Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Varadero Holiday!

The hotel was well maintained and clean. However, the men’s toilet by the pool was out of order for the entire holiday and I suspect some time before that. The ladies toilet by the pool was disrepair with the stall doors unable to close. The bungalows were more than adequate, spacious and the housekeeping service was reliable and did a great job. The cleaning staff were attentive to our needs and pleasant and friendly. The bar staff were efficient but not always the friendliest. However, Marlo [... read more]n at the beach bar was AWESOME! Check-in was quick and we were made to feel welcome. We checked in at 2 pm and both rooms were ready! (Yay) Yaima at the front desk was AMAZING! She went above and beyond for us everyday and we truly appreciated it. The food on a whole was pretty average. However, I didn’t have to cook it or clean up afterwards so no complaints. The breakfast was good- fresh eggs, omelets made to order. What’s not to like? Kudos to the egg guy and the pasta ladies! Bread and desserts were pretty yum too. Buffet wait staff were not so great except for a few, but unfortunately I can only remember Jorge - he was so attentive and obviously loved waiting on his guests- he was a legend! We did eat at a la cart restaurant (Italian) and the service was excellent and the food was good. Shout out to the gals at Mike’s coffee. All four of those gals were EXCELLENT. The beach was incredible. White sand and crystal waters. Lovely! We did not participate in activities or entertainment. We did enjoy some lobby entertainment in the evenings. The A/C at Mike’s coffee was a good escape from the heat and the coffee was so good. The pool was a bit shallow and far too warm (air temperature was brutally hot so I don’t blame the resort). Bottled water and soft drinks delivered to our room everyday. All in all, our experience was a good one. The resort itself was fine, but the buffet food did let it down, but we never went hungry and always found something to fill our bellies. It was a quiet resort with no obnoxious guests or drunken sailors. Success! (Oh, if you are an internet junkie- the wifi ($1 per hour) is pretty unreliable.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Amazing resort!

The resort is well kept with beautiful gardens, very modern rooms with a spectacular beach!! Staff are very courteous and friendly. We booked with the privilege package, our butler Arley was very attentive to our needs and very friendly. Once Arley found out it was our Anniversary, he made special arrangements for a beautiful dinner for me and my family.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Love this Resort

Love staying here. It is very clean and well kept. Gardeners are always outside maintaining the grounds, and they are very friendly. Staff my favourite was Elizabeth and Arley, they always made me feel welcome and made sure my family and i had everything we needed. Front desk though needs work. When you call them they tell you they will come and help no problem but do not show up. Some buildings are more up to date then others. But every room is always clean. On arrival you might not alw [... read more]ays have your bar fridge stocked i find if you arrive on a later flight, but will always be stocked the next day. Beach is AMAZING!!! if you are a beach person this is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Crystal clear and you can go snorkelling in shallow waters and see some pretty cool fish without having to go deep sea diving. Service in the buffet is amazing once you find your server they will make sure to take care of you the rest of the week and will always look out for you. Privilege is also good service. Food is always made fresh and yummy! (Menu consists of mostly eggs) fruit is fresh and so is the juice. All around i love coming to Oceans i’ve now been three times and have no complaints.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Ocean Varadero El Patriaca

So we just got back Saturday night, July 20th 2019 after 7 days a this resort. It was our first time and we stayed in the Privilege area. It was our 25th Anniversary. I had sent them an email giving them a heads up and again mentioned it to them during our check in. There was no emotion, no bottle of wine or flowers in our room. Nothing. I would think that this would be something that this would want to say thank you for choosing them for this special occasion. The grounds were absolu [... read more]tely beautiful and well taken care off. They decided to begin construction outside of our second floor balcony and remove the pillars, setup scaffolding and put our patio chairs inside of our room. Yes, inside of our room. With no notice. One call and 24hrs later, items were removed and a 26 bottle of rum for this inconvenience. El A Carts were fantastic!!!! Breakfast and Lunch buffet were very poor im afraid. Even for Cuban Standards. But we made do. Pool side bar service was ok. The kicker though was they closed the pool at 6 along with the bar. Bar I understand. Barely. But the pool itself with at least 3 hours of sun left was terrible. Why? That is when they schedule the chlorine. Other resorts are at night or early in the morning. Really sucked getting kicked out of the pool with lots of Sun and heat still there every single day. Toilet paper was rationed. When we ran out, well that was it. We started hiding the left over rolls so that we could get another one replaced. If we left a roll there with a few sheets left, we wouldn't get another one. No slippers or robes as promised being in Privilege. No plug in the tub until day 4. Beaches were beautiful!!! Mike's Café and the Girls behind the counter were fantastic!!!! Service was the best there and the coffee was the best on the resort. Wish they would stay open till 11 pm though instead of closing at 9 pm. El a Cart goes to 1030 pm and it would of been nice to have there coffee. We went to a restaurant outside of our resort for our anniversary. It was called Waco. Amazing. 5 star food and service. pricing was fantastic!!!! Taxi cost 15 CUC each way. Nice old Chrysler.

Playa Vista Azul: Great vacation

We like resort but beach is little far especially for people with disabilities. I had bad experience first morning when using stairs on the beach injured baby toe in the sharp rocks under sand. Still in the pain. Rooms are great. Food is ok can not be hungry. Beach is nice.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: White sand/ beautiful hotel resort safety at risk

hotel staff were friendly and welcoming. Beach was very nice and water beautiful in this resort. There is jelly fish in the water so tourists should keep a supply of vinegar as precautionary treatment with them when visiting beach area. The hotel casa del mar lacks adequate lighting at nights and more importantly no proper cleaning of the floors in the dining areas and oily floors increase the risk of falling . lack of hygiene in public bathrooms and water accumulation was observed on multiple  [... read more]occasions. lack of caution signs on wet floors add to risks of slip and fall for tourists Since there is no medical staff on site ,considering the size of this resort ‘this can be a major issue ! Furthermore, the privilege rooms in 3 buildings have no shower , only bath tub which is set high and again this was identified as s health and safety risk for older age and children . The resort is about 1.5 hour by bus from major city ( santa clara) and this makes it unfavourable in case of an accidental fall!

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Beautiful Resort

My boyfriend and I went during off-season in July for a week and loved it there. The staff at the buffet were super sweet and always welcomed us with a smile. Food was surprisingly good. Beaches were close to our rooms and breathtaking - white sand and turquoise waters. Our room was always well cleaned and stocked. AC was nice and strong and the rainfall shower was a definite plus. Overall, we really enjoyed our trip and would most likely go back again.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Ocean Casa del Mar

Before I start this review....know that I usually make the best of any vacation and do not expect resorts in general to be equal to hotels in Canada or the USA. That being said, I would only give this resort a 1 star! I am pretty easy going when problems arise as and make the best of a situation. However, this resort did not deliver on any of the things that was promised. 1. RESORT IN GENERAL - The resort looked great in pictures, however, when we arrived, it appeared run down and I qu [... read more]estioned whether it was in fact only 4 years old. Staff indicated that in general, things are not maintained in Cuba making it look old. Walk ways where poorly lite at night, and several common walkways were narrow making it difficult to pass other people on the same path. The grounds in general where dirty with cigarette butts and debris in bushes and gardens. Garbage cans did not get emptied on a daily bases. Shortly after arriving, we learned that half the resort property was closed and not being used. 2. ROOMS - my first room was nice but the shower would not drain so it would flood the floor. Not a big deal, just had to work around that. On my 2nd day, the maid was cleaning and broke the toilet. They could not fix it, so I had to move rooms. As I was rooming with a friend, we needed 2 beds. They could not keep me in the same building and switched me to a king room. I returned to the front desk to explain that would not work. They then moved me to their "privilege" section which I was pleased about. When we got to this room, we only had a bathtub and no shower. Was not overly happy but figured we could deal with it. After unpacking again, we discovered that the patio door would not lock (was on ground level) the safe was broken and the hair dryer did not work. The front desk then moved us again to another building. Once in this room, several of the lights did not work, but at this point, I had moved 3 times and was done wasting my vacation moving rooms. I was with a large group (30 people) and several others also had problems and had to move rooms. Some of the rooms had cock roaches. 2.POOL - The first 2 days of our trip we noticed that the pool area was not being cleaned. I would go to get our seats by the pool and proceed to clean up all the garbage, cups and cigarette butts off the pool deck. I even had to use pool water to wash away the spilled drinks from the night before. When we originally booked, I was excited to see and sit on the "island seating area" across from the swim-up bar in the pictures. Once we got there, this island was water locked, so it never got cleaned. It constantly had garbage and cigarette butts all over it making it unusable. As the week progressed, the cleaning staff did start to clean up the pool deck area (not the island), however, the pool water was not clean. By the end of the trip, I did not feel comfortable getting into the pool water. Being a pool owner myself, this is something I am aware of and will leave it at that. 3. A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS - Because half the resort was closed, it had only 1 a la carte dining option per night. Our package included 8 a la carte dining options with no reservations required. We quickly discovered that because they had closed half the resort, you had to book your a la carte dining and could only get the restaurant they decided to open. Also with only 1 restaurant available each night, several people could not get reservations as there was simply to many guests for only 1 a la carte restaurant. Very disappointed that we could not choice an a la carte, but told where we had to go each night. 4. FOOD - I have been to Cuba before so I was prepared for the food. However, in general, Cuba has a food shortage according to the staff. We never had any fresh salads, potatoes or vegetables. The main vegetable was pumpkin, which I was okay with. This was no fault of the resort from what I can tell. But I did not particular enjoy many meals. 5. BEACH - This area was beautiful and Cuba does have some great beaches. Overall, the staff where lovely and worked hard. There was some communication problems, as many of the staff had little English and did not understand what we wanted. Again, not a big deal, I don't speak Spanish, so no fault on part of the staff. Based on our package and star ratings from TripCentral, this resort did not come close to offering what was presented. I can say I will not be returning to this resort. I feel bad leaving this review, but feel travellers need to be aware of some of the concerns.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Bellow avarage

I have to the bath roomevery time i take bath in the buffa a lady foll she injure her headand nee becouse the floor was slipery becouse the oily staf falles and they cleane it with water oney no ditergent

Playa Vista Azul: Modern newer resort

Suite was well maintained and cleaned. Food and bars had very good service. Beach excellent. Bonus was having an Infinity pool. Entertainment excellent. Front desk very efficient. Second time there and not my last. No disappointments.

Ocean El Faro: Nice hotel, but lacking service and high pressure time share situations

We recently returned from our stay at Ocean El Faro . The hotel was very pretty and the décor felt luxurious . The layout of the whole location was done well - for such a large facility . Having said this ,I was surprised to find that there was as much wear and tare on the facility , as we seen , including a broken shower door in our room - and missing handles on the patio doors for entrance . The unfinished / unusable washrooms at the pool made it feel dirty - since there was no where for s [... read more]wimmers to relieve themselves. Unfortunately , until the hotel improves their service , I believe the return rate customer rate will be very low. General discussion with other vacationers confirmed this same sentiment . With the lack of service - , I would pass on this hotel ( hotel chain ) for any future bookings . It was very evident that because we did not speak Spanish , we did not get the same service, as some other visitors. We did experience a day at the buffet for breakfast that was missing plates , all drinks, glasses , many empty trays , along with long line ups for items. They do need to learn how to staff accordingly , which I expect is a learning curve of a new hotel . My suggestion to trip central - that there should be a notation made on the booking site - that this is a time share facility. There was a lot of constant pressure to attend meetings and tours , even with declining the invitation . It made it uncomfortable , trying to avoid different areas of the resort .

Playa Vista Azul: Beautiful, but could easily have been sooooo much better.

Based on the reviews and the photos, and the research I did months in advance of our arrival, I was expecting the best of the best. This was my fifth visit to Varadero, previously staying at Breezes Varadero and Brisas del Caribe in 1998, Breezes Varadero in 2000, Melia Las America in 2008, and Paradisus Princessa del Mar in 2010. I choose to stay in Varadero, rather than exploring the other resort destinations in Cuba, specifically so I can travel to Havana for a day. This was a trip for me  [... read more]and my two sons, ages 18 and 13 to enjoy together. They had not been, and in 2010, I promised them the next time I travelled to Cuba, I would bring them. We were all excited and looking forward to the “5-star” experience promised by Ocean Vista Azul. Let me be clear, there was nothing bad about our experience. I simply feel they fell short on really simple and standard things. Some examples: - a complete lack of information or branded materials in the rooms. No instructions pamphlet for what to do with towels, room service, events schedule, etc. no pen/notepad. It was very bizarre. I asked our sweet chamber maid Mireiny, if these things had simply not been placed in our room prior to check-in, and she confirmed they don’t have anything like that. Weird. - no fresh flowers on the dining tables, despite the grounds being LUSH with flowers. Would have been an easy and sweet touch. - no live music during dinner times, anywhere. And barely any music at all. - lack of activities other than a few pool or beach games each afternoon - no English speaking people at reception or guest services when you call. I always had to go to the front desk to ask a simple question. -never any sunscreen in the teeny shop. If I ran a shop at a 5-star resort and a customer came in one day looking for sunscreen, I would be sure to have some—even if I had to buy it myself—the next day. Seems like they really missed the boat on that one! -sadly, most of the service staff seemed uninterested in engaging with the guests. This was so opposite from every experience I have ever had before. The exception being the staff whose specific job it is to engage: bar staff, entertainers. The staff pouring beverages and working the a la carte restaurants all seemed somewhat dull. A smile and “hola!” would have gone a long way. -pools close at 6pm. They don’t strictly enforce it at the main pool, but the infinity pool guards kick you out. That’s such a shame, as the sunset there is spectacular, and being in the pool at that time was like being in heaven! - while I don’t expect much from the food in Cuba, I have never complained about it, until now. The food here was the worst I have ever had. Unidentifiable, even with the name tags. Seafood like shrimp and lobster should have been juicy and moist, and was over cooked and tougher than rawhide. Even the a la carte meals were pretty awful. We eventually found our groove and stuck to the salad items, pasta bar, rice, beans, and took a few chances with meats, which in some cases, were delicious. - outside of mealtimes, it was difficult to find something to eat. The poolside snack bar served burgers, hotdogs and fries, but the wait was long, the regular girl didn’t speak English and was grumpy, and you don’t always want to eat burgers, hotdogs and fries! Somewhere to find chips, salsa, fruits, etc. any time of day would have been really nice. Overall, I would give OVA a 3.5 out of 5. The highlights were the infinity pool (gorgeous), the pool bar staff (Yos, Livia, Lisbet), and the view (although there were several oil tankers out front every day, but that’s out of the resort’s control). Would I go back? Probably not. To date, Melia Las Americas has been the most stunning, however it is 18+. At this point, for my next trip to Cuba, I am considering flying into Havana and booking an AirBnB or trying one of their classic or new hotels. 🇨🇦❤️🇨🇺

Ocean Blue and Sand: Paradise resort

This was by far the best place I’ve ever stayed at. It was so much fun. The people were amazing, funny, nice and helpful and the vibes were out of this world. I felt so safe and happy. Couldn’t have asked for a better stay.

Playa Vista Azul: Great resort

We have booked the Privilege and were very happy with all the extras we got - room service, privilege restaurant and bar, check out at 2:00pm Loved the beach - breath taking, crystal clear water. Everyone is talking about the food - yes, definately they can improve, for example, very low on vegetables and fruits.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Great resort

The hotel rooms were very clean and have a very nice air conditioning system beautiful bathroom with a very large shower every worker was so nice the bartenders are great the ocean is beautiful there are beautiful plants and trees all around the resort and the freshly cooked food Is amazing and the reservation restraunts are awesome you will love this resort

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Fantastic resort

Hotel was great, hotel employees were always nice and welcoming, food was great and the whole trip was organized to perfection. Location and time of year the trip was booked was perfect, would 100% go again sometime soon

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Disappointed

Was hoping for more! Thankfully the company with was the best part. Public area bathrooms never had toilet paper. Had to clean around the pool in mornings for staff did not. When calling in about problems they were not dealt with. Mikes coffee was about the only good in resort. Rooms had a lot of problems...no light bulbs, sliding doors would not lock, toilets breaking. Pool water green by end of day. Made the best of it but would not recommend this resort.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Definitely wouldn’t return!

This hotel leaves a lot to be desired! Rooms were basic and clean~ish. Every bed sheet was stained somehow. The shower drains all need to be cleaned, as every shower overflows onto the floor. Many things in each room didn’t work from toilets to light switches... you had to pick your priorities. Didn’t find one patio door that locked?? My food expectations were low with it being Cuba, but it was worse than I expected and that was disappointing. The drinks were great and the staff tried hard. [... read more] The service was painfully slow, it appears that they need more staff. Someone finally barbecued pork chops and it was the best thing I ate there!!! No vegetables at any time, that was hard for me. Fruit limited and only in the morning.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Good time

Overall taken care of, the gardeners work hard. The rooms could use an update and the maids could do a more detailed clean as in coboards and night stands. Wish the bedsheets were large enough to cover all the body.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Relaxing week at the Beach

The grounds are well groomed with beautiful flowers and tropical trees. The resort is mid-size and the lodgings are all in 8 room 2 story buildings. We stayed in building 22 which was very close to the main lobby and dining area and about 5 minute walk to the beach and to the pool. The beach is wonderful ...white sand and great for swimming. If you like Beach Volleyball, there is a good net setup for daily games. The entertainment team also runs various games, dancing, stretching and beach footb [... read more]all (soccer) each morning at the beach. The pool is on the small side but it does have a pool bar and volleyball net. The rooms are clean and have the basics. The AC is too loud at night though. The cleaning staff are very friendly and helpful. The evening entertainment in the lobby was wonderful ... great live music every night. There was also a very good magic show one evening in the auditorium. I am always impressed by the talented musicians and dancers in Cuba. As far as the food...I would recommend having an omelette for breakfast, find something simple for lunch and enjoy grilled fish, rice and vegetables for dinner. You don't go to Cuba for the food anyway:) Enjoy 'Mike's' coffee on-site when it's too hot in the afternoon and have a mojito or two in the evening as the music fills the air...enjoy.