Great resort.

Overall the resort was fantastic. The food was ok could have been a little better but we did not starve. Layout was great small enough you did not have to walk far to get to any part of the resort. The room was great a step up from what we were used to. The only problem was there was no toilet paper in the bathroom by the beach. I would definitely recommend this resort.

Good resort

The room was good although the bedding was not very fresh. The shower was very good and there was plenty of hot water. The staff at the hotel were friendly and pleasant. However the food wasn't great; I realize this isn't uncommon in Cuba! The beach was super and always clean; likewise the pool.

Great Resort

Hotel was a good size for us and very clean / gardens were very well maintained / a good variety of food available / drinks were great! The cleaning staff, gardeners and maintenance staff were more than friendly and the bar staff were wonderful. Amazing stretch of beach at this hotel - lots of shade available and swimming was easily accessible. Entertainment staff worked tirelessly and their enthusiasm was infectious - especially the beach/pool crew and the house band, "Music Night"... and cant  [... read more]forget Mike's coffee shop - the ladies were very friendly and made the best hot and iced coffee. We loved our stay

Great resort

The resort room was clean, a little tired. the service was very good, staff happy and helpful. The food was ok, many options to pick from at all meals, if you are fussy then bring a snack but for a week you can make it ! the weather was beautiful every day, March 4 -12.

Beautiful resort

enjoyed the smiles of service people , cleanliness of public areas , beautiful beach & ocean , lots of dance lessons , children's interests . Rooms were comfortable , Tours from resort were great. Meals were " awesome -enjoyed the buffets ( especially the specialty stations ) . it was great to have dinners at the different restaurants , especially " the " International " The restaurants at the beach & pool served good food at lunch time , We truly enjoyed the " Music Room " and the talent of th [... read more]e Cuban entertainment .Bar Tenders were quick and did excellent work . Very good presence all around

Lovely small resort

Resort was kept very neat and tidy, everything clean. Everyone we encountered was very polite, friendly, and helpful. Food was far better than expected and experienced before in Cuba. Would definitely NOT book privileged class as the extra charge not worth what you get. We had no problem getting into the restaurants. Entertainment in evening would be the only low rating.

Great Resort

Resort is very lovely, on the smaller side. The a la carte restaurants were all good, buffet good too. Heard food in Cuba would be horrible, but it wasn't. Not a lot of variety, and some repetition, but always something to eat. Beach was very nice, always chairs available. Trouble getting spot by the pool only on day of arrival. Walking along the beach one day I got bitten by sand fleas or something, so spray yourself with repellent before you walk. My husband didn't get bitten at all. Wa [... read more]sn't a real party atmosphere resort, more low-key, so keep this in mind if that is what you are looking for. Nice relaxing vacation. Took day trip to Havana which was good, but make it clear what you want to see, and just find a lunch place on your own...don't let them steer you to their restaurant pick...wasn't great and too expensive.

Great Vacation

We had an excellent time at the Ocean Varadero El Patriarca last week. The room was very comfortable and everything worked well. Everyone we met at the restaurants, bars, front desk, housekeeping and entertainment were so friendly and very efficient as well. The selection of food was quite good too at the buffet. The a la carte restaurants were very easy to be seated at since it's first come, first served with no annoying reservation system to have to line up for. The hotel grounds are kept [... read more] very clean as well. The beach is beautiful with plenty of lounge chairs. Same with the pool area. The pool is very shallow for the most part just below chest deep in the main pool. We visited Havana on the Air Canada tour for a day since Varadero is not as far as some of the other resort locations in Cuba. We were really glad we did. It was a fun day for us.

Amazing resort

My wife and i just spend a week at el Patriarca in Varadero. We had a very nice week. The staff was awesome and made us very comfortable. The food was great and lots of selection. Walking arounds the grounds is like walking in a park all day long. We would stay at el Patriarca again without question.

Amazing Resort

A five star resort We upgraded to privlage and were very happy we did. The rooms were very clean and up to date, the grounds were in beutiful condition. A 30 second walk and we were at the beach. The resort staff were very helpful and quick to serve you. Our private pool and pool bar were awesome. I would recommend a ground floor room facing the pool. It was our 30th year anniversary and could not have enjoyed it any better than this!! Our travel agent Lisa could not have done any better to mak [... read more]e this a memorable and enjoyable vacation for us. Thanks, Anna and Greg ☀️☀️✈️✈️

Enjoyable stay, would go back

Beach: Very nice. Clean. Had lots of activities like volleyball, kayaks, catamarans (with instructor), dancing and yoga but the activities were not overwhelming which was nice. It was very easy to simply relax if you didn't want to participate in activities. Easy access to the beach bar made getting drinks easy. Main facilities: Main buildings were new and more modern. Areas were clean and welcoming. Public washrooms were in good state of repair and reasonably clean unlike some of the storie [... read more]s we heard from travellers at other resorts. Rooms: Rooms were modern and clean. Maid was very polite and cleaned room nicely. Pillows and bed could use improvement as we often woke up sore. Bathroom was good with both tup (with detachable shower head) as well as separate stall shower. Stall shower design was poor (glass door was installed on center of shower lip and as a result all the water dripping down the glass pane seemed to run out of the sower instead on into it and we needed to use our extra towels to sop up the water on the floor. We ended up using a hand towel and jamming it between the door and the stall wall to hold the glass door in a position inside of the shower so water dripped into shower instead - this solved our problem with all the puddles on the bathroom floor for the remainder of our trip. We really liked that the resort was not like a hotel. Rooms were in little blocks of 12 in each building. Everyone had their own patio or balcony. It was nice to walk out of your room and already be on the resort. No elevators or hallways. We were in Block 11 which is close to the main Lobby. At first we weren't sure we would like that but it was really nice to be close to the main restaurants and lobby for dinner. We always packed our beach bag and spent the day at the beach or pool so you only did the walk (5 mins) once or twice throughout the day. By the end we felt this was better than being close to the beach and having to walk further for dinner and evening entertainment. Food: Food was okay. This was our first time in Cuba and we were warned that Cuba isn't known for food and that is definitely true. We have been on several cruises and even the cheaper cruise lines (carnival) have AMAZING food/choice compared to this resort. That said neither of us got sick and enjoyed our meals throughout the week, you just can't have extremely high expectations but nothing wrong with any of it. A la carte restaurants and beach restaurant: Meals were inconsistent. Sometimes meat was way to over done or under done and other times done to perfection (same meal, same restaurant, different day). Sometimes tender other times lots of fat. Chicken Wing at the beach restaurant is by far the best lunch and always done properly. Buffet: For breakfast and Lunch buffet is good. Similar choices for lunch and dinner so we always chose to go to the a la carte restaurants for dinner. Would have liked to have more fruit (that was ripe) - watermelon, pineapple, etc were not great. Juices were good. Omelette bar for breakfast was good and filling. Pasta bar and meat/grill station at lunch and dinner were good. Sightseeing: Enjoyed the included half day Matanzas and Bellmar cave tour that came with our stay. We also went snorkelling off the beach with a guide (as part of the resort) to a section of coral about 10 min sail away for 20 Pesos on afternoon. This was great, lots of fish to see. We also did a group tour to Havana which was great! The only downside to the tours is the tour picks people up from many resorts on Varadero Peninsula (and same for drop off) so this resort being closer to the tip of the peninsula you end up spending an extra 45 mins or so on the bus simply picking people up before you really get on your way to your destination. Guides were very nice and accommodating. Hidden Gem: the Piano bar (off the main lobby) has great entertainment (as an alternate to the evening shows in the theatre, or attend both)

Really great resort!

The Ocean Varadero El Patriarca was a blast! From the amazing beach to the lovely, well-maintained room, lobby, pool area and grounds to the thoughtful offering of services, it is a great place to vacation. The music in the Piano Bar was outstanding! In the Lobby Bar, Rosanna took extremely good care of us and was a riot! Libreto at the Beach Bar was great as well, and Hector and Adonys were always smiling and helpful at the Beach restaurant. Overall, the service was excellent! The musi [... read more]c was out of this world, with live bands at the Piano Bar every other night and some live acts in the disco as well. It is the first time in many years I have enjoyed a resort disco. The restaurants were delicious, and in particular the Chinese restaurant where the service and food were superb. The buffet was plentiful, well-laid out, and the staff very helpful. Reynoldo went the extra mile to make sure we were well taken care of. I would absolutely return to this resort again!

Great resort

The hotel was very clean. Staffs were very friendly. Amazing entertainment team. This was our 2nd time staying at the resort and what brought us back was the entertainment. We had lots of fun. Food can be improved more. More vegetarian options for those who are vegetarian. If you can make a area for smoking which is separate from non smoking area would be great. We don't smoke and don't like to smell it wherever we go. So that was the only down side. Other than that everything else was grea [... read more]t. We will be back soon :) Love Ariana & Kiana

Friendly staff

Great staff and beautiful beach and pool. The food was terrible - would not return because of how poor the food was. The dishes were not kept warm before serving. Had to live on fries and pizza for a week.

Stay at El Patriarca

This hotel was different from other hotels that I've stayed at as it was not a high rise building but rather set up in several different building small buildings across the grounds. The room itself was nice and the maid service was excellent. The room came with three twin beds and the bathroom was equipped with both a stall shower and a bathtub with shower head. The room did smell a bit damp when we first arrived but that's really the only negative thing I have to say about it. The beach and poo [... read more]l were easily accessible. Overall the resort was beautiful and I would definitely come again!

Pleasurable Stay

First of all great variety of foods each day. That's a good thing for Cuba. I read many reviews complaining about disgusting rooms and facilities on Trip Advisor. Glad they were wrong. Maybe some people are expecting The Ritz. Was it perfect? No. Was it worth every penny we payed for? YES. We asked for 1 room with King bed and the other with 2 Doubles for or daughters. We got 2 Double rooms. Our agent did everything she could to get us in to this resort even though every site I visited said it w [... read more]as booked up. Thank you Tripcentral.ca. Property was not the best we have stayed at but grounds staff was always busy and friendly. Rooms were well layed out and comfortable. Showers leaked out into bathroom floors in both rooms due to poor ledge design but if you pulled door in further it kept it to a minimum. Maid service was good but tipping her really helps. Pool is shallow so great for just hanging around in. Foam Party once a week, great fun for all ages. Pool bar staff were busy but good. Entertainment staff by far the best we have encountered. Carlos is now an Email friend. The day before we left was not the best weather so bring out sound system was a No. Carlos joined us under the cover of the pool bar and entertained our 10 year old nephew. They are now dancing friends. Beach restaurant has the best lunch meals we have had. Beach is excellent. I think my wife brought home 5lbs of shells. Beautiful turquoise water.

Stomachache

Serving is so so as my daughter and I was assigned to a room for last shower without clean bath towels soaked n wet n walked to the front desk asked for clean towels Restaurants menus didn't change for the whole 7 days Entertainment was great and very friendly although more lights for the aquatic show at night. Scenery is ok and bathrooms has strong weird odor Servers were excellent

Beautiful!

we were only there two full days due to weather delays. Accommodations and public spaces were amazing. We weren't overwhelmed by the food. Went to a a-la-carte dining space on the resort and ordered the filet. It was the worst meat I ever had served to me. the dining area was empty except for us and one other person at 8 pm. CLUE if we had more time may have been better able to manage food choices.

Beautiful resort with great staff!

We stayed at this resort Dec 7-14. This was our second time here. The staff are amazing, especially Enrique and Yeramis at the pool bar! They are always pleasant and quick with the cervesa! The ladies at Mikes's coffee bar are also great! There was lots of room around the pool, never had a problem finding a chair. There is a lot of beach and the ocean in beautiful. Rooms were nice and you could always find something good to eat. We never saw the towel hut open, so not sure how you can get fresh  [... read more]towels, we made sure to hang ours up each night. Our kids loved going to the kid's club. The staff there are wonderful, especially Grey. She looked for activities that our kids were interested in. Another fun vacation in Cuba!

Loved it!

We had a short but sweet stay at this resort. The staff were friendly and the property was kept in top condition. The rooms were comfortable and clean. The food was good, enough selection that you could definitely find something to eat. Mike's Cafe was lovely, the staff were very friendly and the coffee was great! The pool was lovely, refreshing, plenty of sunbathing chairs to choose from. The beach was also gorgeous, a perfect strip. Overall, a wonderful vacation!