Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Beautiful resort and awesome people working there.

The people, hotel, grounds, pools and beach were spectacular. The service was also fantastic. My only recommendation would be to add more spices and flavours to the food. This will definitely make this resort the place to go!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Spectacular Resort

This Resort is very clean and well maintained. Inviting atmosphere. Excellent place to unwind and relax! The Entertainment around pool and on the Beach was a lot of fun by the Star 5 Staff! Experience it for yourself, you will not be disappointed.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great Resort!

It was a nice big and beautiful resort very family oriented. Staff are very nice and always willing to help out. The entertainment was great during the day and at nighttime. Our stay there was everything we wanted to. Food was good the a la carte restaurants were really good specially the Criollo which is were they served Cuban typical food. Overall it was a very pleasant experience

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Iberostar Varadero - Will not return

Let me preface this review with, I don't drink any alcohol. So my wife and I really focus on the service, food, amenities and activities. Food - we ate to survive Amenities - Nothing special Service - missing Beach - awesome! was deciding between this and Royal Hicacos & Paradisus

Memories Jibacoa: My favorite place in the world

I can't say enough good words about this place, the staff are absolutely amazing, caring, helpful with anything you need. The service is top notch! Jose, Odeitty our bar tenders are the best guys in the world..Denise and I miss you guys big time!

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Beautiful Resort

This hotel was very well kept they were always cleaning whether it be the floors, gardens or pools it was done 24/7. The staff were great attended to your needs immediately. The entertainment was well done and professional.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Do NOT upgrade to Conceirge & the resort is tired

Best: The beach is amazing and the pools are great. Not good: The resort has extensive water features, filled with water with a heavy sulfuric content- so many, many areas smell like rotting eggs. Also, the resort is being renovated. Honestly, in about 2 years it will be awesome. While it's ok right now, as they have done work and it's under construction now, parts of it are tired. The food was good- not great and not a lot of variety, but edible. The a-la-cartes were also good- best one was the [... read more] Carribean one (get the Cuban soup!). Bad: Do NOT upgrade to conceirge! Save your money! The rooms are NOT upgraded or any different from the rest, so all you get is additional butler service which didn't prove to be any benefit. We called down for ice one night and extra towels another night and they never came either time. Also, because we weren't there a full week, even though we paid for the upgrade for the days we were there, we were ALLOWED the free wi-fi that the full week guests received. The people are very nice and try very hard, but management needs to really drop the conceirge option.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Amazing service and fantastic beach!

This hotel is being renovated and turned into a Royalton. The only thing we were disappointed about was the disco and beach grill not being completed when we were there. Rooms are very large, balcony was great...food was ok. I was happy they had stations where you could get cook to order food. (omelets, fried eggs, pasta, crepes/pancakes).

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Good Resort

My wife and I are experienced travelers to Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica and so on. The primary thing I can say about Ocean Varadero El Patriarca is that it is the best resort in Cuba I have stayed at and I have stayed at two others before this one. Here are my initial thoughts about the resort shortly after returning home. The architecture of the resort and all its various buildings is typical of resorts within this price point. It was more reminiscent of a retirement village i [... read more]nstead of the colonial style you often see. I sort of expect that colonial style in places like Mexico or other part of the Caribbean because of the history, however resorts are simply made up imaginary places anyway so maintaining a façade of a bygone era is not a big issue for me. Inside the rooms the furniture and fixtures are surprising worn for a resort this new. I was told this resort was four years old and I have been told it is two years old. I’m not sure which is correct. The sofa in our room was made of wicker which had been chipped and appeared to be decades old. The fixtures reminded me of a drab version of Ikea furniture, lots of plain wood painted black, which of course shows more damage than if it had been simply stained or painted a lighter colour. The black and green design of the rooms was boring and dingy. There are three a la carte restaurants, which take turns being open for dinner; one buffet, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; a snack bar at the pool that is open 24 hours; and another buffet by the beach that is open for lunch. The a la carte restaurants share their kitchen with the buffet so you can expect a slightly improved version of what you would find there. The a la carte options are Italian, oriental and gourmet. I believe there is another dinning option for Privilege members however we were not made of aware of that. Anyone who travels to Cuba with that preconceived notion that a five star will have international five star quality of food, you will be disappointed. That said, the food is of decent quality and quantity. I have a theory about why Cuba is lacking in this area and it has to do with supply and training issues which I won’t get into here, however you will not go hungry at this resort. There are enough options that even a fussy eater will find something that will satisfy them. The layout of the resort is excellent. Essentially the entire resort is an oval centered on the swimming pool. Nothing is too far to walk to and within a day or so we were familiar with how to get just about anywhere on the resort. Varadero is also a great location from the perspective of tourism. The airport is about 30 minutes from even the furthest location and getting around Varadero is fairly easy. There are two pools at the resort. One is reserved for the privilege guests while the other located in the center of the resort is open to everyone. Between the pool and the beach, the pool is where the party seems to be. The pool looks dirty even though I believe that the paint is merely chipped, however this has the effect of making the pool less desirable. We didn’t use it at all this week. The Varadero beach is really why you come to Varadero. The water is clean, the beach stretches for miles, and the sand is as wide as a multilane highway. Make sure you get up early to find a spot on the beach if you want a palapa with some decent beach chairs. Some of the chairs are in poor condition and my guess by the number of people who reserve them with their towels, there are not enough good quality chairs and palapas to go around. The bracelet you are given upon arrival at the resort is Blue (I believe silver for Privilege). Gradually over the first week of your stay, this bracelet will lose its blue colour and become mostly white. I’m not sure if this is important for anyone to be aware of, but I have never had this happen at any other resort I have stayed at. I wonder where all the blue dye is going? The primary factor in choosing this resort was price. My wife and I had already booked another fall vacation this year, but in researching vacations for my mother-in-law we saw very low pricing on this resort (about half of what we have paid for resorts in other countries). If I found similar pricing for this resort again I would consider it, however I prefer the experience that I get in other countries. I think the most important thing with resorts such as Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, is that you enter into it with the right expectation. If you show up expecting five star standards from another country (whatever they might be), you will be disappointed. If you come with low or no expectation you will probably enjoy yourself.

Memories Jibacoa: Simply amazing!!

The overall experience was fabulous!! Day trip into Havana with a private tour guide is highly recommended. I can't wait to visit paradise again soon :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) !!!

Roc Arenas Doradas: Extremely disappointing!!!

Thank god for the sun and the beach....food was worst than awful (no variety, no lettuce, no tomatoes hotdogs were mush while burgers were always undercooked)go to foods were pasta and eggs on toast. Two double beds pushed together for a kingsize, very blah room. Pool had mold everywhere around edges and pool bar.

Starfish Varadero: I love Cuba!!!

I usually always check out the reviews of the hotels before I book my vacation, this particular hotel had real promise when I read the description, but when I came there not everything was open and we did not get anything other then the small map to try and find out where everything was. Half of the hotel rooms are getting renovated and its very dangerous if kids or some drunk people stumble accidentally off a balcony. I told the people at the reception but everybody there only wants to get thei [... read more]r money and mind their own business. There was slight problems but they are all due to the renovations that are taking place and I am sure that this hotel will get better in time. (no hot water;you have to put the hot to the max and wait a few minutes and it will gradually become hotter.) some people in the hotel had also no hot water at all and no air conditioning but all got fixed when you knew how to complain because they would get free upgrades to Bungalows. Internet when it worked was faster then it used to be, but I only used facebook since the other sites just wouldn't load. The staff was amazing and welcoming as always, the beach and water were always perfect there were two pools one with a bar and animation and one that was closer to me was less visited but much cleaner and perfect for tanning and just enjoying the sun. A la carte restaurants: there was only one location but every night was different types of food, people that went there loved it, I never actually knew where and when we had to book them until the last day but that was actually the Cuban day (Thursday) when there was BBQ on pool and took no reservations. I read the bad reviews and I always tell myself this is all inclusive and some people work 12h shifts to provide us with this, so if the food gets a little repetitive get used to it find what you like and stick to it. I loved my time there, there were things that could have been better like making all the reservations on one day and not having to rush in the morning to get the place, informing us in advance so we don't find out last day, but all in all I loved it, but I'm not sure if I would go back because I like to always try out new resorts and after I have seen all I can make my favorites. For the recommendation, it depends on the person itself; if you have money to waste so you can flaunt how you go to only 4 star and plus, I obviously would not but if the friend just wants to get some sun, ocean, and Cuban music for the cheapest price: I would say; I'm coming with you when are we going? Enjoy and Bon Voyage!

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Good for a short visit.

We had a great relaxing holiday. We stayed for 4 nights 5 days. Nothing overly fantastic sticks out or negative. The food was what to be expected for cuba, lots of pickled foods, bland, greasy or too salty. We didn't go for the food but for sun and relaxation which was lovely. Acommodations were clean convenient. The staff had a full agenda if you wanted to participate, the pool was clean and warm. The beach was well maintained and enjoyable. A nice 5 star in cuba, however I feel it was a 3.5 fo [... read more]r North American standards. Great for a short getaway!!!!

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Great resort!

This resort was great! We went in low season, so there weren't a lot of people. We often had the beach all to ourselves! We were upgraded to the Cayo Libertad area of the resort, which has it's own private beach/pool/a la carte restaurant and lovely suites, but the other resort facilities were available as well. The beach was just fantastic; beautiful sand that stretches way out into the ocean. The service was great, especially the shuttle guys that can take you from one end of the resort to the [... read more] other quickly. The maids always provided beautiful blanket/pillow art each day and the suite was always very clean. The food has a lot of variety, although it is bland as most people say. The bar service is fast and the drinks are good.

Roc Barlovento: nice hotel and clean

great food and very quick to solve problems when they arrive good bartending going back next year I will book through trip central with friends thank you.i recommend this hotel for travellers to cuba and vicinty

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Beautiful Resort with Amazing Staff

The resort was to notch with lots of things to do. The rooms were very nice, the pools were clean, and the bars were had lot of booze. The staff were very friendly, and became friends very quickly. The food at the buffet was okay, but the restaurants were great!

Blau Varadero: Could of been better

OK Food Lots of old people Took over 4 hours of waiting for a refund for an excursion booking through hotel which wasted my day No party life here and had to go off the resort for clubs Reception not that helpful

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Beautiful place. Will be even better when complete

Always kept clean. Wonderful, helpful staff. Attentive. Gorgeous views. Areas under construction, which we were not told about. Food, average. Staff made the resort even better. Smells of sewage at times

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Awesome Resort

Was an amazing experience. Great Food extremely friendly staff awesome entertainment. Flight on schedule and smooth Fight. The only thing Mediocre was the resort room that could be becauz we (Canadians) maintains pretty good living standard. Overall Wonderful experience.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Very bad experience

Very disappointing if you think you are booking a five star and what you get is not at all a five star hotel. The staff is very nice. The food is not good at the standard side, but the restaurants for the Royal service were good.