Resonance Blu Varadero: Less then 2 starts

Extremely late checking. Probably less the %30 Beach chairs available for all guess, not uses able to eat at fine dining, few times finished breakfast without coffee, through out the resort bathroom cleanness not up to standards for any one here.ps, ps, ps,

Melia Las Americas: A Special Resort

The Melia Las Americas is a special kind of place. It has been around a while (around 30 years) so it has seen better days. That said there are many reasons to overlook the surface wear and consider the experiences this hotel offers. Here are the top reasons we love this place: Golf; Beach; Entertainment; Heart. The hotel is right next to the Varadero Golf Club - and under most circumstances, for those staying at the Las Americas, green fees are included. Push carts or riding carts cost ext [... read more]ra (11 USD for push carts, and maximum cost 44$ USD per player for the new riding carts). If you bring your clubs, they can be stored at the golf shop for about 5$ USD for the week. The course is 18 holes, championship style, and a whole lot of fun to play. But don't expect pristine bunkers or bent grass greens. The course dates back to pre-revolutionary times and is very mature with several holes having spectacular views of the ocean. Pace of play is great (~4 hr playing time typically) so an early start can get you back at the beach by 11 or 12. Even with an afternoon arrival at the beach, there are plenty of lounge chairs and shade if you want it. The beach for this property is incredible and might well be the widest and longest on the peninsula. I can't say enough about how great the sand is, and how blue the water. The swimming pools are beautiful, well kept and clean. Regarding entertainment - there are the typical daytime events that get people moving out of their chairs. There are also catamaran rides and short snorkeling tours of the reef nearby (for $). The best thing about the hotel though is the entertainment each evening - every night there was a different artist playing an instrument or singing on the patio overlooking the grounds and beach. Just enormously enjoyable to have a drink and listen to the musicians invited to play for us before or after dinner - all very talented and professional. Finally, the people who work at the Las Americas: they are the best, and by nature very honest and caring about taking care of you during your stay at the hotel. Now here are some more nuanced comments - the rooms in the older part of the hotel are a bit worn. However, the showers are very good, with plenty of hot water and modern fixtures. The main building has the best views of the water and sunsets and is closest to the golf course, the dining rooms and bars. The newer part (The Level) is a quieter section of the resort, has large suites, huge bathrooms and living quarters, but these have mostly garden views. I should mention here that the resort is for adults only. The age range among guests is very broad - no single age group was left out or predominated. Regarding the food, there is a wide variety in the buffet hall, but 'foodies' won't be happy as Cuban food tends to be light on the spices - so maybe bring your Frank's hot sauce and pepper flakes in your luggage if 'heat' is important to you. Regarding alcohol, beer and rum are probably the best options - no off the shelf premium alcohol at the bars. In conclusion, although there are rough edges and small drawbacks, in my opinion, this resort shows great spirit and dedication to come back to life after the pandemic. I hope to return soon, if I can. Hasta luego, Melia Las Americas. PS I need to mention the quirky monetary situation in Cuba. Officially, you can buy Cuban pesos (CUP) at any bank, hotel or 'CADECA'; however you can't sell back unused Cuban pesos when you leave. So the best choice is to bring cash (eg USD, CDN, Euro) and exchange it 20$ at a time at the hotel 'CADECA' (currently, $20 USD = ~2200 CUP; $20 CDN =~ 1700 CUP). Tips (range from 100-500CUP depending on service) are highly welcome and appreciated. However, one should never, ever tip in foreign coin. The people cannot do anything with a toonie or loonie or other foreign coin as the banks in Cuba won't accept it for deposit nor can it be used to buy or trade in the street.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Loved it!

We travelled as 2 families over the Christmas holidays. We were very fortunate with Air Transit. 2 hour delay on the way there and half an hour on the way back but we got our luggage unlike West Jet and Sun Wing! I've been to this resort 3 times now. The grounds are beautiful and proximity to the pool and beach are real assets. We had a pool view room which was a great perk for booking early. Lots of choices for food. Always pork, fish, chicken and beef on the buffet line as well as at the gr [... read more]ills. We had omelettes everyday. 24 hour snack shack provided lots of ham and cheese sanwiches and fries. Ice cream stand was a nice daily treat too. 4 a la carte restaurants provided great service. Japanese is always a front runner followed by Italian, Romantico and Cuban. Delicious and nice to have table service. Bring a deck of cards as sometimes it's hard to fill the time in between dinner and the show. The lobby is spacious and grand and it carries out to a large, beautiful patio. We all enjoyed stretching on the beach, dance lessons, beach volleyball, ocean swims, ping pong, pickleball on the tennis courts (brought our own paddles).... Cuba's beach and ocean can't be beat. Turquoise water and white sand. The animation team works hard to get people involved in games and contests, but you can be as lazy or active as you want. Lots of shade available in the huts at the beach. Not much shade at pool area. Fun in the sun! Miss the palm trees and Pina Coladas already.

Melia Las Americas: Good and bad resort

Beautiful resort, wonderful grounds. Exceptionally well trained staff, very friendly, always smiling and ready to help. The buffet has a tight schedule and understaff. The food would be very good for a ticket price of $1000 per person. We paid $2500 per person and the expectations were higher. There is not enough entertainment for rainy days. We got 4 rainy, cold days and it was very boring. I got very sick with a respiratory virus the first day back in Canada. I don't know if I got the virus f [... read more]rom the resort or from the plane/airport. Our cellphones didn't work the last 2 days of our vacation -there was internet in the rooms, only in the lobby -they said that its a problem many customers have with the I phones. Overall was not a good vacation and we would not recommend this resort for the price we paid.

Paradisus Varadero: Not worth the money

While I loved dealing with Louise this resort was way less satisfying than we expected. Starting with our room…curtains falling off, shower head spraying all over, cold water for showering , had to slam door to shut it, smell of sewer for two days, bedding was horrible and no heat. The hall…. Half the lighting was out and doors all broken off and sewer pipes all exposed. Cleanliness was satisfactory in room. Resort itself….hot tubes didn’t work, some pubs were closed, entertainment was  [... read more]same dancers every night accept one night there was a horrible magic show. Pools closed at like 7 when I’m on vacation if I want to swim after supper I should be able to. They did have a few great singers. Food….could get into dinners we wanted, couldn’t get food if we had an early excursion, my husband is an early riser and had a hard time getting coffee due to broken machines, plates were absolutely disgustingly dirty all the time, toaster didn’t toast unless pressed 5 times. Food was Cuban and expected but breaking fillings because rice not cooked properly was not! Staff were polite and curious and did their best. Loved visiting a different culture but won’t ever go back to this resort ever!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Assuming it’s beautiful

I had no opportunity to check out your resort as the East Coast was in a turmoil due to the weather conditions. It would have been up to trip central travel agent to contact you about me not able to take my vacation as there were days with flight cancellations .

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Christmas vacation

Was pleasantly surprised with the food, but 24 snack bar was dirty and had obvious roaches everywhere. Rooms were dated but clean, common areas clean, but furniture in rough shape. Limited entertainment.

Playa Vista Azul: Best staff ever

From the minute we got off the bus we were instantly greeted warmly by the lobby staff. The staff over at the mini hotel are absolutely wonderful. Rite and Carlos always had our drinks ready, Diane and Yuriel took care of our reservations for dinner everyday without asking. The ladies in the restaurant are kind and always smiling. Our room was beautiful and the food was good

Paradisus Varadero: Disappointing trip

The hotel has a stunning view of the ocean and a welcoming staff, however the facilities are old and often broken. There was no hot water shower at the beginning, we couldn't use the coffee machine, toilet was not flushing, the door key card was not working etc. Food is not good as well, people simply didn't know how to cook and also there were not much varieties, we were fed up towards the end and had to go out to dine. All in all, we would have expected more from a 5-star hotel, but it's reall [... read more]y disappointing!

Brisas Del Caribe: Not Expected

Unfortunately, I only have past experiences with resorts or all inclusives in Mexico. Many holiday's in Bahamas, Canada, England and the USA. I'm honestly at a lost of words to express my disappointment.

Melia Marina Varadero: 2 star resort

I was not empressed with the advertising its literally not a 5 star Hotel.Not a recommended resort to anybody very disappointing.We got bed bug,toilets making wild noise every time you flush.Booked for a restaurant the same food they serve you in a buffet

Melia Internacional: Thoroughly enjoyed

We went from December 20th to the 27th and had a blast. The staff is very friendly, the beach was what you would expect from Varadero, FANTASTIC. We've been fortunate to visit many beach all over the world yet there's nothing quite like this beach. Moreover, you always here people talking about the food in Cuba, at Melia Internacional we had zero complaints about food. We would return for sure.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Go for the people .. take lots of extras!!

The fantastic people at this resort are like family, we just keep going back to visit. Cubans are simply phenomenal people who will do anything they can to make your trip enjoyable. This is our first trip since 2019, and we’ve travelled to Cuba many times. We have a few important points to share: 1) Do not exchange money into Cuban Pesos. Most places will not accept them, especially inside the hotels. It’s all credit card and billed in USD. They will accept CDN paper money, US paper m [... read more]oney and also Euros, but ironically not their own Cuban Peso. All bills must be in excellent condition, with no tears or issues with the bills or they won’t except them 2) CUC or Cuban convertible pesos are no longer accepted and won’t be exchanged. The new Cuban Peso also won’t be exchanged back into any currency once converted. 3) There is exceptionally little to buy on the resort. Their gift shops have rum, coffee beans and tonic water that is basically it. All other essentials MUST be taken with you. You can’t buy sunscreen, potato chips or cookies. There is no food for purchase anywhere on the resort. 4)The food choices post COVID are very limited. As repeat customers we know not to expect Canadian style food, however this time even we were challenged with the food. There is also no longer an in room coffee maker, and also no in room mini bar. It’s all been taken away .. a coffee machine can be “ purchased for 600 pesos a day and you get 4 coffee capsules and sugar. One glass litre bottle is refilled with purified water and replaced daily. 5) Paper goods are in very limited supply. Take Kleenex tissues and even some toilet paper, as you will get one roll. The Iberostar Selection Varadero is one of the better resorts in the Varadero strip and we struggled a bit with these changes. I can imagine that lower star resorts are even more impacted!! Luckily I’m a very prepared traveller, so our trip was comfortable as I took many extras. They’ve expanded the beach during COVID and it’s simply wonderful!! The Cubans can’t access much so please take things with you to give away like sneakers, ladies black shoes, nylons, socks, children’s clothes, health and beauty items and chocolate or cookies. Anything you can take with you is very much appreciated as they share with their entire community!

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful port view

It’s a building close to the port with beautiful view, but I don’t think it’s a 5 star hotel. The room toilet couldn’t be flushed properly, towel holder is broken. Sometimes out of toilet paper. Food is clean, there were many nice salads. Never felt any stomach uncomfortable or diarrhea. Desert type is less than I expected. Sometimes no coffee or water in the whole hotel, which I couldn’t believe. There was no stage in the hotel. The night show wasn’t attractive.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Satisfied!

Beach was beautiful but the pool was not so deep. If your room is close to the Disco hall you will hear loud music until late night. The room was a bit old but I didn't spend too much time in there so it didn't bother me so much. Food was fine overall. Only problem I had was small rocks inside rice. I had to be really careful not to break my teeth. Their paella was amazing and they have fantasitic cakes.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Below expectations

I found most aspects of this resort to be below standard or at least below expectations. From the start, the hotel reception staff seemed indifferent and often bothered that we had arrived. Simple requests, like requesting a bottle of water, having wifi activated in the room, etc, were returned with furrowed brows and no response. No one took the time, to show the resort but pointed to the map drawing (illegible) propped on a dirty display on lobby counter. Was given a key and had to figu [... read more]re out where the building and room were. We had to wait 24hrs for the next scheduled Sunwing rep appt session in order to get some perspective on the resort. At which time he really only offered ppl info on what to do if you’re traveling outside the resort. Rooms were dated and dirty. Maintenance staff were inconsistent, walk through rooms in dirty outside shoes, didn’t always change sheets/towels and spent a lot of time yelling at each other across rooms and buildings. The resort was very noisy all day with constant 90’s dance music playing at all times. Food was mediocre and service and service same. The lady who booked dinner reservations was unhelpful, didn’t speak English and petitioned me to buy Canadian coins, twice. All went from average to worse, following the delayed flights at the end of vacay.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Nice resort!

Just spent a week at this hotel and we’re very pleased with everything! Booked the vacation with uncertain expectations due to Covid and supply shortages in Cuba. The beach was exceptionally nice and clean. The hotel and grounds were well maintained and clean. The rooms could use a little upgrading ( bathroom and showers amazing). The staff were very outgoing and friendly and seemed to go the extra mile to make our vacation great. This resort had all the condiments that’s my teenagers love!

Barcelo Solymar: Great Trip...Awesome Resort

It was a 4 Day, Girls Trip to Barcelo Solymar, Cuba. However, half of this resort was under renovations. We made used of its Sister Hotel, Occidental Arenas Blancs. We had everything we needed between these two hotels. This trip was very exciting, since the hotels were situated across the street from Downtown, Cuba, where, the Famous Calle 62, still is....Live Cuban Music and Dancing. The Havana Club is, still just down the street from Calle 62. There was Disco Music for Dancing, from 11 p [... read more]m to 3 am. Also, the Famous Beatles Bar, was also in this Downtown Area. It has nightly a vast selection of Live Music from 8 pm, free of charge. The location of Barcelo Solymar was perfect in every way. We stayed at the beautiful bungalows....and the food was Cuban Style. Since we had a choice of two hotels, to be entertained, to eat and to explore, I feel this is the best choice for Downtown Varadero Hotels, which met our needs in everyway.

Playa Vista Azul: Good value

The room was clean and comfortable. The food was acceptable. Often the same thing mixed with other vegetables. The grounds were well kept. The staff friendly but the service very slow at times. I often just got up to get my own fork or knife. The entertainment was great except one night where they used men from the audience as their entertainment. What they did was highly inappropriate for children. Many of the parents were leaving with their children. The MC was humping a chair, there was a man [... read more] dressed in drag doing a lap dance to some unsuspecting men, some of them with their children in the audience. Some of the men who volunteered to be on stage left the stage angrily. The whole thing was below the belt "entertainment". The pools were clean and great for swimming, unlike other resorts that basically have wading pools, never more than a metre deep.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Lovely resort

We stayed at the Royalton and found it to be exceptional in all ways . People who know Cuba can take a good message from this description of an all around great place . It excels in every way right down to the mojitos and yes mint !!!