Do not stay here

The resort is completely run down. Our door barely opened, the inside handle fell off the first time we tried to get out. Toilets wouldn’t flush, patio door barely opened and mold on ceiling. Air conditioner didn’t work. Maids would t change sheets or towels and forgot to fill water every 2nd day. When u called the front desk, had to call 3 times before got anything. The food was horrible ( worse then used to in cuba) and they ran out of all booze daily except rum. Do not recommend!

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...

I'd Never ever go again. In fact Occidental I think it turned me off Cuba for good.

The Good - the beach, the pool, some (just a few) of the staff. The Bad - No coffee in the room. I brought my own but the coffee pot won't work and several trips to the desk with no results. The stage is right at the pool and right in front of the rooms, way to loud all the time so you can't relax at the bar or the pool. Yes it's Cuba a Spanish Colony but 90% of the games, entertainment and announcements in Spanish so no-one has a clue what they are saying. The Hotel is old. The rooms are [... read more] OK and Lobby areas OK but our 3rd floor hallways were VERY much in need of repair. 2 Elevators at our end of the building out of order 2 weeks we were there. 1 of the 2 main Elevators in the center core also down for 2 weeks. Most of the coffee I got was Luke warm and usually full of coffee grounds in the cup. No Coke for 10 out of 14 days. Butter only 2 out of 14. Ran out of many things. No orange juice or pop at any meals. TV remote broken and no results from attempts to get one. No face cloths or shower mat and same 2 towels for 2 weeks. You do tramp sand and dirt into the rooms but never cleaned the floors for 2 weeks. Food, not too bad but we both lost weight after 2 weeks of Buffets so go figure. Actually there were 2 or 3 days of pretty good food. Entertainment started at 10 and after a day in the sun we wanted to sit on our balcony and rest but way to loud to relax. They offer free Hobie Cat sail boats yes, but can't take them out yourself without a Captain who wants $$$ to go. They use flimsy plastic cups for beer and drinks and garbage 1000,s a day. Should switch to washable hard plastic glasses. Yes more washing to do but very bad for the environment with what they have. The Sister resort, Barcelo Solymar, that we could use was much better and the 3rd resort we could use was shut down. No spoons at counters or tables! If you get soup or Ice Cream etc. good luck getting one. We got a couple and kept them and washed them and used for most of the trip. You could wave down a waiter and they go find one for you. Why not have spoons where the soup is?

Cheap and beautiful

The grounds are pretty well maintained, the hotel it self is dated and the rooms could use a little perk ups, but everything was perfect. For the price your paying you are treated with respect and clean rooms.

Sub par resort

My partner and I became very ill from the food on our 3rd day at this resort. We remained in our room for one entire day and could not eat anything and had severe diarrhea that continued upon our arrival home. After the 3rd day, the only thing we could eat was pineapple or watermelon, nothing pre-pared for fear of getting sick again. I understand that the pandemic played a role in the deterioration of services and that inflation and supply chain issues continue to do so, especially in Cuba, how [... read more]ever, I wholeheartedly disagree with the 4* rating you give to this resort. As a former travel agent of almost 20 years and based on my many trips to Cuba I would rate this resort a 2 1⁄2 * star at best.

Amazing Beach

The beach was definitely the best part of the resort. Absolutely amazing. Staff are friendly, work hard and do the best with what they have to help you out. Facilities is in need of maintenance and could use a good refresh and deep clean, but didn't spend much time in our rooms.

Superb location

This is a great place. We got to enjoy the beach with such a short walk. The staff are always busy working and smiling. The food was ok, we didn’t starve. We got to eat, swim and drink at the solymar and Palma real with this package. Everything is super close and central. For the price, you can’t beat it!! Book it

Love Varadero

The night life in Varadero was amazing and the people even more amazing. The weather is April was hot everyday. You dont have to get pesos anymore which made it easy The snack ateas on the strip were a lot of fun to eat at at beer was inexpensive. The Beatles bar is a must to go to fir good rick and roll music.

Perfect location

Really enjoyed the hotel. Staff at front desk was very helpful and efficient. The food was OK considering post pandemic situation. Some rooms were better than others, staff did their best with available supplies. Loved all the staff because of their easy going attitudes. Had a wonderful vacation with my friends...would go back anytime.

Not a Great First Time in Cuba

The resort itself was fine, a little dated such as the tub/bathroom but otherwise it was fine. The pool and beach were great. The service was not good. Many of the service people would not even give us the time of day. We waited for drinks more than we drank except at the poolside bar area. There were a handful that were actually pleasant. This was disappointing because we had heard the people of Cuba were very nice. We did not find this. The food is an issue. There were many times th [... read more]at there was nothing available. Not much to choose from either. They ran out of cups and alcohol a few times in our short stay. The plane trip was great although any food came with a charge. Cuba airport was good coming back - terrible going in - long time through customs and they all looked like they hated their jobs. Toronto Pearson was a nightmare only because of volume - the staff there try their best.

Loved Cuba would not go back to this resort

Second time visiting Cuba, would not go back to this resort. Service was non existent Ran out of alcohol & glasses Workers were rude, felt like you were bothering them Food was blah Run down resort

Ok

Need maintenance, everything falling apart entertainers are great. Food is terrible beach is the best of all. Going outside is not much better than staying inside. Show at the hotel are great. You can have fun at the beach. There is no much to shopp around , everything seen to be empty

Really nice place

We had a great time at the occidental in cuba. People were so nice. Beach amazing. All the crystal beer you can handle. All rum drinks too. Pool and bar so much fun. Food was ok especially breakfast. Rooms were cleaned every day and fridge stocked with water. 32 degrees and sunny. .

Beach 👍 Everything else 👎👎

Beach was absolutely beautiful. Hotel was run down not taken care of. My kids are not picky eaters at all and didn’t eat the food. Didn’t even have simple things like French fries. International restaurant had spaghetti in juices from meat no tomato sauce. Service at the cafe was bad wouldnt even look at you unless you had cash on the table. Amazing beach but that’s about it!! Very disappointed. Been to cuba numerous times so it’s not like our expectations were high at all. Wouldn’t re [... read more]commend this resort.

Great Resort!

Our experience was amazing! We had no complaints other than the building itself being a little run down. The staff was great and the food was decent for Cuba. If you like rum, meat and potatoes then I would highly recommend this resort.

Good Resort

Resort was not bad, a little tired. Probably needs a little paint.The employees are unbelievably nice and appreciative. Very polite and always had a smile. FYI they really would rather have Canadian money than US. The location is perfect. Steps to the beach and steps to the town of Varadero which has numerous restaurants, bars and shops, most of which are excellent for food and drinks.

Resort changed

This hotel declined alot in service and cleanliness, I had been there numerous times before staff were nice and courteous but the resort itself. Restaurants for a la carte closed no more disco, bar closed at 11pm no more access to food for 24hrs had diffferent drinks on a daily basis ie: fanta, rum, water no beer everyday it changed, no cola just lemonade!!! Well it was an experience one I do not want to experience again.

Nice place for vacation

I've been there six times now and things has change so has the rest of the world.The resort is clean ,staff is very friendly even though there are less than before to do the same work,the food is better than before covid,some people will complain no matter what and the beach is always wonderful.We had access to Solymar and Palma Real resorts but not much happening there ,the buffet at palma real was very good,The ranchon resto (beach restaurant was close but they a BBQ on beach every dayThe w [... read more]aiters at lobby bar and buffet were all nice Thanks to Lazaro for being special waiter The resort is close to town varadero ,now they have more to do ,chip stand,small flee market etc. With the new currency lots of people have problem with money exchange.They accept U.S. AND CND money the peso is worth one canadian dollar.But over all every day is a new experiece and I would go back to this resort again

Amazing memories! Great times

I honestly have to say that this resort brought such great vibes and really brings a lot of fun and entertainment! Don’t look at all the negative reviews about the food or even the hotel. It’s cuba what do you expect? You pay for what you get and honestly I went by myself and had such an amazing time and experience. Met great people, the entertainers made it super fun and I ate more In cuba than I did back home in Ottawa hahaha. Like I said, if your not a picky eater and you can live below  [... read more]your means and don’t plan on staying in the hotel room unless you plan on sleeping, this is the resort to be at! Only feedback was the alcohol at times ran out with mixed and they offered rum and Fanta or rum and coke which was not the best mix and gave some heart burn, but thankfully the hotels were affiliated with other blancos resorts so we ended up going beside the affiliate and still enjoyed the drinks. Live entertainment was super fun, beaches were beautiful, and Cuban workers were extremely nice. When I first started reading the negative reviews of some people I laughed historically after coming back. These people exaggerate too much. Again, my thoughts may be different from others but I will definitely be coming back to this resort. Grateful for the experience and the price! Best bang for your dollar for sure! I my advice is bring clothes and items for the workers, the money and tips are nice for them but they really appreciate items and clothing. Please make sure to give to these amazing workers, they do a lot and take a lot of bs from negative people. They would really appreciate it.

Best resort in Varadero

If you enjoy crystal clear beaches, resort entertainment and walking distance night-life parties, then look no further. This resort is located central downtown so you are 2 minutes from the district and 10 minutes from commercial shopping centre. The most popular cigar store is across the street. There is daily games on the resort and the beach, nightly entertainment and friendly staff all around. Went in January 2023 and though food quantities were even less than before, keep in mind COVID shut [... read more]downs took a huge toll. Excursion must would be Cayo Blanco cruise where you will have interaction with dolphins and a private island leisure where you can eat the most delicious Lobster tail. This resort is even better than Barcelo Solymar (sister resort next door) and amenities are shared (except for buffet). Great resort for adults and children!