Muthu Playa Varadero: Fine for a few days

We spent 5 days here last week and had a good time. We had rooms on the first floor looking to the sea so a good location, very quiet. No mold but peeling walls, in need of paint and furniture repair, and one room had no hot water at all. The fridge worked fine and we had sufficient water bottle supply. Beds were comfortable if old. The staff are wonderful, especially Tony, Mirabelle and Ironeida at the buffet. The grounds are kept clean, the entertainment was great, food as you'd expect. 5 [... read more] days of fish, rice and salad. Didn't want to try anything else. The beach is gorgeous. For the price it is fine, but I'd rate it a 3 star not 4 for Cuba and for a longer trip I's say pay the extra for a 5 star, mostly for better food. If you're heading there bring along some black pepper and hot sauce. The Cuban a la carte was good but the Italian was horrible. The coffee bar was excellent.

Melia Marina Varadero: Good Resort

The resort does not look as nice as the pictures show. It’s an older looking resort. The food is pretty good for Cuba, the buffet had quite a variety. I found a few things I liked and had it everyday. The snack bar next to the pool is good, you can get a burger and fries or sandwich and fries. The daily entertainment isn’t the best, I definitely preferred the live music over the dancing shows. The ocean is absolutely amazing, very clear. There are free water activities like canoeing included [... read more]. They have a gym with three treadmills, a couple of bikes, and weights section. However, I didn’t like how the gym was only open from 7am-7pm. The walk to the beach isn’t that long and there’s usually a shuttle service. The beach and pool chairs are not very comfortable. The staff were very nice, always making you feel welcome and starting conversation. Overall, for a Cuba resort I think it’s great, I would definitely come back.

Hotel Los Cactus: Not a good holiday !

Too many things wrong with Los Cactus Hot water for showers would have been good , staff that actually help would be nice also. I know it's Cuba and they do the best they can but it was not a good holiday !

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: A good time

We experienced the high & the low of this resort Low: a mouldy (initial) room, septic issues & cold showers (solar heated & we had some coolish overcast Cuba winter weather while there) High: staff who worked hard to fix the above issues, an amazing second room, decent food and a couple of sunny days. The pool was kept in fantastic shape & the beach was fabulous. I would go back for the right price...

Roc Arenas Doradas: Fantastic Resort

I truly enjoyed everything about this resort. The staff are very friendly and always helpful. Also, the staff is always smiling. Some days it took a while for them to get to our room and clean it but when it was done it was great. Really enjoyed my favorite waiter Amauri - if he serves you he is wonderful and very friendly, also Maria A at the coffee bar.

Villa Tortuga: Great Time! Amazing People!

I booked this trip last minute and got a great deal on it. I called in to trip central and spoke to an advisor (Kim) she was able to save me even more after making some suggestions. the Hotel has a nice location beach acces was great! i was there from Dec.29th to JAn 5th. so spent my new years at the hotel. I had a great experience but i did hear from some people complaining about not having hot water. but i had hot water the whole time.. the staff was super freindly i met some great people and  [... read more]made really good new freinds.. food never the greatest in cuba so i hit the snack bar for Ham n Cheese sandwiches and hot dogs.. Resturant just off the resort called KiKi is very good fare prices and pretty good food. Pizza/Pasta. etc. over all a great experience. jus have an open mind it is a 3rd world country and nothing compare to what we have here.. we are so spoiled and super fortunate here in canada. Safe travels!

Palma Real: Enticement discount of $450 required

Our January 2018 visit to Cuba illustrates the discount of $450 (Canadian) dollars between 3 and 4 star rated hotels. This amount will vary monthly and seasonally. In Veradero, we stayed at the Palma Real all inclusive, which is across the street from the Starfish resort. (Resorts change their prefix names as ownership changes: Palma used to called the Gran Caribe Palma Real, now it's Allegro.) Palma Real's price is (needs to be) cheaper by $450 because it's: >Located 5 minute walk across th [... read more]e road from beach >Less attractive room with poorer bed and other furnishings, hallways, lobby, etc. >Lower quality food >Less attractive reception, lobby >Different quality clientele >Lower quality evening spectacles We have considerable experience among Cuban resorts. To reiterate a truism, price reflects quality, especially when economic demand is large. To entice customers to purchase this resort, Cuban central planning managers have calculated that a discount of $450 per week is required. And there's still plenty of people who regularly come back to this resort to have a grand old time. Most visitors are from eastern Canada and Russia. So why did we choose to subject ourselves to this discount? (Small discomfort, not suffering.) Since we consider ourselves so (sniff!) superior. Well... n.b. the savings amount to $900 for a couple. For this, I can enjoy 9 high quality candlelight dinners at the restaurant of my choice when I get home. We value this location and like to stay near a town where other than beach diversions exist. This hotel is near several exciting night clubs, stores and businesses for variety. You can have an interesting walk around town, nature and amusement parks. You can meet locals in addition to tourists from around the world. There are many transport alternatives: walking, horse carriage rides, three or 4 wheeled taxis, buses, motorcycles. The nearby nightclub "Calle 62" is worth special mention. It's a really fun place with lively live Cuban music with dancers and audience spilling into the street. Whatever your temperament, just go and take a look, hang out for a while. Drinks and BBQ chicken are priced reasonably. Won't cost you a thing except a short walk. Conversely, if you don't mind a more isolated location with 4 or 5 star rated service costing 2-3 times this price, then this is not the hotel of choice for you. An additional aspect to consider is the nature of the clientele here. It is a certain yahoo segment of society less likely to be found at more expensive venues: slovenly, boisterous, tattooed, hard drinking, fun-seeking people, and in this demographic I include both young and old. Speaking for us, we also enjoy meeting and conversing with the international clientele. A pleasant surprise was roving Cuban troubadours singing and playing music at our hotel buffet supper. We took a break between soup and main to dance among tables. Thoughts about weather... Many people talk about it, but few take action. Would you spend extra to purchase fine weather? We fortuitously saved $900 due to bad weather, an unfortunate fallout of the winter storm on the east coast of America in January, only 90 miles from our Island paradise. Another fallout of the bad weather here is the interminable length of this travel review, time permitting. Adios amigos from Cuba.

Melia Las Antillas: Very relaxing

This has been one of the cleanest, tidiest resorts in Cuba. The staff are very friendly and courteous. It is very low key, so if you are looking for a place to get away and relax, this is definitely the right place.

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful resort

The grounds were well kept. Pools were clean,(but cool). Need more public washrooms. The restaurants were clean and the a la carts were fantastic, really good food. Breakfast not so great too many sausage choices 5 at least. The omelets were good At the bars they kept running out of mint for mojitos Cuba makes the best mojitos. They need a better menu for mixed drinks. The beach was clean and when you walked into the water out to your waist you can still see your feet. We had cool weather, [... read more] windy, drizzly and little sun shine, so most of the entertainment was held in the lobby, they tried there best. New Years eve dinner was fantastic, entertainment could have been better

Hotel Los Cactus: From "Mr. (and Mrs.) Cactus"

Review from “Mr (and Mrs.) Cactus” Hotel Los Cactus – Hotel is a little dated but staff are excellent We stayed at the Hotel Los Cactus in Varadero Cuba between December 23rd and January 6th. While the hotel is a little out-dated, we had a great vacation and would return to this hotel mainly because of the wonderful staff and the great location and beach. Also, the hotel is just the right size and is not overcrowded. Bus ride from/to Airport We were very disappointed in the Tra [... read more]nsat rep on the bus from the airport to the hotel. She assumed that all the Canadians on the bus were French speaking and gave her entire speal in French and did not utter a word of English. On the plus side, the rep on the bus ride to the airport at the end of our vacation was excellent. She spoke in both French and English, gave a great commentary on sites that we passed and added in a lot of funny jokes. Accommodations We stayed in the tower (600 block of junior suites). Our first room had a safe that didn’t lock and a balcony door that didn’t open. The front desk was very quick to provide us with a new room (note that the front desk were excellent – always very helpful and spoke excellent English). The air conditioner in the new room leaked condensation in the bathroom for a little bit when it was first turned on but then was fine. The rooms are dated and in need of updating. Also, there is not much space for storing clothes. The room was a bit noisy a night as well because the disco is in the same building and the resort next door sometimes has an outdoor disco night which is even louder. We had friends who stayed in the “C” block and the room was nicer and even had a separate sitting room. Also, this section was nice and quiet. Fyi, if you are susceptible to mosquito bites then bring lots of insect repellent as the hotel did not spray for bugs while we were there. The bugs were not too bad but the bugs always seem to find my wife and she gets lots of bites. Pool Loved it. This is the first resort that we have been at where the pool was a decent size and you could actually swim laps if you wish. However, there was a loose rung on one of the pool ladders (north side), and my wife slipped and sprained her ankle when she was trying to get out of the pool. Beach Fantastic. Nice and big and no problem getting chairs. While the palapas were blown away by the hurricane, there was a gentleman on the beach who would put up an umbrella for you if you wanted. Unfortunately, while we were there, there was a cold spell and lots of jelly fish were in the shallow water and washed ashore. A couple of people got stung. Food The food was very good for Cuba. The beach grill had excellent burgers, hot dogs and pork sandwiches and Carlos the cook is very nice and entertaining. The buffet always had something worthwhile and always had bacon at breakfast which is rare for a lot of resorts in Cuba. The pasta station is excellent. The staff in the buffet are excellent. Very polite, fast and speak very good English. A la Carte Restaurants The Italian restaurant is good but the lasagna is very disappointing. The Cuban restaurant is excellent – the fish appetizer and the honey chicken are to die for. A neat little touch is that they hand you a marker after dinner and you can sign your name on the wall – very entertaining reading all the names and locations. The staff at both restaurants were excellent. Coffee Bar A great place to go for a coffee or specialty coffee. Mabel at the coffee bar is so sweet and is an artist when it comes to making specialty coffees. I agree with the other reviews that I have read that it is a shame that the coffee bar isn’t open in the morning. Bars All the bar staff are very friendly and speak good English. The pool bar and beach bar staff were especially friendly and entertaining and very fast. Evening Shows The evening shows were very good with the magic show being the best (absolutely amazing). The Christmas Eve and New Years Eve shows were really entertaining and well done. Entertainment Team The Animacion team were excellent and made our vacation great. Special thanks to Antonio (the leader), Ivan who led the volleyball, tried to teach me to dance and danced Salsa with my wife at the disco, Vivian and the other gentleman (sorry I can’t remember his name) who ran the karaoke at night (poor guy having to listen to a bunch of drunken tourists trying to sing). Excursions We took a trip to Havana in a cab and it was amazing. Highly recommend hiring a cab for the day rather than booking an excursion (the tour won’t take you to all the places that you want to see and you will be rushed). We also took a couple of trips into Varadero. Highly recommend going to see Casa de Al (Al Capone’s house) and the Beatles bar – the band is fantastic! Also, recommend going to Varadero Sixties for a meal (the service and food are excellent and very reasonably priced). We did have one bad experience. When we were walking in Varadero, we decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride. We got into a horse drawn covered wagon and asked the driver to take us to an inexpensive restaurant for a hamburger and one that was in the direction of our hotel which we pointed out. Silly us, we did not ask what the charge would be. The driver took us way into the back streets in the opposite direction from our hotel which scared us and then he dropped us off at a very expensive restaurant where he was promptly given cash by the waiter. He tried to charge us 10 CUCs per person but we had to argue with him to only pay 5 per person. Beware of this driver, he wears a New York Yankees hat and has a birth mark on his right cheek. Also, he has another guy riding with him who is very large (probably in case he gets challenged by any of his riders) All in all, it was a great trip and the Cuban people are the reason we return time after time!

Hotel Los Cactus: Great time at Los Cactus but rooms a little dated...

We stayed at the Hotel Los Cactus in Varadero Cuba between December 23rd and January 6th. While the hotel is a little out-dated, we had a great vacation and would return to this hotel mainly because of the wonderful staff and the great location and beach. Also, the hotel is just the right size and is not overcrowded. Bus ride from/to Airport We were very disappointed in the Transat rep on the bus from the airport to the hotel. She assumed that all the Canadians on the bus were French sp [... read more]eaking and gave her entire speal in French and did not utter a word of English. On the plus side, the rep on the bus ride to the airport at the end of our vacation was excellent. She spoke in both French and English, gave a great commentary on sites that we passed and added in a lot of funny jokes. Accommodations We stayed in the tower (600 block of junior suites). Our first room had a safe that didn’t lock and a balcony door that didn’t open. The front desk was very quick to provide us with a new room (note that the front desk were excellent – always very helpful and spoke excellent English). The air conditioner in the new room leaked condensation in the bathroom for a little bit when it was first turned on but then was fine. The rooms are dated and in need of updating. Also, there is not much space for unpacking clothes. The room was a bit noisy a night as well because the disco is in the same building and the resort next door sometimes has an outdoor disco night which is even louder. We had friends who stayed in the “C” block and the room was nicer and even had a separate sitting room. Also, this section was nice and quiet. Fyi, if you are susceptible to mosquito bites then bring lots of insect repellent as the hotel did not spray for bugs while we were there. The bugs were not too bad but the bugs always seem to find my wife and she gets lots of bites. Pool Loved it. This is the first resort that we have been at where the pool was a decent size and you could actually swim laps if you wish. However, there was a loose rung on one of the pool ladders and my wife slipped and sprained her ankle when she was trying to get out of the pool. Beach Fantastic. Nice and big and no problem getting chairs. While the palapas were blown away by the hurricane, there was a gentleman on the beach who would put up an umbrella for you if you wanted. Unfortunately, while we were there, there was a cold spell and lots of jelly fish were in the shallow water and washed ashore. A couple of people got stung. Food The food was very good for Cuba. The beach grill had excellent burgers, hot dogs and pork sandwiches and Carlos the cook is very nice and entertaining. The buffet always had something worthwhile and always had bacon at breakfast which is rare for a lot of resorts in Cuba. The pasta station is excellent. The staff in the buffet are excellent. Very polite, fast and speak very good English. A la Carte Restaurants The Italian restaurant is good but the lasagna is very disappointing. The Cuban restaurant is excellent – the fish appetizer and the honey chicken are to die for. A neat little touch is that they hand you a marker after dinner and you can sign your name on the wall – very entertaining reading all the names and locations. The staff at both restaurants were excellent. Coffee Bar A great place to go for a coffee or specialty coffee. Mabel at the coffee bar is so sweet and is an artist when it comes to making specialty coffees. I agree with the other reviews that I have read that it is a shame that the coffee bar isn’t open in the morning. Bars All the bar staff are very friendly and speak good English. The pool bar and beach bar staff were especially friendly and entertaining and very fast. Evening Shows The evening shows were very good with the magic show being the best (absolutely amazing). The Christmas Eve and New Years Eve shows were really entertaining and well done. Entertainment Team The Animacion team were excellent and made our vacation great. Special thanks to Antonio (the leader), Ivan who led the volleyball, tried to teach me to dance and danced Salsa with my wife at the disco, Vivian and the other gentleman (sorry I can’t remember his name) who ran the karaoke at night (poor guy having to listen to a bunch of drunken tourists trying to sing). Excursions We took a trip to Havana in a cab and it was amazing. Highly recommend hiring a cab for the day rather than booking an excursion (the tour won’t take you to all the places that you want to see and you will be rushed). We also took a couple of trips into Varadero. Highly recommend going to see Casa de Al (Al Capone’s house) and the Beatles bar – the band is fantastic! Also, recommend going to Varadero Sixties for a meal (the service and food are excellent and very reasonably priced). We did have one bad experience. When we were walking in Varadero, we decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride. We got into a horse drawn covered wagon and asked the driver to take us to an inexpensive restaurant for a hamburger and one that was in the direction of our hotel which we pointed out. Silly us, we did not ask what the charge would be. The driver took us way into the back streets in the opposite direction from our hotel which scared us and then he dropped us off at a very expensive restaurant where he was promptly given cash by the waiter. He tried to charge us 10 CUCs per person but we had to argue with him to only pay 5 per person. Beware of this driver, he wears a New York Yankees hat and has a birth mark on his right cheek. Also, he has another guy riding with him who is very large (probably in case he gets challenged by any of his riders).

Villa Tortuga: Great times

My daughter and I stayed at this resort for a week and had a wonderful experience. As usual, the rooms were clean, the people were friendly, the beaches were beautiful and the food was predictable. With buffet there is always something that is enjoyable. We clearly don’t go to Cuba for the cuisine; the overall experience of Cuba and this hotel was wonderful. We’d definitely again.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: A DUMP with RUDE STAFF- Stay away!!

Gran Caribe Sun Beach Cuba Hotel - Varadero, Cuba This was my second time to Cuba. This hotel is rated as a 2 star which is highly exaggerated as it is a 1 star at best. The place has been ignored and in dire need of repairs and new management. Travel Counsellors should not be recommending this hotel even if it is a great deal: - Most of the hotel staff were not happy, were rude, hardly smiled and did not want to help you. They ignored me when I asked for things at reception, the [... read more] bar and or in the restaurant, despite speaking to them in Spanish. These are not the typical friendly Cuban people I met in the past. - Management/reception staff ignored my requests (3x) to fix my leaking ceiling in the bathroom. All they did was mop up the floor once. Never even offered to move me to another room. The room was never made up or sheets changed. - Long line ups and refusing people entry at the main restaurant during all meal times. They closed the doors even though there were empty tables. They never washed or changed the table cloths. The staff simply could not keep pace, often running out of plates and utensils. Coffee machine didn't work well. - The pizza in the pizzeria restaurant was horrible - Cockroaches in the restaurant and bathrooms - A 24-hr bar that served coffee, pop and hard liquor but no beer. You could get beer at any of the other 2 bars until 6pm, or 1am. - No possibility of getting food after the main restaurant closed at 9:30 pm, as there was no 24hr snack bar. - Deck Chairs were locked up at sunset. - Location of hotel was far from the action in the town. Stayed: Xmas 2017  Rooms - 0 Cleanliness - 0 Service - 0 Perfect for those who are cheap, have very low standards and like to drink, smoke and party.

Hotel Bella Costa: It is very nice hotel.

My husband and kids like the hotel very much! The hotel just a little old. However, the food is good. The hotel is fare clean. The beach is very clean and good. Just public washrooms are not very good, sometimes run out toilet paper. My room hair dry is not working. There is a lot mosquito, my husband had a lot bit. The weather was cold when we were there. The trips are good too.

Melia Varadero: Beach and ocean too rocky!!

It was almost a perfect holiday, but it was our first time at this resort and we felt it would not disturb the environment if the beach was cleared of all the rocks. It certainly would have made a difference if we had been able to safely take the kids down to the sand and let them go into the ocean.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: No food

Walk up to buffet with a empty plate if you could get one and sit back at your table with a empty plate! One guy cooking eggs for the entire hotel for breakfast witch you were in a-line for 30 min. To 45 min.! Pealpe were so hungry when they replenished any items they acted like vultures.

Blau Varadero: Needs improvement

The cheaper rooms were dirty. Guests in the more expensive rooms did not have the same issues. The service was slow when the hotel was busy, but improved when the occupancy decreased. The Cuban people are wonderful!

Muthu Playa Varadero: ok resort

Playa de Oro needs a good renovation through out, hotel is very outdated not enough washrooms through out the resort. Entertainment was good food was good people were friendly xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Great Stay

Thus far this is my favorite resort in Cuba. Nice set up, pretty beach, kind staff, regular and varied activities I had also read that the food was good (for cuba!) and it was actually true! I would definitely go back without hésitation.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Excellent service ... genuine staff ... whatever you need, just ask!

Stayed at the Sanctuary over the Christmas holidays and we were pleasantly surprised with our overall experience. Resort food is always the number one concern when travelling to Cuba and I can honestly say, there is plenty of variety at this resort and there are many options for everyone. We thoroughly enjoyed eating at the a la carte restaurant for our breakfast and morning coffees each day. I suggest stopping into the cigar lounge cafe before heading into for breakfast to grab your latte, Am [... read more]ericano or Cafe de leche. When we first checked in, we had a few minor maintenance issues with our room. Instead of waiting to have those things fixed we simply when back to the Sanctuary lobby and asked to be moved to a higher floor and explained the issues. This was not a problem. I've been to Cuba 8X and what I realize is, it takes a day or two to really settle into a new resort. I almost find it better to return to the same resort as its easier to navigate around and get a better understanding of how the restaurants and bars work. For example, the cigar lounge bar close to the Sanctuary Pool carries ice cold bottles of Heineken, Crystal and Presidente ... how ever they don't have mojitos so you have to go the a difference bar to get one of those (I suggest asking for it blended btw). "The Gourmet" a la carte restaurant was excellent with a nice cut of tenderloin and rock lobster tail. However the a la carte Asian restaurant did not rate too high for us, but not a big deal, we simply went to the buffet after. The shuttle carts will take you anywhere on the resort, again don't be afraid to ask for a lift. We took off to Havana for a day, we hired a private car. Our driver Alain drove a green 1955 Chev with air conditioning. He was awesome and really made the trip. Ask for him you won't be disappointed. The cars (Taxi's) are usually parked just outside of the resort. Be sure to ask for Alain. Havana is definitely worth the road trip. Check in and check out was simple. We were greeted with hot towels and some bubbly. We skipped the airport shuttle and took a Cab direct. Its worth it and you get to the resort in half the amount of time. Internet/Wifi - The resort has a couple hot spot areas. Anywhere in Cuba you have to pay $2 CUC for 1 hour. We didn't bother with this since our mobility providers have changed their roaming packages. For $12 a day we could roam and use our existing data plans (Bell and Telus) so call ahead to your provider and ask. We would go back to this resort and would also recommend it to our friends and family. The biggest take-away is if you want something specific, kindly ask for it. If you don't understand the language, use Google Translate. Tip well in CUC and you will be greatly appreciated even more. Enjoy!