Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing Resort

This was an incredible experience!! We went with 18 family members of various ages and each one of us had a great time! The food was incredible, pool was warm, and the drinks were cold! You will not be disappointed here!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Hotel needs alot of work

This is far from being even a 4 star. This hotel is very run down, walls dirty with paint chips, lobby washroom not clean. Actually saw a cleaner mop the floors in the lobby washroom and use the same mop to clean the counter top. Our room did not have a shower, it was a hot tub with a hand held shower head that only pointed towards the wall. Our room was not cleaned for 2 days, the room is very dated and sheets did not smell fresh. There are cockroaches in the restaurants, birds eating the food  [... read more]in the restaurants, plates are left for long periods. The grounds and beach are beautiful BUT the pool with the swim up bar is very dirty with black mold everywhere, lots of TILES missing in the bottom of the pool which can be very dangerous for cuts. The maintenance of the pool is done pretty late in the morning which is odd as people are in the pool at the same time. The snack bar that is open 24 hours limits the food you can get depending on the time (ie: can't get fries from noon to 3pm). A La Carte were good, best one was Japanese. Even the service was not the best, some of the staff seem to have attitude...and we're not the demanding type at all. A handful of staff were the absolute best. We expected some changes due to Covid like lack of certain foods or alcohol, but providing service and hotel upkeep was not one of them. I will not be returning to this resort.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Will be Back

Dates travelled: April 22-29 Family type: Family of 4 with kiddos aged 17 and 14 Rooms: Building 16, Rooms 320 and 308 Visitation History: 4thtime to Cuba, first time at this resort Overall rating: we all gave it a solid 9/10 After reading some of the reviews, we were honesty a bit hesitant about coming here. So glad we did. Honest review based on our personal experience. Rooms: Building 16 was awesome. Same floor as lobby and very close to buffet, pools, main lobby bar, etc. R [... read more]ooms were gorgeous and bright (our furniture was painted white). Everything worked, including the shower head. Hot water with good pressure. We had a king and the girls had two singles. Beds were very comfortable. Was there signs of wear and tear? Some plates outside rooms? Sure. But so minor that doesn’t warrant mention. I did hear from other guests, however, some challenges but this was not ours. Food: As everyone has said, and knows, you don’t go to Cuba for amazing resort food. That said, there were some great dishes on the buffet and a fairly wide selection. If you like added salt, which I do, I would suggest bringing some. We didn’t bring any added food with us. My girls did struggle near the end finding things they wanted to eat but they are also kind of picky. Usually always a bit of a line-up for the ‘made-to-order’ foods (pasta, omelets, etc.). There is no toaster so if you like toast in morning, just bring it to the omelet station and they’ll grill for you. The snackbar/24 hr bar also puts on lunch buffet and is only location that makes fries, starting at 1pm. Line up early if you want some or don’t want to wait in line for 30-45 minutes for a plate of fries. We ate here almost everyday. The ice cream shack was never open; we just hopped over the buffet and grabbed some there. A la Carte: We messed up on one of our reservations and missed it, so only ate at Cuban and Japanese. Both were good and a nice break. The breaded fish at Cuban are just like chicken fingers, but really good. No ketchup but they have a yummy mayo sauce you can ask for. The rose wine at Cuban was fantastic but same ‘wine’ at Japanese tasted like it was watered down 50%, as did the white and red. Order beer instead. Drinks: Everything we like (wine, beer, pina colada’s, etc.) we were able to access. The lobby bar does an amazing blended ice coffee (virgin or with shot or dark rum) and an amazing blended mango tequila (ask for the mango tequila with the orange cap, imported from Spain. So good and runs out quickly.) The lobby bar can get quite busy in the morning and evening so expect to wait a bit. The bartenders are excellent at serving folks in order they arrive, regardless of money waiving attempts. Entertainment: Just fantastic. Loved the musicians playing in lobby before nightly shows, and all the shows. They also have a wonderful little trio who perform down at the little bar a couple of nights a week by the pool to the left. They are awesome, pay them a visit. The staff doing day entertainment (pool activities, beach dancing, etc.) are amazing. The level of energy they bring despite long days and doing this every day is inspiring. Excursions: We did the jeep safari via West Jet. Was awesome, although you drive SUVs vs jeeps. Would recommend. If you do this, bring candy, crayons, goodies for kids. You drive along a portion of road where kids come along the side for goodies but you don’t actually get to stop, per se. We’ve done Havana twice before and loved it each time. We did the hop/on bus before too, so didn’t do it this time. The questionables: There were a couple of not-so-great things. First, one of our towels was taken off our chair from the main pool while we were all in the pool. All our towels were on one chair with one drying on the back. This was not a mistake but a purposeful take, which really sucked. It did not turn up in lost and found not at the towel hut. The second was returning to our room one night to find 3 full cups of tea on our table; we can only thing (hope) that it was room ordered and delivered to wrong room. Nothing else was out of order. Third, we had a full bag of sunscreen (about 5 bottles) ‘go missing’. While we like to think the maids took by accident thinking it was part of the gifts/tips we left, the bag was not in a location that would suggest it was for taking. Fortunately, we had enough (just) to last us till our last day. While we intended to leave all our left over stuff, it was quite violating that it was taken without permission. That said, overall we loved it, would recommend and would return. Future travelers, enjoy your stay, have empathy and compassion and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Great resort!

The hotel was one of the largest hotels in Varadero. It was convenient and everything was almost as expected. The stuff were very friendly. The room was clean and regularly cleaned. Drinks were abundant everywhere (in the lobby, pool, restaurant). Didn’t take towels as we already knew they are available there. Food was good and acceptable and you could find something to eat. (salad, fish, chicken, bacon, beef, pork, milk, scrambled and boiled eggs, ice cream, cakes, and other desserts) You co [... read more]uld also book for Italian or Japanese dinner but we couldn’t manage to reserve for those restaurants due to being busy with during the booking times. The recursion programs were nicely organized. We were only able to register for one of the program (dolphins and fish seeing deep in the water, although the equipment was not very convenient). There were about 7-8 recursion programs (including Trip to Havana, Jeep safari, …) Our 6-year old son was busy with playing in the beach or pool and at the end of the day was tired enough not to ask for more activities. Although we had balls and game apps that he could enjoy.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya Suites: Iberostar Paraiso Maya

We have now been there 53 times. Need I say more? And, on this trip, they added a weekly dinner buffet on the beach. It was great! Try this place just to debate whether the Golden Margarita or the Mango Margarita is better!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Fabulous Staff!

The hotel is small and easy to get around. The rooms are spacious, and clean. The food was good, much better than last year. Had a nice variety of salads, always had chicken, fish, pasta,veggies. Had butter for about 1 week or so,always had lots of bread,buns,cold meats,and cheeses. Even the bars had a better selection of alcohol,great cocktails,and fabulous cappuccinos. Their entertainment this year was very good. Always something was going on either at the beach in the mornings or exercising  [... read more]in the pool in the mornings, and in the afternoon music,and bingo.Was usually live music in the evening’s up by the lobby bar around 8pm u til about 9:30 pm. Then a show on at the theatre around 9:30pm,or else they had a DJ playing outside at the theatre that went from 9:30-10pm to around midnight. Also every Friday night they had a beach party starting at 10pm until 1am.So lots to do.Like all hotels in Varadero they are getting weary looking,but they are renovating some of the buildings slowly. It’s Cuba! But a great hotel for the money.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

This hhotel was beautiful the grounds were impecably kept and the rooms were very large. It was very clean. All the staff were very friendly, helpful and willing to do whatever they could to make your stay a special one. Sadly the food was a big disappointment.. What you saw for lunch is what you got for dinner. Many times there was no milk. The servers did their best to accommodate us as best as they could. The mosquitoes were unbearable and you couldn't sit outside for being swarmed. [... read more] Not sure if the hotel sprayed but it was very uncomfortable. If the food and mosquitoes could be itaken care of it would be a wonderful place for a holiday.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Awesome Resort

In my opinion this is the best resort in Cuba, the beach is absolutely breath taking it is just gorgeous. The resort it beautiful very clean the people working there are always nice and respectful, (the guests should remember themselves to be as respectful to them as they are to us) Food was good I am not food driven so I found plenty to eat all the time. I am 100% going back to Iberostar Selection Varadero that is my place now. It will be hard to beat that beach!! See you next time :)

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: LOVED THIS RESORT

This hotel was so clean and beautiful - the pool area is the nicest one I have ever been to with plenty of chairs - cabanas for shade and built in lounge chairs in the pool. The rooms are very big - with a walk in closet - so impressed

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Amazing All-Inclusive and great, prompt service from TripCentral!

Great all-inclusive resort with very friendly hospitality! The resort was a bit dated but well maintained, for the price I am not complaining! Very family friendly, however, keep in mind there are no elevators for higher level rooms so make sure you check with concierge if you have babies w/ strollers! Overall, would go back! Thank you Iberostar and Tripcentral.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Amazing resort

Grounds and public areas: very neat and clean Rooms: Clean, needs better pillows, toilet seat needs repair Staff: very friendly and courteous Beach: beautiful - ample reclining outdoor beach beds Fishing: good fishing at extended pier. Pier is lighted up at night. Restaurant: compared to our previous stay, shortage of staff, tables were not cleared quickly enough; there is a shortage of butter, bring butter and peanut butter

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Amazing

Very clean food was good, beach beautiful, room clean staff amazing, would go again, families welcome, entertainment very good, grounds clean, pool small, beach staff, bar tenders, maid service, dated property but clean

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Too "Canadian", no authentic culture

Pros- Most staff were kind, friendly and wonderful. The grounds were clean, well kept and well designed. The pool and beaches were stunning. There was plenty of food, no one would go hungry at all. Cons- The resort is "white washed". No Cuban authenticity. The food was catered to Canadians and that's not what we travel for. Not once did we see black beans and rice- a Cuban staple. Not once did we see croquettes, yukka and there was a distinct lack of tropical fruits. Not one banana nor mang [... read more]o all week. Wild life is almost non existent, which is so bizarre. Lizards, tree frogs were missing. Dogs/cats shooed away. Every other resort we've been to, this has not been the case. The lack of follow up for any "rules" they list. Excessively drunk people constantly -both foreign and local guests. There was one local guest who was so sloppy drunk there was a puddle around her and she demanded the bar play her music during the busy evening time. Just obnoxious. They should be cut off. Period. The "saving" of lounge beds and seats at the beach, only to see no one show up for them to use is infuriating. Speaking of- the many many rude guests. Just because you can smoke in Cuba, doesn't mean you leave your manners at the door. The smokers were so rude, lighting up wherever, whenever. The amount of parents who dragged their infants and toddlers to this resort is enough to never return again. Why are you bringing small children who get absolutely nothing out of these types of trips with you? Or parents who bring their screaming kids to the A La Carte restaurants. Good lord. How about we talk about the many guests who were blaring music in the rooms with no regard for other guests who paid just as much as them. The check in was atrocious. The day we arrived on a large flight from Toronto, apparently a flight from Cuba to Halifax was cancelled. The room upgrade we paid for wasn't ready and wouldn't be for hours- at 3pm- the check in time. Why? They allowed the Halifax people to return to their rooms vs pleasing the new group that would be there an entire week (or more). Made no sense. We finally agreed to the standard room just to get somewhere to rest. Missing pop and drink mixes on certain days, never had any cheese all week (other than parmesan) and a lack of seafood... in Cuba. While I understand there are shortages and times are rough, after speaking to other guests from other resorts (while on an excursion) they didn't experience these same lack of products. While not within the resorts control, but the removal of the CUC was a very dumb decision by Prez Miguel. The fact that all items are in USD is just silliness. All in all I won't return as there was nothing Cuban about this resort. Just catered to wealthy white people from mostly Quebec. I'll stick to 2 and 3 star resorts. This 4-5 star is not my style. Lesson learned.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Great time at this resort

Extended family of 7 stayed the first week of April at Iberostar Selection Varadero, then just my wife and I for a second week. I'm an experienced traveler, I've been to 20 different resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, but this was the first time in Cuba.The beach was probably the best I've ever seen, just wonderful to swim in, and it was calm enough in the mornings for my grandchildren 5 and 7 to splash around and swim. Later in the day it usually got a little rougher but not so rough that I w [... read more]ouldn't still go in but maybe not young children. The pool was fine, the small water park was great fun for the grandkids.The kids club had nightly entertainment and would put on a little show, my grandkids loved participating in this. The rooms were nice and clean. The staff and their service was probably the best I've ever encountered. Everyone who worked there was nice, pleasant, helpful, I can't say enough good things about the staff. For trips, I would recommend the double decker bus to Varadero. Also my wife and I had a fantastic trip to Havana in a 51 Chevy.with a driver and English speaking guide.We booked it through the hotel for $190. for 10 hr. worth every cent. Our driver Miguel and guide George made the trip fun and informative, they were the best. I highly, highly recommend this trip. Now for the food, the a la carte's were quite good. It pains me to say this because the buffet staff were all so nice and would go above and beyond to make you feel welcome, but the food was average. I'm a bit of a picky eater and I could always fine something I liked but the buffet was just not as good as ones I've enjoyed in Mexico or other Caribbean Islands. The nightly entertainment was top notch, much better than most resorts. Overall I would recommend this resort especially for families.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Still good value

Fourth time at this resort, as we have always enjoyed it however, you can tell that the pandemic has had significant effects on the level of service and the condition of the resort. Also, there was three days where there was no beer, and one day of no eggs, which was very disappointing.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Disappointed

This was the third time I vacationed at this resort …… about 4 years between stays , I find the resort going in the wrong direction …… taking into account post covid , and understanding it’s truly not the fault of the staff , I think they could have done a little better …… some of the staff weren’t very friendly …… understaffing , resulting in long lines ….. sometimes running out of certain foods ….: I’ve never travelled to Cuba for the food , yet this trip was consider [... read more]ably worse …….. upon arrival , I checked approx 20:30 , went to the bar , and told they didn’t have any rum ! …… no rum in Cuba ! …..: hmmm …… yet , 5 steps away , I could purchase all the rum I wanted in the gift shop ….: interesting ? ….. to be fair , rum did arrive , a few days later …… trying to secure a taxi from the resort became an Olympic event …… first time in Cuba ( been there 12 times ) and been chewed badly by bugs …… a lot of people on the resort had the same issue …… I guess the bottom line is , Cuba is hurting ….. which trickles down to tourism ……: on a positive note , and I wish I could remember her name ( I know shame on me ) ….. my transat rep was amazing …… she went above and beyond to help me out …… and of course trip central.com …… very professional , thanks ! ……: I’ve always loved Cuba , but I think my next vacation will be elsewhere …… until Cubas in a better position …… sadly , I would not recommend this resort 🥲

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Beautiful resort

Hotel was old but well kept with character. Rooms were clean . TV sucked but that Cuba. Beach was beautiful and water great. Staff were outstanding friendly and helpful. Wifi was good but had to go to the desk to resign in all the time, sort of a pain. Shortages in Cuba were felt in the resort, you didn't go hungry or thirsty but they ran out of things from time to time. Overall had a great vacation and even being covered with noseeum bites and the shortages I will go back.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Amazing Resort with Icing Sugar Beach

Majority of Staff are fabulous...rooms are clean. Food was good. A few meals were great. Front desk staff are helpful. After Canadians the next nationality would be Russians, Brits then other Europeans. Smoking is unfortunately very prevalent in Cuba. Great place for a week of fun in the sun!!!

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Great Vacations

The hotel itself is good enough, we were told in advance about the food quality being not great and it was exactly it. Id you travel ensure you bring in some snacks, insect repellent, after-bite and of course a lot of sunscreen. People and staff were great, and I think they take the experience to another level. They are always keen to make you feel comfortable, and ensuring you are having a great time. Bedroom was good and clean. Everyday the maid will drop water and change towels if require [... read more]d. Buffet restaurant is good and has some variety. I think the only problem we had was with one visitor family that had superiority thinking, and even there hotel staff was able to manage. Tip: Cuban people are just amazing and in this hotel in particular they appreciate you coming and of course sharing a tip. Although it is not mandarory and you shouldn’t feel pushed. I totally recommend this hotel for kids and family. There were daily activities, night shows and performances. And at least our kids had a great time.

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Excellent value for money

We have stayed at this resort 5 times and other all inclusive hotels well over 30 times. We travel to the PVR area 3 times per season. For it's price this resort is excellent. We love the gorgeous long beach and the boogie boarding and swimming. We sometimes choose a more expensive adults only and are disappointed in money spent for the little if no difference. We do find this resort not as great as it was but that could likely be due to the shortage of staff which is a worldwide issue.  [... read more]The staff is great with some super stand outs that make the extra effort. Lorena at the front desk, Antonio on the beach (when he isn't getting your chairs and umbrellas he is constantly cleaning up all the debris left by people on the beach ), Jose and Karen at the beach bar, Isabel in the buffets, Yesi in the piano bar, Rafael the restaurant manager just to name a few. All our service was excellent but they went the extra extra for us and our friends.