Palma Real: Cheap getaway

The location is good. The beach is across the street & it's easy to walk into town. If you're low maintenance you'll have a great time, but If you want fancy, don't go here. The service isn't amazing, & the food is bland, but there are no bugs & you can drink whatever you want 24/7 & you get to eat. The coconut ice cream was amazing. Cuban standards are lower than other places, so you get what you pay for.

Memories Jibacoa: Great resort

This all inclusive resort was an ideal location for us. We liked the laid back quiet atmosphere. We were able to take good walks from the resort because of it's location. The food was very good particularly in the main dining area. One of the a la carte restaurants was disapointing but the other 2 were good. One unfortunate thing was we arrived at 5am and did not get our room until 2pm. Since the weather was bad that day we had to hang around and that was dissapointing . Other than that t [... read more]he service was good and friendly. Their are several activities which you can take part in such as tennis, yoga Spanish lessons etc so there was lots to do for those who wished.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Worst Resort we have ever stayed at

We arrived to Resort and had to wait 3 hours to get our room. When we did, we were shocked to find the absolute worst room ever. The balcony door had no lock (rather a latch chain which allowed the door to open so that a person could get in). The food was horrible (contracted food poisoning on day 5), of which I had to call in sick 3 days past my return. The drinks were bad and the bar service even worse. All employees wanted tips (of course service desk only had $3 bills and no .50 or $1 peso). [... read more] No pictures on wall. No lamp shades. Luke warm water and a bathroom floor that would not drain (no door on shower). Room clearly had termites as wood frames were half eatten. Each day $20 CDN fetched us various amounts. The wait staff treated people like we were interrupting them (they see you standing to order coffee/drink and they then walk behind bar / keep talking to one another). The Resort is well worn and clearly requires an update of paint and infrastructure. Yes we got a week for just under $1200 (X2) but this Resort is an embarrassment to Air Canada vacations. Whoever scouted this Resort should resign. If you go, do so at your own peril. And being lots of pepto bismo and Imodium.

Brisas Del Caribe: Terrible Stay

The only 2 good things about this resort was the Beach and the a-la Carte Meals. The room stank of mildew and the air conditioning leaked onto the tiles, so had to be careful that we did not slip and fall. The pool was OK but I have never heard of Jacuzzi being cold as well, could not use it. This Resort need a lot of upgrades as it is falling apart. The food was the usual for Cuba. But A-la Carte meals were good. I would not recommend staying here for the money you spend.

Starfish Jibacoa: Diamond in the rough

My husband and I have travelled many times to Cuba and we loved this 3 star resort. The snorkeling was great when the weather cooperated, the grounds and surrounding mountains were beautiful, no line-ups for food, staff were wonderful and no fighting for lounge chairs. Yes, this resort is dated and could use some paint etc but remember it is 3 stars and that is what you paid for. The memories resort right next door is twice the price. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will definitely return [... read more].

Barcelo Solymar: Amazing staff ..

Older.. Need repair. The staff dose the best they can.. Cuban people are amazing .. It hard to cook for so many people , food is lacking favor..the beach is beauthfull and very clean. The resort is very clean. As well the staff cleaning all the time. They go out of their way to help you. The resort Solymar. Is a great location ..you can easy work to town..that's why we like it ..we have stayed here before..

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful Resort

This resort is very different than the typical all inclusive I have been to in the past. I loved the different surroundings of the marina, shops and the pathway to the beach. The rooms were lovely and the shower was the best! The beds were comfortable but the pillows were awful! They really need to change those up for normal pillows. It was a very thin sponge and wasn't good for anything. We requested another pillow and that did help. The beach was beautiful! The water crystal clear  [... read more]and warm. The beach was the only place you could get shade. The pool area, though lovely, had no place that provided shade. Shade was necessary at times due to sunburns! The food was your typical Cuban cuisine. We always found something to eat but I have to say Cuba is not the place I will return to simply because of the food. The beach grill is a great idea but the pork that they served was so fatty it couldn't be eaten. The chicken was delicious! I loved how the a la carte reservations could be made any time during the day. There were never any long lines and the service was great! The Oriental Restaurant was awesome. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. The French Restaurant was not so great. The food was just ok but my friends food was terrible. She couldn't eat the chicken as it was too fatty. We cancelled our next reservation to eat there. The service was poor at this restaurant. My glass of wine was empty. The lady who was pouring wine at the next table spotted my empty glass but walked away. Hmmm. Not sure why. I was never offered a refill. The staff at this resort were all lovely and friendly and very helpful. The live music at night was beautiful. If you like Cuba and don't mind Cuban food then this resort is a great place to go.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Hotel was OK!!

The food is what was good. This hotel was okay, nothing special. Large pool with a pool/snack bar area which was nice. Billiards area was small, only accommodated two pool tables and one ping pong table. Entertainment was lacking big time, nothing to do in the evenings or during the rainy weather. Housekeeping could have done a much better job cleaning the rooms, like mopping the tile floor and providing towels when required. Most staff was nice and friendly. Overall this was I would say a  [... read more]3 star not a 4.5 star like stated at time of booking.

Melia Marina Varadero: Melia Marina Varadaro

The strength of this hotel is it's staff who are very friendly and hospitable. The other enjoyable aspect was the beach which is perfect. Returning visitors are treated to a fabulous meal and are able to meet the director general of the hotel and the other top staff. The rooms are not sumptuous but comfortable and offer a large bed with an overhead fan and modern air conditioning. We were there 9 days and were allowed to choose 4 speciality restaurants. There were 1300 people in the hotel with [... read more] 550 rooms. There were therefore lineups to get into the cafeteria. The food was very good. There were line ups for drinks at the beach. The beach restaurant had good food and drinks and excellent service. The view from our room was overlooking the marina which was panoramic and spectacular. It was very quiet and restful. The maids to our room were pleasant and honest and nice. There was no merchants and hawkers. Security was fantastic everywhere. This was our second visit and would consider going back.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Not what we were expecting in a negative way

To be honest we were expecting something much better. I feel like the hotel was very run down, there must have been zero maintenance since the hotel had been built. I feel like the pictures lied and are not accurate. The staff was very rude and not helpful, might have found one or two staff members out of the entire people that was friendly and helpful. My wife and I got locked out of our hotel room for 1 hour, after going down to the front desk for the fourth time to find out when this prob [... read more]lem was going to be resolved I found the guy who was going to fix the problem. He was not friendly at all, and her expressed more interest on talking to his friends than helping him us. This was only one negative experience we had. You can only book two nights out to the restaurants, the rest of the week is buffet, which in fact the food was just as bad as the restaurants. Trying to get a drink at the bar is like pulling teeth, was so difficult, and when you were finally able to get them to pour you a drink it seemed like you were inconveniencing them. I could go on and on with negative experiences since there were a lot and not one positive. And if you are an animal lover, well the staff at this hotel are extremely aggressive to dogs, you will not appreciate their actions toward animals. In all myself and wife will never visit Cuba again because of this, I just feel like there are better places to vacation for the same price. In general the food was terrible, service was rude, cleaning was non existent and just overall terrible hotel.

Palma Real: Friendly Resort

The hotel was an average hotel with lots of amenities...it as any other resort in Cuba as all inclusive offered a buffet that was basic Cuban food. There was a small kitchen off the side which offered good sandwiches and fruit. Staff were amazing and so kind and accommodating. We took our daughter (14) this time.2nd time going and one grounds keeper went out of his way to take a coconut and made a drink and handcrafted a grasshopper for top garnish for her which she cherishes to this day. Swim  [... read more]up bar..volleyball tourney...good music played at the 2 adjoining pools and quiet at the other side for down time at the other 2 pools. Construction was happening for elevators while we were there..which will be an added bonus later and housekeepers always left our room with fancy towel decorations everyday. Always looked forward to see what they would do each day. Balcony with amazing view of the ocean and the sun wing rep gentleman was amazing at helping us when we met with him to make our arrangements for the jeep safari...big thanks as it was an amazing tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip at an amazingly cheap cost. Hotel needed some work but we went for the sun surf and sea...and only sleep in the room. Big thank you to Elana w sunwing/TripAdvisor for all her assistance as she was there to help w all our call concerns etc. A wonderful family trip that will be remembered for the rest of out lives!👍

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: EXCELLENT RESORT AND STAFF - THANK YOU TO ALL!

My partner and I just arrived from this resort; first time at this resort. I researched for 2 months before booking. A bit of background, i.e., what we were looking for in a resort: 1. Beautiful sandy beach, turquoise waters - beautiful beach - we love to swim in the ocean; 2. Adults only resort; 3. Not a large resort, cozy and intimate, i.e., quiet; and 4. great food, which we knew we would not get in Cuba, good but not great - we are both foodies. So, after looking at Dominican, Mexico ( [... read more]not our choice, but still looked into it), and some of the Caribbean islands. Finally, we landed on this resort as this had 3 out of 4 must-haves. With regards to food, we decided to take lots of snacks, my salt, pepper, lime and HOT sauce and, of course, one suitcase filled with gifts for the staff. Lastly, the option, after reviewing various reviews on TripAdvisor (thanks to the Canadian travellers), I reluctantly opted for the Diamond Club option vs. regular option. Also, again, thanks to some of the travellers here, I requested a room that was quiet, not too far from the main reception, facing the small pool. We arrived at noon on Monday and we were happy with what we saw. Upon arrival, we were served champagne and advised that our room will be ready at 4 p.m., which is their check-in; in the interim, the front reception staff advised to walk around, luggage was kept safe, have lunch, drinks, check out the beach, etc. Also, with our Diamond Club came a butler, who we were advised will arrive shortly to give us a quick tour of the resort. After approximately 35 minutes, our butler, David, arrived with a big smile and took us around the resort. He was pleasant, courteous and genuinely helpful, as I was teasing him about "not to disappear", as I read here on TripAdvisor. He promised me that he would never do that and will be at our disposal at all times - gave us the extension where we could contact him. At approximately 3:30 p.m., we got our room, exactly as per my request; at the back of the resort, away from the central bar and pool (where all the action was), the "Sunset" strip of buildings, room 2506 - junior suite, garden view. Yes, the room needed renovations, but was comfortable for us and yes, the bathroom could have been upgraded as well, but we were fine with it, as it was a functioning bathroom. We crashed that evening, as we were exhausted. Next day, beautiful day, 28 degrees and my partner went to the beach at 7 am to check out the beach and reserve our chairs at the beach. Upon arrival, she advised that we (Diamond members) had an exclusive and reserved area on the beach with beautiful beds, security guard and our own bartender, a few feet away from the regular guests. She was excited.. So, we went to the beach at 9 a.m. and I was mesmerized... BEAUTIFUL ATLANTIC OCEAN, TURQUOISE WATERS AND SOFT WHITE SAND... Above all, the beds were beautiful, i.e., once you got tired of the sun on the chairs, you could retire to the bed for the rest of the day.. in and out of the ocean, reading, snacking, etc.. After an hour, our bartender arrived and placed a bucket of ice and bottled water by our bed on the beach.. All the people walking the beach always stopped a minute or so, to check out our beds and area.. Someone here noted that security does not check if you are a diamond member or not.. WRONG! In our case, every day security walked around to "new" faces and asked them their room numbers, list in hand and, if they happen to be regular guests, they were politely asked to move over to the crowded beach area with the palapas and chairs only, NO BEDS and no luxuries.. We tipped Leony, our bartender, who was amazing... Dropped by every 20 minutes to serve us with drinks (great drinks with lots of alcohol) and even offered to get us fries, etc. for lunch by walking up to the regular area Mexican Restaurant on the beach, which by the way, was not his job to do so.. He just did that because we were generous tippers, gave him approximately 30 CUCs (convertible pesos) for the whole week.. DO NOT BE CHEAP! We always went to the room around 4 p.m., room was fully stocked daily, Havana Rum, cheap champagne, chilean white and red, pop and their local beers.. This was replenished daily by our maid. After a nap, we would walk over to the buffet restaurant.. Love tropical fruits, papayas, guavas, pineapples, veggies and salad was great and they had the seafood grill at the back, tiger shrimps, tuna, whitefish, salmon, etc.. one night was lobster tails.. We devoured this every day.. especially with our salt, pepper and hot sauce, it tasted great - no complaints! We always sat outside on the terrace enjoying the breeze and listening to the ocean waves in the evening... wine again.. and/or anything else you wanted.. Then, walked to the bar, which was 24/7 for a coffee, liquers, etc.. Bar was always hopping after dinner.. central meeting place to sit outside and enjoy the views.. No rowdies, older couples and 90% were beautifully dressed in the evening.. We did not try their 4 specialty restaurants, as we were content with the buffet... Every morning I ordered room service, large thermos of coffee, tropical fruits, toast and butter (imported from Germany) and jams and jellies (imported from Mexico and my fave jam, HERO, from Switzerland)... This again, was part of the all inclusive service.. Many guests were unaware of this service, as I noticed from the balcony, some people walking over to the cafe to get their coffees... NO extra charge for our breakfast.. After that we would relax a bit and head off at 9 am to the beach.. Never used the pool or participated in their activities.. Sounded like fun, but we wanted to rest and have a peaceful and quiet time.. reading and enjoying the beach and ocean! After 4 days of tanning, relaxing and catching up on our sleep, we were ready to go to Havana for a day. During this entire time, David, our butler, was always making contact with us to check up on us, ie. if we needed to reserve any specialty restaurants, laundry, and anything else we required. We were fine with all.. I did request David to book us a really classic American car with a chauffeur and female guide to take us to Havana on Saturday for the whole day. He advised us that it would be 140 CUCS (approximately 190 Cdn.). He made the arrangements and at 8:30 a.m. sharp, this beautiful Galaxie 1960's sporty car pulled in to the resort.. Our guide was Lauren and she was fabulous... well-spoken, knowledgeable and a very nice lady.. Driver could not speak English, but very courteous and nice.. Drive to Havana, 2 hours, then the entire walking through old Havana - beautiful.. She then took us to a local restaurant "Carmela's", about an hour from Havana, late lunch @ 3 p.m. and this restaurant was out of this world.. Fabulous food.. I had the swordfish and my partner had the salad and rice... WOW.. Many locals were lunching there.. It is tucked away in a residential area on one of the side streets... Amazing time again.. picked a perfect day, as it was cloudy (no beach time) and started drizzling on our way back to the resort.. Again, we were generous with the tips, as they were both amazing! Lastly, shout out to Jeanette and Dana at the resort, David, of course, and the rest of the amazing staff who went over and beyond the call of duty, even those we did not tip.. Always smiling and ready to serve in any way they can! We are going back to this resort in early December again... same room, same package and, hopefully, same staff! Surreal vacation.. everything was perfect for us.. Finally, we had a day maid and night maid every day for turn down service with chocolates on our bed... On the beach and everywhere, without our knowledge, lots of mosquitoes, so take repellant and afterbite(S), as upon arrival, all the bites started showing up... Stayed January 2017

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Terrible nightmare!

Princesa Del Mar Just back from Varadero and I have to say we did not have a very good experience to say the least..... There were a number of issues and we made Judith the Air Transat representative know about as well as the Hotel and Dining staff. The worst incident was when I fell on water that was on the floor in the buffet lounge and narrowly missed a broken glass that the staff obviously didn't bother to clean up as I seen staff see me fall close to it. The staff was very rude and o [... read more]ur complaints fell on deaf ears. The food was absolutely terrible and our room had many issues and when we asked them to fix these problems they either didn't show up or would show up and not properly alleviate the issue. We paid a lot of money for this trip and by 3 days in we wanted to go home. I would like to know what you can do to make this right as we are very frustrated and talked to numerous others that experienced the same. Thanks for you efforts in advance but I hope you are able to do the right thing and make this wrong a right. Thanks

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Good value

We were very satisfied. The resort is nicely located within a short walk (10 min) of the shopping area. The beach is beautiful with lots of chairs to go around. Same for the pool. No scrambling for seats. The staff are super friendly and helpful. Grounds are mature with lovely trees and flowers. Check in was quick and efficient. Front desk would change your money from Cdn to pesos for tips, so there was no lining up at a bank. Both the shuttle and exit tax ($25. Per person) were included in the  [... read more]overall price. There are two areas to sit in the lobby/bar area. One for smokers and one for non smokers. Nice entertainment in the evenings. Food was typical of Cuba. Don't expect Alberta beef! Fresh cooked fish is available at lunch and dinner, plus breads, salads and veg. Fresh omelettes are made to your liking every morning. Wait staff were very efficient and friendly. Their sister resort is 50 yards away and you can use lol of their facilities at no charge. They have hot dogs, burgers, pizza and fries for lunch, which is a nice change. There is a full exercise area and two tennis courts which were never busy. Our room had an ocean view at no extra charge. We would definitely go to this resort again. The price was very reasonable for a 5 star.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great resort

The Melia marina was amazing have been to Cuba 5 times and this was the best trip ever everyone was amazing rooms were nice and clean food was great I usually get sick and did but this time I would recommend the Melina to everyone it is a 5 star for sure thank you Melina marina will be back

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Some good; Some not so good

Loved the location. Room spacious and clean. Pools delightful - 3 different areas: one noisy, activity, music, slide, nets, bouncy castle and playground for kids. Bar. Great for families. Central one - beautiful. Three levels - gargoyles spewing water into pool, quiet, relaxing, restful. No bar. Third - one level spread out, quiet relaxing restful with a swim up bar. Lots of loungers available at all three. Beach great - 2.2 km long. Lots of sand which needs better grooming after  [... read more]a storm. Water warm. Lots of loungers. About 5 different sitting areas with umbrellas and loungers. No bar at a number of them though. Water warm and pleasant. Food - not bad for Cuba. Unfortunately the specialty restaurants serve poorer fare than the buffet. Only 3 Specialty Restaurants - Seafood with just one fixed menu; Italian and Spanish offered choices, but the vegetables were cold and the meat tough. Better to eat in the buffet. The service was excellent throughout - at reception, in the rooms, restaurants, and buffet. Friendly helpful staff everywhere. Downside: Disco noise for buildings near it from 11:30 pm - 1:30 am. Lack of lighting on path leading from Bldg 16. Coffee and tea are only available in the buffet at breakfast - not at lunch or supper and not in the Specialty Restaurants. Salt and pepper shakers are clogged. Hot buffet food is often cold. Mosquitoes!!! Something needs to be done about the standing water that must breed mosquitoes. Twenty to twenty-five bites between ankles and knees on both legs caused allergic reaction. The mosquitoes were the worst in the theatre and the lounge, but also were visible on the walls in the hallways, the buffet, and the specialty restaurants. made it impossible to sit and enjoy the nightly entertainment. I would not recommend this resort to anyone until the mosquito problem is resolved. We have been to Cuba twice before and to a number of other resorts in Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Antigua and have not had a problem with mosquitoes anywhere including at home in Canada. .

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Paradise

This hotel was amazing! The staff were very friendly and always smiling. There was always someone ready to help or answer questions. The grounds were immaculate. Couldn't ask for any better. Entertainment every day and night. The beach was stunning with crystal blue water and very warm.

Memories Jibacoa: Absolutely Wonderful

Memories Jibacoa is awesome. The Staff there are wonderful. The grounds are beautiful. The food was great, they had cake and sang HB to our friend and made her Birthday so special. The drink selection could have been a bit more but we did just fine with our Pina Coladas, Grass Hoppers and Spanish coffees. Noesky, the Beach server, was right on us for our drinks and he was Awesome. The Entertainment staff was the Best. The dancers and singers were beautiful. The two best people were Jorge (DJ  [... read more]at the disco) and Jorge the Piano Man. Down to earth, helped us out, made the trip that much better. The resort age group was average 45 plus so we felt a little young but definitely age did not stop the party. It was a fabulous group of people and I will definitely be back to this resort.

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: fantastic family vacation

Our family was more than pleasantly surprised with our vacation at Naviti! The private beach was outstanding, hardly anyone there.The buffet had enough variety for all of us , with daily different made to order stations each mealtime .I would definitely recommend this resort , it won't be our last trip there!

Roc Barlovento: Roc Barlovento

Hi. The three of us had a great time at Barlovento and would go back there again. The staff could not have been any more friendly or accommodating. The first night when we got there we had asked for a second floor room but were on the first floor in the morning we went to the front desk and asked to be moved to the second floor no problem within a hour we had our new room. The second room the water was cold so we asked to have some hot water for our shower and that was corrected right away.  [... read more]No problems after that. Every one talks about the bland food we had no problems with the food only they should keep boiling water in the buffet tables where they place the hot food to keep it warmer. There was always the pasta bar which was very good. We had on different occasions roasted turkey, roasted chickens, half a pig roasted and the portion were great. we had roast beef (we are used to Alberta beef and there was n o comparison). The lunch hour there was bar-b-que bar close to the ocean that was really great. We went there every day. There is entertainment every day at lunch time, music every night in the lobby and a nighty show every night ranging from dancing , singing, water ballet, something different every night. Talked to couples that have been there 11 times and love it the best of all hotels on the Varedaro beaches. It is the most central to all things, only 2 city blocks from the markets. There was all age groups there from older teens to middle age all having a wonderful time.