Hotel Bella Costa: Great value

This resort is smaller, clean, friendly staff Best rooms: are the bungalows #701-765 (Garden, Family, Oceanview) are newer, quieter and hence better (NB these are exclusive to Airtransat) Best beach spot: toward end of peninsula (fewer sales people and more private and quiet) Best Coffee, cappuccinos, etc: coffee bar (Lobby bar) Best Mojitos: gentleman pushing a cart (Mr. Mojito) => a must to try! Best lunches: grill outside El Mirador Best cigars: do not purchase on the beach (plantain  [... read more]leaves); get in Havana Best rum: purchase at duty-free at airport on way back Water: from tap, ok to drink and brush your teeth with (we brushed our teeth with this water but didn't drink from the tap) Collect pool towels early in am and commandeer beach lounge chairs Restaurant reservations: line up early Tips: 1-2 CUC per service (~$120Cdn). This above all is the most important when going anywhere in Cuba, you will be treated like royalty. Food: bring your own spices (I brought Sirarchi sauce and no-salt seasoning); bring tea if you're a tea drinker. Extras to bring: 1. wet wipes (some common area washrooms have no soap or toilet paper). Many rooms seem to run out of toilet paper and hence it got pilfered from the common washrooms. We never ran out likely because we always tipped. 2. Clothing, toiletries, pantyhose, school supplies. We are truly grateful to Helen for her recommendation and particularly her advice. Would we go back? Yes. Would we recommend Bella Costa? Yes, but only if they stayed in the Bungalows and tipped for service. The negative comments on TripAdvisor relate to the disrepair of the main building. It's unfortunate that the management does not seem to understand that this taints the tourists' perceptions on everything else! Would we recommend Option Plus? Absolutely. But we would mostly recommend a very good travel agent such as Helen!

Playa Caleta: Bellevue Puntarena beach fun 4 life

This hotel is super old!!! There is water dripping every where including in the bed; there is not enough food for guest as a matter of fact the majority of guests come from Russia who gives no respect to the staff therefore these ones care less about the other guests; very unhappy staff; the majority of the guests demands service grabbing whatever food is available and wasting what they can't eat. Buffet is the same every single day pumpkin is the main dish. If you like coffe or expresso you  [... read more]will have to buy instant coffe and good luck to find hot water, the main bar closes hot water when the breakfast closes exacltly at 10:00am if you miss this you have to walk to next hotel to get hot water and pray that the waiter look at you after he finishs his chat with the other staff.They barely look at your face. The only great thing about his hotel is the beach and off course it is the last one located in the peninsula, you will be the first to be dropped off and the last to be picked up. Holasun rep is no show at no time at all! If you want entertainent you get to go to Downtown Varadeiro and you better make sure to save $10 per trip. The entertainment staff is found hiding around the resort or are looking at their internet in the other hotel (same property) which by the way never have Internet card for sell, you get to go downtown to buy the car to be able to use there with very week connection. There is NO FUN!!! There are two swimming pools only one is in some kind of condition to use the other pool the water is brown no one cleans and the pool bar is closed of course! Save your money and go somewhere else, make sure to read reviews before you go. It is really serious; they are collecting your money overbooking and are not delivering the service. The elevators are very scary to ride be aware and make sure to have life insurance for this place it is very unsafe, be very concern for your safety. Return: NEVER AGAIN!!!

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Just ok.

we paid for a family jr suite and it took a few days to get enough beds and pillows (yup. Zero pillows). The pools were dead-nobody around. Non existent kids club-no staff there. No activities. Mostly French guests which is fine but signs are in french and staff speak mostly french. Buffet was not good although a la carted were ok. Thank goodness for lots of Cristal beer. Beach was amazing, warm water and lots of sun beds.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Location, location, location

As per a lot of other reviews, you should be aware that you get what you pay for. Be prepared to walk 8 flights of stairs everyday, and be chased down if you take a coffee cup to your room. The staff seems overworked and struggle to be happy. All that said, we made the most of it and enjoyed pancakes and eggs every morning. Then left for the day and night to adventure through the town streets. Hopped in and out of restaurants and bars, and enjoyed a quick stroll to the beach daily. Keep go [... read more]od company and the state of the resort shouldn't bother you too much. I've travelled to Cuba 10 times. My hubby and I are both under 40. We would not return to this particular hotel but we did enjoy our vacation. The Vicaria is a restaurant a couple blocks down that was top notch and we ate the best authentic Cuban food there once a day (and once, twice a day) :). Again, this resort, you get what you pay for and in the end, the beer is always good.

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Amazing beach and good service

Great beach with good equipment available for rental (snorkeling, paddle boats, kayaks, katamaran with a guide), good buffet...hotel being partly renovated, so there's a bit of construction here and there and not many guests. Good service, but some Spanish helps to smooth the way.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good food and nice beach, but not a 5 stars hotel!!!

The resort is very clean and food is excellent. Service is ok, but animation is poor. Shows were good also. Rooms are very poor and old. Beds are NOT confortable. .bars were good with a good sélection of drinks and wine. ............................................

Paradisus Varadero: Not a real 5 star

Let me start by saying that we have travelled to many places and rely somewhat on the star rating to decide on our resort. We always stay in a 4 star or higher! By Cuban standards this resort may be a 5 star, but in relation to other countries and resorts it is more like a 3 star. We stayed in the new Family Concierge section. On the plus side, the rooms were clean and new looking, however things were still falling apart (door knobs, handles, paint chips). We did have one person go out of [... read more] her way to assist us with dining reservations and did everything she could to get us into what we wanted! She was the only one in the whole resort that seemed to care about her job and the guests! The housekeeping staff was friendly, but they did not really do much of anything. Our room was never cleaned until the late afternoon, and by cleaned I mean the bed was made! Nothing was ever replenished! I had to call the desk twice for toilet paper, which should have been restocked. They also did not change our bath towels or face cloths all week! By then end of the week we only had two towel (dirty ones). We called the desk multiple times to ask for towels and were told they had none. We could not even exchange our pool towels, as they had none of those either! How can a hotel operate without the basic items that travellers require? (especially a 5 star resort!) The food was not very good at all and we were prepared for that as we had heard this about Cuban Resorts. I will say that the Japanese and Italian a la carte restaurants were good. I would stick with these types and stay away from the buffets! For the most part, the pool was lovely and our kids enjoyed it very much. The best part of our holiday was the time spent off of the resort! We did a day trip to Havana and a Catamaran Cruise with Dolphin Interaction! These were money well spent! As for tipping, we tried this theory, but tipping did not make the service any better! We really felt that they just did not care! The worst part was that the resort did not even seem that busy! We always had spots by the pool. I would hate to see how they operate at full capacity! We had internet included with our stay, but you needed a card to get access and they ran out during our stay. Even with a card it was very difficult to get access! Overall, we made the best of it, but it was nothing to write home about! We travelled at Christmas time and therefore paid more for our room than the regular price. We severely overpaid for this trip given the service we received!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: excellent holiday

It's a given that hotels in the warmer climates range from grubby to dirty and there will always be something that is broken. If you can accept this then you will have a wonderful holiday at this resort. The housekeeping staff was competent, the food was wonderful and plentiful and varied. The activities were enjoyable. The lobby bar was always active and full. We were a family of five, 3 adults and 2 kids in a family room. Everybody had a good time and ate too much.

Club Tropical: Hidden Gem!

The main building is great, I'd say 4star! The beach front building is in disrepair (though an incredible view!). Request the Main building! Food good! (Yep I said it!). Entertainment staff, programs and shows were incredible! Friendly, approachable, helpful, fun, entertaining and Yoandy speaks many languages fluently. Gorgeous beach with free catamaran rides.

Sol Varadero Beach: 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.

Club Kawama: Good

The resort was allright. We had the superior room so we had a balcony. The kids had a lot of bumps on there skin and we thought it was mosquitos, but someone in the line at the airport said it could have been bed bugs. So perhaps the beds in the kids room had bed bugs?

Hotel Los Cactus: Breezes Varadeo

Resort is dated, but kept clean. Pool and hot tubs were cleaned and sanitized daily. Rooms were clean and maids did an awesome job. She was very concerned when we both got sick from eating in Havana, not the resort. Even though her English was not very good, she communicated how concerned she was and left a short note to express same. The buffet was good. Different foods every night. Fresh made omlets the way you wanted. Beaches beautiful. Our balcony overlooked the ocean and the pool. Great t [... read more]o relax there with a coffee and baileys and good Cuban cigar. Will definitely go back to Cuba. Trip central was very helpful and professional. Thank you Judy.

Sirenis Tropical Varadero: Great Resort!

This was my third time in Varadero and my favourite hotel I've stayed at. The staff is amazing, so friendly and kind. The rooms are updated and beautiful...very clean. For Cuba standards, the food is good-lacking in variety but there was always something tasty that I went back to the buffet to grab a second time. The value for the resort is also incredible, the water sport inclusions were so fun, highly recommend the catamaran ride. Overall I had an amazing time and will be coming back to Naviti [... read more].

Occidental Arenas Blancas: 2 resorts in one!

Arenas Blancas and Solymer give you two resorts in one and is perfect for a family travelling with people of all ages. We stayed at Arenas Blancas and it was perfect for my mom and me and we could go over with my 21 and 19 year old to the other resort which had more of a younger crowd! The staff and beaches and activities were great at both resorts. We had a blast and the beach was the most beautiful I have seen. We also went on the catamaran and saw tropical fish as we snorkelled. It's Cuba so  [... read more]if travelling you need to expect things nit to be perfect but the staff will try to fix tings and are super nice ! We had a fabulous time.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great resort

We had an awesome time at this resort. Building is in need of some cosmetic upgrades but the grounds and pool were beautiful and well kept. Staff were friendly and helpful. It was nice to be able to use the facilities at both Arenas Blancas and Solymar. I think the pool is nicer at Arenas Blancas. The beach was fantastic as well and was very close. There was always lots of chairs available at the pool and the beach.

Barcelo Solymar: Entertaining and well positioned resort to Varadero

Fairly decent place to stay and have fun in Varadero. The staff are very helpful and attentive. The beach is absolutely wonderful. Within walking distance to two great bars...including the Beatles Club which offers live rock n' roll.

Memories Jibacoa: Amazing snorkelling experience!

If you are looking to have an incredible snorkelling vacation with no kids, this is the resort to go. Bring your own gear though. Evening shows are great too! Rooms are clean and the staff is friendly.

Melia Las Antillas: Fabulous resort

We just got back from this resort and what an incredible time. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food was ok and plentiful. The rooms were great and water and beer were stalked in the fridge daily. We stayed in the bungalow section 62. It is Cuba so the beach was wonderful.

Muthu Playa Varadero: OK

The hotel itself was clean, we entered the building with no issues, got our room and was very clean. Bathrooms were clean and modernized a little. The doors on our floor were very hard to open and close, every time someone came in or out of their rooms they had to slam them shut. Service at the bars was OK, but if you don't tip them they tell every one and give you bad service. The coffee shop was the best, ask for "coffee Janette" and leave a tip the coffee gets better. The food was bad, always [... read more] the same menu every day, nothing changed. My wife brought some spices from home and asked the chef to step aside and let her cook her own pasta dish. It was amazing. Do not go to the Italian restaurant, complete waste of time. They were missing all kinds of ingredients to make pizza and the pasta sauce came out of a can and was disgusting. The entertainment was good. The best was at new years eve. The beach towels were very hard to get. The first day there and I had to wait an hr to get the towels, they didn't feel clean we returned them at night and got new ones and kept them the rest of the stay. I felt like they were always expecting tips, where ever you go, it felt like they were shoving the tip jar in your face. The beach and water was amazing, but that is mother natures doing. There were to many beach bums selling and forcing themselves on you to buy stuff. It got way out of control. If your OK with not eating well, I would recommend this hotel because its clean.

Playa Vista Azul: Lovely resort with great food

The resort was very clean, very well looked after and nicely decorated and landscaped. The lobby was open and airy and overlooked the ocean and a beautiful infinity pool. The Cuban people are nice and friendly. The transat events rep helped us book a snorkling tour and a day trip to Havana offering advice and tips to ensure our day went well (ie. Bring toilet paper with you!). The rooms were clean and spacious. The food was very good and the hotel tried to accommodate lots of cultural prefe [... read more]rences. The coconut ice cream was a favorite with my girls. The beach was lovely and sandy, clean without any stones in the water. They ran out of beach towels by mid day so if you want a fresh one get there early or bring your own from home.