Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Beautiful resort but

I think it was a beautiful resort but I think it is geared towards more older crowd, 60+. Service was not the greatest but food was amazing fresh cooked every day. Cleaning ladies barely came but had no towels for 3 days. Entertainment was minimal. Not a lot of loungers for the pool or beach. But over all it was more just to relax and chill. We had couples massage it was soo nice relaxing.

Melia Cayo Coco: Best resort around

Our second trip to the Melia Cayo Coco and they did not disappoint. Easy beach access, not over crowded and the greatest staff you could ask for. Great day trip on the catamaran to snorkel on the reef.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: beautiful resort

Grounds , public areas, rooms were regularly serviced. Food needs more attention, hope kitchen staff will be able to apply proper spices to improve food-taste. Excellent service at the reception area specially from AIRAM that was available all the time to accommodate our needs.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Amazing Return Visit

This was a thirteen day visit. We were at the same resort one year ago. We have absolutely no complaints. We will come back in 2025. From our maid room service to the buffet staff, everyone was so helpful and pleasant. Sonavid, our server during the day is an amazing person. She goes above and beyond to meet the needs of the patrons…absolutely fantastic. Annia, in the lobby bar is also outstanding. No complaints about the food…we certainly did not go hungry. The beach Resturant  [... read more]was also great. Amazing staff. We enjoyed the beach and the pool… The lobby staff was always courteous and helpful.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Quiet vacation

We spent 7 days at Coral Esmeralda and don't have any complaints. If you've been to Cuba before, you come with lower expectations than other countries. They have limited supplies and resources, but we never felt like we were missing anything. We brought our own condiments for meals and although there was not a lot of variety, we never went hungry. The lunch pizzas were quite good but normally a bit of a wait. The buffet restaurant could be improved as you often eat at tables that have not been c [... read more]leaned and do not have cutlery. No music around the beach or pools so it's not very lively, but you do have the option to go over to the sister resort for more action. Beach is absolutely perfect. Entertainment is extremely limited. If you are going for a quiet, affordable beach vacation, this might be a great spot.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Amazing resort

The hotel is new and very nice. 4 pools, the beach is amazing, the staff are very nice. Just there was food shortage. A La carte restaurants were great as well. All rooms are great and all buildings are close to everything. The drive from the airport was 20-30 min.

Memories Cayo Largo: Gorgeous white sand Beaches/Poor food quality Georgia

This hotel was fine,great beds changed only once a week,clean Bungalow style four per unit, Diamond Club had ocean view but far from things lots of walking. Clean washrooms lots of toilet paper. Very quiet Rock no beach had to take cab or mini train to the beaches 15 - 20 minutes away but sooo worth it FOOD I’d give it a 2 ran out of beer for the first 3 days then no cheese, yogurt,or any dairy all week no fresh eggs only pre mix in a jug… Food at a lacarte was the same food as at the buffet th [... read more]ey had lobster for an extra $20 us BUT seriously have to do something about the food.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Could use some work

We stayed for a week with family. We are a family that travels a lot and this is our fifth visit to Cuba. Pros - Food was typical Cuba which is why it is in the pros. We had rolling shortages and some pretty creative dishes. I only had one item that I didn't eat, everything else was as expected. If food or drinks are important, don't go to Cuba. There were no slushy drinks, no pop at all and some strange things to make up for it. - The resort grounds are very nice and very well taken c [... read more]are of. Except for the pools and the area around them, everything was very clean. - With only one exception, all the staff were awesome and seemed very happy to be there. There were a few that stood out, unfortunately we don't have their names. The rooms were nice and the view (we had an ocean view) was as close to perfect as you can get. - There is a restaurant near the lighthouse that is not connected with the resort but is awesome. You can get a ride from the resort. It, of course, is not part of the all-inclusive, but the prices are good and the food/service was awesome. - The beach is nice, as with most of Cuba. Lots of options for shade if you want. You can snorkel off the beach and see lots of fish including one very large fish that was about 3 feet long. - We flew Sunwing. Our rep seemed very knowledgeable and seemed to have anyone you could think of on speed dial. Cons - Could use some updating. This is a fairly new resort, but could use some paint in spots. - Pools are not vacuumed as we would normally see which was evident from the algae on some water inlets and sand at the bottom of stairs and around the pools that were present very early in the morning, a sign they are not being taken care of as good as they could. - Info we had said 3 a la cartes but we were only allowed to book two. The Asian was awesome, with great food and great service. The Tex-Mex was the complete opposite. The food was cold, and the service was subpar. For the first time, we left before finishing our meal. - Smoking is allowed on the resort and you will find it everywhere, inside and out (except for food areas). - We had a couple of issues in the room. Our fridge was broken. It took two trips down a few days apart to get it resolved. Our safe was never able to be locked and was not looked at by maintenance as promised. - Some of the hotel rooms are above the lobby and as a result can be loud. We were in the section over from above the lobby and found it noisy, but only on a few occasions were we woke up by the noise, including a group of young people out partying at 3 am. - There were many lines, more than we have seen anywhere else. 1 hour for a hot dog and 2 hours for a pizza. There were even lines at the buffet. My issue wasn't as much the lines, but some guests felt entitled enough that following the lines was not for them. I've said before, that adults are usually the problem. - It was obvious that they were short of staff. Some services were not seen or not as much as we have become used to. One example is no one running drinks at the pools or beach. As a result, we drank way less and also tipped less. For the first time ever we came back with most of our tip money. Many of the problems we ran into, alone wouldn't be a huge problem, but there were many. I see them all as management issues, not that of the employees. Unfortunately, there were enough that we will not return to this resort and cannot recommend it. We brought many giveaway items and took recommendations from someone we know from Cuba. My recommendation is to bring toiletries, over-the-counter meds, feminine hygiene products, clothing and kids toys. We brought almost $200 worth of giveaway items. We tipped in both Canadian and US dollars. When tipping with Canadian money, be prepared to change coins to bills for the staff. They cannot spend coins so we were often asked to change some into bills. We happily did and even tipped as part of the transaction (i.e., $18 change for $20 bill).

Hotel Rancho Luna: Needs attention and immediate actions

My name is Ross. Just came from vacation at Rancho Luna hotel. Please, pay attention to my message. 1. I got a vicious food poisonings at the beach restaurant and was lying in my room for 6 days and nights. I suspect from a fried fish. They don't clean properly guts of a fish and thus is a cause of a stomach poisonings. also, few others canadian tourists were rushed to a city hospital and stayed there for a week 2. Local cuban people, who come to a hotel for a day - they steal foo [... read more]d at the restaurant in very large quantities putting into their bags. 3. Also, local cuban people bring a large capacities thermoses and walk from one bar to another and bartenders dispense a large quantities of beer into a those people's thermoses, and also bartenders give them alcohol drinks, such as rom Havana Club and others, which I consider that is a theft as well. Stealing food, beer and alcohol by locals - can lead to a future price increases for canadian tourists 4. A guy on the beach, named Neilson, solicits money from tourists for free water sports equipment and also solicits tourist for bringing him beer in his own large thermoses. This Neilson also lets local people, who come to the beach from Cienfuegus use water sports pedal boats and catamaran and people pays him money. Also, he demand money from local vendors to sell something to tourists on the Rancho Luna beach. This was told us by locals. This is a pure extortion, like a local mafia. Last time we were there in SEPTEMBER, 2023 - this guy Neilson deliberately sailed his catamaran over a head of our friend Arthur and almost hit him in his head, because Arthur did not give him a money for using a pedal boat. ALL ABOVE LISTED MUST BE STOPPED. Regards. Ross.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Nice resort with beautiful beach.

Thank you Liz Simunic for booking our flight and resort for us. The resort grounds and gardens were beautiful and the beach was great. When we had problems booking on line we contacted you and you made the process easy . You checked back with us by email to see if we had further questions about our trip and also provided park and fly information and coupon. We appreciated your excellent service. Regards Jerry and Dorothy.

Grand Memories Varadero: The Sanctuary was the best!!!

Grand Memories Sanctuary! It was wonderful. We were very fortunate to receive an upgrade to the Sanctuary! A few people who made our time wonderful!!! Hilda, the manager of the Sanctuary, she Checkin on us and always made sure we were happy and well looked after. Juan, manager of the restaurant/food, excellent service & good food! Ronald our butler, very attentive! Yeny, our room maid, super kind and does a great job! The Italian restaurant’s manager Yurialis, she was over the top! Hospitality,  [... read more]food, service and just a very special lady

Playa Costa Verde: Typically Cuban

Very clean hotel but cutbacks and shortages have hurt them even more. There was no salt, no butter, no eggs for 3 days, and our beach towels had to last the week because there were no replacements. My first omelet was thinned with pancake batter. There were very little cold cuts of any sort to make a sandwich. There was no sugar anywhere except the buffet when they would bring you a sugar bowl and spoon. At the bar for coffee you got a "sweetener" which contained 2 artificial sweeteners. U [... read more]ntil I saw these packages I thought the cola tasted like diet, now I know they were at least subsidizing the sugar with sweetener. I started getting Mojitos and that lasted 2 days when they ran out of ingredients so I ended up drinking dark rum and orange juice. It was so clear my wife thought it was Tang but it tasted good. I have had orange juice in Cuba before and it was always fresh squeezed with a lot of pulp. Everyone who worked the resort was friendly and went out of their way to help and please. I was very upset with many Canadians, many of them French Canadian who would not only "Reserve" lounges with their towels but would also save themselves garden chairs as well. I saw more than half of the couples with 2 lounges and a chair and many families of 4 with 4 lounges and 2 chairs. REALLY??? They act like teenagers and feel they are entitled to them. Maybe you should rent them daily for cash. Also, very few tipped at most meals. At the Japanese restaurant we sat with 3 other couples who we couldn't speak to because they only spoke French to each other. Only one other couple than us left a tip. Many tips were Loonies, Toonies and even quarters. They cannot exchange coin at the bank so bring American dollars for tips and keep the coin at home. The swimming and snorkelling was great. We did have a problem when my Mastercard was compromised from Canada and was blocked and an email said to call toll free or collect. The resort did not have a landline and we were unable to call to Canada at all. Lucky my wife had a Visa.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Beautiful and relaxing

First time visiting this area of Cuba. We upgraded to air suite cabana and the room was lovely and clean. The staff was very helpful and friendly. This is not a party resort but entertainment in the lobby bar in the evening was fun. Pools were clean, beaches the best I've seen in Cuba. Buffer was large and seafood cooked fresh. They tried to use the supplies creatively. There was even shepherds pie, Brussel sprouts. They couldn't get eggs two days but still had French toast and lots of other ch [... read more]oices. The embargo has made getting supplies difficult but they did well with what they had. I would return but do not go expecting comparable to other Caribbean countries not facing such supply issues. Cuba and uts people work hard and are super hosts.

Valentin Perla Blanca: One of the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria

The hotel is tastefully made and designed. Loved the garden and the landscaping work. Rooms are clean and spacious. The food is great- it is cuba so you have to come with an understanding and willingness to try different food than your usual. The seafood they served was absolutely the best part. Freshest calamari I have ever had in my life. Entertainment team worked really hard koodoos to all of them. The only problem was the repetitiveness. Maybe through in a karaoke or some more engaging activ [... read more]ities in between for a change. We got to see the other resorts on the island and came to love our own much better. The ocean and beach get A+ no need for my words. Very friendly staff. Keep in mind if you want to see the city and the “real” cuba you have to leave island and that’s 48km. So renting a car is a must, or get one of the excursions. We rented a car because we like having the freedom. Excursions don’t take you deep into the city, only main squares. If you like to learn about people, their living conditions and real cuba I highly recommend renting a car for one day and go to Cambarien and Remedios. Overall I recommend.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: If you want to be treated like s@#t this is the hotel for you.

The only good thing about this hotel was my cleaning lady. Five stars for that women, she was kind, considerate and did and amazing job. Now for the hotel…..rudest front desk people I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Right from the second we got there the women behind the desk treated us like we were an irritant. Not a single hi there how are you? Welcome to our resort, nothing. I have spent 20 years working in customer service and let me tell yah this hotel has non of it. I paid extra to have th [... read more]e prestige package only to find out that gets you NOTHING. The concierge I was supposed to have didn’t come in due to illness. (I completely understand being sick not mad about her health) when I inquired about her because the number they gave me to get a hold of her wasn’t being answered I was told she was out and nobody would be filling in for her???? The hotel itself was clean, run down and elevators not working but over all the hotel wasn’t bad. If they could fired everyone and start over maybe it would be a decent resort but DEFINITELY not worth the money

Melia Costa Rey: In need of some serious maintenance

Having been to the resort previously, we thought it would be a safe bet to go back. unfortunately we were wrong. Upon arrival at the hotel, the room was not made up, toilet was filthy, no bath towels and no toilet paper. Other buildings had no hot water, no electricity. Daily shortages of some alcohol - Gin and rum...yes rum which the country manufactures! I went to the gift shop and bought my own to use!! There was Gin on the shelf, but was told by bar staff and management that they were  [... read more]not allowed to use it - even if we paid extra for it! On the good side, the beach is beautiful and the beach side bars were stocked and very happy to serve us. The food was good and serving staff were wonderful. The snack bar staff were miserable and not friendly at all.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Overall a good holiday with some issues.

We stayed at the Iberostar Laguna Azul from Feb 10th to 17th. Overall we had a good experience, having come in with realistic expectations. The resort is very beautiful and must have been really something at one time. A number of areas are under construction; pool, beach, some of the buildings and rooms. A short walk on the beach and you can see the splendor of Varadero beaches. We stayed in the "relax zone" which gave us access to a very nice private pool and sit down breakfast and lunch, which [... read more] we really liked. There were shortages, some days no coffee or eggs. We took a day trip to Havana that was spectacular. On our tour, we talked to vacationers from other hotel and most said their hotel had no shortages. At our hotel there were a majority of Russian guests. While most were very polite, we did have a few "bad encounters" with drunk people at the bars. For that reason, we won't be returning to Cuba any time soon.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Not Happy!

We decided to return to Angsana after a 2 week stay last year. The resort has declined substancially this year.Upon booking we paid $800 more for the same room as others we travelled with. Our room was Superior ocean view and the others were partial Ocean view for the same room. Rooms were not as clean,sheets and towels were not changed in 2 weeks. We were only able to exchange our beach towel once in 2 weeks.The resort also had numerous shortages such as White wine,eggs,bacon,ham,coldcuts. The  [... read more]buffet was the same every day. I feel as a good Sunwing customer i should recieve a credit for the price difference in the rooms.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: AMAZING RESORT!

We were a group of 8, and we all enjoyed this resort. The rooms are modern and clean, as is the rest of the hotel. Staff is very friendly and go out of there way to help. The beach is awesome and you can go for long walks, collect shells or swim in the clear blue ocean. The food was very good for Cuba, some shortages like eggs but we did get eggs for 4 days in a row. None of us starved, there was always something for everyone. Plenty of drinks and pop, they even had rice pudding every night [... read more] which was delicious. We are definitely going back next year. This was my 4th time to Cuba and this resort should be a 4.5 - 5 star. The only negative I do have to say about this resort, is they need to organize the buffet a little better so there isn't long lines and people trying to cut into line to get their food. They had different stations, one grilling fish, one grilling chicken or pork and another doing fried rice for lunch and supper. For breakfast, when they had eggs, they cooked then the way you wanted at one of the grilling stations, and they also had pancakes, but bring your own syrup. I will be sending a email to the resort with some suggestions that our group found might be helpful for the buffet. Big shout out to our waitress at the buffet "Mayumi" - we miss her already! Bring salt, pepper, peanut butter, jam, syrup for pancakes, and coleslaw dressing because they always have coleslaw at the buffet but only mayo for it.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Beautiful place!

We loved this resort. The rooms, beach, main areas and grounds were all very nice and well maintained. The staff was always helpful, polite and accommodating to the best of their abilities. Some long lines for the buffet and other food items could be handled with improved planning and limits per person put into effect. Smiles and best efforts were everywhere!