Had good time 10 night stay

grounds, pool very nice and kept clean, beach amazing spent most time there. food fair, we ate out often as walking distance to restaurants, rooms very standard we had renovated room, deck very small could not sit out on deck which was a negative room 247 quiet facing gardens which was bonus. Staff friendly, Cuban people very nice and felt very safe out at night. Drinks w/alcohol pretty good, got tired of pina coladas, and other frozen drinks. Like Crystal beer can buy at resort store $1 peso. T [... read more]ravelled as couple. Was 3rd time cuba, 1st time this resort. Liked the location. Next year going back to Mayan Riviera MX and pay extra for better food, drinks, wine etc. the Cuban peso exchanging our Canadian $ was 30% and 40% at hotel plus need to save $25 peso each to leave country. So we will pay extra and travel to 5 star resort MX .... Will we return to Cuba? Yes most likely but try Holigun or another area of Cuba.

Great place

the food was good .the room was clean . good location will go back service was good the pools where clean the only thing was bad is the checkout time which is 12noon and we didnt leave till 5 in the moming we had no where to go till then

Last min deal

Hotel was ok, a place to lay your head was a last min booking and was in our budget. Fisrt time away at an all inclusive so i cant compare, everything was just ok but new that going there. Really liked Cuba, and the beach is awsome and lots to do down town,

Nice Central Location

First impressions of the hotel were great. The grounds were nicely kept, the staff was friendly. We arrived around noon so the room was not ready until 4. We were able to have a nice lunch and wander around a it. We had requested a king size bed which they were not able to accommodate as they said the hotel was full and maybe the next day. Our room had an awful smell to it so we reported it immediately and once their technician recommended we be moved they did so right away to a room with a king [... read more] size bed. Amazing they found one afterall. The pools were nice and clean, impossible to get a chair around the main pool closest to the activities unless you went out with your towel at the crack of dawn. During the day the staff would remove any unused lounges from the pool areas and take them to the beach. The beach bar was closed so you had to go to the snack bar for a drink which was about a 2-3 minute walk from the beach. The beach was beautful, nice soft sand, fairly clean, crystal water. You could walk to all the markets and restaurants or take a taxi or a horse and buggy ride. We stopped for lunch one day at a local restaurant called El Criollo located at Calle 18. The hotel is located at Calle 8 so not a far walk. The food was great and not too expensive. We also went to dinner one night at El Toro, a steak house which serves Canadian beef. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection. It is located at Calle 28. At the beginning of the week the snack bar served most of the same lunch selection as the buffet, salads, meat ,cheeses, buns, etc, but by the end of the week they only had hamburgers. The buffet was pretty much the same selection every day. There was an omellete station for made to order eggs, but they had precooked scrambled, poached and hard boiled if you didn't want to wait. They have bacon too, but you usually had to ask for it as it was not made readily available on the buffet. One night they had ribs which were delicious. They had a Cuban day at the resort and that evening there were huge roasts of pork at the buffet. The only problem with the buffet is that it was too small to handle such a large amount of guests. There were always line ups outside to get in and then huge lineups waiting for food. The Cuban a la carte restaurant was wonderful. The food was amazing. The Italian a la carte was ok. We never got to the Mexican as it was always booked. You can exchange your money when you arrive at the airport or any time at the front desk of the hotel. . The rate at the airport was better than the hotel, similar to the bank rate, but the lineups at the banks in Varadero were over an hour wait. There was no archery at the hotel like the inclusions stated. There was also no hairdryer in the room. All in all it was a nice hotel, great vacation.

Staff and Grounds

Excellent staff and service. I will go there again. Hotel rooms are fair but only used to sleep and shower. Food ok. Grounds are beautiful. Entertainment and staff different every night. Some day time activities.

Worth less than I paid

Fifth time you Varadero, but this resort is not what we were expecting. We know the food is not spectacular in Cuba, and we know they have a hard time getting parts to repair things, but it seems that the management is pinching pennies and not willing to give guests their moneys worth. Half the beach loungers need to be replaced, the recently closed beach bar needs to be reopened, the waterfall at the main pool needs to be fixed, and the rooms will not be nice until they are ALL fully renovated. [... read more] Toilets in the lobby, by the entertainment stage and by the beach grill need to be fixed so they flush properly, and paper towels and soap needs to be provided. But other than the food and drink quality and variety, there is not too much more to complain about. The beach, ocean, a few select staff members, and the nightly entertainment were all awesome.

Good resort

Resort was old but clean, pools were very nice, beach was beautiful.. Rooms are older but clean had hot water all the time.. Staff was very friendly.. Food was not bad for Cuba.. Had a great time and for the price was great!

Cheap and cheerful

This is an older resort and a little outdated to say the least. The reception staff need to be more pleasant and welcoming if not at least helpful. Having said that all other staff were wonderful. The place is spotless... the resort is smaller which I particularly liked.

Great Staff

Staff was super nice, wish I could say the same for the management. Manager was cold and didn't engage much with his clients. Food was really good. Lacked in entertainment during the day.. Hardly saw the animation team at all only at the shows at night. Rooms were clean but run down. All in all it was a great vacation because we made it one.

Not a 5* paradise, but a fair 3.5* resort :)

My husband and I visited this resort from December 27th 2014 to January 3rd 2015. We enjoyed our stay and did not have any major complaints. That being said, we came in with no great expectations, which helped us to not be disappointed when things were not always perfect... If you go in expecting a 5* experience, you will, undoubtedly, be disappointed. If you come in expecting a well-maintained, average 3-3.5* resort, you should be satisfied and pleased with things, overall. The best assets of t [... read more]his resort are its friendly bar and dining room staff, its tasty food, its BEAUTIFUL, pristine, white sand beach, and its clean, well-maintained grounds. Expect : - Small, simple, dated rooms --- Be sure to request a King-size, as they will give you two twins by default. - Unfriendly & sometimes impatient and rude front desk staff (a few were great, but on average, the service in this area left something to be desired...) --- - To have to tip consistently in order to receive the best service (at bars, restaurants and with the cleaning staff in your room) - To have to leave the resort for night life (No disco or dance/night club on site) Nightly entertainment (professional dancers, swimmers, singers, illusionists, etc) lasts from 9:30p.m. to 10:30p.m. nightly (usually a very good show!), but as of 11p.m., the only place to go is the little "Lobby Bar", which stays open 24/7, but is a tiny, open-air bar, located in the front lobby where guests check in and out...not a very entertaining place to be...That being said, it is very safe to leave the resort and venture into town in Varadero; we went out with 3 other couples for New Years Eve and were not disappointed. Cubans, in general, are very welcoming, friendly and helpful. - To see cats all over (as you will on most, if not all, resorts in the Caribbean). The cats take care of any rodents, and I, for one, would much prefer seeing cats around than rodents of any kind! ;) Keep these things in mind and you should have a nice, relaxing stay at the Roc Barlovento! Enjoy!

Resort not bad, there's nice beech and locations.

Hotel can be batter even for Cuba. Food very simple and every day the same one. Drinks are cheeper. Thay try to clean the room, but never wash the floor. A lots of moscitos! !!!!! Animation - thay just had animation.

Roc Barlovento

For a 4 star resort, we expected a lot better food and a nicer dining area. The location was okay, but we prefer something a little more central. There was nothing really special to justify the price. The a la cartes were really poor. The beach needed raking. The snack bar should have offered more choices.

Nice beach

Hotel was nice, one of the nicest along the strip. Beach was amazing, smaller hotel so a little less to do at the hotel, but if you budget more money, there's lots to do offsite. While they did their best with what they have, the food was as reviewed by others, Cuba food. Catamaran trip was amazing! As was our trip to Havana. Just don't make eye contact with the car owners, and vendors! we tipped, but not excessively, as you don't have to. Off site its expected more. We spent most of our time at [... read more] the beach, and a couple of days at the pool. We had a great relaxing time.

Not what i expected

the hotel is in need of repair, not all was open on a regular bases, had opportunity a couple of years ago to visit friends there for the day and the resort has gone down hill since them. although they are starting to do repairs and to add some things to the hotel but these repairs will talk time. the food reminded me of a 1 or 2 star resort in Cuba, although I have been to Cuba more than 20 times this trip was most disappointing. it came highly recommended by friends that have stayed there many [... read more] times, whom was with us this time and feel the same about the resort. all and the sun, the beach and relaxation was the best.

Good spot

Very typical, an upper end 3 star. Staff were good and made an effort. Off season so they are not going to have big selection with food or entertainment. As usual too much salt in the food for enhancement. They could try spices (if they can afford or access them) to make a healthier bounty. Generally one does not go to Cuba for the food.

Nice hotel and clean

great food and very quick to solve problems when they arrive good bartending going back next year I will book through trip central with friends thank you.i recommend this hotel for travellers to cuba and vicinty

My home away from home

been going to this hotel for many years, 3 or 4 times a year, the personnel is wonderfull if you are polite and of course a peso or two always helps. close to downtown, many restaurants in the area if you want to go out, and now since no children, even better for us oldtimers. the rooms are always clean, the bar, excellent, Josep will make you a Josep special, and its delicious. the pool cleaned every morning, the beach in front of the hotel always cleaned also. at different times of the year, t [... read more]he food may be better than other times, but this is Cuba, not Quebec city or Toronto. they dont always have the ingredients. Katia will try and help with any special requirement you may have.

Amazing

I would recommend this resort .The rooms are nice and clean the grounds are clean and very well maintained and the food was excellent the beeches were very clean and well maintained the staff was amazing

Excellent staff

Over all the stay was excellent. The rooms were your usual 3 star experience - food not so good but lots a great places to eat in walking distance as well. But what made the stay excellent was the staff. They were truly amazing and loved to engage their guests. Also the bar area was a blast as well.

Nice resort

nice rooms ,great food, very nice people,would prefer beer at beach bar. nice beach nice all around set up The outdoor snack bar is great if you are at the beach you can eat at the snack bar great food and seating areas. Great shows at night all around very nice resort I recommend it to my friends all the time surely will be back .