Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Beautiful Resort

Very nice newer resort. Beautiful beach, nice people. Appeared they were short staffed to take care of the large number of people. Hot or even warm water for a shower was only available early morning or late night. Beach towels were in short supply, we were successful changing ours only once during the week's stay. I would have appreciated the buffet food being labelled so you knew what you were eating.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: Paradise = Paraiso

It is very easy to describe your vacation at Iberostar Grand Paraiso.........."Paradise". Just as the dictionary describes it: A place of great beauty and happiness. Upon entering the main lobby you are stuck with a view of a botanical garden directly in front of you......One of the largest we have seen indoors. Your mouth opens wider when you look up and see a Sistine chapel equivalent ceiling. Leaving the main lobby you enter a causeway that highlights a gondola on the right, ultimately bri [... read more]nging you to a lobby the Super Bowl could have been played in. The only difference was that you could have eaten off this marble floor, it WAS that clean. Our room was off this lobby. The beauty and cleanliness continued outdoors. It appears every blade of grass, bush, tree or flower is manicured. These appear to be expertly placed throughout the property and around the larger salt water pool and slightly smaller fresh water pool. This is all accented by the architecture of the buildings themselves and various columns surrounding the pools and walkways. Beauty is not only on exhibit with the property, buildings and overall grounds, but most importantly it is displayed by the staff of the Grand Paraiso. It is their overall approach to you - can we get anything for you, do you need anything, how can we be of service. Specifically, I want to highlight a few individuals who made our vacation most special, and one of the best ever. We had pre-booked a few a la carte restaurants before leaving home. The others were expertly booked upon arrival by Maili at the building 72 concierge. She may be small in stature, but she stood very tall on results. Some of these reservations we changed numerous times during our stay, and on each occasion Maili delivered, without hesitation. She also surprised and overwhelmed us with rose petals at our dinner table one night, followed by rose petals leading to our hot tub and bed. The whole arrangement was very spectacular and very thoughtful. Any fantastic vacation is always as a result of the people that do what they believe is small or inconsequential. However to my wife and I, these all added up, to really be a big deal and leave a genuine impression of caring: * Marcelo, Humberto, Juan, Joel and Santiago (aka Ryan Gosling) - the pool team *Upon request, collectively each day, these gentlemen offered suggestions on best options for dinner per our selected restaurants. In each occasion, they were 100% spot-on. *Marcelo, upon request and without hesitation applied sunscreen to my and many other individuals backs *Humberto and Joel found cushions and additional chaise loungers when they heard we were looking for some *Juan, took the time from his busy schedule to retrieve the Gourmet restaurant menu, so we could discuss and choose the best options for us. He actually ran on his injured leg, so that we were not left waiting * Santiago (aka Ryan Gosling) went out of his way to find my wife a comfortable floaty that would accommodate her sore back We spent time on the beach, a few days by the larger salt water pool, but mostly we camped out at the fresh water pool. Our decision was mostly based upon the incredible service offered by Mirna. You were never left wanting for anything while Mirna was on duty. A little known fact we discovered a few days into our vacation. Mirna makes her own drinks, as she is also a licenced bartender. Her margarita's were the best we have had anywhere. She always appeared just as you were thinking about another beverage, her timing and service was impeccable. The activity team was great as they positioned all activities with enthusiasm, but were never pushy. We participated in the excellent aquafit classes run by Ivan M. and Eloy (Teddy Bear). You cannot complete a review without mentioning the incredible quality of the food offered, as well as the plentiful options. Toni's was our favorite, but they were all incredible, as was the service. A special shoutout to Javiar (Toni's), Olivia (Bella Vista), Alberto (Bella Vista) and Jordan (Gourmet). Olivia made gluten free options for my wife upon request. Jordan, upon hearing the conversation between the table beside us and my wife and I made our evening. We were discussing how we each enjoyed our wine selection. Jordan set up a private wine tasting allowing each couple to sample and choose the best. This was in addition to Jordan's incredible and attentive service. Wine tasting was also offered by the resort sommelier, Richard. Richard did an excellent job featuring many interesting and outstanding red and white selections. Our last night capped off an incredible week of very happy and enjoyable times. Upon completing an excellent dinner at the new Caribbean restaurant, we stepped out into an awesome live band performance. The 10 piece band was perched on a floating dock in the large pool. Their music had many people dancing wherever there was any space. Iberostar Grand Paraiso offers a "Paradise" setting, but what set it apart from any other resort we have visited, were the incredible people that genuinely want to ensure you have the best vacation possible. All I can say is that they succeeded. We want to join the growing number of repeat Grand Paraiso customers as soon as possible.....there is no question we will be back.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Awesome Vacation!

We were a group of 11 from ages 8-62! We had a blast as a family! The food was amazing, the a la cart restaurants were great, and the people were SO friendly! Great place for everyone, including kids games and accessible for disabilities. Rooms were amazing as well. One had to change rooms as it was not up to standard after the hurricane but they were very apologetic. The entertainment was some of the best we have seen at all inclusive! I have already recommended to friends!

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Perfect location.

Our vacation at the Iberostar Dominicana went smoothly from start to finish. The bus ride from the airport was very quick and check in was even quicker. The rooms felt damp, but we did not complain or ask to change location. The beach is stunning and not as busy as the many other resorts located along this strip. The food was way better than we had expected. Steaks were thick, cooked perfectly and were delicious. All the a la Carte restaurants were fabulous and the service was prompt and fri [... read more]endly. We will definitely be back.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Second Visit...Won't be the last!

My husband and I had been to this resort 2 years ago and loved it! We returned last week as a family of 11 and we all had an amazing time. There is no resort where you are treated as respectfully and lovely as the Daiquiri! A special shout out to Samira for once again making our vacation wonderful and Janysa for being the best server you could ask for! Looking forward to returning again to the beautiful beaches of Iberostar Daiquiri!

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Great vacation

everything was perfect, gardens were amazing, room comfortable and clean, food was pretty good, staff was really polite and efficient at every post...beach was beautiful except for the algue I felt safe and will definitely go back

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Beautiful resort

Fantastic resort, beaches, rooms, staff, food - We had a wonderful time and would definitely return to this resort. We will return to this resort next visit to Cuba and would highly recommend to family and friends.

JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Very high class resort.

Room was amazing. Bathroom superb for 2 gals. Patio-huge. Butler/concierge service was spot on with quick turnaround time when you had a request. A la carte restaurants were good, but I would have not have minded the buffet every night unlike other resorts I have been to where I have been tired of the buffet food after 1 wk. Vegetables were cold at the buffet beginning of the week but improved. Service at the restaurants was great. Beach was fabulous, ocean floor sand, not rocks. Pool was fin [... read more]e. Lots of Cabana's at pool, but they were set up so you were either in the sun or the shade, and unable to move your lounge chair from sun to shade or vice versa. Only one complaint> We did not take in any of the evening entertainment as it did not start until 9:45 pm. When you eat early Supper, there is nothing to do in the evening.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Very disappointing trip.

To start this was my 11th trip to Varadero. I am not a picky person I eat anything and am aware i am in Cuba and go with an open mind. This hotel let me down the whole stay. I will make this short and talk about some points of interest. The first night the refrigerator was so noisy that we had to unplug it to sleep we went to call front desk phone did not work the patio door would not open. the shower had so much calcium build up the small amount of water went everywhere but on you.I had to stop [... read more] the maid from putting flowers on the bed and washroom counter as many small insects were dispersing from them and after the first night I was full of bites on my body.in general the hotel was beautiful in its day but is old tired and worn out now. The grounds are laid out very nice and the beach is beautiful. although we only ate ate the main beach snack bar once as we were disgusted with the way it was set up with its cleanliness. Birds kept on eating the put out food with no one to remove them but patrons and i mean many birds right in the hot trays. As we know what goes in must come out and this was very disturbing.The main buffet was terrible everything was greasy reheated and even the tomato soup was burnt.at night you could not get a seat in the lobby and if you did you had to wait 20 minutes to get a coffee drinks were terrible two drinks would be served of the same example rum bunch but would look and taste totally different besides each other.The elevators did not work half of the time and on check out I had to carry our luggage down two flights then up one to the lobby the phone did not work to call for assistance. We have traveled in a group of four for the last ten years this was the firs time we all had the runs for the whole trip. This was backed up by many that we talked to on our stay. Generally a terrible experience. The worst in my eleven stays in Cuba.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Paraiso Beach

The grounds were immaculate. The room was lovely. We found the place a little big for us. There lots of walking but we could catch the tram if we needed to. We found the people very friendly. My husband found that the bars did not stock alot of canadian rye. They kept running out. All in all we had a great week.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Fantastic Vacation

We returned from Iberostar Costa Dorada on Sunday March 4, 2018. We are a party of 3 comprising of myself and my two kids in their 20's. The resort caters to all ages and activity levels. You can be as busy or as relaxed as you choose. We had a standard room and we asked for another bed to be brought in. When we arrived our room was ready and the third bed was a full sized single bed that was extremely comfortable not a cot or a fold up bed. We were very pleased. When we arrived at the  [... read more]hotel and had checked in we were given a personal tour by one of the staff. He also assisted us in booking the specialty restaurants for the week. We were then taken to our room. When we arrived in the room the staff member checked that everything was working (nice touch) our luggage arrived about 5 minutes later. The entertainment crew is fantastic, they make you feel like family. They are fun, encouraging, silly and knowledgeable. Thank you, WiFi, Blondie, Justin, Micky Barbie and Maria. You are Soupa! The resort itself is beautiful and is consistently being maintained by cleaning, gardening and maintenance staff. I saw nothing that appeared to be neglected. This includes the beach, everyday there was staff raking the beach of seaweed and fallen debris from the trees. The pool water is clean and clear and the pool area always had staff walking around to pick up empty cups and dishes. Public bathrooms were always clean and well supplied and maintained. The main dining room was our favourite place to eat. We met Robert the second day we were there and we continued to return to his section. Robert knew what we liked after the first time he served us and he would bring our drinks before we even asked. It just happened that he was off for the 3 nights we had our specialty restaurant reservations, but he was back at breakfast for our last morning. The food was very tasty and well cooked. Dominican night was our favourite buffet night. As for the specialty restaurants, our favourite was the Japanese and then the Mediterranean. We do not recommend the Mexican. At the snack bar the food was really good tasty. Our issue with the snack bar was that it was hard to find a clean table, either cutlery, napkins or glasses were missing. The serving staff was not attentive and if you asked for water you often didn't get it. The bar staff at all the bars were very friendly and attentive. We will definitely return to the Iberostar Costa Dorada

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful Resort

The resort is beautiful. The grounds and pool are impeccable. The rooms could use an update. Noticed some rooms had "white" furniture vs the dark wood. White is better. The sheets felt damp at night, not sure if this is just the case for all of Cuba.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Very nice resort

Well kept rooms, work still in progress from hurricane. Staff very polite and friendly, food was good compared to other resorts we have been to in Cuba. Weather was warm and beaches clean lots of beach chairs, but was windy all week. Entertainment was good

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites: 3 Times a Charm

Seeing my old friend Eric Mclean from Eric’s Chillout Tours (876-790-3154) at the airport meant I was home again in Jamaica. Eric gives me and my wife a Red Stripe beer and on the road we go to the Iberostar in Montego Bay. Eric has been picking us up and taking us on excursions for more then 10 years. I ask him about the trouble and state of emergency, he says no problem man. I trust Eric he is a safe and knowledgeable driver. We went to town and saw or had no problem. If you call Eric tell  [... read more]him Wayne sent you and he will give you a good price. Checking into the Iberostar Suite is coming home. We got hugs from the valets David, Ricardo and Hyron. We got smiles and drinks from a receptionist. My friend at the desk was Oralando who remembered us from last year. Then out comes the Desk Manager Andrae who got us the same room as last year. I like the room, with a big tub, double sinks, king size bed and full fridge. The view is as I remembered, beautiful. I had coffee and Bailys on the balcony ever day. When we checked into the room they gave us matching T-Shirts for returning. We also had a bottle of Premium Canadian Whiskey from a departing Manager Jonay, thanks. His replacement Andrew was so much like Jonay, work, work work. In our second week they gave us 2 more T shirts with my nickname Rasta Man on it. WOW. It was the windiest I ever saw. We where on the beach about 4 out of 14 days. The weather was very good. We found a nice spot with shade. I had fun everyday talking to the lifeguards Dick, Bruce, Norris, Youan and Sanjay. The resort no longer uses plastic straws for the ecology (which I support). They had paper straws that I did not like. We got 2 plastic straws (I can’t say from where) that we used for 2 weeks. We then made sure to dispose of them properly. Bring a couple of straws. We had great drinks every night. The staff like Christopher 1 and 2, Radane “Jellybean”, Glenroy, Shanike, Jules, Leighton, Melissa, Doreen (the hardest working waitress on the island), and Nicole made it fun. There one supervisor Kerry worked so hard picking up glasses, getting drinks and smiling. I told him he was the hardest working supervisor on the island. We got dressed up and ate at the buffet every night. I like sitting outside, hearing the ocean, seeing the palm trees. When we would go in, we would see the food presented like no where else. The islands best Chef’s Patrick, Isaiah and Jermaine would have the islands best food. I like shrimp, lobster, crab legs split, we had it all. We had lunch at the steakhouse because of how open it was. The cheese burgers we had could not be beaten. The service by, Alecia, Nadine, Clifford, Brandese, Renae, Gavin was top notch. The entertainment team was also very good with OMG, Peaches, Suzie, Carlos and Ki Ki. They talked to us every day on the beach. We came to relax and they understood why we played no games. The live music (from 7:30 to 9:30) in the coffee bar was good. They did not have entertainment all nights. The property was spotless and always being cleaned with workers likes Orlando who never stopped working or smiling. The beach was kept cleaned and raked every day. I had a lot of fun with the valets everyday. When my buddy Dale the valet came back from vacation we laughed and hugged like bros. I go to Jamaica because of the music and the people. We left the resort in the day time a few times and did not feel threatened. We met many who travelled like before, going to swim with dolfins, Rick’s Café, Dunn’s Falls and so on. Iberostar is “Don’t worry be happy”

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: So and So

It's hard to write a review of a place that was so... so... Before going we had asked for a superior room with new mattresses, away from all the noise and the main building. Needless to say, we did not get a superior room with new mattresses, away from the noise and the fridge did not work either. We were moved on our second day, before lunch, so we wasted half a day on that day. We paid extra to the hotel to get an ocean view room and we got that, but the shower did not work properly with o [... read more]nly a trickle of water. The TV did not work properly and the safe didn't work and the mattress had springs pushing out. The hotel staff worked on replacing the mattress, fixing the TV and fixing the safe. But the shower was still bad. We moved a second time on our fourth full day there to the opposite side of the resort and we got a really nice room finally after speaking with our Sunwing Rep. The hotel staff were ok, but not the friendliest I've met. Some were great, while others were so.. so... All in all, when escaping to Cuba, be aware of the challenges at some hotel resorts with the accommodations. The people for the most part are friendly, and tips are very much appreciated! Also, be aware of the food, especially the rancid butter, which can, and did trigger an upset tummy on my last day and into a couple days while back in Canada!

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: We will be back!

This is our second trip to Cuba - the first to Iberostar Daiquiri. We had a fantastic time and will come back here again next year. Our room was in the Trinidad building. We just returned home today and I felt the need to tell you about our experience. When we booked our room, we had requested a king size room but when we got there were given a room with two double beds. Luckily enough we met a man waiting to get a room with 2 double beds and we switched rooms immediately upon arrival. We sp [... read more]oke with many other guests that had the same problem so this is an area that needs improvement. It was very nice that the snack bar was still open as we arrived quite late at night and were hungry. A very nice touch . . . The room was very comfortable and the views were amazing. Cleaning staff are fantastic and our room was spotless everyday. We were centrally located and everything was within a short walking distance. We knew when we chose Cuba this year that there may be issues because of the hurricane, i.e. ongoing repairs,lack of ammenities, etc. We were pleasantly surprised at how much work had been completed. This resort is a small community - it was a pleasure to go early in the morning for coffee in the lobby and spend time with other guests and the fantastic staff. Everyone was friendly and worked non-stop to look after the guest needs. All staff were friendly and courteous but I want to send a special thanks to Vecky, Einer and Fidel for their great service. It was not unusual to hear Vecky singing and laughing with patrons. These workers made you feel like you were among friends and that was wonderful. Everywhere in the resort the staff is fantastic - from cleaners to gardeners, buffet staff and cooks, bar staff and the entertainment staff. We want to give an extra thank you to Esther for increasing our fun and promoting activities that we might not have joined in on. We especially enjoyed the singer in the lobby on Friday night - he had us all up dancing and singing. We enjoyed the buffet and the barbeques by the pool snack bar. They had something for everyones tastes. We realize that there are shortages in Cuba but this resort did everything to give it's guests a wide variety to choose from. The only complaint I have is that we arrived after midnight on Saturday and went to book A la Carte the next morning to find that they were booked for the whole week and then spoke to a gentleman that was booked every night at one of the restaurants. We were told we were entitled to all three but could only get into the Mexican restaurant on Friday. The girl taking reservations told us we could go to the chef and see if there was a cancellation - that is not our responsibility. I think allocation of reservations need to be handled in a more equitable manner . . . The beach here is beautiful and goes on forever . . . We went on the Catamaran excursion which was a wonderful and relaxing day. All in all - this was a wonderful experience but not long enough - Next year will be ten days instead of seven . . .

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great Atmosphere

Resort is well laid out and everything is close by. There could be a bit more variety of food during the off times of the buffet. Pools are great with lots of options. Around the swim up bar is a lot of fun if you like crowds and mingling. The beach is perfection!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Iberostar Playa Alameda

This resort receives top marks for 2 services - exchanging money, and a la carte dinner reservations. There have been long lines to do this at every other resort I have stayed at. There were no lines to exchange money, and a very short line to book the a la carte dinner reservations at Iberostar Playa Alameda. The food was varied. Taco night was our favourite. And then a Japanese evening (sushi) was also fun. They made the most delicious donuts. Omelettes were good. Now.... the public washro [... read more]oms were often without toilet paper. And no one seemed to care when they were told. This happened repeatedly. And then, sadly, as were were preparing to leave - our key didn't work to get into our room. And then the person who was responsible for collecting the beach towels (which we were told to leave in our room) was obnoxious. She took about 30 minutes of our time, making sure we would leave our towels. I am not sure of the concern over the beach towels, but it was a very poor leaving experience. We had to be out of our room at 12 noon, but our bus didn't pick us up until 6:30 pm. The front desk told us to keep our towels until then and just bring them to the front desk. They should have told the maids!! Then when we took our luggage to the front desk to be held, the bell man told us there was no room for our luggage. It was frustrating afternoon. Customer service goes to the time the customer is on the bus!!

JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: Beautiful resort

The hotel was luxurious Large rooms beautifully landscaped grounds and pool areas Large assortment of chairs cabanas and palapas Large spa like bathroom in the rooms Entertainment nightly as well as 6 restaurants including buffet

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: 3rd time is a Charm

We continue to go back to the Del Mar because they have always provided us with great service and food. Lilly and Fanni the concierge staff greeted us even before we were checked in to make sure they could provide assistance which these ladies went out of there way to help. Jacito in the breakfast area by the pool always made every morning an entertaining and fun start to the day. Roger at the beach bar and Javier at the lobby bar were also great to keeping everybody looked after for refreshment [... read more]s. They seem to have made small improvements throughout the areas, ( likely only noticeable to return guests). The entertainment staff, Alex, Luis, Ruby, Lilyhan,Stephanie and Giovanni almost became family with all their energy, enthusiasm and open hearts. They kept us smiling and laughing all week along with the fun fun pool games.The attitude at the resort is laid back and happy. I was impressed to see that none of the staff were heads down on their cell phones while on work time. They were always attentive to any guests requests. A small casino has recently been added for entertainment. The bird wildlife is always a pleasure to see. The beach waitress Petra was always so cheerful and helpful everyday. Will plan for another return visit because we have not been let down so far on the service and the smiles.