Mediocre

The grounds and beach are simply beautiful. The rooms are outdated but clean and spacious. Our patio door would not lock and they didn’t do anything about it. The food was always fresh and plentiful but very repetitive. You will find fresh fish daily, chicken and pork occasionally. The a la carte restaurants serve the same food as buffet just prepared a different way. One thing that shocked me was the attitudes of some of the bartenders and serving staff. Some were quite rude and would hav [... read more]e conversations with friends and co workers and ignore guests. This resort is lacking the personal touch I believe because of its size. You have different servers and bartenders daily. The music was extremely loud at the pool and beach. The entertainment was good but had the same performers every night just different formats. I will not be returning.

Awesome Resort

In my opinion this is the best resort in Cuba, the beach is absolutely breath taking it is just gorgeous. The resort it beautiful very clean the people working there are always nice and respectful, (the guests should remember themselves to be as respectful to them as they are to us) Food was good I am not food driven so I found plenty to eat all the time. I am 100% going back to Iberostar Selection Varadero that is my place now. It will be hard to beat that beach!! See you next time :)

Amazing

Very clean food was good, beach beautiful, room clean staff amazing, would go again, families welcome, entertainment very good, grounds clean, pool small, beach staff, bar tenders, maid service, dated property but clean

Great time at this resort

Extended family of 7 stayed the first week of April at Iberostar Selection Varadero, then just my wife and I for a second week. I'm an experienced traveler, I've been to 20 different resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, but this was the first time in Cuba.The beach was probably the best I've ever seen, just wonderful to swim in, and it was calm enough in the mornings for my grandchildren 5 and 7 to splash around and swim. Later in the day it usually got a little rougher but not so rough that I w [... read more]ouldn't still go in but maybe not young children. The pool was fine, the small water park was great fun for the grandkids.The kids club had nightly entertainment and would put on a little show, my grandkids loved participating in this. The rooms were nice and clean. The staff and their service was probably the best I've ever encountered. Everyone who worked there was nice, pleasant, helpful, I can't say enough good things about the staff. For trips, I would recommend the double decker bus to Varadero. Also my wife and I had a fantastic trip to Havana in a 51 Chevy.with a driver and English speaking guide.We booked it through the hotel for $190. for 10 hr. worth every cent. Our driver Miguel and guide George made the trip fun and informative, they were the best. I highly, highly recommend this trip. Now for the food, the a la carte's were quite good. It pains me to say this because the buffet staff were all so nice and would go above and beyond to make you feel welcome, but the food was average. I'm a bit of a picky eater and I could always fine something I liked but the buffet was just not as good as ones I've enjoyed in Mexico or other Caribbean Islands. The nightly entertainment was top notch, much better than most resorts. Overall I would recommend this resort especially for families.

Great experience!

What can I say? Iberostar Selection delivered in all aspects 1-Room was very clean and maid service was great, we got clean towels every day and water bottles refill every day 2- beach was fantastic and the water was a beautiful blue color, fantastic location 3- entertainment was good and drinks were plenty, never ran out of anything 4- food...you don't go to Cuba for the food but we found something to eat every day, especially the bbq fish and hamburgers were great, lots of fruits 5- Booki [... read more]ng with tripcentral and airtransat service was top notch 👌

Great Resort

Friendly staff where ever you went. Whether you were at the beach, restaurant, bar or any facilities there was always a helpful hand. We booked restaurants in advance of our arrived and our reservations were ready for us on arrival. The rooms were clean and well maintained. A great beach with lots of chairs to choose from and the pool was clean and inviting. Had a wonderful time.

Little gem...

23rd time in Cuba...After trip during covid we decided to go somewhere else this year. But after reading reviews from this resort we give Cuba another chance and Bingoooooo. Resort is very professionally run. Clean, well maintained, with good service. Great beach that was cleaned every day and pools. Both have lots of palapas and umbrellas. We never were sick in Cuba and never hungry. More food varieties in buffet and if you ask you can get almost everything. Staff is really trying to do somethi [... read more]ng from nothing. When comes to a la carte restaurants they need lots to improve. Menu should be printed out to avoid misunderstanding and take time to make choice...some times you have no choice at all. Japanese Restaurant definitely need more meat in meal that they provide and another restaurant is serving lobster soup that is really bad. Over all food was good. Bares should provide more quality alcohols and cocktails and drinks should be made the same way by every bartender. But this is Cuba...still learning. We are diffinetevly coming back next year. It was a good vacation.

The best sunny destination

This trip was our first trip to Cuba, so we did a lot of research and narrowed down to this resort, Iberostar Selection Varadero. The flight was delayed due to weather, so we arrived close to midnight. However, the hotel is prepared for those late arrivals, and staffs were very accommodating. When we woke up the next morning, we found everything was beautiful and well organized. The beach was amazing along with blue sky and clean air. We got of the sail boat for the first time in ou [... read more]r lives and really enjoyed the experience. We also used the tandem kayak twice. Both were included in the package. Everyone we encountered in the resort were very friendly. I am sure we will stay in the same hotel when we go back to Cuba in future.

Go for the people .. take lots of extras!!

The fantastic people at this resort are like family, we just keep going back to visit. Cubans are simply phenomenal people who will do anything they can to make your trip enjoyable. This is our first trip since 2019, and we’ve travelled to Cuba many times. We have a few important points to share: 1) Do not exchange money into Cuban Pesos. Most places will not accept them, especially inside the hotels. It’s all credit card and billed in USD. They will accept CDN paper money, US paper m [... read more]oney and also Euros, but ironically not their own Cuban Peso. All bills must be in excellent condition, with no tears or issues with the bills or they won’t except them 2) CUC or Cuban convertible pesos are no longer accepted and won’t be exchanged. The new Cuban Peso also won’t be exchanged back into any currency once converted. 3) There is exceptionally little to buy on the resort. Their gift shops have rum, coffee beans and tonic water that is basically it. All other essentials MUST be taken with you. You can’t buy sunscreen, potato chips or cookies. There is no food for purchase anywhere on the resort. 4)The food choices post COVID are very limited. As repeat customers we know not to expect Canadian style food, however this time even we were challenged with the food. There is also no longer an in room coffee maker, and also no in room mini bar. It’s all been taken away .. a coffee machine can be “ purchased for 600 pesos a day and you get 4 coffee capsules and sugar. One glass litre bottle is refilled with purified water and replaced daily. 5) Paper goods are in very limited supply. Take Kleenex tissues and even some toilet paper, as you will get one roll. The Iberostar Selection Varadero is one of the better resorts in the Varadero strip and we struggled a bit with these changes. I can imagine that lower star resorts are even more impacted!! Luckily I’m a very prepared traveller, so our trip was comfortable as I took many extras. They’ve expanded the beach during COVID and it’s simply wonderful!! The Cubans can’t access much so please take things with you to give away like sneakers, ladies black shoes, nylons, socks, children’s clothes, health and beauty items and chocolate or cookies. Anything you can take with you is very much appreciated as they share with their entire community!

Not worth the money

The resort is a 3 star. Outdated, underfunded, staff not very pleasant and food was disappointing. Would not return here ever. The only good thing they have is their room cleaning lady. She needs a raise.

Memorable trip to Cuba

Our stay at Iberostar Selection Varadero was a reminder of all the reasons we have come to love Cuba. The beach, the sand, the hot sun and the warmth of it's people. This hotel is well appointed with interesting places to sit in quiet corners, or be immersed in music and people-watch. The food was great and the a la cartes were exceptionally good. If it were not for the masks worn on the plain, we would not have known Covid existed. Speaking of which, OWG (Off We Go) flight was outstanding. Flig [... read more]ht attendants were super organized, and we were even served hot meals at no extra cost.

A magical week at a wonderful resort!

Our recent week at Iberostar Selection Varadero was wonderful. It was our fourth time visiting and our friend's first time. They said they would come back for sure. Since we had been there in 2019 the hotel has had many improvements. Clearly they have used the down time due to the pandemic to spruce things up. Everything is freshened up in terms of paint and furnishings. There is an additional beach side bar with a second level, great for sunset drinks. The whole resort is in excellent shape.  [... read more]The staff were excellent and food the best we've had of the many times we have been to Cuba. The shows were all great but a few were outstanding, one night the show was of Cirque du Soleil level talent! We all look forward to going back and doing the overnight excursion to Havana that includes a night at the Havana Iberostar hotel. Special thanks for making our week so special goes to the dining room staff led by Yohani Torres.

Beautiful Resort

This was our first time at this resort and we both were impressed by the hotel, the landscaping and most of all the service provided by the entire staff. No matter where we were the staff always greeted us at every turn and always asked us if we needed anything to let them know. The rooms were very clean and the maids did an excellent job in keeping the room in top shape. The dining was good and the only complaint I have is that the food seemed bland at times. They could use some spicing up. The [... read more] variety was limited but we never went hungry and the buffet dining room was always in immaculate condition. We had a great time and enjoyed our stay.

Excellent resort

The Iberostar Selection Varadero was so lovely in all the ways that matter. It's a very nicely designed setting that actually has character and is easy to get around. It's a nice size so that there's space for a variety of amenities, but it's not too big so that you feel lost or that you're in an impersonal environment. The food is high quality and it's clear that the hotel takes pride in providing good food, and a variety of it, for guests. The service at meals was very good. Servers are hel [... read more]pful and communicative. The staff and performers are so friendly and attentive. They make the atmosphere very pleasant. There's a community oriented feeling about the place, as it seems that everyone is there to create a fun, safe, laid-back experience. I highly recommend this resort to people who are looking for an easy, pleasant, and comfortable stay. I don't recommend it to people who are planning to party hard for their vacation, because it's not that kind of vibe at this hotel. At least, it wasn't when I visited.

Great place for families!

We really enjoyed this hotel. We were impressed by the well-maintained grounds, the excellent entertainment staff, the cleanliness of the hotel rooms, the comfortable beds, and the excellent effort put into making the food as varied and enjoyable as possible. We loved how calm this resort was, as well as the daily schedule of activities for kids! The beach was beautiful, but doesn’t provide many opportunities in terms of snorkelling (you have to go out farther in the ocean on a catamaran, w [... read more]hich we did and loved). I highly recommend this hotel!

Great trip!

The resort was beautiful, amazing service, perfect beach. The food was decent for Cuba, lots of options. Everything was clean and well maintained. The entertainment staff worked hard to get everyone involved. The only complaint we had were the mosquitoes - never had so many bug bites in my life! Would highly recommend bringing bug spray and after bite. Would definitely go back to this resort!

Amazing resort

It’s been a while since we’ve been on vacation. This resort was absolutely amazing. Grounds, rooms were impeccable. Staff were very helpful and always with a smile. Big shout out to Monica and jiovanni from the main buffet. Food and entertainment was very good.Can’t get over how beautiful the beach was. Ocean was so clear. We will definitely be back. Thank you for this memorable vacation. Our 37 wedding anniversary.

Very nice resort

It was our first time at this resort Lobby bar area was nice Buffet was exceptionally clean and bright with lots of food choices Bathrooms by the pool and by the buffet only had only 2 stalls often 1 out of order so there was a line up even thou resort was at half capacity I could only imagine if resort was full capacity Our room was clean, service was good, friendly and helpful staff

Amazing resort

Very Beautiful everything was very very clean the beach everything about this hotel was wonderful From the staff to the rooms to the food pool bar service the coffee bar was amazing I would definitely recommend this special please to all my friends

Excellent vacation!

This was our first trip to Cuba and the decision to go to this resort was based on other reviews. May I say the reviews are right, this resort is clean, beautiful and close to many excursions. The staff are friendly, helpful and go above and beyond to make your stay enjoyable. The food, I’m assuming for Cuba is above average because we were very happy with the selection. The Japanese a la carte was WAY too salty and we didn’t enjoy it much but the others were fantastic. Special thanks to our [... read more] housekeeper Fefa, our regular server Marciely and Victor (one of the “entertainers”) for the great service. We will be back!