Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Great Resort

Everyone from the groundkeepers , the maids, the management ,the waiters and waitresses and the bartenders (Orestes&Yolexis)were great. They always had a smile on their faces. The food was good, no complaints! They are starting to add more flavor or spices to the food. This is a country that is doing the best they can with what they can get their hands on . Remember you are going for the sun and fun, you will not starve. With the lack of Tourism, they are focusing only a couple of building [... read more]s and the main areas. and will open up more areas as it gets busier I went in with low expectations and got more than expected . I would recommend this Hotel

Club Kawama: Doing their best

Thank you again for booking the trips for our group, we are a very laid back crew and did enjoy ourselves given the circumstances but there are definitely some things you and future travellers should be made aware of before booking this property. I'll start by saying I have been to this resort previously and have clearly been fond of it, the location, beach, staff, affordability and even the food was quite good for Cuba. I do understand the supply chain issues that have decreased here whether [... read more] due to the pandemic or the war in Ukraine and these things were slightly foreseeable. However, the entire lobby at Kawama was under construction and completely closed off. The 'reception' was in a room and was quite disorganized for check in of over a dozen people. Our bus drove us to both opposite ends of the resort and some of our group walked to find out where we were to even check in. This could have been noted. We had a vague idea of the food and beverage concerns but there were literally two options for alcohol, beer and rum. There was no ice for 3 days, often out of coffee and not one of us ever received beer or soft drinks in our rooms. Lunch and dinner was pork, rice and cucumber cut 8 different ways but I don't want to make a huge deal out of the food because we didn't go to Cuba for that but it warrants mentioning. The resort was also 90% Cuban locals so any entertainment or activities were entirely in Spanish leaving us feeling excluded but again not necessarily what we go for. On the positive side the weather, beach, grounds and even rooms for the most part were good and the staff are always wonderful and did express their own dismay at what they were able to offer us. Overall I was disappointed with the lack of the basics but I understand that is out of your control but when one is paying for certain advertised expectations it's disheartening. This is the most I've ever paid to visit this resort and received the least. I'm writing mainly for awareness purposes as I was unable to gain this kind of information via social media or travel blogs but I have and will continue to share this information so new travellers can make an informed decision. In summary our group ended up being 9 as two additional friends arrived a day later to celebrate my birthday and we had many laughs and made the absolute most of our week away and we'll never forget it. Just a few notes for you and TripCentral to consider. Thank you for your time Vanessa

Melia Las Americas: It was just ok …

This hotel is struggling to recover from the pandemic. This is my second trip here (once before the pandemic) and both times are very different in the experience. Most of the staff are wonderful but some are rude. They lack training. The food was very repititious in the buffet. The Japanese restaurant is good but if you are on a salt reduced diet be careful. The beach and pool are quite good but the pool lacked regular cleaning to remove the sand and other debris that collected day.  [... read more]The worst part of the trip is my room had bedbugs and I had a severe reaction to their bites (I am quite allergic to them). Upon complaint Hotel Mgmt advised they were sending someone to inspect the room. Two cleaning staff showed up and simply changed the bedding and left. They did not inspect for bedbugs at all. All in all the trip was survivable but for the money paid I expect better… even in Cuba.

Los Delfines: Seasoned single travelling mom on the run happy as can be

Clean room, clean pool, hot water, working lamps, overhead lights and a.c., beautiful sheets, hair dryer!, not a bug in sight, great entertainment, lovely little balcony on west side of pool catching the morning sun. Food, not very good, close to inedible for North American standards, and in nearly all-Cuban resort did not feel staff was terribly interested in me, but I was on a mom run and felt safe, safer than anywhere I have ever been, wanted the closest access to the beach and I got it.

Playa Vista Azul: Small friendly resort

Nice hotel for one week. Rooms are clean, mini fridge with botteled water, security box. We never missed hot water or towels for the shower and beach. Wifi throughout the complex. There are 2 small beaches on each side of resort. Never missed chairs nor palapas. Bars are fine with excellent service. One pool with bar on one side and shallow part for children at the other end. Nothing for childreth at the pool and kids club was closed. Food...this is Cuba....food is good but no variatio [... read more]n. Lunch and supper are the same, a la carte as well. It is basic but you won't starve. They miss everything, but I think it's the same everywhere. There is a small snack at the left beach with sandwiches at lunch and one snack at the pool with burgers and hot dogs - no fries anywhere. But above everything the Cubans are soooo friendly. Don't change too many pesos. They prefer canadian or American money at the resort and they will change pesos for you at 100 for 1 at the buffet or bar. Taxi as well. If you go to Varadero the stores and Mercado will not accept pesos. Entertainment every night in the lobby before the show at the theatre.

Club Kawama: resort club kawama

it was the worst trip my husband and i ever had . the food was crap and they ran out of everything but excuse,s no coffee, no milk, no wine red or white , toilet paper used for dinner napkins,no beer sometimes, no cups for the beer, no chlorine for the pool,the list is endless..........................kawama is a shit hole

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Nice Resort

The hotel was really big but nice. All Entertainment Team was fun, energetic and had a variety of activities. The service at the buffet was good. Staff were very friendly friendly. The pool and the beach were clean and well maintained. The housekeeping service left a little to be desired. We ran out of tissues (small package) and body wash and it was not replaced. We were initially given face clothes, but after the first day, none were to be seen. There were also ants in our room.

Playa Vista Azul: Great Hotel

We had a great stay at this hotel, we were traveling with babies and family. Room was clean, AC powerful, great water pressure in the shower. Pool was very clean, many chairs and umbrellas. Entertainment for all and pool bar. Small resort, perfect for us, quick access to lobby, beach, pool and restaurants. Beautiful pool at the lobby. Great service, staff was very kind and helpful. Beautiful beach, as expected when in Cuba. Food was OK, they are very creative and have limited access to fresh fru [... read more]it and veggies. Very similar food all week. Coffee is terrible.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Overall, fine.

The water in room didn't work for a few days. When we tipped the staff they were kind and when we did not, not so much. The food at the buffet was the exact same everyday and none of it good enough to write home about. The restaurants, while appearing quite fancy, had much to be desired. The beach was incredible, the weather was incredible, the rest?.... barely adequate. For the money spent it was okay but I expected more.

Memories Jibacoa: Great Resort

We had an amazing time at the Memories Jibacoa! Staff are friendly and provide great service! The grounds and pool are beautiful and very clean and well maintained. We had a beautiful Ocean View room. Rooms are clean and spacious and have all amenities! There was a good selection of food and beverages at the buffet, a la cartes and bars. We enjoyed the entertainment - lots of daily fun and games as well as a variety of great evening shows, The piano bar is a great place to relax and enjoy [... read more] some entertainment! We would highly recommend this resort!

Club Kawama: Poor

We had been to this resort before and knew it was the oldest resort in Varadero and have enjoyed staying there in the past however this year we had many complaints. Had to move to 3 different rooms due to lack of water. Food was much poorer than usual. No milk, cheese or butter. Frequently ran out of coffee, beer and wine. Ongoing issues with sewage gas. Bad odours throughout the resort. The only positive was its fabulous beach and warm friendly people.

Starfish Varadero: Lock up your chocolate but don't worry about other valuables.

The story: We usually bring down treats (chocolates, candy and trail mix) to eat at night while watching a movie. One night we go into our suitcase and can't fine the chocolates. It was in a closed suitcase in the zippered up side with out other treats. Someone looked through our suitcases until they found the chocolates and took them. The same day, I had failed to lock the safe and the person in our room could have taken any sort of money and valuables. None of these were touched. Chocolate is [... read more] obviously more valuable than money. The following morning we trashed the room to make sure they were definitely not there and then went to customer service. They said they would investigate and to come back later. We did and they said that there where only two times we went into the room that day and the maid once. We know this is not true because we could account for three separate ones. We knew we were going to get nowhere so we settled for late check out in exchange for a non solution to the missing chocolates. So my conclusion is to lock up your chocolates but leave your money out. We do not believe it was the maid either.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: beautiful resort but i wouldnt go back

First time going to Cuba so i am not sure if my expectations were too high. The resort itself is absolutely beautiful. The beach is stunning, the landscape is great and the pools are wonderful. However we had several things that we felt could be improved upon. While there it was extremely hot and humid and the air conditioning worked sometimes and other times it didn't, it was extremely frustrating to have no where to go cool down and to try to sleep through the night without it. We had trou [... read more]ble with the power going out as well as the plumbing not working in our room. Every time i called the front desk they didn't seem concerned enough to resolve the situation, but maybe it was out of their control? Also, it stated that our fridge would be fully stocked and no one ever restocked it while we were there. We were provided one 1500ml bottle of water the first two days and then nothing after that. When i called the front desk they said it was after 5pm and i would have to wait until the next day (not the thing you want to hear when you cant drink the tap water, it is 35 degrees out and you are dying of thirst). My husband and i ended up taking a taxi into town and purchasing our own bottled water for the rest of our vacation. Not all restaurants were operating and the ones that were, were challenging to book so we ate at the buffet for most of our stay. The food was awful and it was the same thing served every single day (i understand they are limited in what they receive in supplies) I do have to say that the staff that worked at the restaurants and buffet were so kind and attentive and did the best they could. Overall, i will not be going back to Cuba anytime soon. This was considered a 5 star resort and i would only rate it as a 3 star maximum.

Club Kawama: Hotel Club Kawama (Yucky) via Sunwing Vacations.

I went to this resort after being coaxed by a couple of hometown friends. My friends have been to Hotel Kawama multiple times. I have been to Cuba 5 times, 3 times to Varadero so I knew (in part) what to expect. Upon check, I received my room and my two buddies received theirs. To my buddies amaze they were each issued a private room. One room was Beachfront. Alas it wasn’t long before Hotel management came looking for one of my friends, the one with the beach front, directing him to vacat [... read more]e the room as there was an error at check-in. Cuban management confused his name with another customer. Alas he had to move into the room with my other buddy. Management only gave them one key to share amongst the two of them. This did cause some additional inconvenience, but the management was unsympathetic. As I settled into my room, I quickly realized that the air conditioning did not work. The issue - it was programmed to 26 degrees Celsius and from what I was able to determine the AC remote did not work and there was no way to program the AC at source. I made it known to management and the cleaning staff for four days until there was final resolve. Alas I too had to relocate to another room, one that was not as nice as the one I left. The new room had no hot water, no toilet lid, and the toilet would not flush, the bathtub was disgusting…but hey! The AC worked extremely well. During the four days and sleepless nights that I fought to get my faulty AC situation resolved, my friends were having issue with ants. They cam home to their room and found a massive ant infestation. They threw their ant ridden bedding out of their room. They promptly stormed to hotel reception and demanded another room. They were far less diplomatic than I had been in addressing their ant situation than I had been with my AC. Oddly, the Hotel Management seem to infer that the ants came from Canada...say what? As my friends changed rooms, they had to deal with additional frustrations such as no hot water and room key and keys to the safe. After multiple trips back and forth to reception (which was quite a walk) the key situation was resolved. Upon check out, room keys were promptly shut down at 10 am. This created an additional frustration because the safe was non-accessible. I failed to vacate the room by 10 am so my wallet and passport remained locked down in the safe. I cannot begin to tell you the frustrations I had to get Management to re-open the safe for me. Moreso, management wanted to voice their displeasure with me having checked out of my room late. It became obvious for me that they didn’t mind inconvenience me further. There were other frustrations but to wrap up, I need to say something about visiting a Communist Country, one should expect substandard commodities or sparsity of such things as food, alcohol, cups, ice and mix. Oh, I can’t forget toilet paper, if there was some! To sum up...Shame on me, I should have never gone, and I never will again!

Melia Internacional: Very good

Malia international varadero Cuba is a very nice hotel clean well organized,stuff is welcoming and helpful. Food is good ,beach is clean,no mosquitoes a lot of flies though. What I liked most is the lead supervisor who went around asking if there is a problem or an issue to be resolved. We are a family of seven,all enjoyed The stay so much.

Club Kawama: Worse ever

Very little food to pick from. Eggs in the morning and pork for both dinner and supper. no milk in the coffee house. If you wanted a beer or drink you must supply your own cup. Pool was disgusting zero chorine when tested. No ice most of time. Many of the return people that were there said they will not return there again. The place was that bad it makes Palma Real look like a 10.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Very nice resort!

The facilities were super clean, beach was amazing, staff super friendly, access to doctors, spa, gym, tennis, etc…couldn’t ask for more. Weather in CUBA has always been super nice every time I’ve been. This was my 11th time.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Perfect vacation

First off thank you to Trip Central Travel Agents. AMAZING!! We loved the entertainment at Iberostar Laguna Azul. The beaches were so beautiful. Drinks great. Food was honestly pretty decent. Always found something good. Maid service was spectacular. Disco, every night entrainment show, 24hts snacks and drinks was perfect. We couldn't have been more impressed!!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Relaxing and Enjoyable Vacation

Husband and I really enjoyed our stay at Paradisus Princesa Del Mar. Taking into consideration the challenges Cuba has faced with COVID and Hurricane Ian, we were happy with the selection of food, drinks and our accommodations. The staff genuinely go out of their way to make your vacation pleasurable. We plan to return next year.

Sol Varadero Beach: Beautiful Resort But........

The resort is beautiful, and staff work so hard to keep it immaculate and well manicured. The beach is also gorgeous. I cant say enough about how friendly the staff are and how hard they work. However there are definite short comings to this resort and the biggest is the food. The food is bland, and buffets are beyond repetitive. My initial thought was "they" simply did not have access to certain food & beverage items, that was until I saw them at other resorts and heard about very good food [... read more] at other Melia Resorts in Varadero while on a catamaran trip with folks staying at other Melia Resorts. We went 9 days with out any cola of any kind at our resort, so we were forced to buy some at the resort next door for a simple Rum & Coke. The liquor & beer selection was also extremely limited. Food was always cold with the exception of eggs made to order for breakfast. The 24 hour snack bar was no better with the exception of hamburger. Our West Jet representative Yoan did locate some coke and hand delivered it to us. Throughout the 2 weeks I was there I often saw Sr. Staff sitting with returning guests (identified by their arm band) and the Hotel Manager appeared to be there 24/7. That said I never observed the Hotel Manager speak to a guest. That said this was my 3rd trip to Cuba and went in knowing full well that food in Cuba is never great, and perhaps if I had only been there for one week it wouldn't have been so taxing. I recommend Waco's in town, we had a beautiful lobster dinner for around $25.00 USD.