Old and not maintained

I had an extremely disappointing stay at this hotel. From the moment I arrived, it was obvious that cleanliness and basic maintenance are not priorities here. The rooms are dirty and outdated, and housekeeping barely does anything. Changing the bed sheets seems to be the extent of their cleaning. The staff were consistently rude and unhelpful, which made every issue even more frustrating. When my door broke, I was repeatedly told maintenance would arrive in five minutes. That turned into near [... read more]ly two hours of waiting. There was no apology, no urgency, and no accountability. Because of constant problems, I was forced to switch rooms multiple times, which was exhausting and completely unacceptable. Instead of relaxing, I spent my stay dealing with one issue after another. Overall, this hotel is old, poorly maintained, and badly managed. Between the lack of cleanliness, misleading wait times, rude staff, and nonstop room changes, I would not recommend staying here. Save yourself the stress and book somewhere else.

NO WAY!!!! RUNNNNNNNN......save yourself the trip and pay extra to go to another destination!

The hotel was horrible, had no hot water for the entire duration of our stay! The room smelled like mold and the outside smelled like the sewage was going to back up at any moment. The toilets didn't flush right and coming from a northern ontario county I know all about septic damage! This hotel was not a 4.5 Star like the rating gives it.....more like a 0.5 Star! We arrived and my husband and kids walked into their room on the first night to it looking like there was a massive orgy that just ha [... read more]ppened! The room was not clean, the beds were slept in , there was viagara on the counter and condoms between the beds!!! Like what kind of Smile Kids Resort is this!?????? If this isn't enough to read it gets better m the bathroom had piss in it and my teens shared a room that the lock and door pad was broken and falling off. Keys never work and you walk over a mile to the front desk to get another one (IF Someone is there you are lucky)! The pool was half empty and when they finally filled it on the 3rd day it was sub-zero temps! Don't forget to pack lots of snacks and make sure you bring condiments that you would enjoy! But its CUBA, the beach is a beauty and the water is clear! Mosquitoes are hungry so don't stay by the sand after 6 pm! I really feel like if Sunwing and TripCentral don't think my family deserve another holiday then thats a shame.....no hot water.....staff even complaining and agreeing with how we were all staying is not right. To think, we brought over 20 people to this resort at an average of $1300 per person!!! Great Memory for sure!

Should be a two star

Hi Natalie I just wanted to reach out and take a second to tell you about probably the worst trip of my life. My uncle and I landed in varadero December 26 arrived to the hotel and checked in got our room like every other time (everything was normal) got to the room and noticed it was very dated and dirty (room #21322) I went to get in the shower and was surprised by no hot water.my uncle pulled back the sheets and what looked like body fluids.so he paid the cleaner $50 American to clean the ro [... read more]om. I went to the customer desk and talked to the lady’s at the front desk and told them about no hot water and how the room was a mess. They told me to come back at 9:30am tomorrow morning and we will change your room. I got back to the room with new sheet on my uncles bed and we went to 24 hour snack bar for a snack(probably the worst excuse for a hotdog ever seen ). Work up at 3:00am freezing cold and couldn’t turn off the a/c the thermostat wasn’t working so I turned off the breaker. And the door key never worked and had to get the cleaning lady to let us in or get the keys programmed daily. Wake up in the morning go to the front desk and they said come back at 4:30 pm so we went to buffet. It was so dirty and smelled so bad I couldn’t eat. My uncle had some omelette and I went to get some toast but couldn’t find any butter. After a 4 days we finally got a new room with hot water which was amazing but the room was also dated and dirty and the door key actually worked but the a/c didn’t(no big deal ) after 4 days of trying to find something to eat and wishing for a little bit of butter they wheel into the buffet and sculpted crocodile and what I think could be a deer out of butter(I was like that’s where the butter has been?) cockroaches running around the buffet and smells terrible wasn’t in the mood for food anyway. Needless to say I been to varadero 36 times in the last 4 years I’m sure I have a file with you guys I normally stay at the occidental arenas Blanca’s for cheap $540-$900 or I stay at Melia internacional for $1400-$2400 per person. I payed $2250 per person for the worst Cuban experience I have ever had in my life and paid the most money for it. I’m incredibly disappointed to say the least hopefully something can be done about this. Thanks Rob

Memorable trip

The people of Cuba make up for the lack of luxury that one might expect. The resort was functional for the most part, the rooms require renovations, the showers are luke warm, the food was better than expected, but set your expectations! The beach was lovely and the pool was good too! If you know what to expect for Cuba, I recommend this ressort, it was a wonderful trip!

Avoid

There was no toilet paper, bottled water or clean towels on arrival. It was a challenge to get toilet paper or clean towels most of my stay. I never got any beach towels even after requesting them. I had been to this resort once before and the food was okay that time. The quality of the food has gone done considerably. My toilet seat was hanging by a thread. My room was not made up when I arrived. The nightly shows were considerably worse than my previous visit. Management seemed to not [... read more] care at all about guests. I fell on my third day there on a water covered floor. Had to get 11 stitches on my head. No one at the resort seemed to care. STAY AWAY.

So so resort

The hotel pretends to be five star.On arrival they asked us to pay extra money to upgrade the room.The upgraded room was just good enough.It had cockroaches.When we complained,they refunded us the money.

Grand Memories

Music too loud at pool and beach. TV didn't work. I told 2 desk clerks, the maid and main person responsible for resort. Nothing done. Won't go back there. I'm alone and don't sleep much so a TV is good to have

Rooms at resort are in bad shape

The pool area, beach were amazing. Coffee was garbage, snack bar coffee machine never worked the whole time we were there. Lobby bar was serving coffee in plastic cups. No butter and other supplies at the resort. Towels only on some days.

Grand Memories Varadero did not leave me with good memories

I booked this vacation to travel with my toddler to Varadero mid November 2025. In general, I go to Cuba with realistic expectations given the circumstances surrounding Cuba.I don’t go to Cuba for the hotel or food but for the people and the beautiful beaches. However, I was disappointed overall with this trip for numerous reasons due to my experience and the hotel. Hotel - overall the hotel was nice, the hotel rooms/buildings, beaches and pool area were decently laid out and pretty. The beach [... read more] was beautiful with soft sand and enough beach chairs for everyone. Same goes for the pool area. The hotel itself is run down and needs maintenance and upgrades. Cleanliness - the hotel is dirty and grimy, cleanliness doesn’t seem to be a high priority for the management or employees. From the main common areas to the rooms, there was a certain level of dirtiness that I was not expecting. Our housekeeper did not really clean our room on a daily basis, not sure what she was doing in our room given the floors still seemed unswept, except for taking a small blanket and turning it into a swan. The room was dusty, had cockroaches (which fair I know is a tropical country), and the tables/floors /surfaces were sticky. Staff - I met some friendly and nice staff, however, I was approached by many female employees asking for kids clothing and even my stroller since they could see I was a mom travelling on her own with her toddler girl. I felt uncomfortable being asked for things on a daily basis. I realize the circumstances are different and there’s a level of need by the people of Cuba, but to be asked for my daughters things multiple times a day by multiple people started to become exhausting. Especially our housekeeper who acted like the was entitled to my belongings. She was aggressive and pushy and kept asking for my stroller. At one point I complained about the hot water in our room and she stood by my door while I was coming up the stairs, grabbed my key card and asked multiple times if I’m changing rooms. She went into my room and turned on the sink and bath tub water to prove the water is hot and kept demanding if I’ll change rooms, and went as far as to say you shouldn’t have a problem with the room water since I see you in the pool which is colder. It was just an odd and uncomfortable experience having this person as our room housekeeper. Another couple in the same building complained that this housekeeper and another one who were going through their things and demanded their stuff like their daughters clothes and beach toys, etc. They wouldn’t leave and the hotel guest felt obliged to give them each $20 for them to leave. I did give away some of my things to some nice staff I met but this shouldn’t be expected or requested by the staff. Hygiene - I saw many female staff members going into the washroom and not washing their hands. This was just gross to see, especially for the staff who work in the kitchen and handle our food and cutlery. Overall service - two things to note about overall service of hotel. The first night that we got to the hotel, I got no help. It was midnight, I had an exhausted toddler on my hands and luggage. There was no porter or guest services to help, except for the one for Sanctuary (adults only side) who herded his guests and left. I had to move my child and luggage’s to the check in on my own. Once I checked if, I waited 20 minutes to get assistance with luggage once I requested it. The worse part is that they put me in a room on the third floor. Why would you put someone with a toddler and stroller in room with multiple stairs? We made do since they had no other rooms but my booking was clear I was a single mom with a toddler and would have expected some common sense when assigning rooms. They also put my friend on the third floor who also had toddler. My only saving grace was the last day, as I was lugging my stuff and kid to the front desk, a kind porter from the Sanctuary side saw me and grabbed everything and helped without saying a thing. Gave that kind gentleman a big fat tip because he could see I was struggling and this was a service I was hoping for and expecting throughout the trip. Again, I want to reiterate I don’t expect the first class service or food or new hotels when I go to Cuba. But I do expect cleanliness, decent service and feeling comfortable and I didn’t get much of that on this trip. I’m also not a cheap guest, I leave a decent tip to the housekeeper and tip everyone that get service from, but by the end of the trip was I felt like I was some cash cow for them and couldn’t wait to leave.

This is my 4th time staying here, and it won't be my last.

The check-in process was efficient and help getting to my room was ample. The staff were all very friendly, especially Mayren Jimenez who was particularly helpful with my a la carte bookings and getting me help to get into my room safe. I had a beautiful view of the ocean from my room and it was very clean and quiet. I can't wait to come back here.

Summer vacation for 7 pax

Check-In Experience: Arrived at 9:30pm, waited an hour with only one staff member at the desk to check in newly arrived guests. Many of us were tired and hungry from the trip but due to understaffed check-in, we missed the buffet. It was disappointing because this could have been prevented especially during off-peak hours. Room Conditions: Room wasn’t in great shape, but the AC worked well on 2 out of 3 rooms. It was dated with occasional maintenance issues, though cleanliness and air conditio [... read more]ning are usually acceptable. The resort needs a major overhaul. Wi-Fi & Connectivity: Terrible Wi-Fi. It is unreliable and slow, especially in rooms and even in the main lobby. Wifi at Snack Bar was better. Dining & Service: Buffet closes at 10pm, snack bar mishandled your order with a 30-minute delay due to poor communication. Service can be inconsistent, with some staff being very attentive and others less so. Food is repetitive but sufficient, and delays in service are not uncommon. Overall Vibe: Underwhelming service despite low guest volume. The resort has a lively atmosphere and great beach access, but service quality varies, and maintenance issues persist. We had a terrible experience with customer service during our stay. Upon arrival, we were assigned a room on the third floor, despite having a mobility issue and requesting a ground-floor room. There is no elevator, and we were told to return the next morning to request a change. The process was chaotic. Staff gave us conflicting times for when the new room would be ready (3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, 4:30pm). They blamed shift changes and linen delays, none of which should have been our concern. When we spoke directly to housekeeping, they confirmed that two rooms were ready. Upon returning to customer service, staff were angry and questioned how we knew about the rooms—they were saving them for new guests, even though four other room change requests were pending (we saw the sheet). Eventually, we were given a ground-floor room, but the entire process was unnecessarily stressful and poorly handled. Customer service was dismissive, disorganized, and unprofessional. Staff were more concerned with internal logistics than guest comfort. We are a family of 7 and we booked 3 superior rooms (Bldg #23). We do NOT recommend this resort based on our experience (July 21-25).

Worst 7 days

We recently stayed at this resort and unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing from the moment we arrived. We arrived very late at night with our 18-month-old child. The check-in process took over an hour due to an apparent lack of staff. We stood in line for more than an hour while a separate issue was being escalated in front of us. Despite clearly seeing that our child was becoming increasingly fussy, the receptionist made no effort to prioritize our check-in or ask a coll [... read more]eague to assist. The lobby was hot, not air-conditioned, and filled with mosquitoes, which made the wait even more uncomfortable. There was no consideration shown for families with small children. Once we finally reached the front desk, we were told that the two rooms we originally booked were far from the beach and pool. We were offered an upgrade to side-by-side rooms closer to the beach and pool for an additional \$240, which we accepted. When we arrived at our rooms, however, one was not ready. It was dirty, with unclean bathrooms, no towels or toilet paper, and unmade beds. It was already past 1:00 a.m. when two maids arrived to make the beds, but the room remained unclean and felt uncomfortable to sleep in. This led to us effectively losing our first night due to poor organization on the resort's part. The issues did not stop there. The phones in our rooms were not working, so any time we needed assistance, we had to walk all the way to the lobby—only to have most of our concerns ignored. The following day, we were given premium bracelets as a courtesy for the previous night’s issues, which only gave us access to the premium restaurant. We were told this did not include minibar refills, which felt like an insincere gesture given the inconvenience we experienced. Towels were also a persistent issue. We were never able to exchange our beach towels throughout the entire stay, despite multiple complaints. The room itself was in poor condition—doors were misaligned, the balcony door was extremely difficult to open and had no lock, and the room felt consistently damp, making the beds and overall environment very uncomfortable. My elderly mother had a particularly difficult time as the bathtubs and showers were installed so high up that getting in and out was unsafe. As for the dining experience, the premium restaurant offered very small portions and mediocre food, while the buffet was nearly inedible. There were flies landing on the food, plates, and cutlery, creating serious hygiene concerns. Although I have visited Cuba many times and understand the limitations around food, this experience was by far the worst I’ve had. Even the currency exchange machine was consistently out of order, adding to our frustrations. In summary, our stay was marked by disorganization, lack of professionalism, and poor customer service. The upgraded rooms we paid extra for did not reflect the quality we were promised, and based on that, we can’t imagine what the standard rooms must be like. I would not return to this resort nor recommend it to anyone. This was a waste of money and an unfortunate experience for our family.

Good after first day

4th time to Cuba and 1st time at Grand Memories Varadero. First night was bumpy as had to move rooms due to cockroach, but staff was empathetic and understanding. Had everything worked out by the 2nd day. Resort is nice, but dated. Food was plentiful and overall good - again having been in Cuba before, we knew what we were getting. Beach was nice, but a bit more rocky than our other resort. Staff was great the whole time. Still friendly, helpful, and do their best to may your stay great. O [... read more]verall, a good trip for a family.

Beautiful pool & beach, run-down quarters

I stayed seven days in May of 2025 and I had a great time. The best parts of the resort are 1) the beach and ocean and 2) pools. The ocean water was clean and warm. There is a bar on the beach as well. Fantastic. There are two large pools. They're called the noisy and quiet pools. They're both fantastic. We found ourselves most days at the quiet pool which we had almost entirely to ourselves. :) The negative points about Grand Memories Varadero are the accommodations. The rooms are  [... read more]clean, beds are comfortable, and the air conditioning works great. However, the doors are rundown and falling apart. My wife could not open the patio door as it required so much effort that I had to do it. The food at the resort left something to be desired. Some days there was no bread, for example.

Nice place

The resort itself has good amenities, but unfortunately, the rooms haven't been maintained very well. And the maids don't actually clean your room while you're out during the day. They come in, make your bed, and then leave. They averaged about 1 minute or less in our room. Otherwise, it's a nice resort, overall. The pools are excellent. The staff are nice (although not as friendly as other places we've stayed). The lobby is wonderful in the evenings. They have a musical entertainer each [... read more] night, and they are highly talented musicians. They really elevate the mood perfectly. The food was as good as any other Cuban resort we've experienced. The gift shop on sight was nicer and bigger than our last resort. They have cigars, daily toiletry products, snacks, and other nice things. The beach was stunning. As nice a beach as I've ever seen. We always found a spot in the shade, and the water is breathtaking.

Beautiful Resort

Grounds are kept very clean. Rooms need a lot of work as they are very dated and run down. Staff for the most part were very friendly. Food in the alacarts was good for the most part. The buffet was lacking especially the fact there was no bread most days. Toilet paper was in short supply.

Love Cuba despite a few flaws

Overall, enjoyed stay Wifi spotty and unpredictable Room keys had to be reset 8-10 times Food variety greatly reduced post Covid. Fresh grilled fish amazing Rooms starting to look dirty and shabby. Sheets and towels were not changed during stay Staff helpful and pleasant A trip to Cuba is worth the few minor concerns

Very bad resort

Hotel is run down. Washrooms are terrible. No toilet paper. No napkins. Room very dirty. No hot water. Phone in the room not working. It was a very nad experience. No spoons. Food was terrible. Bed sheets dirty.

Amazing place

Everything was clean. Service was good. No complaints. The grounds were well keep. They went out of their way to serve you. The beaches were amazing. I highly recommend going here. I’m gonna be coming back very soon for the money. You can’t beat it. The people were very friendly. The problem is is a really like American money.

Dated , Completed in 2010 , somewhat run down , needs updating .

Towels was a BIG problem , We had family there and 3 teens shared a room with only 2 towels , they never changed the towels all week despite constant complaints for more . Food was plentiful but was always just warm not hot . Weather was perfect all week ,along with the beautiful beaches . Seeing so many classic cars was wonderful but outside the resort poverty was prevalent . Didn't see any entertainment other than something going on in the lounge area each night . I never saw anybody cl [... read more]eaning the pools or around the pool area as it appeared most people smoked , butts were everywhere . You get what you pay for in Cuba , as long as your expectations are low , you could enjoy it .