Hotel Los Cactus: We would not return

I write this review having stayed in Cuba several times including Varadero. I am well aware of the quality of food but this hotel is sub par even by Cuban standards. The buffet is open air with no air conditioning. Birds fly in and out, bird poop on the chairs, birds walk on and peck at the food (not only on the tables but at the buffet too). By 7pm when the buffet opens for dinner, it is very warm to the point you can see the desserts melting. We like to do the al a carte restaurants but t [... read more]he first dinner we had in the Italian Restaurant, the air conditioning was not working and I felt ill because of the heat. Speaking of a la carte restaurants, there are only 2 (the Italian is very good, the Cuban is not) and you can only book an a la carte one day in advance and you can also only get one 7pm seating (earliest they open) per week. You can book again if there is availability but only for 8pm seatings or later. If you always want to eat in the restaurants, you have to be at the reservation place every day at 3pm to book for next day. That in itself is a hassle. We booked for 10 days and the first 5 days the buffet was horrible....hardly and choices ie only one fresh fruit to choose from, no butter most days (although their bread was exceptional). At breakfast they would put pancakes, french toast etc on platters that were not heated so they were always hard and cold. The hot food (meats, veg) they put out was also placed on non heated surfaces so that was always cold too (or as cold as it could get in no air conditioning) The choices at the buffet did get better by day 5 or so as the resort seemed to be busier. This resort also hosts conventions. They hosted Cuban doctors when we were there. These doctors waited at the buffet with their baggies in hand and the second it opened they cleared out almost all the desserts and the bread (before they got their meals). This happened for 2 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When they left (and after a lot of complaints) they placed staff to watch over the food. The doctors were also attended to very well by the staff in the buffet area while I was constantly looking for someone to get some water at my table. The bars were constantly running out of certain types of liquor ie Coconut Rum. Varadero beach is beautiful but I was disappointed with the cleanliness of the beach part that Los Cactus has. There was garbage (even a huge tire half buried in the sand which a couple of vacationers dug out) all over the area. There was only one garbage can so I guess everyone just left their trash (which was never once cleaned up during my 10 day stay). I could not walk anywhere (except close to the water) without stepping on garbage, plastic and cigarette butts Every picture of the beach I took has some sort of garbage in it (unless I was in front of some other hotel). Every other hotel I have stayed at in Cuba has cleaned their beaches but not here. One entrance to the beach must have had a fire at some point so when you walk on the sand to get to the beach, your feet are covered in black because of all the charcoal bits in the sand. They did have security on the beach which was nice and we felt comfortable leaving things on our loungers as we swam or went to eat. Only twice did someone come around to get the sand off the loungers (a usual morning practice at other hotels). We did enjoy the large shade structures on the beach. The pool was big but the liner was ripped in many places and coming away from the bottom of the pool. The original room we were given was horrible...super dated and dirty. Luckily it did not have the bed we were supposed to get so they moved us to another room. Again, super dirty (stains on walls, stains in tub, broken tiles everywhere, stained bedspread) but luckily the air conditioning did not work so they upgraded us. The upgrade was lovely with very nice views of the water and pool. Housekeeping staff is exceptional. The staff was wonderful (only exception was in the buffet when Cuban doctors were there and paying patrons became invisible). The entertainment was typical for Cuba and they did offer a lot of it including dancing/singing during lunch and by the pool which was very nice. The singers were quite good. The public washrooms at the hotel were exceptional. They were kept very clean as were the common areas in the hotel. The landscaping is lacking but they did weed all the empty planters (which are many) just before the Doctors came for the convention. We would not return to the hotel.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Beautiful Resort

Beautiful resort...very clean and excellent staff. Food was very good in all the restaurants. The spa was amazing with its own private beach. Daily entertainment at the pool and never had a problem getting a chaise lounge at the pool or beach. Yoga was good and felt very safe going for a run outside the resort. The resort is designed with no high rise buildings with elevators..instead with small units with minimal or no walk up.

Melia Cayo Coco: Melia Cayo Coco was a Paradise for us.

The entire resort was absolutely amazingly wonderful in all areas. The staff, from the gardeners to the managers were all so helpful and full of empathy for everyone, especially their older guests. The food, buffets and a la carte were out of this world. The service we received from all the waiters and waitresses was surely something to behold. The cleanliness of the entire resort was truly something to behold. Our room was especially comfortable, close to the beach, pool and the lobby. We we [... read more]re very pleased.

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Great resort 👌

We have been coming to this resort for many years and we think the food was the best it has been. The grounds are beautiful. Very helpful staff (Idalmys, Jose, Irenia, Osmani & Uni). The maid service is excellent.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: 3 star at best

The good: spacious rooms, nice swim up, pool, beautiful beach, bottled water daily, mostly wonderful staff. The bad: buffet too small, not enough food for everyone, dinner starts too late, some days no bread, milk, eggs. Mostly pork, rarely beef, too many hot dog dishes, no pasta ever, ran out of wines, sodas, beer, rums, much too often. There were dirty utensils, no stocking of room fridges, no coffee makers in rooms, minimal entertainment on select dates in lobby, but it was always during  [... read more]dinner hour which made no sense, not allowed to use the resorts kayaks or other water sports, staff indicate it’s due to resort not paying them.

Melia Buenavista: Nice quiet Resort

It is a lovely resort, the pools are beautiful. It was so nice to have a quiet pool and another one which played music. The beaches are spectacular! 3 different ones to choose from. Our room was beautiful and over looked the pool. We enjoyed the outdoor showers. It would have been nice to have one buffet restaurant on site but we did venture over to their sister resort for lunch one day. Unfortunately, their supply lines are still suffering since COVID and they ran out of a few food item [... read more]s as the week went on. (bacon, milk, crepes)

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Very bad food

Same food all the week 🤢 really bad! No restaurants around ! Never again. Nothing good at all, only one menu at night no buffet. The desert is terrible like literally terrible. Im happy to come back home

Hotel Playa Paraiso: Great Resort friendly staff

Resort was clean well maintained be nice to see some potatoes kicking around the buffet possibly some bacon entertainment not too bad little repetitive but rock band was great little loud could be turned down a bit

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Amazing Staff at Coral in Buffet, Snack Bar and generally

We found the staff very cordial and friendly. On arrival in the afternoon, Yinli greeted at the buffet and explained the times for meals and the grill meals in addition to the buffet. Juan and Danny, the butlers, were generous with their times in explaining the resort and its amenities. The massage was out of this world.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Club Amigo is a beautiful resort

Our Villa was very nice, the beach and ocean are beautiful. Entertainment was very enjoyable. Staff were great. I had an accident and the Dr and nurse were great. I would return to Club Amigo but would like more fruit and veggies to choose from..

Grand Memories Holguin: Seven brand new beautiful pools in a relaxing resort

This is a brand new resort, located 2 hours from the Holguin airport not close to any other resorts in the area. The check-in process was very slow and inefficient. The staff are friendly and try hard to accommodate and entertain. It is very clean property with modern rooms. The food was good for Cuba. The internet was very slow and hard to connect. It was a fantastic location for relaxing, unwinding and recharging. great value. Kudos to Sunwing for keeping the guest in the resort until t [... read more]he return flight was confirmed. My flights was delayed for couple of hours, I appreciated that I waited in the resort rather than the airport.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Not what we expected

We understand that there is shortages especially to islands but if you are going to run a resort, make sure you have the supplies needed to keep people fed and clean. The buffet was a dream for a meat eater but for a tropical location, there was a lack of fruits and vegetables. Flies were everywhere. The staff work so hard and many of them are kind and sweet but there are a few that seem to resent the people going to the resort. It did not make us feel welcomed even though we tried to be a [... read more]s kind and loving towards them as possible. Omar and Yoandry were the best part of our stay! Truly kind and appreciative and even if they couldn’t accommodate a drink request, they got creative and made something delicious. I agree with the previous review about hand soap and toilet paper. Especially after going through the pandemic, it should be top priority that people have what they need to wash their hands to keep themselves healthy. No toilet paper is unacceptable, you cannot expect people to have nothing to wipe with. That not humane. As for the maids and gardeners, everyone was lovely and friendly. It was disappointing to see one of the maids sweep broken glass shards into the garden in the lobby where a little kitten had just come out. It’s not good for the garden and it’s especially sad if there is a family of cats living in those gardens. Use common sense. We have been home a week and a half and our guts are still recovering. We were extremely sick when we got home and we believe it is from the meat not being properly cooked or from all the flies sitting on the food in the buffet. All in all, the beach is beautiful and it is the reason to visit this resort but other than that, it’s disappointing. I hate to leave a review like this since I really feel for the people of Cuba but people who vacation there work hard for their money to go on these vacations and deserve much better treatment.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Very bad Hotel

This hotel has gotten very bad. It was our third trip and last trip to this resort.Definitely not a 4 star 2 at best. Needs upgrading do not consider it all inclusive when the are always running out of food drinks mix no white wine.Table were left dirty so hard to find a clean place to sit. Dishes and cutlery were not clean looked like sheets of toilet paper we’re our napkins. Rooms need to be fixed no hot water for 2 weeks had to shower by the pool as we had no water bedspread is dirty and ve [... read more]ry worn patio doors don’t work if you have a phone most don’t work they charge you for a safe but most don’t work missing a lot of light bulbs.Management is good at listening but do absolutely nothing to fix any problem. Staff is mostly very friendly. Worst thing was the second week we were over run by locals. Arrogant rude not waiting in food lines taking whole plates off the buffet for themselves sitting and used other guest towel stating I am Cuban and can do what I want when confronted. Staff at hotel were afraid not to serve them first because of repercussions later. We spoke with lots of guest who also said they would not be returning for a lot of the same reason. We did not want to be treated better but equally. Our bus to the airport for our return trip was 1 1/2 hour or more late picking us but and we could get no answers from anyone as what was going on. It is in our purchase price to have a return bus but once we checked out there was no help. The hotel should have been notified what was going on and passed on the information to the passengers waiting. Also rats and cockroaches in the restaurant which is not the most appetizing. Would definitely NOT recommend this place any more. Our first 2 visit we loved this place but will never go back.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Excellent resort

Although slightly understaffed the resort is a wise choice. Food is always an issue in Cuba but was not the case this week. Buffet and restaurants were all good. It is a smaller resort with a good mix of younger and older crowds and still has plenty of options if you prefer a quiet area or party scene. Nightly entertainment was repetitive but ok. There are many shortages of booze throughout Cuba yet the bar tenders were always able to provide something good. Did not meet any bad staff and have i [... read more]n fact become friends with some.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Amazing Resort

I have just returned from my second visit to Coral Leverl Iberostar Holgiun I will go back again. The resort is beautiful, well.looked after, very clean and the staff go above and beyond to make sure your stay is an amazing one. The advantage of Coral Level is the quiet, private pool, bar and restaurant. The food was good, there was a lack.of fresh fruit and vegetables but that is the norm right now everywhere in Cuba. The chefs did a great job with what they had. No one could say they were hu [... read more]ngry. Over all I give my stay a 9.5 out of 10. Love the place and the people!!!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Covid's impact on Cuba

Booking a trip to Cuba, we all know we don't go there for the food, this trip was no exception. Cuba has been greatly impacted by Covid, and to make matters worse, the government changing their currancy. We heard time and again how difficult it is for the citizens of Cuba to get the meer staples of life. Things like vegetables, fruit, meats, bread, juice, toothpaste, shampoo, feminine hygiene products - and the list goes on and on - are hard to come by for them, and also for the resorts in the a [... read more]rea. Our resort had real juice one morning out of the 13 days we were there (the rest of the time was a syrup based juice, and most of the time only peach juice) - alcohol available on the resort was limited to some rums, whiskey, wine and beer, and because there was no juice, your options were pop (no diet available either for those of us who are diabetics) or water. Meat was never consistant, though chicken, pork and fish were always available at meal time, cooked in some fashion or another. Once lobster was at the buffet, and twice turkey. This resort was one of the better for meals when we compared notes with other travellers at the airport on our way home. Many had only chicken, fish and rice dishes - and an even smaller selection of alcohol than we had. The Iberostar Laguna Azul's best meal of the day was always breakfast, provided you got there early, and weren't looking for a nice glass of juice or milk - powdered milk was usually available. Getting a glass of water with your meal seemed to be endlessly difficult, especially if you needed a refill throughout your meal. This improved slightly the last few days, because some of the guests complained to customer services, us included. The resort boasts that they are improving safety by reducing the numbers allowed at a la carts - however, the buffet at supper is packed tight. Not sure why another restaurant or two was not opened as a supper buffet to alleviate the congestion. Staff seemed to be quite busy, even though there didn't seem to be a shortage of staff. I especially noticed in this hotel, how many of the staff would cut you off and walk right in front of you - whereas at other resorts we've gone to over the years, they would stop, and allow the guest to go through first. On three separate occasions, we witnessed someone fall - looking around, there was staff there who seen the fall, but did not come to offer assistance or to see if the person who fell was injured. The staff watched from afar, but never approached. A word of caution - this resort has many areas where the floors change heights, one spot will be an 1/2 - 1 inch difference from the other floor - and most of them are not marked in any way - mostly where one building is connected to another - a recipe for someone not paying attention, to take a nasty fall. Changing money to their currency - change over only a minimal amount. Don't change it at the airport or any bank, ask a worker on the resort. Most of the Cuban people prefer the canadian dollar over their CUP (Cuban Peso). At the airport - when we were there, $1 canadian was equivalent to 78 Peso, the travel agency reps were offering it at $1 canadian to 90 Peso, and some of the workers were willing to trade it for $1 canadian to 100 Peso. The pools at this resort - the main pools in the middle of the resort were cleaned every morning - be careful using these pools, several tile are missing throughout the two main pools and some of those areas have sharp spots. There are two quieter pools, one in the Relax zone, and one on the complete opposite side of the hotel grounds - these pools are quieter, but not cleaned in I don't know how long - very dirty each time we went there. Minimal lounge chairs (and portable umbrellas) were set out all around the pools - but when tipped, staff would bring out additional ones. Many of the lounge chairs on the beach were broken, this resort really needs to purchase new loungers if/when they are available. There was a small fridge in the rooms, however, they are not stocked with anything- bottles of filtered water were left on the dresser, but no pop, or beer were in the fridge. When we inquired about getting the fridge stocked we were told Iberostar resorts no longer do this in their new "waves of change" campaign to lessen waste.Cuba has no recycling plan, though in some areas there are recycling bins - we were told everything goes into one garbage.However, the resort stores we're selling plastic bottles of water, and all the bars were using pop from plastic bottles - so not sure how much waste it is actually preventing . Kudos for them to try to lessen waste, but really?br /> Would I recommend this resort - until things improve, I would not recommend Cuba, period, but if you really want to go to Cuba - according to our fellow travellers, this is one of the better ones to stay at currently. The beachs are beautiful, this resort was clean, the gardeners do an excellent job of looking after things on the grounds, and some staff are awesome (we ran into about 4 staff we thought were exceptional). One plus -clean beach towels were always available, but you had to give a credit card for a hold of $15 per beach towel to get them at the beginning of your stay (on the last day you are given a ticket by the towel guy to hand into reception at checkout so you're not charged on your credit card) - the staff working in the towel hut were super friendly. The kitchen staff did well with what they had, but as it wasn't alot, the meals were extremely repetitive. For the amount of money we paid to go here, we were extremely disappointed in this resort - so many simple things could easily be made better. Security could always be seen on the beach and throughout the resort.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Great Resort!

We went to this resort for 1 week in February 2023 and we honestly have no complaints! We ate, we drank, we had so much fun and the weather was the best part of it all! Of course COVID-19 had an impact on the resort, it had an impact on everything everywhere! Nothing to complain about at all, we had a wonderful time.

Melia Jardines del Rey: Beautiful Resort

The place is amazingly beautiful, very open with good landscaping. The beach is amazing and the water is clear. Good friendly staff with good services at most of the time. We love the coffee bars with good choices of cappuccino, espresso,... The show at night kept us well entertained . Our hotel room was quite comfortable and the maid service was good. The major problem was the shortage of room towels. We didn’t have bath towels supplied for a few days, but the maid did make the e [... read more]fforts to get it and bring to us in the evening after our complaints to the customer services. The food was adequate. I survived well with the salad bar, fruits, rice and fish. The internet at the resort was, in my opinion, too slow. You have to log on and wait and wait...sometimes up to 15-20 minutes.

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Excellent resort

The resort is new, it has been opened since Nov 2022. Very very clean. Very friendly and professional staff. Food is fair but plenty of choices. Beautiful beach, although a bit windy. Plenty of staff to meet all your needs. The rooms are very spacious.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Good Resort

Arrived at the Varadero Airport, located our shuttle bus. After waiting on the bus for over 1hr and only 5 passengers on the bus at this time. I confirmed the number of passenger that we were waiting for, which was 49. I then asked " are we waiting for other planes to land to fill this bus ? The representative confirmed that this was correct. I told her that " I will take a cab and remove my luggage at this time. The other passengers standing outside also wanted to hitch a ride, however t [... read more]hey were not staying at the same location. Arriving at the resort was less than welcoming as they were not expecting us until 4pm, The guard did not want to allow the cab driver through the gate to the resort, they exchanged some words in Spanish and we were allowed entry. We arrived shortly after 12pm. The woman at the front test proceeded to explain that us ladies were trouble makers and we were extremely early and they were not expecting us at that time. She did however allow us use of the resort, we did not receive instruction where anything was located in the resort. This was not an issue as the resort is small and you can find everything you need on your own. The entertainment was great and the staff work really hard to show you a good time. We always found something to eat on the resort and we had no complaints, The woman that made our omelette every morning was fantastic, and the servers are very friendly. The beach was amazing. The Cleaning service was overall good, take face clothes because they do not provide. They always provided fresh towels and water everyday. Overall! We had a blast and would recommend this hotel, and would come back again.