Punta Peninsula Varadero: Great staff, Decent resort, Food could improve

Enjoyed the pools and beach - clean and close The Rooms were decent, but the fridge was not stocked most days Staff was very friendly and efficient. Cleaning was always being done. Resort was getting a bit tired - needs a face lift but they were in the midst of doing improvements. The resort was half empty which meant many a la carte restaurants were not open Food was just ok and even the a la carte restaurants were not great. A fresh juice/smoothie bar would be a good improvement. Beaut [... read more]iful weather - always a breeze The silvery "zombies" at lunch were entertaining The Lobby Bar was a great place to hang out. The circus show was great.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Lovely resort but a few challenges

We found the resort itself quite lovely. The pools, grounds and rooms were well maintained and we were pleased with them. Our only concerns were 1) the lack of toilet paper in the hotel proper toliets (lobby, areas near the specialty areas, pool area) and overall cleanliness condition. We really didn't like the buffet food offering at all - canned vegetables, mystery dishes (couldn't distinguish between meat and vegetable dishes at times) and sameness of choices daily. We did not look forwar [... read more]d to meals which is unfortunate if you are someone who food is a large part of your experience. If you are looking for a nice hotel at a good price only then this is a good option. Also, we found the buffet serving staff quite abrupt and surly - perhaps a language issue? PS our Sunwing representative Brianne was very efficient and helpful.

Melia Las Antillas: Great Vacation

Check in was super quick and pleasant. Room was nice. Bed was hard. Beautiful ocean view. Pleasantly surprised by the food. Lots of variety and was good. Hamburger guy by the beach was awesome and so was the two different egg stations for breakfast. A'la cartes were very good. I personally did not enjoy the dinner at the Italian but someone else might. Room was always clean. Pool and beach were excellent. Great service overall. Would recommend.

Be Live Turquesa: Simple and Sweet

Our stay here was very pleasant. The staff were very friendly and made you feel like part of the Turquesa family! Daimel, Raymundo and Dan were so lovely and welcoming. They were always there to ensure your safety and to make sure you were having a good time. That being said, there is some favouritism that happens at this resort (and I am sure at many other resorts in a tip based economy). Servers at the buffet would claim the section was "full" and save it for the best tippers. In relation to [... read more] tips, there is a very short supply of small curerncy in Cuba. It was explained that this is actually due to the banks not having enough of it in circulation, but it does make it very hard to tip when all you have is 5 and 10 CUC bills. The resort would run out of small change very early on or not have any at all. It is reccomended to exchange larger bills for small tips with the wait staff when possible. The house keeping service was really lovely. We always had clean linens and towels, as well as really cute towel and blanket art daily! Unfortunately, we came home with some bites and are unsure if it was bed bugs or sand fleas or mosquitos, so maybe something to look into more when you get there. Just double check your sheets. To be honest, it was probably nothing but what can you do. Upon your stay, they provide you with one large bottle of water in your room, but that is it for your stay. Luckily, you can ask any bar or buffet to fill it up with filtered water- we did not have any problem with this at all. The water they give you is safe. The food was actually really really tasty! I have stayed in Cuba twice before where the food was really bland but this food was soooo good and falvourful. The restaurants were pretty good too. In terms of the restaurants, I would reccomend the Italian and Cuban, the Mexican wasn't too bad but not my favourite. You need to book these the morning of the day you want to go. Get there right at 10 am! Books up fast. The outlets here are all 220v (aka European) so bring a converter, but don't bring your hair dryer or straightener because it will blow them out! (Frizzy hair will have to do). They do have a blow dryer in the bathroom though. The alcohol was pretty good and they are very generous will how much they pour. They do not have diet soda but sell it in cans at the store on site. The beach is beautiful, clean and really well maintained. The water was so clear! The chairs at the beach are pretty uncomfortable though, and some are broken. But the view, the sand and the water make up for it. The pool is quite nice, but I didn't spend any time there as the beach was gorgeous. Very well maintained pool. The entertainment was very impressive and interactive! You could also win bottles of rum at almost every show or activity. There is no club or discotheque at the resort, but there are some near by that you can taxi to. There is mostly an older crowd- families or older adults. This is definitely not a party resort. Most people are in bed by 11:30 or midnight. But there are always people willing to go out if you make the right friends. The resort is small and everything is really easy and close to get to which is a major plus. Its cozy and relaxing. The mens bathrooms in the common areas for the most part dont have toilet seats, so men, poop in your rooms before you leave! Womens bathrooms mostly do have seats. Never a shortage of toilet paper. Over all, really great experience!

Muthu Playa Varadero: Play de oro

Feb 2017 just finished my seven day vacation at this resort..well it was a clean resort and kept clean for the lobby. But the buffet the was birds flying around which did not bug me it was the cockroach on the coffee table grossed me out..big time. The fod was the same all week cold or room temperature and same meals. The staff was not the most friendly. I have been to cuba before where the staff was great. This resort was half as good.. But the beach was great to swim at . You always had p [... read more]eople bugging to to buy stuff every five minutes. This resort has made me feel like I want to find another country all together to vacation at...

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Was expecting more

This was our first trip to Cuba. We traveled with 10 others who have been before. The hotel in itself was nice. Rooms were large, clean and modern. We were all suppose to be in the same building, but we were spread around in 4 different buildings. The resort advertises that there is a DR on site, but the day we needed one, there was NOT! The pool was lovely, except for the fact that the bar ran OUT of beer TWICE. The lobby bar also ran out of beer of ONCE! The service in the snack bar is EXT [... read more]REMELY slow.. we ordered and waited almost 2 hours.. and nothing came so we left.. Hot tubs were NOT working! The Rock House says it is open 24 hours.. it closed between 11 and 12 pm EVERY NIGHT. No music paying at the pool. we asked. they said only on certain days.. so we brought our own. We made dinner reservations online before we left home for our party of 12.. when we got there the reservations were only for 6. had to have this corrected for all reservations. It was a great vacation with all of our friends and we met some nice people, but I am not really sure if we will come back to del Mar..

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Paradisus Princesa Del Mar in Varadero Beach

The hotel was clean, the rooms were clean and the Junior Suites were a good size. Had all that we would need. The grounds were well kept. The pools were great and well maintained. I only wish I could have gone swimming at night, but that is when the put the chemicals in.. Food was average but had many selections of places to eat. Service varied from good to great. I would definitely go back.

Melia Las Antillas: Breathe taking

We stayed here for a week. It's a Spanish style resort and has amazing staff and great food. This was our first visit to Cuba and everybody told us about the bland food. This was not the case, we enjoyed the food very much. There was a few foods we were not sure on but we tried anyways. The grounds are amazing and the beach is gorgeous. The staff here is so amazing and courteous. Some of the rooms are dated but very clean. The maintenance could use a bit if attention as well. Overall I would rat [... read more]e this resort a 9 out of 10. I would highly recommend this resort.

Palma Real: Fun Resort

The hotel definitely needs some upkeep which they are currently doing, the hotel location is super close to other bars and entertainment in the city .. the staff were great and super helpful. We were booked through air Canada vacations and their representative osualdo was amazing to deal with and helped Us book our excursions.. the beach wasnt too far. Drinks were always full, the food in Cuba is bland but I think that's just across the board wherever you stay in Cuba .

Hotel Villa Cuba: Nice last minute vacation at Be Live Experience Varadero

We booked a last minute vacation to Be Live Experience Varadero (formerly Villa Cuba) through Trip Central. I often book on-line but ended up calling and talking to agent Anne Bovingdon. She was great and the service through Trip Central was impressive. They were in frequent contact via e-mail prior to our visit and called the day after we returned to make sure everything was good with the flight and hotel. We arrived at the hotel early, around 11 am, so I knew we wouldn't be checking in to o [... read more]ur room right away. We stored our luggage and got a coffee then lunch. The fellow who helps with luggage was great and suggested we check back around 1:30. We did and he checked on the room and we were able to get in early, it was much appreciated. The beach is beautiful in Varadero. We usually were able to find a spot under a palapa or in the shade. It was usually more difficult in the mornings as people tended to reserve places by getting up early and placing their towels on chairs under palapas. We could usually find a place someone had reserved but was not using that was close enough to the palapa to offer shade. In the afternoon it was easier to find an empty palapa. We sat around the pool when the wind at the beach was so strong it was blowing the sand like waves. There was generally places available around the pool. We were in room 2627 and had a view of the water on the other side of the beach area. The room was newly decorated. Air conditioner worked fine. The maid Nery kept it clean and was a sweetie. We always had hot water, perhaps this had something to do with the time of day when we showered or that we generally had sunny weather. The only problems with the room was the water pressure wasn't the best and we ran out of soap and shampoo early on in the week. Buffet was fine, better than some and not as good as others. We always found something to eat and gained weight on the trip. The staff was great Roly was outstanding and we always sat in his section when he was working. We went to both a la carte restaurants. Book them on the second (I think) floor around 1:30. We had no problem booking them. Arletis, at Public Relations is who you book the a la carte restaurants through. She was great and seemed to be everywhere at the resort. We liked the Mariposa the best of the a la cartes. We ate most lunches at the Beach restaurant, La Sita. Juan Carlos Valdez was a great waiter there. It was relaxing to order off a menu, good food and if you were there at the right time, a good band. We also treated ourselves to a massage from Niurka. It was 20 CUC for 30 minutes and well worth it. Her co-worker Carlos runs the gym. Together they keep the area clean and inviting. This is also where the sauna is. We made two visits to the sauna. One was on our last day and offered a great place for a shower before our flight home. The staff at this hotel are special. We tipped but not excessive amounts. I found all the staff friendly and helpful at this resort, even the front desk, who are not always credited with being helpful or friendly. Tips: Bring your own soap and shampoo, it was a good thing I had my Lush shampoo bar to use as both. Also, if you like to read English books, bring two. I finished my book after a few days and assumed I would be able to exchange it for another book at the library by the Club House/Towel exchange. There was lots of books there, but none of them were English. I did manage to get one after a day or two. We will be back. Thank you for a great week. Room Tip: We liked the hotel rooms on the side away from the pool and beach. See more room tips

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Wonderful Trip - Feb/17

This was our 4th time in Varadero but our first time at Starfish Cuatro Palmas. We stayed in the economy rooms across the street (which we were a bit worried about at the time of booking) but what a nice surprise! Our room was very nice, roomy, clean and modern for Cuba with a king size bed and body pillows! At the time of booking we were also concerned about the noise coming from the nearby clubs (Calle 62 and The Beatles Club) but the noise was not an issue and everything was great. Our room w [... read more]as on the 2nd floor overlooking the park with a balcony. If there was a "downside" to the room it would be nowhere to hang clothes and no drawers but, really, no biggie, we're in Cuba in the beautiful sunshine! We had 4 other friends from the other side of Canada who stayed at Cuatro and both loved it. We will all be returning for sure. The waiters at the economy resort were wonderful - making me my coffee/hot chocolate/frothed milk mixture perfect every morning. The ladies at the main check-in desk at Cuatro were very nice and helpful - I had to make a phone call to Boca de Camarioca and it just happened that one of the ladies at the front desk lived there and assisted me with my phone call. The bar service at all 3 bars was excellent. Juliette in the buffet restaurant was outstanding, as was the entire staff at this resort. This trip was a big one for us....we rented scooters and got engaged in Boca de Camarioca on a secluded beach. I highly recommend this resort, not too big, not too loud, clean, friendly and safe. My only regret was having to leave before having a chance to talk to the manager (whom we met last year) about planning our wedding at the resort.

Playa Vista Azul: Even better than last year!

Having enjoyed our week last year, we returned this year. The hotel is every bit as nice as before, only a few signs of wear and tear. The food was above average for a Cuban all-inclusive, and the a la cartes were better than before and easier to get into with the reservation system being revamped. Our room was lovely (the pool view is definitely worth the little bit extra) and even with construction going on at the resort next door it never bothered us. The pool bar was definitely the place  [... read more]to be every day. Yosner, Livia, Yeni and Marian make it a fun party and felt like friends by the end of the week. Would go back again in an instant, and recommend it to anyone looking to have fun.

Club Kawama: Transferred to Mercure D'Oro

Firstly, Club Kawama was overbooked, but Nicolle was great in letting us know in advance that Playa D'Oro would accomodate us. What a relief to have been met by the representative upon our arrival at the airport and handed our transfer package. We read a lot of reviews before leaving since we knew exactly where we were going....most of them were negative. However, we were aware that it is Cuba, and not fair to compare it to hotels in the USA or Canada. The Hotels like most hotels in Cuba are [... read more] in need of major repairs, but the staff and food alike - 5 star! The beach - Superb. The people on the beach selling their wares - yes, annoying a tad bit, but one has to understand that for them, that is their daily earnings. And for some people who never left the resort, it's their ONLY contact with locals. The tour guides? I find them to be hagglers - we already pay a lot for the tour, why make us feel like we need to tip? We do it anyway in a restaurant, bar - but when we are paying $200-00 for a day outing & we know that the locals earn peanuts a day, where does all the money go? And yeah - we saw the tour day on one of our excursions being handed "something" but the owner of each bar/restaurant/stop we made. Overall, D' Oro was a good place to stay at, the mattress were waaaay better than the resort we stayed at 2 years ago that is just 2 bus stops away. But that resort also had great food,. staff and entertainment - its' really all just a matter of the mind. If you are picky, you won't enjoy the place - if you are well travelled and can enjoy the variances and quality every country has to offer, and if you understand the politics and social economics of Cuba, you will understand why it is what it is. Unique, beautiful, courages people.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Ok

Service was slow they were constantly running out of things their entertainment was half ass and everything seemed to be a cash grab and they never seem to have change for bigger bills always looking for tips even though service was mediocre

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good resort

The good: Stayed Feb 4-11 2017 traveled with a group of 12 overall it was a good experience, pool was amazing beach is fantastic, Piano bar was a ton of fun the staff there at night are great. Nightly shows in the square. The À la carte restaurants were all really good Personally I likes the Japanese and Italian best, the buffet was decent with lots of selection for you to find things you enjoy. the 24 hour snack bar was busy as night life comes to an early end and everyone seems to go there,  [... read more] day time is very relaxing, Overall we had a really fun time. The not so great: Service: in my experience it was kind of slow at most bars/snack bar (with exception to the Piano bar and Pool bar) Alcohol Supply: We found that Kegs and bottles were constantly out Kahlua, Beer, Vodka etc, ran out everyday, Bottles didn't seem to get replaced until the following day and Beer kegs would have to be moved over from other areas, it was like every bar had one keg when it ran out it was a good 45 mins before another could be found defiantly a downer when your at dinner etc and cant get a beer till your leaving. Poolside Entertainment: VERY lacking, little to no music only 1 day was pool side music set up, most people had to use phones or portable speakers to have any music poolside. Nightlife:As I stated Piano bar was a lot of fun, However it doesn't start till 9:30-10pm it closes down at midnight on most nights. Disco again Very lacking in this area it is random at best some days in the hallway, sometimes in the piano bar after it ends,night life is over at 1 am, except on Saturdays it goes till 2am. Recommendations: 1) A dedicated disco would be Ideal that stays open later for all the dancers on vacation, 2) Having a few kegs on had per bar would be a good start instead of just one we encountered this at every bar through the week. 3) Pool side Music should be a Daily thing. In closing we did really enjoy our stay, had no issues with rooms they were clean. staff were friendly as said before some really great people work at this resort. I do recommend the hotel but look off resort for nightlife, Hopefully they make some adjustments.

Grand Memories Varadero: Very good Holiday

Grand Memories is a very nice resort and the staff were great, the room maid did a fantastic job and always made sure we were happy but the resorts is just to much walking for me. We had a lot of mosquitoes which were a pain. Beach is average, The food was fabulous lots of variety and good.

Sol Varadero Beach: Good times had again

Just returned from 7 days at the Sol Sirenas Coral, Varadero, Cuba. As it was our second time there we knew generally what to expect. We got more of the same as last trip 2 yrs ago and that was not a bad thing. I, of course, read many reviews on the resort before I decided to book again and, frankly, it got confusing because some said it was good , some said downright terrible! I can only speak of my experience and we had a good time. 3 young kids under the age of ten came with 5 adult [... read more]s and they are eager to go back. Let me break it down: THE FOOD- This one seems to bug a lot of people and seems to make or break their holiday...as if their sole reason for going away is to gorge on as much buffet food as they possibly can to the point that their trip is a week long gastronomic food coma interspersed with semi hypnotic periods of sleep and sitting on the beach. I found the food to be okay, at times a little disappointing (eg. the fish! and sometimes the fruit like papaya, guava, and pineapple). Breakfast was lots of baked goods, eggs made to order, ham, bacon, beans, and a bunch of stuff you would not associate with breakfast but were interesting nonetheless (eg. shrimp salad and baby clams). If your idea of breakfast is only IHOP, prepare yourself for variety. The snack bar was open when the buffet was not and they served burgers (made from ham incidentally but tasty), pizza, sandwiches and fires. Interestingly some things like fries and ketchup were not available half the week as, I suspect, the delivery of goods to the hotel only occurs once a week and by the end of the shipment (around Tuesday- Wednesday it seems) stuff was running low. Thursday and Friday, boom, huge variety was back on. For some reason I'd say the food on the Sirenas side was slightly better though they both served the same food on a given day. (we stayed on the Coral side). They had a meat and fish grilling station and these became our favourite places to eat. The a la carte restos were a hit and miss. The Italian resto was, okay, the Cuban resto was surprisingly good, and the 'romantica' resto (North American food) was disappointing. THE SERVICE: This set the resort a couple of notches higher as the people are very warm and accommodating, most were smiling and were willing to make special accommodations with little fuss. Note: I did not tip them every time (scarcely 50% of the time) and did not tip lavishly. What I did do was use a high degree of respect and friendliness and did not act as if it was my God- given right to be waited on on the spur of the moment. (What wonders this works). Our chambermaid was very thorough and eager to please. Front desk was very helpful each time. THE RESORT AND ROOMS: Yes this is an older hotel and as such things will not be pristine. Our toilet flusher was finicky at times but always worked. Our beds were clean (though the cots they put in for extra guests was literally almost as hard as Styrofoam) and staff were constantly cleaning, painting and fixing during the week we were there. They obviously try to keep the old building up to date and do a good job of it. The lobby is very nice and a good bar area is on the Coral side as well as Sirenas side. Both pools were great and in great condition. THE BEACH: Let's face it, this is why you go to Cuba (or at least it should be) as the sand and the water were fantastic. The water was shallow enough a good way out that my 10 year old nieces could go in it and not feel too threatened. On windy days, however, the waves did get high (I saw 2 days like this) where you would want to stay closer to shore. The beach areas had a bar but most people seemed content to just lie semi conscious on the lounge chairs and soak up the rays. I would recommend this resort to families and couples alike and would probably go back if I decide to go back to Cuba. No I did not have to bring my own toilet paper, no I did not get sick from the food, and yes the drinks are watered down like in every all-inclusive I've ever been to, but I worked it out that after the cost of the flight, the resort hosts you for about $350 for a week... you cannot complain about minor inconveniences at that price. Cheers!

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Very Nice

This resort was excellent value for the money. Everything was very clean but a few maintenance issues. Understaffed for the amount of guests. if they would have cleaned the beach of seaweed it would have been that much nicer.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Beautiful surroundings

Lovely rooms, beautifully kept grounds, friendly service, adequate food, fantastic beach, large clean pools, WI-FI access-reasonable cost per hour, entertainment was good to excellent, specialty restaurants varied in quality from fair to very good. Although this is a five star hotel in Cuba it is not equivalent to a five star hotel in Canada and if you visit Cuba you have to keep in mind that there will be differences. The hospitality is wonderful!

Paradisus Varadero: Definitely will return !!!

This was a beautifully laid out and very well maintained resort. The size of resort was perfect, everything was in good proximity and easy to walk to. The A La Cart restaurants were very, very good and there was a 24 hour snack bar on site that we ate 70% of our meals at. The pool was beautiful and could see the beach and ocean from pretty much anywhere you stood, the landscape is awesome !! Staff was great, helpful and always offering you something. Definitely, will return.