Needs Updating!!!!!

This could be an amazing resort, it is in bad need of repairs our room's (had to change rooms) walls were all marked up, mold behind mirror, mold in shower, handle grip in shower falling off the wall, patio door had a big hole in screen, first room had sewage smell when you flushed the toilet, second room had musty smell when air conditioning was running. Public toilets were disgusting, mold covering lounge chairs at the pool, Lobby chairs were worn and filth, Buffett dishes were dirty, Main Buf [... read more]fett room needs a major update. Buffett at beach was much better and snack bar at pool was much better. This was our first visit to Cuba, my husband and I loved that we could do lot's of walking at the resort (got our 10'000) steps daily, but were disappointed with the general cleanliness of this resort, could be amazing' great location !!!!!!!

Nice resort!! Had a great time.

The tesort was very clean and groynds are beautiful! The food could have veen better but didnt starve thats for sure. Gained 3 lbs there! The entertainment was good and the staff are friendly.The beach is beautiful. The best stretch of beach on the strip i think. With 2 very large pools (one quiet and one with activities) there were plenty of chairs.Unfortunately, like all resorts, you need to reserve seats early to get shade. Many ppl do this and dont come back until the afternoon. grrrrr. Anyw [... read more]ay, we had a great time there with our kids at a decent price.

Beautiful beach and great resort staff!

We had a wonderful week enjoying the paddle boats, Hobie cats, snorkeling and sunbathing on the beach. Staff at the resort were excellent. A la carte and buffet meals very good. Clean rooms, clean warm pools & live bands almost every night. The entertainment was the best!

Not the worst resort, but not a 4.5 star

The resort is very clean and is kept very well. The food was 2.5 star quality but no one got sick so it wasn't terrible. There are NO towels at the resort so the maids often took your dirty ones and left you with none.

Great resort!!!

The hotel and grounds are beautiful. The food was ok. You can always find something to eat even if it's at the large snack bar by the pool. The wifi is awe full and is not free. The front desk people are very rude and you can't use the phone in your room, nor can you get a call to your room. My family tried to call and it took over 3 hours to get through. Tipping is too expensive. You cannot get one or two dollars (CUC's) for tipping so you must tip with 3 or 5 dollars. No one has change and the [... read more] banks won't give you smaller bills than 3$. In the superior diamond club you have to beg to get water, beer and pop or tip large. This is supposed to be included in your everyday refills without tipping or begging. Otherwise a large and friendly resort. I would go back. The beach was awesome and clean. See you soon Cuba.

Barcelo areans blancas varadaro

Great stay,friendliest staff ever,beach was amazing, food was average better at the solymar side though. Rooms could use some updating ie.new tubs and faucets crome worn off and pitted. Great pools but need regular cleaning seemed to be lacking in that area,the outside of the building could use a coat of paint to freshen it's tired look. This resort was in the beat location ever just a walk to the park,the Beatles club ,handy shopping ,and again the staff were second to none,overall an awesome t [... read more]rip. And did i mention i got to go to experience the concert that made history in Havana ROLLING STONES and did it rock great memories.

Great vacation

We stayed for 5 days and enjoyed ourselves greatly. The resort is lovely especially the pools. The rooms are clean and spacious and the staff is very pleasant .The beach is beautiful.the food is fine but can never compare to what we have in Canada. The flight was quick and the cab to and from airport was easy and good valve.

Wonderful Experience

We had a wonderful stay at the Grand Memories Varadero. The staff were friendly, the pools were great and we were never hungry. The beach was nice (but it was always windy). We had a wonderful housekeeper that took care of all of our needs.

Great family spot!

The pool was lovely and right outside our door. Loved the long walks on the beach and incredibly friendly staff - all family members were able to do 'their own thing' - from early morning walks on the beach, to family meals together, to pool time and snorkelling

Was too crowded

The hotel was fine. The food was good. The staff was excellent! The grounds were well kept. The beach was fantastic as always. Only one day that we couldn't swim because of jelly fish brought in by a storm. My concern was that there were too many people and not enough staff to manage them.

Cuba!

Our first trip to Cuba was fantastic. The weather was great and very relaxing atmosphere. I wouldn't say the resort was 4.5 stars but it wasn't a 2 either. If buying duty free at the airport, DO NOT use Canadian cash..62% exchange!!

Great Resort

Grand Memories is a nice resort but the rooms are a little tired. We liked the variety of a la carte restaurants, the entertainment and staff were all very good. You have to remember it is Cuba and standards are not the same as Canada but we enjoyed the food and services, paying for the Diamond Club upgrade was worthwhile. The beach is lovely.

Grand memories varadero

Short of staff, not enough towels, same food everyday no room service internet connection suck got the diamond club but no diamond club treatment had to carry my own baggage no welcome one got there no hot water this is not a 4 1/2 star hotel

Great staff....

Well.....no hot water in our rooms (3) all week. Only 2 towels all week, with no beach/pool ones. The only reasons to go to this hotel is the amazing staff. Friendly helpful and unfortunately for them held back by lousy management and a lack of supplies.

Beautiful clear water beach.

Beach is nice and close to the resort and the food was good - beer was cold. The restaurants are a bit loud for those over 30. The shows were good - well the performers were great but the sound system was far too loud. We spent a second week at Playa De Oro and enjoyed the atmosphere much more.

Resort was nice

went with a group of 4. Pools where nice and clean, bedrooms were good for 4 star. Food was bland but we brought our own spices. Grounds we nice. Gym was too small and 2 machines were not working and should be removed. Snack bar workers were always very rude to everyone no just us. Pool bar workers were very efficient and cordial. Lounge bar excellent drinks and service but expected to be tiped. Coffee area was excellent. Did not wait long to register. 6:30 sungwing flight that we paid extra to  [... read more]leave was delayed till 4 hence missing one full day so out of pocket 200 bucks. Why book an extra plane if ther are not enough sold tickets? No impressed. People we have have paid 1050 and booked one month ago. We paid 1260 plus missed one day. Likely will book on our own next time. Tripcentral agent was good.

Procedures to work out

The grounds are lovely and 5 star worthy but the procedures need work. Key cards are ridiculous. Thought first day it was the lock hardware and had maintenance take it apart. Every 2nd day we had to re magnetize the cards as did the 3 other units that traveled with us. I like to play and ended up walking to iberostar next door for volleyball 3 days. The food was good for Cuba but then I noted the chicken skewers had 1st half well cooked and last cubes raw which explains some sickly comments. We  [... read more]asked for king got 2 beds one was ok the other was super saggy so did not mesh. Lounge drinks and coffee bar were great. Good potential but 3.5 star experience.

A disapointment

There was never hot water in the morning to have a shower. The room keys were always faulty and had to be replaced. They were always short of towels and one day I felt I had gotten a used one, as it seemed dirty. They never had small change for tipping, so had to constantly try to get change from staff. The beach was beautiful and the pool area was very nice. The food was O.K. I went to have a stress free holiday but found it very stressful. I would not recommend it. Darlene

Resort Was Better than Expected!

The grounds, pools, rooms, and restaurants were all what I had hoped for, remembering that it is Cuba and their resources are limited! Our weather was not great so we didn't spend much time on the beach, but it looked good!

Believe the reviews-strange stuff even for Cuba

I have found that in the past most negative reviews were unfounded, but everything I read before I went was true. Key cards didn't work, dirty towels, coffee maker but no coffee and no light working in bathroom (we told the front desk but nothing was done all week. My husband was at the pool and entered a contest-I was in the room (on the third day) and received a phone call saying it was the front desk checking if everything was OK. My husband had given our room number to the staff to enter the [... read more] contest and they thought the room would be empty-I believe they were checking to see if the coast was clear to come in and take stuff. Would have liked to tip more, but couldn't get small CUCs (this happens at all the resorts) On the plus side, the beach is beautiful, the resort is well laid out, and the food wasn't as bad as I expected.