Resonance Blu Varadero: Bad Memories

will never return to this resort, hydro kept going off, garbage bags everywhere, live wires sticking out in the path ways, pathways were so dark had to use my cell phone, no hot water for 3 days, we were a group of 18 and we got scattered everywhere, the tennis, basketball, and pool table were always broken, we had to wait for our food at the pool restaurant for 2 hours, phones in rooms didn't work, the maid service was good until she asked to write a good review and then nothing got done in my  [... read more]room, the maids also kept coming in our rooms several times a day for no reason,paid for the diamond club for early check in and extras, waited 4 hours to check in, took 3 days to get toilet paper in room, 2 bath towels for 3 people, no replacement beach towels had to use the same one all week, it was hard to get troly carts unless you were constantly tipping the drivers

Starfish Varadero: jewel in the rough

The staff were all really friendly and they really did their best to help. What one has to remember is that a 3 star in Canada is not the same as a 3 star in another part of the world. It is interesting to see what we take for granted. To see someone giving the staff a difficult time for something that is not their fault is very unfair to the staff and really makes me feel bad and somewhat ashamed that a fellow visitor finds it necessary to belittle the staff.

Hotel Bella Costa: Decent location, needs repairs

The biggest qualm I have is with the state of (dis)repair of the building and its parts, e.g. leaking roof, missing toilet seats, hair dryer not working etc. Other than that, it was quite alright: food was 'par' for Cuba - edible but not incredible. Entertainment was quite good, unfortunately the weather made some things rather tough (rained every day) which I know they can't control so no points lost for that. Beach was fine except again, weather. Disco blaring at night could be heard in the r [... read more]ooms but I think it was from a nearby resort - might be worthwhile bringing earplugs if you're sensitive. Overall, once they either repair (or rebuild?) a lot of the areas, it will be a 4star again.

Hotel Blau Las Morlas Varadero Beach: Great Location

We just got back from Cuba and while the weather was not great, the rest of the vacation was terrific. This hotel is small and friendly with a predominately Italian clientele.The food was very good with lots of variety.The only minor downside was, the food was often cold despite being the first diners. Cappuccinos to die for :) The animation staff mingled with the guests which was a nice touch and we were able to spend a lot of time with Haylenis (Hayley) who entertained us as well as educated u [... read more]s about Cuba.She has a very big personality and was lots of fun. These people work hard, always smile and definitely aim to please. The hotel manager(Italian) dressed in regular clothing and mingled with the guests so was on top of deficiencies. There have been many upgrades since our last visit to this hotel some of which include new comfortable beds/bedspreads, air conditioning units and bar fridges.There is constant cleaning and painting/repair work which in no way interfered with the enjoyment. Being close to downtown we took the bus or a vintage car cab a few times and even walked when we were feeling energetic. Holiday folks tend to smoke more so if you are sensitive to that there is lots of space to avoid it.The dining room is non smoking. Tipping seemed sparse by comparison to our last visit. Seems the Italian folks are less inclined to say thanks for the service with a few pesos. Our dollar is week so we got 6 and change CUCS for $10 CDN. The most beautiful beaches anywhere!!

Melia Varadero: beautiful

Very nice hotel and friendly staff! I wasn't sure what to expect since i only saw pictures on the internet but I was pleasantly surprised. Much nicer than other hotels in the area and felt very safe staying there.

Palma Real: Dissatisfied, disappointed!!

Do not believe the resort pictures, must have been taken years ago. Resort is very tired, and crumbling, the staff so there best with what they have to work with but here are some of the things we found. Our room, hole in ceiling that drips water on floor in front of bathroom door (nice surprise at night), only one light working in bathroom, door in bathroom that accesses sewer stack and water lines did not latch and blew open and closed when windy outside, some black mold on wall, warm water at [... read more] best to shower, only bedside lights ceiling lights and patio lights never worked, one mattress of the so called king bed had three broken springs poking threw the bedding when laid on. Wall safe broken (no door, would not repair) Complained twice to desk staff with no results, complained to west jet rep, he did get them to check and replace the mattress. Pool tiling and walk way tiles falling off and lose, best to wear some kind of foot wear. Dishes at buffet line often not clean, have to pick threw to find acceptable, food stays the same day after day. The hallway to our building had a large section of the ceiling fall on the floor one night, pot lights left hanging by wiring. The staff tries hard to keep things clean, can't give them enough credit. Would like to say we are not fancy people and understand that things in Cuba are not like you would get in a richer country, but this was our third trip here and this resort was by far the worst we have stayed at and the first we have complained about. I feel that it should be rerated to a lesser grade and new pictures posted to show what you are really getting for your dollar.

Hotel Bella Costa: Cuba????

This was my first time traveling to Cuba and stayed at the breezes hotel Bella Costa in veradero. I heard many different things about Cuba so l went with an open mind. This hotel in no way is a 4 star hotel. It is old and run down. The beds are terrible! The hair dryers don't work or they catch on fire. The toilet seats are missing off toilets. Your lucky if there is toilet paper. They do not provide you with any beverages in your room and you pretty much have to hound them for a bottle of wate [... read more]r to be left in your room. The service was not good. Even if you leave them a tip it's like they don't care. They don't clean off tables in the indoor or outdoor buffets. You have to go to them constantly to ask for more coffee/tea/pop whatever! We were so anoid that we started to go and get the coffee pot or bottle of wine and serve ourselves. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Just ok

Disclaimer: it rained everyday for a week so it definitely put a damper on a beach holiday. The hotel is dated and very rough around the edges. The resort is small so there isn't much to do. They do have Cuban music most nights which was great. The shows were decent and the same calibre of other resorts I've been to. Food is ok, as usual the a la carte restaurants are better than the buffet. The best part of the resort is the people who work there! The lobby bar ladies are fantastic, Ady and Y [... read more]asmile (spelling?), the theatre bar lady, lobby bar waitress, and our friends Ernesto and Ernesto. It was always a pleasure to visit the snack restaurant late at night!

Grand Memories Varadero: not 4.5 star...AT BEST a 3 star

This was a retirement gift to my self and unfortunately, it was not a great experience. We upgraded to the "Diamond Club" and we did not receive ANY of the "special" items. We did not get greeted with a cocktail or by anyone, we did not have a robe and slippers in our room, we did not have any special meal, or afternoon tea. Our room was NOT superior. We did not have priority check in or check out. When we asked to change rooms, the manager said to come down the next day and we could change room [... read more]s. We went the next day to the Diamond Club rep, her name was Yaidelys Puigpalat. She did not listen to our concerns. She said they did not have any rooms available. They had a bus load of people coming shortly and they would have to send them to another resort. Why would they book people, if there were no rooms?? This resort was understaffed in every area. Our room had may issues...toilet was broken. NO hot water, NO towels, hair dryer broke, NO mini bar what so ever, you had to hold the glass coffee up so the water would drip out. Ants. Very dirty, NO slip mat in the bath tub and for a short person, it was very difficult to get in and out of the tub and that was to take a COLD shower. Bed was hard. We reported our concerns to Jessica Alvarez and Anadna Torres at customer service and the front desk both hung up on us when we called. Very rude......There were broken handles on the dresser which made it difficult to open. The food was always cold unless you stood in line for over a half hour to an hour to have something hot cooked. We had a reservation at a restaurant for 7:30 and did not get in until 8:30. I had to stress the importance of us eating immediately as my husband is diabetic. So the waitress went and got a plate of food for us, which was COLD. The only restaurant was the GOURMET, we had fabulous service and food. The manager or a rep did not follow up with us to see if the issues were fixed. The pools looked ok, but were very cold. No one was in the pools, not even kids. They should have them heated to some degree. The beach were not clean or welcoming. The "Diamond Club" area of the beach was not monitored, lots of other guests were using that area that were not diamond club. As you can see, we had many issues and we spoke to a number of other guests to ensure that we were not the only ones. There were many other people who were not pleased with this resort. Only when I went to our Sunwing rep, did "some" of the issues get resolved. This was on our fourth day. My husband and I have been to many resorts for vacations and this is our worst experience for customer service, hospitality, friendliness, value for our money, food. I was in the customer service industry for over 30 years. We get complaints, we fall short sometimes on our service. BUT what makes the difference is the willingness to follow up and follow through on a resolution to the customers satisfaction.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great Vacation

The Hotel is very clean..The beds comfortable and beddingchanged every day. The weather wasn't very good we had wind rain and cold for 4 days of our week stay. This didn't stop us from having lots of fun. The food is not what we are used to however you adapt. You can always find something to eat..yu won't starve.... The bus to town is always fun as well as the horse and buggy rides. We had 12 people in our group and i didn't hear complaints from anyone. The one thing that we had a concern with w [... read more]as the bar didn't have any diet pop for drinks..my husband is diabetic...We bought some at the local store for 2 peso... WhenI brought our concern to the Sunwing Rep we had diet pop at the bar the next day

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Not bad, poor weather didn't help

First of all, not the resorts fault, but it rained every single day we were there. Total of about 3 hours of sun for 7 days. Food was pretty good for Cuba (minus the terrible tasting bacon). the al la carte's were very good. Major problem with drainage. With all of the rain, the pathways were completely turned into deep huge puddles that you had no choice but to walk through. In sandals it was okay but night time in dress shoes and my girlfriends heels, it was extremely frustrating. Lighting w [... read more]as also very poor at night and required a flash light to see. The room was nice; also great water pressure in the shower. The king bed was very hard and not the most comfortable. The service was just okay. I'm in the customer service industry so I have very high standards. It took forever to get drinks some times. The bartenders never seemed to be in a hurry and they would not even make contact with you. So you would be standing at the bar and feel invisible waiting to order. Tips were not as much appreciated as they were EXPECTED.. The pool and grounds were nice and well maintained. Overall just an average experience and I would not return nor recommend to friends.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Perfection!

We spend the week of Jan 21-28 here. We had upgraded to Diamond Club, which was worth every penny. The resort is gorgeous, the food great, service prefec, beach and pool were superb. The evening entertainment some of the best we have seen. Our rooms were great with a few minor issues : beds are very hard, shower was a but uncomfortable to use due to the position of the shower head. Everything else was good. The only thing i can fault at this resort is that the majority of the guests were 50+ . W [... read more]e are in our 30s. It was too quiet for us. The other thing was that the drinks were completely inconsistent, you never got the same thing twice. The bartenders seem to make them however they like. The bistro food was great, but service was very slow. Same at the beach grill. Other than that, the resort was near prefection. We would definitely recommend it

Starfish Varadero: Beautiful Beach!

It is old but, we had a great bungalow. The beds aren't great but they will do. The beach is fantastic and the water is warm and clear. There were plenty of food choices and the bread is the best anywhere. They really go all out with entertainment. They even had a little animal circus. The animals were healthy and well looked after. It was fun for the kids. The staff are very nice and helpful. We didn't have any problem hanging money at the desk. Oh and there was plenty of booze and the beer is  [... read more]delicious.

Hotel Acuazul: The ocean is in your backyard

24 hours open bar, nightly entrainment, they have private bungalows, nice staff. The beach is literally a 2 minute walk. Close to shops and restaurants as well as a short cab ride to clubs. Beautiful city with beautiful people. The food is just alright at the resort but who's really going for the food anyway.

Gran Caribe Sun Beach: Good resort

We found the room to be very clean. The mattresses were good and comfortable. The food was great, really enjoyed the shrimp at lunch one day. The staff was good. The weather could have been better, was cold and windy. Did not get to go on catamaran trip.

Starfish Jibacoa: Pleasant and quiet resort

Well treed with a good beach. Staff was accommodating and personnel in the lobby were very helpful. Good location and only 1 hour to Havana. Unfortunately I and a number of others got sick due to either food or water, however, we spoke to several people who have returned to this resort many times and they had never been sick before.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Wonderful memories :)

I could have not asked for a warmer welcome (and by that I mean from the staff). A special shout out to the 'equipo de animacion' (Sergio y Ricardo!!) Great gentlemen as well as the entire staff at the restaurant by the beach!! Made all my lunches welcoming & happy! I miss them :) To Ivan for helping my grandpa set up all our beach chairs in the morning every morning. A little tip to the front desk people - you could learn a tip or two about hospitality from the entire staff. Snobby receptioni [... read more]sts don't make for a welcoming entrance nor when we have questions. On my last day, my flight was delayed 5 hours and they DID NOT budge to get my little brother of 6 years old a pillow. They also pretended to call the manager several times but that was lie. I can guarantee the ladies that clean the washroom (by the way super super friendly, responsive respectful and humble) would have tried harder than the ladies at the front desk and at the little desk beside reception. Too me that was the only point of poor service but also the hotels chance at a good impression. Nice rooms :) good food :) beds could be a Lil more comfy but I was OK!! Thank you for a great vacation!! From Canada - Glenda & Family

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: This hotel was a great disappointment.

Grounds were clean, as were pools. Public restrooms (ladies anyway) - many of them did NOT have toilet seats, door handles or locks (and often no toilet paper). We heard they are waiting for 80!!!!!!. Maintenance is sadly lacking in this facility. Lots of talking among staff when at work and work done in a very disorganized manner. Consider: bringing coffee to us and no cups with same and NO CUPS TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE, as well as tables not set properly, ie. tableware missing,no napkins; we were  [... read more]told guests had taken cups to their suites, but the resort was only half-full at this point!!! Also food in buffet was 'hit or miss' - cold, none left, no refills, no labels on what we're eating. Our safe (wouldn't open/close) and closet doors did not work: same with balcony doors. We looked at other suites..... same situation, so we stayed and WAITED in for 'safe repair guy'. Improper maintenance was noted in many places by us. People were complaining everywhere and generally very unhappy. Sloppy cleaning in suites also, as we noted floors not swept and we had to chase down towels/paper for bathroom. This should not happen AT ALL. A LA CARTE's saved us and they were fair - lots of effort put in there, funny enough, but no way 5Star! Funny, entertainment was quite good and we attended every night. Bar staff overworked in main lobby and coffee bar, but what else is new!!! Gardens were fine, as were pools. You need to properly maintain a resort like this if you want people to return.......... and we think we may NOT return ever!!!

Starfish Varadero: Average

Average for what you pay I enjoy for a one week stay.the stop are friendly,And I enjoyed the seafoods .i been to this hotel twice I enjoy it,except this hotel needs maintenance its leeking everywhere,

Hotel Bella Costa: OK resort - Friendly staff

Resort was good, amenities were good, food was ok, shows were excellent except for the body painted people one night - questionable. The rooms were clean but there appeared to be a bit of a mold issue and drippy pipes in many locations. Suites were nice. Staff was very helpful and friendly and really made the vacation.