Barcelo Solymar: Truly Awful

I understand the situation in Cuba, and that a 3.5 star hotel there would not be the same as a 3.5 star in Canada but I never could have imagined the condition of this hotel. The hotel is leaking, and the ceiling is falling down in many places. Railings are dangerously loose and puddles/ spills go hours without being mopped up. I slipped many times and found the hotel to be generally unsafe. We had to switch rooms because of a severe leak in our ceiling that was dripping through a light f [... read more]ixture. Our original room also looked as though the bathroom had not been cleaned before we got there. Our second room was full of mold from the curtains to the lamp shades. There was evidence of termites, and we saw cockroachs on the property as well. Food cleanliness was not a thing here. The buffet was inedible. It went beyond missing a few items as we normally would expect in Cuba. This food was disgusting. It was covered in bugs, uncooked meat was kept out in the open and chefs used the same utensils for the uncooked meat as the other food. Glasses came dirty and with lipstick on them. There was very little I felt comfortable eating. There were 5 al le carte restaurants on site, but only 3 were open. The food in these restaurants was the same that was served at the buffet. The buffet was also only open certain hours of the day, and there was no where to eat outside of these hours. Although this was all inclusive, they made it very hard to get a drink. The only options were Rum, one type of draft beer, two types of wine, and three other spirits. Drinks were served in small paper cups that held about three sips and quickly fell apart. No matter what you ordered you would usually get rum. Online it states that the mini fridge in our room would have water, snacks and beers. This was not true. You got one bottle of water in your mini fridge, replaced every two days. When ours was replaced it was half full, making it appear that it had been refilled from the tap. We were not comfortable drinking Cuban tap water. This practice was also evident in the al le carte restaurants, where our water was poured from one of these bottles that was noticeably yellowed and worn. You had to pay for additional bottled water to drink and the price changed every day. On top of all this the staff throughout the hotel were very rude. Unless you spoke to them in Spanish they brushed you off or did not help you. There were many locals at this hotel, and not many foreigners or other Canadians. We got the feeling we were not wanted there. When we turned away glasses with lipstick on them the waiters would give us dirty looks and shook their heads at us. The only thing nice was the beach. We ended up paying extra money to leave early with a different air line.

Muthu Playa Varadero: What a shit hole.

This place needs a wrecking ball. Must be West Jet's idea of a joke. After two days I demanded to be placed at another hotel, oh and they skidded me for an additional $ 425.00 No more Cuba and no more West Jet.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Excellent food service

I had been in 8 different hotels in Varadero, for the past 8 years. I can share with all my fellow canadians that the food at Cuatro Palmas is really good, the Hotel is in the middle of the entertainment area of Varadero, I wish my vacations were longer than 7 nights to enjoy even more , but I have to get back to reality.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Iberostar ensennachos

The complex is very large well maintained by happy helpful Cuban employees. The rooms are spacious and very clean. The food is the usual Cuban fare nothing to boast about. Cuba has to do better in this area.

Melia Cayo Coco: Nice resort, good food

Melia Cayo Coco June 2-9. Traveled as a couple, both in our early 60’s. Flew with Air Canada Rouge, flight was on time going, delayed in Montreal coming home, no free meals on flight but was able to purchase something on board. Customs in Cayo Coco was easy and smooth. While flying into Cayo Coco you receive a tourist card, once filled out this card is presented to the customs officer upon arrival. In years past they would keep one half of of the card and the other half you were responsible to [... read more] hold on to it for your return flight. This time around it was different, we received the card back in its entirety from customs. Keep this card with your passport for your return flight home, customs will then keep the card at the time of departure. The resort is probably a fifteen minute drive by car, but by bus with one stop along the way it was more like 30-35 minutes. As far as Covid is concerned we did not experience any problems or delays. We had to wear our masks on the plane. We had our ArriveCAN completed and ready for customs etc, at the airport it was glanced at quickly but never scanned. Check in at the Melia was easy but like at most hotels our room was not ready, (we arrived around 3:00pm). We went for a late lunch, had a couple of beers and checked back later, no big deal. We had what they called an updated room, building 64xx, all white painted furniture including a rocking chair. Our room was kept very clean, we believe the bed sheets were changed every day as were the towels if requested. Sheets and towels were super white which the Mrs really appreciated. We had a king sized bed which was super comfortable! The AC worked perfect, we had absolutely no musty odour in our room, the kind of odour you can sometime run into occasionally at some hotels down south. As indicated on here the staff are very friendly and want to ensure your stay is a pleasurable one. We appreciate this very much, however we never expect hotel / buffet / restaurant staff to cater to us so much that we get bent out of shape if every little detail is not carried out by them, we do have two feet and a heart beat and are capable of getting out of our own way to get or do somethings for ourselves instead of them waiting on us hand and foot. There were mosquitoes, however, we did not get bitten even though we did not use bug spray. We did notice some people had some nasty bites, so probably it’s a good idea to take bug spray with you especially if your prone to bites. During our one week stay we did see someone with a contraption on his back spray for the pesky insects every evening. On our last two days there was a low flying airplane that would circle the hotel grounds numerous times early in the morning spraying, not sure what chemical they were using but I honestly don’t think it was an overly powerful substance because there were mosquitoes around mostly every day anyway. We spent our days at the beach which is beautiful. The water was warm and that nice light teal colour because of the white sand. I wanted to ask but forgot as to why the sand is not one bit hot like on some other beaches where you have a hard time walking on it barefoot. We never had a problem getting chairs at the beach, sometime we had to walk a bit further because we arrived later which was no big deal. We have been traveling south for over 30 years, I would have to say the food at this hotel is definitely one of the best we’ve had. For the first time ever I hadn’t craved anything to eat from home. We ate at the three different a le carte restaurants (same dining area for all three) and enjoyed each one very much. On our last day we discovered the ice cream booth / stand which is open daily from 11-5 just off the lobby, nice treat to help cool off. Every thing was good and we had a great week at the Melia Cayo Coco with only a couple of minor things…….We knew this was a quiet resort geared more towards people who want to relax and have things low key, we enjoy this type of resort that’s why we chose the Melia. However, we did wish the entertainment in the evening was more varied and in some cased extended. We always enjoyed the singer in the evening but found it to be a very short show, usually only a hand full of songs. The nightly shows put on by the animation team were very good, lots of high energy and a brilliant display of talent, but too repetitive in our opinion. The Michael Jackson show was supposed to be held one night during our stay but got canceled for some reason, we were really looking forward to that show and it would have broken up the regular dance show. As mentioned WiFi is free and the speed is good for what we needed anyway. The one annoying thing about this is the LONG and unnecessary user name and password required EVERY time you want to get on your device. A SIMPLE password would surely suffice here in our opinion. These are minor things but I felt they needed to be mentioned again, I know many others have already mentioned some of these things, I just wanted to reiterate. To wrap up I’ll say “good job Melia Cayo Coco” keep up the GREAT quality and service. We would highly recommend this resort.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Iberostar during Covid times

As with all resorts this one is having a difficult time during the pandemic. The staff and management are trying very hard to keep the place safe. I noticed a big difference in the availability and variety of things to eat but I expected that. What disappointed me was the last of local fruits and foods as I had planned to make the best of the local stuff. There is still a lot of confusion with currencies. No one wants the peso so do not change any. Take $1 us for tipping but make sure you have [... read more] enough as there is no way to get any from the hotel or bank.

Hotel Rancho Luna: Good for money

Grounds, beach, pool are clean and neat. Rooms are clean but small. Some rooms have no fridge, so u have to ask for it. Food was good, but not fish. Lunchroom clean. Had to wear mask in lunchroom. Locals are 80% of guests. Good for the money u pay. This is Government hotel, not Spanish. Rainy season in May and June.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Cuban gem 💎

We stayed at the Royalton Hicacos from 30 th May until the 7 th June.This is a Cuban 5 star hotel.What was 5 stars for us ? The ocean , the waiters & staff of this hotel ! The music & entertainment was great .The rooms are spacious with crisp white bedding.The hotel is beautiful and open .The cocktails & bar service was fabulous.If you decide on this hotel,please read up on Cuba& the people.The food was wonderful,huge selection catering for everyone’s taste .They are making the utmost of what  [... read more]they have available .Be kind! Tip! Tip the people who does the behind scenes work ,like gardeners& cleaners ! I can’t wait to go back So many of the staff became our friends. Big hug to all of you.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful resort

The grounds are beautiful, mostly all staff was amazing except the ones at 24/hours snack bar was very rude and didn’t want to serve us. No entertainment! Food got better the last 2 days we were there. No entertainment at night if they was only fashion show. The resort was very clean. Rooms were very well cleaned and bed was comfortable. If you just want to have the beach and quiet this is very quiet resort not much to do. The resort was not busy so they closed most of the event’s beach part [... read more]y was canceled we had no idea where to eat, they keep changing where to open and not enough to choose from the menu either.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Cozy resort

We have been to this resort at least 4 times. Whole resort was very well maintained. Staff were very pleasant and helpful, maids were always cheerful and gardeners always greeted us. We like to stay at this hotel because there is a pier where we can relax and fish. WiFi system not very good, but everything else was excellent.

Hotel Tuxpan: less than an amazing resort

The beach and the grounds are great, and a few of the actual staff workers are awesome, but that's where it ends. I paid for a VIP package and the room next door didn't. We got the exact same rooms, but I got pop and a few bottles of booze in my fridge during the week. We had the same buffet, same access to alcohol, same everything. Not sure how much Sunwing makes on this little scam ! It rained most of the week, which can't be helped, but there was a constant roof leak in my bathroom as a r [... read more]esult. Was never told of any of my VIP perks, I had to ask the sunwing rep, who in turn had to tell them I paid for a VIP package. No lobster on site so I didn't get that dinner, not that they offered to tell me or maybe offer an a la carte, something ! The buffet was not good, even by Cuban standards. 2 stores on site and a few souvenir areas. The "store" refused to take anything but a credit card so I was unable to buy bug spray, snacks, or beer. The cigar store would only take foreign cash or a credit card so I was able to shop there. Only the souvenir areas would take the Cuban Peso which I had exchanged for on the bus transfer. FYI...the airport, bank and hotel would only give me an 18 to 1 exchange rate. The bus transfer gave me a 40 to 1 exchange, but warned me that alot of places in Varadero would not accept their own Cuban peso. They were right, could not get a meal, a beer, or even a bottle of water at many places. I went to Cuba with a decent amount of money I wanted to spend, but could only manage to spend less than 100 after almost 8 days. I've been to Cuba 11 times now and I know not to expect too much, but this was by far the worst trip yet.

Vila Gale Cayo Santa Maria: Disappointing Trip

We’ve been to Cuba over 15 times and so we know to have low expectations when it comes to food. However this hotel was a 2* for food as there was barely any offerings for guests. The worst part was that both of the 2 pools were not working that it was green from algae. On top of the bad weather and bad food, we also had no pool. We paid for a so called “5*” hotel that had no pool and we are not happy.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Good Hotel. Bad service

The Beach and hotel room are very good, but the people who worked there are very rude and demanding. They stress you so you don't know how to ask them for anything. Some of the bar closed at 6:00 pm while you want to stay.

Hotel Atlantico: Typical Cuban 3 star hotel.

The serving staff was very friendly and attentive. Reception has no idea what's happening out of the hotel. Busing ànd activities,even getting a bottle of water from the hotel store, was not known. Messaging and info., Is poor

Melia Buenavista: The staff are the most friendly, warm and helpful that I have experienced!

We loved our room a great deal with a beautiful view of the ocean. It was so spacious and the bed was really comfortable. We were celebrating my milestone birthday and the hotel gave us an ocean view and did not charge extra for this. We really appreciated this. The outdoor shower was a real treat. The maid kept our room very clean and the fridge was kept stocked with water and pop. It was so wonderful to have two butlers assigned to us while we vacationed at the resort and they took car [... read more]e of all of our needs. They booked our restaraunts for us each day at the hour that we requested and we never had to line up to book al la cartes. It we had questions or concerns, they were on top of it! Joan went above and beyond for us when it came to any or our requests and took really good care of us. He checked in on us frequently and made sure that our stay was enjoyable. Almando was very friendly and helpful as well. The cappacinos were delicious and we enjoyed room service frequently. There is nothing lke sipping a monring cappacino on your balcony while looking at the ocean and hearing the bird songs of Cuba. The resort is peaceful and quiet and my husband and I enjoyed our first adults only vacation. Thank you to all of the staff for making our first stay in Cayo Santa Maria a very pleasant and enjoyable one!

Hotel Los Cactus: Home Away from home

We spent a total of 14 weeks there in the November to June period. Many changes have taken place, as the country recovers from covid 19. WE go there for 4 primary reasons, the staff, beach, weather and golf. The accommodation is fair, the price is fair. There are many hotels in Varadero with varying services and are priced accordingly The food and beverages change constantly one week good another week no so good. Our perspective if we get bored with the food we go into town for a meal. My wife  [... read more]and I wouldn't spend so much time there if we didn't enjoy the experience, what else can I say.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Staff were great

Staff were great and the beach was beautiful. Unfortunately we did not get a Lakeview room that we upgraded too. Our room had very little warm water let alone hot water. We had a leak in the ceiling causing me to slip and hurt my ankle. The a la carters were good however the buffet was something else. Tons and tons of flies over everything and the food was all cold. The pool itself was nice however the water was cold. The beach was absolutely beautiful and that made the trip.

Hotel Los Cactus: Almost our second home after 12 visits

Staff is terrific. Beach is WOW. Water was great. Food was very good. Rooms and maids are great. We always get a suite overlooking the Ocean. Not many Canadians at this time of Year. Met alot of Nice Cubans on 3-4 day holidays. They have a bit of catching up to do at both the Hotel and at Varadero Golf. It was totally shut for 2 1/2 years. They are trying. Only one downfall at this time of year. MOSQUITOS. Al

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Amazing resort!

Grounds, public areas, dining areas, restaurants, pool areas, entertaining theatre ,bar areas, hotel rooms, cleaning services, front desk service - are excellent. I will recommend this resort to all my friends.

Melia Costa Rey: Little worn out but still lovely

This was our third time in this hotel and definitely the last. All the "cracks" are really showing now. Missing tiles in the pool, tired paint, broken appliances.... I would definitely recommend staying at "Colection" as this the only part of the hotel where you feel a bit of luxury and especially if you're looking for some peace and quiet. You have your own restaurant, own bar and pool side is NEVER busy. Staff at Collection are fantastic too and make you feel valued. Everyone is friendly and [... read more] willing to help. Buffet food is basic but they really try with making special pasta, grilling your fish or meat on demand There are 3 gourmet restaurants that try hard to serve something different but Cuba is not known for their food but for their beaches. And this is one area where you will be amazed. Beach near Pullman is stunning - turn left or right from the resort and you can walk and walk on white empty beach. Overall Pullman would maybe pass 3 or 4 star hotel but the experience of Cuba is definitely there!