Amazing vacation, shall return soon !

Great visit to Los Cactus from Dec 9th until Dec 16th in a Suite, large size room must of been recently renovated, two sofas in seating area, sun patio, very comfortable bed, great AC, coffee making area and fridge with water and soft drinks. Found the buffet food selection to be repetitious but quality and quantity was excellent. Never had trouble finding something different to eat each day, and the grill and pasta counters were awesome. Good selection of vegetables each sitting (even spou [... read more]ts!!), together with a salad counter. The two a la cartes, Italian and Cuban were excellent, an had no trouble booking our preferred dates and times. All our party put on a few pounds during our stay. The beach was amazing, soft white sand with warm waters, although two days we had yellow flags, the ocean was very swimmable and enticing. Never had difficulty finding 3 beds with an straw umbrella. The gardens were lovely and vast, and the different sunbathing areas around the pool were very good, never any difficulty finding beds. The different bar areas were also lovely, and never overcrowded. The staff were amazing, always attentive and on hand to get whatever you required, and always looking to chat and add to your experience. Reception answered all my questions, and helped in providing a taxi for a day trip to Havana with a very good english speaking guide. The evening entertainment was varied, every night was a different show, and we enjoyed the music quiz and magic show. The resort was a 30 minute walk from downtown, and a 5 minute walk from the hop on hop off bus, which for $5 all day fee is a great way to get round the resort and out to the Marina. For a first time in Cuba, I would return to this resort, as I think I got my monies worth for the price I paid ($670), and enjoyed a very relaxing stay.

Gets Better & Better

This was my 8th time to this resort and I return because of the all around great experience every time. The entire staff are always so warm, friendly and eager to please! The rooms are comfortable, the buffet keeps improving, the hotel grounds and the buildings are clean and well kept! This will be my shangri-la forever! Excellent work everyone!

Beautiful beach, crappy food.

The staff is wonderful and you can’t get a better beach and beautiful water. But that’s it. Food at the buffet is cold and is a food poisoning disaster waiting to happen. There also wasn’t a lot of food. They ran out of wine and vodka. We are repeat customers and now that it has new owners we had to pay extra upon arrival to stay in any room other that the ones in the building. Apparently they do this to everyone. They said we were staying in the renovated rooms which was inaccurate [... read more]. Our extremely old air conditioner did not work nor did our toilet. We return to this hotel for the staff but we really have to question if we would go back because it’s gone way down hill. The pool is really really really old.

Exceptional Value

This was our 3rd visit this year and we plan on repeating that next year. We consider the resort to be our hone away from home. As usual the staff were very accommodating, friendly and respectfull. There is always room for improvement though, to highlight a few areas that could be better, the grounds are not very well lit, with numerous lights out on the walkways. Yes they are replacing lights but to me it should be priorized over Christmas decorations. Frankly I am tired of hearing the "embarg [... read more]o is responsible" it seems to be a catch all for a variety of problems. All I can say to that is other resorts seem to have sufficent lighting. The hot tubs are never hotter than luke warm, they look good but should be set at a higher temperature. Our room was good as usual but replacement shower heads would improve my rating. Food, well that remains a problem in the Buffet area. The variety just isn't there, I just can't eat pork every day. The beef wasn't too bad but not served very often. Chicken is okay but served poorly, ie the chicken is hacked into pieces rather than serving sliced or boneless. Pasta okay served warm at best . Breakfast okay but I don't consider sliced hot dogs and hamburger meat as breakfast items. Bacon wasn't served as I know it just slices of fat with a little ham on it. The omelettes are very good, Take your own tobasco or hot sauce to add some spice as most Cuban food is bland. Not to forget the 2 a la cartes are great The Itailan restaurant serves an excellent filet mignon and lasagna, the Cuban restaurant was also quite good, shrimps, pineapple chicken pork etc Entertainment was good, the pool clean but cold, the sauna hasn't worked for years but you can still get a good massage. The fitness area is okay but not much equipment working. Basketball court is great the tennis courts need some repair and for golfers the course is handy opposite the hotel. The beach is spectacular, clean white sand, the water is warm and very inviting, lots of equipment, paddle boats, sail boats, kayaks etc, beach volleyball and so on. We had a great time and are looking forward to going again in January, if the food is not to our liking we go into Varadero where a variety of restaurants thrive. I would recommend Varadero 60 for a night out just a 7-10 cuc cab ride away. 30 visits and still going if that tells you anything!

Run down

Grounds were unkempt. Rooms were dirty. Public toilets were filthy. Air conditioning did not work. Doors did not lock. Food was below average. Birds ate out of buffet. Cats abounded. Staff was friendly. Beach was awesome. Entertainment was poor. Resort in whole was rundown and understaffed. It was cheap so I guess you get what you pay for.

Clean resort.

I found the resort to be clean and they had excellent staff working at the buffet. The disco was empty early on in the week however, by Friday there was 20 or so people at the disco. The disco closes at 1:00pm. The buffet only was open from 7:30am-10am for breakfast. Then 12:30-2:30pm for lunch and 7:00pm-9:30pm for dinner. Meaning that if you have slept in past the breakfast time you had to wait till the bbq by the beach opens shortly before the lunch buffet starts. After dinner is over there i [... read more]s small sandwiches available in the lobby. The Lobby bar is open 24/7 so that is where most of the guest hangout after dinner. If you like to golf, the hotel offers up to three golf green passes per week per guest. Needless the say there are lots of golfers at this resort. The hot tubs were not hot. The food was ok... I guess that is as good as your going to get on the island... The beach was beautiful.

Never Grows Old

The peak season is Nov 15 to April 15th so my wife and I do not expect perfection while visiting at other times of year. During low season many employees are not working, consequently services suffer. Our visit October 24 th to Nov 8 was fun as usual and gave us an opportunity to renew our friendships with many staff members. The fact the hotel is fairly small suits us very well. The accommodations were good, not perfect but good. The food was to be as expected, plentiful but boring. The beach  [... read more]was perfect, the pool clean and the weather extremely hot. We look forward to 2 more visits over the winter. Our only concern was flying with Sunwing, once again booked an early morning flight at a premium, paid for it and 48hrs later the flight was changed to arrive late evening and after 2 am return to Toronto. Never again via Sunwing for us!!

Amazing beach!

The highlights of this resort include: the beach, close proximity to the town of Varadero, the grounds, and the amazing staff. It may have been the time of year, but there were food shortages, no premium drinks, king size sheets.

Perfect Getaway!

Resort staff are extremely caring and loving of Canadian tourists and make your experience a memorable one. Didn't experience any problems while on the resort and would say the only thing below average was the buffet food. But then again that is expected for most Cuba destinations.

2nd time at Los Cactus and already thinking about coming back this fall

Seldom have I ever returned to the same resort however this place has been the exception. I am well-traveled so its not a result of not wanting to chance somewhere else. I have been to most Caribbean countries, all of Central America and Mexico on business and pleasure numerous times as well as having been on cruises. After my May 2016 visit to Los Cactus I felt that I would have to return and while personal matters kept me away for 3 years I made it back July 2019 and was not disappointed.  [... read more] Not only was the resort as nicely appointed as I first experienced they had made additional improvements and were upgrading even while I was there. Now this is somewhat rare for Cuba where resources are scarce compared to other countries. I recognized many familiar faces with the staff and every staff member including gardeners where friendly and welcoming and it was totally sincere. They made you feel at home. If you have been to Cuba you know what to expect with the food however I find the selection, quality and taste at this resort to exceed the 5 or 6 other Cuban resorts I have been to in Varadero and other parts of Cuba. Pay a little extra and upgrade to the garden suites in Building/Block "I" which have recently undergone renovations with new beds, air conditioning, ceiling fans and more. They are 30 seconds walk to the pool, 1 minute to the buffet and 2 minute walk to the beach. While lower suites are nice with a patio, if traveling during the rainy season, you could end up with a flood in a lower unit if there is a major rain storm so I would suggest a 2nd floor unit. I've been to resorts that are beyond 5 star where you get picked up at the airport by helicopter and have private VIP beaches and restaurants however my first choice would be returning here for my 3rd stay.

Be Live Adults

Great Hotel and if you like Cuban food there will be lots to choose from. We brought some tuna, cheese, peanut butter, tea and other treats from home that would substitute for a meal. As always the staff was great. If you are in the older section ask for an upgrade. It's very noisy, there's to much mold and not good venting. Our friends moved mid way thru the trip and we stayed. Three out of four had sore throats at this time. The one that moved never got sick but we both arrived home stuff [... read more]ed and coughing. And we felt like this before we got on the plane. No fever, great appetite but flu like symptoms for one week after returning home. Be sure and visit the Dupont house and if you like to dance go to the Beatles Club in the evening.

Constructive comment

Resort could use some updating. But the big negative is the food-not great and recycled most of the time. Not much selection on fruits and not good quality. Waiters though are nice. Most of the time we go for grilled meat as we’re confident that’s it’s freshly cooked however the cook behind the grill are not very accommodating.

It is what it is

If you are staying here don't expect too much. Rooms were dated, resort was clean. Dinner buffet could be much better. If you can't get into al a carte restaurants you may want to consider heading into Varadero for your dinner. Front bar staff could be more attentive to the folks waiting. Seemed like we were interrupting private conversations amongst the bar staff. Need to bring in more wine, more mint (imagine not being able to get mojitos in Cuba). No lemons or limes were available either [... read more]. Beaches were beautiful. Location is terrific. Small cozy resort.

Home away from Homw

Another wonderful week at Los Cactus, the staff were at their best as always, the accommodations comfortable, the food reasonable, weather grand and a beach to die for. After some 20 plus visits we keep going back. Hurry up October we need

Needs work (april13-27, 2019)

This is out 10th time at Los Cactus, and I would say our most disappointing visit. Upon late arrival (midnight), we were given a room in A block. We quickly asked for another room due to the mould in the air conditioner, and were given a room in F block on the second floor. The only issue with this room was that the air conditioner leaked, leaked so much all our bathroom towels had to be used to catch the water. Had to turn the air conditioner off at nighttime to avoid the constant dripping no [... read more]ise. Again asked for another room. Day 2 they had maintenance try to fix it but no luck, by day three we were moved to B block to a room with no issues. Would love to see them clean up the mould in the shower area, around the window The beach was great as usual, and the golfing was good, which is one of the reasons we go to this resort for the inclusion of golf, albeit you must pay for your golf cart. There was an issue of running out of wine, no Sambuca this year, which we had last year. Day time entertainment was mostly non existent, but there were also not many People around the pool. The resort appeared to be half full. Many of the staff we have gotten to know over the years, have left, most out of Cuba. Martinos. A la. crate is now split between Italian and international food, the food here was much improved as was the Cuban restaurant. The buffet was ok, less food options, which in my mind is good as less waste The pool needs a complete overhaul, the liner is a mess, the steps to get into the pool need to be replaced with more access points to the pool. We were told In 2018 that the pool was going to be replaced, probably not in my lifetime. unless we see some positive improvements, will probably not be returning to this resort any time soon So sad to see this small resort going constantly downhill. I would say this resort should be rated about 2.5 stars

Quiet, small resort, horrible food

The hotel was only a 25mins bus ride from the Airport, which was convenient, and only minutes to Varadero restaurants, bank or to the mall of America, where we could get money out. Los Cactus was a small resort, and only minutes to the beach, pool, buffet, and lobby. The grounds were clean, but the hotel needs an update, which I think is coming later this year. The pool lining is falling apart. There was plenty of food at the buffet, but the quality and variation of food was poor. Many people du [... read more]ring our stay got sick off the food. The meat station had little to choose from, no chicken at all. The food was slightly better quality at the a la carte restaurant, although they had run out of the popular foods. It was better to just pay the extra money and get off the resort to Varadero, and eat at a restaurant. We ate at "The La Vaca Rosada" (the "Pink Cow"), and it was awesome! The food was delicious, hot, fresh, with quick and friendly service. I would highly recommend the filet minot, and the chicken cordon bleu, and ANY of their blender drinks :)

Wonderful

Would absolutely return to this resort. Wonderful staff, they make the place special. Lots of return vacationers, made some new friends. The breakfast and lunch buffets were good, need to improve the evening buffets. The Transit supper was delicious.

Nice resort!

We had a pleasant stay at Be live adults only Los Cactus resort. It's an older resort but it was clean andthe grounds had beautiful gardens that were well kept. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. We were booked in a junior suite that was located in an older building. As we entered the air was musty and the hallways were dark and gloomy. We requested an upgrade and were transferred to a superior room in Block D. It was well worth the extra cost that we had to pay. The room was spaciou [... read more]s and quiet and close to the pool and main dining room. The food was hit and miss but overall it wasn't too bad. We went to the A la carte Italian restaurant and we're disappointed with the service. Our waiter did not pay us much attention. We did however enjoy the Air Transat welcome barbecue that was held in the Cuban restaurant. Good food and entertainment! The resort had great nightly entertainment including a Cuban dance show, a Magic show and an Aquatic show which was our favorite. The beaches were fantastic. Will consider returning to this resort but not in April as the mosquitoes were very bad!

Good Hotel for 3***

This was the 2-nd time this year in Los Cactus . The hotel is clean and well maintained The room was clean enough . Unfortunately I found in the room few large and scary bugs reason to feel enough uncomfortable for all period . It was for the first time in Cuban resorts to see few dogs on the beach Pooing and Peeing on the beautiful white sand ..It wasn't a big pleasure to walk on that sand anymore . Of course I contacted the Customer Relations manager ,and the answer was : Cuban beache [... read more]s are public. In any park or beach everywhere else than Cuba You can see at the entrance if dogs are permitted or not. For this reason I will never go to that resort again.

Special gem in Varadero

Hello fellow travelers. I found this resort to be better than expected. This resort has lush matured gardens and very hard working staff that have been at same location for 30+ years. My room was very big and clean. General manager and food and beverage manager are on hand at all times and are easy to locate if you want to pay them a friendly compliment. This was my 5 th time in Cuba over a span of 16 years. All staff work very hard so please be nice. It is noticeable that the hotel is making g [... read more]reat efforts to update rooms and grounds. Multitude of wild and domesticated animals on property which was a joy for myself .Hummingbirds, falcons,Cuban woodpeckers, small and big lizards,kittens, cats, butterflies ,snakes:)etc).Duna bar has best cocktails, lobby great cortados❤️All departments work hard. Entertainment was by far the best talent I have seen at any resort. Don’t believe anything negative you might read on trip advisor. I booked a run of house room and received a huge top floor garden view suite( it was an ocean view to be honest). Treat people like people and it goes a long way. Instead of contributing or complaining about butts ,cups ,or straws on the beach. Do your part and pick some up. Would love to return to this resort for the people❤️