Not the best

Well to start things off I understand that you get what you pay for. I'm not oblivious to that but I must say I was not impressed with this hotel at all. we arrived at the hotel to the most unfriendly front desk staff I have ever come across. I do travel quiet a bit and have never felt so unwelcome. our room was so far away from everything and people were commenting that they put us in the getto. it was so worn down and it was directly on the beach but the beach area there was full of garbage an [... read more]d you couldn't walk the beach area unless you had shoes on. after two days it was either get a flight home or upgrade our room to which I think that is the idea of putting people down there. a week at this hotel was a week from hell for us. the best part of the trip was getting on the bus everyday to go into the town and get away from this nightmare. Also one more thing the food was awful and the same everyday. sorry but this was our experience and we will not be recommending this hotel to anyone.

Basic but friendly

I stayed at Club Kawama for a week this January and for the most part really enjoyed it. The pluses: a beautiful pool area, gorgeous beach, friendly staff, great location - easy access to Varadero town.The negatives: table cloths at the main restaurant often dirty, food basic and often overcooked, although plentiful. No outside telephone lines, bedroom floors not always swept, always noisy - music playing all the time, not my thing. Everything in my room worked, but according to complaints I hea [... read more]rd from other customers, this was not always the case. Overall, pretty much what you'd expect from a 3-star hotel in Cuba.

We love Club Kawama

Hotel was great. Loved the fact that our room was in a bungalow. Fun to walk through the resort. Food was great. Pool beautiful and beach sublime! Staff were friendly. Not fancy but comfortable and homey. would take my family there again.

Great resort with friendly people

We had a great time. The resort is very old and could use updating. The food was good but the mixed drinks weren't very good as they kept running out of ice. Coffee bar was very good. The people working at this resort are very friendly and tried to do everything to keep you happy. We will definitely go back to this resort.

Run Down Resort

The beach was beautiful, the pool was beautiful, most of the service was good but some of the front desk staff were nasty and rude. A couple of front desk staff were so condescending and made it very hard to ask any questions. The service at the front desk needs to be better. The hotel is completely run down as are the grounds. Some of the rooms are so far away from the main pool and the lobby that it would take 10 minutes just to walk to your room. A lot of broken sidewalks and uncared-for Gree [... read more]nery. The food was pretty bad in the main restaurant. Some days it was okay othe. Tgre was very little variety. It was the same most days. The Italian restaurant was pretty good. I would not stay at this Resort again. The rooms were old and dilapidated. Our bathtub would fill with water and wouldn't drain. There were times when the toilet wouldn't flush. There was peeling paint on the ceilings and water damage in lots of the areas. Furniture is old and falling apart. Very uncomfortable beds. Really needs a facelift.

Christmas in Paradise

Christmas in Varadero....awesome!!! Just returned after 2 weeks at Club Kawama, we had an amazing vacation and look forward to our return trip in February!. This is a very old and quaint hotel, come with an open mind and enjoy the sunshine and hospitality of the Cuban people. We have visited this property many times and return for the small hotel feel, there are a lot of Repeaters as we call our special group and if you are a first timer give it try....try not to look at the negatives but enjoy [... read more] the positive things about this resort. Yes the rooms need work, yes the food is a little repetitive...enjoy the sun and the people..... While we were there we noticed many improvements...new mattresses, buildings painted, new umbrellas and chairs on the beach, and the food was great( remember this is Cuba). Too many people come to Cuba expecting 5 star expectations and often compare to Canadian Standards....we must not do that....not the same.....it is Cuba remember. It is wonderful to return and have staff remember you from the year before....Cuban people are awesome..... Christmas Eve supper was amazing....turkey, seafood, potatoes, fresh veg and fruits....desserts to die for....oh and of course that wonderful home made ice cream....if any one complains about this meal, there is no hope for them.....there was an over abundance of food for everyone. Cuba beach......what can l say..... Any way, enjoyed our trip and will be back again and again.....

Very poor

very poor in upkeep of grounds and room. No light in the ceiling of room. very dark. No outdoor light. very dark along pathway to restaurant. One morning as my son was standing in front of mirror it came crashing down off the wall. We were asked to pay $140.00 more for the unit we thought was booked by trip central. There was a bulldozer on the beach for three days. At times coming very close to us. Noisy, and fumes. The staff on front desk were not very accommodating. The rest of the staf [... read more]f for room and restaurant were very friendly. We have been to Cuba 3 times at other resorts and were very disappointed at Club Kawama.

Friendly resort

Grounds were well kept although there were hiccups with our room we were finally moved due to a paperwork mistake on hotel part to a beautiful suite for one night. Quiet resort whole some of it is older and still under construction the staff and tourists were amazing

Never again

Kawama Hotel in Cuba needs a huge face lift. The experience is like going to camp. The Cuban people are amazing and all of the staff were very friendly and kind. The food at the resort was very poor. We both came home with very upset stomachs which are still struggling to get back on side. The rooms are very old and dated. We often questioned the cleanliness of the rooms. Last year at the same resort we had no hot water, this year we were lucky as we had tons of hot water. Toilet paper is sparse [... read more] and we luckily brought our own. We tipped the staff but it was hard to get small bills anywhere to tip them with. We will not go back to this resort.

Another wonderful vacation at Kawama!!!!

It's always a pleasure to arrive back at Kawama. We've been coming here since 2000 and have almost always had a wonderful time. Landing in Hurricane Sandy put a slight damper on our first couple of days back in 2012, but even then, the staff couldn't do enough for us. Special kudos go out to Leida for always trying so hard to accommodate everyone's room preferences and ensuring that everyone is comfortable. Leida is always open to suggestions and does her best to address any concerns from the [... read more] guests. She is one of a kind!!! Madelaine, Dayne, Nancy, Pepe, Peruschio, Gretell, Evan, Fernando, Natasha and Riebel, just to name a few, make each trip a pleasure. Kawama is an old hotel that won't appeal to everyone. If you want 5 star surroundings, Kawama is not the place for you. BUT, if you want a small, friendly, comfortable resort on the best part of Varadero beach, within walking distance of downtown, then come to Kawama. We love it!!

15th Time!

While this resort isn't for everyone we continue to return here for the amazing beach, the friendly staff and the location. This is one of the oldest hotels in Varadero so many things are often not working or need repair but it still has a unique charm. It has so much history. It's worth booking a superior room and staying here means you are closer to the old downtown and closer to visit the surrounding villages and towns.

Home away from hime

Again it was an amazing stay. Even tho Irma has hit they managed to reopen very fast for us repeaters. Of course lots have been damaged but everything is working and under repaira. The only downfall was the lack of food and alcohol. There was only 1 bottle of certain king for the day or until the order comes I. Not very pleasant. But the staff, the beach and temperature was at its best!!

Lovely time

This is my seventh time to Kawama and while it does have some imperfections, it is home away from home. I have made many friends there who are now like family. I would recommend to anyone with an open mind who wants a good time great beach and location. The only minor complaint would be the drinks and that they often run out quickly of things

Great Time

There was lots of renovations/improvements going on but was not a inconvenience to our stay. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Beach and location were excellent. Overall amazing place to stay and great value for the price.

Good resort

Very good resort. I had great time visiting this place. I got lovely deal . The service was great . I would recommend to visit this place . Lovely beach with clear water . The bar near the pool is open till 5am .Enjoyed drinks and food .The staff is very kind and helpful. On a funny side..there is a security guard in front of the lobby looks like Obama. He is very kind and helpful. I would recommend to drink bottle water rather tap water.

Great Resort

I have been there 3 time in the last year and every time I go there is a little something else they have renovated. The only complaint I have is all 3 time I have asked to have a room to shower and change my clothes, there is never a room available which is very annoying.

Fair

we liked the location, the people that work for the resort are very friendly. The food was fair, but the desert table was great, Was a little disappointed about our room, especially the beds. My bed had a dip in the bottom have of the bed, and they did not do anything about it. so that was a little uncomfortable., also the cleaning of our room. We did find that the people at the front desk were not honest especially with the exchange of money. It happened to us but also to many other people.

Loved it, again.

This was my fourth stay. It gets better very time. Great improvements, new air condition units, new lobby to say a few. Staff is amazing as always. Very open to our needs always trying hard to please. Location is amazing walking distantance to the downtown core. Beach is the best. By far the best deal for your money. Will go back as soon as I can.

Another Awesome Vacation

This resort felt like going home. This was our second trip to Cuba and I was very surprised when many of the staff remembered my husband right away and when they looked at me they noticed that I had lost weight and told me how wonderful I looked and would tell me over and over how beautiful I looked and for a woman who will be 60 in October it made me feel wonderful. Our trip was from April 30-May 7. My reason for those dates was because on May 2 was the 5th year passing of my daughter and a [... read more]ll the staff knew this and the staff were all so kind to me and the rep with Sun wing was so kind to me that I could never thank her enough. She found a Church that my husband went to on May the 2nd so that we could pray and speak with the priest. The Sun wing rep also helped use make plans about taking 2 trips that were awesome and will recommend to everyone I know who are thinking about going to Cuba. Our room was clean and large. The only thing that went wrong was that the AIT condigitioner stopped willing on Wed. evening and was not repaired until Friday. And they offered us a new room on Friday evening just before the conditioner was fixed. The most wonderful thing I have to say is just how awesome all the staff were to us and we have already decided to go back to Cuba and we will go back to Club Kawama next year. We willbr in contacted with our travel agent Carol Webber again next year.

You get what you pay for.

This was our third trip to Kawama. We knew what to expect at this resort. The staff are nice, we booked a superior room. The room was ok, we had a big balcony. The cleanliness with house keeping can be improved on. There were a lot of locals staying at the resort. We are aware that locals do get to stay at the resorts. The issues with this is that the tourists were left without a place to sit and eat their meals. The food is typical Cuban food.It was basically the same daily.The section we were  [... read more]staying in which consits of superior rooms was taken up by the locals, we only seen two other rooms being occupied by tourists. Checkout time is at 12pm. They offer you a complementary room to freshing up before your flight, each person gets 20mins and they do not provide towels. We enjoyed this resort in the pass, but our saying now is we are Kawama'd out. For those that are going to Cuba for the first time. You should not have any kind of liquid going through their customs. They sell alcohol at the air port before you go through customs. Do not purchase any, they will sell it to you and then take it from you. They won't tell you the difference, they are making money and then getting their product back from you. You can purchase the alcohol, cigars or tobacco in the Duty free shops after you go through customs. They also take your lighters from you, make sure to bring matches in your carry on, not a lighter. We seen a lot of upset tourist when we were waiting for our flight.