Melia Peninsula Varadero: Good Resort, but not 5 stars.

The hotel needs comprehensive renovations: Bathroom with mold, Balcony doors not closing, Cockroaches in the bread stand of the restaurant. Safety box not working. Receptionists were attending your needs only if you give them tips upfront. Hola Sun rep was not to be found during our stay.

Paradisus Varadero: Nice place

The hotel was actually great from amazing bars/ lounge areas. Our jr. Suite was different then pictures we looked at online. Fridge leaked the whole time on floor. As well as water was off during 2nd last night. The most amazing view of the ocean from main loby. Service was very good from all the great staff keeping drinks flowing and great conversations no akward interactions. Buffets was ok at best we would have to check each one out for every meal, but this seems to be common for cuba. We fel [... read more]t quite let down in regards of a la carts booking them was a joke really and felt like being jerked around by conciarge. As most promises by them were just empty. Grounds were very well kept, pools were in great shape/clean. rooms were kept quite tidy from staff. Bar fridge could be much better stocked as it really wasnt. Internet in rooms was almost non existant leaving you to use your own personal data on roaming as well as kicking you off every 10 minutes when you get connected.

Grand Memories Holguin: Nice vacation

Jan. 23 to Dec. 6 – group of 6 seniors This hotel had a change-over at the time of our visit (from Hotel Tesoro del Atlantico to Grand Memories), hence the need to fine-tune some services. BEACH: Beautiful, sandy, warm ocean. Ideal for long strolls. More-than-enough comfortable lounging chairs, palapas and trees for shade. POOLS: Clean and huge, with many shaded areas and comfortable chairs. HOTEL: Modern, new, well-appointed. Wide hallways and walkways – nicely lit. In fact, it is THE [... read more] BEST LIT-UP RESORT WE HAVE EVER HAD IN CUBA. No worrying about tripping due to unexpected stairs or darkness. Public areas and rooms are spacious, clean, and everything is in good working order. Love the screen door to the balcony. RESTAURANTS: Plenty of food in cafeteria. Main fare was pork (sometimes roasted piglets = yummy) and cabbage, which could get somewhat monotonous. Choice of cooked vegetables was limited, but certainly enough fresh vegetables. Cakes, breads & ice cream were delicious. CLOTH napkins at every dinner - WOW. Italian & Caribbean Restaurants were good. Thank you all for your friendly and efficient service. BARS: Except for the lobby bar not being up to par, service was good. However, mixed drink choices were limited, but there was plenty of wine and beer. Spanish coffee and cappuccino were mostly good. LANDSCAPING: Nicely landscaped. Being a new resort, once the many trees and shrubs mature, it will be a most beautiful resort. Gardeners are doing a fine job in looking after the gardens. PLEASANT SURPRISE: NO INSECTS = no bites in two weeks – unbelievable and wonderful! Cannot understand the reason, since we never saw anyone spraying? IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED: Rooms were not ready at check-in time. Waited an extra 1 ½ hours. No decent or no shows in the evening. Lobby bar was way too noisy until late evening, due to some rowdy guests who brought their own music, making it annoying and difficult to sleep for those who had their rooms close-by. Internet connection was not good during the day, but ok early morning or late evening/night. OBSERVATION: This hotel has many positive things going for it, but there are some small issues that need to be addressed. It certainly has the potential to become a fantastic resort. Overall, we had a fun and relaxing vacation. Would we return? Perhaps not immediately, but maybe in the near future, once their little problems have been ironed out. P.S. Congratulations to SUNWING for your punctuality!

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Nice Resort

Not a five star as they advertise. Rooms are dated but exceptionally clean, the grounds are beautiful, and the staff is incredible and can't do enough for you. I was happy during my 2 week stay with the beach, pool, entertainment.... The only complaint is the food, the buffet was repetitive and the A la cart was also a disappointment.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: It's a resort.

This was my first stay at a resort so I don't know what to compare it to, but it was clean and the staff was very nice. There was a toilet paper shortage and I couldn't eat the food after the fourth day. It seems like a good place for people who like to hang on the beach and in the pool.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Amazing Resort

Our vacation at the Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort was incredible... The people are so nice and very helpful... the resort was kept very clean and the service was wonderful.... people say there's a lack of food that's a lie there was a variety of food just no ketchup,variety of jams but there was alot!! I would go back in a second... the only thing that is a downfall for people that have disabilities is alot of stairs to go down to the beach they need to install a ramp.. and not enought chair [... read more]s on the beach... but that would not stop me from going back again next year... A special thank you to Nicole at Tripcentral for helping us with the booking... it was a good choice

Hotel Playa Paraiso: It was Ok, not my favorite

The grounds were beautiful, the pool nice and large, the beach amazing, rooms were decent, but mine had a musty smell. Water for the shower and toilet worked daily and had amazing pressure. Maids were friendly and social, some staff were very friendly and went out of their way to please , others were rude ( ie. a couple at front desk). Staff did not have name tags, so hard to give credit to those by name ... The buffet was so/so, lineups were very long for the grill, and getting water or a win [... read more]e order was hit and miss. The time the buffet opened in the morning was very late especially if you are an early riser...chairs were being saved around the pool and beach area before the sun came up, so finding a lounger had its challenges. No grill by the beach...disappointing...and very limited snack choices at the snack bar. Alcohol was limited to rum, beer white, or red wine...During the day many options to get a drink as there were a number of bars open...At night, usually, 1 bar is open, for all...became crowded and took a long time to get a drink ... Only received water in my room 4 times throughout the week... Really enjoyed the entertainment 3 of the nights, wish there was a bit more variety..i.e. Micheal Jackson show...lol A big shout out to our Sunwing representative Mabel...she was amazing in helping me to sort out a room issue and she answered all our questions and made us feel we could come to her with anything...

Valentin Cayo Cruz: Large resort

Been to Cuba 7x without issues until we came here. Negatives first...Started off with a late arrival. Our room was infested with ants (ground floor). My husband had his shoes stolen off our terrace after leaving them there for 15min. No coffee makers in the room but hey had a coffee station set up 😕. Even if you put the sign on the door so they don't come in and clean, they go in anyways.. 😮‍💨 My sunscreen went missing and one of our coffee creams we brought from home. Ran out of  [... read more]alot of booze, buffet was the same thing every day, it was good and we never starved. We realized that the entire country is having suply issues and it wasnt their fault. wifi was free but you had To constantly go to the front desk to reactivate it every 5hrs. They also only provided 1 room key. Positives... grounds were well kept and rooms were clean, staff was very friendly and always smiling. Infinity pools were beautiful and clean. Always had plenty of loungers and bartenders were amazing. Shows at the theater every night. It wasn't our worst visit to Cuba but it wasn't our best. Will not return until supply issues have been resolved.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Decent Resort With Flaws

I stayed at Playa Alameda at the end of January, 2023. It is the fifth resort I have stayed at in Cuba and I will rate it against the other similar 4-5 star resorts. Pros: -well maintained landscape, grounds and freshly painted exteriors of buildings -pool well maintained -great staff -better than average entertainment -cigar bar Cons: -no swim-up bar(s) -NO RYE WHISKEY! -rooms are tired and need upgrading; my mattress was worn out -hit & miss hot water in room -poor response time  [... read more]by staff to issues in room (e.g. locked out of safe) -1/2 of the pool area was approximately 18" deep -no VIP bars or sports bar Overall, I had an enjoyable visit. The gym is important to me. All hotel gyms in Cuba seem to have problems maintaining their cardio equipment and this one was no exception but I was able to get in good workouts there. What was very concerning was that there was not an adequate means to clean off the equipment after use. No anti bacterial spray or liquid provided. No paper towels. On occasion, you would be provided a cloth towel. The food was ok for Cuba. No bacon, orange juice or maple syrup for breakfast. For one week of my two week stay, there was no diet cola for mix. The lack of adequate usable pool area, swim up bar and rye whiskey would prevent me from returning to this hotel regardless of price. When your clientele is 70%+ Canadian, you do what you have to do to get rye whiskey! I WOULD RATE THIS HOTEL A 3 STAR OUT OF FIVE

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Very happy holiday

The hotel and grounds were everything we had hoped for: beautiful, clean, comfortable, quiet and convenient. We could always find a beach chair and never had to wait around in line. The food was Cuban (lots of pork, fish, beans, cabbage and vegetables) without a huge amount of variation but always tasty. There are shortages of some dairy products currently (milk and butter) but this didn't limit choice significantly. The snack bar (really a small, outdoor sit-down restaurant focusing on a piz [... read more]za oven) made for a fun lunch as did hot meal served every day at the beach bar. We had a swim out room and loved it: large, bright and with an amazing private poolside patio. The staff were kind and courteous. They noted it was my husband's birthday on arrival and treated us to an à la carte meal and bottle of bubbly which was much enjoyed. The beach is was quite windy and wavy during our visit but we could swim most afternoons in warm water with a perfectly foot-friendly fine sand bottom. The trip from the airport is rather long (over an hour) but the transportation arrangements made it all stress-free. A perfect place to unwind for people looking for relaxation away from the crowds of large resorts.

Paradisus Rio De Oro: Amazing Resort!!

Not only is this resort beautiful with stunning beaches and well appointed rooms. The staff by far made our vacation! Every single person that works here goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome and taken care of! Looking forward to going back soon!

Brisas Del Caribe: Not so amazing

The grounds, pool, beach were great, however the management and food was terrible.No toast, jams, syrup etc all food the same everyday, 3 times a day. No glasses no spoons, toilet paper at a premium.Only rum and beer, and I could go on and on. We will not be going back. Russian owned and mostly Russians there, no English spoken

Sol Palmeras: Relaxing Vacation

I loved our room 3033 it was a suite double door balcony overlooking the pool area. Very spacious and well kept. The food and staff were very friendly and accommodating. My daughter and I enjoyed our trip, the beach had lots of chairs and activities if you wanted to take part. I would recommend this resort to friends and family.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing beach, resort needs work

We had a great week at Laguna Azul! Facilities, food and service was below what we have experienced in Cuba pre COVID Rooms need upgrades, service was hard to come by, mostly we went to get our own drinks Food variety and quality was limited Snack bar 24 hours was severely understaffed( only 1 person for a huge line up) and the hygiene standards would never pass, the food handlers never used gloves , no hand washing after handling tips and on occasional the food from the grill was still un [... read more]dercooked. We upgraded to “the Relax zone” and it was the best decision as we got an extra restaurant were we could pick from a small menu of maybe 5 dishes but were served at the table and the coffee on that side was delicious. We also got 4 a La carte for the upgrade what helped avoiding the buffet Bar staff mostly ignored you even though we were tipping often so we just started getting our own drinks Resort is beautiful and the beach area always had plenty of beach chairs available and the sand was mostly free of rocks, the beach is what we went for

Paradisus Varadero: Worth every penny

The beach was fantastic. Beautiful rooms, restaurants and lobby. The staff were welcoming and efficient. I love this place and would go back. The food was adequate and there was a decent variety. If you couldn’t find something to eat you were too fussy.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Beautiful location but awful accommodation and services

We reserved a junior suite room garden view with king bed. We got 3 single beds and no furniture in the room facing the tennis court. We changed rooms after 2 days in a room with broken safe, no towels, no pillow covers, no furniture on balcony, bathroom in need of repair, patio door partially open, electrical plug complete out of the wall, etc…. In 12 days we had new towels 3 times. Once they gave us bath rugs for towels. We had a bottle of water delivered in the room every 2-3 days while  [... read more]they were supposed to deliver water every day. Lack of toilet paper big time especially in the public bathrooms. Toilet doors don’t lock or even close. The rooms are in need of great repair. At the bar you could get beer, rum, wiskie, ice tee, punch. No Baileys, no pop, no coke, no pinacolada, no margheritas no special drinks. We had coke 2 days during our stay of 12 days. We bought our own booze gin, Baileys, pop. Buffet same every day. Lots of pork, fish, beef. Hardly no chicken. Good pastries in morning, sometime no eggs at breakfast. Good bread, salad bar. Every day, you had to line up for the buffet, not big enough for the amount of people. All à carte restaurante were the same Mediterranean , Italian, creole, Asian, they offered beef, pork or fish. No pasta. I would not recommend this resort. No service, they just pretend to note your requests but nothing happens. Went to Cuba 6 time before and never had problems, this resort is overly book and then they can not rendered the services.

Memories Jibacoa: Well run beautiful resort

This was our 5th time visiting this resort (formerly called Breezes Jibacoa)and it could well be the best time we’ve had yet. The resort is located half way between Varadero and Havana nestled within 2 green hills on a beautiful beach that has excellent snorkelling. There are some small reefs just a few feet from shore and larger ones further out. The Garden view rooms overlook these beautiful hills and many we spoke to prefer these to the ocean view. The rooms are dated but very clean. Th [... read more]ere were no problems getting beach chairs/palapas and so reserving with a towel was not necessary. The food was exceptional with plenty of choices for all 3 meals. We were surprised to see beautiful green salads and other fresh veggies for lunch and dinner every day. There are plenty of tables in the airy outdoor area which is where we sat for most meals. Some of the kitchen staff wore masks (for their own sake)but others did not. I didn’t see any patrons wearing masks at any time. At the various stations (salad bar, desert bar, sandwich bar,etc), they had masked servers holding the tongs and each patron had to specify what they wanted on their plate..I think this was an attempt to reduce the number of hands that touch those tongs. This caused a little contention at busy times but generally worked well. The musicians that played just outside the lobby area every evening were very good. One thing that I didn’t like was the entertainment group that took over the ranchon restaurant at noon on Tuesdays with a very loud musical performance spearheaded by a very loud irritating MC yelling into the mic. How could anyone enjoy and digest their lunch with such a racket all around them. I would suggest that this performance be performed elsewhere - at the pool or on the beach beside the beach bar. I must say that some people seemed to enjoy it..but not me. All in all, this was a fantastic trip with nice weather, great food and accommodation.

Melia Costa Rey: Great resort

This is a very nice well kept resort in Cuba.Beautiful location. Staff are amazing.. always asking if we are ok or need anything. Rooms are quitelarge too. Food was pretty good with lots of choices. tried 2 a la cartes which were alos very good. Entertainment fun too during the day.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Awesome week!

The resort is great. The staff is amazing. Nothing negative to point out, except for the beach itself being below the average quality [sand/view/water quality] for Cuba. For everything else I give it 10/10.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Une semaine fantastique

L'hôtel a récemment été repeint et il y a quelques rénovations en cours. C'est un hôtel très bien situé. Le personnel est très sympathique et les chambres sont propres. Nous y retournerons en amoureux