Occidental Papagayo: Very nice resort

Very clean resort! Lacks the “wow” factor but was comfortable. Staff very pleasant and accommodating. Food at buffet could be improved as far as variety. Beach chairs need improvement and lights at night on beach are greatly needed.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Spectacular resort

My husband and I just arrived back from a holiday at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort . It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The resort grounds were pristine with staff working continually to make it perfect. All the pools are amazing with different designs in each. Lounge chairs are plentiful making it easy to sit and relax anywhere. The food is excellent in the restaurants and the buffets are good with many different dishes. The staff were all very friendly and front staff helpful [... read more]. Highly recommend.

Occidental Caribe: Did not disappoint!!

We stayed at this resort a few years ago and we’re eager to return!! Well, the service has not changed and is great all around.. the food was great and there was always a variety so there is no way someone could go hungry!! The grounds are beautiful and the beach is absolutely incredible. There is always a breeze and sufficient shade if one needs it.. the only disappointment that we experienced along with other is that the rooms are in need of some upgrading.. they are old and rundown but the [... read more] cleaning services help make them look welcoming!! Would not hesitate to return!! But if you are miss “fancy pants”,I wouldn’t recommend it as you would be sure to find fault in everything!! Lol.

Barcelo Solymar: Terrible

everyone in the hotel knew about my allergy to shellfish and a week ago in this hotel at the italian restaurant (snack bar) I had an allergy and ended up in the hospital because they did cross contamination, the hotel food was horrible, you can't eat any food outside from the snack bar and you have to be dry and eat your food sitting in the restaurant you can't take the food out they only have chicken sandwich most of the time they often put chlorine in the pool at 10am when people are in the po [... read more]ol , at night the hotel is very dark it has very little light , the rooms have ants , the hot water takes time to arrive , my safe did not work , I do not recommend this hotel and less to people with allergies

Barcelo Maya Riviera: For the $$ can't be beat!

If clean is your thing than this is the one for you! Beach is very nice with a gorgeous view however you'll need water shoes as there is coral here and there...pools are fabulous & both swim up bars. One with music the other without & nicely spaced between the two. Service everywhere was excellent except at the front desk. Each time we called or stopped by and inquired information etc. about something it was as if we were a bother and NEVER a smile. I found this odd considering every othe [... read more]r employee throughout the complex was always in good spirits and friendly. Food...what can I say other than fabulous. Everything was incredible and cooked to your liking. Favs were steakhouse, Mexican & Japanese but all were as said AAA even the buffet! Rooms...spacious, clean with all amenities, stocked bar daily, we loved the tub on the patio & plenty of hot water 24/7. Value...I've personally paid twice if not more at Bahia, Secrets adults only etc. to get similar if not less than what was offered here. Location...I only give this a 4 star as the location is over an hour away from the airport and 30 min to Play Del Carmen.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Fall Get Away

We had good time at Barcelo Colonial, our second visit, and we would go back again, we had opportunity to tour all (6) resorts and in our thoughts for next visit we are going to stay at Palace resort, beach area not as nice as Colonial but the pool area is more to our liking, the Palace has more stairs but we are OK with that. All things said we had good time, the cost was fair, resort clean, staff friendly,food was good, rooms were good for us and we will go back. Thank you

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Great 2nd Stay!

We traveled with a group of seven and our stay was fantastic. Check-in was smooth and we were able to get our rooms close together. The majority of our time was spent around the massive pool and we preferred the "Pool Bar" area rather than the "Music Bar" area. Staff throughout the resort were very friendly. Language can sometimes be a barrier, but the staff worked together to get what you need. We felt that Roger Avila and the staff at the Pool Bar made us feel welcome and did a great job!  [... read more] The resort is very large, but that also means there is plenty of room when they are fully booked. Beach area is very spacious and the ability to travel to the neighboring resorts within the Barcelo family was a bonus.

Barcelo Solymar: Basic resort but may be worth a good deal.

I have been to varadero many times in my life. I have experienced many resorts from memories caribe to Melia continental. This resort is fairly basic compared to the other 2 mentioned. The bad, the pool at barcello has very limited shade with no swim up bar. My room flooded with the rain, but it was not a huge issue as I didn’t have anything on the ground. There was supposed to be 3 resorts included with your stay, but one of them is closed. The map is very confusing and hard to follow. I  [... read more]did not find things until later in my stay. The food was severely lacking which was expected for Cuba. Be warned, It was a lot worse than normal. Cucumbers were rare and cabbage, carrots, and potatoes were the only non meat items. Bananas did not exist and only local fruit. The 24 hour restaurant only serves ham sandwiches and maybe an unappetizing hamburger. They did not have many activities besides beach volleyball. Not even a net in the pool. The good. The stay does get inclusion to the occidental. The pool there is better and it is livelier. The grounds were immaculate with hedges and gardens everywhere. The dining room was very pretty and the bars were plenty. The beach is a very short walk over protected forest and is stunning. This is an amazing resort for a basic resort. It is dated and requires some renovations. Recommendations For those that just want the beach and some sun, this is a great place. For those that want a spa, activities, shopping, or just a bit of fluff, I would search elsewhere. I enjoyed my stay as I just wanted to sleep on the beach.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: We had good vacation but won't be back to this resort

We enjoyed our vacation. Hotel was only half full and it obviously helped to our positive experience. Food was good, no line ups to omelet station in the morning :) Rooms need updates badly. The worse part for me was that hotel advertises itself like quite place where you can relax ... however in reality their beach boards marina with number of private boats belonging to different tourist companies. Each boat has music playing on the loudest possible settings. So imagine at least 15- 20 boa [... read more]ts waiting for tourist and playing 20 different melodies .... In front of the beach ( literally 100 meters off the shore) is a dolphinarium and snorkeling place, where these boats taking tourist still playing music as loud as they could possibly do. It was major to me and really annoying. I came to relax and spent time playing with the ocean and reading my book.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Not my favorite resort

If you have children between ages 10 to 17 there is not much for them to do. Bowling, pool and the pirate ship water park are not included in the all-inclusive resort. $15 person per game to bowl seems a little expensive to me. The food was alright out of 7 days I got bacon once and had to ask for it, it wasn't a help your self to it. The sand fleas were really bad, I was covered in bites so don't forget your bug spay. And finally the bartenders were just doing their job. No smiles no fun, no [... read more] thrill to be at there job whether you tip or not. Seemed to me like the tips don't go into theirs pockets! The hotel is clean and the grounds are kept nice. One more thing if you don't like to do alot of walking then this place isn't for you.

Barcelo Solymar: Wouldn't go back!

The rooms had bugs! Water leaked from the ceiling. You only get 1 bottle of water a day. Limited booze and food sucked. Beach is beautiful and people and staff are friendly but definitely not going back. Entertainment consists of bingo...

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

The property is well maintained, staffs are really really friendly and helpful. Food was not that great but given the countries overall situation it was more than acceptable. The resort is only walking distance from the entertainment area/downtown.

Barcelo Solymar: Will NOT book again AVOIDE AVOIDE AVOIDE!!!!!

Having been to Cuba over 9 times I must say this was by far the worst experience. Starting with the check-in, upon walking to the room the safe was completely broken and we had to go back and forth to the lobby and waited over 2 hours for it to get fixed causing us to miss dinner ( what a start). Woke up for breakfast super hungry since we had not eaten all night but the food was absolutely not fit to be eaten. That trend continued the whole week, the buffet is the same every single day weather  [... read more]you are having breakfast, lunch or dinner. The a la carte restaurant ( only 3 ) were serving the same food as the buffet but even worst. Italian a la carte did not even serve pasta and served the same pizza you found in the buffet again not at all fit to be eaten. Folks there is 1 and I repeat 1 salt shaker in the whole resort! They would pass it around the tables if you asked for salt like whaaat!!! Imagine going to an all inclusive to be forced to eat out every day what is even the point??? Now to the service, you would find the staff all bundled up at a bar chit chatting and on their phones while they serve you and not even make eye contact! Half the time they did not even have simple drinks. They constantly ask you for money and I am not talking about tipping just out of nowhere they come to you asking for money and clothes like where am I?? I understand its a third world country but the staff asking me for money while I am walking to go to my room? Harassing me for clothes while I am lying at the pool??? Room service, the lady came to our room twice in 7 days, we had to keep the same towels because there was not enough in the resort?? At least they didn't pass the towels around like the salt shaker ( at least I hope). Wifi is a disaster it will disconnect and reconnect at will and front reception will just tell you ''ahh not today sorry'' . Made us check out at 12 when flight was leaving at 8 knowing that resort had a 20% occupancy so why make us leave the room so early have a little decency com-on. I was sick for 3 days from the food and lack of hygiene. Everything in the resort is overpriced and you constantly feel like they are trying to rip you off. We had staff in the resort offering us drugs knowing it is completely illegal in Cuba and a criminal offence to do so ( felt like a plot to trick us). You would see locals during the day with no bracelet having food and drinks but would suddenly disappear at night. All in all DO NOT I repeat DO NOT book this place I will be making a formal complaint against the resort and keep in mind this is my 9th time in Cuba and it is the first time I am even taking the time to write a review because I feel it is so important to save my fellow travellers from having to go through this misery again.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Wonderful Resort

Although we were booked at Colonial, we got switched to Tropical because we wanted two beds in the room, not king size. Lovely scenery. Beach was clean and walkable. Ocean was great for swimming. I took water shoes. There were some rocks but there are areas of pure sand. Grounds were kept maintained. Pools were good. Staff were pleasant.

Occidental Papagayo: Nice resort

Grounds were very nice. Food on the other hand was ok...but you cannot live off rice and beans every meal. Not much selection. We didnt get the room we booked (double) but the view we got was beautiful (#1903). Rooms need updated and fixing as sink and shower would not drain and there was no door on shower. Swimming in the gulf was my highlight...loved it. No soliciting on the beach which was nice. People doing massages would ask once and if you said no would leave you alone.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Beautiful resort!

The rooms are gorgeous and modern. Huge king bed, bathroom is nicely equipped with separate water chamber. Huge shower with rain head. The food is amazing. Excellent service. A great resort with beautiful beach and pools. Lots of chairs to lounge on. The entertainment was a bit weak. And too loud. If you don’t want to be up late, don’t have a room by the lobby. We went to the other sister resorts for their entertainment. It’s a good idea to book your dinners when you first arrive as it s [... read more]eemed sometimes difficult to find a good reservation time. Overall we enjoyed the resort.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Nice but noisy

The resort is very clean, food is good, drinks are good. However the evening entertainment started too late and was very noisy. The music started close to 11pm at night in the lobby and it was impossible to sleep because it was extremely loud. We had to complain to the front desk 4 times before they moved us and even after they did it was still not quiet and still couldn’t sleep. I would never return because of this.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great resort!

Barcelo keeps their resort clean. Lots to do. Beach is kept clean, rooms are great, and food is good! Lots of activities to do right on the resort on top of the stuff you can leave the resort for. Will be returning soon!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: My new #1 choice in all inclusive resorts!!!!

This Barcelo Maya complex is outstanding in every way. We arrived to discover that there was only one bed in the room for my sister and I. Now we haven't shared a bed since we were kids and now we are seniors! Without hesitation we were moved from the Colonial which was full to the Tropical and to a room with 2 beds on the ground floor and close to the front of the complex and the pools. The room was spotless and bedding is to die for!! The grounds were groomed impeccably and there was so much s [... read more]pace, so well planned out. We never felt crowded, never had trouble getting a lounge chair by the pool or beach, never had to wait in line for our meals which were very well done and lots of variety. The pools are huge and scattered with fountains and bridges. There is a lap pool for those who wish to swim laps, childrens' areas that keep the kids well occupied and generally away from the adults in the regular pools. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but I do like my peace and relaxation on vacation. The beach is a little rocky in some places, but wearing water shoes over comes that issue and the water is warm and crystal clear. It's a nice beach to walk. There is an open top double decker bus that travels around to each resort lobby to get you to your ala carte restaurants or just takes you for a nice ride to the other resorts. The Mexican Market is massive and the Mall is just right. There is something for everyone at The Barcelo, even a bowling alley! I am definitely looking forward to an other visit to this resort. Stay at one and play at 4,5 or 6!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Amazing hotel

The hotel was amazing Super clean, food was excellent and staff was very helpful, it was great that we could use 4 resorts, when we did not have the Al-a Carte we tried all the buffets, beaches were so clean and the pools were spotless We will be going back next year again. We met people that have come back to this resort 10 times. The only thing, which we expected, the shows at night are not great, but again we picked the theater with the best sounding show