Perfect Getaway!

The hotel was more like a resort than a Hotel. the rooms were spacious and well appointed. The ground were park like, easy to get around and spacious so you never felt crowded. Beach area was larger than most we walked past and even though the resort was 90% full there was lots of beach chairs and shade. Will be returning!

Amazing resort

This was our 3rd time at the Paradisus Princesa Del Mar, every stay has been amazing. The beach is beautiful, grounds & rooms are very well maintained. The service was excellent from Betty & ladies at the pool to the front lobby bar ladies, Sumi was a sweetheart (not sure if I spelled her name right) & the restaurants. they went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. One example was the buffet had not orange juice one morning, our waitress went out of her way to go find some so that we h [... read more]ad OJ with our breakfast. We have met some amazing people who work at this resort and from year to year they always remember us. Already looking forward to next year, won't hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone.

Nice resort.

Firstly, to all those who are looking, this is more of an elderly resort. If you are looking at parties and clubbing, memories maybe a better idea. The staff are really nice and helpful. And there are lots going on within the resort itself, shows, performances, diving courses, and etc. The distance to beach is literally 5 mins walk from the lobby. Food maybe a bit disappointing, but the mirana at the royal service is superb. In all, it's really amazing.

Many great things...

The pool and beach were absolutely amazing. The pool area was rather small but stunning and fun-filled with music and entertainment. Not a lot of space to swim though. On a windy day the pool capacity was full. The beach was one of the best in Cuba! Wow!! The staff went out of their way and were not pushy to make a buck but sincere in their approach. Please bring toiletry items and anything else you can fit in your suitcase as they make very poor wages yet are happy to please. The room wasn' [... read more]t favorable - old and didn't appear pristine - (bungalow 4) but we didn't spend much time there so wasn't a huge issue. Food was fine once you found a few items to rely on each day - grilled chicken, pasta bar, bacon and eggs, mimosas and wine! Ice cream everyday too. Japonese restaurant was great! Evening entertainment was terrific. So enjoyable meeting many other Canadians in Cuba. Thanks tripcentral.ca

Great Resort - Some Issues

The resort was beautiful and clean; however, some issues were noticible. The resort itself was clean and cleaning staff very friendly. The beach had quite a bit of seaweed and was not cleaned up all week. Sometimes there was quite a wait for service at the lobby bar and the entertainment area. Food in the a la carte restaurants was good, but the buffet was adequate (we had been informed of thie and so not surprised about this). Had some issues with excursions. For example, we were told [... read more] there were two shopping malls within close distance, one of which was within walking distance at a sister resort of Papadisus (Melia resort). We walked to the mall and made one purchases and was about to make another purchase when we were informed by security guards that only people staying at this resort could shop there and asked everyone who were not staying at the resort to leave. We returned to our resort informed our Sunwing representative and were told a story that we simply were in the wrong area of the resort. However, there were other people who were browsing at other stores and we were all told to leave. Sunwing reps should be aware of this. Another issue involved an excursion to Havana. We were told to take our own toilet paper because the washrooms didn't have toilet paper. This is not unusual at many places however, it didn't help to bring toilet paper because at each place there were people guarding the washrooms and we had to pay in order to use. Although we are familiar with this practice, we were not informed of this and to tell us to bring our own toilet paper was not helpful at all because once we paid, the attendant gave us toilet paper as we entered the washrooms. The tipping on the excursion was very aggressive and although we expected this when we were on our own, the Sunwing representative should have advised us how aggressive this practice was going to be. For example at our lunch, which was part of the excursion, after the musicians finished their set, they came to each table to either sell their CD or give a tip - the basket was passed to each person directly and after this, the wait staff came with a notice for each patron asking for a tip (not complaining about the tip, just how aggressive it was and the dual tip expectation). At the museum, which was another part of the tour, the museum attendants were extremely agressive. We had been warned in advance by our bus driver that if they took our picture or anything, they would expect a tip, however, the attendants immediately approached us and kept insisting they take our picture. I said no problem and then gave the attendant a tip - amazingly she then wanted more - said it wasn't enough. There was also another young couple with us and the attendant actually chased them around asking them for more money. It appears that Cuba is changing significantly. Overall, other than the fact that beach was not cleaned up all week, the resort was very good. The room attendants are amazing and are very friendly, as were the severs at the restaurants. I believe the issues we experienced could have been minimized if our Sunwing representatives had been up front about what to expect. Also, the matter of being asked to leave the sister resort by security guards was very upsetting.

Not at 5 star!!!

First of all, this hotel is rated as a 5 star and sunwing markets it as a 5 star but it is at most a 4 star. If you want a 5 star resort then do not expect it from this resort. I'll comment in order of star ratings below: Beach/Pools - the beach is nice and there is a long stretch that you can walk but it is not as nice as Punta Cana in Dominican. Lots of shells that hurt the feet when walking and rough water often.There more than enough chairs and huts on the beach at the resort thou [... read more]gh, never an issue getting one. The one pool was nice and kept clean however not always easy to find shade especially at the bar there was no shade at all. Service - This was hit or miss. There were terrible servers and then there were great servers. If you have prepared to give big tips then you will likely get average or slightly above service, if not then don't expect much. Food - below average. The buffet was ok but the same almost everyday, food prep and meat handling very poor. Usually flies in the main buffet room that drove you crazy while eating. I could usually find something to eat all meals but my spouse could not always and would end up eating bread and/or pizza. The a la cartes were a huge disappointment. One of the benefits we thought of the resort was unlimited a la cartes. When we went to book there were few opening because you could book the entire week at a time so all good times were taken, in addition, we were only given 4 options of a la cartes when there was at least 5 restaurants. We went to the Japanese restaurant first, the food was ok but the show was the worst I've been to in the Caribbean (been to numerous previous - Punta Cana 4 times, Jamaica - 1, Varadro - 1). Next night was the Italian and it was terrible. The service wasn't good and the food awful. The reusable place mats were stained and filthy and the restaurant was dirty. After this we decided to not go to the remaining a la cartes and instead suffered at the buffet. Room - the room was ok but dated (as the rest of the resort). There bugs in the bathroom which is not uncommon. The room needed some cosmetic repairs (tile grout missing and Paint). We did get used towels a couple days and one day the mini bar was not restocked and had to call front desk, after which It was promptly restocked. Value - this is poor value for the money. We paid for and expected a 5 star resort but received at best a 4 star, my spouse says a 3.5 star. Location - It is a touristy area like all resorts in Caribbean however I felt a little more comfortable off the resort as compared to Dominican and Jamaica. About 30 min drive to the airport. Overall rating is between 3.5 and 4 star.

Outstanding resort

As usual everything was extremely in wonderful experience. It always a pleasure going to Princess Paradis Del Mar. We both consider it a home away from home. Everybody who works there treat us like there own and go out of there way to please us and make sure that everything is up to par. From the time we grt off the bus to the minute we leave. The one thing that we notice is how they remember us right down to what we drink. We don't even have to ask they know exactly what we want. This is j [... read more]ust wonderful . Can't wait for the year to go by so we can all meet our new found friends who we ourselves consider to be our family.

Unrealized potential

For context this was my third visit to Varadero, having visited two other properties, and my first to this particular property; We were disappointed by our resort experience on this recent occasion. The hotel itself, in terms of architecture and condition is adequate and typical of other properties in the area, however, the layout of the property itself was for us less than ideal; the only pool available to non-"royal plus" guests is at the foot of the lobby, surrounded by the properties  [... read more]primary dining complex and a spa, and several hundred metres away from the beach. Further, while nicely landscaped, the property was haphazardly littered with beach chairs throughout the gardens well beyond proximity to the pool, significantly diminishing the tranquility and aesthetic. The pool itself is shallow and offers a nice break from the heat, but the loud music and daily dance classes further diminish the ambience. There is a serene, quiet pool on the property but it is only available to "plus" guests. The beach itself is like most along the Varadero coast, a wide swath of sand void of any tropical vegetation fronted by beautiful turquois waters, although the sand is slightly more coarse with shell debris. If you're new to the area, note that because of the lack of vegetation the beach area can be quite windy. The rooms are extremely basic in design, décor and finishing and the bedding (at least ours) was well past it's usefulness with collapsed side supports and pressure depressions in the center and should have been thrown out years ago. Additionally, we had the misfortune of having bed bugs and the resultant tell tale bites literally from scalp to toe. The dining consists like virtually all area hotels, and most all inclusive resorts of a buffet and several reservation only internationally themed a la carte restaurants. Having stayed at tropical resorts from very high end (Bora Bora, Ladera in St. Lucia.....) and numerous mid-range and all inclusive resorts, the food wasn't frankly all that different. That is to say, it was what one should expect of an island resort with limited resources, different training, preparations and standards and was in that context was quite good (although proteins are greatly overcooked, but better safe than sorry on holiday). The a la carte dining includes Japanese, French, Italian, Cuban, all of which was fine; the only real criticism is that the buffet offered very little variety day to day for any of the meal times. Customer service was extraordinarily inefficient, e.g., four bartenders all serving only one side of pool bar which offers three counters for service, and much slower than you may be accustomed. Also, service was with only a few exceptions largely joyless in delivery whether you tip or not. There is a not uncommon noon check out policy, although their execution of the policy defies logic. We requested a later check out to accommodate our late flight and were first told that we could not keep our room and would have to leave our luggage in a safe room by the lobby and use an assigned courtesy room to change; then we were told we could keep our room as the assigned courtesy suite if we paid 10 peso per hour, but that we would still have to move our luggage to the safe room at noon (???); our simple request was finally accommodated after reasoning through the logic of their policy and pointing out that maid service hadn't visited our room once all week before 330pm anyway. Overall, the change of routine and scenery offered the break we needed, but the hotel can do much better at improving the service and ambiance of the property. If you're looking for an affordable getaway, you don't mind loud music and the clientele that may attract, average food and customer service, than this may be the property for you, otherwise you may wish to consider one of the other many properties sharing the same beautiful strip of ocean front.

A very nice relaxing vacation resort. We had a great week.

The resort is fairly small, which was ok with us. Regardless of where your room is, it's just a short walk to the beach. This was our first time in Cuba and we found that we enjoyed the resort and the country very much. The staff that we met and spoke with were all very friendly, and you get the feeling that they all really like the Canadian tourists and genuinely appreciate that we have chosen Cuba as our vacation destination. The buffet food was good, and there was good choice & variety ,but [... read more] of course some food items were there at every meal, but I think you get that to a certain extent at all of the all-inclusives. We tried out the French, Italian, Cuban and Japanese restaurants. All were very good and we enjoyed the food in each. The restaurant staff were excellent. The property itself is very nice. We did notice that some things do need upgrading, and minor repairs. Nothing major, or anything that upset us, but some of the walkways need repair, lights on the pathways need to be replaced, plaster on the buildings need repair & paint in some spots. The room we stayed in was just fine & comfortable for the week, although I wouldn't call it luxurious. You would normally see some better quality furniture in a 5 star resort, and it had a few scrapes & scratches but again, it didn't bother us at all. We were there to enjoy the beach / weather and country, not to stare at the furniture. The patio door and screen door didn't function well, but who knows where they sourced them from. Beautiful beach, and a beach bar nice and close were both enjoyable features. Excellent entertainment. It seemed as if there was a live Cuban band or a show of some sort at every meal! And they are all very good performers, and have some lovely harmonies. We really enjoyed the music & shows.

Very nice relaxing resort

This hotel provided everything we were expecting and hoping for. The rooms were pleasantly clean with up to date furnishings - the pool water was crystal clear - the staff were extremely polite - helpful and accommodating. The food selection was plentiful and although some people say the food is blah in Cuba we had no issues. We really utilized the cooks grilling the food in front of us which allowed us to add whatever we wanted to - to enhance the flavour of our food. That is something I learne [... read more]d during my first visit to Cuba. I enjoyed the different selection of restaurants which provided various choices of where you want to eat. The hotel is in close proximity to various off site ventures. The only disappointment we experienced was the weather near the end of the week which unfortunately was out of the control of the hotel. I definitely would recommend this hotel and will return.

Royal Service is the way to go!

Our vacation at the Paradisus Princesa Del Mar was absolutely our favorite vacation by far! We selected to upgrade to the Royal Service and were not disappointed. Infact, we are now spoiled to the greater things in life! Having our own "butler" to manage all of our bookings from dinner (Hill Top, Miamar and French restaurant were 5 Stars!) to excursions made our trip hassle free and more time to enjoy the beach, pool and resort. The only hiccup we experienced was not knowing the full feature [... read more]s of the Royal Service (i.e. Having your own personal butler) as we arrived at 4:00am and obviously would not have been giving a full tour as staff was limited and we were just pretty much given our room key. But we could have been told to come back in the morning for an orientation. With that said, it did not hinder our trip. In fact we are already looking to book again for next year!

Ok Resort

The good points: 1) Maria in the Italia restaurant for breakfast & lunch was absolutely wonderful. Can't say enough great things about her. 2) A-la-cart restaurants were very good. 3) Customer service was considerate, prompt, and courteous. 4) Room size was bigger than expected The "needs improvement" points: 1) main resort areas & bedrooms need updating. Lots of cracks in walls or doors, chips in floors, and peeling paint. 2) swim up pool & bar needs more attention. There was on [... read more]e day when the swim up bar was closed due flooding in the bar area. No signs were posted to tell people not to try and order from pool. And the whole pool stunk because of backed-up sewage. 3) bed-bugs were a problem. Came back with lots of bites 4) alcohol was terrible. We were expecting some name brands to be available but only one was. That was Kaluha which they kept running out of. Tripcentral has this resort rated a 5 star and states its a top seller. Because of these 2 factors, we thought we had made a good pick for our "very valuable" winter get-away vacation. We were disappointed and felt we over paid for it. This resort is a 4 star - max. In addition: Varedero airport was absolutely terrible on arrival and departure. Both experiences were horrible. We've see the last of Cuba. Will not go back.

Cuba Si!

Overall, good. Food in buffet was not so good, so primarily ate in the restaurants. Some meals excellent; all were OK. Drinks fabulous. Mostly, service was good, servers friendly, except for some reason in the hotel lobby, where service was poor - the one place it should have been outstanding. Room great, clean; beach awesome; pool area good also. Cuba itself has a fascinating history, people are friendly, and it felt very safe. I would return here.

Disappointing

This being our 7th time visiting a resort in Cuba (the first for this one), the two areas we were disappointed with most at this resort the food and the service. Both were not in line with would be considered "5 star" even by Cuba's standards. The staff overall seemed less helpful, happy, and friendly than what I have experienced previously. Food was questionable (canned vegetables at the buffet as one example) and ordered food was not what you expect (a margherita pizza was a cheese pizza with  [... read more]dried herbs sprinted on it and and order of bourbon was more like whiskey). The restaurants were good (especially the French one and the Japanese). We took a trip over to see the Royal Service side and it was like a whole different resort!! We did the Miramar and the food there, while good, what in very small portions.

Do not used the a/c full of mould

I got sick from the mould on my second day there, went to the doctor & had to pay cash of 400.00, I only had 2 days to enjoy myself first & last, our maid was great, food was all right, we had plenty of hot water, toilet paper & towels,

Exceeded expectations!

The food was NOT bland, in fact it was excellent. The Japanese restaurant was our favourite but the others were excellent too. Resort is clean and well-maintained. Felt safe the whole time. Beach was awesome. Pool is the best we have seen. Wine with dinner was actually quite palletable (bottled, Chilean). The tips are expected despite what you might read... really hard to get CUC currency as the Cadeca cannot provide small denomination and then you are forced to give large tips (like 10 CUC = 15 [... read more] CAD)... Nobody wants to give change for a 10 CUC note. Restaurants setup the tipping so you feel obliged to tip more than once for a single meal. I guess the tips are the only negative but it is a big one. Loved it and going back next year for sure. Will try to source some currency in smaller denominations prior or at the beginning.

Great time at Princesa

We really enjoyed our trip to this resort. The resort is beautiful and the grounds are really nice. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Food is good for Cuba, drinks were very good, except for the pool bar. There never seemed to be many options at the pool bar. The staff was good however, so it helped make up for it. Rooms were clean and spacious. Overall, we liked the resort and had a great time.

PARADISUS PRINCESSA DEL MAR

We stayed here from Feb 15 to Feb 26 2017, It was a 4.5 easy. The staff were wonderful, Food very Good all the beaches, pools were well kept bars were well stocked. Our chambermaid was excellent . The restaurants were very good. We ate in 5 different ones. The Buffets were clean,well stocked and food was fresh. Evening entertainment was top notch. A very enjoyable vacation.We would recommend this resort to anyone.

Resort is Beautiful

The grounds are well kept. The front desk is manned with people who are always friendly and respond to all your requests. The maid service is excellent. The pools are well maintained. The service at the Buffet and the Ala Carte restaurants is excellent. The beach is excellent and the lounge chairs are always available. The WIFI is not good. The food was very good except for the beef.

Relaxing Holiday

We recently stayed at the Paradisus Del Mar and had a wonderful relaxing holiday. Upon check in we were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to the Royal Service side of the resort. The weather was perfect and we did enjoy the relaxing atmosphere although at times, it was too quiet! The only negative comments would be, it was a very subdued and reserved adult only resort..not a party place if that's what you're looking for and the food was good but not great, which we've come to expect with Cuba [... read more]n food. All in all, we had a nice break in the warm hot sun while back home they had snow + cold temperatures!