Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Just OK

You still get value for what you paid for, but recent general Cuban issues are definitely visible. Based on previous reviews I expected it to be a bit better. Fortunately weather cooperated, so it made all other issues less important. Food was fine like for Cuban standards. Saw it much better, but it was before covid era. Shower in our room worked, but water pressure was so weak (during all stay) that it was really challenging to take a shower, regardless of the time, morning, afternoon and/or e [... read more]vening. Lack of toilet paper in public washrooms, so be prepared to carry some with you in case you need it. Mosquitos also want to eat you up, especially after 5:00 PM or early in the morning. Repellent is a must to have. It definitely saved us. Rooms clean and spacy, however "open concept" of bathroom-shower-sink area was in my opinion a bit too much of extravagance. No privacy whatsoever. Evening shows so, so. Now a few good things for a change. Very nice beach and obviously gorgeous ocean. No issues with finding shade under palapas. Tons of them available any time of the day. During low tide you can walk hours alongside the ocean as far as adjacent hotels. Very, very nice walk if you like walking of course :-). Hotel's grounds very nice looking and kept clean by Cuban folks working hard every day. Pool and area around it also nice and clean. Seems like pool itself has been renewed recently as it looks really, really appealing. Best Spanish coffee definitely in the lobby bar. As always, very friendly Cuban people make you feel being welcomed and try their best to serve your needs. All and all, we had a very good time in this hotel.

Vila Gale Cayo Paredon: Nice experience

The staff are very nice and kind, the whole experience was amazing. Beach is beautiful. You just need to ask them to change the towels, but other wise the room was cleaned every day. They didn't have any issues with the food and there was no shortage during our vist.

Muthu Playa Varadero: *A Nightmarish Experience at Muthu Playa Varadero Resort: Not for Foreigners*

Let me start by saying that I rarely write reviews, but my stay at the Muthu Playa Varadero Resort was so overwhelmingly disappointing that I feel compelled to warn others. If you're considering this resort, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. This will be a long rant, but every word is deserved. **First Impressions:** When I arrived at the Muthu Playa, I had high hopes. The lobby, I admit, is quite pretty, and the weather in Varadero is lovely. But that’s where the positives end. The  [... read more]moment I checked into my room, the horror began. **Room and Facilities:** My room was a disaster. The ceiling was leaking water, the toilet was broken, and the phone didn’t work, leaving me stranded without any way to contact the front desk for assistance. The bed sheets and towels weren’t swapped out even once during my entire stay, leaving me to sleep in the same dirty linens for days. Cockroaches infested the room, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the pool—when I dared to go for a swim—was incredibly dirty. To top it all off, there were no beach towels available, and the outside bathrooms were perpetually out of toilet paper. **Dining Disasters:** Dining at this resort is an absolute nightmare. The coffee machine never had any coffee, and there was no coffee at the lobby bar either. Breakfast coffee? Served in a ladle like soup. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. The fridge in my room wasn’t stocked, and when I went to the snack bar, all they had to offer was a pathetic dinner roll with a single slice of ham. The dining hall was no better, with roaches crawling around, no milk for my daughter, and a shocking lack of basic food items like potatoes, bacon, and even cocktails. No mojitos, no piña coladas—nothing but disappointment. Oh, and I found rocks in the rice. Yes, rocks. **Activities and Entertainment:** What activities? Everything was closed. No restaurants, no disco, and certainly no pool bar, despite its physical presence. The shows at night were somewhat okay, but the music was so loud it was hard to enjoy anything. **Service and Atmosphere:** This resort is essentially a Cuban local hangout, not designed for foreign tourists. The staff's attitude towards us was dismissive at best and disrespectful at worst. Locals were always served first at the bar, regardless of how long we had been waiting. It was clear that our presence was not valued. **The Final Straw:** The mosquito situation was unbearable. I left with over a hundred mosquito bites, which was just the cherry on top of this miserable experience. **Positives (if you can call them that):** Yes, the beach is nice, the weather is good, and the water is comfortable. The eggs at breakfast (when available) were decent. The internet was surprisingly free with a decent signal. But these minor positives don’t come close to outweighing the countless negatives. **Conclusion:** In summary, Muthu Playa Varadero Resort is a disgrace. From the unsanitary conditions to the complete lack of basic amenities and the terrible service, this resort fails on every level. This is not a place for foreigners, and I would strongly advise anyone considering this resort to steer clear. My stay here was nothing short of a nightmare, and I would not wish this experience on anyone. Save your money, your sanity, and your vacation—stay somewhere else.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Great Stay

We stayed at Iberostar Selection Holguin. Hotel was beautiful, rooms are big, bright and super clean. Service was amazing. Beach and pool were absolutely stunning. Entertainment was nice, they are trying to make your stay fun for sure. Dining was average, however that's not a fault of the hotel, it's due to the food shortage that all of Cuba has. having said that, we did not sleep hungry, and we always found something nice to eat. Overall great stay, keep an open mind, and wi [... read more]thin the second/third day you will know what you like to eat and you will be fine. I would totally recommend this hotel for anyone who is looking for a nice time at a reasonable cost.

Melia Las Americas: Amazing!

Las Americas was amazing! We upgraded to the Level and it was absolutely worth the extra money. The service by the Level staff was impeccable and they were accommodating to all of our needs and requests. Our room was very clean, the food at the a la carte restaurants was very good, and the food from the grill by the swim up bar pool was delicious! There was something for everyone at the buffet. The beach was pristine and water refreshing. We couldn’t have asked for a better stay at Las A [... read more]mericas and we cannot wait to go back!

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Met Expectations

We had a good trip, and the resort largely met our expectations given the price we paid. The beach was amazing, with beautiful sand, and the water was clear. The room was clean with a big bathroom, and had nice amenities such as AC, a minifridge, and AC. The food was passable; they seemed to do their best with limited ingredients. The food served at the buffet was hit-or-miss in terms of flavour and quality, so it was important to arrive early enough to get the better dishes. There was  [... read more]some variety. The service was generally good. Wifi was limited outside of the bar and the buffet area.

Blau Arenal Habana Beach: 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!

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Amazing Beach Resort

Everything is rate 5 star the only down of the resort is the food same every day since we stayed for 7days doesn't change the menu.I would suggest I'd they change the atleasy 4 different menu in a week they get more tourist to visit the resort

Sol Caribe Beach: Beautiful Resort Great Time

Well maintained modern hotel with nice grounds and pools. The rooms were minimalist, clean with sturdy comfy beds and pillows. Neutral tile work with nicely accents in the room and throughout the hotel and pool. The food was just ok and lacked variety but plentiful. Service was great but shortages including Pinacolada, no Guava juice, Coke or Sprite made it somewhat dissatisfying for me. The red and white wines were nice. The entertainment was ok but better when they brought it to the lobby wher [... read more]e we could sit and enjoy a few beverages.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul

This was the worst hotel we have ever stayed at. We had a horrible time. It ruined our vacation. I actually had to pay extra USD to be transferred to a 3 start resort which had amazing service and food! I cannot believe that we paid to downgrade to a lower star hotel that offered better service than Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul, which is supposed to be a 4+ resort. We stayed at a three star Starfish Cuatro Palmas which was located right on Varadero beach, only minutes from downtown Varadero and  [... read more]30 minutes from the Varadero airport. The beach was amazing the food was unbelievable! On the other hand, Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul, was terrible! I don't know where to start. I do not know who rates these hotels but this is not fair to the 4 star hotels. I wish people wrote honest reviews. We did read reviews about this resort before we booked it but nothing as alarming as what we encountered. I understand that food can be hit or miss in Cuba and to be honest, we did not go to Cuba to eat only but this was beyond that. My family and I had to survive on bread and butter for 3 days until we asked to be transferred. The food is the same every day. The eggs are powdered eggs, the pasta is over cooked spaghetti served with some kind of gravy or just butter, can be tolerated with butter only as a choice. There are not enough plates for everyone that you literally wait for them to wash and we would wait outside the kitchen for the cart to come by so we can grab plates. They were all chipped plates. There was no cream for the coffee, it's only black or with milk. No lemon. They do not have mojitos because of the lemon I was told. The rooms are dirty and dingy. The elevators only work sometimes. Our first day, we had to carry our luggage three flights down and took us 20 minutes to locate our rooms because they have very confusing numbering and the resort is not very well lit in the night and too big for no good reason. We had to go to the front desk numerus time to have them reactive the keys because they don't work each time you leave your room. The first night we stayed the AC was not working and the bathroom was so dirty that we had to keep our slides while we were taking shower. The a la carte restaurants are basically non-existent. First we were told that we're only allowed to choose three restaurants because of the number of days we stayed, which was 7 days and I have never heard of this before. Apparently, on this resort that is the rule. There was Japanese, Italian and Cuban restaurants to choose from but only the Cuban restaurant was available every day we tried to book. The Cuban restaurant served the same food as the buffet restaurant, the only difference is the cutlery and napkin with a lot less people. The toilet flush did not work and we had to wait a day to be moved to another horrible room because they needed time to clean the room. This room had big cockroaches running around the tub. They had no ice most of the time and the drinks were diluted with very limited choice. The entertainment is always the same each night. I can go on and on. There is just so much problem with this resort. I know this resort does not represent the whole Cuba but no one should pay so much money for this resort and it should not be listed as a 4+ star hotel! There are a lot better hotels in Cuba even if their food is not good, at least the accommodation is way better than this resort. A 3 start hotel was better than this hotel. It's not fair for people to pay so much money for this resort. I am so glad that the rest of our stay in Cuba was better then the beginning. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone!

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: horrible managment

let me start by saying that i have been vacationing in cuba for the past 20 yrs and understand what to expect from Cuba service/food/hotel. i have never written a review as most places were acceptable. for this time around, i can not stay silent and have other customers suffer like we did. this is a horrible hotel that has no food to offer, three quarters of the resort was closed. when i complained, i was told this is cuba after covid as well as august is a low season. when i went to other  [... read more]resorts they were fully booked and sold out, and they had all types of food that was not being served at this resort. please don't be fooled with the reviews in june and july...i truly believe that they were fake.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Angsana Resort Review

It was their low season so not everything was open. Not all restaurants were open and food was repetitive, same lunch and dinner menu, so it gets hard to take quick. We were originally give a room that wasnt clean, bed wasn't made, cigarette butts in the ash tray, used towels and toilet wasnt flushed. They moved us to another room where the safe didnt work and we had to wait for a repair guy, unfortunate start to the vacation. Beach ok, but felt like a ghost town, ok snorkeling. Overa [... read more]ll staff were nice but not for for us, would probably not go back to this resort.

Hotel Mojito: Amazing resort.

Beautiful hotel but to much mosquitoes and too much flys in dining room areas even on food.i been second time.Otherwise room service was very good. Everybody was friendly and helpful. Thesort was very clean. I’m recommending and coming back.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Canadian business

We alway love the beach and people of Cuba they smile and friendly service us even the weather there are alway hot: Beach are clean, the only thing we would love to stay longer at lease 10 to 2 week vacation but alway one week is enough there are not much activities. Plus the younger age would not like to come back for second time: because of the activities are not suit for younger age,. Thank a lot

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Beautiful resort, breathtaking!

It was a second time in cuba, we chose an adults only for the tranquility and relaxation this time around. I believe it was low season so there was not alot of people.The moment we arrived it was all very well organized, checking in was quick with no delays, very pleasant personal at reception. The hotel grounds are very well kept,the beaches are immaculate as there are 2.We were very well taken care of by the staff which are very respectful and friendly always asking how we were doing and askin [... read more]g if there was anything we needed to ask and they would take care of it.My compliments go to the chef,Guillermo “el Mexicano “he was very professional always asking and suggesting what foods to try or he would make it to our liking.The food overall was good with no disappointment even on the day where there was no power in hotel the staff and himself went out of their way to prepare food the best they could.We really enjoyed ourselves with everything the resort had to offer.It was a birthday week with lasting memories! My sincere thank you to everyone at Angsana for these moments.

Melia Internacional: Amazing Resort!!

The entire week was an amazing experience for me and my spouse. The people are nice, service was amazing it was truly an amazing experience. I would recommence people to visit this location you won’t regret it.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Feel like family

This was my third time staying with Sanctuary and it’s so warm and welcoming. Cuba has food shortages so don’t go for the food but we always found something to like. But the staff are the best. They become friends! They are always smiling and will do anything for you! This is the kind of place you just keep going back. Yamaysis took us under her wings and checked in with us and made sure that everything was great! I am thankful for everyone that made our trip so special until we meet again….

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Beautiful and relaxing resort

This resort is clean, beautiful landscape, the workers are nice. Satisfied with the food, they have grilled seafoods everyday, fresh lobster night at the buffet, They have Italian resto but can accommodate just few guests. We didn't able to book for dinner because they always filled out. They can handle only two people per table. They also have Mexican resto but always filled out cannot accommodate big group, they give priority to Royalton club. We ended up always at the buffet every dinne [... read more]r. They have fresh fruits like guavas, pine apples, mangoes, star fruits. lots of disserts.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: absolutely terrible resort

Completely flooded Hotel on the Havana trip The lights were not turned on on our floor on the Havana trip. Broken doors were banging loudly in the night that I had to get up at 1:00 in the morning and secure with a heavy umbrella to keep it from happening anymore in Havana. We were served the same crappy meal three times in a row on the Havana trip. One elevator out of four working intermittently Exposed control panels on at least three or four floors next to the elevators with flashing l [... read more]ights and wires sticking out People were rude as hell when dealing with any problems The concierge never showed up on the days when she was supposed to be there The rental motorcycles did not work We were kicked out of the pool at 6:00 so somebody could throw chemicals in TV remote did not work and it took 3 hours to get a new one The comforter we were given on our second day smelled like ass and it took 4 hours to get a new one and multiple complaints and hours of my time wasted doing customer service for the hotel There were children every time we went up to the adults only Prestige lounge and people were up there without wristbands The trip to Havana that was supposed to include a trip A cemetery It did not happen We were left without drinking water most days unless we went and begged for it Nobody in the hotel could break 100 dollar bills into smaller change We were locked out of our room multiple times for hours at a stretch because the key card stopped working Broken toilet seat that they never fixed Hotel in Havana had no hot water and when I told the guy about it he tried to explain how hot water knobs work and I told him I understand how hot water knobs work there is no hot water. Found out the next day that nobody on our floor had hot water. The restaurant bathrooms in the hotel in Havana had the same feces in the toilet for 2 days. There was no juice There were no eggs at breakfast Made a dinner reservation and got told we had to wait 20 minutes to see if they still had food for us ordered the lobster and was served a melange of cross-contaminated seafood. Extremely dangerous Insanely loud DJ all day everyday and you could not escape the music on the beach near the pool or in your room Laughed at for trying to order food in the 24 hour snack bar Nobody will put me in contact with a manager WE HAVE TO WALK 14 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS IN ORDER TO LEAVE OUR ROOM NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. Mobs of angry people at the front desk at all times I witnessed Two different couples Speaking To customer relations About security concerns and thefts from their room. One lady was yelling in another language With a security guard And the customer relations person The other person in English straight up said that her bag was stolen right out of her room The lobby was full of blood because a man cut his foot on the broken tiles that were everywhere on the premises blood everywhere with children running through it No call for boarding in the VIP lounge almost missed our flight due to this Cigarettes butts everywhere

Grand Memories Varadero: The Weekend Invasion

Just got back from here last night. Honestly, very mixed feelings.A long review for people considering coming here, make your own choice if this is the resort for you! Would we return? To Cuba? YES, 100%. To this resort, no. (Been to Cuba 8 or 9 times, well aware of the issues the country and its people face. We're not picky people and can go with the flow on almost anything) Yes, 99% of the the staff and beach are amazing and the pool is pretty good except when it's filled with garbage [... read more] from guests. Grounds are beautiful until the guests litter them with garbage and cigarette butts (despite their being ashtrays about every 10 feet). The staff should be commended for all of their hard work attempting to keep up with the pace of destruction from the guests. This was only an issue on the weekend Beach: Beautiful. Clean in the morning and during the week. Water entry is gradual and mostly sandy, but there are a few bigger rocks. The sand is HOT during the afternoon so if you've got tender tootsies, bring beach shoes. The pathway to the beach gets SUPER hot so don't let your kids go on it barefoot. The vendors along the water are persistent but okay with a "no thank you". The "beach security" at this resort doesn't really move them along and without any exaggeration at all... The braid lady and the crochet lady stood in one spot for at least an hour on Friday right in front of the never updated "beach flag". The chants of "Hey lady you want braids" and "Crochet Crochet" are now etched in my brain. Sure, do your thing and earn some money... but an hour at a time with no bites is a bit much. Rooms: We upgraded to "Superior Rooms" (started in building 22, moved to 20 to be closer to our kids that they foolishly placed two buildings away... more to come on that). Definitely dated, and yes, there are open vents in the patio door frames that let mosquitos and midges into your room. Our patio door didn't close all the way anyways and it didn't lock so it really made no difference. Just slept with bug spray on... shouldn't have to, but we did. Mattresses were like rocks, not enough bathroom towels (1 for 3 people), one safe didn't work and it was never addressed even though we asked, no place for the shower head to hang so it was handheld only... but the staff kept it clean! Beach towels in room on arrival, but never changed out. Small issues never seem to get addressed whether you report them to reception or go see the maintenance guys in the room to the left of reception unless you make yourself a pain in the butt repeatedly. You have to keep asking and keep asking. Our maid was AWESOME. Every time we passed her in the hallways, she handed us a bottle of water and reminded us it was hot so stay hydrated, She did a great job on our rooms and was very sweet. Room assignments: Despite it being noted on our reservation from the agent we used and me emailing ahead of time, they still placed our room and our kids room in separate buildings. Two groups in front of us (unknown to each other) got rooms side by side in building 22, so this just affirms they're not thinking or planning for groups to arrive. When we asked to change it, it was "come back tomorrow morning" and when we came back, it was "come back at 4". At 4:00, I had to be quite assertive to get it fixed. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a lot of organization or planning... which shouldn't be hard during low season. Had to hang around and make the walk to the lobby far more times than we should have to get this addressed and it could have been prevented entirely. Buffet: Doors are always open and the flys and birds are annoying. Yes, there are bugs and birds in Cuba... but when the doors are propped open for 12 hours a day, turns out the food attracts bugs and birds. Who knew? I feel like the person standing at the door greeting patrons could have opened and closed the doors as guests arrived... especially when it wasn't overly busy. Food: Two scenarios... breakfast and Lunch/Dinner. Lunch and Dinner were virtually identical every single day with the exception of sometimes the pork would be cubed, sometimes it would be sliced. Sides were almost identical every meal. No shortages that we noticed though other than bacon (2 days only). You definitely won't starve. Ala Cartes/ Snack bar: We only did the Italian and it was decent. They had Pizza ( the buffet didn't) but the pasta was exactly the same as the buffet, just very nicely plated. Snackbar was good, variety of sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, fries a couple times... Sometimes it was order at the table, sometimes order at the bar...depended who was working. Lobby: quite nice, could definitely use more seating... can't imagine how congested it would be in high season. It's completely open so hot and full of mosquitoes in the evening. Even though you're dressed up, remember your bug spray. Bars: No problem getting what we wanted although the mix and formulation varied widely from bar to bar. No shortages we noticed, and "top shelf brand name" booze was Diamond club only. Not worth it for us, but so you're aware. Service was good, but be prepared to kick the "budgers in line" to the back, especially on weekend. Biggest Issue: Yes, I saw someone already posted this... and yes I see the post got taken down (either by the poster or group, who knows) and the poster got inappropriately roasted... But they were right and the weekend was a bit much. From Friday to Sunday, the resort was jumping! Lots of people and many locals, which was cool to see. So great to see them actually enjoying a vacation and cutting loose a bit on their time off. The issues come when the locals do things like empty entire steamer trays of chicken legs or hotdogs onto their plates, then into a plastic bag and then into their purse and then go get their food for the actual meal... it causes issues for everyone. When they push their way into the line ahead of people who are afraid to call them out on it and then all of the sudden there's no chicken, thats an issue. When they toss their plastic or paper drink cups into the pool when their done, that's an issue (that the staff have to clean up). At one point on Saturday, I bet there were 100 paper cups in the pool, soaked and deteriorating into little pieces. When the "Cheese General" as we named her is there to distribute cold cuts and cheese to prevent people taking it all at once, and the locals push their way between the people waiting, use their bare hand to clean ALL of the ham and salami off the plate and plop it on their plate... that's an issue. When the staff SEE IT and don't say or do anything because they're Cuban... That's a BIG issue. I've seen other resorts actually deal with these kind of issues, but even after speaking with the buffet manager about it, he just shook his head apologetically. How do we know they were locals you ask? Well, other than Friday afternoon-Sunday evening... there were maybe 6 cars in the parking lot. On the weekend it was jam packed with cars double parked... pretty sure the Canadians, Russians or Europeans didn't drive there... Again, yes... they have every right to be there the same as anyone else. Yes, they're paying guests and deserve to have a good time. Yes, they may not have much in their day to day lives (which is hard to rationalize when the lady putting 30 hotdogs into her purse was wearing designer clothes, 300 dollar sunglasses and more jewellery than most New York socialites). BUT... their behaviour was awful. Tourists also pay to be there and without tourists, what happens then? Either the resort needs to start enforcing some sense of order, or the locals need to learn how to vacation respectfully. Yes, some tourists are like this too... but none of the "bad guets" we saw were speaking english, french, russian, german, italian, dutch or anything other than spanish.