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.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Amazing!

Everything about this resort was amazing! From the moment we got off the bus, we were treated like we were the only ones there. We were catered to for every request! The pools and beach were clean. The rooms were in really great shape. The food was excellent.

Barcelo Solymar: Horrible! No electricity, bad service, bad food, hospitalized for over a month when returned to Canada

First night checked in room had no electricity or lights, they sent workers for hours trying to fix it before giving us a new room. The new room had electricity but no bedding at all. We requested bedding multipul times, eventual received it 4 hours later. A day later house keeping gave us the rest of the bedding (sheets ect). Food was horrible and became sick the entire vacation. Head, stomach hurting and diarrhea for days.My companion was hospitalized once we returned to Canada for almost an e [... read more]ntire month. Since he was quarinteend and not allowed to leave the hospital he missed work for that entire month taking a significant financial blow.Once released from hospital he had an IV attached to his arm which he had to go to a clinic daily to fill. resort is close to the main strip of varadero you can walk to shops and bars. Would have liked to enjoy this more but the stomach pain and diarrhea hindered that. All inclusive alcohol and food great idea but again could not indulge due to stomach and head pain as well as diarrhea. Access to the adjacent resort was nice as the had a snack shack open long hours. Beach always nice. Over all this is my second trip to Cuba. First trip back around 2012 at a different resort and it was great. The experience made me want to return back to Cuba. This trip at Barcelo solymar was horrible on so many levels I would never recommend this resort . No electricity in the room upon admission and instead of giving us a new room they waisted our time sending workers to try and fix it while we sat and watched. Also half way threw the vacation our room keys stopped working locking us out of the room. Companion became so sick he was hospitalized for almost an entire month taking a substantial financial blow. We particularly picked this resort at the advise of the travelle agent knowing it was more expensive then other ones we could have chosen but promised a better experience. We got a horrible experience all around.

Occidental Caribe: We loved our visit!

The value for this hotel is amazing! The grounds are beautiful, and the pools and kids club made our stay with a 4 year old and 2 teens so much more enjoyable. The staff at the kids club were great and made our daughter feel right at home. By far the best thing about this location is the stunning beach!! It was pristine with bright aqua water and white sand. You can walk on it forever and the stretch of beach in front of this resort was the nicest. The pools were heavenly as it was crazy hot in  [... read more]the afternoon. I thought my little one would love the water slides but she preferred the pools. This water park is for younger kids only. They would not let my older kids go down the slides with her so that made it less appealing and in the end she only went once. Notables: 1) Our room (good beds and clean...a bit dated but we did not care!) was overlooking the pool and the beach which was stunning and the balcony was so nice in the morning but it was also where the entertainment was at night and it was SO loud in our room. Fortunately our 4 year old slept through it all but by 11pm us adults had enough of the loud music and partying. Usually it was done by 11 latest. We often heard drunk people yelling etc until 6am as well. The resort staff acted on it quickly if you called though. Every other night was quiet so that came as a relief. 2) The food was average to good. Pretty much what I expected for the most part but I do wish it has been a bit better. We still enjoyed all of the à la carte restaurants and the buffet was good with lots of options. My favourite food was the Italian but my kids loved the Japanese restaurant and experience. Staff were great there! 3) Four out of five of us got a tummy bug on day 3/4. Nothing too bad but we were all nauseated etc. and lasted 1-2 days. It did not keep any of us in bed, but it was a challenge to eat. Hard to say what caused it so no advice on what to avoid:(

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Wonderful vacation

This was our second all-inclusive vacation to the Caribbean and we were not disappointed. The resort was lovely and very clean. The food was good, although the breakfast buffet did not change and became quite repetitive after the 4th day. (But definitely try the hot chocolate available during breakfast -- very yummy!) The room decor felt dated but the ocean view from our balcony more than made up for the interior decor. Husband is 6'5" and felt very enclosed while showering however. The sp [... read more]orts bar on the Palace side would benefit significantly from an upgrade to their air conditioning system -- as the only place to watch the NHL playoff games while on vacation, the bar became ridiculously hot and stuffy with so many people inside. Overall it was a very relaxing and enjoyable vacation

Occidental Caribe: Beautiful resort!

Although this resort is large, its very well designed and you can easily walk to where you wish to go. The food was very good.. premises was very clean. Service was super and the beach was simply amazing!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Huge Resort

This is a great resort with lots of things to do and lots of pools to sit at. The beach had a lot of seaweed but if you walked down towards the Caribe/beach hotels you could walk in the Ocean much easier. The food was delicious except for the Italian a la carte restaurant. The rooms were clean and the bathrooms were nicely updated. Mini bar was restocked everyday and the rooms were cleaned in a timely manner. Be aware that it is a very long drive from the airport so keep that in mind when consid [... read more]ering flight times but check-in was quick and smooth. It is also worth noting that there are TONS of kids. The resort is big enough that you can find places to sit that have fewer or no kids but if you are looking for a resort with adults only this is not the one.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Best trip ever!!!

We arrived on the 14th of April. Check in was easy. They took care of our luggage. We were in building 22. We were greeted by Alma St Clair. Who was very professional and catered to all our needs. She was amazing!!! The resort was like a dream come true for me. I loved all the wild life and the jungle feel to this resort. It took a few days to figure out our way around,but we found all the staff to be very helpful. Oh yes, the staff. Nothing short of amazing! And that is what is so importan [... read more]t to me. Is to feel that I am part of a family. I would like to mention a few people that stand out... Our housekeeper,Antonio, our waiters in the buffet,Julio Valez,Joseph Perez,and Sergio Trujillo. Also the medic who looked after my toe that I had cut, Emmanual Delos Santos. He has a special place in my heart. He was so good! I want to say that our room was great. Loved the pools and the entertainment. The different restaurents were all good. The wine could be a bit better, my only complaint... I will return and will recommend this hotel to all. A very special holiday!!!