Palma Real: Interesting

This was my third stay at the Palma Real. I have been to Cuba many times and don’t expect nor go looking for anything extravagant and welcome simplicity. I don’t mind this hotel for its location as it’s close to many amenities. The walk to the beach is not too far and it’s beach bar is pleasant and offers the drinks I wanted. The snack area there is also very nice. Probably the nicest bartenders and servers from the whole hotel were at the beach and snack bar. Unfortunately, the food [... read more] at the beach was not great. Although is free to the hotel guests, the bread/buns were so stale that it wasn’t edible. The rooms are aging but quite comfortable if you were lucky enough to have the air conditioning working properly. The rooms have refrigerators but again, you’re lucky if they actually work. The grounds are very well maintained and workers are out there every day attempting to keep it clean and tidy. The staff are quite helpful and pleasant. The food was good and plentiful unless droves of locals came to stay for a few days (which is their right because it is their country) but then there was slim pickings left for anyone else and lineups to get into the dining room. Garbage just tossed onto the ground and in the pools rather than into the trash which was readily available. Some are very bold/rude when there are lineups at the bar. Many times they were served before anyone else because they pushed through people. Very little manners or respect for others staying at the hotel. After three straight days of that, I was a bit fed up but then they left and things were back to normal. In saying that, not only locals were rude. Other groups of tourists staying at the hotel were beyond obnoxious. These people were also pushy and had no regard for anyone else. Blasting their music in the lobby for everyone else to suffer through. I don’t go to Cuba to listen to Russian Techno or French Canadian whatever it was but sure had enough of it by the time I left. Nobody could sit and have conversation over a drink at night because of other tourists and their behaviour. Glad they were having a great time but for everyone else it was over kill. None of that was fault of the hotel though. My biggest complaint when it comes to the hotel itself would be the terrible condition of one of the pools. Filthy and dirty. Literally falling apart. Mouldy and just plain gross. The hotel needs to fix this pool or shut it down because it’s a safety hazard! Would like to return to the hotel again sometime in the future but at this point I’m not too sure. All in all, I really liked my stays there including the staff but after this time I’m not sure if I will chance returning in the future. 🙁

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Average resort

The grounds of this resort were very well maintained. The rooms and lobby are dated and could use some upgrades. Do not choose a ground floor room as they can be extremely damp and have a strong smell of mould. We were on second floor of building 19 and the room was fine. For the most part the staff is friendly but this is not alway the case. Tipping goes a long way. The trick is to tip in order to get better service. The food is ok but VERY repetitive. I probably would not go back to this resor [... read more]t because of the food.

Roc Arenas Doradas: Amazing Time

Great staff, clean, good food!!! Loved it! We would go back the beaches are amazing and things for all ages to do at this resort. ROC is a great place for family and young adults as well as couples.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Awesome Resort

Everything we expected and more. It was our families (girls 13 & 15) first trip to Cuba. The resort was great. Very well maintained. We stayed in building 15 on the top floor. You couldn't ask for better staff. Our cleaning lady, Marilla (sorry if not correctly spelled) was the sweetest lady and made us feel like very special guests. We spent most of our time at the pool and the pool bar staff were great, especially Alex. After the first day he remembered our favourite drinks, and alway [... read more]s made sure we were well hydrated! The entertainment staff were a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time with Vector doing rifle shooting, archery and playing darts, mini gold or pingpong. He aways made sure to include our teenage daughters. I have a gluten and diary allergy and everyone was very accommodating, especially at the Japanese restaurant. We loved the resort and we would definitely go back.

Melia Marina Varadero: It’s a 1 star hotel

Rooms are terrible and the food is a disaster to be honest . I ll never go back to this hotel or to Cuba .we ll never go back to this crap. The staff is very rude only the pool bar staff was nice and Dunia and Daynelys are amazing . The habana pool restaurant Godddddd if you want 2 plates of Fries they ll give you 1 or they ll forget about you ... just to say it’s a lie it’s a 5 stars .be careful

Club Kawama: Love this place!

Wonderful staff! Hotel tries to go above and beyond and offer extras like beach parties, returner dinner, awesome shows and entertainment! Daily snack bar is so good...especially late at night:) Best part is everything is right on the beach!

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: 2nd Stay at Labranda , Varadero

We stayed at this resort in November and found resort beautiful and rooms nice and spacious and updated. The food and drinks were good so we decided to go back this April. This time we did a 9 day trip and brought our daughter, son in law and granddaughter with us. Through their rep Juan we upgraded to an ocean view room. Juan was absolutely awesome and got us beautiful rooms on the 4th floor in the main building right next to each other and secured us coffee makers in our rooms and also a late  [... read more]check out. The girls at the Cohibo Bar were great and so was Adonis who made me the best specialty pina colada. We also met a couple of great staff at the main buffet. The resort is beautiful we enjoyed both the pool and the beach during our stay. However I do have to say we were disappointed with the food and drinks on this trip. This resort has so much potential if they could just improve in this area. The majority of our stay drinks were not being made with juice but red mixture that to me was more like kool aid. Also other than Cohibo bar, the pool bar was rarely stocked to make anything more than rum and coke. There were only French fries available on our last day. We have been to Cuba 15 times and several different resorts from 3 star to 5 star. All of the other resorts have always had pancakes and most of them even a pancake station to make them fresh in the mornings. There were none the entire week. The food they did have during the 9 days we were there was very repetitive. More than any other resort we have stayed at ;with pork being grilled pretty much every evening. They didn’t have any themed nights at the buffet. We did enjoy our two a la cartes dinners and also went out for dinner two evenings. I would probably have to think hard about going here again unless I saw reviews with big improvements in the food and drinks. I truly hope they do as the staff and resort itself are wonderful.

Playa Vista Azul: 4 star at best

Booked the Privilege Ocean Front category. Not worth it! I think we are at a little bit if a disadvantage because our previous stays at Ocean El Patriarca where a privilege guest had a perks such as a private adults only pool and such. There was times at Vista Azul where we couldn’t even find pool side loungers. There was no control at the pools with people still in them hours after the 6 oclock closing, bringing glass drink containers in and such. The food was ok but not great. Not sure what  [... read more]the bathroom was all about but the shower seemed to be an after thought when they put it next to the bathtub with the drain in the main bath floor, kind weird. Definitely not 5 star, i would say 3.5-4 at best. If you are going to go, i would save money and not go privilege. The only difference is you can’t make reservations at restaurants and might have to wait for a table. I contacted the resort before travel to enquire about some flowers for my wife for our anniversary. Was told there was some special things the do for anniversaries such as a special dinner with a special menu and possible upgrades, nothing happened. They wanted a copy of our marriage certificate which i provided. We checked in late at night so i visited the privilege office the next morning and was told they were going to do something really special in our room, nothing happened. On a positive note, the privilege loungs was very nice with great staff.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Disappointment

I usually don t write reviews we have been traveling down south every year but this time i find for the money we pay for our vacation and they advertise 8 restaurants 4 * resort you think this is what you payed for but you end up with 1 buffet with cold food.. warmers not working so so many food wasted that people can t eat.. sushi place open 3xweek but only one roll available nothing else then mexican open 3x week 2- 3 option on menu 1small chichen fajita in our plate that it .. italian was op [... read more]en every night but took 2hrs to get our meal restaurent wasn t even full then our room had no shower on the wall and no plug for tub.. mosquitos bites were so bad had to take benadryl could not go out at night main pool was very dirty please dont trust those rating not very accurate

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Nice spot

Check in when we arrived was fast and really nice staff at the front desk. We didn't arrive until late so there wasn't much open. They do have a snack bar that is open until 7am. The grounds are really well maintained and the ground keepers are always working hard and very friendly. The food was good. We only ate ate at the buffet once as we are never a fan of it. They have 3 lacarts that' we went to and you don't have to book. The rooms are clean and a good size. The rooms are like bungalows wh [... read more]ich was really nice. The Beach was really nice . We have been to Cuba 26 times now and love it . Over all great vacation already planning our trip for next year.

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

The hotel was okay, poor lighting in the rooms, but the beds and pillow were very comfortable. The food was okay I always found something I enjoyed. I enjoyed the location of the hotel. I read reviews it was a party resort there was lots of activities if that was what you were looking for but a number of areas where you can get away from that and relax

Barcelo Solymar: Do not go there

My husband and I went there for four days and I could not wait to go home. Room had no hot water, no blankets, leaking toilet. For two days we were requesting at least to fix hot water, and every time the answer was “we took your request “. On the third day my husband forced management to give us another room and we finally had hot water. Needless to say, the service was just awful, everyone from service desk to cafeteria staff were very rude. Greasy dishes, cockroaches in a restaurant, old  [... read more]lipstick on napkins. I can honestly go on and on. This place need a change. Don’t waste your time and money.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Bang for your buck

Memories provided everlasting memories for our mommy daughter (8 year old) trip. Cuba as a whole is a beautiful country with a rough political history and the most beautiful beaches so there must be a few things you understand. As of right now April 29th 2019, There is a major food crisis in Cuba. The people on your resort working for $20 a month are starving so tipping and gifts is the key to great service... Don't get me wrong I'm sure you don't have to but service for me all week was first [... read more] class. Food- The food at the resort was horrible but livable. You can find something to eat but it is not good. Hot dogs, rice, potatoes, yucca, beans to name a few. To avoid the monster line up get there at 6 pm. The snack bar has a great list but basically only has tuna sandwiches and hamburgers... when we were there they didn't even have fries to get with it but really people are you there to eat all day? Drinks were always flowing. The pools were so much fun for my daughter and for myself as well. the quite pool wasn't so quite as we brought music, That pool was great and not too packed. The party pool (with slide) was fun. Really busy lots of chairs and people to socialize with if your into that. The beach is A++ with lots of chairs and we always had a umbrella to go under. The room was basic. All the necessities and we just slept in it so that did us fine. afternoon showers were hot in my room not in the morning though I was told others had hot showers... I was in building 32 which was beside a restaurant only open 4 days we were there and had a good breakfast, 50 feet from the beach party pool and disco.... GREAT location. The disco was fun.. your kids are allowed there as well but it was a good party and good music. the ages in there are from 20-60 and a few kids dancing... people apparently were coming from other resorts to party so you know it was alright. The workers were out of this world amazing, I heard people saying they are grumpy... No.. actually take time to speak to them. ask them where they are from, or if they kids. They will be happy to tell you. All in all, would I go back again? It was great and if I was paying $800 or less, Yes. the food is always lacking in Cuba but this was pretty bad.. over then that for a affordable get away why not1

Hotel Los Cactus: Quiet, small resort, horrible food

The hotel was only a 25mins bus ride from the Airport, which was convenient, and only minutes to Varadero restaurants, bank or to the mall of America, where we could get money out. Los Cactus was a small resort, and only minutes to the beach, pool, buffet, and lobby. The grounds were clean, but the hotel needs an update, which I think is coming later this year. The pool lining is falling apart. There was plenty of food at the buffet, but the quality and variation of food was poor. Many people du [... read more]ring our stay got sick off the food. The meat station had little to choose from, no chicken at all. The food was slightly better quality at the a la carte restaurant, although they had run out of the popular foods. It was better to just pay the extra money and get off the resort to Varadero, and eat at a restaurant. We ate at "The La Vaca Rosada" (the "Pink Cow"), and it was awesome! The food was delicious, hot, fresh, with quick and friendly service. I would highly recommend the filet minot, and the chicken cordon bleu, and ANY of their blender drinks :)

Palma Real: We love Palma Real!

This year was our 4th time to Palma Real. It was great to see returning guests we'd met over the years and awesome to see the employees of the resort. The easiest way to give an accurate review, is to say, 'you get what you pay for'... it's fantastic for us, works with our budget and we definitely love Varadero. It's dated, the food is okay, the bar drink choices are limited and the rooms are satisfactory...but for our family, it's what we can afford. It's walking distance to fantastic entertain [... read more]ment and the markets and the ocean is a two minute walk. The best thing about the resort is the staff, they're awesome

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great trip

Overall I loved the hotel but I’m not a super picky person. First of all it is huge. So my feet were sore but I got a work out. There are shuttles that go around but you could wait longer waiting for a shuttle than just walking. The food was ok. Nothing spectacular but that’s Cuba. One disappointment was the late night grill that had about ten things on the menu but when we went there all they had were burgers. The pools and entertainment were amazing and beach was excellent. Staff were alwa [... read more]ys friendly.

Playa Caleta: It’s was alright

Here are some honest thoughts You get what you pay for... Dependant on the traveller thoughts may vary. The food was ok not the best but not the worst.Anyone who has been to Cuba should understand the expectations.If you want the works then pay the $$. This trip was a mini getaway at an affordable price. The resort is fairly old. We stayed in a more upgraded type room but it’s cuba again it’s cuba. The food was ok but could be better we ate a kiki club down the street for dinner almost ever [... read more]y day They only provide a few towels in the room. There is no beer, pop or water in the room. No bar by the beach. Wifi went in and out in the lobby at times kind of annoying. The bar was good and quick. Would we stay at this resort yes but only again if we are looking for a mini getaway for a reasonable price!!’

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Terrible experience

Resort was dirty. Rooms smelled very musty and damp. The grounds were dirty as well-litter on ground, cigarette butts all in the beach. Elevators disgusting. Service was extremely poor. First and last time in Cuba.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: OK RESORT

HI, ROOMS WERE RUN DOWN, SERVICE WAS FANTASTIC, A FEW REPAIR PROBLEMS WERE QUICKLY FIXED, NEVER GOT THE ROOM I REQUESTED BUT THEY WERE WILLING TO CHANGE ME THE NEXT DAY. FOOD OK - DO NOT ORDER BEEF/STEAK, TOUGH!! STAFF VERY FRIENDLY & KNOWLEGIBLE - ATTENDED WEDDING THERE & THE WEDDING CO-ORDINATOR WAS FANTASTIC, GREAT FOOD, CAKE D.J. FLOWERS ETC. ENJOYED OUR STAY.

Playa Caleta: Amazing Beach

It all depends on the type of traveler you are. We were prepared with lowered expectations. We read the reviews prior to and understood the resort was filled with Russians. That is true, and they are quite rude and feel entitled. The food was okay on the resort, but that was expected. We honestly went down the street to Kiki's Club Restaurant- food is amazing! And very affordable! The resort is outdated but rooms are kept fairly clean and well. We made the best of our time and appreciated the m [... read more]oments we had and the beach!