Great for families, modern rooms, beautiful beach, amazing staff , over all a great week, food was to be expected for Cuba, wish there was more fruits and vegetables, alcohol was a hit or miss, would definitely return for the value
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Jeff80 -
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Iberostar Selection Holguin: Great place
Awesome staff great food overall a memorable expedience
Only thing I could recommend them on trying to approve on was the snack bar service was less then efficient at times
However I’d definitely consider returning
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Private -
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Hotel Bella Costa: We had a good time! but...
Our family had a good time at this resort however a few things were surprising. Our first impression was walking into our room and being very disappointed in the cleanliness. I found dust and grime on the lamps that couldn't have been cleaned in months . The bedsheets and towels were stained . I'm sure they were washed but dingy and stained sheets leave a poor impression. Cuba is experiencing shortages but hot water and soap are still available to the cleaning staff.
Some of the staff were exc[... read more]eptional and friendly. Johnathon was awesome!
Yes, some pop/juice/vodka was unavailable but it certainly gave me an opportunity to try something else.
The bathrooms by the pool were dirty -I never saw anyone go in to clean them - must have been night fairies....
The food was always good at the buffet , a lot of carbs- pasta , rice, potato and bread. The Italian ala carte was excellent .
The pool was great , my grandson loved the foam party on Sunday! too bad some fool ( an adult) had a blowup boat with oars in the middle of the kids having fun.
Most days the music was at an acceptable level but one day it was beyond loud ! for 14 hours straight! When the entertainment staff tried to speak they yelled into the microphone in order to be heard and in fact blew a whistle into the microphone during an exercise session. Also on that same day the "DJ" played some rap crap with "f" bombs and other inappropriate words . I marched straight over and told them to stop that music -there were young families everywhere and the idiot thought those songs were acceptable??
When we had to leave , there was no trip book to refer to as far as when our bus would be picking us up from the hotel - it is something I would recommend and have seen done at other hotels. Also there is no place to shower after you've left your room but still have to wait for a later flight . It would be nice to have a designated room or bathroom to use .
If going to this hotel - go prepared . bring your own pillow cases - I did and I'm glad. Bring raid for the rooms - I always do. Bring snacks .
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great resort to relax !
The pros definitely outweigh the cons of staying at this resort. My cousin and I went the week of April 1st and the purpose of the trip was to relax so this resort being a smaller resort was a great place to do just that. We were in an ocean view room in the Varadero building. Clean rooms a little dated but everything was fine with exception of the toilet not flushing properly. The staff were friendly and very attentive when we needed service. Like most people we don’t go to Cuba for the food [... read more] but I was happy that they had bread and rolls at every meal, poached eggs boiled eggs and omelettes at breakfast. As well there was always some kind of fruit to eat. Pork, beef, chicken and fish were usually all available at the grill along with pasta station stir fry and fried rice station. No going hungry and for a week I don’t mind having the same choices everyday as I could just pick something different to eat. We talked to a lot of other people who loved the resort and kept coming back. We never had to reserve a chair at the beach and there were always some available no matter how late we ventured down. The only true negative for me was that the beach had seaweed about 10 feet into the water . You could walk down the beach in either direction and find a wide beach with no seaweed so wasn’t a deal breaker but I would have preferred a better beach. I could walk 25-30 minutes in either direction so it was a great beach to walk and lots of sea shells. Entertainment in the lobby every night and people liked to sit around and relax. There were night shows in the theatre as well as a disco however we were too tired to bother so not sure about these. I was happy with this resort.
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Lovely
What a wonderful resort.
Food was plentiful and tasty. Staff warm, welcoming and friendly. Could use a bit of a variety of liquor and snacks but no real complaints ???
Would be nice to have screens on patio doors and waiters at the pool.
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Great resort
We like this resort. Rooms are big and comfortable. Location is great, very close to the airport. Only 20 minutes ride from the airport.
Beach is amazing!
Only problem with the toilet paper …
Staff is very friendly
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Private -
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Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Good Relaxing Time
If you're looking to relax and do absolutely nothing, then this is the resort for you. I always had a full meal. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. But you need to ensure that you get there on time because mid lunch/dinner there isn't much left. I brought my condiments with me (ketchup, salt, pepper, mayo and hot sauce) since they are lacking resources in Cuba. This is essential if you want a little flavour.
I did do this trip solo which allowed me to do everything and nothing. Note: this resort is m[... read more]ainly Russians.
I did not have toilet paper the first two days, so please make sure you pack the BASIC essentials, they came in handy.
The beach was stunning. I spent everyday after lunch there, it was cold because of the wind, but it wasn't a bother.
Overall, I had a great experience.
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Ryley7 -
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Iberostar Waves Tucan: Hidden Gem
Highly recommend this resort, great food, great staff, great beach. Awesome time had by our group. This isn’t a party resort which is not what we were looking for either. Traveled with our 6mo they were super accommodating and resort is quite stroller friendly. We tried all the restaurants other than the Japanese one, they were all excellent. The rain forest portion is amazing as well as the amount of wildlife on resort.
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Vlad -
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Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Worst hotel in my life!
We flew in from Calgary to Cayo Coco, but upon arrival at our room, we were dismayed to find no towels, water, toothbrush, and a broken locker. Despite multiple requests to reception, no assistance was provided.
The following days, towels were delivered but remained unchanged for the entirety of our seven-day stay.
Additionally, we only received two bottles of drinking water for the entire vacation, making access to water incredibly challenging.
The lack of tap water for two days compou[... read more]nded the issue, leaving us without essential facilities.
We kindly request that tripcentral administration refrain from cooperating with such a poor hotel.
Our vacation was ruined, resulting in a significant waste of money.
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Vladtch -
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Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: We had a good vacation, but with some caveats.
We spend a week at Iberostar Daiquiri at the end of March 2024. Small group of 5 people. First impression was 'What a rathole we got ourselves into!' - reasons being flight came late, check-in took very long, and no restaurant was working, hotel does not have ANY food provisions for arrivals after 22:00. So hungry/angry guests go to sleep in Cuban style - hungry! Don't have any REAL 24-h snack bar. Also rooms are looking old and musty, some lights not working, some furniture missing. Rooms were [... read more]clean, but still first impression was not favorable. Next morning we were rested, ate and had a nice swim, things look better. Overall, we had not a bad vacation!
So here is the list of pros and cons:
Food was good, probably the best we had in Cuba recently. Both fresh fruits and meats/fish present and well prepared. To the chief chef - thank you sir/madam!!! No shortages (at least no considerable ones).
Beach is nice, sand is clean and white, seaweed cleaned out daily, enough lounges/shades, beach bar - good, Pier is maintained and nice. Coconuts - cut for you for a small fee daily.
When wind is mild, swimming is very pleasant, but no reef close to the beach. you see lots of fish hiding under pier from birds. you can also see the lion-fish under the adjacent hotel's pier. We spotted starfish and sting rays once.
Staff is friendly and tries to help - even the infamous front desk staff. Waiting staff at the restaurants are somewhat slow, but bearable.
Showers are good and working, hot water present.
Internet is limited to 7 hours per week, but is relatively fast and present in the rooms too! Very good!!!
Reef is in 1 km to 3 km from the beach - catamaran ride for $20 or excursion for $50. Reef is so-so, but at least present.
1 hour bicycle rent is included, also 30 min catamaran run is included - use it, we liked it.
Cons:
Mosquitos near rooms and beach. Was not so bad for us, but some guests were all red spots, like chickenpox.
WINDY. I mean - kite-boarding and stronger. Could be a pro if you kite, but for swimming - not good. out of 7 days 4 were too windy, and 3 were very calm and nice.
Rooms are spacious but aged, they smell faintly of age, for some could be a big con.
NO food provisions for arrivals after 22:00. if your flight arrives after 9 pm prepare some sandwich for that. IF hotel admin reading this - you are CRAZY not providing this, EVERY other hotel - even 2 star ones have something for late arrivals. it creates VERY BAD first impression.
First connection to the internet was iffy and confusing, messages are in Spanish, even if you choose English. Once you are connected - done your browsing/calling/uploading, disconnect to save hours for later, next connection is ok, though wait for it, takes few seconds waiting. You don't need to enter password again - just wait.
That is it.
Few tricks: if you ran out of internet hours - go ask front desk for more, no charge.
If you want snorkeling - instead of catamaran for $20, you can go to Diving center (600 m walk to the left) and ask to ride as a passenger - same $20, but reef is nicer and bigger. They depart around 9:30 and 11:30 (approx)
Check out a wild flamingo flock - 1.5 km total walk from the beach to the right (800m) and at the next hotel (starfish) right again - another 600m almost to the main road, flamingo laguna is on the left.
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: A Series of Unfortunate Events
My parents have been to Cuba 11 times, we came as a family for the 3rd time together and unfortunately it was objectively the worst experience we’ve had. We are not picky but the 2/5 rating is based on the customer service and upkeep of the facilities. Due to the nationwide food shortage Cuba is experiencing, it wouldn’t be fair to rate the food.
Pros:
- lovely gardeners, very friendly, lovely landscaping, helped us source coconuts
- beautiful water, cold though in March-April
Cons:
[... read more]- my bed broke and collapsed on one side just before I went to bed (I weigh less than 120 lbs)
- toilets flushed only once every few hours (…“if it’s yellow let it mellow”)
- for about 18 hours our entire building ran out of water
- internet was out for several days, therefore unable to use credit card for late check out payment
- glum looking staff who seemed annoyed with requests or questions
- all towels and bedsheets were stained with old makeup or what looked like blood
- multiple rounds of keycards not working
- front door handle fell off
- previous guest’s hair was on the shower wall and remained there all week
Honestly.. it was not a relaxing vacation at all, we just waited for one thing to go wrong after the other. Perhaps this is now the case for resorts across Cuba post pandemic but we certainly wouldn’t come back here.
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Joyce -
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Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Nice resort
Hotel was very nice considering food shortages in Cuba at present time not bad service was horrible no face cloths or towels all week along with no toilet paper last day was spent with no running water for whole resort very dissappointed
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Private -
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Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Great resort
This resort has beautifully maintained grounds, the shared areas are very well maintained and there is always someplace to sit and enjoy the ambiance in the evenings. Wifi is great everywhere - even the beach. If you are able I suggest staying in building 5 which has a great view of the beach. We found the Italian restaurant the best, the Japanese restaurant food was salty and one note. The beach was fantastic and great for long walks.
Loved the resort ❤️. The beach and snorkeling were amazing! The gardens are beautiful and everybody that works there are wonderful ❤️
The poor people in Cuba are going through real hard times but they are all amazingly nice. Thanks so much to all those hard working people.
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Private -
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Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Not worth it
Big problems with the food supplies. The drinking water was missing, the alternative glass bottles was stinky as a hell, as well the water itself was very chlorine taste. The cola was missing as well. The food was nothing special, below the average. The beach was good, but a lot of plastic thrush at the sand.
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Cuba man -
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Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great resort
All the employees were great especially Henny, Julio, Elvis, Javier and Adonis.( sorry for spelling). The food was some of the best we have had in Cuba. Parts of the resort are in some need of repair or renovation but overall descent. Beaches are amazing, no seaweed just soft white sand. Been to many resorts in Cuba and this one is at the top of the list.
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Private -
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JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Amazing resort!
It's my favourite resort in Punta Cana! I have been staying there from Mar 24 to March 31, 2024 Excellent service, beach, food, room and everything. No complaints. Will be back for sure. Thank you, Iberostar for one more great vacation.
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Private -
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Iberostar Coral Ensenachos: Amazing Vacation at this resort
You are always welcomed back by the staff that always recognize you. The service is awesome, exceptional. The location, although its a long drive from the airport is worth the drive. The food was also very good. When they are low in supplies, they make up for it. We have been there for 4 years and is now our preferred destination. I don't have any complaints and we are already looking forward to go again next year.
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Amazing Resort
Must try Star prestige rooms. Where one can get personal swimming pool, amazing restaurant. One thing I like about the resort is they have 24 hour snack bar. Hardly 10 meters away from the beach. Resort even have water activities which are included
Grounds are well kept and staff are great. The food (March 2024) was better than expected despite the shortages that all of the hotels were having. (ie. bread on some days only). Checkin was fast and efficient.
Unlike neighboring hotels there is not a lot of drink service in the lounge area or beach. Not a problem though as there are two bars within 50 meters of the beach.
Downsides. Room: total lack of hot water in the shower (the sink had hot water though). The beds were showing there a[... read more]ge and I did not find them comfortable. They call a king room one with two utility-grade single beds pushed together. The room cleanliness was fine.
The lobby is smaller than in other hotels and does not have a lot of seating for groups or for lounging and having a drink and seating was in good shape.
Beach: Very deep and flat. The sand was not as fine or shell free as other areas. There were also rocky areas at waist level in some spots so water shoes are recommended. The hotel did suffer from the number of worn out and broken loungers. Some altercations with other guests over "parking" or reserving avaialble loungers ensued.
Coffee and drinks were plentiful and bar service was good. There was also a very nice little cigar bar with bar service which I enjoyed.
Overall, recommended.