Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Very Good Vacation

This was a great vacation going to Cuba is always a question but this resort exceeded our expectations the grounds, staff and food were well above our expectations……………,…………………………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roc Barlovento: Ok resort

Well people very friendly,, nice pool,, no hot water in my rm so only cold showers,, lack of eggs, bacon for the breakfast people,not a good place for meat lovers , Not much variety,, same food over & over ,, even the fish was usually the same & sea food was not sea food like shrimp never seen,,,service was good,, it was like what most people would describe Cuba everything taste the same,, there was no lack of rice & bean dishes,, even the fruit was only 2 types & always the same 2,,you won t g [... read more]o hungry though ,, it was ny first trip to Cuba $ my first ever all inclusive so don’t have anything to compare too!! I would probably go back for that price!! Get what you pay food

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: 2nd Stay in 2 years

Beautiful Resort. We had a postcard view of the hotel and the ocean. Staff was awesome. Hotel was pretty quiet being low season, which was nice. There was some maintenance work going on, but did not take away from the stay. Glad to see they were putting an effort into maintenance. One entire block of buildings and a secondary pool undergoing refurb.

Paradisus Varadero: Loved it

Staff were friendly, hotel clean, food ok never went hungry. Some hiccups but beach made up for everything. Yours sales lady super awesome and really helpful making our trip so special!! Cuba is struggling due to US restrictions!! Support CUBA

Hotel Los Cactus: Not worth the money!

Dirty and unkept throughout (except for the newly renovated reception area). The pool liner and steps were ripped out, leaving just dangerous bolts and liner remnants in all corners. Entering and leaving the pool via the steep ladders was very hard for older people and people with disabilities. All hot tubs/whirl pools were broken and empty. Very sharp pieces of beach chairs (the foot stoppers) were strewn around the pool, injuring your feet. Garbage around the pool was not removed for the ent [... read more]ire week. The beach was full of debris and dirt for almost the whole week. In former years, the beach was cleaned every morning. The ripped down beach bar is still not rebuilt. It’s just an eyesore. Dirt in the room was mopped into the corner. The food was terrible!: no eggs, no butter, no jam, no coffee, coffee bar closed, watered down juices, unripe fruit, no cola, no wine, no champagne, no tonic, no mojitos, no Cuba libres…!!! The a la carte restaurants both had the same horrible menu!: bruschetta with no tomatoes, tomato cream soup with no tomato, salmon burnt with all bones, and chicken. If you are selling vacations to Cuban resorts, you as the tour operator, have to make sure, that there is sufficient food and drink provided! SunWing raises the prices every year, but the service goes down.

Sol Palmeras: Потрясающий курот

Отель очень комфортный, персонал внимательный к гостям в ресторане вкусная еда внимательный персонал. Нам очень понравилась развлекательна программа. Отдыхающим скучать не дают развлекаю на пляже на территории отеля.

Memories Jibacoa: Good for us!!

A bit tired yup, pretty quiet yup, secluded in nature yup, these things don’t bother us and we actually enjoy them . If your looking for a nice clean small resort surrounded by mountains with pretty good food then you will like this place. A big perk for us is the great snorkelling and decent beach walks. The staff is great, layout is great, sunwing was the only weak link in our Holliday.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing get away

My brother and I had the great pleasure of a week at Iberostar Laguna Azul. The staff was amazing and the beaches were world class I cant aay as much for late as always sunwing. We upgraded our seats for more room and we ending up on a Czech aircraft that was smaller so not worth the upgrade If only Canada could provide better air service to the resorts

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Do not go to Sanctuary Grand Memories Bad experience

When we arrived at Varadero airport Dec 2nd, and got on our bus going to the hotel, we had lined up at Grand Memories reception for 30 mins or more, the front desk guy told us we were at the wrong reception and the Sanctuary reception is actually 5 min walk , the tour guide on the bus did not tell us that Sanctuary is another reception area ? we were a party of 8 and some were new to Cuba, whereas we came to Cuba 16 times. There was no hot water for our showers , so I complained to our reception [... read more], butler , anyone that will listen! They insisted it will be looked at and fixed ! 4 days later , still the same , hot water only in the afternoon, as they claimed it’s on solar heating !
My friends were denied the next morning at buffet to put 2 tables of 4 together, male server said it had to be separate? Gave my friends altitude ! Are you kidding? 
Wednesday Dec 3rd- Power outage affected the whole island, pre- hired a taxi driver and went to Havana that day and able to have lobster at a restaurant the taxi driver recommended , great service ! Went to the Italian a la carte restaurant at Grand Memories , my husband ordered Hawaiian tasted “doughy” and white (raw) , appetizers were “meh” nothing to rave about, spaghetti tasted like it was from a jar, and we finished off at the buffet again ! The service was mediocre! 
Thursday Dec 4th- was told there was a lobster dinner at the Marina, wait for the bus in lobby and will pick up at 6pm, 4 buses and everyone scrambling to get on, chaos! Got there at 7pm , only sliced pork and appetizers were served, several hundred people from different hotels , live band, terrible loud music, not enough table and chairs , took taxi back to hotel, all 8 of us ! Ate at buffet again ! 
Friday Dec 5th- do not go to Gourmet restaurant, we were seated 8 of us in a round table, ignored for 15 mins, finally, water was poured , asked for red and white wine, was told NO white wine, then the buns were placed on our butter plate, my husband asked where’s the butter? NO butter, with attitude ! My husband went to buffet and got butter for our buns! He also saw the server grabbed 3 buns from the bun basket with her bare hands, unsanitary ! No food safe! Didn’t refill red wine till we flagged servers down, was told I ordered fish soup , but I told her I ordered 1 fish soup and 1 chicken soup, she argued “no, you didn’t “ !! She forgot to give me a soup spoon, so I borrowed my husbands after he finished ! We all WALKED OUT ! Went to buffet , finally got real good service! 

Housekeeping forgot to clean my bathroom, but cleaned my room , took my gifts and tips I left ! Never any clean beach towels at towel huts , always CLOSED?! Internet is spotty and sucks ! 

Shutout to Anet (lounge bar at Sanctuary) Cappucino lady at snack bar , Daniela (reservation for a la carte) 
They were great ! Adrian was my butler, he was ok still needs to be trained better

Mar Del Sur: Decent resort. You get what you pay for.

Many of the facilities were not in use including the buffet restaurant. Very confused on day 1 where I was supposed to eat. Nobody knew where to send me. Very frustrating. They crammed us in a tiny room. Food was cold and horrible. Room was acceptable. Staff was very nice. If food is important this is not the place for you.

Sol Palmeras: Great week in Cuba

After many years we decide to revisit Cuba. We chose Sol Palmeras because of the many great reviews, and we’re glad we did. The resort is clean, the staff is friendly and the beach is beautiful. The nightly entertainment in the lobby bar and around the pool is great. We never had any issues finding chairs about the pool or on the beach. Unlike some comments I’ve read in reviews from other resorts, we always had fresh towels in our room, and were able to change our beach towels daily. I would not [... read more] hesitate to recommend this hotel to friends or family.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Don’t Expect Too Much

The staff is nice but the hotel is suffering from the current reality in Cuba. Shortage of food, water, and power. Some elevators are not working. Rooms are old and bed sheets are smelly. Restaurants in the hotel do not have good food. Internet kept disconnected for days; poor signal. Do not go without cash for tips and there are no credit card machines available. The beach is perfect!

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Exceeded our expectations in every possible way!

The hotel is new (11 months old at the time of our visit in November 2024), stylish, and in great condition. Our expectations were exceeded in almost every aspect of the trip, especially when considering the price of the trip compared to other destinations. The hotel is luxurious while simultaneously taking great pride in Cuban culture and hospitality; we thought this was a perfect combination. I'm not sure if it is typical or not, but the hotel was not busy at all during our visit - it was g [... read more]lorious to not have to worry about crowds! There were nice little extras appearing out of nowhere throughout our stay - e.g. one day there would be a pop-up fruit smoothie stand, the next day you might come across a silver ice bucket filled with 3 different types of sparkling wine surrounded by champagne flutes, another time there would be a man with a charcoal grill making pulled pork sandwiches, once there was a giant tub of ice by the pool with many different beers inside, another time there was a man with a giant mechanical contraption making rum drinks from fresh sugar cane, there was a live band playing at breakfast, etc. It seemed like there was always something special going on and they are really putting in a lot of genuine effort. Rooms: The rooms are spacious, clean, and nicely decorated. Everything looked exactly like the photos on the Grand Aston website. The beds are comfortable. The A/C is modern, quiet, and very effective. It has an energy saving feature where the A/C shuts off when the patio doors are open, so be sure to perfectly close the doors (this requirement is not obvious). The curtains are good and block out light effectively. There is a mini fridge in the room. There were no insects of any type. About 90% of the time, there was endless super-hot water in the giant shower. There is a TV with 50 spanish channels and 6 english channels, but we did not use it. There is an electronic password safe in the room for your passports and cash. The plugs in the hotel are 220 volts but there are also USB charging ports built in next to the beds. We were on the ocean-view side of the hotel, which is good because it faces north so the room doesn't bake in the sun. You do hear the pool and nightly entertainment if you are on this side of the hotel, but it all ends by 10:30PM. We had plenty of towels, toilet paper, etc. and there were no power outages. Wifi was adequate and covered the hotel and pool area, but be aware that lots of websites seem to block Cuba (not the fault of this hotel). E.g. we could email / whatsapp / google without problems, but we couldn't do online banking, or make online purchases. You have to sign in to the wifi again whenever you change location in the hotel (e.g. if you go from your room to the pool). Food: There was an overwhelming abundance of good quality Cuban-themed food, no issues with shortages during our stay. There is a buffet and also 5 restaurants. The restaurants have beautiful decor and atmosphere (way nicer than most restaurants we go to in Canada). The restaurant food was slightly more fancy than the buffet, but at the same time, it was not substantially different from the buffet - for that reason, we usually preferred to eat at the buffet out of convenience. We ate 42 meals at the buffet, which sounds as though it would be repetitive, but we really enjoyed it and looked forward to each meal. They have a very professional baking staff who make tons of beautiful breads and pastries every day. There was top-quality butter and cheese. Lots of local healthy vegetables (squash, beans, yucca, plantain), fish/mussels, pork, and chicken. The secret to buffet success is to embrace the Cuban-ness of the cuisine, always try new things, and combine items. E.g. mashed plantain on its own is boring, but mashed plantain with picadillo on top is tasty. Or maybe you grab some prosciutto and fancy cheese from the buffet and have the egg lady cook them into an omelet for you. At first glance, the food may look similar every day, but on closer inspection it is not, and you can change things up to keep it interesting. They had anything we could want, but we did sometimes have to look for things (e.g. they have USA-style ketchup but it's at the salad area, croissants were at the coffee bar rather than with the rest of the pastries, hot sauce was at the snack bar, etc.). The people who we overheard speaking negatively about the food may have had unreasonable expectations. It's not logical to go to Cuba expecting to have the best Japanese food of your life - that's what a trip to Japan is for. The pasta won't be just like the dish you always get at your favorite chain restaurant in Canada. Don't expect "just like home" but with a beach. You're in Cuba, so relax and take the opportunity to embrace the good Cuban things and you will be content. They keep the restaurant very clean, we never saw any insects or pests aside from a few random houseflies - nothing to be concerned about. We were 100% healthy the whole time, all of the food agreed with us. Drinks: They seem to have a lot of options and are willing to make whatever concoction you request. There is no posted cocktail menu so you have to do a bit of guessing or asking "what did you just make for that lady", etc. If you are particular about your wines or specific brands of alcohol, you will have to let that go while you are here. The sports bar was less busy than the main lobby bar, but still had the same inventory of ingredients, so it was sometimes quicker to get drinks from there. Beach: During our stay, there were not a lot of people at the beach - it was fantastic! At any point of the day, you could just walk up and have your choice of location and get as many chairs as you wanted. On the absolute busiest day, I counted 12 people swimming in the ocean - usually it was only 4 or 5 people. The sand is beautiful and the beach was clean. The beach here is separated from the main Varadero beach by a canal; there were zero vendors, beach dogs, or random people passing by - it was entirely hotel guests and staff. It was very safe, we often left our belongings unattended while we went in the ocean. Ocean: The ocean was warm and clean. During our 14 day trip, there were big waves about 3 days (i.e. no swimming), medium waves for 9 days, and total calmness for 2 days. It's best to enter the ocean on the west half of the beach to avoid some rocks that are under the water on the east end - this was not a problem and we quickly figured out where to go; the swimmable area is large. The water is about 4-8 feet deep for quite a long distance out into the sea. Pool: It was giant, clean, and people would sit by it but hardly anyone went in. Lots of room to swim for exercise if that's your thing. During our stay the pool was a bit on the cool side, but the weather was stormy for a few weeks prior to our arrival so that might be the reason. No problem getting a chair - at most maybe 1/2 the lounge chairs were occupied. None of that 'reserve a chair with your towel at 6am' nonsense here. People were regularly coming around offering you drinks at the pool and the beach. People: The staff at the hotel were all so genuinely kind and friendly. It was very sincere and felt different than the service in Canada. Everyone speaks some basic English, but be prepared to practice some basic Spanish yourself as well - load the Google Translate app onto your phone and download the spanish translation file so you have it handy without relying on wifi. We saw 2 or 3 tourists whose favourite vacation pastime was being rude to the staff. Life is difficult for the people of Cuba, so please be compassionate. Bring a stack of US $1 bills for tips (maybe budget $8 per day, depending on how much service you require). Nobody at the resort ever made us feel even the slightest bit obligated to tip, we just did it out of appreciation. We tried to spread it around rather than exclusively focusing on the bartenders, since they seemed to be getting the bulk of the tips. We never needed to use Cuban currency, Canadian currency, or our credit cards. Entertainment: Honestly, we aren't typically interested in this sort of thing and we planned to skip it. But to our surprise, the hotel had some really talented and professional people! There was often live music in the lobby bar or restaurant, and the musicians were very good. If I had any constructive feedback on this, it would be that they like everything loud in Cuba - if there's an amplifier involved, it's pretty much a guarantee that the volume will be too high. We solved this problem by enjoying it from a distance. The Michael Jackson impersonator had shockingly good dance moves! Overall: This hotel completely exceeded our expectations. There was a pleasant surprise everywhere we looked. The hotel goes out of its way to make your trip a good one. Important: If you are going, please consider buying a cheap extra suitcase at Goodwill and bringing down some items for the Cuban people. Avoid trinkets or junk, and bring necessities of daily life like medications, adult or kids clothes, food, hygiene supplies, etc. Life is very, very difficult outside the resort and anything you can offer will help and be greatly appreciated. It will cost you $35 for the extra bag, but it's worth it. Also, don't wait until the last day to give away your gifts. We made this mistake and some of the people we wanted to see weren't scheduled to work that day.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Not recommended!

Beach was nice, pool was nice. Food was terrible, mostly cold and the same every meal. Not as we remember Cuba People and staff are wonderful. Choose another location. Best to try another country until things improve in a Cuba. This is definitely not a four plus star resort.

Memories Jibacoa: A place to relax!

Helpful and friendly staff. Rooms are clean and spacious. Grounds are well manicured. Perfect weather. Lots of activities to choose from: snorkeling, swimming, volleyball, chess, walking tours, hiking trails and much more...

Starfish Varadero: Amazing stay

First time at Starfish…. Food was plentiful, beach was well maintained. Service could be better . Animation was top notch I’d go back again!! …………………………………………………………………………………..,,,,,,,,,,,….,,,,,,..,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Nice resort

The resort was great ,only issue was only 2 hangers per suite needs to add at least 6 to 8 hangers for 2 people . Nice pool and great staff all around the resort. Servers in all restaurants were helpful and friendly

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Will not go back!

Sirenis is a very rundown and broken resort. Please don’t recommend this place… When we got to the room we noticed the bedding was not clean. One of our friends toilet was broken and water ran through the room, from the flusher. They asked for another room and were told no as they were full.. this was not true. Very few people here. After the mechanic came 3x’s to fix it I fixed it with a towel so they could use it. Our tv was not working so the mechanic came the cord was ripped off the back [... read more]. He may have fixed it but he took the batteries so we will never know.. We had 2 cockroaches ? in our room… There was an entire bank of lights leading to our room out, never got fixed. This was a safety issue.. A large window was broken (not boarded up) with shards of glass for anyone to get cut on.. We will never go back to this resort…

Muthu Playa Varadero: *A Nightmarish Experience at Muthu Playa Varadero Resort: Not for Foreigners*

Let me start by saying that I rarely write reviews, but my stay at the Muthu Playa Varadero Resort was so overwhelmingly disappointing that I feel compelled to warn others. If you're considering this resort, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. This will be a long rant, but every word is deserved. **First Impressions:** When I arrived at the Muthu Playa, I had high hopes. The lobby, I admit, is quite pretty, and the weather in Varadero is lovely. But that’s where the positives end. The  [... read more]moment I checked into my room, the horror began. **Room and Facilities:** My room was a disaster. The ceiling was leaking water, the toilet was broken, and the phone didn’t work, leaving me stranded without any way to contact the front desk for assistance. The bed sheets and towels weren’t swapped out even once during my entire stay, leaving me to sleep in the same dirty linens for days. Cockroaches infested the room, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the pool—when I dared to go for a swim—was incredibly dirty. To top it all off, there were no beach towels available, and the outside bathrooms were perpetually out of toilet paper. **Dining Disasters:** Dining at this resort is an absolute nightmare. The coffee machine never had any coffee, and there was no coffee at the lobby bar either. Breakfast coffee? Served in a ladle like soup. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. The fridge in my room wasn’t stocked, and when I went to the snack bar, all they had to offer was a pathetic dinner roll with a single slice of ham. The dining hall was no better, with roaches crawling around, no milk for my daughter, and a shocking lack of basic food items like potatoes, bacon, and even cocktails. No mojitos, no piña coladas—nothing but disappointment. Oh, and I found rocks in the rice. Yes, rocks. **Activities and Entertainment:** What activities? Everything was closed. No restaurants, no disco, and certainly no pool bar, despite its physical presence. The shows at night were somewhat okay, but the music was so loud it was hard to enjoy anything. **Service and Atmosphere:** This resort is essentially a Cuban local hangout, not designed for foreign tourists. The staff's attitude towards us was dismissive at best and disrespectful at worst. Locals were always served first at the bar, regardless of how long we had been waiting. It was clear that our presence was not valued. **The Final Straw:** The mosquito situation was unbearable. I left with over a hundred mosquito bites, which was just the cherry on top of this miserable experience. **Positives (if you can call them that):** Yes, the beach is nice, the weather is good, and the water is comfortable. The eggs at breakfast (when available) were decent. The internet was surprisingly free with a decent signal. But these minor positives don’t come close to outweighing the countless negatives. **Conclusion:** In summary, Muthu Playa Varadero Resort is a disgrace. From the unsanitary conditions to the complete lack of basic amenities and the terrible service, this resort fails on every level. This is not a place for foreigners, and I would strongly advise anyone considering this resort to steer clear. My stay here was nothing short of a nightmare, and I would not wish this experience on anyone. Save your money, your sanity, and your vacation—stay somewhere else.

Melia Las Americas: Amazing!

Las Americas was amazing! We upgraded to the Level and it was absolutely worth the extra money. The service by the Level staff was impeccable and they were accommodating to all of our needs and requests. Our room was very clean, the food at the a la carte restaurants was very good, and the food from the grill by the swim up bar pool was delicious! There was something for everyone at the buffet. The beach was pristine and water refreshing. We couldn’t have asked for a better stay at Las A [... read more]mericas and we cannot wait to go back!