Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Good resort

Not a huge resort but has various sections to please different tastes. There were two main beach sections one quiet and one with music (Italian ans Cuban) and entertainment sustained by a number of Italians visitors and the agency which send them. There was music (not load), gym on the beach, games. Nice sand, just some brocken shells when entering the water which is shallow for at least 50-100 meters - about 4-5 feet. Night entertainment was quite good, they have excellent dancers and Sunday a [... read more] water ballet show. Main pool was huge and deep on one side (I think more then 7 feet) but not crowded. Also not having decent shade or umbrellas. There is a big bar besides the pool which will also serve some food during the night. A second pool was on the east side of the resort and it appears to be part of a different resort which was united with Sirenis. The pool has a water bar. Not crowded when we were in January 2023. Three restaurants, all closed on Thursday, Italian opened every day, the Mediterranean and Cuban alternatively opened during the week. The reservations were accepted only for one day and could be done starting at 9:30 AM. Should go there earlier to make sure you can get one. The resort has 5 bars, two for beaches (one in the forest lying between the hotel and the beach), two for the swimming pools and one in the atrium. In general the resort is clean and personal friendly. They are happy when you tip them or give them small items but I was served without issues even when I didn't tip. I noticed very few people were tipping at the buffet. We always tip when eating there. Leave an US dollar on the table and also tip the guys preparing the omelette in the morning and the grill (pork and chicken) at lunch and dinner. As recommended by many people is nice to know few words in Spanish. You don't have to be able to keep a conversation but some usual phrases will give you a better service. Food is as usual in Cuba with some exceptions. Grill is good but the fish was missing (we had twice grilled fish in 10 days). Is located far from Varadero and the buses stop running at 6PM.

Memories Jibacoa: Very enjoyable

Ocean front unit thoroughly enjoyed all facilities. Enjoyed tennis lessons and games and thanks to Alberto the tennis pro. He was a great coach helped with lessons in a very friendly and enjoyable time. Food was good particularly the gourmet meals.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: A communist hotel in a communist country

It was a flashback to what was running away from in my youth. Everything is there, but nothing is working as it should. the problems are small, but they are everywhere. The balcony door that doesn't close properly, the tap you have to hold with one hand while opening it with the other; the meet that is not properly cooked, the broken lawn furniture, the god-awful painting (they did not discover yet the miracle of the masking tape and I could go on. You can live with it all, but the less you ex [... read more]pect the better.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Great vacation destination

Everything runs pretty smoothly. Friendly staff, at the buffet. Bar staff aren't very quick to serve, so it took patience when waiting. Food is unique, and not what we're used to, but plentiful. Entertainment is different every night. Clean pools, clean rooms. Our toilet leaked but that's the only real problem. Housekeeping made unique displays of our bed blankets daily. Excursions we chose were fantastic. Very knowledgeable tour guides. Miles of clean beach to walk and swim. C [... read more]uba is so safe, we could even take the local bus into Varadero for shopping and walk the streets with no safety concerns. Plenty to see and do. Considering all that is involved for Cuba to provide the necessities that we take for granted, I was pleased with all that was provided for the price.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Good Resort, but not 5 stars.

The hotel needs comprehensive renovations: Bathroom with mold, Balcony doors not closing, Cockroaches in the bread stand of the restaurant. Safety box not working. Receptionists were attending your needs only if you give them tips upfront. Hola Sun rep was not to be found during our stay.

Paradisus Varadero: Nice place

The hotel was actually great from amazing bars/ lounge areas. Our jr. Suite was different then pictures we looked at online. Fridge leaked the whole time on floor. As well as water was off during 2nd last night. The most amazing view of the ocean from main loby. Service was very good from all the great staff keeping drinks flowing and great conversations no akward interactions. Buffets was ok at best we would have to check each one out for every meal, but this seems to be common for cuba. We fel [... read more]t quite let down in regards of a la carts booking them was a joke really and felt like being jerked around by conciarge. As most promises by them were just empty. Grounds were very well kept, pools were in great shape/clean. rooms were kept quite tidy from staff. Bar fridge could be much better stocked as it really wasnt. Internet in rooms was almost non existant leaving you to use your own personal data on roaming as well as kicking you off every 10 minutes when you get connected.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Nice Resort

Not a five star as they advertise. Rooms are dated but exceptionally clean, the grounds are beautiful, and the staff is incredible and can't do enough for you. I was happy during my 2 week stay with the beach, pool, entertainment.... The only complaint is the food, the buffet was repetitive and the A la cart was also a disappointment.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: It's a resort.

This was my first stay at a resort so I don't know what to compare it to, but it was clean and the staff was very nice. There was a toilet paper shortage and I couldn't eat the food after the fourth day. It seems like a good place for people who like to hang on the beach and in the pool.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Decent Resort With Flaws

I stayed at Playa Alameda at the end of January, 2023. It is the fifth resort I have stayed at in Cuba and I will rate it against the other similar 4-5 star resorts. Pros: -well maintained landscape, grounds and freshly painted exteriors of buildings -pool well maintained -great staff -better than average entertainment -cigar bar Cons: -no swim-up bar(s) -NO RYE WHISKEY! -rooms are tired and need upgrading; my mattress was worn out -hit & miss hot water in room -poor response time  [... read more]by staff to issues in room (e.g. locked out of safe) -1/2 of the pool area was approximately 18" deep -no VIP bars or sports bar Overall, I had an enjoyable visit. The gym is important to me. All hotel gyms in Cuba seem to have problems maintaining their cardio equipment and this one was no exception but I was able to get in good workouts there. What was very concerning was that there was not an adequate means to clean off the equipment after use. No anti bacterial spray or liquid provided. No paper towels. On occasion, you would be provided a cloth towel. The food was ok for Cuba. No bacon, orange juice or maple syrup for breakfast. For one week of my two week stay, there was no diet cola for mix. The lack of adequate usable pool area, swim up bar and rye whiskey would prevent me from returning to this hotel regardless of price. When your clientele is 70%+ Canadian, you do what you have to do to get rye whiskey! I WOULD RATE THIS HOTEL A 3 STAR OUT OF FIVE

Brisas Del Caribe: Not so amazing

The grounds, pool, beach were great, however the management and food was terrible.No toast, jams, syrup etc all food the same everyday, 3 times a day. No glasses no spoons, toilet paper at a premium.Only rum and beer, and I could go on and on. We will not be going back. Russian owned and mostly Russians there, no English spoken

Sol Palmeras: Relaxing Vacation

I loved our room 3033 it was a suite double door balcony overlooking the pool area. Very spacious and well kept. The food and staff were very friendly and accommodating. My daughter and I enjoyed our trip, the beach had lots of chairs and activities if you wanted to take part. I would recommend this resort to friends and family.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing beach, resort needs work

We had a great week at Laguna Azul! Facilities, food and service was below what we have experienced in Cuba pre COVID Rooms need upgrades, service was hard to come by, mostly we went to get our own drinks Food variety and quality was limited Snack bar 24 hours was severely understaffed( only 1 person for a huge line up) and the hygiene standards would never pass, the food handlers never used gloves , no hand washing after handling tips and on occasional the food from the grill was still un [... read more]dercooked. We upgraded to “the Relax zone” and it was the best decision as we got an extra restaurant were we could pick from a small menu of maybe 5 dishes but were served at the table and the coffee on that side was delicious. We also got 4 a La carte for the upgrade what helped avoiding the buffet Bar staff mostly ignored you even though we were tipping often so we just started getting our own drinks Resort is beautiful and the beach area always had plenty of beach chairs available and the sand was mostly free of rocks, the beach is what we went for

Paradisus Varadero: Worth every penny

The beach was fantastic. Beautiful rooms, restaurants and lobby. The staff were welcoming and efficient. I love this place and would go back. The food was adequate and there was a decent variety. If you couldn’t find something to eat you were too fussy.

Memories Jibacoa: Well run beautiful resort

This was our 5th time visiting this resort (formerly called Breezes Jibacoa)and it could well be the best time we’ve had yet. The resort is located half way between Varadero and Havana nestled within 2 green hills on a beautiful beach that has excellent snorkelling. There are some small reefs just a few feet from shore and larger ones further out. The Garden view rooms overlook these beautiful hills and many we spoke to prefer these to the ocean view. The rooms are dated but very clean. Th [... read more]ere were no problems getting beach chairs/palapas and so reserving with a towel was not necessary. The food was exceptional with plenty of choices for all 3 meals. We were surprised to see beautiful green salads and other fresh veggies for lunch and dinner every day. There are plenty of tables in the airy outdoor area which is where we sat for most meals. Some of the kitchen staff wore masks (for their own sake)but others did not. I didn’t see any patrons wearing masks at any time. At the various stations (salad bar, desert bar, sandwich bar,etc), they had masked servers holding the tongs and each patron had to specify what they wanted on their plate..I think this was an attempt to reduce the number of hands that touch those tongs. This caused a little contention at busy times but generally worked well. The musicians that played just outside the lobby area every evening were very good. One thing that I didn’t like was the entertainment group that took over the ranchon restaurant at noon on Tuesdays with a very loud musical performance spearheaded by a very loud irritating MC yelling into the mic. How could anyone enjoy and digest their lunch with such a racket all around them. I would suggest that this performance be performed elsewhere - at the pool or on the beach beside the beach bar. I must say that some people seemed to enjoy it..but not me. All in all, this was a fantastic trip with nice weather, great food and accommodation.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Une semaine fantastique

L'hôtel a récemment été repeint et il y a quelques rénovations en cours. C'est un hôtel très bien situé. Le personnel est très sympathique et les chambres sont propres. Nous y retournerons en amoureux

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Not for me

This is my fourth trip to Cuba. First Trip at Valentin El patriarca. Varadero beach is beautiful. This Hotel is run by Gaviota, the Cuban government tourism organisation. It is not an international chain like Melia and Riu or Barcelo. If you understand what that means, read no further. It is terrible in every possible way. It used to be run by Ocean and must have been nice in the past. But It is near the park so mosquitoes are numerous as well as other creatures. The privilege suite is an [... read more] extra which seems worth it until you do the math, with added cost it becomes more expensive than competitors, who offer better amenities. I could go on about food and dirt etc.. but I have no time. Please see attached photos, the place is dark so stepping on a snake walking to my room, I didn’t even see is no fun. But that is not too much of a bother to me, dirty pillows and cockroaches in the food (zoom in on photo), is worse. I get one week per year to relax, I imagine most of us do. I do not recommend this place.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: sadly not a good time...disappointed

sad to say the resort was definitely not as advertised. short notes; NO TOILET SEATS OR TOILET PAPER in the various bathrooms and they were dirty and smelly and just gross, a/c cut out, no clean towels, no drinks (including water) in our fridge as advertised, we requested a king bed but got 2 doubles that we had to push together and then end up sleeping on one or falling through the cracks, sand fleas attacked a few in our group quite severely, food was worse than usual (wieners substituted for [... read more] ham!) and just really scarce, bar staff were not the greatest...inattentive and a little rude at times. we really didn't feel we got what we paid for...many others from surrounding resorts said the same. excursions were less than advertised to say the least. bus ride to town was jam packed and took forever. we will not be returning.

Melia Las Americas: Very,very good

It was our first time in Melia Las Americas, but not the first time in Cuba. Hotel and staff are amazing. You can not ask for anything better. We scertainly hope we will be able to return to Las Americas next year again

Paradisus Varadero: Nice resort but does not meeting star rating

Overall, I think the Paradisus Resort is a good resort for Cuba but it is starting to be run down especially at the The Reserve. I do not think the The Reserve is worth the additional money. The up keep of the rooms is poor. Both shower heads - tub and shower were leaking a lot. The landscaping around the room especially the swim out suites was poor. It looks old and dated and not well kept up. We had no real extras. The bar was only filled with 2 beers. They did provide water every day but in t [... read more]he 11 days there, there was cola only available on 2 days for the room and not other choices. At the bars and buffet at the The Reserve, choices for drinks and food was limited compared to the main bar and buffet a the Paradisus. Food choice at the buffet was very limited and very repetitive and I am not sure if this is a reflection of the state of things in Cuba or just this resort. I would return to this hotel as the location was nice and the beach beautiful. Staff were very nice but it is over priced. As for COVID precautions, there were none other than hand sanitizing at all the food areas and bars. No masks were worn

Be Live Turquesa: Nice Resort

BeLive Los Cactus on Varadero exceeded our expectations. Lovely beach, pleasant room, lovely staff, Attractive grounds. Plenty to occupy us. All service from Sunwing check in in Toronto to flight home went smoothly.