Los Delfines: A week at Club Los Delfines

It was truly a wonderful week at Club Los Delfines. We stayed at the "Colonial" section which is right on the beautiful Beach with a nice view from the patio. This section also includes the restaurant, and the main Bar .I must say the food was not the best of variety and taste, however I took my "Hot sauce" with me, and there was always "something" to satisfy one's appetite. The room we stayed in was big and clean with a terrific window view. There were also two beds one King size, and a medium [... read more] size one. The only complaint about the room was it needed painting. The walls had a bit of mold, and this could easily be the most beautiful room if painted. The guest and staff were friendly especially the security.A big shout out to AMADO and HIRAN who were so helpful and spoke English very well. I would definitely stay at this hotel again, even the same room, after a good coat of paint The trip was worth it in every way for the price we paid. Thanks Heather for booking us such a wonderful trip.

Melia Marina Varadero: Better than the pictures !

Pool was amazing - swim up bar. Loved the beach. Food was good. More of a couples/ family resort. Not much night life. Great service. We loved the mimosas every morning at breakfast. Wouldn't waste your time with the a la carte.

Memories Jibacoa: welcoming resort

A return visit to a resort that caters to returning visitors looking for a relaxing vacation. Great snorkeling right off shore, a nice sized resort so it is easy to get to know people, staff and other guest alike. Food pretty good for Cuba. Nice quiet location, very safe and close enough for an easy trip in to Havana. Staff are exceptional. Grounds well kept. Rooms very clean.

Starfish Jibacoa: Some good some not so good news.

Just returned from Villa Jibacoa. Here are the positives: beautiful grounds. Wonderful snorkelling right by the hotel with lots of fish to be seen. Rooms were simple but serviceable and clean. Maids were prompt and thorough every day. Beach was lovely. A nice quiet resort - not overly crowded or busy. No long line ups. The down sides: FOOD. If food is a biggie for you - this will be difficult. The buffet was really hard to handle- very basic and repetitive. Three of our groups came home with s [... read more]ome pretty uncomfortable food borne illness that hit on about day three. The a la carte.... is worse than the buffet. Really poorly done. I am a make the best of it kind of person - but this was really poor. We did enjoy a great meal out at El Cacique down the road where the food was plentiful, tasty and reasonably priced. When booking a driver through the hotel ( we went to Havana) ask for one who has a little bit of english ( unless your spanish is good - it was very difficult to communicate what we were looking for and where we wanted to go - eventually paid a translator. Their usual tour invoves taking you to anywhere that tourist pesos can be spent and they are not that interested in taking you off the beaten path. They are quite insistent that they know the 'best restaurant '. Lastly - our flight was delayed - we arrived late and hungry to a lukewarm welcome and had to find our way in the dark to our bungalows with barely a point in the right direction. Some of the staff were a bit cool towards guests but Nadia in the dining room - Marcos who led the guided hike in the mountains ( very worthwhile) were rays of sunshine. Also our air Transat rep was very helpful. Havana was an amazing city to spend time in. One day was not enough. If i had it to do over again i'd have booked a room there for one night and spent a couple of days soaking it in. In some ways it was good value. In other ways - we are still paying for it in illness three days later which is disappointing - and we ate and drank cautiously avoiding anything that seemed iffy. Overall we enjoyed our time but would not return to this place.

Palma Real: Another great time at the Palma Real!!

As this was my 9th time staying at the Palma Real, my review might be a little biased, but honest! First off, remember this is a 3.5* hotel in Cuba, not a 5* in the Mayan Riviera. I have been to both many times, and it is simply not a fair comparison. Due to the longstanding embargo against Cuba, they just don't have access to many of the luxuries you may be used to. At least not at the price point of a 3.5* Cuban hotel. However, if you can live with the drawbacks, you can't beat the experienc [... read more]e of the Palma Real. The good: LOCATION,LOCATION, LOCATION!!! It's so close to all the best nightlife, great restaurants, shopping and local culture. The facility is older, but has been kept up as well as I think is possible for them. It has a fresh coat of paint on the buildings, and many of the rooms are being freshened up too. The grounds are nicely kept, and the rooms are sparse, but clean. Most of the staff are friendly and helpful. The pools are nice enough. There is a "quiet pool" with a kiddy pool beside it, and a "party pool" with a swim up bar, along with afternoon activities. The lounge chairs can be hard to get in the afternoon, so be early! The beach is across/down the street a few hundred feet, but it's NOT a big deal. It's definitely worth the walk. There is also the beach bar that serves some snacks too. The beach and water are beautiful. The sand is powdery soft and the water clear and blue. My personal opinion is that it's one of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean. It's the reason Varadero has been such a popular vacation spot for 70+ years. The "Okay": The food. The food is okay! It's not gourmet, but I've always found something I actually enjoyed eating. If you like spicy food, pack a little of your favourite in your suitcase. The whole resort is older, but well laid out for it's time period. Yes, you have to walk to the lobby if you need a bathroom, which is a bit of a pain, but not enough of a pain to bypass staying there. The rooms could use some new mattresses and pillows, but are otherwise quite satisfactory. Nothing fancy, but adequate....much like everything there. The bad: The last 4 times I have been to the Palma Real, I've had some issue or another with the bathrooms. Either no hot water, or very little, or a missing toilet seat or shower wand bracket. I consider these things an inconvenience, but again, not a deal breaker, The elevators in buildings 1 and 4 were not working on this visit, but there was a service elevator that could be used in either building. Again, not a deal breaker if you don't mind some stairs. Overall: The Palma Real is not for everyone. If you desire gourmet food, luxury rooms and fixtures, everything working and available for use, it's not for you. If you don't expect all these things for what you should be paying(at least half of ANY 5* hotel in the Caribbean), and like to get off the resort and explore, then it's a good choice for you.

Palma Real: Cuba

We certainly enjoyed our stay at the Palma Real, The hotel was beautifully clean and the the hospitality was great! The staff at the hotel treated us beautifully each day and made us feel special! We enjoyed the large bathroom! The king size bed! and the view of the ocean! Our room had a light out in the closet area which was difficult to see or use the area. There were tiny bugs crawling, that bit my legs. The welts blistered in the centre. I would have hesitated to say this, but the one  [... read more]pair of socks that I did not wash, once we were home, I had 3 more bites around the ankle. We would certainly recommend this to our friends! Have a great day!

Playa Caleta: All around nice resort!

You get what you pay for! It was generally pretty good, beach is very nice, room was great, staff excellent and very professional and friendly. The only thing negative I have to say: the buffet sucked! The A La Carte restaurants are very nice.

Grand Memories Varadero: Awesome time!

The hotel is beautiful, always clean and the staff are great! Food is ok, not great but that's Cuba. There is good selection and the Gourmet restaurant is awesome! Loved the entertainment pool! Only complaint was a bad experience with the complementary room to get ready for departure after checking out but overall would go to this same hotel again!

Playa Vista Azul: Amazing lobby bar staff

The hotel was new and clean. Couldn't really enjoy the swimming because the pool was cold but it wasn't a big deal. We tried all the ala Cartes and the service and the food was good. I just wish that the Buffett changed up the food. We had excellent service at the lobby bar. They all made it fun.

Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing Getaway

This hotel was good. Staff are excellent and very nice. Beach is beautiful and close. Food was good, all sorts of stuff...even for the picky eaters. I will definitely be booking again in the next year with my children

Melia Marina Varadero: Excellent Resort

Nicely laid out. We stayed in one of the buildings furthest away from the main hotel, and that was merely a 3 to 4 minute walk to get to the lobby of the main hotel. All walking was done inside the compound - you didn't have to walk on the road. Security guards were posted at strategic points of the compound, so all buildings were secured and no outsiders could get in. Our room overlooked the marina, and the view was breathtaking, very similar to the view you see on the hotel's ad. The main lob [... read more]by was huge and nicely laid out, and so was the pool. From there, maybe a 4 minute walk to the beach. But if you wanted, there was a shuttle golf cart coming by every 2 minutes to take you there. And again, this very short ride is within the compound. At the beach, you can walk for miles and miles in either direction, swim, etc. Not sure about the other hotels, but the Melia provided both a restaurant and a bar right there. No locals trying to hustle you into buying something, etc. Great food at the buffet. Lots, too much to mention. And when the buffet was closed, there was a snack bar at the pool that offered burgers, hot dogs, fries, etc. So there you go, food, 24 hours round the clock. The people were nice and every night there was some sort/form of entertainment. Also, because this is a recently renovated resort, or brand new - I am not sure which one, the condition of our room reflected just that: no cracks in the tiles/floor, no mould/odor, ac working good, endless hot water, beautiful balcony, excellent water pressure in the shower, no cockroaches/family, depending who you are. So all in all, I would have to say that Fred Pongracic, you were right. For the money, this hotel was the best choice. Though I have not visited any of the other hotels/resorts, they would have to be that much better to justify me paying upwards of 100 dollars, and I feel that Melia was that good.

Palma Real: Wonderful resort

I booked this resort for the location and I was not disappointed. Although I missed a day due to weather my flight was rebooked without issue. I arrived at the airport and spoke to the westjet rep and was directed to my bus. I arrived at my hotel resort and checkin was without issue. I had a great room with a great view of the ocean. The food was good and the people working at the resort always had a smile. Although the resort was not beachfront for a 3 min walk you were there. The lady a [... read more]t the beach bar always had a great smile. The pools were clean and never overcrowded. If you like the nightlife you were there in a 5 minute walk. The room was good and I had hot water every day and my room was cleaned everyday. I was alone on this trip and had no problem meeting and talking to people that were there. I want to so a special thanks to my travel agent that made this possible you made my trip simple and easy thanks trip central and Martine Reid for the wonderful experience.

Palma Real: Wonderful resort

I booked this resort for the location and I was not disappointed. Although I missed a day due to weather my flight was rebooked without issue. I arrived at the airport and spoke to the westjet rep and was directed to my bus. I arrived at my hotel resort and checkin was without issue. I had a great room with a great view of the ocean. The food was good and the people working at the resort always had a smile. Although the resort was not beachfront for a 3 min walk you were there. The lady a [... read more]t the beach bar always had a great smile. The pools were clean and never overcrowded. If you like the nightlife you were there in a 5 minute walk. The room was good and I had hot water every day and my room was cleaned everyday. I was alone on this trip and had no problem meeting and talking to people that were there. I want to so a special thanks to my travel agent that made this possible you made my trip simple and easy thanks trip central and Martine Reid for the wonderful experience.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Beautiful Beach

Ok, first off check in was quick and our room was well appointed. If you can afford to upgrade to Diamond do so. Service was mediocre, found staff to be preoccupied with the Internet so it was frustrating sometimes. Food was ok, room service was ok Butler service was ok. Go for the beach!!!! If you get a deal

Hotel Los Cactus: Be open minded.

It's Cuba, so I don't need to mention the food. Must have been something in it's day. They seem to be trying but there is a lot of work to be done. Few firsts, staff eat and drink in the restaurant with customers and you may have to wait behind them, also you are never immediately acknowledge in a lot of places, i.e. bars, front desk etc. even if you are the only one there. They also do tend to gather amongst themselves and sometimes make you feel like you are interrupting. Do yourself a favour  [... read more] and tip, tip ,tip. It will make for total better service. Most of the staff seems friendly if you initiate conversation. The location is great. We just wanted a cheap quick getaway and this did the job. We stayed in the hotel. The other parts of the resort looked better for rooms.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Beautiful resort with great staff!

We stayed at this resort Dec 7-14. This was our second time here. The staff are amazing, especially Enrique and Yeramis at the pool bar! They are always pleasant and quick with the cervesa! The ladies at Mikes's coffee bar are also great! There was lots of room around the pool, never had a problem finding a chair. There is a lot of beach and the ocean in beautiful. Rooms were nice and you could always find something good to eat. We never saw the towel hut open, so not sure how you can get fresh  [... read more]towels, we made sure to hang ours up each night. Our kids loved going to the kid's club. The staff there are wonderful, especially Grey. She looked for activities that our kids were interested in. Another fun vacation in Cuba!

Melia Las Americas: Beautiful resort,good place to relax!

Resort to recomend for rest! Friendly staff in Reception, V.good entertainment and beach activities Clean rooms Good food But,restricted beach for short walks only Not satisfactory internet connection.

Hotel Los Cactus: Loved it.....

I really enjoyed my first trip to Cuba and the resort as a whole. The rooms are large the staff does an excellent job of keeping the rooms and the whole of the resort very clean. Great people .... very helpful. The food , facilities, beach, entertainment and location were wonderful .

Roc Arenas Doradas: Wonderful resort!

This is our third time to this resort and it only gets better each time we are there. We stayed Dec 8 - 15/16 and found they have completed room improvements - like new mattresses, new sheets, new towels, new drapes along with wonderfully quiet air conditioners. There is new furniture in the lounge/bar area and the main buffet area has had a renovation in the food area. This is an older resort, but is it kept very clean and the staff is amazing. The beach is one of the best on the strip - wi [... read more]th little shell and coral wash up. We have always found the food to be good to very good. The quality of beef served has also improved. Next time we go we plan on staying at least 10 days. The front desk ladies, Onys, Marelys,Mirian are wonderful and so helpful. The staff in the restaurant, especially Islay, Yulianna and Vladimir and the rest are just the best. Can't wait to go again.

Melia Las Americas: Beautiful Hotel in Varadero

We had fantastic holiday in this hotel. Lobby is impressive , nicely decorated and always very clean. Beautiful beach is in a short walking distance.! Lots of sun beds and umbrellas and again very clean. Music, snacks, drinks , dance lessons, all kind of sports and entertainment. White sandy beach with the turquoise water , absolutely amazing! Rooms are ok, we got a room with incredible view , and a lovely girl Adrienna in receptions did everything she could to make us happy! Not always we [... read more] had coffee and drinks in the room,. Clean and nice bathrooms. Food and restaurants were very good! Kind and lovely staff around all the time! Unlimited drinks and nice entertainment! Flight was very long, both ways delayed, very narrow seats .