Worst resort , dirty and the staff will rob you blind

The place was dirty and unkept , food was horrible. I have been to Cuba 4 times before and I never have ever stayed in a place like this. The beds are like bricks ! The maid stole my clothes , wireless headphones and my rum I was going to bring back for my wife. I complained to the front desk my complaints fell on deaf ears . Do not waste your money !

Great hotel for the price

Hotel rooms and grounds are very clean. Our cleaning lady Teresa was so good always on top of everything and excellent cleaner. The staff are very friendly and are will to help in every way they can. The shows are out of thid world like synchro, magic act and other fabulous shows. Some things need fixing like the gym has equipment that have been broken for at least 3 years and at least one elevator in each building is out of order, but remember you are in Cuba. I would recommend this hotel i [... read more]f your looking for an economical, friendly and clean environment and a gorgeous beach too.

It was GREAT!

Overall as a first family vacation, we had a good time at Muthu Playa! The people in the animation team were amazing and very dedicated to making us feel at home. Food... So, so... We ATE and DRANK A LOT! but We thought it could be better. The snack bar was nice in between meals... the only problem was the FLIES and BIRDS eating the food that was openly exposed. Rooms are decent, double beds, they even had a crib for my daughter which was nice since the beds are small. Cleanliness of the  [... read more]room was good, the ladies we had always did what was asked and even more. Beach was beautiful! lots of rocks but if you don't mind that it's okay. Varadero has a lot of attractions, so many we didn't get to do as much as we would want and even when I went out late at night I felt safe. Overall good vacation and I would recommend someone to go there :)

Muthu Playa Varadero

The shared facilities are good. The beach and the ocean are amazing. Customer service at the reception is good. Customer service representative (not sure about the name - Kardita?) was rude to me, she did not listen, interrupted in a very impolite manner, talked back to me and raised her voice, which is unacceptable. Cleaners do not put out signs "Wet Floor" - I slipped and fell on the wet floor and injured my knee - I am still in pain, visiting my doctor in Toronto - all the staff knew about it [... read more] - no one offered help, no one apologized. The room did not have a shower divider, I could not take a shower because it would flood the whole space. The fridge did not have a shelf and I could keep nothing there. The phone did not work. Some lights did not work. After I complained I was moved to another room, which was better, but still, the phone did not work, they brought another one from another room, but there was no ringing - no one could reach me - and I did not hear the person I was calling to. It the first room with multiple issues the stand lamps were dirty, with greasy dust on the surfaces, which made them impossible to touch. Everyday cleaning of the rooms is OK, but the floors are not washed properly. I could go on and on. Overall, the impression of this 4-star hotel is not positive at all.

Great Resort!

Very clean, Great lobby bar & Pool area. Awesome entertainers. Very nice beach area with parasols. Size of the resort was very good, very walkable - not too large. Buffet didn't have very much of a selection - food was much better at the a la carte restaurants.

Not a bad resort at all!

Stayed here April 22-May 2nd/19...great staff from housecleaning to bartenders to coffee bar..if this resort had a bit of painting done to update it would easily be 4 star..beds were pretty comfortable..coffee bar in lobby was great! Beach was amazing of course..food was OK. .my husband''s first trip to Cuba and has only been to Jamaica to compare but he said he'd go back..you'll never go hungry..bread is terrific and fresh chicken and pork was great..snack bar was also good..smaller resort so  [... read more]easy to get around..all in all great trip! !

Very good resort !!!

3rd time there....will definitely return....nice clean hotel...well taken care grounds...very friendly staff...and of course the beach and the ocean is beautiful.. specially love the grill on the beach....overall it's a good bang for your buck.

It was ok

Seemed more like 2 stars instead of 4. The rooms weren’t nice the hotel wasn’t nice.... everything was old looking. The entertainment was dry and boring. It was just whatever, definitely was not wowed at all.

Nice Stay

Stay was from March 28th to April 4th Very happy with our choice. The resort was very clean and the staff were super friendly. Varadero has the nicest beaches by far from anywhere we've been to date and we've been to over 6 different resorts in Cuba to date. We know from past experiences that you don't come to Cuba for the food. There was not much of a selection at the buffet at all (typical) However.... We decided to try the beach buffet. They do an outdoor bbq.... OMG! Best food in Cuba  [... read more]to date. Not sure why they don't move that to the main buffet. Lots of flavor. Also don't bother ordering coffee from the buffet. Terrible. But there is a great coffee bar just downstairs. We definitely tipped these guys. Great coffee. We had heard a few people complain about their rooms not being cleaned properly but ours was perfectly fine. The pool would have been a lot cleaner if people picked up their plastic drink cups instead of letting them blow into the pool; but that is no fault of the resort. The one thing that we found was that the resort is extremely small but from what we can tell this was a bonus for the older couples as they did not have far to walk. We met a few couples who were super nice to talk to. One couple had been to this resort 16 times. This is the first time I will say this about Cuba... I will be back to this resort. Hope this helps anyone. Oh.. PS they do have coffee machines in the rooms now. Apparently this is a recent upgrade. When we checked online the resort stated they did not have them. Otherwise we would have brought our own coffee.

Resort as a look and as a location was good

i think the staff was very nice and friendly , the entertainment personal was great as well , food was sucks as usual..snack bar was very poor..the beach bar and restaurant was awful..they were frying only sardines.

Not terrible...

Ok, so I'll start with I booked this resort strictly for the price. The price was good at $805 for a single person. First glance, you can see it is dated and could use some upgrades, but is very clean. The grounds are beautiful and very well taken care of. Gardens everywhere! There was plenty going on throughout the day and a show every evening. Unfortunately I didnt make it out to the shows due to the no-see-ums. They were pretty bad after dark by the beach and the shows were at the o [... read more]utdoor venue, although they do have an indoor venue that they do not use, and I'm not sure why. A band played every evening in the lobby, and they were fantastic! Everyone always dancing while they played and the animation team made sure of it! Kudos to the animation team! Every night they were teaching salsa, mambo, merengue, etc and had a great time doing it. The drinks were plenty and the pina coladas were perfection! The food was the same every day. Not terrible, but not great. Bring snacks from home or go into town and eat at one of the fantastic restaurants in varadero. Check in was pretty easy, as well as check out, but dont forget to bring your towel to the front desk or the clubhouse or you will be charged 15CUC. My room was a king size on the top floor, as I asked for. It had a partial oceanview, but was on the east side which faced to the back of another resort, where the workers came in on bus early in the mornings. If you're a light sleeper, I would ask for maybe the west side of the building. I really didnt mind that much though as I hardly sleep on vacation. My room could definitely use some updating. The bathroom had been, but the rest of the room had not. The ac did not work, but it didn't bother me, so I didn't complain about it. My room key stopped working on more than one occasion, which when exhausted at 2am was a little annoying, needing to walk back to the front desk 3 times. They got me into my room, so it is what it is. The beach was very nice. Loved walking through the overgrown trees out the the beach. It was groomed every day, white sand, turquoise water, beautiful! Plenty of loungers that I saw, both on the beach and at the pool. The pool is a fairly decent size, with a 0% end for the smaller kiddies to get in safely. I didnt actually go in the pool, not a huge fan, especially when you have a beach right there! The pool bar was great, but wish they used the swim up bar, maybe then I would have gone in? I did not use the gym, but some girls I met said they went to use it and more than half the equipment is either broken or missing pieces and unusable. I would avoid it and maybe go for a jog if you really need to workout while on vacay. The gift and smoke shop is well stocked, but if you need anything, be sure to do so no late that 6pm could it could close at any minute, even though it says it's open until 9pm. The Italian al a carte was the best of the three I ate at. I would not suggest the Cuban or the international. Maybe I just didnt choose the right meals, but I didnt really enjoy any of the food at this resort. There is a disco right on site that is also part of the all inclusive. The DJ was fantastic! I didnt stop dancing the entire night I was there. Great mix of Spanish and top 40 dance type music. Overall, for the value, I would say it was worth it. Not too sure i would return, although the animation team and the bartenders there were fantastic. They would be the reasons I would return. Being such a small resort, you really get to know a lot of people there, which I really enjoyed! It was funny because I had met 4 or 5 different groups of people in the first couple days I was there, then I travelled to Havana for 3 nights. When I came back, they all knew each other and had been hanging out while I was gone! I thought it was awesome because you wouldnt have that at a bigger resort. You might not even see the same people at a bigger resort. I would recommend this place to any solo travellers or budget conscious people or families, looking for a nice beach, great entertainment, and smaller resort atmosphere!

Spectacular Suprise!

Room we stayed in was a little dated but very spacious & very clean. Bed was also very comfortable. Pool area along with the beach area kept in a pristine fashion. Staff very friendly and helpful. Supper buffet was typical of all Cuban resorts we have stayed at. A la cartes were very good and enjoyable. The lunch buffet at the beach snack bar was simply incredible. Actually it was the best one yet. BBQE. Chicken, Pork, Beef along with fantastic jumbaleye and salads every day. Bar service and ent [... read more]ertainment was top notch. Nice surprise was the awesome coffee bar! We booked on a last minute at a very reasonable rate. We will definitely return.

Terrific Resort

Had an amazing time last week. Took my wife and 10 year old grand daughter here and really enjoyed ourselves. The beach was beautiful as was the resort. It was clean and well maintained. Staff are so friendly and helpful . Bartenders are generous with the drinks and most staff speak English quite well.The pools were well kept as well were the grounds.Entertainment was available evenings with local bands in lobby area and excellent shows on main stage nightly. Food was good for Cuban with the hi [... read more]gh points for the breads and pastries and typical for beef or pork. Lots of variety with food also available at 24 hour snack bar and beach bar. The resort is not that large so everything is close and intimate. Always found chairs and shade at beach or pool. The best thing here are the wonderful staff. Hope to return soon.

Good Resort

Positive: service people are good and friendly, entertainment excellent, ground aerie is good, food and restaurant and dining room also are good, beach are in good condition. Negative: air conditioner in the room has only two stages ON or OFF because control panel not working, door to balcony not fixed well and difficult to lock, everywhere people smoking cigarettes even in the balcony

Our stay was great

The rooms were a little old but the people and the food were great. We met a lot of people and the shows weren't bad. We are going back again in the fall. It was a little cool at the beach but around the pool it was hot. Rooms are close to the beach so not alot of walking. We fould there was a lot of return people that just loved it there.

Loved it!

This was my first trip anywhere and couldn't have been more pleased. Was a little nervous setting up everything and going on my own but Maria and tripcental were great. Thanks to all of the staff at Mutha Playa and I will certainly be going back!

Amazing Resort - Even better than the pictures!

Very good resort, clean, big resort but still has that cozy feel. Beach and pool were very nice and very well kept. Lots of good activities. I've been to Cuba 9 times and this place definitely has the best food! Also very wheelchair accessible (ramps, elevators, etc.). Front desk staff were very helpful and the rest of the staff are very nice. We were originally given a ground-level room and we changed it to one a few stories up and it was much nicer so if there is extra room I recommend asking  [... read more]for a room that isn't on the ground level. Overall a very nice resort and nice and close to the town of Varadero (there is a bus to take which is very easy) and a short drive from the airport which is also nice.

No frills resort

Muthu Playa, a small resort consisting of two old east/west buildings for guests, minimally decorated rooms. The bar fridge is not filled with anything and you need to ask for subsequent bottles of water. You also need to ask for more towels as they only give you 2 even if you're a family of 4. Our room had no bath tub. You worked the A/C by flipping a breaker switch. The buffet and outdoor grill do not vary much from day to day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We love Cuban food so did not have [... read more] a problem with it, fresh papaya, guava, roast pork, fish etc every day. The Italian and International dinners by reservation are in the same restaurant near the buffet, the Cuban dinner is held at the outdoor grill; nothing special to write about. Only the bar by the buffet has a working slushy maker for the kids. They have a nice coffee bar near the lobby, and the main building overall has a basic no frills decor. Because the resort does not house many guests, there are lots of huts at the beach and spots by the pool. You become intimate with staff and they are all very nice. The entertainment at night is outside, not sure what they do when it rains. And across from the resort is a small night club. I would rate this resort 3.5* having stayed at other resorts in Varadero which we would rate 4 to 4.5*. It was a last minute booking and we had a great time nonetheless.

Amazing intimate resort

Small resort with amazing staff. Food was great, and the beach was amazing !! I would recommend going to Havana with Havana Jouneys ask for Gus! I can’t wait to go again next year, my new favourite hotel!!!

Pros and cons

There are pros and cons for everyone. Small, fair food quality, spacious lobby, good coffee bar were pros. Laid back staff, lack of sanitary with food, lack of service, poor room quality were cons. Staff were friendly but they were not offering any service until asked. When asked they are working in very laid back manner. When you tip them they may become your best friend but again... Different personal experience may be the factor here. Room was clean enough but worn off. Some lights were  [... read more]not working, the mattress was old and the bedsheets were not clean nor changed when asked. Smell of mold in some spots of the bed. Yuck. AC was blowing at full capacity without any means of control. We were told to turn it off with the breaker by the front desk staff. Either full or none... Beach was good as most of Cuba beaches are. Food was fair with the selections, average quality. I guess this is good in Cuba standards. However the sanitary was the biggest concern. Staff were not wearing gloves and handling raw food. Flies and some wild animals (birds and cats) were frequently found. Coffee bar was excellent, with the service and the quality. Impressed with it. Bars were generally packed with people and need to tip or wait for the service. 10 min bus ride to Varadero downtown. Nothing else was in immediate walking distance. Overal experience was average but nothing wowed me other than their coffee. I would not come back.