Melia Las Antillas: Melia Las Antillas Cuba

Of course, the people of Cuba are so wonderful and make visiting Cuba extra nice. The hotel is a little dated, but I like the style of the big building. (Elevator was a little scary). The outside hallway faced the highway and the room balcony faced the resort (we were on 5th floor). Unlike the small building styles we've been to (3 floors with a hallway thru the middle), Melia was very quiet during the night so we could actually sleep without interruptions such as voices echoing and slamming doo [... read more]rs and no kids. If you want peace, this is the place to go. The room was nice and clean and always had changed sheets and fresh towels and yes, bathrobes. We had a nice reception on the 5th floor with a live band and two young dancers and a 'quiz on Cuba' from the very friendly Manager... such a nice touch. This is our third visit to Cuba and the food was good. The Italian restaurant was really good and the staff are so wonderful. Good value for the money. Wouldn't go again because we want to explore other resorts, but Melia Las Antillas was good and everyone was fantastic and so friendly.

Grand Memories Varadero: Surpassed Expectations

Following a couple of less-than-stellar experiences in 2011 and 2013, my wife and I decided to give one last chance to Cuba as summer break destination. After doing a lot of research, we opted for a two weeks all-inclusive trip to Grand Memories Varadero. If I’m to summarize our experience, I’d say it was unexpectedly positive. The hotel really knows how to cover the essentials: safety, comfort, food. It’s common knowledge that Cuba is generally a very safe country for tourists. However,  [... read more]the hotel went the extra mile ensuring that only registered guests, vendors, and entertainers got entrance to the grounds. The management was always present in the high traffic areas, virtually 24 hours a day. The 3-level buildings are relatively new and well maintained. Most importantly, the in-room air conditioning worked, flawlessly. Beds were comfortable and the mini fridge was stocked daily with bottled water, beer, and soft drinks. Whenever we needed help (de-magnetized access cards, fresh towels) the receptionist made sure our requests were addressed promptly. The biggest surprise during our stay was the food. I am no nutritionist, but it seemed to me that most of the ingredients were organic, low fat, and the buffet choices were varied and balanced. The Cuban specific dishes (pork, rice, beans, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, tropical fruit) were simply divine. Complement those with Spanish paella and beef, as well as lobster, crab, fish, shrimp, and clams, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for plumping up. Paradoxically though, I got back home weighing the same as I did when I left. Wish someone can explain this to me… If I’m to venture a guess, I’d say it’s the hotel’s management team that made all the difference. Cuba is not a country of plenty, but somehow the GM and his people were able to hire a great staff and provide them with all that they needed to do a great job. I can’t wait to return!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Good resort

Wow! Great great place to stay if you ever think of going on vacation to Cuba it's an awesome fun exciting place to be if your going with family, friends, or that special someone ;) . Food is good, the workers always do there best looking to make you feel at home and it's just a beautiful hotel!

Palma Real: bellevue palma real varadero

I'll talk about my trip to Bellevue Palma Real Varadero from August 29 to September 5, 2015 , this resort are situated.in the heart of Varadero one can walking to call 62 and havana club and BEATTLE that are well-known bars and very well ,, the resort has 2 children pool and 2 other for adults the first has a swim up bar and 2 nd quiet pool ,, and that are very well ,, this resort you can move and verythings at the hands ,,, is not to much walk l and to go to the beach you have to walk through t [... read more]he way but are ok 5 minutes,,,I'll tell you about the dinner a la carte which i made ​​2 ,, are the first Italian and the Cuban 2 ,, the first Italian was very good and the dishes are full but services too fast and I think when you eat a la carte this is ok to relax the Cuban 2 ,,, very small portion and he knew many things was missings in the menu ,,and the rooms are small but ok for me because I 'm not difficult ,, the service ok lobby takes time but we are in cuba ,,, very good to eat the buffet and lots of fruits ,,, i really love this resort ,, and I can not tell you about the show at night because i not attend ,,i will go back anythimes at that resort i love it

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Big disappointment

My husband and I, together with another couple of friends, booked this hotel for 10 days, from Aug 28 to Sept 7. The hotel was highly recommended by another couple of friends, who vacationed there several times. The hotel complex is beautiful, the rooms are very nice, clean and comfortable, and the beach is divine. The grounds are nicely maintained, the pools pristine clean…We enjoyed very much entertainment at the reception bar, the piano young lady is a true virtuoso. We had lots of fun at t [... read more]he Japanese restaurant. However, there are many not satisfactory things, for which we will not come back to this hotel in the future: 1. We arrived at the hotel around 3 pm, and had to wait for almost two hours to check-in. It seemed that they were overbooked, the stuff was confused…. Finally, a very nice lady at the reception (Marinela – Mara) took us over, apologized for the delay and checked us in. 2. The rooms, the sheets and the towels have a very bad smell – stale, and musty. Both we and our friends experienced this, in both sets of rooms. The sheets were clean, no doubt, but the smell from them was awful. When we complained, we were told that they had problems with the laundry provider… but it seems that has been a case for a while….it felt like they did not use any detergent, or the worst kind of the detergent. The same was with towels…. they looked worn out, with that awful lingering odor, like 15 years old at least. At first, we were given only bath sheets, no hand/face towels… we had to complain to get a second set of smaller towels for face. Then, in 10 days, the towels were never replaced. 3. The restaurant was another story…. in the first few days, when the hotel was fully booked, there were no plates available, we had to wait for them for 10 minutes. When some of the guests left, the situation with the plates was better. However, many times, the plates were dirty. Then, lots of flies, all over the buffet… disgusting….the food was not comparable to a five star hotel… three stars the most, and I am being very generous…. no salt and pepper shakers on the tables ever…. tables not ready for the guests, we had to chase the staff constantly to set a table for four of us….there was prosciutto only one evening when they gave us questionnaire sheets to rate the hotel and its service… needless to say, it was very insulting, it felt like bribery… the restaurant at the beach was the same story… 20 minutes wait for chicken at the BBQ… 4. Public washrooms…. no toilet seats and no toilet paper very often! Why? 5. Finally… the staff…. if you did not tipped them off, you will wait for them to show for 10-15 minutes…. the bar at the reception: no ashtrays at all… this is a hotel where people are allowed to smoke, and I cannot understand why there are no ashtrays on every table.

Starfish Varadero: Good time

My daughters and I found that it was a great place to get away from our everyday life, free our minds and relax. The pool area was well kept and at times very peaceful, having two distingue pool areas was great. We loved the beach area and activities such as volleyball, dancing etc… being offered for our enjoyment. The night entertainment was also great, we loved the dancing; and the entertainment staff, made you feel welcome and were quick to include you in the fun. The disco could have been  [... read more]better; the music seemed to be the same night after night. I would suggest a mix of music genre to get more people out and dancing. The rooms were clean, in need of some repair, but, we loved it just the same. The cleaning staff, were very pleasant and accommodating. The food, was good by me, my daughters thought that there was not enough choice, I was just glad I didn't have to make it, so a hit as far as I am concerned. I serving staff, once again, were very pleasant, responsive and accommodating. Overall experience was very good.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Pathetic

Workers hated tourists Electrical fire outside my room, black smoke in my room Items were stolen from room if no tip was there Food was entirely GARBAGE and took 1 hr to receive Pay extra, go Mexico!!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: GOOD TIMES RESORT

IT WAS NOT MY FIRST TIME AT THIS RESORT AND IS STILL AN IMPRESSIVE HOLIDAY SPOT IN CUBA. I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH A LITTLE WITH THE SERVICE THIS TIME, AND ALSO THE SEE VIEW I PAID FOR WAS NOT SEA VIEW AND THAT WAS BECAUSE THE HOTEL WAS FULL; REGARDLESS I DID NOT LIKE THAT... BUT OVERALL IT IS A GREAT PLACE; WILL I RETURN? YES, BUT WILL NOT BOOK SEA VIEW TO AVOID BEEN DISAPPOINTED, I WILL TRY TO UPGRADE UPON ARRIVAL.

Memories Jibacoa: Great Resort

My brother and I spent 5 days at Memories Jibacoa in August. It was our first trip to Cuba and this property/location was chosen so that we would be relatively close to Havana. We did not go with real high expectations of Cuba but we were pleasantly surprised. Our trips to Havana and to Varadero were excellent - thanks to Eric who was our guide. My brother was able to play a round of golf in Varadero (very nice golf course) while I went to the markets and did some sighseeing. Our room was on the [... read more] 2nd level, oceanview in building 3. Very nice room, great location (close to a reasonably well equipped gym). Beach area was very nice (not too crowded). Well planned entertainment on the beach with teams participating in different games and beach volleyball. After hearing very bad reviews regarding food from family and friends, we were pleasantly surprised with the food at this resort. We were happy with all our meals (especially the omelette and the fish). I took a small bottle of hot sauce which helped. I was not crazy about the white wine they served in the dining hall and the fact that since Mojito is supposed to be Cuba's famous cocktail we couldn't get that at the bar because they didn't have the mint leaves. A couple of times when we did get that drink they had put just a sprig of mint leaf - not crushed. This was disappointing. On the whole we had a great experience and since we were not expecting much because of the reviews from friends and family we were pleasantly surprised. I would go back to Memories Jibacoa with my friends. Five days was long enough and I really liked the resort and our oceanview room.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Good resort

Hotel was ok, food was decent, some waiters and staff were friendly and some try to ignore you. Rooms are clean, nothing was stolen. The security guards always ask you to bring them beer, which was annoying and rude. I really didn't like that. Beautiful beach though.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great beach

Rooms are ok. Had to change rooms on the first night but had no problem doing it. The first room was flooded with water. Beaches are perfect! The nightly shows were average I guess but you always have two choices since the Arena Blancas and the Solymar are connected. Biggest issue there was the staff. They were not helpful at all they didn't even offer suggestions when asked them for something. Just a straight no. Some of the staff (maybe two). Were pretty decent. It just felt like we were treat [... read more]ed worse because we were not Cuban

Resonance Blu Varadero: Beautiful resort

The pool area with the idea was crazy. No supervision and the kids couldn't even enjoy the slide. The pool bar was gross and the amount of drunk people was insane. They would take over the slide and our kids couldn't enjoy. Life guards are sleeping or just flat out don't care. Was not impressed with how they ignored everything going on around them. I had it on one day and freaked out on the life guard to remove a drunk man out of the pool who was about to drown if we didn't keep on I on him. It  [... read more]was out famy vacation and I never felt so stressed out in my life. They had another pool which was great but the kids choose this resort because of the slide. The resort is beautiful and huge, be prepared to walk a lot. I would not recommend this resort to any family. This resort needs to step up on accountability. Between the drunks and lack of security I felt with these life guards I should have stayed home. Very disappointed and it's a shame because the resort is beautiful. Management needs to insure proper training to his employees.

Grand Memories Varadero: Grand Memories Varadero

Stayed at the Grand Memories at the end of August 2015. Noticed the same concerns as others have already mentioned. We were 3 days waiting for beach towels and the food is average at best. The beach is very narrow and lots of shells. On the upside the pools are great and no problem finding loungers. Our room was adequate, great and quiet A/C, but the beds are firm. Have also stayed at the Memories Varadero and would recommend this resort over the Grand Memories.

Sol Varadero Beach: This hotel was disappointment

I am not a picky traveler. I've been many times to Cuba and i do not have very high expectations in terms of service.The reason I keep going back to Cuba are beautiful beaches, nice people and of course you would expect some level of decency from the hotel rated as 3.5 start hotel. Sol Sirenas Coral is rated as 3.5, in reality should be max 2. Hotel buildings are quite run down and they do not provide services they promise. We stayed there 7 days and we were not provided with beach towels. The r [... read more]oom was not very clean and the towels in the room looked so bad that we were not sure if they are stained or maid did not replace them. Lunch and dinner food was same, it literally did not change for 7 days.

Melia Marina Varadero: Good resort

Beautiful resort, mostly friendly people, clean, hardworking staff, great bars, great pool, rooms starting to show a little wear and tear, invonsistent maid service, food was great variety but there was a lit of salt, meat and fried food. They fid the best they coukd with the resources the country has. Beautiful restaurants and food there. Shows need work- three were cancelled and a dj brought in which was disappointing. All in all, a lovely resort. Ih and there was lots if hot water and lits of [... read more] shade if needed. Wifi cards are 2 CUCs for an hour.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Good Value with Some Tips

I am not a picky traveler and always act in a nice manner to staff however there could be some simple improvements for basic items. I don't expect luxury - at all. Overall a good value but could improve on some core goods and services. Goods = Only received one freshening of hotel & beach towels. Fridge was replenished with 1 item when more than 1 individual(s) stay in the room. This seems to be the consistent practice. It was very difficult to get a response for items such as more than 1 bottle [... read more] of water or clean towels. Regardless of how nice or the tip (and gifts) you leave. No air conditioning or fans in the main buffet, this made it uncomfortable to enjoy a meal. Service = hotel staff did not focus on customer service. When at the hotel reception, bars or restaurants the staff would often avoid customers and make them wait for extended periods of time. This was not a specific person and occurred consistently throughout the resort as it seemed to be an overall customer service practice. The resort was clean and the beaches were beautiful. Overall not a lot of effort was made, just average with a lot of opportunity to be better.

Melia Las Antillas: Great resort for couples

If your traveling as a couple, this is the resort. However if your looking to party and the night life, I would not recommended it. The beach was amazing, the rooms were clean, and best of all, the food was amazing for Cuba.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: No air conditionning for the week

I so regret making this choice of resort. I will so not go back to this place. There was not air conditionning for the week and were told all kinds of bad excuses for not having it. We were stalked by a cuban for things. He told us it would take 20 min. for me to go to my room. I asked a security guard and were told it was normal. I was afraid so i gave him what he wanted !!. We couldn't get what was on the menu, couldn't get rhum drinks until 3:00, was refused entry to our reservation because w [... read more]e were 3 minutes before our reservation. There was ants on the Japanese restaurants table !! My God!.. Don't go there!

Grand Memories Varadero: Great Resort for the money

My partner and I had our first holiday together at Grand Memories and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The resort and all it's amenities were fantastic; beautiful beach, nice pools, gorgeous gardens. While the food wasn't all that great (although there was a lot to choose from), that is no reflection on the resort itself, most of the food in Cuba is pretty bland. Our room was nice, nothing crazy but comfortable and clean. The only negative was that our toilet was missing a seat, which we notified th [... read more]e front desk about right away but nothing was done about it. Besides that, the staff were all very courteous and accommodating. Overall we had a fun and relaxing time on vacation, especially during the Michael Jackson tribute show, it was definitely a highlight of the trip!

Grand Memories Varadero: Big resort

Very large busy resort. Beautiful beaches. Hard to get a chair most days. Lots of couples and families. Friendly staff. Some days there wasn't a lot of food selection. Long waits for fresh eggs or meat.