Melia Marina Varadero: very disappointing

Bought tickets on tripcentral to Melia marina Varadero for Valentines weekend 13-17 Feb 2020 at a pretty hefty price.Arrived there close to midnight instead of 8:30 pm due to a late Sunwing departure from Toronto Checked in room 4103 which was a quite nice apartment style with a nice king size bed,two full bathrooms,full kitchen and a nice marina view balcony.So far all good rested well and was looking forward for a nice coming Valentine day Went to breakfast and was very disappointing with t [... read more]he poor variety of food and most important the poor service and cleaning less of the buffet room No juices or whatever they had were warm Asked for orange juice at 9;00 am and was told they're out of it Finally after a looooong walk to the beach got to see a decent beach with nice sand and good water to swim Decided to go for lunch at the snack bar by the beach Got there and was wondering where all the snack food would be Found out it was around the corner on the grill Well grill was empty and there was some grilled full fish in a tray that was 50% burned and dry They had some veggies and no fries or potatoes whatsoever had 2 fish and waited one hour for two chicken legs For dinner we decided to go to Don Ernesto restaurant and try our luck since we didn't have a reservation made:) We got lucky and they accepted us to have dinner ( which we enjoyed.)... otherwise we probably wouldn't be able to have anything to eat due to the overbooked hotel with the local people At the buffet restaurant was a line up of people waiting a minimum of 1 1/2 hrs to get in Unacceptable!!!! Absolutely nothing related to Valentine,s day around the whole resort Beer was OK but all other drinks including wine white or red were disgusting gross tasting No sparkling wine unless you buy your own Coffee at main lobby was good As for food next day was a carbon copy of first day Loooong line up and the snack bar with absolutely no food variety other than grilled chicken and veggies that took over one hour to get All the staff was sitting by the bar counter having a chat and ignoring all the messy tables and all their valuable customers They seem to forget that is because of us that they have a job and that we work as hard to be able to go keep them in business Third day we decided to go on a catamaran trip which proved to be the best choice to get out of that mess and ignorance at the resort We went snorkelling then to an island were they had a nice bar and buffet with all kinds of seafood and a large variety of great food all included in 69$ us per person !! A special treat... we loved it and thanks to Pedro the animation guy on the catamaran we had a great time during this trip We arrived back to the resort around 4:30 pm and because the weather was great we decided to stop by the beautiful swimming pool they have and go to the in water pool bar for a drink While we were in the water someone had stolen my girlfriend's little Coach pouch in which she had $40 Canadian 30 cuc and her Iphone 7 ....That was a bad experience and ruined the night for us Her especially Well for dinner we went to Don Pepperoni and had another a la carte dinner which was enjoyable Next morning we left the resort to go back home , checked in to the Varadero airport My girlfriend had locked her luggage.... I didn't and sure enough when i got back home to Cambridge my 2 perfumes i had with me were gone Someone at Varadero airport had helped themselves Just my luck :( Anyways....overall it was a trip we want to forget asap and delete of our future destinations Sorry!!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Worth going to.

Overall good hotel to stay at. Nothing fancy but nice and functional. Food at the dining facility was good. The 3 a la carte restaurants were not as good. Lack of pool-side and beach lounger was an issue. Simple solution would be to not allow saving a lounger with a single towel. Either use it or loose it. Mostly Canadians at this hotel (80%). Did not meet any Americans. Most of the staff had trouble understand English, but they were very friendly. The nightly shows in the theatre were [... read more] nice. Beach was fantastic.

Hotel Los Cactus: Decent resort

Standard overall hotel. The rooms were a little run down, needed a good clean. I think because of the dampness in the air things like the sheets felt and smelled a little mouldy. The buffet restaurant didn’t have enough tables or staff to accommodate the number of guests. If you arrived late to meals it was hard to find a clean table. There was at times a shortage of certain food items and beverages and some of the food was too salty. Loved the coffee bar -best specialty coffees. Most of the [... read more] staff were pleasant. Some of the activities were later than their specified times or didn’t happen at all. The beach was great only sometimes not enough beach chairs available or trees for shade. I enjoyed my week overall and think for the amount paid it was worth it.

Club Kawama: Well Past it’s Prime!

Our Standard Room had mould, smelled , had only 1 small lamp and only a bottom ( no top) sheet on each bed. When we complained we were placed in a slightly better room which was sub standard but was the only room available. The helpful Sunwing Representative tried to get us a Superior Room but they had none so we were given a room at another hotel at no extra cost. Thankyou Sunwing!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Paradisus was indeed Paradise

The resort itself was absolutely gorgeous - picturesque. The photos provided online are indeed a true reflection of the actual grounds. Resort was very clean, very pretty. The food was great :) The room was clean and staff were so very friendly. Nightly shows/entertainment were spectacular. Tours/excursions were fantastic!

Hotel Los Cactus: Good Resort

the resort was good ....pool beautiful,rooms good ,everything one needs,few hicupps ....grounds need some improvement ....but staff wonderful like this resort because it is only 2 storey ...one area is 3 floors ....

The Reserve at Paradisus Varadero: More than expected.

The grounds of the hotel were very well kept. The gardeners were continously working to keep the grounds in pristine condition. Pools were kept clean too. The food that was offered at the hotel was great as well. I know that people have their doubts about Cuba, but at this resort we did NOT go hungry in the slightest. The staff were friendly, housekeepers were always pleasant. The staff in the serving department were not overly ambitious though. The beach was alright, there was a lot o [... read more]f shells in the sand and shore line. When I say a lot I mean some days it was difficult to walk from out beach chair to the water.

Blau Varadero: Relaxing and clean resort

Clean and friendly resort. Everything is close by and easy to get to. The food was actually not too bad and good variety. Chill out bar had great pina coladas. Great music everyday. Relaxing stay.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Disappointed

Nothing fancy… in need of major facelift. Upholstery was very stained and worn in rooms and dining areas. Patio door in room was very hard to open and closet doors were missing. We were three in our room and we each had a bath towel - no bath mat, hand towels or face cloths. We had to ask often to switch them out as they did not dry because of the humidity. Air conditioning was very noisy, and in room phone did not work. Stuck with the same beach towel all week … dry ones were never availabl [... read more]e. Dishes weren’t always available … you had to wait for them to bring some out and there were lineups. The food wasn’t great but we expected that. The bars would run out of stuff and the mixed drinks were inconsistent.

Muthu Playa Varadero: the good, the bad and the ugly

Good: Excellent beachfront location, great long beach for walking. Good food options, best to get to buffet early. Bad: Customer service lacking, noisy late night activities makes relaxation impossible in your suite. Poor gym mostly unusable broken equiptment Ugly: disrespectful drunk patrons up til dawn

Melia Varadero: What a dream!

We booked this vacation last minute and were a little terrified that it wasn't going to be great, we were totally blown away by how amazing this hotel and the staff were. Everyone was so sweet and kind, the front desk staff took their time to make sure we were comfortable, our maid Zenaida was perfect! Everything was clean and impressively manicured and the food was really really good (we had been warned about the food but were pleasantly surprised) If you are a foodie or are someone who finds [... read more] problems with things easily you might find issue with the food (blander than we are used to here in Canada) you might find issue with the rooms (a tad dated) you may not like the pool (no shade or swim-up bar) but if you can look past these flaws ( really can you even call them that??) then you will have an amazing time at a resort that is as relaxing and welcoming as it is beautiful!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Geat Resort

We love to this Resort. Everything was clean and friendly and the food was good. I would recommend upgrading to the relaxed section. We had a a la cart breakfast and lunch which was very good and much quieter than the buffet. The Pool was nice and had a good swim up bar. The beach was big and cleaned every day and there was lots of shade. Entertainment was good. Dinner a la carts for great. We did have troubles with her room the air conditioner was broken. We never complained about it because i [... read more]t wasn't too hot. When we had a problem with the safe they were there right away to help fix it. Great friendly stuff. We would go back again

Melia Marina Varadero: Needs improvement

The resort was not new. Needs alot of work. Not a 5 star. TV only got Spanish channels when it worked which was only 1 day. The staff was friendly and the beach was amazing. The food was good for Cuba.

Barcelo Solymar: Good resort, great service, and excellent location!

When you stay at Barcelo Solymar you actually get access to 3 connected resorts. The grounds for all 3 are absolutely beautiful. The beach the resort borders is perfect and was one of the least busy that we've seen on the Veradero strip. You can take your time after eating breakfast and still manage to get a spot under a cabana. There are several nice pools on the resort and all the poolside bars are comfortably out of the water. For hygienic reasons this was actually pretty nice. The loca [... read more]tion of the resort is one of its biggest positives. The resort is just within walking distance of downtown Veradero but far enough away that there aren't any of the negative aspects. The food wasn't the best but I've been told you don't go to Cuba for the food. The rooms are clean and adequate enough as I imagine most guests won't spend much time in their rooms. One thing to note is that there weren't many other Canadian tourists at this particular resort in our experience. Lots of guests from Spain, Italy, France, and Russia. We've definitely met our share of rude guests and a lot of littering. Some tourists would throw their plastic cups on the ground when garbage cans were easily in reach. Lots of tourists would smoke cigarettes on the beach and litter it with their butts.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Best Cuba Vacation.

This year was our third vacation to Cuba. Once to Cayo Coco and twice to Varadero. Bar far this was the best vacation of all three. The resort is older that the other two we visited but the resort is so well maintained and the staff go above and beyond to make sure you are enjoying your vacation. Ever staff member that walks by you at the resort always acknowledges you and often asks if you are having a good time. The food was amazing...there was even season which we had previously heard wa [... read more]s lacking in Cuban food. The Beach BBQ every day at lunch was fantastic. The after dinner performance and the evening shows were amazing. Often when asked whether I would return to a resort, my response is usually no...only because I often want to experience new places and new hotels. However I definitely know I will be going back to Iberostar Playa Alameda.

Barcelo Solymar: First Trip out of Canada

My experience at Barcelo Solymar was beyond words. The night colors and friendly staff were so welcoming and made my stay feel safe and happy. I will definently be back again! There was always so much to do, especially with downtown just a fee feet away from the hotel. A must stay place for your vacation!! Highly recommended :)

Club Tropical: Good resort

Everything was good. the grounds were kept clean. Nice beach the food was good. I like the location of the resort. The pool was clean the workers were friendly. The entertainment was good. It is a small resort

Blau Varadero: Very good Resort

Room was very good(select Ocean view). Beach is fantastic, ...... enough lounge chairs everwhere, ..... beach, at pool, in shady areas. The cabanas at the beach are a nice treat(15pesos/day). Staff are generally very freindly and helpful. I suspect the staff that are not freindly don't speak english well. The odd thing is that the least freindly staff were at the front desk!! Room was always cleaned well by the maid, who did speak very good english. Other than the couple of grouchy front de [... read more]sk staff people the only negative is the food, ..... lots of it, looks good, but ..... much of it was not to our taste. There was always something on the buffet that we liked though. Best place we have been to yet in Cuba(3rd trip).

Melia Marina Varadero: Not bad

Not a 5 stars definitely Personal very lazy Short of everything food alcohol No brandy no whiskey open late Close early We been in Cuba many times Varadero its worst Sorry to say that Varadero 5 stars anywhere else in Cuba 4

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Melia peninsula was a pleasant surprise.

The room was spacious and clean. The cleaning staff were friendly and helpful. Not all the staff at the desk were helpful some were outstanding and made up for those who were less helpful. We actually ate at theJaponese restaurant twice because we enjoyed it so much. Of course the beach is beyond reproach. In all I give it a 4+ rating.