Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Initially Impressed

Lobby and hotel itself was great, beautiful. We were disappointed to hear there was no free wifi. Free wifi could at least have been provided in the lobby instead of having to pay 1 peso per hour. Even if we had to pay, the method by which we had to pay (per hour using a code that timed out in an hour) was inconvenient and frustrating. The food at the buffet was not the best. There was variety but the meats were bland. Breakfast was great though. The one factor that really upset both of u [... read more]s was the state of the room. The pillow and sheets were stained with blood and other dirt. When we asked for receptoin to change the sheets in person they did not. The next day they changed our pillows but not the sheets. So the room was indeed the most disappointing. When you go to Melia brand you do not expect a dirty room. We actually upgraded to the boutique side "Royal Service" because we did not want to ruin our entire stay.

Starfish Jibacoa: Small but very nice resort!

This resort is small, but very nice. We stayed in little villas, room was very clean, and walking distance to the bar, reception and buffet. They kept the bathrooms quite clean and the surrounding areas. The beach is OK. A lot of rocks in the water. My buddies said that the snorkeling is AMAZING on the beach. The entertainment was ok. I love to Salsa dance, but after the show, they would play 'Techno', not salsa music. The water is 'treated', they provide 2 bottles in your room upon arriva [... read more]l, then you keep the bottle to change at the bar, buffet or reception bar. The food was very good! Breakfast always had fresh fruit, juice and the egg omelettes were quite good. Lunches had fresh veggies, and lots of pasta salad. Dinner, fresh cut meats, chicken, liver, pork, very little beef. The snack bar was mediocre. They could perhaps upgrade the food a little and get some fries. They only have one 'a la carte' restaurant, which was excellent! Other restaurants off the resort which were also excellent. Pool is kept very clean. lots of chairs. We brought the pool chairs to the beach, but brought them back to the pool at the end of the day. I loved the resort, and would eventually go back.

Melia Las Americas: Beautiful paradise!

Beautiful five star resort. The grounds, beeches, and pools were absolutely stunning. Food was good, the a-la-cartes were amazing, rooms were a little dated in our section. Many return customers here, all who say it’s the best ;) It’s located on veraderos only pro golf course so there is more of an older “adult” oriented crowd. Highly recommend.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Overall Fantastic!

The highlights were the beach and water that stayed shallow quite far, as well as the catamaran trip to snorkeling right off the beach. The grounds were very well kept, although not quite as fancy as 5 stars elsewhere, which goes for the lobby area as well. Our room in building 17 was probably one of the best, with an ocean view. Nighttime entertainment was excellent. Some so-so aspects were the food, which was great for variety, but lacking in flavour. The exception was the Cuba Day lunch  [... read more]buffet which served authentic Cuban food and was absolutely delicious. Anything beef was not a forte, but chicken dishes were excellent. Needing improvement, in our view, was the service at buffet restaurants and lobby and nighttime bars. Service was slow, and there did not seem to be very many servers working given the number of people to be served. Another area needing improvement is the courtesy room one can use once checked out. An exhaust fan in the room is badly needed because it quickly turns into a steamy sauna if you shower in it. The airport at departure was a crowded chaotic disorganized mess, but nothing can be done about that! The transat rep who was present did not seem to know any more than us about which lines to wait in etc...

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Great vacation

The resort was nice, very clean, and well laid out. The rooms were a little dated. The beds were two twin beds pushed together to make a king. They should invest in getting a king bed. The service was excellent. Our room overlooked the pool and we were a short distance from the beach. We had our own section on the beach which was quiet.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Nice resort

Iberostar Tainos is a small resort. It is is a bit tired, but clean. Staff was very nice and spoke English very well. It had a nice pool area, but I didn’t try the pool. The best part of this resort is the beach, beautiful and wide white sandy beach with crystal clear, shallow, warm water. It was always easy to find chairs and there was lots of shade umbrellas. Food was average, kind of bland, but there was always something to eat.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Everything we needed and more!

My partner and I went here for our spring break. Clean rooms. Amazing grounds. Beautiful beach. Pretty solid food. Great service (shout out to Haiti at the buffet). From the moment we stepped into the lobby we were taken care of. Just wish our excursion packages could have had better half day options. We can’t wait to come back.

Hotel Los Cactus: So pleased with this resort!

This resort is comfortable. Everything is close by. Staff is beyond helpful and all looked very happy. Food was great, beach is wonderful. Room was spacious and everything worked Shows were entertaining. Zero complaints

Starfish Jibacoa: Awesome Resort and Staff

The hotel was very clean, both the rooms, restaurants and the grounds. The staff were always friendly and well informed, spoke English very well and were always helpful. The beach was a great place for relaxing under the trees, plenty of shade if that is what you like. Snorkeling was amazing, catamaran, massage, all at your waiting. I loved it and would recommend it anytime, hope to return some day.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Mediocre Experience

Single beds only available in all of the resort apparently, ice cream parlour was never opened, drinks weren’t the best. Staff would serve others regardless of the order you lined up in if you tipped well enough. Ocean and beach were beautiful. The transfer bus drivers were very unhelpful.

Playa Vista Azul: Great Resort!

The resort is well laid out with easy access to 2 separate beaches and pools. The resort was well kept and provided guests with various activities to participate in throughout the day. I would recommend this resort!

Los Delfines: Management needs to listen

We have gone to Delfines for years. We like it because of the in town location on the beach. And we know the staff who do their best despite the lack of resources given to the hotel and it’s infrastructure. Food was somewhat improved this time but limited food resources make meals challenging. You can’t work without resources. You can’t expect a 5star resort for 2 star prices. This hotel has potential but continues to be neglected and ignored by the hotel chain. But it’s a beautiful beac [... read more]h there are restaurants in walking distance the coffee bar is excellent and the staff do their best.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: 2nd time didn't disappoint

This was our second year in a row at this hotel and we loved it just as much. We actually required medical attention this time and were very pleased with the service we received and the attention they gave us. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking to travel in the Varadero area! This is the 7th hotel I have been to in Cuba and is by far my favourite one.

Palma Real: great value for the price

We have been coming to the Palma Real since 2009 and outside of a few inconveniences have always felt comfortable there, the staff polite and helpful, and the proximity to Varadero main drag excellent. Our rooms although well used were clean and bright. The noise and smoke in the main lobby is often overwhelming when the place is fully booked but that problem lies with the lifestyles and behaviour of the guests, not the hotel. The bars in the two alternate lobbies, The Daiquiri and the Black a [... read more]nd White, offer a pleasant quieter environment but their hours of operation were too limited. The food quantity and variety in the main dining room was always adequate, however the alternate snack facility, the barbacoa , which we love to use, was too inconsistent in selection and hours. The pre booked a-la-carte restaurants are a pleasant alternative. The five minute walk to the world class Varadero beach is no problem and the beach bar a nice touch but the rugged hazardous goat trail leading from the end of the paved road down to the sand is absolutely terrible. It has been this way for all ten years we have been coming and would take so little effort to upgrade. Come on Guys ! Overall, I would recommend the Palma Real as great value for the price and certainly will stay there again when we return to our beloved Varadero.

Memories Jibacoa: Disappointing at best

I am going to start with saying the resort was kept clean. The lobby bar staff were great and the VIP restaurants were great. The rest of the place was one big disappointment. The entire facility is old and tired. At bars it didn't matter if you were next in line, the Cuban guests always got served first. The so-called snorkeling right off the shore was disappointing, barely saw any fish at all. My agent told me the reef was 30 meters out, but it started almost at the shoreline and just mad [... read more]e any sort of relaxing swimming impossible. Most afternoons you couldn't swim in the water at all because there were hundreds of jellyfish blowing ashore waiting to sting you. The water in the rooms was non-existent through half the nights (without notice) and the shower heads were a dribble at best and so low you had to be less than 5 feet tall to fit under them. There was nothing extra in the rooms, not even a clock or alarm. My husband and I both got sick from the food in the buffet restaurant and lost an entire day. I have been travelling for over 40 years and never gotten sick before. We paid the extra for the diamond service, don't bother. The girl who was supposed to serve drinks in the diamond area mostly spent her days sitting in the shade chatting with the bartender and/or lifeguard. She would disappear for hours at a time. My so-called concierge, David, was impossible to reach. We were sick in bed and waited hours for him to arrive. Finally we just told the receptionist to please bring us some food to try to eat. We got dry bread with a miniscule hamburger inside, no fixings, and about 20 french fries. The hamburger was raw inside so we had to throw it out. I never even met him and he did absolutely nothing for us. Approximately 80% of the people there were over 70 years old, I felt sorry for the young people. Tips were expected for every little thing done for you, sometimes they would tap their tip jars before doing anything. I don't mind to tip if they take good care of you, but it shouldn't be expected every single time they did their job. The waitresses were good and eager to serve you, but one night there were people dressed up in costumes and they literally told you to tip them. I was embarrassed for them. Over all a 3 star place at best, and a big disappointment if you are used to 5 stars.

Melia Marina Varadero: Deception

The GOOD and the BAD... GOOD: Great beach, great pool (nice and clean), nice restaurant at the beach, clean room, nice view. MEDIOCRE: Not enough shade at the pool and beach. Uncomfortble chaires at the beach. BAD: Once there was no more beer at the beach bar, once there was no more ice, once there was no more red wine at the loundge and often there was no white wine ON the resort. FOOD. It was our 7th time in Cuba, second time in Varadero but as my wife says, it was probably the worst  [... read more]food ever. I even killed a cockroach in the restaurant (but I have to say that the restaurant was always clean). The drain in our shower was blocked, I called, they came pretty quickly and fixed it and they called back to verify if everything was Ok (that I appreciated). Got some mosquito bites to the point I had to go to the pharmacy and get some antihistamine. I wasn't the only one! Paid extra for the Marina View, I think it wasn't worth it. The view towards the pool, you could aslo see the ocean. I paid extra since it was a 5 star on different web sites, (but it didn't feel like it).

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing Resort

The beach is awesome and is just a short walk a bar in the beach the pool is very nice as well. Food is good a few places where you can get food in the resort 24 hours did not use the spa or the fitness room to comment about it. Overall a had a wonderful time

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Relaxing

Very pretty, well laid out resort. Too many stairs and some in need of repair. Room was dated but fine. Room designation however was well located, close to lobby and bars, but we had a wake up call at 5:45 every morning as our room was beside the work area, so lots of loud talking and banging. So don't let them put you in 1103! Food was okay, we tried two restaurants and were disappointed so we ate at the buffet the rest of the week. Always found something to eat. Shows were incredible, lots o [... read more]f talent in Cuba. So mixed feelings. I don't know if we would return.

Hotel Los Cactus: Exceeded expectations

We travelled as a group of 4 - 2 adults and 2 young adults. Had one preferred suite and one gardenview suite. Nice range of ages at this resort. We were happy with everything overall - room was good, food was fine especially a la cartes, staff was friendly, beach was awesome, etc.

Starfish Jibacoa: Beautiful hidden gem!

This resort is simple and quaint. No big frills but is absolutely stunning. Nestled between the beach and the mountains it was the perfect spot and had lots to offer. We were in a hotel room rather than a bungalow (there were none available). The room was basic and the beds were only 3/4 size. So unfortunately not great as we didn't get to sleep in the same bed. Next time we go we will for sure book early enough to get a bungalow. The food was OK nothing to brag about but we always found somet [... read more]hing to eat. The location is amazing for snorkeling but make sure to bring your own gear as it's not included with the resort like we had thought. We will definitely go back to this resort as we just fell in love with the location and the simplicity of it. We also loved that it was located in the middle of both Varadero and Havana.