The hotel was very clean and the staff very friendly. The food was plentiful and the restaurants had a good offering of choices. The pool was clean and the beach was beautiful. Clear water and white clean sand. Great place for kids.
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Nishantha -
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Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Nice vacation
Very nice beach. Nice and helpful staff. Good hotel. Entertainment and theatre performances were good. Bars and service was good. Enough choices in the bars to choose and drink. Food was just ok. We had a good vacation there.
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Private -
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Iberostar Coral Holguin: Beautiful resort
An absolutely beautiful resort. Pools and beach were wonderful with adequate amount of chairs available. Staff throughout the resort were very attentive and there was nothing lacking. The Coral restaurant had a very good variety and we ate there most meals. We did try the Japanese restaurant and enjoyed both the food and show. We didn’t try the other restaurants as the Coral Restaurant had everything we wanted.
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Private -
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Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Don't Expect too much!
We stayed at this resort from June 30-July 4. Overall it was ok. The few staff members we interacted were great from beginning to end. The food was ok nothing to rave about. The beach was very nice. There were a few mishaps like on our last night the resort had no water. The entertainment is only for the locals. If you are looking for something cheap this is the resort. Don't expect too much. This was my second visit and I noticed the decrease in care and value of the place.
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Oskar23 -
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Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Very very descent!
Nice overall. Can only think of positives. Had a super vacation. Staff is friendly and amazing in general. Long line to check in but we forgot about it as soon as we entered our air conditioned room and went straight to the beach.
Never used pools which they have several. The water there is as hot as pee.
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Private -
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JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Very good resort
Everything about the resort was very good, the staff was fantastic. The only complaint I would have is the common areas, hall ways, including the many lobby bar area had no AC, it was very hot made it uncomfortable.
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Private -
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Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Stunning resort and beach
The rooms are gorgeous. Brand new. Beds so comfortable and rooms ice cold. We had the rooftop. It was huge. The beach is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen. The people are so kind and the service is amazing It’s a place where you go to relax. Not much of a nightlife. Also there is a lack of food. We didn’t starve. But it’s not the same as it was preCovid. Not even close. Room fridge only has one bottle of water a day. There was a lot of shortages. No seafood at all. The f[... read more]ood situation needs a major improvement.
NOW the travel, what a nightmare with SUNWING. Delay after delay after delay. There and back. Sunwing changed our travel times by 12 hour to go there and they added a stop in Holguin. On top of that we were delayed by the sunwing crew for 4 hrs. Coming home was another nightmare, our sunwing rep at the hotel made us waste our last day and sent us to the airport too soon, he didn’t get the delay notifications and argued that his supervisor didn’t inform him even though we showed him the multiple emails from sunwing all day long with delay notifications. We had to tell him. We got the airport before the staff was there and we had to wait outside in 40 degree weather fighting off the mosquitoes for a hour and a half. Never again sunwing. Ever.
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Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Great resort 5 stars
The hotel is great very clean.. nice views.. open concept spacious .. great staff and services ... variety of food and entertainment..
The only complains is lack of cooling system at reception/ lobby during hot and humid weather
Elevators bit slow in some areas
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Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: By far the worst resort ever in my 25 years of travels.
I have never in my 25 years of travelling complained once about a resort, this is the exception!!!! From the first day to the very last everything went wrong from day to day.This is all I’m going to say because people would not believe what went wrong on our 14 day (every day)vacation at this resort starting with management and their lack of professional courtesy towards tourist. My wife and I do understand that no matter the hotel be it a 5 stars, nothing in this world is perfect and this is[... read more] understandable, you have to accept the good and the bad. We’ve done a lot of travelling and at ton of hotels including Iberostar which was one of the hotels we loved but all of this change with ALAMEDA. We were planning to go to Iberostar in Riviera Maya this fall but are now looking at alternative hotels.
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Debbie -
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Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: This resort was amazing!
This hotel was definately a good pick. The pools were large, many chairs, shaded areas to relax. The food was very good, lots of choice. The beach had lots of sea weed, they tried to remove it daily, the water was very wavy. There are flamingos, peacocks, other animals walking everywhere. They did not expect tips, some people left them, others did not. We enjoyed the Iberostar del mar, from check in to checkout everything went smoothly.
Thank you Louise Endean, you made everything about trave[... read more]l great from our first conversation wondering what hotel to choose, to our departure. We will definately choose you for our next travel destination.
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Private -
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Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Resort is beautiful, people are friendly happy smile kind polite
Hotel is good, rooms are clean and new, some area in one of building had dirty stairs, was disappointed last day I saw in kitchen counter cockroache oh that made me very upset, couldn’t eat after I saw, they need to watch that
They are trying to keep clean, employees always warmly welcome but this things made hotel star lower ,
Security and beach is perfect
Charlie, entertainment man is very nice, making people happy, I loved dancing on the beach , around the pool and evening in concert [... read more]hall parties, music dancing makes completely relax your mind , I loved dancing and motivated others
Overall I enjoyed it
Hotel was great. Read a lot of reviews and already had my expectations for the food to be subpar. I was more than impressed. Hotel and grounds are beautiful. Workers are working everyday keeping it up. The furniture is dated but everything worked. Food was better than I expected. Not a ton of variety but always something there. Egg station in the morning, pasta station lunch and dinner. Was scared to drink the water at first but after a couple days, realized it was good. They give you[... read more] 2 liters in your room each day. And I am sure you can ask for more if needed. We never got sick from anything. Even ate the ice cream and the alfredo pasta. We did the Italian and Japanese a la carte . Both were great. The Japanese was fun to watch and delicious to eat. I recommend both. But you have to book in early, 9am - 3pm is when the booking office is open. We slept in the first morning and never got to book the romantic one. But we still got 3 al a carte booked for our 4 days stay.
Resort had good whiskey and liquors. Great fruit juices as well. Staff were super friendly and always smiling. We bought the Cuban money which was not needed. They prefer USD money. which we brought with us as well. Everything in the Cuban airport was also in USD currency.
Beach was amazing. Clean clear water. We got a couple of buns from the buffet and took them into the ocean. just about 20 feet out (still standing) and there were a ton of tropical fish that came and swam around us. The resort offers free snorkel masks, but we never used them. Didn't need them as the water was so clear, you could see the fish no problem.
I had never been to Cuba before, and I would go back. We are planning on going back next year and we are going to be book this resort.
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Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Well kept on the outside- great views and beach
You need to know Cuba, always choose 4-5 star and don’t expect it to be like Canada, it is Cuba…it is that simple. Go for the beach, water, people, fresh fruit and don’t expect gourmet. I read various reviews …all worried as I was travelling with a toddler, so I brought what I needed for him and so my expectations were met. (Diapers, formula some snacks- all was good.) Hotel was decent, they probably just repainted the outside and the inside could do with a better clean and revamp, but [... read more]it was all livable for our stay. Coffee was good as usual, sugar was not available( but I brought honey) sugar came in three days later… no big deal. Sweeter they had was actually better than what we have. I bring loads of stuff to give away and people are always happy with that. Things are more expensive after Covid especially at the airport. Buy at the hotel or at local places. I would suggest this hotel… it meet my expectations. No shortages or issues. .
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Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing Resort
We just returned from Iberostar Costa Dorado and don't have any complaints. This was our second time at this resort. The resort was well maintained, there were a ton of beach loungers and our room was great. The only complaint we have is the outside vendors that are brought in are extremely pushy. They do not take no for an answer and were getting very upset with us if we did not buy anything. We would not hesitate to return for another vacation.
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Stormlady -
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Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great staff & service
I went to Iberostar daiquiri in April. And I again visited last week. The staff goes out out their way to accommodate you. Please remember you are visiting Cuba. There ARE food shortages which the government controls. Bring protein bars, peanut butter packs or snacks. The shows are fabulous along with singing in the lobby at times. The courtyard was wonderful in the morning where I enjoyed feeding the Mother & 5 baby roosters. It was quiet while enjoying my breakfast of fresh buns, omelets and f[... read more]ruit. Thank you to the man at the front desk for fixing my phone! You are fabulous. I dropped it in water and he fixed it. Once again, thank you to all the staff, the girls ate bar who brought me my favorite food for breakfast! I will be returning again soon. Miss you all,
Janet
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Private -
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Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Terrible Customer Service
Pros and cons to everything, but I was shocked by how terrible the front end service was. Experienced issues the first week and can’t believe they’re still in business with how things are handled there. The grounds are beautiful, it’s so fun having the animals around, the beach is gorgeous (I would suggest staying away from the rocky parts which you can see clearly), the food had a great selection, the cleaning and food staff were always great - essentially if you experience zero issues, y[... read more]ou’ll be fine, but if you have any issues, basically keep them to yourself or you’ll be frustrated beyond belief and waste way too much time. My first night after a full day and night of travel we arrive, and there was confusion because there’s 5 hotels on this one resort - all the perks we were looking forward to that we saw weren’t actually included with where we booked which was a huge let down. We had the option to upgrade but it was really expensive, so we let it go and it just was what it was - definitely very misleading and kind of shady, but we didn’t let it bug us. First night, I had the most terrible sleep and MAYBE got 4 hours cut up because of this drunk group of guys trying to bash into the neighbouring room. I called security - eventually the bulk left, and the AC turned on which is quite loud so the remaining sound was drowned out. I was woken up again by a drunk person continuously knocking and tapping on the door trying to get in again - called security again. Managed to get back to sleep, but woke up again to drunks trying to get into the door, called security for a third time.. and after this phone call they then started fidgeting with my door handle trying to force their way in. I was literally appalled that I had to call security three times in a night, and they claim someone came each time, but to call not once, not twice, but three times? I can honestly say I already didn’t feel safe after night one of 13. Went to the lobby the following day to see what the heck happened, and time and time again no matter who I talked to, everyone just justified what happened as though it was normal and there was no issue and I’m essentially overreacting. Being a family friendly resort with a baby and having a group of drunk men trying to force their way into rooms in the middle of the night repeatedly? Nothing was offered, no apologies were made, it was this constant flow of the systems they have in place and how everything is handled and there was no problem. We were then told by our hands on travel guide at the resort that the front desk/concierge workers are known to be more of sales people and less people people, which makes sense because of how much you’re up sold. Following this shocking display of a clear lack of customer service, we went to their sales presentation as you got some perks for going, so why not? It’s actually an ingenious program that would have been considered, but no longer was when the first manager came to us prior to it starting and asked how the stay has been so far, and we told him the truth of what happened the first night. Response? Didn’t acknowledge it at all, clarified that we knew this was a sales presentation, signed off, and passed us along. Who in their right mind hears of someone having a terrible experience their first night, completely ignores it, then continues to try and sell you more time spent at this resort? It was appalling the demeanour in how they talked to us and looked down on us - just like we were money for the taking. Didn’t care at all about us. This was now an experience we brought to the front desk to bring attention to how off putting this resorts dynamic was - but there was more justification, no one really cared, and we were actually sickened by how some treated us. Eventually we clawed our way to the front end supervisors and managers who could finally help us, but it’s very clear that this resort runs on a very top down, hierarchical model where people are paid poorly and are not happy, which actually made me really sad. Again, the food staff was incredible always, the cleaners were sweet as can be, and you’ll get good and bad everywhere you go, but for the Human Resources and front end to be that bad, I honestly don’t know how they’re still afloat. This was only the beginning of our problems but I won’t write them all here as the issues all came back down to the same thing - lack of leadership and knowledge of dealing with people. Even very small things that weren’t a big deal but we wanted to get sorted out became huge confusing issues that were impossible to get to the bottom of.. we spent way too much time in the lobby dealing with things on our vacation. Very disorganized, inefficient systems - we chatted with a lot of other people staying there who were as confused as we were when we arrived, as most things aren’t explained, the map barely makes sense, and you’re kind of just left to your own devices. Multiple families we met on their way out after a week stay said they had just learned of helpful things like the shopping centre, the Iberostar app, the times of buffets and a La cartes, etc. I’m not sure if covid made resorts worse, but prior vacations I’ve never experienced anything like this. We’re business owners so that’s where our perspective on this is all coming from - if our business ran this way and we treated our customers as we were treated, we wouldn’t be in business today.
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Dpuri -
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Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Decent hotel
I had a bit better expectations, but the hotel was decent. The location is really good but the rooms needs work. The waterflow in the washroom shower is extremely slow and there is no actual shower just the shower head. Also, the bedsheets were not clean. Food area was in the open and there were flies, and birds eating from it. We got food poisoning. However, they did open the indoor buffet area a couple of days before we were leaving and that was much cleaner and nicer. The staff was extremely [... read more]friendly and I cannot say enough good things about them. The shows at night were spectacular and there were several activities that kept us entertained. Overall, except for the food and average rooms everything else was quite decent. For a 5 star resort I had a bit better expectations but our stay was still fun. If I go back it will be only for the staff.
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Terry -
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Iberostar Grand Packard: Just OK for a 5 star.
Room was great, clean with great ocean view. Although water pressure was an issue.
Staff were super friendly and help full.
Facilities are clean.
In room coffee maker was awkward to use and produced weak coffee.
Food was just so so in the main resturant. Has to send one meal back as it was served cold.
Preferred to eat at local places in the city.
Need more food selection in tapas bar.
Quality and quantity in the breakfast buffet was excellent.
Some of their systems are awkward , but t[... read more]hat may be a product of government controls ie no cash allowed.
Unrelated to the hotel, but in Havana you are constantly harassed with people wanting to change money, buy drinks, buy tours etc. Not my first time there and it's not the same old Havana. The economy is bad and the people are getting desperate, but no evidence of crime.
Now for the bad part. The return flight was delayed appox 4 hours but the outbound flight was delayed over 7 hours. Received a $20 food voucher but it should be more. I need to find out more about a possible claim.
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Bentley#12 -
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Iberostar Coral Holguin: Great Resort
Our stay was exceptional. The resort was spotless and staff catered to our every request. The three Amigos....Juniors (butlers X 2 & bar tender) exceptional service. Food far exceeded what we expected for Cuba. My husband believes this is the first time he has been to Cuba where he might have gain weight. If I could of pack the butlers in my suitcase to come home, I would have. Well worth the upgrade to Coral level. Looking forward to a return visit. Pools very nice. Third beach nice[... read more] across the bridge. Call 555 and have your butler drive you over in electric golf carts as a bit of a walk otherwise. Resort about 1 hour from airport but went by fast as tour guide on bus very entertaining.