Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Close but no cigar!

It is a lovely facility but lacks in Cuban decor and ambience. I have travelled to many parts of Cuba over the past 28 years and have stayed in different hotels and even casa particulars. The rooms were nice and comfortable, had a safe, refrigerator, hair blower etc., but we never did get the room with the king bed that was requested. The facility was also very full at the time of our visit and the service was very slow especially at the lobby, beach, and snack bar bars. The a la carte staff wer [... read more]e all very good but the food was mediocre as best. It was actually disappointing that the seafood restaurant over cooked everything. The Japanese restaurant was entertaining but the food was below average. The Italian restaurant was good and the staff were also very pleasant and efficient. The International restaurant food was okay and the staff too. The buffet was okay but that's it. I do know that it has always been an economically depressed country and their are excellent resorts there with exceptional service and food at the same cost or even less. I'm hoping this is just growing pains and wish them all the very best in the future but for me it was overpriced without good service or food.

Memories Jibacoa: Nice resort for activities

Overall we had a nice stay ! Food was good (we were worried about this mostly). Activities were great (snorkeling directly at the beach, pedalo, kayak, ping pong, tennis, billard, activities at the pool, a hiking nearby with a point of view of the resort). No rain except the last day in the evening. In general, very satisfied with our stay. Only negative points were the shower not draining water fast enough and the shower curtain was not waterproof so floor was wet after a shower.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Not worth the money

I went in 2010 it was amazing 5 stars so we wanted to go back . We went on Jan/02/23 Extremely disappointed - 1 star food sucked the alcohol was dilute there was cockroaches in the in buffet area by the tables were we eat all the restaurants in the resort had cockroaches no food selection every day was the same thing .it our room only once the towels was changed I will never go back and don’t recommend anyone to go!!!!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Awful

We stayed from Dec 26 to Jan 2. Took over 24 hours to get toilet paper in the room. None in the room when checked in. I had a large family with us traveling 4 rooms total. All had to move rooms because of cockroaches. No beach towels in the room, told to tip maids to get them. Drinks nothing frozen available.. ice they made with the tap water as well as all juices, surprised Noone was sick. I have been to Cuba before and enjoyed it. Will not be back anytime soon. Not sure if covid played a part  [... read more]in this but I was not impressed at all.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Costa Aston Verde- loved it!

The hotel was was very clean, the house keeping was amazing, staff was awesome. We liked every aspect of the resort. The food was good hat they could offer to the best of what was available. I would like to mention here that my wife is a vegetarian and they always made sure to serve her something veg. Best people I would say.

Resonance Blu Varadero: A few bumps to smooth out but overall a relaxing week away

We arrived Jan 1 and enjoyed a very sunny and relaxing week. Check-in went smoothly for us and our room was ready within minutes. However our friends who travelled with us waited until 6:30pm for their room. Room # 39303 was a great room, newly renovated with view of the activity pool. Working air condition, no bugs and working toilet (I heard others complain about such issues). However, we only had one king size bed despite there being 4 of us (2 adults plus 12 and 13 year old). It took one n [... read more]ight, and two requests but we did receive an additional bed. Our maid was great, however we didn't always receive 4 towels and had to ask for more. We read reviews prior to coming and brought our own beach towels which was helpful. Food options appeared plentiful at first, however by day 3 I became very tired of the same food being served in the buffet every day. So I decided it was time to avoid the buffet and just go to the snack bar for a burger. This turned out to no better as all they had available was a ham and cheese sandwich. The supply seemed to replenish later in the week and we had hotdogs and hamburgers once again. The a la carte restaurants were a bit of an issue to book so we ended up with 2 at the end of the week. We were disappointed that we were unable to get reservations for the Japanese restaurant. We saw it closed a few times. We did have a nice lobster dinner at poolside on the Thursday night which was very appreciated as like I mentioned, I was starting to becoming very tired of the buffet. We spent time at both pools and the beach. I was shocked by the lack of lounge chairs at the resort. You had to make a decision each day where you wanted to be and "claim" a spot at 7am or there would be no vacant chairs to be found. We took a walk down the beach and saw at the adjacent resort that they had stacks of chairs available. The staff were friendly and seemed to try their best to ensure we had an enjoyable vacation. I can appreciate that they were likely understaffed and fatigued. Overall we had wonderful week. I felt the overall value of this resort was excellent. We've only been to Cuba once before pre-COVID, and although our experience this time was inferior, I recognize that they are still recovering from COVID and there will be a few hiccups to overcome along the way.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Excellent Cuban Resort

If you can get past the food, this was a beautiful beach and clean resort. We enjoyed the adults only section of the resort. The restaurants tried their best but food was meh. I brought trail mix with me and I’m glad I did! The people who work there go out of their way to please you. The biggest problem is the shortages at times.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Good experience overall!

Not a 4 star ⭐️ for sure but staff was great & (sport) facilities were good overall ! Everything is nearby (pool, beach, buffet, etc.) which was great to walk around quickly Food & room were the most disappointing things in our stay .. but you know it’s Cuba ! Beach & sea were wonderful !

Muthu Playa Varadero: Good resort

The beach was the best part about this resort. All grounds and pool area was nice and kept clean. Staff were nice and very helpful. Reception gave excellent service and were able to help us out with everything we needed. Rooms were the downfall of this resort. Upon arrival, we had 3 single beds in our room, 1 bed without sheets on it. Our front door didn't lock and the air conditioning was working, but we could not change the fan speed or temperature. The following morning reception upgraded [... read more] us to a different room that was much nicer. In the second room, we could not control the air conditioning again, but it was at a comfortable temperature. The bathrooms were clean and the room was always stocked with water. The room also had 3 small hand towels that were never changed for a clean one all week. We asked the maid many times for clean shower towels but weren't able to get any. She just kept saying no towels. By the end of the week, our 3 small towels were dirty looking. One issue we had at Muthu was no available beach towels. Every time we went to get a beach towel they told us "no towels today and no towels tomorrow too". We went 4 days with not having a single beach towel. Finally, on day 5 we were able to receive 2. We didn't use them on the beach however, because we wanted a clean towel to shower with. I would HIGHLY suggest you to bring a towel from home, just in case. Food at this resort was very good! We always had fresh omelets, meats, and veggies. Lots of food options that they would cook on the grill in front of you. Service was good at the buffet if you left a small tip. Another slight issue we had was the bar kept running out of plastic cups. We forgot to bring our own reusable cup from home. I would recommend to bring a cup from home to avoid this issue! Overall we had a great stay and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL beach every day. We played lots of beach volleyball, water aerobics, stretching, and soccer. There were plenty of activities to do at Muthu and we would come back again.

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: Buyer beware

My wife and I had not traveled in several years now, selecting Cuba and this resort as our first destination. Brand new hotel having been open for approximately one year. Traveled with Sunwing, from the start, the flight was over 3 hours late and we lost the first day at the hotel (each day is $500 to stay during the NYE time area). We are still waiting on our so called free gift, that was supposed to be have sent from Sunwing prior to departure. Arrival was pretty much as expected., we were [... read more] checked in and pushed to our room, we were not asked what type of room and were given a twin bed room. Not very happy having to sleep in a small bed or apart, we requested a room with a queen or king bed. We were told none are available, to come back. Day two, had us booked on a previously set up appointment, and no new room was forth coming, still sleeping apart from my wife. Set up appointments for the ala Cart dinners with our friends who also traveled with us. Service was very slow, with limited staff available to get drinks, no, they want you to stand in line at the lobby bar for 15 minutes to get your beverages. Seen two wait staff for over 100 people. Internet has upgraded, so that it is now available in the rooms, and is free, but you must renew it every 3 hours. No idea why they can not set it up as on while you are registered as a guest as you are given a unique password / login. So just another thing we had to manually do to stay connected in anyway (I run my own business and need to be connected in case of emergencies). Day three, pretty much more of the same thing, lines for food, lines for drinks, no idea why our payment can not afford more staff to service the people they have brought into their hotel. Still no room change available, we gave up on that idea and resigned to what we were given (this is not a cheap place to stay either). Food was mediocre at best in the buffet, watched the one cook coughing into his sleeve where he was cooking the non-editable "steak". No orange juice, just that "tang" like drink mix which is totally disgusting. Eventually they ran out of the tang as well. First ala carte, was pretty good, service was good and food was good as well. Day four, can feel I am coming down with something. Took the day off and stayed in doors in my room for the most part. There is no place to get medicine in Cuba, bring your own, or suffer. Day five, yes I definitely have some bug, glad I brought Tynenol, should have brought a decongestant as well. not coughing or hacking, so keep myself away from others and limited my exposure to people totally. Guess having separate beds might not be a bad thing, if you sick. Day six, still the same old horrible service to get beverages or anything else (like really they barely pay people here, hire more). NYE pig roast, ran out of pig (in a country that literally everyone grows them to supplement their groceries). Guess no roast pig for us this time. NYE diner over cooked lobster, and poor selection of holiday special foods. The nightly entertainment shows are so poor that we all were totally disappointed. Stopped going after the 4th left down. Watching one of the two "waiters" stop at a lobby table and talk with the people there for over 45 minutes, no wonder no one gets any drinks unless they get in the 15 minute line up. Now you may think well that is Cuba, but I have been coming to Cuba over 8 times, and thought (wrongly) that paying more would mean a huge step up in service and foods (we stayed at the Pullman in Cayo Coca and seen this first hand in Cuba), but no, the MGM is a horribly run place, with limited service that you would expect in a 3 star at best. Giving this place a 5 star is far from accurate, and if your expectations are to have a service based vacation, definitely stay away from here. The Pullman was leaps and bounds above this place, and I would never return to Cuba given the experience I have had here. In conclusion, wife and I got back to Canada, have tested positive now for covid, having got a parting gift of getting sick. Do not believe the ads where they show any type of preventative measures, there, they do not exist. Staff if limited in appearance, I put that down to management and the ones there for the most part were fair. As I look back, the price we paid and the service we got were far from being what I would expect from a five star hotel, and reality is, I wish now that I had gone literally anywhere else after having spent $5500 for two people.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Worst Travel Experience I've ever had!!!!!

Hotel was disgusting! Dirty rooms, cockroaches, no toilet paper (until we moved rooms). Juices and slushy mixes for cocktails were made from tap water! The waitress in the Italian a-la-carte yelled at us because we asked her to repeat the menu. Jellyfish at the beach. The ONLY good thing about the hotel was our maid (in our second room) and the staff at the buffet, in particular, the omelet lady...she was fantastic!

Brisas Del Caribe: Excellent resort

The resort was excellent. I would recommend it to everyone. To all the hotel staff, specially the entertainment, pool and the food was surprisingly good. Brought spices and didn't even have to open any of it. Only down fall was always shortage of cups so bring your own and drink selections were blah.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Great holiday in Holguin

A truly great experience, everything was the way it was described, we enjoyed every minute. The greeting we received from Junior and how he explained the room and the attention he showed us all week was a very nice touch. The bed was one of the most comfortable I've experienced in Cuba, the room was cleaned everyday by a very thoughtful maid. The shower was the hottest ever and it never went cold!! the shower gel and body soap are in dispensers so no fear of running out,and its eco friendly.  [... read more]The pool was well maintained and the beds and loungers were available most of the time (not crowded) the two beaches were beautiful and always room for everyone, beach staff always willing to help find a spot for you. We enjoyed all the meals both buffet and a la carte, always sometime tasty to eat and the service was excellent, always seemed happy and willing to satisfy. We didn't take in any of the shows as the selection side was extremely busy, there was some nightly entertainment on the Coral level and we very much enjoyed that. We never ventured off the property as we had no reason to, everything was at our resort that we wanted or needed. This is an excellent property to get some much needed R&R and thats what we received, thank you to all the staff for making our time at your resort very memorable, we will be returning again, that says it all :) Kelly & Lisa December 29-January 5th 2023

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Unpleasant experience

There are issues in this resort with cleaning : dirty dishes, dirty rooms. The buffet has major issues with shortage of staff and food . I have been over 25 times in Cuba and I have never seen a resort not to have enough bread ! The lines ups for food are anywhere form 45 min to one hour. The staff are exhausted with tourists demands and frustration, to get a glass of water or a drink at the buffet you will wait 20 min or more. If there is soup, there are no spoons and many other complains.  [... read more] We were traveling with a child and we did need to wait in line to get some food for our kid, otherwise, we will be starving until breakfast , the only decent time to eat. The room was cleaned about 3 times for the entire time we were there, we were 3 people in the room , we only had 2 towels and we were lucky I guess because other people had one or no towels! The beach is amazing , the water activities are really good. The music is too loud , so if you are looking for a quiet place to relax , this is NOT the place. I felt robbed going to this hotel, I do NOT recommended unless you get a supper deal. By the end of the trip, we realized that the biggest problem in the resort is the management , not capable to hire enough people, or to provide the proper training and organize the resort properly .

Gran Muthu Almirante Beach Resort: wonderful beach and peoples

The quality of the food is a bit low but satisfactory and the staff are very friendly. All facilities were clean and the feel of the sandy beach was very good. I want to go again next year with the clothes I used to wear, soap, and snacks for gift.

Grand Memories Varadero: Grand Memories Varadero - Well well well - Big

1. Grand memories - Property is very big. They have a 10 seater gold cart that pick you up and drop you off on the resort depending on the block you stay in. We were block 15 close to the quiet pool but far from the beach and halfway to the party pool. 2. The locks on the balconies did not lock. they remained open the entire trip. They closed but the manual chain locks were broken in a good portion of the resort. Ground floor not recommended for this reason unless your sliding door locks.  [... read more] 3. Toilet paper and water were scarce on the resort. We paid our cleaning services to leave us enough toilet paper and water daily. We found that we were hiding toilet paper in our luggage and safe so we would have enough each day and to be able to carry it with us at night going to the main lobby bar and disco. Trust me there was none at night in these 2 spots and this is where the entire resort hung out in the evening. so rather than trekking back to your room carry it with you so you don't have a problem. The water they were only leaving 1 for 2 in a room. So we spoke with them tipped them well and we had enough for the week. *IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WHO WANT BLENDER AND SPECIAL DRINKS* Beside the disco and the italian al la carte is a lobby bar. The drinks are amazing and the bartender is Awesome. Tip her well. (Mel)She will make you some pina colada s that you will crave daily. 4. Food not fussy trust me i can get by. NO WINE, FRIES, BURGERS, on this resort. NO WINE!!! purchased for 15.00 off the resort in the cigar smoke shop downtown varadero walk to the back. Resort did have wine for sale only Red sold out of white. BUY BUY BUY BUY your wine at duty free the cartons its your best bet if your a wine lover. The food was the same daily however if they had bread they had no butter if they had coffee they had no milk, bacon no eggs (oh get your coffee every morning in main lobby bar it was the BEST but there is a time limit cut off. 5. Party pool had some plumbing issues at the swim up bar. Not in the actual water but the bar itself was closed for 3 days so they made a pop up bar station under a palm tree where the selection was slim which means you had to walk to the 24 hour snack bar to get tap beer. 6. Block 15 is across from anyone that paid the extra to have premium room. Don't do it not worth it as the rooms are just as far from the beach and alcohol wasn't stalked daily in the room. you might have to push to get it. BLOCK 10 or 20 central.. 7. 24 hour snack bar is quite the walk at the end of the night specially if your in block 15 and surrounding area, so flag down your cart he will drop you right at the door. 8. I am sure you all know to be up early to grab your beach chair. The entertainment on the beach is so fun and you should participate. breathing exercises and stretching in the morning, zumba, dance lessons it was so fun.... get it on the fun don't be shy. ENTERTAINMENT was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. remember at 3pm they move from the beach to the main pool. 9. Beach bbq daily was the same every day. Bring your toilet paper as the washrooms here had nothing. You ask and they didn't have so carry it with you. The bbq daily was good but patience is key as they only put so much on at time. so your waiting and the smell is making you even more hungry. 10. Wasnt planning on watching TV but they didn't work on those days i needed a knapp. 11. Towel Exchange was at the main pool. you could do this daily. 12. Take a walk on the beach after midnight to check out the glowing specks in the sand its quite cool. 13. Wifi was ok. you get a small slip that once activated lasts for 4 hours of use. Once expired just go to the main lobby and get a new one. They did say a few times that the systems were down but persistency always wins and we were able to get new passwords. 14. Cuba is definitely a safe space. 15. Hour bus ride from the airport. Maybe 45 mins with a few drop offs. I want you to know i had a great trip however these are the things that stuck out., therefore if i can make your trip and safer, sanitary,enjoyable and comfortable these are the things that i would want to know. was with 4 of my friends and after ironing out the problems with the rooms we had a good time made lots of memories at Grand Memories. The people on this resort from all over were super friendly and now have friends. Room Quality - same as most - somewhere to change and sleep so lower the expectation. Cleanliness - they cleaned it every day. Upon arrival though the tub wasn't clean and we had no towels. Once addressed the towel issue was fixed and tub cleaned. Affordable with a gorgeous beach and good entertainment at the beach, party pool and shows. Somewhere to lay your head and shower at the end of the day and you can spend your money on other things like dolphin swim, catamaran horse back riding any excursion just remember to negotiate price. They always come down. ** whatever floats your boat** Cuba is affordable with the best beaches ever. So if your not picky you'll enjoy it. As long as the hotel is clean your good to go. Fancy and elegant you should travel somewhere else. Good company, clean hotel, food to eat and drinks your all set. Nice public areas on the resort. you wont be board and I truly had a great time. Don't rate your hotel on 5 star rating some 3 star hotels are nicer than the 5 star rated ones. HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to other resorts while your out and about and asking if you can have a quick look around to decide if that's somewhere you will want to stay. Totally worth your time and they welcomed it no problem or hassle. Travelled from Nov 28 to Dec 3 2022. Sincere and honest review from Rica I enjoyed my trip and so will you!!!!!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Resort okay - not 5 star

-This resort was okay, we had issues with the rooms, not being what was represented on the website. We had no water for approximately 18 hours and when notifying the front desk, they said - "it's a big problem" - no explanation, or offer of another room to have a shower/use the washroom. We had to ask for a key to another room for these necessary amenities. -Food was as expected. Japanese restaurant was good, entertaining. The others were pretty much all the same meals. Buffet was good with  [... read more]some good variety. -Hotel lobby entertainment was excellent! -Friendly staff many who speak mostly Spanish, which was at time difficult to communicate. -Lovely grounds, well maintained pool, beach is great. I did get bit by sand fleas on our last few days which made it a little uncomfortable.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Brilliant

Beautiful grounds Spacious comfortable rooms Amazing staff Gorgeous beach The buffet food was very good Some fruits were not available due to supply issues beyond their control Entertainment team very engaging Loved dancing classes on the beach and yoga Music in the main lobby bar was pleasant and got us dancing

Resonance Blu Varadero: Won’t go back!

Our main complaint was that the maids were seen everywhere but we couldn’t get clean towels, our beds made, water etc. when asked we were told they have no more towels. We checked out with the same towels glasses and sheets as we checked in with. The food wasn’t bad, our phone and TV were cut in half so on the days it was cold and we were in early we had no tv. We tried to call but the phone cord was cut in half as well. When I went to the front desk they looked like I asked for a million do [... read more]llars. Basically the bartenders and food service workers were the real workers. Disappointed other than that. One good show all week.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Bring your own dinner napkins and toilets papers!

The rooms are clean...the check in was slow... the hotel is very nice but still need lots of improvement's. Was in Cuba many times before so I know what to expect, this time I was disappointed The pool was nice…the hotel property is huge and need lots of walking, we can't catch the shuttle easily...there is a small beach where the water shallow but lots of rocks...we had to walk between 5-10 minutes to the better beach which was nice, caught the shuttle only one time...little bar on [... read more] the beach but no grill or any place where we could bite something for lunch, had to walk back to the buffet basically that was the only place in that big hotel where was possible to eat something during the day...the 24 hrs. snack bar menu was very limited and the food was awful there...tried the ala carte restaurants in the evening it was the same food what had in the buffet so was no point to go there. Had no soda, tonic, juices for week and a half (it was only the diabetic juices which had no taste)…many times no forks end spoon on the tables...it was a little peace of toilet paper for napkins on the tables or sometimes nothing, the VIP section had a proper dinner napkin (that coast $35 US per person for a day)… drinks quality and entertainment was poor. It was a stinky washroom on the beach, but after couple days was out of order and wasn't fixed while our stay...the only availability was walk back to the hotel or use the bush or the ocean. The staff are friendly, polite and helpful of course...we love Cuba and the people we will definitely return but not in this hotel.