Sad

We have been going to this resort for a number of years and its sad to see it sliding down hill. The staff are amazing people and try their best to make your stay enjoyable. But it needs some attention. We love the area but will probably chose a different resort next year.

Average

The hotel was below average and scketchy . The service there was very dissapointing , money was all that they seemed to care about, even when you would tip they would ignore you and we're very unpleasant . As for the food it wasn't the best as we excepted being in Cuba.

Good place

Its a good 3 1/2 stars hotel. Amazing Entertainment! Evenings show was beyond our expectation. The beach is just simply the best. This is why we coming back to Cuba. Food and service is average. Hotel needs renovation and updates of beds and bedding.

Not a great resort..

Won't go back to this resort...always out of toilet tissue...no diet cola for diebetics...they have a menu at the coffee bar, however don't have half of the flavours you ask for..I know the food in Cuba is different but the food at this hotel was worse than any we've had at other hotels ( this was our fourth time in Varadero)... we ate a lot in town...not much of any activities during the day...the room was clean and the maid was excellent..most of the bartenders were very pleasant....some of th [... read more]e wait staff need to smile more and be more attentive...the best part of our vacation was the weather..sunny every day...

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!

Outdated resort

The hotel grounds are nice but the hotel rooms are out dated and need a major face lift. The public washrooms are unsanitary, no toilet seats in the ladies washrooms and no toilet paper to be found anywhere. The fridge in the rooms are empty of refreshments . On the positive side the beach is very nice. One day the main pool was closed to the public the maintenance man was painting the border around the pool.

What a let down.

This hotel was nothing like the pictures...it was under construction and the staff were not personable at all. The food was what is expected in Cuba. They ran out of a lot of food and drinks. The grounds and the pool were dirty. The beach was amazing, that's about it.

Not worth the money!

Nothing about this resort impressed me.After staying at resorts in Mexico, Dominican republic, and the Bahamas,this one was the worst.Tropical drinks here are made from kool aid mix! I dont know how many times I ordered simple drinks like a banana daquiri only to recieve something completely different like a rum punch.Any other resort I had drinks at were excellent because when you ordered a banana daquiri they would put real fruit in the blender to make it,not here! They dont even have the prop [... read more]er things to make one.Dont let the pictures fool you,this resort is ghetto,things falling apart everywhere and the service is mediocre at best.Our washroom didnt even have a toilet paper holder? I could go on and on about this place, do yourself a big favour dont waste your money here,you will be dissappointed.

Not sure what to think!!?? Could of been better...

Here goes: 1. Resort itself grounds were ok 3/5 --- pool was cold, many times dirty, unkept. The rectangle pool... Do not go in!!! People that swam in it developed serious rashes and hives!! (We stayed away) 2. General staff in lobby 3/5 3. Room service 1/5 No room service for first 3 days after we asked 3 times for towels, linens / no hot water at certain times and when there was hot water didn't last long. The room itself was disgusting, mold on ceilings, batch shower and in bathroom  [... read more]ceiling. Awful smell, damp, moldy smell. The room was nothing like advertised (the pictures looked better than the real thing!!) 4. Food was ok 2/5 most of the food were cold dishes with some exceptions (dinner food better than lunch) --- we were suggested Proel as a la cart choice (being romantic)... Horrible! There was nothing romantic about it and the selection on menu was sparse ... Most of the food we ordered wasent available and we had to settle for whatever they did have, we literally got up and left ... The Italian a la cart was pretty good ... Last day into our vacation we discovered another buffet style eatery (they turn it into the Cuban a la cart at night) this place had bbq pork, chicken and beef (which the other buffets didn't have) it is also located literally a few steps from beach 4. The free drinks ... 2/5 most bartenders did not know what the drinks we asked for were!! I.E. We asked for Miami vice, drink we were given was green and disgusting!! Also every drink was watered down ... Even the fruit smoothies 5. Staff in general at the bars 2/5 they made you wait extensively, to the point we walked away often very frustrated and ended up at the 24 hour bar (which had little selection but less busy) 6. Tipping wasent too bad, generally we were not harassed for it but asked a few times 3/5 7. The beach 5/5 it's the ONLY thing we would rate 5 on the resort!!! No complaints there.... The beach was gorgeous! However the free salsa dance lessons I didn't see!!! In general we were very disappointed by many things about this resort, in particular: the room , room service and food/drinks. We both enjoyed the beach and often times we lounged around at the beach. The nightly shows didn't exist. There was only one show when we first arrived. There was a pool party but we missed it. There was very little night life/entertainment. There is a club at the sirenas side and we had to ask for directions because it's located in a hidden area. Nothing too special about it either. But definitely a bit more entertaining than the other on site activities. There are excursions you can take away from the resort, probably well worth it (since at the resort you'll probably be eating, sun bathing and swimming mostly oh and lounging around) we ended up at the market (the big market) great place for gifts. We took a bus $5 each for 12 hours. You can hop on and off and check out the town. Overall we only booked 4 days and we were happy it was only 4 days!!!! We would not recommend this resort, unless it was simply for the beautiful beach!!! Cayo Coco looks like will be our next destination. I hear Warwick is amazing!! (This is a new resort, well recently upgraded) If we had to sum up sol sirenas coral... Definitely not a 4 star resort!!!! You are better off to save the extra money and book a 5 star!!! Always go five stars!!! We learned our lesson!!!

Very Poor Public Washrooms or Lack of Public Washrooms

Although staff is friendly, we will not return to Sol Sirenas Coral because the public washrooms are either totally unacceptable or non-existant. In the bathroom serving the lobby, the stall doors do not have locks or do not stay closed, all toilet paper dispensers are broken and allow toilet paper roll to fall onto the dirty floor, soap dispenser does not work and paper towel is replaced by toilet paper to dry our hands. There is no bathroom at the beach nor at the beach restaurant. I was to [... read more]ld to stay away from the washrooms by the Coral pool because they were worse than the washrooms located in the lobby which is hard to believe. The only acceptable washroom is hidden behind the snack bar however the waste baskets are overflowing and smell. By Canadian standards, fully functional washrooms are not considered a luxury but a basic necessity!!!

Ok Resort

Resort was clean there was a bit of disrepair. Over all a 3 out of 5. Food was bad not impressed with wait staff at all room was cleaned every day good service there location was good there was construction close by but not to noisy overall

Spend a little more...

We are not huge complainers, or picky travelers but this was by far the worst vacation we've undertaken. We just want a bed to pass out in a clean bed after fun days at the beach, by the pool or simply out and about. This was none of that, the maid changed out the bedding twice. After the second day, our only two long towels disappeared, so we had to use facecloths to dry ourselves. The pillow's undersides had some woman's makeup on them, and one of the larger pillows smelled so bad of ur [... read more]ine we had to keep it in the other room. Speaking with other vacationers, it seems our tepid, *read cold, water was as good as it comes, with most people having a trickle coming from the shower head at best. Bar tenders, although very nice and friendly, are inattentive at best. I was warned about the food in Cuba. The food tasted good, but make sure you bring baby wipes and creams/ointments if you plan to eat any proteins on resort. The people we met made our trip, and none of the people we spoke to would recommend this hotel or stay there again.

False information

Food was good Staff is friendly Resort is not well maintained requires major refurbishing Cleanliness is a real issue towels, linen and dishes Superior Hotel room does not includes replenishment of mini bar or coo fee maker

Good Resort

Service was awesome! The hotel is what it is and had everything we needed for an enjoyable stay. Tip: check out the bungalow upgrades! Ours was super close to the beach and central to everything on the resort.

Sol sirenas coral

The hotel was great. The problems we had were....... half of the snack bar staff were incredibly lazy, I took pictures of them sitting down on their phones and chatting away. They ran out of fries the first day and chicken the second.......and didn't have any for the remainder of our stay. They stop serving alcohol at 2am unless you tip them, and then they will serve you for as long as you want. The rest of the staff were great. I felt bad for the lady at reception when we checked in. She was  [... read more]alone and the line had about 20 people in it. The beach was stunning and we met some great people.

Great staff

The resort was okay. They do not give Cuba a good name for the food selection. We went out for dinner and had amazing meals as the resorts was horrible. The kids club for 5+ has horrible hours and is not open when they say it is. The infant group is amazing if you get the staff Alicia. Other wise don't take your kids there if Alicia is not working. Alicia is such an amazing woman! Well educated very patient and amazing with children! The beds were hard. We did not get what we asked for but we' [... read more]re satisifed with the space of the room. The drinks you need to ask for the good rum other wise they give you the gross stuff :$ the frozen machines were never frozen. We did have hot water woot woot! The pools were really nice and clean. The entertainment at night was great! The staff were awesome! Was the tourist that were not so nice to them!

Perfect for families with young children!

We chose this resort because it was the ONLY one in Varadero that offered inclusive child care for infants, as well as a Kids Club for older children. My daughter and I took her two children (age 10 months and age 6 years) on a family vacation just before Christmas. The all inclusive Baby Club and the Kids Club gave us a few precious hours of child-free time to relax, go for a swim in the ocean or do some shopping at the on-site markets! This was the BEST feature of the resort. The Baby Club is  [... read more]open from 9am to 4:30pm (closed for lunch) - so we could drop the baby off for a few hours at our convenience. It is a beautiful building with safe sponge floors and a variety of baby toys to entertain your infant. It has a separate quiet room with play pens for nap times. Alicia was the most amazing infant care provider! A truly beautiful Cuban woman, with genuine warmth, smiles, and laughter - she was a baby whisperer! She had the talent to provide the most sensitive and loving care to our baby Gabriela! She also provided support and essential guidance on ensuring our baby did not consume Cuban food, and we consulted her when our baby wasn't feeling well and she provided expert advice. The only drawback was that Alicia only worked every other day (1 day on and 1 day off). On the alternate days, a woman named Joanna was there - and she was not a good child care provider at all. She was tense and stressed and could not manage. Our baby did not like her and would cry constantly - so we did not use her. Other families had the same experience - they could leave their infant with Alicia and be totally confident in the high quality of care. When going to Joanna, their infants would become upset and refuse to go to her - so nobody liked or used Joanna. We (and the other families) only used Alicia on the days she was working. I advised the resort to replace Joanna with another Alicia! The resort also offers additional babysitting in your hotel room - yes, Alicia will come to your room to care for your children if you want to go out for a romantic dinner! Alicia made our stay at Sol Sirenas Coral the best experience - we couldn't have done it without her help, kindness and friendship. Our 6 year old also loved going to the Kids Club (a separate building). She would ask daily to go, as it gave her the opportunity to play with other children her age. They have a session from 10am to 12noon, then open again from 3 - 5pm daily. They had a giant bouncy castle the kids loved, or would have a spa day when the kids got their hair done and face painted (our girl was transformed into a unicorn). The only issue was lack of organization. We would often arrive at 10am or at 3pm and have to wait up to 15 minutes for someone to arrive. We had to adapt to Cuban time. Otherwise - it was a great resource! The staff at the Hotel were all amazingly friendly and helpful, and the service was great. Front desk was amazing, as well as customer service - whatever needed fixing was done immediately. The rooms are fine - clean and comfortable - excellent maid service, with our 6 year old's stuffed dog presented each day in a new design on our beds, surrounded by swans, etc. The beach is the best on the planet - it's Varadero! And the pools were excellent - shallow areas perfect for children. The location was very good - just north of the town of Varadero - so a short cab or bus ride into town. The food...well, it's Cuba. The buffet food gets tiresome, as with any 3 star resort in Cuba. Fortunately the bread is always good, you can get eggs and omelettes in the morning; live on pasta and rice in the afternoons, and there is always fruit.

Great Family Resort

this hotel offered a large playground kiddie clubs huge pool and the snack bar was awesome. the kids had a blast and I was able to relax. our rooms were always cleaned daily and our maid was super friendly. I would definitely recommend this resort.

Slightly above par

This is my third time at this resort, the staff are great, the property is clean and well kept, but in the past you could at least count on a couple of days of good food. Unfortunately in my opinion they dropped the ball this time, don't get me wrong I dident starve . But that would be the only complaint for this trip.

Pretty run down resort

At first we got checked in to the Sol Sirenas side not the Coral side. Those rooms were disgusting. The shower was mouldy and my bathroom roof was caving in. I had to push my door open as it was dragging on the floor. The picture in the frame on the wall was partly out of the frame and the matting was water stained and warped.The beds were all springs and so uncomfortable. The room smelled musty. On the 3rd day we got switched to the Coral side for the remainder of our 2 weeks. The staff on the  [... read more]Coral side was much friendlier although some of them were not at all. The reception staff was amazing as was the restaurant staff. The food was pretty boring and didn't really change ever. The a LA cartes were okay. We enjoyed the Italian and Asian ones the most. The pools were pretty dirty but we spent minimal time in them anyways. The sauna and hot tub were closed. They were cleaning the grounds up while we were there so they were decent. There was a compost pile coming up from the beach that really started smelling bad at the end. The beach was okay. A tractor came through and raked the sand but it didn't seem to pick any garbage up or anything so I'm not sure what the point was. There was a nice outdoor grill at lunch time down by the beach that another tourist happened to tell us about. That was awesome. Nothing was advertised or organized though so you just had to accidentally stumble across it or have someone tell you about it. The entertainment was cancelled for the most part however that may have been because of the 9 days of mourning of Castro's death. The first few days there was volleyball and stretching on the beach then that was it. The rooms were okay. They were clean enough but the beds were really hard. At least these showers were decent. It was really hard to find toilet paper or paper towel in the bathrooms outside of your room. This was really frustrating and unnecessary. That would be my biggest complaint. Even when the staff knew the washrooms were out of supplies they did nothing. One of our party had an issue with lights in their room and that problem was resolved within an hour and a half. Overall a bit dissapointing even for the lower price we had paid. I wouldn't go back or recommend it to anyone.