Amazing resort!

This resort was excellent. Beautiful view of the pool and ocean. I enjoyed both beaches. The quiet beach was close to the snack/beverage bar while the larger busy beach was busy and more of a party scene. Entertainment was non-stop. Very interactive. We stayed a the main building which was close to everything. I would definitely recommend this resort.

This was a great resort

very clean and people are amazing, rooms clean service and food was good, weather was great, I would return to this resort. entertainment was good, found the beaches a little far but overall great beaches .

Amazing resort

the resort was amazing. the staff was great. my partner can not walk far distances and a staff member jesus got us a wheelchair from his own home for my partner to use for the duration of our stay to get around the resort. i did not get her name but there was a lady who worked the omlette station who was amazing. she always had a smile on her face and was pleased to see you. she made you feel like you were making her happy to order and omlette from her. she shared her knowledge of the area with [... read more] us and gave us tips on best places to see in varadero. i have heard so much bad reviews about the food in cuba. but at the resort there was always a wide selection of food and most of it very good.we never went hungry and always had full happy bellies. the ground were well maintained. there was always someone around taking care of grounds and pool. there was entertainment from one end of the day to the other. always something to do. a negative thing was that the pool was cold. you couldnt enjoy it. the ocean was much warmer than the pool.

Spectacular resort

This resort is beautifu! The two different beaches are amazing! The pool is amazing the staff are wonderful! I would highly recommend this resort! The nightly entertainment was always great to sit and watch! Great performers!

Everything we were told to expect (both the good and the bad).

The resort was exactly as the various pictures indicated. Very clean, new, beautiful beaches, large pools, plenty of nice areas to do whatever you wanted. Want to party? Head to the pool bar area, with constant entertainment, games, music, and activities....want to read a book? Head to the lobby-bar/lounge area for quiet relaxation. The two beaches accessible from the resort have a nice contrast...the larger beach has music, staff encouraging you to play volleyball etc...and smaller beach is [... read more] much quieter and more family oriented. Both are clean, and were never too crowded during our stay. The rooms (we stayed in a deluxe pool-view room) were spacious, clean and the showers/bathrooms were very nice, the maid service was excellent...the bed was very hard, but I would say that about almost every hotel bed I've ever slept on in comparison to my own bed. The food is the biggest downside to Cuba...luke-warm, bland...avoid the buffet in my opinion. Stick to the omelette bar in the morning, pasta bar at lunch and go off-resort or a la carte (or hit up whatever the prep-bar is doing at the buffet) for dinner. A la carte service was pretty slow, and the food seemed oddly luke-warm for a prepared meal. Breads/baked goods were very good. No matter where you go...avoid beef (or "beef-meat") at all costs. Your stomach will thank you. The Cuban people both on the resort and off are the main reason I would happily go back. Helpful, cheerful, polite, courteous...can't say enough about them. We were fortunate enough to be there during their baseball playoffs...and if you have the chance to catch a Cuban baseball game...it's one heck of a party. The chanting, singing, cheering and music (drums/horns etc) is unlike anything I've ever seen at any live sporting event in Canada. All in all, would return, and the knowledge gained in our week stay as far as what (and what not to) eat will certainly help on the next trip.

Alright Resorts

The resort itself was nice, by really understaffed. The food wasn't very good. The beach was nice once it got cleaned up. The rooms were clean and the most of the staff was nice, there was a few rude ones.

Rooms 5 Grounds 4 Food 3

Mixed feeling about this place. It is only a couple of years old so most of the facilities are in perfect shape. Stayed on the ground floor (poolside/jungle) in building 6.No musty smell and not a single bug of any type in the room. The showers were excellent. Hot water in an instant at any time of day.Room cleaning was pretty good but no attention to detail. Long hairs left on floors for days and bathroom countertops left with ring marks and soap spills.Bed was too hard for the wife but OK for  [... read more]me. The sidewalks are EXTREMELY dangerous when wet. No texture on the surface. The wife slipped and caught herself before falling but put her back out. That spoiled most activities for the rest of the week. The Jacuzzi pool had warnings about the high temperature but it was the same 65°F as the pool. The infinity pool looks fabulous. I have had better food at most 3 and 4 star resorts, limited selection and very repetitive. Peanut butter and catsup still in bowls but jam in mini jars.Didn't see bacon till the 4th day. A stir fry section would be good. Most of the staff was good, some excellent, a few servers in the buffet should not be working there. Completely scatterbrained. We always tip the dinner servers but quality of service varied. Our favorite buffet server was Gnetter Marie. She was exceptional. She seems to anticipate our needs and was always pleasant and helpful. We usually seek out staff like this and and always give them some extra gifts we bring along.The equipment in the buffet was modern with electronic temperature displays to show hot and cold. Still at 1 minute after opening the hot food in the trays is cold. There is a microwave there to warm up your cold food. There seemed to be no managers on the floor to see things done properly. No staff briefings before the doors open as in other resorts. They need to entice some good managers away from other resorts and they could make this place a true 5 star. Anet and William at the lobby bar were always happy and fun.Drink selection was great.Entertainment staff were great bringing drinks to us in our lounge chairs by the pool. Yanelis recognized us from another resort from last year.Keep the Bug fogger cart away from the lobby driveway. They buzzed the lobby twice one night sending a choking blue fog you couldn't see through billowing in. I jumped up and ran out the other side of the lobby and still had a headache from it. Idling buses and other diesel vehicles out front are not pleasant either. I would recommend this place with reservations. If you want a place that new and clean and doesn't suffer from everything broken down syndrome, then this place is OK. I always say if you see Airline crews staying at a place you know it's good.One showed up on the last day there. We booked last minute and got a good price but still feel we did not get as good a value for our money as we have had at other 4 stars. We probably won't return.

High end resort for Cuba

The grounds, rooms, restaurants and public washrooms were immaculate. The food was better than I expected for Cuba. Staff were friendly and accommodating. The only drawback we found was that there was only one closet sized store in the hotel, would of liked more selection. The small beach was rocky but one could navigate it, the large beach was a bit of a distance to walk to and had no washrooms which was a huge drawback. They did have a hut for drinks but again it was not in a convenient locati [... read more]on it could been closer to the beach. As well some people had coffee makers others didn't. This was a bit of an inconvenience for me as I am a early riser and would of liked a coffee first thing. Everyone complained about the pillows and those need to be replaced to a better quality and comfort level. Other than that things were very good.

2nd time around, not so amazing...

We stayed at this hotel in May 2016 and loved it so much that we returned January 2017. They have made some initial improvements since were last there i.e. not having to make reservations for the restaurants. However, for a hotel, or chain of hotels that classify themselves as 4+ star resorts...they should never have bathroom stalls without toilet paper and this happened more than once. Unacceptable at any level. The cleanliness of the hotel has definitely gone down. The clearing and cl [... read more]eaning up of tables in the main lobby and outside patio by the infinity pool, was extremely poor. Hours would go by with dirty cups everywhere and ashtrays were hard to find so cigarettes were being put out everywhere including your coffee cups. It didn't seem busier to us in terms of guests and so the fact that they were saying it's the start of their high season...to us implied and felt more like they were either understaffed or didn't have the same wonderful staff they had before when we visited in May. The room we got was facing the back of the resort where all the workers started construction work on the pavement every morning before or by 9am, loud trucks - if you know you're doing construction then disclose that or don't book those rooms out. They were concerned about music/noise at 9pm for the rooms above the lobby yet not about the rooms they were disturbing at 9am. They have a ping pong table and fuse ball table yet when my husband asked for the balls at the bar no one ever knew if they even had one. But when a woman scantily dressed with cleavage asked, miraculously they found a ball. Surprising especially for Cuba who tend to be respectful towards women. Never felt this before but their turn over of great staff has left them lacking in the service department. Also if you're going to have a hot tub...then it should be hot, regardless of the weather and it would have made a huge difference with the cold front that came in for the guests that week. As for their beaches...neither side is sufficient space for their vacationing guests especially once the other hotel opens up. And tonnes of sand flies biting...we couldn't stay on the beach for very long. I can see the ratings for this hotel go down very quickly. I would also add for such a large resort their gift/smoke convenience shop is pathetically small! It's so small that at any given time two people in there are too many...give me a break, your bank/money exchange room is bigger. Have a bigger store - even if you don't want to sell a lot of product can more than two people get in there without getting hit by the door. I would still recommend it to a friend but only because there are a lot worse hotels in Cuba, however, this time with some reservations and warnings. And so just to be clear, in case anyone was wondering...my husband and I are generous tippers...money didn't make a difference...and it's not cheap to stay at this resort either.

Great resort

The starting point was not good because the AGENCY (Victoria Sullivan) DID NOT MENTION THAT THE resort do not HAVE DOUBLE BEDS to accommodate families like mine (2 adults 2 kids) The solution (once in Cuba) was that 2 adults and 1 kid sleep in a KING bed, and the other in a small sofa bed. That is not supposed to be a good vacation if you have to share your bed with a kid (not smal...9 years old) Because i was so upset, and taking into account we paid 6770 CAD to have a good holiday, not [... read more] a mediocre one that i can have in some cheap resort in miami.....I complain...and in that sense, they were very helpful and give us an unexpected upgrade. I acknowledge that the conditions I received (after paying) said 2 DOUBLE BEDS (NOT GUARANTEED) were there...but it would have been much helpful TO KNOW IT IN ADVANCE, SO I DONT HAVE THE SURPRISE BEING ALREADY IN CUBA. Besides that, and because only of the well predisposition of the resort, we had an excellent time. My appreciation to OCEAN VISTA AZUL. tks

Great resort

We found the Ocean Vista Azul to be a very nice resort. The room was great, large, good view of the pool and very good bed. The staff were amazing. they were so accommodating and very nice people. There was a large assortment of food at the buffet everyday. The 3 restaurants were average. The food wasn't that good. I guess we are just used to such a variety of food in Canada and many great restaurants. We were treated so nicely by Nestor, Yoalkys and Yarilis. we had forgotten our charger so Nes [... read more]tor gave us his camera to use with our SD card. We so appreciated that. He's a great guy.

Lovely resort with great food

The resort was very clean, very well looked after and nicely decorated and landscaped. The lobby was open and airy and overlooked the ocean and a beautiful infinity pool. The Cuban people are nice and friendly. The transat events rep helped us book a snorkling tour and a day trip to Havana offering advice and tips to ensure our day went well (ie. Bring toilet paper with you!). The rooms were clean and spacious. The food was very good and the hotel tried to accommodate lots of cultural prefe [... read more]rences. The coconut ice cream was a favorite with my girls. The beach was lovely and sandy, clean without any stones in the water. They ran out of beach towels by mid day so if you want a fresh one get there early or bring your own from home.

Loved this resort

i absolutely loved this resort. workers were very friendly and made the stay enjoyable. any issues arised the employees were more then happy to accommodate you with any needs.rooms were clean day and night. the beach was only a 5 minute walk from the resort. the beaches were absolutely clean and the water was crystal clear. i would definitely go back!

Amazing lobby bar staff

The hotel was new and clean. Couldn't really enjoy the swimming because the pool was cold but it wasn't a big deal. We tried all the ala Cartes and the service and the food was good. I just wish that the Buffett changed up the food. We had excellent service at the lobby bar. They all made it fun.

Great resort

The stay was good. I did not like the late flight and check in because it was dark. Our room was nice with a great view of the pool. I loved the beach, the swim up bar and all the other bars on the resort. Caves were fun, we also went on catamaran which was a lot of fun as well. Our flight back was delayed so that was a bummer to be at the cuban airport so long, but the flight was great both ways. Only 3 hours. The food was ok on the buffet. Sort of boring after a while but the omelett [... read more]e station and meat stations were good. We also did a lobster a la cart for xtra and it was amazing. we did one dinner at italian which was also excellent.

I would go back right away if i could

Great on all levels! You enter into the resort and are welcomed at the front door. Easy check in with help right to the room with our bags. The entertainment was going on as we arrived and our room was 3 floors above the stage, it ends at 10:30 pm I'm told. On the mark, the only sounds left was happy people and the birds in the trees. The food was great, 3 full meals a day with great staff. The restaurants don't require a reservation, we waited almost four minutes one night. The service was top  [... read more]quality as was the food. The pool was great fun, but once to the beach, we never returned to the pool. The beach was beautiful, every picture taken developed beautifully. The swimming was excellent, and personally, the shade was thick. I hid in the shade and my other half sat in full sun. On the big beach, you can have a trip on a catamaran or take out a kayak. A good friend had said it was a good resort, I would have to agree. A+ all around lastly as you are shuttled to the resort you pass a few others and stop and drop off people. My shuttle had four stops before it stopped, in all that were seen Ocean Vista Azul was the best!

Viva Ocean Vista

Very clean and very friendly staff. It is spread out giving plenty of space to relax in the pools or on two perfect beaches. The entertainment on the stage was world class! And the musicians throughout the resort were an added bonus!

Beautiful resort

i have been to cuba many times. i always stay at the 3 star resorts for the good cost. this time i gave a 5 star a shot. the resort was wonderful. spectacular views great food and rooms. excellent layout and always something to do! i want to give a shout out to Daniel on the entertainment team. he and his team go above and beyond to ensure you are having fun all day long. i would highly recommend the ocean vista azul for anyone coming to varadero. i will definitely visit this resort again. 5 st [... read more]ar service!

Best Resort!

Such an amazing hotel. Amazing people, the staff are the most friendly people ever. Food is great! The beach is beautiful and the resort is very clean! Varadero town is so close, 10 pesos by cab. So many great bars, clubs, restaurant and just sights. I cant wait to go back!

Amazi hotel

This was my first experience with Cuba. The hotel, staff couldn't do enough to make your stay amazing. They were so friendly and kept everything so clean. Being a new resort the grounds were so beautiful. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone.