Melia Marina Varadero: Ok

We had to wait hours for our room, and pool snack bar always ran out of food. My room door didn’t lock probably and I had them come fix it and it still didn’t lock probably the maid left my room unlock the whole day. On a positive note they were clean and the chicken was a amazing other the front desk staff everyone else were very nice!

Roc Arenas Doradas: Rock Arenas Doradas

We enjoyed our stay, the rooms we fine for size. Wish we had a dresser for our clothes and a proper rod for hanging our clothes, other than that the beach was amazing and the staff were very nice. First time in Cuba and all inclusive. Food was not bad. Didn't loose any weight , so we ate pretty well...

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Poor experience.

This is not a review of their Royal Service (they had a designated area for guest who paid more) My girlfriend and I visited Princesa Del Mar (the resort) in January 2020. I'll start with the pros of the resort, because it will be shorter to get through. The beach and ocean was beautiful, I wish it was less windy when I was there, but still great. If you only intend on staying on the beach with some "ok-ish drinks" then you'll enjoy this place. That's about it. On to the cons. P [... read more]OOR SERVICE When you arrive at the resort the staff doesn't take any effort to tell you how things work in the resort, they just usher you in. On our first day we left our beach towels by the pool, we were unaware of the resort's policy that all guest have to keep their towels, and get new towels at a designated towel exchange spot. When we went to get towels on our second day, the towel lady told us to talk to customer service as she wouldn't be able to give us new towels. We explained to customer service that we left our towels by the pool, and she agreed that they could provide us with new towels, but if we "lost" these ones and they were not in the room when we went to check out we would be charged $15 for each one (their regular replacement price was $25). I thought, ok that's fair, now that we understand how it works at this resort we can do it their way, no problem. The customer service representative said someone would drop off the towels in our room later in the day. When we didn't receive them, we asked one of the maids, she didn't speak english so she got her manager of our part of the resort, building #5. We explained to the manager that we spoke to customer service and they agreed to provide us new towels. We ended up calling customer service, passing the phone back an forth and in the end this manager told us (paraphrased), "it doesn't matter, I am the manager of this building (#5), and if you want new towels, its $15 each." Restaurant reservations. You cant eat at any of the dinner restaurants (except the buffet) without making a reservation. But again, when you enter the resort they don't explain this to you. We found out on our first night when the restaurants would not take us. So on the second day, we went to make reservations and they said "every things booked for tonight, you can only book restaurants for tomorrow onward. So we paid to have access to all the restaurants, but were barred from eating at all of them except the buffet. But you can imagine if someone planned a short stay at the resort, say for 4 days, that's already 50% of their stay where they can't access all the services of the resort, which they already paid for. I should note that the restaurant servers were actually good. I went to buy internet time. Originally I had asked to buy 3 hours, and then 15 seconds later I changed my mind and said, "actually can I buy 2 hours." the service lady gave me a stare and said "... I already typed 3." It just felt like she was being lazy. If it was a system thing maybe I could understand, but then she really should have conveyed that better like, "I'm sorry, I've already typed in 3 hours." In summary the summary was poor. (Except restaurant staff) THE ROOM The room was also not impressive. The pillows smelled like bad body odor, we wrapped our pillows in the bathrobes to cover the smell. Luckily we also brought fabreeze. They never changed the towels, my GF got a bit of lipstick on one of the towels on the second day, and we realized by the fourth day we still had the same towel with the same lip stick mark. The maid would just fold them and put them back on the rack, and we even left a tip every day. Calling for room service was extremely slow, the first time we ordered breakfast it took 1.5 hours (omelette and fruit). The second time we ordered in the evening took a little over 2 hours, the third time we ordered we waited over 2.5 hours got tired and called in to cancel the room service. We did tip first 2 times room service came, even though it was slow. Minor cons: - The food at the resort was bland or too salty, but I was warned beforehand that's how Cuban food is. - The pool is small (should be going to the beach its not too windy) - They give you a map with the services, locations and hours of operation, but the operating hours have not been updated, and we often went to places which the map indicated was operating, only to find the hours were changed and they no longer provided services at that time. (usually the lunch restaurants - You don't need reservations for these but there was limited seating. The one by the beach had a live band, it was nice.) - The currency exchange shop was always "out for lunch" when I needed to exchange currency - The drinks are watered down and not that great. They often only had "something similar", I asked for a mojito, and they said "we dont have limes, but we can make you something similar." The drinks were unfortunately only passable.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Great resort

Was great a had a good time good was not that good except for one night they had a pig roast that was great the cleaner was nice never did I have to worry able things going missing all the staff was nice and helpful the location is the best I will be back

Hotel Villa Cuba: very bad resort

We went there last year and it was much better and cleaner, the food was much better with a lot of variety. This year the food was very bad and hygiene wise all the plates not clean properly, beds in the room all the sheats are dirty and itchy you feel something is bitting you all over your body like bed bugs we came back home and all our bodies were itching like crazy. We're very disappointed we will never go back there again. all our body is full of red marks an itching from the bed bugs [... read more] and from the food and from dirty dishes.

Grand Memories Varadero: Beautiful resort!

Loved the grounds, pools and workers, from waiters to maids, ground keepers! Loved sitting on my little balcony, so peaceful and relaxing! Just what I came to Grand memories to do!! The beach was clean and the service there was amazing, sitting under the thatched umbrellas was unique and wonderful! I would gladly go back there again!

Sol Palmeras: Good resort

The grounds were very nice. Great pool and beach. I would say the one biggest drawback was that the buffet restaurant was only open at specific times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I travelled with my family which included a 14-month old child and the fact that dinner began at 6:30 meant that she was "trying" to eat dinner at that time which was very close to her bedtime (at 7:00). It should have been open with at least some food available at 5:00 p.m. so that children can have their light [... read more] suppers early and go to bed.

Melia Marina Varadero: Melia Marina Varadero is a Terrible Resort!!! Don't waste your money!!!

We went to the Melia Marina Varadero with the highest of hopes from January 6-16, 2020. My husband and I are not overly picky people. We know it is Cuba and our expectations were in check from the get go. I had previously gone to Cuba with my girlfriends three years prior and fell in love with Cuba, the people and even really enjoyed the food at our resort. My friends and I only paid $975 tax included for that lovely 7 day trip. The resort was called the Ocean Del Mar and was located in Cayo  [... read more]Santa Maria. It was roughly 1 year old. My husband and I certainly expected more when we opted for a 10 day stay at the Melia Marina Varadero and upgraded to a special floor called "The LEVEL". It was an extra $250 per person but we wanted an extra special stay and were looking forward to being well taken care of. This trip cost us $4800 :( I will start with the pros of this resort to be fair: 1. The LEVEL usually made really good flavourful soup at supper 2. On the second day we had delicious Pina Coladas 3. One night I had a good shrimp pasta with lobster tail (I paid $16.00 for the lobster tail. The pasta was included) 4. The rooms were clean and kept up by housekeeping daily 5. The LEVEL had a nice scenic atmosphere 6. At the LEVEL, if you went up to the bar, you could get a drink without waiting long I honestly can't think of anything else nice to say, so let me get to the cons: 1. It took 15-20 minutes to get a drink at the bars 2. We tried twice to go to the buffet and the line-up was so long, we left 3. Almost all of the pool and beach chairs were broken to some degree 4. The beach chairs were VERY scarce. No small tables to put a drink on. 5. The beach while scenic was INFESTED with sand fleas. We went 2 times only because we were bitten so many times we looked like we had a disease. I lost count on my husbands legs after 50 bites (which bled by the way). Keep in mind, we only went 2 TIMES!!! Imagine if we had gone every day! And we sprayed bug spray! A LOT of bug spray! 6. Back at the one and ONLY pool for over (we estimated 800 rooms) it was a drunken, obnoxious free for all most of the time. Never enough chairs and almost always a long line to wait for a drink at the pool. You couldn't even get away from people because again, no other pools at this resort. 7. I went to the restaurant by the pool to use the washroom. HUGE mistake! The washrooms were filthy, there were no locks on the door and when I went to sit on the toilet it began to rock back and forth. Before I knew it, it almost tipped over and that is when I realized it was not bolted to the ground!! 8. Not once was there any paper towels in the bathroom, wherever we went. 9. We decided to have lunch at the beach restaurant and this was bloody unbelievable. We waited about 40 minutes to get a seat, which I have never run into before at a resort but that's not even the kicker. After waiting for the 40 minutes, there was yet ANOTHER line-up to get something from the BBQ. I decided to have some rice only, as I did not want to wait in the line but my husband being a big meat eater decided to wait. I went and got my rice and sat down. He waited in this line up at the BBQ for over an hour before it almost being his turn. I then saw him turn around empty handed and angrily said, the chef had left the BBQ unattended, that the resort customers had taken over barbequing and that there was no food left!!!! Can you friggin imagine!!! And please remember, this was not a 2 or 3 star resort, it is supposed to be a 4.5 stars! And we paid $4800 for this crap!!! 10. The Cuban people at this resort seemed overworked and sad. Not at all like the happy people I had encountered in Cayo Santa Maria. It didn't seem to matter how much you tipped either, they just seemed exhausted. 11. On the way to the resort in the WestJet bus, we were not offered a drink of any kind. I have never experienced this and I have been away to several resorts in Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican, and that Cuba trip I was talking about with my girlfriends (again, only $975 tax in). 12. We spoke with several VERY unhappy guests. In fact, the first day we were there, we overheard 2 different couples saying that they had been "upgraded" for the night to The LEVEL because their experiences were so awful and they complained. The problem for us was that we were already "upgraded" to the LEVEL so we had no one to complain to about all of the nasty issues. Another couple who had been to the resort about 6 years earlier, said the difference in service and overall experience was night and day. They were so angry they left early. All the guests seemed angry and complaints were heard EVERYWHERE. 13. The LEVEL had a nice scenic atmosphere (which is a good thing because we spent most of our trip trapped up there because everywhere else was so awful!!!!) 14. The LEVEL while scenic and the ONLY peaceful place at the resort had very slow service. I'm talking 15-20 minutes if you sat down at a table and waited to be served a drink. Again, if you went up to the bar, you would be served right away. 15. The LEVEL, NEVER had a day in the 9 days we were there, where everything was available on the already limited menu. The waiter would tell us at least 2-3 things that were not available every night! 16. We only ventured to one a la carte restaurant outside of The LEVEL restaurant and for good reason. We decided to try the Japanese restaurant one evening. We were told by the waiter that we could only choose one appetizer one main dish and one dessert each. I have never heard of limiting food like this. So cheap!!!!. Anyways, we ordered and all I can say is it wouldn't feed a 4 year old. The portions were so tiny, which in this case was a good thing because it was GROSS! We of course, tried to finish enough on our plates not to seem rude and then headed upstairs, to THE LEVEL to actually eat. After that night, we only ate at The LEVEL. Again....trapped upstairs. We will NEVER return to Varadero. It is a completely over saturated part of Cuba and has little charm left. I bet if whoever gave this resort a 4.5 stars returned, it would only pass as a 3 star at best. This trip has left us with such a bad taste in our mouths, that I don't think we will be travelling anywhere for a while which makes me truly sad. We unfortunately, took the advice of our TripCentral travel agent who said she has never received a complaint about this resort. If that is a fact, then the people who went there were so pissed they didn't want to write a review, are totally unaware of their surroundings or live under a rock.

Melia Las Antillas: Older but Nice Resort depending on room

We arrived late at night and will not fly that schedule again. We were given a "pretty horrible smoking room" and requested a move and given an upgrade. Had we stayed in a standard/no view shabby older room we would not have liked our stay. I would like to be able to book knowing the kind of room as pictures do not tell the story. I asked for ground level and the application was never received. The service and location at this hotel though was excellent and they made accommodations for health si [... read more]tuation.

Mar Del Sur: big bang for the buck

this hotel is great for a 2 star I would say it is more like a 3 to 3.5 star. the pool is well kept and enjoyable with a lot of chairs and a bar on both sides .the staff was very good the food was Cuban food, no steaks but you won't starve as there is always something pork,beef,fish,salads,and ice cream with cakes. we upgraded to an apt.140cuc which is a lot nicer. a new beach bar on the beach about a block form the hotel banks and good eateries within walking distances

Hotel Los Cactus: Amazing Resort

Important : Bar close to a beautiful beach and Friendly staff , this combined with good entertainment made for a great vacation. The dancers were incredible. Good food , but tone down your expectations this is Cuba and the shelves are empty for the Locals.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A few issues

Everything was really clean, including the bathrooms. Although the pool side ones did not have soap??? The main Lobby bar did not have wine (red or white) in stock for the entire week we were there??? The pool/beach bars was the same. The other bars were a hit or miss situation, sometimes they did have wine sometimes they did not. All staff were very friendly. Odd situation in the buffet restaurant. For the first 3 days there was soup, but just a very few bowls. As such after maybe 5 min [... read more]utes none were available. Also no spoons in sight if you were lucky to get a bowl. On request one was presented. On the 4th day the the situation was resolved??? I might recommend this resort but with strong reservations.

Starfish Jibacoa: I really liked it!

What makes this place stand out for me is the lack of crowding and the abundance of natural shade -lots of trees to hide under. The available bungalows are much more inviting than an ordinary hotel room. Fairly quiet. Note that this is not a fancy resort, but it has all the basics.

Grand Memories Varadero: A destination to redefine yourself!

Nice resort, if you really try you could find something to criticize. Obviously a lot of tourism in the area. Being practical I would suggest a more diverse routine, be it music, food, activity, sports. A little repetitive I found. I would recommend it to a friend but I con scribe a more travels mindset than a tourist. Ultimately I believe in the experience rather than just the destination. There is more to see and feel outside of your typical resort. Especially Cuba. The pancakes pizza and brea [... read more]d were fantastic! I was stomach sick on the first day I believe from the beef. Only short lived. The employees were very helpful and pleasant. Also the artwork was that of sought after precision, I bought home some wood figures that I love! I wish I bought more! Incredible artist. All in all the vibe was what was very special that I will never forget, something not to explain rather to feel!

Playa Caleta: 3-star resort is what it is

You get what you pay for. It's an older hotel, at least one elevator was always broken down. Walls are paper-thin so we got to enjoy our neighbour's 2-hour fight when they returned at 5am drunk. Staff is surly, probably jaded by the actions of the rude Russians, of which there were alot. There were a couple of buffet staff who seemed to take pride in their work and were friendly, but reception staff and bartenders didn't seem to care about providing good service. There were two pools - the swim- [... read more]up bar pool was green, so we never went in it. The beach was nice,beautiful long sandy space, but it needed some environmental help - plastic straws and cups everywhere. And always very windy. The food in the buffet at Playa Caleta was pretty good; should've stayed with the buffet instead of doing the "a la carte". Definitely a 3-star resort, won't be going back.

Melia Marina Varadero: Awesome resort

Well, first off, when we first got there was were given a room that really required attention. The bathroom was dirty as was the pull out couch. It was absolutely disgusting. We immediately went back to the front desk and demanded a new room. The second room was much better. The grounds were amazing. Lots of shopping, great restaurants etc. The buffet left a lot to be desired. It was the same food night after night which got very boring. Thank God for the a la carte restaurants. These provided a [... read more] little variety to our meals at the buffet. We loved the tours, they were well worth the money.

Melia Las Americas: Great resort but not perfect

This was a very nice resort: Pros: Beautiful beach, not crowded, lots of shaded chairs, clean sand and good drink service. Food choices were very good for Cuba, not known for being a gastronomic destination! Some very sweet staff in the buffet restaurant which offered a nice selection. Helpful staff in reception, especially Paloma in the level upgrade dept. - she made our week by upgrading our room to the bungalow suite. Also I want to mention the staff at the Beach bar are really great and  [... read more]friendly. My friend who looked after the beautiful falcon is a great guy, always fist pumping me whenever we see each other and smiling. That bird is his baby and he takes great care for that precious bird of prey. Cons: The hotel is 25 years old and showing it. I paid for a premium ocean view room in the main hotel, 4th floor. Opened the door and my wife and I took one whiff and smelled a heavy musty, moldy smell. This room looked like it was frozen in time with mid-eighties decor. The bed was harder then a gurney. Quick trip back to reception as this was not going to cut it for an 8 night stay! Paloma saw our despair ( we were amicable about it and polite about our dismay with the room) she understood and arranged for a change to the bungalow area. One catch, pool area was still under construction but we could make that call. The suite was fabulous, new, fresh, modern, lots of storage, softer bed with double mattresses and a big modern bathroom with walk-in shower and huge rain-head. Sold. That made our trip, and we were happy. The Robleza restaurant staff are quite unhappy, not friendly and hardly crack a smile. We never felt really welcomed and more of an inconvenience. Nothing is perfect but the Melia las americas really needs to invest in completely gutting and renovating the main hotel, especially the rooms. Also, one more item, if you’re looking for dancing, DJ, disco .. good luck! They did have one or two nights themed with some music and DJ but don’t expect much else the rest of the time. Hope golf and beach is your thing, because this hotel offers little then some shows at night that we’re good but repetitive. The dancers were extremely talented and versatile but they need to step up the entertainment variety. Final verdict: We probably will never go back to Cuba for a while if ever, but it is a place to get hot sun, sand and beach at a lower cost then other islands. We typically are not overly critical because we know Cuba has problems and restrictions which prohibits them from being truly what they could be .. they are beautiful people with big hearts and work with the resources they have. I think our evaluation is fair and honest of our experience as paying customers that chose to spend our money and time on a vacation here!

Paradisus Varadero: Amazing Resort

Hotel was amazing. Rooms were large and kept very clean. All the staff were extremely friendly and would go out of their way to help. The beach is one of the most beautiful I have seen. You are never bored at the hotel always something going on

Melia Las Americas: Great Time!

We had a great one week at the resort, the weather was amazing all week (a little windy!), and our room was 30 meters from the ocean! The resort itself was very well kept and clean, and the food was better than at some of the previous resorts we've visited. All in all I give it an 8/10!

Resonance Blu Varadero: best resort yet

We stayed at Memories Varadero and have had amazing time. Here is my and my families experience with this resort for the week that we stayed in Jan.2020. Resort: Overall it is a bit older resort, but everything in it was functional and good and clean. If you are expecting a 5 star Hollywood royalty kind of resort, then you shouldn’t come to Cuba, as they are not that rich. They do the best that they can with little that they have. My family and I absolutely loved our time and in Cuba and in M [... read more]emories Varadero Resort and would gladly go back any day. Rooms: As I mentioned above, it is an older resort, and it is humid climate, so the rooms are a bit older, but very comfortable and the housekeeping staff does amazing job at keeping it clean. Our housekeeper Sandra was absolutely priceless. She cleaned our room daily, and had changed our towels and always left something fun made out of towels or covers as a surprise for our 7 year old son. Food: The food was amazing. You had every meat and fish imaginable. Had over 15 different types of deserts. Ala Cart was super delicious. People say that it lacks taste and seasoning. Well, you always have additional salt and pepper on the table so have at it. If you are a picky eater at home you will for sure be picky here too. My compliments to the chef’s at this resort as they sure do out do them self every day and every meal. My family and I enjoyed the food very much. Staff: There is no words just how amazing the staff at this resort are. Starting with the check in counter. The ladies there are amazing and are willing to, and have for my family as well as other guests, go above and beyond to make your stay unforgettable one. Then the Sunwing ladies Martha and Evelyn. You have a friend in my son Aidin for life. Then the buffet staff especially Rani and Juan Carlos. You two have made our family feel special, and like a million bucks. You are by far the best wait staff I have ever had the pleasure of being served by. Then the housekeepers. Sandra you are our queen of cleaning and towel puppets. Then the massage therapy guys, Andres and his staff. You guys have no idea how magical your hands are. Best massage I have ever had in my life, and I am speaking for my husband and his mum too. Then the grounds keepers. You guys work so hard every day no matter the temperature outside to make the resort look amazing. They made a cricket out of palm leaf and gave it to my son who couldn’t wait to get it home to show off at his class show and tell. And all the other staff that are for entertainment, and snack bar and kids club, and so many more. You guys and ladies are true customer service professionals. I can’t thank you enough for making our family vacation the best one yet.