Ok resort

We booked so last minute ( 1 1/2 weeks prior to our trip) as we didn’t want to spend too much money. Well, you definitely get what you paid for in Cuba with this 3.5 star resort. It was a prime location and friendly staff. However, rooms were absolutely awful, the only plus side is that we barely spent any time in our rooms (holes in walls, broken AC, broken balcony lock, dirty looking). The food was very mediocre, to be expected as you’re traveling Cuba. They also don’t play any sort of p [... read more]ool game or have any kind of daytime entertainment.Wouldn’t recommend this resort, spend the extra couple hundred for a better quality!

Great value for the price

We have been coming to the Palma Real since 2009 and outside of a few inconveniences have always felt comfortable there, the staff polite and helpful, and the proximity to Varadero main drag excellent. Our rooms although well used were clean and bright. The noise and smoke in the main lobby is often overwhelming when the place is fully booked but that problem lies with the lifestyles and behaviour of the guests, not the hotel. The bars in the two alternate lobbies, The Daiquiri and the Black a [... read more]nd White, offer a pleasant quieter environment but their hours of operation were too limited. The food quantity and variety in the main dining room was always adequate, however the alternate snack facility, the barbacoa , which we love to use, was too inconsistent in selection and hours. The pre booked a-la-carte restaurants are a pleasant alternative. The five minute walk to the world class Varadero beach is no problem and the beach bar a nice touch but the rugged hazardous goat trail leading from the end of the paved road down to the sand is absolutely terrible. It has been this way for all ten years we have been coming and would take so little effort to upgrade. Come on Guys ! Overall, I would recommend the Palma Real as great value for the price and certainly will stay there again when we return to our beloved Varadero.

Not that great

The hotel is old and run down. The rooms were clean but smelt musty. The grounds were nothing special and the Quiet pool had green moss growing on the bottom. It's a place where the Cuban's that have moved away come to visit and spend time with family and friends. It was packed and if you were not Cuban you did not get very good service at the buffet or bar. Beach was beautiful but not enough chairs. I wanted to change resorts but could never find my Air Canada Rep, he was their a 1/2 hour a day [... read more] but I could never seem to locate him. The location of the resort to down town is great, you can walk all over the place. I would Not Recommend this place.

Very low quality

I went for my birthday, it was not what I expected. I had never been to Cuba so I was told that the standards are a little lower than North America, but this was way worse than I had expected. It was pretty much the cheapest thing that we could find, so I think in retrospect, spending a few couple hundred dollars more to be in better comfort would have made a lot more sense. There was mould on the walls, the beds were extremely uncomfortable, the Decour was very 70s . From that experience, I do [... read more]n’t I will ever go back to Cuba again. The people were very nice, the workers were always very kind and always happy to help.

Amazing vacation!

Although Palma Real is dated and needs upgrades in the area of plumbing, electrical and of the quiet pool, we enjoyed our stay immensely. There was maple bacon at breakfast every day and seafood at lunch and dinner every day. The location is unbeatable and the staff amazing, especially Moses, Natalie and Ever. We will be back!

Horrible!

I really don’t have anything good to say about this resort. The first room I got was in building #2 and the hallway ceilings are covered in black mould. In fact the entire place is covered in mold. The safe didn’t even have a door on it. Half the lights in the room don’t work and the beds are as old. Once all 6 of us weren’t happy with our rooms we all got upgraded to suits in building #1. These rooms were better although still no working safe and the room was dirty. The maid really didn [... read more]’t do much. There were still socks from a previous traveler under the bed. The bathroom never got cleaned. She replaced my towels for 2 small hand towels and that’s what I had to shower with for the remainder of the week. The fridge was never stocked with anything. The resort itself just looks worn down. Tiles are cracked or missing and door frames are all cracked and prevent doors from opening all the way. Snack bar was lame, the buffet was plain nothing special.

Great staff!

The resort itself is very old and needs work. Our first rooms weren’t good, doors didn’t close properly, holes in walls etc. But we were upgraded to a suite which was great and had zero problems. The staff is amazing and always ready to help make the stay great. The food was much better this time than when I went two years ago. 10/10 would visit again

A resort that needs repair

We had been there 7 years ago and it was very good. Not luxurious but very good for a downtown hotel. This hotel has clearly lacked input over the years. There is dirt and moldings everywhere. It is very damaged and it clearly lacks maintenance. The pool is very damaged too. It is a shame because it was a very nice hotel many years ago.

4th time to that resort no problems

I havent anything bad to say. Everything was OK to Great for me . The grounds were well kept The pools were clean. The beach is great . Didnt have to wait at the bars for drinks. I found all the staff at the resort friendly .

Amazing

Perfect for us. Great location , staff is helpful. Food is great - we recommend this hotel to others - this is our second time at this hotel - the best building is number 3 - it is close to the pools - buffet ' main lobby

Amazing resort!!

It was my first time in Cuba and all I've gotta say is that it was legendary. Resort was really amazing, it had 24/7 snack bar (closes when lunch or dinner buffet is open) more than 5 bars (including 1 on beach). Palma Real also had different kind of shows arranged every night such as Cuban Show, romantic show, Aqua Ballet and more and Most importantly 'Havana Club', opens every night 2300-0300. I found it better than the local clubs as La Comprasita and La Mamba. I'd say rooms were about averag [... read more]e. Our TV did not worked but i wasn't there for TV lol so that didn't matter to me at all. Overall, if i'd ever get a chance to visit Varadero again, i'll be staying in this resort.

Solid place to stay!

We went on our trip Jan. 2019, we had low expectations, just from reading other reviews, but we got a good deal so took the chance! I loved the location, we could easily walk downtown etc. The beach access was awesome, with the bathroom/ bar/ snack shack right there. I’ve never seen beaches that beautiful before, they were well taken care of too. There was always someone picking up trash/ cleaning and there was always a life guard or security guard at night. The bars: always friendly ser [... read more]vice, I don’t drink a lot so had to request some “lighter” drinks. Only downside was they never had all the stuff to make the drinks they had on the drink list. Restaurants/ food: I am a super picky eater and I never went hungry. They had amazing fresh buns at every meal. We went with very low expectations of the food. We did take our own salt and pepper and I seen another couple with hot sauce they brought! Easy things that made it more enjoyable! Only downside was if you ordered a snack at night or the beach you would often get “ sorry we are out of that”... we also ate off resort a bit and really enjoyed everything we had! Hotel/ rooms: it is definitely dated, the elevator didn’t work ( I knew this before booking and we were on the third floor so it was fine). The room was fine, nothing amazing but we only slept there so we didn’t really care. The door locked and we didn’t have anything go missing or any problems. Only downside was sometime they would take the dirty towels and now leave clean ones, so we just used our “pool” towels, really no biggie! Staff: I took a huge suitcase of gifts, and handed them out to everyone from the front desk ladies, servers, room keepers and bar tenders. They have a hard time buying “stuff” so this is often more appreciated then money. We got amazing service our hole stay. I believe in tipping with some cash too and I have found this ensures awesome service. Pools: the water was super cold and we spend more time in the ocean. Entertainment: we enjoyed shows most nights, something to do! We also took cards and dice and spent time in the lobby in the evening drinking and playing games. Safety: I love Cuba, this was our first time and I felt so safe the entire time. We are bringing our kids back next year! ( we have been to Mexico a few times and Jamaica, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking my small children to those places if we planned on leaving the resort) we like to go explore and I felt so safe doing that in Cuba, we would wondering around the beach and downtown, all the locals were friendly and I felt 100% safe. At the hotel there was security at the beach at night, always someone at the front doors and again I felt 100% safe our entire stay. We plan to come back at stay at this resort next winter and bring our kids! We are already counting down the days!

Great resort

The hotel grounds, public areas. As well as the pools were great. I still can't believe how good the food was. Fish, chicken, shrimp, and the snack bar even had fries. The hotel staff was very friendly. Hotel has a great location as it is right downtown. However watch out for people who aren't very social. That could seriously effect how much fun you have. But that isn't the fault of the hotel. It is just the luck of the draw, when considering who stays at the hotel the same time you do.

The worst resort

We came back on Jan 18 and never been so happy to be back. It was the worst experience ever! Through out our stay at this resort, we kept being woken up from drunk people banging on the walls and door of our room and this did not happen just to us but to everyone staying in the resort. The Lobby was constantly full of drunk people and was not quiet at all. We went on vacation to relax but instead we were scared when night came because of drunk people and when we called security, no action was t [... read more]aken and the security did not care at all. 2nd- our towels and bed sheets were never changed in 7 days of staying there and we were not provided with a drinkable bottle of water until the 3rd day. The new staff at the resort were extremely rude. The check in for this resort is at 4pm and we arrived at 9am so the entire day was wasted and the staff was not helpful at all. The food in this resort was very good however, the resort was turned into a party resort. This is not our 1st stay at this resort and this time, was the worst stay.

You get what you pay for?

If you are expecting a swanky room and a ton of nice amenities and good food... you should probably spend the money and get a 5 star. Because you will be at the front desk complaining about everything lol If you are going to party your butt off and drink yourself until you pickle your liver while not caring about sleeping in sub par living quarters... then you will have a blast. Eat off the resort though. It’s right in town Beatles bar is dope and it’s a pretty safe spot. If you are a [... read more] “can I speak to the manager” type person... find another place

Horrible

Horrible where to start, food at the hotel can't even eat it they left out food that went bad and wouldn't remove it, had to eat outside the hotel everyday, no towels in the room, went almost a hold day without water in the room do not take your kids to this hotel

The worst resort/hotel I've seen.

The grounds were good. Hotel lobby and pool area had a nice vibe to them but the rooms and food were horrible. We stayed 1 night and paid $535 extra to move next door for the last 6 nights. That hotel was very good!

Had a blast

I loved this place. Great people great location. Lots to do everyday and amazing helpful staff. I’d stay again. They are updating areas of the resort so if you get a room that hasn’t been updated you can ask to move. They are very accommodating

Allegre Palma real Dec 09-14 2018

Over all clean hotel, room are bad, moled , 1 lobby pool broken,, 1show pool, cleaned but pool side missing or follen in the water. Buffet seens the same every day, Most personal friendly, lobby keeped cleaned.

Below average resort

My wife and I both thought the resort was older and in need of some renovations our room had mould in it but was kept very clean we know what to expect from Cuba food was poor at the resort but we ate out.for half our vacation there was no beer or vodka available at the hotel which meant I had to buy my own so much for all inclusive the staff was very friendly and service was good