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

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Beautiful Resort, unfortunately not the best experience!

The resort is absolutely beautiful! However, the overall experience was okay. Our trip started by missing our shuttle because the instructions on our itinerary was not correct. Lucky, we finally found an air transit representative and we were able to get another shuttle. The check in process was quick, but we did need to wait until 3 pm for our room. From other experiences- I was able to check in sooner which is always nice. There was no shuttle service to our room. The park is big and a maze !  [... read more]We got lost and ended up walking for a while. Rooms are okay. Not very suitable for a family of four. When we asked for different accommodations the answer was “no we can’t “. We felt that we heard those words a lot during our stay. My aunt found mould on her pillows and our room never had enough towels for my family (even when we asked for more). We even had issues with our water pressure for about two days. The water was dripping. Impossible to take a shower. The food was okay, but lacked verity. Some of the staff there were friendly and added to our trip in a positive way. However, a lot of the staff seem unhappy and/or bothered. There are a lot of staff that are there to sell time shares. It literally doesn’t stop. As mentioned the resort is absolutely beautiful and it’s a shame we didn’t have the best experience.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Wonderful

Barcelo is a wonderful complex with 5 of their other hotels with complete access. There is lots of included fun stuff, pool, amazing slides for the kids, even free daily dolphin show. Clean and spacious rooms. Friendly and courteous staff. Food and service was fantastic everywhere. The only hiccup was at the check in and check out counter which were excessively long, there was a lack of coordination and a lack of initiative and training as every clerk would refer to this one individual for clar [... read more]ification or would disappear behind the counter for 10-15 minutes at a time. This was also evident throughout our stay. However this did not affect my vacation at Barcelo, would return again.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Beautiful Resort

The hotel was very clean, staff was attentive and there were lots of activities. The food buffet was great and the restaurants on the grounds were delicious. We would definitely go back with family and friends again.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Average resort

the resort is set in a jungle which was intriguing with lots of animals like monkeys, deer, iguana, coatis, agoutis etc. Pools were nice and well kept with lots of chairs. Staff were friendly and tried to be helpful . The front desk seemed uninformed about a number if issues. The buildings were nice. Our room on the third floor was large and well kept but the balcony which uncovered looking directly into trees was dirty with animal droppings from birds and monkeys ; a room on the 1st or second  [... read more]floor with a balcony covering would have been much better. The food was poor both in the buffets and specialty restaurants which was disappointing; while we were there they started a reservation required system which frustrating in that you could only book one day at a time ,and only from 7 to 11 am and required you to go to the front desk each morning. the beach was very small but there was a Beach Club which had a breakfast and lunch buffet which was a very nice setting with a very good staff.

Allegro Playacar: Horrible Resort 0 star

No hot water 3.5 days told me to go to buffet and get hot water for my 1 year old daughter to have a shower horrible room at first (3 flights of stairs to carry my baby and stroller up multiple times per day) then got switched to another room the next day spend almost two full days dealing with that at the lobby and the bed was dirty so the maid had to change the bedding Ants in room Pool was filthy film/dirt/hair floating Same food everyday They wanted to charge us $45 for cl [... read more]eaning sheets because I needed it changed at night due to a small accident (pee) on sheet from my 1 year old. We moved in with dirty sheets and didn’t change our sheets for the whole week. So they said because we had no hot water for 3.5 DAYS they would “let it go” No lights walking back to lobby when leaving. It had rained, ground was VERY slippery and it was pitch black out 5:30am we had to leave and not one single light on. Luggage weigher is only pasos when I offered $1 usd he said no only pasos for pasos so couldn’t weigh our luggage before leaving. Point blank they have ZERO customer service and do not have a family/Canadian/us friendly hotel. We will never return or recommend anyone to go here EVER.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Amazing

A very nice resort. More matured crowd and kids have their own play area. There is 5 resorts in one. The food is amazing. The resort is very clean. I stayed in barcelo maya palace. I am going to save to go again. We got a free 2.5 hours bus ride to playa carmen a town close about 30 mins to the resort. They offered free scuba diving lesson in the pool.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Resort is GREAT - bit of a problem with late night noise

This is an absolutely fabulous facility. The staff is exceptional. Everyone is extremely helpful. The bars and drinks are top notch and you can get pretty much anything you want and it's always served with a smile. The buffet is out of this world good with a huge variety. You could eat there every meal if you wanted. That said - the a la carte restaurants (we ate at most of them as we stayed for 11 days) are some of the best we've been to. A bit of an issue with booking them though as we  [... read more]only booked 4 when we got there and had trouble booking the rest as they were booked. Had to use the buffet a few nights but again... the food there is great. The beach and pools are absolutely stunning too! Unfortunately, our Ocean View room was just up from the nightly music entertainment (10:30 pm to midnight) and they blasted the music extremely loudly. Pretty much didn't get to sleep before midnight any night. Also, one night, some "guest" brought a boom-box and they partied in that area (drunk dhouting, yelling, whistling until 3:45 am) - not a great sleep that night. One small issue that relates to Air Transat and not the hotel. We met our rep on the scheduled morning and he was okay - a bit rushed. He offered a free tour of Playa del Carmen but since we were travelling with another couple, we didn't sign up right away. He was almost impossible to find after that initial pre-scheduled meeting. We visited the desk 2 or 3 times a day for the next three days and he was never around and no one knew when he was going to be there. Finally, someone in guest services located his schedule but he was a no show for his scheduled time. Finally, guest services tracked him down at one of the other resorts and we booked the tour. PS: I wouldn't recommend the free tour to the jewelery place and tequila place and 2 hrs in Playa del Carmen. It turned out to be a full day of high presure sales with half of it just waiting around for the bus. If you want to go to the city - I'd recommend just taking a taxi. Luckily we had 11 days but if it was a 7 day vacation, wasting a full day for a 2 hour walk in the city would have been pretty bad.