Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing staff

Staff is very friendly. Lots of activities. Food was tricky. Had to find what food was good or not good. Theatre offered some good shows. Drinks were delicious if u have tip u get the better alcohol. Entertaining staff very active and encouraging. I personally would return to this resort.

Club Tropical: Acceptable If The Price Is Right

Food: Better than I thought. Usually a couple of types of meat being grilled or if you don't like that, always pasta. Rooms: Don't get the apartment. They consist of 2 bedrooms each with its own bathroom plus a sitting area with a kitchenette. The balconies all face the beach. BUT they are very dated & run down. The one we had was smelly (moisture or some animal urinated on the couch ??). Perhaps higher up would have been better, less moisture (we had one on the second floor). If you do decide t [... read more]o get an apartment, make sure you have a look at it first. I looked at a superior room & it looked fine. The resort was half empty so the building with the standard rooms was closed. I can say that none of the standard rooms have a balcony.

Melia Las Americas: lovely resort with lots to do

The grounds are well kept and the views are amazing. The ocean is a beautiful turquoise colour with darker areas and white waves. Mesmerizing! People are friendly, food is good and the golf is convenient being right next door. A great place to vacation!

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Great ambiance!

The complex of small buildings with 12 units in each made for a nice ambiance. It was like a little village amongst lots of greenery instead of a massive, impersonal hotel. We had a first floor unit with a king bed. It was comfy except for 2 issues. (1) there were little bugs/ants around the bathroom window and on the bathroom floor. However we sprayed around these areas with our insect repellent which killed them and no more came in for the rest of our stay. (2) the shower floor was grimy. The  [... read more]grout was very dirty. Recommend wearing your flip flops in the shower. The beach was pleasant with lots of lounge chairs and shade umbrellas. The buffet had a great selection of food and you will definitely find something you like there. There were 2 grill stations where you could get food cooked to order. At breakfast, there was omelets at one station and eggs to order at the other. At lunch it was seafood at one station and other meats at the other. Dinner was similar to lunch. There was always lots of fruit. There were also sauces, and condiments. Don't listen to the naysayers who tell you to bring your own spices and sauces because they think the food will be bland. There are many sauces and condiments there to choose from. All of the staff, no matter what position, was cheery and helpful. We did not feel that more or less service was provided based on tipping. All in all it was a good experience.

Barcelo Solymar: "Remember it's Cuba"

All in all a good trip, I think you have to remember where you are. I have stayed in Arenas Blancas before it was Barceló and it is still a fine resort. We where there late November I guess it was a bad time of the year it was windy and the red flag on beach was allways up but cant control the weather. The one thing I was not impressed with was I had money missing from my room, now I did leave it out of the safe by accident. So a word to the wise lock up all valuables.

Melia Marina Varadero: Good Hotel

Overall, we had a great time at Melia Marina Varadero. We were upgraded to the apartment with a Marina view which was awesome, although our room was not cleaned very well throughout our stay (basically they just made the bed & changed the shower towels- the floors were dirty when we arrived and didn't appear to be cleaned the whole time). We thought this was a bit weird for a 5 star hotel, but it wasn't a huge deal since we didn't spend much time in the room anyways. The food at the buffet was p [... read more]retty good on the days that we arrived at the start. On the days we arrived around 7pm, everything my fiancé and I tried from the buffet was cold. We liked the salad, make your own pasta, and fish stations though. The a la carte restaurants were also pretty good. We tried the Latin and the French restaurants. We liked the 24 hour pool restaurant for breakfast or late night snack. We really liked the beach bbq station. It would be nice if it was opened every day. For the most part, the service was good and the staff were friendly. The evening entertainment was good.. we especially liked the Michael Jackson night and the Ideal Couple night. The pool was great, but we received pool towels when we arrived, traded them in for towel cards at the end of the day when they were wet (cards because they were out of towels)... they were also "out of towels" for the rest of the week until the day we were leaving. Not a huge deal, but kind of annoying. The beach was amazing and it was nice that there were plenty of beach chairs, regardless of the time. Overall, we were happy with the resort and would consider staying again.

Starfish Varadero: GREAT Staff

2 nd time here had a great 50th birthday staff had cake and party by pool room was good same as before food was average but I knew it would be price was good not hot enough in November January is the best

Resonance Blu Varadero: amazing resort

Its very beautiful. I love it! I would like to go again someday in the future with my family. The beach was amazing, I love the food its something I never ate before. The dance show its okay I liked it. Love the view everywhere :) love the classic cars. Everything was Fun had a great time. :)

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great resort.

Clean, excellent service, well maintained beach, shade for all, safe. Could use a few fixes. Our toilet didn't work, beach buffet needs to be redone, tables were wobbly, layout isn't the best. I would recommend this hotel because it has everything you need to relax which is the point right? Great people, excellent beach front, in a clean space :)

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing Resort

The grounds, the rooms , the relaxed atmosphere, the friendly and very helpful service plus the nightly entertainment (5 STARS!), the beautiful beach - all make for a perfect setting in a very safe environment. As to dining = one will never be hungry, but one also does not go to Cuba for a culinary feast.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Nice inexpensive resort

Entertainment is excellent. Beach is outstanding and the people are helpful, friendly and clean. For the price this resort is offered one can not go wrong. We were at this resort before and the treatment for repeat visitors is excellent. Just like the other times we visited we were not disappointed. I could not think of anything negative to say about the resort.

Hotel Tuxpan: Not So Good

The power kept going out in my room every 5m after I turned on the AC, and my passport/money got locked in the safe for 2 days. I called and went down to the desk multiple times (at least 10) on the hour because I needed my money, but was ignored ("maintenance will be there within the moment!"). Eventually (after 2 days) it was fixed when I asked the maid to get maintenance for me, they bypassed the circuit breaker and drilled the safe. They would not change my room. Music and entertainment is  [... read more]extremely loud all day if you are pool side until about 11:30pm. Most staff very lazy, not service oriented, will ignore you even with good tips. About 30m walk to town at a brisk pace- too far. Not a lot of options for food outside of the dining hours. On the plus side.. The room was very clean, and the beach was nice. The food and drinks were ok but not great. I would never go back. Tuxpan has left a very bad impression of Cuba on me.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: It was Ok

My boyfriend & I are in our early 40s, we went from Thurs morning to Sunday night in late Nov 2014. The hotel staff were gracious and accomodating-check in isn't till 3pm but my bf told them that it was just a short getaway weekend for my birthday they got us our room right away and with a king size bed. The hotel is older. The maid changed our towels & bedding but the room wasn't the best clean it could be, bathroom and floor could have used more attention. The food...like everyone says "You do [... read more]n't go to Cuba for the food", you go for the fantastic beach, weather, and affordability but I have been to Cuba 4x and I don't see any reason why they can't improve the tourists culinary experience. Breakfast: if you wait in line for fresh eggs they are great, the bacon was almost raw here, they need to cook it; Lunch: the restaurant by the beach we would not recommend, the food was cooked on an outdoor grill and left sitting for some time, everthing was overdone and dry, and the service was apathetic; the restaurant by the pool, not the buffet was pretty good, pizza & french fries were decent; Dinner: hands down the Japanese restaurant was the best meal we had, you actually felt like you were in a real restaurant, the staff did a great job at authenticating the experience and the food was fresh and tasty. The buffet was okay, pasta with fresh sauce and lots of salt & pepper, and the mango ice cream were good. We stayed at Melia Marina Varadero in Feb for a week and would recommend it over Paradisus Princess Del Mar, it is new, cleaner, the entertainment was more professional, and we liked the layout better...plus a Cuban lady singing in the lobby every night, accompanied by a trio playing guitars, etc. PPDM had a Cuban singer in the piano bar but it didn't start till 11pm. Not a bad experience, you could do worse but we would recommend MMV over PPDM.

Palma Real: Average resort

We enjoyed this resort, we only paid 650$ per person so we didn't expect 5 star food, rooms or treatment. Most staff were friendly and always willing to help. We plan on returning if the price is right.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Disappointed :(

Very disappointed. Food is inedible. Had to switch hotels after day 2. Good points are, great pool entertainment and house keepers were awesome. I've been to Iberostar in Mexico, was fantastic, varadero was not good.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Dump - don't go here

Iberostar Laguna Azul We arrived Nov. 16, 2014 for one week and wanted to fly home the next day, but sunwing refused. This hotel is a DUMP--dirty, rundown and not repaired or maintained. Flooring has chunks of tile missing, doors and walls ghetto dirty. The tub took half an hour to put 6 inches of water, and the grab bar to get out of the tub pulled out of the tile when I barely reached for it causing me to slip and fall in the tub. The door has toilet paper shoved in the hole so the door closes [... read more]. We arrived 2am and were refused service at the 24hr snack bar - claiming they stop serving at midnight and had uncovered bread and yogurt in bowls sitting out in the heat and humidity for food. We attempted to get help with our room - one towel for two adults, and one blanket, even though we had two small beds, no water pressure, nothing in the stocked fridge, and waited at the front desk from 6:30am until 10:30am; then told there was nothing available to change rooms. Then we were told we missed breakfast and lunch was not until 1:00 pm. From the time we arrived at the hotel at 2am until 1:30pm the next day we didn’t get food. The pool view room looks out to an empty pool, they don't have it filled. The spa jacuzzi was not working, and no plans to repair it. The staff are no help saying they don't understand. Select people are served in the dining room with drinks, and others declined. I asked to speak to the manager and he came over, played dumb and said I don't understand. The chair in our room was so dirty my arm that touched the material broke out in a horrible rash. I put the towel on it but the maid took the towel off the chair and put it in the bathroom for both of us to use after our bath. Again we indicated we needed two towels, the maid pointed to the towel she took off the chair and gave us one facecloth which we had for 3 days. This hotel is rated 5 star but hardly a 3 star. We knew Cuba standards were lower, but this is terrible. Vegetables are greasy, covered with pig lard instead of butter, and we can't stand the pork flavor. The beach is filthy, the sand has large pieces of crushed rock and shell, not nice like Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. They don't clean the seaweed, so smelly and flies, ants, mosquitoes and spiders abundant. Varadero is a man-made beach with brown sand, and anyone who says these are the nicest beaches has not traveled much. The washrooms don't have toilet paper or paper towel. People smoke everywhere even as they eat, and for me - allergic to smoke, and using asthma inhalers, could not breathe. There is no place for a non-smoker to sit. We could not attend the night show because of the smoking. The ala-cart restaurant served the same thing as the buffet, but the chicken was a piece of rolled up skin and fat and staff were not accommodating to allow you to book, even though more than half the tables were empty at the sitting times. The grounds are poorly lit at night, and we felt unsafe. The manager met with us again Wednesday and said they were not getting all their towels back from the laundry service. A repairman was sent to fix the grab bar, but all he did was put the same rusty screws back in the hole, no glue, so it came out when I tried to use it. I cannot recommend this hotel.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Awesome Resort

We stayed here for a week in November with our family. The minute u arrive is breathtaking. The rooms are amazing and the decor is phenomenal. The beach .Wow is all I can say. The food was just okay. Its Cuba if you are going for the food you will be dissapointed. The staff are excellent too.

Starfish Varadero: Great place but a little dated

Had a great time except for the rain but that's not fault of the hotel we were there Nov 19th -25th 2014 Food was great staff wonderful little older hotel. My 2nd time at this hotel. Water pressure in bathrooms was not good at all but other than that nice relaxing place.

Barcelo Solymar: Average Cuban hotel

Decent hotel with edible food, standard drinks, close to town. All the beaches in Veradero are beautiful! Don't go to Cuba to be wined and dined, but if you enjoy the beach, and can overlook the small stuff, and week is more than enough. Slightly better than other Varadero hotels I've stayed: 4 Palms, Barlovento, Punterana (don't go)

Hotel Bella Costa: terrible resort

the hotel is 4 1/2 stars it more like a 2 stars, water was dripping from every celling lobby, hall way , restaurants,, very poor service we feel like every time we ask the server for something they look at us like we dis turn them , the beach was terrible we go on vacation every year and it the first time I am write bad reviews, the room smell so bad, the maid was very good, and the front desk service was good, we went there for my niece wedding 40 of us was not happy with the resort