Barcelo Solymar: Amazing Resort!

Had no regrets booking our vacation at Barcelo Solymar! We had booked a superior bungalow. Our place looks like a new renovated one, with a new bathroom. We had a king size bed and nothing to complain about as I had my good nice sleeps. Yes, the place is noisy, but lets admit the fact that we are there to enjoy. Teenagers are having fun and so are we! Our room was kept clean and always got new towels everyday! Thanks to our room cleaner , Elizabeth, as she has given us the best service ever [... read more]! There are night events that we had been attending during our stay! What was so good was having access between two hotel facilities. Pools, bars, and buffet restaurants, each one offering different meals! One cooks fresh shrimps, meats right in front of you, and the other offers variety of food as well! Service was good! Further, we had the chance for the ala carte, we went to three, italian, seafood and chinese and I can't complain! The beach is wonderful! Even the swimming pool was beautiful! Internet service in the lobby is good! You just buy a prepaid card for an hour (1cuc) and you are good! Security in the hotel was also excellent! Nothing to worry for your children's safety! Only thing is to make sure your flight is not delayed before checking out! That's what happened to us as we found out of the fight delay so we had no room to stay after noon, and our bus pick up was from 4 pm, pushed to 2 am next day! Hotel did their part as they had given us a courtesy room where we were allowed to take a shower and rest for an hour at least! Problem was not with the hotel, but problem was with sunwing services! Aside from flight delays, the bus service was so bad that the driver didnt help the passengers to remove the luggages! We had to remove them ourselves! I would definitely come back to this hotel!

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

The food was good and there was plenty of things to do every day around the resort. Would definitely return and recommend checking it out to others. The room was very good and the AC worked great so it was nice to return to a cool room after being out during the day. They give out water every morning that should last you the day which was also a plus. The buffet has a large selection of food and is open three times a day. There are also restaurants that you can make reservations at. I wouldn't s [... read more]ay that it's for everyone though as there was mostly younger people and a lot of partying at night but if that's what you're into then it's a good place to be.

Barcelo Solymar: The best food in Cuba so far.

We go to Cuba every year, but different resort. This is the first time that we experienced waitresses ganging up against us for not tipping. It wasn't a good feeling. We usually leave a tip from time to time, but not for every meal or every drink. Two mail waitress at the dinner time were very nice no matter if we left a tip or not, but the ladies for the breakfast and lunch didn't even notice us next day if we previously didn't leave them a tip. We had to get our own water, coffee, wine or beer [... read more] if we wanted some. We blame Canadians who spoiled them believing they are poor and need the tips to survive or to get a better service. Another disappointment were some young male Canadians who were behaving like obnoxious hooligans. There were tourists from all over the world, including Europe, Russia, China and South America, but no one else were embarrassing to their country. Shame! Other than that, the resort was very clean and nicely maintained, food was great and plentiful, beach beautiful and Cubans always accommodating and doing their best. Resort is just 15 min. walking distance to Varadero which is full of restaurants and small shops, street markets and tourists from near by resorts walking on the streets of Varadero which is very safe. We very much enjoyed our walks to Varadero every night after dinner.

Barcelo Solymar: Friendly Resort

The grounds were very nice, always being looked after and cleaned by the gardeners. The lobby area and dining area clean. The entrance to the main dining area is a rather narrow corridor with no windows, very stuffy and all food ordors seem to hang in the air. The food in the buffet was sparse, I usually had the rotisseriere chicken, salad and bread every day. Bread, cheese and fruit excellent. Could not get any "hot" pasta dishes and no individual plates of pasta cooked in flying pan to y [... read more]our taste. The beach is lovely, clean, and well served by the bar staff. There didn't seem to be anywhere on/near the beach to get food at lunch. We would walk up to the main buffet every day. I did see a large number of people who don't consider it their responsibility to clean up the mess they make. Rooms: I had upgraded to a "superior" renovated bunglow but it was very disappointing when I checked in. The corner ceiling of the bedroom was covered in black mold and the room was very smelly. Did not want to use the air conditioner as I did not want this mold blowing around. (I have a compromised immune system from cancer treatments). There was a slight water leak from the bathroom ceiling . By the time I came back to the room with my sister who was delayed on her flight, there was a large puddle on the tiled floor. My sister went to the lobby to report it and they sent someone to check it out. It is now 1:00 am. When the technician opened the ceiling a floor of water came down. This would most likely be the reason for the mold and smell in the room. He indicated someone would come to mop it up but after an hour we gave up and went to sleep. The next morning all that dirty moldy water had evaporated into the room. We spoke to the Sunwing rep the next morning and he felt we should be moved. When my sister approached the desk she was told that was not going to happen. We went off for lunch, came back and explained the situation again, and again the next day. Finally on Tuesday we were given a new room after 3 nights in moldy one. Aside from one lady at the lobby reception all the rest were courteous and patient and understanding of the situation. Myself and the party I was travelling with found all the staff to be super friendly, helpful and polite at all times. The resort was very busy because a lot of students were there after finishing their year but they tended to stay at the pool bar nearest the lobby. My sister's return flight was delayed from 9:00 at night to being picked up at 00:20 for airport, that was changed again and again. She had to sit in the lobby from 5:25 pm on Sat. to finally getting into Montreal about 10:30 Sunday morning.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Best Resort I have been to.

To be honest The whole of it was simply perfect Beach was beautiful well kept as are the grounds Nice well kept rooms food was good no complaints and available 24 hrs at one of the bars . This place also had great restaurants and very friendly accommodating staff plenty of activities and shows This is one resort I would recommend to all and will return to.

Occidental Papagayo: below my expectations

what I do not like there is: Very poor buffet. In Dominican resorts it was, at least, 5 times more variety! Minimum sea food. beef, chicken, chicken, beef.... Boring - no entertainments No shuttle bus service. Hm. $50 from air port + $50 back = $100 Sorry, will not come there any more.

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful resort!

This resort was not too big and a short walk to the beach, lobby & restaurants. The grounds were impeccable. The beach area was clean and had nice white sand. It was a pleasure to walk the beach in the morning. The public areas such as the lobby & restaurants were very clean. Our room was close to the beach and the quiet pool. Our cleaning lady was very nice and after leaving her some messages & tip, she would provided us with what we needed & more. The day before we left, she thanked us and ga [... read more]ve us a big hug & kiss. At the lobby , they would come to offer us water or drinks from the bar. We enjoyed eating at the buffet restaurant since it was air conditioned and there was a variety of food. As for the other restaurants, we especially liked the Oriental. The Italian and the Steakhouse were also very good. The main pool had a swim up bar and a whirlpool area. It was very relaxing when it wasn't too busy. One negative point is that it was very hot and we had to find shady or cool areas. There wasn't any palapas at the beach and the shady areas under the palm trees were taken. People would also reserve their chairs at the pools...so in the afternoon we would spend most of our time in our room or on our deck. Another negative point is that the time sharing representatives were relentless and very annoying. We avoided them as much as possible. My niece's wedding day was amazing, well organized and lots of fun. We enjoyed some of the entertainment at the theater but found that the main shows would only start after 9:30 PM which was too late for us. Our last day there was very chaotic since our flight with Air Transat was delayed almost 5 hours. We couldn't get a late check out since there was no availability. Check out was at 12:PM and pick up time for the airport was 6:25 PM. Thankfully, we were able to put our luggage in my niece's room since she was staying for another week. Our arrival to Toronto was very late after 3 AM and we didn't get to our room until 5 AM. Needless to say we were very tired and didn't sleep very much. Overall the trip was pleasant and the resort was very beautiful.

Barcelo Solymar: Horrible experience

I'll start with the only 2 redeeming things about this resort: 1) Variety of delicious drinks 2) The coffee The food was absolutely horrendous. I spent one night eating french friends for dinner that were not even good. Shocked at the horrendous quality of the food. After having been in Cuba a year prior I thought I knew what to expect, but was blown away. Ants all over our room and in our bed. Room washroom seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Black on the floor and sides. Pool se [... read more]emed 95% pee with some questionable black areas. Staff unhelpful, was directed to use a public washroom with no running water. I don't blame them though, with all the obnoxious guests. Paid quite a bit compared to another party down the street at Los Cactus, ended up having to pay even more to transfer there. Lasted 2 nights. Never again, Solymar.

Barcelo Solymar: Disappointing

I'm sorry to say but left this resort very disappointed. My room consisted of dirty bed sheets, blanket and mold surrounding the air condition vents and roof. Battling with cockroaches on daily basis was truly annoying.

Barcelo Solymar: For Singles and omnivores. Not vegetarian friendly

Grounds were good, rooms were great but food was not vegetarian friendly so we ended up leaving to Los Cactus. The beans had traces of pork, chicken or beef in it and we could only eat very few items. Was expecting not much of a selection but was strictly rice and bread for vegetarians. Also the tomatoes were only green. Its a great party place but too much adolescent behaviour from young adults being too drunk and loud. Its great for singles and party goers kind of like a frat house was the ene [... read more]rgy of the hotel. Also because of the mass amount of drinking the pool looked yellow for obvious reasons. Staff were not as friendly here compared to Los Cactus probably due to the obnoxious behaviour of the vacationers and their incessant asinine attitude but they are on vacation and wanted to spend their time there like that which is fibe for others but not myself or my girlfriend.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Awesome vacation

The resort was kept clean, the food was great and the staff were friendly very happy with our stay! I’d love to go back in the future, the beaches were nice and the free water sports are an excellent bonus, we saw some really cool sea creatures while snorkeling.

Occidental Papagayo: Very nice resort!

Good services, hospitality, quality in entertaining. We are not happy with the credit card that you send us by mail to use it, can not be used for the services and locations listed so what is the point of sending such kind of " gifts"?

Occidental Caribe: Magical pace

Beautiful place.Amazing green grounds. Great pools. Variety of restaurants. Good food. Great beach. Clean place. Enjoyed my stay very much.I would like to go back in the near future.The only thing I would change would be the entertainment,a little bit repetitive.why not use the pools for a ballet in the water.,or use the trampoline.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Resort was breath taking

For starters, really happy booked through tripcentral, Iryna Koliuda was great from beginning to end, and so was Air transit..Hotel was truly amazing. Sent us a us complimentary breakfast to our room, for anniversary with bottle rum, later in the week was my wifes birthday, they sent up a cake and another bottle of rum lol..Hotel has truly everything and staff was friendly and helpful. Restaurants had above average food, Disco cool, and casino is nice..Loved the view from our balcony, palm tree' [... read more]s and ocean, just beautiful. You can walk for miles on the white beach and they clean and rake it daily. Glad i stayed on adult side NO Kids.Daily and nightly entertainment.. Was best vacation ever so far...Definately recommend the Barcelo Bavaro beach resort, Tripcentral/Air transit package

Occidental Punta Cana: AMAZINGGGGGG

I just got back from a friend's wedding, i wish we could party longer but they ended the dance at 10pm. The dinners were all so good all week ; the party pool was amazing and i would 100% come back to this location.

Barcelo Solymar: Resort for Young People

The housekeeping staff were extremely nice. The front desk staff, not so nice. There is no system as to who gets a nice room; I paid for a superior room but I had to fight to get a room. Our first room had water pouring out of the bathroom ceiling, it took two days to get a new room. First room had mould on the ceiling. Food was the same every day, nothing changed. They cater to a young crowd, that are too drunk to know what they are eating. I will never go back to that hotel and I will never fl [... read more]y Sunwing again.

Palma Real: poor this year

I am really disappointed this year on Palma Real Resort. First of all i did not get the room that we had ask for . The front desk at the resort told us that the room would be available in a few days of being there, but when i went back to see them for that room they had given it to a local familly. The food was nasty, the staff was horrible, I didnt see much white teeth at the bar or the restaurant. Although the morning breakfast cook was great the rest of the employees needs work . I dont own a [... read more]nyone there for tips . I will truly think twice about going again to Palma Real next year.

Palma Real: LOVED IT

I just returned home from 7 nights all-inclusive at Allegro Palma Real and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to go back! ARRIVAL at Palma Real- We arrived at night, around 11 pm. There was only 1 lady on the desk and by that time everyone had already had a few beer on the bus so it was a long process waiting for everyone to check in. I suggest you hit up the lobby bar and get a drink while you wait. (I told them I was waiting to check in and they were fine with it). You also have to pay  [... read more]for a safe. I did not, and I made friends with my housekeeper initially so I felt safe leaving my belongings out. Nothing was ever stolen! ROOM- Room was very spacious and what I expected for a 3*. Phone,Air conditioner, tv,fridge,hairdryer, and balcony was what we got in Building #2. I enjoyed our building because it was close to the pool and the lobby. If you do not like to hear noise or loud music, i suggest you ask for Building #4 because it is the furthest away (2 minute walk). The elevators usually do not work, so if you have mobility issues, ask for a lower level. Our balcony did not lock, but we were on the second floor and I was ok with that. Air conditioner did not work for 2 days, however, soon as I called to inquire, they sent someone right away and it was fixed and cold in the room, it was perfect. FOOD- Buffet was OK. The only issue I have with the buffet is that they constantly are mixing foods to make it look pretty on plate. Every day there was different things mixed with the rice, or pasta. It should be laid out so that everything is by itself and we can pick and choose what we want to mix with it.(EXAMPLE- Do not mix fish in things, put it to the side for people to add on their own.) Breakfast was amazing, I highly suggest getting there early and getting the guy on the grill to make you omelet. He will also make your eggs any way you like, even if there are eggs in the buffet. (I did not enjoy the ones pre-cooked)The Snack Bar was Ok. There are only two items you can get, Ham and Cheese Sandwhich, and Hamburger. Rarely do they have fries. They also serve drinks. If you are nice and always there, they will give you nice glasses instead of the plastic ones. I was disappointed when there was no other snack options available. And it was NOT open 24 hours. There should be a few more snack options, not just some extra fruit laid out in the heat and flies. I tried 2 a La carte restaurants- Le Pizza , and Cuban Restaurant. I enjoyed the Pizza, but did not enjoy the cuban restaurant at all! You must book between the hours of 10 am-Noon in Building #1 if you want to make a reservation. POOLS- Swim up Bar pool was nice, however, there should NOT BE KIDS IN THAT POOL! I can tell you it was one of the most annoying things that everyone was complaining about the entire week! Splashing kids everywhere, ruining any of the games, and making it near impossible to enjoy the swim up bar. Parents would just let their kids roam around and swim by themselves. There are 3 other pools that the kids should be in, NOT THE BAR POOL! As for the other pools, they were very nice and usually had not many in them, so it was a nice relaxed area. Don't expect super clean pools, you get what you paid for and sometimes there was some cups and random stuff that was found floating, but for the most part it was still great! BEACH- Beach is literally a 5 minute walk (if your slow) and it has the most beautiful water and sand I have ever seen. Lots of chairs to lay out on and some covered with cute palm tree looking umbrellas. I haven't swam in a beach in almost 15 years because I do not like the beaches in Canada. However, this one, I was out for hours at a time and the sand bar went for miles. There is a free Catamaran trip with our hotel but there are many on the beach that will try to charge you. The one that is included in our hotel is the one on the right side of the beach. So when you enter the beach, take a right and walk down the beach. You will pass a volleyball net, and then you will see the boats, Let them know that you are with Palma Real and it is FREE. It is only about 20 minutes but really fun! I suggest you do it any day you can because we had very windy days and they were not running that day. Water is very salty, bring goggles and its nice to not have the sting in your eyes from the waves. There is a snack bar for Palma Real located right before you enter the beach on the right. There is a gate, and a sign. Basic drinks served and some snacks like hamburgers or fries. There is a larger snack bar buffet for other hotels located right after the volleyball net and we ate there twice and no one said anything. TIPPING- Exchange your money at the airport and ask for lots of 1 dollar bills or coins. These will come in handy, trust me! I did not tip very much on the resort but if I went off the resort I always tipped people or tried to give a few pesos out to the locals to help out. Also if your able to, go to the Dollar Store before you go and get a bunch of basic stuff that you would want to give away. THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT. Anything that they can get, it will go to good use. Pencils, toys, treats, cups, hats, facecloths, shampoo, razors, pads,nail polish, literally anything is appreciated. Also, I brought old clothes that I had and gave those out to people, including my housekeeper. ENTERTAINMENT- We missed most of the night time shows that they had planned but I heard they were good. We made our own entertainment by getting together in the Lobby bar with people we had met. We had found someone who made a beer pong area and asked to play, everyone is welcome! Smoking is also aloud in the lobby so its very open and fun area to hang out before going out for the night. Lobby Bar closes at around 11 but thats just in time for the Clubs to open. BARS- There is a club called Havana Club that is located by the Snack Bar. It is opened at 11 and it gets so many people in there that is a big sweat show, in a good way haha. SO MUCH FUN. Free drinks and disco lights, smoke machine and projectors. If you go right at 11, sometimes your the first ones there, but don't worry, many many more will arrive. And even some from other resorts. The Beatles Bar was very fun. About a 5 minute walk from the resort. There is a cover band that plays old 80 hits and the lead singer is amazing. You can dance here but most of the time you grab a table at 9:30 pm and wait for the vibes to start. Once one person gets up to dance, everyone starts and its so fun. Beer is $2 a can. Calle 62 is a outside bar that is about 2 shops down from the Beatles. there is seats but also a dance floor and a closed off street. Many Many people go there and lots of locals makes for a super fun night of dancing and hip music. EXCURSIONS- Highly recommend the JEEP SAFARI TOUR, so so so much fun. Beware though, you will have to drive a Manual or hop in with someone who is ok driving, even on the highway. They did not even ask for our license so if your young, don't worry haha. You drive the whole day to your destinations. TIP- BRING dollar coins!! or treats for the kids in the villages. There are some very sad spots you will pass and you can stop and give the kids treats. (They will run out of their home and expect it) Bring a bag with you and just take it with you whenever you get out of the jeep. Also bring your goggles, the Cave to swim in is amazing!! and the water is so clear and fresh that you will want goggles to dive in. it is 22m deep with all clear water. You can also drink here(for a price) The Boat ride was fun but short, The operator in the first boat will only tell you to switch drivers once, So if your in a group of 4 and everyone wants to drive, switch is up quickly amongst yourselves so everyone gets a turn. We switched while the boat was still moving haha. FRIENDS- I highly suggest that you mingle with people at your resort. It would not have been the trip it was if it hadn't been for the friends we made. Age differences did not matter and we all discovered quickly that we were all wild party goers who were here to do that same thing. We made friends for life. SHOPPING- Walking out of your resort and taking a left down main street is where you will find all the shops. Every single shop pretty much has the exact same items. so go explore before you buy because you WILL find better deals or someone who is willing to barter with you. If you walk about 15-20 minutes you will find larger and larger areas to shop. I suggest hopping in an old car for about 5$ and driving down to the end to see what kinds of shopping there is and then either walking back, hitting up the markets, or taking a old taxi back. (The old car taxis were so much fun to drive in). Do not take the horse and carriages before you ask if the price is per person or total. A friend of mine was ripped off because he told her total price is $10 and then said per person after the ride. Make sure when purchasing items at the shops that you say the price and ask if they have change before buying. They will try to rip you off and not give you proper change or charging more. I bought a change purse one day for $3 and the next day he told me $5 so I said no "I paid $3 yesterday", he said "oh ya, $3 no problem". Then said he had no change, which i said ok I wont buy it then, and then all of a sudden, he had my change. I did not like that kind of scammers. HOME ITEMS- I recommend you bring a few bags of chips with you from home. These came in VERY handy on late nights when there was no where to get any snacks. Even a knock-off pringles in the store was about 4 pesos. Any condiments you think you might want also. Also go to Dollar Store and get pool floaties. They were the hit of the pool and when we left, we passed them on to new people. OVERALL- I had an amazing trip, I would recommend this resort to anyone who is wanting to combine the best price, best location, and not overly picky. This is the perfect vacation for you. I cannot wait to return next April. I will continue to try to book last minute to get the best deal. ps. Mellis the housekeeper is an amazing person! I hope she is there when I return. Great Service!!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo - really good!

Almost everything about this trip was perfect. The staff was all outstanding and all very friendly. The food at the buffet and the al a cart restaurants were really good - not out of this world good, but very good. The beach is outstanding! lots of seating and lots of sunny and shady spots too. The only complaint has we had was headphones were stolen from our hotel room. I didn't follow up on this with staff as I knew what the answer would be. Make sure you use the safe. Our room [... read more] was really good - no complaints at all. And the bed was super comfortable too, which is not always the case in Mexico. The nightly entertainment was very good too. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Great resort

Adults only resort was definitely the right choice for us. Pool/ beach buffet and lobby were all very close proximity together. So was not a lot of walking. We could take the trolly over to the bigger portion of the attached resort if we wanted to go to the casino or other restaurants. So our resort was nice and quiet. The Food was great. Everything was very clean. The rooms were a little dated but clean.