissue but was no big deal it's Cuba and they can't get supplies that easy. They do the best with what they get -- they have to ration supplies at time. |In terms of the workers. No complaints -- everyone was super friendly and they all smiled and said hello. All our waiters in the buffet and the Al carte restaurants, bar tenders, bathroom ladies, ice cream girl, snack bar staff, housekeepers and gardeners were super friendly.|The customer service people were absolutely wonderful. I emailed in advance because I have mobility issues and required a central location. All my needs and more were meant. Daineris and her team in customer service were super helpful. She works with the wedding planner who decorated and prepared the beach up beautifully for the beach ceremonies. I loved watching two weddings while we were there. If my hip was bothering me I asked them to trolley me to the beach from the lobby and they did on several occasions. ||We loved loved our stay at Melia Jardines del Rey. There might be a few glitches while you're there , example the light in our shower was very dim but we had nice hot water, but remember you are there for the sun and fun. We took an vintage convertible car around Cayo Coco for $35 Canadian which was so much fun. Our half day tour of Moron was cancelled so we couldn't stop on the causeway for the fresh pineapple but we got some on the beach -nothing like a fresh Pina colada in a fresh delicious pineapple. We also enjoyed fresh coconuts supplied by the gardeners on the beach. Go with an open mind and enjoy yourself! |I forgot to mention there is a small flea market in the Flamenco plaza just infront of the resort along with a bowling alley, cigar store and I believe a restaurant. I just visited the flea market.