Club Tropical: Great location

This was our second time at this resort! We enjoyed the location and the people that we meet. The staff was very nice and friendly as always! The food at this resort was better the first time around but we always found something good to eat. The one thing that we noticed is that chairs at the beach were reserved for people that never showed up!! So we would have to lay in the sand and their was about 20 spare chairs. We were up at 5 am and could never get a chair. People told me that they wou [... read more]ld pay the man at the beach to get chairs saved for them!

Los Delfines: New name " club Lost my business "

The food was barely edible , we ate out at restaurants for most part of our stay . Hotel does not provide water you have to purchase bottled water from the gift shop ( if it's available ) Beaches are fantastic however most of the chairs are broken. Most staff were friendly , except the tip hungry bar tenders . Drinks were crap ! Poor condition on pools very dirty. Room cleaning services was top notch .

Muthu Playa Varadero: A resort you should try to avoid

The lobby restroom is disgusting! Beach live guard is never on the high chair, but busy in selling cigars! And unbelievably, my feet was badly cut in the swing pool. No medical assistance at all! In general, resort staffs are very nice. The tennis court is clean. I can't believe this resort is rated 4 stars even unofficially.

Club Kawama: Christmas in Paradise

Christmas in Varadero....awesome!!! Just returned after 2 weeks at Club Kawama, we had an amazing vacation and look forward to our return trip in February!. This is a very old and quaint hotel, come with an open mind and enjoy the sunshine and hospitality of the Cuban people. We have visited this property many times and return for the small hotel feel, there are a lot of Repeaters as we call our special group and if you are a first timer give it try....try not to look at the negatives but enjoy [... read more] the positive things about this resort. Yes the rooms need work, yes the food is a little repetitive...enjoy the sun and the people..... While we were there we noticed many improvements...new mattresses, buildings painted, new umbrellas and chairs on the beach, and the food was great( remember this is Cuba). Too many people come to Cuba expecting 5 star expectations and often compare to Canadian Standards....we must not do that....not the same.....it is Cuba remember. It is wonderful to return and have staff remember you from the year before....Cuban people are awesome..... Christmas Eve supper was amazing....turkey, seafood, potatoes, fresh veg and fruits....desserts to die for....oh and of course that wonderful home made ice cream....if any one complains about this meal, there is no hope for them.....there was an over abundance of food for everyone. Cuba beach......what can l say..... Any way, enjoyed our trip and will be back again and again.....

Starfish Varadero: Needs work

When we checked in they only had 1 room available out of the 3, the toilet didn't even flush in the room and we had no hot water. When we finely got the other 2 rooms they were a bit better but we still had a issue with hot water all week. The food was typical Cuba food, the hot trays were not working properly so only one tray was hot and the others were cold, even when they brought new trays out they were cold as well. I had to take my food over to the grill to have it warmed up. They were doin [... read more]g construction on the resort while we were there and one night while having drinks in the bar they started spray painting and there was a huge mist of paint. We all had to leave it was so bad. I think we went at a bad time but it looks like they are trying fix the hotel up.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Poor experience

I got food poisoning in the last day of my trip and today is my 3rd day of having diarrhea, so I decided to see doctor. I've been told by the nurse that I am the 4th person there today who caught diarrhea from this hotel. I was like "wow" Overall the hotel was OK, staffs there are friendly and very easy to communicate, but I don't think I will ever go back to this hotel.

Hotel Bella Costa: Great Family Vacation

The hotel grounds were very good, there was a lot of construction going on repairing damage from Hurricane Irma, they did their best not to interfere with the comfort of the guests. The rooms and exterior could use some updating but everything was acceptable to our tastes. The food was good and the a la carte's were excellent. Great service from staff all round, made our holiday wonderful. Guests need to remember this is Cuba and they do the best with what they have.

Roc Barlovento: Great safe fun.

Our stay was from Dec 19th till 26th . This hotel is not new but it is very clean. Our room was nice and the maid was very good. We stayed in room 181. Everything in the room worked . The beach is right there. The food was hot fresh and lot's of variety. They have a beach grill, very good. This is right in the heart of Varadero, walk anyplace. The public bus is right out the front door. The staff are very helpful..From the front lobby to the beach the staff were all nice. Pool and beach gam [... read more]es are fun, They have nightly entertainment. You can't go wrong with this hotel. The Christmas dinner was 5 star, the selection, presentation, and service was perfect.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great Christmas

Memories is a very large resort so be prepared to walk, but the layout works well and there are always carts. The food was typical Cuban fare. We never went hungry. The bar staff are all super! You can be quiet when you want. Or have a wold night of you want. Lots of kids....but they always had activities going for them. The entertainment team was good...but not as good as in years past. We were in block 31 and our housekeeping staff was EXCELLENT!! We always had a clean room towel [... read more]s toilet paper and beer pop and water in our fridge. Beds need updating the mattress wasnt very comfy Beach was beautiful as always. I think this resort may be under new ownership as some of the sineage is changing... We had a great time as we always do!

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Fantastic customer service!

The resort is beautiful and the service in the lounge, the piano bar and mikes coffee show was amazing. We had a fantastic week. The weather was outstanding. Kudos to all rhe people who got the resort up and running again after the hurricane.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Personal touch

Have stayed in larger resorts (Cuba, Mexico and Dominican) but loved the intimate feel of Starfish. Everything from reception, buffet, pool, entertainment, a la cartes, beach and town of Varadero at our fingertips. Older resort but has recovered unbelievably from storm devastation. Wonderful staff were constantly cleaning (Yadianas, our housekeeper was a sweetheart) and buddy Mario (& Michael)kept the pool area spotless. Beautiful Elimay always making sure everything was ok as did Carlos. Enjoye [... read more]d the buffet (thank you Noidae and Juliette)and the a la cartes were excellent. Love the idea of booking those just inside the buffet the morning of. No line-up, very easy. We've never had a better view than our room(#1339) with ocean off balcony and pool view on other side. Can't forget Abel either-our charming bartender found quite often at the Bucanero(sp?) beach bar. Randy, Amel, Lulu and others kept us as busy as we chose with great games & dance lessons poolside afternoons.We even had a fantastic 'Rock Show' at the poolside stage one day which was every bit as good as the Beatles Bar entertainment. Weather was sunny & 80's all 9 days-perfect for walking the endless powder sand beach which was cleaned every daybreak! Met wonderful fellow travellers from across Canada and from Germany but can't wait to return to our new Cuban "family" in 2018.

Sol Palmeras: Not a 4 star unless you upgrade.

I have only been to cuba twice and will probably go to a better island next time. Beautiful beaches of course but felt a little sorry for the people of Cuba living in such poverty. Havana was a dump. The hotel food was what I would expect in cuba, not great but can find something to eat. Usually cold. The first room we were given was kind of gross, very old and run down, second one was not much better. We ended up paying $400 to upgrade to a reno'd one. Kind of annoying but made the stay muc [... read more]h better. Factor this plus the expense of paying to sit beside each other on the plane it no longer seems so cheap. Sunwing planes a little cramped and both flights delayed. Make sure you get a renovated room if you book this hotel, or find a 5 star. Staff were nice particularly in the dining room.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great First Experience!

Resort: Beautiful and steps away from the nice sandy beach. Has a nice big main pool and 2 side (quiet) pools on each side of the resort. Lots of activities and performances every night. All staff were very friendly and helpful. Food: Snack Bar open 24 hours. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Buffets as well. There are 3 À la carte restaurants available for dinner with prior reservation with the following options: Japanese, Romantica, and Italian. To be honest, food wasn't the best but we' [... read more]ve been advised that about Cuba in general as all of the resorts are like that. It is very bland and not much flavor as we are used to but I guess that's just how it is there. Excursions: We did the Catamaran Cruise with the group which is about 7-8 hours including transfers. There are 2 options for this - with or without the dolphin experience. We did the Dolphin experience and loved it as you get to stand on a platform and have the dolphins swim by you and interact with you. This dolphinarium is built in the middle of the ocean which was pretty cool too. We were also able to snorkel and visit Cayo Blanco and have lunch there and swim on the beautiful island as a part of this excursion. We also went into the main city of Havana but we didn't do it with the group and opted to do it with a private tour guide with a classic car instead so we had more control of it and could enjoy it at our pace. This was a full day event as we left at about 9 AM and came back around 7 PM. The hotel staff can usually help you book a private tour guide. There were also sail boats on the beach that took you out to snorkel with lots of fish. This wasn't advertised but was probably my favorite part of the trip so be sure to inquire about this through the Transgaviota agents that run it on the beach. They take you to a nice spot and give you bread to feed the fish and there are hundreds of them so it was quite the experience. Notes / Things to keep in mind: As mentioned earlier, be ready for the food as it's not the best. Also, the ice and water at the hotel is spring water so you'll be okay there. Just be careful not to have ice or water out of the resort as you can get really sick. If you plan to buy Cigars when you do the trip to Havana, be careful as there are many fakes and we fell for this. Only buy them from the Airport Duty Free shop as even some of the factories sell fake cigars. My mom got pretty sick on the last day when we were scheduled to fly back home and our hotel checkout was at 12 PM but we needed the room for longer as she was really not feeling well. We had to pay 10 CUC / hour for the room until our flight at 6 PM. This was our only drawback from an otherwise amazing experience. Cuba is a very safe place otherwise so not much to worry about - enjoy your trip. Hope this review helps you with your planning.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Overall Good

Overall the services from the check-in, check-out, bartenders, room cleaning, entertainment, dining (Japanese a la cart and buffet) where very much what I expected. Very friendly and smiling staff making us feel welcomed. I want to emphasize the impeccable services of two Bartenders (a women on right side bar (day) in main lobby, one guy at the quiet pool swim up bar). Sorry not good at remembering names. As well as the room cleaning staff, Janet I believe. These people makes one want to r [... read more]eturn again. Thank you! What I did not like and appreciate AT ALL was the service provided at the registration of the a la cart meals. First day I went to register, the lady says she can only do same day registration. Well I got the next day, long story but couldn't get the Italian since it's closed that day so got the Japanese (FYI AMAZING!). After, when I returned two days later to book my next dinner and guess what, she can't book me in until the next day. I'm like what!! Oh the computer is working now. Sorry, can't do anything to help ma'am. Finally after pushing thorough to the Diamond Club, got the reservation for later that evening. OMG! my worst experience ever. Got seated at 8:00pm, after prodding the server by 8:30pm we finally order. Thinking 2 pizza's and 2 pieces of reheated lasagna would be quick and easy, hahaha nope! By 8:55pm here comes the 2 lasagnas and my step-sons pizza and me nothing. Waiting, waiting and seeing everyone finishing their plates, I finally walked out. My other bad experience was the Snack Bar. Service always slow (30-45 min at times (and not full of travelers) and not very friendly. This could definitely be improved since all you are serving is either breakfast or Ham & Cheese/Hot Dog/Hamburger/Fries. For my friend traveling with me, her daily complaint from her section of the resort was that it was very loud with inside noises (above) which she couldn't sleep well. (light sleeper) I know I have vented my frustrations here, which is only geared to few individuals, my overall comment is that this is a good place to stay in Varadero. For the price and affordability for a group of 4, I do recommend this resort. It is a fun, entertaining, clean and overall friendly and welcoming staff. Thank you Memories Varadero.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Terrible do not stay here

What a place lousy cold food at the buffet. Elevator not working. Rude staff. And to busy on their cell phones to serve you. Cockroaches on the steam/buffet table with food.. silverwhere was cleaned in a bucket of dirty water at server station in dining area. No salt or pepper in entire dining room.Ran out of coffee at breakfst. To get a plate at buffet you had to waite 10 minutes . Then find out it is dirty. Cold food when it came out of kitchen. Only plus good location and maid service was [... read more] good but then we tipped.

Club Kawama: very poor

very poor in upkeep of grounds and room. No light in the ceiling of room. very dark. No outdoor light. very dark along pathway to restaurant. One morning as my son was standing in front of mirror it came crashing down off the wall. We were asked to pay $140.00 more for the unit we thought was booked by trip central. There was a bulldozer on the beach for three days. At times coming very close to us. Noisy, and fumes. The staff on front desk were not very accommodating. The rest of the staf [... read more]f for room and restaurant were very friendly. We have been to Cuba 3 times at other resorts and were very disappointed at Club Kawama.

Hotel Los Cactus: Good Value.

Resort in need of upgrades but overall good value for $$$. Beach one of the best in the carribean. Changed room easily after complaint of chemical smell. Not sure if cleaner or bug spray. Food typical of Cuban resort. Bus to downtown $5 pp all day fare. Beatles Bar a must do. Live rock band at night no cover $2 beers.

Blau Varadero: Amazing experience

My boyfriend and I were at Blau Varadero resort (adults only since last November 2016) from Dec 15-22, 2017. Our flight there with Sunwing airline was delayed by 3 hours and by 2 hours coming back. This resort was absolutely the same as I remember from my first stay there in December 2009 with my kids. Friendly staff all around, great food, great entertainers, live shows. My boyfriend took scuba lessons in the pool and went to sea 3 times after that. He truly enjoyed it. We went to visit downtow [... read more]n Varadero by double deck bus which is only 5 CUC/day. The a la carte restaurants were a great treat away from the buffet dinner. Loved the English movies that were available during our down time in the room. It was my boyfriend's first time in Cuba and can't wait to go back. I've been 9 times to different resorts. This one was by far the best I've seen in Cuba. Not a huge walk from hotel to the beach. If you were not tired, the disco bar from 11pm - 1am was an extra bonus after all live shows were done at 10:30am. I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends and looking forward to going back soon. PS - water bottle, beer and coke is supplied daily in the fridge. Fresh beach towels daily. Free in safe box, wifi available for 2CUC card purchased at the front desk.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: now our favorite

great location. great beach. friendly and efficient staff. worth upgrading to the colonial section. it may not have 5 star food or 5 star rating but after 30 years of coming to Cuba and staying in different areas and resorts we have found our favorite. felt comfortable and relaxed as soon as we arrived. we will go back.

Roc Arenas Doradas: Good price, nice staff, but services lacking

This is the second time we stayed at ROC Arenas Doradas. We again got a good price and enjoyed our stay. Most of the staff were very nice. However, we did not have a working TV and nor a working phone from our late Saturday arrival until mid-Wednesday when we were finally moved to a new room. We were subsequently told all the units in our complex (12 rooms or so) had problems with their TV. Did they not know this when we first complained on Saturday? Thankfully, we had befriended a senior m [... read more]ember of the staff who finally escalated our concerns. Still, since TV is not that important on a Cuba vacation, we still had a good time and were treated quite well. The nightly entertainment was good although the same dance troupe did 3 of the 5 shows we saw. The beach was great and perfect weather made it even better. Buffet restaurant was ok. I'm a picky eater and found things too different from my Canadian palate so tended to have the same "safe" foods (ie. pasta, buns, ice cream) over and over again. My wife is less picky so she thought the buffet was fine. There were also 4 a la carte restaurant options which you could reserve on 2 occasions. I enjoyed this more but my wife preferred the wider options in the buffet. Recreational events were provided but we did not make much use of them. We went on a couple of cost-based excursions (Havana and a tour of some caves) which we enjoyed. If we go back, there were other cost-based options (sailing, horse-back riding) which we might try. All in all, we had a good time and would go there again. That being said, after 2 trips to the same location, its more likely that we will try another location in Cuba outside of Veradero.