Iberostar Selection Varadero: Great Resort!

First time to Cuba. This was an amazing family resort. Staff were great. Food was great. We travelled with a 3 year old and there was a gradual entry in the pool which was perfect. Beach was amazing (as expected for Veradero). Nothing to complain about!

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Very nice resort for cuba

Had been to Cuba once before, Cayo Santa Maria was not to happy with it, so this time I set my expectations lower with Ocean el Patricia resort. I was pleasantly surprised room was nice pool and beach were very nice, the food by Cuba standards was good always found something to eat. The staff were excellent and there was good entertainment every night. If you want a shady spot on the beach you have to be there by six thirty a.m. but you can find a spot with shade at the pool up to about eight a [... read more].m. Not to far from Veradero took a cab cost forty pesos return. Recommend going to front desk and taking a classic car for an evening drive not every day you get to take a drive in a 1955 chev Belair. Overall good vacation.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Good resort but not a 4.5 star!

The grounds were very dry in most places, mostly due to the time of the year. The buffet did not offer as many choices as other resorts with much of the same food appearing every day. ie. no healthy cereals at breakfast, only one very slow toaster, butter tastes nasty, limited fruit choices, no roasted chicken offered - just chewy skinless breasts, dry rice dishes, few potato dishes, many very sweet cake desserts but no rice pudding or lighter desserts. The pool was very shallow (about 3 ft. a [... read more]t most) so warmed up fast in the afternoon. There was only one pool. Beach was beautiful but hard to get umbrella, cabana or a chair. Guests put their towels on chairs early in the morning (5:30!) or at night. Same at pool. Very little shade. The rooms were clean and housemaid was very good, as were most of the staff. 3 out o4 hand dryers did not work - no paper towels - no toilet dispensers in some cubicles.

Melia Varadero: Highly Recommend

I’ve never been to Cuba before and so am impressed with this beautiful beach, the various pools and grounds of the resort and excellent variety of the a la Carte restaurants. Highly recommend this resort as it had it all. Friendly staff and it’s close to Havana so day trips are possible.

Melia Varadero: Great vacation!

Pleasantly surprised with this resort. In need of some updating but we found the staff very friendly and helpful. We were a party of five so were able to eat at a specialty restaurant each night. The food was good and the presentation was excellent. Beach and water were great. The ocean was the most amazing colour if blue. Wifi was down for the seven days we were there. Would go back again.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Fantastic Adults only resort

Our room was very nice and clean. Our butler, Gretchen, was available for any issues we had or to book restaurants. Very close to the beach, which was beautiful. The only draw back, not enough shade at the beach and the pool. The food was the best I've had in Cuba. All our meals were a la carte, which was a nice change from buffet style restaurants. We had the use of the big resort too, and the entertainment at the theatre was very good.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Not bad

There was amazing weather last week. Although the rooms were terrible and there was so much walking. I had to walk my suitcae all the way to the front which was over a mile from the lobby. Also the pool was completely green the first two days. Also the food is terrible, ants in the food as well. The Japanese a la carte was the best for food. My wallet got stolen at the resort. The staff were usually not very happy except a few were amazing. Also the beach doesn’t get raked there and they have  [... read more]sand fleas. Good time with good friends, nice water slide.

Paradisus Varadero: Will definitely return!

Family Concierge section was terrific. The grounds were well-kept, there was plenty of delicious food choices at the buffet, room was well-stocked, comfortable, and clean, and the people were friendly and conscientious. The staff appeciated and were thankful for all the gifts we gave out. We enjoyed the gorgeous beach everyday.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great holiday

My sister and I had a Great time at the Melia Marina Resort. The hotel lobby is very impressive . It only took minutes to check in and out. Our room was very comfortable. One issue was open and closing the balcony door. It was very heavy we did have to call for maintanence twice for our door which didn't lock behind us and once for the safe as it wouldn't open. They were very quick to respond. The activity crew were great. We had lots of fun with all of them. We met some very wonderful people th [... read more]ere and felt we were treated very special.. We will definitely be back. We felt very comfortable and safe. Patricia lyon

Starfish Varadero: Another great time at this wonderful resort.

Starfish Varadero is a great place to stay. The staff are friendly and helpful. The grounds are well kept and clean. The food was wonderful. I love the music ranging from Jazz to acoustic guitar to local music performed each evening on the terrace. My bungalow was large, clean and located very close to the beach. The addition of coffee pots this year was a nice bonus.The Manager Alex and Assistant Manager Andrea were eager to make my stay as positive as possible.

Muthu Playa Varadero: It was a good resort

The room was clean, everything needs to be upgraded, but we didn’t go for that! People very nice and friendly.., we had a good time! The beach is 2 min from the pools! We went with the kids and it was really good, because the resort is not too big! I will definitely go back!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Was ok...

We recently visited the Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero. We were booked with Diamond Club privileges that was included in the package we booked. In my opinion, it's not worth paying the extra money on the Diamond Club upgrade. And here's why: Butler service just means that when you arrive at the hotel the butler greats you and takes your luggage to your room. Although the butter is very nice, accommodating and welcomes you to the hotel, they tell you that anything you need to let them  [... read more]know. We asked everyday for extra "in-room" towels and they never came. If you use your "in-room" towels, the maids will only change them if you put them on the floor. It's advertised that "Diamond Club guests receive exclusive beach area with dedicated bar and waiter service. That's somewhat truthful. There is a designated area for all guests of Sanctuary. There was a bar, however there was one bar on the beach for all guests of Sanctuary and Grand Memories resort to share. They never looked at your bracelet to see if you were a sanctuary diamond club member. You had to ask for the premium liquors or else they would give you the lower end liquors. The Beach bar was never stocked with ice. All mixed drinks were always warm. There was definitely NO waiters on the beach taking any drink orders. No, nightly Turndown Service and they indicate that you have premium amenities in room, every room was the same in the Sanctuary section. What I will tell you is that the guest rooms and the resort is not fumigated often enough for cockroaches. We seen many cockroaches around the property (in the Gourmet restaurant, in the theater and in the Cubana Bar). We also found a cockroach at the start of our trip in our room and we kept our luggage closed at all times. In chatting with various guests, this is very common to see because of the tropical climate Cuba has, but we felt that that the resort could be doing a better job fumigating these bugs. Our room, was an average room nothing to rave about. The workers (butlers, waiters, chefs, and grounds men) at the resort were super nice, with the exception of the lobby desk staff. They were very rude and not very accommodating. The resort itself needs a lot of cosmetic work and a lot more upkeep, but from what I understand this is very normal for resorts in Cuba. The grounds of the resort were maintained and clean. As for the food, it was decent and tasty when it was served to you hot. The comment I would say is the food is hit or miss in being served hot. At the large buffet there is a microwave located at the end of the line to heat up your food. There are no heat lamps keeping the food hot at any of the restaurants on the property. Knowing and seeing the cockroaches around the property always stuck with us when eating anywhere on the property. At the end of our vacation we asked if we could extend our room past the check-out time and we were told no. We were very much willing and offered to pay extra money to keep our room they still said no. We were offered a courtesy room, and we decided to take it as it was our only option - well my advise to everyone is to NEVER take this option. The courtesy room was absolutely disgustingly filthy. The courtesy room had not been cleaned from the previous guests that used it before us. No shower towels available - I had to hunt down a maid for towels and she gave me 2 face cloths. When I called the Sanctuary service desk they said they would send some - no one showed up with towels. We were only able to use the room for 30 minutes or else we would have been charged for the extra time. The room was so filthy that I was shocked that they would offer such room to Sanctuary guests. The only reason we took this option was because our check-out was at 2:00 pm and our departure from the resort was at 6:15 pm. We wanted to enjoy the last few hours at the beach and just wanted to take a shower after having been at the beach. When I called the for a trolley to take us to the main hotel lobby with our luggage to catch our bus to the airport, the sanctuary service desk said yes no problem. We waited a full 10 minutes, no trolley showed up and we had to walk with all our luggage across half of the resort in the heat. I was very surprised by all the trip advisor reviews on the resort and questioned why this resort was rated # 1. We booked this resort based on the wonderful reviews we had seen prior to booking. However, based on having stayed at this resort I would not give this resort more then a 3 star rating. For the lack of bug fumigation and the way we were treated on our last day, we unfortunately will not be returning to this hotel again!!! I will say that for our first time traveling to Cuba we can say we loved the town of Varadero (Especially 62nd street - very fun to visit at night!) and the gorgeous beach, City of Maltanza and the City of Havana are all beautiful places and a MUST see when your in this part of Cuba. We booked the Jeep Safari with the Sunwing Rep on the resort and it truly was an awesome experience, so much fun and it was an amazing excursion! We booked a taxi with Manuel (Cell #:01052814540) to Havana and he was extremely knowledgeable and gave us all the history about Havana, Cuba. He took us to the very best lookout points and hot spots around (amazing photo's taken), as well as answered any questions we had. He is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish. I strongly recommend him for a great tour of Havana. As for this hotel, we would not recommend it and if and when we visit Cuba again we will be trying another resort property and will book an extended Havana tour, as 1 day visiting this city wasn't enough time to see all of it's beauty and history.

Hotel Bella Costa: It is still a good resort and will get a New Managment on July 1st Iberostar.

The Resort has recovert from the Tornado. The New Beach open Restaurant is better than before.But I notised that they bring in to many Cubans with to many Kids .No Mannors or Respect the Tourist which pay a lot of money to come hear..Hope it will improve with the New Management..

Melia Marina Varadero: Great resort

Hotel was clean food was good and personnel was good. The beach is at the end of Varadero so depending on the days water was agitated. Over all it was great considering the hurricane they survived. By the way their currency is higher than ours 1 Canadian dollar to 71 Cucs

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Iberostar Vella Vista

Overall, I would rate our vacation at the Cuban Iberostar Bella Vista as an enjoyable experience. Our vacation did not start out well as our room was situated in a very noisy area (above the Bar) and we experienced kids screaming and running up and down the corridors late into the night. On top of that, the shower did not work. The hotel staff were very nice and accommodated our request for a different room. Once moved, we were very happy with the room and we occupied. Other minor gripes [... read more], for a hotel that is barely two years old - the hotel has more wear and tear than we expected as many tiles in corridors and stairs cases were broken and in some cases missing. From an exterior perspective, the grass areas appeared a little worn and brown and we saw trash visible in the wooded areas. Food wise, we purchased an 'all inclusive' vacation and questioned why there was just one cook making breakfast which caused delays in line up's for meals. On to the good stuff. The room we had was great. It was bright, modern, spacious and offered plenty of space. If you can, get a room with a balcony that overlooks the beach - it is well worth it. Try to get as high as possible as it reduces sound from air conditioners on the roof of restaurants and there is less noise from the corridors. We found the hotel staff incredibly friendly and accommodating to answer any questions that we had, whether it be restaurant staff or general staff at different hotel locations. Beach wise, outstanding is the verdict we give. The sand was clean and fine grained and the water edge shallow which was ideal for families with young ones. Our vacation was a week of pure sunshine and found it tough to secure a shady location under the breach front palm tree shelters, however, the resort had plenty of other areas we could seek shade from the sun when it was too hot. The photos of the Iberostar Bella Vista shows lots of sandy beach - this is a little misleading as the tide was out when the photo was taken. We liked to stroll / run on the beach and with the tide fully in, it was tight access to other beaches. That said, we made do and found we could easily travel 2-3 Km in one direction across all the beaches before making the turn for our hotel. From a drinking perspective - we had the all inclusive and found that there were bars in each restaurant, in the lobby and by the beach. Staff were very friendly. great with mixing drinks and a highlight for me was noting that the bar staff refused to serve alcohol to teenagers whom they judged to be underage. All bars had both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at hand and our wait to be served was never too long. Sports wise - again another positive. The tennis court was great, the staff very friendly and helpful. We did not take advantage of the gym as we ran on the beach, however when looking at the equipment, it was a very well laid out exercise area with lots of equipment. We never saw it fully occupied. Beside the tennis court there is a small outdoor play area and we saw families with young kids having fun with a soccer ball and other games. From a beach perspective, there was a small company which offered snorkeling trips via a 20 minute catamaran ride to a local coral reef. The cost was very reasonable ($20 per person) and it is well worth the trip. The reef was 20-30 feet deep and with bread thrown in the water, the abundance of tropical fish was great. We did do the underwater photo tourist thing and found that the CDROM/photos we bought were well worth it. Other beach attractions - Kayaks and Paddle boats were a blast and to considered well worth trying out. The folks manning the beach sports activities were excellent. Restaurant wise - everything was good - other than the minor issue with line ups. We elected to sign up for the smaller restaurants for supper each night (this was a free option) and it was well worth the effort as we got to try different meals away from the large all inclusive dining area. There is another restaurant on the 12th floor of the Hotel - we tried it and it was excellent and it is well worth the extra expense as it falls outside the all inclusive option. We watched the sunset from the 12th floor balcony (available to anyone) - definitely recommended! Our Travel agency was Sunwing - there was a representative on site everyday and they were terrific at giving advice and helping with discussions for excursions away from the hotel. We cannot say enough about the help that was offered. We did several excursions and they were well organized and the buses stopped right outside the hotel lobby so you didn't have to wonder where to go. Hotel staff were great with providing support for excursions. Tips and tricks: There is a bank in the Hotel - but not what you think. It is a cash bank run by a single member of staff. There is no ATM at the hotel - you have to go into town ($5 ride) and find a bank. You cannot get Cuban currency outside of Cuba - so bring cash with you and you can change it at the hotel. Be aware that lots of people want to change money, and with one person handling cash transactions, there is a line up. Try to change money in the afternoon - there is far less delay. Tips for staff. Although we bought the all inclusive, it pays to give a small tip to the staff. They were very appreciative and we noticed they became more attentive. We left a small tip for the cleaning staff each day - they appreciated it. There are no condiments (real North American Ketchup/hot sauce/salad dressings) available at the hotel - if you need them, bring them with you. If you want to secure a spot on the beach with shade under the umbrellas - get to the beach by 7:00AM or earlier and place a towel on the chairs you wish to occupy to secure your spot. By 7:15AM all shade spots are taken. We found that all sun lounges were taken early morning every day - people claimed them and then returned to their rooms and/or went to breakfast prior to taking their spot on the beach. Sun lotion - bring lots of it with you. No need to say more. Drinking water - the water in Cuba is perfectly safe - it's contains more minerals than North Americans are used to and contains a higher level of chlorination. Your body may take a few days to adjust with typical consequences. If you are not sure, stick to bottled water. Overall - we had a great time - a few bumps at the start but after we got into the rhythm of the vacation we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this hotel.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great resort

We originally got a room on the ground floor but had to move as the rooms were too musty. We decided to upgrade and loved our room. Facilities were great. Entertainment was amazing. Staff were phenomenal.

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful beach!

Beautiful weather, good food for a resort and great stretch of beach. Close enough to Havana for a day trip and right next store to a Shopping Centre but you really don't have to leave the resort...the resort has everything you need.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Vacation 2.0

Tripcentral helped me from Day 1 to Day 99. It took me months of research and back and forths but I was supported every step of the way. Needless to say, I booked an amazing vacation with my agent and it was seemless and stress free. I had an amazing vacation to boot.

Paradisus Varadero: Beautiful Family Resort

We liked this resort especially the butler service; he was tremendously helpful in arranging our dinners with daily reminders of the time, attending to little needs around the resort including staking out a cabana at the poolside, as well as breakfasts in our room when we had an early excursion to Havana and very early departure time including a golf cart waiting for us outside our front door to take us to the bus in the main part of the resort. Very relaxing holiday.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beach is a 5 star

The grounds were beautiful. The beach was gorgeous. The beds were horrible, didn't sleep all week, going to chiropractor now! Been to other resorts in Cuba and the food was maybe a 2 at best. Beach chairs always occupied by 7am! Our maid was great. Tips were expected or no smiles due to all the rude tourists. I felt bad for the workers. We met amazing people still had a great time. The airport was a mess. Immigration took my mom's boarding pass and waited until boarding to tell her she couldn [... read more]'t board! I threw a fit and we boarded after they insulted her , I was stressed for her heart, senior citizen! I paid for my food then they told me I didn't and I stole the sandwich at the airport! I think I'll go to cayo coco next time. The service, airport, more Canadians , 3 star hotels have better everything!