Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Great time!

My room was beautiful. I especially loved the swim up room. So worth it! The grounds were very nice and the buildings with the rooms were very pretty. Now this is not the fault of Cuba or the resort, but the weather sucked, rainy and overcast. I made the best of it. I went to the beach which was really nice. No seaweed, no rocks and shallow. Lots of chairs and it wasn't to busy so no problem finding one. ***Bring lots of bug spray!!!!!!**** The mosquitos were brutal, especially at night and afte [... read more]r rain. I used the deet spray and that worked well. If you are looking to party this is not the resort. It's quiet and not a lot to do. This was fine with me as I just wanted to relax and swim. On the Thursday night their was a great dance show in the lobby. Their is a 24 hour bar here and you can get food their after 11pm. The food: People always say it's not great bit I found it good. Lots of fruit like watermelon, pineapple and mangos. A lot of pork dishes. Their was a lot of buns etc. You definitely won't go hungry. Anyway I enjoyed my time there though I wish it was a little busier and the weather was better

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: Iberostar was great, Martine was excellent.

Martine found us this resort last minute. I don't even know how she managed it. Great service. The service at this resort is awesome. Great if you have kids for the waterpark. Shows were a bit weak. Food is awesome.

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Average ! Suite Personal Ratings at 3.5 Stars.

Well kept Grounds, Services are Good!Banquet Food Looks Delious,Taste as if Heated in the Fridge. Food are a Very Essential Part of a Resort's Guests satisfaction.. The Suite My Wife & I were in Were Satisfactory.Except the Bath Poor Draining System .

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great Resort

The staff was very friendly and always helpful The food was amazing, lots of selection at the buffet There were daily activities we enjoyed as well as day and evening entertainment Clean grounds and pool

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing resort!

Beautiful and clean hotel. Amazing clean and hot sea. Clean beach and no stealing beach towels, on surveillance all the time. So many clean pools. Delicious buffet. Did not try 3 restaurants because the buffet was so good. Best wifi on the lobby. Slow in the room. Live music every evening and show at 9:30 p.m. Very nice staff.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: A huge disappointment. Save your time and money; go elsewhere!

My family of four (two young adults, plus my husband and I) just returned from our 1-week vacation at the Iberostar Laguna Azul. While this was our first time staying at this resort, this trip marked our 2nd trip to Varadero and our 4th trip overall to Cuba (our first trip post-pandemic too!). We were all super excited to come back to Cuba because of the positive experiences we've had before on past vacations, but we would be lying if we said we didn't leave disappointed by the end of our trip.  [... read more] Admittedly, yes, the pandemic has caused an economic crisis in Cuba and life has gotten a lot harder for the locals there. This has also caused many food and supply shortages throughout the country, which affects the resorts as well. All of these factors are understandable and they’re out of the locals' hands. But at the same time, the purpose of a vacation is to relax and not worry about anything. If you want a vacation that's hassle-free with an ACTUAL 5-star resort that lives up to its expectations, don't stay at this resort and travel to other countries instead. 1. BEACH/POOLS: The beach is perhaps the only upside to this resort, unfortunately. It is very beautiful (think soft white sands and turquoise waters) and the water isn't rocky in the least. There's also a coral reef a bit further out, which is really interesting to explore! Watch out for sand fleas though; as long as you wash them off with soap and water, you should be golden. We didn't really go into the pools at all because there are some broken tiles that remain unfixed (lots of reviews online were commenting about this) and it could be a safety hazard. 2. FOOD: Yes, one doesn't go to Cuba for delicious food. However, my family have never been picky eaters and we've still thoroughly enjoyed our vacations to Cuba, regardless of the food. Despite this, the food at this resort was absolutely unbearable; always bland, undercooked, SALTY and/or oily. It was always the worst at the buffets because they would keep putting out the leftover meals from the day before (most likely due to the food shortage), which lead to a lot of food going bad that we would try to avoid. The a-la-cartes were a LOT better and our family enjoyed them (the romantic restaurant is the best, followed by the japanese one and then the italian). Those restaurants were also SO much cleaner in comparison to the buffet/snack bar, which always had flies swarming on your plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, etc, plus on the actual food at the buffet. Not to mention that there are always birds that sneak in and eat the food at the buffet selection and empty tables. The staff don't seem to really clean off the tables or chairs at the buffet/snack bar too, so we're not completely sure how sanitary the resort is. Staff also don't use any hairnets or gloves whenever they cook food, which was an interesting observation. The resort also doesn't provide bottled water and the only option is "purified water", which is served at restaurants, bars and in your rooms through reusable bottles. My entire family started getting stomach aches towards the end of our vacation and are still recovering right now back home here in Canada. We're not sure if this is due to food/water poisoning or the difference in the Cuban vs Canadian water system/food preparation process, but we would definitely say that this resort is not the most sanitary. There also isn’t much selection with regards to food wherever you go, whether that’s at the buffet or a-la-cartes. The 24 hour snack bar only serves basic sandwiches and half-baked pizzas most of the time, topped with a side of cockroaches (which you will find all-throughout the resort. I know it’s a tropical country, but not sure how sanitary it is to have insects in the kitchen and on countertops, which we saw). 3. ROOMS: Their rooms are pretty decent, but from what we heard from other guests, your room experience will be very hit or miss. Unfortunately, our family fell on the 'miss' side and we had a lot of problems with our adjoining rooms (same building as the main buffet and on the same floor as the lobby) right off the bat: - the toilet in one of the rooms wasn't working at all (couldn’t flush) - the lock for the balcony in one of the rooms completely dislodged from the door-frame, which is a safety concern - neither of the telephones work in both rooms - the sinks were semi-clogged - no soap/shampoo/body gel in any of the washrooms - both of the rooms were VERY dirty and we had to request for deep-cleaning We brought up these problems with customer service and to be honest, it took quite awhile for them to be resolved. They eventually called in a technician to fix the toilet/balcony and a maid to do deep cleaning, but they couldn't give us new rooms because this resort has limited adjoining rooms for families (families, take note of this!). You also have to kick to open one of the washroom doors because it was broken, which is hilarious. 4. SERVICE: This was between poor and fair (2-3 stars). There was a TripAdvisor review that I had previously read saying that the “spirit of the Cubans had changed”, which is an accurate way to describe it. Cuban people are usually known to be extremely hospitable and friendly individuals, but there seems to have been a shift after the pandemic due to their current economic crisis. While this is understandable, don’t expect to get outstanding service without giving a tip first. They will still tell you that tipping is optional, but most of the staff won’t acknowledge you or serve you efficiently or effectively without a tip first. It’s 100% not the same hospitable atmosphere that Cuba was known for. 5. LOCATION: The location is another upside, but just a minor one. The resort is pretty safe as a whole and it’s located about 2.5 hours away from Havana, which could be a really great excursion outside of the hotel (please note that you will absolutely be aggressively swarmed by locals trying to sell you services, products and excursions while in Havana. Don’t buy anything in the streets and stick to inside shops!! Don’t openly display that you bought anything too or else this will put a huge target on your back and you will be swarmed). 6. VALUE: This is most definitely NOT a 5-star resort and it fails to meet the expectations that are in place for hotels of this caliber. Our family was left feeling disappointed not even halfway through the vacation, despite trying to make the best of it. Their entertainment and nightly shows are sub-par as well, plus the disco is always DEAD (might be due to off-season, but the DJ didn’t really play great songs either). We read many reviews of this resort and saw quite a few bad ones, but we didn’t really believe them until we started experiencing it ourselves. Not quite sure how there are so many 5-star reviews of this resort online as of recent when we’ve talked to so many fellow guests during our vacation who also agree with us! "Don't sweat the small stuff," some reviews have said, but a lot of these factors WILL drastically impact your vacation! This has been a real disappointment and a wake-up call that Cuba is not the same travel destination as it once was. While this is of no fault to the Cuban people, this will 100% affect your vacation… and not in a good way.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Terrible resort and services

Locker dint work Balcony door was broken No wifi connectivity (I missed many work meetings ) Flush was broken in one of the room Receptionist didn’t action to our complain Our pickup from bus on day 1 was late by the bus driver which resulted in reaching hotel late at night and there was no dinner provided due to the delay Return flight was delayed for an hour which resulted in paying extra for the scheduled booked car at Toronto airport POS machine was not working in flight for  [... read more]any food purchase and the flight landed at 3 am. We were starving without food All 6 passengers in other itenary got 6 different seats despite of requesting them to provide same row seats as there were few senior and heart patient in family travelling together. Very limited option for vegetarians or who eats only chicken

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Amazing resort

We had a wonderful time at this resort beautiful scenery and beaches. Great temperature weather was great the staff was wonderful couldn't ask for a better staff there just like family. Would recommend this resort to anyone as a place to go to?

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Mediocre resort, not 5 star quality

Food was the same in buffet for breakfast and lunch every day. We went to 3 of the restaurants (Mexican, Brazilian, Japanese) and they were all TERRIBLE! The Mexican was embarrassing considering we were IN MEXICO, it was like the dishes were all prepared beforehand and not fresh. The Brazilian was slow and none of the waiters talked to us/explained the process. All the meats were only offered once and VERY SALTY (and I typically like salt). The Japanese was the worst of all. We were excited to t [... read more]ake our daughter there to see all the tricks that they do at the teppanyaki table but the chef DID NOT DO ANY TRICKS!! We sat there in silence and watched him cook while the other tables around us laughed and cheered at the performances they got to watch. When I asked the waiter why our chef wasn't doing any tricks, I was told it was because he was "new and shy". We were very disappointed. The worst part of the hotel was that nothing was open to eat between 4:00pm and 6:30pm. My baby gets hungry around 5-6pm and that is when we usually give her dinner but we couldn't there. Luckily I brought a few containers so I would take food for her from the lunch buffet for dinner but we thought that was unacceptable! They should stagger the restaurant and buffet opening times. Overall the resort was quite large, we stayed mostly in the "quiet area" of the pool. I tried to go with my baby to the baby area called the Kangaroo room which has lots of great toys but it was not air conditioned so we ended up going to the room instead. I will choose a different resort for my family next time.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Mixed Feelings

I have been to Cuba a few times, first time in Holguin. When booking a Cuba holiday you know you are going there for the beaches, not for the gastronomic experience. However, from my previous travels to Cuba there were no complaints, there was always something you would find as a good option at the restaurants and bars. Not this time around. Regarding food choices, I can't say that there wasn't always something you could eat to not go hungry, but the issue we had was using the restaurants i [... read more]n the evenings. They sell the idea as in other resorts of booking at their a la carte restaurants that offer different options than the buffets available for lunches. However, this is not entirely true. The food offered/quality was the same as the lunches except your choices were limited because it went from a buffet to 3 things on the menu. Apparently the Asian restaurant is somewhat better, but we weren't able to get a reservation before we flew back home as our trip had to end before expected. The first night at the "Mediterranean" restaurant the air conditioner wasn't working. It was a sauna in the room. The waitress was literally dripping sweat. People were leaving the restaurant as they couldn't stand the temperature inside. We decided to stay as we appreciated the effort by the staff, but unfortunately the food was really terrible. We then stuck to eating from the Coral lunch buffet and putting away some of the food so we could have what was good for our evening meal in our room. As far as drinks, we were not able to enjoy a mojito as they didn't have the ingredients to prepare it. And when you finally found something you could enjoy, by the afternoon or the next day it was no longer available. Mixed feeling over this vacation come from the fact that the hotel facilities/rooms at the Coral were fantastic, as well as the pool. Yes, there a couple of things that are run down which is normal, but nothing that would break a vacation experience. Cubans are friendly and warm people and there is no question about that, that would always be a positive experience when you visit Latin America. However, this is a review based on my hotel/food experience and yes, although they (staff) are doing everything they can with what they have available, I find perhaps the owners could make a better effort to provide the real experience they advertise about their resort. If they can't provide good food/variation of food at the a la cart , then close them and focus on making the buffets better at night. In short, would I go back, absolutely not. And I also wouldn't recommend it to my family and friends purely based on the dinning experience and quality control. Do a little more research and maybe you will find something in the same country at a better resort. With respect, for me a vacation is a place to rest, relax and enjoy a different experience after long working hours and life commitments. The trip is not cheap, so I expect "some quality" (with a few reservations of course),and this is not what we got. Thank you.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Amazing resort with amazing staff!

GROUNDS ARE WELL GROOMED. ALL STAFF FROM FRONT DESK, BUTLERS, HOUSEKEEPERS, BARTENDERS, WAITERS AND WAITRESSES, CHEFS AND MANAGEMENT ARE ALL PROFESSIONAL AND FRIENDLY. THEY WILL WORK TO MEET YOUR NEEDS. THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR VACATION MEMORABLE!

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Good resort

Ground were very nice. Beach was lovely. Accommodations were clean and spacious, with nice decor. Staff were great. Food was good for breakfasts and lunches, a la carte was a huge let down. Seem to have a problem with HOW to cook, all dried out and tasteless.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Amazing family vacation place

Everyone was so friendly at the resort and we will definitely be returning. Restaurants were great, we loved the Japanese restaurant as it was great food and great entertainment. Amenities were clean and well maintained. Beach area is nice. Close distance to the catamaran day trip. Daily activities were really fun with the staff

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Fabulous resort

We thorouly enjoyed our vacation at Iberostar Grand Bavaro.Service is incredible at this resort.The resort is very well maintained.Staff are amazing,there is absolutely nothing they will not do so you enjoy your stay.We hope to return again.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Some major sanitary conditions

Let me start by saying the beach was perfect, rooms were very nice, food was as varied as they could make it. Staff are super sweet ,very appreciative and hard working. Danny, I must commend..he took care of our every need. I however have to state that there was no hand soap at any time in the hotel bathrooms which are used frequently by both staff and clients. I checked both the men’s and women’s bathrooms and not a drop of soap could be found. ( nor was there any type of hand gels)Also som [... read more]e days there was no toilet paper. Especially being post Covid this is just not acceptable. Our last two days of 5 we also had no soap refilled to our room and we ran out of toilet paper. I also have to state that the dining room was full of flies everywhere. Lastly because this hotel did not spray for misquitos we were eaten alive especially in their open air lobby. We could not go to any of the evening shows that were held in the lobby so as a result we did not get to enjoy any of that. To say we had over 100 bites would not be a lie. Itchy bites that kept us up at night itching despite all the deet spray I brought and used! They did a smoke spray one evening however that did next to nothing. I imagine they should have been spraying nightly to get rid of the mosquitoes .They also ran out of bottles of water which Alex ,our SunWing rep strongly advised us to use for brushing our teeth not to mention for hydration.When we approached “Ariel” he had no suggestions for us except we spend our time trying to track down our maid to ask for bottles. Our maid btw was excellent and 100% she would have restocked our room with water, toilet paper etc if it was available. It appeared to us we were inconveniencing him by asking about getting bottles of water. Not courteous nor helpful. This is not the staffs fault that there are shortages…however you can no longer classify yourself as a 5 star resort when the very basics for health and safety cannot be provided. My sister and I both returned home very sick. It’s not hard to see how that happened when no one was able to adequately hand wash. I would not recommend this hotel until soap is provided in guest rooms and all lobby bathrooms, until they manage their fly and mosquito problems and are able to supply and replenish clients with bottled water.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Beautiful hotel

It was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen . The hotel had a great open air lobby with a piano player in the evening, unfortunately could not sit there for long due to the mosquitoes!!! They did not do enough to control that situation. I do understand it was mosquitoes season The food , well it is Cuba ..They ran out of lots of items daily , butter milk cheese “ect” Rooms were very nice and cleaned well. The worst for me unfortunately was they had no hand sanitizer or so [... read more]ap in most of all of the washrooms on the property . Being post Covid this is unacceptable hundreds of people sharing the serving spoons at the buffet. I’m also worried the staff and especially kitchen staff were unable to wash their hands as well ! They also ran out of bottled water the last 2 days we were there . Which created a problem because they did not suggest using tap water in the room to brush your teeth.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing resort

This was my second visit to this hotel in the past month the resort is one of my favourite places I’ve been in Cuba being there 30 plus times and by far had the best time the grounds are kept beautifully staff are amazing food was good la carts are beautiful I have nothing to say bad about this resort cannot wait to return in April

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Wonderful stay at Del Mar!

We loved our stay at this resort. It was our first time to Mexico and it did not disappoint. Staff were outstanding, food was delicious, rooms clean, lots of games and fun at the pool. Great excursion with Cancun Adventures to Tulum ruins & Cenote caves. Only complaint would be the beach. Water was rough and there was a ton of seaweed. They worked to clear it but it was everywhere on the beach and in the water. If you love the beach would not suggest Mayan Riviera during Jan-June (as per locals) [... read more]. Otherwise, overall it was a fantastic resort with lots to do, eat, drink & play!

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Beautiful resort

Resort is beautiful, very clean and well maintained. Staff are very pleasant and service was excellent. Food ranges from average to excellent depending on restaurant. Pool area and beach were beautiful.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: This is now my GO-TO resort!!

This was my second trip to Iberostar Coral level in Holguin. My first was in January 2023 and as soon as I got home I booked this trip to return in April 2023. Yes, it was that good!! If you are looking for a relaxing vacation in a beautiful location, this is the place for you. The entire resort is extremely well kept, clean and welcoming. The butler service is an amazing extra! Much thanks to Junior Manuel Sablón Pérez & Laritza Hernandez for taking such good care of me! Carlos De Jesus Pa [... read more]z Aguilera provides the entertainment poolside and is great at what he does. Although I can't name everyone the entire staff is friendly and helpful. My room was cleaned spotless every day, so a special thanks to the housekeeping staff. Are there shortages? Of course there are; but the staff are excellent at working with what they have and trust me, you will not go hungry or thirsty! I have travelled to Cuba many many times and I have never felt more welcomed than I did at this resort. The pool is amazing; clean and inviting. The beach, well there are 2 of them, one smaller about a 5 minute walk from your room and the other, larger one is maybe a 10 minute walk; but BONUS, you can get a shuttle to either of these if you would rather not walk. Both are clean and inviting with plenty of lounge chairs. I could go on, but let's just say I doubt I will go to any other resort from now on, and that's saying a lot!! Love it!!