Nothing spectacular

Hotel was nice elevator not working at times Food same every day,pool nice . Service in restaurant could improve .Staff was friendly and polite entertainment at night needs improvement The restaurant should be better organized you sit at your table no one comes to ask you if u need anything.aThere was shortage of pop and poor selection of drinks location is close to down town

Not good

Food not good. I ate out almost every day. Same food for lunch and dinner every day. Pork in everything . I don’t eat pork. Even vegetables had pork. No snack bar. Rooms not clean and hard to get towels. Staff in restuarant on cell phone. Hard to get service even after tip

There is nothing worse than this hotel

First room was with mold stinks like hell changed next day, had to beg for beach towels for 2 days, no hot water, had to beg to fix it, the lock got broken, had to enter through the balcony, spent half day to fix it. The cheery on top - when transfer bus came to pick up we had to wait for someone to open the storage room with our luggage. I kind of expect any of these happened but not ALL of it in one week. Stay away if you value your vacation time! Food was ok though. I lost 5 pounds)))

Horrible Resort!

Food was absolutely disgusting and should not be consumed! No bread, milk, eggs, potato’s, juice, water, soda, vodka etc. Dirty dishes. Horrible wait staff who stand around and do not take your drink order even when tipped. Mouse poop in our bungalow all over and in the fridge. Fridge, safe, and door to the room broken (we had to exchange our door key cards three times in the five days we were there). Some staff were nice, others not friendly at all. Floor of the pool is all coming apart with fr [... read more]agments coming off the floor of the pool. Potholes in all paths on the resort making it a bad trip hazard for all. The only two things we enjoyed on the resort was the Italian a la carte (wonderful, friendly staff, and an okay meal!), and the beach. If you’ve been to Cuba before (myself 11 times now) you always come for the beach and the people! The people are not friendly like they were prior to COVID and I feel horrible for the conditions they have to deal with.

Beautiful

The hotel was fairly decent. Could use some work but it’s clear there are limited supplies. Food wasn’t bad. They could use more snacks available between buffet hours. Staff was incredible. They did their best. Towels for the beach were difficult but they came through. Bungalow suite was perfect, again could use some maintenance but overall we were happy. Beach was incredible. Non motorized water sport are not included which was disappointing. Clean beautiful lobby.

7th time and still like it

Between Solymar and Occidental I"ve been there 7 or more times to this resort.It has changed a lot but there always good food and nice people,Big THANKS to Jorge at Ranchon -beach service.Lazaro was great barman at the same place.We went to Calle 62 and Beatles had a good time .Weather was beautiful, Staff gave us ssurvey on third day we were there,they should give it to before we leave .It was a good vacation

Good resort

Nice and clean hotel food ok sometime no bread or eggs but over all there was always something to eat 5 elevator but sometimes all broken Staff were excellent good services hard and devoted worker Jorgue server on the beach 5 star he would run to serve you deerve an award

One of my most unsatisfied stays

Hotel is old. Food is below average. But best of all is the bed bugs that's leaving the itching that topped it off. Please take it off the trip central destination list. Some of the staff are great. Front desk upgraded our first disgusting room for an extra 180 dollars and we ended with a nicer bungalow that had the bed bugs. Thanks a lot

..

My partner, and in-laws just came back from our recent trip to Barcelo Solymar, Varadero Cuba. Let me start by saying our travel agent Jim O'Neil was wonderful, if I had a question he was an email or a phone call away with the answer. Now- Onto the review of the trip. We went to Cuba Tuesday January 23rd - Tuesday January 30th 2024. We arrived at the resort and got checked in in no time. The staff were for the most part friendly at arrival. My partner and I were put into room 1148 and my in- [... read more]laws were put into 1144. We walked into the room to our surprise the rooms were AWFUL. The sheets looked like they were just remade from the last vacationers, someone else's hair was on the pillows, the sheets were covered in stains, the floor looked disgusting. I walked into the bathroom to check that area out - all around the shower was covered in black mold, and inside the shower looked absolutely disgusting. Our safe didn't work, and the light's didn't turn on. I checked on my in-laws and their room wasn't to far off from ours. So of course I went to the front counter and complained about how the room was. Now- I am fully understanding I am going to another country that does not have the luxuries we do, so I wasn't expecting perfect, but I was expecting the sheets to be freshly cleaned at least.. After complaining about the room- My in-laws, partner and myself were upgraded to a private villa suite closer to the ocean, which turned out to be beautiful. I was very happy they accommodated us to be together. So- The first night, they ran out of soda drinks, Vodka, and white rum. They only had dark rum left the very first night we were there. It took 3 days to receive a beach towel because the laundry machine was down, which meant the sheets in the room never got changed either during the entire stay. Housekeeping cleaned the room every single day, but don't expect anything except 1 big bottle of water left in your room. We were only provided 1 bath towel each for the entire stay. Some days the bath towels we're exchanged for new towels but we had to make it known we wanted fresh towels. We asked for a few extra towels but didn't receive any. The food.. let me tell you- I travelled to Holguin last year around the same time as this trip this year, and we had more variety last year for food than we did this year. This year we did have Chicken, pork and beef every single day- but it was every single day, every single meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). they did have eggs in the morning, but no bacon, the bread was used from the dinner before and placed out the next morning. The chicken, beef and pork were provided for breakfast as well, just re-heated from dinner the night before. We had to choose our 2 a-la-cartes right away, so we chose Italian and Mexican, Italian was awful to say the least. The food was cold, very small portions, overall it was disgusting. Mexican on the other hand, was delicious!!. As the week went on, the drinks didn't get any better, we had 2 days of Vodka, and white rum- the rest of the week was dark rum only, as they ran out of everything else. They do not have Slushie drinks, so anyone wanting a slushie drink forget it, because they don't have anything slushie at all. Pina Coladas are powder, so they were thick and gross. They didn't have coffee in the buffet, bring butter if you're wanting butter because they only had butter for 2 days. The resort, don't get me wrong, is beautiful, well maintained compared to the Occidental Arenas Blancas that we were connected to. That I wouldn't pay even $700 for. Their pool was algae filled, the food was even worse and lacked then our resort. I felt bad for the people that were staying at that resort, infact alot of them came over to Barcelo Solymar to eat our food, which meant very long lines for anything coming off the grill. As stated above, Barcelo Solymar does have a beautiful resort, the beach was absolutely beautiful, the ocean was amazing, the pool was wonderful, but without any of those- this trip would have been by far one of the worst. We made the best of it, but I will not return to this resort or Cuba infact for a long time until things change there. Again, I am aware I am going to a country that is far different from where I live, so I don't expect perfect- I am the last to look at everything in a negative way, I try to see the positive and remember that Covid made Cuba take a very hard hit, there-fore I feel bad for Cubans because I know they could have beautiful places with more to offer, but they are badly suffering. I really would not spend the money for this resort. This resort is easily a 3 star resort, and I wouldn't pay over $900 for it for what you receive while you're there.

Good 2 weeks/ 3.5 Star Hotel- Jan.2-16, 2024

It was our first time staying at the Solymar, I would stay again if the price was right. There are a few things I wanted to mention, hopefully this will help with you trip. Front desk staff- were just ok, they really need to communicate a little better. When we checked in, only 1 other person was at the desk, so they weren't busy. The front desk staff never gave us a safe key, never told us about were to get beach towels, or were to book the specialty dinners. Safe key did not work, it took a [... read more]n entire day to resolve. You will have to ask a lot of questions after you arrive, it takes a couple days to figure things out. Superior room- Our room was on the first floor, room 1116. It was fine and looked a little worn, that didn't bother us. The beds were very comfortable, sheets changes everother day, 2 bath towels, no hand or face clothes. AC worked, TV worked (no remote), 1 large bottle of water is place in your fridge each day. You can fill up water bottles in the buffet restaurant. Housekeep- Did a great job, they work very long days, and that's 6 days a week. Our room was clean and in good order everyday. The house keeper for your room is who you get your beach towels from, they also change them out for you. IF you don't see your housekeeper, go to the front desk and request they get put in your room. I think they have a limited supply and have to registered to your room. If you loose a beach towel, it's just over $30 USD to replace. TIP your house keeper everyday! Bars- Great staff, and work 6 days a week as well. The staff were very friendly. PLEASE tip your bartenders, they will take care of you! Limited pop at the bars, only Sprite and Orange Fanta. They have draft beef, rum, tequila and sometimes vodka. Our drink of choice is vodka, we bought 2 bottles at Duty free on the way down, that really saved us. Buffet Restaurants- 3 buffets at day breakfast from 7-10, lunch from 12:30-3 and dinner from 7-10. The food was pretty basic, a lot of it wasn't to my liking, but I always found something to eat. Omelets in the morning!! TIP your omelet person! The service staff were great, and after a couple days they recognized us and brought our drinks or coffee to the table. Of course we tipped every meal, it was so disgusting to see how many people didn't tip. Beach- Was amazing! I love this beach so much. I would suggest IF you want a palapa you will need to put your towels on the chairs by 10am, otherwise you will be out of luck that day. Specialty restaurants- There was Italian in the lobby of the hotel, it was not good. Seafood down by the beach, we had lobster, excellent. A couple Spanish restaurants, by the beach towards Areas Blanca, Excellent, and a Mexican in the lobby of the Areas Blanca, not bad. Booking Specialty restaurants- This is done in the lobby office to the left of the elevators basically from 9-11 daily. Be there early, the line forms very fast. Try to book as many as you can, the buffet gets tried after a while. TIP the lady, we did $5 CAD, it really helped. The resort has a "STARS" dinner once twice a week, It does cost $15 USD by Credit car only, it was totally worth it. The service was like fine dinning and the 4 course dinner was amazing! Most people tried to dress up for dinner, bring some nice shirts and a nice pair of pants. Tank tops, day/beachwear is not allowed in the restaurants. Lobby and cleaning staff- The lobby is beautiful and very well maintained. The cleaning staff were working constantly, and kept it is tip top shape. What to bring- A refillable bottle of drinks, creams, suntan lotion, Benadryl or allergy medication. I got some bits from sand fleas on my legs, Benadryl and creams really helped. REMEBER , the electrical is 220v there, bring an adaptor to pug stuff in. Excursions and tour buses- ALL are paid for on credit car now, cash will not be accepted. The double decker tour bus that stops in front of the hotel, cost $5 USD, you pay when you enter the bus. The tour is about 2 hours long and you can hop off or get on all day with that $5 pass. Varadero downtown- we went a couple times, the 2 hotels you have access to are literally starts across the street. It was fine, but general expensive. Everything is in USD, beer cost $5 US each. ALSO if you every need to go the bathroom, good luck. It costs $1 USD or 200 pesos. If you don't pay you can't go in, there sometimes locked. The cleaning lady stands out front with the toilet paper, you get 2 squares...LOL Sometimes no toilet see, we felt we were being extorted and we were eating in the place, it was a turn off. Money and CC- Bring Canadian for some tipping, not $1/$2 try can't do anything with it. The Cubans want USD, bring singles, $5's, 10's. 20,s. You will need CC if you want to do any excursions, notify your bank before you go! You can exchange money on the bus to the hotel to get you started, don't buy too much. The lobby bar in the hotel will convert your money to pesos. Generally speaking $10 USD gets you 2400 pesos. We changed about $100 USD over the course of our 2 weeks. Tipping is generally about 200-300 pesos for each meal at the buffet, 400-500 pesos for housekeeping, Bartenders 200 pesos per 2 drinks. General composition of guest- When we were there it was 40% Russian, 30% Quebecois, and 30% Spanish/English and everyone else. The number of Russians really suppressed me, I guess they can go too many places anymore, so there is CUBA. Well that's it, if you get good price, try it out. This a 3-3.5 star, the price has to make sense for me to go back.

Hotel review

We did not have a pleasant experience with the hotel, the room smelled moldy and the bed sheets were very old and stained, they provided only two towels for showers, no hand or face towels at all, this hotel is in very good location with beautiful beaches that needs renovation badly, the food also was bad, plates were not clean , low quality service, not following hygiene, no fruits or choice of drinks. as other guest said I also will not travel Cuba again. Very poor condition all over after Co [... read more]vid.

Stay Away. Bad experience at Barcelo Solymar

Vacation Date Nov. 25th to Dec. 2/23. Changed rooms 3 times in the main bldg. Had 1 beach towel (received 3rd day) and 1 bath towel slightly larger than a hand towel for the whole week. Laundry problem. Had 1 sheet on the bed that did not fit properly and had to take the sheet off the 2nd bed for a top sheet that I used for the entire week. I killed 3 large cockroaches I found in the bathroom area. There was no hot water for a shower the last 2 days. Toiletries are scarce so please bring ever [... read more]ything with you including extra kleenex and toilet paper. Food is basic but everyone knows this. The beach is beautiful and location is good for going into town. Issued formal complaint to the hotel, Sunwing rep. and TripCentral.

The solymar was my favorite resort years ago.now it has become a 2star at best,horrible place.sad to say but i will never go back

busted light bulbs ,black grime on bathtub . limited food no drinks no wine no pop. dirty pools closed restaurants. for the last 25 years I have been traveling to cuba 3 times a year and this has got to be the worse experience yet. I will not recommend this place to my worst enemies. very sad😪

This our 3rd visit.

Beach and sun are a given, the BEST anywhere. Hotel in great need of repair. Main lobby only ONE toilet functioning, and 2 toilets no locks on doors, one out of service and they are at the end of the building. The toilets by the bar, haven’t been is service for years. Of all the elevators there, after 14 days, Two worked, then one, and on the day of departure no elevator functioning. We changed rooms a few times to find a bungalow with everything working. Food….. poor selections no baco [... read more]n ever at breakfast, no fresh salads, coffee shortages, often they ran out, no wine only at Specialty, , and even then rationed. Very disappointed…..we’ve overlooked many things over the years, but this year was the worst. No real repairs done in years, the waitresses did their best, working staff in the buffets worked hard… I’m sorry to be so honest as most of us always overlook what’s happening, just to keep the staff working.

Lovely resort but many things missing

Great staff,happy and grateful. 1 of 5 elevators working for over a week. Check out day, no elevators working for guests: One toilet on the entire main floor with a door That locked ! My room 1362 had no working room phone , No remote for tv; no working fridge: I stayed here twice before in a bungalow with better working amenaties:

Lovely resort but many things missing

Great staff,happy and grateful. 1 of 5 elevators working for over a week. Check out day, no elevators working for guests: One toilet on the entire main floor with a door That locked ! My room 1362 had no working room phone , No remote for tv; no working fridge: I stayed here twice before in a bungalow with better working amenaties:

Beautiful, clean and friendly

The staff were very welcoming and helpful. I had trouble walking and the staff helped me with my dinner plates and servings. Wish there were more choices for Dinning in the hotel. Not happy with Buffett. Food was average but tasty. No bacon lots of pork servings. Fish was served with bones and that is a big turn off. The main Lobby still haven’t fixed the bathroom and this has been since 2020. Last day all Elevators were down. Beautiful surrounding and location close to the beach. A [... read more]ll hotel had problems with elevators due to parts hard to come by in Cuba!

Great resort second time here!

I have been to this resort before. This time there were alot of steady shortages. Sometimes no eggs in the morning or ham. Rarely had coffee, cappuccino machine broken. 4 out of 11 days they ran out of beer at the bars. Usually they had more by afternoon. I was aware of the shortages so it didn’t bother me. There was always something to eat, but don’t expect a Mexico all inclusive breakfast lunch and dinner. The benefit is, you will lose weight! Pool is always great, beach is paradise. The r [... read more]oom was good enough for someone who doesn’t spend much time in there. The AC worked great! Am going back in March!

HIGHLY OVER RATED

I realize CUBAN food at any resort is rather bland...BUT... SERIOUSLY...no bacon all week...chicken legs.. potatoes as a choice first thing in morning...server dropping basket of buns..picking up back in basket and out back on table PASTA..PASTA..PASTA. 4 star resort...1 elevator of 3 working...1 washroom on ground floor been shut down for last month. Wrong time of year to go...low season...90% of vacationers from CUBA also bring their family...no manners or respect..,#1.. litter pool area with  [... read more]empty plastic cups..#2.. breakfast and supper , head up with empty plates filling up with buns, mini cakes taking back to table after breakfast and taking to pool area and rooms. 2 star resort ..not a 4

Very disappointed

I want to start by saying I love Cuba and the people. I have visited over a dozen times and have never experienced these issues. This last visit was very disappointing and has discourage me from ever going back. From the time we got to the resort it have been nothing but upsetting. The rooms were dirty, no towels were available until the 4th day. I kept getting the run around from staff. We had to change rooms three times due to issues. As for the food, I was aware of the food shortages and I'm [... read more] not a picky person when it comes to food but this trip the food was the lowest quality i have experienced. It forced us to eat off resort for the whole week. I wish my experience was different.