Sol Palmeras: A WORTH IT RESORT!

Where do I start? My wife and I had a bungalow..more than reasonably priced and can comfortably fit 4 persons. Very close to the beach but a bit of a walk (5 mins) to the lobby which is the only place you can get internet ($1c/hr).We are young so it's okay but you can request the 100s bungalow which would then be more convenient otherwise. The hotel staff were amazing.. everyone is super nice. Try to reserve a la carte restaurants in the hotel tho as they're all better than the buffet. G [... read more]rounds were clean. Beach is clean.. and don't be afraid to leave the resort and visit a few clubs nearby. La comparsita, for example or street bars like Calle 62.

Barcelo Solymar: good resort

we love the beach ; staff is friendly, buffet was good , pool was out of service and green stuff on the button overall we like Barcelo. we like the friendly people at the hotel , a very nice lobby and the good service .

Hotel Tuxpan: Relaxing holiday.

We just got back from one week at the Tuxpan. The resort in general was quiet, beach was clean and the pool wasn't busy. Food was average, not much variety each day but I always found something to eat. If you like fish then the buffet was great (I love fish). The resort staff were very good, always quick with a smile even though we noticed no one else was tipping (we tipped). The people at the reception were nice but not very helpful. I think they deal with a lot of unhappy people and just tune  [... read more]everyone out. The only complaints we have are the air conditioning didn't work very well and one night we had noisy people at all hours banging doors and talking loudly in the halls. This hotel is showing its age but still has a lot of character.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A nice resort to stay for a week

Not really a five star resort as they say but comparable to the other ones we saw it is good. Staff are nice but expect to tip every time they help you with anything. Not that you shouldn’t tip but even if you ask a question, I feel like they expect for you to tip. Rooms are not exactly the same as pictures but nice and big enough. However, towels are old and has stains even when changed everyday. The sheets have a slight smell and the beds are not the most comfortable. Food was okay if youâ [... read more]€™re comparing resort food. Don’t bother making reservations to the restaurants, you’re better off at the buffet. If you want to make a reservation, the Japanese restaurant was the best. Staff was amazing and food too! The activities was good in the beach area. Pool area is a bunch of annoying uni kids that are obnoxious!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing Resort, Definitely Revisiting!!

I came to this resort with my partner for a wedding. It did not disappoint. The food selection was amazing, I love my cheese and cured meat! Beware it is Cuba so you may get sick, I know some of my friends did. Avoid cut up fruit, the pasta bar is your best friend. The Japanese a la carte was the best one. The pool bar was my favourite hang out spot. The only issue I had was during checkin they did not have any rooms with a King size bed available but we got to switch rooms after the second nigh [... read more]t. The staff were so friendly, make sure you tip them! I will definitely be coming back.

Sol Palmeras: Amazing resort to haver fun and relax.

I had the bungalow and it was great. King size bed with 2 TV's. Open concept shower was great!! Lots of choices for food and the staff is so friendly. Beach area was super clean and the water crystal clear.

Barcelo Solymar: So-so

What once seemed beautiful has gone downhill. The rooms are not very clean, often with bugs. The pool started to go murky green as my week ended and I was genuinely happy to leave. The staff are fairly nice and I did enjoy myself. However I think that the management of the facility was run poorly and I would not return unless there was a significant price drop.

Playa Vista Azul: 5 star hotel

Is not 5 start hotel and staff they’re not friendly if you don’t tip every day no service and food is not 5 star and people in hotel 86 percent are local people vacationing with you is okay with me but beach is the best in world

Paradisus Varadero: Depends on what matters to you!

I need to start with my tripcentral rep - Amanda Garlough was awesome. I highly recommend her to everyone! Now - the beach is amazing - but the resort has nothing to do with that...God created that so Paradisus can't take credit for it! You must upgrade, the rooms are worth it in the family concierge, though its a long trek (800 steps) to the beach and there are never any shuttles to take you there. But the rooms are some of the nicest I have seen in Cuba for a decent price. The food is  [... read more]meh...but thats to be expected in Cuba. I don't go for the food, so i didn't expect much to begin with. In general, the service is horrendous. Though before I go there, there are a few gems - a couple of the waiters/waitresses in the buffet on the family concierge staff, the bartender in the family concierge lobby (Franky) and the bartenders on the beach and at the family concierge pool. All great. Aside from that its like you are invisible...waiters/waitresses just walk past you. We could not get clean beach towels from the family concierge place for 4 days!!! no matter who we talked to it didn't matter. they kept saying they would launder them for us, but never happened no matter how many times i asked. Don't leave anything in the safe - we had money stolen from it! first time ever and we've been to many countries and we have never had anything stolen from us. Shocked us that cubans would do this considering tourism is a main source of income. Overall - loved the beach, so even if we go back to cuba, it won't be the Paradisus Varadero.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Fun Resort

The Bella Vista is a large hotel, but it is well planned. Our room was spacious and clean and the bathroom was large with a roomy shower. We had splurged on a "swim-out" room, which was well worth the extra expense. The lobby and grounds are breezy and lovely and well-kept. The beach is very close and beautiful. Although we weren't travelling with children, their area looked fun, too. We had access to the top floor for dining, and the view was breathtaking.

Club Kawama: Exceeded our expectations!

On our fifth visit to Cuba, we stayed at the Hotel Club Kawama. It was the best visit. From the front desk to the beach, the amenities and service exceeded our expectations. The daily buffet meals were especially good.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Very good, except for the food

Good things come first, the beach itself is something outrageous so beautiful and the beach area is pretty nice too. The rooms and all the service in general was awesome but the food was terrible almost not edible sometimes, so do not expect to eat that much, but enjoy the beautiful view and nice moments!

Palma Real: Great location but low quality resort

I went here in August, of course it was hot because that time of year. We were 1 of two groups of Canadians, there was a few from Europe and the rest were locals on vacation. I found that the room was dated, had mold spots and the bathroom door did not close all the way. Also the patio door did not lock which made me nervous on my stay because anyone could enter our room. The positive about the room as that they had working AC and a mini fridge. The maid was lovely, she didn’t speak English bu [... read more]t we made due in trying to communicate. The bar staff were not friendly at first, they would serve the Cubans before us even though we were ahead of them in line; we got a lot of eye rolling whenever we ordered. By the middle of the week we tipped all of the bar staff and then they were lovely and served us when it was our turn (funny how that worked out) and the front desk staff were helpful and friendly from day one. Buffet was horrific, nothing was edible except the white rice and if you were lucky the chicken. We ate off resort a lot so we could have a decent meal and not starve. The resort did have wifi at the lobby but we cut off every 2 minutes or so. The beach is down the street and it doesn’t take much time to get there; they have a restaurant at the beach which was lovely and staff were friendly. The swim up bar pool was closed down so there was only one pool which was obviously packed and had no type of shade, so you can get relief from heat but you will burn in the sun exposure. I will definitely not come back to this resort because honestly there are better out there for the money, the location is the only thing going for this place. My suggestion is finding a higher star and all of Varadero you can get the hop on and hop off bus for 5CUC for the day and can take you wherever you want to go so location won’t be a limitation.

Melia Las Americas: First Time at an All Inclusive Resort.

Overall: For a 5 star resort, I have to say in Cuba this does feel like a 5 star. If the level of service was similar to what the north Americans are used to then this would only come to a 4 star in my opinion. Let it be known that this is the first time I have ever been to any all inclusive resorts and I have been to 2 cruises prior to this. My age is under 40 but over 35 and have another upcoming cruise in October. I personally enjoy cruising more than an all inclusive resort for the variety  [... read more]of things to do and different ports to see. Experience: I decided to book a resort for the first time and actually go on a 7 day vacation without our (6 year old) daughter for the first time ever. This allowed me to stay in a resort which is restricted to adults only. Let me say that as a first time experience this is a good way to enjoy a week at a resort. During our 7 day stay we went on 2 excursions in total. We did a 1 day trip to Havana & a 1/2 day trip to Matanza to explore the Cuevas de Bellamar (cave with Crystal formations). Both are guided tours and was a good experience to see. Havana would have been better if more time was spent, Matanza Cuevas de Bellamar was just a short trip which was just the right amount of time spent on it. Resort in General: Melia Las Americas is next to Melia Varadero. These 2 resorts are then surrounded by rock formations on either side making the beach mostly accessible by these two resorts only. That is a good thing because during the time that I went, it was not very busy at all. There was no trouble finding a sun chair to place our belongings to and spending time out in the ocean. Between the two resorts there is a shopping plaza and let's be honest the name brand products that are being sold there will not be better pricing than locally in Toronto or surrounding outlet malls. You can expect to get some pretty decent priced local made products though. The resort has a lot of swimming pool but there was one pool that was closed during our stay there and it is the one with the swim-up bar. All other pools were opened but we spent most of our time on the beach and in the ocean. The entertainment and activities at the resort are done by the same group of people each and every day. Their entertainment was interesting and fun, my wife and I were roped into doing a "couples" contest on our last night there which we got a prize for in the end, unfortunately we were unable to claim our prize (free massage session) as we were flying out the next morning so we gave it to the runner up couple. Our room & amenities: The room we had had an ocean view, it was clean and the A/C worked well. The only thing is that we weren't able to adjust the temperature to the room and it was either on or off. We ended up turning the fan off during the night as it was blowing wind right on me and I felt uncomfortable with the wind blowing on me directly all night. Luckily the rooms don't get warm during the nights so this was good enough for us. The toiletries that were provided are good for our use, the shampoo/conditioner was good for me to use but my wife brought her own personal products. The body wash was not bad as well but maybe I'm easy going and hotel products are sufficient to use for me. Those with sensitive skin would most likely opt to bring their own stuff. The bed sheets were typical. The fridge was nice and cold & the drinks were stocked daily. We received a 1.5L bottle of water each day with 2x cans of soda/pop (local branded, either Cola, Sprite or Orange flavoured equivalent to our Coke products) and 2x bottle of beer (which I don't drink so I never touched those). The towels were clean and I had no issues there at all, the hotel staff changed our towels for us mostly when we placed them into the tub but sometimes they changed them for us even when we didn't need them changed as well. Food & Drinks: Food was great for an all inclusive resort. I honestly went to Cuba with low expectation as I have read many reviews about how horrible food can be and this resort came nowhere close to what I am hearing from others. There was a variety at the buffet that's for sure. Each day there are a few items that are offered that they changed up so there was something new each day which was great! I am not a picky eater and for the items that I enjoyed eating I kept going back for seconds & thirds even. The drinks were served to you by the waiters/waitresses so we had to be waited on for that. There weren't a lot of options for those who are non-alcoholics and we basically stuck with their version of Coke/Sprite for the most part. We ordered plenty of their Virgin Pina Coladas, San Franciscos. They did not have Shirley Temple drinks even though it was on their menu. They didn't have any lamb that we were trying to order on some days but it was on the menu. I found that sometimes when I wanted certain things it was not available at the time and had to go with another option. In the end I would say generally the food was delicious and cooked well. Out of the 4 available a-la-carte restaurants we could have attended we ended up just going to 3 of them. Tip: On the first day that you arrive and get your room number, go to the desk where they book for restaurants and book all 4 right away to get the times that you want. We passed on one of them as we wanted to attend the entertainment activity and ate at the buffet instead. Beaches/Pool: The beaches are beautiful. The sands are nice and clean & the water is warm. The beach chairs were not hard to find. 1 of the pools at the resort was out of service at the time, it was the one near the bungalows and is also the one with the swim-up-bar but to me I didn't care for it too much as I would prefer to spend my time at the beaches as I could easily go to any pool back home but can't find such a beautiful beach at home that's for sure. There was a snorkeling activity out in the ocean with a guide and they took photos. They took in total about 10 photos of us underwater feeding food to the fish and it cost us $10 CUC per person for the photos and $20 CUC per person to sail us out to the ocean. Aside from the snorkeling, we were able to go out with a pedal boat free of cost. Summary: We ran into several members who are from the same geographical location as us (Toronto) who are staying at a different resort. (We were together on a same excursion to Matanza) They have noted to us that their experience with another resort they have experienced some tummy issues for the first 3 days. Thankfully my wife and I have no bad experience at this resort. I have to admit, I have a sensitive tummy to begin with and I was a bit worried to begin with but thankfully nothing happened at all. In fact, it was great for every day there and even better than some restaurants I experience in Toronto! Some things to consider, tipping goes a long way. The staff there will recognize you and remember you more especially when you are generous and offer to tip. $1 CUC to certain staff that you see daily will have them notice you more. Foreign exchange at the resort was $100 CAD for about $74 CUC during my stay, Aug 4-11, 2018. The entertainment is interesting, with a good laugh and a funny Cuban twist on things. The WiFi costs $1 CUC for 60 minute of use, you have to purchase a login card and it's based on usage so you can stop the wi-fi for a bit and re-log in after to resume. Be sure to look for your travel agency's binder located on the 2nd floor from the lobby where the excursions are. There you will find details about your shuttle/excursion/travel representative info who can assist you in any needs, other than that it was a great relaxing time at the resort.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Maravilhoso

In portuguese. Tudo de bom. Tudo perfeito e agradável. Eu e minha esposa comemoramos nossos 30 anos de casados. Ela amou tudo e curtimos muito tudo o que nos foi possível. A cordialidade dos empregados foi excelente. Adoramos Cuba.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great resort but

The resort is beautiful; however there were few things I did not like it such as there were mosquitos in the enclosed buffet area. In regards food there is a variety however vegetables were overcooked in all the restaurants as well as buffet. 2 out of 5 shows were too basic but 3 of them were amazing. I had a great time but i will not go back to the same place

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Run down

The hotel was nothing like the pictures on the website, not sure of the age of the hotel but it looked in some areas are in need of being fixed up. The wait staff was great but hotel management and checking staff are less helpful. Food was normal for Cuba but could really need some help, restaurant are not great, our group of 21 walk out of the BBQ restaurant cause the food was under cooked, and management couldn’t offer anything to rectify the issue. Towels where always late to the room as t [... read more]hey had a storage everyday. We had a premium drink package but saw nothing in the way of premium drinks. Overal it was not my best Cuba experience, but it is get what you pay for. Cuba has a very big opportunity to do very well with all the issues in Mexico, but if this is how they are going to handle to opportunity then they are not in good shape

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: AWFUL EXPERIENCE

Food was the worst experience ever, we have been to Cuba 5 times we know what to expect but this place was more like a 2.5/3 star if that. Beach was the only good thing, service was very unfriendly and rude and pools were dirty cups floating and lemon wedges usually by 2 pm daily. Buffets good luck in line ups and options, ala cartes from day 1 we cudnt get any booking booked for entire week. Rooms were clean however never any hot water. AC never worked well. 24 hr snack bar, was limited to [... read more] 2 or 3 options and if u order a sandwhich was all bread u need to search for the meat or tuna..no fries as per menu was like corn chips and you could count 4-5 chips on your plate. I think im done with CUBA.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Disappointed

We were very disappointed, hotel came highly recommended, the rooms were clean, sometimes you had hot water but most times you did not. Food.. as well know food not the greatest however out of all my 5 trips to holguin Cuba never did we experience this .. buffet stations were insane so busy food luck getting any food, they were almost secluded in seperate rooms and the line ups were so long.. portions were scarce. 24 hr snack bar was very limited 2 to 3 options and if you got a sandwich it was a [... read more]ll bread only. People were not very friendly found most to be very rude. The ala cartel restaraunt s .. we tried from day one to book and didn’t get any. We had upgraded to elite which they said ensured priority .. was not true. The pools small and also by 12 noon they would run out of beach towels so hard to get fresh towels. This is not a 5 stat or 4.5 this is more of a 3. Will not return to Varedero possibly not even Cuba again. Beach was beautiful. Extremely disappointed.. wish I could get a refund. Didn’t have high expectations however paid probably the most I have ever paid to come here and was by far one of the worst experiences. Do not book! Try playa Pesquero holguin cuba.. in comparison that was a 6 start!!

Melia Las Americas: A piece of heaven!

This resort has the best beach! Very well maintained. Clean beach and white sand. Amazing! Everything is so close. I’ll return anytime. The rooms are clean but mine had a bit of mold smell. 20 mins away from the airport. The staff is very friendly and I felt like home.