Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Very bad Hotel

This hotel has gotten very bad. It was our third trip and last trip to this resort.Definitely not a 4 star 2 at best. Needs upgrading do not consider it all inclusive when the are always running out of food drinks mix no white wine.Table were left dirty so hard to find a clean place to sit. Dishes and cutlery were not clean looked like sheets of toilet paper we’re our napkins. Rooms need to be fixed no hot water for 2 weeks had to shower by the pool as we had no water bedspread is dirty and ve [... read more]ry worn patio doors don’t work if you have a phone most don’t work they charge you for a safe but most don’t work missing a lot of light bulbs.Management is good at listening but do absolutely nothing to fix any problem. Staff is mostly very friendly. Worst thing was the second week we were over run by locals. Arrogant rude not waiting in food lines taking whole plates off the buffet for themselves sitting and used other guest towel stating I am Cuban and can do what I want when confronted. Staff at hotel were afraid not to serve them first because of repercussions later. We spoke with lots of guest who also said they would not be returning for a lot of the same reason. We did not want to be treated better but equally. Our bus to the airport for our return trip was 1 1/2 hour or more late picking us but and we could get no answers from anyone as what was going on. It is in our purchase price to have a return bus but once we checked out there was no help. The hotel should have been notified what was going on and passed on the information to the passengers waiting. Also rats and cockroaches in the restaurant which is not the most appetizing. Would definitely NOT recommend this place any more. Our first 2 visit we loved this place but will never go back.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Excellent resort

Although slightly understaffed the resort is a wise choice. Food is always an issue in Cuba but was not the case this week. Buffet and restaurants were all good. It is a smaller resort with a good mix of younger and older crowds and still has plenty of options if you prefer a quiet area or party scene. Nightly entertainment was repetitive but ok. There are many shortages of booze throughout Cuba yet the bar tenders were always able to provide something good. Did not meet any bad staff and have i [... read more]n fact become friends with some.

Iberostar Coral Holguin: Amazing Resort

I have just returned from my second visit to Coral Leverl Iberostar Holgiun I will go back again. The resort is beautiful, well.looked after, very clean and the staff go above and beyond to make sure your stay is an amazing one. The advantage of Coral Level is the quiet, private pool, bar and restaurant. The food was good, there was a lack.of fresh fruit and vegetables but that is the norm right now everywhere in Cuba. The chefs did a great job with what they had. No one could say they were hu [... read more]ngry. Over all I give my stay a 9.5 out of 10. Love the place and the people!!!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Covid's impact on Cuba

Booking a trip to Cuba, we all know we don't go there for the food, this trip was no exception. Cuba has been greatly impacted by Covid, and to make matters worse, the government changing their currancy. We heard time and again how difficult it is for the citizens of Cuba to get the meer staples of life. Things like vegetables, fruit, meats, bread, juice, toothpaste, shampoo, feminine hygiene products - and the list goes on and on - are hard to come by for them, and also for the resorts in the a [... read more]rea. Our resort had real juice one morning out of the 13 days we were there (the rest of the time was a syrup based juice, and most of the time only peach juice) - alcohol available on the resort was limited to some rums, whiskey, wine and beer, and because there was no juice, your options were pop (no diet available either for those of us who are diabetics) or water. Meat was never consistant, though chicken, pork and fish were always available at meal time, cooked in some fashion or another. Once lobster was at the buffet, and twice turkey. This resort was one of the better for meals when we compared notes with other travellers at the airport on our way home. Many had only chicken, fish and rice dishes - and an even smaller selection of alcohol than we had. The Iberostar Laguna Azul's best meal of the day was always breakfast, provided you got there early, and weren't looking for a nice glass of juice or milk - powdered milk was usually available. Getting a glass of water with your meal seemed to be endlessly difficult, especially if you needed a refill throughout your meal. This improved slightly the last few days, because some of the guests complained to customer services, us included. The resort boasts that they are improving safety by reducing the numbers allowed at a la carts - however, the buffet at supper is packed tight. Not sure why another restaurant or two was not opened as a supper buffet to alleviate the congestion. Staff seemed to be quite busy, even though there didn't seem to be a shortage of staff. I especially noticed in this hotel, how many of the staff would cut you off and walk right in front of you - whereas at other resorts we've gone to over the years, they would stop, and allow the guest to go through first. On three separate occasions, we witnessed someone fall - looking around, there was staff there who seen the fall, but did not come to offer assistance or to see if the person who fell was injured. The staff watched from afar, but never approached. A word of caution - this resort has many areas where the floors change heights, one spot will be an 1/2 - 1 inch difference from the other floor - and most of them are not marked in any way - mostly where one building is connected to another - a recipe for someone not paying attention, to take a nasty fall. Changing money to their currency - change over only a minimal amount. Don't change it at the airport or any bank, ask a worker on the resort. Most of the Cuban people prefer the canadian dollar over their CUP (Cuban Peso). At the airport - when we were there, $1 canadian was equivalent to 78 Peso, the travel agency reps were offering it at $1 canadian to 90 Peso, and some of the workers were willing to trade it for $1 canadian to 100 Peso. The pools at this resort - the main pools in the middle of the resort were cleaned every morning - be careful using these pools, several tile are missing throughout the two main pools and some of those areas have sharp spots. There are two quieter pools, one in the Relax zone, and one on the complete opposite side of the hotel grounds - these pools are quieter, but not cleaned in I don't know how long - very dirty each time we went there. Minimal lounge chairs (and portable umbrellas) were set out all around the pools - but when tipped, staff would bring out additional ones. Many of the lounge chairs on the beach were broken, this resort really needs to purchase new loungers if/when they are available. There was a small fridge in the rooms, however, they are not stocked with anything- bottles of filtered water were left on the dresser, but no pop, or beer were in the fridge. When we inquired about getting the fridge stocked we were told Iberostar resorts no longer do this in their new "waves of change" campaign to lessen waste.Cuba has no recycling plan, though in some areas there are recycling bins - we were told everything goes into one garbage.However, the resort stores we're selling plastic bottles of water, and all the bars were using pop from plastic bottles - so not sure how much waste it is actually preventing . Kudos for them to try to lessen waste, but really?br /> Would I recommend this resort - until things improve, I would not recommend Cuba, period, but if you really want to go to Cuba - according to our fellow travellers, this is one of the better ones to stay at currently. The beachs are beautiful, this resort was clean, the gardeners do an excellent job of looking after things on the grounds, and some staff are awesome (we ran into about 4 staff we thought were exceptional). One plus -clean beach towels were always available, but you had to give a credit card for a hold of $15 per beach towel to get them at the beginning of your stay (on the last day you are given a ticket by the towel guy to hand into reception at checkout so you're not charged on your credit card) - the staff working in the towel hut were super friendly. The kitchen staff did well with what they had, but as it wasn't alot, the meals were extremely repetitive. For the amount of money we paid to go here, we were extremely disappointed in this resort - so many simple things could easily be made better. Security could always be seen on the beach and throughout the resort.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Good Resort

Arrived at the Varadero Airport, located our shuttle bus. After waiting on the bus for over 1hr and only 5 passengers on the bus at this time. I confirmed the number of passenger that we were waiting for, which was 49. I then asked " are we waiting for other planes to land to fill this bus ? The representative confirmed that this was correct. I told her that " I will take a cab and remove my luggage at this time. The other passengers standing outside also wanted to hitch a ride, however t [... read more]hey were not staying at the same location. Arriving at the resort was less than welcoming as they were not expecting us until 4pm, The guard did not want to allow the cab driver through the gate to the resort, they exchanged some words in Spanish and we were allowed entry. We arrived shortly after 12pm. The woman at the front test proceeded to explain that us ladies were trouble makers and we were extremely early and they were not expecting us at that time. She did however allow us use of the resort, we did not receive instruction where anything was located in the resort. This was not an issue as the resort is small and you can find everything you need on your own. The entertainment was great and the staff work really hard to show you a good time. We always found something to eat on the resort and we had no complaints, The woman that made our omelette every morning was fantastic, and the servers are very friendly. The beach was amazing. The Cleaning service was overall good, take face clothes because they do not provide. They always provided fresh towels and water everyday. Overall! We had a blast and would recommend this hotel, and would come back again.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Many problems resort

Never in my 83 years of life have I stayed at a hotel that purposely did not have hot water to shower or bathe . Management answer was we know we have a on going problem with low water pressure and a 50' f maximum hot water. But were to busy fixing other things like outdoor fountains to bother with guest problems. Another problem is loundges at the pool or beach ,guest go early to claim their chair by leaving a towel or book on it then leave for hours before they use it. Meanwhile other guest  [... read more]have no where to sit. A new rule like if you are not present at the site you cannot claim a chair would solve the problem. So you see the hotel really does not care about there guest comfort.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Iberostar revisited

We were last in this resort 21 years ago. The lobby and restaurants have been renovated and I think the pool as well. It all looks good. The food and service were excellent and we plan to bring our whole family here. What impressed me most was the enivornmental changes made. We were last in the DR 5 years ago and things have come a long way. Water stations on each floor and in bars. Refillable water bottles provided in the rooms. Very little disposable take out dishes. Paper straws and only on [... read more] request. Garbage is sorted. Shampoo and soap dispensers in the bathroom. Electronic hand dryers in the public restrooms. Digital communications. All very impressive.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: NOT THE BEST

THIS WAS NOT THE BEST RESORT i HAVE EVER BEEN TO. tHEY RAN OUT OF BEER, THEN THE RAN OUT OF MILK, THEY NEVER HAD ANY CREAM FOR THE COFFEE. AND YOU HAD TO REALLY LIKE PORK, AND TOLAPIA, BEEF WAS NONEXISTANT, THEY WERE BBQing PORK SLICESAND PUTTING THEN IN HAMBURGER BUNS. WE RAN OUT OF HOT WATER FOR THREE DAYS , THEN WE RAN OUT OF WATER. ON THE SECOND LAST DAY FOR THE DAY. THE BARTENDER WE GOT TO KNOW WAS GREAT, I FELT SORRY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED THERE, LONG LONG HOURS, THEY SURE DO DEP [... read more]END ON THE TIPS THEY GET. I HAD A HARD TIME BUYING A CUBAN CIGAR, THE SAND ON THE BEACH WAS DIRTY, I DON'T THINK THEY EVER RAKE IT. OTHER THAN THAT WE HAD A GOOD TIME , THIS PLACE IS HUGE, THEY ARE SITTING ON A GOLDMINE THEY JUST PROBABLY NEED MONEY TO GET IT GOING MOST OF THE PEOPLE I TALED TO SAID THEY WOULD NOT GO BACK, WHICH ISA SHAME LYNNE RICHARDS.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: Beautiful resort!

This was our second time at the Iberostar Selection in Holguin. The beach is stunning, and the pools are large and spacious. You can find a quiet corner, or a more lively vibe near the bar, whatever suits you best. The playground and water park are amazing for kids! My 2 year old had a blast. The staff is wonderful and helpful, they truly care about making your stay enjoyable. We loved hanging out at the lobby bar after dinner. Also, the rooms are impeccably clean. One big change since our firs [... read more]t trip is the variety of foods available. There is not as much variety, but I have heard that this is something being experienced across Cuba right now, not specific to this resort. There is still an abundance of foods available, and it is all delicious. I would definitely go back again!

Iberostar Origin Playa Pilar: Unfortunately Disappointed

This was my 5th trip to Cuba, so we are used to the nuisances that come with travelling to this area. That being said, I was disappointed with a few things, some of which may be covid related supply issues. The buffet had extremely limited menu options which only changed once, possibly twice while we were there. While we don't watch much tv while we're on vacation its a nice feature to have between beach time and dinner or going out, or just relaxing at the end of the night. Our TV was broke [... read more]n, we asked them to look at it, and it was fixed once. However turning the TV off reset whatever repair was done. We asked multiple times if they could look at it, but no one did. Staff on certain days were slower than the normal Cuban lifestyle. Every resort I've been to always had beer and pop in the room fridge, but this resort didn't. Could be a hotel thing or a supply chain issue, just another one of those nice to have things. The good, it had a cool boardwalk, the pool area was interesting, its a smaller resort which we liked. The Japanese restaurant was pretty good. Limited menu, but the entertainment was excellent.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Beautiful resort, place and people !

We have been to Cuba before (Cayo Guillermo) and we loved this new resort. The rooms were spacious, clean, full of light and conveniently organized. There were mosquito nets on the doors. The buildings are situated to have as many of the terraces to have an ocean view, specifically the 2-3 floors. The food was just right for me with enough variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner, to be able to make a different plate every time. There were servings of at least one or two types of meats (pork, l [... read more]amb, chicken) as well as fish at lunch and dinner. I am not a big meat eater and I enjoyed mostly the yogurt, bread, soups and salads as well as cooked vegetables, rice, fish and potatoes, etc. The staff at the restaurant melted our hearts each time we saw them. We will never forget the kindness, the smiles and the great service we received from Rosalia and Reinier. Entertainment: There was relax and dance routine each morning and afternoon at the pool and at the beach. The evening entertainment site was at the pool but there was also a beach party one night, which we all enjoyed and was a great time for everyone from very young, young and old. The Entertainers were the life of the place. Always genuinely friendly, happy and positive. We saw them everywhere and had very positive and good conversation, or danced together with Beatrice, Jessica, Andrew, Alejandro, Jackson, Billy and all the others! The cleaning staff was also very accommodating. There was shortage of bottled water at one time when they cleaned the rooms in the morning but they brought the water to our room later in the day when it was available. All the staff accepts tips as a normal practice across the resort, ask the staff or the Sunwing representative for information. We also brought clothes and gifts (tank tops and T-shirts) in good shape although not brand new to give to the cleaning staff in the rooms and outside. Everyone was grateful to receive them. The young staff was ecstatic about brand names. Since we have been back, we miss everything in everyone. This was a truly enjoyable vacation for our family.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Okey resort

I was there fir two weeks. The location was very beautiful however the room was as not to my like . The bathroom door is as not closing, the fridge was not working I, the plug in the bathroom was loose I had to hold the plug with one hand and the blow dryer with the other. I went on the front desk three time to have that look after and some they were tanker care two days before my departure. The food was good and Planty of it .the entertainment. Was very poor..

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Awesome stay

Just got back and it was a great time. Good was good, the rooms were redone and nice. The entertainment staff and all other stuff are super friendly they remember your name all week. The only bad stay was the flight.. won’t take swoop again.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Little gem...

23rd time in Cuba...After trip during covid we decided to go somewhere else this year. But after reading reviews from this resort we give Cuba another chance and Bingoooooo. Resort is very professionally run. Clean, well maintained, with good service. Great beach that was cleaned every day and pools. Both have lots of palapas and umbrellas. We never were sick in Cuba and never hungry. More food varieties in buffet and if you ask you can get almost everything. Staff is really trying to do somethi [... read more]ng from nothing. When comes to a la carte restaurants they need lots to improve. Menu should be printed out to avoid misunderstanding and take time to make choice...some times you have no choice at all. Japanese Restaurant definitely need more meat in meal that they provide and another restaurant is serving lobster soup that is really bad. Over all food was good. Bares should provide more quality alcohols and cocktails and drinks should be made the same way by every bartender. But this is Cuba...still learning. We are diffinetevly coming back next year. It was a good vacation.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Disappointing Accommodations and service

This hotel is definitely not Iberostar quality. From the moment we arrived at the hotel the experience was not what i expected. I would rate this place at 2.5 stars at the very most. My family and i have travelled to Cuba many times prior to Covid and have had awesome vacations but this was the worst experience ever and i wish we had not spent our vacation fund money for this. Not sure if i will go back to Cuba again. Also disappointed in Trip Central as the travel agent suggested this hote [... read more]l as one of the best in Varadero. First time booking with Trip Central and likely the last. ARRIVAL - there was no one there to welcome us to the resort nor was there anyone to help us with our luggage off the bus upon arrival. Should have been my first hint of the disappointing experience. ACCOMMODATIONS: Our rooms were dirty, run down, furniture was old and broken. The rooms were stinky and smelled very musty and moldy. We moved rooms on Day 2 and although the furniture was somewhat better the shower and sink did not drain very well so we had to turn the water on and off during showering. The hotel seemed very tired and run down. FOOD & DRINK: There were definite shortages of alcohol and food. There was only Rum and Beer on the menu which we drink neither. Often the resort would run out of mix. I am shocked since this is an all inclusive. The food was pretty much pork, inedible beef, and one type of fish. There was no variety and again the resort would run out of food on a daily basis. My daughter lived on cheese buns and cucumbers for the entire 10 days. We had to go out for dinner several nights to enjoy a nice meal. The "a la cart" dinners were the same thing as the buffet only presented a little nicer. Again disappointing. STAFS: The front desk staff appeared unhappy and not very friendly. We had to stalk them for bottled water and toilet paper on a daily basis. The other resort staff were ok but again not what i have experienced in the past. This was my daughters first vacation that she has paid for on her own after years of saving. She was very upset and the first half of our 10 day vacation was ruined by the disappointing experience. Definitely not going to this hotel chain in the future.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Unsafe & Unsanitary

My husband and I have been to Cuba over 10 times. We love Cuba for the beaches and the people! We decided to take a family vacation with our 1 year old to Iberostar Selection Esmeralda for 7 days. Where to begin….. CHECK IN: We arrived at midnight and got checked in and did not receive any direction of where to go or how to get to our room. We had to ask another traveller who happened to be sitting in the lobby. We were told we couldn’t have the wifi code as the lady at the front desk [... read more] didn’t know how to do it. We said ok, we will come back in the morning (we like to check in with family back home to let them know we made it safely). The next morning we went back to ask for the wifi code and they told us they didn’t have any wifi available. ???? FOOD/DINING: We came with low expectations of food knowing the issues Cubans are currently facing with pandemic recovery and the US trade, on top of that we also know how the food should be since we’ve visited Cuba multiple times previously. However there was always a line up to get into the buffet and a LONG line up to get to the food (if there was any). Lunch starts at 1pm and dinner at 7pm. We had pork and rice for every meal, every day. Sometimes the rice was crunchy or dry as if it were 2+ day old rice. They ran out of bread for two days. Fries, pasta, pizza, condiments or butter were non existent. If you are looking for fruits, they only had papaya 2 of the days in the morning. The plates, cups, utensils in the dining hall were never clean. They were always still greasy or crusty and you could see the smear marks on the plates from how they wiped the previous food off. Coffee stains on coffee cups that were not cleaned prior. The lobby bar had no milk for coffees in the morning and snack bar did not have cups and they frequently ran out of beer and water. 24 hour snack bar only operates a couple hours a day and there is no selection of food. ROOM: The room is spacious and very well laid out however our shower did not drain and water pooled about ankle deep until it flowed outside of the shower (after about a minute and a half), we only had scolding hot water in our shower as well as lots of black mold. We arrived to our room with dirty, stained sheets and 1 blanket for 2 beds. Requested new sheets and we were not able to get them. We tipped our maid with money and gifts every day but it seems like they just do not have enough resources to provide clean sheets and towels. For 7 days we used the same dirty sheets and towels. Our balcony / floor in the room was never wiped down or swept. We did not receive toilet paper for 2 days. Minibar in the room is empty and was not stocked however they do leave 1 bottle of water per day (if you need more you must ask for a refill at the bar which tastes like chlorine). CHECK OUT: We were required to check out by 5:50am and the bus arrived to pick us up at 6:50am which meant that we would not make it for breakfast. The receptionist told us to go to the 24 hour snack bar but it was closed because there was no food available. CONCLUSION: We do not recommend coming to Iberostar Selection Esmeralda as it is simply not safe or sanitary. We understand the situation but it would be best to avoid booking here. They have a lot of work to do to make the guest stay safe.

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Beautiful setting but food lacking

Grounds and room beautiful. Unfortunately, 4 of the 5 a la carte restaurants were not great. Only restaurant that was any good was the Surf and Turf. I got food poisoning in the Japanese restaurant. In the buffet I asked for gluten free pasta and it wasn’t so not happy about that!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Really good, really bad

The food was the best of 8 resorts I've stayed at in Cuba. Nice modern shower. Nice layout of the grounds. There was no hot water. Little bugs in the hotel room. I would stay there again. I don't care for swoop. Had to pay$70 each way for luggage each person.

Iberostar Selection Holguin: FIRST CLASS RESORT!

Wonderful stay, very large rooms, excellent shuttle service to beach, restaurants, lobbby and to our room. Discovered excellent snorkeling which was NOT advertised. We discovered CORA Adults Only Resort and will experience that next time.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Great time at the Iberostar Alameda!

Just returned from a 10-day stay at the Iberostar Alameda with a friend and we both travelled using the Solo Air Transat package, having our own rooms. Overall it was a great resort and we had a wonderful time. Accommodations: Nice rooms, we were on the 2nd and 3rd floor which they graciously assigned in #19 which was close to the beach, terrace and restaurants - thank you Wendy! The rooms are spacious, the bed comfortable, working safe and the bathroom was wonderful. Ladies, don't bother [... read more] bringing special hair dryers or flat/curling irons as there is only one plug in the washroom attached to their dryer which will only accommodate an electric shaver. The bedroom does not have any mirrors close to electrical outlets. My lights were out one night and the technicians came by instantly to fix the issue - this was amazing. The rooms need a thorough cleaning but all in all, the room was great. Beach: Beautiful beach and no issue getting chairs underneath a hut umbrella. There are some rocks further in the ocean but not harmful or sharp. Entertainment: Fantastic. Every evening on the terrace there is a band and a show or disco following. This was excellent! Entertainment at the pool during the day as well however, we are beach people. There were activities on the beach as well if you wish to participate. Food: No complaints - the food was great and plentiful. Breakfast had a wide variety, with eggs, omelets, pancakes, yogurt, cereal, fruit, cheese/cold cuts and the pastries were very good. Lunch equally as good and included veggies, salad, rice (of course) fish, porchetta and hamburgers. Dinner at the restaurants served good food, particularly the Italian. Staff: This is the best part - the staff are absolutely fantastic. Everyone made an effort to accommodate us in every way. From bartenders, to entertainment staff, the hotel reception, maids and waitresses who made our stay extra special. Grounds: The grounds are beautiful and the gardeners do a great job of keeping it well maintained. The buildings on the most part look okay however, the stairs in our building were loose and not stable or secured properly to the floor, and the outdoor stairwell walls could use a paint job. This resort has lots of potential and hopefully, it can be restored. Overall: I would return and recommend this hotel and will give it a 4 star because of cleanliness in the rooms and maintenance required. A great trip overall. Thank you to everyone at the Iberostar Alameda!