Grand Memories Varadero: Nice resort

Had a great time with the grandkids. Food was typical of Cuban cuisine. Only problem was the coffee at breakfast. Only a couple of instant coffee machine's which is fine for lunch and dinner but need a big one with just coffee at breakfast. And invest in more coffee and drink cups. Other than that had a great time room was decent and clean. Beach was nice but not enough loungers.

Hotel Villa Cuba: Great resort!

We had an ocean view room that was very comfortable, our housekeeper did an amazing keeping our room clean. The food in the buffet was good, I was surprised because of so many bad reviews on Cuban food. The entertainment was very good, both the afternoon and evening. We really enjoyed pool and the pool bar.

Melia Marina Varadero: This is a 3 star Not 5

I was expecting much better hotel and service. Since it says 5star hotel and I compared it with Melia las Americas which is 5 star too. After two days I end up switching to Melia las America since I got food poison with their lobster and chicken. Ground is hazardous, lots of holes and uneven ground. Beach too far. Music too loud in the restaurant or common area

Melia Peninsula Varadero: TERRIBLE. WILL NEVER RETURN.

This is our 4th stay at this resort and the last. Check in took an hour because there is only one person at reception after 9PM. Our room was newly painted and the washroom was renovated. There were no pictures on the walls, no shades on the lamps, no paper and pencil on the table, no information sheet about the resort or the list of telephone extensions ,no coffee makers or coffee. All rooms received only one bottle of water per day. We paid for the Elegance Junior Suite package and received wh [... read more]at every other lower priced package received. There are 2 washrooms near the lobby that serve the buffet restaurant, the lobby bar and the lobby.They needed work 4 years ago but nothing has been done. They were not clean,and there were no paper towels or hand dryers.In the men's washroom 3 of 5 urinals were out of service.The day after our arrival both washrooms were closed and were still closed when we left 5 days later. Food was ok but very little selection at the buffet. I learned from someone in the know that Hurricane Irma destroyed fruit, vegetable,coffee and tobacco crops. Staff was courteous but not as warm when meeting people on the main walk...no greeting of any kind. Basically I would be generous to rate this resort a 3 star.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Nice and clean

The grounds crew take great pride making the area beautiful and accessible. Everything is kept clean, including the rooms. Our friends had a problem with cockroaches so for a new room. Our room was only 2 away but no issues. Coffee shop(Mikes) had excellent staff. Entertainment was really good some evenings and the house band were great. But they need to perform in the lobby or the theatre more regularly where there is more room. WiFi was a hassle. Wish there were sign ups for those who would l [... read more]ike to play tennis or set times so others would come to play as well. More choices at the snack bar and beach restaurant would be appreciated. None of the water equipment(catamaran, etc. )were ever available. How come?

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Definitely not a 5 Star

The hotel is tired and nothing suggesting the 5 star rating implied. The food was classic Cuban food with little variety from day to day. Foods were not marked well and made it very difficult for us as we both have food allergies. Service at the buffet was hit and miss depending on where you sat and whether you tipped. Activity staff was non engaging and it was very difficult to figure out what was going on daily. The room was kept clean, air conditioning was inconsistent, back door did not [... read more] lock. Bar fridge was sparingly filled some days. The beach was nice but the wind and sand fleas kept us at the pool. Overall we would give this resort a 3 Star at most and will not return! We have been to much nicer resorts in Cuba for less money

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Good resort for cuba!

Rooms - well kept, but very uncomfortable beds Overall resort - beautiful, perfect size, liked how there was no trolley to get around Pools - great! Beach - amazing! always enough chairs no matter what time and there is beach bar Wifi - one cuban for one hour of wifi, for Cuba the wifi wasn't bad Food - snack bar and ice cream place were great! Be careful when ordering chicken, we luckily caught an uncooked one Nightlife - awfullll, definitely not a party resort and disco [... read more] was dead (left the resort every night) Service - nicest staff I have ever met and loved how the activities people never forced you to do anything Drinks - super yummy! Lots of variety and amazing cappuccinos

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: A good time was had by all!

The hotel was beautiful, clean and well maintained. We really liked that the rooms were in 3 story buildings as that meant you always had a connection with the beautiful grounds. The staff were friendly and attentive. The beach was gorgeous! We have just a few areas for improvement: -The sheets did not fit our king size bed and always came off in the night! -It was hard to get small change for tips - this is important because just like anywhere else, the staff rely on tips to supplement  [... read more]their income -The food was uniformly good but not outstanding

Club Tropical: Amazing Beach / not so good hotel

Some buildings need to be torn down. Rooms are basic but we knew that ahead of time. Clean in the main building but a side building was reserved for us and it was not acceptable at all. We complained and was adamant that we refused to stay in what other guests called Guantanamo Bay. Restaurant had very few salt and pepper shakers for the quantity of guests and grabbing wars went on to get them. Lol. Juices were horrid. (Sugar water with colouring.) Lots of veggies, salads and the soups we [... read more]re nice. No bottled water was provided for the room. Service at the all inclusive bar was HORRID unless we had money to tip. Snack bar was hardly ever open.

Club Tropical: Amazing location

Small resort located right on the beach. Located downtown Varadero. Clean room, maid Mercedes was wonderful. All staff was wonderful. Walk the strip, shopping, restaurants etc. Excellent value for the price. The food well it's Cuba, great restaurant down the road near 27, on the left El Toro's chicken supreme 4.95 chicken breast, garlic bread, salad, rice, can't beat it. Then there is Al Capone's shrimp dinner 12.95 awesome meal, the shrimp are amazing, come with side of garlic butter, shrimp, r [... read more]ice, veggies. I would always return to the resort restaurant to get a dish of ice cream, Cuba has the best ice cream, if you haven't tried it, well it's a must. Coconut is my fav. The pillows were not desirable but they did the trick. Ensure to bring Imodium as most places use tap water for ice. The market at 13 ave is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Everything is within a reasonable distance. We didn't partake in excursions this time but a trip to Havana is a must, at least 2 days if not more is required. Great 24 hour bar with coffee located at main reception area. They play bingo everyday at 3:30 winner gets a bottle of rum. They also have beach games, volleyball, small catamarans etc. Beach bar was open everyday but Sunday. There is a snack bar with snack and drinks located near the beach bar, closes at 5 or 6? Entertainment every night, we watched from our balcony, we looked over the main pool, entertainment area and a view of the ocean. 3rd floor, lots of stairs but nice room. 1313 nice room. Make sure to tip or leave items for the maid, she ensured we had clean room, towels, toilet paper everyday. I would be having coffee in the morning she would come visit with me hugs and kisses always given. Ensure to tip the other staff, what's a few dollars. They greatly appreciate it and you are given wonderful service whether tipping or not. But don't be cheap. One thing was my sandals I had 2 employees want to buy my sandals I had a pair of Nike and my husband addidas they say they cannot get them there. So if you have a spare pair they would love those as a tip, just a thought. The hotel did something special everyday we were there they brought in aquatic swimmers on Valentine's Day, great performance. We did get an upset stomach but it happens, I would return to this resort.

Hotel Bella Costa: Don’t book Bella Costa

there were many issues with our hotel. The pictures online simply do not reflect the reality of this hotel. There were ants and lizards on my room, ceiling leaking , fridge not working . We only got water after complaining to the reception desk. The room didn’t look hygienic at all- bring shower shoes! In addition, though the entertainment team were extremely friendly , it didn’t follow the schedule , didn’t facilitate all the activities it published, and didn’t engage the guests very we [... read more]ll. Don’t even get me started on the food. I nearly starved for the week- thank goodness for the snack bar and pasta- but a week of pizza and pasta isn’t worth the all inclusive . The staff didn’t make us feel welcome at all and service was awful . My suggestion?? Pay a bit more and enjoy a much more relaxing trip at a different resort .

Hotel Bella Costa: Amazing stay

Hotel was amazing. Food was better than expected. Bartenders and wait staff were so nice. Beach and pool were great along with other hotel amenities. Rooms were decent but did not matter because you are only there to sleep.

Club Kawama: Charming

At first sight I was a little disappointed because this resort is very old and quite large compared to what we experienced last year. After adjusting my expectations I began to see the beauty of the stone walls and archways. The food was decent although I seem to experience some stomach issues after a few days ( same thing last year..different resort). The staff was friendly. We had a couple issues that were addressed promptly. The beach is beautiful. The location is perfect. All in all  [... read more]our group of nine had a great family vacation.

Playa Caleta: Moved to the Playa Caleta

We arrived late at night only to be moved to the Playa Caleta ( a sister hotel) because they were full. How can they be full if we book this hotel over a month ago. Anyway we went over to the Playa ck'd in an went to our room only to find we had no pillows to sleep. Called the front desk and they said " maybe tomorrow" strike two. We went down to the bar for a drink but no beer they ran out. Strike three. How about a bottle of water for the room. Nope no water " maybe tomorrow". We sleep with no [... read more] pillows until the next day when our Hola Sun rep got us some pillows. The hotel room was dated but clean. We ate mostly at the Puntareanas cause the buffet was better and also the ala carte restaurants. Lots of rude Russians at this resort. No regard for lines or rules. Beach was amazing. We took a classic car tour to Havana with a company called Cuba Among Cubian . This is a must to do. David our tour guide was amazing. Book from Canada with Randy the owner. All in all a pretty good vacation at the end.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Don't waste your money there

Arrival: from the moment you arrive, instead of giving each couple a personal greeting, they actually tell everybody to leave their passport on the counter at the reception (totally against any security advice on protecting your passport) and tell you to come back at 4:00 pm, even if it's just noon instead of telling you to come back in a bit to see if your room is ready. They expect you to leave your luggage right in the entrance for hours until your room is ready instead of offering to store  [... read more]them in the luggage room. Without saying it in so many words, they literally tell you to get lost until 4:00 pm and roam around the resort. Even if you have swimwear in your carry-on, you can't get a towel as the pool staff expects you to exchange the ones from your room, which of course, you don't have access to yet. No warm or hot water whatsoever in our room until the 4th day, some people were without for 10 days. Most vacationers you talked to on the resort had the same problems. On the second day, you call to request a coffee packet for your coffee maker as per instructions on the card in your room and they tell you, no coffee packets left at all on the resort, without offering to try finding some; funny enough, cleaning ladies find you some the next morning. No whitener or milk for your coffee; they don't even sell milk at the store. We had to go get some from the restaurant. No facial tissues in-room, not enough lamps for lighting in the room. No paper to wipe your hands in any of the machines in the public washrooms around the resort. No air conditioning at all, no fans and no windows in the à la Carte Bamboo restaurant. Food was generally good but you often did not get what you order from the menu at the Racket Club restaurant as they don't have it. Whatever and wherever the problem, the excuse is always the same: it usually works or we usually have some. The only ones contributing to help you enjoy your vacation regardless of the numerous problems are excellent cleaning ladies like little Yami, day shift and and her colleagues, Yaima, evening shift, restaurant staff like Rigo from the buffet restaurant, Dayleen, Maria Eugenia and sometimes Vallin from the racket club. We met people on the bus on our way to the airport when we left and they stated the 3 and a half star rating hotel was excellent as they didn't have any problems at all. This hotel is sub standard and definitely not a 5 star as rated. Will not stay there again.

Memories Jibacoa: Great "Memories"

Grounds: The grounds of this resort were beautiful and well kept. The groundskeepers worked very hard and always had a smile on their face. The beach had AMAZING snorkeling right out front with an abundance of live rock and fish. Unfortunately when we were there it was very windy which brought in many Portuguese Man of War jelly fish to the beach by the afternoon so snorkeling was limited to the morning. The beach was cleaned up early each morning. Lots of chairs available on the beach.  [... read more] Rooms: The rooms are dated and could use some updates, however they were very clean and the beds were very comfortable. We had asked for a king size bed but the room we had came with three double beds. We improvised and pushed two of the beds together. Dining: The buffet was not the best. Usually I can find something on the buffet to eat but really struggled at this resort. Lots of amazing fresh fruit though. I was not impressed by the a la cartes either. Features: The staff and animation team were amazing and wanting to please. Most always had a smile on their face. The evening shows that we watched were entertaining and well done.

Playa Vista Azul: Great resort

Room was modern and clean. Resort seemed modern and well maintained. Grounds were well maintained. Pool was lovely. Lots of seating at the pool and the two beaches and the infinity pool. Staff were friendly and helpful. Nobody bugged people to buy stuff. The view at the infinity pool is amazing. The colour of the sea is amazing. We drank the water, and ate lots of salads and fresh fruits and veg - no digestive upsets. Beautiful beaches - clean. Water was clear. Sandy bottom that w [... read more]as easy to walk on.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful resort, wonderful people

Had a great trip second time at the resort, rooms beautiful and clean, 6 swimming pools, restaurants and buffet good. A very friendly atmosphere. And a beautiful beach. Good shows. Many activities on our resort

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great resort, love the open concept.

This was a lovely place. Everything was great. Enjoyed the beach, the pool, all the surrounding areas and the restaurants. The buffet was very good although a little too varied. The bar staff could be a little more attentive to people sitting at the bar, but other than that everyone was very friendly and helpful. Thank you to Raul for all your help with check in and check out.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful resort, terrible food.

The resort was beautiful. Rooms were clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful. But the food wasn’t awful. This is not much first time to Cuba before, not even my second. I’m not a picky eater but the food on their resort was bad. The only good food was the all la carte Japanese restaurant which was fantastic and fun. I was severely let down by the Cuban a la carte as I usually enjoy that food the most when on resorts. There was also not enough shady areas available. The beach was grea [... read more]t though. Beautiful sand and blue water. And going into town was easy and safe. I highly recommend the Beatles bar in varadero. It was amazing.