3 Stars

We were at Blau Arenal for 2 weeks in January 2026. Resort is nice and very quiet. Less than 1/2 full. Power outages frequent but an on-site generator kicks on in under a minute. Wifi resets and available in rooms, lobby & at the snack bar. Staff is wonderful. We could always find good food at the buffet, but don't expect much of a selection at the bar. No blender or fruit juices. Rooms were clean & comfortable. Take hot (warmer) showers in the afternoon due to solar heating. Bring facec [... read more]loths. The pool is cold but very clean. Gym had free weights & a universal set but treadmills & elliptical not working. I didn't try the bikes. Beach is nice, no mosquitoes right now, but read up on Midges. Their bites are nasty , we had dozens. The town of Guanabo to the right was a good beach hike away. Bus trips to Havana daily at 1030 with returns at 330 & 5pm. US$10 pp incl return. 30 min trip. Any nighttime returns will be by taxi. Bring lots to give away. Everyone appreciated it. Cheers!

Amazing resorts

It was a very great hotel. Food was good except they were mixing pork with most of the food which that was no good, but there was very great and clean. Lots of vegetables lots of food lots of fruits clean rooms every day cleaning new towels amazing shows 24 seven free drinks, which it was unbelievable very good. All in one word I loved it so much every day easy bus going to Havana and bringing back.

Base Resort

It’s my third time in 3 years that I’ve been to this resort. Each time has been poorer when it comes to food. This last time, they rationed the meat and gave you the feeling of begging when wanting more. Terrible feeling. The evening meal is from 7:00 until 9:00, and the special part of the meal may last the first hour. So if you show up in the second hour, more often than not you miss that part. They also have someone serving the meat tray side (which was never before) so that they can monitor [... read more] what you get. And yet the opposite side vegetables etc is self serve. I could go on…

Lovely and Small.

I stayed at the Blau Arenal for a week in early December 2025. It was a really nice experience, I loved almost everything about the resort. The staff were exceptionally nice and well trained. The grounds were spotless and the rooms were clean and the A/C worked very well, despite the often blackouts. When there was a blackout the generator would come on instantly, so it really did not matter that much. One big plus was that the WiFi worked very well, for me this was a first after having b [... read more]een to Cuba 12 times previously. It was also free! The resort is situated on an absolutely beautiful stretch of white sand beach, as good as Varadero. In fact, now that I know of this beach there will never be a need to return to Varadero. Havana is only a short half hour shuttle ride away. The shuttle costs US$10 for a return trip. Two negatives I had for this resort. One was the food, it was often almost inedible. The problem was not the quality of the food but the cook or cooks. They used absolutely no spice except handfuls of salt. No garlic and not even black pepper was used. There was a total lack of creativity as far as the food was concerned. Breakfast was a little bit better because they had eggs and fresh rolls. A few minor tweaks to the food, such as adding a touch of sugar to the oil and vinegar salad dressing, maybe adding some garlic and a touch of soya sauce to the stews, etc, would have gone a long way. The heavy dose of salt was a heart stopper. They have lots of eggs so they could have made a mayonnaise for example. They have tomatoes so they could have made and offered pizzas and spaghetti and meat sauce, the two easiest solutions but I never saw that,rather there would be over cooked spaghetti but no meat sauce. There was also no snack bar, so no hamburgers or hot dogs for late at night and also no french fries, a pity. Another negative at this resort was the fact that the quality of the alcohol was not the best but it was still more acceptable than the food. Despite all the negative things I have written about the food, I don't think I will ever go to another resort in the area other than this one. Next time I will just bring my own peanut butter, some hot sauce too.

Blau Arenal Habana Beach

The hotel was good , the room was always clean the service was good , the beach is dirty beer cans all over the place and you have to watch for broken glass on the beach the town was 30 minutes away it was a nice walk. Over I had a wonderful time and going back in February

Good resort.

The hotel grounds are quite limited but exceptionally clean. Public areas were quite accessible, acceptable and fairly clean but no paper towels or hand dryers. Our room was quite large and clean and well attended to by the maids. Dining, was not bad for Cuban standards with lots of baked fish at dinner time along with much ice cream. This hotel is much worth the money especially if you enjoy the beach and like nightly entertainment. Its proximity is close to old Havana by bus which costs $10 US [... read more] from the hotel return. Go Canadians and enjoy.

Un resort

Thé place is nice , lot s of opportunités for thé manager Miguel and his team to make you feel like hall has taken thé Haven . Doffenetly it s a bring Your own food place . Theres Even a Shattle to take you to thé great area of thé City garbage hole . If you feel lonely , it a a good place to want to be lonlier … good security , very repliable for thé touriste . Don t take Your phone with you id useless . In a nut Shell , stay home Cuba to be avoided at all Times …

Okay resort

It was very quiet not many things to do and no entertainment. The pool was very nice and the lobby was welcoming. There is only one dining area,and there are lots of cats that like sit at your table and wait to be fed

Nice clean resort

We recently stayed for three nights at the Blau Arenal. It is a nice, clean family resort with good amenities. It is close enough to Havana so we were able to visit this terrific city. The staff were nice, and the people at the front desk let us know all bout our unique travel details, and kept us informed of time of transfers, etc...However, if you are looking for a resort with all the "bells and whistles" of a typical resort, this is not for you. There was no entertainment, only one bar, one r [... read more]estaurant, small beach, and not exactly the resort you want if you are looking for nightlife or things to keep you busy.

I've had better!

Some of the staff are amazing! Some were slow lazy and argent, The buildings and grounds where good, the food was poor, everything was bland, the same meals everyday, the high lights where the eggs in the morning! Coffee was weak, cream nonexistent, the beer was flat served in little soft plastic cups, infect all drinks where served in such a manor, the wine was ok, they ran out of everything, even rum! Many tourist with local hooker at the hotel! Go for a walk to the near by town if you w [... read more]anna be bombarded by prostitution and poverty! The lagoon near the resort also kept a steady amont of sand Flys and mosquitoes! I will not return to this hotel or to this area of Cuba unless I'm volunteer with some kind of humanitarian aid!

Small resort

Food was good with lots of meat and real eggs. Near the Capital Havana about 40 min taxi ride... It is an all included... Will advise to take suit which is a big room with a king size bed... The beach can be dirty for lack of surveillance during the night and some days the beach was beautiful but some days the water was dirty because of swamp... Overall a good resort in terms of price quality!

Great Hotel!

Great hotel just 40 minutes from downtown Havana with a $5 daily shuttle for those who want both a resort and Havana visit(s). Beach is wild looking - no buildings visible at the coast line- just sand dunes and palm trees. Fine white sand, warm turquoise water. Gorgeous pool. Nice staff - front desk people go over and above to help you. Food was delicious.

Blu Arenal

This was my first time.to a resort as well first time to Cuba. Close to Havana. You can take a bus or taxi. Pool and beach is nice. Food is terrible, however you will never go hungry. My favorite food to eat was the omelet or hard boiled eggs in the morning. I didn't care for thr room. I paid extra for the superior room. Overall I wasn't happy and will not go back there. However I'm not telling anyone not to go there. You may enjoy it!!

Terrible

The food is terrible and I'm not sure you can call it food. Hygiene awareness is basically non-existent everywhere in the resort. It’s a health hazard. I survived by basically not eating the whole time I was there. Insect bites are another problem. Broken glass and dirt everywhere on the beach...

Interesting resort

Resort grounds are astounding. With more maintenance and better service it could be a solid three star hotel. Rooms are totally outdated. Wifi coverage at times is first class and at another time, it is totally non existent. Food for Cuban standards was ok. No hot water at the hotel wing we stayed in.

Very good hotel

We stayed 7days and very satisfied with this hotel, clean, safe and nice stuffs. We don’t have any complain for food because they already try their best to serve tourists. Also the hotel is very convenient for people to Havana.

Excellent resort

I stayed at Blau Arenal for a week. I was incredibly surprised and happy with the resort. The rooms were spacious and clean. The food was good. The beach was lovely and it was a short trip on the shuttle to Havana. The staff was kind and accessible. I have zero complaints and would recommend this resort to friends wishing to combine a beach vacation with accessibility to Havana.

Lovely Surprise

This place exceeded my expectations. It was clean and comfortable. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. The rooms are a bit dated but better than I expected. We made use of the gym, pool and beach. I also enjoyed the musicians who played one night.

Great time, wonderful hotel

I would like to begin saying that I always received an excellent treatment from the entire hotel’s waiters and waitresses, bartenders, housekeepers and front desk personnel. The rooms, bathroom and the hotel in general was very clean and well maintained, the pool was terrific and also very clean and organized. There were plenty of hardware and furniture for seating and relax all around the pool and on the beach. The beach was also very nice with plenty of white sand and transparent waters full [... read more] of little fish swimming around. There is a wooden bridge that gives access to the beach from the hotel. The bridge has a cocktails service where they prepare Pina-coladas, cocktails and smoothies. The food wasn’t the best if compared with other 4 start hotels I’ve been before but, it was fairly diverse and well prepared; fruit and salads were locally supply and seasonal (okra, tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, guava, eggplant and other). The restaurant is huge with 7 food stations grouped by, Juices deserts and drinks, vegetables and salads and fruits, meats and fish (beef, chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, crab, tilapia filets and lobster meat) bread and cheese (gouda only I saw), charcuterie (serrano ham, mortadella, peperoni and a local made ham too salty for my taste) and two other stations, one with the legendary Cuban roasted pig black beans and rice and plantain and, the grill where you can get beef, chicken or fish (grouper, snapper, seabass) depending on the day. The hotel has an excellent stuff. I would like to mention the manager Miguel, who is always open to suggestions and critics, to Arbeli the guy who always keep the pool pristine and greet you with a smile in the face every morning. I also like to mention the excellent treatment I always received by the hotel desk personnel, Yaima, Dianelis and Henny (sorry for my spelling) among other whose names I can’t remember. I would also like to mention and thank Jorge the bartender and the girl also a bartender that, unfortunately, I can't remember the name, Pedro the chef and Oel the waiter in the restaurant and all the rest of the service personnel and bartenders from who I received a very professional treatment

A Quick Getaway in the Sun

The hotel was beautiful and the rooms were better than expected. The bartenders and food staff were fun, cheerful people. The food was good and nobody got ill (which is a worry for some in the tropics). The beach is outstanding... soft sand, shallow, very warm water, no seaweed or critters that we saw. We took a daytrip to Havana on the hotel's shuttle and enjoyed the city. It was quite empty at the resort so there was plenty of room and chairs everywhere. We'd certainly consider the hotel [... read more] again if we go back to Cuba.