Club Tropical: Everything you need

This was our third time at Club Tropical. We love it because it is small, everything is easy to access, and we were just steps from the beach. I hear people complain about the food in Cuba...but I have no complaints. There has always been variety and abundance. The staff are very accomodating. We have been remembered by certain staff and that is nice. Mostly seniors staying there (like myself!) but there have been children and young adults. No one was in-your-face obnoxious. Lots of pleas [... read more]ant people to speak with. We enjoy the convenience of being across from the double decker bus stop and only a few blocks from two craft markets. An elementary school is just 2 blocks away and it was nice to be able to visit it and share some of our Canadian abundance. We plan to visit again soon!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Good for Gluten Free!

Overall a good resort and good size (easy to get around). Great variety in restaurants & bars and the food & drinks were good. First time to Cuba and we kept hearing about how bad the food would be, this was not the case, while not totally amazing by Canadian standards, the food was good at this resort. My wife has Celiac disease and the servers seemed to be knowledgeable about gluten free food, and my wife never got sick and always had good food (although often she couldn't have the sauces, d [... read more]esserts or the packaged mashed potatoes - ask for rice instead). She enjoyed the Cuban style food - which was generally gluten free - at the lunch buffets. She had a card explaining Celiac disease in Spanish but most servers were already aware of gluten free requirements. The pools were good with great food & drink service at the Sanctuary pool and the beach was amazing (although because of the cold weather we didn't go in the water of either). Unfortunately, our room's bathroom was close to disgusting with black mold in the shower. Thankfully, the room had a shower in the tub as well that was clean. Overall, the room did not seem to be well cleaned. The shower was cold due to cloudy cool weather we had. The resort apparently uses solar power to heat the showers and so we had cold showers (yes cold, as in no warmth whatsoever). I should mention they did offer a courtesy suite to have a hot shower, we did have one hot shower in this suite, but then it was cold a couple times too. I think with some reno's to the bathrooms and fixing the heating of the water this would be an excellent resort. The service was very good and we felt well looked after by our 'butlers' Noel & Gretchal. Being in the Sanctuary (Diamond Club) section provided special areas to eat in for the main buffet which was nice, as well as access to top shelf liquor & perhaps better service with the blue wristbands. We could also change money at our private lobby and avoid the crowds in the main lobby.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Great Resort

The Princes Paradisus Del mar Varadero is located a short distance from the Airport on the Beach. The facility is excellent value for your dollar. The staff is courteous and from the time you arrive until you leave they ready . to deal with all your needs. The food is good and many choices to satisfy your appetite 24hrs a day if you so desire. The bars cater to any alcoholic drink you wish to satisfy your taste buds. THE CART SERVICE TO GET YOU AROUND THE GROUNDS IS JUST A PHONE CALL [... read more] .AWAY ANY TIME DAY OR NIGHT. The swimming pool and beach are second to none .Plenty of poolside and beach lounges are available and if you cannot find a lounge the staff is ready to provide you with one . This my second year at this facility and if I return to Cuba this is where I will stay. The other great convenience is you can fly direct from Hamilton airport.I would recommend this facility to any of my friends. Trip central handled my booking and all went well.

Grand Memories Varadero: Don't waste your Money!

We arrived at the Grand Memories Resort very early Saturday morning (approx.2am). We checked into our room which was quite run down however, seemed clean. We decided to go to the 24-hr snack bar for something to eat. Upon returning to our room my boyfriend wanted to have a bath. At that time we found that our room had no hot water-not even warm water. I called the front desk who advised me that it was broken and assured me it would be fixed in the morning. Well, morning rolled around and still n [... read more]o hot water. Called the desk again they advised that it was broken and they were working on fixing it. I asked to switch rooms so they put us in another room that evening to find out that it also did not have hot water.. I was informed by other people staying at the resort that the reason there is no hot water was because it was cloudy out and the sun was not getting to the solar panels. The new room they placed us in had no Cable TV which wasn’t a huge concern for us and they ended up fixing it in about 2 days. I once again called the front desk to complain about the no hot water and received no assistance. The next morning I went to Sunwing to explain the issue. She attempted to call a bunch of areas however, they did not answer so we walked over to the front desk. She was able to secure another room for us but would need to wait until after 4:00 when the maids were done cleaning. She also asked the ladies to give us a late checkout on the Friday we were leaving. When 4:00 rolled around we went and got a new key from the front desk (they clearly were tired of hearing from everyone about the hot water and not overly friendly). That evening we were going to switch rooms once again when our maid stopped us and assured us we would have hot water in our room tonight-they were fixing the issue. We decided to stay in this room and we did end up having hot water for the rest of our stay however, no cold water-only blistering hot water! At that point I didn’t want to complain anymore as I would rather have hot than freezing cold. I called the front desk to let them know we were going to stay in current room. The next day we finally had one nice weather day and were able to sit by the pool. After breakfast, I went to go change to find out that my room key no longer worked so I had to walk all the way back to the front desk to get a new key. We were sick from the food each time we ate which was unfortunate and still suffering from the effects of the food. The specialty restaurants were very good however, they did not sit with our stomachs. We ended up only eating toast/croissants and cheese for many meals as we were constantly sick from the food. My boyfriend got extremely sick on the way home and needed to sit right beside the bathroom on the plane. Upon talking to another couple we met there they have been very sick since getting back to Canada. We were unable to sit on the beach due to weather which is of no fault to anyone, however, upon walking to check out the beach we noticed how filthy dirty it was. Garbage all over in the trees. Not a pleasant view considering the water and sand is so beautiful. Many of the public washrooms on the resort were out of toilet paper and hand soap by the afternoons/evenings and very dirty. Also, the coffee machine at the snack bar was broken the entire trip and although there was a coffee machine in the room, they did not supply coffee. The entertainment at the Cuban bar was great in the evenings we really enjoyed the live music. However, overall my entire experience of Cuba was not positive besides all the issues at the resort, I found Varadero and Havana to be extremely dirty places! Like pick up your garbage!! Also, everywhere we tried for food was terrible. I would suggest hiding your resort arm ban when leaving the resort. We were in downtown Havana and a couple approached us and said “Hey! We remember you from the resort” they “assisted” us with finding cigars which ended up being a rip off and then we had to tip them 20 paseos! We will not be returning to Cuba again. We are super disappointed that we had to pay money to visit this resort. Duration of stay: Jan.13th-20th, 2018

Roc Barlovento: Great location

We had a great time at the Barlovento. Met some nice people. Food was Ok, staff very friendly and helpful,Beach was beautiful besides the jellyfish coming up on shore at night. Location was the best. Right downtown Varadaro. Rooms are ok but your only in them to sleep. Had a great time.

Hotel Los Cactus: Unwelcome surprises

The grounds were spacious and a beautiful beach. We arrived 9pm from our flight and not informed of available food beside bar in lobby. Buffet closing, little left and cold. Staff looked held back from leaving. We asked for a different room as disco below loud. Was told by desk no other rooms available and that disco in front of building and ended at 11pm. Disco behind and below our room and ended at 1:30 am Crash from our bathroom at 5:30 am and bathroom ceiling collapsed, 2 inches of water a [... read more]ll over our bathroom floor, water dripping from ceiling. Phoned 24 hr desk at lobby, no answer until 3rd try,took 20 min. A maid and maintenance worker came and attempted to mop the water into the floor drain. Unable to use most of bathroom, ceiling still dripping. Office then notified us we would have another room by 1 pm. Porter waited in hall while we carried luggage to cart. Our room was 1 floor up on opposite side, quiet from disco. Shower broke on 1st attempt to use it. When fixed intermittent hot water only( mostly cold). Air conditioner stopped working and asked office 3 days in a row to fix it. Finally our maid fixed it, she was great. Loud screeching noise from air conditioner the next day. Our maid called maintenance to fix. Rooms need major plumbing and electrical updating. Buffet breakfast was acceptable. Buffet bland and repetitive. A la carte restaurants both excellent but difficult to book.Evening dinner shows very good. Pool colder than the ocean and ladders needing adjustment. Not interested in a return visit. Our friends had problems with linen needing changing on entering room. Another friend had great difficulty opening balcony door which was never repaired and given a safe key that did not fit.

Melia Varadero: thank you Melia Varadero

Beautiful place with wonderful service. You will be welcomed and looked after there. Very professional night performances. Wi-fi is extra. Food has tons of options. Lots of activity on the beach. Souvenir market with cafes and shops is right near.

Blau Varadero: Awesome time

Beautiful hotel. Loved the service and the food was much better than I expected it to be. Lots of variety in the food as well. Rooms were nice and large. The hotel was very clean and felt very welcoming. Overall, we had an amazing time at Blau and would definitely come back.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Resort was nice but, service left alot to be desired.

This was our 3 trip to Cuba and after praising up the Cubans and their beautiful beaches over the years we were very disappointed in this trip. The service was terrible. Even though we tipped (& we should not have to at a 5 star all inclusive), servers took forever to bring beverages. Several times at breakfast we would order coffee and tea and be almost finished our meal before it was even brought to the table. At dinner and the bars it was similar. We would wait forever to be served. We  [... read more]would finish our drinks and wait again forever with empty glasses in front of us. The buffet at this resort was one of the smallest we have ever seen. There was not a large selection of food. Some of the staff we also found to be very bold. One staff member asked my husband for the shirt he was wearing. Another staff member was eyeing a ball cap I was holding. He called me over to where he was and told me how nice the cap was. He wanted me to give it to him. We have never seen Cubans behave this way in the past. The beach was also another disappointment. We were unable to swim in the ocean because the "Portuguese Man O War" were washed up all along the shore line. I know the resort staff have no control over nature but, there was absolutely no attempt by them to even clean up the mess on the beach. For the price we paid, I was very surprised at how bold and lazy so many of the resort staff were. I would not classify this place as a 5 star.

Roc Barlovento: A Resort to Avoid !!

Complaints are too numerous to list- a selection follows:- 1.Found live cockroaches in bowl of corn flakes in buffet area at breakfast- reported fact but no action taken or apology made ! In Canada the whole area would have been shut down, as where you find one cockroach there are normally hundreds more. 2. Cleaning lady pushed open closed door of washroom which was occupied by wife and tried to clean area despite being told to leave. 3. Toilet in room had to be fixed on 3 occasions 4. For [... read more] first 4-5 days all food in buffet was cold, as heating pads for food were not working 5. Margarine and yogurt in buffet were often rancid 6. There was an inadequate supply of cups for tea/coffee, so soup bowls had to be used 7. Hotel took no action to clean beach in front of hotel, as they say it is public property and not their responsibility- there was broken glass, cigarette stubs everywhere, and in addition lots of dead jellyfish on beach which staff warned us to avoid as they were severely toxic 8. Despite being advertised there was no Sushi restaurant in operation for the whole 2 weeks of our stay 9. The main lobby bar is a total smoking area and unless you like smoke it is quite overwhelming. 10. The one positive was that the staff were very friendly/charming and, unlike Management, made great efforts to provide good service. 11.The overall standard of food served in the hotel was quite appalling !2. Reported problems to WestJet rep and suggested WestJet withdraw this hotel from list of those they offer. I think Tripcentral should take the same action !!!

Hotel Los Cactus: Los Cactos Varadaro

I am writing this review for people to have a better understanding of what to expect or not to expect when traveling to Cuba!! If you have traveled to Cuba before then most likely you will know what to except, Cuba is a very poor country, they do not have or live like what many people who go on vacation are used to, these people work 6 days a week very long hours & don’t get breaks, they don’t understand what you expect & do their very best to make every one happy, the grounds are not clean, [... read more] the food is not exceptional & they are not always clean, toilet paper, seats are scarce or you pay to use them when not on your resort etc, however this resort is rated by transit as a 4* and I would not rate it at that, this is because of the food selection only being 1 buffet available (yes there is always food somewhere) but it is the same food constantly, as someone with celiac disease and not being able to eat bread & pastry which are the only foods available 24/7 it does make it difficult when a substitute isn’t available (I guess my fault for not bringing my own food to an all inclusive, but not fair also) Salads were not available unless u wanted tart greenery’s almost inedible, so you deal with beans & rice for the week, when the buffet is open, fresh eggs at the omelette bar every morning is perfect as well as the fresh fruit & juices, that is wonderful, fresh pasta cooked at dinner is great if you can eat it of course, also the grill each evening when they are cooking whatever is available, it is my opinion with the large amount of people in this resort that they could do a better more variety of selection or even another restaurant or buffet including drinks as they ran out of slushy drinks often & also they are only available at 2 bars, so you have to walk to get what you want and farther if one bar runs out, I have been to 3* resorts in Cuba that offer more food & drink services than here, this was a disappointment for sure!! So...our experience at this resort started with check in, we arrived at 11:30am, now we understand that check in at most places is usually 3pm, with that in mind, of course we were hoping to get in a bit earlier as only 4 couples got dropped off the bus that morning, so we locked our luggage in the lobby room, changed & went about our vacation, as others came in we noticed they were being taken to rooms, so we would ask, we waited patiently and still kept getting put off, we were not taken to our room until just before 5, they told us that due to the delay we have upgraded you to a sea view (which please take note,I think they do this because of your age, being slightly younger than other I suppose (40’) not that old or young but) we originally booked a gardenview room, so this sounded fantastic...so we thought!! Once we arrived, the room was very dated,not to mention 2 single beds not the booked “king..lol I believe it was “J” building to the far right with the disco on the bottom floor as well as an ãla cãrte and the Tuxpan disco resort right beside the building you get put in, so beautiful view I must say, u can get over the musty smell for the view, c’mon it’s the ocean, I’ll take it...until u then notice the smell of mold, then see it growing on the doors in the hallway, so not healthy. (Just clean it) but having cockroaches in your bathroom, sink & beday is just unacceptable, I understand bugs are everywhere but shouldn’t be where one sleeps is all....or tries to sleep, after a long/early day of travel we headed to bed at 9:30 due to being up @ 4am for flight times, however loud music starting blaring at 10pm, I called the desk to ask what was happening outside so loud, I was then informed not to worry it would end at 1:30am each night, it was just the disco next door...yikes We had to move rooms unfortunately, thanks for the upgrade/downgrade but we will stick with our garden view & walk to the beach, so I recommend you not stay on that side unless you are in the party each night is all, some do that & that’s great, it’s just not for everyone is all, so it’s a must know, you should be informed of these things And walking is huge, this resort we noticed is not very accessible, there was a gentleman in a wheelchair who had a hard time getting around & even using bathroom facilities, very sad for this day & age. So take notice of that if you should have any mobility issues!! Not very much to do at this resort, the pics online are outdated, the palapas have been washed away by Irma :( however on nice hot days they do bring out beach umbrellas, which is nice of course. The resort is seeming dated & could of course be freshened up, they don’t seem concerned with the state of it, lots of things in rough shape which to me is alarming as I love Cuba & have been several times so overall it is just not a full 4* and the staff could use some improvements, the front desk for sure has a few unfriendly unsmiling faces which leaves a mark to many, in fact so many stand out as unfriendly however the happy ones of course take over, it’s really too bad with the negatives as 1 can ruin anyone’s day!! Coffee is excellent, you will find the perfect person to make your cup just right for you, it’s amazing & you will for sure bring some home with you!! Take the double decker bus it’s $5CUC per person, u can ride it all day on & off anywhere u just have to wait to get on, they are packed sometimes but so worth it to see everything!! Tania & Nari and of course Carlos at the grill are excellent & stand out for sure... All in all it’s a small resort with a beautiful beach, not much to do, little selection of meals to choose from, careful on the room selection as lower rooms are very musty but top floors seem fine, I can’t recommend this resort but won’t tell you not to go just don’t expect 4* treatment or amenities We couldn’t even get a massage the week we were there and it’s not available on beach as pictured show, just another upset!!

Palma Real: Palma Real January 2018

Over all we had a good experience, just a few bugs . If your coming in early in the morning don’t expect a room before 4pm , Have some drinks or play by the pool , Rooms are not ready till 4 pm , also the west jet bus pick up book disappeared while we there , we asked about our departure bus several times and no one could help or even provide us with a contact number as it was in the book , The rooms where clean and the maid was kind as always , The foods was okay , If you need to eat out ther [... read more]e’s lots entertainment and other food close by , We would go again for price !

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Horrible

Although the grounds were clean the hotel lacked one major reason for going to Cuba. That is security. This place was taken over by hoards of guests who were allowed to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I liken it to Animal House. Broken windows, passed out urinating drunks, drunks banging on hotel doors at all times. Total take over. Not a quiet place to be found anywhere. I will never book like this again. Ruined vacation. Two weeks of hell for me. Do you not visit these [... read more] hotels before you list them?

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Lovely Getaway

The rooms were clean, the maid (Yunni) was super thurough everyday and very sweet. The food was plentiful (if a bit bland and heavy on pork dishes). Our lunch and dinner waiters were very attentive and the grill cook was great at his job and sweet to my daughter. The bartenders were courteous and happy to refill my daughter's non-alcoholic slurpee over and over, something her 5yr old heart adored lol. The pool was clean and there were a fair amount of chairs around it for lounging. It's a [... read more] short walk to the beach where there's free watersports like kayaks and paddle boats. Watch for the red flags on the beach. (Red flags are put up by the lifeguards to signify that there are too many jellyfish for it to be safe to swim that day) Which realistically isn't the hotel's fault, and I appreciated their caution and that they let people know when it's safe (green flag) and when to be cautious (orange flag)

Club Kawama: Viva Cuba

I really enjoyed my stay at the hotel. People were very friendly and clean. The service I received was excellent. The grounds and pool area were very clean. Overall the hotel was great. I would definitely go back

Club Kawama: not the best

Well to start things off I understand that you get what you pay for. I'm not oblivious to that but I must say I was not impressed with this hotel at all. we arrived at the hotel to the most unfriendly front desk staff I have ever come across. I do travel quiet a bit and have never felt so unwelcome. our room was so far away from everything and people were commenting that they put us in the getto. it was so worn down and it was directly on the beach but the beach area there was full of garbage an [... read more]d you couldn't walk the beach area unless you had shoes on. after two days it was either get a flight home or upgrade our room to which I think that is the idea of putting people down there. a week at this hotel was a week from hell for us. the best part of the trip was getting on the bus everyday to go into the town and get away from this nightmare. Also one more thing the food was awful and the same everyday. sorry but this was our experience and we will not be recommending this hotel to anyone.

Sol Varadero Beach: First Visit to Cuba

Cuban people are amazing!! Kind and patient and very willing to make our holiday a pleasure. The resort was very beautiful, clean and airy. The weather was cooler which meant the beach and pools were not so busy. Our room was clean and bright and I loved the towel and blanket sculptures that our maid left for us every morning. The food in the dinning room was excellent and the choices were endless. It suited my pallet. And I found a bar tender who made the most amazing pina colatas!!! In  [... read more]all we had a very nice relaxing holiday.

Muthu Playa Varadero: You get what you pay for

This resort is what you can expect for the cost you're paying. The first 10 minutes after checking in, we had immediate issues. The toilet wouldn't flush. The housemaid was amazing had called to have it fixed, which it was immediately. Later the same day as our arrival, our door wouldn't close! I was stuck in the room for an hour waiting for some to show to fix it. This was incredibly frustrating. I had asked to switch rooms, but they told me it wasn't possible as it was at capacity. The door wa [... read more]s so warped that the wood was rotting. They temporarily fixed the door for us. A few days later we had a flood in our room as the house maids were mopping the floors in the hallway and everything poured into our room!! Easily cleaned up, but again, annoying. And clearly the problem with the door. The TV in our room didn't work, in fact we didn't even have a remote for it! We went with friends and they didn't have any of these issues, so maybe we just had some bad luck. The beach was closed due to rough waters and jelly fish being washed up on shore for the whole week we were there. The pool was freezing cold and you couldn't even go in. The drinks are extremely strong, which can be great for those who love to drink, but I like to take it easy and have multiple drinks all day. The entertainment was amazing!!! Highly recommend going to the shows!! And the staff at the resort were amazing as well, however I found the front desk staff slightly rude. I'm sure they deal with a lot,but it's your job! When you arrrive to you room you receive 3 bottles of water. This is to last you for the WHOLE week!! 3 bottles. When I asked to have more water they told me I had to BUY it! Are you kidding me!!! They advertise they have wifi... which you also have to pay for. We did pay for it, but it wouldn't work the whole time we were there. As I said before you get what you pay for. I would definitely not say this is a 4 star but rather a 3 star at best.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Major Disappointment

in Cuba, usually a safe rule is a 4-5 star resort should be somewhat half decent. The hotel is aged and not very well maintained or cleaned, room dirty, NO HOT WATER, musty smell. Cigarette butts everywhere, especially the beach. Despite trying to look past minor things we were overall very disappointed with this hotel, will never return.

Hotel Los Cactus: Good services

Facilities not that good but services are very good provided by friendly staff. Good shows and beautiful beaches. Traffic to downtown Varadero is not very convenient but OK. Internet cost $1.5 per hour and only available in the lobby and buffet areas.