Starfish Varadero: Nice Resort

All in all the resort was average. The rooms were clean that I saw. I heard some say no AC or hot water. The grounds were in quite good shape. The pool by gym needs some work. The food is 3.5/4. The staff were wonderful and extremely friendly and helpful. All in all, I would rate it between 3.5 -4.

Brisas Del Caribe: Ok Resort!

The resort was ok. Food was not good! Beach was Great! The staff were very friendly and service at bars was very good. The location of the resort was close to Varadero. The night life in Varadero was great. Had alot of fun at the Beatles bar and the Cave. Over all it was a good trip!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Rundown Resort

This resort needs upgrades. Public bathrooms are few and not all work. When you go watch the entertainment no fun, can't drink too much because if you need to go to the bathroom have to walk so far or back to your room and even at that the bathroom takes 3 flushes to flush. When walking at night very few lights, hard to see when walking on pathways. Lobby chairs broke, rusted, falling apart. No comfortable seating anywhere. Bathrooms are very stinky and never any soap. Beds in rooms are done, ne [... read more]ed replacing, sleeping on springs. Rooms are very run down, bedding smelled very moldy, always felt like it was wet. Air conditioning did not work properly, would turn off and breaker would trip. Resort could really use some oversize ceiling fans in lobby, in theatre and the buffet fans were there but not even on, probably didn't work. Buffet understaffed. Service was great in lobby area, best drinks and coffee. Breakfast staff very happy for the omelet area.

Hotel Villa Cuba: Great Beach Vacation

This resort is currently being re-branded from Villa Cuba to Be Live Experience Varadero. We went for the beach and we were not disappointed. The resort itself is quite dated and is needing up grades, however this is evidently in the works. We did request a new room the day after we checked in as our original room was quite musty. They accommodated this change for us and we were quite happy in our new villa with a private pool. The food was abundant and of good quality. Desserts could use some i [... read more]mprovement. We were not impressed with the nightly entertainment, but that was a personal choice. I give this resort a good rating as a 3.5 star resort. We enjoyed ourselves and I would go back.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Iberostar Laguna Azul

Despite the ground-hog day environment of thr packaged all-inclusive hotel the super nice and proud people of Cuba do what most of us privileged tourists couldn`t and wouldn`t do: make pizza or clean rooms or serve drinks 6 days a week 12 hours a day for 10 to 30 years in 30 degrees C. The food - there is always something to eat and despite what you hear it is flavourful if you choose something other than bread...and yes you are likely to pick up a stomach bug like we all did because we eat very [... read more] different things at home. The entertainment was surprisingly good. The beach is spectacular, the pool great for adults and children. The hotel is safe and theft was never a doubt. When new this hotel was probably a grand hotel but time and the climate has taken its toll - it could be back there again with some investment of money. It`s Cuba at the end of the day and the economy and socialist system determines a lot of how it operates as we found out from a fantastic tour guide on our day trip to Havana. Yes the room was damp and everything smelled not like home, yes beach towels were never available to be changed, yes the room wasn't as clean as we would have wanted, yes it felt like the hotel was held together with good intentions in some scenarios Attempt to understand why things are the way they are and embrace them and you will enjoy yourself regardless of first world problems you see on review boards like limited wireless connectivity or the odd broken tile or you used the same beach towel all week or heaven forbid your cappuccino froth didn't have nutmeg on it like you asked for!

Starfish Varadero: Good resort

Everything was very close , so didnt have to walk far to get to anything, liked the way things were setup but thought when getting a bungalow there would only be our party and nobody else under or over us !!!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing Resort and beach

I really enjoyed my stay at this resort. The beach was amazing, the night entertainment was great and so professional I thought I was in Vegas. Food was good with lots of variety. Rooms could use some renovations but very clean. Pool areas very nice. Fun entertainment on beach and pool area during the day. My only complaint would be more comfy chairs for the beach.

Resonance Blu Varadero: awful resort! don't waste your money! BAD MEMORIES

Dirty, filthy, moldy, gross unsafe unsanitary! Terrible resort. Staff and management do not not at all about guests! We asked to be moved another resort after our room got robbed management wouldn't approve it!

Muthu Playa Varadero: Nice resort for the money.

If you like smaller resorts this one is quite nice. Try stay off ground floor for rooms. Evening Entertainment isn't great at the resort and we didn't go into PV at night to say one way or another. If it's your first time in Cuba I recommend the jeep safari tour and go to Havana. I would go back to spend more time in Havana and for the beaches. Don't go on the beach at night though, lots of sand flies.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Good value for price

Overall the hotel was a fairly good value for the price. It was my first time to Cuba so I was not sure what to expect. The beaches and pools were great. The entertainment was fairly good, but a little repetitive in some of the night shows our week. The week after looked like it had more variety. The entertainment staff were very friendly. The snack bar at the quiet pool had very slow service the two times I was there which was strange considering they just make hotdogs hamburgers and fries whic [... read more]h should be quick to make. The buffet supposedly has theme nights, but seemed to serve similar sorts of food each night. For instance for oriental night there was not really any Chinese food like egg rolls, chicken balls, etc. and Mexican night did not have any tacos, enchiladas, etc. The rooms were a little dated. Some things to note… You pretty much have to put your towel on a chair at the pool/beach in the morning or you most likely are not getting one later. If you want peanut butter or pancake syrup, bring your own, they have none. They had ketchup, but not at all locations. It was hard finding spoons in some locations for some reason. Even serving spoons seemed to be in short supply. They had thongs out for dishing up mashed potatoes and other similar item which was an experience. You do not get tissues in your room. Bring toilet paper if you are going on excursions, you may not get any.

Melia Marina Varadero: Great Location well planned Hotel Complex

April 1st,2016 We want to thank Eliana for making the arrangements for our Cuban trip a great vacation. Our weather was mostly sunny and hot....even at nights when we watching the entertainment out side beside the marina side of the complex. It was beautiful at night with all the lights around the harbour and the building lights changing colours. Just to let you know the Melia Marina Varadero hotel complex was in a great location and we highly recommend this resort. The six story building that [... read more] we stayed in was fairly new about three years old with a great layout and was super clean with friendly hard working staff. Remember we wanted a harbour view but we were glad we didn't get one. We had two great location pool view rooms and we were also able to see the ocean in the back ground. We were on the third floor rooms #1302 and #1303. Our rooms were ready when we arrived at 11:00 am . The rooms were large attractively layed out with a large bathroom with a bathtub, toilet room and large walk-in shower and a good size balcony. Our room thank goodness was in the shade most of the hot days. The marina view rooms were mostly in the hot sun most of the day and that was where the entertainment played late at night. The hotel entertainment was different each night and was very professional and entertaining. Our attractive buffet dining room was on the second floor over looking the marina and most of the time we ate out on the balcony. We found the food good with plenty of variety ...our only complaint was the beef was a bit tough ...plenty of different types of fish selection and seafood dishes ...cooked on the grills, also breakfast grills and pasta grills and a variety of meats grills. There were five restaurants but we could only go to three and the food and service was great. There is also a bowling alley on the site and many stores along the marina board walks. There is plenty of a variety of places to walk The beach was super with a beach bar and plenty of beach lounging chairs. There was a beach lunch restaurant on a small hill with a beachy view .The pool area and pool bar are well planned out ...however could use more shaded areas. It was only a short walk over a walking bridge to the beach from the swimming pool area. There was also shuttle to take people to the beach if they did not want to walk over the walking/ shuttle bridge or because it was too hot . We highly recommend this resort

Roc Arenas Doradas: Absolutely the best

The resort is smaller which made it friendly and assessible in all ways. Cozy enough that the employees remember you at dinner etc, and you get to know them by name, we will be going back here again. This was our 4th trip to Cuba and by far the best of 3 visits to varadero

Hotel Los Cactus: Go for the beach!

I'd been to Cuba twice before (including during the early 90s when the economy was at its worst), so my expectations were realistic (low). My agent had requested a quiet room for us, away from the disco. We were given room G154 and our friends had G254 (straight above us). The upper floor has a view of the ocean whereas the lower floor doesn't. The room had an odd layout in that it had an extra room with a couch, bar fridge, and closet - and that's it. Maybe it's meant to be a party room? The ba [... read more]throom was small but sufficient. We had two double beds with 3 (?) long flat pillows in total. The location was great - close to the beach, lobby, and pool. Our maid was great and showed a sense of humour with her towel art. She wasn't able to replace the cola in the bar fridge with diet cola for some reason (said it was not possible, even though there's diet cola all over the resort). She provided extra bottled water upon request (which we needed because I had read the water wasn't filtered so didn't drink any unless from a bottle). Of note - our return flight home was very late but check-out is at noon; we were given a room to shower and change in before we left (which was great), but I will say that I would've flipped had I been staying in one of those rooms (404, in the same building as the Italian restaurant) - although the layout was good and the bathroom bright and spacious, the musty smell was overwhelming. I noticed no smell in our own room - and even my clothes didn't smell musty when I took them out of the suitcase when I got home. Also notable - our room had both 220 voltage and 110 voltage, so no adapter was required. Room 404 (and presumably the other rooms in that building) had only 220 voltage. Remember to bring facecloths, as they are non-existent at the resort. Wifi - you can buy a wifi card for 2 CUC which buys you one hour (that you can use whenever). However, wifi is available only in the lobby and pool area. For a brief stint of our trip, there was no internet service at all (from the evening until the next afternoon). So, warn your loved ones in advance that if you disappear it's likely due to lack of service! Also note that sometimes the wifi card code doesn't work, and you won't get a replacement or refund. My friend and I also are not convinced that the cards provided a whole hour of service (seemed more like 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the card). But again, the cards are still way cheaper than getting set up with a roaming plan from home. Buying a card was sometimes a good way to get change, as 1 CUC is scarce (often got back a bunch of quarters if asking for 1s - this is not a resort issue but a Cuban issue we were told by our Transat rep). There is one pool that is seldom used, although staff tries its best to drum up participatory entertainment during scheduled parts of the day. It's a good place to cool off after you've had too much sun at the beach and can't find shade. Note that beach towels can be difficult to replace - the "clubhouse" is often closed and sometimes is out of towels. Food - the buffet is open for three meals/day and has enough of a selection that you won't go hungry. There is nothing there to rave about, though, except the bread - delicious. I'd recommend making yourself a sandwich (using the bread at the bread bar and not the buns at the sandwich bar) and accompanying it with a bowl of soup (we liked the cream of tomato if we added a bit of salt). The egg salad was our sandwich of choice. If you have a sweet tooth, you won't satisfy it here, despite all the sweet-looking desserts. Also note that there is not a french fry to be found at this resort (which isn't a bad thing). We didn't think the Cuban restaurant was all that great (although others we met thought it was), and likewise for the Italian restaurant (again, others really enjoyed). It's a nice change from the buffet, though, and definitely half decent. It's a drag that reservations are taken only between 3:30 and 5:00 in the piano bar, but you can book several days in a row. Our Transat rep recommended a restaurant in Varadero (Varadero 60) and described it as being in a person's home with top of the line cuisine. We thought it would be quaint to dine in a Cuban's home and to eat their gourmet food. However, it turned out to be a regular "fancy" restaurant (and not cheap). Moreover, 3 of 4 of us in our group had upset stomachs through the night and into the next day (can't be sure of the connection, though). From there, we went to The Beatles Bar which was also recommended by our rep. It was a fun time, but the band we watched had three different lead singers and sang hard rock (only 1 Beatles tune) - it was a nostalgic trip to the 70s though (or thereabouts!). The cab ride from the resort to the city is an event in and of itself. We took three cabs the one night and only one cab was equipped with seatbelts. The best cab driver we had was named Ernesto (although he may tell you his name is Al Capone) - he's a young guy who likes to have fun. Drinks - I'm a red wine drinker and had read on this site that the wine was undrinkable. So, I brought $60 worth of cheap wine with me, only to learn that the resort wine was better than the wine I'd brought. I gave away my wine as gifts. I didn't think the sparkling white wine was very good, though, and I didn't try the white wine (although my friend drank plenty of it). For entertainment - such as it was - we would gather around the piano in the piano bar and have a sing-song. The talents of the sax player and piano player are outstanding. Gift shop - you can buy trinkets and WAY overpriced chips and suntan lotion - so bring those goodies yourself! The very, very best part of this resort is the beach! Gorgeous, clear blue water with soft sand. You can walk a long distance and still be above water. Paddle boating and kayaking are included - we did both and really enjoyed it. My friends went snorkeling (for $20 CUC each) and enjoyed that as well as the catamaran ride to get there. Never had any trouble getting a lounger. You will not be disappointed in the beach! (I did get a ton of bites, but not sure from what or how to prevent.) So overall, the place was dated but clean enough, the food was repetitive but edible and sometimes quite good (lobster tail at the buffet Friday nights for those of you who like lobster), the pool was nice and never crowded, and the beach was amazing. This is a smaller resort with an older crowd (and awesome that it's 14+ years only). I would go back - although I think $1735 was a lot to pay (the downside of going over March Break - March 12 - 19) compared to what you could get in Mexico for the same price (but I far prefer Cuba over Mexico). Hope this review was helpful!

Sol Varadero Beach: Needs a face lift

The resort itself is falling apart, very little maintenance over the years it seems. It is a more rustic feel to say the least. However, the pools and bars were great, very close to the beach, and staff were friendly and professional. For the price, definetly worth the stay.

Roc Barlovento: Convenient, friendly resort

The beach is incredible. The pool area was good. The lack of lounge chairs is a bit frustrating but not enough to ruin a stay. Food was very good. Staff is very friendly. Rooms were comfortable, even the non renovated ones. No complaints.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Would not return to this resort

The grounds were beautiful but they have deteriorated substantially year after year. Many of the staff hustle tourists to purchase cigars, to buy our clothes or even go give them everything we can. This is my 9th time in Cuba and never did staff ask, they gracefully receive. Management is care free Before it was this chain, management was very involved.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Was pretty good

Great beach for swimming. Snorkelling for lots of fish not far from shore. Lovely people eager to make your stay comfortable. Very close to the airport and close for day trips to Varadero and Havana. Hummingbirds. Fresh fish. Love the yucca.

Paradisus Varadero: Amazing Resort

From the staff, to the beach to the experience they deliver combined - I would highly recommend this resort.The beach is directly connected to the resort, has several beach bars and can quickly be back in your room and back without any time spent. The rooms were really nice and gave us a feel of authenticity and were done up every day with fresh towels, bottles of water, beer and soda. Overall a great experience and we're already looking at returning. I heard so many poor things about the foo [... read more]d in Cuba but this resort really impressed me with the quality and options it has. They BBQ on the beach and provide chicken, burgers, etc and inside the food buffet has Pizza, Pasta (cooked to order) and additional meat for dinner. Breakfast and fresh made omelettes were by far my go to in the morning!

Punta Peninsula Varadero: it was OK. nothing more

Showing up late at night and going for something to eat. Was a very long waite just for a small plate of fries. I had ants in my room and my mini fridge did not work. The service staff in the areas where eat did not wash the tables u had to look around to find your sliver where.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: good Hotel

the hotel has a good food and location. It's an simple hotel, but a clean one. It's almost in front of the beach, really close..........................................................................