Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing Resort

For my first time in Cuba I was very pleased with this resort. The grounds are beautifully kept, the food was delicious and the staff was excellent. The entertainment was exceptional and they really keep the guests interacted with games at the poolside, exercises on the beach and music everywhere you go. I will definitely go again

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Not so great experience

Customer service especially receptionist are very rude. They only have one buffet restaurant, one international, Italian and Japanese restaurants. They only have one standard bar and don't go with website list as this is the reality.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Would not recommend: Jan 14-21, 2023

Our group of 4 had a great time together and loved the sand, sun and ocean but the "resort" itself leaves soooo much to be desired. It is one of the last resorts to get dropped off so if you don't want an hour and 1/2 drive after your flight, take a cab! From the shortage or lack of variety of food to the rundown(ness) of the resort, we were disappointed to say the least. The staff for the most part was friendly but a lot did not speak english or understand what we were trying to say or didn' [... read more]t bother at all. The lounge chairs on the beach have been around forever and were terrible to lay on for a week. We went for the ocean for sure, although the pools looked fabulous, but the water was so cold there were very few people swimming the whole week. The drinks were so sporadic and the taste of them was terrible, there was no snack bar on the beach at all and the snack bar that was on the resort ran out of buns (for the hotdogs) everyday and they had no more access to banana chips (which was the best tasting thing on their menu) about 1/2 way through our week.. The buffet had the same food all week long, no change ever and the only meat they served was pork (all week). The a la cart's were ok but again a lot of the same food there too. That being said, I know the pandemic has hit hard everywhere but there needs to be something done. One of the things we did like a lot was that you can use Canadian money at par and the Cuban people are mostly very warm and friendly!

Villa Tortuga: Greatest personal

Yes had a good time i left my ideas in the bathroom and email them three times to store them for me as I plan to return February and will pick them up but they are not returning a answer maybe you could contact them for me?? Gary

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Happy with the resort!

We were very satisfied with the hotel. The staff were awesome... helpful, friendly... everyone from reception to gardeners. The food was not bad for Cuba... always fresh fruit, lots of veggies, chicken, pork, seafood etc. Beautiful beach, with another longer one just beyond the rocky point. Resort was about halfway along the peninsula... Varadero was easily accessible by the hop on hop off bus.

Roc Arenas Doradas: Roc arenas Dorado - great value

I wanted to share this review of Hotel Roc Arenas Doradas on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g147275-d151592-r875858754-Hotel_Roc_Arenas_Doradas-Varadero_Matanzas_Province_Cuba.html

Resonance Blu Varadero: Disappointed

Well let me say first that this was our first trip to Cuba and we were told that it might not be quite up to standards but it was worse than I expected. First, we were a party of 5 in 3 rooms. They housed us in 3 different buildings and told us to come back in the morning if we wanted to be moved to be in the same building. It took almost the entire day the next day to get moved. The rooms were relatively clean but missing items. No shower curtain in one, no glasses, no hand towels etc. Gett [... read more]ing these items was quite a chore and took several trips to the front desk. There are supposed to be 6 restaurants on site but 2 were closed and the ones that were open required booking and were booked up. We did manage to book for 2 nights which was also the limit. The rest of our meals were all at the buffet which had long lines for the grill and basically the same dishes every day. Much of the fruit was not ripe and surprisingly there were no bananas. The beach was ok but unfortunately it was cold (15 deg. C) and windy so we didn’t really stay on the beach long on those days. Swimming was closed due to the high surf. The weather improved at the end of the week so we were able to use the beach. The advertising for the resort said there were paddle boats, paddle boards and sail boats. I wanted to go sailing, however, even though I can sail, I was told I had to have one of the resort employees sail the boat which was just a simple catamaran. Maybe they think you are going to sail to Florida. There were no paddle boards available at all and only 2 paddle boats for the whole resort. There was also a severe shortage of chairs on the beach which resulted in people going to the beach early in the morning and “reserving” their chairs with towels or other items. We only managed to find 3 broken chairs. Many chairs were sitting empty with towels on them but we didn’t want to remove the towels. The resort should manage this better. The shows at night were rather repetitive basically with the same show and dancers every night with different costumes. This resort is quite large so there is a lot of walking. They do have golf carts running passengers around but they don’t run as frequently as they should do when they do come they are often full. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. They call it a 3-1/2 star but I wouldn’t rate it more than 2.

Hotel Los Cactus: The friendliest resort

Cannot say enough good things about it. The resort was in a great location, close to the golf course and close to Varadero downtown. The beach is stunning, our room was huge and clean. The staff was so friendly and accommodating -the most wonderful people we have met in a long time.The buffet had a large variety of tasty food, many nights they had themes. Great entertainment throughout the day and night. We will be back.

Hotel Los Cactus: Met expectations

This resort like most of Cuba had some shortages but nothing that influenced my stay. Some of the areas are dated but my room was large, clean and fully functional. The maid service and all staff are exceptionally friendly. The beach is also exceptional. Nightly entertainment was mostly dance and singing but were also impressive. The disco was closed and some renovations in progress but no disruption of service. Access to town is easy either by taxi or bus that passes the front entrance. Went wi [... read more]th male friends and all were generally very happy. If you haven't been to Cuba expectations need to be managed. We received everything we expected and more!

Memories Jibacoa: A pleasant and welcome Suprise

This resort was likely a great 5 star in its day. It is a beautiful property nestled between some picturesque hills and the shoreline. The facility is older and worn - however...it is maintained and very clean and the staff are what gives this a big cuba 5 stars plus. The food was plentiful and actually tasty (biggest surprise). Our bed was rock hard and the staff rectified the issue immediately. The clientele were for the most part 50 plus and quieter than at most resorts - you could hear yours [... read more]elf talk..at the pool restaurants, lobby etc. The entertainment was great and there was no over the top excessive noise or drunk rude people. The beach was sandy with some areas more with the tiny broken shells and coral pieces... overall - nice beach. The ocean is a snorkel paradise with an abundance of tropical fish and clear water. We really loved it overall... will definitely go back!.... now - that said. If you are looking for a newer un-aged property with parties and loud music - keep looking. If you want beauty with great food and staff and pleasurable relaxation with respectful older clients - Jackpot!

Club Kawama: Not the Best...

***There were people in our group that have been to Kawama before and we went knowing that it isn't the best, but the entertainment, people and beach made it worthwhile...a lot has changed. I will disclaim by saying that we were in Cuba during a time when the whole island had VERRRY limited resources, which is going on still. This is not a reflection on the Cubans, they do what they can with what they have, and have been doing so for decades, it has never been this bad. BEACH: If you are goi [... read more]ng for the beach, than this resort may be for you. White sand, shallow warm water...beautiful. There isn't much shade on the beach and what shade there is, is taken first thing in the morning. Considering we were there with barely 100 people on the resort, those are not good odds. There were beach towels in our room when we arrived. FOOD: Again, there were shortages, and it is Cuba. It was the same food everyday, no toaster, no butter, and barely any veg, plenty of fruit though. We always bring our own condiments, and that is recommended for any Cuban resort, but there was not much to put them on. The snack bar had only fried egg sandwiches and "grilled" cheese, had sporadic hours, wasn't open daily, and/or closed early. Most servers were nice, and attentive but it really depended on who was working and when. DRINKS: The keg lines for beer were unclean, and there was a horrible smell from them and from behind the pool bar. There was rum and liqueurs everyday, and eventually they did have some vodka and gin, but there wasn't much to mix it with. NO bottled water, NO juice, NO white wine, NO whiskey, definitely NO mint for mojitos )eventually they did have red wine in the buffet). ROOMS: If you are going, splurge for the beachfront rooms, at least the beds are comfy, the views from the upper beachfront properties were quite nice and we had three sitting areas, which was also really nice. BUT....broken (sketchy, dirty) lamps, some doors and windows that didn't open or close, horrible slow sinks that smelled, showers that dribbled (happily there was hot water), drawers and side tables still had garbage in them from the last people, stains, and ripped fabrics, unclean floors, spotty A/C...I could go on, and keep in mind that this is in the updated, beachfront rooms. The maid we had for everyday except one didn't change the sheets more than twice in 10 days. There was an "accident" in one of the beds one of the nights (probably because of the food) and it wasn't changed for three days (finally changed when we had a different maid on our regular maids day off). Towels were hung back up and not changed for days (again, possibly due to shortages, but you could feel the sand on them as they had been on the floor previously). Also, only one key card per room, and horrible front office hours. SERVICE (and MANAGEMENT): This was also touch and go...some staff were FANTASTIC, some...not so much. The management is new and a lot of the good staff have since moved on. The return guests have told us that the new management is...not so great, and it shows. ****Watch out for the "Bar" at the front of the property, at the time it was essentially the lobby bar *I believe it is normally the sports bar/clubhouse and is part of the hotel, it is on the canal side road CAUTION: They will not accept cash here, but will take your credit/debit card and tell you it was declined. They got us three times for one order of 5 cans of beer. If you are going to drink there, **PLEASE NOTE that ACCEPTED on the debit machine is "reconocido" in Spanish, or a similar word that looks a lot like declined in English.** The bartender stole away the receipts so we couldn't see that it went through the first time. Very sketchy. "ENTERTAINMENT": LMAO. *** if you value entertainment…this is not your hotel.*** Same music every night and we saw the same magic show four times while we were there. (The hired entertainers do try, and are very nice, it is not their fault). No disco, no daily activities, other than one bingo game by the pool. One of the "activities" staff is overbearing toward not only the visiting entertaining staff, but the guests as well.The "DJ" wouldn't change the music that was played daily and was REALLLY loud, it was happily turned off by promptly 11pm nightly. There were nights when the guests took things into our own hands and everyone was dancing and having fun, with our own music and all of the lights were turned off on us. GROUNDS: This resort is very OLD, one of the first in Varadero, it is also Cuban owned so they are last to receive any and all goods distributed to hotels in the area which explains a lot of the shortages. They are doing updates to a big chunk of the hotel, and while we were there the lobby was closed (Please see note about the temporary "lobby" bar). The pool bathroom was kept very clean, and most of the bartenders try really hard with what little they have. The only bar and meeting area was by the pool, with picnic style tables and uneven wood floors (be sure to wear bug repellent while in this area as it is plagued by little annoying biting bugs). At night the lighting around many areas is spotty (also please by careful of the "moat" around the pool bar area, it is verrryy dangerous, we saw two people fall into it, and happily didn't hurt themselves, but they really could have). There are broken paths and horrible lighting almost everywhere that is not directly by main areas and I would recommend bringing a flashlight. Our experience with Tripcentral (Heather Felice) was excellent. The flight was good and ontime, the transfers were good. Hotel, not so good. Just one family's humble opinion, best of luck.

Starfish Jibacoa: AMAZING TRIP Jan 13-20 2023

Overall we were pleasantly surprised at how Villas Jibacoa met not just our needs but our hopes as well. If you keep in mind that this is Cuba with its charms as well as some defincencies it can be a great place to visit and explore. The resort itself was quiet (not very many people), rustic and clean with a ocean view to the front and a jungle covered cliff all along the back. There are lots of campismos (cottages for cubans) in both directions along the coast but they were mostly empty and in [... read more]teresting to explore. We hiked about 4km both ways and up the trails to lookouts on top of the cliffs. (mapcarta cuba online shows the trails if you zoom in). Interesting views at both ends of our hikes. Also a fishing village for those who are more adventurous to the east. A trip to Old Havana for about 5 hours for 5 people cost us $120 CDN Food was better than expected (nobody butting in line or stealing food) Great service from the staff Beds very comfortable (rooms could use some paint and attention) Money conversion was a little challenging until you figure out who takes what currency There were 6 of us who went and dont have anything negative to say about the place

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: I wanted to like it...

I wanted to like Paradisus Princessa Del Mar, truly - but I cannot recommend going to the resort over others in Cuba for a few reasons. I will however highlight the pros: The beach, absolutely beautiful, clean (even in the water), and an easily accessible bar with lots of activities going on every hour in the morning into early afternoon (aquafit, dancing, etc.) - very easy to find loungers and usually they were in pairs under umbrellas. Very relaxing. The pool as well, it's shallower but  [... read more]beautiful, well maintained & clean - all the fountains too were functioning and looked great, except for the courtyard fountain wasn't on but was clean & freshly painted. Again, loungers and personal cabanas were in abundance. Few people ever seemed to be in the pool vs. the ocean, except for the swim up bar area. We arrived late to the hotel (thanks WestJet for changing our flight... /s) and the front desk man was very pleasant and fast in getting us checked in. We were driven straight to our room and shown some of the resorts amenities on the golf cart ride. The room left more to desired. It felt like I was breathing in mold, I couldn't see it but it was very damp feeling even inside the sheets of the bed! Speaking of, there was only a thin sheet on there but thankfully extra blankets in the closet. There was a safe that was very old, circa 1980s looking and it didn't work & no instructions were there anyways - just gave an error code when trying to use it. It didn't feel great leaving anything in the room like a passport/cash. There was a nice little welcome package of 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner and some body wash - no face towels, but some hand towels and 2 body towels & 2 beach towels. No toilet paper, which I know usually you bring your own to Cuba when in public, but we had to wait until the next day for the cleaner to bring 1 roll for us. There was bottled water, an interesting carbonated drink I can only describe as "heavy iced tea" and a few cerveza cans. The mini fridge was restocked daily with these. The rest of the room was fine, the sliding patio door was a bit broken around the lock (there was the door lock, a chain lock and a door guard bar), the curtains were clean but stuck in their tracks constantly, and the furniture/couches looked faded and definitely not comfortable. The food was... bad, even for Cuban standards. I've been to resorts in Cuba that had access to food even throughout COVID and this was interesting in how bad it could get. They had the raw ingredients to make great food but they didn't. They had bell peppers, rice, chicken but couldn't make fried rice or some stir fry for example - instead they'd steam some plaintains, basic rice, and maybe some fried eggplant then separately cook some bell peppers in oil in a pan. There were potatoes but you could easily make mashed or fried potatoes, but instead they were constantly cold/just cooked with some sauce. If you wanted something cooked like beef/chicken/pork there was 1 chef doing this throughout the meal time so normally you'd be waiting behind 4-8 people but also the lines were in front of food people were trying to get to. A note to the resort on food, if you're just cooking pork/beef/chicken to put on someones plate, just do a bunch of it and then have it in hot dishes so people can get what they want! It would save so much time and make people happier. Every morning you'd have to line up for eggs to get cooked - to the resort, just have scrambled eggs and fried eggs available in hot dishes too and you'd save a lot of time and effort there too. If you're worried about waste, just don't replenish in the last hour of the meal and then have people come up/line up to get what they want. I didn't need amazing food, but I needed edible/warm food. 6 different types of rice and some cold cuts doesn't make a meal. The bread was good, as were the small desserts but it felt like there was something missing constantly - perhaps low amounts of sugar/butter. The saving grace for the food were the restaurants such as Sakura which I do 110% recommend for the experience and food quality vs. the buffet. Speaking with other travelers during our trips we learned they had great access to food, no idea why this resort isn't able to get the same level of food quality and/or chefs. I weighed myself before/after the trip and I lost 4lbs even after drinking/eating at least 1 plate of food per meal because it wasn't filling/calorie. The beer was great, the alcohol availability at all the smaller bars was limited to basically rum and some mixers (no name brand things like Coca-Cola/Sprite but offbrand that didn't taste great, the embargo I think however does apply here.) The main bar by the check-in desk (piano bar) is the only bar where you could get something with crushed ice or even a bit nicer than a mixed drink in a paper cup. The staff were friendly & helpful but some of the dining room staff consistently ignored us, even if we tipped - and it was hard to flag them down as they seemed to keep themselves behind the servers areas or didn't walk around. I would maybe get 1 beer/drink per meal even if I was there for 45 min to an hour. To the resort - your dining room glasses are small, for items like beer there needs to be larger 16 or 20 oz pint glasses. I won't be returning unfortunately, I'll come back to Cuba but not to this resort. The location was one of the farthest resorts also! So, be warned you'll usually be the last people on the bus getting dropped off, and first ones picked up for any trips (meaning early morning + at least 40-60 minutes of turning into other resorts to grab people)

Club Kawama: Home away from home!

Beautiful beach, catamaran, drinks, cappuccinos, bingo, excursions, variety of food and lots of it! Totally enjoyed the always welcoming staff and all the new friends i made at this resort! Will definitely be returning to Club Kawama

Starfish Jibacoa: Enjoyed our stay

Very clean rooms. Great beach. Friendly and helpful staff. Food adequate. Nice pool area right by the beach. Great price for a two week stay. Some uneven walkways so not great for those with walking challenges.

Playa Vista Azul: Playa Vista Azul

Wonderful stay at Hotel Playa Vista Azul. Beautiful views of the ocean from lobby infinity pool and look out deck. Very clean well maintained hotel. Service was great very friendly staff along with the grounds keepers, everyone is smiling and willing to help or have conversation. A la carte restaurants although very hard to get into without being "premium" members the food was great. Buffet was always clean and stocked, variety was okay it feeds you for 7 days. Pools we clean not enough lounger [... read more]s unless reserving them with your towels at 7am, jacuzzi was cold, jets functioned but if it were heated we would have spent more time relaxing there after busy days of walking downtown varadero. Beaches were also very well maintained plenty of loungers here but little tiki huts are too close together and vert short making it confined to your neighbor loungers and hazards for eyes and head. The beach entertainment was fun and well entertaining. The night entertainment was great as well. Over all would most definitely be back to this hotel

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: excellent resort

Very easy layout, food was very good for Cuba resort was well maintained. The staff seemed distanced but efficient. the rooms where kept sort of clean except I would of liked the floor swept at least once during our stay. Over all not a bad resort and I would recommend this resort to my friends

Playa Vista Azul: Wonderful vaca

We went for relaxation and that we found!!! The hotel is very clean and spacious, the gardeners are working very hard all the time. Our room was cleaned immaculately daily…lots of water and toilette paper. The beach is amazing, right beach very large and lots of chairs and palapas, bbq daily mmmm very good (smoked ribs, wings etc). Wow Thé staff - thank you to some very incredible people - Johnny (beach) Yamila (beach bar), javier (beach bar), Ibisbel, Pedro, Yunier (beach recreation), thé [... read more] many many wait staff in the buffet, with a special shoutout to 3 wonderful souls - Solanch, Anay, Aile. So many very special people here to make our trip,incredible!!!

Iberostar Selection Varadero: The best sunny destination

This trip was our first trip to Cuba, so we did a lot of research and narrowed down to this resort, Iberostar Selection Varadero. The flight was delayed due to weather, so we arrived close to midnight. However, the hotel is prepared for those late arrivals, and staffs were very accommodating. When we woke up the next morning, we found everything was beautiful and well organized. The beach was amazing along with blue sky and clean air. We got of the sail boat for the first time in ou [... read more]r lives and really enjoyed the experience. We also used the tandem kayak twice. Both were included in the package. Everyone we encountered in the resort were very friendly. I am sure we will stay in the same hotel when we go back to Cuba in future.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great weather friendly staff

Great weather friendly staff we choose this resort based on the price point and we haven’t been disappointed reach our expectation completely. taking in consideration of the hardship that country is going through we are very happy, abundance of food and drinks even important drinks have been available