Expected More; received Less...But Amazing Beach

Just returned after spending a relaxing week (January 17, 2019) at this resort. It was amazing stay. We went with family and friends. We enjoy a lot. We were very satisfied with the food at the buffet. It was good but repetitive day to day. Everything was close, the beach, the buffet, the lobby, the tea corner, in the lobby bar.The recreation team was very friendly and upbeat. We will never understand why someone would work reception when they cannot speak a word of English. The rooms are sub [... read more] par at best. Clean is a word of many levels of description - definitely not up to par on our standards. Drinking water is another challenge. Only bottle water is preferred. Overall I will give 3.5 star out of 5.

Okay resort

Sol Sirenas Coral Resort all in all was okay. My boyfriend and my cousin and I wanted a last minute getaway with some sun so we decided Cuba. Our expectations for Cuba were low based on everything we heard. I had heard many times that the food in Cuba was not great and they were right. Everything was edible but by the end of our trip we were so tired of eating the same food. We went into town a few time to get a better experience and unless you wanted to pay a fortune you got food as good as the [... read more] resort. Being a 3 star resort, the rooms were old and run down but they were clean. Hot water for showers everyday were extremely inconsistent. We got two hot showers of the 7 days we were there. Drinks were mediocre. The beach was beautiful. The pool area was nice and staff kept entertainment up during the day and had shows most nights. They have wifi to purchase in the lobby but it doesn’t load any websites. All in all I enjoyed my trip because I went in with low expectations and I was there to spend time with my loved ones and we made all experiences, even bad enjoyable. Probably the worst resort I’ve ever stayed at but I am accustomed to 4 to 5 star resorts in Mexico and Costa Rica. If the food was better we probably would been able to look past all the other things.

Fun unlimited

Friendly people, scenic place and lots to explore within. And ofcourse great food and drinks. Enjoyed every moment. Evening show was amazing. Kids loved the activities at day care. Wished we could spent some more days.

Just ok for a 3 Star Resort in Cuba (December 18 - December 25)

I visited this resort with a friend and we did not have high expectations, as it is a 3 star resort. We mainly went to relax by the beach and also drink / eat whatever that is not bad. In summary, I think the beach area is pretty good, the food is just ok due to the fact that they will have 2-3 items that I was able to eat everyday, which were actually not bad. The activities / entertainment was repetative and not comparable to other places I have been to in cuba (also 3-4 star). The customer se [... read more]rvice is horrible and the hotel facilities are also pretty bad. Beach: Beach Area is pretty good. It's white sand, great beach as you would expect with most resorts in Varadero. The only downside was the very old and recessed beach chairs which still did the job. 5/5 beach area. Food: It was almost the same food everyday which was surprising to me as I had read otherwise from the reviews. Omelletes were made during breakfast however they didn't have a lot of toppings to choose from most of the time. For lunch it was the same story however I didn't mind cause I didn't have high expectations, and also there was always the same 3 food that I actually liked and ate through out the trip. Dinner was similar to the lunch. Snack bar: The 24 hour snack bar only has ham and cheese sandwiches, a chicken salad sandwich with a 10:1 ratio of mayonaise to chicken, and hashbrowns (which they consider as the fritas / fries). They usually have your typical drinks available. Room / Facilities: I'm not one to care much about the resort rooms as I use them very little in my vacations, however, bathroom / shower was horrible in the rooms. The shower head had so much calcium build up that they had to send a mechanic to try to clean it up for half an hour. The lights weren't working. All equipment were actually old equipment from Melia Resort (shower curtains, dryer, etc.). The bathroom was very dirty. Activities / entertainment: Same activities everyday: stretching and aerobics for 30 minutes by the beach, and a volleyball tournament hosted by the entertainers. It is interesting to note that when the guests wanted to continue playing volleyball, the entertainers sometimes had to take the ball away for other reasons lol. Also at night, there were entertainment shows which included dancing and singing by the same people. The show was pretty good but surprisingly, there was no engagement or interactions with guests unlike very other resort I have been to down south. The entertainers mostly didn't even speak proper English which may explain this. Customer Service: Again, I'm a young guy with almost zero expectations in terms of going above and beyond for guests, however, this resort truly has unbelievable customers service. (Please note that there were nice and helpful staff, but the management and typically the majority of staff were horrible should you face any issues whatsoever). Here are a couple of examples: A guy at the front desk, "Ernesto", continually mocked and wasted guest's time any chance he got. For example, if you had to ask for a replacement room card, he would take his time to get up, try every single card that was previously de-magnitized (almost 100 of them), and of course, he had to use a new card. He did this with every guest. I would call downstairs to go get the towel deposits, he would say come down. As soon as I'd get there, he would say come back in 1 hour. After 1 hour, he would smile and say ya I can't do it today come back tomorrow before 5.... this was the trend with Ernesto. On another note, I was made to pay 15.50 CUC for a lobster dinner at Christmas night. Next morning I found out that everyone actually got lobster for free. "Yoel", the manager in charge took approximately 1 hour of my time to come down, talk to the head chef, talk to reception, the lady in charge of reservations, etc. and agreed that I should not be paying. At the end when there was no further justification, he said sorry I have a lot of things to do I'm sorry about what happened. I said that I don't think it's ok and he smiled and walked away. I didn't follow up as I don't care for 20 dollars as much to allow it to ruin my vacation but horrible job by the Yoel, the manager there. One night, the electricity went out intermittently and the bar staff decided they'd close at 11:45 instead of 2AM. There is no TV or source of entertainment in the lobby except bar chairs. Overall, I wouldn't go back to the resort, but if it's the cheapest option and you're looking to just go and enjoy the beach with some accommodations on the side, then this may not be a bad option for you.

Very clean. Stayed at the Coral section.

Very clean. Food well prepared. Beautiful beach. Hotel room nice . Full bathroom. Staff very pleasant. Nice Coffee bar. No single supplement. Nightly entertainment and entertainers very talented. Great sound system. Check with the West Jet representative for the 1 1/2 day trip to Trinidad, Cuinefuegous, Santa Clara and the 3 hour hike into the Mountain jungle. Well worth the $135.00 CUC.

Nice resorts

this hotels is old and needs lots of maintenance.no hot water for 3 days.the shower head not working .the food is the same everyday.the beach is wonderful.the bar is amazing and the coffee is very tasty.

Not that good!

Rooms need renovate, to much cuban peoples!!......... .... ....... ......... ........ . ........ .. ... ...... ...... .... ..... ........ .... .......... ......... .. .... ......... ......... ...... ...... ...

Pay the extra money to go to a better resort.

This hotel is great for low maintenance people. If you are someone that doesn't need a door, toilet seat or toilet paper to pee, bottles of water to drink or you can live without working power or water for periods at a time, then this resort is for you. Luckily if you get drunk enough the awful food and hotel conditions do not bug you as much. Except when you have to change your key card 23 times daily due to deactivation Two positives: its 5 minutes from downtown varadero and the barten [... read more]ders are sweethearts . Overall I strongly suggest saving your money to go somewhere else. The roaches in the hallway are large.

Friendly staff

Rooms are clean sraff is so friendly you cant beat the beach and ocean have a great swim up pool with stools older resort but clean wish it was a little xloser to town but you can hop on a bus for 5 cuc and its good all day you can hope on and off all day

First stay, great vacation, good hotel

I was for 10 days at Sol Sirenas. As usual I read before arrival good and bad reviews.. I asked a room close to everything and on ground floor as I move with walker. And I was given #1002 which was exactly that, so for the first time I did not have to move. I had good A/C which was on 2 volumes and was working OK. I had a brand new fridge - first time I saw in Cuba. I had many international channels on TV, movie, sport, news in all languages. Shower was perfect, not always hot water, but  [... read more]who needs it in 40C heat? Big comfortable, not new, but OK bed. Balcony looking towards the pools, far enough from the Entertainment in the evening to be disturbed. They repair one part of the resort, so there was occasional power and water supply cuts, but not for long and in several hours everything was back in business. But there was no any disturbing noises from it. Hurricanes are here every year and every hotel needs funding and money from the State to do EVERY year repairs and renovation and this is not an easy matter for the Cubans. Plenty of fresh food-3 types of fresh lean meat every day, several types of veggies-raw and cooked, cheeses, ice creams, lots of desserts. Clean rooms. Older furniture, true, but they make it up with good cleaning. And they are repairing and renovating the resort already. Best pools for disability people - no steps and ladders = just gradually going in the water - great! and in interesting shape so it gives privacy . FANTASTIC WHITE SAND LONG AND WIDE BEACH!! True - the beach chairs are very old and some need to be thrown out already, but there are plenty of palapas for the strong sun and also around the pool all chairs are new. Very well kept outdoor space. Nice shows every night and GREAT hard working staff everywhere - kind , knowledgeable, helpful and respectful. I was with a walker and alone, by myself and worried first when I saw everything everywhere was on terraces. But they do have ramps and if you do not want to go that much around to use them - the terraces are made one step level at a time so that it was easy even with the walker to move up or down one step to other level. I will go back when I got such great price for a single room as iI got this September. There were some days with more mosquitoes but with repellent it was OK. That was my 22nd time in Cuba, and first here and I have been all over Cuba and in Varadero 10 times and I always go there for the beach and the ocean and they are extremely beautiful here and easily accessible. This hotel for me is a great find.

Sol Sirenas Coral - disappointment

I love Cuba - this was my 8th visit. I knew this hotel was rated 3.5 stars - but I still expected a bit more. The first clue something was wrong is that there were no representatives from Air Transat at all. We were given a phone number in case we had questions. There was no meeting with the rep, no talk about excursions - zero. I was afraid to even touch the lamp in our room as I thought it would fall apart. It was old, rusted and leaning towards one side. The room was clean - but everyt [... read more]hing was outdated and cracked or broken. The mini-fridge is never filled - ever. One whole side of the hotel is closed (the Sirenas side) - but the hotel nonetheless chooses to have their A la Carte meals on the closed side (it's a bit further away and kind of spooky). The beach is absolutely amazing with lots of shaded areas and just enough entertainment. We met a few Canadians but most tourists at this hotel during our stay were Russian. I found most of them rude and arrogant. We did meet a few extremely nice servers at the buffet - and they went through amazing lengths to make our meals fun - even reserving our table for us. A great big thank you to Yamilet and Yunisleidy for making us feel welcome. The Buffet setting was very upsetting - there is no clear line - people cut in from everywhere and the selection there is so minimal...I have never seen so little choice in any Hotel I have stayed at. I did get sick for a bit after eating at the Mexican a la carte (and so did other tourists) - this was also a first for me. Would I come back to the Sol? No - I would not. It needs renovations and upgrades, a better variety of food and better settings for the meals.

Great experience

We are a family of 6. Two adults and four kids between the age of 12-17. Also had my parent inlaw with us. We stayed at Sol Sirenas Coral. In the Coral section. The staffs were friendsly and caring. The pools were clean and spacious. Our rooms were cleaned and we had all we needed. This resort gave us bottled water daily (no pop or beer) but it worked out. The buffet wasnt as great. Not much variety and the meat was more like a piece of gum (endless gewing) but the rest of the food  [... read more]was okay. Other than the fact that the resort ran out of serving plastic cups for a while we didnt lack much. Highly recommanded for families. Great service and activities. Snorkling id highly recommanded here. Great experience.

Great Time ! Beautiful Beach

We recently got back from a 4 night stay here. Me and my husband had a great time , The staff were nice, the pool was great and the beach is stunning . We always found something we enjoyed in the buffet and the snack bar always had yummy fries and burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. It is definitely a very kid friendly resort. The Hotel is Clean however keep in mind it is older and could use a little paint job here and there but that did not set us back any.

Nice Resort

The resort is starting to show it’s age but they are doing renovations. That being said the resort is clean and the staff is very friendly. The beaches are fantastic, lots of lounge chairs on the beach. We have been going to this resort for a number of years and love the people there, our only dislike is the that the food although good, it’s not hot, warm at best.

Sadly Disappointing

We recently returned from our trip to Veradero Cuba. After researching online we finally decided to stay at the Sol Sirenas Coral; such a disappointment! The Hotel is in dire need of maintenance and repair. Uneven and broken concrete everywhere. The grounds are lacking maintenance, the lobby and common areas are dirty and in disarray. Some staff were extremely friendly and helpful; others not so much. We stayed on the 5th floor, ocean view and overlooking the pool area. Wow, it was so noi [... read more]sy! The music starts at 10:00 in the morning and continues until late in the evening. There was no or very little lighting in the hallways, we would get off the elevator in the evening and walk in total darkness at least half way to our room; it seems that light bulbs must be in very short supply in Cuba. The lobby washrooms were either short of TP, towelling or both, waste baskets were always overflowing and when these are filled with soiled TP certainly not very sanitary. The food for the most part was acceptable, the buffet at the Sirenas was a bit more presentable than at the Coral, the room itself was a lot nicer than at the Coral. The ala carte restaurants were fine and the staff did their best to make dinner a pleasant and tasty experience. The beach itself was fine, chairs were primarily dirty, some broken and in need of repair, the beach area itself needed to be raked and cleaned. Everything about this property was sad, it has so much potential and probably was a wonderful property at some time. The Sol Sirenas being owned by the Melia Group of Hotels must be at the bottom of the heap we did notice a few other Melia Hotels in Veradero that certainly had no resemblance to this property. We stayed in Santa Maria in 2016 and had a totally different experience.

Ok resort

This hotel was ok...you get what you pay for....very close to beach, and one of the first few hotels you come across in Varadero, which means you can easily walk to town...Italian restaurant is the only one worth going to other than two buffet ones...but you have to line up at 8:30 am each day to reserve for the following day. Room was fine along with pools etc. Food at buffet was ok....they tend to run out of things of you arrive too late...get your coffee or tea from the coffee/tea nook out [... read more]side the buffet area first...good variety shows at night to watch. Internet cards suck as govt blocks all .com sites so you can see facebook but not post etc....bring your own phone plan.....also, they rip you off on leaving when you try to exchange your cuban money back to Can$$ at airport....expect 1:1....Better off rather than exchanging all your Canadian money to cuban on arrival, just exchange what you need for the day and save whatever Canadian you need on return...best excursion is jeep safari...but if you have a chance go into town to Marlin diving and ask for a snorkeling trip to Caribbean side of Island...better coral structures, fish and you get to snorkel much longer!!! Also rent a moped at resort..cheap and fun! My only complaint...we had alot of Russian/European tourists at the resort and every second person smoked...everywhere!!! likely less of this if you stayed at a 5 star.

Amazing

This was my first time staying at this particular resort although I have been to Varadero many times What I liked best was its proximity to the town of Varadero Just a twenty minute walk away also for the car enthusiast there was plenty of antique cars to admire without having to go to Havana The resort was spread out it didn't seem crowded and the food was the best I've tasted in Cuba

A lot of fun

I went for my reading week with three of my friends. The service was excellent. The food wasn't great. We partied hard every night and only received a couple of respectful noise complaints. I defiantly would go again!

Good resort

The beach is the best! You can walk for miles and the view was good. Resort was dated, rooms where clean. Staff was exceptionally nice and accommodating. Food was good with a reasonable selection.

, Great service, nice people, wonderful beach!

Had a great time at Sol Sirenas Coral. We stayed for a week in mid-February and had a lovely time. We spent much of every day on the beach, with the white sand, beach bar and good waves. Clean rooms and common areas, good pool and pool bar. Often noisy at night, if your room overlooks the pool and grill area. Would go back!