Nice, relaxing resort with a fantastic beach

The hotel complex is older, but kept very clean, Staff were all very friendly and Betty our room lady looked after us very well. We were very lucky to have her. We had a ground floor bungalow and it is well worth it. Food, well, adequate is all I can say. Beach was beautiful, and water very very clean and crystal clear. We would return

Nice, relaxing resort with a fantastic beach

The hotel complex is older, but kept very clean, Staff were all very friendly and Betty our room lady looked after us very well. We were very lucky to have her. We had a ground floor bungalow and it is well worth it. Food, well, adequate is all I can say. Beach was beautiful, and water very very clean and crystal clear. We would return

Great resort, amazing staff!!!

We just got back from Starfish Varadero. What an amazing trip! Our room was upgraded to a bungalow and it was lovely. Close to the pool and a two minute walk to the beach. The beach itself was gorgeous. Absolutely pristine. We did three excursions, day in Havana with a personal guide (amazing), catamaran (amazing) and a keep safari (meh). The AC rep, Osvaldo, was great and helpful. My only complaint was the food. I didn’t care for anything. Super bland and zero taste. I suppose that [... read more]’s not the resorts fault and more a problem with access to food and spices in general. But the absolute highlight of our trip was the staff. From start to finish, they went above and beyond to help us and make our stay enjoyable. They’re the reason we’re going back in December.

Great resort

Food was really good. Nice rooms and very friendly staff. BBQ every day at the beach for lunch. I am disabled and was catered to very well. Arletys a hotel maid was a very nice girl very helpful.

Really enjoyed this resort

Not brand new by no means but they work hard at cleaning and sanitizing and running a nice resort. Bungalows are great, older, but clean and spacious. We had a quiet location within a short walking distance of beach, pool, etc. The beach is AMAZING, AND SO IS THE STAFF!

Beautiful

Truely the rooms and hotel are beautiful the staff very friendly and helpful. My only complaint is that you are so far out and everything closes at 5 or 6 including the pool when traveling with kids it would be nice for something open other then the bars

A great place!

This was the first time staying at The Starfish Varadero, as it was recommended by a co-worker who has stayed there many times. We chose a bungalow as we were taking our granddaughter. We were impressed with the size of the bungalow as it was the largest “room” we stayed in, in all our 13 trips to Cuba. The main bedroom had a king sized bed, and the foyer room had a pull out couch. There was a coffee maker in the room which was a bonus and coffee was provided. There were two patio areas, w [... read more]ith chairs and chaises for us to enjoy. The resort is expansive and there was much to see and do. Many of the staff members were ready with a smile and a greeting. The 24 hour snack bar served basic meals at all hours. Nothing fancy but welcome to receive at our late arrival and early departure.  Food was plentiful at all meals, never any shortages like other resorts we’ve been to. I have diet restrictions and I always found something to eat. The pools were more than adequate. The expansive lounges provided at the quiet pool were a treat. The activity pool also had a good selection; at the beach there were always enough for the guests.  We never had to worry about toilet paper not being there when using any of the public restrooms. For Cuba this was a first. I never had to pull out my plastic bagged toilet paper even once.  The scheduled meeting with the Sunwing rep was a half hour late. He was more interested in selling trips than telling us of the many amenities of the resort, of which we found out through word of mouth from other vacationers. We were first in line at reception upon arrival, despite our greeting we were not acknowledged nor attended to, other guests arriving 5 minutes later, were served first. This meant we had to wait even longer for help with luggage and to be shown to our bungalow. The bathroom shower had two temps cold and tepid. (a quirk for our room) We asked that the curtain be fixed as one quarter of it was hanging off the rod. It wasn’t, so getting undressed in the bedroom was not an option. One patio door was very difficult to open. The maid had to be asked for an extra blanket and pillow for our granddaughter. We brought towels so not getting the extra one for her didn’t really matter. I’ve read some complaints about bedding not being changed lol I certainly do not change my bedding at home on a daily basis so why should I expect it while on vacation. We look forward to having the full bodied Cuban coffee but this is the first resort we visited in Cuba that the coffee was weaker than usual. Massages at the resort 80 Convertible pesos, (“Expensive Lucy” especially so after the exchange) on a trip to the Varadero strip saw a sign boasting 15 Convertible pesos. This just might be the place we go to twice in Cuba! We discovered a Cave tour just down the road from the resort. This was extremely interesting and informative.

Caring Staff

This hotel has had a lot of updates over the last 5 years, we always look forward to returning and seeing the new improvements. The beach, the grounds and common ares are all well taken care of. We stay in the bungalows and it offers a lot of privacy if your looking for this.

Nicer than I expected

I was a bit unsure about this resort due to some negative reviews I had read online, but I was pleasantly surprised. The beach is an incredible tropical paradise with stunning white sand and clear turquoise waters that are perfect for swimming. The resort offers palapas for shade and plentiful loungers. The lobby space is nice with 3 floors to relax, including wifi access, a couple of bars and a sports bar/restaurant. Two levels had nice and newly decorated public bathrooms that were clea [... read more]n. The service was good at the bars. I drank a ton of cappucinos and have to say that the coffee was amazing at this resort. As a non-smoker, I did need to sit strategically in the bars and common spaces of the resort as there were a lot of smokers. Thankfully, the buffet was a non-smoking space. The food was ok, although I never really got my taste buds adjusted to Cuban food. The buffet should keep its doors closed so there are fewer flies. A few more serving spoons and tongs would be good, at least one for every dish. I noticed a few guests use their fingers to pick up breads or french toast rather than search for tongs. I spent most of my time at the beach, the lobby bar area and the quiet pool (there are 2 separate pool areas, one with entertainment near the buffet and the other on the same level as the lobby bar, walk past the tourist rep desks and you will eventually find it). Both pools and pool areas are very nice and well maintained. There was good singers, musicians or other entertainment on the terrrace starting at 7pm everynight but I never stayed long as I was bitten by mosquitos here. They seem to only come out at night. I never got bitten during the day. I was happy with my room. It was clean, no feared cockroachs showed up as per some prior reviews stated. The bed was comfortable and the room was cleaned every day. The air conditioning worked great as did the minibar fridge. The maid left a 1.5L bottle of water everyday. My room had beach towels as well as bath towels, however no face cloths. Bring your own if this is important to you. I brought my international power plug adaptor and had to use it to charge my phone as the plugs are 220v. The resort is a Cuban 3star, so there are small things that might bother you if you are a details person with high expectations. My room had paint splatters on the window. There was mostly hot water in the evenings (best time to shower anyways). The hallways and grounds had some chipped paint & tiles, carpets had some stains. Only one of the 2 elevators was working. The satellite TV was out of service for a day, but it got fixed the next day. Overall, I was happy with my room and the resort. The grounds were well kept. I would certainly consider a repeat visit if I book another trip to Varadero.

Standard

Rooms are kept decent, we had warm water no hot water. Card to safe didn’t work all week. Buffet will keep you alive. Very nice and helpful staff, work with what they have. Beach is beautiful, small pool. This was our 4th visit to Cuba, probably about a 2.5 star to Canada hotels.

Bien

Le resort en tant que tel est bien , on trouve toujours de quoi manger même si c'est répetitif , repas à la carte excellent. La plage est magnifique et il y a toujours des chaises pour tout le monde il n'en manque jamais ! Plusieurs petit spot pour de snack et de l'alcool en masse . Les chambre en bungalow c'était bien a part un plafond qui coule mais encore la ce nest rien de grave et je ny ai vue aucun insecte . Par contre j'ai vue des coquerelle près du buffet . J'ai trouver qu'il m [... read more]anquait d'animation , J,aurais voulu plus dentertainement et aussi la discotheque est fermé et ca j'aurais aimer etre au courant . Mais sinon dans l'ensemble c'était bien j'ai passer une belle semaine malgré tout !

Average resort with amazing staff!

I went into the Starfish with a bit of hesitation.. based on the reviews I had read and the fact that it is Cuba...I mean you have to lower your expectations in Cuba. The only area that lived up to the poor reviews was the housekeeping. The maids on my block only cleaned my room maybe 3 times the whole week. And when they did, it was just a lick and a promise and out the door. Bedding never changed once the entire trip! If you stay in room 8204, check the middle bed for a small red stain on the [... read more] yellow spread. My son and I are covered in tiny bites that we are still suffering with after our return. Can I prove its from the beds...no. But I believe in my soul it is as we did not find an issue with mosquitos or anything like that. The rooms themselves are pretty basic, as all resorts in Cuba. Our tv actually worked though and carried a couple of canadian stations. This was great on the 2 rainy days of the week. We had hot water issues 3 times. Cold was fine, but hot would just not work. I admit it was getting annoying by the end of the week having to go down and complain each time, but the lobby staff were excellent and the lady in charge had it fixed within hours each time. Also, check in and out were a breeze! Done in minutes!! The food here is not amazing, but it is Cuba. The good thing is there are MANY options. We started eating at Sizzlers...the outdoor buffet...as the quality was far superior to the main buffet with about the same variety. Otherwise, we just grabbed a sandwich or burger at Legends...the sports bar on the 3rd floor. Limited menu, but the food is amazing and Dayami and Pabel are the best staff I have ever dealt with!! Open 24 hours too. The drinks are also better prepared here than the other 24 hour bar 1 floor down. The beach here is ok. I have seen better in Cuba, but it is still beautiful. A big bonus for me is they have security there...and at the pool...all night long. I didn't spend alot of time there because they have limited lounge chairs. Instead they use some sort of outdoor canopy beds. I had reservations about laying on the mattresses, but I'm not a huge beach person anyway...so not a big deal to me. I spent most of my time by the pool. The main pool is beautiful, but is apparently silent. So, if you are traveling with kids, don't go to that one as someone tried to have my teenagers kicked out for talking too loud 🙄 Instead, go to the kids area by the main buffet. This is where most of the entertainment is anyway. The bars here are good. There are 7 of them, with 2 being 24 hours. Good variety of drinks, but you can't get everything at every one. They all share the same drink menu, but don't make every drink at each one. They do well with drinkware. Some of them had to resort to plastic cups, but most used glasses. They run out of mint ALOT though, so you may have to switch up if you like mojitos. The evening entertainment is ok. They seem to have something going on every night, but it's hard to know where it is located. A good rule of thumb, is go to the Spirits Bar on the second floor. There was something there 3 of the 7 nights, but I missed the beginning as I didn't know what time it started. I can't comment on daytime entertainment as it was at the kids pool. I don't have small children, so I never spent anytime there. The location is ok. It's right on Resort Row in Varadero, but at the opposite end as the main town.The good thing is the hop on/off bus goes right there, so you can get into town for 5 pesos. It is about a 1/2 an hour bus ride though, so be prepared for that. Also, the bus stops running about 7:30 even though they say 8 o'clock. So, be on it or expect a 25 peso cab ride back. So, if you want to go to the Beatles Bar, I would suggest going in early, so you only have to take a cab once!! The staff here are amazing!! All friendly, all helpful and all with some degree of ability to speak English. And even if their English isn't the best, they at least TRY!! That is what made this trip for me All in all, this was a great vacation...other than the bug bites. I would definitely stay here again. Beautiful grounds, lots of food options, great security presence and wonderful staff!

Amazing resort

We stayed in a bungalow. It was clean and spacious. Air conditioning worked great. Everyone was friendly and helpful. We ate at the buffet a lot, there was a wide variety of food. We had no problems with stomach irritation from the food, and this was our first visit to Cuba. The beach was beautiful and clean. Pool was nice too. Lots of chairs on beach and at pool area. There are a lot of mixed reviews on this place, but for the price, you can't beat it. We had a great time and are already  [... read more]thinking about returning

Third time to Starfish Varadero

This resort has friendly staff, good food and a beautiful beach. The new beach bar and bathrooms are convenient and are a nice addition since our last visit. The buffet is always well stocked with a good selection, and the cooks at the grill prepare very good pork and fish. My son loves the pasta bar there too. I like the food because it tastes like it was made with care in someone's kitchen. The rooms are clean, but some mornings there was no hot water. Otherwise this resort has  [... read more]everything I could want in a vacation spot. The staff were friendly and happy overall. Of special note in staffing would be David Juan who waiters at the buffet restaurant, Yoadsis who bartends at the beach bar, Boris who works security and of course the bellman who has been at Starfish for 22 years and continually checks to see everyone is doing well.

Completely amazing

This was our 3rd trip to Starfish Varadero. The food was fabulous, lots of variety, tasty and fresh. The staff is very friendly, excellent service from the front desk, bellboys, buffet waiters, cleaning staff, security and everyone in between. The addition to the beach bar and washrooms is excellent and convenient ,The beach along with entire resort is very clean. Fun was had by all,my 15 & 18 year old sons, husband and 79 year old mother-in-law. If the boys where out visiting with new fr [... read more]iends they made and were hungry the sports bar makes burgers anytime, with 2 pool tables & TV to watch a hockey or football game it keep them busy in the evening. I would recommend this hotel to everyone. We will be back. lots of great memories

Great Staff

This is a three star resort opened in 1977. It has seen better times and is maintenance deprived. The bungalow was clean and well located. Shows are poor in quality but not in effort. This is a Cuban resort frequented by Russian Tourists ans French Canadians.

3rd time was not the charm!!!

My mom and I have been to starfish in the past and heard they did upgrades, more like lipstick on a pig. We chose to stay in a bungalow as they're close to the beach and restaurants. Well, that's the only good thing about our stay. The bungalow had mold around the tub and around the A/C unit. I mentioned it on our review card that was given to us by the staff and they blamed it on the cleaning lady not doing her job. I highly disagree!!! We went to the buffet at all different times and it was al [... read more]ways cold and same old same old. No variety and cockroaches on tables, walls, etc. A few times we did not eat at the resort because of the poor quality, we had better luck downtown. It's a shame we had to spend more $ when we already paid for food. We did love seeing some of the staff that we met before, Rocky, Amey, and Nancy are awesome people. The "Activity" pool is boring with the same shows every day and same music. When the staff asks you to participate and you decline they say "Don't be lazy be crazy"

Friendly Staff

This resort has beautifully kept grounds and has had many updates over the last couple of years that we have vacationed here. The staff are very friendly and treat you like one of there friends. This was my 4th time staying here and I would come back again. Did I mention it has one of the most beautiful beaches. Unfortunatly the chose of food has gone down which I think all the resorts are having trouble with at this time.

Horrible Vacation in Starfish Varadero, Cuba

I staid in this hotel from September 25 to October 9, 2019. That was my first visit to this hotel. We travel as a group of 3 couples. We arrived at 10pm and got 3 bungalows even dough we booked Garden view Rooms. That time we were very happy because of that. My wife and I ask for second level room but got ground level bungalow on Pool area because second level room wasn’t available. We settle very quickly in the room and went in bed. First night was fine. Second night at 3am scream of my wif [... read more]e woke me up. She said “something” was crawling on her, maybe frog?! I checked in all three rooms in our bungalow (enter room, sleeping room and bat room), but I couldn’t see anything. We went to sleep but my wife couldn’t sleep. Nothing happened by the end of night. In the mourning we went to see Customer service manager Carlos. After presentation all facts we insist to move into second flour room. He promised us hi will try to find it. Noting happened. That evening we went to Entertainment show and came back to our bungalow around 10:30pm. When I open enter door, “something” run from bat room into sleeping room. I closed enter door and bat room door, my wife staid on front of bat room door and I went into sleeping room to check what was there. Suddenly, BIG RAT run out from underneath of beds. Both of us see IT run into enter room. I closed the door behind it and try to find the rat. No succeed. Before we went in bet, we put towel underneath the door. In the mourning we found towel with the hole in it. I took a picture of the towel us a proof rat is still there. See the picture attached. There is picture of rat excrements as well. That mourning we went again to Carlos with the proof, rat is steel there. He gave us new Room in different bungalow but again on ground level. We did not have a choice and took it. One day we notice 5-6 dogs on the beach. They lied in shadow of umbrella. Some time lather one lady was passing near them and dogs attacked her. She was screaming and starts to run from them. One dog bait her on the foot, fortunately bait wasn’t very big. That wasn’t our last trouble in Starfish. Last day I went just before the lunch, to have last swim in the ocean. My wife staid in the room to finish packing our staff. When I came back, I found my wife very scare. Lon mover guy cut the grass right on the front of our terrace accidently hit big glass wall of our room. My wife just suddenly heard big “bang”. A lot of small glass pieces hit her, but fortunately she wasn’t hurt. Few words about food in Starfish Varadero. Cuba definitely has problem with the food. Fresh vegetable we did not see much. Fruits little better. Papaya every day, mango and watermelon sometimes. Washrooms in Starfish were in terrible conditions. Very dirty and with sign “Out of order “ very often. Because of everything above, I’m not recommending anybody to book this hotel.

Wow

This place is awesome. I like the overhead shower and the handheld shower. The best shower I have seen in Cuba. I have been to Cuba for 16 times and this is the best resort by far when it comes to eating seafood. The resort is located beside the best luxury resort in varadero- the Royalton luxury resort. I got what I really want For the price that I paid in using this resort.