Memories Jibacoa: Perfect Holiday!

We fell in love with this resort, the resort I felt was very well kept. The grounds were lovely and well kept with lots of trees and shrubs and very pretty flowers. The rooms were very comfortable a little old but we didn't mind. We found the food to be quite good and the specialty restaurants were amazing! But our favourite place to eat was at the beach restaurant, we loved Rodger. People should know that the drinks are top notch, for me premium drinks and the best was the piano bar. The resort [... read more] is small 250 rooms which for us was part of the draw we like the smaller resorts, no line ups for food or drinks and know young kids which made it quite. The beach was very nice found it to be rocky but it was a coral reef beach so that was expected. We really loved the big trees on the beach provided great shade. The layout of the resort was good you didn't have to walk very far to get to the beach or pool or even the buffet. The lobby and the levels below it were great places to eat or just hang out and have a drink. The lobby also had seating outside the doors with juices and water to consume and every morning I would sit out there with my cappuccino and watch people come and go and also met quite a few people out there. Now the people, I can not say enough about the lovely people who work at this resort. I found everyone to be so friendly and helpful right from the grounds keepers to reception. I really don't know how they do it day after day and with the long hours they work and they still have a smile on their faces. We loved our vacation there and we do plan on returning next year.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Lots of Fun

We visited for the 1st week of May and had great weather and really enjoyed the location. Hotel staff was great with Charlie (Carlos) and Eli by the pool bar and Nurika our maid (probably spelled wrong, sorry about that) being the stand outs. I really liked the location and found the easy access to Varadero to be a real plus. The food was not my favorite but that's mostly because I can be too fussy. We did have 2 lovely dinners at Cafe 60 in Varadero that more than made up for it (amazing restau [... read more]rant, do treat yourself). Also really enjoyed a one day visit to Havana. Must be seen to be appreciated. Would definitely check out a few Fidel videos on YouTube before going vice watching them once we returned home. A great trip all around and a wonderful resort experience as well.

Barcelo Solymar: So So Resort

Very run down. The common washrooms were dirty, the woman's toilets did not have toilet seats. We had beetles in our room which were isolated to the desk and you would only see them scurrying at night. We never seen them anywhere else in the room. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. I had heard after we had booked that this resort was party central, well that was true. My husband and I felt like chaperones, mostly university students, lots of partying. The door frame on our room was all b [... read more]roken like someone had a one time kicked the door in. Hallways very noisy at all hours. Food was OK, but that is Cuba, no big expectations in that area.

Starfish Varadero: resort much improved

I spent two weeks at Aquas Azules April 25 to May 9 and must say there was a great improvement over last year,Pablo and Andrea and their new team have done a lot of work in a few short months and are to be congratulated on what they have accomplished.I have been to this hotel a number of times and will likely return next year.The full staff of this hotel are so helpful and very friendly.Perfect beach and weather.

Barcelo Solymar: Thumb's Down

Both my husband and I are 45 years old. I'm a catering manager at 2 hotels and he's a police officer just to give you an idea of our demographic. The best thing about this hotel is that there are always many people wondering around and it always feels alive and upbeat. Food is mediocre. A tip that we found out on our last day was that if you want a decent lunch at the buffet then you must be there right at 12:30pm when it opens. The food will be plentiful and fresh. If you wait until after the i [... read more]nitial opening and rush, you will get scraps and leftovers because they do not replenish with fresh food. Try to make reservations to the a la carte restaurants. At least you will get food prepared fresh for you. Lobster is an additional $15 and is worth it in my opinion. Guestroom: sink would not drain, air conditioner did not work, toilet flushed all night and in the morning I opened a drawer to find a small cockroach scurrying about. My left arm had about 6 red bites and was a bit itchy. I kindly asked to change rooms which was no problem so we moved up to the 4th floor. Everything worked except that I couldn't open the patio door and at 8pm a rather large cockroach was wondering around on our king size bed. I went to front desk and the attendant told me she would send someone up. Not sure why? Maybe to change the sheets. Needless to say I couldn't sleep (for some reason I felt like there were bugs crawling all over me) but we carried on. The next morning I had no new bites but my husband had about 5 on his arm. In summary, if you are going just to party, then you will have a great time. Location is good too. Very close walk to the bars and restaurants in Varadero. Oh yes, book a bungalow, apparently there are no cockroaches. Also, I was shocked at how much money we lost when we exchanged Canadian dollars. At the airport (which I recommend) $200 CAD will get you $150 Cuban.

Palma Real: Location, Location, Location

This resort is right in the thick of it, next to many attractions including nightlife (Havana Club, La Comparsita, Block 62 and 59), as well as Jasone Park. Food was good, and the resort staff were friendly, would definitely recommend this resort.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Great Resort! But.........

Until the last day at this resort...I was sold. The staff were friendly, the rooms were basic but very clean, there was always hot water, the beach was fantastic, there were always loungers in the shade (thanks to our friends who worked at the beach and would save them for us everyday) the pool was clean. One important thing to mention was that there were not a lot of real loud party'ers...maybe this was because it was late in the season. My constant thought was this isn't luxury...however it is [... read more] lovely....Great Coffee bar, Super Entertainment every night, food was fine and again the staff in the Buffet were very sweet! We did have an issue with one room but after a time it was solved. So everything seemed great! However on the last day a lot of my good feelings left me and my last day was a disaster. There were some sketchy issues with late check out, yes we could have late check out if we paid 26 pesos...which is fair....however it had to be pesos as the credit card machine was not working....but it was working in the little shop next store...so how can it work in one place and not the other? But in the little shop, you had to spend 50 pesos to use your credit card...but the day before we had bought 36 pesos on a credit card and that was fine.... So this was all very confusing to me....I think it would be helpful to come up with one story that would apply to everyone rather than having a different story depending on what day it is and who you talk to. Also this deal about late check out and only accepting pesos is one I do not understand. There was also an issue with my safe on the last day and when I spoke to the attendant at the front desk she was rude and impertinent. I have been going to Cuba for 18 years and this is the first time that I have encountered this issue with pesos vs credit card. If in fact this is true, maybe guests could be made aware of it at the beginning of their visit so they could plan to have 26 pesos left. All in all the resort was great but because of the treatment I received on the last day. I do not think that I will be going back......;-( And I don't know if I would recommend it.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Awesome

Beach was beautiful, hotel clean, never run out of food and drinks. Staff friendly. My boys loved it. Lots to do. Shows are great. Nice view of the beach and we could of sat on our balcony. You have to go and see it yourself won't be disappointed

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Great resort in perfect location!

This small resort is the perfect size for older couples who just want a laid back vacation on the beach. Our room overlooked the pool area and had a wonderful garden view from the balcony. Very clean and spacious with a bar fridge, satellite tv and a king size bed. We visited both a la carte restaurants (Cuban and Italian) and found the quality to be excellent. The buffet restaurant had lots of variety and choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This has greatly improved since my visit two ye [... read more]ars ago. David, the manager, has done wonders in stepping up the quality of the dining experience at this hotel. The beach is absolutely amazing with powdery sand and clear water, with lots of palapas for shade. The beach bar is just steps away, and serve mojitos, rum punch, cervezas and limonade. This is a great little spot, conveniently located in town within walking distance to restaurants, discos, parks and markets.

Hotel Villa Cuba: good value for the money

grounds are well kept, food was adequate, service was OK, beach was beautiful, weather was awesome! Would return to this resort. It was considered their off season, so the resort was not very busy the week we were there.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Beautiful Grounds with very nice staff.

Overall we had quite a pleasant experience! Beautiful grounds and a fabulous beach. The staff were pleasant and generally helpful. The food was average but as expected. Second time visitors to the resort.

Melia Las Antillas: Great time at Las Antilles!

If you want a small, well managed, adult resort with an amazing beach and friendly staff, this is the one for you. Good food and clean rooms. Meticulously groomed grounds. You won't be disappointed if you are a "friendly" traveler with respect for others.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Beautiful, large resort!

Beautiful reception area. We got into the resort around 1030 pm and were checked in quite quickly and taken to our rooms immediately. The resort is very large so be prepared to walk a lot to get around but it is worth it. The grounds are lovely and well maintained. The staff are constantly cleaning and doing grounds maintenance, which is a huge job considering the size of the place and how vacationers have a tendency to just leave cups laying around when done with them. The food was good, rooms  [... read more]clean and comfortable and pools well maintained. And the beach! What can I say, amazing. My only complaints are, as someone that has a reaction to bug bites, there is no bug spray at the store on the resort and the bottles I brought ran out on day five. Also, it is quite far from downtown so if you are someone that likes to get out and wonder around the town whenever you want, be prepared to pay for a cab so you can come and go as you please or be ready for a long drive on the double decker bus, as it stops at all the resorts on its way to and from downtown. Otherwise, the place was amazing and loved the wifi access in the lobby so I could check in at home when needed.

Roc Arenas Doradas: Great Family Vacation

The hotel was great. Single mom travelling with two boys aged 12 and 14. Entertainment was fun, food was good, rooms were clean. The grounds at the hotel were immaculate. Staff was friendly. Kids loved the pool as well as myself. I loved the beach. Clean and lots of chairs and shelter at both the beach and the pool. Check in was quick. Overall we all thought it was a great hotel and would go back and definitely recommend it to others.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Resort is good value for the budget minded

4 women, 50+ for an all girl getaway... Check-in didn't go as we would've liked. I found the service to be less than friendly and our guest service agent didn't seem to care that we were even there. There wasn't a simple welcome to the hotel, no explanation of anything in our room and you were allowed only one room key(card). When I asked for a second one, she simply stated no. During the process I’d asked if our other party who had arrived the day before and if they'd had an adjoining room w [... read more]ith us (we'd requested this when we originally booked the trip) and she wouldn't answer my question, kept ignoring me, I repeatedly asked if she was going to check for us and I stood there and waited for her to answer me for about 10 minutes. She continued to wait on other guests and intentionally ignored me until I I eventually walked away. At this point I’m a little upset and to top that off we then had to find our own room as we didn’t get bell service. We had to ask someone which building our room was in and they pointed us in the direction of our building. We had to wheel our own bags across the resort to our building. Luckily, the resort is not very big. We found the other party we were joining, who checked in the day before on the way to the room and one of them showed us where to go. We didn't get adjoining rooms but we were located just down the hall from one another. After explaining our ordeal, they were able to tell us about the hotel amenities, where things were located and had already made dinner reservations for all of us. Had it not been for them, we would've been stuck trying to figure things out. To start off the beginning of a vacation on such a sour note would set the tone for the rest of the trip for most people but I let this go and decided that I wasn't going to let that experience reflect on the rest of my vacation. I'm in Cuba after all and on a girls trip! My overview of the actual resort is that it is very tired, dated and a little dirty. The common areas and stairwells especially. The grounds are kept very clean as is the main lobby area. Your room is only simply tidied up by having your bed made and presenting your towels in an animal or flower figure at the foot of your bed daily but a warning to others; they use your dirty towels that you used that morning so they are still damp, be sure to hang them up if you want a dry towel for the morning. Also; your drinking glasses are simply rinsed in the bathroom sink and laid on the sink to dry. Facecloths are not supplied and I was prepared for this as I’ve travelled to Cuba before and we brought our own face cloths. The bedding was very worn, thin and faded and the bedding wasn’t changed out at all for the entire stay. The room walls were stained, the control panel for the AC didn’t work, you had to use the main fuse panel to shut it off (on and off were your only options) and the patio door didn't lock. The Pool area and grounds were fairly nice and kept clean, there seemed to be plenty of lounge chairs but you had to claim the best spots early in the morning or you were out of luck. There was always lots of excitement, activities and music during the day at the pool and at the beach. Note to future guests: You had to sign for your beach towels at the front desk and they present you with a coupon. If you lost this or your towel you were responsible for the number of towels you signed up for at a cost of 15 CUC per towel. We were also not told this at check in and had to find this out on our own when we went looking for a beach towel. Once you had a coupon, you presented it to the towel person at the pool (hut) and they kept your coupon and gave you a towel. You had to get this coupon back before checking out and present to front desk. On most days you're lucky if you got a fresh towel as they never seemed to have any clean ones, we basically used the same ones for most of the week. The lobby bathrooms were in rough shape with broken stall doors, toilets and taps and hardly ever had toilet paper in the evenings and never had paper towel for drying your hands. I expect that in public washrooms in Cuba but not on your resort. The disco was fun but better suited for the younger crowd but we still managed to get there one evening for laugh and a few dances. The food was pretty good for the most part. There was always a great selection/variety at the Buffet during breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ate at the buffet and we also ate at the à la cart restaurants. The beach area was amazing and the beach bar and restaurant was fairly impressive. The beach bar/restaurant was our favourite place to eat on the resort overall at lunch time. I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a mojito anywhere on the resort for the first few days. It is Cuba after all! They were out of mint leaves apparently. I had to wait until our day trip in to Havana before I was able to get a good mojito. I was disappointed with the wine they served at dinner, it seemed watered down. The drink selection at the bars was basic and typical for a Cuban all-inclusive. The entertainment was great during the day and in the evening. The staff really got everybody involved, they were very friendly and that made our week a lot of fun. One of our favourite things about this place was the coffee bar. The staff here were super friendly and always knew what you wanted and the coffee was excellent morning, noon or night (with a little shot of Cuban love). I don't think I would recommend this resort to anyone expecting a 4 star service. I would rate it at more of a 2+. If you are looking for value for your dollar (on a budget) and a great beach this would be an okay spot. I am not disappointed as I’m pretty easy going and just giving it my honest review. For me personally, I don’t think I’d return to this particular resort. You only receive the very bare basics in service and amenities (ie; had to pay for bottled water as they only provided two bottles in your room for the whole week!). NOTE: You can log on to the hotel WIFI by purchasing an internet card at the front desk for 2 CUC per hour. It is a little slow and reminded me of dial up at times but okay if you want to keep in touch with your loved ones or you simply can’t be without your social network for a week.

Blau Varadero: We LOVE The Blau Varadaro! This was our stay!

This is our third time to be at The Blau. We were SO happy that it hadn't lost ANY of its' beauty! The staff, rooms, eating areas, pool and beach still as AWESOME as our first time we were there .. 2014! We requested an ocean view room and that is EXACTLY what we got! 846, overlooking the pool and the ocean..ideal room! YES we WILL go back..

Playa Caleta: Good resort for a good price

Wasn't expecting much going into it and was pleasantly surprised. Staff was very helpful and friendly . Food was better here than a 5 star resort in Cuba I've stayed at previously . Our room wasn't that great and the shower didn't work too well so we switched and the room we got was much better!Shower was much better as well! The elevator is a pain but honestly if that's all i had to complain about I think we did pretty good. Beach was nice. The pool was a bit boring not much shade around it but [... read more] a clean refreshing pool non the less!

Roc Barlovento: Very Nice Resort

This resort was very simple and beautiful. The beach was amazing and I had a lovely experience here with my fiancé.The service was great, everybody extremely nice, attentive and friendly.The site is very clean and well maintained. My only real complaint about the hotel is about the stains on the bedding and the towels, they need to replace these items sooner rather than later and that would make such a difference to the whole place. The beach is very beautiful and cleaned every morning.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great resort! Had a blast!

We loved our stay at Memories Varadero. The food was excellent! We had plenty to choose from every meal. Lots of canadian type meals and choices. They had great ketchup. The staff were incredibly friendly. All the areas were never over-crowded. Room was very clean, except of a leaky sink and luke warm shower. We'd definitely go again. Wifi in the lobby was a great addition to Cuba. Drinks were excellent! Would love to have another Pina Collada right now!

Club Kawama: Social Resort

The resort has been around for a long time and is spread out. It's pretty typical of what Cubans rate as three star. The bar area in the hotel and beside the pool are quite confined and sharing of tables is normal practice. The upside to this is that you will meet many people. I didn't find the bar and front desk staff as friendly as in other resorts we have been to. I think it might have been because of a shortage of 1 peso notes which made it hard to tip. The food was a bit below standard whic [... read more]h confused us a bit because a month earlier other friends had een there and said it was better than average. I would recommend it but with a qualifier. We only paid $546.00 a person in mid April so the value was good. There were a lot of people who were returnees.