Good Value for your money Beach Resort

I have stayed at an Iberostar in Cosumel and loved it. However this Iberostar on Veredero Beach was not a 5 star as stated. Pool area was very nice with waterfall you could go under. Lots of fun activities to do around pool. When we went to book a la carte restaurants we were not informed that if you stay for 5 nights you only got 2 a la carte restaurants. Chop house was good, but service in International restaurant was poor. We did get a room away from the disco overlooking quiet pool. Not sure [... read more] were music was coming from one night boom boom sounds until 1.30 am. The room smelled of meldew and I had to remove the bedspread as it really smelled bad. White towels were stained. No face cloths or bar of soap. No soap at all around sink. Buffet food was not bad. Service there good overall. Got to know one waiter who made us feel special. Spa was not fancy but service was good. Had a massage and a wrap. Had a small store. Able to exchange money at our resort. We booked an excursion with our rep.

Preetty Nice Hotel

10th trip to Cuba and have stayed in Holguin, Santa Clara, Cayo Coco and Varadero. I really like Cuba for the lovely landscape, interesting architecture, beaches and, most of all, the residents and staff. I understand that Cuba really strives to maintain their hotels and provide an enjoyable stay for all tourists. Having said that there were great things about this hotel and not so great things. Now, the not so great things did not bother me as I know what to expect but I feel I should point the [... read more]m out to those who are deciding where to go on their vacation. THE EXCELLENT This hotel has a good beach and very beautiful, well-groomed grounds! There are 2 quiet pool areas with a snack / bar area as well as a central pool with a swim-up bar and games. The resort was fairly easy to navigate and you did not have to do stairs if you have mobility issues, In fact, we observed many folks in wheelchairs using ramps and elevators. The entertainment was good. There was a piano player every night in the main lobby and the music could easily be heard on the main terrace. There was a talented saxophone player most evenings in one of the bar/terrace areas on the grounds. There was a waiter in the quiet pool areas. The evening shows were well-rehearsed and fun. There is an ice-cream stand open all day and the resort store had a variety of sundries and personal needs items (female hygiene) as well as gifts and clothing). There was also a small cigar and rum store attached to a cigar bar. As a smoker I loved that many areas allowed smoking but there was a non-smoking bar and, naturally, there was no smoking in the a la carte restaurants or inside the buffet area. In Cuba we find the staff friendly and cheerful even though they often work extremely long hours. I recommend tipping. As in any other bar or restaurant in Canada or abroad, a tip can go a long way in showing your appreciation for excellent service. Our practice is to tip a convertible peso about every other round of drinks for the two of us. We also tip the maid about 5 pesos each time but leave the do not disturb sign on the door every other day as we do not need the bed changed or made every day and we hang our towels so they can be used more than 1 day. We feel it helps conserve energy and do this at home as well. There were nice mattresses or cushions available for the loungers at this hotel and it made such a difference in our comfort when sleeping or reading by the pool. The hotel asks that you do not take the cushions to the beach area but for some, such as the elderly, or overweight, these cushions are imperative in avoiding aches and pains later. I did see some taking them down to the beach. If you do take a cushion to the beach, please take it back to the pool area when you leave the beach. At the towel exchange hut there is also a small book exchange. I found that the breakfast buffet was good and had an omelette station, smoothie station, a selection of meats (sausage, bacon, black pudding). There was also lots of fruit, pastries and croissants. We took the bus into Varadero and had a 3-hour tour for 9 pesos where we visited a house reputed to be owned by Al Capone and the Dupont House (yes the paint family) as well as a stop at the craft market and the rum store. I would recommend this as an inexpensive way to do a little exploring and see a bit of the city. For those who are a little more adventurous you can take the bus for 5 pesos and get on and off all day long. Cuba is quite safe but you may experience scammers and beggars just like Jamaica, Mexico or any other popular tourist destination. I suggest wearing a bracelet or watch over your wrist-band so they cannot suggest they know you from the hotel which I have been fooled by before. THE NOT SO GREAT The water pressure could have been better. The dinner buffet was typical for Cuba. I had expected a bit more from an Iberostar 5* hotel but as always in Cuba, we found things to eat and did not go hungry. Some tricks I have learned are that there are not always tomatoes on the buffet but you can get a few spoonfuls of chopped tomato from the pizza or omelette stations and use them in a salad or on a toasted-tomato sandwich. I did not see peanut-butter at this resort which was a little unusual so if you have kids or a love of the stuff, like I do, take a small jar. If you like to go to sleep early, I would suggest a quick email requesting not to be placed on the backside of blocks 15, 16 & 17 as they face the entertainment pavilion and the disco. We did not mind as we sat on the balcony and listened to the show and then amused ourselves watching inebriated young adults leaving the disco and acting silly. What can I say, we are evil, middle-aged and a bit jealous of their youth ha ha. OVERALL OPINION This was a very nice hotel and I would recommend it to folks.

So so

The resort is nice, just remember it's Cuba. Bathrooms clean. Beds extremely uncomfortable but totally bad food. I know Cuba, been 17 times, lived with the Cubans for a mth every year and been in many hotels there. Same food every day almost. No reason they couldn't have oatmeal at breakfast and not as many veggie dishes and more real food. It's Cuba they should be overloaded with fish and chicken is cheap. I GET that it's Cuba but this is worst food and variety I've witnessed. Last two days wer [... read more]e better because they had nachos and cheese and sushi. Resort played same two songs every single day for 7 days straight. Change it up people, we love UR music. JENNY the pool waitress is amazing !!!!!! Costs 5 pesos for one hour of internet. YOU must log off to save minutes in card by typing 1.1.1.1 (no .com or anythibf by) in Iog out.

Best Resort we have been to so far.

Everything was great. The staff is very friendly. First day the food was not that good but for the rest of the days, the food was quite good. The only beef I have about the resorts is that smoking is allowed everywhere. They should start thinking about having designated smoking areas or non-smoking areas.

Great Resort, Not So Good Food

The resort grounds and beach were amazing! The rooms were good, everything worked except the water pressure wasn't the best. The Japanese and International A La Cartes were awesome, Cuban not so great being outside with bugs and birds. The Buffet was okay, the same everyday, which got boring but you don't go to Cuba expecting great food. Definitely recommend going on snorkeling right off the beach. The catamaran takes you out to the coral reef for a 1 hour snorkeling for 15 pesos a person.

Beautiful Resort with outstanding staff

The Hotel was beautiful. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Very hard to get money from hotel (no ATM). The beaches and water was something else. I have not experience such beauty in all my other travels/destinations. The food was what I was told it would be however I did manage to gain 5 pounds so take it from there.

Fantastic Staff and Beautiful Beach

My friend and I stayed at the Laguna Azul in mid-February. The staff are lovely and rush to assist you. The beach is clean and beautiful. The food is okay, fairly staandard quality for Cuba, but does get boring after a week. Some of the rooms are very badly maintained and we had to switch our room afte the first day. Our major issue was finding a few cockroaches here and there (including a restaurant and our room) and the lack of sufficient air-conditioning in a few of the locations. Overall, it [... read more] was worth the money we paid adn we had a restful holiday.

Great time!

Overall great experience at Iberostar Laguna Azul! Nice hotel and it was clean. Buffet had average food but the a la carts were great. Entertainment was good. People were very friendly and helpful. Hotel had great pools and a beautiful beach!

Average Resort

Mainly good attention and front service was accommodating. Nice grounds, swimming pool and beach. The food was good, however they included too many regional dishes comparing with the more international food that used to be on May 2013. The night shows were mediocre. There were bugs in the food of the Japanese restaurant. In the International restaurant, no all the dishes showed in the menu were available.

Very nice property... will need to start updating

Rooms kept clean, grounds well maintained, lobbey bathrooms clean. Terrace off the lobbey highlight of resort. Dissappointed in the food and i have travelled to Cuba many times, for a 5 star resort very disappointing. Staff are amazing

“Beautiful Resort, Incredible Staff!!”

This is the review I posted on Tripcentral We just returned from the Iberostar Laguna Azul on Sept 20/14 and we had an absolutely incredible time. I've never written a review before, but felt compelled after reading several poor reviews of this resort prior to us leaving. There was a group of 10 of us with a total of 5 rooms. We arrived to the resort at 11am and the like all resorts and hotels, rooms are not ready until 3 or 4pm, this is posted on all hotel websites, so I'm not sure why people  [... read more]are so shocked and upset when there room is not ready on arrival? The waitresses greeted us with drinks while we waited. The Bell Boys were fantastic and once we received our room keys, they went ahead and spoke to the maids to try and prioritize getting our rooms done asap, so we didn't have to wait. Within about 30-45 minutes, we were checked in and in our rooms and headed for the beach! We have been to Cuba several times and this was by far one of the nicest resorts we've stayed at. The staff was incredible, extremely friendly, very helpful. The activity team always had something on the go, both at the beach and at the pool. Maria Cleapatra and the team made sure there was no shortage of activities all day long! The bar staff around the swim up pool, both Kensi and Darien always greeted you with a smile and you never went long without a drink! There was never an expectation of tips and you were not treated or served any differently if you did not tip. The beach here was absolutely beautiful and clean, crystal clear water! The pools were all very clean and well maintained! The grounds were beautiful and meticulous! Our rooms were all very nice and very clean. Air conditioning worked great, no shortage of hot water, no shortage of towels or anything else. If you needed anything extra, you simply asked the maids. They stock your bar fridge with pop, beer and a large water bottle daily, we asked for extra water, so the maid left us 2-3 bottles each day. The food was very good, certainly not what it is in many other countries, but you never went hungry. We continued to be impressed each day by the variety of good food. If you love seafood, there was no shortage of it, we had fresh, grilled shrimp every night for dinner! We went to 3 of the al a cartes, the Italian, the International and the Japanese, they were all very good, however the Japanese was fantastic! The chef was very entertaining and cooked your entire meal right in front of you. I would recommend this resort to anyone and will definitely go back! For those who have written poor reviews, either you had an off experience, or you expect to be treated like royalty. I did not meet one person at this resort, who did not have great things to say about their trip. Like I mentioned earlier, there were 10 of us, no one got sick, no one had anything negative to say about their stay and we'd all go back in a second! Cuban people are the kindest, hardest working people, they work 6 days a week, 10-12 hour days or longer (depending on their job) and make 20-25 pesos a month! Yet they smile every day! Thank you to everyone at Laguna Azul for making our vacation incredible!!! Gloria

Spectacular Resort

This Resort is very clean and well maintained. Inviting atmosphere. Excellent place to unwind and relax! The Entertainment around pool and on the Beach was a lot of fun by the Star 5 Staff! Experience it for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

Good for a short visit.

We had a great relaxing holiday. We stayed for 4 nights 5 days. Nothing overly fantastic sticks out or negative. The food was what to be expected for cuba, lots of pickled foods, bland, greasy or too salty. We didn't go for the food but for sun and relaxation which was lovely. Acommodations were clean convenient. The staff had a full agenda if you wanted to participate, the pool was clean and warm. The beach was well maintained and enjoyable. A nice 5 star in cuba, however I feel it was a 3.5 fo [... read more]r North American standards. Great for a short getaway!!!!

Beautiful Resort with Amazing Staff

The resort was to notch with lots of things to do. The rooms were very nice, the pools were clean, and the bars were had lot of booze. The staff were very friendly, and became friends very quickly. The food at the buffet was okay, but the restaurants were great!

Awesome Resort

Was an amazing experience. Great Food extremely friendly staff awesome entertainment. Flight on schedule and smooth Fight. The only thing Mediocre was the resort room that could be becauz we (Canadians) maintains pretty good living standard. Overall Wonderful experience.

Paradise

absolutely beautiful, staff were very friendly and helpful !!! The only complaint i would have which is not much of one, is to have some circulation, example - ceiling fans in the buffet restaurant and maybe the shows at night, very still hair and some people struggling

Amazing people

I love the Cuban people and the gorgeous beaches. The resort was pretty. We had trouble with the air conditioning. They need to improve the quality of the food. The restaurants were good but the buffet was not.

Amazing resort!!!

Was a wonderful trip, the flight on time, the bus service, excellent service, and the resort , all in general Good Resort, service, food etc... Just I have one problem, everyday .., I have problem with the key (card), I have to sep up the new one

Beautiful beach and pool area

Beach was beautiful, pool area was nice, lobby and main restaurant needed A/C or fans. Rooms were a little dated and in need of general repairs. Staff on the whole were extremely friendly and willing to help in any way. We stayed 2 weeks and found that during the second week our room was not always cleaned and for 3 days we had no clean towels and was told there were none available!

Nice Time. Not a 5 Star

The hotel grounds are beautiful, lots of pools and the beach is just beautiful. However the hotel is definitely not a 5 star resort. We found that the cleanliness of the hotel was lacking for example no soap in the lobby washrooms, no soap for the cooks that are dealing with raw chicken and beef they would only rinse there hands which was a bit concerning. The beach chairs were a hard plastic which was very uncomfortable usually hotels have the mesh kind that are a lot more comfortable. The room [... read more]s are spacious however lights did not work and towels and sheets are clean but they have all have stains on them. Food wise is was just OK I'm usually not a very picky person and I usually always find something to eat however in this hotel I found that the selection was very sparse and was disappointed with the snack bar. Usually snack bars always have french fries or will make them on the spot but this hotel's snack bar only had pizza and sometimes burgers and if you asked for fries it was only made for room service ? which was disappointing. Overall our trip was nice would we come back to this specific hotel, probably not I'm sure it was once a 5 star but as it stands right now I would say its a 3.5/4 star resort.