Some what dissappointed

The distance to the hotel from the airport was decent. It was approximately half an hour from the airport - so it wasn't too long a drive. The initial impression of the resort was nice, it was presented nicely. The front grounds were nicely manicured. The front desk staff were also very welcoming and quick to accommodate and get you checked in. Upon arrival to our rooms we were very disappointed. The furniture,the bedding, the drapery. Everything was very dilapidated and falling apart and wel [... read more]l-used. The patio door didn't open properly, it required a lot of effort. The bathroom was sufficient it was fairly updated. Our biggest disappointment with the room was that the air conditioner didn't work properly and the room smelled very strong of mildew and mold. I have asthma and don't do well with molds and mildew. The smell was constant. Midway of our week-long stay I actually had to get our bedding changed. We had just had a room clean that morning. It was raining fairly steady that day. So we spent most of the day in our room. Upon waking from a nap I had several bites. I had the staff put fresh bedding on the bed and that seemed to resolve the problem. No more bites. Inside the resort grounds it was adequate. It wasn't a very grand hotel. Just sufficient. Although the gardens and landscaping were maintained a lot was disregarded. By that I mean things like straws, plastic cups and just little debris was left to just lay around and lots of cigarette butts etc. I never really saw staff cleaning up after guests. There was also only one pool area, so if the number of chaise lounges provided were taken (30 aprox.) then you were out of luck. Dining hall was fairly clean and organized well. The staff both wait/chefs were very pleasant and welcoming. Food was plenty with a decent variety of stations. Although I wished they'd had more variety of fruit and vegetables. It was same everyday.... papaya, pineapple, watermelon. Veggies were, cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant. Never any variation. So the menu got old quickly. The hotel was rated a four star. I would not have given it more than a 2.5/5. This was our 3rd time to Cuba. A first time to stay with the Iberostar brand. I would not recommend this hotel or chain. Don't get us wrong, we love Cuba and it's citizens. Just not the time we spent at the resort itself.

A resort in need of work

On a positive note the staff were very nice and helpful. Reception was friendly and welcoming. The long wait for our room wasn't a total turn off and we did have full access to the facility while we waited. Out room was a bit under whelming as it was in need of a good update. The beds were not that comfortable and both my wife and I would wake with stiff backs from a mediocre mattress. Our first room had plenty of hot water but the shower drain was plugged and required cleaning which was done pr [... read more]omptly. In the morning of day five there was a cockroach in the shower. We put it down to location and though they offered us a room change or a spray of the room we opted for neither as we felt it was a one off. That night there was another cockroach and other bugs so the next day we asked about a spray. The fellow who did this work only came twice a week and was unavailable so we changed rooms. The hotel generously gave us a voucher to eat at one of their restaurants, a nice jesture.The next room had no bug issues, but there was no bathroom door. As it was just the two of us it wasn't a big issue. Same feeling about the mattress. On checkout the hotel advised me that I owed 22.40 for purchases and phone calls. I disputed the phone calls as neither my wife nor I made any calls from our room. They seemed reluctant to accept this but eventually accepted that I only owed for my purchases which amounted to 19.00 which I happily payed. I was required to sign a release saying they had given me a free late checkout and they were otherwise absolved of any other claims. Not a big deal. The food was ok but nothing special, pretty much what you expect in Cuba so no real complaint from us. If we didn't like something on our plate we didn't eat it. The restaurants(3) were hit and miss on whether they would be open and the food was better than the buffets. The service was very good and they did their best to accommodate my vegetarian daughter. The entertainment was really great and fun with lots of variety. The hot tub was not operational and though they featured it in their web site it didn't appear to have been in use for quite some time. The workout facility was quite poor. Only a few machines which actually worked. There didn't appear to be enough beach side water craft and though I had fished at a Cayo Coco resort three years ago this resort seemed to think it odd that I asked if they had any fishing rods. It would have been nice but wasn't significant and I tried to acquire fishing rods from the staff. None of the buses(2) that we used for excursions and transport to and from the airport had operational toilets. The claim was they didn't work and the doors were locked. Very inconvenient for everyone on the buses. All in all it was a decent enough get away from the Canadian winter but I don't think it was good value.

A resort in need of work

On a positive note the staff were very nice and helpful. Reception was friendly and welcoming. The long wait for our room wasn't a total turn off and we did have full access to the facility while we waited. Out room was a bit under whelming as it was in need of a good update. The beds were not that comfortable and both my wife and I would wake with stiff backs from a mediocre mattress. Our first room had plenty of hot water but the shower drain was plugged and required cleaning which was done pr [... read more]omptly. In the morning of day five there was a cockroach in the shower. We put it down to location and though they offered us a room change or a spray of the room we opted for neither as we felt it was a one off. That night there was another cockroach and other bugs so the next day we asked about a spray. The fellow who did this work only came twice a week and was unavailable so we changed rooms. The hotel generously gave us a voucher to eat at one of their restaurants, a nice jesture.The next room had no bug issues, but there was no bathroom door. As it was just the two of us it wasn't a big issue. Same feeling about the mattress. On checkout the hotel advised me that I owed 22.40 for purchases and phone calls. I disputed the phone calls as neither my wife nor I made any calls from our room. They seemed reluctant to accept this but eventually accepted that I only owed for my purchases which amounted to 19.00 which I happily payed. I was required to sign a release saying they had given me a free late checkout and they were otherwise absolved of any other claims. Not a big deal. The food was ok but nothing special, pretty much what you expect in Cuba so no real complaint from us. If we didn't like something on our plate we didn't eat it. The restaurants(3) were hit and miss on whether they would be open and the food was better than the buffets. The service was very good and they did their best to accommodate my vegetarian daughter. The entertainment was really great and fun with lots of variety. There didn't appear to be enough beach side water craft and though I had fished at a Cayo Coco resort three years ago this resort seemed to think it odd that I asked if they had any fishing rods. It would have been nice but wasn't significant and I tried to acquire fishing rods from the staff. All in all it was a decent enough get away from the Canadian winter but I don't think it was good value.

Fun resort

Nice for a Cuban resort. Pros: The rooms had been recently renovated and were quite stylish. Beach was very nice, always lots of chairs Staff was very friendly and courteous Kids had fun at the kids club, staff made a real effort Morning omelets and fresh cooked meat were good Cons: The beds were rather hard Specialty restaurants seemed to pre-cook all food earlier in the day and Internet, while available, was difficult to use and unreliable

Mediocre vacation

This hotel was less than I expected. I felt that the room was ok but not great. There was often no hot water at all and on one day there was NO RUNNING WATER. It was almost impossible to get our mini bar properly stocked. Our phone never worked-even after numerous complaints to the front desk. The grounds were well maintained but the facilities were not the best. The food at the main restaurant (buffet) left much to be desired (in fact, I lost 8 pounds while on this vacation and spent money  [... read more]on pringles chips from the very limited convenience store). The specialty restaurants were not good at all. My partner and I spent money of our own in Varadero searching for good food. The people in the dining areas were not welcoming (except for the man on the omelette station- HE was amazing). Everyone else was stand-offish. One server pulled me aside to try to sell me a "tour of Havana". I was not pleased by this. The people in the offices where the specialty restaurants were booked were downright rude. The beach was impeccable however but lacked appropriate bathroom facilities as they were constantly under repair. The showers at the beach entrance were out of order throughout the vacation. The representative from Transat changed twice. The person we booked out tour of Havana with was less than convincing in his appearance and his demeanour. The outing to Havana was mediocre and the guide spent most of the tour disappearing into bars and restaurants and left us to our own devices. The bus arrived 45 minutes late to the hotel in the morning and got us home much later than was expected. The tour included lunch and after being picked up at 8:30 am our lunch only happened at 2:30 pm. We were all starving by then. Some tour members were very upset and voiced their complaints. We decided not to because it was probably the best lunch of our trip. My partner and I returned home with bug bites all over our bodies. We are afraid they are from bed bugs as we never encountered any bugs anywhere. The theatre shows were atrocious. There was one dance show that had "international dance" and was absolutely terrible. One dancer had a clothing issue and her breasts showed throughout a section of the dance. The regular entertainment staff were ok and those shows on the beach or at the bar area were so much better than anything at the theatre. The problem with the bars was that there seemed to be a lack of servers. I regularly ordered something and never got it. It was frustrating to the point that we ended up going to the counter ourselves which seemed to annoy the barmaids but we had no choice if we wanted to get a drink. All this and we were tipping ALL the TIME because I had been told that the Cuban people relied on their tips. Well, I usually tip based on the service I encounter. If I had followed my usual ways not ONE server would have gotten a tip. They were all well under par. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I will not be returning to Cuba because of this. It does not compare at all with our Transat trip to Mexico last year or with the numerous cruises we have done. Jennifer I. Montreal

Let down for an Iberostar

The beaches are pristine and gorgeous. The food was ok ...actually better than expectation! One has to realize it’s Cuba and they work with the resources they have . The service was great...the staff was one of the most warm and friendly I have ever seen . Now coming to the resort itself ...we booked because of the Iberostar name but were really disappointed....the property grounds are clean but the rooms are a different story.....completely dated furniture,the beds were awful we used to wak [... read more]e up to aching backs ....we talked to other guests and they had the same issue . Also common use washrooms near beach were not maintained...The management needs to seriously update the rooms until then I would not go back to this resort ! For having spent that much one needs a proper nights sleep

Good for Cuba

I went with my family and we had a good time. Very nice kids friendly hotel and most of the people were able to understand English. Lots of activities through out the day and the entertainment staff were friendly. The reservation buffets were nice elegant evenings as they soothed your mind and body with beautiful music. Sometimes at the snack shacks beside the pool we had to chase the birds away from coming on our chairs and attempting to eat our food. For me the downside of things was I found t [... read more]he food to be very salty and sometimes the shower to wash off when you came from the beach wouldn't work. Those times we had to go into the pool after to get off most of the sand so that we wouldn't bring it back to the hotel.

Iberostar Playa Alameda - Ok

We chose this resort because it was an Iberostar. We were there 4 years earlier and were very impressed with the grounds, services, food, and room conditions. My how things can change in that time. The maid never once gave us clean sheets. Our fridge was not stocked on a daily basis. I broke my arm while falling on a wet drink spilled dance floor when we just got to the resort. The font desk Manager Judith Guerra is one miserable woman, who didn't seem to care about anyone, leaves me to think  [... read more]how she ever got her position in the first place. Don't get me wrong, the people who serviced us otherwise were terrific and very accommodating. The whole resort is undergoing renovations, thus they didn't care to have the cable working in our room. Once again, we chose the resort for the brand name and reputation of fine quality service. Surely we should have been told that is was now owned by the Cuban government and was being renovated to be renamed. Absolutely great service from Trip Central, whom we will look at using again for our Christmas adventure, but we will never stay here again. Just a word of advice, check and make sure your resort is what its supposed to be, not just selling the brand without the service that is supposed to go with it. LINDA & PAUL

Will not disappoint!

Apr. 26-May 6th, 2017 Distance from airport is only a 45 min. drive..the rep on our bus could have maximized his effort and drivers tip potential by using our drive time educating us on the area / country. In my opinion , the rep on our return did little to engage or educate as well. While it wasn't deterring , it was a missed opportunity to make a great first impression and earn tips ! This resort is small and its size is definetly welcoming!! No waiting for shuttles or trams, just as vac [... read more]ation should be - walk at your leisure to the ocean ...or wherever you wish to simply Be. Don't let 'small' fool you, its footprint is the only aspect of small. This resort has an entertainment Team with a passion for building relashionships and entertaining. Of all my resort experience this Team by far, has been the most professional and talented, dedicated to the client experience. We actually went to the nightly shows and enjoyed them! The buffet has a wide variety and their presentation appealing. Unlike other experiences I have had, the food actually has destinctible flavours rather than bland or all the same. Buffet was extremely clean and orderly at all times ! The Team in the buffet were very professional and also committed to building relashionships. Three al a carts are offered, the Italian, in my opinion failed to deliver. They missed the mark on flavour..there were 5 at our table, all agreed the pizza was the only item worthy of mention. Our waitress was excellent. Beach side lunch restaurant is a smaller version of the buffet, boasting a daily bbq feature, which was excellent . I spent the majority of my days at the beach, and ate mostly at the buffet as I welcomed the air conditioned break from the 30c + tempetures during our 10 day stay. Our room was among the newly renovated, we were close to a building reno in progress and despite reading other reviews about reno noise, we were not bothered by it. The property is well maintained. A friend travelling with us asked for a different room than assigned due to bed size and found the reception staff to be committed to please. My experiences with reception were same. Our rooms were very clean, fresh towels provided daily , clean sheets every 2-3 days. Our maid was excellent, although her task is not easy she never swayed from pleasant ..very admirable. The pool area is extremely clean, offers shade and entertainment as well quiet time. Their children/ family area is well designed and equipped for safety & fun. The pool is not deep, although always active! The beach is well equipped with beds & shade, as well, clean with lifeguards and 1st aid always visible. As with everywhere the entertainment Team is actively engaging anyone who wishes to participate - their mantra,' be crazy not lazy.' I certainly hope the resort management are treating this wonderful , dedicated, hard working group of Team members well in Spirit, as well, financial compensation as their efforts individually and collectively are exemplary. Without this dedication I and others would not have experienced the high level of care as we did and therefore the resort not benifiting their maximum return on investment . I truly wish that more tipping was offered than what I witnessed. Consider budgeting tips into your vacation daily. This property is Great Value all around - The Little Resort that Could !

Decent resort for Cuba

This resort is overall just okay. It was my first time travelling to Cuba so I wasn't expecting the best as far as food went. But as far as grounds and room go it's just okay as well.. Im not super picky but my room was an upgraded room so they said.. Did have new upgrades but they didn't work so well...dim led lights in bathroom couldn't even shave properly.. the shower had a massive fancy shower head that only trickled out water when u tilted it on a strong enough angle.. water leaking out o [... read more]f a wall in the living area, couple things from the buffet gave me the runs. This resort is smaller and the pool is small too with no swim up bar. Regardless to say we are a young couple 25 and 28 and even though everyone there was older 45-70 unless it was a teenager with their family we still were going to make the best of it and we're having a decent time until we had our meeting with he tour rep and heard people complaining heavily about the rooms and everything and they demanded to switch hotels so we said we wouldn't mind doing the same thing if possible, which is what we did, switched to Iberostar Laguna Azul went from a 3* to a 5* in my opinion with everything food, resort, entertainment, crowds of people. Personally I would never come here again but for older people who like a quiet resort with no entertainment this may be an option for them.

Good Holiday with some hiccups

This hotel was very clean and well kept. Food was just good. Rooms were clean however our room had no bathroom door and the balcony door didn't lock- we didn't complain, just adjusted to these issues. Beach towels are in your room when you check in however it wasn't until day 7 of the trip that fresh beach towels were available at the pool towel hut. Beach was small but enough room to accommodate the beach chairs. With the exception of the entertainment staff, the rest of the staff was ver [... read more]y unfriendly (contrary to what I had read on most reviews). The pool bar staff were extremely unfriendly. It got to the point that it was uncomfortable to go to the bar. Buffet staff did their jobs and didn't go over board to be nice. Not sure if this was due to the fact that when we had our money changed over they gave us all big bills, did not have small bills to give us... therefore it wasn't until around day 3 of the trip that we were able to finally change big bills for small (for tipping). At that point I think maybe we were labelled as the non tippers - --so when you finally get money and tip and still you are still treated rudely, well why bother tipping ?? There is a large kids pool but most kids end up in the deeper part of the pool. There were no daytime pool entertainment activities until around 3pm. The shows they had at the pool were very entertaining. This hotel had a lot of young families and people over 70. Didn't know this before booking, somehow that missed the reviews. There didn't seem to be many middle aged people. So overall, we had a good holiday because we made the best of it, but this is the last visit.

Very average resort 3 star resort with relatively friendly staff

Our first all inclusive experience at Iberostar Playa Alameda was as follows: THE GOOD PART: 1. The weather was not hot and breezy, good for surfing not for swimming though 2. The beach and the ocean were nice although a bit wavy but kids enjoyed it 3. Reasonable sector manager and the most of the staff to negotiate some unpleasant experience. 4. There are some nice little shows to watch (We liked singers and acrobats). THE BAD PART: 1. After check-in at 3 a.m. we were pl [... read more]aced in a ground-floor room at Building No.12. Room wasn't clean, smelled of musk and mold and beds smelled terrible. My wife has allergy to mold so It took us 12 hours to be moved to Building No.16. The room was more or less clean although towels smelled like shit. After tipping our cleaning lady we have got them replaced. 2. Building No.14 is being renovated right now and you will enjoy a lot of noise, worker's talks, etc. along with ocean breeze. 2. Double beds are very small and uncomfortable. Consider it as a king bed cut into two parts. My god's feeling that double bed at Super8 is way bigger. We were finally extremely lucky to get extra cot for free and use coach for our youngest. 3. Beer, water and pop supplies (2 beer,2 pop and bottle of water) for the room are delivered every other day, well, if you tip you get more frequent schedule. But, that is what we have paid for, right? 4. Not sure who does the laundry for this resort. We were extremely lucky to get our bedding and towels (after tipping, of course) not smelling terrible. 5. If you want to enjoy a La Carte restaurant(s), make sure you prepare yourself for the small portion of food from the same breakfast buffet on a big plate and, I forgot to mention, that if you don't want to pick something from the wine card(not included in your package) you will get a complementary glass of wine from the same buffet(Damn, I thought Naked Grape was the worst I have ever tried) 6. The variety of food was as a variety available food offered but sometimes it was a difficult to choice to make because we wasn't sure about freshness. But at the end of the day, we kept our first aid pills in place (sorry, safe) being ready to any unexpected situation. All the fruits were green, except papaya, may be? We have tried fruits outside hotel and it tasted amazing(really?) There was one day when the food was good(Saturday, I guess?) but that was the day when the staff was collecting the surveys about quality of food and service. 7. The last point would be the location of the hotel. It is far from Varadero. You can take a double bus, of course, but next time we will stay in, say, Barceló Solimar just because its in walking distance or, may be, just for comparison sake? Overall, it is ok for the first time and I would rate it close to 3 star

Clean but dated in dire need of repair to bathroom bed was terrible

Not the best needs some update dining was terrible meals were the same everyday the night shows we're okay the showers didn't work well door couldn't shut properly room smelt must the waiters were very helpful but I would rate this hotel as 4 stars check in was fine

Just Ok

Resort is dated. They are upgrading rooms - make sure you request one of those. Staff seem like they don't want to be there - not helpful. Food is below average, even for Cuba. Bottom line is you get what you pay for. Spend a few extra dollars

Great Holiday

The resort was very well maintained. The rooms were clean, the beds were comfortable. Beach towels were in our room when we arrived but only able to exchange them about every second day - the laundry is done off site so they only have what they receive. Not a big deal for us! Bath towels came each day. Bar fridge was stocked every second day with beer, water and soft drinks. The food was good. We loved the grill at the beach - always something new from the barbeque each day! The restau [... read more]rants were good. We tried them all and were not disappointed. The drinks were great - premium liquor. All in all the Alameda was great value! We talked to many repeat guests. We would definitely go back!

Nice resort

The resort was nice, the staff was wonderful and the food, both at the buffet and à la carte restaurants, were good. We upgraded to the romantic package which was definitely not worth the money. We were in the renovated section however the rooms were extremely dated. The mattress was not very good and there were a couple of coils that would poke you. The water pressure in the shower was nonexistent and the water was lukewarm at best most days. The beach was very nice.

Perfect for family with kids!

Well cleaned room,beautiful pools with bars. Resorts has mini club for kids to play and a small pool for toddler that was fantastic. All staffs were very welcoming,smiling and always happy to exceed guest need.

Quite little resort

Really enjoyed the late night snack bar. Liked that the resort was just the right size that you did not have to walk forever to get to one end to the other. Great excess to the beach and the beach had plenty of lounge chairs.

Good value

The rooms were kept clean, we knew the fridge would be restocked every other day, but we still had to track someone down. Toilet paper was supplied in rooms but not replenished often at the public washrooms so u have to keep a roll with you. Al la carts were very good and the serving staff were very intensive. Wished the buffet would change up a bit. It was mostly the same food every time. Bartender rocked of course. Night entertainment had some good shows and some so-so shows. When we were chec [... read more]king out, we were told that there were two calls to Canada that happened on the days we were gone on our extensions. After almost 2 hours, it got fixed

Lovely Resort

This was my fourth time to Cuba, have stayed at a different resort each time. The grounds at this resort are beautiful. Food was not as good as other resorts I have stayed. But I certainly did not go hungry, there was lots to choose from. Our room was not cleaned as it should have been. At other resorts we have stayed at in Cuba, our rooms were better cleaned. We were suppose to get water daily in our room, which we didn't. We had to ask for water. When we did ask, one of the employees told u [... read more]s we could buy water in the gift shop. One night at the romantic restaurant, I ordered a drink and the waitress did not bring it. When I asked for it again, she was very rude. Other than this one waitress, the rest of the staff was extremely friendly. Overall we had a wonderful week, beach is fantastic. I would stay at this resort again and would recommend it.