Villa Natura: Villa Iguana Review

This was our 2nd visit to this resort. Last year we had a great time, even without a beach. This year was still good, but the food variety and preparation was lacking. I know you don't go to Cuba for the food, but to run out of eggs was not good. Dinners were good if you like pasta. On a scale of 10, I would rate the hotel as a 6. The restaurant staff were definitely a 10, the rooms were clean and our housekeeper was a 10.We would consider returning,as the price is right.

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Our new favourite resort

We loved this resort as the staff was wonderful and very accommodating. We are vegan and the chef named Junior made us special potatoes that weren’t cooked in chicken broth. We liked how the resort is not overly busy. If you want to get away for a holiday or rest and relaxation, this is your place. We will be back.

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Always a great vacation

Jan 13th we were off again to club amigo guardalavaca for 21 days. We always book through trip central with karol always finding the best deals. This was our 12th time at this resort we were not as pleased with the resort as other times the food was same lunch and dinner almost all 21 days there we were glad there was some restaurants off the resort with awesome food. We also had no hot water for the first 9 days of our stay this was a first for us we got hot water when moved to the bungalow  [... read more]section. The staff as always was top notch and very helpful. We will continue to visit this resort.

Villa Tortuga: Recent visit

The wait time to ge the food was ridiculous. The view from the superior room was awesome. The beach was incredible . The entertainment could be improve. The food was good . The location was far away from where i wanted to go

Grand Memories Varadero: So much fun

Grounds/exterior facilities: Overall this is where the resort shines, in my opinion. The grounds staff are always working to keep up a great looking resort. Though not without some deficiencies, some that leave a person wondering. If you are bringing gifts of essentials for staff, do not overlook this crew! Beach: AMAZING. Get there early to claim a good space. Rooms: There were several deficiencies found, but none of them deal-breakers and overall, the room was better than expecte [... read more]d, given some of the reviews we had seen prior to going. You are not getting four-star rooms. Don't expect it and you will be fine. Minor issues encountered: Balcony door incredibly difficult to open and close. Cabinet doors coming off the hinges, no hot water at bathroom sink (valve faulty and needs replacement), a few lights burnt out, drawer missing a pull, TV remote did not work, one of two telephones did not function. Some of the reviews you will see where people are entirely disappointed with the examples noted are due to ignorance and what I would call "self-entitled middle class/upper-middle class" nonsense! Sad. That said, some of the deficiencies could be remedied with a pack of assorted screws, a screwdriver, some wood filler, creative thought and a bit of gumption. None of these things mattered to us so much; I have stayed in dozens of modern Canadian hotels over the years and rarely do I not find a few silly deficiencies. Dining/food: Not the greatest for quality and taste, but in our stay, there was a bounty of choices. Restaurants were good. The exception (in our one experience with it) was the Italian one. You should not be hungry with all of the choices. In the end, my favourite spot was the 24 hr snack bar. Bars/drink: The coffee bar is fantastic. Sure wish they had two of these bars as the line ups can be long at times. Many other bars though out the resort-- you can't go thirsty! Sometimes the limited supply of items will reduce the options for drinks, but there is always something else to have. Staff/service: Very good. Room for improvement with some processes, but staff were kind and did their best to provide. Only in one case did we feel a few staff were unmotivated or indifferent. Minor. Overall, the staff make this place run well. Management needs to step up for improvements to processes and methodology to make the work of staff easier, which in turn will improve the customer experience; this would make a substantial impact in time. Communications can be difficult. Some staff are very fluent in a few languages, but very few, most are Spanish first and only know key words of English, French, etc. Give them a break and don't try to speak in long sentences. They are all smart people. There are near no good multi-lingual signs for essential things so best to be as informed as you can before you go and talk to your tour representative (Sunwing) while you are there. I would go back again, for sure. Further comments about negative reviews: I don't doubt that people have had legitimate poor experiences, but can't help but think that in the vast majority of those we read before going and overheard while we were there were born out of a modern North American mindset of entitlement and a pile of ignorance. Many people do not understand the culture, the lack of supply-chain and the have-nots of Cuba. They seem to go to the country and this resort and think that for $140-180/a day (Canadian) they are to not experience any "inconveniences" as far as their catered to perspective allows. Before we left I suspected this, but I also spent many hours researching Cuba and know full well the tendency of the entitlement age that we live in, from all walks of life and demographics (usually middle-class and up). I overheard whining a few times when we were there. Some people have a crappy perspective that prevents them from seeing the big picture and having a good time. That can be seen in some of the negative reviews.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing beach!

The Resort itself was lovely and mostly well-kept. The beach 20/10 - amazing. Plenty of lounge chairs and palapas - The downside: Every day, there was no hot water to shower in the late afternoon (Building 6B). They kept saying there is a mechanical issue and it was being fixed but it never was. Also, there was hot water in the morning and at night - so it was definitely an issue of incapacity - not being able to accommodate everyone who wanted a hot shower. I know 5 star in Cuba isn't eq [... read more]uivalent to a North American 5 star BUT - this was ridiculous, very disappointing and frustrating. To have access to a hot shower after the beach is not an unreasonable expectation. The quality of the food was mostly poor (except for the sea food) but that is not the fault of the hotel. I have food restrictions and MOST of the chefs tried really hard to help me make sure that I wasn't inadvertently eating anything I shouldn't/couldn't. The Miramar restaurant was a disaster - the staff were clueless re being careful about my food restrictions and it was very stressful..

Memories Cayo Largo: Great hotel,but the rooms need attention

Hotel is nice,the gardens, palm trees and beach are beautiful. Food is ok but not bad, the only problem is that there is to many flys on the food and the table, Drinks are not premium, for example, 7 year old Havana club you have to pay. Staff are friendly.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: mediocre

Hotel itself was pretty clean. Nice big lobby and terrace. Same food menu for our entire trip. Shower was separated from bedroom with a window..no window covering.Hotel told us all rooms are like this.After multiple requests to atleast cover as i had my children with me Hotel staff placed a black garbage bag over window. Bedding was damp and never changed during our stay.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Amazing time at the Royalton!

This is our second trip to the Royalton and it didn't disappoint. The service and staff are very helpful and friendly. The beach is spectacular and you can always find a lounger with no problem. I would recommend upgrading to The Diamond Club for the extra amenities -- especially if you're a golfer. We enjoyed all the a la carte restaurants -- except one night the steak was very tough in the Carribean (apparently, they ran out of beef filets). All the other nights the food was delicious. The buf [... read more]fet was fresh and plentiful and the drink quality is also very good. We chose to stay 10 days this time as we found that 7 just wasn't enough!

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Good Resort (experience was not as good as previous visit)

What was excellent I use a cpap machine which requires distilled water and Candice at trip central contacted Marialys at Paradisus and it was waiting for me at front desk when I checked in. Marialys also arranged to book the al la Carte we wanted for us and the two other couples travelling with us so all was supplied on checkin. What was good Front desk check in was friendly, all spoke English fluently. When I needed something they were quick responding. Room maid service was very good [... read more] Piano bar service was very good I stayed in building 5 and they kept it very neat and clean. The stair rails on stairs in that building are not stable. What was average or needs some improvement Food was average but you could always find something. (Expected in Cuba) What could use some improvement It was hit and miss on if you went to a bathroom outside your room if it had any toilet paper (that should never happen in a 5 star resort and was common) Washroom closes to beach had a hand dryer not working all week and no paper towels supplied A few bars had issues with beer and instead of having cans available told you to go to next bar (never seen that before in a 4 star so I did not expect it in a 5 star resort) Rock house had no pizza in afternoon one day. (That is the main meal during day) 24 hour snack bar does not have enough staff to handle peak periods. They try but when busy could take over a 1/2 hour before you get served. Only option if you are leaving early in morning but not wort missing your transportation to airport. This was my 3rd time in this resort and previous time they knew and had my room upgraded when I checked in. Now where it is run by Meliá they do not seem to want to care if you are a return visitor. Our previous review on this place had the title paradisus delivers. Now I have to add almost delivers. Would I stay again, maybe depending on price point but I would consider other options next time I go to Varadero where before this was my preferred choice. Not related to hotel or trip central but I had some issues with Hola Sun so will never go under one of their packages again. I let tripcentral know details

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Worst resort ever

Service is zero , food is negative 100 , no ketchup, no mustard, no pizza, 90% of menus not available. Food was terrible. Room looks very old. My wife got food poisoning froom tuna sandwich at snackbar.

Grand Memories Cayo Largo: Very good trip

Hotel is nice, clean. Friendly staff. Good entertainment. Nice environment. Excellent beaches a little far but there is free bus to go there ( Sirena and Paraiso beaches) Tripcentral agents are very helpful and have prompt response to any request

Paradisus Varadero: Melia Paradisus... I expected more from your chain.

After having had a great experience at Paradisus Del Mar a few years back, I expected better from this Pardisus. So here it is from best to worst: BEST: The location of this hotel is its best asset. The views are incredible and the fully mature palm trees on the property are awesome. The resort is slowly but surely being maintained and improved. No big noisy renos going on. GOOD: The room cleaning service was TOP notch (we were in room 2226). The snack bar staff, service, ambiance an [... read more]d food were our BEST experience. Friendly and happy, they delighted us repeatedly! They kept running out of white wine though. NOT OKAY: The buffet - Understaffed(it seemed) and running out of basics like salt & coffee. Service... what service? The staff walked around like they had weights on their heels and the famous phrase 'one moment' meant: forget about getting whatever you asked for. And, we were asking for coffee at breakfast! Until, until, until... the supervising managers showed up :)! Then we got everything. The pace picked up and 'voila!' all was as it should be. Although the staff was unhappy and it showed. The food varied (egg shells in their scrambled eggs seemed to be part of the recipe). The worst was the custom omelets. The women there had a bad attitide and her omelets not good. Twice we got her replacement and she was really pleasant and nice and her omelets were very good. The best was the fish grill and the pasta station. Both delicious with friendly staff. HORRIBLE: The cuban & Sakura asian restaurants were the WORST. Food was horrible at both. No show at Sakura, the girl cooking was an amateur at best. Miso soup was a simili onion soup. The waitress... OMG... We arrived on time and she told us to wait. I was trying to ask for a glass of wine while we waited but she cut me off and told me, again, to wait (with an upset face). I finally finished my sentence to ask for the wine and she again told me to wait. She was definitely the boss and I was definitely bothering her :(. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend. Sorry to all the nice people there, but you are outnumbered by your unhappy colleagues.

Grand Memories Cayo Largo: Not for everybody, but we were very pleased.

First off, it was too good of a deal to pass up. So we were expecting some hiccups. But, apart from the beach being very small because of the erosion, it was a great place to stay. Service was very nice, and our rooms were clean and food was ok. Off course, there are plenty of other beaches on this Island were you can go, some more secluded than others. You can either rent an ATV or scooter, or get in the free shuttle. The place is very safe, and not overcrowded, and apparently, you can also hav [... read more]e access to the other hotels around for beach access, lunch or drinks. There are also a few rather large corral reefs close to the beaches, and if you are ready to explore on you'll find plenty of marine life. It's our 3rd time in cayo largo, and expect to be going again.

Palma Real: Terrible resort

Overbooked , rooms lack everything from towels to toilet paper food is the worst I had in Cuba and I have been there a dozen times . I will NEVER go back to this Hotel . It is a very large complex with not enough staff to manage it getting a drink at any bar can take up to 20 mins

Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca: Wonderful relaxing vacation

First I would like to say that don't believe all of which you hear form negative people, We first arrived and heard this was bad and that was bad , but within hours of us being there all of our expected disappointments disappeared . The staff was so very friendly , food was nothing but fantastic ( I brought a few bottles of condiments but only needed ketchup for my omelets, my preference) .Kitchen staff and greeters made you feel like you were walking into their home and I can not say enough ab [... read more]out the bartenders at the pool bar , they kept us laughing all day. The resort was close enough to experience the Cuban culture both the people the near by villages and an abundance of very affordable restaurants in the area, just a close ride by horse and buggy. Go to Club Amigo , we are going back!!!!!!

Villa Natura: Sadly disappointed

This was our fourth time to Cayo Largo, and the third to this resort. Although the staff that were usually going above and beyond still are (kudos to William and Ernestad) the resort itself is going downhill fast. There was never any hot (or even luke warm) water in the mornings, and on day 3 they ran out of eggs which lasted until at least our day 7. The buffet had very few things in the morning, two days it didn't even have bread, and the evening was worse. When you look forward to atleast hav [... read more]ing an egg or two and you can't find anything else other than greasy sausage, it's hard to take. You could still get pizza from either of the pool sites (thank God) but they even ran out of diet coke and some other mixes for the booze. There were a lot of annoyed people and I must say, I was one of them. I didn't run into one repeat customer that wasn't disappointed. I doubt we will be back.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Beach!!! Resort a disappointment.

This resort is huge. Looks nice ..but so understaffed. 1st the Good: The beach is AMAZING!! Best beach is in Santa Maria. Water / weather was beautiful. Never went to pool since beach was the place to be. We stayed in building 20. Poolside room. Ice cold a/c great maids there. Privilege booking is worth skipping the line for booking a la carte with the concierge, a la carte breakfast, the premium alcohol in the privilege lounge, free 30 minute massage and a quite tasty Privilege lobster dinner n [... read more]ite. However that was it. Beach privilege section/service @ beach was a joke!! To list the disappointments: check in for priority to privilege non existent. NO WATER after 3am..no communication about this EVER!! Gosh forbid you're sick needing to washroom. 1st hotel to have scolding hot showers. Lack of cold water???? Don't leave your room without a flashlight. Walkway lighting non existent in some areas of resort, someone lost their footing and broke a walkway planter. Whole week we were there ..Never saw grounds keeper to fix/tidy that up. 1st 3 nights the stench of raw sewage overflowing down the walkway on each side of huge resort Not a place to walk barefoot watching carts splash through. 4th day garbage stench. Seeing garbage on the ground the whole week @ theater. Floors were always mopped.. But what about wiping the disgusting railways at theater. Of all resorts this was best theater for space and airflow. More attention to washroom fresh ups/supplies in evening Needed. No bacon all week.. There was always something unavailable. Disappointing to hear @ a la cartes.. Dish unavailable due to it not being ready. Really???? 1 buffet open for such a large resort. Communication about the "renos" seemed to only have been disclosed to certain guests. Had we known we would've NOT stayed. Valentin has great potential however.. Just not enough staff to keep this. Having said all the cons we still stayed the week and never complained. Pretty disappointed @ the resort. Wouldn't wish this experience on anybody.

Villa Natura: Clothing Optional Resort?

The hotel itself was decent. The rooms were clean and air conditioning and hot water worked great. The food is not so good, but it is Cuba. Pizza's and fries (when they had them) at the snack bar were good. The rum and beer were good. Don't expect anything special when it comes to drinks. If you are looking for pina coladas, daquiries, etc., this isn't the place for you. I knew going in, and after reading reviews on trip advisor, that the beach at this resort was clothing optional. What  [... read more]I didn't expect to see was nudity around the buildings (sunbathing outside of the rooms on the patios) and at the pool by the beach. Other than that, the scenery was amazing. With this resort you get what you pay for, and hopefully you don't pay too much. This is just my opinion. Others seemed to love it and there were lots of repeat customers. I just won't be one of them.

Brisas Sierra Mar: Good Value for the $$

The hotel itself is situated I'm a very nice piece of property overlooking the ocean the beach was good some weedy spots but you and navigate around them. When area of improvement will certainly be the beach chairs there was never enough of them and they look like the original chairs from when the resort was built in 1991! The food was good and overall the service was also good. I would come back here