The don’t clean the Cutlery in the Buffet

Avoid this resort at all costs. They don’t clean the Cutlery in the Main buffet. Spoke to two managers and also complained on two surveys they handed out during the week. Highly unacceptable. We watched them set the tables all week with used cutlery that they just wiped off with dinner napkins.

Property needs upgrades

Just arrived I had requested a king size bed above floor non smoking. They give me a room with 3 double bed looked horrible went back at front desk to complain she said if I want something better I need to pay 40$ per day? I refused she give me a main floor with a king bed but the room is beat up and no place to put my clothes I guess I must leave them in my suitcase. This is only a few hours here and I want out of here I will contact my agency tomorrow morning and will meet my rep at 10:00 will [... read more] see the outcome. After the 3 room it was better however the grounds and rooms are in need of upgrade. As per the staff they are doing their best and meals are acceptable. This resort claim that they are a 5 star in my book they are not!

Ok resort

The resort was ok, staff was very friendly, the layout was kind of confusing, but the food was good. The ala cartes were really good. Although it is starting to show its age it is still a nice place. We did enjoy our stay there.

Disappointing

Iberostar Laguna Azul is definitely not a 5 star hotel, at best, maybe a 3 star. The hotel rooms are run down with mold in the bathrooms and some rooms have no working air conditioning or ceiling fans. Our bathroom had no bar on the wall to hang the shower head on, so showering was a challenge. In our first room the air conditioner did not work and when we complained the front desk staff was rude and unhelpful the first day, said they would send a mechanic to fix it, no one showed up. The next  [... read more]morning we were more forceful and insisted that they had to move us to a room where it worked. The railings on the staircases are broken and very loose. The pool had many missing tiles and broken tiles were left on the bottom so you had to be careful where you stepped. There was a lot of algae in the pool which made the tiles slippery to walk on. overall the pools needed work. The grounds were very well kept and beautiful. The food was plentiful and varied. There was always something for everyone to eat even if they were a picky eater. The desserts were amazing. Lots to choose from. Plenty of different juices and smoothie type drinks. Overall the staff were very friendly (except the front desk check-in girl) and extremely helpful. Even the Air Transit rep was friendly and helpful. We had to cancel a trip because of stomach issues and got a full refund. Would I return to this resort? Never, I paid for a 5 star and feel it was very misrepresented. Many of the people we spoke to felt the same way. This is my 5th trip to Cuba, and my first time booking a supposedly 5 star hotel.

Great place to vlst

Great resort staff great friendly ground clean amazing grooned beachs great aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh llllllllooooooooollllllwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwbbbbbbbbbbbhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyykkkkkkkkkkkkk

Nice Resort

The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We had a problem with the A/C in our room and it took several days and a complaint to our Air Transat Rep before someone that knew what they were doing came to look at it. Limited WiFi areas and you have to buy time in one hour blocks. The beach was awesome! Hardly any rocks and very little sea weed. It was more of a sea grass and it didn't start until further out where the water was above my head. We did have issues with the food but that  [... read more]is more of a Cuba thing as opposed to a resort thing but if you enjoy fish or cabbage you'll be fine. Lol!

Could be better, could be worse!

The rooms are a little outdated (comforter and curtains) and our first room 18110 was terrible (dirty, patio didn't lock, ac wouldn't turn off, no hand towels, broken fridge, bathroom door wouldn't latch, broken safe etc..) The pools are nice. The beach is gorgeous. The food needs to be better labelled and more variety. No hot water twice, no water once and no hydro once. We still had a great time. Overall it's all about the company, the beautiful weather, been off work, and the beautiful scener [... read more]y. We found edible food and the second room was functional. All in all, it was a good vacation. 👙🍹☀️

Not very happy.

The beach is stunning. The main lobby and terrace was always smokey. Our room's air conditioning was not working. We complained for 5 days before they offered to move us to another room. The only problem was they were not willing to move my children who were in an adjoining room. They did mange to fix the air conditioner on day 5. The food was absolutely disgusting. Nothing was labled properly. We would ask differnt staff what something was and get different answers each time. We were only [... read more] allowed to visit 3 out of the 5 ala cartes, that was their policy. At check out, when asked to do a customer survey, I wrote down my concerns and handed it back, right in front of me, the receptionist changed all my dissatisfactions to very excellents. I told her to stop and she just said sorry and smiled. This was not a cheap vacation and I was extremely disappointed.

Iberostar Review

Beautiful beach and pools, close to the downtown. Snorkelling at the beach was excellent. Food was okay (a la carte was similar to buffet meals). Drinks and bartending service was wonderful. Had a great time overall! Not a lot of options for vegetarians. Would like a running/biking trail close by - adventuring off the resort had to be done by cab/bus.

Loved this resort

It had a stunning beach and both busy and quiet pools. A la Carte restaurants were great - we went to Italian, Cuban and Japanese. Buffet had many choices and there were two other quiet restaurants. If you want a party atmosphere you can have it or if you prefer quiet and relaxing, that’s available too.

We made the best of it!

My eleventh time to Cuba, third to Veradero! When I first started travelling to the Caribbean 15 yrs ago, my first trip was to Holquin and I thought I was in paradise. Each year I went I generally came home sick, but overlooked it all because of the great things I enjoyed so much, most especially the wonderful beaches and azure water. I’m 15 yrs older and have visited 12 Caribbean Islands since. This was my last holiday to Veradero, and probably Cuba for some time to come. I visited L [... read more]uguna Azul six yrs ago while staying at an adjacent resort. It looked so regal and welcoming with the lovely pool with waterfall.. it is still lovely to look at but the waterfall is no longer there. This resort in six years has seen a lot of traffic, however it has not been maintained well. (At all!) Many folks who review may not have a lot of comparables, some are looking for a budget holiday, others allow for low expectatations etc. This year the prices remained high and were in close comparison to Mexico, yet there is no comparison to the standard and quality between a 4 star in Cuba to that in Mexico. This resort I would put no higher than 3.5 or less. Here is why I say this: Sunwing direct - Good flight, no issues. Check in - Easy and no issues We asked for an ocean view room which put us at the end of the 17 on the 4 th floor. The elevators in our wing were broken and unavailable all week, it looked as though they hadnt worked in some time. Room - Typical and dated room, fridge did not work, safe had to be repaired as we couldn’t open it after we programmed it, closet door fell off and it was not repaired, no hot water for three full days and towels were worn, hard and old. Bed was comfy however, and air conditioning worked well. Our fridge was restocked with water each day but not consistently with Soda and beer. Maid service was excellent and room was kept very clean. Two out of three resort hot tubs no longer work and are empty. Internet cards cost 1 convertible peso for one hour usage..internet is sketchy at best and available in only a couple of designated areas. Beach was lovely, however littered with cigarette butts..simple fix would be inexpensive pots under each cabana filled with sand as ashtrays. The chair game is played hard here, with many saving chairs the evening before. Beach bar serves good drinks. Pool, more shade areas would be nice, pool itself is well maintained but pity about losing the lovely focal point of the waterfall. Again, unless to the pool by eight, nothing at all left under any shade areas. The landscaping is sparse and after this amount of time one would expect mush more mature vegetation. Not a lot of attention has gone into creating gardening and flora. (I realize this is picky, however this is what you expect from a high rated resort on a tropical island) Food - this is the deal breaker for me.. I simply cannot do the food anymore. The resort was full, so with one Buffett it is every man for themselves with no queues ..it is bedlam. Very few items had a food label, and some things were completely unidentifiable. I ate scarecley and simply with no sauces..to avoid stomach problems. That said two in our party after an evening at the ala carts at the beachside buffet became violently ill with food poisoning. This kept them both down and out and in bedfor close to 2 days. I’m tired of defending and also hearing “ It’s Cuba, and we dont go for the food”..knowing it will most likely be bad! These resorts are for the most part owned and operated by large European brands sitting on Cuban land leases. We are pouring millions of dollars into their economy each year, which I believe is necessary for them to have as the everyday Cuban family have very little. That said, the majority of guests are Canadian, and we spend money..after so many years can we not expect more? Cuba has trade with several countries including Canada. They need to do better, they can do better. I’m all done excusing bad food that is making tourists ill. They need to bring in Canadian and European chefs to assist them with decent menu plans, food labelling and food handling techniques. The grills in this buffet were not cleaned, say what you will...the food is terrible, and this ruins many travellers experience. My other complaint was lack of service in the Buffett, understaffed and horribly slow in getting drinks, even water to guest tables. We made the best of our holiday however and enjoyed the weather, pool and beach.. I do not go to the shows, and only did one ala carte. Booking with Trip Central was easy and efficient, our agent helpful. Sunwing was good this time around with excellent flight service.. I love you Cuba..but it’s time to up the game!

Amazing vacation

This resort was by far better than I remembered, the food was super great, the staff was very friendly, location of the resort is perfect, you are close to all the resort has to offer, restaurant, pool, beach and entertainment, Would recommend this to anyone that wants to try Cuba for the 1st time, you will not be disappointed.

Stunning Beach & Amazing Entertainment with a Priviso

Stunningly beautiful & clean beach. Buffet and a la cart restaurants were good - fresh fruit was great. Suggest that people order fish/pork/chicken, not beef. Appreciated the mimosas and free Cava at the lobby bar. 1st floor rooms smelled musty/felt damp/ but hardworking staff kept rooms very clean. No functioning safe deposit box in our room.

Lots to do

The hotel was great, there were things missing from our room but with some perseverance it was received. Food was actually ok, entertainment was good and the entertainment staff were good. Our maid kept our room nice and clean. Bartenders were hit and miss

Very good resort

Beautiful resort well looked after although they didn’t replace the broken iron in the room reported the first day or the TV. Food was adequate we didn’t go hungry, the cheese was excellent. The al cartel restaurants were good, maid service was god. Friendly staff.

Perfect Paradise!

This resort is simply amazing! Beautiful buildings that makes you feel in a palace. Large inside/outside Lobby area. Impressed with english speaking staff at the reception and bars. Very friendly staff. Our maid was the best with funny swans designs in out rooms each day. Family ocean-view room well worth it. Spacious and very convenient. Lots of different food options at the buffet and beach snack bar is hidden but very good. A la carte restaurants were easy to book and we enjoyed tasting new t [... read more]hings. There are 3 pools, main pool has entertainment and quiet pools are great as well in order to get away from too much people or music. Beach is awesome! just enough entertainement and music the rest of the day, free paddle-boats which we enjoyed a few times! Night shows and discotheque, spa on the resort as well. Very impressed and would definately go back.

It's cuba!

Lacking maintenance!!!! Railings very loose and extremely unsafe!! Only a few elevators working!!! Bathroom door would would not close because it was falling apart!!!! Air conditioner marginal!!!! Food OK. Smokers lounge in the main lobby... Give me a break!!!!!

No so good

First room smelled musty and mold on furniture - changed room twice - food not good buffet was crazy loud and long lineups for food but friendly staff and loved the beach and pools front desk tried their hardest to please people city bus employees very very rude first but loved seeing the town of veradero

A lot to love with a few caveats

I don't want to write a complainy review of this resort, we had an absolute blast here, but there are a few less-than-ideal things you should know before booking. starting with the good stuff - the beach is amazing, the food was actually pretty good (I was expecting a lot worse but found something enjoyable at every meal), and the resort is a perfect size for me - big enough that it rarely felt crowded but small enough that it wasnt a pain to get around. The staff are generally really good,  [... read more]a few will go above and beyond to help you out or make you feel special, dont expect them to be tripping over themselves to serve you (this is cuba afterall) but we were generally pretty happy with the staff. the downside is really a shame - Less than ideal is the situation at the lobby. There is nobody around to tell you where to go or where anything is. We werent even directed to the porters and ended up dragging our own luggage accross the resort to our rooms when we finally were able to check in, which took ages as they seem perpetually understaffed there. The only experience I had with a staff person that I would characterize as 'rude' was also with one of the desk staff. And this resort seems to have a lot of rooms that are just plain bad. Like everywhere in cuba the resort is showing its age a bit generally, but there are rooms in this resort that fail to meet even the tempered expectations you should have for Cuba. There is a very good chance that they will put you in a room without basic amenities on your first night. Our first night our plumbing didnt work, our fridge didnt work, and most troubling of all, we were on the ground floor with a sliding balcony door that couldnt lock (there was a rusted metal bar that was jammed into where the lock mechanism should have been, so that was the way to open and close it), and there was no door on our safe. We asked to be moved and they accommodated us with (mostly) no trouble - we had to wait until the next day to move and it really felt like that was business as usual for them, that they use these rooms as 'overflow' while they are waiting to clear out that days check-outs. We spoke to other people staying at the resort and many other people had the same experience, that they were put in an unacceptable room on their first night and had to ask to be moved. So to be clear - the room we were moved to was great and the rest of the experience after our first night was also great, but the first impression you get from this place is really really bad. If I had been prepared for this check-in process and the general lack of service available in the lobby I would have no complaints. Its good value and the fact that the beach, food and service is so good are all reasons to consider this place, but you need to be prepared for your first experience there to be an unpleasant one if you are going to give this place a go.

Excellent Resort had a great time.

I had been at this resort 10 years ago .I decided to go back because I knew It was a good place back then and still owned by Iberostar . I took My wife for here first trip to a southern island and wanted it to be the good experience that is was .The rooms were clean. The lobster night at the main restaurant was fantastic and the creole restaurant was our favorite and I loved the pizza nice thin crust with real cheese(not the processed stuff) If you go for a beach vacation in Varadaro this pla [... read more]ce has the best beach front , lots of sun umbrellas ,nice wide beach with beautiful sand . The staff were all top notch ,everybody was friendly and helpful on my stay . I would recommend this place for a beach Vacation in Cuba .