Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Quiet resort

Nice and quiet resort. Rooms are nice but needs maintenance. Some rooms have plumbing issues or shower leaks. No hot water. Some arent clean when checked in. First floor has lots of mosquitoes. Second/third floor has nice ocean views and less bugs. We had a group of 30 people. Public washrooms are dirty except near lobby. All week long is the same food. A le cart has same food as buffet but just little more fancy. There are fries,hot dogs/tuna/pork sandwich. Breakfast/dinner grill may take u [... read more]p to 45mins. Beach is really nice. There is 1 show per night. Over all I would rate 7/10 for this cuba resort. It's cuba! Known for the beach not the food. We had a nice quiet week of relaxation. For the price, it's pretty good.

Brisas Del Caribe: won’t go back again

First, I’d like to say that the staff is a 10/10 (the only 10/10 I’d give to this place).Really nice and accomodating. Now for the hotel: I think we must have been the only people there that didn’t ask to change room even if ours wasn’t really better.. (mold, door broken, springs comig out of the bed, no water, etc.) We knew that Cuba was experiencing a shortage on foods and goods so we didn’t make a big deal about the low (really low) diversity of food and drinks, just to find  [... read more]out every other resorts were doing fine. At ours, it was impossible to get anything to drink at the restaurant (fanta only) and the bars didn’t have anything else than rum & coke/fanta. A pina colada if your lucky when it just opened up. A la carte resautant are never open, and when they are they all serve the same thing: chicken. Discotheca / Piano bar/ cigar bar were close the entire week even if it’s the high season, so not much to do after dinner than staying in the lobby or going to town, wich is 40$ canadian for the ride to go and back. Other than that, beach is beautiful and staff is nice. Altough, if you are looking for your only vacation of the year, you may reconsider something a little more confortable and fun for the same price..

The Reserve at Paradisus Varadero: Great potential

This resort has a beautiful concept that is unfulfilled due to what I assume to be the effects of COVID. I hope (for the sake of Cuba’s residents and it’s employed) that resorts like this one can provide as advertised in the future. The staff was beyond pleasant with their attitude and gratitude towards the patrons who were being accommodated at this resort. Cuba’s natural beauty and positively charged workforce is unmatched - the recovery from COVID’s effects on supply is evident.

Hotel Los Cactus: Overall good resort

Overall nice room, food, and entertainment, good value for the relatively low price. Fun shows every night, cool daytime excursions to Havana, near the beautiful Varadero beach. However, we didn't have hot water in our shower, and were not given the free bottle of rum originally advertised. The room also does not have any coffee despite it being advertised on the booking site. The food in the main food hall is bland, but if you make reservations at the resort restaurant (reservations are limi [... read more]ted to only 2 a week), the food is good. Our air conditioner worked but it was extremely loud, it was dripping a questionable brown liquid and had pieces falling out of it, and it made a loud chainsaw sound in the middle of the night.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Had a great vacation

We arrived on Jan 5th to a beautiful hotel on wonderful grounds. The hotel was booked to capacity so there was a lot of people present. Grounds - This resort has four pools and the beach (which is beautiful) but unless you get up at 7am to put your towels on your chairs you are not getting one. During the week I seen multiple altercations over chairs that were uncalled for. The pools were very clean and well maintained and the lobby, theatre and staff were amazing. Food - there is multip [... read more]le a la cartes, the buffet and the snack bar. Due to the amount of people it was very difficult to get food unless you waited in line up for 1 - 2 hours. One day we waited for 2 hours for lunch. A lot of nights we were eating of plates that were not washed well or couldn't get a plate at all. The food was ok but we have never had an issue with Cuba food so no complaints there, it wasn't fantastic but we didn't starve. Our room was amazing, we asked for ground floor close to everything as my husband had spinal surgery and we got exactly what we asked for. Each day the maid came in and cleaned and did a fantastic job. We had a great week but won't be returning to this resort as it is to big for us and we don't like the line ups. In regards to cleaning they need to ensure there dishes are cleaned better and general areas as this was lacking. I would suggest this resort to you if you like to have fun with the amazing entertainment staff, don't mine waiting in line and don't mine walking as it is quite large but if those things are not for you I would suggest you move on.

Playa Costa Verde: Jan 1 -8/2023

Before I review the resort I must comment on the travel experience. Every detail that Sunwing controlled was delayed from start to finish which was a major fail. I would definitely look for a non Sunwing travel package the next time we vacation. On to the resort. This is my 9th vacation in Cuba and first time at the Playa Costa Verde feel that I can fairly compare this to the other 4 star resorts we've stayed at. The rooms are very dated and would barely rate them 3 star. There are no ocean f [... read more]ront rooms and ocean view would be a stretch as there is a natural wetland between the resort and beach so not worth the extra surcharge. We were in a ground floor room and all through the week there was construction noise above us, ie moving furniture, running water, sometimes til 330am. Called front desk on four separate occurrences of which one call was answered and noise stopped but resumed the following night. The grounds were well kept and appealing to the eye. The staff in general were not very inspired. There were a few friendly faces but most seemed like they didn't want to be there. As far as the tourists go, 90% Quebecers. Large groups, very loud and obnoxious. Would avoid this hotel on that fact alone. Also found that the hotel was hosting locals as well, apparently a perk mandated by the government. Not a problem with them being there except I found the resort amenities strained by the influx, was not able to get a seat at the buffet one night, had to eat at the snack bar. The food and drink were the worst we've had in Cuba over the years. No potatoes, no mojitos, no cereal. I know that the food offerings are usually repetitive in Cuba but there was little variety to choose from. Of the a la cartes, Cuban was best, Japanese second and Italian would be a pass. Not sure if this is a complication due to covid or the ongoing embargo but it has noticeably deteriorated from our last visit (at a different resort). Met people that have vacationed at the costa verde for 13 yrs and said that this was the worst that they've seen and would probably not return. As we are beach people, that is the saving grace of this resort. One of the best beaches we've been to, not over crowded and plenty of activities aside from soaking up the sun. Fantastic snorkeling right from the beach, volleyball courts busy and entertaining, non motorized sporting equipment always available. Beach loungers usually available but safer to get out before breakfast and reserve. Not too overcrowded like the neighbouring Pesquero, the whole beach side by side, six rows deep! We decided not to do any excursions but were disappointed when the scooter rentals out front were unavailable due to multiple breakdowns. 75% were out of service due to a lack of batteries. Shoppers are out of luck, this is a out of the way location and the trinkets and souvenirs are not widely available. There is a small flea market across the street but mostly hustlers looking to buy what you have. We enjoyed our vacation in the sun but feel that the issues with the airlines and the constraints with the resorts, apparently a Cuba wide problem, would probably avoid Cuba til things get sorted out.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Valentin Perla Blanca

An amazing job of reopening a resort after 2.5 years ! The food was better than expected and the current staff well trained and courteous. One of the top 10 beaches in the world ! Note that there were a few mosquitos so take bug spray. Some liquor items (premium brands of alcohol as previously available: vodka, tequila, Baileys) were not available with the Alegance Package Some buffet items were missing (no decaf coffee, orange juice). Anything you can bring for the staff is greatly appre [... read more]ciated. Canadian coins cannot be exchanged by the staff at Cuban banks and American money must be sold on the “black market” Tip with Cuban pesos.

Playa Luxury Cayo Las Brujas: Amazing Resort

The hotel was wonderful very clean and staff was very friendly. The grounds are well maintained. There are two beaches the larger one has lots of sandy beach front but there is some rocky areas a short distance in the water. The second smaller one is great and very relaxing. The a la cartes had great choices and the food was very good. The only issue was they had no menus, probably Covid, and you had to take a pic from their phones to see it (a bit annoying). It was windy the whole time we went  [... read more]except for one day. But if you are after a laid back and relaxing hotel this is definitely a great place to be. Highly recommend.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: We had a great time!

What a beautiful place to go on a trip with the Kids. It might not be a 5-star hotel but our room were kept clean, and the sheets were changed every day. The personnel is so pleasant, and all our needs were met. The Buffet was fine; everyone found something to eat at every meal and the hotel has a great location. The beach is beautiful and calm on most days. I would go again that's for sure.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: The best!

I have been traveling to Cuba many times and have enjoyed each visit. This was the best. Everything was wonderful. The grounds were well maintained. The room was clean. The food was the best I have ever had in Cuba. The beach was magnificent. The staff without exception were polite and helpful. My only criticism is the music being played at the bar was too loud.I could hear it in my room while trying to sleep. I would without hisitation recommend this resort.

Melia Cayo Coco: Amazing time!

We had a great time at the Melia Cayo Coco! The people, grounds, common areas were wonderful. There was always someone cleaning. The food was limited, but very good. The baked goods were spectacular! We would go back😁

Los Delfines: Great time!

The staff was super friendly and accommodating. I really enjoyed the shows, drinks and beach. Unfortunately the room above me was under construction (drilling & hammering). Also my room had a broken balcony door and cockroaches. I didn't mention this to the staff because I'm pretty sure they can't do anything about it. It seemed like the entire resort needs some upgrading.

Gran Muthu Rainbow Cayo Guillermo: Beautiful LGBTQ resort

Rainbow hotel was a wonderful experience. Beautiful space, pool, nice beach, great entertainment and staff. I could always find something to eat but food is typical for Cuba (subpar). Not too busy when we were there, mainly Canadians - 70% LGBTQ.

Grand Memories Holguin: Beautiful resort

Beautiful resort Entertainment not very good. Pools nice. Food good for cuba, after covid. Missing veg. Beach long . They are working very hard to cleaned. New managment "Memories" Improvements are coming. 👍😀

Hotel Bella Costa: Acceptable accommodations

The rooms were adequate. Water pressure was good. Hot water available on most days. Food was limited. No24 hour options. Grounds were simplistic. Beach was fantastic. Limited activities. Very close to town which is convenient.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Amazing resort

The resort was very beautiful and the beach was amazing. My only complaint is that we had no hot water in our room. I complained every day and they said they would look at it but it never got taken care of.

Sol Palmeras: Great time with family

We had a great stay at Sol Palmeras. Positives: outstanding beach, great for swimming and relaxation. We were nicely surprised that there were enough sun beds and umbrellas for the guests (we didn’t have to fight for the space at all). We really enjoyed the food especially a la carte restaurants. I thought the food was really good (you will definitely no be able to lose weight here! Lol ). We did long walks along the beach each morning which was a plus. Customer service was good (you got t [... read more]hat “odd” person once in a while) but generally staff was nice and helpful! The bungalows were lovely. My sister stayed in 215 and it was very spacious! We stayed at the main building and the room was average but bright and clean! Negatives: in our room (#3079) every time we flushed toilet 🚽 this horrible noise kicked in from inside the wall that you could hear all the way in the hallway- it got fixed two days into our trip. Our shower head also did not work (the water was just dripping down on the side of the shower wire) we were able to wash only under the faucet. Twice I went to my sisters bungalow to take a shower. Zone 3,4 and 5 were lacking landscaping and you could tell no one has cut the grass in ages. Only bungalows closer to the main pool had nice bushes around them and grass was trimmed. Generally very nice resort but definitely in need of some TLC especially in places less common. I like to go for walks and noticed all areas were there was less traffic were sort of neglected. The cabanas by the pools are stained with old food and drinks. Is anyone washing these ever???

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort: Amazing Resort poor service

The hotel is amazing everything from rooms to the pool to ground perfect the only problem was they need to check their service from front desk- kitchen all the managers wondering around doing nothing to fix the problem fix the service in general you have a amazing place

Melia Marina Varadero: Great Resort!

We had an amazing family vacation! The hotel is wonderful and staff are super friendly. We went when the hotel was only half capacity so some things took longer than usual to get but other than that we have no regrets!

Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo: Worst vacation ever

This vacation was horrible the hotel was over booked my ocean view was a building view before going to our room we tried to book some a la carts all of them were booked for our entire stay. We had water all over our bathroom and bedroom but no clue we’re it was coming from. No phone working toilet or shower for 3 days. The wifi barley worked and you had to get a new code every 14 hours.between 4pm and 7pm the water in the room didn’t turn on you could even flush so it smelled like an out hou [... read more]se. No daily made service they came every 2-3 days in the seven days did not put clean towels unless we asked and did not provide toilet paper we had to wipe with our towels and didn’t have any toilet paper in any public bathrooms either. The buffet was 30-45 minutes wait to get in and to get food that was horrible if they had anything left. The place to exchange beach towels was closed the entire stay. Cigar shop had no cigars. They did not fill our fridge daily we had 2 cans of beer and 1 bottle of water the day we arrived and when we asked for more they said only the first day the buffet was closed more hours then it was open. No games and or entertainment for my teens. Our door lock was broken we had to punch it several times for it to except our key cards and when you locked it from inside it could be opened anyway. The reception staff was very rude they did not send people up to fix thing and they would not provide toilet paper and when we asked to move to a functioning room they said NO. Furniture in lobby and other common spaces were falling apart. Overall this was the worst vacation we’ve ever had and I would not even recommend this hotel to my worst enemy.