Very Nice Resort

Very nice Resort----Very clean lobby--washrooms-- rooms--Landscaping and pools very well looked after----Lots of good food and drinks---beach well groomed--all litter picked up at all times---Cuban people very nice and helpful

I am reformed - Amazing

I was not a big fan of Cuba, but this resort changed my mind. I loved the hotel, the people and the food was quite decent. The beach was spectacular. The staff are always smiling. I would return in a heart beat.

Beautiful resort!!

Oceans El patriarca was an absolute beautiful resort. It was very clean, staff was super friendly, beach was beautiful. The food was actually quite good considering all the reviews about how terrible the food is in Cuba. They even had hot sauce!! Towards the end of our trip we even noticed a worker restraining the wood panels around the garbage bins, that is how clean they kept this resort

Great Beach , Excellent Facilities , Mediocre Food

I was at the Ocean Varadero Nov.1 throught Nov. 8. I arrived about 9:30 in the evening. Upon arrival the checkin was fast and efficient The restaurants closed at 10 but we were still able to make it to the Italian a la carte restaraunt . The room was very modern and clean. On the first couple of days the buffet was disappointing (very little variety), so we had breakfast at the coffee shop and lunch at the snack bar (hot dogs, burgers,pizza, fries). The quality of food at the a la carte restaura [... read more]nts was only average. We did go into Varadero for dinner on 4 evenings and the quality of food was excellent. The beach at this hotel is the nicest that I have ever seen, white sand and lots of cabanas. There was an adequate supply of paddle boats and kayaks with a minimal wait to use them. The pool was never crowded and it was easy to get a lounger. Getting extra cash was difficult because debit cards didn't work but my credit card did work for a cash advance at the ATM at the Plaza de Americas shopping mall.

Great Stay at a Good Price

November 1, 2014, The overall experience (grounds, room, bar service, beach, staff, shows, front desk and general atmosphere), was very good to excellent. The food was basic and tended to be repetitive and not very imaginative. It was nevertheless better than was expected for Cuba, and definitively in the acceptable range This resort delivered good value for the money.

Plain Cuban resort

Nothing special here. The food is very good for Cuban standards. The beach is nice. The grounds are clean. But that's about it. The resort itself is kind of plain and boring. There is currently construction next door, so there is the odd sound of jack hammers and construction equipment. The staff here is not all that friendly. Because of that, I would not return to this resort.

Great resort

The resort was great, very clean, modern, large bedroom with a king size bed. We were totally happy with everything. The beach and ocean were awesome. We would definitely go there again. The food was typically Cuban - mediocre.

Family vacation

Great resort; one of the best hotels in Caribbean's we have visited. Excellent service, friendly staff, good food. BIG SALUTE for Cuban acrobats, dancers, singers and all other dedicated performers who provided professional, and excellent shows every day.

Fantastic Beach

Check in smooth with a drink at arrival. Room not ready. Took bathing suits out of our luggage & wasted no time as e headed to the beach. Promptly at 4pm our room was ready and it was a great location close to everything. We stayed at room 2613. Great room service. No complaints. Lunches best at Buffet. Always something good to be found. Preferred to A La Carte. Waited 1 1/2 hrs for Asian. Gourmet not so great. We had two great servers at Buffet Yes see and Anna. All in all. Grand vacation. Th [... read more]ank u all Oceans H 10!

Good Resort

My wife and I are experienced travelers to Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica and so on. The primary thing I can say about Ocean Varadero El Patriarca is that it is the best resort in Cuba I have stayed at and I have stayed at two others before this one. Here are my initial thoughts about the resort shortly after returning home. The architecture of the resort and all its various buildings is typical of resorts within this price point. It was more reminiscent of a retirement village i [... read more]nstead of the colonial style you often see. I sort of expect that colonial style in places like Mexico or other part of the Caribbean because of the history, however resorts are simply made up imaginary places anyway so maintaining a façade of a bygone era is not a big issue for me. Inside the rooms the furniture and fixtures are surprising worn for a resort this new. I was told this resort was four years old and I have been told it is two years old. I’m not sure which is correct. The sofa in our room was made of wicker which had been chipped and appeared to be decades old. The fixtures reminded me of a drab version of Ikea furniture, lots of plain wood painted black, which of course shows more damage than if it had been simply stained or painted a lighter colour. The black and green design of the rooms was boring and dingy. There are three a la carte restaurants, which take turns being open for dinner; one buffet, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; a snack bar at the pool that is open 24 hours; and another buffet by the beach that is open for lunch. The a la carte restaurants share their kitchen with the buffet so you can expect a slightly improved version of what you would find there. The a la carte options are Italian, oriental and gourmet. I believe there is another dinning option for Privilege members however we were not made of aware of that. Anyone who travels to Cuba with that preconceived notion that a five star will have international five star quality of food, you will be disappointed. That said, the food is of decent quality and quantity. I have a theory about why Cuba is lacking in this area and it has to do with supply and training issues which I won’t get into here, however you will not go hungry at this resort. There are enough options that even a fussy eater will find something that will satisfy them. The layout of the resort is excellent. Essentially the entire resort is an oval centered on the swimming pool. Nothing is too far to walk to and within a day or so we were familiar with how to get just about anywhere on the resort. Varadero is also a great location from the perspective of tourism. The airport is about 30 minutes from even the furthest location and getting around Varadero is fairly easy. There are two pools at the resort. One is reserved for the privilege guests while the other located in the center of the resort is open to everyone. Between the pool and the beach, the pool is where the party seems to be. The pool looks dirty even though I believe that the paint is merely chipped, however this has the effect of making the pool less desirable. We didn’t use it at all this week. The Varadero beach is really why you come to Varadero. The water is clean, the beach stretches for miles, and the sand is as wide as a multilane highway. Make sure you get up early to find a spot on the beach if you want a palapa with some decent beach chairs. Some of the chairs are in poor condition and my guess by the number of people who reserve them with their towels, there are not enough good quality chairs and palapas to go around. The bracelet you are given upon arrival at the resort is Blue (I believe silver for Privilege). Gradually over the first week of your stay, this bracelet will lose its blue colour and become mostly white. I’m not sure if this is important for anyone to be aware of, but I have never had this happen at any other resort I have stayed at. I wonder where all the blue dye is going? The primary factor in choosing this resort was price. My wife and I had already booked another fall vacation this year, but in researching vacations for my mother-in-law we saw very low pricing on this resort (about half of what we have paid for resorts in other countries). If I found similar pricing for this resort again I would consider it, however I prefer the experience that I get in other countries. I think the most important thing with resorts such as Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, is that you enter into it with the right expectation. If you show up expecting five star standards from another country (whatever they might be), you will be disappointed. If you come with low or no expectation you will probably enjoy yourself.

Greatest Vacation of all resort

Example: What did you think about  this hotel? (grounds, public areas, rooms, dining, features, etc.) I like the Hotel very much because everything in the room are new and modern (the entire resort). I like the idea that they have the Mike's Coffee and Tea house, excellent variaties of hot and cold drinks.

Perfect Vacation

What a perfect way to end the summer. My husband and I spent the last week of August in one of the most beautiful resorts in Cuba. Everything about this resort was awesome from check in to check out. Our favourite time was spent at Mike's Cafe. The only unfortunate thing is, we waited too long to book, and the price went up $50 a ticket.

Excellent Resort in Varadero

My first trip to Cuba and I really enjoyed it! The resort was excellent, the people were wonderful (very friendly). The food was very good with lots of variety, it had many places to eat. Mike's Cafe made some very good coffees all day long. They gave premium alcohol (Kahlua, scotch, whiskey,etc) great entertainment, nice pool and beach location. The resort did require lots of walking. Instead of a large hotel it was spread out into small apartment rooms, with balcony or terrace. The place wasn' [... read more]t perfect, but very clean, well maintained and very relaxing. I'd go back any day!

Best Time Ever

What an awesome place...First of all, the employees are the nicest people I have ever met.Taking great care of my needs was their first thing every day. Altho the first thing they did was shake my hand or give me high 5s or even hugs and say my name. Of all the countries I have travelled the people here have been the nicest and most hard working. The food was great and I can be pretty picky. The grounds and pool and beach area are wonderful.

Great resort!!!

- Very well kept grounds. The resort is very easy to navigate. public areas - The rooms are large, and very clean. Our shower door wasn't very good and a fair amount of water leaked onto the bathroom floor. - The food was fairly average. There was a wide selection of items, but the best items were the grilled meats/seafood prepared in front of you.

Nice Resort

Great hotel and awesome beach. Room was clean and decor was modern. Suggestion, bring balls (soccer,football,volleyball) for kids. The resort has limited sports equipment and you have to return it by 5pm.

Lovely

We stayed at this resort in March 2014 and absolutely loved it. The rooms were spacious and having the option of a shower as well as a tub was a bonus. Golf carts were available to take you to your room if you preferred to ride or had health issues that prevented you from walking. The buffet was the best we have experienced in Cuba with a large selection to choose form and a nightly 'feature' item which included Roast Beef, Lobster, Roast Pork and Turkey. If you couldn't find something to suit  [... read more]your taste you must be a very picky eater. One of my favourite things at this resort was the Coffee Bar - what a great way to start your morning with a freshly made latte or cappuccino - absolutely delicious. There are no better beaches than in Cuba. We found you did have to get to the beach early if you wanted a Palpa(?) for shade. No problem for us since we were early risers. The beach did tend to be a little crowded as the pool didn't seem to be used by as many people as you would normally see (probably due to lack of shade) I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Great resort. Would stay there again!

The resort was great. The staff, very helpful & friendly. We stayed in the 63 block bldg. & the location was quite central; to the main lobby, pool & beach. There was a small issue with some tiny ants. We notified the front desk & they raided our room. I had read reviews that we shouldn't have stayed in rooms located on ground level. Our friends had a room on the 2nd floor & still had the same issue. But like I said it was taken care of ASAP. You have to realize your in a tropical location. The  [... read more]other issue we had is regarding beach towels. Hold on to them like their gold. The resort must of had some problem getting clean towels because we had the same towel for 3 days. After that, towels were available daily. The resort has 3 restaurants; Italian, Steakhouse & Chinese. Our group didn't go to the Chinese restaurant. The other 2 were quite good. I had heard stories about the quality of food in Cuba. I have to say it wasn't a problem. There was always something that would appeal to you. The buffet area had 2 chefs cooking stuff like fish, chops, chicken, beef on the spot. A friend of ours had an issue with calling home. She called from an authorized phone both near the lobby & they charged her 2.10 pesos while there wasn't a connection. Best to tell your family & friends you will send them a text or email. You could pick up a wi-fi card for 4.90 pesos, which gives 1 hour of use. We took a private trip into Havana & that was great. All in all the vacation was fantastic. We had a fun group of friends & it's what you make of it. Before you go you should go to the dollar store & pick up some toothbrushes, toothpaste, small things for kids to leave your chambermaid. These items are quite costly in Cuba. The people are fantastic & for people in our group who had been to Cuba before, they said that the resort was fantastic & a lot has changed.

Best time of my life!

Ocean is an amazing place, our room was always clean. The food was amazing everyday you got a verity of different food fresh fish steak turkey chicken , cakes desserts. Had everything there so amazing . the beach and pool area is very clean and has entertaining. would go back in a heartbeat! the resort is always clean and very beautiful to walk around.

Amazing Resort

Everything was great, the food, drinks and entertainment. Ocean was beautiful and snorkelling was fun. Rooms were very clean and staff was friendly. I plan on returning every 6 mths to this resort only. Best value for your money!!