Occidental Arenas Blancas: Nice centrally located resort

We stayed at this resort for one week from February 10th to February 17th. The hotel is located walking distance to local bars, restaurants and shopping. It's also on one of the best strip of beach in Varadero. The resort grounds and pools were beautiful. The beach is wide with white sand, turquoise water and lots of palapas and palm trees for shade. Room: We stayed in the Arenas Blancas section but also had access to all the amenities at the Solymar hotel. Initially we were given a room wit [... read more]h two twin beds facing the street and noisy rooftop air-conditioners. The following day the front desk arranged to move us to a new room with a king bed and gorgeous pool view. The rooms were clean and appeared to be recently renovated. At one point we noticed that water was leaking from the ceiling next to the air-conditioner. We notified the front desk and no more than 5 minutes later a repair man showed up to fix it. Food: This resort offers 2 buffets and several a la carte restaurants. We tried the Mexican, oriental and Italian restaurants and all of them were good. The buffets however were very disappointing. We mostly ate at the Arenas Blancas buffet but when we tried the Solymar buffet we found it was equally bad. This was our 4th trip to Varadero so we didn't have high expectations but the food here was definitely the worst we've had in Cuba. Everything in the buffet was very bland and most dishes that should have been warm were cold. They really need to find a way to increase the food temperatures in the buffet. Towards the end of our vacation we craved a hot meal so we decided to go off resort. There are great local restaurants in Varadero many which are walking distance from the resort. Overall we enjoyed this resort and would likely stay here again. The resort was beautiful and staff was friendly and eager to please.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Pretty resort

Grounds were well kept,pools and beach were excellent condition, no worry of crowds room for all.Staff was warm and helpfully. ( still can't figure out the room cleaners)All in all great Time! Night time entertainment was a PLUS very enjoyable. A la Carter were a bonus, we found the regular restaurants were quite adaquite. Our favourite was the Japanese unbelievable GOOD!The beach bars and restaurants were well staffed and the cuisine was top notch!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Walt Disney world of resorts!!

Challenging golf course and groomed well but manageable for any player. Rooms were impeccable and beds were comfortable. Restaurant choice was unparalleled. Casino was fun. Staff were friendly. Beach was super. We might never go anywhere else. Highly recommended.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Nice resort

This is a beautiful hotel, very clean and nice staff. I think they need to improve their food very repetitive. Stayed in this hotel 3 years ago and the food was great. Best part is the monkeys coming to the balcony. Very nice pool.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great Place to Recharge

The resort and beaches are beautiful. The food was good. The staff are amazing and extremely friendly and courteous. The rooms are good, all that you need and the balconies are nice ... would go back any day:)

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Best all inclusive trip yet!

I was amazed at the size of the resort. Love that you can stay at one resort and play at all of the resorts the grounds were beautiful and the food was great! Highly recommend this resort. This will definitely be at the top of our list for our next trip.

Occidental Caribe: Great last minute getaway to Punta Cana

The 7-day aĺl inclusive stay at this resort was exactly what we were looking for and our agent perfectly arranged it all. The room was simple, clean and comfortable. The food at the buffet is much the same everyday and somewhat bland as not many seasonings are used but condiments are readily available to jazz it up a bit. The wait staff were fantastic as they met our needs and wants in every way. The à-la-carte restaurants offered good specialty menus and impeccable service. We never felt r [... read more]ushed nor neglected. Although it states formal/casual collared shirt, long pants and closed shoe for men at the à-la-cartes, the staff does not enforce it. The beach is clean; one of the nicest and safest we've ever been to. A few vendors (maybe 3 over the course of 7 days) did come up to us on the beach trying to sell their wares, but they moved on when we politely said 'no gracias'. Never once had a problem getting lounge chairs at the beach. Different story for the pool loungers though - they are taken up very early with towels or other items to claim them and often times are not in use. The check-in and check-out process went smoothly. My spouse was ill when we arrived at the resort around the noon hour. I approached reception and explained our situation. The young gentleman checked us in, made a few calls and had a concierge bring us and our luggage up to our suite immediately. No issues whatsoever. There is no free WiFi anywhere on this resort. We opted to have it during our stay, however, it is very expensive and not very reliable. Smoking is permitted EVERYWHERE on this resort. Unfortunately, due to health issues and allergies, we were very limited or not able to experience much of the nightly entertainment in the theatre, seldom enjoyed sharing beverages at the bars nor sitting in the lounge areas without being overwhelmed with cigarette and cigar smoke. The worse was at the Casino so we only attended there once for a maximum of 5 minutes. Sadly, we would could not return to this resort unless they can accommodate both smokers and non-smokers by restricting smoking to designated areas only like many other resorts in the Caribbean. Other than the smoking issues, we incredibly enjoyed our vacation and we are extremely thankful to our Trip Central Rep, Kevin Dupuis for recommending this resort and arranging everything for us in such short notice. Yes, we will call Kevin again when the travel bug hits.

Barcelo Huatulco: Fantastic resort

We loved everything about this resort! First the people are such wonderful people to talk to and they are so very helpful! They don't expect anything from you, which makes you want leave tips! Beautiful grounds and very clean place in every area! My only complaint would be not enough bottle water available for us! We will definitely go back! Great job everyone!

Occidental Punta Cana: One of my best vacations ever!

I loved the hotel. I was travelling alone and felt very safe there. Staff was cordial and polite. Grounds were clean despite the work that was going on. The beach was really clean and beautifully maintained. The food was excellent, the best I have eaten in Dominican Republic. I immensely enjoyed my stay.

Occidental Cozumel: Great beach

We had some problems with construction in our building. We were taken care of by a lovely lady at the front desk Sara Gonzalez. Renovations and internet wiring did not stop us from enjoying the beach. The buffet is very small, but you always find something to eat. Suggest ordering room service for breakfast as bacon is served on the "American breakfast" Not available at buffet. Did not make reservations for specialty restaurants as line up in morning turned me off. If you go with concierge servi [... read more]ce they are booked for you on arrival. Building 19 closest to the beach. Very nice lush gardens.

Occidental Punta Cana: Resort was very nice , beach was beautiful, grounds were clean.

Hotel was very nice, kept clean, beach was beautiful and clean. Housekeeping was not so good, was not given clean towels, they re-folded the dirty towels. Food was not very good at buffett, not much of a variety. Staff were not so friendly, everytime we asked for something they did not bring it to us. Upon arrival the hotel said they did not have accomodation for us and wanted to send us to another resort. I asked staff to check air conditioner in my room as it was not working, and the [... read more]y again asked me if i would like to go to another resort. I would not re-visit this resort .

Barcelo Karmina: Excellent hotel and location

Enjoyed a wonderful week. Having been here six years ago we were a little concerned the resort may have declined in its' appearance and service. It actually exceeded our expectations and even better than 6 years ago. The lobby and the grounds are beautiful. Staff are happy , hard working and a pleasure to be around. Beach is very small but the many pools make up for it. Shade is available for those wishing protection from the sun.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Ok

Resort was ok - food was not good mostly, most staff didn't speak English so to communicate was difficult - weather was nice, resort clean and maintained, drinks were ok (red house wine I couldn't drink not good), rooms were comfortable

Occidental Caribe: Very nice resort

The hotel was a little dated. It needs some on going repair which would be more preventative. The front desk people pretend they don't know english until you wiggle american money around. We waited from 1:00 to past 4:00 for our room. They gave us an upgrade because of the screw up, but it shouldnt have happened in the first place in my mind. Other then the sign in nightmare we did have a great time !!! The gift shop was a complete scam. They had things marked up 3 - 4x (in usd) what w [... read more]e could buy them for at home. The excursions too were extremely expensive. So, just make sure you bring lots of money :)

Allegro Cozumel: Very nice resort

Rooms were clean and modern could be noisy at times. Pools were very clean. We never had trouble finding a lounge chair. Washrooms were very clean. Beach was was clean with nice sand and snorkling was great right in front of resort. Buffet was ok nothing fancy but the alacarts were very good. Staff were great very friendly and prompt. I will go back at a later date. Wild life were fun to see. Lots of excursions to take in.

Occidental Caribe: Beach and Pool awesome

The beaches and pool awesome. Grounds were good but now comes the bad the food always cold and undercooked. Drinks watered down probably to around me 10 percent I wish we would have brought a hydrometer to test just out of curiosity. The staff not so good as I'm not a 20 year old woman with nice breasts. All the woman staff were professional

Occidental Cozumel: Occidental Cozumel

Most beautiful place to go.Very safe, great staff,white sand beach,plenty of fish just off the dock.secluded area away from town.Visits by large eguanas ,coatis, and wild boars.lovely views from ocean side pools and lunch restaurant.Small buffet only down fall but still plenty of food.I have been to lots of places and this is one of my favorites.Would recommend it to anyone,young or old

Occidental Cozumel: Very Nice Experience !

Excellent value .....a little understaffed in the dining room but they try very hard....the grounds are outstanding! As usual there is a shortage of shade ........why is this always a problem ????? The pools and beach area need more chairs and lounges.....there is plenty of room for more but they don't want to provide ample seating for guests ....very short sighted! I don't mind getting up at 6 am to go down to the water's edge to claim a spot but a lot of people are very upset by the lack o [... read more]f available seating.

Allegro Cozumel: Gorgeous Resort

Returned on Feb 11th. This was our first time at a resort in Cozumel. We spent a day on a cruise stop a couple years ago. The resort is beautiful, well manicured, nice pools, beautiful beach. The food was good but buffet seemed to have the same food every night. The beach bbq was excellent. Our room was in block 22. Quiet room, very comfortable bed :), shower was hot and air conditioning worked perfectly. The people at this resort are very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our st [... read more]ay. Thank you.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Awesome resort!

I loved the rooms, cleanliness, swimming pool was big enough, beach was beautiful, only thing it lacked was there was no time schedule of activities throughout the resort. Live entertainment every evening at 10pm in the auditorium we're awesome. I would go back to this resort again.