Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Horrible!! Do not stay here.

This hotel has such great reviews and stars but I can assure you that this is a 1.5-2 star hotel max!!! I have the pictures to prove it. There supposedly 9 restaurants which is false there is 1 that rotates nightly. We upgraded to the excelsior club and it said we would get so many extras but we didn’t get any. Including the bottle of rum that was supposed to be in our room. We had to switch rooms right away when we got there. Keeping in mind we have two young kids and it was like 1am when we fi [... read more]nally got to check in. Add we needed dinner to that and the snack bar that was 24 hours wasn’t even open. When we pulled up to our building there was 9 toilets just sitting outside the building. The room wreaked of smoke and was so dirty and all the pillows were ripped and garbage. They moved us rooms and it was better, with better views and 2 beds instead of one for our family of 4. The lines at the buffet were absolutely insane. It would take over an hour for fresh food and people would load everything they could take to their rooms on plates not leaving much for others to get. The sunwing rep was very helpful for us and after 2 days we left that resort and went to another resort which was amazing. Don’t get deceived like we did. This place is absolutely horrible.

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Amazing resort

Grand Muthu proved that it’s one of the best Cuban resorts. Rooms were clean and for the most part of our stay room service was good enough. The Buffet offered a great variety of food. We always found things we liked to eat. The service at buffet and restaurants was impeccable. Entertainment was superb. The Front desk and Customer service tackled all the issues promptly. Overall, we were very satisfied and enjoyed our stay at Muthu. We’ll return to Grand Muthu and will recommend it to others.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Resort is Ok but definitely not a 4 star rating by "world" standards

Beautiful beaches, wonderful people, majority were very congenial, one exception at the front, check in perhaps it was an "off" day for him. Food, considering the difficulties as expressed by the locals, it's difficult to be objective about the food but you do not get good value at the buffets or a la carte! Excelent fresh bread! Hard to get beach towels and bottled water in the room was very scarce! Wine is not available (looked like a few guests had taken their own) frequently run out of b [... read more]eer even ron (rum) seemed to be in short supply! At one of the a la carte restaurants, the head waiter was very clear there was no wine or beer but he would gladly provide us with the beer glasses for us to go get beer at the bar by the pool (he was not allowed to do it), definititly not getting what we thought we paid for! The day trip to Habana was paid separate, the airline rep. re-iterared lunch and drinks were included, at lunch we were allowed one small glass of beer each and paid for drinks at the stop on way there and mid afternoon downtown Habana! Please keep going to Cuba, these amazing people need our support and you will enjoy the beaches...

Grand Memories Varadero: Good staff, poor management.

The grounds, pools and restaurants were all well maintained. The buffets were your typical random Cuban food (think hot dogs in tomato sauce), but there was always something you could find to fill your belly. Most of the food and soup in the buffet was cold which was strange. Interestingly it was brought out cold (cold, not room temp) and didn't get cold at the buffet. Do people really want to eat cold fish from the buffet? Plates and bowls were always dirty (old food, dirt, grease) so be carefu [... read more]l when selecting your vessels. Breakfast was the toughest meal of the day to find good food (unless you can sustain off fruit and bread). 3 out of our 7 days, there were omelets available at the grill, and everyday there were pancakes. Given the struggles at the buffet, the lines for omelets and pancakes were ungodly as people just wanted some warm tasty food. To make matters worse, the person making the pancakes was essentially incompetent, and she was on that station everyday. You'd figure any one of the other people on the resort could have done a better job if given an opportunity, but it didn't happen. Do NOT order coffee at the buffet. Trust me. The coffee at the bars is better, but not great. The rooms are a mixed bag. Everything worked in our room except for the hair dryer, tv and phone. Our travel mate's first room did not have a toilet seat or working A/C and was full of mold. Her second room had working AC and toilet seat, but the door lock was finnicky and the safe did not work. The water in either room was not hot, but at least slightly warmer than room temperature so you could have a quick shower. The drinks are very hit and miss. There's about 5 different bars on the resort, and if you order a rum punch at all of them, you would get 5 vastly different tasting and coloured drinks. The juices are watered down probably to extend them and save some costs. The only thing you can count on being consistent is a glass of rum or beer. The beer is always cold and refreshing. The snack bar and lobby bar have coffee machines there, but the coffee is still not GREAT. I think it's a problem with the milk being too watery. We went to Santa Marta one day and had AMAZING coffee, so it's certainly an issue with the resort specifically. The pool is great and the beach is wonderful. The pool bar is good too and always has slushy drinks. Lots of shallow areas in the pool for younger kids to play in. Note: the kids club is NOT supervised so you cannot drop your kids off and leave them. Tipping in Pesos or CAD is okay. A number of times we exchanged canadian coins for canadian bills from bartenders since Cubans cannot bring them to the bank. You can buy cuban pesos to tip which is what we did. The resort gives you about 88 Pesos for CAD, but in Santa Marta we were able to get 155 Pesos for CAD so we stocked up there. If you are bringing rum home, buy it in Pesos. We bought a 1L 7 year Havana club for 2000 pesos (about $14.50 CAD). At the store the same bottle was $28 USD. In Varadero we saw the same bottle for 2500 pesos which is still much cheaper (not at the stores, you need to go to the small stands selling food/drinks). Overall the trip was great, despite the deficiencies of the resort. We are not fancy or complaining type of people and have been to Cuba about 10 times, staying at resorts between 3 and 4 stars. Unfortunately, this was the worst resort experience we have had in Cuba and we will not return to Grand Memories in the future.

Starfish Cayo Guillermo: Had an Enjoyable Trip but Wouldn't Recommend it to just Anyone

The resort is located on a shallow, stunning white beach, which was perfect for my lake-swimming kids - we never worried about them by the water. The pools had garbage floating in them and we only saw staff service it one out of the 10 days we were there. We preferred sitting on the beach, so wasn't too much of a problem for us. We had two rooms and only one had hot water and a fully functional toilette. I wouldn't recommend this resort to just anyone, especially people used to a kore luxe reso [... read more]rt experience. We did really enjoy the food - yummy greens, fresh papaya, made-to-serve meat (we ate beef, chicken, turkey, etc.), different bean and rice concoctions, questions Blanco, etc. Our kids enjoyed daily servings of French toast, omelets, meat, rice, buns (and butter!), and numerous helpings of Frnch fries at the bar. We found staff pleasant but not always great on the service side. We concluded this was because they work 16 hour days and commute 1-2 hours to and from work.

Sol Rio de Luna y Mares: My favorite resort

This was my second time in this resort, two years in a row. The same feeling of being welcome and valued guest. The resort is well managed, staff are friendly and attentive, the beach is one of the best I have seen. There were food shortages however they were well compensated with other items. No eggs, plenty of shrimps and sea food. There is generally a good feel there. No drunk guests, parties enjoyed by all. Lots of returning guests, which means something. I will keep returning

Starfish Jibacoa: Cuban vacation

The hotel where I stayed last November the 14th of the 28th was very nice the grounds were very nice the food was very good and the people that worked at the hotel and resort were excellent that's a beautiful Resort it's a three star but for a three-star you think it would be staying at a Forester but it was a good day and I'm hoping to go back again this April and the only way to acknowledge what I had you have to go there to find out for yourself I'd recommend it for a three-star anyway that's [... read more] my thought

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Amazing resort

The hotel is new and food is excellent per Cuban standard! Most staff are polite and the rooms are kept clean! You just have to wait a bit for drinks at night and most of the cocktails a not that great!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Painfully Honest Review-Would Not Return

I'll start with saying that our expectations were that the beach would be beautiful and the food would be "meh". Everyone knows that you don't go to Cuba for the food, but for the beaches. The Good - There are two stand out points - The beach is simply the most beautiful stretch of beach I have ever seen and the staff is wonderful. There are several resorts along this stretch, but you can still walk for a very long stretch. The staff work hard every morning to clear the washed up seaweed  [... read more]and there is always someone around in the morning to bring you lounge chairs. That brings up the point that there is always lounge chairs to be had. There is no coral along this stretch, so it's perfect for swimming. Not so much for snorkling. I can't say enough about the cleaning services and wait staff. They were all wonderful and helpful. And work very hard. We did the private catamaran excursion that was offered. This was absolutely fantastic. We had the boat to ourselves, went to the dolphinarium, had a fresh lobster lunch that was provided by our hosts (one of them actually swam down and picked the lobsters from the trap), went snorkeling and got to visit Iguana Beach (yes it really had wild Iguanas that we fed lobster to). Definitely recommend as it was the highlight of our trip. The Bad - The rooms are definitely in need of some serious repair and generally run down. Our room seemed to have suffered from some flooding at some point and there was alot of water damage to the bottom of the doors. The bathroom door was so bad that about 3 inches of the bottom was warped and disintegrating. The toilet in our children's bathroom didn't work properly most of the time and it had to be fixed twice. The beds were old and hard. The pillows had stains on them. One had large blood stains. We didn't let this affect our trip in any way. We could look past it as you don't spend alot of time in the room anyways.   Now for the Ugly - Unfortunately, the ugly was very ugly. On day 2 the resort became jammed packed. This in itself wouldn't have been a bad thing if they were tourists and the resort was prepared. It turned out that they were locals and ALOT of them. We learned that the Melia resorts have started to host certain groups of locals for music festivals held at the One Gallery Hotel that is down the road. The more well off locals are offered a discounted price to stay for the festival and are bussed in. They took over the entire resort. The majority of this group behaved in a terribly entitled way and placed excessive demands on the staff and food supply. There were two days during our stay that we actually had to fight for food. The buffet doors had lines before it opened and you had to wait for more than an hour just to get inside. When you did, there were literally crumbs left. The other food venues were tapped out. You couldn't get a table or food to take away for hours at a time. The locals would send one member of their family and order 20+ sandwiches/omelets...or whatever was served at a time. Mulitply that by 20 families. If the staff didn't wait on them, they would treat the staff horrbily. It was very difficult to watch. After about 3 days they were all gone and the quiet resumed. When asked, reception informed us that there will be more events such as this and it was not a one time event. Apparently, the next one is in February. This is the only reason why i have given Service only 2 Stars. Lastly, both me and my husband ended up with food poisoning. I do think that the resort being so short on food played a role in us getting sick. Luckily, there is a doctor kept on staff who assessed us and was able to provide gravol injections. We were very thankful for this.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Lovely resort

We were three people (3 beds) in one room 1419 on the fifth floor. The view of the pool and the ocean was amazing! The room is very pleasant, quite A/C, and a nice bathroom. Free internet worked in the room and on the beach. We were prepared for limited choice of food, but everything that we needed was there: eggs, fruit, veggies, rice. The entertainment was fun. The staff was helpful. The elevator didn't work for many days, but we took it as a wonderful opportunity to exercise. Nice pool, sna [... read more]ck bar at the pool, amazing beach. We even enjoyed rainy days. Feeling grateful for this vacation!♥️

Melia Las Dunas: Over rated resort

December 20th to January 3rd, 2024 I’ve been to this hotel 21 times since 2018 obviously the hotel went down during the closure in 2020 and 2021 and is having difficulty getting back to the 4 star status. The hotel needs major renovations and the grounds have been neglected, there are not enough workers to keep up the work. There is a lack of fuel therefore a lack of employees, they work very long shifts and do the best they can. There is too much lack in everything. The public areas  [... read more]are clean but the lobby washrooms are terrible usually no toilet paper and most the the toilets don’t flush properly. Night drinks in the lobby are served in flimsy plastic glasses, the staff are told to say there are no glasses but they have glasses during the day! The rooms are descent but need work, no hot water for showers (this has been an ongoing problem) I was told that the hot water is turned on for a couple of hours in the morning and at supper time. During my 2 week stay I had hot water, not boiling hot twice. My showers were luke cold or cold. The telephones in the room do no work. The meals in the buffet, in the trays are cold, even when the trays are replenished the food is cold. To have a hot meal in the buffet we have to stand in a long lineup. The entertainment music is very, very loud, even with ear plugs the music was loud. So it’s boom, boom. boom from the center lobby, boom, boom boom from the kids theatre and boom. boom, boom from the Music Festival publicity for December 30 & 31and the Disco was opened at the Plaza Estralla so the hotel closed their hotel disco. The entertainment team was trying to get everyone to go the the Disco & Music Festval $$, I was told that there would not be any entertainment at the hotel. I spoke the Acting manager, he said he would speak to a higher up. Thursday, Dec 28th there was no entertainment and no music, the dancers and some entertainment went to the disco. Friday, 29th the show was a bit earlier then they went to the disco. Saturday, 30th no entertainment, no show. Sunday, New Year’s Eve management decided at 3pm to have a New Year’s Eve party. They had a show and the music was full blast all night. 2023 there were 3 Music Festivals (that I know of) which attracts more local cubans who are rude disrespectful, yell, take over the place. I was told there will be more music festivals. Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the locals take plates full of food to put in their bags to take home, they are triple thick in front of the buffet counters, I could not even see what was in the trays and the cooked meat lineup to the end of the food counters, they were leaning against them with their hair hanging over the food. New Year’s Eve supper I had 5 small bananas! I later went for a sandwich at the 24hr snack bar. The higher management has decided to go towards the music festivals and the regaeton music/ dancing. This type of music is for the younger generation even the animation team is geared to this music. The hotel had 2,000 guests for New Years, they cannot handle that many guests. We had to wait in long lines to get into the buffet most nights and was worse Christmas and New Years. All power went off one night in all the hotel at supper time, they do not have a backup generator or do not have fuel to operate it. Everyone gathers to the lobby, there were only 2 bartenders to serve everyone, later there was a 3rd one added. The 3 bartenders were working with the flashlights on their phone so see. There was a small emergency in a corner and another one in the office. The power went out at supper time in November also. I arrived at midnight, the next night ‘greeters’ came to ask for a review. One night my handicapped friend went to get a cart to take him to his room, there were no available carts, he had to walk with one leg and a cane in the rain to go to his room. I cannot go to a hotel that caters to the local uneducated cubans and to the younger generation with full blast music any more . Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my many friends that I have made over time. Sunwing, the plane as delayed at least one hour departure from Montreal. There were 4 plane arrivals at the Villa Santa Clara airport. Needless to write customs was packed. Return flight also delayed, this time there were 6 planes departing, the lineup to check in was horrendous. My plane was supposed to be 4th to leave, they put it last.

Marazul Hotel: Avoid!!! Dirty, not as advertised, and prostitutes

No Sunwing Rep ever on site. Staff not willing to inform you when they will be or try to contact them for you. PROSTITUTES nightly. Brought this up with hotel staff and security and they laughed at me. This hotel welcomes prostitutes into the hotel for their guests and can buy a day pass for $45. There was a pimp choking his woman on the dance floor in front of guests on New Years and the hotel staff did nothing. Unfriendly staff. WiFi is limited to 1 free hour per day, no way to contact any [... read more]one outside of hotel. No immediate help from Trip Central or Sunwing regarding all of these listed issues Garbage in public areas. It did not move from the floors or stairwells for 5 days. ONLY 1 restaurant. Advertised as 4 restaurants for food. This is a lie. They do not have any cocktails and they won’t mix you any. All they will do is rum and coke and beer. Dirty bed sheets. They smell bad and have stains all over. Dirty floors and walls in rooms. Ceilings have mould on them. Snack bar hardly ever opens. Limited to 90-120 minutes per day and it’s only ham sandwiches. NOT AS ADVERTISED!!!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Nice staff doing their best

Food was as expected, but you go to Cuba for the beach and sun which were both beautiful and in abundance. Unfortunately, hotel resources were lacking such as no coffee anywhere for 2 days, insufficient toilet paper, room keys that consistently deprogrammed (even when not touching a cell), and a safe that needed repair twice. The staff are so nice and really try their best. Overall, underwhelming for a holiday destination.

Hotel Villa Cuba: A decent resort

Our travel agent asked us if we were ok with a more budget friendly resort. We have been to Cuba many times so we weren’t really worried about a budget resort. Yes the hotel is on the older side but it wasnt too bad. We were warned about all the shortages but we didn’t find to many issues with that. Food was great. The normal options fish shrimp chicken pork rice and pasta. Staff was very friendly. Beach was great, much better than how cold the pool was. Resort was more on the quiet side so we w [... read more]alked into town and went to the local clubs. Remember this time in Cuba you can have a few cooler days so pack a few warmer items. But over all it was good.

Gran Muthu Imperial: Barf

I want to be positive as we travel to Cuba quite often. We tried a different area. I respect it’s a poor country but we are charged a lot. Putting that aside. I was so grossed out. Our bedding was stained. And towels. Apparently we were lucky to have hot water. We avoided the hotel next door because it was kid focused. But we found ourselves visiting quite often for the life of the resort. Also their menu was much better!!! Ours was like a seniors home. No activities. No entertainment aside f [... read more]rom New Year’s Eve. The food was classic bad. Which we knew going in. We try to support Cuba but this was the last resort. Dirty sheets and towels was our limit. I have to say tho, this is the first time I have booked with trip central and I am quite impressed with their service and quick response to emails.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Very nice resort!

I enjoyed the resort even though didnt have great weather for half of it. The room was nice and service at the restaurant was fantastic. Food is very good and a lovely beach. We took a taxi from the airport to the resort but took the bus back. Overall enjoyed the week!

Playa Costa Verde: Great Cuban Experience!

Checking in was brief and you were sent to find your room. Room was clean, spacious and well maintained. Food…..hit and miss daily on food choices but you make the best of what they offer. Staff, 5* service! Didn’t matter if you at the snack bar, gym, lounge bar or restaurants. Beach was clean with ample sun lounges and chairs. Pool area was clean and beautiful. If you fixate on all the positive that this resort has to offer your vacation becomes a 4-5* experience!

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: All I can say it’s Cuba

We did not get the room we paid for. Food is the same everyday, never had butter, not one soda on resort, no toilet paper in bathrooms on resort except in our room. You only go to this resort for the beach, not for the food or drinks.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Good Resort, hard times in Cuba

The resort was good and the staff was very friendly and attentive. Unfortunately because of the poor economic situation in Cuba provisions were low and unpredictable. They held a great New Years Party with champagne and lots of music but for me it was very loud. The villa was great and very clean and of course the service was very good. Please tip the staff well as they need your support.

Blau Arenal Habana Beach: Interesting resort

Resort grounds are astounding. With more maintenance and better service it could be a solid three star hotel. Rooms are totally outdated. Wifi coverage at times is first class and at another time, it is totally non existent. Food for Cuban standards was ok. No hot water at the hotel wing we stayed in.