Hotel Los Cactus: Beautiful Beach but Lacking Night Life

When we first arrived at the resort we were early but our room was ready. Check in was quick. Upon getting to our room we noticed a very musty smell. The room wasn't the cleanest and the toilet only kind of worked. The next day we payed 70 CUC and upgraded to a suite. It was well worth it. The suites are much cleaner and very spacious. The Duna bar is only open until 10pm and closed early often. This is where the only hot hot tub was located. All other hot tubs were broken or not hot [... read more]. The food was ok... we didn't go hungry. The Italian a la cart was excellent. I found that they didn't post menus or times at the small snack restaurants. Like they didn't want you to know when they were open or what your options were. Almost made you feel bad when you asked for food(snack bar in lobby and Carlos at the beach bar area). This hotel is more catered to retired people. The beach was amazing however. That made the trip worth it.

Playa Caleta: I took the cheapest all included ever and I don't regret it

Pools and beach are really close by. I went there with my daughter and we both loved it. The staff was really friendly. It is 5 minutes taxi from the little downtown. Try to catch the tourist bus at 5 CUC. If you want to go to la Havana it is possible to reserve online for bus ticket at least 3 weeks in advance.

Villa Tortuga: Amazing ...but not in a good way.

I didn't want to go to a large hotel, wanted to be in a walk up, a smalish resort. Well, I had to move room three times. The first room had no toilette seat, no working tv and no hot water. The second room had a bed with three legs(!), a broken shower and no working tv. Finally! the third room had a comfy bed, tv, a great rain shower, hot water. The food is...well, it is Cuba. The grounds are well kept, clean, the pool area is nice. Each step is of a different hight and because of that I injur [... read more]ed myself and had to call on the miserable nurse for some antiseptic. The people working in the hotel are nice, at least most of them. You get what you pay for, at least here it applies.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Loved it!

Have stayed here several times and always love it. Enjoyed the food, entertainment and especially the service. Always feels like visiting family! The rooms and common areas are well kept. The grounds, pools and beach were kept neat as well.

Barcelo Solymar: Barcelo solymar

Enjoyed stay in separate suites away from main part of hotel. Clean and maid service good. Would attend there again. Enjoyed sharing other hotel close to it and being walking distance downtown veradaro. Enjoyed stay would stay in same type of suite a little farther from maid service area though.

Barcelo Solymar: Nice resort. Seen better but seen much worse.

Location is a walk in to Varadero. Service was great, rooms were large and we had a great ocean view. Beach was great. Not enough shade around pools or outdoor restaurants or bars. The hotel staff were all pleasant and very helpful. The rooms were clean and freshly done every day but could not get a fresh beach towel for a week. Otherwise all was good.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great Resort!

We really enjoyed our stay at Melia Marina. The service was excellent and there was plenty of entertainment. The food was also great and the beach was beautiful. We stayed in the studio apartment and found that it was clean, comfortable and really luxurious. The only con to this resort is that the hotel staff don't speak English very well and it can be super hard to communicate, additionally the wifi is horrible and also not free. Other than that, great stay and we would recommend it.

Hotel Tuxpan: Feels like Family

This is our second time at Tuxpan. The first time we travelled with our teenage children and friends, this time we travelled with our elderly parents. The size of the resort is just what we like, its very small! I gave this a five start the last time I went and this time I give it a three, mainly because of the cold buffet food. Beach and staff are 5's! Before I go in to any details, I want to say that the STAFF AT THIS RESORT IS WONDERFUL! Full picture: we paid more this time and di [... read more]dn't necessarily feel like we had the value for our dollar (even though we know we had a GREAT deal the first time!) Food: not much choice for buffet, although the main grill always had something good. The food was NOT hot or even warm in any of the heating trays which was disappointing. The beach food on was good. The snacks at the pool bar were also good (pizza, sandwiches, lobster that you pay for). Pool: getting a bit run down, broken tiles and a bit dirty compared to others we have visited. Always lots of chairs which is a bonus. Beach: as any in Varadero it is FABULOUS!! The biggest reason for Varadero in my opinion. Rooms: always well cleaned but aging. Ours looked over the pool and the beach side. We stayed on second floor both times and it is a perfect location. Access for Elderly: the elevators are unreliable and don't actually go to all the floors, so stairs are something that elderly must be able to climb. It was a bit of an issue for us ( my parents I should say). The tubs are also very high which was troublesome for my parents. There are no "handicap accessible rooms" at this resort. Entertainment: always someone playing around dinner time at the piano bar area and they were great. The night time shows didn't always happen and weren't as good as other resorts but it is something that is terribly important to us. If you are looking for great night shows, this wouldn't be your choice. Staff: they truly are the best! Everyone, at every location is very friendly and helpful! From the reception, to the wait staff to Alexis the omelette chef, all the pool bar staff and beach bar staff...they are the reason that people continue to return. It is what we remembered from our first visit and they didn't disappoint the this time.

Club Tropical: Very good resort

The resort was very nice great location decent food everything was working great beach no issues at all great staff go back next year lots of food available nice pool great view clean and spacious lots of nice staff store in lobby pool.tables great people at resort near everything in town

Roc Arenas Doradas: Roc Areanas Dorado March 21st 2018 to March 28th

This hotel was a great time. Beautiful beach, lots of loungers all the time, turquise ocean, food was very good, specialty restaurants very good especially the Italian...Rooms were clean and nice, not fancy but very good beds and clean bathrooms. Coffee bar was really good have to try it yourself. Wouldn't think twice about going here again..., we are going to take more people next time. Was great place to travel to...Also short cab ride to downtown Varedero. The beatles bar is a lot of fun, g [... read more]ood music...Karen &Brian don't miss this resort

Muthu Playa Varadero: Great Vacation!

We really enjoyed our week at Muthu Playa. I was a little worried because of some of the other reviews but we had a great time and thought the resort was quite nice. It was clean, our rooms were nice, the bathrooms were clean and felt up to date. We had no issues with hot water, while the AC was cold, each room has control over the temperature (not sure why other people complained when they could just adjust the temp as we did), everything in our room worked, the pool was clean and clear, the be [... read more]ach was amazing and the staff were sooo friendly - we looked forward to meal time because we would be greeted like we were old friends. The food was pretty good for Cuba but the variety wasn't super huge - which we have found to be typical of just about any place in Varadero. Given what we paid for this trip, I think we got an amazing deal. It far exceeded my expectations. My advice to those who travel to Varadero or this hotel in particular - Cuban hotels are not like the glitzy over the top hotels you will find on other islands - they are quite simple but well planned out and far less expensive as a result. If you treat the staff well and tip them you will receive amazing service. Just think that these people earn $40 per month, so tips are incredibly important to keep them from extreme poverty. I have seen some people write about negative experiences with the staff and that you shouldn't have to tip to get great service. I think this outlook is negative and selfish - you need to treat people nicely and with respect no matter where you go and what issues you run into. They are so happy to help if you ask nicely with a smile. You have an opportunity to go to a country for VERY little money compared to other vacation destinations and you could use some of what you saved to make the lives of the people there better (so tip!). As far as I'm concerned, it's a win/win. I get to make someone happy which makes me happy. We even exchanged email addresses with a few staff members and plan to stay in touch. You have the power to create your own experience, so choose the positive path.

Melia Marina Varadero: Amazing Resort

This was our first time staying at Melia Marina in Varadero and we were very pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and food quality of this hotel. Our room was just like the pictures represented and was clean and very spacious with a large bathroom which included separate areas for shower, toilet and tub. We really enjoyed the layout of the resort and although the beach was across the road, it is a very short (less than 10 minute) walk across the walkway bridge. Rides in the golf cart shuttle [... read more]s are always available as well. The food at the buffet was the best we’ve had in Cuba and although most dishes were the same each night, the quality of the food was good. As is usual for Cuba, wifi was only available in the lobby. The beach was amazing and there were lots of spaces available. Overall, we were very happy with the value for money spent.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Fourth time to this resort!

I have been 4 time to Laguna Azul in Varadero, and this was the worst it has been. We arrived and there was no proper room for us. The staff was gracious enough to give us a room for a short period to make it a bit easier. The no water issue was also a big problem the first few day. After these issue everything seemed to come together for a fantastic vacation. I love this resort, but they could improve some areas.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Could of been better

Well I have to say every worker I came across were extremely friendly. The only issue I had was two things: First, they kept running out of cups. Secondly, they only had one buffet open and the resort was massive. Otherwise it was average.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful Resort

Staff was very friendly, the shows in the theatre were wonderful. Rooms were very clean , however the king size mattresses were uncomfortable, double bed mattresses were better. Buffet was good, but for a big resort it would be better if it had more stations for fresh cooking because the lineups for eggs and omelette s were very long as there were only 2. Overall the resort is beautiful with amazing views from the 5 th floor fitness centre! Don’t wait to check out the 5th floor, it’s a g [... read more]em!

Hotel Los Cactus: Los Cactus was fabulous!

Los Cactus was a great place to stay in Varadero. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. I ended up switching rooms both of my first two nights at the hotel - the first because of noise from a neighbouring hotel, and then a second time because of a very loud air conditioner that started malfunctioning the second day I was in that room. The staff were gracious and understanding. The hotel itself was good. Not super luxe or anything, but that's life in this part of the world - esp Cub [... read more]a! I met numerous people who'd been coming back for years which I always take as a good sign. The beach was gorgeous, the dolphin excursion was AMAZING, as was the Havana one day tour (Amazing guide, Mairellis with Gaviota Tours!). Depending on the waves, the ocean is swimmable some days (green and yellow flags) and on other days you can't go in due to strong undercurrents. My sense was that the flag gets set for the day, even though water conditions generally change in the afternoons - definitely exercise caution and use your judgment. There was one yellow flag day that should have been changed to red in my opinion. The undercurrent was SO strong I was afraid to wade in above my knees, even though the waves were so tempting to play in! The ocean is powerful - be careful! I have a very restricted diet and I further restricted it during my trip (I didn't eat anything fresh, and no shellfish (and I love both!); I've had ongoing stomach issues for years from tropical travel, so I'm super cautious!) - but there was always plenty of food to eat that I quite enjoyed. Cuban food gets a rep as "boring" but remember these resorts are trying to make food that is palatable to everyone - so bring your own seasonings if you want extra flavour (salt, pepper, hot sauce). I loved all the fish, rice and beans and especially the Yucca! The fresh omelettes and bacon (which the chefs will happily let you grill further) made for quite a delicious breakfast, too. I was a bit taken aback by Cuban tipping culture (it seems like we were expected to tip absolutely everyone, which felt over the top to me...) - and hadn't quite factored that in to my budget. Do be sure to budget 5-10/day for tips alone! I like to mix things up and try different things, but I'd definitely consider coming back to Los Cactus and certainly recommend it.

Melia Marina Varadero: Overall relaxing, pleasant resort!

Pros: Nice layout of the site and pool area...not too big. Room was large and clean; balcony with a view on the pool area. Music in lobby every night. Buffet good with wide selection of food. Specialty restaurants nice decor, but limited menu. Cons: Many staff not very friendly and limited English. Bureau in room had patches of the finish worn off..gave bad first impression of room, which could have been easily rectified with refinish or cover on top. Fresh towels not always replaced and ha [... read more]d to call housekeeping on more than one occasion. Location more isolated so not much to do in the area outside of resort. Good for just relaxing not visiting.

Starfish Varadero: Wonderful!

This was a great modern and comfortable hotel. The food was amazing and the hotel provided spectacular shows. The facilities were also properly managed. Overall we had a great experience and we look forward to going back!

Roc Barlovento: Lovely Resort

Roc Barlovento is a lovely resort, extremely well situated at the entrance of Varadero which makes it easy to discover the village whether it be to shop, browse or simply get acquainted with the Cuban people. The resort itself is simple and quaint but well organized, clean and well maintained. The beach is well kept with sufficient chairs, the towel service is efficient The food is good to excellent with numerous choices, good variety and quality. With its two restaurants, you can have someth [... read more]ing different every day of the week. The highlight however is the staff. They are great! Attentive and polite, they always welcome you with a smile and will go out of their way to get you what you need or want. The only downside are the rooms. They really need to be refreshed. Worn out and stained towels and sheets, leaking toilets, broken doors and poor deco. The cleaning staff is good, they do their best, but it is impossible to give luster to run down material. Luckily, our mattress and air conditioning were good so we slept well. Overall, we enjoyed our stay. We give it a 4, except for the rooms which are a 2.

Sol Palmeras: Great vacation! We will be back again!

We visited the Sol Palmeras from March 20-27, 2018, and could not have asked for a better experience. The layout of the resort makes everything easily accessible. The staff are friendly and welcoming 24-7. The newly renovated rooms are updated and modern. The Buffett has a variety of tasty choices for everyone, and was different everyday. And the beach grill at lunch made the Cuban experience even better. This resort is well managed, and everyone finds the time to make your experience unique and [... read more] special in a good way. We will be coming back again. A big big thank you and call out to some of the great staff members that went above and beyond. Gustavo, at the reception desk was always friendly and more than helpful when we needed anything. Geyki and Alain in the buffet restaurant, as well as Tania and Humberto, always made our dining experience wonderful, and were great to talk to during mealtime. They were professional, fun, and always friendly. Francie was one of our waitresses outside on the patio at the lobby bar quite frequently, and she always had great service, and was smiling all the time. Jorge, at the beach bar, was always inviting, helpful, and so friendly. The extra entertainment in the evening in the lobby, or at the pool bar was high quality, and very enjoyable as well. We loved listening to the music every evening, especially the trumpet player, and the female violin trio! Overall, the staff made this experience a great time. The hotel is well kept up, and we would highly recommend it to anyone who asked! Well done Sol Palmeras!