Beautiful resort . The room was comfortable and clean. Food was very good and lots of variety. The grounds were well taken care of. Beach was excellent but didn’t care for the pool, no swim up bar. The Asian restaurant was great!
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Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Lack of Resources
The hotel didn’t have Pina colada, not many alcohol/drink options, not many food options, rooms are old and AC, safe is not working, and lots of mosquitos in early September season. Beautiful beach regardless but I will not return again.
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Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Never again
Been there 12 years ago, same off season. After a very tired journey reached the room at 9.30 pm. First two days no air condition and no hot water service in the room
The night we checked in no drinking water or any drinking water in the room. To call the reception, do not know the extension number for the reception. Bus boy told when he leaves, he will bring a water bottle or notify to the person who brings it.
We reached the room after dinner, closer to the beach area at 9.30 pm, after a [... read more]tired journey rushed to the buffet which closes at 10 pm. Nobody brought any water. Not been told that there is no Air condition when we checking in, next morning when I went the reception only been told there is countrywide power outage at that time. Mosquitoes are everywhere.
Lots of mosquitoes inside the room too. Without AC, with outside temperature of 31C, with mosquito inside the room, itchy bed linen, think that night would be.
Food is very limited, same food everyday, the eating area infested with lots of mosquitos.
Only commendable thing is nice staffs, and superb beach. Chose this resort for 5 star rating, but so disappointed. Never again
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Canadian world traveler -
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Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Much better than Expected.
Pros: This hotel is one of the newest in the Varadero strip, the food was enough, and the choices was more that you get at other hotels in the area, the hospitality in the buffet area was amazing.
There was a separate customer service person to help you with your needs are the resort, therefore you did not need to go to the front desk and wait in lines.
The room was decent, minor problems, but quickly addressed.
The beach was nice, small rocks and a bit rough but good to pass the time.
[... read more]
Cons: Tipping is crazy at this place!
*The beach attendants did not clean the sand nor the beach chairs for guest but always asking for money.
*The specialized restaurants was the worst place to book if you wanted to get food in a normal timely manner ( 35 minutes just to take the order). After 2 hours you can leave half full and run to the buffet before it closes.
* If you are new to the resort, please turn on your TV, because neither the front desk nor the air canada rep tells you were any thing is located, apparently if you turn on your Tv you'll see some information.
* I'm not sure why some guests get welcome drinks at check in and Canadians did not get welcome drinks.
* Let not forget birthdays, 2 days before the birthday, the hotel was informed, they said the different options they offered, we picked 1 and was told they would deliver on the date of the birthday. Because they forget, we were told two day later, right before check out, they only deliver after someone's birthday.
Now I write this because this was my experience, please go and draw your own conclusions.
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Rosey -
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Blau Varadero: Ok resort but won’t return
We arrived in the evening
Check in went smooth
Was able to grab late supper at buffet.,before it closed.
The elevators are horrible, you have to wait and wait they only hold 7 ppl at a time and no ventilation, so very hot.
Room was very nice withi lots of space. . Wonderful view.
Our room was kept clean every day.
We had the select room with the benefit of the select breakfast in a special area in the buffet restaurant where they wait on you and serve you breakfast from a small menu..
[... read more]We waited and waited for someone to come and start with some water. No body came, so we grabbed our own breakfast from the buffet. Then we were served coffee and water. Next day we sat and waited to be served. Again It took awhile before anyone came to greet us, with the menu to get started.
They look straight at us and still no service.
They need to get organized..
We should have had better service.
It took the four of us at least a hour and a half to start and finish breakfast.
We were left waiting way too long.
It was as if they wanted us to go get our own food.
This is what we paid for. We tried it a couple more times and same thing every time. We were not impressed.
The ppl working in the buffet are very friendly and pleasant but not organized. We even sat in a different part of the buffet and we had better service!
The pool was not even vacuumed while we were there. Lots of sand on the bottom.
The lobby bar in the evening was horrible!
We waited in line of 20 minutes to get a drink. They need to hire more bartenders and servers.
So we ended up going to the select bar. Finally the best place to be.
Great service great drinks, air conditioning and light snacks.
Don’t know there names but the bartender and waitress was the best.❤️
The lunch buffet was always very busy.
So we always went to the burger shack for lunch. Got sick of that.
The resort was full to capacity which make it worse. Ppl were like vultures, taking all the cheese and ham slices on the tray and waiting for them to bring out more. Ppl don’t care anymore it all about themselves.
Would I go back NO
Also ppl would reserve the lounge chairs around the pool and would come later. We had a hard time finding 4 chairs together!
Overall this place was ok but we will not return.
This was our 5th time to Cuba, so we know what to expect.
The ppl of Cuba are wonderful ❤️
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Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Leaky bathroom and
I have been to Cuba few times and normally love everything - beaches, atmosphere, service, and food. This unfortunately was not a great experience. The room had strange smell and the bathroom ceiling was leaking with puddle of water on the ground. Since the phone service was down, I went to customer service on four different occasions, they promised to fix the problem but nothing was done. Food was as expected and servers were amazing. Main buffet was better than the Sanctuary restaurant.
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4th time is the charm -
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Grand Memories Varadero: This is my 4th time staying here, and it won't be my last.
The check-in process was efficient and help getting to my room was ample. The staff were all very friendly, especially Mayren Jimenez who was particularly helpful with my a la carte bookings and getting me help to get into my room safe.
I had a beautiful view of the ocean from my room and it was very clean and quiet. I can't wait to come back here.
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Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Bring Snacks!
We didn't have high expectations for the resort, as it was a ridiculously cheap all inclusive resort. After we booked the vacation, there was a note that said the resort is suffering shortages. That was an understatement, didn't have much in the line of alcohol unless it was rum. The food wasn't great, we ate a lot of buttered buns. The staff was amazing, kind, polite, and courteous, all ways smiling and helping. The hotel was dated, but clean, even though the bus guide said "it's the second new[... read more]est hotel" LOL!
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Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Complete disappoint, AVOID
I've been to Cuba 15 times,this was my 16th trip. Complete disaster I paid same amounts for other hotels but gigantic difference between this and the others bad room service dirty rooms which were not cleaned every day cockroaches in room as for the food it was a complete disaster restaurants same problem breakfast was okay but the rest were terrible ,unfortunately I ruined my well-deserved trip by going to this hotel . To top it all I had to pay almost $110 baggage fee back and forth . Please b[... read more]e aware of going to this hotel or reserving with WestJet because there're hidden fees . Unfortunately in the reviews you have to put one to five stars if there was negative star I would put it.
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Jen72 -
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Resonance Musique Varadero: Had a good time
Ok so my experience in this resort was pretty good up until the last day when a girl came up to us in the pool and asked if she could stay with us because one of the workers wouldn't leave her alone even after she told him she wasn't interested in him in English and Spanish. He just kept sitting by her and following her it was very creepy .We told the pool bartender and he came and got him and put him to work somewhere else but within an hour he was back to stalking her again it was very creepy [... read more].so if you are a single young lady traveling alone I would just be aware .Other than that the resort itself was nice rooms were clean and air conditioners worked great very hot water everyday in our showers.Beach was large with quite alot of garbage lots of chairs and shade huts Bartenders and front desk employees were very nice and helpful .Both ala cartes were great .Didn't like having to walk to the blu side for breakfast and supper .overall we had a good time .
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Occidental Arenas Blancas: Don't waste your money
It's the worst hotel on the peninsula. I don't recommend it. The buffet has no air conditioning and all the windows are sealed. Not to mention the terrible food. Be prepared to eat ground beef; that's what they offer every day: fish with tons of bones and chicken bones. The staff does everything in their power to provide you with good service, but the place is ready to be shut down. If you don't want to waste your money, don't go to this hotel.
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Mari -
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Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Helpful staff
I am greatful to all the friendly staff ...offering strong arms to
Senior with cane ....thank-you
ALFREDO, JORDAN and many more
I remember faces but forgot names.
Thanks to DJ for good musics and vibes .
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Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Helpful staff
I am greatful to all the friendly staff ...offering strong arms to
Senior with cane ....thank-you
ALFREDO, JORDAN and many more
I remember faces but forgot names.
Thanks to DJ for good musics and wibes .
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Blau Varadero: Blau Varadero - Stay August 22 - August 29, 2025
The hotel is showing signs of aging and is in need of updating/repairs. We had several issues:
leaky air conditioner, cupboard doors were not working (stuck), patio doors that did not make contact which shut off the air conditioning (used a hanger to remedy this), coffee maker did not work. Most of these issues where rectified quickly when brought forward.
House Keeping: not up to expectations (room not made up until 5:00 p.m when we are trying to get ready to go out and had the maid in[... read more] our room), had to call front desk for soap (none left), shampoo and body wash. The cleaning was minimal and not as thorough as we have had in other Varadero hotels.
Huge mosquito infestation during first days of our vacation. I know this is environmental and beyond the hotels control but my concern was when they were doing th fumagation of the shrubs around the restaurants; right around the dinner hour when guests are going to dinner. This should be done in the early morning hours when there are less guests affected.
Food - they don't seem to have this figured out. We spent so much time waiting in line for food, whether at the buffet or at the beach snack bar. There seems to be a lack of coordination when it comes to how the line's are coordinated (guests budding in front of other guests because of the lack of organization). They seem to prepare the minimum amount forcing the guests to wait in line (ie. cooking 6 burgers at a time when there are 20 people waiting in line)
I don't think I would return to Blau Varadero as we have been to the Melia Internacional and Melia Las Americas and there is not comparison. Melia's have a much higher standard when it comes to food variety and volume, cleanliness of rooms and overall condition of the hotels. Also much better selection of restaurants and bars.
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Playa Vista Azul: Very Nice
Great service and very friendly staff. The food was ok and kind of expected as it is Cuba but we certainly never starved.. I love the cheese, the sweet potatoes , and the Italian restaurant was my favourite. The bread is also fresh and tastes the way bread is supposed to be .
There is not a wide variety of alcohol, mainly rum, but the staff is excellent and will always accommodate any request they can.(and we know that Cuban rum is the best anyways! ) The coffee in the foyer is the best! Eve[... read more]ry morning was a highlight as the morning bar staff was incredible.
The beaches are great, 1 rocky entry, 1 all smooth sand entry, very very clean, and the Pools are 100% relaxing. Only really bad thing was that they closed at 6pm . Nothing good to say about closing at 6pm .Hot tub was not working.
Rooms were clean and expected. Some things didn’t work well, but you have to be realistic of their resources . The AC was super cold and I loved it . Bring a sweater and pants for sleeps
Lots of tiny mosquitos in August so bring bug spray. They have some in the store if needed for $5 US. Bring extra toilet paper , and always check for toilet paper in the bathroom before you decide to go lol. Most toilets are missing the toilet seat outside of the rooms, but this is normal
. If you go out of resort check out Havana. Look for Ricardo Luis on Facebook, (Private tour) we had a tour with him and it was the highlight of the trip for me . It was safe , affordable, and truly a wonderful experience. Private tour in old car was great, and I really got to see the real Cuba not just the vacation spot that some people only want you to see .
Cuba is nice. Be understanding if the resource they have, and don’t set your expectations crazy high. Spend time tipping the people you really appreciate. Tips improve the quality of life and comes back full circle.
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MarvaJ -
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Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Not a 4 star!
This hotel needs some refurbishing. The entrance doors to the rooms need fixing we had to slam our door in order for it to shut properly the wood framework in the bathroom needs a lot of repairs. However, the hotel was clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful. This is not a hotel for someone who has a physical disability as they had only one golf cart for transportation for the entire Hotel and most times it wasn't working. Also, lots of stairs to climb so ground floor is highly recomm[... read more]ended for anyone with a physical disability. When we arrived to the hotel we had to walk from the main lobby with the help of the Bellman carrying our luggage from the family section to the sanctuary in the dark. which was a Fair distance for someone with knee problems to walk. There was no welcoming drink offered. However, we did receive room service for food as the restaurant was already closed. Room service was good. For any couple that is traveling to this hotel, request a king bed because their double beds are actually twin size beds. We requested for a room change to king size bed and they were accommodating because that's what we had originally asked for when we made our booking. The landscape was well kept Beach was beautiful and the food wasn't bad but repetitive. Unless you went to the a la carte. This was my eighth time traveling to Cuba and I must say that this was my worst experience. The room was not inviting at all no flowers in a vase, no swans made out of towels and only one towel for each guest which was not changed unless requested. Lack of daily activities at the poolside, nightly entertainment wasn't the greatest. However, we made the best of it as it was our wedding anniversary. We would not recommend this hotel nor will we be back
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Melia Las Antillas: Unfortunately disappointing
Beach is very good.
In the afternoon you have a beach to yourself!
Beautiful!
Beach chairs beyond dirty.
I don’t understand why!
They have staff and water!
Pool chair are new.
Towel new/microfibre ! Very good.
Pool was dissent. Not crowded.
Food was ok.
Real eggs and pancakes, fruit, in the morning, simple lunch.
and dinner fish on grill couple of times, shrimps on grill one night and chicken was most often.
Salat choices very simple.
Same with deserts.
But it is all unde[... read more]rstandable, it is Cuba.
Room were the most disappointing, actually bathroom.
It was broken, scratched, broken doors, like a correctional institution.
It made me feel very uncomfortable.
Sun-wing needs to check where they send customers.
Lobby was stuffy, no air circulation.
They made effort to have nice live music every evening and shows at night.
We payed $1000 with luggage, Sun Wing charged extra for luggage.
Not worth it.
It is supposed to be around $800 for quality.
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Mats rm 6316 -
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Playa Vista Azul: Deceiving resort
This resort is very deceiving, it looked beautiful on the pictures but the actual resort is old it says 5 star 30 years ago need upgrade. it is a 2 star for me. No bed sheet in the room unless you request, no landline phone, in case you need service like blanket, face towels you have to walk at least few blocks away to reach the reception bldg. Trip central you have to check the resort very deceiving.
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Myrna -
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Playa Vista Azul: Playa Vista Azul Expereince
Hotel room amenities needed repairs. The bedding smells sour. My Room cleaner (7115) is very good Dialesis Torres I believe is her name. Waiters are good! The receptionists provide poor service. Bar employees are good. Beach security and helpers are very good.
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Melia Internacional: Nice view
The room is great with ocean view so clean , the beach so beautiful.
The food is not good at all , so limited no variety and I saw cockroaches at the Japanese restaurant on my table and beside the food and in the wall.
The people are so nice and simple and friendly