Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Great resort

I was overall very happy with this resort. It was clean, the staff was amazing, and the grounds and beaches were beautiful. The food was good (especially the egg bar at breakfast and the lobster on lobster night). The only problems I experienced were with towels and the shower in my room: I was put in a handicapped room so the shower had no ledge, and the floor wasn't properly sloped to drain the water. I had to be very careful with where I pointed the shower head and one day I flooded my bathr [... read more]oom floor/part of my room a bit with water. Not a huge deal, I just called the front desk to deliver towels to sop it up, but unfortunately I had to wait over 4 hours for towels and had to request them multiple times. Another towel issue was beach towels: the clubhouse where you can exchange your beach towel for a fresh one opens at 9 every day, but every time I went there at 9, the staff had no fresh towels yet. I didn't want to compromise my beach time so I went down to the beach with my old towel anyway. When I went back in the afternoon they had already run out of fresh towels. This happened on multiple days.

Villa Tortuga: A Gem resort!

Let me begin by say Villa Tortuga is a wonderful place to go! Knowing that this is Cuba you must lower your expectations. Bellow are Cons & Pros. Pros: Very clean grounds, they try their very best to accommodate you, pool was very clean and had nice Spanish music playing at all times. The beach was beautiful and cannot ask for a clearer/warmer water. Varadero town is a must go! only 10 minutes walk from the resort. You can rent scooters and bicycles from the resort. Staff was very nice at all t [... read more]imes (they work hard so please tip). Also ask for a fridge in the room (helps keep your water cool). Buy the 5cuc tour bus which allows you to hop on hop off and travels all along the Varadero main street. The street is very safe even during the night!. If you like sea food go to Varadero 60! for really good lobster. The buffet was (as expect for Cuba) and the a la cartes were pretty good. Cons: The rooms are clean but bugs still do get in so make sure you check your room before accepting it. Never stay on the ground floor (you will get eaten by miskitos). Make sure the A.C works because it is an older hotel but they will have no problem changing your room. Do not exchange money at the hotel walk to the bank in the town. Not much verity during breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet but you will eat well. Overall the Pros out-way the cons and I would stay at Villa Tortuga again! I do recommended it for anyone who is on a budget as it is worth every single $.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Bring your own snacks

Good place to go for a cheap vacation but bring your own snacks. The canned veggies and poor quality food will leave you wanting more. Beach was beautiful and the staff very friendly and helpful. Room was ok even though the sheets didn't fit the king size bed properly.

Hotel Bella Costa: Beautiful Beach

I've never written a review for anything like this, so I will try to keep it short and sweet: - Beach and ocean were beautiful. - Pool area is nice and the 5:00 pm, daily Bingo was always fun. - Golfing was great, but it was impossible for us to get a tee time. Luckily we just showed up after lunch and had no problem getting out. I suggest booking online before you go. We didn't know this was an option, but found out from other golfers that is what they did. - The nightly shows are a good ti [... read more]me. They have some incredibly talented dancers. The Michael Jackson show was a blast. - Rooms are VERY outdated and our beds were not very comfortable. My fiancee and I had 2 double beds pushed together ala I Love Lucy. Luckily you don't spend too much time in the room, but by the end we were used to the room and the maid staff was very friendly. - I don't drink alcohol, so water is the only thing I drink. It IS safe to drink the water at the buffets. You also get a 1.5 L bottle of water in your room, daily. Just don't leave the previous bottle out because we found if it's visible in the room they will not leave another one. Same goes for the 2 beer you get, daily. - The food was pretty good. I am a picky eater and I never went hungry. Breakfast has 2 omelet stations and each meal has a wide variety. The pasta guy at the buffet dinner is very entertaining! He works so hard and always has a smile on his face. The chocolate ice cream was always a hit after dinner. There is also a 'Snack Bar' by the beach that serves pizzas. I found them hit or miss. Some days they were great, other days they were meh. - We didn't try the Japanese restaurant, but the Cuban and Italian restaurants were pretty good. - We had some great staff, but there are many who I felt were rude or not friendly. This makes me believe they don't get to keep their tips (I have no knowledge of this). We met some locals who explained to us that 1 convertible Cuban peso is the equivalent to 25 pesos and an average/decent salary in Cuba is 350-400 pesos a month. Some of the staff simply grabbed the money and threw it in a bin and didn't so much as crack a smile. If someone tipped me $25 for serving them a beer, lets just say I'd be at least smiling. I must stress this is not the whole staff. You'll obviously find anywhere, at home or abroad, that some staff are not too thrilled to be waiting on you. The ones that were nice were really nice, the ones that were cold were really cold. We tipped the nice ones! - I recommend going into Varadero. We visited a school to give a donation of baseball equipment. It was a great experience, but be warned about taxi fares. It cost us 20 convertible Cuban pesos to go to the school and then 5 minutes down the road to Varadero's downtown core. We found out we paid that cab driver, for 1 fare, almost as much as a doctor gets in half a month! On the way back...6 convertible Cuban pesos with a different cabbie, in a MUCH nicer car. - Barter prices, but keep in mind it's a win win for both sides. We bought a small painting of the beach for 5 convertible Cuban pesos. He made 125 pesos and we scored a souvenir for $7 Canadian. Overall I would say this resort was good. We had an absolutely great week and the weather was perfect (27-31 degrees everyday and only 2 hours of rain 1 day). I would go back to Breezes Bella Costa again for less money. SO, at the right price (I'd say ~$1,000) you won't be disappointed. That was definitely not short and sweet, but I hope it helped.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: will go back

over all we did have a great time it is a older resort but did like it the location cant be beat it did have its short comings but could be made up for on location and beach the maid staff is great but do not go for the eco room the bartenders are just ok all old guys and dont seem to care to much but to be able to just walk out the front door and be in the town of varadaro mad up for alot. the food in my opinion was the best i have had

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Iberostar wins again!

Resort and location are beautiful.Well set up with restaurants, pools, beach and entertainment all close at hand. Never felt overcrowded. Food was delicious and music, entertainment was varied and very good. Some problem getting hot water in bathroom.

Melia Las Americas: Amazing resort!

The grounds are well maintained, the room we had was more than we expected. The food was very good at the buffet and the a la carts were excellent. The service was exceptional. The resort has a beautiful patio out front looking down to the beach. We went to this resort for the golf that's right beside. My husband had never been to Cuba before and was hesitant. He wants to go back next year. We had an awesome time and found a week too short. 10 days would be perfect for us.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Good Resort!

Overall good resort. Friendly staff. Beautiful beach. Food was okay, have to pick and choose. Staff at buffet and bars were great, knew exactly what we wanted within a few days of our stay. Would definitely recommend this resort.

Hotel Bella Costa: Exactly what we needed

When choosing to go to Cuba we were very cautious because of what we have heard from fellow travelers i.e. bad food, rundown country ect. Bella costa was a little outdated definitely could use a spruce up the bathroom tiles had that old well used look and the matresses where difficult to sleep on.(very hard) BUT the food was surprisingly good and we ate very well especially the awesome beachside BBQ they did every other day. The people/staff where friendly and there was always someone cleaning,  [... read more]for us the key needs were met. We wanted a quick winter getaway with sunshine and beaches and that is exactly what we got. Had a great time.

Hotel Villa Cuba: Not a good first impression

We arrived at Villa Cuba just before 10 p.m.. They took us to our Villa near the beach which was a huge disappointment. The room fit only 2 beds with a tiny bistro type table and a very tiny bathroom. There was no dresser to place your clothes and a closet big enough to hang your coats. We requested a change in rooms which they did accommodate us 2 days later to a much nicer part in the resort. Due to spending 2 days in the very damp room my sisters white slacks had black mold on them. Once we s [... read more]ettled in to our new room our vacation was quite nice. The staff were very friendly and most spoke English. The pool area was great as well as the entertainment each night. The beach was also beautiful. It is a large resort but mostly for adults. There is nothing there for children other than the pool. Even though the food was Cuban style you could always find something that suited you, variety was wholesome.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Great people and beautiful beach

This resort could be better, it's not operating at its potential. Our room had a musty smell (which I know is common) , but this was very overpowering- maybe some air conditioner maintenance? There was mold on the wall in the bathroom. The fountains and water features had very little water, there were many burned out light bulbs, the food was never hot and neither was the water in the shower, but the people who work there are sooo friendly and helpful and the beach is spectacular ( and the pool  [... read more]is well kept too)

Barcelo Solymar: VERY POOR

This resort was horrible, the bathrooms disgusting to accompany no hot water and no water pressure. They didn't have the common sense to clean their beach at night and their beach chairs are dirty, worn and torn. The buffet is one of the poorest I have ever endured in Cuba

Hotel Bella Costa: Excellent vacation - will return!

Rooms and hotel overall were clean but the building is showing signs of age and in need of maintenance (ie. a fresh coat of paint inside & out). Service & food was outstanding, the best we've had in 10+ trips to Cuba (including a new 5-star resort last year). Proximity to the beach, the town of Varadero and the golf course (#3 & #7 tees less than 100-yds from the lobby) can't be beat. Evening musical entertainment at the lobby bar was excellent. Standout personal service from Yoseline at the rec [... read more]eption desk (we will be looking for her next time). We felt completely satisfied and that we got our money's worth from a truly relaxing vacation. Breezes Bella Costa is definitely on our return-visit list.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Great service

This resort had good food, staff, and beach. I had to use my friends suit to shower because there was no hot water in my suit. . This resort is good for litthe kids and older crowds. I overpaid for this resorts actual worth

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Very happy with the resort.

Very happy with the resort. Only complaint is that the golf cart transport is a little unreliable. Nice beach and the food was OK. Staff are great, very friendly and helpful.Will return if visiting Cuba again.

Muthu Playa Varadero: less than stellar.

The grounds and main lobby were pristine at all times but the rooms left a LOT to be desired. Our first room was VERY mouldy and we needed to be moved which didn't happen until the next day. Our second room was better but still had some elements of mould. I found the general repair of the interior of the building to be lacking. Curtains hanging haphazardly or missing, damage to the drywall everywhere, sliding doors that didn't slide. Our "included" excursion was overbooked so we didn't get to go [... read more] (and did not receive compensation) and we considered ourselves lucky when we could obtain beach towels (which wasn't until the last day of our trip). The staff was either uber accommodating or not at all (mostly wonderful). I felt relieved we were only there 3 nights.

Hotel Acuazul: Reliable hotel

This is a no frills hotel that delivers the basics on a constant basis for Cuba. Adequate entertainment on occasions. Good downtown location with access to many venues. Lots of recurring clients giving it a feel home plaçe. Don't expect luxuries.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Good Resort

Nice resort, would have been nice to be told that the resort was under construction, aka, the rooms right beside ours. Begged for clothes and money every time we walked by which was the way to go to the beach. Unfortunate. Our sliding patio door was broken and wouldn't lock, had to call 3 times with no repairs at all. Didn't receive water bottles one day, was the hardest thing to get out of anyone at the resort. The staff were friendly, beach was amazing, food was good, drinks were good. But the [... read more] above takes away from all the nice features. But I would still recommended on the basis that there was no construction being done, that was really a downer.

Playa Caleta: Good for the price

the hotel was good for the price I paid and for being a 3 star in cuba. A little run down but always clean. Pools and beach were nice, food was good and always a bar nearby. The staff was friendly too. It was great that the hotel had a free shuttle twice a day to and from town as it was a long walk. Being a student, the crowd was good, lots of young people, but it got very loud at night. Overall, the value was good for the price paid, but if I was going back I'd pay a little more and stay at a r [... read more]esort with more stars further down the island.

Club Kawama: meh.

Smelled of sewage in most areas, food was questionable, front desk was no help and housekeeping was rude most days. The beach was beautiful, full of garbage however except near the water. The main pool was nice, the pool bar was nice, the main snack bar was nice, the lobby cafe was my favorite. There was no WiFi, even though it says two internet bars... But the liquor was free and the sun was hot and the ocean was warm and clear. If you want a cheap place to be near the beach, with free drinks,  [... read more]and close to downtown Varadero, this works fine I suppose.