Melia Jardines del Rey: Very nice resort

Spacious rooms, grounds well kept. Liked the rooms as they all have screens on the balcony doors. Nice for families and people that have mobility issues as it is easy to move around with strollers and wheelchairs. The beach is awesome as there is area for snorkelling and sandy area. Entertainment was great, there was always something for everyone. Lots of lounge chairs and shaded areas on the beach. No need to rush to get good spot.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Grand memories cuba

i had a nice time , got to relax enjoy the beach . Resort is a bit on the older side but still charming . The rooms were outdated. Food as you could expect was nothing to write about , but it was ok . Service was good , kind and smily staff . Overall , it was good value for the money . If you want a quick getaway, just relax , listen to music and enjoy the beach it’s perfect , I strongly recommend bringing some snacks and such from home with .

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Love this Resort!

Beautiful grounds, lots of areas to walk, a large beach area and some smaller beaches. I really enjoy the pirate's beach party. Staff are very engaging and friendly...they get to know you. It feels like home there.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: A big disappointment

This place is dated. The room was okay, but we did end up having to move because a rodent of some sort was getting into the room through the electrical outlet, eating snacks and pooping on the vanity. They ran out of beer the day we got there, but did have it the next day. Drinks were very limited and there was no soda pop to be found.The food at the buffet was okay for Cuba, but lacking in variety. There was no bread, so burgers and hotdogs, if they had them were served Keto style. They had e [... read more]ggs most days, which was great for an omelet. The snack bar on the beach had decent pizza, but it took forever to make and they usually ran out. The staff were okay, but I don't appreciate being expected to tip for every single thing you get, especially when it really is part of their job. We could not get out beach towels changed daily, so had to use them for 3 days in a row. Toilet paper is in short supply, so you run around the resort trying to find napkins or toilet paper on the cleaning carts. We ended up moving to the other Memories resort on the 5th night. They did not have ice or blender drinks. The room was much nicer, but they did not clean our room until our check out day. Their snack bar had an hour long line up for food and they ran out. The beach was beautiful and it was easy to find a chair at the pool or the beach. This was the only saving grace. I will not be travelling to Cuba again.

Hotel Mojito: Clean and friendly. No issues of food or drink shortages. Did not always have hot water.

Clean grounds. Planting shurbs, tress and flower beds. Painting exterior of rooms. Hotel is kept clean friendly staff . Great beach . Beach bar offers great food for lunches. Cold beer and drinks. Activities daily.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Absolutely amazing vacation! Will be back

The grounds were beautiful and very well taken care of! Although the rooms are a bit dated, they were always clean! Despite some shortages, the lunch and dinner food was delicious and there wasn’t a single meal we didn’t enjoy! The beach… one of a kind and absolutely stunning! Lastly, the resort staff, these are the most hardworking, genuine, fun and wonderful people I have ever met!

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Think twice

What I looked forward to was the thought of going to a new modern resort, hotel style, nice furnishings etc. overall looking nice may have been the only big positive for us other than most of the staff were very friendly. I am going to simplify by only speaking about my major concern. We were given our room immediately which was great but when the door opened the stench was so bad we had to cover our nose. The bellboy indicated that is was from the ventilation system which really made me cauti [... read more]ous. He called front desk & to our dismay no other rooms were available so we had to stay there one night. It was horrible. We even kept patio door open & slept with blankets over our face. They gave us another room which was okay otherwise we couldn’t have stayed at this resort. We made the best of it with our friends but it still concerns me about the whole ventilation system. What were we breathing in & does it affect the whole resort. I did try to talk to customer service & after several attempts no one showed up. Briefly the beach was fine , food & shortages were as expected , perhaps a bit worse . Workmanship of resort not great. In my personal opinion I would not rate this a 5* not even close. Hopefully problems will be corrected but I would not go back .

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Lovely

What a wonderful resort. Food was plentiful and tasty. Staff warm, welcoming and friendly. Could use a bit of a variety of liquor and snacks but no real complaints ??? Would be nice to have screens on patio doors and waiters at the pool.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Great resort

We like this resort. Rooms are big and comfortable. Location is great, very close to the airport. Only 20 minutes ride from the airport. Beach is amazing! Only problem with the toilet paper … Staff is very friendly

Playa Pesquero: playa Pesquero premium

another fantastic trip to visit our cuban friends, shortages are everwhere but we had almost everthing and then some, its not the workers or the staff problem ,we enjoyed the beach pool and all the resturants, including the beer garden top notch all the way , special thanks to Zahimi prem manager, all butlers and also Yanet, Julie, Elaine, Dios, and Sergio plus all the new girls that are carrying on the excellent prem. tradition, will be back for 10 days in start or may

Melia Cayo Coco: Smooth and Relaxing

Older clientele and couples made the vibe relaxing and quiet it was perfect! Nice and quiet by 11pm, but still excellent entertainment and a 24hr bar. Well trained staff, professional and friendly. Hotel is smaller with beautiful grounds and lobby. Room was clean, safe and functional. Beach is spectacular, plenty of chairs in the shade, if you show up later will still find a spot, just need to walk a little further. Pool area is very nice as well with a great atmosphere, pool was clean bu [... read more]t will need to be renovated soon. Plenty of food options (only ate at buffet), no shortages that I was aware of. What management has accomplished given the challenges Cuba faces is amazing.

Melia Trinidad Peninsula: Lovely new resort

This resort was fresh, very clean, and not full of people. It seemed to be running at about 1/3 capacity. It was the perfect amount of people. We didnt fight for lounge chairs at all. They were always available. There are many pools - lots of swimming choices. The pool water is a nice but cooler temperature. The beach is very rough and covered in shells and broken coral. Beach shoes are a must. There is a bit of a hill to walk down from the beach to the water. Food was ok - not alot of variety.  [... read more]I was surprised at how small the buffets are for such a large resort. Fresh fish available to pick from and be cooked on demand if interested. Always pasta, rice, beans, a lot of ham, chicken, some beef - desserts were ok but all tasted the same to me. Ive found you dont book a trip to Cuba if youre a foodie - so just remember that if you do come to Cuba. Bring your own chips and snacks - all thats available for purchase in the gift shop for snacks are Celebration Cookies (vanilla wafer covered with milk chocolate, or mocha). Other items available in the gift shop were bikinis, water, beer, apple juice, shampoo, sun hats, beach bags, a few tshirts, a couple different souvenir items, lotions, perfumes and maxi pads. You wont find tampons in Cuba ladies so dont forget to bring your own, and leave a bunch for the ladies who work here. The snack bar only offers 4 items: hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza or a sandwich. Some days they had fish tacos sitting out. Bring your own mustard, ketchup, salt and pepper, and peanut butter - seriously - theres little to be found here. Bring sunscreen. The UV was 11 almost every day. I burned in 3 minutes with SPF 50 sunscreen on. Because this place only opened in November, half of the resort isnt completed yet. This doesnt affect anything, except one day I heard a saw or something super loud being used right outside our rooms at 9am. Lisdany at the Gift Shop is a lovely person - show her some monetary appreciation when you stop by. We didnt head off-resort to comment on that, but the guy on our bus to the airport did talk alot about how little cubans have, and how money is their biggest need. If you decide to bring gifts for the cuban workers, please dont forget about the gardeners, pool guys, security guards and the people working in the kitchen. They could all use a monetary act of kindness. The maids always get all the love so broaden your view of the others that work here. Also, bring lots of medicine for the cuban people - they cant get what they need so extra strength tylenol, childrens tylenol, tylenol arthritis, pepto bismol, bandaids, and any other type of OTC medicine that could be useful to a family with small children (fever, stomach/gastro issues), adults and elderly folks. They really do appreciate every offering. Bring tins of cat food if you can. There are 5-6 stray tiny cats that come by begging for food every breakfast and dinner. Go down to the beach and look for the little hermit crabs - theyre so interesting to watch. Bring a LITTLE floaty for the pool - you cant buy these here either. You dont need electrical gadgets for the plugs if youre coming from canada - the plugs are fine to use our electronic stuff with. There is a hair dryer in the bathroom. Remember if youre going to be in the same room with friends, the shower is pretty see-through from the main bedroom - bring a white shower curtain and a few of those hooks that suction onto glass to block it off. There are two shallow pools for very small children. There is a main pool for everyone and then the other pools are in front of the rooms, so lots of options. No shade though in any of the pools for 90% of the day. At the resort its $15 usd per person per day if you wanna upgrade to a pool front room, pending availability. Just bring USD for Cuba - you dont need anything else. We had no issues with getting sick from the food, but we didnt eat fish or seafood of any kind. We ate alot of salad and pasta. Their ice cream is delish. Was told by a local its worth going into the mountains to see the waterfall but its a strenuous hike so beware of that. All in all, we enjoyed our sunshine-filled week away doing nothing but sunbathing and bobbing around in the pool.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Good Relaxing Time

If you're looking to relax and do absolutely nothing, then this is the resort for you. I always had a full meal. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. But you need to ensure that you get there on time because mid lunch/dinner there isn't much left. I brought my condiments with me (ketchup, salt, pepper, mayo and hot sauce) since they are lacking resources in Cuba. This is essential if you want a little flavour. I did do this trip solo which allowed me to do everything and nothing. Note: this resort is m [... read more]ainly Russians. I did not have toilet paper the first two days, so please make sure you pack the BASIC essentials, they came in handy. The beach was stunning. I spent everyday after lunch there, it was cold because of the wind, but it wasn't a bother. Overall, I had a great experience.

Roc Barlovento: Great Resort

I love the location and it not a big resort. You feel the intimacy of the resort. Resort on the beach, not far from Big Market. Not far for me to go see my Cuban friends who live behind the big market.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Resort - Valentin Perla Blanca

This is one of many times that I have visited Cuba and I have to say that this resort was one of the best that I have been to. There was consistent food, no power outages, always had lots of hot water for showers, the chambermaid was excellent and the balance of the staff went out of their way to make this a special trip to remember. The only thing that I would critique about (because nothing is perfect) is the evening entertainment. It could have used a little more thought and composition.  [... read more]the beaches were great, the water (sea and pool) was warm, there were lots of pool activities, the drinks were plenty and they used the best of the best beverage options available. On top of this, we booked with Sandra Taylor who we have used in the past and she is incredible. Goes above and beyond, ensures the best prices, ensures the best flights and connections and has a very cheerful and chipper attitude all the times I have spoken with her. If you are in need of a travel agent, make sure you contact her - S A N D R A T A Y L O R 1-800-665-4981 ext 7275, or e-mail sandrataylor@tripcentral.ca

Barcelo Solymar: Beautiful

The hotel was fairly decent. Could use some work but it’s clear there are limited supplies. Food wasn’t bad. They could use more snacks available between buffet hours. Staff was incredible. They did their best. Towels for the beach were difficult but they came through. Bungalow suite was perfect, again could use some maintenance but overall we were happy. Beach was incredible. Non motorized water sport are not included which was disappointing. Clean beautiful lobby.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Third time to the Melia CSM

We love the size of this hotel and the beach is fantastic, large, and great for walking. Morning coffees to start your day is a must. Food was as expected. Disappointed in tripcentral not dealing with my booking promotion adjustments.

Sanctuary White Sands: New Resort

The hotel is brand new so of course it was perfect. Beautifully decorated, lovely walk in shower etc. Lots of choices on the buffet, never went hungry. My only complaint would be the bottled water. We were supposed to be given two bottles per day but that stopped on our fourth day and we weren't given anymore. Water is a must at these places. For me that was not acceptable. Everything else was perfect. It's the place to go if you want to relax, not a party spot.

Hotel Caracol: no

not too much food was limited ,too many cubans in the hotle eating like pigs/travel from cayococo to caricok was too much ,would never go back if they dont change that cayacoco airport.that is one of the reasons the hotel is empty

Playa Pesquero: Premium is well worth the extra!

We had a nice visit to Playa Pesquero Premium. The rooms were spacious and clean, the outdoor shower was an addictive treat and the large deck with daybed was used frequently. The food at the two premium restaurants was the best at the full resort. Food shortages were more evident in the main resort (bread, potatoes, butter were most notable). We had eggs daily. The drinking water was good. The nightly entertainment at the main theatre has gone downhill but there was lots of other entertainment  [... read more]throughout the resort, lots of good music. We went to the disco one night- was fun. The beach is fabulous and we always found lots of chairs and shade in the premium section of the beach. One thing to be mindful of- this resort is 80% French Canadians so if you don't speak French you might find it a bit challenging. The staff everywhere are amazing humans who provided us with great service. We took American dollars for tips which was appreciated (they can't use Canadian coins).